Corpus Christi
Posted by Fr. Bruno M. Shah, O.P. on 06 Jun 2010 at 01:16 am | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts
Solemnity of the
Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
After the Church concludes her Easter season with Pentecost, and after celebrating the Most Holy Trinity one week later, she turns her liturgical focus to the Most Blessed Sacrament. These are all celebrations of God’s mysterious but personal and omnipotent presence in our lives, from the gift of the Spirit that animates the Church, to the personal indwelling of the Blessed Trinity, and now, to the Real Presence of Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist.
All of these mysteries were revealed by Jesus Christ to the Apostles. Henceforth and until the end of time, we encounter Immanuel (God with us) in the Church, through the very mysteries received from the Lord himself (see, e.g., 1 Cor 11.23 ff.).
The universal celebration of the feast dates to 1264, when Urban VI promulgated the Mass and Office that St. Thomas Aquinas composed upon the pope’s request. This past week, the present pope had these words to say about the significance of the feast and of the Church’s Common Doctor:
“St. Thomas has a profoundly Eucharistic soul. The beautiful hymns that the liturgy of the Church sings to celebrate the mystery of the real presence of the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Eucharist are due to his faith and theological wisdom…. Thomas’s personal humility but also the fact that all that we are able to think and speak about the faith, as elevated and pure as it may be, is infinitely surpassed by the greatness and the beauty of God who will reveal himself to us in the fullness of paradise.”
Hence,
“All of us prostrate ourselves to adore [the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ] because present in it is our Teacher and Lord, present is the real Body of Jesus, Victim and Priest, salvation of the world.”
The Church grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful under the normal conditions, who devoutly participate in a solemn Eucharistic procession, held inside or outside a church, most significantly, on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Tantum ergo Sacramentum, veneremur cernui…
Ever since 2004 Corpus Christi has had a new meaning for us. That year we attended a retreat in Paso Robles, CA. One of the principal speakers was Father Benedict Groeschel. He was the homilist at the Sunday Mass and gave a beautiful but somewhat sad talk on how we had lost the meaning and ceremony of this great feast. He lamented that even in mostly pagan Europe they still celebrate it with processions throught the streets of many towns and cities. He had to leave to catch a plane right after the homily. We all know what happened when his plane reached Orlando.
The saddest thing is that he missed the end of Mass in the Paso Robles fairgrounds pavillion with about 3000 people inside, we had the most beautiful procession I have ever seen, including Vienna many years earlier. It included dozens of young girls all dressed in white who scattered rose petals in front of Jesus as he was processed through the crowd. Happily Father G is still will us, but that was a very emotional day.
No, we don’t all know what happened when Fr. Groeschel’s plane reached Orlando. Please tell us!
He was hit by a vehicle at the airport that almost killed him; in fact he was technically dead for awhile.
For those who may not know Father Groeschel soon after
landing in Florida,was hit by a car and severely injured
and has suffered from his injuries ( plus some strokes ) ever since then. His partial and miraculous recovery and his determination and his faith have allowed him to return to EWTN and appears each Sunday evening at 7pm.
God bless him and grant him many more years to teach us about Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.
Wasn’t Fr. Groeschel in an almost fatal car accident, on his way from the Orlando airport?
My husband, daughter, and I took part in a Eucharistic Procession today – one of the very few I have ever been part of. It was so beautiful. Although we were not close enough to hear the prayers, we were PART of it, nonetheless. Archbishop Charles Chaput lead the procession, which took place following a Confirmation Mass at Church of the Holy Ghost in Denver. First Communicants had place of honor, including one girl with a basket of red rose petals, which she scattered as she walked. There were four Knights of Columbus, and two priests, and several hundred people, including many of the confirmandi. There were three altars set up along the perimeter of the small city block where the church is.