For Christian
Catholics, today we celebrate The
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, formerly known
as The
Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin translation is Body of Christ).
It is at this
point where I would normally insert Fr Austin Fleming’s Pause for Prayer; the poetic prayer he posted on his blog today is one he
composed while in seminary for a friend. While it doesn't explain transubstantiation
(the term the Church uses today is consecration)
that turns ordinary unleavened bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and
Divinity of Jesus the Christ, it does explain the thinking, the touch, and the
emotion that goes into the each step of the entire process of how grains of
wheat become Jesus.
While the
appearance of the unleavened bread and wine doesn't change (nor does the
alcohol content—yes kids, the precious blood of Jesus is about 12%
alcohol per volume), nor does the taste, but by the
power of the Holy Spirit, the priest (who stands in
persona Christi Capitis—meaning the
priest is the "stand-in," if you will, for Christ) through the powers
bestowed on him at his ordination and through Eucharistic
Prayer becomes our Eucharistic feast that we celebrate in communion
with the saints in heaven, as well with our fellow brothers- and
sisters-in-Christ, in that earthly souls of the Faithful consume the Body,
Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. For a short period of time after having the
privilege to receive Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament comes a very powerful time to pray because your body just
became a tabernacle for Christ! How awesome is that?! If you have special
intentions, I have learned and have found that is the best
time to pray for God's will for each of those
intentions that weigh on your soul, as well as prayers of praise and thanksgiving!
Well, looky
here … what started out as a Facebook status has quickly become a full-on blog
post! I feel the Holy Spirit working in me because God our Father loves each
and every one of us so, so much that He wants everyone to
know that His Son is here; Jesus is just waiting on you to make the first move.
His
mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion are inexhaustible. (From
the Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalska—Divine Mercy in My Soul, entry 950)
I
want to close this post about The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and
Blood of Christ (Feast of Corpus Christi) by quoting what’s imprinted
on one of my favorite t-shirts: “Be a good Catholic. Eat some Jesus.”
May
God bless you and keep you this day and every day, and may the souls of the
faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Pray for peace on
earth!
