Posted on 05/27/2005 7:22:00 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
A reflection on Corpus Christi What does Corpus Christi mean to me? It does not only bring the liturgy to mind; for me, it is a day on which heaven and earth work together. In my mind’s eye it is the time when spring is turning into summer; the sun is high in the sky, and crops are ripening in field and meadow. The Church’s feasts make present the mystery of Christ, but Jesus Christ was immersed in the faith of the people of Israel and so, arising from this background in Israel’s life, the Christian feasts are also involved with the rhythm of the year, the rhythm of seedtime and harvest.
How could it be otherwise in a liturgy which has at its center the sign of bread, fruit of earth and heaven? Here this fruit of the earth, bread, is privileged to be the bearer of him in whom heaven and earth, God and man have become one.
The way the Church’s feasts fit in with the seasons of the year is therefore not an accident. Consequently we must go on to discover the inner rhythm of the Church’s year and see the place Corpus Christi has within it.
First of all, clearly, it grows out of the mystery of Easter and Pentecost: it presupposes the Resurrection and the sending of the Spirit. But it is also in close proximity to the Feast of the Trinity, which reveals the inner logic in the connection between Easter and Pentecost. It is only because God himself is the eternal dialogue of love that he can speak and be spoken to. Only because he himself is relationship can we relate to him; only because he is love can he love and be loved in return. Only because he is threefold can he be the grain of wheat which dies and the bread of eternal life. Ultimately, then, Corpus Christi is an expression of faith in God, in love, in the fact that God is love. All that is said and done on Corpus Christi is in fact a single variation on the theme of love, what it is and what it does. In one of his Corpus Christi hymns Thomas Aquinas puts it beautifully: nec sumptus consumitur - love does not consume: it gives and, in giving, receives. And in giving it is not used up but renews itself. Since Corpus Christi is a confession of faith in love, it is totally appropriate that the day should focus on the mystery of transubstantiation. Love is transubstantiation, transformation. Corpus Christi tells us: Yes, there is such a thing as love, and therefore there is transformation, therefore there is hope. And hope gives us the strength to live and face the world. Perhaps it was good to have experienced doubts about the meaning of celebrating Corpus Christi, for it has led us to the rediscovery of a feast which, today, we need more than ever.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) L i t u r g y O f f i c e E N G L A N D & WA L E S A reflection for Corpus Christi is one of the resources produced by the Liturgy Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales for the Year of the Eucharist. Other resources are available at www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources Text by Pope Benedict XVI is from Feast of Faith. © Ignatius Press San Francisco, 1986. Reproduced with permission. Feast of Faith can be ordered from www.ignatius.com
Text by Pope Benedict XVI is from "Feast of Faith" from Ignatius Press,SF."Feast of Faith" can be ordered from www.ignatius.com per bottom of the above article.
OOPS! Sorry for the characters before and after Corpus Christi.Maybe the admin will take it out.
Will you please remove "i" and "/i" from Corpus Christi? Thank you.
Absolutely beautiful!
Thanks very much for correcting my title.
Thanks for posting this!
You're welcome
You're welcome, Salvation.
Thanks for posting. Our parish had a Corpus Christi procession today! We crossed the street and blocked traffic and everything.
You're very welcome! You did good! My parish had their Corpus Christi Procession after the twelve o'clock Mass and a potluck afterwords. I haven't been feeling well for several months so I didn't go. I would have liked to have gone but went instead to the nine o'clock Mass. We usually process in our parking lot because the streets outside are kind of small and dangerous. Plus, a lot of people park there to boot.
ping
BTTT
Excellent.
Thanks! Pope Benedict sure has a way with words! So simple and easy to understand.
Corpus Christi (by St. Peter Julian Eymard)
Beginning Catholic: The Eucharist: In the Presence of the Lord Himself [Ecumenical]
Christ the Miracle Worker in the Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures - Lecture XXII on the Body and blood of Christ
Transubstantiation—Hard to Believe? [open]
On Daily Bread [OPEN]
The Meal of Melchizedek (what is meant by Christ’s words, "This is my body; this is my blood")
The Eucharist: The Lord's Supper
Pope Benedict--Jesus' Incarnation and Presence in the Eucharist confounds the wisdom of men
Corpus Christi Quiz
Pope leads Corpus Christi observance
This is My Body, This is My Blood
Feast of Corpus Christi - Sacrifice, Fellowship Meal or Real Presence?
The Eucharist and the Mystery of Fatherly Love
The Consecrated Host truly is the Bread of Heaven
Corpus Christi Around the World
Corpus Christi
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY FROM 2001-2005
Back to the Future: Reviving Corpus Christi Processions
Homily of Pope Benedict XVI for the Feast of Corpus Christi
The Banquet of Corpus Christi - "Why did Jesus give us His Body and Blood?"
A Reflection on Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi celebrations in Poland (gallery)
Pope Leads Corpus Christi Procession - "We Entrust These Streets to His Goodness"
Day 37 of Pope Benedict XV's Reign - Feast of Corpus Christi
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