Word to the Wise
Sunday, June 23, 2019 - 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B [Corpus Christi 2012]
[Gen 3:9-15; 2 Cor 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35,92]I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.. [1 Corinthians]
The feast of Corpus Christi has its roots in the development of devotion to the consecrated host in the Middle Ages. When I was a young altar boy, I can remember the procession with the host contained in the "monstrance" (that big golden display case). I remember also what was known as "the 40 Hours," which was a big annual event in the parish, when parishioners would take turns being in the Church to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. Many parishes now have "adoration chapels" with schedules that sometimes are 24/7 for devotion. These devotions simply underlined what is done on a daily basis in the Catholic Church (except on Good Friday), the celebration of the Eucharist.
The Second Vatican Council referred to the Eucharist as the "source and summit" of the Church's worship. It called for full and active participation of all those gathered for the celebration of the Eucharist - the "Mass." I can certainly recall the days when the laity were simply passive participants, but the same council changed that dynamic! Lay readers, Lay Ministers of the Eucharist, female altar servers - these are all daily reminders of that change. We do all of this in fulfillment of Jesus' command, "Do this is in remembrance of me."
At the Eucharist, the presiding priest (and concelebrants) invoke the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine that is offered into the Body and Blood of Christ. The whole assembly offers this to the Father as an act of worship which recalls the life, death and resurrection of the Lord. We receive this transformed food in an act we call "going to communion." In doing so, we publicly proclaim our faith in this transforming act and its impact on our lives, a saving intimacy with the Lord. This is at the center of Catholic faith. The annual celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi serves as a reminder of how central the Eucharist is for us. AMEN