The origin of today's Solemnity, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, can be traced back to a priest who struggled with his belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. His faith was waning, but one day, as he consecrated the host, it began to bleed. This miraculous event rekindled both his faith and that of his congregation. In honor of this event, that community began celebrating Corpus Christi, a tradition that has since spread throughout the Church.
The origin of today's Solemnity, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, can be traced back to a priest who struggled with his belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. His faith was waning, but one day, as he consecrated the host, it began to bleed. This miraculous event rekindled both his faith and that of his congregation. In honor of this event, that community began celebrating Corpus Christi, a tradition that has since spread throughout the Church.
Initially, the focus of the celebration was on the miracle that occurred with the host. However, over time, particularly since the Second Vatican Council, our celebration has shifted to emphasize the spiritual nourishment we receive in communion with the whole Church when we eat the Body of Christ and drink His Blood.
God has united us in a relationship that transcends anything we could create on our own. This relationship is marked by something greater than humanity. We encounter God by turning our attention inward into our own lives and those of others, especially during our communal worship. As St. Augustine points out, this is where God has chosen to be present with us. This means that how we treat one another reflects how we treat Christ. Jesus said that whatever we do for one another, we do for Him.
At the heart of our faith in Christ is our commitment to morality and an ethic of love for one another. As Christians, we are called to a particular understanding and practice of love. Jesus set a simple standard: we are to love one another as God has loved us. While we may call others to account for their actions, our attitude toward them should not be based on what we think they deserve or what feels right at the moment. Instead, our attitude must mirror God's own.
In Christ's words, we are called to love our enemies if we are to be His people, His Body. Is this a radical calling? Yes, but it is one that Jesus embodied throughout His life.
Every week, every day, the Church commemorates the mystery of our profound connection with God. We do not merely acknowledge this mystery; we actively participate in it and bring it to life. Our worship and participation in the Eucharist serve as the means through which God unites with us. God could have chosen many ways to establish intimacy with His people, but He selected the very human acts of eating and drinking. This level of intimacy transcends comprehension and imagination; it requires faith.
Thus, the Eucharist is integral to our identity as the community of the Church. We not only partake in the Body and Blood of Christ, but every time we gather in God's name and strive to bring about the justice spoken of in the Gospel, we embody the Body of Christ on earth.
St. Paul tells the Corinthians, "Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it." In her prayer, St. Theresa reminds us, "Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet but yours."
As we celebrate the Eucharist today and every day, and as we partake together in the One Bread and the One Cup, let us be mindful that we, the Church, are the Body of Christ on earth. We are called to be the hands and feet, the instruments of God's love to all people. Through our actions of love, care, and concern, may everyone witness the love and compassion of God that acts in and through each one of us.
