Corpus Christi

(Prepared by Melissa Lim - thanks Melissa!)

The feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated in the Latin Church on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or Second Sunday after Pentecost. The solemnity of Corpus Christi commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. It is also a reflection of the Maundy Thursday observance during Holy Week.

History
The principal founder of the Feast of the Body was an Augustinian nun, Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillion, in Belgium. Saint Juliana looked upon the Holy Eucharist with great reverence, and desired to have a feast within the Church devoted specifically to its honor.

From the earliest days within the Church, the custom for the celebration of the Eucharist fell specifically on Maundy Thursday. However, Holy Week was often seen as a time of great sorrow and repentance, and Juliana felt that the celebration of the Eucharist should be a time of rejoicing. After receiving a vision concerning the Church and its lack of devotion to the Eucharist, she petitioned Robert de Thorete, the Bishop of Liége. Bishop Robert convened a synod in 1246, where he directed that an office be written for the observance, thereby decreeing that the celebration should take place the following year.

Juliana longed to see the feast extend to the entire Church. However, shee passed away in April of 1258. A long-time friend named Eve took up her cause and made a request of Henry of Guelders, the new Bishop of Liége, to petition Pope Urban IV to make the feast universal. In 1264, Pope Urban IV issued the bull transiturus, a declaration ordering the Feast of Corpus Christi extended throughout the entire Church. The date was set for the celebration to be held on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

The processions on Corpus Christi to honor the Holy Eucharist were not mentioned in the decrees, but had become a principal feature of the feast's celebration by the faithful, and became a tradition throughout Europe. These processions were endowed with indulgences by Popes Martin V and Eugene IV.

Customs of Corpus Christi
Overseas
In France and parts of Central Europe, the Feast of Corpus Christi is also known as the Day of Wreaths. Large bouquets of flowers are carried in processions on the tops of long wooden poles and wreaths of colorful flowers are placed on houses, gardens, and fields. Cities and towns are adorned with wreaths of delicate flowers as processions of both clergy and laity honors the Eucharist.



Additional reads: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/pea/cchristi.htm

Pentecost (Whitsunday)

(Thanks Priscilla for doing this interesting research!)

Pentecost is the Greek for "the fiftieth" (day after Easter).
A feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ.

It originated as a Jewish festival fifty days after Passover.

Whitsunday is so called from the white garments which were worn by those who were baptized during the vigil. During the vigil formerly the catechumens who remained from Easter were baptized, consequently the ceremonies on Saturday are similar to those on Holy Saturday.

Whitsunday, as a Christian feast, dates back to the first century, although there is no evidence that it was observed. This is not surprising, for the feast, originally of only one day's duration, fell on a Sunday; besides it was so closely bound up with Easter that it appears to be not much more than the termination of Paschal tide.

The first Pentecost
Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot.
The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them.
It sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire.
The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that everyone from every country understood the Christians inspired message of salvation as if the they were hearing it in their own languages. Thousands were converted by the preaching of Peter and the other apostles.

How it’s celebrated
The Gallic pilgrim gives a detailed account of the solemn manner in which it was observed at Jerusalem. The Apostolic Constitutions say that Pentecost lasts one week, but in the West it was not kept with an octave until at quite a late date. At present it is of equal rank with Easter Sunday.

The office of Pentecost has only one Nocturn during the entire week.
At Terce the "Veni Creator" is sung instead of the usual hymn, because at the third hour the Holy Spirit descended. The Mass has a Sequence, "Veni Sancte Spiritus".
Formerly the law courts did not sit during the entire week, and servile work was forbidden. A Council of Constance (1094) limited this prohibition to the first three days of the week. The Sabbath rest of Tuesday was abolished in 1771, and in many missionary territories also that of Monday; the latter was abrogated for the entire Church by Pius X in 1911.

In Italy it was customary to scatter rose leaves from the ceiling of the churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues; hence in Sicily and elsewhere in Italy Whitsunday is called Pascha rosatum. The Italian name Pascha rossa comes from the red colours of the vestments used on Whitsunday.

In France it was customary to blow trumpets during Divine service, to recall the sound of the mighty wind which accompanied the Descent of the Holy Ghost.

In England the gentry amused themselves with horse races. The Whitsun Ales or merrymakings are almost wholly obsolete in England. At these ales the Whitsun plays were performed.

At Vespers of Pentecost in the Oriental Churches the extraordinary service of genuflexion, accompanied by long poetical prayers and psalms, takes place.

On Pentecost the Russians carry flowers and green branches in their hands.

Pentecost Symbols

The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a Dove.
Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Fortitude
Knowledge
Piety
Fear of the Lord

The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit