[Sermones de eucharistiae sacramento]

1 Peter 1: "Christ, in whom you now believe, not seeing." Secondly, the remedy of primary infirmity requires that the body of Christ be veiled, insofar as a congruent mode of satisfaction should respond to the guilt of infidelity. Therefore, just as the incredulity of our first parents began from hearing the word of the devil persuading them of food that had death in a certain way veiled, and therefore their senses were variously delicate, so it is congruent that the faith of those to be saved should begin from hearing the word of the Savior, persuading them of food that has true life hidden, and in which our senses are piously deceived beyond hearing, so that, namely, faith may be from hearing alone and not from sight or other senses. Hearing, however, is through the word of Christ. This is beautifully figured in Genesis 27, in the blessing of Jacob, where the senses of Isaac were deceived, thinking he was feeling Esau, while he felt the likeness of him with which Jacob was veiled.

From which it is to be known that in that figure of the Lord's body there were four persons, namely Isaac and Rebecca, as male and female, signifying the two natures in us, that is, body and soul. The male, who is more accustomed to being manifest and intends more toward exterior things, signifies the exterior man, that is, our body with its senses. The female, who residing at home rules the family, signifies the interior man, that is, the faithful soul that bears the care of its own salvation and that of others. Jacob, good and beautiful, dwelling in tents, whom Rebecca loves, that is, the faithful soul, signifies the true body of Christ. Esau, whom Isaac loves, that is, the body, because he feeds on his food, signifies the substance of the bread with its accidents, namely color, taste, and others.

When therefore Isaac, as the exterior man, that is, the priest, ought to bless Esau, that is, the bread, Esau recedes, that is, the substance of the bread. But the likeness of Esau, namely garments with scent, hairy skins, food with taste, that is, the accidents of the bread, this likeness, namely color, taste, odor, hardness, remain around Jacob, that is, the body of Christ. Whence in all these, the senses of Isaac, that is, of our body, are deceived. There the caliginous, that is, the weak, sight of our body is deceived because it thinks it has before its eyes Esau, that is, the bread, and it has only his garments, that is, the species of the bread, and under that lies Jacob veiled, that is, the body of Christ. There the taste of Isaac, that is, of our body, is deceived because it thinks it tastes and eats the food of Esau, that is, the bread, and it tastes only its likeness. There the smell of Isaac, that is, of our body, is deceived because it thinks it feels Esau, that is, the bread, which truly is not there, but it feels the odor of his garments, that is, the forms of the bread with which Jacob is clothed, that is, the veiled body of Christ. There the touch of Isaac, that is, of our body, is deceived because it thinks it touches Esau, that is, the bread, and it touches the little skins similar to Esau, that is, the likeness or species of the bread with which Jacob is veiled, that is, the body of Christ. Isaac was wise, but in the judgment of recognizing Esau, he was deceived; thus our exterior man in the judgment of the bread of the altar, with [its] senses...