Sunday, June 11, 2023

 SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

(Deuteronomy 8:2-3.14-16; I Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58)

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) gives us an opportunity to reflect on a few things. First, let us ask, exactly what are we celebrating today? And, what kind of prayer does the celebration suggest? Also, how does this party relate to life today?

The celebration of Corpus Christi has its origins in the Middle Ages. While theologians debated the real presence of Christ in the sacrament, the people wanted to show their faith in it. It began in France, but in a short time spread throughout the universal Church. Since the fourteenth century there has been a procession in which the Blessed Sacrament is carried.

It can be said that Corpus Christi exhorts all three types of prayer.  It gives itself to meditation in which we ask about the purpose and the process of the Eucharist. In doing so, we discover that Jesus instituted the Eucharist to make himself present throughout the world. He is everywhere to support us in our daily struggle to be holy. When we take the Eucharistic Bread in Holy Communion, it does not so much become part of us like most food.  Rather it forms us into Christ’s body.

Contemplation differs from meditation because it is more given to inner silence than to questioning. This feast provides us with an opportunity to focus on Jesus present on the altar.  He anchors us to the truth in a world that tends to lead us astray. We express our gratitude to Jesus for saving us through vocal prayer. Whether a song like “Gift of Finest Wheat” or a Eucharistic prayer like “O Holy Banquet, in which Christ is our food…” we have to say something.

From almost the beginning the Church has recommended a procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi. In it we present ourselves as the Body of Christ with the Sacred Host as our head. We commit ourselves to living the same self-sacrificing love with which Jesus died to redeem us of sin. For this reason, we are not surprised to find at our side a teacher who dedicated her life to the education of children. Or maybe there is a police officer who more than once risked his life defending others. In other times and other places saints like San Martín de Porres and Santa Francisca Cabrini participated in such a procession.

During this month of June in almost all the cities of the world there will be another type of demonstration in the streets. Homosexuals and proponents of even stranger types of sex want to draw attention to themselves. We don't want to make fun of them. Many have experienced cruel prejudice. But neither should we want to join their ranks.

The “gay pride” movement is a way to promote erotic love in its different forms. We do not believe that it is in any way as worthy as the love of Christ. Erotic love has its proper place in marriage.  It seeks pleasure for the self. In contrast, the self-sacrificing love that Jesus Christ showed us makes sacrifices for the good of others.

It is difficult to talk about these things both in the family and in public today. But we should do it so that others do not go astray. Perhaps our participation in the Corpus Christi procession gives testimony to the self-sacrificing love of Christ. But let us not fail to tell our children and grandchildren that sex has its rightful place only in marriage. There, with all the sacrifices that marriage demands, the couple experiences something of the utmost value.  They witness the transformation of their erotic love into the love of Christ.  This is the purpose of the spiritual life: that we learn to love like Christ.