Body and Blood of Christ
This Sunday, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
St. Thomas Aquinas (1227-1274) wrote the text to the beautiful chant, “Adoro Te Devote” for this solemn feast. The music to this ancient hymn is found below.
http://bit.ly/2JeGNcE This music will be sung at the 9:00 a.m. Mass this Sunday.
In addition, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote prayers, contained on pg. 896 of the Breaking Bread hymnal, in preparation for Mass and a Thanksgiving Prayer after Mass.
In 1264, Aquinas also wrote “Lauda Sion”, the sequence for the feast. This optional text is found on pg. 175-176 of the Breaking Bread hymnal. He also wrote the text for “Pange Lingua”. Here is the link from Catholicism.org
The Catholic belief in transubstantiation is the very mystery of our faith that defines us as Catholics.
This concept was explained best to me by Fr. Carl Beavers, who is celebrating this month his 50
th anniversary as a priest in our diocese. I was privileged enough to have Fr. Beavers as my theology teacher at Seton Catholic High School in my senior year. Fr. Beavers explained to our class that the Eucharist is what drew him to the priesthood. Fr. Beavers would provide convincing evidence to the class that if everyone understood the event taking place on the altar each Sunday, the church would be “packed to capacity” and people would be “lined up out the church doors”. The total “re-occurrence” of the events on Calvary are
re-lived at each Mass. It is the new covenant of Christ that distinguishes us best as Catholics.
In June 2001 on a pilgrimage to Rome, I was able to participate in the Eucharistic procession on the streets of Rome on this feast day. St John Paul II rode in his pope mobile for this procession and knelt beside the Blessed Sacrament. This procession is etched in my memory. It was one of the deepest transforming events of my life in understanding the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
In addition to this insight, there are many beautiful hymns on the Eucharist that we will be singing this Sunday, two of these hymns, “Gusten y Vean” and “Here at this Table” will be repeated for the priestly ordination of Deacons Lenz and Lundgren on Friday, June 8. The hymn, “Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is from the French tradition and expresses the wonder and awe that even the angels have in the presence of the most Blessed Sacrament.
http://bit.ly/2smYBrE
The church is Christ, and we the members of that Church are his body. When the priest says, “The Body of Christ” to us, he is referring to the bread that becomes Christ’s body, but he is also reminding us that he and we are also the Body of Christ. We are connected. We are united, “We are One in the Spirit”.
This great sacrament can transform our society and our world, when we understand the grace, mercy and love contained in this ever-present reality. Let us never forget the power of this sacrament in bringing Christ’s presence into our world.