Sunday, June 2, 2013

June 2: Feast of Corpus Christi

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi!


History

Since the 13th Century, Catholics have celebrated the fact that Jesus makes Himself present in the Holy Eucharist on this solemnity. St. Juliana of Liège was the first to receive a vision about celebrating the Blessed Sacrament. It took her almost  40 years to convince her local bishop to order the first celebration of Corpus Christi in 1246.

About 23 years later, a miracle happened to German priest. Father Peter of Prague was having his doubts that the bread and wine truly became the Body and Blood of Christ. But as he prayed the words of consecration during Mass, blood began to trickle from the Host over His hands.

Pope Urban IV had this Host preserved in a Cathedral in Orvieto, Italy, and he made the Solemnity of Corpus Christi an annual celebration for the whole Church. Originally, it was on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, but in many places, that solemnity is moved to the next Sunday.

The Solemnity is usually celebrated with a Eucharistic Procession, where people walk in a parade with the Blessed Sacrament held in a monstrance. The group makes four different stops at altars decorated with flowers, were they pray and celebrate the Eucharist. In many countries, people who live along the procession route decorate their yards with flowers or colorful banners. And of course, everybody enjoys a delicious feast!

Activity

Take your children to participate in a Corpus Christi procession near your home. If there are none planned in your community, attend Eucharistic Adoration instead. (Here are some tips for helping children have a meaningful holy hour from Father Antoine Thomas.) Prepare a favorite meal or dessert at home for your feast, or go out to a restaurant to celebrate.


More reading for parents about the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

YouTube video of “Pagne Lingua,” written by St. Thomas Aquinas for this solemnity, with Latin-to-English translation
Corpus Christi traditions at CatholicCulture.org

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