SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
Sermons on the Blessed Sacrament
INSTRUCTION ON THE FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI
By
Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine
Why
is this day called Corpus Christi?
Because
on this Thursday the Catholic Church celebrates the institution of
the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The Latin term Corpus
Christi signifies in English, Body of Christ.
Who
instituted this festival?
Pope
Urban IV, who, in the decree concerning it, gives the following
explanation of the institution and grandeur of this festival:
"Although we daily, in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass; renew the
memory of this holy Sacrament, we believe that we must, besides,
solemnly commemorate it every year, to put the unbelievers to shame;
and because vie have been informed that God has revealed to some
pious persons that this festival should be celebrated in the whole
Church, we direct that on the first Thursday after the octave of
Pentecost the faithful shall assemble in church, join with the
priests in singing the word of God," &c. Hence this festival
was instituted on account of the greatness of the divine mystery; the
unbelief of those who denied the truth of this mystery; and the
revelation made to some pious persons. This revelation was made to a
nun at Liege, named Juliana, and to her devout friends Eve and
Isabella. Juliana, when praying, had frequently a vision in which she
saw the bright moon, with one part of it somewhat dark; at her
request she received instructions from God that one of the grandest
festivals was yet to be instituted the festival of the most Blessed
Sacrament of the Altar. In 1246, she related this vision to Robert,
Bishop of Liege, who after having investigated the matter with the
aid of several men of learning and devotion, among whom was Jacob
Pantaleon, Archdeacon of Liege, afterwards Pope Urban IV. made
arrangements to introduce this festival m his diocese, but death
prevented his intention being put into effect. After the bishop's
death the Cardinal Legate Hugh undertook to carry out his directions,
and celebrated the festival for the first time in the year 1247, in
the Church of St. Martin at Liege. Several bishops followed this
example, and the festival was observed in many dioceses, before Pope
Urban IV. in 1264 finally ordered its celebration by the whole
Church. This order was confirmed by ClementV, at the Council of
Vienna in 1311, and the Thursday after the octave of Pentecost
appointed for its celebration. In 13 17, Pope John XXII. instituted
the solemn procession.
Why
are there such grand processions on this day?
For
a public profession of our holy faith that Christ is really, truly
and substantially present in this Blessed Sacrament; for a public
reparation of all the injuries, irreverence, and offences, which have
been and are committed by impious men against Christ in this Blessed
Sacrament; for the solemn veneration and adoration due to the Son of
God in this Sacrament; in thanksgiving for its institution; and for
all the graces and advantages received therefrom; and finally, to
draw down the divine blessing upon the people and the country.
Had
this procession a prototype in the Old Law?
The
procession in which was carried the Ark of the Covenant containing
the manna, was a figure of this procession.
The
Church sings at the Introit the words of David:
INTROIT:
He fed them with
the fat of wheat, alleluia: and filled them with honey out of the
rock. Allel. allel. allel. Rejoice to God our helper; sing aloud to
the God of Jacob. (Ps. LXXX.) Glory etc.
COLLECT:
O God, who under a wonderful sacrament hast left us a memorial of Thy
Passion; grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred
mysteries of Thy body and blood, that we may ever feel within us the
fruit of thy redemtion. Who livest etc.
EPISTLE:
(I Cor. XI. 23-29.) Brethren, I have received of the Lord, that which
also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which
he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said: Take
ye, and eat; this is my body which shall be delivered for you: this
do for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice,
after he had supped, saying: This Chalice is the New Testament in my
blood: this do' ye; as often as you shall drink., for the
commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and
drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until he
come. Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink of the
chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of
the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not
discerning the body of the Lord.
GOSPEL:
(John
VI. 56?59.) At that time, Jesus laid to the multitude of the Jews: My
flesh is meat indeed arid my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the
living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that
eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that
came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are
dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.
[The
explanation of the epistle and gospel is contained in the following
instruction.]
The
Jews, liberated by the powerful hand of God from Egyptian captivity,
went on dry ground through the midst of the Red Sea, whose waters
became the grave of their pursuer, King Pharao, and, his whole army.
Having arrived in the desert called Sin they began to murmur against
Moses and Aaron, their leaders; on account of the want of bread, and
demanded to be led back to Egypt where there was plenty. The Lord God
took pity on His people. In the evening He sent into their, camp
great flocks of quails, which the Jews caught and ate, and on the
morning of the next day the ground was covered with white dew, and in
the desert something fine, as if pounded in a mortar, looking like
frost on the earth, which as soon as the Jews beheld, they exclaimed
in surprise: "Man hu?" "What is that?" But Moses
said to them: "This is bread which the Lord has given you."
And they at once began to collect the food which was white, small as
Coriander seed, and tasted like wheat?bread and honey, and was
henceforth called man or manna. God gave them this manna every
morning, for forty years, Sabbaths excepted, and the Jews lived upon
it in the desert, until they came to the Promised Land. This manna is
a figure of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar which contains all
sweetness, and nourishes the soul of him who receives it with proper
preparation, so that whoever eats it worthily, dies not, though his
body sleeps in the grave, for Christ will raise him to eternal life.
What
is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It
is that Sacrament in which under the appearance of bread and wine the
Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are really, truly and
substantially present.
When
and to what manner did Christ promise this Sacrament?
About
one year before its institution He promised it in the synagogue at
Capharnaum, according to St. John the Evangelist: (VI, 24-65.) When
Jesus, near the Tiberian Sea, had fed five thousand men in a
miraculous manner with a few small loaves, these men would not leave
Him, because they marvelled at the miracle, were anxious for this
bread, and desired to make Him their king. But Jesus fled to a high
mountain, and in the night went with His disciples to Capharnaum
which was a town on the opposite side of the sea; but a multitude of
Jews followed Him, and He made use of the occasion to speak of the
mysterious, bread which He would one day give them and all men. He
first exhorted them not to go so eagerly after the perishable. bread
of the body, but to seek the bread of the soul which lasts forever,
and which the Heavenly Father would give them, through Him, in
abundance. This imperishable bread is the divine word, His holy
doctrine, especially the doctrine that He had come from heaven to
guide us to eternal life. (Vers. 25-38.) The Jews murmured because He
said that He had come from heaven, but the Saviour quieted them by
showing that no one could believe without a special grace from His
Heavenly Father (V. 43, 44.) that He was the Messiah, and had come
from heaven. After this introduction setting forth that the duty of
faith in Him and in His divine doctrine was a spiritual nourishment,
Christ very clearly unfolded the mystery of another bread for the
soul which was to be given only at some future time, and this the
Saviour did not ascribe to the Heavenly Father, as He did the bread
of the divine word, but to Himself by plainly telling what this bread
was: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man
eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will
give, is my flesh for the life of the world. (V. 51, 52.)
But
the Jews would not believe these words, so clearly expressed, for
they thought their fulfillment impossible, and said: How can this man
give us his flesh to eat? (V. 53.) But Jesus recalled not His words,
answered not the Jews' objections, but confirmed that which He had
said, declaring with marked emphasis: Amen, amen, I say unto you,
except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you
shall not have life in you., (V. 54.) He that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in
the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink
indeed; he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me,
and I in him. As the living Father bath sent me; and I live ,by the
Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is
the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat
manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread; shall live forever:
(V. 55-59.) Jesus, therefore, said distinctly and plainly, that at a
future time He would give His own Body and Blood as the true
nourishment of the soul; besides, the Jews and the disciples alike
received these words in their true, literal sense, and knew that
Jesus did not here mention His Body and Blood infigurative sense, but
meant to give them His own real Flesh and Blood for food; and it was
because they believed it impossible for Jesus to do this, and because
they supposed He would give them His dead flesh in a coarse, sensual
manner, that the Jews murmured, and even several of His disciples
said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it? But Jesus persisted
in His words: My flesh is meat indeed, &c., and calls the
attention of His disciples to another miracle: to His future
ascension, which would be still more incredible, but would come to
pass; and by the words: It is the spirit which quickeneth, the flesh
profiteth nothing, the words that I have spoken to you, are spirit
and life, (V. 64) He showed them that this mystery could be believed
only by the light and grace of the Holy Spirit, and the partaking of
His Bodes and Blood would not be in a coarse, sensual manner, but in
a mysterious way. Notwithstanding this, many of His disciples still
found the saying hard, and left Him, and went no longer with Him. (V.
67.) They found the saying hard, because, as our Saviour expressly
said, they were lacking in faith. He let them go, and said to His
apostles: Will you also go away? thereby showing that those who left
Him, understood Him clearly enough, and that His words did contain
something hard for the mind to believe. The apostles did not leave
Him, they were too well assured of His divinity, and that to Him all
was possible, as St. Peter clearly expresses: Lord, to whom shall we
go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed and
have known that thou art Christ, the Son of God.
From
the account given by St. John, it is plainly seen that Christ really
promised to give us for our food His most precious Body and Blood,
really and substantially, in a Wonderful, mysterious manner, and that
He did not speak figuratively of faith in Him, as those assert who
contemn this most holy Sacrament. If Jesus had so meant it, He would
have explained it thus to the Jews and to His disciples who took His
words literally, and therefore could not comprehend, how Jesus could
give His Flesh and Blood to them for their food. But Jesus persisted
in His words, that His Flesh was truly food, and His Blood really
drink. He even made it the strictest duty for man to eat His Flesh
and drink His Blood; (V. 54) He shows the benefits arising from this
nourishment of the soul, (V. 55) and the reason why this food is so
necessary and useful. (V. 56.) When His disciples left Him, because
it was a hard saying, He allowed them to go, for they would not
believe His words, and could not believe them on account of their
carnal manner of thinking. This holy mystery must be believed, and
cannot be comprehended. Jesus has then promised, as the Catholic
Church has always maintained and taught, that His Body and Blood.
would be present under the appearance of bread and wine in the
Blessed Sacrament, a true nourishment for the soul, and that which He
promised, He has really given.
When
and in what manner did Christ institute the most holy Sacrament of
the Altar?
At
the Last Supper, on the day before His passion, after He had eaten
with His apostles the paschal lamb, which was a prototype of this
mystery. Three Evangelists, Matthew, (XXVI: 26?29.) Mark, (XIV.
22-25.) and Luke (XXII. 19-20.) relate in few, but plain words, that
on this evening Jesus took into His hand bread and the chalice,
blessed and gave both to His disciples, saying: This is my body, that
will be given for you; this is my blood, which will be shed for you
and for many. Here took place in a miraculous manner, by the
all?powerful word of Christ, the mysterious transformation; here
Jesus gave Himself to His apostles for food, and instituted that most
holy meal of love which the Church says contains all sweetness. That
which three Evangelists. plainly relate, St. Paul confirms in his
first epistle to the Corinthians, (XI. 23-29. ,See this day's
epistle) in which to his account of the institution of the Blessed
Sacrament he adds: Whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the
chalice of the Lord unworthily, (that is, in a state of sin) shall be
guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord . . . .eateth and
drinketh judgment to himself. (V. 27-29.)
From
these words and those of the three holy Evangelists already
mentioned, it is clear that Jesus really fulfilled His promise,
really instituted the most holy Sacrament, and gave His most sacred
Body and Blood to the apostles for their food. None of the
Evangelists, nor St. Paul, informs us that Christ said: this will
become my body, or, this signifies my body. All agree that our
Saviour said this is my body, this is my blood, and they therefore
decidedly mean us to understand that Christ's body and blood are
really, truly, and substantially present under the appearance of
bread and wine, as soon as the mysterious change has taken place. And
this is confirmed by the words: that is given for you; which shall be
shed for you and for many; because Christ gave neither bread nor
wine, nor a figure of His Body and Blood, for our redemption, but His
real Body, and His real Blood, and St. Paul could not assert that we
could eat the Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily, if under the
appearance of bread and wine were present not the real Body and Blood
of Christ, but only a figure of them, or if they were only bread and
wine. This is also proved by the universal faith of the Catholic
Church, which in accordance with Scripture and the oldest,
uninterrupted Apostolic traditions1
has always believed and taught, that under the appearance of bread
and wine the real Body and Blood of Christ are present, as the
Ecumenical Council of Trent expressly declares: (Sess. XIII. C. I.
Can. I. de sacros. Euchdr.) "All our ancestors who were of the
Church of Christ, and have spoken of this most Blessed Sacrament,
have in the plainest manner professed that our Redeemer instituted
this wonderful Sacrament at the Last Supper, when, having blessed the
bread and wine, He assured the apostles in the plainest and most
exact words, that He was giving them His Body and Blood itself; and
if any one denies that the holy Eucharist truly, really, and
substantially contains the Body and Blood, the Soul and Divinity of,
our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore the whole Christ, and asserts that
it is only a sign or figure without virtue, let him be anathema."
Did
Christ institute this Sacrament for all time?
Yes;
for when He had promised that the bread which He would give, was His
flesh for the life of the world, (john. vi. ga.) and had said
expressly that whosoever did not eat His Flesh and drink His Blood
would not have life in Him, He, at the Last Supper, by the words: Do
this for a commemoration of me, (Luke XXII. 19.) gave to the apostles
and their successors, the priests, the power in His name to change
bread and wine into His Body and Blood, also to receive It and
administer It as a food of the soul, which power the apostles and
their successors, the priests, have always exercised, (I Coy. X. 16.)
and will exercise to the end of the world.
How
long after the change does Christ remain present under the appearance
of bread and wine?
As
long as the appearances remain; this was always the faith of the
Church; therefore in the primitive ages when the persecutions were
raging, after the sacrifice the sacred body of our Lord was taken
home by the Christians to save the mystery from the pagans; at home
they preserved It, and received It from their own hands, as affirmed
by the holy Fathers of the Church Justin, Cyprian, Basil, and others.
But when persecution had ceased, and the Church was permitted to
profess the faith openly, and without hinderance, the Blessed
Sacrament was preserved in the churches, enclosed in precious
vessels, (ciborium, monstrance, or ostensorium) made for the purpose.
In later times it was also exposed, on solemn occasions, for public
adoration.
Do
we Catholics adore bread when we pay adoration to the Blessed
Sacrament?
No;
we do not adore bread, for no bread is there, but the most sacred
Body and Blood of Christ, and wherever Christ is adoration is due Him
by man and angels. St. Augustine says: "No one partakes of this
Body until he has first adored, and we not only do not sin when we
adore It, but would sin if we did not adore It." The Council of
Trent excommunicates those who assert that it is not allowable to
adore Christ, the only?begotten Son of God, in the Blessed Sacrament.
How unjust are those unbelievers who sneer at this adoration, when it
has never entered into the mind of any Catholic to adore the external
appearances of this Sacrament, but the Saviour hidden under the
appearances; and how grievously do those indifferent Catholics sin
who show Christ so little veneration in this Sacrament, and seldom
adore Him if at all!
Which
are the external signs of this Sacrament?
The
form and appearance, or that which appears to our senses, as the
figure, the color, and the taste, but the substance of the bread and
wine is by consecration changed into the real Body and Blood of
Christ, and only the appearance of bread and wine remains, and is
observable to the senses.
Where
and by whom is this consecration effected?
This
consecration is effected on the altar during the holy Sacrifice of
the Mass (therefore the name Sacrament of the Altar), when the priest
in the name and by the power of Christ pronounces over the bread and
wine the words which Christ Himself pronounced when He instituted
this holy Sacrament. St. Ambrose writes: "At the moment that the
Sacrament is to be accomplished, the priest no longer uses his own
words, but Christ's words therefore. Christ's words complete the
Sacrament."
Is
Christ present under each form?
Christ
is really and truly present under both forms, in Divinity and
Humanity, Body and Soul, Flesh and Blood. That Jesus is thus present
is clear from the words of St. Paul: Knowing that Christ rising again
from the dead, dieth now no more. (Rom. VI. 9.) Because Christ dies
no more, it naturally follows that He is wholly and entirely present
under each' form. Hence the council of Trent says: "Whoever
denies that in the venerable Sacrament, of the Eucharist the whole
Christ is present in each of the forms and in each part of each form,
where a separation has taken place, let him be anathema."
Then
no matter how many receive this Sacrament, does each receive Christ?
Yes,
for each of the apostles received Christ entirely, and if God by His
omnipotence can cause each individual to rejoice at the same instant
in the sun's light, and enjoy its entireness, and if He can make one
and the same voice resound in the ears of all the listeners, is He
not able to give the body of Christ, whole and entire, to as many as
wish to receive It?
Is
it necessary that this Sacrament should be received in both forms?
No,
for as it has already been said, Christ is wholly present, Flesh and
Blood, Humanity and Divinity, Body and Soul, in each of the forms.
Christ promises eternal life to the recipient also of one form when
He says,: I f any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever, and
the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world.
(John. VI. 52.) The first Christians, in times of persecution,
received this Sacrament only in the form of bread in their houses.
Though in earlier times the faithful, like the priests, partook of
the chalice, it was not strictly required, and the Church for
important reasons has since ordered the reception of Communion under
but one form, because there was danger that the blood of our Lord
might be spilled, and thus dishonored; because as the Blessed
Sacrament must always be ready for the sick, it was feared that the
form of wine might be injured by long preservation; because many
cannot endure the taste of wine; because in some countries there is
scarcity of wine, and it can be obtained only at great cost and with
much difficulty, and finally, in order to refute the error of those
who denied that Christ is entirely present under each form.
Which
area the effects of holy Communion?
The
graces of this most holy Sacrament are, as the Roman Catechism says,
innumerable; it is the fountain of all grace, for it ,contains the
Author of all the Sacraments, Christ our Lord, all goodness and
perfection. According to the doctrine of the?Church , there are six
special effects of grace produced by, this Sacrament in those who
worthily receive it. It unites the recipient with Christ, which
Christ plainly shows when He says: He that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him; (John VI. 57.) hence
the name Communion, of which St. Leo writes: "The participation
of the Body and Blood of Christ transforms ' us into that which we
receive," and from this union with Christ, our Head, arises also
a closer union with our brethren in Christ, into one body. (I Cor. X.
17.) It preserves and increases sanctifying grace, which is the
spiritual life of the soul, for our Saviour says: He that eateth me,
the, same also shall live by me. (John VI, 58.) It diminishes in us
concupiscence and strengthens us against the temptations of the
devil. St. Bernard says: "This holy Sacrament produces tow
effects in us, it diminishes gratifiation in venial sins, it removes
the full consent in grievous sins; if any of you do not feel so often
now the harsh emotion of anger, of envy, or impurity, you owe it to
the Body and Blood of the Lord:" and St. Chrystostom: "When
we communicate worthily we return from the table like fiery lions,
terrible to the devils." It causes us to perform good works with
strength and courage; for be who abides in Christ, and Christ in him,
bears much fruit. (John XV.) It effaces venial sin, and preserves
from mortal sin, as St. Ambrose says: "This daily bread is used
as a help against daily weakness: and as by the enjoyment of this
holy Sacrament, we are made in a special manner the property, the
lams of Christ, which He Himself nourishes with His own heart's
blood, He does not permit us to be taken out of His hands, so long as
we cooperate with His grace, by prayer, vigilance and contest. It
brings us to a glorious resurrection and to eternal happiness; for he
who communicates worthily, possesses Him who is the resurrection and
the life, (John XI. 25.) who said: He that eatheth my flesh, and
drinketh ? my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up
in the last day. (John VI, 55.) He has, therefore, in Christ a
pledge, that he will rise in glory and live for ever. If the
receiving of this Sacrament produces such great results, how
frequently and with what sincere desire should we hasten ~ to enjoy
this heavenly banquet, this fountain of all grace! The first
Christians received it daily, and St. Augustine says: "Daily
receive what daily benefits!" and St. Cyril: The baptized may
know that they remove themselves far from eternal life, when they
remain a long time from Communion." Ah, whence comes in our
days, the indifference, the weakness, the impiety of so many
Christians but from the neglect and unworthy reception of Communion!
Christian soul, close not your ears to the voice of Jesus who invites
you so tenderly to His banquet: Come to me all you who are heavily
laden and I will refresh you. Go often, very often to Him; but when
you go to Him, do not neglect to prepare for His worthy reception,
and you will soon feel its effects in your soul.
In
what does the worthy preparation for this holy Sacrament consist?
The
worthy preparation of the soul consists in purifying ourselves by a
sincere confession from all grievous sins, and in approaching the
holy table with profound humility, sincere love, and with fervent
desire. He who receives holy Communion in the state of mortal sin
draws down upon himself, as the, apostle says, judgment and
condemnation. The worthy preparation of the body consists in fasting
from midnight before receiving Communion, and in coming properly
dressed to the Lord's banquet.
The
holy Sacrament of the Altar is preserved in the tabernacle, in front
of which a light is burning day and night, to show that Christ, the
light of the world, is here present, that we may bear in mind that
every Christian congregation should contain in itself the light of
faith, the flame of hope, the warmth of divine love, and the fire of
true devotion, by a pious life manifesting and consuming itself, like
a light, in. the service of God. As a Christian you must believe that
under the appearance of bread Christ is really present in the
tabernacle, and that He is your Redeemer, your Saviour, your Lord and
King, the best Friend and Lover of your soul, whose pleasure it is to
dwell among the children of men; then it is your duty often to visit
Him in this most holy Sacrament, and offer Him your homage and
adoration, "It is certain," says: St. Alphonsus Ligouri,
that next to the enjoyment of this holy Sacrament in Communion, the
adoration of Jesus in this Sacrament is the best and most pleasing of
all devotional exercises, and of the greatest advantage to us."
Hesitate not, therefore, to practise this devotion. From this day
renounce at least a quarter of an hour's intercourse with others, and
go to church to entertain yourself there with Christ. Know that the
time which you spend in this way will be of the greatest consolation
to, you in the hour of death and through all eternity. Visit Jesus
not only in the church, but also accompany and adore Him when carried
in processions, or to sick persons. You will thus show your Lord the
homage due to Him, gather great merits for yourself, and have the
sure hope that Christ will one day repay you a hundredfold.
1. Thus St. Ignatius, the Martyr, who was instructed by the apostles themselves, rebukes in these words those who even at that time would not believe in the change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of the. Lord: "They do not believe that the real body of Jesus Christ our Redeemer who suffered for us and has risen from death is contained in the Sacrament of the Altar." (Ep. ad Smyr.) Thus St. Irenaeus who was a disciple of St. Polycarp, a pupil of St. John the Evangelist, writes: "Of the bread is made the body of Christ" (Lib. IV adv. haer.) In the same manner St. Cyril: "Since Christ our Lord said of this bread, This is my body, who dares doubt it? Since He said, This is my blood, who dares to say, it is not His blood?" (Lib. IV. regul. Cat.) and in another place: "Bread and wine which before the invocation of the most Holy Trinity were only bread and wine, become after this invocation the body and blood of Christ." (Cat. myrt. I.)
What can the unbelievers say to this testimony? Do they know the truth better than those apostles who themselves saw and heard Jesus at the Last Supper, and who taught their disciples that which they had seen and heard? All Christian antiquity proves the error of these heretics.
