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Show 1 f POPE LEO ON THE BLESSED EUCHARIST I of I ing- if de- ' t K I continuation of EncyclicalThis Admirable Sacrament the in I Most Efficacious Means Towards Progress. - his . - . - "f J irt, i (Continued from Last Week.) I Uy Away, then, with the widespread but ing vicst mischievous error of those who 1"'- I rive it as their opinion that the roeep- n- ,11S I lion of the Eucharist is in a manner trr : reserved for those narrow-minded per- P. I s ns (as they are deemed) who rid ror I tli' inselves of the cares of the world in I order to find rest in some- kind of pro- . 1 iv-ssedly religious life. For this gift, ru K tliiin which nothing can be more exit- l i-eilnt or more conducive to salvation, is offered to all those, whatever their ",s gf flu e or dignity may be, who wish as g everyone ought to wish to foster in ,1. 1 Themselves that life of divine grace :-k H vh'.s goal is the attainment of the s VT lLrc of blessedness wiih God. !c L Indeed, it is greatly to be desired that Jjjj fi those men would rightly esteem and ,v H -would make due provision for life ever- 'p R lasting, whose industry or talents or 1 v.mk have put it in their power to Js I 1 h;:pe the course of human events. But j if ;il;is: we see with sorrow that such -ij ; men too often proudly Halter them- 1 i selves that they have conferred upon ,(j 3 v his world as it were a fresh lease of J Me and prosperity, inasmuch as by 'I I tli'ir own energetic action they are l" I inking it on to the race for wealth, 5 1 t i a struggle for the possession of ! 1 "inmodities which minister to the love ; .if comfort and displpay. And yet, " whithersoever we turn, we see that 1 human society, if it be estranged from 1 " 1 ilod. instead of enjoying that peace J " 1 . iik its possessions for which it hud i? sought, is shaken and tossed like one who s in the agony and heat of fever, lor while it anxiously strivesfor pros-1 pros-1 M-rity. and trusts to it alone, it is pur suit's an object that ever escapes it, - - x flirting to one that ever eludes the I rasp. For as men and stales alike j-,',f ssarily have their being from God, so they can do nothing good except in ;(i.l through Jesus Christ, through whom every best and choicest gift i. as ever proceeded and proceeds. But the source and chief of all Ihso gifts is ihe venerable Eucharist, which not I only nourishes and sustains that life The desire whereof demands our most strenuous efforts, but also enhances beyc-nd measure that dignity of man of which iu these days we hear so much. I -'or what can be more honorable or a more worthy object of desire than to be made, as far as possible, sharers and partakers in the divine nature? Now this is precisely -what Christ does for us in the Eucharist, wherein, after having raised man by the operation of his grace to a supernatural state, he yet more closely associates and-unites iiim with himself. For there is this difference between the food of th body and that of the soul, that wherc-;is wherc-;is the former is changed into our sub s' stance, the latter changes us into its own; fo that St. Augustine makes Christ himself say: "You shall not i change me into yourself as you do the F food of your body, but you shall be changed "into me." (Confessions 1. vii., c. X.). Moreover, in this most admirable sacrament, sac-rament, which is the chief means whereby men are engrafted on the divine di-vine nature, men also find the most efficacious hdp toward progress in every ev-ery kind of virtue. And first of all in fa'ith. In all ages faith has been attacked; at-tacked; for although it elevates the human hu-man mind by bestowing on it the knowledge of the highest truths, yet because, be-cause, while it makes known the existence exist-ence of divine mysteries, it yet leaves in obscurity the mode of their being, it is therefore thought to degrade the in-ie!l"ct. in-ie!l"ct. But whereas in past times particular par-ticular articles of faith have been made by turns the object of attack; the seat m nf war has since been enlarged and ex- Tended, until it has come to this, that men deny altogether that there is anything any-thing above and beyond nature. Now nothing can be better adapted to promote pro-mote a renewal of the strength and fervor of faith in the human mind than the mystery of the Eucharist, the -mystery of faith," as it has been most appropriately called. For in this one mystery the entire supernatural order, with all its wealth and variety of wonders, won-ders, is in a manner summed up arid contained: "He hath made a remembrance remem-brance of his wonderful works, a merciful mer-ciful and gracious Lord; he hath given food to them that fear him" (Psalm x. 4-"i). For whereas God has subordinated subor-dinated the whole supernatural ' order to the Incarnation of his Word, in virtue whereof Oclvalion has been restored to the human race, according to those words of the apostle: "He hath pur- S pOSea IO I C-CSia UHMl h u:iu6n in Christ, that are in heaven and on .arth, in him" (Eph. i. 9-10). the Eucharist, Eu-charist, according to the testimony of the holy fathers, should be regarded as in a manner a continuation and extension exten-sion of the incarnation. For in and by it ihe substance of the Incarnate Word is united with the individual men, and the supreme sacrifice offered on Cai- Ivary is in a wondrous manner renewed, J ;is was signified beforehand by Malachy in the words: "In every place there is sacrifice, and i ihere is offered to my name a pure ob- lation" (Mai. i, 11)." And this miracle. ; itself the very greatest of its kind, is accompanied by innumerable other miracles; for here all the laws of nature wre suspended; the whole substance of the bread and wine are changed into the. body and the blood: the species of bread and'wir.e are sustained by the divine power without the support of any underlying substance: the body of Christ is present in many places at the same tinie, wherever the sacrament is consecrated. . i And in order that human reason may ! the more willingly pay its homage to ! this great .mystery, there have not been t wanting, , as an aid to faith, certain prodigies wrought in" his honor, both in : ancient times and in our own, of which in more than one place there exist pub-He pub-He and notable records and memorials. It is plain that by this sacrament" faith is fed, in it the mind finds its nourishment,' nourish-ment,' the objections of rationalists, are ' brought to naught, and abundant light Is thrown on the supernatural order. But that decay of faith in divine ihinK of which we have spoken is the effect not only of pride, but also of moral corruption. For if it is, true that a strict morality' improves the quickness quick-ness of man's intellect iml powers, and if on the other hand, as the maxims of pagan philosophy -and the admonitions f divine wisdom combine to teach us, 1he keenness of Vhe mind is blunted by bodilv pleasures, how much more, in 1h" region of revealed truths, do these ame pleasures obscure the light of faith, or even by the just judgment of God, entirely extinguish it. For these pleasures at the present day an insa-liable insa-liable -appetite rages infecting all classes as with an infectious disease, even from tender years. Yet even for fo terrible an evil there is a remedy lose at hand in the divine Eucharist. Tor in the first place it puts a check on bist by increasing charity according to the words of St.'Augiwtine who says. ; speaking of charity. "As it grows, lust ' diminishes; when it reaches perfec tion, lust is no more" (De diversis . iuaestionibus, Ixxxiii. q. Sfi). Moreover' the most chaste flesh of Jesus keeps L down the rebellion of our flesh, as St. 'Vril of Alexandria taugh.. "For Christ fit'iding in us lulls to sleep the law of the flesh which rages in our members" Ub. iv., c. ii. in Jon, vi. 57). Then.ltoo. Hie special and m st pleasant fruit of the Eucharist is that which is signified in the words of the prophet: "What is -.e rood thing cf him," that is, of I 0 I r hrist. "and what is hig beautiful thing, but the corn of the elect and the wine that engendereth virgins" (Zach. x. 17). producing. !n other words, that flow-'f and fruitage of a strong and constant purpose of virginity which, even in an age enervated by luxury, is daily multiplied and spread abroad in the Catholic church, with those advantages advan-tages to religion and to human society, ' wherever it is found, which are plain to se?. To this it must be added that by this ; same sacrament our hope of everlasting blessedness, based on our trust in the divine assistance, is wonderfully i strengthened. For. the edge of that j longing for happiness which is so deep- I ly rooted in the hearts of all men from ' thpir bjrth is whetted even more and more by the experience of the deceitful-ness deceitful-ness of earthly goods, by the unjust violence of .wicked .men, and by all those other afflictions to which mind ' and body are subject. Now the vener- ! j able sacrament of the Eucharist is both ; the source and the pledge of the blessedness bless-edness and of glory, and this, not for j the soul alone, but for the body also, j For it enriches the soul and an abund- ance of heavenly blessings, and fills it ' with a sweet joy which far surpasses J j-man's hope and expectations; it sus- J : t.;i;r,s him in adversity, strengthens i him in the spiritual combat, preserves I , him for life everlasting, and as a spe-j spe-j cial provision for the journey accom-' accom-' panics him thither. And in the frail I ! and perishable body that divine host, j I w hich is the immortal body of Christ, i implants a principle of resurrection, a 1 ! seed of immortality, which one day j must germinate. That to this source man's soul and body will be indebted for both these boons has been the con-! con-! stant teaching of the church, which has dutifully rearfhrmed the affirmation of Christ: "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (StSjohn vi, 55). In connection with this matter it is of importance to consider that in the Eucharist, seeing that it was instituted by Christ as "a perpetual memorial of his passion" (Opusc. vii. Offic. de fes-to fes-to Corporis Christi), is proclaimed to the Christian the necessity of a salutary salu-tary self-chastisement. For Jesus said to those first priests of his: "Do this in memory of me" (Luke xxii. 18); that is to say, do this for the commemoration commemora-tion of "my pains, my sorrows, my grievous afflictions, my death upon the cross. Wherefore this sacrament is at the same time a sacrifice, seasonable throughout the entire period of our penance; pen-ance; end it is likewise a standing ex-li ex-li rtatiou to all manner of toil, and a solemn and severe rebuke to those carnal car-nal pleasures which some are not ashamed so highly to praise and extol: "As often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink ihis chalice, ve shall an nounce the death of the Lord, until he come" (1 Cor. xi, 26). , Furthermore, if any one will diligently diligent-ly examine into the causes of the evils of our day, he will find that they arise from this, that as charity toward God has grown cold, the mutual charity of men among themselves has likewise cooled. Men have forgotten that they are children of God and brethren in Jesus Christ; they care for nothing except ex-cept their own individual interests: the interests and the rights of others they not only make light of, but often 'attack 'at-tack and invade. Hence frequent disturbances dis-turbances and strifes between class and class: arrogance, oppression, fraud on the part of the more powerful; misery, envy and turbulence among the poor. These are evils for which it is vain to seek a remedy in legislation, in threats of penalties to be incurred, or in any other device of merely human prudence. Our chief care and endeavor ought to be. according to the admonitions which we have more than once given at considerable con-siderable length, to secure the union of classes in a mutual interchange of dutiful duti-ful services, a union which, haying its origin in God. shall Issue in deeds that reflect the true spirit of Jesus ('hrist anl a genuine charity This charity Christ brought intothe world, with it he would have all hearts on fire. For it alone is capable of affording to soul and body alike, even in this life, a foretaste fore-taste of blessedness, since it restrains man s inordinate self-love, and puts a check on avarice, which "is the root, of all evil" (I Tim. vi, 10). And whereas where-as it is right to uphold all the claims oil justice as between the various classes of society, nevertheless it is only with the efficacious aid of charity, which tempers justice, that the "equality" "equal-ity" which Pt. Paul commended (2 Cor. viii, 14). and which is so salutary for' numan society, can ue pMaujimitru mm maintained. This then is what Christ intended when he instituted this venerable ven-erable sacrament, namely, hy awakening awaken-ing charity toward God to promote mutual charity among men. For the latter, as is plain, is by its very nature rooted in the former, and springs from it by a kfnd of spantaneous growth. Nor is it posisble that there should be any lack of charity among men, or rather it must-needs be enkindled and flourish, if men would but ponder well the charity which Christ has shown in this sacrament. For in it he has not only given a splendid manifestation of his power and wisdom, but "has in a manner poured out the riches of his divine di-vine love toward men." (Cone. Trid., Sess. xiii, De Eueh. c. ii). Having before our eyes this noble example ex-ample set us by Christ, who bestows on us all that he has, assuredly we ought to love and help one another to the utmost, being daily more closely united by the strong bond of brotherhood. brother-hood. And to this that the outward and visible elements of this sacrament supply sup-ply a singularly appropriate stimulus to union. On the topic St. . Cyprian writes: "In a word the Lord's sacrifice symbolizes the oneness of heart, guaranteed guar-anteed by a persevering invio'able charity, which should . prevail ?.mong Christians.' For .when our Lord calls his body bread, a substance which is kneaded togeTftpr out of many grains, he indicates that we, his pepple. whom he sustains, ire bound togeher in close union; and when he speaks of his blood as wine, in which the juice pressed from many clusters of grapes is min- j gird in one fluid, he likewise indicates , that we his flock are by the commingling comming-ling of a multitude of persons made one." (EP- SB ad Magnum n. 5 aL 6.) in like manner the Angelic Doctor, adopting the sentiments of St. Augustine Augus-tine (Tract, xxvii in Joan. nn. 13, 17). writes: "Our Lord has bequeathed to us his body and blood under the form of substances in which a multitude of things have been reduced to unity, for one of them, namely bread, consisting as it does of many grains, is yet one, and the other, that is to say wine, has its unity of being from the confluent' juice of many grapes; and therefore St. Augustine elsewhere says: 'O sacrament sacra-ment of mercy, O sign of unity, O bond of charity:1 "'(Summ. Theol. P. Ill, q. lxxix. a, 1). All of which is confirmed by the declaration of the council ,of Trent that Christ left the Eucharist in his church "as a symbol of that unity and charity whereby he would have all Christians mutually joined' and united a symbol of that one body of which he is himeslf the head, and to which hee would have us, as members, attached by the closest bonds of faith, hope and charity" (Cone. Trid., Sess. xiii. De Euchar., c. ii). The same idea had been expressed by St. Paul when, he wrote: "For we, being many, are one bread, one body, all we who partake of the one bread." (1 Cor. X., 17). - - - '-J. (To be continued.) |