Corpus Christi or Most HOly Body and Blood of Christ
Processions are one of the best ways to observe this feast. It you can, try to participate. This traditional activity speaks volumes!
Defenders of the Eucharist Peter Paul Rubens
I love this painting and think that the feast of Corpus Christi would be a good time to study it more closely.
Norbertine Fr. Alfred McBride Says this about the painting by Peter Paul Rubens:
Today that painting is on display in the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Beginning on the right side of the canvass, Rubens pictures St. Jerome, dressed as a cardinal receiving Communion. Next to him stands St. Norbert, clothed in his white habit and carrying the Eucharist beneath his robes. St. Thomas Aquinas stands in the center holding a book and extending his other hand to heaven, a gesture proclaiming his defense of the Eucharist. Beside him is St. Clare of Assisi, holding a monstrance that displays the sacred eucharistic host. To her left is St. Gregory the Great, the pope who wrote so many works contained in the Mass. Then comes St. Ambrose, who wrote
about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Rubens finishes his gathering of defenders of the Eucharist with St. Augustine, who included his reflections on this sacrament in his famous treatise on the Holy Trinity.Rubens produced this painting during the Chuch's Counter-reformation efforts to defend and reclaim the authentic teachings about the Euchararist and the devotions that assisted believers to deepen their commitment to this mystery of faith.
Family Discussion:
Fr. Alfred McBride has these suggestions for increasing our devotion to the Eucharist:
1. Regularly attend weekend Mass with the family. Come for prayer before and after Mass.
2. Adore the raised Body and Blood of Christ at Mass with the silent phrase, “My Lord and my God.”
3. Participate in eucharistic adoration where possible.
4. Genuflect with reverence before the Blessed Sacrament.
5. Make visits to the Blessed Sacrament altar individually and with whole family.
6. Engage family in regular Scripture study and catechesis on the Eucharist.
7. Read lives of eucharistic saints such as St. Katharine Drexel and St. John Neumann.
Norbertine Fr. Alfred McBride Says this about the painting by Peter Paul Rubens:
Today that painting is on display in the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Beginning on the right side of the canvass, Rubens pictures St. Jerome, dressed as a cardinal receiving Communion. Next to him stands St. Norbert, clothed in his white habit and carrying the Eucharist beneath his robes. St. Thomas Aquinas stands in the center holding a book and extending his other hand to heaven, a gesture proclaiming his defense of the Eucharist. Beside him is St. Clare of Assisi, holding a monstrance that displays the sacred eucharistic host. To her left is St. Gregory the Great, the pope who wrote so many works contained in the Mass. Then comes St. Ambrose, who wrote
about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Rubens finishes his gathering of defenders of the Eucharist with St. Augustine, who included his reflections on this sacrament in his famous treatise on the Holy Trinity.Rubens produced this painting during the Chuch's Counter-reformation efforts to defend and reclaim the authentic teachings about the Euchararist and the devotions that assisted believers to deepen their commitment to this mystery of faith.
Family Discussion:
Fr. Alfred McBride has these suggestions for increasing our devotion to the Eucharist:
1. Regularly attend weekend Mass with the family. Come for prayer before and after Mass.
2. Adore the raised Body and Blood of Christ at Mass with the silent phrase, “My Lord and my God.”
3. Participate in eucharistic adoration where possible.
4. Genuflect with reverence before the Blessed Sacrament.
5. Make visits to the Blessed Sacrament altar individually and with whole family.
6. Engage family in regular Scripture study and catechesis on the Eucharist.
7. Read lives of eucharistic saints such as St. Katharine Drexel and St. John Neumann.
