Scripture Reflections for Solemnity of Corpus Christi

"This is a truly joyful time of the Church year as we conclude the long sequence from Advent to Pentecost with these great feasts celebrating central truths of our faith: the Trinity last Sunday, and the Eucharist this week, followed by the Sacred Heart on Friday. One might ask, What is the relationship between the Trinity and the Eucharist? Why does the one feast follow the other?"

John Bergsma. "Corpus Christi!." The Sacred Page. June 3, 2021

"Last year, the unthinkable happened. Catholics were unable to receive Holy Communion for four months – over Holy Week, Easter, and even Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. And then again in the autumn. For us, who rejoice to have been given faith in this wonderful truth that Christ is present, Body, Soul and Divinity under the appearance of bread and wine, this has been so hard. He is our..."

Fr. Dominic White. "Longing to Receive Him." Torch. June 1, 2021

"Last Bank Holiday, a friend took me to St. Paul’s Abbey in Jarrow, near Newcastle. This is where the Venerable Bede lived a simple and holy life, as a spiritual guide and scholar, as humble as he was revered. The Saxon church which was part of Bede’s monastery has been incorporated into the existing Anglican church. It’s surrounded by the ruins of the medieval abbey, and a beautiful park, which has a big xylophone that..."

Fr. Dominic White. "His Blood be Upon Us." Torch. June 2, 2015

"Dominicans from St Thomas Aquinas onwards have been very articulate in helping the Church understand more deeply the mystery of the Blessed Eucharist that we celebrate today. A modern Dominican, the late Father Paul O’Leary from Ireland has helped me personally in making the vital association between the Eucharist and justice."

Fr. Malcolm McMahon. "Eucharistic Service." Torch. June 10, 2012

"In the Catholic Tradition we use the phrase 'Body Of Christ' in three distinct but interconnecting ways. The first and constant use is to refer to Jesus himself, stressing the full humanity of the Incarnate Son of God. He was formed in his mother's womb, was born and grew. He bodily touched the untouchable leper. He walked through the villages and fields of his native land. He spoke God's word in a human way. He..."

Fr. John Farrell. "The Wellspring of Hope." Torch. June 14, 2009

"'Don't play with your food,' my mother used to say to me, and still does. Some people would say the same about today's feast, that food is for eating and not for watching or parading. But this isn't strictly true. We make a fuss about food, and a greater fuss over important food. We turn off the lights and parade the Christmas pudding proudly, having set it alight."

Fr. Leon Pereira. "Food that's Simply Divine." Torch. June 15, 2006

"When the Pope came to Britain, one of the broadsheet papers had a rather unkind cartoon, depicting the Pope speaking to a vast crowd, but with the word balloon full of the word, 'Words', over and over again. More than twenty years later, the same paper praised the Pope for his role in the recent Polish referendum which led to their accepting membership of the European Union."

Fr. Euan Marley. "The Power of Words." Torch. June 19, 2003

"The solemnity of the Corpus Christi or Corpus Domini as the case may be is one of the principal movable feasts in the Church’s liturgical calendar. It could either be celebrated on the thurday or sunday following the sunday of solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity base on the pastoral directives of local churches. The question we should ask today is: what is the need for this celebration if the Eucharist is celebrated everyday? We..."

Father Lawrence Obilor. "The Mystery of Faith." A Catholic Moment. June 6, 2021

"The last four Sundays, we’ve celebrated one Solemnity after the next. It started with the Ascension, and Christ showing that He truly is the Son of God, that He is that one thing that can truly fill the void and emptiness within each of us."

Joseph LaCombe. "The Cornerstone." A Catholic Moment. June 3, 2018

"Today’s reading from Exodus can be a bit off-putting: Moses dashes the blood onto the altar, and dashes it onto the people. Why? What seems repugnant to us was of central importance to them: symbolising a new life given by and lived toward God. For the people of Israel, blood meant life itself, a gift given by and belonging to God alone. That’s why even now Jews (and Muslims) will take the blood from an..."

Fr. Gregory Murphy. "Being Changed." Torch. May 30, 2018