Page:Faithcatholics.pdf/308

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blood : his body, he said, was food; his blood was drink. They who believe, acknowledge here the sacrament of believers. But some were scandalised, saying, This is hard ; who can hear it? Jesus answered : Doth this scandalise you? If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? (Jo, vi.) What does this mean, doth this scandalise you? Did you think that I was going to divide into parts this body that you see; to cut these members, and give them to you? What then, if you shall see the Son of man ascending where he was before? Truly, he that could ascend entire, could not be consumed. Wherefore of this body and blood, he gave us a salutary banquet, and, in a few words, solved the question concerning the entireness of his body:Eat then what is life; drink what is life, and thou shalt have life. And this will be, that is, the body and blood of Christ will be life to each one, if what is visibly taken in the Sacrament, be truly eaten spiritually, and drunken spiritually. For we have heard the Lord himself declare: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life. (Jo.vi. 64.) But some say, this is hard; who can hear it? It is hard to the hard, that is, it is incredible to the incredulous.”' De Verb. Evang. Joan. Serm. cxxxi. T. v. p. 640-1.-—“In what sense do we understand the words of Christ: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him ? (Jo.vi. 57.) Can we extend this to those, of whom the Apostle says, that they eat and drink judgment to themselves, although they eat the very flesh, and drink the very blood, of Jesus Christ ? Shall we likewise say that Judas, who be-