Corpus Christi

Holy Communion – 9.15am Thursday 3 June

Short passage of scripture

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
He had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24.31a,35

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 11.23-26

I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Gospel John 6.51-58

Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you can eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Sermon

Walk – Lake Bolsena. Volcano. Miracle 1263. German priest – Peter of Prague on pilgrimage to Rome – doubted transubstantiation. Celebrated mass in Bolsena above tomb of Santa Christina.

As he readied himself to give communion the bread turned blood red; the liquid then spilled onto the white altar cloth, forming a stain that resembled the profile of Jesus, as well as the onto the marble floor and into the grotto of St. Christina, where the stain can still be seen today.

Walk to Orvieto – overgrown track to Roman road. Roack fall on via cava blocked pilgrims’ way. Split – Pope Urban IV declared miracle and Corpus Domini marked in petal-strewn streets to this day.

Corpus Christi a RC festival. Thurs after Trinity. In the Church of England it is known as The Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion and has the status of a Festival. Although its observance is optional, where kept it is typically celebrated as a major holy day. It is also celebrated by the Old Catholic Church and by some Western Rite Orthodox Christians, and is commemorated in the liturgical calendars of the more Latinized Eastern Catholic Churches.

It is right we should celebrate institution of Eucharist. Centre of our worship. Re-enactment of final hours of Jesus’s life. Following his command when Jesus said “This is my body” and “this is my blood.”

Eucharist εὐχαριστία means ‘thanksgiving.’ The Lord's Supper (Κυριακὸν δεῖπνον) derives from 1 Corinthians 11:20-21 – “When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat...” Communion is a translation of the Greek κοινωνία in 1 Corinthians 10:16. The AV has “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”

The word means ‘participation’, ‘sharing’, ‘fellowship.’

Although we do not subscribe to doctrine of transubstantiation, we recognise a special presence of Christ in this rite or sacrament. In this spirit, after our intercessions, let us give thanks to God for the institution of Holy Communion on this day – Corpus Christi.