Most Perfect Union Possible
Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, more commonly known as, Corpus Christi. The day in which the Church most clearly celebrates the institution of the Most Holy Eucharist is, of course, Holy Thursday. But Holy Thursday falls during Holy Week, a time when the Church’s mood is more somber as it recalls the passion and death of the Lord. Holy Week concludes with the glorious celebration of Easter which outshines all other feasts.
At the urging of St. Juliana, an Augustinian nun from Mount Cornillion, in Belgium, Pope Urban IV issued a decree that established the Feast of Corpus Christi throughout the whole Church. This feast day was established to properly recognize and joyfully celebrate the gift the Lord Jesus has left to his Church in the most eminent sacrament of His precious body and blood – His enduring presence and divine food for our pilgrim journey toward heaven. Over the years, Eucharistic processions through the city streets have become a tradition that marks the Feast of Corpus Christi.
“Jesus instituted the Eucharist in deliberate allusion to, and fulfillment of, what happened on Mount Sinai. He replaced Moses as the God-chosen mediator, establishing the New Covenant promised through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34), by using his own Blood rather than that of sacrificial animals. By sacramentally consuming the Body and Blood of the God-man, we, the final-age people of God, are interiorly transformed through the most perfect possible union with God. Jesus creates a faithful people intimately united with God by means of his sacramental Blood” (from reflection by Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Vatican News). We celebrate today, Christ’s enduring presence with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
Today’s celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi is also be the official launch of the USCCB National Eucharistic Revival movement in our Archdiocese. We are excited to begin this work with a Diocesan Year of Revival that will move into a Parish Year of Revival in June 2023.
The button above links to a video message from Archbishop Naumann: The Mystery & Immeasurable Gift of the Eucharist.
The buttons below link to more information.