June 7, Feast of Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi 2026

Magister Adest! Absolutely Amazing!

Msgr Thomas Gervasio

 
“Magister adest et vocat te!” This little Latin phase has stayed with me since my childhood. They were words placed above the central doors of my parish church. I did not understand the Latin as a child, but eventually I learned that they are the words of Martha to Mary as Jesus came to Bethany. “The Master is here and is calling you.” They seem so fitting to recall in this Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
 
“Magister adest:” The Master, the Teacher is here! This is precisely what we proclaim and affirm today: That during the Mass, at the words of consecration, under the appearance of simple bread and wine, Christ is made present in his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—not a mere symbol—not some “thing” but Someone—who nourishes, strengthens, heals, and comforts us on life’s journey…Jesus himself who makes himself food that endures to eternal life. And he remains present, after Mass, in the Blessed Sacrament, in the tabernacle, the living heart of each of our churches.
 
St. John Chrysostom spoke of the Holy Eucharist as “a gift which angels view with trepidation and which they cannot contemplate without fear because of its splendor.” My brothers and sisters, this precious gift is ours.
 
As today’s Gospel relates, when Jesus declared that he would give us his flesh and blood as food, some people found it a “hard saying” and walked away. But Our Lord did not run after them saying that he did not mean what he said. Indeed, on Holy Thursday he gave us his body and blood by transforming ordinary bread and wine into a gift most extraordinary—the Holy Eucharist!
 
But on Holy Thursday, the full joy we would want to express at receiving such a gift is rather subdued by the sadness of Good Friday. So, the Church established today’s feast that we might honor the Blessed Sacrament with greater fervor and joy.
 
Corpus Christi serves as an antidote to our forgetfulness; it seeks rouse us from the slumber of our indifference, and to intensify our sense of “Eucharistic amazement.” It helps us guard against the danger of becoming “victims of routine,” when our reception of the Eucharist becomes far too familiar, casual, or “just another thing” we do.
 
Think of it! The Lord of the universe, the Son of the Living God humbles himself coming to us under the form of bread and wine. Should we not humble ourselves by the care and reverence with which we approach the Blessed Sacrament?
 
Martha told Mary not only that the Master was there but also that he was calling her. “Magister adest et vocat te!” The Lord who is here at every Mass and within our tabernacle calls us…to a holiness of life, to an intimate friendship with him.
 
When Our Lord gave us the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, he showed us what a Eucharistic life should be. The Eucharist is not only a mystery to consecrate, to receive and adore. It is also a mystery to imitate. On that extraordinary night Jesus carried out a slaves’ task and washed the feet of his apostles. It was a vivid reminder, indeed a lesson, that true greatness does not lie in worldly influence or status but in humble and loving service. The Eucharist—the Sacrament of love—should always be linked to the commandment of love.
 
Let us reaffirm our belief in the Lord’s wondrous and Real Presence. May we never lose our sense of amazement in the gift we possess. How can we not be amazed? We can truly say: Magister adest et vocat te…the Lord is here and is calling us to love, to show mercy, to forgive, to offer hope, to share joy, to bring peace, which is to say, to be like Christ.