Corpus Christi (the Body & Blood of the Lord)

Sollemnitas Corpus Christi

Dt. 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; Jn. 6:51-58

7 June 2026

Today is our annual observance of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, also called by the Latin name “Corpus Christi.” Our faith in the Holy Eucharist is one of the most essential and defining doctrines we hold as Catholics. We believe, without equivocation or adopting the language of mere symbolism, that the Holy Eucharist is the living Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus the Lord. It is the Lord’s Real Presence, whole and complete, in both the form of bread and wine, and even in the smallest fragment of a particle of the form of bread or the smallest droplet of the form of wine. It is the presence of the Lord given to us in sacramental form, by which we may be nourished by this gift when we receive it worthily in the state of grace. And thus, our regular practice of confession is integrally tied to the Holy Eucharist so that we are prepared to receive Holy Communion in the best way possible, open to all its graces. We believe that the bread and wine at Holy Mass are changed in their substance. They cease to be the substance of bread and wine, though the appearances remain unchanged, and become the substance of the Body and Blood of the Lord. We believe this change of substance takes place by God and His power. We believe this gift is made present to us only within the one true Church, established by the Lord and which responds to his command, “Do this in memory of me”, by using the words of consecration from the Last Supper and spoken by the ordained priest who shares in the one and same priesthood of the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ.

The Catholic faith in the Holy Eucharist, which I have just stated, sets us apart from most other Christians. There are no Protestant denominations that have a valid Holy Eucharist, even if they do observe some form or practice of a “holy communion”. Only the ancient Orthodox Churches (which are true and full churches) and the Eastern Catholic rites (which are in union with the universal Catholic Church) share this same faith with us and have this gift of the Lord’s Real Presence in their sacred liturgies and in their churches. When you consider how we are set apart by this aspect of faith and the sad reality of just how many Christians are separated from us and separated from this gift of the Holy Eucharist, considering how sad this separation is, we might wonder or ask: Do we somehow make too much of th