Corpus Christi is a Latin phrase that means “Body of Christ.” It refers to the Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, which is one of the most important sacraments in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations. The feast of Corpus Christi celebrates and commemorates the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
The basis for the Corpus Christi feast day and Eucharistic devotion comes from the Bible, specifically the accounts of the Last Supper found in the Gospels (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-23). At the Last Supper, Jesus gathered with his twelve apostles on the night before his crucifixion. He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his apostles, saying “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it, and shared it with them, saying “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Christ’s words during the Last Supper instituted the Eucharist, where Christians remember and partake of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.
The Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, formalized at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, teaches that at the moment of consecration during the Mass, the substance of the bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, while the appearances of bread and wine remain. Therefore, the Eucharist is not just a symbol or representation of Christ, but it is actually and substantially the body and blood of Christ. Other Christian denominations have varying Eucharistic theologies, but Catholics believe in the real, physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The institution of Corpus Christi as an official feast day of the Church was promoted by St. Juliana of Liege, who had a vision of the Church under a full moon with one dark spot, representing the absence of a solemnity for the Eucharist. In 1264, Pope Urban IV issued the papal bull Transiturus, which established Corpus Christi as a feast day to be celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The feast day honors the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium 11).
Typically, Corpus Christi is celebrated with a Mass focused on the Eucharist and processions through the streets where the consecrated Eucharist (Christ’s body and blood) is carried in a monstrance for veneration. Catholics believe they encounter Christ himself in the Eucharist and the processions allow for public worship. The Feast of Corpus Christi is an important day for Catholic Eucharistic adoration and devotion.
Beyond the annual feast day, “Corpus Christi” refers more broadly to Eucharistic devotion within Catholicism. Some ways Catholics reverence the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist include:
- Attending Mass – Catholics have a holy obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and certain holy days to worship Jesus truly present in the Eucharist.
- Eucharistic Adoration – spending time in adoration and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament (consecrated Eucharist) exposed in a monstrance or tabernacle.
- Spiritual Communion – making an act of faith to unite oneself spiritually to Jesus in the Eucharist, when one cannot physically receive communion.
- Benediction and Reposition – Eucharistic liturgical service which includes adoration, prayers, hymns, and benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.’ This presence is called ‘real’ – by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be ‘real’ too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present” (CCC 1374).
And also:
“Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession” (CCC 1378).
In sum, Corpus Christi refers to the body and blood of Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the actual substance of Christ. The feast of Corpus Christi celebrates and honors this miraculous sacrament, and Eucharistic devotion is an important aspect of Catholic faith and worship. Through partaking of the Eucharist, Catholics enter into intimate communion with Jesus Christ and receive spiritual nourishment to grow in holiness and draw nearer to God.
Biblical Basis
The primary biblical basis for the Corpus Christi celebration of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the Last Supper accounts found in the Gospels.
The Last Supper – Words of Institution
Matthew 26:26-28 – “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Mark 14:22-24 – “And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”
Luke 22:19-20 – “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
These verses provide the scriptural foundation for the Eucharist, as Jesus commanded his disciples to eat the bread as his body and drink the wine as his blood, symbolizing his sacrificial death, and to continue doing this act in his memory.
John 6 – The Bread of Life Discourse
In John 6, Jesus delivered an extensive teaching that He is the “bread of life” come down from heaven to give life to the world. He promised that those who eat His flesh and drink His blood will receive eternal life and dwell in Him.
John 6:51 – “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6:53-56 – “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
Catholics interpret this discourse as an early reference to the Eucharist, that Jesus was preparing his followers to understand how they must eat His body and blood to abide in Him.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
1 Corinthians 10:16 – “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
Paul refers to the Eucharistic bread and wine as a participation in Jesus, implying more than just a symbol.
1 Corinthians 10:17 – “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
The Eucharist unites Christians into one body of Christ, as they commune with Christ Himself.
1 Corinthians 11:23-29
Here Paul recalls the Last Supper words of Jesus and instructs the Corinthians on proper reception of the Eucharist.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25 – “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, 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.’ In the same way also he took 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.’”
1 Corinthians 11:27 – “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.”
Paul indicates that improper reception of the Eucharist is sinning against the actual body and blood of Christ, not just symbols of Him.
These are some of the main biblical passages that reveal the Eucharist as the real substantial presence of Jesus Christ under the species of bread and wine.
History of the Solemnity
The feast of Corpus Christi grew out of devotion to the Eucharist and recognition of its importance in the Church. Here is a brief overview of how it was established:
- In 1208, St. Juliana of Liege had a vision of the moon with a dark spot, representing the absence of a solemnity dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament.
- She promoted celebrating a feast day for the Eucharist through her writings and advocacy.
- In 1246, the first celebration of Corpus Christi took place in Liege, encouraged by the local bishop.
- In 1264, Pope Urban IV issued the papal bull Transiturus, which formally established Corpus Christi as a universal feast day of obligation for the entire Latin Rite.
- The feast day was set for the Thursday following Trinity Sunday (60 days after Easter).
- Pope Urban commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to compose new prayers and liturgical texts for the celebration of Corpus Christi, including the Tantum Ergo, Pange Lingua, and other beloved Eucharistic hymns.
- In 1317, Pope John XXII sanctioned the first Corpus Christi procession in Rome, which contributed to the spread of the procession and adoration tradition.
While Holy (Maundy) Thursday commemorates the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper, the Church desired a separate solemnity dedicated solely to honoring the real presence of Christ in the sacrament and focused on Eucharistic adoration. Corpus Christi fulfilled this desire and became one of the most important feast days of the liturgical year.
Traditions and Celebrations
Corpus Christi is celebrated with key traditions and rituals that honor the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist:
Mass
On the feast of Corpus Christi, Catholics attend a special Mass focusing on the mystery and gift of the Eucharist, expressing faith in Christ’s presence in the consecrated bread and wine. The liturgy usually includes a procession through the church with the sacrament.
Eucharistic Processions
Outdoor Eucharistic processions are a major Corpus Christi tradition. The consecrated Host is carried in a monstrance led by the priest under a canopy, while parishioners follow praying and singing hymns. Processions demonstrate the faith of Catholics in Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist.
Altars and Repositories
Outdoor altars and repositories are decorated to honor the Eucharist during the procession. The congregation stops at each altar for Scripture, prayers, benediction with the Host, and hymns focused on the Blessed Sacrament.
Octave and Forty Hours Devotion
The octave of Corpus Christi is celebrated for the 8 days following the feast day. Churches also hold 40 Hours Devotion, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the altar for 40 continuous hours of Eucharistic adoration.
Cultural Celebrations
In some places, Corpus Christi involves large public festivals and celebrations honoring the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
In summary, Corpus Christi is celebrated with great devotion, reflecting the centrality of the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life.” Practices like Eucharistic processions and adoration allow Catholics to proclaim their love for Jesus in this Holy Sacrament.
Significance and Meaning
The feast of Corpus Christi holds deep spiritual significance and meaning for Catholics worldwide:
- It honors Jesus Christ, truly present under the appearances of bread and wine in this Holy Sacrament.
- It allows for solemn worship of this great mystery of the Catholic faith.
- It brings awareness to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and God’s love revealed in the Eucharist.
- It provides opportunity for public Eucharistic adoration and processions witnessing this belief.
- It expresses the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ strengthened by partaking of the Eucharist.
- It emphasizes the central place of the Eucharist in the life, worship, and theology of Catholicism.
- It reminds Catholics to ardently love and cherish Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
In commemorating Corpus Christi, the Church pays fitting homage to Christ’s abiding presence with us, as He promised: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Each time Catholics reverently receive His body and blood in Holy Communion, Christ fulfills this promise and fills them with His sanctifying grace.
Corpus Christi is a celebration of immeasurable hope. As St. Thomas Aquinas’s eucharistic hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi proclaims about the Eucharist:
“Faith for all defects supplying, where the feeble senses fail.”
