I noticed on the Melkite Calendar this is "Thursday of the Divine Body." Is this feast commemorated in any other Byzantine recessions?

Truth to be told, it is not commemorated, in many of the parishes of the Eparchy of Newton. There are also whole eparchies in the Middle East where the feast is all but unknown.

The Ukrainians have it on their calendar as well, although I don't know if it is emphasized or not.

There's even a service of benediction with the Blessed Sacrament in our Melkite Church. It's very beautiful!

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2009/06/light-from-east-iii-melkite-catholic.html

We had it today in our parish. It was very moving!

I think it's not something against the Eastern "ethos". We venerate icons! And anyway we have blessings with the Bl. Sacrament during our liturgies.

Some years ago, an entire edition of the Patriarchate's magazin "Le Lien" was dedicated to the Feast of Corpus Christi and the astounding and well-done adaptation the Melkites did for the Byzantine rite.

Before continuing this orgy of latinisation please consult Archimandrite Robert Taft, S.J. on the topic of this and other such feasts of abstractions, (Christ the King, Divine Mercy, Sacred Heart etc.). They are most certainly inconsistent with the ethos of the Christian East. Verb.sat.sap.!

Okay, Father, so is it much better to the celebrate the delivery of the Mother of God's ceinture and to venerate "parts" of saints and icons as "Baby Jesus" and "Christ the Bishop"...

Even though I already knew that argument, I'd be interested to read Arch. Taft's explanation. Where is it available?

And why why should we freeze our rites, not developing them? It seems to be even contrary to the genealogy of the rites. Imagine if the antiochians rejected the "byzantinization" of their rite and so on?

No way am I going to engage in your silly reductio ad absurdum argument. Suffice it to say that the East does not authentically celebrate abstractions such as Corpus Christ, Christ the King, the Sacred Heart, the Divine Mercy and the Immaculate Conception (the conception of St. Anne is not an abstraction but is very much part of the historical economy of salvation). Those Eastern Churches that have adopted and adapted these latinisms have done so out of a profound inferiority complex brought by the hegemonic and rite-chauvinistic missionaries, reinforced by Roman seminary training. What do you think Vatican II meant by insisting that we take pains to return to ancestral traditions? Further, the development of the rite, according to the same Council, needs to take place in an APPROPRIATE and ORGANIC way. What you suggest is metastasis! Sorry, I calls 'em like I sees 'em! Now please allow me 'to lead the rest of my life in peace and repentance'!

Please, Father, consider my affirmativeness as a dialogical manner. I'd like to learn indeed. If my questions trouble your ascetical life, pls feel comfortable to ignore them.

You admit the rite can develops in an organic and appropriate way. And why could not we take some inspiration in the Latin Rite for that? The assimilation of the Corpus Christi by us, Melkites, does not seem a metastasis or an unorganic development.

It seems a generalization that everyone who assimilate Latin customs would be moved by an inferiority complex or by external negative influence. It is not the case of my Parish Priest, who deeply loves our Byzantine Rite, but still accepts Corpus Christi, for example.

About "abstractions", is not Pokrova, for example, a very secondary-element-celebration? I'm quite sure it does not belong to the history of salvation.

I believe I read it on this forum where there was a quotation from one or the other of the "unions", maybe Uzhorod, where it stipulated that the Greek Catholic Church would not be obligated to take part in Corpus Christi processions because "our understanding of the Eucharist is different"

I know of scant few Roman Catholic churches that have Corpus Christi processions any longer so I can't imagine why the Church of the East would feel obliged in that regard, in any event.

It is mentioned in Article 7 of the Union of Brest - "That we should not be compelled to take part in processions on the day of Corpus Christi, that we should not have to make such processions with our Mysteries..."

This commemoration is or was on the calendar of every Eastern Catholic Church.

The Eparchy of Mukachevo will be celebrating the Feast of the Holy Eucharist tomorrow. Last year, there was a procession with the Most Holy Eucharist which began from the cathedral in Uzhhorod.

Other photos:

http://preobrazenia.org.ua/parochy-news/items/svjato-presvjatoji-jevxaristiji-u-nashomu-xrami.html

http://osbm.lutsk-ugcc.org.ua/gallery/umh/67/

http://mdzbarazh.at.ua/news/svjato_presvjatoji_evkharistiji_bozhogo_tila/2010-06-08-59

There are parishes either in or outside of Ukraine that are celebrating the feast today.

The feast is still celebrated within the Archeparchy of Lviv and Metropolitan Ihor released a pastoral statement on today's feast.

I came across this June 26, 2011 bulletin from St. Mary Ukrainian Catholic parish in Vancouver which provides brief but informative articles (scroll down to the fourth page) on the history of devotion to the Holy Eucharist within the Ukrainian Church and the background for the introduction of the feast into the liturgical calendar. It's definitely worth reading and I personally was surprised by what I read--for example, exposition of the Holy Eucharist during the Divine Liturgy.

Also, I happened to find this video of the Supplication Service to the Most Holy Eucharist (includes Benediction).

The Bulgarian Byzantine Catholic Church also celebrates the feast under the name "Holy Eucharist". It is also a very special day for the Eucharistine Sisters - a Bulgarian Byzantine Catholic congregation to which belong most of the nuns of that church.

Procession on the feast at their monastery in Sofia:
http://web.archive.org/web/20071010043911im_/http://www.catholic-bg.org/bg/evharistinki/praznik1.jpg


Some information about their founders and history:
Giuseppe Alloati (1857-1933): An Apostle of Eucharistic Worship

Photos of the Eucharistic procession from the cathedral in Uzhhorod for this year's Feast of the Holy Eucharist: http://www.mgce.uz.ua/photogallery.php?album_key=1755

Perhaps a silly question - how does the host bread used by Byzantine Churches (and most others) fit into the Latin Monstrance for said procession?

The monstrance has a "lunette" adapted to hold a piece of the cube-shaped Lamb.

Only if you subject the Holy Lamb to such manhandling as would have done the Mexican Revolutionaries proud!

I found more photos from the Eparchy of Mukachevo website of a Eucharistic procession for the Feast of the Most Holy Eucharist in 2010.

Three photos in particular contain close-ups of the monstrance with the adapted lunette (you can click on each to enlarge further):
Photo One , Photo Two , Photo Three

My concern is the amount of particles that can be generated from placing the Holy Lamb into the lunette.

Then, there is this photo from a parish Eucharistic procession in which the Holy Lamb appears reddish in color (moistened with the Precious Blood obviously). I am presuming the Lamb was allowed to dry previously or else it would have been a disaster to place It into the monstrance.

Another reason to not celebrate this purely Latin feast. If one wants to go and celebrate it with the Latins, fine.

In my purely layman's opinion, we run into trouble not so much for practicing Latin devotions and celebrating Latin feasts, but from neglecting and ignoring our own. For instance when I started attending a UGCC as a teenager we never had Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in Great Lent. My current pastor didn't either growing up in the 50's and 60's in Pennsylvania. He said they just had "Stations of the Cross". Now, thank God we have the option of celebrating our own services as well as the resources to do it (i.e. service books in English).

Now I'd have to say that here everyone who would attend Stations also supported the Presanctified Liturgy, although some parishioners were concerned that the Presanctified Liturgy didn't focus enough on the "sufferings of Christ".

Best wishes to everyone!
Stefan-Ivan

Another option to help with "Stations withdrawal" that I have found helpful, especially when Presanctified is not celebrated, is to celebrate the Akathist to the Passion. It is beautiful, within the tradtion and was composed by St. Innokenty of Kherson and Odessa.