The Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Today we celebrate the Feast of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also called the Feast of Corpus Christi. The addition of Corpus Christi as a feast in the Christian calendar was partly due to a thirteenth-century Augustinian nun named Juliana of Liège. From her early youth, Juliana had a veneration for the Blessed Sacrament, and longed for a special feast in its honor. In 1208, she had her first vision of Christ, a vision which was repeated for the next twenty years, but she kept it a secret. When she eventually told her confessor about her visions and Christ’s request for a special feast, he told his bishop.

Juliana also approached the Archdeacon of Liège, who later became Pope Urban IV. In 1263, after the death of Juliana, Pope Urban investigated claims of a Eucharistic miracle at a little town in central Italy, in which a consecrated host began to bleed. In 1264 he issued a papal bull, or formal proclamation, in which Corpus Christi was made a feast throughout the entire Latin Rite.

As we celebrate this special feast, we should remind ourselves of the proper way to receive Communion. Internally, we should not be aware of any grave sin. Externally, we should be reverent.

We have the option to receive either on the tongue or in the hand. As the minister says “The Body of Christ,” you should bow your head slightly in reverence and respond “Amen.” If receiving in the hand, put one hand on top of the other to make a throne for the Lord. Allow the Host to be placed into the palm of your hand – do not take it from the minister’s fingers. Once the Host is on your hand, take a step to the side, and then receive Our Lord.

If you are going to receive on the tongue, your head should be tilted back slightly. Please allow the priest, deacon, or minister to place the host on your tongue and remove his fingers before you close your mouth.

If you are receiving the Precious Blood, again bow your head slightly as the minister says “The Blood of Christ” and respond “Amen.” Carefully take the chalice and sip from the Precious Blood. Then, just as carefully, give the cup back to the minister, making certain the minister has it firmly in hand before you release your grip. Remember that in the Roman Catholic Church, we do not dip the Host into the Precious Blood. This ritual, called intinction, is not done in the Latin Church.

As we celebrate this special feast, we are reminded that Jesus said, over and over, that He is the Bread of Life.