Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 Saint Juliana was born in the late 11 hundreds in Belgium. She was orphaned by the age of five and taken Coon, Augustinian convent, where at the age of 14 she took the veil. By the age of 16 she began to have apparition and she had an apparition that she couldn't understand. It was an apparition, a very bright, full moon with one dark spot on. It showed she told her religious superior about it and discard it, but she didn't have the slightest notion what the significance of that apparition was. What was it? Bright full moon with a dark spot. Then one day our Lord told her exactly what the apparition meant. Quote, that was disturbs the is that a feast is wanting to my church militant, which I desire to establish it is the feast to the most Holy sacrament of the altar at present. The celebration.
Speaker 0 01:04 This mystery is only observed on Holy Thursday and on that day my sufferings and death are the principle objects of consideration. Therefore, I desire another day to be set apart in which you shall be child rated by the whole of Christendom, close quo. Then our Lord gave her three reasons why he desired to observe his feast. First, to preserve faith in the face of coming attacks upon this mystery. Second, to strengthen the faithful and their path to virtue. Third, to make reparation to Christ, our Lord followed insults, blasts, Mays and sacrileges that occur against the most blessed sacrament of the altar. Now, for years, Saint Juliana didn't mention this apparition. Tanny priest. Finally, she did mention it to some members of the clergy, including a father, James panto Leone. Later father panto Leone approved a separation. What are you saying, father, that priest can prove apparitions? No, they can't.
Speaker 0 02:13 But this priest, James Pancho Yoan not only approved Saint Juliana's apparition, but in 1264 even established a feast in honor of the most busted sack, the altar to be held on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Because by that time, James Pantheon was known as urban. The fourth Pope urban the fourth, and then to top it off, yes, two men, one a Franciscan friar and the other a Dominican friar to compose the hymns in the office for the feast. Now, some of you might not know what the office is. The office that's the divine office or sometimes you hear priest called the Breviary. It's a book containing all the different prayers that we had to say. It's the and the prayers that we say every week we go through the 150 songs plus a bunch of hymns and scripture readings and whatnot, so that's in addition to the mass cause all the priest and religious in the church, that's actually their official job is to pray on behalf of all y'all living in the dead and that that bind to center the pain of mortal sin.
Speaker 0 03:18 A priest does not have to say mass every day unless he has a pastoral assignment, but he always has to say the office and he's not excused except if it's impossible like he's flat on his back with a respirator or something. So the office urban the fourth as system and it can fire and Franciscan friar to compose offers. As it turned out, these two friars have been good friends since their university days while they were working at this task. The Franciscan friar, also known is the Seraphic doctor. The church Saint Bonaventure stopped in to visit the Dominican friar, also known is the angelic doctors. If a church st Thomas Aquinas, and see how he was doing while we were sitting there visiting, he picked up a sheet of paper, which st Thomas had written, the Magnificant Anna Fon. Oh sacrum Convivium, which sometimes you hear the choir sing as a mocap. Saint Bonaventure was so moved by what he had read, but what st Thomas had wrote, did it just get his soul on fire?
Speaker 0 04:18 And when he returned his own cell, he picked up his manuscript and chucked it in the fire. Although that's a great act of humility on the part of Saint Bonaventure. It's a great loss to the rest of the us mere mortals in the church. Anyway, after st Thomas finished writing the office of Corpus Christi, he took the papers instead of on the altar in front of the tabernacle, and when he did that, there was a miracle. Lord spoke to him from the Corpus, the little body on the cross and said, thou has written well of me. Oh Thomas, that mirror aquas crucifix, which spoke is still honor at Oviedo. Every time we sing atarah totay Oro sacrum, Convivium or loudest as they just sang right now, or Oh, saw tourist host you or Tonto miracle. Those are all hymns or orange sections of hymns that were composed by st Thomas Aquinas for this feast.
Speaker 0 05:12 So now we know about the origin of the feast of Corpus Christi that our Lord had revealed to Saint Juliana that he wanted to feast. Did he arranged it? So this cloistered nun gave this message to a priest who later became the Pope that I order that Pope the greatest doctor, the church compose the office for the feast that our Lord himself confirmed his pleasure at this by miracle. We also know that our Lord specifically required this feast for three reasons. First, to preserve faith in the face of attacks, to come on the reality of the real presence. Second, to strengthen all the faithful on their path of virtue. And third, to make reparation to our Lord father the injuries and blast knees against the most Holy sacrament of the altar. Okay, but there's one other really remarkable difference. It sets the feast of Corpus Christi off from all the other great feasts of our Lord.
Speaker 0 06:08 The feast of Christmas celebrates the birth of our Lord. Some 2000 years ago. The feast of Easter celebrates the resurrection of our Lord. Some 2000 years ago. The feast of the Ascension celebrates the Ascension of our Lord into heaven some 2000 years ago, but unlike the feast of Christmas, unlike the face to Feaster, unlike the feast of the Ascension, all of which concern, historical events from long ago, the feast of Corpus Christi celebrates a current event. Something that will happen today, right here on this, very often we're celebrating our Lord's real presence right here and right now, the real presence is a mystery of our Lord that happens today, right here, right now. So today, let's just take a moment to consider a few aspects of that mystery, the mystery of the real presence of our Lord in the most Placid sacrament. Now we're definitely just going to hit the high points.
Speaker 0 07:09 Again, this is a semester long course and we're going to put into about seven minutes, so there's a lot more there than what we're going to hit to do this quickly. We rely heavily on the second to the last official catechism, the church, the catechism of Pope Saint Pius, the 10 where somehow from our own Baltimore catechism. When did our Lord Institute the blessed sacrament at the last supper, the night before he died. Why did our Lord Institute this Jackman under the appearances of bread and wine? The plastic sacrament is supposed to be food for our souls, so it's very fitting that Christ started. Lord is given to us under the form of food and drink. What happened when our Lord said, this is my body and this is my blood. When the Lord said, this is my body, the substance of the bread was changed into the substance of his body.
Speaker 0 08:05 When he said, this is my blood, the substance of his blood was a wine was changed into the substance of his blood. Wait a minute. Father, are you saying when you say the words, this is my body. When you say those words, the substance and the bread is turned into substance of our Lord's body. And when you say the words, this is my blood, the substance of the wine is turned into the substance of the precious blood. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, but I thought Jesus was really present whole and entire body. Bloodstone divinity in the host and in the precious blood holon entire. If what you said is true, if when you say the words, this is my body, the substance of the bread is turned into the substance of our Lord's body. And when you say the words, this is my blood, the substance of the wine is turned into substance depression.
Speaker 0 08:58 But then how can Christ possibly pre prep be present whole an entire under the appearances of bread and wine? That's a good question. It is true. For example, when I consecrate the host, when I say this is my body, just the host from bread is turned to the substance. The substance of the bread is turning into substance of our Lord's body. Those words have the power to effect exactly what they signify. But think about this. Our Lord has been resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven. That means his body can no longer be separated from his precious blood and he can't die again. Remember that death means the soul is separated from the body. He's appointed man once said he can't die again. That means his soul can't ever be separated from his body again or his blood soever his body or his precious blood are there.
Speaker 0 09:55 His soul is, and they're also by force, what's called Cancun concomitant, which is what cops or Trent called it. If you have his body, you have to have his blood. You have to have his soul, and because who is he? He's God. His divinity will be there as well. It's impossible. Is that right? Now, it is interesting that if they had the most bus, exact one on, on reservation from Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday, the busted stack went on Holy Thursday would have been our Lord's body. Bloodstone Davidian, the host and in the wine. Then on good Friday, it would have been separated as the blood poured out of his body and the host would have died and the wine would have died. It wouldn't be wine. The precious blood would have died. It still be God, but the soul would have left. That's what death means. So it had been the body without the butter, the soul, but it was still been the divinity because the divinity wasn't separated away and the precious blood would have been the blood without the body of the soul.
Speaker 0 10:54 But then on Easter Sunday, it all came back together again. And then on a sanctioned Thursday, it all went up into heaven. All together. Our Lord can't be separated anymore. That happened once. So when we say he's really present whole, entire, we mean it. When you say he's really present whole, entire, do you mean like I inherit teeth and toes and so far they're all in the host. That's correct. He's all there. All of him. Body, blood, soul and vanity. Well, that's not obvious. That's correct. It's not obvious. No one, no one can believe this without the supernatural virtue of faith, which is a gift from God. We can see John six was the gospel. Today we can see if you read John six carefully, very many people quit following him. He turned into the POS and said, are you two going to quit following me?
Speaker 0 11:51 Why were they quit? Follow him cause it faith. It takes a lot of faith to believe this and we need to thank God that he's given us the Holy faith. What is the miraculous change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ called? Well, since your substance has changed, it's called transubstantiation and it occurs because of the power our Lord gave to the words of consecration after the consecration. Is there anything left of the bread and wine? No. There's nothing whatsoever left at the bread and wine, but the species of the bread and wine are left. What are the species of the bread and wine? The species of the bread wine, which philosophers also call the accidents. The species are the visible appearance, the quantity and sensible qualities of red wines such as shape, color, taste, etc. Now, wait a minute, how can the species and the bread wine remain without their substance?
Speaker 0 12:49 By the power of God almighty? See the reality of transubstantiation and the fact that except for the appearances, there's nothing left of the bread and wine whatsoever. And the fact that both species contains Jesus Christ will tire evolvement infallibly defined by the council of Trent, which means that we must believe this. It's a salvation issue. Okay, can you tell me why Christ, his whole entire, both hosting the chalice because her Lord is just as alive and immortal and the Eucharist as he is in heaven and as we it was, we've seen he can't be separated where his body is, they're all sorta his blood, his soul and his divinity by the almighty power of God, whom nothing is impossible and who is present everywhere, but still he's only one God. So also our Lord's body is really present in many places at the same time, but his body itself is not multiplying.
Speaker 0 13:45 He only has one body which is present whole and entire in all the consecrated host in the world. When the host is broken, is the body of Jesus Christ broken off? So no, only the species that are red are broken. The body of Jesus Christ remains complete. And each one of the broken parts, does that mean that Jesus Christ is just as much in a particle of a host as in the whole host? Yes it does. And you can see by the way, the priest holds his fingers and thumbs together after the consecration. And by the way, he carefully cleans the pattern after communion and even the tiniest particle, the host is treated with just as much reverence as an entire host. Why? Because it contains our lower, whole and entire. Why is the busted Saquon captain our churches, but certainly not for his benefit. He's God. He doesn't need anything.
Speaker 0 14:41 He's there for our benefit. He's there because he loves us. He loves this. He's there so that he can be taken to the sick and the dying. That's necessary. But he's also specially there so we can come and adore him and visit him and talk with him. He loves us. And Saint Alphonsus said, by Jesus, what a lovable can Tribers is Holy stack meant was that you would hide under the appearance of bread to make yourself love and to be available for a visit by anyone who desires. Here, I'd make a personal comment. I still can't believe it. As I mentioned to people this morning, that you can go talk to God whenever you want. It's something you know, if I lived to be a hundred in this life, I'll never be. Not that I don't believe it, but it just astonishes me. You can't get ahold of any important person that's life, but you can always get ahold of God.
Speaker 0 15:40 It shows his incredible humility. Anyway, now that we've taken a really brief look, a really brief look at the mystery and the real presence today on the space of Corpus Christi, let's close with some Eucharistic reflections on the saints. Saint Francis of Assisi said, forgot to stoop. So low is a Marvel. That is staggering. What? Sublime humility and humble sublimity that the Lord of the universe, the divine son of God should so humble himself as to hide under the appearance of bread for our salvation. Saint John Bosco said, do you want the Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often. Do you want him to give you a few graces? Visit him. Rarely do you want the devil to attack you. Visit Jesus rarely and the blessing Sackman. Do you want the devil to flee from you? Visit Jesus often. Do you want to conquer the devil? Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus.
Speaker 0 16:48 Do you want to be conquered by the devil? Forget about visiting Jesus, my dear ones. The visit to the busted stack right is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil. Therefore, go Austin to visit Jesus and the devil will not come out victorious against you. Stay down. Foxes said, you may be sure that if all the moments of your life, the time you spend before the bus at SAC night beat that which will give you more strength during life and more constellation at the hour of your death. And during Aternity, Saint Teresa of Avila, when she would hear someone say, if only I lived at the time of Jesus, if only I had seen Jesus, if only I had talked with Jesus, she would respond like, do we not have any Eucharist, the living true and real Jesus present before us? Why look for more indeed. Why look for more.
