God's Highest Mountain Too Much For Me

I'd like to submit some thoughts on next Sunday's Gospel, but today I am up on the Appalachian Trail, where we started a four day trek near James Madison University in the Shenandoah National Park. Yesterday I completed about 10 miles; the highlight coming as we were navigating a treacherous rocky stretch when a hail storm broke out.

When we reached our lodgings in mid-afternoon I could not walk without a limp and a grunt, so it may be that this kind of mountain hiking is better left to the young folks and my wife, though I will get a better read on her stamina when she arrives here this afternoon. I drove here to our second night's accomodations and presently enjoying coffee and blogging in a spacious living room overlooking three mountains I was supposed to climb today. I'm thinking of using the rest of the week for a little retreat or getaway of sorts.

Next weekend is the Feast of Corpus Christi. I don't have Sunday's texts at my fingertips, but the feast was inspired in the Middle Ages both by heresies regarding the Real Presence and the brilliant defenses of the Sacrament by St. Thomas Aquinas and others. Aquinas is attributed with the classic Eucharistic hymn, Tantum Ergo.

As luck would have it, at the last minute before heading up here I packed a copy of the sacramental treatise "Doors to the Sacred" by Joseph Martos, in the wheel well of my Sportage. I didn't think I'd have time to look at it, but as the Latins say, semper paratus or "always prepared." Now to see if the gift store here has a highlighter.