Longing for Christ: A Reflection on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ

Beloved parishioners,

I have missed you, but we are always united at the table of the Lord’s Body and Blood. And I pray you are well and keeping the faith. Thank you for your prayers for my home country and for peace throughout the world.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi Solemnity, from the Latin meaning “Body of Christ.” This feast originated in France in mid thirteenth century, but was extended to the universal Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264. It is typically celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday (which was last Sunday), but for pastoral reasons the bishops of the United States and elsewhere have moved it to the Sunday following Trinity Sunday. This solemnity focuses our attention on the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and calls us to profess our faith in the Eucharist, Christ’s gift of himself to us for our salvation and sanctification. This solemnity is also a privileged moment to reflect on the mystery of the Church as the Body of Christ. A prominent part of this celebration is the procession with the consecrated Host through the streets. By this act we give honor to Christ present in the Eucharist, and express our belief in it as the true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This year, we have the unique opportunity to participate in the Diocesan celebration of this feast with Eucharistic procession in Warsaw taking place this weekend. I urge everyone who can, to join in this procession in honor of our Eucharistic Lord. This is part of the three-year celebrations leading up to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024. In the spirit of our celebration, therefore, I thought to share with you a reflection from St. John Chrysostom (c. 347 -407).

They all ate and were filled (Lk 9:17)

Christ gave us his flesh to eat in order to deepen our love for him. When we approach him, then, there should be burning within us a fire of love and longing. Otherwise the punishment awaiting us will be in proportion to the magnitude of the graces we have received and of which we have shown ourselves unworthy. The wise men paid homage to Christ’s body even when it was lying in a manger. Foreigners who did not worship the true God left their homes and their native land, set out on a long journey, and on reaching its end, worshiped in great fear and trembling. Let us, the citizens of heaven, at least imitate these foreigners. They only saw Christ in a manger, they saw nothing of what you now see, and yet they approached him with profound awe and reverence. You see him, not in a manger but on an altar, not carried by a woman but offered by a priest; and you see the Spirit bountifully poured out upon the offerings of bread and wine. Unlike the wise men, you do not merely see Christ’s body: you know his power as well, and whole divine plan for our salvation. Having been carefully instructed, you are ignorant of none of the marvels he has performed. Let us then awaken in ourselves a feeling of awe and let us show a far greater reverence than did those foreigners, for we shall bring down fire upon our heads if we approach this sacrament casually, without thinking of what we do.

By saying this I do not mean that we should not approach it, but simply that we should not do so thoughtlessly. Just as coming to it in a casual way is perilous, so failing to share in this sacramental meal is hunger and death. This food strengthens us; it emboldens us to speak freely to our God: it is our hope our salvation our light and our life. If we go to the next world fortified by this sacrifice, we shall enter its sacred portals with perfect confidence, as though protected all over by armor of gold. But why do I speak of the next world? Because of this sacrament earth becomes heaven for you. Throw open the gates of heaven— or rather, not of heaven but of the heaven of heavens—look through and you will see the proof of what I say. What is heaven’s most precious possession? I will show you it here on earth. I do not show you angels or archangels, heaven or the heaven of heavens, but I show you the very Lord of all these. Do you not see how you gaze, here on earth, upon what is most precious of all? You not only gaze on it, but touch it as well. You not only touch it, but even eat it, and take it away with you to your homes. It is essential therefore when you wish to receive this sacrament to cleanse your soul from sin and to prepare your mind.

Homilies on the First Letter to the Corinthians 24, 4: PG 61, 204-205

With blessings from my heart,