Wednesday within the Octave of Corpus Christi - St. Hilary

Wednesday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

A Homily by St. Hilary the Bishop



When we speak concerning the things of God, we must not speak after the manner of men, nor after the manner of the world. Let us ponder those things which are written, and endeavour to understand those things which we read ; and them let us act in a fulness of faith. Unless we learn from Christ how to speak concerning the real truth of his abiding in us, we shall speak thereof foolishly and without devotion. For he himself saith : My Flesh is meat indeed, and my Blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood, dwelleth in me, an I in him. There is here no room left for doubt as to what is his Flesh and what is his Blood.

For now we do know, from the declaration of the Lord himself, and from the experience of our own faith, that this is truly his Flesh and Blood. And when we eat the one and drink the other, they work effectually in us to make us dwell in him and he in us. Is not this true? Of a truth it cannot be denied except by them that in some sense deny that Christ Jesus is very God. He is in us by means of his Flesh, and we are in him, for our own nature is with him in God. That we dwell in him through that Sacrament wherein his Flesh and Blood are given unto us, he himself doth testify, where he saith : Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, but ye see me ; because I live ye shall live also ; at that day, ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me and I in you.

That this his union with us is real, Christ himself testifieth thus : He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. For no one dwelleth in Christ in whom Christ doth not dwell, and only he that receiveth the Body and Blood of the Lord is made one body with Christ. He had already taught that this was the Sacrament of perfect unity, when he said : As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so, he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. He therefore liveth by the Father, and, as he liveth by the Father, so shall we live by receiving his Body.

Matins Lesson for Friday in the Octave of Corpus Christi

Friday in the Octave of Corpus Christi

A Sermon by St. Augustine the Bishop

We have heard from the Gospel the words of the Lord which follow those that formed the subject of my earlier discourse. From these a sermon is due to your ears and understandings ; and such a sermon is not unseasonable on this day, since this passage concerneth the Body of the Lord, which he said that he would give for the life of the world, that a man may eat thereof and not die. He made manifest how he bestoweth this gift, and what manner of gift it is, when he said : He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him. The sign to shew whether a man hath or hath not eaten that Flesh and drunk that Blood, is whether or not he dwelleth in Christ and Christ in him ; whether or not he is a guest of Christ and Christ of him ; whether or not he cleaveth unto Christ in such wise that Christ departeth not from him.

This hath he taught, and warned us, by words of deep meaning, namely ; to be in his body as his members,(of which he is the head,) and to be partakers of his flesh , not separating ourselves from his oneness. Many of his disciples when they had heard this, as the Gospel saith, went back, and walked no more with him : for they understood not by the word Flesh any flesh other than such as they themselves were made of. The Apostle saith, and very true it is : To be carnally minded is death. The Lord giveth us his Flesh to eat : but to understand these words carnally is death. Where he saith : Whoso eateth my Flesh hath eternal life : we must not understand this as his Flesh carnally, as did they of whom it is written : Many of his disciples (not his enemies) when they heard this, said, This is an hard saying, who can hear it?

If his disciples took his words for a hard saying, how (think you) must his enemies have taken them? And yet is behoved him to speak in this fashion, that is, in such a way that all men would not understand them. A secret of God ought to make us thoughtful, not hostile ; and yet, when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke thus in mystery, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. They believed not that he was speaking of some great thing, nor that grace lay hidden under these words. Rather, they understood just as they pleased, after the manner of men. And so they thought that Jesus was claiming to be able to give to them that believe on him, that flesh (wherewith he, the eternal Word, is clothed,) as it were in slices. And so they said : This is an hard saying ; who can hear it?

The Feast of Corpus Christi

A Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop

By the use of meat and drink men seek to attain to this end, namely, that they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. And yet noting doth truly accomplish this, except that Meat and Drink whereby this corruptible is able to put on incorruption, and this mortal to put on immortality ; namely, the means of Communion with that general assembly and Church of the first-born which is the fellowship of the saints ; which same are kept in perfect peace, and are all one (even as Christ and his Father are one) in full and perfect unity. And therefore it is, (even as men of God before our time have understood it,) that our Lord Jesus Christ hath set before us his Body and his Blood in the likeness of things which, from being many, are reduced into one. That is to say, in one loaf are many grains of corn, and in one cup of wine the juice of many grapes. Hence it is that, in this passage from the Gospel, he now giveth us to know how that which he spake cometh to pass, in answer to the question : How can this man give us his Flesh to eat, and his Blood to drink?

He saith : He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. This, then, is to eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup, to wit: to dwell in him, and to have him dwelling in us. And contrariwise, he which dwelleth not in Christ, and in whom Christ dwelleth not, doth not spiritually eat Christ’s Flesh nor drink his Blood, although he do carnally and visibly press the Sacrament with his teeth ; but rather, such an one eateth and drinketh judgement unto himself, because he dareth to draw nigh unclean to that secret and holy thing of Christ, whereunto none draweth nigh worthily, save he which is clean ; for concerning such it is said : Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

As the living Father hath sent me, (saith he,) and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is as though he had said : The Father hath sent me unto the world, and therefore I have humbled myself, and taken upon me the form of a servant, and so was found in fashion as a man ; and as Man I ascribe my life to One that is greater than I ; but the partaking, whereby anyone eateth me, causeth him to live by me; I, having been brought low, live by the Father, but man, having been raised up, shall live by me. And although he saith : I live by the Father : (that is, he is of the Father, not the Father of him ;) these words are no disparagement of the equality of the Father and the Son as God. On the other hand, by saying : He that eateth me, even he shall live by me : he doth not signify equality between him and ourselves, but rather that he is the one Mediator between God and man.

Collect:

O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament, hast left unto us a Memorial f thyPassion : grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of they Body and Blood ; that we may ever perceive within ourselves the fruit of thy redemption, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and forever. Amen.