The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
The stain glass window is found in the parish center at Saint Thomas the Apostle.
Measured by Church time, the
solemnity of the The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is quite young dating from the
mid-thirteenth-century. For hundreds of
years, in fact, it was commonly referred to
as nova sollemnitas, "the new solemnity" (The Liturgy and
Time, 104). This celebration has been given many names
over the centuries: feast of the Eucharist, feast of the Most
Precious Sacrament, even feast of God. In France it is still
commonly known as the Fete-Dieu. The solemnity developed
at about the same time as the elevations of the consecrated
elements during Mass, and it arose out of the desire
of the faithful to see the Blessed Sacrament at a time when
they did not often receive it.
The solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is
an expression of our Catholic faith in the real presence of
the risen Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Yet, this celebration
is also outward-looking, carrying the liturgy out of the
Church and into the streets.