The Solemnity of Corpus Christi complements the liturgy of Holy Thursday when Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper. That is why it is always celebrated on a Thursday. It arose in the Middle Ages as an expression of the faithful’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. It was celebrated first as a local feast and then Bishop of Rome, Urban IV, suggested it be a universal feast in 1264. It became associated with procession through the towns and villages of Europe during which the monstrance which contained the sacred host was carried under a festive canopy and the crowds knelt as the Blessed Sacrament passed to receive the blessing.
We are reminded in Deuteronomy how Israel in the past escaped from the slavery of Egypt and celebrated this freedom at the Passover meal. But God continued to feed them with manna as they made their hungry way through the desert to the promised land. And then later Jesus himself at Passover celebrated a meal with His disciples at which He gave them His body and blood, which looked forward to His sacrifice on the cross. At each Mass the past is remembered and Jesus’ death is recalled. But at the Eucharist Jesus’ body and blood are really present now under the appearances of bread and wine. It is the crucified and risen Christ who is received in this sacred meal. We receive life from Jesus, the life He shares with His Father. This food is a present reality; it feeds us now.
On this Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi we can reflect on the past, present and future riches of the sacrament and let our lives be filled with Christ’s grace. He left the Eucharist as a way of reminding us of the sacrifice He made. But in the Eucharist that sacrifice is made present for us today and becomes a call for us to share our lives as Jesus did. We go to Mass to show our devotion and to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. And finally this feast can remind us that we are on a journey. We are pilgrims. When we get too settled in our worldly ways and live as though this world is all that concerns us, the Eucharist reminds us of our true destiny. We are called to share in that final heavenly banquet with God and all the saints.