In June of 2020, life had taken an extremely unexpected turn and it was only half-way through the year. Practically everything that seemed normal and routine had been shut down and many were isolated, fearful for what was to come. Many were unable to attend Mass or adoration for weeks. The best one could do was watch the Mass live-streamed. For many people, it was extremely difficult to be separated from Christ sacramentally for so long.
As it was June, the beautiful solemnity of Corpus Christi was approaching. However, this year the feast would come and go without the great processions, Masses, and celebrations that usually marked this day. This gave me reason for pause, and I reflected on how often we may take the Eucharist for granted. The Eucharist holds immense importance and deserves honor, yet, often it can become routine and unfortunately, we may forget this great gift. One truth became abundantly clear to me during this time, even amidst all of the change. One person never changes: Jesus, especially Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus is never changing, always with us, and always physically present in the Eucharist.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is Latin for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Each year, his feast reminds us that Christ is truly present – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – in the Eucharist. It reminds us that we have the opportunity at every Mass to receive Christ – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – in the Most Holy Eucharist. When reflecting on the gift and mystery that Christ left his Church in remembrance of his great sacrifice for us, St. Thomas Aquinas writes, “He shed his blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us for ever, he left his body as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.”1 What a remarkable remembrance Christ left us, his very body and blood present to us in the consecrated bread and wine at Mass so that we might receive him and never forget the sacrifice he made so that we might once again reach heaven one day. We also have the powerful opportunity to adore Christ in the Eucharist during adoration where Christ is seen in the Eucharist revealed through the monstrance for individuals to come and be with him visibly on the altar in the host.
During the pandemic, I was saddened by the thought that Corpus Christi in 2020 would be so quiet and could easily be thought of as just another day in an unusually odd year. Instead of just watching this great feast pass by without contributing anything to the day, I decided to create an image that showcased the Eucharist. This image has the Eucharist as the focal point, pointing to the immense importance of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ that is usually celebrated on the feast of Corpus Christi. It demonstrates that Christ is the only one who is the same – yesterday, today, and forever. While all of the other things in the world change, Christ is the one constant, He is the One who never changes. This particular image was created predominantly using oil pastels.
Now, four years later, after the pandemic has primarily become a memory, we are blessed to have processions again and the beauty that surrounds the feast of Corpus Christi has returned. This year we had the incredible privilege to experience the Eucharistic Revival. There were four Eucharistic Processions that began from the four corners of the United States of America that was a once in a lifetime experience. As we watched Christ in the Eucharist come from the four corners of the United States to converge in Indianapolis, Indiana, in July 2024, may we find a renewed sense of love and devotion for our Blessed Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. May we never forget though the blessing that the Eucharist is and may we never take it for granted again. “Lord, who at your first Eucharist did pray that all your Church might be for ever one, grant us at every Eucharist to say with longing heart and soul, ‘Your will be done.’ O may we all one bread, one body be, through this blest Sacrament of Unity.” 2
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1 Office of Readings, Ordinary Time -Weeks 1-17, in The Liturgy of the Hours, trans. International Commission on English in the Liturgy, vol. 3 (New York: Catholic Book, 1975), 610.
2 Morning Prayer, Ordinary Time -Weeks 1-17, in The Liturgy of the Hours, trans. International Commission on English in the Liturgy, vol. 3 (New York: Catholic Book, 1975), 612.