WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CORPUS CHRISTI



WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CORPUS CHRISTI 

1.      Originally a solemn day was observed on Thursdays (Maundy Thursday) to remind Catholics of the betrayal of Judas, Christ's agony and arrest and Peter's denial). On Maundy Thursday(also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names), Catholics commemorated the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.

2.      The feast of Corpus Christi is one of five occasions in the year on which a diocesan bishop is not to be away from his diocese unless for a grave and urgent reason.
Insert: Pope Francis (Corpus Christi)

3.      It was a humble nun in Belgium, Saint Juliana (1258), Prioress of Mont Cornillon, who first suggested and advocated a special feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament to be celebrated on a day other than Maundy Thursday. From her sixteenth year she had often in her prayers beheld a strange sight: it was as if the full moon appeared to her in brilliant light, while a part of its disc remained black and lightless. Finally, in a vision, Christ showed her the meaning of this picture. The moon represented the ecclesiastical year; the black spot indicated the lack of a festival in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. She was to announce to the authorities of the Church that God wished such a feast to be established.

4.      Later, Jacques Pantaléon, Archdeacon of Liége upon his election to the papal office assumed the name of Urban IV (1261-1265) and on September 8, 1264, six years after Juliana's death, he established for the whole Church that festival in honor of the Holy Eucharist which the saintly nun had proclaimed to be willed by God. It was to be celebrated with great solemnity on the Thursday after Pentecost week, and indulgences were granted to all who would receive Holy Communion or attend special devotions in addition to hearing Mass.

5.      Urban IV commissioned the great Dominican scholar Saint Thomas Aquinas to compose the texts of Mass and Divine Office for the new feast. The splendor, depth, and devotion of the prayers and hymns that Saint Thomas wrote have enriched the liturgy with one of its most beautiful rituals. They are still in use today, admired and appreciated by people of all faiths.

6.      Corpus Christi is a holyday of obligation. In the United States, however, the faithful are exempt from the obligation by a special dispensation of the Holy See.

7.      The celebration of the feast was suppressed in Protestant churches during the Reformation, because they do not hold to the teachings of transubstantiation. Depending on the denomination, Protestant churches instead believe in differing views concerning the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, or that Christ is symbolically or metaphorically part of the Eucharist.

8.      By tradition, Catholics take part in a procession following mass, through the streets of a neighborhood near their parish, and pray and sing during the passage. The Eucharist, known as the Blessed Sacrament, is placed in a monstrance and is held aloft by a member of the clergy during the procession. After the procession, parishioners return to the church, where benediction usually takes place.

9.      The official title of the feast is,
·         In the Latin Church, Festum Sanctissimi Corporis Christi (Feast of the Most Holy Body of Christ).
·         In Greek it is called Tou Somatos Tou Kyriou Heorte (Feast of the Body of the Lord).
·         English and Spanish Corpus Christi,
·         German Fronleichnam (Body of the Lord),
·         Slavic Boze Telo (Body of God), the
·         Syriac pagre d' maran (Body of the Lord),
·         Arabic 'id el-jesed el-ilahi (Feast of the Body of God).
·         Fête Dieu (Feast of God) in French,
·         Úrnapja (Day of the Lord) in Hungarian,
·         Brasancevo (Sacred Bread) among the southern Slavs.


Atuimah Valerius
© Catholic Youth Portal
2017

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