Polish Bishops on Corpus Christi: unity, forgiveness and perseverance in faith

"The Church serves the unity of the person, marriage, the Church, the nation as well as the unity among nations," said Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, President of the Polish Bishops' Conference, during the Corpus Christi procession in Poznań. "The human being, as a human person, is a spiritualized body and at the same time an incarnate spirit. We can truly become ourselves when body and soul form an inner unity," emphasized Archbishop Gądecki.

Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Deputy President of the Polish Bishops' Conference, Metropolitan of Krakow, drew attention to the need to persist with Christ: "It is necessary to return to His blessed presence, which today, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, is so evident in the streets, squares, and pathways across our homeland."

"The Eucharist creates the Church and builds the Church. Here we can truly be, and are one. Therefore, everything that opposes this unity of all of us is contrary to the Eucharist," said Polish Primate Archbishop Wojciech Polak during the central Corpus Christi procession in Gniezno.

"The modern world needs the Church as a proclaimer of the Gospel law of love, justice and peace to all who have been baptized and to people of good will," said Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, Metropolitan of Warsaw, in his homily during the central Eucharistic procession in Warsaw.

"Worship of the Eucharist is not merely about eating bread, not even this special Bread! Worship of the Eucharist is about consuming all that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Perhaps that is why there is so much of the Word of God in the feast of Corpus Christi. Although our attention is focused on the consecrated Bread, in this way we discover the logic of God's revelation. God's Word becomes Flesh, and the Flesh becomes Bread to be eaten. Therefore, we cannot consume this Body other than also focusing on the Word, which is Flesh! By consuming the Bread, we want to live by the Word that the Lord offers us," said in his homily Archbishop Grzegorz Ryś, Metropolitan of Łódź.

"The celebration of Corpus Christi has a social dimension. It is a testament to our faith, and also, perhaps above all, a realization that God is with me in the ordinary and mundane ways of my life. God is where I am; where I run to catch my bus or train, on the same streets where I go to see my sick mother or meet my beloved. He is where I meet a next-door neighbour or the people I know by sight, whose faces conceal the mystery of their inner lives," said Bishop Jacek Grzybowski in his homily at the fourth altar during the Corpus Christi procession from the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory in Kamionek.

In his homily, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, Metropolitan of Gdańsk, indicated that the celebration of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord is, "in addition to the great manifestation of our faith, a mysterious union of our lives with the life of Jesus Christ, who offers himself to us as food in the Eucharist."

Metropolitan Archbishop of Białystok Józef Guzdek called for unity with God and others: "Fruitful participation in the Eucharist is conditioned on unity with God and our neighbour. The Eucharist both demands unity and builds unity."

"Through this procession we want to remind the whole city, the whole diocese, and our entire homeland, that God is with us and that we are not alone on our journey," said in his homily Bishop Damian Bryl of Kalisz.

In his homily, Bishop Zbigniew Zieliński of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg pointed to the need to renew faith: "How is Christ supposed to live in our homes and to solve our family problems if we say that faith should be confined to the space of the church only?"

Archbishop Józef Kupny, Metropolitan of Wrocław, reflected in his homily on the essence of receiving Holy Communion, stressing that "the Eucharist has from the very beginning established a community."

In his homily during Holy Mass at the Jasna Góra Shrine, Archbishop Wacław Depo, Metropolitan of Częstochowa, spoke of Christ as the living bread and indicated the need to gaze upon Him. After the Mass, the Eucharistic procession walked down the Avenue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Archdiocesan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family. "Thanks to the Church, the image of Jesus Christ becomes alive and palpable to us," said the archbishop.

"The divine does not stand in the way of what is human, but rather aids it. The Eucharist is the announcement of eternal life with God, but also the guarantee of truly human life here," said in his homily Bishop Kazimierz Gurda of Siedlce.

In his homily during the Eucharistic procession in Przemyśl, Archbishop Adam Szal pointed to God's presence in the life of every person. "Present in the Blessed Sacrament, Christ walks with us through the streets of our towns and villages and enters our daily life. This is a beautiful symbol and a beautiful reality that embodies an extremely important message. Our Christian life has the right meaning and makes sense when we walk together with Christ," said the Metropolitan of Przemyśl. One of the Corpus Christi procession altars in Przemyśl was installed next to the Greek Catholic Cathedral.

"It is impossible to receive in truth Jesus' Body and Blood of Christ without receiving the Church, without loving the Church, without fighting for the good of the Church. Let us never abandon the Church!" urged Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz at the Shrine of St. John Paul II in the White Seas in Krakow.

"What can strengthen the Church in the wilderness is to admit to hunger, to weakness, and to mistakes. What can strengthen the Church in the wilderness is a thirst for the Bread of Heaven and fidelity to the teachings of Jesus, to the Gospel," observed Bishop Damian Muskus OFM in his homily during the central Corpus Christi procession in Krakow.

"Experiencing the Eucharist, I have the task of believing that God reaches out to me to strengthen me in reaching the home of the Father. I am to trust in the truth of Jesus' faithfulness, in imitation of God the Father's faithfulness. Jesus remains forever faithful, even to those who abandon the covenant with Him," emphasized on Wawel Hill senior auxiliary Bishop Jan Zając of the Archdiocese of Krakow.

In his homily delivered at the altar next to the Church of St. Giles in Krakow, Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow Robert Chrząszcz indicated: “We need to realize that our being with Christ should become an interpersonal relationship, based on true love on our part. It will also lead us to true faithfulness because love will always prevent us from doing harm to another person.”

Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference / KAI / diecezja.pl / prymaspolski.pl / archidiecezja.lodz.pl

Photo: archpoznan.pl

Translation: M. Turski / Office for Foreign Communication of the Polish Bishops’ Conference