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Daily Readings for:June 07, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o Lebkuchen I

ACTIVITIES

o Corpus Christi Hymns

o Corpus Christi Processions

o Customs for the Feast of Corpus Christi

o Eucharist Hymn: Adoro Te Devote - Hidden God

o Eucharist Hymn: Ave Verum Corpus

o Eucharist Hymn: Pange Lingua

o Eucharist Hymn: Sacris Solemniis - At This Our Solemn Feast

o Eucharist Hymn: Tantum Ergo - Down in Adoration Falling

o Eucharist Hymn: Verbum Supernum - The Word of God

o History of Corpus Christi Processions

o Stitching Feast-Day Symbols

PRAYERS

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter (1st Plan)

o Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament

o Chaplet of the Blessed Sacrament

o Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ

o A Prayer to Jesus in the Tabernacle

o Adoration Prayer

o Eucharistic Procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi

o Novena for Corpus Christi

o Novena to the Sacred Heart

LIBRARY

o Saint Juliana of Cornillon | Pope Benedict XVI

o The Eucharist: To Be Loved and To Be Lived | Bishop Thomas J. Tobin

o The Sacrament of the Eucharist | Rev. G. D. Smith D.D., Ph.D.

· Ordinary Time: June 7th

· Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Old Calendar: Second Sunday after Pentecost ; Other Titles: Corpus Christi

While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many."

Where the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is not observed as a holy day, it is assigned to the Sunday after Trinity Sunday, which is then considered its proper day in the calendar.

Please see this special section on Corpus Christi.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Corpus Christi Sunday
Corpus Christi (Body and Blood of Christ) is a Eucharistic solemnity, or better, the solemn commemoration of the institution of that sacrament. It is, moreover, the Church's official act of homage and gratitude to Christ, who by instituting the Holy Eucharist gave to the Church her greatest treasure. Holy Thursday, assuredly, marks the anniversary of the institution, but the commemoration of the Lord's passion that very night suppresses the rejoicing proper to the occasion. Today's observance, therefore, accents the joyous aspect of Holy Thursday.

The Mass and the Office for the feast was edited or composed by St. Thomas Aquinas upon the request of Pope Urban IV in the year 1264. It is unquestionably a classic piece of liturgical work, wholly in accord with the best liturgical traditions. . . It is a perfect work of art.

— Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

In the words of St. Thomas:

"How inestimable a dignity, beloved brethren, divine bounty has bestowed upon us Christians from the treasury of its infinite goodness! For there neither is nor ever has been a people to whom the gods were so nigh as our Lord and God is nigh unto us.

"Desirous that we be made partakers of His divinity, the only-begotten Son of God has taken to Himself our nature so that having become man, He would be enabled to make men gods. Whatever He assumed of our nature He wrought unto our salvation. For on the altar of the Cross He immolated to the Father His own Body as victim for our reconciliation and shed His blood both for our ransom and for our regeneration. Moreover, in order that a remembrance of so great benefits may always be with us, He has left us His Body as food and His Blood as drink under appearances of bread and wine.

"O banquet most precious! O banquet most admirable! O banquet overflowing with every spiritual delicacy! Can anything be more excellent than this repast, in which not the flesh of goats and heifers, as of old, but Christ the true God is given us for nourishment? What more wondrous than this holy sacrament! In it bread and wine are changed substantially, and under the appearance of a little bread and wine is had Christ Jesus, God and perfect Man. In this sacrament sins are purged away, virtues are increased, the soul is satiated with an abundance of every spiritual gift. No other sacrament is so beneficial. Since it was instituted unto the salvation of all, it is offered by Holy Church for the living and for the dead, that all may share in its treasures.

"My dearly beloved, is it not beyond human power to express the ineffable delicacy of this sacrament in which spiritual sweetness is tasted in its very source, in which is brought to mind the remembrance of that all-excelling charity which Christ showed in His sacred passion? Surely it was to impress more profoundly upon the hearts of the faithful the immensity of this charity that our loving Savior instituted this sacrament at the last supper when, having celebrated the Pasch with His disciples. He was about to leave the world and return to the Father. It was to serve as an unending remembrance of His passion, as the fulfillment of ancient types — this the greatest of His miracles. To those who sorrow over His departure He has given a unique solace."

Symbols: The usual symbol for the Holy Eucharist is a chalice, with a host rising out of it.

The chalice is shown with a hexagonal base, as a rule, symbolizing the Six Attributes of the Deity (power, wisdom, majesty, mercy, justice and love), and with a richly wrought stem of gold, studded with precious stones. The host is shown as the typical circular wafer, upon which may be imprinted the letters I. N. R. I., from which proceed rays of light, symbolical of the Real Presence, the substantial presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine.

An altar, upon which is set a cross, two or more candles in their tall candlesticks, a chalice and a ciborium, is another symbol often seen.

Things to Do:

The Directory on Popular Piety explains Eucharistic devotion and Eucharistic adoration.
Encourage your pastor to have a Eucharist Procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi.
Freshly baked bread would be a key dish at your celebratory Sunday dinner, as bread has always been symbolic for life giving and nourishment, as is the Eucharist. We have also highlighted a Christmas cookie recipe called Lebkuchen (life cake), which is rich in symbolism.
Two newer church documents to read:

The fourteenth encyclical letter of Pope John Paul II Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in Its Relationship to the Church) released on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2003. The focus of the papal encyclical is the celebration of the Eucharist; the Pope reminds us that the Eucharist is the center of Catholic spiritual life.

Redemptionis Sacramentum (On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist), an Instruction released by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on March 25, 2004.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

This is my body. (Mark 14:22)

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just pick up the phone and call God and ask him anything you want? Not to ask him to give you gifts, but to ask him for answers to the mysteries of life. Maybe you could ask why there is suffering in the world. Maybe you would ask something silly, like why there are fleas or whether the chicken or the egg came first. Or maybe you would want to know the secret to a peaceful life. Wouldn’t you love to ask God?

Well, you can—but not with a phone call! Today, we celebrate the fact that Jesus has made himself—body, blood, soul, and divinity—available to us in the form of bread and wine. In the Eucharist, he is always with us, “until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). No matter where we go, he is with us: in towering cathedrals or run-down prisons, in ornate golden chalices and in the palms of sinners’ hands.

From the time of the Last Supper until today, Jesus “disdains no dwelling, but consents to come like a guest to any heart, even one that is defiled” (St. Thomas Aquinas). He comes to transform us just as the Host is transformed: not in outward appearance but in our inner lives.

No, you can’t call God on the phone, but you can visit him in person. Just to sit in Jesus’ presence with a quieted heart can do wonders. There, in the still of adoration, he may give you a sense of peace or whisper a new thought, insight, or idea to your heart.

Will you go to him? Even if you can spend only five minutes, it’s worth it. That’s five minutes with your King! So go; he is waiting just for you.

“We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all your churches throughout the world, and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

Exodus 24:3-8
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18
Hebrews 9:11-15

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion:

Mass Readings:
1st Reading: Exodus 24:3-8
Responsorial: Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18
2nd Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15
Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

1. The first readings recounts how, through Moses, the Israelites entered into a special covenant with God at Mt. Sinai. We are also presented with Old Testament rituals of the sacrificial blood of animals. The reading ends with these words: “Then he (Moses) took the blood and splashed it on the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words of his.’” In what ways do these words pre-figure the Blood of Christ and the New Covenant?

2. The Responsorial Psalm begins with this challenging question: “How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me?” The psalmist responds to this question by saying: “The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.” He goes on to say the following: “To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people.” How would you respond to the question posed by the psalmist? What are the some ways you can give a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” to the Lord in your own life? What more can you do to “increase” your offering?

3. In the second reading, no longer do we have a covenant though the sacrifice and blood of animals. God's new covenant with us, a covenant of love and intimacy, has been sealed with the Body and Blood of Christ. How would you describe the differences between the Old and the New Covenant? How would you explain the Father’s great love for us in allowing his Son to suffer and shed his blood on the cross for us? In what ways can we also respond to this great love by laying down our lives more fully for Jesus Christ and for one another?

4. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that his Body and Blood are truly present in the Eucharist. It is the symbol and bond of unity between Christ and his faithful followers who feed on it. How can you further your unity with Christ, and with your fellow Catholics, who also partake of the body and blood of Christ through the Eucharist?

5. With these words, the meditation encourages us to spend time with Jesus at Mass or in Eucharistic Adoration: “Just to sit in Jesus’ presence with a quieted heart can do wonders. There, in the still of adoration, he may give you a sense of peace or whisper a new thought, insight, or idea to your heart. Will you go to him? Even if you can spend only five minutes, it’s worth it. That’s five minutes with your King! So go; he is waiting just for you.” What are some steps you can take to spend more time in Jesus’ presence at Mass or in Eucharistic Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament?

6. What steps can you take to better prepare yourself to receive Christ in the Eucharist at Mass? How does the Eucharist aid you in drawing nearer to Jesus? To the Holy Spirit? To the Father?

7. Take some time now to pray and thank the Lord for the great gift of his life and presence in the Eucharist, and for the great gift of salvation through his Cross. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.