Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
The Feast of Corpus Christi (Ecclesiastical Latin: Dies Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Domini Iesu Christi; "Day of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ the Lord"), also known as Solemnity of the Corpus Christi, is a liturgical solemnity celebrating the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist.
The feast of Corpus Christi was proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church to Pope Urban IV; in order to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist, emphasizing the joy of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Having recognized the authenticity of the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena on input of Aquinas, in 1264, the pontiff, then living in Orvieto, established the feast of Corpus Christi as a Solemnity and extended it to the whole Roman Catholic Church.
In Year A the first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy (8:2-3, 14-16). In it we hear Moses exhorting the people of Israel remember “the Lord your God” who “fed you with manna which neither you nor you fathers have known.” In the second reading (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) we hear Paul’s words “The blessing cup that we bless is a communion with the body of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ.” In the Gospel (John 6:51-58) we hear Jesus say “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever.”
In Year B the first reading is from the book of Exodus (24:3-8). In it we hear the making of the Covenant between God and the people of Israel in which Moses acts as Mediator. After directing certain young Israelites to immolate bullocks as communion sacrifices “Moses took the blood and cast it toward the people. ‘This’ he said is the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you.” In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (9:11-15) we are told that Christ “entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him not the blood of goats and bull calves, but his own blood, having won an eternal redemption for us.” In the Gospel from Mark (14:12-16, 22-26) we hear Mark’s account of the Last Supper “And as they were eating he took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. ‘Take it,’ he said ‘this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them and he said to them, ‘This is my blood, the blood of the covenant which will be poured out for many.’”
In Year C the first reading is from the book of Genesis (14:18-20). In it we hear the offering of Melchizedek. “Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High.” In the second reading (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) we hear Paul’s account of the Last Supper “For this is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me’. In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.” In the Gospel from Luke (9:11-17) we hear the account of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus “took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.”