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Corpus Christi, First Reading: Extracted from the Book of Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16 Moses said to the people: ‘Remember how the Lord your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart – whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, he made you feel hunger, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ‘Do not become proud of heart. Do not forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery: who guided you through this vast and dreadful wilderness, a land of fiery serpents, scorpions, thirst; who in this waterless place brought you water from the hardest rock; who in this wilderness fed you with manna that your fathers had not known.’ |
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Corpus Christi, Responsorial Psalm 147:12-15,19-20 O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! or Alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed the children within you.
He established peace on your borders, he feeds you with finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command.
He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his decrees. |
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Sequence *Behold the bread of angels, sent For pilgrims in their banishment, The bread for God’s true children meant, That may not unto dogs be given: Oft in the olden types foreshowed; In Isaac on the altar bowed, And in the ancient paschal food, And in the manna sent from heaven. *Come then, good shepherd, bread divine, Still show to us thy mercy sign; Oh, feed us still, still keep us thine; So may we see thy glories shine In fields of immortality; *O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best, Our present food, our future rest, Come, make us each thy chosen guest, Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest With saints whose dwelling is with thee. Amen. Alleluia.
Gospel Acclamation John 6:51 Alleluia, alleluia! I am the living bread which has come down from heaven, says the Lord. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. Alleluia! |
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Corpus Christi, Gospel Reading: holy Gospel according to John 6:51-58 Jesus said to the Jews: ‘I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’
Then the Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied: ‘I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.’
Sharing:
The Universal Church celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Body & Blood of Christ) on 22 June 2014.
The Readings that were read in the Eucharistic Celebrations all over the world on the Solemnity are shown above:
First Reading: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16, Responsorial: Psalm 147:12-15,19-20, Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 & Gospel Reading: John 6:51-58.
We have extracted the Homilies of Saint Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I based on the aforesaid Readings to share with you, so that you could similarly be encouraged:
SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II Thursday, 3 June 1999
1. Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem! Zion, praise your Saviour!
Praise your Saviour, Christian community of Rome gathered in front of this cathedral basilica dedicated to Christ the Saviour and to his Precursor, John the Baptist! Praise him, because "he makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat" (Responsorial Psalm, 147:14).
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is a feast of praise and thanksgiving. On this day the Christian people gather round the altar to contemplate and adore the Eucharistic Mystery, the memorial of the sacrifice of Christ who has brought everyone salvation and peace. This year our solemn celebration and, in a while, the traditional procession which will take us from this square to St Mary Major have a specific aim: they are meant as a heartfelt and unanimous prayer for peace. As we adore the Body of the One who is our Head, how can we not show our solidarity with his members who are suffering because of war? Yes, dear brothers and sisters, Romans and pilgrims, this evening we want to pray together for peace, especially for peace in the Balkans. May the Word of God, which we have just heard, enlighten and guide us.
2. In the first reading the Lord's command resounded: "Remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you" (Deuteronomy 8:2). "Remember ..."! This is the first word. It is not an invitation, but a command that the Lord gives his people before leading them into the promised land. He commands them not to forget.
To have peace, which sums up all the good things promised by God, it is first necessary not to forget past experiences but to treasure them. From errors, too, we can learn a lesson to give better direction to our journey.
In looking at this century and the end of this millennium, how could we forget the terrible sufferings endured by humanity? We must not forget: on the contrary, we must remember. God our Father, help us to learn the right lessons from our history and that of those who have gone before us!
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6 July 2014 |