Corpus Christi

Today's great Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi or Corpus Domini) is an occasion for the Church to render honor to the Real Presence of the Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, wrote that this celebration has three purposes:

1. To counter man's forgetfulness
2. To elicit his thankfulness
3. It has something to do with fellowship

We need those occasions to renew our understanding and appreciation for the tremendous gift the Lord has given us in the Holy Eucharist. Our celebration of the Eucharist can become routine or so familiar that we lose the sense of awe and reverence we should always have for the Blessed Sacrament. This Sacrament is not "something" but "Someone"...Jesus Himself, in his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! Thus we should approach the Lord with great love. We do this by a good preparation...fasting one hour prior to our reception and having recourse to the Sacrament of Penance should we be conscious of any grave sin.

How grateful we should be that the Lord has deigned to give us this great help to our spiritual life. After our reception of the Eucharist at Mass, we should focus on the fact that Jesus has come to me...indeed He dwells within my very body. Our prayer should be one of great thanksgiving and we should speak to the Lord about the deepest longings and desires of our heart.

The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Unity. The Lord summons us. He draws us to Himself and we in turn are called to turn to our brothers and sisters...sharing with them our faith and helping them in their need.