Why do we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi? In 1263 a German priest, Peter …
In 1263 a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at Bolsena Italy while on a pilgrimage to Rome. He was a pious priest, but one who found it difficult to believe that Christ was actually present in the consecrated Host. While celebrating Holy Mass above the tomb of St. Christina (located in the church named for this martyr), he had barely spoken the words of Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal. The priest was immediately confused. At first, he attempted to hide the blood, but then he interrupted the Mass and asked to be taken to the neighboring city of Orvieto, where Pope Urban IV resided. The Pope listened to the priest’s account and absolved him. He then sent emissaries for an immediate investigation. When all the facts were ascertained, he ordered the Bishop of the diocese to bring the Host and the linen cloth bearing the stains of blood to Orvieto. With archbishops, cardinals and other Church dignitaries in attendance, the Pope met the procession and, amid great pomp, had the relics placed in the cathedral. The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto. It is said that Pope Urban IV was prompted by this miracle to commission St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the Proper for a Mass and an Office honoring the Holy Eucharist as the Body of Christ. One year after the miracle, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV introduced the saint’s composition, and by means of a papal bull instituted the feast of Corpus Christi. This was when St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the hymn containing the verses of Tantum Ergo (Down in Adoration Falling), which we still sing today during Eucharistic exposition.
(Source: miracolieucaristici.org)
๐๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด,
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐น.
๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ,
๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น;
๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น.
๐๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด,
๐ง๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฟ, ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ป,
๐๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ถ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด,
๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ.
๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป.