The institution of the Eucharist has as a special memorial, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, when Christ the Lord shared a meal with his disciples and gave them the sacrament of his Body and Blood to be celebrated in the church. The solemnity of the Body and Blood and Christ (Corpus Christi) further proposes the honoring of the Blessed Sacrament to the faithful so that they may celebrate the wonderful works of God, signified by the sacrament and accomplished by the Paschal mystery of Christ. This solemnity is also intended to teach the faithful how to share in the Eucharistic sacrifice and to have it more profoundly influence their life, to revere the presence of Christ the Lord in this sacrament, and to offer the thanks due for God’s gifts.
Corpus Christi procession
In its devotion the Church has handed down as a distinctive feature of the celebration of this solemnity, a procession in which the Eucharist is carried solemnly and with singing outside the church and the Christian people give public witness to their belief in the sacrament of the Eucharist and to their devotion.
It is therefore desirable to continue this procession where circumstances permit and when it can truly be a sign of common faith and adoration. __Ceremonial of Bishops (1984), nn. 385-386.
The procession on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is, so to speak, the “typical form” of a Eucharistic procession. It constitutes, in fact, a prolongation of the celebration of the Eucharist: immediately after Mass, the Host, which was consecrated at that Mass, is carried outside of the church, so that the Christian people might “give public witness to its faith and devotion regarding the Most Blessed Sacrament” (170).
The faithful understand and appreciate the values inherent in the Corpus Christi procession: they are aware of being “the People of God” that walks with its Lord, proclaiming faith in him who has become truly “God-with-us”.
The Eucharistic procession is ordinarily concluded with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. In the specific case of the Corpus Christi procession, the blessing constitutes the solemn conclusion of the entire celebration: the usual priestly blessing is replaced by the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.
