The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Dear friends in Christ
The feast this weekend—the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi—is one of the most beloved celebrations of the Christian calendar. This Solemnity dates back to the thirteenth century, established by Pope Urban IV. The meaning of the feast is the consideration and devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The centre of the feast, from the beginning, was to manifest popular and pubic devotion to Our Lord in the Blessed Eucharist. In many places the outdoor Procession carrying the Blessed Sacrament, is a sign that Jesus walks with us throughout the course of life, and is still present on the streets of our towns and cities. At the Last Supper Jesus gave Himself to us—his parting gift—so that He remains with us until the end of time in sacramental signs. Jesus remains in the Tabernacle after Mass, so that we may have the opportunity to spend time in silent prayer and adoration. This week in his General Audience, Pope Leo reminded us: An expression of popular Eucharistic devotion is found in the processions with the Blessed Sacrament that take place in the streets of many towns and countries; in this regard, I encourage you to keep alive this beautiful manifestation of public witness to the faith. I hope that many of us will participate in this act of homage to Our Lord this Sunday afternoon, as we take Our Lord on to the streets around the church, so that He can cast His blessing once more upon the people of our locality, just as He did when He walked this earth. Although we celebrate this feast only once each year, the Church proclaims this most happy truth every day: Jesus gives Himself to us as our food, and He remains with us in the Tabernacle to be the strength and hope of our lives. This Sunday we say: Thank you, Lord, for remaining with us. What would have become of us without You? Where else would we go to restore our strength and to ask for consolation? From the Tabernacle how easy You make the way for us!
God bless you!
Msgr Kevin Hale