Today we
celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is Latin for
the “Body of Christ.” In the Catholic Church in the West, Corpus
Christi is celebrated as a solemnity on the Sunday following the Most
Holy Trinity Sunday since the liturgical reforms of Vatican II. At its core the
solemnity is a celebration of the Tradition and belief in the Eucharist as the
Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In the Eucharistic
prayer we hear proclaimed, “the bread of life, the cup of salvation.”
Bernadette
Farrel has a song, “Bread for the World” which spoke deeply to me today.
Bread for the world A world of
hunger Wine for all people People who thirst May we who eat Be bread for
others May we who drink Pour out our love
Lord Jesus
Christ You are the bread of life Broken to reach and heal the wounds Of human pain Where we divide Your people You are waiting there On bended knee To wash our feet with endless care
Lord Jesus
Christ You are the wine of peace Poured into hearts once broken And where dryness sleeps Where we are tired and weary You are waiting there To be the way which beckons us Beyond despair
May we take
time this day to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ real presence in the
Eucharist. Whether you participate in a Eucharistic procession or simply spend
time in prayer this day may we continue to see Jesus as the bread of life and
the cup of salvation.