This weekend the church universal celebrates the feast day of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ). Originally the celebration began in Liege, Belgium in 1246. Pope Urban IV extended the feast to the entire Church universal in 1264. Today, in many countries throughout the world, Corpus Christi is a public holiday with special Masses and processions with the Blessed Sacrament through city streets. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI shared a brief reflection on the feast of Corpus Christi as he remembered recalled the many beautiful processions he experienced during his childhood growing up in Germany. In his reflection, he shared why we process with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of our cities and town. He wrote: “We bring Christ, present under the sign of bread, onto the streets of our city. We entrust these streets, these homes, our daily life, to his goodness. May our streets be streets for Jesus! May our houses be homes for him and with him! May our life of every day be penetrated by his presence! With this gesture, let us place under his eyes the sufferings of the sick, the solitude of young people and the elderly, temptations, fears…..our entire life. Corpus Christi represents an immense and public blessing for our city; Christ is, in person, the divine Blessing for the world. May the ray of his blessing extend to us all . .” At St. John Cantius, we continue a procession with the Eucharist around the church property following the 9:30 am Polish Mass. All are invited to join us in this beautiful celebration.
