The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Scripture:
Exodus 24:3-8
Hebrews 9:11-15
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
Reflection:
Be then what you see and receive what you are. -St. Augustine of Hippo
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is also known as the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which translates from Latin to “Body of Christ.” This feast is celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday or, as in the USA, on the Sunday following that feast.
We celebrate the Eucharist at every Mass, and this solemn feast serves to remind us once each year of the tremendous gifts of the Eucharist:
—the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and wine, His Body and Blood, and
—the Body of Christ as it is present in the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ because of the intimate communion which Jesus shares with us. He nurtures us with His own Body and Blood, his Life Force. “Take it; this is my body.” (Mark 14:22)
This allows both unity and diversity in the Church.
At my parish in downtown Detroit, I love to watch people process to the front of church to receive Holy Communion. The retired judge and his wife from the suburbs walk up the middle aisle with a man with a limp, who comes to church on a bike. Both have found a new church home at my parish after their parishes closed. The woman who was sleeping in her car two years ago is now studying to make vows with the Secular Franciscans. A single mother and her 19-year-old daughter are celebrating the Mom’s last chemo treatment. A woman brings Communion to her husband who waits for her in their pew; he cannot make it to the front anymore. It is very touching to witness the vulnerability and the faithfulness of my fellow parishioners.
After more than twenty years in my parish, I know many of the parishioners well. They know my story, and I know theirs. Despite our differences, our bonds of friendship are strong—when we walk together toward the altar to receive Communion, we share something that binds us together: the Life of Christ which nourishes each of us as individuals and as a community. In the words of St. Augustine, we become what we receive.
In a sermon to some new members of the Church, St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo in north Africa said: “You hear the words, the “Body of Christ’ and you reply “Amen”. Be then a member of Christ’s body, so that your ‘Amen” may accord with the truth…Be then what you see and receive what you are.”
Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She served on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit. She is currently a member of the Laudato Si’ Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.