Yesterday I drove to Cork City with friends for the only Corpus Christi Mass in the County, since in almost every church the feast has been moved to Sunday. The Feast of the Sacred Heart (next Friday) follows Corpus Christi by nine days, which in Catholic lingo is called a “novena.” Corpus Christi, if celebrated on Thursday, thus begins the novena to the Sacred Heart, teaching us how the Body of Christ is (literally) from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Forensic analyses of the Eucharistic miracles (beginning with Lanciano around 750AD) indicate myocardial [heart] tissue of the left ventricle, AB blood type, with living white corpuscles (which explains the preservation of the tissue). In other words, the Corpus Christi that we receive at Holy Mass is living heart tissue from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most dioceses have moved Corpus Christi from Thursday to Sunday, which is unfortunate, because it misses the link between the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart. The Body of Christ is not from any old part of Christ’s body but precisely from His Heart, torn open by the soldier’s lance and pouring forth blood and water to the earth.
When one changes an ancient liturgical practice, much knowledge and piety can be lost, so one must make changes only when necessary and with the greatest care. If we lament that most Catholics don’t believe in the real presence of the Eucharist, we might consider restoring the full value of the Corpus Christi Feast. Returning it to Thursday would require Catholics to make the (small) sacrifice of attending Mass on a weekday in addition to Sunday, better defining the sacrifices required for a “worthy” reception of the Holy Eucharist. Returning Corpus Christi to Thursday would also connect it to Holy Thursday, when we processed with the Blessed Sacrament inside the Church. On Corpus Christi we process outside the church because it follows Pentecost: the Spirit’s gift of fortitude and piety impel the Church to bring God into the streets. Like the disciples on that first Pentecost day, we cannot keep the good news of God’s saving love to ourselves but must proclaim what we have seen and heard.
In Rome Corpus Christi is still celebrated on Thursday. During my studies in Rome, I would look forward all year to the Corpus Christi procession. In the evening, after Rome’s students had finished our classes and Rome’s laborers had finished their work, the Pope would carry the Blessed Sacrament through the streets in the grandaddy of all Eucharistic processions. Anyone could join the procession and even get kind of close to the Pope. My little brother and I joined the procession in 2010 and Pope Benedict’s car (it was raining that day) drove within a few feet of us. The Pontiff looked directly at the two of us with a fatherly smile, and I knew I was loved.
But even better than getting close to the Pope is getting close to Jesus. In Rome’s Corpus Christi procession, everyone can get close to Christ Himself as the Incarnate Word and Lover of Mankind makes his way from St. John Lateran to St. Mary Major on the Via Merulana (about half a mile). God goes out into our streets on Corpus Christi, and it’s a perfect way to end a long workday one Thursday a year.
When one changes an ancient liturgical practice, much knowledge and piety can be lost, so one must make changes only when necessary and with the greatest care. If we lament that most Catholics don’t believe in the real presence of the Eucharist, we might consider restoring the full value of the Corpus Christi Feast. Returning it to Thursday would require Catholics to make the (small) sacrifice of attending Mass on a weekday in addition to Sunday, better defining the sacrifices required for a “worthy” reception of the Holy Eucharist. Returning Corpus Christi to Thursday would also connect it to Holy Thursday, when we processed with the Blessed Sacrament inside the Church. On Corpus Christi we process outside the church because it follows Pentecost: the Spirit’s gift of fortitude and piety impel the Church to bring God into the streets. Like the disciples on that first Pentecost day, we cannot keep the good news of God’s saving love to ourselves but must proclaim what we have seen and heard.
In Rome Corpus Christi is still celebrated on Thursday. During my studies in Rome, I would look forward all year to the Corpus Christi procession. In the evening, after Rome’s students had finished our classes and Rome’s laborers had finished their work, the Pope would carry the Blessed Sacrament through the streets in the grandaddy of all Eucharistic processions. Anyone could join the procession and even get kind of close to the Pope. My little brother and I joined the procession in 2010 and Pope Benedict’s car (it was raining that day) drove within a few feet of us. The Pontiff looked directly at the two of us with a fatherly smile, and I knew I was loved.
But even better than getting close to the Pope is getting close to Jesus. In Rome’s Corpus Christi procession, everyone can get close to Christ Himself as the Incarnate Word and Lover of Mankind makes his way from St. John Lateran to St. Mary Major on the Via Merulana (about half a mile). God goes out into our streets on Corpus Christi, and it’s a perfect way to end a long workday one Thursday a year.
The Eucharistic Revival Procession winds through Indianapolis last year
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