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| The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ Mk 12/14-16 22-26 | ||
| Background: Scriptural and Liturgical Reflection Some
liturgical purists don't like this feast. It is medieval in origin and arose when people
thought that the Eucharist as sacrament could be separated completely from the Eucharist
as ceremony. The Mass as continuation of the Last Supper was thought to be almost
completely distinct from the Body and Blood of Jesus. Thus today's feast with its great
processions and its marvelous hymns really ought to be phased out because it is not
liturgically correct. However, it is the genius of Catholicism at its best to say
"both . . . and" instead of "either . . . or." We should say both the
mass as our central worship and devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ as part of that
central worship. There is no reason in principle why the feast cannot be integrated into
our new understanding of the liturgy, no reason other than that some people find it very
hard to say "both . . .and." |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there was a family who seemed to be celebrating some family event at least twice a month. Friends of the teenage and young adult children of that family often asked why they were always celebrating. The friends seemed to think that all these parties and get-togethers were a burden for the kids. Imagine their surprise when the children said they couldn’t imagine not celebrating all the good events in their family. In fact, they felt sorry that their friends did not have the same experience. They never felt it a burden, especially because the parents always invited them to join in but never told them they had to be part of the festivities.
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