Corpus Christi

Body and Blood of Christ, strength and courage of martyrs, save us.
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"Martyrdom is witnessing to the truth, and paying for the witness. In other words, we're living in the age of martyrs in two senses. First, on the level of suffering and pain. For many, suffering due to physical pain has been reduced by advances in science; thus, the deepest pain is not in the body, but in the soul. In the souls of the just, there has been an ocean of suffering. One sees so much evil in the world, and often it is very close to home. It is a deep suffering. When we see evil perpetrated, committed by people whom we dearly love, it causes us deep suffering. And so that's martyrdom, you might say. But when we accept such suffering as a witness to our love for Jesus Christ, we are practicing martyrdom, and, with his grace, we can even enjoy the experience." - Source
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"Given that, to make bread the wheat must be ground, and to make wine the grapes must be crushed, so I want my members to be broken and ground by the beasts' teeth to become a sacrifice pleasing to God." - St. Ignatius of Antioch


Photo:  Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini during the Corpus Christi procession.  I very much admire a monstrance like the one shown.  Photo source.