Corpus Christi Procession

One of the most “Catholic” practices in our tradition is the Eucharistic Procession. This ancient practice dates back to the 11th century and it emerges out of the monastic tradition. As noted in the Monastic Constitutions of Lanfranc, monks would transfer the Blessed Sacrament in a solemn fashion immediately after the Mass on Palm Sunday. The procession typically involved a well-thought-out route, a specific formation, incense, candles, and chanting. However, its non-Eucharistic origins can be traced as far as the 4th century. As the church often does, it takes the best in culture and adopts it for its own evangelical purposes. In this case, the Eucharistic procession was a great way to give public witness of what Catholics believe.

It was not until the 12th century when solemn processions were liturgically appropriated. Following the Eucharistic Miracle of 1263 in Orvieto Italy, the solemn procession was formally introduced as a prolongation of the recently instituted feast of Corpus Christi. The procession was held immediately after the Mass as a way of making more public the mystery of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It can be said that the Corpus Christi procession was promoted as a way to recreate the catechetical effect that the Miracle of Orvieto had on the mind of believers. Put simply, processions helped believers to understand the mystery of Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, even if they could not explain it.

These processions spread, mostly throughout Europe, as a form of public devotion. But their impetus was a growing understanding of the Church’s doctrine of the real Presence. In an era where most people were illiterate, visual expositions of Eucharistic miracles was the best way to propagate and explain the mystery of Transubstantiation: that the essence of bread changes although its physical characteristics remain visibly the same. Though it looks like bread, once consecrated, it is no longer bread, but Christ’s body, indeed a mystery too hard to understand. Ultimately, Eucharistic processions were public expressions of religious belief, more specifically, the Real Presence of Christ.

As we celebrate this Solemn Feast, I want to exhort all of us to place ourselves in the shoes of the average 12th century Christian. Let’s think of ourselves as theologically “illiterate” for a second. How would you understand the mystery of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist? How would you explain it to someone else? Perhaps, we believe in the real Presence but we are unable to explain it. Perhaps we are not sure what to believe. If any of the above apply to us, this is nothing new, the followers of Jesus did it too, just read Jn 6:51-60. My hope is that you can join us for the solemn procession of Corpus Christi and allow yourself to either see with the eyes of faith or be a witness to those who cannot see this awesome mystery. Certainly we can all and pray, “Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief” (Mk 9:24).

Yours in Christ, 
Fr. Ariel Orozco