On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
OF all the sacred mysteries bequeathed to us by our Lord, as unfailing sources of grace, there is none that can be compared to the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist; for no crime, therefore, is there reserved by God a more terrible vengeance than for the sacrilegious abuse of this adorable Sacrament, which is replete with holiness itself. [1] The Apostle, illumined with wisdom from above, clearly saw and emphatically announced these awful consequences, when having declared the enormity of their guilt, " who discern not the body of the Lord," he immediately added, " therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep." [2] That the faithful, there fore, deeply impressed with the divine honour due to this heavenly Sacrament, may derive from its participation, abundant fruit of grace, and escape the just anger of God, the pastor will explain with indefatigable diligence, all those things which seem best calculated to display its majesty.
Following the example of St. Paul, who declares to the Corinthians what he had received from the Lord, the pastor will begin by explaining to the faithful the circumstances of its institution: these he will find thus clearly recorded by the Evangelist our Lord, who "having loved his own, loved them to the end," [3] to give them some admirable and divine pledge of this his love, aware that the hour was come when he should pass out of this world to the Father, by an effect of wisdom which transcends the order of nature, devised a means of being always present with his own. Having celebrated the feast of the pas chal lamb with his disciples, that the figure might give way to the reality, the shadow to the substance, " Jesus took bread, and giving thanks to God, blessed and brake, and gave to his disciples, and said, take ye and eat: This is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me: and taking the chalice also after he had supped, he said, this chalice is the New Testament in my blood: this do, as often as you shall drink it in commemoration of me." [4]
Satisfied that language could supply no one word sufficiently comprehensive to give full expression to the dignity and excellence of this Sacrament, sacred writers have endeavoured to express it by a variety of appellations. It is sometimes called " The Eucharist," a word which may be translated, " the good grace," or " the thanksgiving:" the propriety of the one appears from two considerations: the Eucharist gives a foretaste of eter-
- ↑ Dionys. de Eccl. Hier. c. 6. et de consec. dist. c. 2. nihil in.
- ↑ 1 Cor xi 30
- ↑ John xiii. 1.
- ↑ Matth. xxvi.2G. Mark xiv. 22. Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24. De Euch, insti tutione vide Trid. Sess. 13, c. 2, de Euch. Leo serm. 7, de Pass. c. 3, Luseb. Emiss hom. 4, ct habetur de consec. dist 2. 1. quin corpus.
