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As on
Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the Body of
Christ -- but this time without the sense of impending doom of knowing what
would come on Good Friday.
The Feast of Corpus Christi -- which is always on the Thursday following
Trinity Sunday -- has an interesting history. Its inspiration is due to two
things: the first is the Miracle of Bolsena, which happened in A.D. 1263.
Peter of Prague, a German priest, during a pilgrimage to Rome, stopped at
the Church of St. Christina there to offer Mass. While he was a holy and
devout man, he harbored doubts about the Real Presence -- doubts which were
completely resolved when the Host he consecrated during that Mass began to
bleed. He rushed to meet Pope Urban IV in Orvieto, bringing the Host with
him. The miracle was declared, and the Host is still on display at the Cathedral
of Orvieto today.
The second source of inspiration was an Augustinian nun, a Belgian named
St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon (A.D. 1193-1258). She had a vision of the Moon
that was full and beautiful, but marked by a black spot that signified that
there was no joyous celebration of the Eucharist in the entire Church calendar.
In response to both of the above, Pope Urban IV eventually published a Bull,
Transiturus, in A.D. 1264, which made this Feast a part of the calendar.
The Mass includes the Lauda Sion Sequence by St. Thomas Aquinas, and
a procession followed by the greatest Eucharistic hymns of the Church, also
written by St. Thomas especially for this Feast. These include Sacris Solemnis,
Ave Verum, Adoro Te, and Verbum Supernum.
Eucharistic processions
are held today, and in still relatively Catholic countries, those who live
along the procession route decorate their homes with greenery, floral wreaths,
and banners, and put candles in the windows. Rose petals are strewn in the
path of the Sacrament.
Also today, Catholics may start a public
Novena to the Sacred Heart in anticipation
of the Feast of the Sacred Heart
which will be on Friday of next week. Doing so may earn one a plenary indulgence
under the usual conditions. Even if the Novena is said privately, and if
one says the Novena on all 9 days, a plenary indulgence may be gained.
Reading
On the Mysteries
(excerpt)
By St. Ambrose, A.D. 240-397
43. The cleansed
people, rich with these adornments [the baptized people in their new white
robes], hastens to the altar of Christ, saying: "I will go to the altar of
God, to God Who maketh glad my youth;" for having laid aside the slough of
ancient error, renewed with an eagle's youth, it hastens to approach that
heavenly feast. It comes, and seeing the holy altar arranged, cries out:
"Thou hast prepared a table in my sight." David introduces the people as
speaking, where he says: "The Lord feedeth me, and nothing shall be wanting
to me, in a place of good pasture hath He placed me. He hath led me forth
by the water of refreshment." And later: "For though I walk in the midst
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me. Thy rod
and Thy staff have comforted me. Thou hast prepared in my sight a table against
them that trouble me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and Thy inebriating
cup, how excellent it is!"
44. We must now pay attention, lest perchance anyone seeing that what is
visible (for things which are invisible cannot be seen nor comprehended by
human eyes), should say, "God rained down manna and rained down quails upon
the Jews," but for the Church beloved of Him the things which He has prepared
are those of which it is said: "That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for
them that love Him." So, lest any one should say this, we will take great
pains to prove that the sacraments of the Church are both more ancient than
those of the synagogue, and more excellent than the manna.
45. The lesson of Genesis just read shows that they are more ancient, for
the synagogue took its origin from the law of Moses. But Abraham was far
earlier, who, after conquering the enemy, and recovering his own nephew,
as he was enjoying his victory, was met by Melchisedech, who brought forth
those things which Abraham reverently received. It was not Abraham who brought
them forth, but Melchisedech, who is introduced without father, without mother,
having neither beginning of days, nor ending, but like the Son of God, of
Whom Paul says to the Hebrews: "that He remaineth a priest for ever," Who
in the Latin version is called King of righteousness and King of peace.
46. Do you recognize Who that is? Can a man be king of righteousness, when
himself he can hardly be righteous? Can he be king of peace, when he can
hardly be peaceable? He it is Who is without mother according to His Godhead,
for He was begotten of God the Father, of one substance with the Father;
without a father according to His Incarnation, for He was born of a Virgin;
having neither beginning nor end, for He is the beginning and end of all
things, the first and the last. The sacrament, then, which you received is
the gift not of man but of God; brought forth by Him Who blessed Abraham
the father of faith, whose grace and deeds we admire.
47. We have proved the sacraments of the Church to be the more ancient, now
recognize that they are superior. In very truth it is a marvellous thing
that God rained manna on the fathers, and fed them with daily food from heaven;
so that it is said, "So man did eat angels' food." But yet all those who
ate that food died in the wilderness, but that food which you receive, that
living Bread which came down from heaven, furnishes the substance of eternal
life; and whosoever shall eat of this Bread shall never die, and it is the
Body of Christ.
49. Now consider whether the bread of angels be more excellent or the Flesh
of Christ, which is indeed the body of life. That manna came from heaven,
this is above the heavens; that was of heaven, this is of the Lord of the
heavens; that was liable to corruption, if kept a second day, this is far
from all corruption, for whosoever shall taste it holly shall not be able
to feel corruption. For them water flowed from the rock, for you Blood flowed
from Christ; water satisfied them for a time, the Blood satiates you for
eternity. The Jew drinks and thirsts again, you after drinking will be beyond
the power of thirsting; that was in a shadow, this is in truth.
49. If that which you so wonder at is but shadow, how great must that be
whose very shadow you wonder at. See now what happened in the case of the
fathers was shadow: "They drank, it is said, of that Rock that followed them,
and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased,
for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were done in
a figure concerning us." You recognize now which are the more excellent,
for light is better than shadow, truth than a figure, the Body of its Giver
than the manna from heaven.
50. Perhaps you will say, "I see something else, how is it that you assert
that I receive the Body of Christ?" And this is the point which remains for
us to prove. And what evidence shall we make use of? Let us prove that this
is not what nature made, but what the blessing consecrated, and the power
of blessing is greater than that of nature, because by blessing nature itself
is changed.
51. Moses was holding a rod, he cast it down and it became a serpent. Again,
he took hold of the tail of the serpent and it returned to the nature of
a rod. You see that by virtue of the prophetic office there were two changes,
of the nature both of the serpent and of the rod. The streams of Egypt were
running with. a pure flow of water; of a sudden from the veins of the sources
blood began to burst forth, and none could drink of the river. Again, at
the prophet's prayer the blood ceased, and the nature of water returned.
The people of the Hebrews were shut in on every side, hemmed in on the one
hand by the Egyptians, on the other by the sea; Moses lifted up his rod,
the water divided and hardened like walls, and a way for the feet appeared
between the waves. Jordan being turned back, returned, contrary to nature,
to the source of its stream. Is it not clear that the nature of the waves
of the sea and of the river stream was changed? The people of the fathers
thirsted, Moses touched the rock, and water flowed out of the rock. Did not
grace work a result contrary to nature, so that the rock poured forth water,
which by nature it did not contain? Marsh was a most bitter stream, so that
the thirsting people could not drink. Moses cast wood into the water, and
the water lost its bitterness, which grace of a sudden tempered. In the time
of Elisha the prophet one of the sons of the prophets lost the head from
his axe, which sank. He who had lost the iron asked Elisha, who cast in a
piece of wood and the iron swam. This, too, we clearly recognize as having
happened contrary to nature, for iron is of heavier nature than water.
52. We observe, then, that grace has more power than nature, and yet so far
we have only spoken of the grace of a prophet's blessing. But if the blessing
of man had such power as to change nature, what are we to say of that divine
consecration where the very words of the Lord and Saviour operate? For that
sacrament which you receive is made what it is by the word of Christ. But
if the word of Elijah had such power as to bring down fire from heaven, shall
not the word of Christ have power to change the nature of the elements? You
read concerning the making of the whole world: "He spake and they were made,
He commanded and they were created." Shall not the word of Christ, which
was able to make out of nothing that which was not, be able to change things
which already are into what they were not? For it is not less to give a new
nature to things than to change them.
53. But why make use of arguments? Let us use the examples He gives, and
by the example of the Incarnation prove the truth of the mystery. Did the
course of nature proceed as usual when the Lord Jesus was born of Mary? If
we look to the usual course, a woman ordinarily conceives after connection
with a man. And this body which we make is that which was born of the Virgin.
Why do you seek the order of nature in the Body of Christ, seeing that the
Lord Jesus Himself was born of a Virgin, not according to nature? It is the
true Flesh of Christ which crucified and buried, this is then truly the Sacrament
of His Body.
54. The Lord Jesus Himself proclaims: "This is My Body." Before the blessing
of the heavenly words another nature is spoken of, after the consecration
the Body is signified. He Himself speaks of His Blood. Before the consecration
it has another name, after it is called Blood. And you say, Amen, that is,
It is true. Let the heart within confess what the mouth utters, let the soul
feel what the voice speaks.
55. Christ, then, feeds His Church with these sacraments, by means of which
the substance of the soul is strengthened, and seeing the continual progress
of her grace, He rightly says to her: "How comely are thy breasts, my sister,
my spouse, how comely they are made by wine, and the smell of thy garments
is above all spices. A dropping honeycomb are thy lips, my spouse, honey
and milk are under thy tongue, and the smell of thy garments is as the smell
of Lebanon. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed,
a fountain sealed." By which He signifies that the mystery ought to remain
sealed up with you, that it be not violated by the deeds of an evil life,
and pollution of chastity, that it be not made known to thou, for whom it
is not fitting, nor by garrulous talkativeness it be spread abroad amongst
unbelievers. Your guardianship of the faith ought therefore to be good, that
integrity of life and silence may endure unblemished.
56. For which reason, too, the Church, guarding the depth of the heavenly
mysteries, repels the furious storms of wind, and calls to her the sweetness
of the grace of spring, and knowing that her garden cannot displease Christ,
invites the Bridegroom, saying: "Arise, O north wind, and come, thou south;
blow upon my garden, and let my ointments flow down. Let my Brother come
down to His garden, and eat the fruit of His trees." For it has good trees
and fruitful, which have dipped their roots in the water of the sacred spring,
and with fresh growth have shot forth into good fruits, so as now not to
be cut with the axe of the prophet, but to abound with the fruitfulness of
the Gospel.
57. Lastly, the Lord also, delighted with their fertility, answers: "I have
entered into My garden, My sister, My spouse; I have gathered My myrrh with
My spices, I have eaten My meat with My honey, I have drunk My drink with
My milk." Understand, you faithful, why He spoke of meat and drink. And there
is no doubt that He Himself eats and drinks in us, as you have read that
He says that in our persons He is in prison.
58. Wherefore, too, the Church, beholding so great grace, exhorts her sons
and her friends to come together to the sacraments, saying: "Eat, my friends,
and drink and be inebriated, my brother." What we eat and what we drink the
Holy Spirit has elsewhere made plain by the prophet, saying, "Taste and see
that the Lord is good, blessed is the man that hopeth in Him." In that sacrament
is Christ, because it is the Body of Christ, it is therefore not bodily food
but spiritual. Whence the Apostle says of its type: "Our fathers ate spiritual
food and drank spiritual drink," for the Body of God is a spiritual body;
the Body of Christ is the Body of the Divine Spirit, for the Spirit is Christ,
as we read: "The Spirit before our face is Christ the Lord." And in the Epistle
of Peter we read: "Christ died for us." Lastly, that food strengthens our
heart, and that drink "maketh glad the heart of man," as the prophet has
recorded.
59. So, then, having obtained everything, let us know that we are born again,
but let us not say, How are we born again? Have we entered a second time
into our mother's womb and been born again? I do not recognize here the course
of nature. But here there is no order of nature, where is the excellence
of grace. And again, it is not always the course of nature which brings about
conception, for we confess that Christ the Lord was conceived of a Virgin,
and reject the order of nature. For Mary conceived not of man, but was with
child of the Holy Spirit, as Matthew says: "She was found with child of the
Holy Spirit." If, then, the Holy Spirit coming down upon the Virgin wrought
the conception, and effected the work of generation, surely we must not doubt
but that, coming down upon the Font, or upon those who receive Baptism, He
effects the reality of the new birth. |
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