Corpus Christi

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you; he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."-- John 6:53, 54

On Corpus Christi, we remember and again celebrate this true and lasting miracle. Think about it, we can receive the flesh and blood of Our God! We can truly receive our Creator in a way so that we might have life within us! The Institution of the Eucharist changed the world. We must contemplate this miracle before receiving Our Lord at every single Mass.  How can we not share the sentiments of Archbishop Sheen who said, "The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny, white Host."

Dom Gueranger writes, "A great solemnity has this day risen upon our earth: a feast both to God and to men: for it is the feast of Christ the Mediator, who is present in the sacred Host, that God may be given to man, and man to God. Divine union—such is the dignity to which man is permitted to aspire; and to this aspiration God has responded, even here below, by an invention which is all of heaven. It is to-day that man celebrates this marvel of God’s goodness."

History of the Feast of Corpus Christi
  The Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted in the 13th Century to commemorate the Institution of the Eucharist. While we remember this on Holy Thursday, we also remember Christ's coming passion and death as well as the institution of the priesthood. For the sublime gift of the Holy Eucharist, we need another day set aside just to praise God for His unlimited humility and love. Imagine that bread and wine become the God of Heaven and Earth!

Around the early 1200s, Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillon received a vision concerning this feast at a young age. St. Juliana always had a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. In her vision, she saw the Church under the appearance of the full moon. One large, dark spot was in the moon - symbolic of the absence of a solemnity to honor the Holy Eucharist. St. Juliana became an Augustinian nun in Liége, France, in 1206. Corpus Christi became a feast for the Diocese of Liege in 1246, and later in 1264, after having seen the Eucharistic Miracle in Orvieto, Pope Urban IV issued “Transiturus de hoc mundo” establishing it as a feast for the Universal Church. Pope Urban IV's order was confirmed by Pope Clement V in the Clementines Laws and promulgated by his successor, Pope John XXII in 1317.

In 1970 the name was changed from Corpus Christi to the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ when Corpus Christi and the Feast of the Precious Blood (July 1) were joined.  The feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord was suppressed in the Novus Ordo when the new calendar was promulgated in 1969, and not twenty-plus years later when Corpus Christi was renamed in the USA. The reason for its suppression was the alleged promotion of the understanding of Corpus Christi in terms of both Sacred Species. However, this is highly unfortunate because the feast of the Precious Blood (still observed at all Masses said according to the Liturgical Books of 1962 or previously) was not, strictly speaking, eucharistic in nature, but theological/devotional, and referred more to the Sacred Wounds of Our Lord and the hypostatic union of Our Lord's divine and human natures. The Feast of Corpus Christi has always honored the fullness of Christ - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - in the Eucharist. This is just another reminder of why we should stay clear of the Novus Ordo and remain attached to the Church's Traditional Calendar.

Additionally, up until changes to the Roman Calendar in 1955 by Pope Pius XII, today's feast had an Octave associated with it.

Corpus Christi as a Holy Day of Obligation

The first catalog of Holy Days comes from the Decretals of Gregory IX in 1234, which listed 45 Holy Days. In 1642, His Holiness Pope Urban VIII issued the papal bull "Universa Per Orbem" which altered the required Holy Days of Obligation for the Universal Church to consist of 35 such days as well as the principal patrons of one's locality. Corpus Christi was included in that list from 1642. It had not previously been in the list from 1234 since it was not established until after that time. By the 15th century, Corpus Christi became one of the Church's principal feasts and was likely added as a Holy Day of Obligation around that time.

Corpus Christi is still a Holy Day of Obligation in many countries. The United States received permission to transfer the celebration of the Mass to the Sunday after Corpus Christi in 1885 by Pope Leo XIII, in a concession to the modern world. This permission remains; however, those who pray the Divine Office will keep the Divine Office on Thursday.

3 Purposes for Today's Feast

1) To honor Our Lord, who is truly present in the Holy Eucharist
2) To instruct others on the faith, mystery, and devotion concerning the Holy Eucharist
3) To show our appreciation for the great gift of the Holy Eucharist

Eucharistic Processions

Many parishes will have Eucharistic processions. These processions are endowed with indulgences by Pope Martin V and Pope Eugene IV.

Read more >>

The Ten Virtues of Mary

I feel that we should truly strive for any of the 10 Virtues of Mary as told by St. Louis de Monfort:

"...profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her continual mental prayer, her mortification in all things, her surpassing purity, her ardent charity, her heroic patience, her angelic sweetness, and her divine wisdom..."

Image Source: Our Lady of the Rosary by Nicola Porta

Read more >>

Reading from the Diary of St. Faustina

I will be gone today, so I wanted to post one meditation before I go for my readers. This is from the Diary of St. Faustina.

"During Holy Mass, I was so enveloped in the great interior fire of God's love and the desire to save souls that I do not know how to express it. I feel I am all aflame. I shall fight all evil with the weapon of mercy. I am being burned up by the desire to save souls. I traverse the world's length and breadth and venture as far as its ultimate limits and its wildest lands to save souls. I do this through prayer and sacrifice. I want every soul to glorify the mercy of God, for each one experiences the effects of that mercy on himself. The Saints in heaven worship the mercy of the Lord. I want to worship it even now, here on earth, and to spread devotion to it in the way that God demands of me....(745)

"The mercy of the Lord is praised by the holy souls in heaven who have themselves experienced that infinite mercy. What these souls do in heaven, I already will begin to do here on earth. I will praise God for His infinite goodness, and I will strive to bring other souls to know and glorify the inexpressible and incomprehensible mercy of God" (753).

Read more from the Diary of St. Faustina

Read more >>

It's done! USCCB Approves Changes

April 15, 2007 Update: An unofficial Text Of The New Icel Translation is available. Yet, this is all still confusing to me. Why can't the Pope - the Sovereign of the World - simply declare a new translation. He is a monarchical ruler - not an elected official.

For information please see The New Translation of the Roman Missal: A Guide and Explanation 

Original Post (June 16, 2006): The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, by a 173-29 vote, have approved changes in the Order of the Mass. These changes will bring the words of 12 of 19 texts from the Mass closer to the original Latin. On the vote for the translation of the Missale Romanum, the ayes were 173, the nays 29. On the adaptations to the Missale Romanum for the United States, the ayes were 184, the nays 8. Since only 168 votes were needed to pass, the translation has passed.

Some bishops said the changes would deepen lay people's understanding of Catholicism and Scripture. They said priests could use the changes to spark a discussion of the liturgical reasoning behind them, including citing biblical stories and the Latin version.

"All these changes should require ... a certain amount of explanation and allow the people who are using them to grow in faith and not remain where they are," said Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb of Mobile, Ala.
Bishops debated for about 20 minutes on a variety of wording changes, some pitting the familiar against the new. A proposal to change the words of the Nicene Creed from "one in being" to "consubstantial," which is closer to the Latin, failed.

Source

Here are some of the changes that will supposedly be made:

1. "The Lord be with you" / "And also with you" will become "The Lord be with you" / "And with your spirit"
2. "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you" will become "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof"
3. "We believe" will change to "I believe" in the Nicene Creed
4. "He was born of the Virgin Mary" would become "by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary."
5. In the Penitential Rite, "through my own fault'' will change to "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.''
6. "Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might'' will become "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of hosts.''
7. In the Gloria, “peace to his people on earth” becomes “peace on earth to people of good will.”
8. "You take away the sin of the world" becomes "You take away the sins of the world" because the Latin peccata is plural.
9. People are to be reminded to make a profound bow in the Creed during the words: “and by the Holy Spirit became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.”
10. In the Orate Fratres (Pray my brothers and sisters that) will change the next few words from "our sacrifice" to “my sacrifice and yours”.
11. During the Consecration, the priest will say: “Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said….” The new translation changes to to more closely follow the Latin: “…taking also this noble cup into his holy and venerable hands, once more giving him thanks, he blessed it and gave it to his disciples, saying…”
12. The Acclamation “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again" will become “We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come." This again follows the Latin.
13. “Look with favour upon these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel…” will become “Be pleased to look on them with a favourable and kindly face and to accept them, as you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel…”
14. From Eucharistic Prayer III, “From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name" will become “…you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure oblation may be offered to your name”
15. The introduction to the Our Father currently is “Jesus taught us to call God our Father, and so we have the courage to say." It will become “Taught by commands that bring salvation and formed by the divine instruction, we have the courage to say.”
16. The priest's own words before receiving Holy Communion currently are “Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and body.” It will change to “May receiving your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your love and mercy let it be my protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy.”
17. “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper" will change slightly to “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper.”

Source

Below is a look at the changes in the Gloria to make it closer to the original in Latin. (Click to enlarge):



For information please see The New Translation of the Roman Missal: A Guide and Explanation

Read more >>

Seven Characteristics of a Catholic University

A Catholic university must exhibit the following seven essential characteristics. What universities do you know that actually exhibit all of these?

"First, according to Canon 807, the Catholic university "promotes the deeper culture and full development of the human person in accord with the Church's teaching office."

"Second, the majority of the faculty members consist of practicing Catholics, as explained in "Ex Corde Ecclesiae."

"Third, Canon 810 states that the president and other officers of a Catholic university have the responsibility to ensure that faculty members are appointed who are "outstanding in their integrity of doctrine and uprightness of life."

"Fourth, the president of the Catholic university must make the profession of faith at the start of his or her term of office, according to Canon 833.

"Fifth, the bishops' conference and the diocesan bishop have the duty and right of ensuring that the principles of Catholic doctrine are faithfully observed.

"Sixth, in line with Canon 812, theology teachers in a Catholic university must have a mandate from the local ordinary.

"Finally, the use of the title "Catholic" is only with the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority, as outlined in Canon 808."

Source: Zenit

Read more >>

Confession: We need to appreciate it

Going to confession regularly has given me a new appreciation for this sacrament. I often ask why people don't go to confession today more than they do. It can't be that we're sinning less. Can we have lost our appreciation for the sacrament of reconciliation because we no longer realize how terrible sin is? Is it that we no longer appreciate the suffering and death of Jesus, that he died for us? Do we no longer realize that all we have to do, to claim the benefits of his suffering, is to confess our sins and to rely on his mercy?

It is much easier to strive for holiness when you can go to Jesus in this sacrament. It is a great spiritual consolation, and a reminder of Jesus' great love, to be able to come to the priest and to hear those great words, 'Your sins are forgiven." As long as we are making an effort to avoid sin, we know that in the sacrament of reconciliation we are cleansed and we can start afresh ...

In speaking of sin, repentance, and spiritual growth, we must realize that the Evil One has a very subtle weapon he uses to discourage souls in their quest for God. That weapon is guilt ...

Some people have a terrible guilt hanging over their heads even after they have been to confession. This robs them of the joy of the Lord and of receiving the Lord's forgiveness in a personal and conscious way. Not to be able to forgive yourself is pride. When we go to confession, we realize that we fell, but Jesus' forgives us. That's the beauty of our good and compassionate God.

~ by Sister Briege McKenna

Related Posts:

FAQ on Confession/Necessity of Confession

Read more >>

Eucharistic Processions

This Thursday is the great celebration of Corpus Christi. We commemorate and again remember the infinite joy of the Eucharist. The date of Corpus Christi is fixed by the Vatican as the Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

The feast day was first officially celebrated at Liege in 1246, and extended to the universal Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264. In Italy, the traditional feast dates back to the 15th century, and the route of the annual procession was set in the 16th century. The procession through Rome was abandoned in 1870 after Italian forces took Rome from the papacy. Pope John Paul II revived the tradition in 1979.

These processions are endowed with indulgences dating back to both Pope Martin V and Pope Eugene IV.

Prayer to the Blessed Sacrament (Respice, Domine):

Look down, O Lord, from Thy sanctuary, and from Heaven Thy dwelling-place on high, and behold this sacred Victim which our great High-Priest, Thy holy Child, our Lord Jesus, offers up to Thee for the sins of This brethren; and be appeased for the multitude of our transgressions. Behold the voice of the Blood of Jesus, our Brother, cries to Thee from the Cross. Give ear, O Lord! be appeased, O Lord! hearken, and do not tarry for Thine own sake, O my God, for Thy Name is invoked upon this city and upon Thy people; and deal with us according to Thy mercy. Amen.

Read more >>

A Child of an Abortion Practitioner Insists on Life for the Unborn

LifeNews has an excellent article on how a child of an abortionist insists on protecting the life of the unborn.

It's worth your time to read it.

Image Source: Used with Permission

Read more >>

What is a Catholic Saint?

I thought it would be wise to post some basics of our faith for my non-Catholic readers.

A saint is simply a person that, by living a life of faith and virtue, is now in Heaven. These special people are wonderful intercessors between God. Because of their closeness with God, these men and women can pray for else.

The term "saint" originated for Latin sanctus meaning "hallowed or consecrated." The first person honored individually as a saint was the first martyr, Stephen. For nearly 4 centuries, prayer to St. Stephen for his intercession and prayers was popular. Beginning at the end of the Second Century, special celebrations were created annually on the anniversaries of the martyrs' deaths. These martyrs (those that die because they refuse to renounce Jesus Christ) were witnesses of Christ and were certainly in Heaven. Even Jesus says in Matthew Chapter Five that whoever is persecuted for Him would be rewarded in Heaven.

By 327 Christianity was finally legalized and sainthood was not just considered for martyrs but for ascetics, confessors, and virgins. Saints could be monks, nuns, teachers, bishops, or any average citizen. This is why we know there are many, many more saints than we know of. This is the point of All Saints Day - honor all saints, known and unknown.

Note: When I use the word "cult" it is used in its technical sense rather than with the negative connotations of today.

During the papacy of Innocent III (1199 - 1216), all new cults required papal approval. This finally formed the structured process of canonization in 1634. Beatification, the step before sainthood where 1 after death miracle is required, became introduced at this time.

Today, to be considered a saint, one must have performed two after-death miracles. These usually involve miraculous cures that modern medicine cannot prove. Beatification requires only 1 of these miracles. In addition, an intense examination of the person's writings and interviews about their entire life are conducted. Prior to Vatican II, beatification required two miracles and canonization required three.

Read more >>

Beatification of Fr. Eustaquio van Lieshout

At 4 PM today Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins C.M.F., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, by order of Benedict XVI, will proclaim the beatfication of Servant of God Fr. Eustaquio Van Lieshout.

Fr. Eustaquio van Lieshout was born in Aarle-Rixtel, Netherlands, on November 3, 1890. After reading about the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Fr. Eustaquio entered the order as a noviciate taking the name "Eustaquio". He was ordained as a priest in 1919. Fr. Eustaquio arrived in Rio de Janeiro along with two priests and three brothers in 1925, and for the next 18 years he worked as a missionary in Brazil. On August 30, 1943, Fr. Eustaquio died after suffering for weeks due to an insect bite. On his body was found a penitential pointed iron chain that was buried so deep in his flesh that it could not be removed without making wounds.

On December 19, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of a decree attributing a miracle to the intercession of Fr. Eustaquio.

If you have information relevant to the canonization of Blessed Eustaquio, please contact:

Padres dos Sagrados Corações
Rua Riachuelo, 1250, Padre Eustáquio
30720-060 Belo Horizonte (MG), BRAZIL

Read more >>