Since being ordained a priest, I always get a little nostalgic this weekend, as the first Mass I celebrated after ordination was on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. It was a special thing for me to celebrate my first mass on the day that the Church was celebrating the Eucharist. Today’s liturgical celebration has a special place in my heart for this and other reasons.
  In the 13th Century this feast was instituted in order to increase reverence and faith in the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is really, truly, and substantially His Body and Blood. Pope Urban IV asked a particular Dominican Priest to compose the lyrics that would be sung during the liturgies surrounding this celebration, which was instituted in the liturgical calendar in the year 1264. This Dominican’s name is Thomas Aquinas. He wrote down what we now consider traditional hymns and chants for veneration of the Eucharist: Pange Lingua/Tantum Ergo, O Salutaris Hostia, Adoro Te Devote, Lauda Sion Salvatorem/Ecce Panis Angelorum, Sacris Solemniis/Panis Angelicus.
  I recommend everyone to read and meditate on the English translations of these great songs written by a great saint in our Church. If you are struggling with the Church’s doctrine on the Eucharist, then these songs can help. If you want to foster a greater devotion to the Eucharist, these words can help you to appreciate the breadth and depth of the mystery of the Eucharist.
  The doctrine of the Eucharist can be talked about intellectually to help wrap our minds around what happens at Mass. We could talk about Eucharistic miracles, which documents instances of the Eucharist turning into real flesh and blood. What I find fascinating about these is that, though they happen all around the world, they come back revealing the same blood type, which happens to be a popular blood type in the Middle East. They also reveal, by analyzing the proteins in the blood, that it was a man in agony when the blood was sampled. This is amazing to me!
  The best way that we can increase faith in the Eucharist is by experiencing it for ourselves, both during Mass, and in Eucharistic Adoration. If you are struggling with the Eucharist, then keep coming to Mass. If you know someone who is, then encourage them to come to Mass. Also, pray for them before our Lord in the Eucharist. Consider becoming a committed adorer during our monthly day of adoration. From 9am-7pm on the 4th Thursday of the month the Eucharist is exposed for all to come to Him. Of all the ministries that we offer here, I consider this the most important. Our active lives are only as strong as our interior lives.
  As we say at the close of Benediction, “May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.”