The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

The meaning of the celebration

+ A special liturgical celebration honoring the mystery of the Eucharist was first proposed by Saint Juliana of Mount Cornillon, a Norbertine nun in Belgium.

+ In 1264, Pope Urban IV (who had known Saint Juliana and her friend and confident Blessed Eva of Liege) approved the feast of Corpus Christi and extended the celebration to the Universal Church.

+ At the request of Pope Urban, Saint Thomas Aquinas composed the prayers and hymns used in the Divine Office and Mass for the feast and some of these prayers continue to be used for the celebration even today.

+ Over the centuries the focus of the celebration came to center on the consecrated host of the Mass (so much so that Blessed Pope Pius IX created a separate feast in honor of the Precious Blood of Christ on July 1). However, in the reforms preceding and following the Second Vatican Council, the focus of this solemnity was broadened to again celebrate the fullness of the mystery of Christ’s gift of his Body and Blood and his abiding presence in the Church (see the Collect and Preface for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ).

For prayer and reflection

“No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.”—Saint Thomas Aquinas

Spiritual bonus

On June 11, we also remember Blessed Alice of Schaerbeek. A Cistercian nun in Schaerbeek, Belgium, she was known for her devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and for mystical experiences, as well as for many miracles said to her performed during her life. Blessed Alice (or Aleydis) died on June 11, 1250, and devotion to her was confirmed in 1907.

Vocations

To learn about the religious communities dedicated to the mystery of the Eucharist see the list below.

For Men:

Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (Priests and Brothers): www.blessedsacrament.com/vocation

Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist: www.fbecommunity.org

For Women:

Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (Clyde, MO): www.benedictinesisters.org

Eucharistic Franciscan Missionary Sisters: www.efmsla.com

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration: www.fspa.org/showmeasign

Sisters of the Incarnate Word and the Blessed Sacrament (Houston, TX): email mcaisido@incarnateword.org

Sisters of the Incarnate Word and the Blessed Sacrament (Corpus Christi, TX): www.iwbscc.org

Sisters of the Incarnate Word and the Blessed Sacrament (Victoria, TX): www.iwbsvictoria.org

Sisters of the Incarnate Word and the Blessed Sacrament (Parma, OH): www.incarnatewordorder.org

Dominican Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery (Menlo Park, CA): www.opnunsmenlo.org

Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament (Farmington Hills, MI): www.opnuns-fh.org

Dominican Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery (Bronx, NY): www.opbronx.org

Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (Cleveland, OH): www.mercedariansisters.org

Nuns of the Monastery of Perpetual Adoration (San Francisco, CA): www.adorejesus.org

Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration (Hanceville, AL): www.olamnuns.org

Sacramentine Nuns (Scarsdale, NY): www.sacramentinenuns.org

Servants of the Blessed Sacrament: www.blesacrament.org

Sisters Servants of the Blessed Sacrament: www.sisterservantssjs.org

Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration (Colorado Springs, CA): www.stfrancis.org

Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration (Mishawaka, IN): www.ssfpa.org

Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament: www.katharinedrexel.org

Corpus Christi Carmelite Sisters: www.corpuschristicarmelites.org

Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist: www.sistersofmary.org

Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist: www.osfholyeucharist.org

Prayer

O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament
have left us a memorial of your Passion,
grant us, we pray,
so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood
that we may always experience in ourselves
the fruits of your redemption.
Who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.