Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (Latin: Corpus Domini), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This feast commemorates the Real Presence of Jesus Christ - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - in the Holy Eucharist. It is a day when the Church invites us to contemplate and give thanks for this profound mystery of our faith.
The origins of this feast trace back to the great theologian and Doctor of the Church,St. Thomas Aquinas, who proposed to Pope Urban IV the establishment of a special liturgical celebration in honour of the Eucharist. The Pope was moved to institute the feast following the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena, Italy, in 1263 - a miraculous event that affirmed the doctrine of Christ's true presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
Although traditionally celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, in many partsof the world, including here, the solemnity is observed on the following Sunday when it is not designated as a holy day of obligation.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is no ordinary Sunday celebration - it is a great festival in the life of the Church, a moment of profound thanksgiving and reverence. Today, we rejoice in a particular way for the incomparable gift of the Eucharist. As we honour this solemn feast, we are all invited to reflect deeply on the daily miracle that unfolds before us at every celebration of the Mass.
The Eucharist is indeed a daily miracle. At every hour, in some part of the world, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is being offered, and the sacred mystery of Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection is made present anew. What a source of infinite consolation this is: we are never alone. Through the Eucharist, Christ remains truly and substantially with us. Only God can perform such a miracle - transforming the humble elements of bread and wine into His very Body and Blood. This mystery surpasses human understanding, yet it is the very heart of our faith and the nourishment of our souls.
Dear brothers and sisters, as we come to the table of the Lord, let us reflect:
• Do I hunger for the Bread of Life?
• Do I approach the Eucharist with faith, reverence, and love?
• Do I see Christ in my priests, praying for them as they continue the ministry of
the apostles?
• Do I allow the Eucharist to transform my life, so that I can say with St. Paul:
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” ? (Gal 2:20)
May we grow in love for this great sacrament. May our participation in the Eucharist renew our communion with Christ and with one another, And may our hearts burn with desire to receive Him often and worthily - He who is our food for the journey, our strength in trials, and our hope for eternal life - Amen.
Pray: For an unshakable faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Act: Today, tend to the Corpus Christi in the body of a needy person

Next Sunday, June 29, 2025, on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV will preside over the Eucharistic Celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica at 9:30 a.m. During the Mass, he will personally bless and bestow the Pallia upon the new Metropolitan Archbishops. Cardinal Brislin, is the Metropolitan Archbishop of Johannesburg. The Profound Meaning of the Pallium Worn over the chasuble, the pallium reminds the bishop of his mission as shepherd, teacher, and servant of the People of God. It is a sign of a responsibility that is not domination, but offering; not power, but service; not individualism, but communion. The Pope’s gesture of imposing it with his own hands is meant to be an encouragement and a blessing, so that each new metropolitan may live his ministry in the light of faith, in fidelity to the Gospel, and in full communion with the universal Church.