Reading 4

From the Sermons of St. Thomas Aquinas.
17th or 57th of his Opuscula, or Lesser Works.
 
The immeasurable benefits, which the goodness of God hath bestowed on Christian people, have conferred on them also a dignity beyond all price. "For what nation is there so great, who hath gods so nigh unto them, as the Lord, our God, is unto us?" Deut. iv. 7. The Only-begotten Son of God, being pleased to make us "partakers of the Divine nature," 2 Pet. i. 4, took our nature upon Him, being Himself made Man that He might make men gods. And all, as much of ours as He took, He applied to our salvation. On the Altar of the Cross He offered up His Body to God the Father as a sacrifice for our reconciliation He shed His Blood as the price whereby He redeemeth us from wretchedness and bondage, and the washing whereby He cleanseth us from all sin. And for a noble and abiding memorial of that so great work of His goodness, He hath left unto His faithful ones the Same His very Body for Meat, and the Same His very Blood for Drink, to be fed upon under the appearance of bread and wine.

How precious a thing then, how marvelous, how health-giving, how furnished with all dainties, is the Supper [of the Lord!] Than His Supper can anything be more precious? Therein there is put before us for meat, not, as of old time, the flesh of bulls and of goats, but Christ Himself, our very God. Than this Sacrament can anything be more marvelous? Therein it cometh to pass that bread and wine are bread and wine no more, but in the stead thereof there is the Body and there is the Blood of Christ; that is to say, Christ Himself, Perfect God and Perfect Man, Christ Himself is there, under the appearance of a little bread and wine. His faithful ones eat Him, but He is not mangled; nay, when [the veil which shroudeth Him in] this Sacrament is broken, in each broken piece thereof remaineth whole Christ Himself, Perfect God and Perfect Man. All that the senses can reach in this Sacrament, [look, taste, feel, smell, and the like, all these] abide of bread and wine, but the Thing is not bread and wine. And thus room is left for faith; Christ Who hath a Form That can be seen, is here taken and received not only unseen, but seeming to be bread and wine, and the senses, which judge by the wonted look, are warranted against error.

Than this Sacrament can anything be more health-giving? Thereby are sins purged away, strength renewed, and the soul fed upon the fatness of spiritual gifts. This Supper is offered up in the Church both for the quick and dead it was ordained to the health of all, all get the good of it. Than this Sacrament can anything be more furnished with dainties The glorious sweetness thereof is of a truth such that no man can fully tell it. Therein ghostly comfort is sucked from its very well-head. Therein a memorial is made of that exceeding great love which Christ showed in time of His sufferings. It was in order that the boundless goodness of that His great love might be driven home into the hearts of His faithful ones, that when He had celebrated the Passover with His disciples, and the last Supper was ended, "the Lord Jesus, knowing that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end," John xiii. 1, and instituted this Sacrament, this Sacrament, the everlasting "forth-showing of His death until He come again," 1 Cor. xi. 26, this Sacrament, the embodied fulfilment of all the ancient types and figures, this Sacrament, the greatest miracle which He ever wrought, and the one mighty joy of them that now have sorrow, till He shall come again, and their heart shall rejoice, and their joy no man take from them. John xvi. 22.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Thanks be to God.

Feast of Corpus Christi

7
Chapter Hymn Verse {from the Proper of the season}
1 Cor 11:23-24
Brothers: For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me.
R. Thanks be to God.

Hymn
Sing, my tongue, the Saviour's glory,
Of his flesh the mystery sing;
Of the blood, all price exceeding,
Shed by our immortal King,
Destined, for the world's redemption,
From a noble womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
Born for us on earth below,
He, as man, with man conversing,
Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
Then he closed in solemn order
Wondrously his life of woe.

On the night of that last supper
Seated with his chosen band,
He, the paschal victim eating,
First fulfills the law's command:
Then as food to all his brethren
Gives himself with his own hand.

Word made flesh, the bread of nature
By his word to flesh he turns;
Wine into his blood he changes:
What though sense no change discerns?
Only be the heart in earnest,
Faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son who reigns on high,
With the Holy Ghost proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honour, blessing,
Might, and endless majesty.
Amen.

V. Thou didst send them from heaven. Alleluia.
R. Bread able to content every man's delight. Alleluia.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/embed/dbjCg1EKnbo[/youtube]

Sequentia
 
O Sion, thy Redeemer praising,
 Songs of joy to Him upraising,
 Laud thy Pastor and thy Guide:

 Swell thy notes most high and daring;
 For His praise is past declaring,
 And thy loftiest powers beside.

‘Tis a theme with praise that gloweth,
 For the bread that life bestoweth
 Goes this day before us out;

 Which, His holy supper taking,
 To the brethren twelve His breaking
 None hath ever called in doubt.
 Full, then, be our praise and sounding,
 Modest and with joy abounding
 Be our mind’s triumphant state;

 For the festal’s prosecution,
 When the first blest institution
 Of this feast we celebrate.

 In the new King’s new libation,
 In the new law’s new oblation,
 Ends the ancient Paschal rite;

 Ancient forms new substance chaseth,
 Typic shadows truth displaceth,
 Day dispels the gloom of night.

 When He did at supper seated,
 Christ enjoined to be repeated,
 When His love we celebrate:

 Thus obeying His dictation,
 Blood and wine of our salvation,
 We the victim consecrate.

‘Tis for Christian faith asserted,
 Bread is into flesh converted,
 Into blood the holy wine:

 Sight and intellect transcending,
 Nature’s laws to marvel bending,
‘Tis confirmed by faith divine.

 Under either kind remaining,
 Form, not substance, still retaining,
 Wondrous things our spirit sees:

 Flesh and blood thy palate staining,
 Yet still Christ entire remaining,
 Under either species.

 All untorn for eating given,
 Undivided and unriven,
 Whole He’s taken and unrent;

 Be there one, or crowds surrounding,
 He is equally abounding,
 Nor, though eaten, ever spent.
 Both to good and bad ‘tis broken,
 But on each a different token
 or of life, or death attends:

 Life to good, to bad damnation;
 Lo, of one same manducation
 How dissimilar the ends.

 When the priest the victim breaketh,
 See thy faith in no wise shaketh,
 Know that every fragment taketh
 All that ‘neath the whole there lies:

 This in Him no fracture maketh,
‘Tis the figure only breaketh,
 Form, or state, no change there taketh
 Place in what it signifies.

 Bread, that angels eat in heaven,
 Now becomes the pilgrim’s leaven,
 Bread in truth to children given,
 That must ne’er to dogs be thrown.

 He, in ancient types disguised,
 Was the Isaac sacrificed,
 For the feast a lamb devised,
 Manna to the Fathers shown.

 Bread, whose shepherd-care doth tend us,
 Jesu Christ, Thy mercy send us,
 Do Thou feed us, Thou defend us,
 Lead us where true joys attend us,
 In the land where life is given:

 Thou all ken and might possessing,
 Mercies aye to us largessing,
 Make us share Thy cup of blessing,
 Heritage and love’s caressing
 With the denizens of heaven.
 Amen. Alleluia.