Rev. Fr.
Leonard Goffine's The Church's
Year
FEAST OF
CORPUS CHRISTI
Why is this day called Corpus Christi?
Because on this
Thursday the Catholic Church celebrates the institution of the most
Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The Latin term Corpus Christi
signifies in English, Body of Christ.
Who instituted this festival?
Pope Urban IV,
who, in the decree concerning it, gives the following explanation of
the institution and grandeur of this festival: "Although we daily,
in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass; renew the memory of this holy
Sacrament, we believe that we must, besides, solemnly commemorate it
every year, to put the unbelievers to shame; and because vie have
been informed that God has revealed to some pious persons that this
festival should be celebrated in the whole Church, we direct that on
the first Thursday after the octave of Pentecost the faithful shall
assemble in church, join with the priests in singing the word of
God," &c. Hence this festival was instituted on account of the
greatness of the divine mystery; the unbelief of those who denied
the truth of this mystery; and the revelation made to some pious
persons. This revelation was made to a nun at Liege, named Juliana,
and to her devout friends Eve and Isabella. Juliana, when praying,
had frequently a vision in which she saw the bright moon, with one
part of it somewhat dark; at her request she received instructions
from God that one of the grandest festivals was yet to be instituted
the festival of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. In 1246,
she related this vision to Robert, Bishop of Liege, who after having
investigated the matter with the aid . of several men of learning
and devotion, among whom was Jacob Pantaleon, Archdeacon of Liege,
afterwards Pope Urban IV. made arrangements to introduce this
festival m his diocese, but death prevented his intention being put
into effect. After the bishop's death the Cardinal Legate Hugh
undertook to carry out his directions, and celebrated the festival
for the first time in the year 1247, in the Church of St. Martin at
Liege. Several bishops followed this example, and the festival was
observed in many dioceses, before Pope Urban IV. in 1264 finally
ordered its celebration by the whole Church. This order was
confirmed by ClementV, at the Council of Vienna in 1311, and the
Thursday after the octave of Pentecost appointed for its
celebration. In 13 17, Pope John XXII. instituted the solemn
procession.
Why are there such grand processions on this
day?
For a public
profession of our holy faith that Christ is really, truly and
substantially present in this Blessed Sacrament; for a public
reparation of all the injuries, irreverence, and offences, which
have been and are committed by impious men against Christ in this
Blessed Sacrament; for the solemn veneration and adoration due to
the Son of God in this Sacrament; in thanksgiving for its
institution; and for all the graces and advantages received
therefrom; and finally, to draw down the divine blessing upon the
people and the country.
Had this procession a prototype in the Old
Law?
The procession
in which was carried the Ark of the Covenant containing the manna,
was a figure of this procession.
The Church
sings at the Introit the words of David:
INTROIT He fed them with the fat
of wheat, alleluia: and filled them with honey out of the rock.
Allel. allel. allel. Rejoice to God our helper; sing aloud to the
God of Jacob. (Ps. LXXX.) Glory etc.
COLLECT O God, who under a wonderful
sacrament hast left us a memorial of Thy Passion; grant us, we
beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy body and
blood, that we may ever feel within us the fruit of thy redemtion.
Who livest etc.
EPISTLE (I Cor. XI. 23-29.)
Brethren, I have received of the Lord, that which also I delivered
to you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was
betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye,
and eat; this is my body which shall be delivered for you: this do
for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, after
he had supped, saying: This Chalice is the New Testament in my
blood: this do' ye; as often as you shall drink., for the
commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and
drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until he
come. Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink of the
chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of
the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not
discerning the body of the Lord.
GOSPEL (John VI. 56?59.) At
that time, Jesus laid to the multitude of the Jews: My flesh is meat
indeed arid 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.
[The explanation of the epistle and gospel is contained in
the following instruction.]
The Jews,
liberated by the powerful hand of God from Egyptian captivity, went
on dry ground through the midst of the Red Sea, whose waters became
the grave of their pursuer, King Pharao, and, his whole army. Having
arrived in the desert called Sin they began to murmur against Moses
and Aaron, their leaders; on account of the want of bread, and
demanded to be led back to Egypt where there was plenty. The Lord
God took pity on His people. In the evening He sent into their, camp
great flocks of quails, which the Jews caught and ate, and on the
morning of the next day the ground was covered with white dew, and
in the desert something fine, as if pounded in a mortar, looking
like frost on the earth, which as soon as the Jews beheld, they
exclaimed in surprise: "Man hu?" "What is that?" But Moses said to
them: "This is bread which the Lord has given you." And they at once
began to collect the food which was white, small as Coriander seed,
and tasted like wheat?bread and honey, and was henceforth called man
or manna. God gave them this manna every morning, for forty years,
Sabbaths excepted, and the Jews lived upon it in the desert, until
they came to the Promised Land. This manna is a figure of the
Blessed Sacrament of the Altar which contains all sweetness, and
nourishes the soul of him who receives it with proper preparation,
so that whoever eats it worthily, dies not, though his body sleeps
in the grave, for Christ will raise him to eternal life.
INSTRUCTION
ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR
What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It is that
Sacrament in which under the appearance of bread and wine the Body
and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are really, truly and
substantially present.
When and to what manner did Christ promise this
Sacrament?
About one year before its institution He promised it in
the synagogue at Capharnaum, according to St. John the Evangelist:
(VI, 24-65.) When Jesus, near the Tiberian Sea, had fed five
thousand men in a miraculous manner with a few small loaves, these
men would not leave Him, because they marvelled at the miracle, were
anxious for this bread, and desired to make Him their king. But
Jesus fled to a high mountain, and in the night went with His
disciples to Capharnaum which was a town on the opposite side of the
sea; but a multitude of Jews followed Him, and He made use of the
occasion to speak of the mysterious, bread which He would one day
give them and all men. He first exhorted them not to go so eagerly
after the perishable. bread of the body, but to seek the bread of
the soul which lasts forever, and which the Heavenly Father would
give them, through Him, in abundance. This imperishable bread is the
divine word, His holy doctrine, especially the doctrine that He had
come from heaven to guide us to eternal life. (Vers. 25-38.) The
Jews murmured because He said that He had come from heaven, but the
Saviour quieted them by showing that no one could believe without a
special grace from His Heavenly Father (V. 43, 44.) that He was the
Messiah, and had come from heaven. After this introduction setting
forth that the duty of faith in Him and in His divine doctrine was a
spiritual nourishment, Christ very clearly unfolded the mystery of
another bread for the soul which was to be given only at some future
time, and this the Saviour did not ascribe to the Heavenly Father,
as He did the bread of the divine word, but to Himself by plainly
telling what this bread was: I am the living bread which came down
from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever,
and the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the
world. (V. 51, 52.)
But the Jews
would not believe these words, so clearly expressed, for they
thought their fulfillment impossible, and said: How can this man
give us his flesh to eat? (V. 53.) But Jesus recalled not His words,
answered not the Jews' objections, but confirmed that which He had
said, declaring with marked emphasis: Amen, amen, I say unto you,
except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you
shall not have life in you., (V. 54.) He that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in
the last day. For 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 bath 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: (V. 55-59.) Jesus, therefore, said distinctly and plainly,
that at a future time He would give His own Body and Blood as the
true nourishment of the soul; besides, the Jews and the disciples
alike received these words in their true, literal sense, and knew
that Jesus did not here mention His Body and Blood in figurative
sense, but meant to give them His own real Flesh and Blood for food;
and it was because they believed it impossible for Jesus to do this,
and because they supposed He would give them His dead flesh in a
coarse, sensual manner, that the Jews murmured, and even several of
His disciples said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it? But
Jesus persisted in His words: My flesh is meat indeed, &c., and
calls the attention of His disciples to another miracle: to His
future ascension, which would be still more incredible, but would
come to pass; and by the words: It is the spirit which quickeneth,
the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I have spoken to you,
are spirit and life, (V. 64) He showed them that this mystery could
be believed only by the light and grace of the Holy Spirit, and the
partaking of His Bodes and Blood would not be in a coarse, sensual
manner, but in a mysterious way. Notwithstanding this, many of His
disciples still found the saying hard, and left Him, and went no
longer with Him. (V. 67.) They found the saying hard, because, as
our Saviour expressly said, they were lacking in faith. He let them
go, and said to His apostles: Will you also go away? thereby showing
that those who left Him, understood Him clearly enough, and that His
words did contain something hard for the mind to believe. The
apostles did not leave Him, they were too well assured of His
divinity, and that to Him all was possible, as St. Peter clearly
expresses: Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we have believed and have known that thou art Christ, the
Son of God.
From the
account given by St. John, it is plainly seen that Christ really
promised to give us for our food His most precious Body and Blood,
really and substantially, in a Wonderful, mysterious manner, and
that He did not speak figuratively of faith in Him, as those assert
who contemn this most holy Sacrament. If Jesus had so meant it, He
would have explained it thus to the Jews and to His disciples who
took His words literally, and therefore could not comprehend, how
Jesus could give His Flesh and Blood to them for their food. But
Jesus persisted in His words, that His Flesh was truly food, and His
Blood really drink. He even made it the strictest duty for man to
eat His Flesh and drink His Blood; (V. 54) He shows the benefits
arising from this nourishment of the soul, (V. 55) and the reason
why this food is so necessary and useful. (V. 56.) When His
disciples left Him, because it was a hard saying, He allowed them to
go, for they would not believe His words, and could not believe them
on account of their carnal manner of thinking. This holy mystery
must be believed, and cannot be comprehended. Jesus has then
promised, as the Catholic Church has always maintained and taught,
that His Body and Blood. would be present under the appearance of
bread and wine in the Blessed Sacrament, a true nourishment for the
soul, and that which He promised, He has really given.
When and in what manner did Christ institute the most holy
Sacrament of the Altar?
At the Last
Supper, on the day before His passion, after He had eaten with His
apostles the paschal lamb, which was a prototype of this mystery.
Three Evangelists, Matthew, (XXVI: 26?29.) Mark, (XIV. 22-25.) and
Luke (XXII. 19-20.) relate in few, but plain words, that on this
evening Jesus took into His hand bread and the chalice, blessed and
gave both to His disciples, saying: This is my body, that will be
given for you; this is my blood, which will be shed for you and for
many. Here took place in a miraculous manner, by the all?powerful
word of Christ, the mysterious transformation; here Jesus gave
Himself to His apostles for food, and instituted that most holy meal
of love which the Church says contains all sweetness. That which
three Evangelists. plainly relate, St. Paul confirms in his first
epistle to the Corinthians, (XI. 23-29. ,See this day's epistle) in
which to his account of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament he
adds: Whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the
Lord unworthily, (that is, in a state of sin) shall be guilty of the
body and of the blood of the Lord . . . .eateth and drinketh
judgment to himself. (V. 27-29.)
From these
words and those of the three holy Evangelists already mentioned, it
is clear that Jesus really fulfilled His promise, really instituted
the most holy Sacrament, and gave His most sacred Body and Blood to
the apostles for their food. None of the Evangelists, nor St. Paul,
informs us that Christ said: this will become my body, or, this
signifies my body. All agree that our Saviour said this is my body,
this is my blood, and they therefore decidedly mean us to understand
that Christ's body and blood are really, truly, and substantially
present under the appearance of bread and wine, as soon as the
mysterious change has taken place. And this is confirmed by the
words: that is given for you; which shall be shed for you and for
many; because Christ gave neither bread nor wine, nor a figure of
His Body and Blood, for our redemption, but His real Body, and His
real Blood, and St. Paul could not assert that we could eat the Body
and Blood of the Lord unworthily, if under the appearance of bread
and wine were present not the real Body and Blood of Christ, but
only a figure of them, or if they were only bread and wine. This is
also proved by the universal faith of the Catholic Church, which in
accordance with Scripture and the oldest, uninterrupted Apostolic
traditions1
has always believed and taught, that under the appearance of bread
and wine the real Body and Blood of Christ are present, as the
Ecumenical Council of Trent expressly declares: (Sess. XIII. C. I.
Can. I. de sacros. Euchdr.) "All our ancestors who were of the
Church of Christ, and have spoken of this most Blessed Sacrament,
have in the plainest manner professed that our Redeemer instituted
this wonderful Sacrament at the Last Supper, when, having blessed
the bread and wine, He assured the apostles in the plainest and most
exact words, that He was giving them His Body and Blood itself; and
if any one denies that the holy Eucharist truly, really, and
substantially contains the Body and Blood, the Soul and Divinity of,
our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore the whole Christ, and asserts that
it is only a sign or figure without virtue, let him be
anathema."
Did Christ institute this Sacrament for all
time?
Yes; for when
He had promised that the bread which He would give, was His flesh
for the life of the world, (john. vi. ga.) and had said expressly
that whosoever did not eat His Flesh and drink His Blood would not
have life in Him, He, at the Last Supper, by the words: Do this for
a commemoration of me, (Luke XXII. 19.) gave to the apostles and
their successors, the priests, the power in His name to change bread
and wine into His Body and Blood, also to receive It and administer
It as a food of the soul, which power the apostles and their
successors, the priests, have always exercised, (I Coy. X. 16.) and
will exercise to the end of the world.
How long after the change does Christ remain present under
the appearance of bread and wine?
As long as the
appearances remain; this was always the faith of the Church;
therefore in the primitive ages when the persecutions were raging,
after the sacrifice the sacred body of our Lord was taken home by
the Christians to save the mystery from the pagans; at home they
preserved It, and received It from their own hands, as affirmed by
the holy Fathers of the Church Justin, Cyprian, Basil, and others.
But when persecution had ceased, and the Church was permitted to
profess the faith openly, and without hinderance, the Blessed
Sacrament was preserved in the churches, enclosed in precious
vessels, (ciborium, monstrance, or ostensorium) made for the
purpose. In later times it was also exposed, on solemn occasions,
for public adoration.
Do we Catholics adore bread when we pay adoration to the
Blessed Sacrament?
No; we do not
adore bread, for no bread is there, but the most sacred Body and
Blood of Christ, and wherever Christ is adoration is due Him by man
and angels. St. Augustine says: "No one partakes of this Body until
he has first adored, and we not only do not sin when we adore It,
but would sin if we did not adore It." The Council of Trent
excommunicates those who assert that it is not allowable to adore
Christ, the only?begotten Son of God, in the Blessed Sacrament. How
unjust are those unbelievers who sneer at this adoration, when it
has never entered into the mind of any Catholic to adore the
external appearances of this Sacrament, but the Saviour hidden under
the appearances; and how grievously do those indifferent Catholics
sin who show Christ so little veneration in this Sacrament, and
seldom adore Him if at all!
Which are the external signs of this
Sacrament?
The form and
appearance, or that which appears to our senses, as the figure, the
color, and the taste, but the substance of the bread and wine is by
consecration changed into the real Body and Blood of Christ, and
only the appearance of bread and wine remains, and is observable to
the senses.
Where and by whom is this consecration
effected?
This
consecration is effected on the altar during the holy Sacrifice of
the Mass (therefore the name Sacrament of the Altar), when the
priest in the name and by the power of Christ pronounces over the
bread and wine the words which Christ Himself pronounced when He
instituted this holy Sacrament. St. Ambrose writes: "At the moment
that the Sacrament is to be accomplished, the priest no longer uses
his own words, but Christ's words therefore. Christ's words complete
the Sacrament."
Is Christ present under each form?
Christ is
really and truly present under both forms, in Divinity and Humanity,
Body and Soul, Flesh and Blood. That Jesus is thus present is clear
from the words of St. Paul: Knowing that Christ rising again from
the dead, dieth now no more. (Rom. VI. 9.) Because Christ dies no
more, it naturally follows that He is wholly and entirely present
under each' form. Hence the council of Trent says: "Whoever denies
that in the venerable Sacrament, of the Eucharist the whole Christ
is present in each of the forms and in each part of each form, where
a separation has taken place, let him be anathema."
Then no matter how many receive this Sacrament, does each
receive Christ?
Yes, for each
of the apostles received Christ entirely, and if God by His
omnipotence can cause each individual to rejoice at the same instant
in the sun's light, and enjoy its entireness, and if He can make one
and the same voice resound in the ears of all the listeners, is He
not able to give the body of Christ, whole and entire, to as many as
wish to receive It?
Is it necessary that this Sacrament should be received in
both forms?
No, for as it
has already been said, Christ is wholly present, Flesh and Blood,
Humanity and Divinity, Body and Soul, in each of the forms. Christ
promises eternal life to the recipient also of one form when He
says,: I f any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever, and
the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world.
(John. VI. 52.) The first Christians, in times of persecution,
received this Sacrament only in the form of bread in their houses.
Though in earlier times the faithful, like the priests, partook of
the chalice, it was not strictly required, and the Church for
important reasons has since ordered the reception of Communion under
but one form, because there was danger that the blood of our Lord
might be spilled, and thus dishonored; because as the Blessed
Sacrament must always be ready for the sick, it was feared that the
form of wine might be injured by long preservation; because many
cannot endure the taste of wine; because in some countries there is
scarcity of wine, and it can be obtained only at great cost and with
much difficulty, and finally, in order to refute the error of those
who denied that Christ is entirely present under each
form.
Which area the effects of holy Communion?
The graces of
this most holy Sacrament are, as the Roman Catechism says,
innumerable; it is the fountain of all grace, for it ,contains the
Author of all the Sacraments, Christ our Lord, all goodness and
perfection. According to the doctrine of the?Church , there are six
special effects of grace produced by, this Sacrament in those who
worthily receive it. It unites the recipient with Christ, which
Christ plainly shows when He says: He that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him; (John VI. 57.) hence
the name Communion, of which St. Leo writes: "The participation of
the Body and Blood of Christ transforms ' us into that which we
receive," and from this union with Christ, our Head, arises also a
closer union with our brethren in Christ, into one body. (I Cor. X.
17.) It preserves and increases sanctifying grace, which is the
spiritual life of the soul, for our Saviour says: He that eateth me,
the, same also shall live by me. (John VI, 58.) It diminishes in us
concupiscence and strengthens us against the temptations of the
devil. St. Bernard says: "This holy Sacrament produces tow effects
in us, it diminishes gratifiation in venial sins, it removes the
full consent in grievous sins; if any of you do not feel so often
now the harsh emotion of anger, of envy, or impurity, you owe it to
the Body and Blood of the Lord:" and St. Chrystostom: "When we
communicate worthily we return from the table like fiery lions,
terrible to the devils." It causes us to perform good works with
strength and courage; for be who abides in Christ, and Christ in
him, bears much fruit. (John XV.) It effaces venial sin, and
preserves from mortal sin, as St. Ambrose says: "This daily bread is
used as a help against daily weakness: and as by the enjoyment of
this holy Sacrament, we are made in a special manner the property,
the lams of Christ, which He Himself nourishes with His own heart's
blood, He does not permit us to be taken out of His hands, so long
as we cooperate with His grace, by prayer, vigilance and contest. It
brings us to a glorious resurrection and to eternal happiness; for
he who communicates worthily, possesses Him who is the resurrection
and the life, (John XI. 25.) who said: He that eatheth my flesh, and
drinketh ? my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up
in the last day. (John VI, 55.) He has, therefore, in Christ a
pledge, that he will rise in glory and live for ever. If the
receiving of this Sacrament produces such great results, how
frequently and with what sincere desire should we hasten ~ to enjoy
this heavenly banquet, this fountain of all grace! The first
Christians received it daily, and St. Augustine says: "Daily receive
what daily benefits!" and St. Cyril: The baptized may know that they
remove themselves far from eternal life, when they remain a long
time from Communion." Ah, whence comes in our days, the
indifference, the weakness, the impiety of so many Christians but
from the neglect and unworthy reception of Communion! Christian
soul, close not your ears to the voice of Jesus who invites you so
tenderly to His banquet: Come to me all you who are heavily laden
and I will refresh you. Go often, very often to Him; but when you go
to Him, do not neglect to prepare for His worthy reception, and you
will soon feel its effects in your soul.
In what does the worthy preparation for this holy
Sacrament consist?
The worthy
preparation of the soul consists in purifying ourselves by a sincere
confession from all grievous sins, and in approaching the holy table
with profound humility, sincere love, and with fervent desire. He
who receives holy Communion in the state of mortal sin draws down
upon himself, as the, apostle says, judgment and condemnation. The
worthy preparation of the body consists in fasting from midnight
before receiving Communion, and in coming properly dressed to the
Lord's banquet.
The holy
Sacrament of the Altar is preserved in the tabernacle, in front of
which a light is burning day and night, to show that Christ, the
light of the world, is here present, that we may bear in mind that
every Christian congregation should contain in itself the light of
faith, the flame of hope, the warmth of divine love, and the fire of
true devotion, by a pious life manifesting and consuming itself,
like a light, in. the service of God. As a Christian you must
believe that under the appearance of bread Christ is really present
in the tabernacle, and that He is your Redeemer, your Saviour, your
Lord and King, the best Friend and Lover of your soul, whose
pleasure it is to dwell among the children of men; then it is your
duty often to visit Him in this most holy Sacrament, and offer Him
your homage and adoration, "It is certain," says: St. Alphonsus
Ligouri, that next to the enjoyment of this holy Sacrament in
Communion, the adoration of Jesus in this Sacrament is the best and
most pleasing of all devotional exercises, and of the greatest
advantage to us." Hesitate not, therefore, to practise this
devotion. From this day renounce at least a quarter of an hour's
intercourse with others, and go to church to entertain yourself
there with Christ. Know that the time which you spend in this way
will be of the greatest consolation to, you in the hour of death and
through all eternity. Visit Jesus not only in the church, but also
accompany and adore Him when carried in processions, or to sick
persons. You will thus show your Lord the homage due to Him, gather
great merits for yourself, and have the sure hope that Christ will
one day repay you a hundredfold.
1. Thus St. Ignatius, the Martyr, who was instructed by
the apostles themselves, rebukes in these words those who even at
that time would not believe in the change of the bread and wine into
the body and blood of the. Lord: "They do not believe that the real
body of Jesus Christ our Redeemer who suffered for us and has risen
from death is contained in the Sacrament of the Altar." (Ep. ad
Smyr.) Thus St. Irenaeus who was a disciple of St. Polycarp, a pupil
of St. John the Evangelist, writes: "Of the bread is made the body
of Christ" (Lib. IV adv. haer.) In the same manner St. Cyril: "Since
Christ our Lord said of this bread, This is my body, who dares doubt
it? Since He said, This is my blood, who dares to say, it is not His
blood?" (Lib. IV. regul. Cat.) and in another place: "Bread and wine
which before the invocation of the most Holy Trinity were only bread
and wine, become after this invocation the body and blood of
Christ." (Cat. myrt. I.)
What can the unbelievers say to this
testimony? Do they know the truth better than those apostles who
themselves saw and heard Jesus at the Last Supper, and who taught
their disciples that which they had seen and heard? All Christian
antiquity proves the error of these heretics:
NOTE. The
Blessed Sacrament as a Sacrifice and the Holy Mass and its
ceremonies, are treated upon towards the end of this
book. |