TRADITIONAL FEAST OF
CORPUS CHRISTI
Tobit, Chapter 12, Verse 16-17
16 Greatly shaken, the two of them fell
prostrate in fear. 17
But Raphael said to them: “Do
not fear; peace be with you! Bless
God now and forever.
Yesterday through a horrible act of
violence our congress fell prostrate in fear as a shooter was taking aim on them
playing baseball in a Washington, D.C. park. Men when confronted with the
terrible power of man and nature instinctively fall flat. Yet, imagine if you
suddenly were confronted with the power of an angel of God. You like a soldier
would seek the ground.
Tobit[1]
- After all the festivities, Tobit wanted to settle up with Azariah, which included paying him for his work during the journey.
- At this point, Azariah told them who he really was – an
angel sent by God. Both Tobit and Tobias were shocked and a bit
fearful. Yet, Azariah assured them of God’s providence and care for
them. His job was to bring the healing God had decreed. Their
job was to proclaim God’s great mercy. They were supposed to write
everything down that had happened. Then Azariah simply disappeared.
Overcoming Fear[2]
David shows us how to overcome fear, whether it be the fear
of death, the fear of speaking in public (which surveys show to be greater than
the fear of death!), fear of losing your children, fear of the future, or
whatever. He says:
To overcome fear, seek the Lord!
David knew what he was talking about! He had evildoers coming
at him to devour his flesh (27:2). They were breathing out violence (27:12).
Nothing would have made them happier than to see David’s head removed from his body.
He had an entire army encamped against him. The soldiers had probably been
told, “Whoever comes back with David’s head gets an instant promotion to
general and a fat reward!” And yet David could say, “My heart will not fear;
though war arise against me, in spite of this I am confident” (27:3)! The man
knows his subject! He can teach us about overcoming fear. David isn’t
dispensing a formula that’s easy or simple to apply. God isn’t a good-luck
charm which you can pull out when you’re in a jam and rub the right way. David
is talking about a total way of life that is focused on God and which clings to
God with naked faith in desperately overwhelming situations where there is no
other source of help.
May this Nation prostrate itself not before men or nature but seek the Lord
as David did.
Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my
salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD
is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers come at me to
devour my flesh, these my enemies and foes themselves stumble and fall. Though
an army encamp against me, my heart does not fear; though war be waged against
me, even then do I trust.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek: to dwell in the LORD’s house
all the days of my life, to gaze on the LORD’s
beauty, to visit his temple. For God will hide me in his shelter in time of
trouble, He will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a
rock. Even now my head is held high above my enemies on every side! I will
offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praise
to the LORD.
Hear my voice, LORD, when I
call; have mercy on me and answer me. “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face” your
face, LORD, do I seek! Do not hide your
face from me; do not repel your servant in anger. You are my salvation; do not
cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior! Even if my father and mother
forsake me, the LORD will take me in.
LORD, show me your way; lead
me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not abandon me to the desire of my
foes; malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me. I believe I shall see
the LORD’s goodness in the land of the
living. Wait for the LORD, take courage; be
stouthearted, wait for the LORD!
Thursday
Traditional Corpus Christi
Today
as Catholics we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi or the body of Christ. As
Catholics the one thing that has always been consistent in the church is the
taking of the body of our Lord.
While
they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them,
and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave
thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. (Mark
14:22-24)
My prayer is that the Lord our God will rescued the
Christians in the Middle East so they might worship him in holiness and righteousness.
Indeed this prayer is needed in our own country where our media and secular men
and women have shown they are mongers of hate.
Corpus Christi[3]
At
that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: My flesh is meat indeed and
My blood is drink indeed; he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood,
abideth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by
the Father so he that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me. This is the
bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are
dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.
Why did Jesus say, this is the bread that
came down from heaven? He wished thereby to teach the Jews that the bread
which He would give them, like the manna, came down from heaven, and was,
indeed, the only true bread from heaven. The manna was but a type, and could
only prolong the life of the body. The type was now to be fulfilled; the bread
that He was about to give them would impart to them eternal life, and this
bread would be His flesh, Himself, Who truly came from heaven, to redeem
mankind, and to bring them to life everlasting. Jesus calls His flesh bread,
partly on account of its likeness to the manna, partly on account of its effect;
for as bread nourishes the body, and sustains the earthly life, so the body of
Christ, in the Holy Sacrament, nourishes the soul, and imparts to it,
continually, a new, divine, and everlasting life.
What is the Holy Sacrament of the Altar? It is that sacrament in
which, after the words of its institution have been spoken by the priest, Jesus
Christ is present, whole and entire, in His Godhead and in His manhood, under the
appearance of bread and wine.
When and how did Jesus institute this sacrament? At the Last Supper;
In the night, before He was betrayed, He took bread, and, giving thanks, broke
it, and gave it to His disciples saying, Take and eat, for this is My body
which will be given for you. In the same manner, He took the chalice and said,
Take and drink, for this chalice is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as
often as you drink from it in commemoration of Me.
What did Jesus affect by these words? He changed bread and wine
into His most precious body and blood.
Has He given to others the power to do the same? Yes; He gave this
power to His apostles and their successors, the bishops and priests, in these
words: Do this in commemoration of Me.
What takes place at the words of consecration? Bread and wine are
changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and only the outward
appearances of bread and wine remain.
How is Jesus present in the Most Holy Sacrament? He is present,
truly, really, and substantially, in His divinity and humanity, in flesh and
blood, in body and soul, under the appearances of bread and wine.
Why do we believe this? 1. Because the words of Jesus do not
reasonably admit of any other meaning: since by them we see (a) that Jesus gave
His disciples a certain nourishment which they were to eat ; (b) that this
nourishment was bread and wine to all appearances, but Jesus called the bread
His body, which was afterwards to be sacrificed for us, and the wine His blood,
which was to be shed for us: this food consequently was not bread and wine,
but, under the appearance of bread and wine, was indeed His body and blood;
since what He gave for our redemption was not bread and wine, but His true body
and His true blood; (c) that as the body and blood of Jesus were inseparable
from His soul and divinity, He gave Himself up for our nourishment, whole and undivided,
as He hung, bled, and died upon the cross; (d) that He commanded what He had
done to be continued until He should come again (1 Cor. xi. 26), that is, until
the end of the world ; and that He, (e) on account of this being His testament,
and the New Law, was not at liberty to speak figuratively, but plainly and
distinctly. 2. Because the apostles preached this very doctrine. 3. Because the
Catholic Church, the pillar and foundation of truth, has thus constantly
taught, from the apostles times down to the present day, as the oldest Councils
and the Holy Fathers unanimously testify.
Why is communion given only in one kind? 1. The Church gives Holy
Communion only under one kind, to guard against abuses; as, for example, the
spilling of the wine; 2. In opposition to those who hold that communion can only
be received under both kinds, to hold fast the true doctrine, which is that
Christ, whole and undivided, the entire sacrament, is received under one kind.
The truth of this doctrine is plain from this, that where the living body of
Christ is, there is the whole Christ; that Christ promises eternal life to him
who eats this bread alone (John vi. 59); and finally, that there is no divine law
which commands the receiving of this sacrament under both kinds.
Feast of Corpus Christi Facts & Quotes[4]
·
St. Juliana of Mount Cornillion (Belgian), a
12th-century nun, spearheaded the effort to include a feast day for the Blessed
Sacrament. She reportedly had a vision of the Church as a pure full moon
with one dark spot, which she interpreted as the omission of a feast for the
sacrament. Pope Urban IV decreed the Feast of Corpus Christi in the
mid-13th century.
·
In the Middle Ages, the priest was the only
person who received the elements. The congregation watched him eat the
bread and drink the wine.
·
The Sacraments are Jesus Christ's presence in us. So it is important for us to go to Confession and receive Holy Communion.- Pope Francis via twitter on Nov 23, 2013.
·
The Feast of Corpus Christi (body of Christ) is
held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. In the Western Christianity,
it is primarily celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church. Some churches
have moved the service to the following Sunday. The day celebrates the
institution of the Blessed Sacrament, or Holy Communion.
Feast of Corpus Christi Top
Events and Things to Do
·
If you're Christian, go to Mass and receive Holy
Communion on the Feast of Corpus Christi.
·
Travel to the Vatican City and watch the annual
procession of the Blessed Sacrament, headed by the Pope, through the streets of
Rome.
·
A wide range of theologies exist about Holy
Communion. Read about how the elements of bread and wine are related to
the body and blood of Christ depending on your denomination.
·
Teach your children about Holy Communion at home
with grape juice and regular bread. Some denominations allow children to
take communion, but instead of saying, "This is my body broken for
you," or "This is my blood shed for you," communion servers will
say to a small child, "This means Jesus loves you."
Daily Devotions/Prayers
Comments
Post a Comment