Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt on the Holy Eucharist
Homily, Archdiocesan Corpus Christi Procession 2008
Feast of Corpus Christi (Cycle
A), Cathedral of St. Paul, May 25, 2008
Love Divine, all love's excelling,
joy of heaven to earth come down!
Fix in us your humble dwelling,
all your faithful mercies crown.
Jesus source of all compassion,
love unbounded, love all pure;
visit us with your salvation,
let your love in us endure.I have a firm belief that this feast of Corpus Christi should never be celebrated without a procession. Having had the good fortune to study in Italy, I was present on two occasions in the hill town of Orvieto where every year, the town’s folk participate in an elaborate procession, wearing medieval costumes and carrying huge elaborate banners throughout their town. The priest, holding the monstrance on high, processes through all the streets of that city, blessing the people where they live and work and socialize.
It seems to me that this is the reason why the Church gives us this feast of Corpus Christi at the end of the liturgical celebration of Our Lord, immediately following His passion and death and ascension and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Obviously, there is a parallel between this feast and Holy Thursday. But on Holy Thursday, we commemorate the great gift of the Lord's Body and Blood, offered in sacrifice from the cross on Good Friday. On that night, we contemplate the tremendous love for us that motivated our Blessed Lord to offer Himself so unselfishly on our behalf.
But, today, the emphasis is somewhat different. Having been assured that we are deeply grateful for and appreciate the wonderful gift that the Eucharist is for us, the Church addresses for our ears, the words of Jesus to His disciples in today’s gospel: “Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life within you.... Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”
In this wonderful feast of Corpus Christi, we celebrate not just the Lord’s command to “do this in memory of me,” but we celebrate the great challenge to remain in Him as the Body of Christ, bearing witness to His presence by what we say and do, by how we treat others and by the way we talk about them, bringing His presence to others in our every day world.
Yes, I am fully convinced that we ought never celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi without a procession. So, please humor me today by doing me a favor. As you leave the Church and get into your cars to go home, think of yourselves as continuing the procession that we have just experienced. This is quite possible because you are actually carrying within you the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Take that presence proudly and with full consciousness to all those you will meet during this next week. Share that presence joyfully and lovingly with every person you see—wherever they live, wherever they work, wherever they socialize. Let your personal Corpus Christi procession bring Christ to the world of your every day life.Love Divine, all love's excelling,
joy of heaven to earth come down!
Fix in us your humble dwelling,
all your faithful mercies crown.
Jesus source of all compassion,
love unbounded, love all pure;
visit us with your salvation,
let your love in us endure.
