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Views from the Choir Loft

Homily: Corpus Christi (Year A)

Guest Author · June 22, 2014

ODAY’S FEAST honoring the Body and Blood of our Lord is a good example of what the now Blessed John Cardinal Newman would call a legitimate “Development of Doctrine.” When Our Lord first gave the promise of the Eucharist as described in the sixth Chapter of St. John’s Gospel, or when our Lord so simply said at the Last supper as He took the bread and wine and said, “This is my Body”, “This is my Blood”, possibly not even He and certainly not his audience were envisioning Eucharistic processions or what we know as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. These are all what Cardinal Newman would call legitimate development of doctrine or teachings.

The Old Testament: Spiritual writers and Biblical scholars have found many things in the Old Testament that prefigured events or happenings that would take place in New Testament times. And one of the most common of these was the manna or special food that God provided for his chosen people during their long journey through the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land. It was called ‘Manhu’ or ‘manna’ which literally was the Hebrew expression for ‘what is this.’ It was a flaky substance that fell every day for the people to eat, provided by God. New Testament writers and saints later on saw this as a prefigure of the Eucharist which Jesus gave us. That’s the reason why the First reading was chosen for today. Moses reminded the people how God took care of them. Needless to say how much more fortunate we are to have the Eucharist, the very flesh and blood of our Lord, for our daily sustenance if we only so desire.

Second Reading: In the second reading St. Paul uses the Eucharist as a reason why Christians should have unity among themselves. After all they are sharing in the same Body which is Christ. We do know from other sources that the Christians at Corinth were having problems at the time.

The Gospel: In some respects St. John’s presentation of Jesus’ promise of the Eucharist is one of the best proofs we have for Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. From Jesus’ presentation we certainly gather that Jesus really meant what He said, even if that meant losing some of his followers. It may come as a surprise for some to hear that St. John does not give an account of the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper as such. We can only conjecture as to the reason why. He mentions the washing of the disciples’ feet, the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter, and then the long discourse which takes up three Chapters. After that they leave for the garden of Gethsemane.

The Sequence: At the beginning of this homily I mentioned the term “’the Development of Doctrine”. I see this teaching so fittingly exemplified in our teaching and belief in regard to the Eucharist. On the one hand we believe Jesus is God. On the other hand we believe that the Bread and wine when consecrated by a duly authorized minister becomes God. Therefore they too become worthy to be adored. Yes, it takes faith. In some respects one can’t be ‘argued’ into believing. I don’t know how many parishes or churches will opt to read or sing the sequence for today. Perhaps its meaning is too much above the average Catholic. I choose to read it here today, hoping that some at least will derive some benefit. If you have a prayer-book that has St. Thomas Aquinas’ prayer and Hymn the Adoro Te, I suggest you read and meditate on it today. Its presentation is perhaps simpler and easier to understand. All any of us can do on a day like this is say: “Lord, increase the Faith of all who believe in You.”


We hope you enjoyed this homily by Fr. Valentine Young, OFM.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“I vividly remember going to church with him in Bournemouth. He was a devout Roman Catholic and it was soon after the Church had changed the liturgy (from Latin to English). My grandfather obviously didn’t agree with this and made all the responses very loudly in Latin while the rest of the congregation answered in English. I found the whole experience quite excruciating, but my grandfather was oblivious. He simply had to do what he believed to be right.”

— Simon Tolkien (2003)

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