The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated in the liturgical calendar as the Feast of Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi became a mandatory feast in the Roman Catholic church in 1312. This day celebrates the gift of what is called, "The Sacrament of the Eucharist." Eucharist, means, first of all, " thanksgiving. " It is a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God for all His benefits - for all that He has accomplished through creation, redemption and sanctification. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Christian life - the sum and summary of our faith." The richness of this sacrament is expressed in the different names we give it:
1. Eucharist - because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and the worship men offer to Christ and through Him to the Father in the Holy Spirit. Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist and the Eucharist, in turn, confirms our way of thinking.
In John 6:48-59 Jesus said, " I am the Bread of life...and the bread that I will give you is my flesh...Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you..For my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed."
In Mark 14:22-24 And while they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessing it, He broke and gave it to them, and said, "This is my Body."
And taking a cup and giving thanks, He gave it to them and they all drank of it. And He said to them, "This is my blood of the new covenant which is being shed for many."
In Matthew 26:26-28 And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave it to His disciples, and said, "Take and eat: this is my body." and taking a cup, He gave thanks and gave it to them, "All of you, drink of this: for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is being shed for many unto the forgiveness of sin."
St. Justin Martyr in 155 A.D. explained the Eucharist to the pagan Roman Emperor, Antoninus Pius by saying, "We do not receive these things as common bread and common drink but as Jesus Christ, our Savior being Incarnate in God's Word took flesh and blood for our salvation. Our faith teaches us that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from him is the Flesh and Blood of our Incarnate Jesus."
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, "In all change we normally observe, appearances change but deep down, the essence of the thing stays the same." For example, I can dye my gray hair black, have laser treatment for my skin, undergo plastic cosmetic surgery on my wrinkled face and after all is done, still remain the 79-yr old woman that I really am. St. Thomas adds, "On the other hand, the Eucharist is the one change whereby the outside appearance of bread and wine still remain the same but the very essence of the realities which is beyond the capacity of the microscope to distinguish, is totally transformed. That in this sacrament are the true Body of Christ and the true Blood is something that cannot be apprehended by the senses, but only by faith which relies on divine authority."
St. Cyril of Jerusalem in a commentary on Luke 22:19 (This is my Body which is given for you) says, "Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior in faith, for since He is the truth, He cannot lie."
Around the year A.D. 390, St. Cyril of Jerusalem indicated that the Early Church practiced communion in the hand, when he instructed his audience: "Approaching, therefore, come not with thy wrists extended or thy fingers open but make thy left hand as if a throne for thy right which is to receive the King. And having hallowed thy palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying, after It, Amen. Then after thou hast with carefulness hallowed thine eyes by the touch of the holy Body; partake thereof; giving heed lest thou lose any of It; for what thou loses is a loss to thee as if it were from one of thine own members (self)." The Church mandates that the faithful make a proper thanksgiving after Communion.
Catholic Doctrine describes the unique, divine-power change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ as"Transubstantiation."
The Catholic church considers the doctrine of transubstantiation to be concerned with what is changed and not how the change occurs. It teaches that Jesus Christ is truly and substantially present in the bread and wine and that the transformation remains as long as the appearances remain. For this reason, the consecrated elements are preserved, generally in a church tabernacle for giving holy communion to the sick and the dying and also for the purpose of " adoring Christ present in the Eucharist."
The earliest known use of the term, Transubstantiation, to describe the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ was by
Hildebert de Lavardin, Archbishop of Tours (France) in 1079.
In 1215, the 4th Lateran Council used the term, Transubstantiation, in the Profession of Faith when speaking of the change that takes place in the Eucharist.
The Council of Trent in 1215 declared, " In the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is contained truly, really and substantially, the Body and Blood together with the Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and consequently, the whole Christ which the Catholic church most aptly call Transubstantiation. "
Martin Luther, in his book," On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church," held that Jesus Christ is really present in the Eucharist. He upheld his belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and in his 1523 treatise, " The Adoration of the Sacrament " defended adoration of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Later, he abandoned the term, Transubstantiation, which he called "monstrous" to " Sacramental Union" stating that the bread and wine remained fully bread and wine while being fully the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
In October,1529, an assembly of Geneva and Swiss theologians met in Marburg Colloquy to establish doctrinal unity among the emerging Protestant States. Luther insisted on the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine. His opponents Zwingli, Melonchthon, Bucer and Oecolampadius believed God to be symbolically present. Martin Luther defended his firm stand on the Real Presence of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine. He did not sign the agreement.
Joseph Prince, a renowned Christian preacher today believes that the bread is changed to the Body of Jesus and the wine is changed to the Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion exactly as the Catholics do. He stresses the fact that it is not a symbol as some preachers of his denomination claim because the Bible states what Jesus actually said, " This is my Body...This is my Blood." To say that Jesus was speaking, metaphorically, is a fallacy, a tragic error!
It requires faith to understand the Eucharist... just as we will never fully comprehend the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit nor the two natures of Jesus - human and divine. It is a mystery which like love our finite minds will never fully understand.
What more personal relationship is there than to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion? Lives of saints reveal that some of those chosen ones like St. Catherine of Siena, St. Jean Vianney, St. Claire of Assisi and St. Rita of Cascia lived for months only on the Eucharist!
Since the Sacrament of the Eucharist takes place in the context of a community meal, believers are also united with our brothers and sisters of the faith. To make the presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread and wine only a " symbolic " one is to strip the Eucharistic celebration of its true meaning!
2. The Lord's Supper - because of its connection with the supper Jesus took on the eve of His Passion when He took bread and wine and gave to His disciples as His Body and Blood.
The Upper Room or Cenacle where Jesus had the Last Supper is part of a building with several rooms/extensions known in the First Century as the Church of the Apostles. It was originally a mosque and was later acquired by Christian Jews. It is the place where the apostles and believers often met for prayer and "breaking of bread"; the setting for Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them and the Blessed Mother; the gathering place of the apostles after the Ascension; the site where St. Mathias was chosen to replace the lost Judas and the place where Jesus appeared to them, several times, after His Resurrection.
The building is on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem near the Dormition Abbey where our Blessed Mother died (an eternal sleep) and was lifted up to heaven, Body and Soul, as contained in the Dogma of Her Assumption. On the lower level of the building is a cenotaph said by 12th Century Crusaders to be the tomb of King David. Before pilgrims can go up the Upper Room, they have to pass through the long narrow room of the tomb of King David. Before entering the room, they are required to use a "kippah" the little Jewish cap from attendants who are stationed at the door and inevitably, have to "donate" for the use of the cap.
Through a flight of stairs, pilgrims enter the Upper Room with a distinguishing six rib-vaulted ceiling. The large room is almost divided in the center by three free-standing columns which support the vaulted ceiling. Each of the capitals of the columns differ from one another. I tried to approximate the width of the middle column by wrapping my arms around it. My fingers did not touch. A friend had to "supply" one of her arms to complete the radius. The column was large for indoor use!
Talking about columns made me think of the ancient Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. Three of us tourists had to open our arms to embrace one column. It was huge! And to think that the whole building is adorned with rows of columns in each side!
What is the reason for the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist?
"Jesus, our Savior, when about to depart out of this world, instituted this sacrament, in which He poured forth the riches of His Divine Love, towards men. He said, "Do this in remembrance of me." He commanded us to venerate His memory and to show forth His death until He comes to judge the world. He would, also, that this sacrament would be received as the spiritual food for souls, and whereby, may be fed and strengthened those who live with His life. "He that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me." He would, furthermore, have it be a pledge of our glory and everlasting happiness to come." (Chapter II, Council of Trrent)
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