By Ivy Chai
KUCHING — Catholics worldwide celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi as a memorial of Christ’s sacrificial love and real presence in the Eucharist. ‘Corpus Christi’ is Latin for ‘Body of Christ’.
This year, the Feast of Corpus Christi fell on 10 June, and it being the feast day of Blessed Sacrament Church as well, the Parish organised a Corpus Christi Triduum from 8-10 June with the theme: Covenant & Mission.
To conduct the Triduum was Archbishop Emeritus John Ha, and he gave an insightful teaching on God’s covenants and mission. Also, “God will always be faithful to his promise to Abraham,” and God “wants his people to keep his Commandments” he said. He talked about God’s “covenant with David” and “Jesus fulfilling his new covenant – by shedding his blood on the Cross.” Jesus’ unconditional love for us led him to lay down his life for us.
The talks held on 8 and 9 June both closed with a Mass presided by Archbishop Emeritus John and concelebrated by Parish rector Fr Leonard Yap.
Feast of Corpus Christi Mass
On 10 June, at the Sunset Mass to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, Kuching Archbishop Simon Poh was the main celebrant. He commented that the procession was missing for the past three years because of the pandemic.
Both the Archbishops wished parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Church a “Happy and blessed parish feast day.”
In his homily, Archbishop John said Jesus offered his flesh and blood, promising eternal life. And, “when we are in communion with Christ, we enter into an intimate relationship with God.” There is “indwelling between us and Christ” and “also with the Father.”
He said the reason for the procession was to profess and proclaim our “faith in Jesus” to the world. “We want to draw people to Christ.” We are “children of God” but so are the other people who are not Catholics. They are also children of God and will be saved by God.
Procession
The short procession on foot commenced immediately after Mass with Archbishop Simon carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance to the streets, as a public profession of the Catholic faith in the real presence of Christ in the Holy Sacrament.
Walking under a canopy, the prelate was joined by Archbishop John, Fr Leonard and the various ministries and lay organisations of the parish, carrying lighted candles and singing hymns and songs of praise and worship.
The procession ended back at the Church with a short Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction by Archbishop Simon Poh.
