[Sermones de eucharistiae sacramento]

for eating and beautiful to the eyes and delightful to behold. She took of its fruit and ate. She gave it to her husband, and thus both committed rapine. A likeness of this rapine is made by those who exceed the measure of justice in the use of creatures and temporal things. Of the third: "Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. In whatever day you eat of it, you shall die the death" Genesis 2, that is, to be corrupted in the good of immortality. Psalm: "They are become corrupt and become abominable in their ways" Psalm 13. Thus, those who take sin in use corrupt and kill their souls. Therefore, against a threefold old evil this sacrament is instituted. Matthew 26 and Luke 22: "Take and eat, this is my body which shall be delivered for you. Do this in my commemoration." Behold the first cause of the institution of this sacrament, namely the memory of the Savior against the forgetfulness of God. "This shall be delivered for you," that is, so that the lamb of God might be offered. Behold the second cause, namely the sacrifice of the altar against rapine. "Take and eat, this is my body." Behold the third cause, namely medicinal food against the corruption of the deadly fruit.

First cause of institution

The first cause, therefore, of the institution of this sacrament is the memory of the Savior against the forgetfulness of God. That is, so that through this we might, for a moment, draw our whole mind and all our senses, which we have turned away from God and permitted to wander with wicked thoughts and delights, away from harmful things and refer them entirely to the Lord. Hence it is said: "Do this in my commemoration." Eusebius says that the Lord, being about to be taken away from our eyes and brought into the stars, it was necessary that on the day of the Supper he should consecrate for us the sacrament of his body and blood so that it might be offered continually through the mystery that was offered once as a price, and that the victim might live in memory and always be present in grace. To always have this, namely the memory of the Savior, three arguments of his charity compel us, namely the remission of sins, the redemption of those who were pledged, and the continuation of benefits. Of the first, the prophet: "I am he who blots out your iniquities for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Bring me into remembrance" Isaias 43. Of the second: "Do not ever forget the grace of your surety, for he gave his soul for you, for you," namely for the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom which was pledged by you to God, he stood as surety and gave himself entirely on the cross to pay your debt. Do not forget the grace of this when you love him for it and, as much as you can, return the debt to him with prayers and good works Ecclesiasticus 29. "Open to me, my sister, my love, for my head is full of dew and my locks with the drops of the nights" Canticles 5. Open to me, that is, receive me into your mind, into memory, into love, because my head, namely my divinity, is full of dew, namely of mercy to remit sins, and my locks, namely my humanity, with the drops of the nights, namely the outpouring of sweat, tears, and the blood of the passions, to redeem your inheritance pledged for the satisfaction of your sins. Of the third: "Observe and take heed lest at any time you forget the Lord your God and neglect his commandments, lest after you have eaten and have been filled and have had an abundance of all things, your heart be lifted up and you do not remember" Deuteronomy 8. Gloss: Ecclesiasticus 17: There is no moment in which one does not use the goodness of God, thus he ought always to be present in memory.