As the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, this weekend, Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M., reflects on this central mystery of faith.
"Through the words of the priest at Mass, recalling the Lord Jesus Christ’s own words at the Last Supper, unleaven bread and wine, the true fruit of the vine, is consecrated and transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This sacred action is called “transubstantiaton,” meaning the visible elements or “species” of the Eucharist — the bread and the wine — literally become the Body and Blood of Christ. How that actually happens is a mystery of the Catholic faith that has been believed and practiced since the very first Holy Thursday when Christ uttered the words “This is My Body, This is My Blood.”