The Feast of Corpus Christi

Dear Friend,

The Feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) has its origins in the early 13th century in Belgium and northern France. St. Francis was very interested in the spirituality of the feast and spoke of the importance of honoring the Lord's presence in the Eucharist in numerous writings. In his Letter to the Entire Order of 1225 he wrote: "Let everyone be struck with fear, let the whole world tremble and let the heavens exult when Christ the Son of the Living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest! ... O sublime humility, O humble sublimity! ... The Lord of the Universe ... so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under an ordinary piece of bread! Look at the humility of God ...!  In his letter to the Custodians (1220): "When it is sacrificed on the altar by a priest...let all peoples praise, glorify and honor on bended knee the Lord God...at every hour and whenever bells are rung."

He was writing at a time when many Christians began denying the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, so he wanted to encourage his followers to reconnect with the reality that Christ chooses to feed us with his own divine life - really, not merely symbolically - so that He might be in us and we might be in Him. Since this is true, it is clearly necessary that we act to free the world from sin and destruction just as he did while living in human history.  We really are the Body of Christ in the world today. We truly have the responsibility of making this reality obvious to others by the way we treat others and the world around us. Are we willing to recognize that our devotion to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist requires that we move from contemplation to action and action to contemplation? In caring for others and the earth, we take part in being the reality of Christ whose life and ministry continues in us, particularly through the sacraments.  May your devotion to Christ's real presence help make Him real and present to those who do not yet believe!

Gratefully,

Father Joe Schwab, OFM