XVII About the threefold manner of eating; and first about the sacramental manner only
XVII
About the threefold manner of eating; and first about the sacramental manner only
THIS manner is threefold: A, sacramental only; B, spiritual only; C, sacramental and spiritual together. In this Meditation and the next we consider, A, the sacramental way; in the Nineteenth Meditation we consider, B, the spiritual way; and in the Twentieth Meditation we consider, C, the way which is both sacramental and spiritual.
N. To understand these things we must bear in mind that in this food of the Altar there are two things, namely, the Sacrament and the virtue of the Sacrament. St. Augustin says, ‘This Sacrament consists of two things; that is, the visible species of bread and wine, and the invisible Body and Blood of Christ. Now the virtue of this Sacrament is our healing from the condemnation of everlasting death. This virtue of the Sacrament has been believed in and spiritually tasted by all who have been saved from the beginning of the world, even as it is daily tasted now by all good Christians. As to the Sacrament itself, it is eaten by good and bad alike, yet with a difference that is very great. The bad eat the Sacrament only, that is, the Body of Christ under the visible species of bread; but they do not eat the spiritual virtue of the Sacrament, that is, salvation to everlasting life. But the good eat both, namely, the Sacrament and the virtue of the Sacrament together.’ From this it is clear that there are three ways of eating: A, sacramental only; B, spiritual only; and, C, sacramental and spiritual at once. In the first way bad Christians eat; in the second way all who are saved; in the third way good Christians only. The first eat, and yet do not eat; the second do not eat, and yet eat; the third both eat and are eaten.
Leaving the second two ways of eating, B and C, for Meditations further on, as has been said, we consider the first way, A, in this Meditation and the next.
A. The first way of eating the Body of our Lord is the sacramental way only. Bad Christians eat in this way. Being in mortal sin, and thus receiving with polluted lips the adorable Body of Jesus, they shut up their souls by their uncleanness and their hardness, as if with mud and stone, against the inflowing of the virtue of His goodness. These eat and do not eat. They eat, indeed, because they receive the Lord’s Body sacramentally; and yet they do not eat, because they do not receive the spiritual virtue of the Sacrament, that is, salvation of soul. St. Gregory says, ‘In sinners and unworthy receivers there are indeed the true Flesh and the true Blood of Christ, that is, by presence and essence, but not with life-giving power.’ St. Augustin says, ‘He who is without Christ eats not His Flesh nor drinks His Blood; and if he daily receive the Sacrament of so great a thing, he receives it to judgment. He is without Christ who turns his heart away from Him and gives it up to sin. Such a one may be called wretched indeed, because so great a good as this comes to him often, and he neither receives nor perceives any spiritual gain.’
R. There are three kinds of persons among those who receive sacramentally only: (1) the malicious; (2) the deceitful; (3) the presumptuous. The first receive the Lord’s Body with a will to go on in sin. The second are hypocrites, who, seeming outwardly good and being inwardly bad, yet come to the Altar as if they were in a state of grace. The third are those who are bad in the highest degree, and yet dare presumptuously to go to Communion. We will consider the first two kinds in this Meditation, and the presumptuous in the next.
(1) The first kind of bad communicants is the malicious. These draw near to God with their lips by receiving the Holy Sacrament, but their hearts are far from Him by their will to sin.
Three great evils follow them: a, deepening of their sin; b, further separation from the grace of Christ; c, condemnation to unending punishment.
a. St. Augustin says, ‘Because they have a will to go on sinning, I assert that they are darkened and not purified by receiving the Holy Eucharist.’
b. The longer they cherish their bad thoughts the worse they grow, and the more they are separated by them from God.
c. St. Ambrose says in terrible words, ‘He is unworthy who comes to the Holy Eucharist with an indevout mind. He who abides in a will to sin is guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord; that is, he shall be punished as if he had slain Christ.’
(2) The second kind of bad communicants is the deceitful, or the hypocrites. These have an appearance of godliness, because they have the same Sacraments as the good; but they deny the power of godliness, that is, charity, because they do much evil in secret, and make false excuses for it when it is known.
Three great evils follow these also: a, they will be made companions of the traitor Judas; b, they will be confounded before the whole universe; c, they will be cast out from the fellowship of the good.
a. Jesus spoke to Judas about his treachery words that He still speaks to all those who are like Judas, that is, His false friends. He who eats His Bread not for profit, but in hypocrisy, treads Him under foot and betrays Him. He, therefore, who tries to lie hid in his sin by a full pretence of religion, nay, even of Communion, becomes like Judas, and is made a companion of that traitor.
b. God will unveil the hiding-places of the hypocrites, and will show all their hidden things to the whole world. With great shame and confusion they will be cast down before the gaze of men and Angels, and still more before the piercing eyes of God.
c. Our Lord says that hypocrites are like whited sepulchres, and are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness, that is, of rottenness, the worm, and stench. They are full of hypocrisy and iniquity: of hypocrisy, from their habit of false praise; and of iniquity, from their longing for earthly goods and their hatred of the truth. Our Lord, by His prophet, says that these souls, being defiled by hypocrisy, shall perish from the people, that is, shall be cut off from the saved, and cast away into everlasting death.
N. But God in His mercy gives us a sweet remedy for these things and a safeguard against these three evils. He, and He only, can bring good out of evil. Since He is good three good things follow Him: a, forgiveness of punishment due; b, the restoration of the grace of God; c, the attainment of everlasting bliss.
a. When any one lives in the grace of God not a hair of his head can perish: that is, he keeps himself free from mortal sin.
b. The graces of God are poured down on those who love Him.
c. The servant in the parable is told to rejoice, because through his faithfulness here he reaches the fulness of everlasting joy in Heaven. There the Blessed Mother of God and all the Redeemed and all the Angels will praise God in the gladness of eternal life.
The Voice of the Holy Ghost
About bad Communions; Whosoever shall eat this Bread or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11:27.
A. Sacramental only; The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, these men have placed their uncleannesses in their hearts, and have set up before their face the stumbling-block of their iniquity; and shall I answer when they inquire of Me? Ezech. 14:3.
There is also another evil which I have seen under the sun, and that frequent among men; a man to whom God hath given riches and substance and honour, and his soul wanteth nothing of all that he desireth, yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall eat it up. Eccles. 6:1, 2.
You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord and the chalice of devils; you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils. 1 Cor. 10:21.
We have an Altar whereof they have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle. Heb. 13:10.
R. Bad communicants; (1) The malicious; The Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify Me, but their heart is far from Me, and they have feared Me with the commandments and doctrines of men: therefore behold I will proceed to cause a marvel in this people, by a great and a wonderful miracle; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Is. 29:13, 14.
a. Deepening of sin; It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs. St. Matt. 15:26.
b. Loss of God; Perverse thoughts separate from God. Wisd. 1:3.
c. Eternal punishment; He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Body of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11:29.
(2) The hypocrites; Know also this, that in the last days shall come dangerous times. Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without affection, without peace, slanderous, incontinent, unmerciful, without kindness, traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof. 2 Tim. 3:1–5.
a. Companions of Judas; I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled he that eateth bread with Me shall lift up his heel against Me. St. John 13:18.
b. Shame; Be not incredulous to the fear of the Lord, and come not to Him with a double heart. Be not a hypocrite in the sight of men; and let not thy lips be a stumbling-block to thee. Watch over them, lest thou fall and bring dishonour upon thy soul: and God reveal thy hidden things, and cast thee down in the midst of the congregation; because thou camest to the Lord wickedly, and thy heart is full of guile and deceit. Ecclus. 1:36–40.
Behold I come against thee, saith the Lord God of hosts; and I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will show thy nakedness to the nations and thy shame to kingdoms; and I will cast abominations upon thee, and will disgrace thee and will make an example of thee. Nah. 3:5, 6.
c. Loss of Heaven; Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones and all filthiness. So you also outwardly indeed appear to men to be just, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. St. Matt. 23:27, 28.
No hypocrite shall come before His presence. Job 13:16.
The hope of the hypocrite shall perish. Job 8:13.
If any one that is defiled shall eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which is offered to the Lord, he shall be cut off from his people. Lev. 7:20.
The sinners in Sion are afraid, trembling hath seized upon the hypocrites. Which of you can dwell with devouring fire? Which of you can dwell with everlasting burnings? Is. 33:14.
N. The remedy; a. Forgiveness; He said, As the Lord liveth there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the ground. 2 Kings 14:11.
If Heaven shall be shut up, and there shall be no rain because of their sins, and they praying in this place shall do penance in Thy name, and shall be converted from their sins by reason of their afflictions; then hear Thou them in Heaven, and forgive the sins of Thy servants and of Thy people Israel; and show them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon Thy land. 3 Kings 8:35, 36.
If the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all My commandments, and do judgment and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all his iniquities that he has done. Ezech. 18:21, 22.
If I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and he do penance for his sin, and do judgment and justice … he shall surely live, and shall not die. Ezech. 33:14, 15.
b. Grace; Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, and to the upright of heart. Ps. 124:4.
He that is good shall draw grace from the Lord. Prov. 12:2.
c. Heaven; His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant: because thou hast been faithful over a few things I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. St. Matt. 25:23.
Now they that are redeemed by the Lord shall return, and shall come into Sion singing praises, and everlasting joy shall be on their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Is. 51:11.
They shall come and shall give praise in Mount Sion, and they shall flow together to the good things of the Lord, for the corn and wine and oil and the increase of cattle and herds: and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall be hungry no more. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, the young men and the old men together: and I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them, and make them joyful after their sorrow. And I will fill the souls of the priests with fatness; and My people shall be filled with My good things, saith the Lord. Jerem. 31:12–14.
Prayer
Eternal Father, purify me, Thy child, from all sin, that in the strength of Thy goodness I may welcome Jesus to my heart.
Eternal Son, purify me, Thy redeemed one, from all sin, that in the light of Thy goodness I may welcome Thee, my Saviour, to my heart.
Eternal Spirit, purify me, Thy sanctuary, from all sin, that in the sweetness of Thy love I may welcome Jesus to my heart.
O Ever-blessed Trinity, fountain of light and purity and love and truth and wisdom, keep me, Thy little one, from all malice and badness of the will, from all hypocrisy and guile, from all presumption and hardness of heart.
Save me, O Holy Ghost, whom I love, from the abandonment of Jesus, from living in sin, from the punishment of the damned.
Save me, O Holy Ghost, whom I love, from treachery like that of Judas, from confusion and shame of face before the Saints and Angels, from losing the fellowship of the good.
Give to me, O Holy Ghost, whom I love, forgiveness of punishment, abundance of grace, the light of Thy heavenly kingdom.
Thou, dear Spirit, art my sweet Comforter and my rest and my joy; give me now the adorable Body and Blood of Jesus, whom I love, and bring me safely to the vision of His face in Heaven.