23rd June 2019 - Corpus Christi

On this week's programme Lorraine shares with us on the beautiful Solemnity of Corpus Christ. We also have our regular celestial guides and reflection on the Sunday Gospel.

You can listen to the podcast of this week's full programme HERE.

Corpus Christi

Lorraine shares with us some thoughts on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which we know better as Corpus Christi. Lorraine begins by taking us through a history of the feast which owes its existence to Blessed Juliana of Liege, who began devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in around 1230. Largely through her insistence, in 1264 Pope Urban 1V commanded its observance by the universal church. While the Church celebrates the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday because it falls within the solemn and reflective time of the Easter Triduum, Juliana wanted to encourage a joyful celebration of this great gift of our Divine Master to the Church and to the world.  

The Feast sums up three important confessions about our Faith. First is that God became physically present in the person of Christ, True God and True Man. Secondly, God continues to be present in His people as they form the Mystical Body of Christ in his church. And thirdly, the presence of God under the form of bread and wine is made available to us on the altar at Mass and preserved there for our nourishment and worship.

Lorraine also reflects on why the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is so important to us through the Eucharistic hymns of the Tantum Ergo, Ave Verum Corpus, and Godhead Here in Hiding (Adoro Te Devote). 

You can listen to a podcast of this reflection excerpted from the programme HERE.

Gospel - Luke 9:11-17

Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing.

It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.’ They did so and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.

Reflections on this week's gospel:

Word on Fire
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter Week 4

Saints of the Week
June 24th - The Birthday of St. John the Baptist 
June 25th – St. William of Vercelli
June 26th – St. Anthelm
June 27th - St. Cyril of Alexandria
June 28th - The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
June 29th - St. Peter and St. Paul