St. John Neumann
Catholic Church

The Holy Spirit is the Church’s living memory, [and] the Spirit and the Church cooperate to manifest Christ and his work of salvation in the liturgy (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1099). On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi, we rejoice in the great gift we have been given... the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, given to us at holy Mass, as food and drink for the journey.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers us a sense of the richness of this “source and summit of Christian life”, by listing some of the titles we use in referring to the gift of the Eucharist:

The Eucharist, a thanksgiving of God’s works, and especially, God’s greatest work, the gift of the Son (1328).

The Breaking of the Bread, because Jesus used this rite at table, and his disciples recognized him through the breaking of the bread (1329)

The Eucharistic assembly, because the Eucharist is celebrated amid the assembly, the visible sign of the Church (1329).

The memorial of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection (1330). The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior (1330).

The Holy and Divine Liturgy, because the Church’s whole liturgy finds its center and most intense expression in the celebration of the sacrament (1330).

The Most Blessed Sacrament, because it is the Sacrament of the sacraments (1330).

Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ (1331).

Holy Mass, because the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth of the faithful (missio), so that we may fulfill God’s will in our daily lives (1332).

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Here is the heart of this solemnity. The gift of faith and the life that faith inspires has one project: to accept God’s revelation of love and to become that revelation of love through obedience to the Way; and the fruit of our discipleship is seen in and through our ongoing evangelization... spreading the Good News of the Lord Jesus. The gift of the Eucharist allows us the blessing of holy communion with the Lord and affords us the strength we need to manifest Christ and his work of salvation.

As the great St. Augustine taught (+430), we become what we have received... the Body of Christ.

AMDG

Msgr. David Talley