Corpus Christi on Solstice Eve

Last updated on: June 22, 2019 at 9:15 pm by Jason M. Brown

Corpus Christi on Solstice Eve 2019-06-22T21:15:23-08:00 Jason M. Brown

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Navarre, Spain, Corpus Christi 2018

Yesterday was St. James’s celebration of Corpus Christi. This is latin for the body of Christ, and the feast day celebrates the mysterious reality of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. In the Gospel of Luke Ch. 22, Jesus says of the bread “this is my body.” In the Gospel of John Ch. 6, he says “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” For Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican Christians, this is not a metaphor. Christ is really, truly and substantially present in the bread and wine when the priest consecrates the elements saying these words of Jesus. This is not to say that we all think we are eating physical human flesh and drinking physical human blood. I certainly do not imagine it that way! The doctrine of transubstantiation is one explanation for how Christ is truly present. But even this doctrine claims that the bread and wine appear unchanged. For most of us it is simply a profound mystery that mirrors the profundity of the Incarnation.

A year ago yesterday, I celebrated Corpus Christi in Navarre, Spain. The consecrated Host was placed in a large monstrance atop a litter with positions for four volunteers to carry it. Here in Vancouver, the priest carried the consecrated host in a small monstrance and we walked around our block of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. What is usually confined to a church is brought out into the places we live and work and recreate. We had also just participated in the Eucharist, the procession took place after the Mass, so even though the visual focal point is on the Host, we were all walking tabernacles of Christ’s real presence.

As we walked, it occured to me that most monstrances looks a great deal like the sun with shining rays. How appropriate that we were celebrating the body of Christ with a sun shaped object on the eve of the summer solstice. Shining the light of Christ not just in the church but out on the street with a full brass band in tow no less!

There is a beautiful mystery of interconnection in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is bread. Bread is made from wheat grain, salt, water and yeast. Grain grows from wheat grass. Wheat grass in turn grows from a single grain. Grain cannot grow without soil, nutrients, water, favorable temperatures and of course the sun. On Corpus Christi we are celebrating the real presence of the sun in wheat; and in turn the real presence of the Son in bread.

In the Roman Rite Eucharistic prayer, the priest begins by saying:

“Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.”

And then:

“Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.”

We bring the work of the earth, and the work of our feeble human hands up to the altar, and God turns it into Christ. Happy Solstice!

https://instagram.com/p/By9WX7DBML1/

Don’t forget to enroll in my Online Workshop!

Spiritual Ecology

Corpus Christi

Spirituality

Previous Post

June 17, 2019

Tree-nity Sunday

Next Post

June 30, 2019 The Seed of Grace

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Anthropocene Camino de Santiago Catholicism Film Holyscapes Homily Liturgy Monk Nature New Monasticism New Story Pilgrimage Poetry Politics Prayer Religion and Spirituality Silence Spiritual Ecology Spring Spriritual Ecology Theology Uncategorized Walking Writing

Select a Month June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How long did it take to rebuild Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

7 years 40 days 12 months 52 days