Bursts of divine glory |
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Written by Bishop Leonard P. Blair
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Friday, 05 June 2009 01:00 |
If you’ve ever attended a big public fireworks display, you know how it begins and ends with a bang, and is marked by many fiery bursts against the dark sky, to the ìoohsî and ìahsî of the delighted spectators.
I would like to suggest that at this season we are near the end of an annual spiritual fireworks display. It began at the Easter Vigil with Christ the Light bursting the shackles of sin and death, with a renewed blaze of glory at the Ascension and at Pentecost. And now, before we settle down into what the liturgical calendar calls "ordinary time," there are still some "oohs" and "ahs" in store for those who have the eyes and ears of faith.
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| Bishop Leonard P. Blair |
I am referring to three great solemnities: The Most Holy Trinity on June 7, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on June 14 and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19. All three were instituted to celebrate a particular mystery of faith in the wake of Easter joy.
Now, I’ll focus on one in particular: The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on June 14.
This solemnity was celebrated for the first time at Liege in Belgium in the year 1247 at the insistence of a nun, Juliana of Mont-Cornillon. In a vision she received in 1208, the Lord gave her to understand the need for an annual feast to honor His real presence in the Blessed Sacrament. After some initial reserve and careful discernment on the part of the church, the new feast was decreed and confirmed by several popes, beginning in the year 1264. No less than St. Thomas Aquinas composed the Latin texts for the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours.
The unbroken celebration of an annual feast for 745 years is pretty impressive, but the church is much older than that. When we look at the church’s long life and its profession and celebration of faith for more than two millennia, we hearken to the Lord’s words heard on Pentecost Sunday: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth."
The sacrament of the most holy Eucharist has been with the church from the beginning in all its various aspects — as the sacrifice to be offered, as the sacred meal to be eaten, as Christ’s substantial Presence to be adored. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi in particular highlights Christ’s "Real Presence." Although already attested to in ancient times, our understanding, appreciation and adoration of this mystery has been constantly enriched by the church’s authentic teaching in the face of new questions and challenges, and especially by the insights of the saints — all under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit "guiding us to all truth."
Pope Benedict XVI has made a point of stressing that continuity and not discontinuity is the hallmark of every authentic reform and renewal. This is a theme as old as the church itself. Teaching and practice develop in the sense that they do more, and not less, with respect to the fundamental truths of faith. They grow organically as part of a living thing, like a great tree that remains what it is, even as its appearance changes over time.
This applies to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. If the church is like a great tree, then with respect to the Eucharist, the council sought to prune and till our eucharistic life and practice, in order to attain greater growth with the dew of the Holy Spirit. The desired result is not only a more active participation, but a deeper faith in the church’s eucharistic doctrine, a more profound reverence and respect for the most holy Eucharist, and a more authentic life of eucharistic charity, self-giving and service on the part of all Catholics.
In a time of great turmoil and in a fallen world, the desired goals are not easily achieved. As at the time of the apostles, so now, both wheat and weeds are part of the terrain in which living organisms grow. Even though there have undoubtedly been spiritual benefits to the revised liturgy, it also has to be acknowledged that among many Catholics something has been lost when it comes to reverence and respect for the holy Eucharist.
As the Solemnity of Corpus Christi draws near, I offer for your reflection the following excerpt from a little booklet issued in 2001 by the United States bishops titled "The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist." The question asked is, "What are appropriate signs of reverence with respect to the Body and Blood of Christ?"
The answer is, "The Body and Blood of Christ present under the appearances of bread and wine are treated with the greatest reverence both during and after the celebration of the Eucharist. For example, the tabernacle in which the consecrated bread is reserved is placed ‘in some part of the church or oratory which is distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer.’ (Code of Canon Law, 938, ß2)
"According to the tradition of the Latin Church, one should genuflect in the presence of the tabernacle containing the reserved sacrament [unless prevented by age or illness]. In the Eastern Catholic churches, the traditional practice is to make the sign of the cross and to bow profoundly. The liturgical gestures from both traditions reflect reverence, respect and adoration.
"It is appropriate for the members of the assembly to greet each other in the gathering space of the church (that is, the vestibule or narthex), but it is not appropriate to speak in loud or boisterous tones in the body of the church (that is, the nave) because of the presence of Christ in the tabernacle.
"Also, the church requires everyone to fast before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ as a sign of reverence and recollection (unless illness prevents one from doing so). In the Latin Church, one must generally fast for at least one hour; members of Eastern Catholic churches must follow the practice established by their own church."
May God bless us with a profound gratitude for the sacramental gift that Christ makes of Himself in the most holy Eucharist. And may this year’s celebration of Corpus Christi lead us to greater appreciation of the church’s tradition of faith, reverence and respect for the Blessed Sacrament.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 May 2010 13:53 |
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Middle School Rally
Click the image above to watch a video about the first Diocese of Toledo Middle School Rally March 24.
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