On The Eucharist: Post #1:

The following post-the first in a series-might be described as a very simplified presentation of the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas on the Eucharist, prepared by Father Rawes.  The purpose of his presentation was to provide people with points for meditation.  The text is in the public domain.  Scripture references follow the Latin Vulgate chapter and verse numbering (identical to the Greek), this may bring confusion if you use a modern Bible.  You can access the DR version here.  “Ecclus” is a reference to the book of Ecclesiasticus, named Sirach in our modern translations.

St Thomas Aquinas, Angelic Doctor, Pray For Us Who Love To Learn About Jesus From Thee.

The First Chief Point To Be Noted Is The Reason Why Our Lord Has Given Us The Holy Sacrament.

Part I.  About the three reasons for the institution of the Sacrament of the Body of Christ. The three reasons are designated as uppercase A, B, And C below.

a.  Jesus invites us to His banquet, in which He has made ready most precious food (Prov 9:5), namely, His own Body and Blood.  A holy secret is the Sacrament of the Altar, not known to unbelievers, but revealed to the faithful (Prov 15:9).

b.  There are three reasons for the institution of the Blessed Sacrament: (A) the memory of our Savior; (B) the Sacrifice of the Altar; (C) the food of man.

In the Holy Sacrament the wisdom of God has given us these three things as remedies for the three ancient evils: 1. forgetfulness of God Ecclus 10:14); 2. the debt that is on us because we took that which was another’s (Gen 3:6); 3. the corruptions of the death bringing apple (Gen 2:17).  Into these three evils our first parents fell, being led astray by the wiles of the devil, and by these evils their children have been much changed for the worse Ps 13:1).

c.  When our Lord says Lk 22:19-20), “Do this in remembrance of Me,” we have the first reason (see 1 above), namely, that we may not forget our Savior.  When He says, “which is given for you,” He tells us of the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, and thus the Sacrifice of the Altar is offered against our robbery (see 2 above).  When He says, “Take and eat,” He tells us of the Food that is the medicine against corruption (see 3 above).

A. There is a remembrance of our Savior.  We often draw away our minds and all our senses from God, and wander far from Him, by bad thoughts and wrong pleasures, but by the grace of this Holy Sacrament we must turn our thoughts from all that is evil and give ourselves altogether to God.  Eusebius says, “Since our Lord was going to take His assumed body from our sight it was needful that on the day of the Last Supper He should consecrate for us the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, that He might be always offered in a mystery who once was offered as a price, and that the deathless Victim might live in memory and be always present in grace.”

There are three signs of His love to keep His memory fresh in our hearts: 1. the forgiveness of our sins (Isa 43:25); 2. the redemption of those in bondage (Ecclus 29:19; Cant 5:2; Jn 10:11); 3. the ceaselessness of His kindness (Deut 8:11-14).

B. There is the Sacrifice of the Altar, which is offered against what we may call the daily robbery of our sins, that as our Lord’s Body was once offered on the Cross for the original debt, so it may be offered ceaselessly on the altar for our daily sins; and that in this the Church may have a gift for appeasing God far more precious and acceptable than all the sacrifices of the law.  Pope Alexander says, “Nothing in the sacrifice of the Church can be greater than the Body and Blood of Christ.  This is before all oblations.  It must be offered to God with a pure conscience and taken with a pure mind.  As it is greater than all sacrifices, so it is more adorable (Mal 3:4; Mal 1:2).

To show the greatness of this Sacrifice, we mark three reasons for changing the ancient sacrifice: 1. the power of the Author of our Sacrifice (Ps 109:4; Heb 7:11-12)); 2. the greatness of our debt Heb 10:5); 3 the insufficiency of the sacrifices of the law (Jer 6:20; Hos 6:6).

1.  Jesus is not only Lord and King of the whole earth, but also our High Priest after the order of Melchisedech.  As the Priesthood is translated to Him, He has power to change the Sacrifice into what is better, and it is fitting that He should do so.

2.  Next there is our great need.  So heavy was the debt of our first parents, from the greatness of the theft, from the ingratitude of the stealer, from the majesty of their outraged Maker, that not only the sacrifices of the law, but even the whole world with every creature could not make satisfaction

3.  Then there is the weakness of the sacrifices of the law.  This is shown by three things: (a) they could not please God (Jer 6:20; Hos 6:6); (b) they could not take away sin (Heb 10:6-7; Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16; Heb 10:4)); (c) they could not give grace Ezek 20:25; Heb 7:18).

C. There is the food of man: and this is the medicinal Food against the corruptions of the death bringing fruit.  Now this corruption, brought about by Adam and Eve on the human race, was so deep-seated that it would have been incurable but for that wondrous medicine which only the wisdom of God could make.  St Ambrose says, “The Body of Christ is that spiritual medicine which, tasted with reverence, purifies those that are devoted to it.” (Ecclus 38:4).

1. To understand the need of this medicine, bear in mind that the serpent, by the poison of the forbidden fruit, brought on man a threefold corruption: (a) the darkness of ignorance in his soul; (b) the disease of evil desires in his body; (c) death for both.  But the medicine of the Body of Christ: (a) lightens our darkness; (b) heals the evils of desire; (c) destroys death in us.

2.  Hence it may be likened to three kinds of food, sweet and medicinal: (a) to honey (Prov 24:13; 1 Kings 14:29; Isa 7:22); (b) to a fig (Jer 24:3; 2 Kings 20:7); (c) to the fruit of the tree of life (St Lk 1:42; Prov 3:13, 18; Hos 13:14).  Honey signifies the sweet Body of Jesus; the figs twice mentioned also signify the sweet Body of Him who is God and man.  With a lump of figs the prophet Isaiah healed King Ezechias of a boil, which represents carnal desire.  The lump of figs is the Body of our Lord, having in it the sweetness of many goods as a remedy for all bad desires.  This Body, the fruit of the tree of life, is powerful to save us from hell and bring us to Heaven.  St Hilary says, “When we have eaten the Flesh of the Lord and drunk His Blood, then we are in Him and He in us.  Christ dwelling by His Flesh in our bodies in the cause of our life, for He truly is life.  We shall live by Him, as He lives by the Father, who is in Him.

Prayer

O Holy Ghost, help me to receive Jesus with love and reverence.  Thou art my Teacher and my Sanctifier, and by Thee I live.  thoug givest light and strength to my soul.  Jesus, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, is my savior and my God.  I long to be with Him, that He may abide more in me and I in Him.  He is the Bread of Life, the true Bread of God.  I long to feed with adoration on that Living Bread.  be with me, O Blessed Spirit, as in this great light I draw near to the Altar, and give me always more faithfulness to Jesus and more love for Him.

The next post will further elucidate “A” above and will deal with THE FIRST REASON FOR THE INSTITUTION OF THE HOLY SACRAMENT, THAT IS, THE REMEMBRANCE OF OUR SAVIOR.