A balmy June evening is the perfect time to enjoy oneself on a café terrace in Leuven. Having a drink or a meal with family or friends, or simply enjoying a conversation, is a pleasurable experience for many. On Thursday 19 June, the bells of Leuven’s Sint-Pieter’s Church rang exuberantly because something was about to happen. It was the Feast of Corpus Christi.
Unknown to many today, a relic of days gone by, but for many Catholics it is a special feast day to look forward to. Throughout the world, Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, better known to us as Corpus Christi, on the second Thursday after Pentecost.
Many Catholic faithful, both Belgians and those from many other countries, women, men, children, young and old, gathered in Sint-Peter’s Church to celebrate the Eucharist together with Bishop Koen Vanhoutte and numerous priests.
Deacon Wouter read from the Gospel according to Luke (9, 11b-17) about the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. In his homily, Bishop Koen remarked: “The faith-encounter with the living Lord in the celebration of the Eucharist is source of new life for us. Those who allow themselves to be nourished by the Eucharist receive the life force of the Lord himself. Experiencing the Eucharist in faith bears rich fruit. It makes us into new people who are made to resemble Jesus. Whoever is privileged to sit at the Lord’s table goes home renewed. He or she becomes a person who does what Jesus did. All that we have, all that we are, and all we are capable of, we desire to share with others so that they too may have new life and find new joy in life.”
We prayed the Prayer of the Faithful in various languages, for the needs of the Church and the world.
Following the celebration we, as pilgrims of hope, processed out of the church together with Jesus to the amazement of many in the Grote Markt and the Naamsestraat. With lively African hymns and more serene community singing, we could also this year bear witness to the hope that lives in us and hopefully be a blessing and a challenge to many of our fellow Leuvenaars. For the first time, the various Leuven faith communities had been asked to bring along a symbol (icon, candle, etc.) of their particular faith community. Thanks to all who did this from Leuven-Center and also from Leuven-North.
Our Corpus Christi celebration ended in Sint-Kwinten’s Church with a moment of prayer with silence, intercessions and song.
Thanks to all who helped to make this feast a real celebration.
