Pope Francis will preside over a Solemn Eucharistic Adoration on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on Sunday 2 June, 2013 in Rome that will extend at the same time all over the world involving the cathedrals and parishes of each Diocese. Pope Francis has asked that the Universal Church be united for an hour, at 5 p.m. (Rome time), in prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Year of Faith.
O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament
have left us a memorial of your Passion,
grant us, we pray,
so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood
that we may always experience in ourselves
the fruits of your redemption.
Who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
AMEN.
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
It is a gift beyond measure.
A gift to die and to live for.
The Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
is the very
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity
of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated on the Sunday after the solemnity of the Holy Trinity Sunday and it is also known as the of Corpus Christi, which in Latin means "Body of Christ.". This solemnity celebrates the belief in the the institution of the body and blood of Jesus Christ during the Last Supper of the Lord and His Real Presence in the Eucharist.It is primarily celebrated by the Catholic Church, but it is also observe in Anglican churches and the Church of England.
The Holy Eucharist is a living reminder that affirms Jesus promise being kept as in Matthew 28:20, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.". The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is a sacred mystery that makes God present to us in a special, blessed and glorified way in the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, Our Lord Jesus Christ. God is full of Love, therefore the Holy Eucharist is filled with the same Love. It is a gift from God, as in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.", and Jesus willingly went to the cross as a falsely accused wrongdoer, crucified to pay for the sins of the world and to save us, as in Romans 4:25 "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.". There is no greater Love than the Love of God. When we accept in the gift, we accept the giver and when the giver is God Himself then we we are able to achieve the greatness of the purpose of out creation which in turn we will glorify God and His Kingdom in the highest heaven. We receive Gods love when we receive the gift of the Holy Eucharist, hence this will in turn helps us grow complete as human-beings by loving God, self and others.
The Holy Eucharist is the the source and summit of our Catholic faith and there is nothing on Earth can compare with what God has to give us in the Holy Eucharist. Through the Holy Eucharist, Jesus himself grants to us the most powerful experience of intimacy possible within our earthly existence. When we are baptised into His Body, the Church, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the entire Holy Trinity lives within within us. With the Holy Trinity in us, our life in the Church and participation in the Sacraments, we can live in Communion with the Triune God. Let us celebrate this solemnity in a spirit of reparation for our past offences against the Holy Eucharist and in a spirit of great gratitude for this sublime gift.
At the end of Holy Mass, there is often a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance. The procession is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament symbolizes the ongoing redemptive mission of Jesus Christ and our participation in it. Blessed John Paul II reminded us that in commemorating the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Church "does not only celebrate the Eucharist but solemnly bears it in procession, publicly proclaiming that he sacrifice of Christ is for the salvation of the whole world."
Thousands of altars. Millions of Hosts. Thousands of chalices. Millions of faithful. Different rites. One Christ their beating Heart. In the bosom of one Church, the Holy Eucharist is our unity. The Holy Eucharist contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth which is Christ Himself, our Passover and living bread.
Cause us, we entreat, O Lord,
to be filled with the eternal enjoyment of Your divinity,
which the worldly reception
of Your precious Body and Blood prefigures.
Reception of the Host at Holy Eucharist celebration which is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the climatic moment in a sacred action which, glorious as it is, constitutes but a foreshadowing of our participation in the heavenly liturgical banquet before the throne of God. We receive Communion in this life as a token or promise of future glory. We want this gift of God to transform us in such a way that we will never loose this perception.
Truly the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord contains every delight, for of all the sacraments this sacrament of the Holy Eucharist actually is what it signifies where Jesus Christ truly with us, Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity even in the smallest fragment or tiny precious drop.
Anima Christi
Soul of Christ
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds, hide me.
Separated from Thee let me never be.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
At the hour of death, call me.
To come to Thee, bid me,
That I may praise Thee in the company
Of Thy Saints, for all eternity.
Amen.
We give you thanks, Lord, for your Eucharistic presence in the world. For us you accepted suffering and on the cross you manifested your love for all humanity to the very end. We adore you, daily viaticum for us, all pilgrims on earth.
"You who know and can do all things, who nourish us on earth, lead your brothers and sisters to the table of heaven to be fellow heirs and guests with your saints forever". Amen.
~ Blessed John Paul II, Homily 30-May-2002 ~
Mark 14:22-25
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
We beseech You, O Lord
kindly grant to Your Church
gifts of unity and peace
which are mystically signified
under the gifts here offered.
Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ,
you gave us the Holy Eucharist
as the memorial of your suffering and death.
May our worship of this sacrament of your body and blood
help us to experience the salvation you won for us
and the peace of the kingdom
where you live….
Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sunday, June 02, 2013
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Solemnity)
1st Reading
| Genesis 14: 18 - 20 | |
| 18 | And Mel-chiz'edek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. |
| 19 | And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; |
| 20 | and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" |
Psalm
| Psalms 110: 1 - 4 | |
| 1 | The LORD says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool." |
| 2 | The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes! |
| 3 | Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you. |
| 4 | The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek." |
2nd Reading
| 1 Corinthians 11: 23 - 26 | |
| 23 | For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, |
| 24 | and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." |
| 25 | In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." |
| 26 | For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. |
Gospel
| Luke 9: 11 - 17 | |
| 11 | When the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God, and cured those who had need of healing. |
| 12 | Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a lonely place." |
| 13 | But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish -- unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." |
| 14 | For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each." |
| 15 | And they did so, and made them all sit down. |
| 16 | And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. |
| 17 | And all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces. |
"Bread and wine; come the consecration, that bread will be the Body of Christ, and that wine will be the Blood of Christ. This is brought about by the name of Christ, brought about by the grace of Christ, that it should continue to look exactly like what it used to look like, and yet should not have the same value as it used to. You see, if it was eaten before, it would fill the belly; but now when it’s eaten it nourishes the spirit."
~ St. Augustine the Hippo ~
What more wondrous than this Holy Sacrament! In it, bread and wine are changed substantially, and under the appearance of a little bread and wine is had Christ Jesus, God and perfect Man. In this sacrament, sins are purged away, virtues are increased, the soul is satiated with an abundance of every spiritual gift. No other sacrament is so beneficial. Since it was instituted unto the salvation of all, it is offered by Holy Church for the living and for the dead, that all may share in its treasures.
~ St Thomas Aquinas ~
Christ who, in Eucharistic communion changes us into him, our individuality, in this encounter, is opened, liberated from its egocentrism and inserted into the Person of Jesus who in his turn is immersed in Trinitarian communion. The Eucharist, therefore, while it unites us to Christ also opens us to others, makes us members of one another: we are no longer divided but one in him. Eucharistic communion not only unites me to the person I have beside me and with whom I may not even be on good terms, but also to our distant brethren in every part of the world.
~ Benedict XVI, 23-June-2011 ~
No comments:
Post a Comment