Dissertation on the Most August Sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood

Generally. Chapter II.

...as was foretold by the Prophet Daniel in chapter 12, verse 11, and indeed until the consummation of the age, as the Apostle Referring to St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:26. signifies by these words, Until He comes original: Donec veniat, namely the Lord in His glory at the final judgment. See what has been said elsewhere concerning the persecution of the Church in the time of the Antichrist.

IV. Principle. The Eucharist is the consummation and perfection of all the Sacraments. So says Saint Dionysius the Areopagite in chapter 3 of The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. The reason for this is that it is not only a sign and a cause of grace to be bestowed upon men, but it also contains the very author of all grace within itself, hidden under the species The outward appearances of bread and wine. of bread and wine. He does this so that He might be united with us by a singular bond of charity and join us to Himself in the closest possible fellowship, as Saint Cyprian says in his work On the Lord's Supper. For just as the same only-begotten Son of God joined human nature to Himself in the hypostatic union The theological doctrine that in Christ, a divine nature and a human nature are united in one single person. so that He might work our salvation on earth through Himself, so too He has deigned to give Himself to us as spiritual refreshment. He does this to make us participants in so great a mystery in a wonderful way. The works of His grace—which He begins in us through the "washing of regeneration" Baptism. and strengthens through the Sacrament of Confirmation—He preserves, nourishes, and leads to the highest degree of perfection through Himself in this most august food.

Therefore, whether we consider the majesty of Christ existing in this Sacrament, or the wonderful manner and plainly divine miracles that occur in the performance of this mystery, or finally its extraordinary fruits and usefulness, it is of such preeminence over the rest of the Sacraments that the Prophet, fixing the eyes of his mind upon it alone, rightly exclaimed: For what is His goodness, and what is His beauty, if not the grain of the elect, and the wine that brings forth virgins! Zechariah 9:17. In the Latin Vulgate, this verse was traditionally interpreted as a prophecy of the Eucharist. Indeed, this "Good" so far excels all others that, if they are compared to it, they seem to possess almost no degree of goodness at all. "This food, when eaten," says Saint Augustine, "is not changed into our substance, but rather it transforms us into itself, unites us to itself, and makes us like it." For this reason, according to Gregory of Nyssa, "He who always 'Is' offers Himself to us as food, so that by receiving Him into ourselves, we might become that which He is" (on chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes). Saint Damascene says similar things in Book 4, chapter 14.

V. Principle. In holy Communion, we are made not only "Christ-bearers," but also of one body and one blood with Christ. So says Cyril of Jerusalem in his fourth Catechesis. The reason is that in this Sacrament, both Christ is joined to us, and we are joined to the flesh of Christ—and consequently to His person and His divinity—in a certain way. Therefore, according to Saint Peter, we are made partakers of the divine