The Latin text of the hymn Ave Verum Corpus dates to the 14th century. Pope Innocent VI composed the hymn, and it is fittingly sung for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The most famous compositions of this piece were written by Mozart and William Byrd. Give your ears a treat and take a few minutes to listen!  

Latin text: 

Ave verum Corpus natum de Maria Virgine:
Vere passum immolatum in cruce pro homine:
Cuius latus perforatum fluxit aqua et sanguine:
Esto nobis praegustatum mortis in examine.
O Jesu dulcis!
O Jesu pie!
O Jesu fili Mariae.

Miserere mei. Amen

Anonymous English translation: 

Hail the true body, born of the Virgin Mary:
You who truly suffered and were sacrificed on the cross for the sake of man.
From whose pierced flank flowed water and blood:
Be a foretaste for us in the trial of death.
O sweet, O merciful,
O Jesus, Son of Mary, 

Have mercy on me.  Amen
 

The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, but I’d also add another word: it’s a summary of the Catholic faith. It stretches out to the beginning of the Old Testament and can be seen typologically in many ways.  Melchizedek offered bread and wine to the Most High God (Genesis 14) on behalf of Abram. The Israelites were given bread from heaven to sustain them throughout the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 16).  And, a lamb without blemish was sacrificed for the Israelites; they anointed the doors to their home with the blood of the lamb to be saved from death. In addition to the blood of the lamb being so crucial, each person had to eat of the lamb in order to share in the sacrifice (Exodus 12).  

All of these stories find their perfect fulfillment in the Eucharist, which Our Lord Himself entrusted to His Church. For two thousand years, Catholics have received the bread of heaven to sustain us on our earthly journey. Jesus is the perfect lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:6). By His wounds we were healed and saved from death (1 Peter 2:24). The crescendo comes with the Bread of Life Discourse (John 6) when Jesus commands us to eat His flesh and drink His blood.  This teaching shines with clarity when we consider Jesus as our “new Passover” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jews ate the Passover lamb to partake in the sacrifice; Catholics eat of the Lamb of God in an unbloody—though fully, substantially present—sacrifice.    

The Eucharist also carries with it the Incarnation of Jesus. The Ave Verum hymn captures this at the start. Students of Church history will remember the great Christological controversies of the first few centuries—either Jesus wasn’t really God, wasn’t really man, wasn’t born, and many variations on those themes. Jesus was not a spirit masquerading as a man. As the Ave Verum hymn proclaims, He truly did become man and was born of the Virgin Mary. To all this, the Christian faithful for centuries have bent their knees, praying in so many words: hail, the true Body. 

Next, the hymn takes up the Passion of Jesus. Interestingly, it mentions the piercing of Our Lord’s side and the outpouring of water and blood. We can see a glimpse of the Divine Mercy. In addition, focusing on the Passion also carries on the reality of the Good News. These visceral images serve to remind us that Jesus truly died on the cross. He suffered tremendously.  

With that descent into the Passion, the hymn then connects Calvary and the Eucharist. Be a foretaste for us in the trial of death. It is the True Body, the Bread of Life, the new Passover that we consume! Throughout the course of our earthly lives, we have periods of trials. We have recourse to Jesus through prayer and the sacrament. He promised at the Ascension, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). In the Eucharist, Jesus keeps His promise to His Church.  

The hymn ends with a tender expression of love. Could a hymn on the Eucharist end any better? The love with which we sing this at once expresses tenderheartedness and a plea for mercy. O sweet, O gentle Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for Your mercy and forgiveness, and for giving us the Eucharist!