My Dear People, 

I am glad the Church has this very important and significant feast to celebrate. Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the last supper; however, at that time Jesus was concentrating on His passion and His death on the cross the next day—Good Friday. Thus, the Church wisely instituted the celebration of Corpus Christi on a different day, so we now can concentrate on the importance of this feast.

The following is the Story behind the Eucharist by Gretchen Filz, published in the Catholic Company on June 14, 2017. 

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, historically known by its Latin name, Corpus Christi, celebrates the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.  It is traditionally celebrated on the Thursday following the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. 

The feast dates to the Middle Ages and originates with a visionary nun and a Eucharistic miracle. In 1263. a German priest, Fr. Peter of Prague, made a pilgrimage to Rome. He stopped in Bolsena, Italy, to celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Christina. At this point in time, he was having doubts about Jesus being truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. In response to his doubt, when he recited the prayer of consecration as he celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, blood started seeping from the consecrated host and onto the altar and corporal. 

Fr. Peter reported this miracle to Pope Urban IV, who at the time was nearby in Orvieto. The Pope sent delegates to investigate and ordered that the host and blood-stained corporal be brought to Orvieto. The relics were then placed in the Cathedral of Orvieto, where they remain today.

This Eucharistic Miracle confirmed the visions given to St. Juliana of Mont- Cornillon in Belgium (1193-1258). St. Juliana was a nun and mystic who had a great devotion to the Holy Euchaarist. She received a series of visions and was instructed by Our Lord to work to establish a liturgical feast for the Holy Eucharist.

After many years of trying, and where none had ever existed, she finally convinced the bishop, the future Pope Urban IV, to create this special feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. Soon after her death, Pope Urban instituted Corpus Christi for the Universal Church and celebrated it for the first time in Orvieto in 1264, a year after the Eucharistic Miracle in Bolsena.

Inspired by the miracles, Pope Urban commissioned a Dominican friar, St. Thomas Aquinas, to compose the Mass and Office for the feast of Corpus Christi. Aquinas' hymns in honor of the Holy Eucharist, Pange Lingua, Tantum Ergo, Panis Angelicus, and O Salutaris Hostia are the beloved hymns the Church sings on the feast of Corpus Christi as well as throughout the year during Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

I want to emphasize the importance of this feast so that we, as Catholics, will possess a strong belief that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist—in body, blood, soul, and divinity. There are, sadly, many who do not believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

 The Catholic Church has held the belief of the “Real Presence” of Jesus from the very beginning. The teachings of the Catholic Church continue to emphasize the importance of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. For this reason, the Catholic Church has called this year “A Year of the Eucharist,” culminating with the Eucharistic Congress beginning July 17. 

There will be a live presentation on EWTN. In addition, this year during the month of August, there will be a series on Sundays of the readings from the Sixth Chapter from the gospel of John, the “Bread of Life Discourse.” This, also, is meant to emphasize the importance of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  

Yours in Christ, 

Fr. Vincent Clemente