Feast of the Body of Christ
Description:
The Catholic Church regards the Eucharist (the sacrament of communion) as a sacred gift left by Christ to his church, established during the last supper. The sacrifice offered by Jesus under the guise of bread and wine in the Jerusalem upper room is a kind of “form” in which the sacrifice of the cross is clothed in the life of the Church. Holy Communion is the participation of believers in the sacrifice of Christ, which helps us to become like the Son of God.
The custom of solemn veneration of the Eucharist first arose in 1247 in the Diocese of Liège (Belgium). In 1264, Pope Urban IV made this holiday a church-wide holiday, giving indulgences to all who took part in the festive mass. The ritual of the feast of the Body of Christ was composed by Thomas Aquinas, and the text of this service is considered one of the most beautiful in the Roman Breviary.
The holiday, which is purely religious in origin, eventually became a truly national holiday in many countries, in which the strict ritual of church service, the ceremonial procession and play elements characteristic of noisy pre-Christian festivities were combined. There is a beautiful tradition during the procession to throw petals of flowers.