June 19, 2025. Each year, the Catholic Church celebrates the solemnity of Corpus Christia feast that reminds us of the the permanent miracle of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.. To understand its history and meaning, Fr. Luis Felipe Quesada PerezLuis Felipe Quesada Perez, senior chaplain of the Universidad Panamericana campus Aguascalientes, offers a profound reflection on the origin and spiritual meaning of this feast.
A miracle that prompted a party
The history of Corpus Christi begins in response to a crisis of faith. In the 11th century, a theologian named Berengarius of Tours began to spread the idea that the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist was symbolic, not real. Faced with this position, the Church responded not only with doctrine, but also with deeds.
"In the middle of the thirteenth century there were several Eucharistic miracles that confirmed faith in the real presence of Christ. One of the best known occurred in Bolsena, where drops of blood flowed from a consecrated host. This event led Pope Urban IV to institute, in 1264, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ," Fr.Philip recounted.
This was the first feast of the Church that did not commemorate a historical event, such as Christmas or Easter, but rather a historical event.event, such as Christmas or Easter, but a central dogma of the central dogma of the Catholic faith: Jesus' real, true and substantial presence in the Eucharist.
The first public procession of the Church
To make this truth visible, a new gesture was created in the life of the Church: the Eucharistic procession. It was the first occasion on which the Blessed Sacrament was Blessed Sacrament in monstrance the streets, creating a public manifestation of faith and adoration.
"Before the feast of Corpus Christi there was no blessing with the Blessed Sacrament or processions. This was the first time that Jesus was taken out in custody through the streets to be publicly adored", explains the chaplain.explains the chaplain.
Since then, the Church has enriched this celebration with hymns and liturgical texts. Many of them were written by St. Thomas Aquinassuch as the famous Pange Lingua and the hymn Adoro te devotewhich expresses with simplicity and depth the amazement before the mystery: "Sight, touch and taste are wrong about you ... but hearing is enough to believe firmly".he notes.
Why is it central to faith?
The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is more than a symbol: it is the heart of the Catholic faith. "Anyone who loves knows the difference between presence and absence. The Eucharist means that Jesus is with us, that he accompanies us, that we are not alone," says Father Luis Felipe.Luis Felipe affirms.
The Eucharist is understood in two dimensions:
- As a sacrificeis the renewal of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
- As a sacramentas a sacrament, it is the abiding presence of Jesus even after the Mass, in the consecrated bread.
An invitation to live with faith
How to live Corpus Christi spiritually Corpus Christi?. For Father Philip, the essential thing is to go to Massrenew our faith and not forget that Jesus is really present. "We all, at some point, have doubts. That is why we must ask the Lord for faith. If we really believed that Jesus is in the Eucharist, the temples would be full," he said.he said.
Procession, adoration and active participation in the sacramental life are concrete forms of not to forget his presence and to deepen the mystery of his presence.. "Jesus tells us: 'Here I am, whenever you want'. And perhaps we lack the faith to appreciate this immense gift that is so close to us," concludes Father Felipe.Felipe concludes.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi not only commemorates an essential dogma of the Catholic faith, but also strengthens the spiritual experience of the university community. At Universidad Panamericana, this celebration takes on a special meaning as it is integrated into its mission to form leaders with a human sense and deep roots in values.
Learn more about the fundamentals and values of Universidad Panamericana at: https://www.up.edu.mx/sobre-la-universidad-fundamentos-y-valores/
