by Leonard Goffine, 1871
Why is this day called Corpus Christi?
Because on this Thursday the Catholic Church celebrates the commemoration of the institution of the most blessed Sacrament of the Altar, or the festival of the Body of our Lord; therefore the Latin name corpus Christi: "body of Christ."
Who instituted this festival?
The head of the Church, 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 we 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. There was therefore a threefold cause for the institution or this festival: The grandeur of the divine mystery itself, the shaming of those unbelievers who deny the truth of this mystery, and the revelation made to some pious persons. This revelation was made to a pious nun at Liege, named Juliana, and to her pious friends Eve and Isabella. Juliana had frequently, when praying, a vision in which she saw the bright moon, with one part of it somewhat dark; and at her request God gave her to understand it to mean, that one of the grandest festivals was yet missing in the Church: 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 in his diocese; but death prevented him from doing so. After the bishop's death the Cardinal Legate Hugh undertook to carry out his directions, and actually 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 several dioceses, before Pope Urban IV. finally in 1264 ordered its celebration by the whole Church. This order was confirmed by Clement V. at the Council of Vienna in 1311, and the Thursday after the octave of Pentecost appointed for its celebration. In 1317, Pope John XXII. added 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 essentially present in this blessed Sacrament; for a public deprecation of all 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 from it; and finally, to draw down the divine blessing upon the people and the country.
Had this procession a prototype in the Old Law?
Yes, in that procession which carried the Ark of the Covenant containing the manna, the figure of the blessed Sacrament.
At the Introit the Church in her joy, sings in David's words: He fed them with the fat of wheat, Alleluia: and filled them with honey out of the rock. Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia. Exult in God our help; joyfully sing to the God of Jacob. (Ps. lxxx.) Glory, &c.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. O God, who in this wonderful sacrament, hast left us a perpetual memorial of Thy Passion; grant us, we beseech Thee, so to reverence the sacred mysteries of Thy body and blood, that in our souls we may always be sensible of the fruit of the redemption Thou hast purchased for us. Who livest.
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 it, for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink this chalice, you shall shew 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 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 said to the multitude of the Jєωs: 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.
The Jєωs liberated, by the powerful hand of God, from Egyptian captivity, went dryfooted through the Red Sea, whose waters became the grave of their pursuer, the king Pharaoh, and of his whole army. Having arrived in the desert Sin they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, their leaders, on account of lack 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 camps great flocks of quails, which the Jєωs caught and eat, and on the morning of the next day the whole 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 Jєωs 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, tasted like wheatbread and honey, and was henceforth called man, manna, by them. God let this manna fall for them every morning, Sabbaths excepted, for forty years, and the Jєωs lived upon it in the desert, until they came to the promised land. This manna was a figure of the hlessed Sacrament of the Altar, which is daily prepared on the altar, contains all sweetness, and nourishes the soul of him who with proper preparation receives it, so that whoever eats it worthily, dies not though his body sleeps in the grave, for Christ will awaken him to eternal life.
DETAILED INSTRUCTION
ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR,
AND ON HOLY COMMUNION.
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.
Is it a true Sacrament?
Yes, for it contains a visible sign, invisible graces for the soul's sanctification, it was promised, and is really instituted by Christ.
When and in what manner did Christ promise this Sacrament?
About one year before its institution He promised it in the ѕуηαgσgυє at Capharnaum, according to St. John the Evangelist (vi. 24 - 65) in this manner: "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 their 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 Jєωs followed Him there, and He made use of the occasion to speak of the mysterious soulbread which He would one day give to them and to 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 was the divine word, His holy doctrine, especially the doctrine that He had come from heaven to guide us to eternal life. (vers. 25 -38.) At these last words the Jєωs murmured, and the Saviour quieted them by showing them 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 begiven only at some future time, and this the Saviour did not ascribe to the the Heavenly Father, as He did the bread of the divine word, but to Himself by plainly telling who was this bread: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread which I shall give, is my flesh for the life of the world, (v. 51, 52.)
 But the Jєωs would not believe these words, so clearly expressed, for they thought their fulfilment impossible, and said: how can this man give us his flesh to eat? (r. 53.) But Jesus recalled not His words, answered not the Jєω's objections, but confirmed that which He had said, declaring with marked emphasis: Amen, amen, I say unto you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. (r. 54.) He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up at 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 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, (r. 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 Jєωs 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 an allegorical 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 give them His body and blood for food, and because they supposed He would give them His dead flesh in a coarse, sensual manner, that the Jєωs 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 which I have spoken to you, are spirit and life (v. 64), He shows them, that this mystery could be believed only by the light and grace of the Holy Spirit, but could not be comprehended by a carnal, sensual method of thought, and the partaking of His body and blood would not be in a coarse, sensual manner, but in a mysterious way. But in spite even of 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 giving it to be seen that those who left Him, understood Him clearly enough, and that His words did contain something hard for the mind to believe. But 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 known that thou art Christ, the Son of God. (v. 69, 70.)
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 essentially, in a wonderful, mysterious manner, and that He did not as those who contemn this most holy Sacrament assert, speak figuratively of faith in Him. If Jesus had so meant it, He would have so explained it to the Jєωs 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 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 was so necessary and useful (v. 56); and when His disciples, because it was a hard saying, left Him, 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. For 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 with His apostles eaten of the paschal lamb, which was a prototype of this mystery. Three sacred Evangelists Matthew (xxvi. 26 - 29), Mark (xiv. 22 - 24), 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 allpowerful word of Christ, the mysterious transformation, here Jesus gave Himself to His apostles for food, and instituted that most holy meal of love of which the Church says, that it 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 blood of the Lord, . . . . eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. (v. 27 - 29.)
From these words and those of the three sacred 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. No one 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 essentially 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 traditions, has always believed and taught, that under the appearance of bread and wine the real body and blood of Christ are present, as the Oecuмenical Council of Trent expressly declares (Sess. xiii. c. 1. can. 1. de sacros. Euchar.): "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 really, truly, 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."
Thus St. Ignatius 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 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 this bread is made the body of Christ." (Lib. iv. adv. har.) 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 old 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 their error!
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. 52.), 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 xii. 19.), gave to the apostles and their successors, the priests, the power to receive it and administer it as a soulfood, which power the apostles and their successors, the priests, have always exercised (i. Cor. 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 Church's early days when she was tried in the fire of persecution 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 by their own hands, as testified to 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 kept, in the Churches, enclosed in precious vessels (ciborium, remonstrance, or ostensorium) made for the purpose; and 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 in the ciborium, or remonstrance, or tabernacle?
No; we do not adore bread, for there is no bread there, but the most sacred body and blood of Christ, who, in the form of bread is truly present. Whereever Christ is, adoration is due Him, as by angels so by men. St. Augustine says: "No one partakes this body until he has first adored it, and we not only do not sin when we adore it, but would sin if we did not adore it." And 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 in 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 so seldom adore Him if at all!
What are the external signs of this Sacrament?
The forms of bread and wine, that is, their taste, their shape, their color; but the substance of the bread and wine is by consecration changed into the real body and blood of Christ, and only appearances of bread and wine remain, and are observable by 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, not in his own name, but 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 very beautifully writes of this: "When it comes to this that the Sacrament is to be accomplished, the priest no longer uses his own words, but Christ's words, therefore Christ's words consummate the Sacrament."
Is Christ present under-each form?
Christ is really and truly present under both forms, present in divinity and humanity, body and soul, flesh and blood. This is especially grounded on St. Paul's words: Knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more. (Rom. vi. 9.) Then as Christ dies no more, and as a living body cannot be living without soul and blood, nor with the blood separated from the body, it follows from the real presence of Christ, that He is entirely present under each of the forms, and the Council of Trent therefore says: "Whoever denies that in the awe inspiring Sacrament of the Eucharist the whole Christ is present in both of the forms, 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 one receive Christ?
 Yes, for each one of the apostles received Christ entirely, and if God by His omnipotence can cause it so, that all men and each individual man can at the same instant rejoice in the sun's light, and enjoy it in its entirety, and if He could make one and the same voice to 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 present wholly, with flesh and blood, humanity and divinity, body and soul, in each of the forms. Christ promises eternal life to the recipient of one form only, when He says: If 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 under the form of bread secretly in their houses. Though in earlier times, the faithful, like the priests, received the chalice, it was not strictly required, and the Church for important reasons has since ordered the reception of Communion under but one form, and this because by the great crowding of the people to holy Communion, 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 being long kept; because many cannot endure the taste of wine; because in some countries there is lack 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.
As the Church for important reasons has made this regulation, she can also change it, but she must always condemn the error of those who assert, that under the form of bread is contained the bloodless body, and under the form of wine the lifeless blood of Christ; for Christ, living and reigning over death, has no dead, bloodless body, no lifeless blood.
What are the effects of the reception of holy Communion?
The graces of this most holy Sacrament, are, as the Roman Catechism says, immeasurable; it is the fountain of all grace, for it contains the Fountain and Author of all Sacraments, Christ our Lord, from whom as from a fountain flows into the Sacraments all they have of good and perfect. 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 of it 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.); whence the name Communion, Union, of which St. Leo writes: "The participation of the body and soul of Christ transforms us into that which we receive," and from this union with Christ, our Head, arises also a nearer union with our brethren and sisters 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 the threefold evil concupiscence and strengthens us against the temptations of the devil. St. Bernard says: This holy Sacrament produces two effects in us, it diminishes sensation in small sins, it removes the full consent in grievous sins; if any of you feel not 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. Chrysostom: "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 he 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 lambs of Christ, which He Himself nourishes with His own heart's blood, He does not permit us to be taken out of His hands; but this only when we cooperate with the Saviour's 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 has said: He that eateth 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, with what sincere desire should we hasten to enjoy this sweetest food of heaven, 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! My Christian, close not your ears to Jesus' voice which invites you so tenderly to His banquet: Come to me, all you who are heavily burdened 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, and you will find all that has been said of it to be true.
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; for one who receives holy Communion while in mortal sin, draws down upon himself, as the apostle says, judgment and condemnation; and in approaching the holy table with deepest humility, sincere love, and fervent desire. The worthy preparation of the body consists in fasting from twelve o' clock, 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 kept burning, day and night, partly to show that Christ, the light of the world, is here present, partly 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. Do you believe, my Christian, 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 to often 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 intercourse with others, and go for at least half or a quarter of an hour to the 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 fail not to 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.
http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/
|
Topic: Instructions for Corpus Christi (Read 519 times)