De verbis Domini y propter quce quidam retro abierunt
Seeking Jesus for the Right Reasons
Jesus rebukes the crowds for seeking him only for physical bread rather than for the spiritual signs he offers.
itself. After the Lord Jesus crossed the sea with his disciples from the desert to Gennesaret, the crowds he had fed didn't find him the next day where he had performed that miracle. They boarded boats that had arrived from the city of Tiberias, near that same desert, and crossed over to Capernaum. When they found Jesus, they were amazed at how he had arrived, since they had seen only one small boat, which he hadn't boarded with his disciples; they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" you who, of course, did not board the disciples' boat, nor any other? Jesus answered them, not addressing their question, but their intention: 'Amen, I tell you, although you present yourselves as devout, you are still seeking and following me—at least some of you, if not all—not because of the signs you saw, through which you could have known me, and not because of the message you heard, and not because you want to believe in me or the signs I perform, but because you ate from the loaves and were filled. That is, you seek me not for my sake, but for the sake of food, so that you don't have to work for your living and carry that burden.' It was as if he were saying: "You seek me for the sake of the flesh, not for the sake of the spirit, because you want to be filled again. But you ought to be more concerned about the spiritual food that sustains the soul, because it is as much better than the bodily food that restores the body as the soul is known to be better than the body." Consider now how sweet those loaves were, even though they were barley, for those crowds were so captivated by their sweetness that they still followed the Lord with such concern. And no wonder, for the provider and dispenser of those loaves was sweet and gentle. Similarly, many people seek Jesus every day, not for the sake of Jesus, but so that things might go well for them in this time and in this present life; so that they might gain advantages and avoid losses. Many people follow Jesus, not for the sake of Jesus, but for the sake of money. This person happily meets those entering the religious life, and those taking up the clerical state out of laziness, so that they might eat bread idly and without labor. To them the Lord says: 'You seek me out of an ambition for many church revenues, for the celebration of many Masses, and for other things of this kind—not because you have seen signs, that is, works in which you might wish to imitate me, about which, O Lord, make a sign for my good—but because you have eaten from the revenues and offerings, and yet you are not satisfied, because, according to the common saying: The more that is drunk, the more the water is thirsted for.' It's the same way with the bread of greed. Hence Gregory says: 'They had been satisfied by the loaves; and through them the Lord detests those within the holy Church who, approaching the Lord through holy Orders, do not seek the merits of virtues in those Orders, but the subsidies of this present life; nor do they think about what they ought to imitate by living, but what profits they might receive to be satisfied.' To follow the Lord, having been satisfied by loaves, is to have taken temporal nourishment from the holy Church and to seek the Lord not for the sake of signs, but for the sake of loaves; it is to crave the office of the religious life not to practice virtues, but to seek temporal subsidies. Hence also Chrysostom: 'Let us learn to attend to Jesus, but not for the sake of the giving of sensible things, so that we may not be rebuked, like the Jews.' For indeed: In what way? “You’re looking for me,” he says, “not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were satisfied.” For this reason, he doesn't perform this sign continuously, but only a second time, so he might teach them not to serve their bellies, but to cling to spiritual things instead. Let us, therefore, cling to these things and seek the heavenly bread; and having received it, let us cast away all the anxieties of this life. Hence Augustine also says: “How many people don't seek Jesus, except so that he might do them some temporal good!” One person, having business to attend to, seeks the intervention of the clergy. Another is pressured by someone more powerful and flees to the Church. Another wants someone to intercede for him with a person who has little influence. One does it this way; another does it that way. The Church is filled with such people every day. Jesus is rarely sought for His own sake. As Bede says: "Even those who in prayer seek not eternal things, but temporal ones, are seeking Jesus not for Jesus' sake, but for the sake of something else." And because the crowds were working for this—that is, following Christ for the sake of physical food—He leads them toward meritorious works, so that they might seek spiritual food for their nourishment.
The Bread That Endures
Jesus directs the people to labor for the spiritual food that leads to eternal life rather than the food that perishes.
So, eager to satisfy the minds of those whose stomachs he had already filled, he showed them a higher bread and said: "Work—that is, work for the bread that lasts." Don't seek, or try to earn through your works, the food that perishes—that is, physical food—but rather the food that remains for eternal life, which is to say, the spiritual food that grants eternal life. Anyone who directs their spiritual intention toward temporal gain works for the food that perishes, just like those who followed the Lord so they could be physically fed. But whoever directs their physical labor toward spiritual things works for the food that doesn't perish, but remains for eternal life; this food is the Word of God and grace, for the devotion of which they ought to have followed him above all else. Our work, therefore—that is, our primary study and intention—should be directed toward seeking the food that leads to eternal life, namely, spiritual goods. We shouldn't approach temporal things primarily, but only secondarily, procuring them for the sake of our corruptible body, which must be sustained in this life. As Chrysostom says: "It is as if he were saying: You seek temporal food; but I have fed your bodies so that, through this, you might seek that food which grants not temporal, but eternal life." And again: But because some of those who want to be fed lazily abuse this word, it's necessary to introduce what Paul says: "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." And he himself, when he came to Corinth, stayed with Aquila and Priscilla, and worked. By saying, therefore, "Do not work for the food that perishes," the Lord doesn't imply that one ought to be lazy, but that one ought to work and give; for this is the food that doesn't perish. Working for food that perishes means being preoccupied with worldly things. He said this because they had no concern for faith, but only wanted to fill their stomachs without working; and Chrysostom rightly called this the food that perishes. The Son of Man will give you this food that lasts—or rather, He is prepared to give it—because He came into the world for this very purpose, having been sent by the Father. The Father has marked out this Son of Man for this—that is, He has specially designated and appointed Him for this very thing by sending Him into the world, so that He might give eternal life to the world. Hence He says later: "For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth"; and this is to give spiritual food. Work, therefore, so that you may possess this spiritual food. You are looking for Me for other reasons; look for Me for My own sake, not for anything else, for I am the food that lasts for eternal life. He implies that He Himself is this food, as will soon become clear. Let us therefore do the work of God—that is, what He Himself accepts, and through which we can attain this food that does not perish; for through true faith and good works, we incorporate ourselves into Christ and make Him the food of our minds, which He Himself gives to us through grace so that He may remain with us forever. For He is the food that the angels live on, which remains unto eternal life.1
True Manna from Heaven
Jesus corrects the misunderstanding of the Jews regarding the manna of Moses, identifying himself as the true Bread of Life.
But the Jews, acting as if they were ungrateful for the food the Lord had given them, preferred the manna their ancestors had eaten in the desert, saying: "Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat." It was as if they were saying: "You haven't done anything like Moses yet; for Moses gave us manna for forty years, but you have only given us barley bread and fed us just once." Hence Augustine says: "They were looking for what greater things they wanted to happen." It was as if they were saying: "You promise food that doesn't perish, yet you don't perform works like Moses; for he didn't give us barley bread, but manna from heaven." And Jesus said to them: "Moses didn't give you the bread from heaven—that is, the bread that was a sign from the air, because it descended like dew or frost—but my Father is now giving you the true bread from heaven, which is the Lord himself." He was referring to Jesus, whom that bread prefigured; for that bread was a figure of this bread, which is the Truth. Therefore, it is not divided. But it is distinguished here as the true against the false, because that bread was true, not false. But it was the opposite of a mere figure; that bread was not, strictly speaking, the true bread, because it was a figure of the substantial bread given in the Sacrament, and therefore this bread is the true one, which was prefigured by that other. It is the Bread of God. The true bread. It is not a figure, but it descended from heaven and gives life to the world; for the effect of bread is to preserve life, and therefore it is the true spiritual bread, which gives and preserves spiritual life. This, however, applies to the incarnate Word, who came forth from the highest heaven—that is, from the Father—from where He came to give life to the world. Bodily bread doesn't give life, but only preserves what already exists for a time; but spiritual bread gives life in such a way that it is the source of life itself, for the soul begins to live by adhering to the Word of God, and therefore the Word of God Himself is primarily called the Bread of Life. For this reason Christ says: 'I am the Bread of Life,' that is, the one who gives life through His divinity, who descended from heaven through His assumed humanity; and whoever eats of Him worthily, and joins himself to Him in faith and love, will not die the death of the soul, but will live not only in the present and for a time, in the life of grace, but also in the future and forever, in the life of glory. It is not like those who were similar to these people, who ate manna and died the death of the soul, because they understood only what they saw, and did not understand what they did not see. But the righteous, who were not like them, did not die in their souls, because they understood the visible food spiritually. For this reason, he held every delight of sweetness for the devout; but to the wicked, he was tasteless, for their soul felt nausea when they ate that food. Thus, the Eucharist is a comfort of spiritual life for those who receive it worthily, and a judgment for those who receive it unworthily. He, therefore, is truly the bread of life, or the living bread, descending from heaven, who can preserve us from death according to the soul and give eternal life; such bread is indeed the Word made flesh, not the bread given by Moses in the desert, because many who ate of that died in their soul and with an eternal death. Then, among other things, Jesus spoke to them spiritual words about his Body and Blood: 'Bread,' he said, 'that is, what is signified by the bread which I, the high Priest, give sacramentally and spiritually—or at least spiritually to the one who eats—is my flesh lying hidden under the appearance of bread, sufficient for the life of the whole world; and if in some it does not work, it is their own fault.' And again: 'Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, which gives life to the life of grace and glory, and drink his blood, which sprinkles and cleanses the inner self, you will not have life in you—that is, the pledge of life, grace, and glory.' And again: 'Whoever eats my flesh, which is a pledge of life because in the flesh is the Godhead that gives life, and drinks my blood as a spiritual drink—whoever, I say, eats and drinks as he ought, namely not only sacramentally but also spiritually—has eternal life, because he has a life-giving principle into eternity.' And again: 'My flesh is truly food, in that it is joined to the Word of God, which is the food by which the angels live; and my blood is truly drink, because it is entirely pure, having nothing of the contrary mixed in,' and other things of this kind he said to them then. However, the Lord himself explains how we ought to understand his words, saying: 'Whoever eats my flesh as spiritual food, and drinks my blood as spiritual drink, remains in me through the conformation of life, and I in him through the indwelling of grace.'
Faith as Spiritual Eating
The text explains that believing in Christ is a form of spiritual eating, and that his words must be understood through the Spirit rather than the flesh.
Faith in your heart is truly Christ in your heart; believe in Him, therefore, and you have already eaten. This faith, working through love, is the work of God—the beginning and the end of every good—because through true faith a person is incorporated into God. As Augustine says: "To believe in Him is, by believing, to love; by believing, to cherish; by believing, to go to Him and be incorporated into His members." This is the very faith that God requires of us, which works through love. To believe in Him, therefore, is to eat the food that lasts for eternal life. Why are you preparing your teeth and stomach? Believe, and you have eaten: as Augustine says. For the flesh of Christ is twofold: spiritual, which is the Church; and material, which He took from the Virgin Mary. Eating, therefore, happens in two ways: spiritually, when someone is united to the Church; and sacramentally, when the Body and Blood are received at the altar. So, the bread on the altar is the Sacrament of the Body of Christ, which is in the Church, and which He took from Mary. The grumbling of the Capharnaites, who found Christ’s teaching hard. And when He had said these things in the synagogue—where it was a common and public place for teaching, as He was teaching in Capharnaum, which was the metropolis of Galilee—it is shown that Christ taught openly, as one having sound and unsuspected doctrine. By saying these things, He commended His love to us in giving His Body and Blood. Many of His disciples—that is, those who were following Him—not understanding these things because they were carnal and had a blindness of heart, but taking them carnally and feeling revulsion, grumbled and said, secretly among the disciples: 'This teaching is hard and difficult; who can listen to it?' That is, to understand and to obey. For they thought it hard to understand and impossible to do. However, according to Augustine, the Lord allowed this by dispensation so He might provide those who teach well a cause for patience and consolation against those who malign their words, since disciples even presume to disparage the words of Christ. But Jesus, who searches hearts, knowing they were grumbling about this in secret, resolved what was moving them and revealed the source of their scandal, if only they would understand. They thought he was going to give away his Body and Blood, but he said he would ascend to heaven entirely whole; therefore, he meant this as a spiritual eating, not a carnal one. If, therefore, you see with the eyes of your heart the Son of Man ascending to where he was before he took on flesh, you'll certainly understand then that his grace isn't consumed by biting, and that he doesn't give his Body in the way you think. They understood 'flesh' as something torn apart in a butcher shop or sold in a market, not as something enlivened by the Spirit. Augustine says: 'The Son of Man, Christ, began to be here on earth from the Virgin Mary, where he took on flesh from the earth.' What, then, does he mean when he says: 'When you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before'? It's only so that we understand that Christ is one person, both God and man, and not two, so that our faith is not a quaternity, but a Trinity. Thus, the Son of Man was in heaven just as the Son of God was on earth in the flesh he assumed; the Son of Man was in heaven in the unity of his person. Hence Theophilus also says: 'Do not think, therefore, that Christ's body descended from heaven; rather, it is because he is one and the same Son of God and man.' Then He says: “It is the spirit that gives life; words understood in a spiritual sense give life and provide life. But the flesh doesn't profit anything without the spirit—that is, when understood in a carnal sense, they profit nothing; in fact, they are harmful.” Just as knowledge without charity puffs up, but through charity it builds up, so the words I have spoken to you for your benefit—about eating My Body and drinking My Blood—are spirit and life. That is, they have a spiritual meaning, they are to be understood spiritually rather than literally, and they give life. For the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. For just as chaff covers the grain, the letter covers the spirit. For this reason, He intended those who eat and drink His flesh and blood to be understood as those who remain in Him, and He in them.
The Fidelity of the Apostles
While many turn away, Peter confesses that Christ alone has the words of eternal life, demonstrating the necessity of faith.
Because of this, many of his disciples who were not perfect in his teaching—who seemed to be following him to hear his doctrine, but were not truly his disciples—turned back, retreated, and no longer walked with him, whether by believing or by returning through repentance. Jesus then asked the twelve, "Do you also, whom I have chosen in a special way, want to leave?" He doesn't ask as if he were ignorant, but to show that he doesn't need them, since he leaves it up to their choice to leave with the others. And Peter, who was the most prominent, obedient, and firm as a rock, and in all things most ready to question the Lord and answer him, replied out of the fervor of his love for himself and the others: "Lord, in whose power all things are placed, to whom shall we go?" For there is no guide to truth except you. It was as if he were saying: "We can't find anyone like you; you alone are enough for us, for whom we have left everything; and since there is no one like you, we must not go away from you, but to you." Hence Augustine says: "If you drive us away from you, give us another like you whom we may follow." In Peter's response, the greatest love for Christ is expressed. And so, Chrysostom says: "Peter, a lover of his brothers and a guardian of friendships, answers for the whole group: 'Lord, to whom shall we go?'" This statement is a clear sign of deep friendship; for by then, Christ was more honorable to them than fathers and mothers. Words of life? Eternal? You have them—that is, words that promise eternal life and lead us to it; anyone who doesn't believe in them will perish forever. You, who promise life in the ministry of your Body and Blood, also promise it in the words of your preaching, for the power of God is in the Gospel. Moses had the words of God, and the prophets had them too, but rarely the words of eternal life; yet you promise eternal life. What else, then, could we possibly seek? For in Peter's response, a true confession of faith is expressed when he adds: 'And we believe with our heart and have known by the power of signs'—or 'we believe and have known,' because understanding proceeds from believing—'that you are the Christ,' regarding your humanity, in which you were anointed with the unction of divinity as King and Priest, the natural Son of God the Father regarding your divinity, and consequently equal to Him in nature and power. That is, according to Augustine, because you yourself are eternal life; and you don't give anything in flesh and blood except what you are: namely, eternal life.
The Unity of the Body
The author reflects on the Eucharist as the mystery of unity, where the faithful are incorporated into the Body of Christ.
The Lord calls His bread, flesh, and blood the fellowship of the faithful in His body, which is the Church. Bread. For the Church daily restores those she receives; and within her, until we reach fullness, one feeds another with word and example. That’s why the Lord said to Peter, 'Feed my sheep.' Flesh, therefore, and blood. It’s called the Church of Christ because, united by the Incarnation of the Word, by faith, and by the Sacraments, it lives by the Spirit of Christ. . For just as the body of every human being lives by its own spirit—that is, by its soul—so faithful souls live by the Holy Spirit. Because there is one bread, that is, one body or one flesh and blood of Christ, we are many. Conformity to Christ and the Church is also called the flesh and blood of Christ, because it is the true result of the Incarnation of the Word. It is the final purpose of the Lord's Passion. Hence Augustine says: 'By this food and drink,' he wants us to understand the body and its members, which is the Church. The Sacrament of this reality—that is, the unity of the Body and Blood of Christ—is prepared at the Lord's table and received from it. Whoever receives the mystery of unity and does not hold the bond of peace does not receive the mystery for himself, but rather a testimony against himself. This, then, is what it means to eat that food and drink that drink: to remain in Christ, and to have Him remain in you. Because of this, anyone who doesn't remain in Christ, and in whom Christ doesn't remain, undoubtedly doesn't eat His flesh or drink His blood spiritually, even if they physically and visibly press the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ with their teeth, and in that way eat and drink the Sacrament to their own judgment. So, to eat and drink in this way is to remain and be remained in; to inhabit and be inhabited; to cling and not be separated. We remain in Him, however, when we are His. He remains in us, however, when we are His temple. These things are said so that we might love unity and fear separation. All this is what the Lord... ...spoke of regarding His flesh and blood, so that it might be valid for us: that we shouldn't eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ only in the Sacrament, as many wicked people do, but that we should eat and drink it all the way to the spiritual participation, so that we might remain in the Body of the Lord as members, and be nourished by His Spirit. Augustine says that a person eats and drinks sacramentally if they only receive the Sacrament itself. However, a person eats and drinks spiritually if they reach the reality of the Sacrament, which is twofold: one part is signified and contained—Christ whole and entire, present under the appearance of bread and wine—and the other part is signified but not contained, which is the mystical Body of Christ, existing in those who are predestined, called, and justified. It’s worth noting that some teachers refer to these points only incidentally regarding the Sacrament of the altar, but no one does so in a continuous exposition, because the Sacrament of the altar is properly treated later, during the Lord’s Supper, when He instituted this Sacrament.
A Prayer for Devotion
A concluding prayer asking for the grace to seek and love Christ above all earthly things.
PRAYER. Lord Jesus Christ, the sufficient salvation of my soul, grant that I may desire You alone, and in desiring, seek You for Your own sake and not for anything else; in seeking, find You; in finding, hold You; in holding, love You; and in loving, redeem my sins, and having been redeemed, never repeat them. Illuminate, what? Lord, illuminate my heart with the light of Your divine grace, so that I may have You as my guide in all my ways, and that I may always fear and love You above all things and before all others, and in all things do Your will, and never turn away from You. May I always cling to You, because You alone are sufficient and You promise eternal life, to which I pray You mercifully deign to lead me. Amen.
Read the original Latin
se. — Postquam ergo Dominus Jesus transfretasset cum discipulis a deserto usque ad Genezareth, altera die turbae quas paverat non invenientes eum in loco ubi hoc fecerat, intraverunt naves supervenientes a civitate Tiberiade , quae est juxta idem desertum; et transfretantes venerunt Capharnaum, et invenientes Jesum, mirabanturquomodo illuc venisset, cum solam naviculam vidissent, quam cum discipulis non intraverat; et dixerunt ei : Rabbi, quando huc venisti? qui scilicet nec discipulorum, nec aliam navem intrasti? Respondit eis Jesus , non ad quaestionem eorum, sed ad intentionem : Amen dico vobis, licet vos quasi devotos ostendatis, tamen quatritis et sequimini me, scilicet aliqui ex vobis, etsi non omnes, non propter signa quas vidistis, quibus me cognoscere potuistis, non propter sermonem quem audistis, non ut mihi vel signis meis, quae facio credere velitis, sed quia manducastis ex panibus et saturati estis ; hoc est, non propter me, sed propter refectionem, ne pro victu oporteat vos laborare et habere sollicitudinem. Quasi diceret : Propter carnem me quaeritis, non propter spiritum, quia scilicet ut saturemini iterum; sed deberetis esse magis solliciti de cibo spirituali quo anima sustentatur, quia tanto melior est cibo corporali, quo corpus reficitur, quanto anima melior esse corpore dignoscitur. Considera modo quantae suavitatis fuerunt panes illi, quamvis hordeacei, quorum dulcedine illae turbae captae adhuc Dominum sequebantur, tam sollicitae. Nec mirum, quia suavis et dulcis erat provisor et dispensator panum illorum. Similiter quotidie multi quaerunt Jesum, non propter Jesum; sed ut bene sit eis in hoc tempore et praesenti vita; ut assequantur comnioda et vitent damna.
Multi etiam conficiunt Jesum, non propter Jesum; sed propter nummum. Hic laetus obviat intrantibus religionem, et assumentibus clericatum ex ignavia, ut sic otiose et sine labore panem manducent. Quibus ait Dominus : Quceritis me, ab ambitione plurium reddituum ecclesiarum, cslebratione plurium mjssarum, et propter alia hujusmodi, non quia vidistis signa, id est opera in quibus velitis me imitari, de quibus, o Domine, fac mecum ' signum in bonum, — sed quia manducastis ex redditibus et oblationibus, nec tamen satuvati estis, quia, secundum dictum commune : Quo plus sunt pota>, plus sitiuntur \aquoe. Ita etiam est de cupiditatis pane. Unde Gregorius : « De panibus enim fuerant saturati ; et per eorum personam Dominus illos intra sanctam Ecclesiam detestatur, qui per sacros Ordines ad Dominum propinquantes, non in eisdem Ordinibus virtutum merita, sed subsidia vitae praesentls exquirunt ; nec cogitant quid vivendo imitari debeant , sed quae compendia percipiendo satientur. Satiatos quippe de panibus Dominum sequi, est de sancta Ecclesia temporalia alimenta sumpsisse, et non pro signis Dominum, sed pro panibus quaerere; est ad religionis officium non pro agendis virtutibus, sed pro requirendis subsidiis temporalibus inhiare. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Discamus assistere Jesu, sed non propter dationem sensibilium, ut non exprobremur, secundum Judaeos. Etenim : Qua?
ritis me, ait, non quoniam vidistis signa; sed quoniam comedistis ex panibus et saturati estis. Propter hoc neque continue facit hoc signum; sed secundo solum, ut erudiat eos non ventri servire, sed spiritualibus adhaerere continue. His itaque adhaereamus et nos, et quaeramus panem coelestem; et accipientes, omnem projiciamus vitae hujus sollicitudinem. » Unde etiam Augustinus : « Quam multi non quaerunt Jesum, nisi ut illis faciat bene secundum tempus\! Alius negotiationem habens, quaerit intercessionem clericorum. Alius ' premitur a potentiore, fugit ad Ecclesiam. Alius vult pro se interveniri apud eum, apud quem parum valet. Ille sic; ille sic.
Impletur quotidie talibus Ecclesia. Vix quaeritur Jesus, propter Jesum. » Unde et Beda : « Illi etiam qui in oratione quaerunt non aeterna, sed temporalia; quaerunt Jesum non propter Jesum, sed propter aliquid aliud. » Et quia turbae in hoc operabantur, scilicet sequendo Christum propter cibum corporalem ; inducit eos ad opera meritoria, ut ad reficiendum quaerant cibum spiritualem.
Unde satagens eorum satiare mentes, quorum satiaverat ventres, altiorem eis panem ostendit, et ait : Operamini, id est opePRIMjE partk caput lxx. rando quaerite, seu operibus mereamini , non cibum qui perit, scilicet corporalem; sed qui permanet in vitam asternam, scilicet spiritualem , qui aeternam tribuit vitam. Cibum qui perit opera*ur omnis ille qui intentionem spiritualem ad temporale refert lucrum, sicut ilh* qui Dominum sequebantur ad lioc quod corporaliter jkscerentur ; qui autem laborem corporalem per intentionem refert ad spiritualia, hic operatur cibum qui non perit, sed qui permanet in vitam artemam ; hic autem cibus est verbi Dei et gratiae, pro cujus devotione sequi debuerant praecipue. Opus ergo nostrum, id est principale studmm et intentionem nostram, dirigamus ad quaerendum cibum qui ducit ad vitam aeternam, scilicet bona spiritualia. Ad temporafia autem non debemus principaliter accedere, sed accessorie solum ea procurare, ratione corporis corruptibilis, quod in hac vita oportet sustentari : Ubi Chrysostomus : « Quasi diceret : Vos exquiritis escam temporalem ; ego autem corpora vestra nutrivi, ut per hoc exquireretis illam escam quae non temporalem, sed aeternam tribuit vitam. » Et iterum : a Sed quia quidam eorum qui volunt pigre nutrrri,abutuntuT hoc verbo, necessarium est inducere id quod est Pauli : Qui furabatur, jam non furetur ; magis autem laboret manibus suis, unde tribuat necessitatem patienti. Sed et ipse Corinthum yeniens morabatur apud Aquilam et Priscillam, et operabatur. Dicendo ergo : Ne operemini cibum qui perit, hon insinuat Dominus quod oporteat pigritari, sed quod oporteat operari et dare; hoc enim est cibus qui non perit.
Operari autem cibum qui perit, est affici secularibus rebus. Hoc igitur dixit, quia illi nullam fidei curam habebant ; sed solum volebant ventrem implere nihil laborantes, et hoc decenter cibum qui perit vocavit : » haec Chrysostomus. Quem cibum permanentem Filius hominis dabit vobis, id est paratus est dare, quia ad hoc venit in mundum mrssus a Patre. Hunc emm FiKum homrnis Pater signavit Deus, id est ad hoc ipsum specialiter assignavit et mstituit, mittendo in mundum, ut daret vitam aeternam mundo. Unde infra dicit : Ego ad hoc verd in mundum, ut testimonium perkibeam veritati ; et hoc est dare cibum spiritualem. Operam ergo date, ut possitis cibum spirirualem habere. Quaeritis me propter aliud ; quaerite me propter me, non propter aliud, qui sum cibus permanens in vitam aeternam. Seipsum enim hunc cibum insinuat, ut statim patebit.
Operamur ergo opus Dei, id est quod ipse acceptat, et per quod consequi possumus hunc cibum qui non perit ; dum per fidem veram, et bona opera nos Christo incorporamus, et efficimus eum nostrum mentis cibum, quem ipse per gratiam seipsum nobis dat, ut maneat nobiscum in aeternum. Ipse enim est cibus quo vivunt Angeli, qui pennanet in vitam aeternam.
Sed Judaei quasi ingrati de cibo, quem eis Dominus dederat, manna quod patres in deserto comederant praeferebant, dicentes : Patres nostri manducaverunt manna in deserto, sicut scriptum est : Panem de ccelo dedit eis manducare. Quasi dicerent : Tu adhuc non fecisti similia Moysi , Nloyscs enim dedit manna, et annis quadraginta; tu autem panem hordeaceum, et pavisti nos semei tantom. Unde Augustinus : « Attendebant itaque qualia majora volebant fieri. Quasi dicant : Tu promittis cibum qui non perit, et non talia operarts qualia Moyses; panes enim hordeacebs ille non dedit, aed manna de ccelo. » Etdixit eis Jesus : Moyses panem , scilicet signincativum de aere, quia descendebat ut ros vcl pruina, et non verunri panem de cojlo descendentem vobis tunc dedit; sed modo Pater meus dat vobis panem dc caelo verum, ipsum scilicet Dominum. Jesum, quem ille paois rigurabat; nam ilie panis figuraerat istius panis qui veritas est. Unde non dividitur,. sed disfinguidur hic ve*rum contra falsum r quia pants iile verus, non faAsus fciit;.
sed contra tigurale, et aic pania* Hle propcie non fuit panis verus, quia £uit hgura panis substantiahs dati in Sacraroento, et ideo iste panis est verus, qui fuit per iilum hguratns. Panis enim Dei. verus*. no* nguralis est, qzii d& ceelo descendit, et dat vham mwido ; effectua namque panis est vitam conservare, et ideo illeest verus panris spvritualis , cpui dat et conservat vitam spintuatem. foioc autera competit Verbo incarnato, cujus egressio a summo caelu, id est a Patre, unde venit, ut vitam daret mundo. Panis corporatia non dat vitan*, sed tantum praeexistentem conservat ad tempus; panis vero spirituaKs ita vivincat, quod ipse dat vitam, nam anima incipit vivere per hoc, quod adhaeret Verbo Dei, et ideo ipsum Verbum Dei princtpaliter dicrtur pants vitae. Propter quod Christus dictt : Egv sum pams vitce, id est daws vitam pjr drvinitatem , qui de c&lo d&> scendi, per assmmptam hmnanitatem, ex' quo si qms digne manducaverxt, ac ei tide et dilectione conjunxerit se, nott morietur irrerrte aniraae^ sed vriuet non tantnni in pnesenti et tnmc, vita gratiae, sed etiam m futairo et in cetemum vita gioriae* Non sictftpaaweorum qui similes istis erant, manducaverunt manna, et mortui sunt morte aminree r quia quod videbant, intelHge*bant, quod non videbant, non tnteiligebant. Justi autem qui similes istis non erant, non secundum animam mortui sunt, quia visibilem cibum spirituaHter intellexeruirt.
Unde erga devotos habebat omne delectamenuim suavitatis; malis autem erat insipidus, quorum anima nauseam habebat, super cibo illo quando edebant. Sic Eucharistia digne sumentibus est vitae spirituaLis soiatium; et mdigne sumentibus* judicium. Ille ergo est vere panis vitte, seu vivus, et de ccelo descendens, qui potest praeservare a morte secundum animam, et dare vitam aeternam; talis vero panis est Verbum incarnatum, non autem datus a Moyse in deserto, quia multi qui ex illo manducaverunt, -mortui sunt in anima, et morte oeterna. Et tuncinter cetera dixit eis Jesus verba spiritualia de corpore et sangume suo : Panis, inquit, id est signatum per panem, quem ego summus Sacerdos dubo sacramentaliter et spiritualiter , vel saltem spirituaiiter manducanti, caro mea est latens sub specie panis , pro mundi totius vita suflficienter ; et si in quibusdam nom efiicit, culpaeorum est. Et iterum : Nisi manducavei°itis carnem Filii tiominis viviftcam ad vitam gratiae et gk>riae, et biberitis ejus sanguinem intima aspergentem et emendantem, non habebitis vitam in vobis, id est pignus vitae , gratiae et gloriae. Et iterum : Qui manducat carnem meam, quae pignus est vitae, quia in carne est deitas quae vivificat; et bibit meum sanguinem potu spirituali, qtri, inquam, manducat et bibit ut debet, scilicet non soltmi sacramentaliter, sed etiam spiritua*liter^ kabet vitam ceternam, quisi habet prrncipium vivificans in aeternum. Et iterum : Caro mea vere est cibus, in quantum est conjuncta Verbo Dei, quod est cibus cjuo vir vunt Angeli; et sanguis meusvere est potus, quia totus purus, nihil habens de contrario admixtum , et cetera hujusmodi dixit tunc eis. Qualiter autem ejus verba intelligere debeamus, ipse Dominus exponit,dicens : Qui manducat carnem meam, ut spiritualem cibum, et bibit meum sanguinem, ut spiritualem potum, in me manet, per vitae conformationem, et ego in illo per gratiae inhabitationem.
Profecto fides in corde tuo, est Christus in corde tuo; crede ergo in eum, et manducasti. Haec fides per dilectionem operans est opus Dei, ut initium et finis omnis boni , quia per fidem veram homo incorpdratur Deo. Unde Augustinus : « Credere in eum, est credendo amare, credendo diligere, credendo in eum ire, et ejus membris incorporari. Ipsa est fides quam de nobis exigit Deus, quae per dilectionem operatur. Credere ergo in eum est manducare cibum qui manet in vitam aeternam. Utquid paras dentes et ventrem? Crede, et manducasti : » haec Augustinus. Caro enim Christi duplex est : spiritualis, scilicet Ecclesia; materialis, quam assumpsit de Virgine Maria.
Comestio ergo fit duobus modis : spiritualiter scilicet, quando quis Ecclesiae unitur; et sacramentaliter, quando Corpus et Sanguis in altari sumitur. Unde panis in altari est sacramentum Corporis Christi, quod est in Ecclesia, et quod sumpsit de Maria. 4 murmuratio capharnaitarum durum Christi sermonem invenientium. — Et cum hoec dixisset in synagoga, ubi locus communis et publicus erat docendi, docens in Capharnaum , quae erat metropolis Galilaeae ; ^er quod ostenditur quod Christus palam docebat, sicut habens doctrinam sanam, et non suspectam; et haec dicendo caritatem suam nobis commendasset in dando Corpus et Sanguinem suum; multt ex discipulis ejus, id est ex nis qui eum sequebantur, ea tanquam carnales propter caecitatem cordis non intelligentes, sed carnaliter accipientes, et abhorrentes, murmurabant, et dixerunt, scilicet secrete apud discipulos : Durus est hic sermo, atque difficilis, quis potest eum audire ? id est intelligere et obedire. Durum enim putabant, ad intelligendum ; inaudibilem, ad faciendum. Hoc autem, secundum Augustinum, Dominus dispensative permisit, ut bene docentibus causam patientiae et consolationis, contra malignantes eorum dkta, praeberet, cum discipuli etiam verbis Christi detrahere praesumant. Sciens autem Jesus qui scrutatur corda, quia de hoc occulte murmurarent, solvit quod illos movebat, et aperit unde fuerunt scandalizati, si tamen inteliigerent.
Illi enim putabant eum erogaturum Corpus et Sanguinem suum, ipse autem dixit se ascensurum in ccelum utique integrum; ergo de spirituali manducatione hoc intellexit, non de carnali. Si ergo videritis, inquit, oculis cordis Filium hominis ascendentem ubi eratprius quamassumeret carnem, certe vel tunc intelligetis, quia gratia ejus non consumitur morsibus, et quia non eo modo quo putatis erogat Corpus suum. Ipsi enim intellexerunt carnem, quomodo in catiavere laceratur, aut in macello venditur; non quomodo spiritu vegetatur. Ubi Augustinus : « Filius hominis Christus ex Virgine Maria hic esse coepit in terra; ubi carnem assumpsitex terra. Quid ergo sibi vult quod ait : Cum videritis Filium hominis ascendentem ubierat prius? nisi ut intelligamus unam personam esse Christum Deum et hominem f non duas, ne fides nostra non sit Trinitas, sed quaternitas. Sic ergo erat Filius hominis in coelo, quemadmodum Filius Dei erat in terra in suscepta carne, Filius hominis in coelo in unitate personae. » Unde et Tkeophilus : « Non ergo propter hoc putes quod de coelo corpus Christi descenderit ; sed quia unus et idem •erat Filius Dei et hominis.
» Deinde dicit : Spiritus est qui vivificat, id ^st verba secundum spiritualem sensum intellecta vivificant et vitam ■dant; caro autem non prodest quidquam sine spiritu, id est secundum carnalem sensum intellecta nihil proderunt, imo nocent. Sicut scientia sine csritate inflat, sed per caritatem aedificat; ita verba qua> ego locutus sum vobis ad utilitatem vestram, de Corpore meo manducando, et Sanguine bibendo, spiritus et vita sunt, id est spiritualem habent intellectum, et spiritualiter et non ad litteram intelligenda sunt et vivificant. Littera enim occidit ; spiritus autem vivificat. Nam sicut palea frumentum ; sic et littera tegit 1 spiritum. Hinc enim voluit intelligere manducatores et potatores carnis et sanguinis sui, ut in illo maneant, et ipse in illis.
Ex hoc autem multi discipulorum ejus in doctrina ejus non perfectorum, qui ad audiendum ejus doctrinam ipsum sequentes videbantur, sed non erant vere discipuli, abierunt retrorsum, et retrocesserunt et jam non cum illo ambulabant credentes, vel per poenitentiam redeuntes. Dixit ergo Jesus ad duodecim : Numquid et vos quos specialiter elegi, vultis abire? Non petit quasi ignorans, sed ut ostendat se eis non indigere , quia ponit in eorum optione cum aliis recedere. Et Petrus qui erat principalior, et obediens ac firmus sicut petra, et in omnibus maxime ad interrogandum Dominum , eique respondendum promptus, ex fervore caritatis pro se et aliis respondit : Domine, in cujus ditione cuncta sunt posita, ad quem ibimus? quia non est dux veritatis nisi tu. Quasi diceret : Similem tui invenire non possumus ; tu solus sufficis nobis, propter quem omnia reliquimus; et cum non sit similis libi, non est a te, sed ad te eundum. Unde Augustinus : a Si nos repellis a te, da nobis alterum te quem sequamur. In Petri responsione exprimitur maxima dilectio ad Christum.
» Unde et Chrysostomus : « Petrus, fratrum amator, amicitias conservator,*pro toto respondet collegio : Domine, ad quem ibimus?» Hoc autem verbum multae amicitiae est ostensivum; jam enim Christus eis honorabilior erat quam patres et matres. Verba vita? atterna? habes, id est verba vitae aeternae promissiva, et ad eam inductiva, quibus qui non crediderit, in aeternum peribit. Qui in ministratione Corporis et Sanguinis tui promittis vitam, etiam in verbis praedicationis tuae promittis eam, virtus enim Dei est in Evangelio ; Moyses habuit verba Dei, similiter habuerunt et Prophetae, sed raro verba vitae aeternae ; tu vero promittis vitam aeternam. Quid ergo aliud majus quaerimus ? Exprimitur enim in Petri responsione vera confessio fidei, cum subditur : Et nos credimus corde, et cognovimus signorum virtute,vel credimus et cognovimus, quia de credere procedit et intelligere, quia tu es Christus, quantum ad humanitatem, in qua unctus es unctione deitatis ut rex et sacerdos, Filius Dei Patris naturalis quantum ad divinitatem, et per consequens aequalis ei in natura et potentia, id est, secundum Augustinum, quia ipsa vita aeterna lu es; et non das in carne et sanguine, nisi quod es, scilicet vitam aeternam.
Panem ac carnem et sanguinem suum vocat hic Dominus fideJium societatam in corpore suo , quod Ecdesia. Panem, . quia Ecciesia quotidie reficit quos recipit; et in ea quousqueadplanafn jBatietatem perveniatur, alter alterum verbo et exemplo pascit. Unde ftominus ad Petrum : Pasce oves meas. Garo auiem et sanguis . Christi ,Ecclesia dicitur, quia tlncacnatiojQe Verbi», fide et sacramentis unita, vivit de spiritu Ghristi. . Sicut enim corpus uniuscujusque hominis vivit de spiritu suo, id e&t d& anima sua ; ita fideles animae vivunt de Spiritu Sancto.
Unus ergo panis, £X wuim corpuSy sive una caro et sanguis Christi, multi sumus. Conformitas 45tiam Christi &t Ecclesiae pariter et caro £t sangui6 Christi appellatur; <eo quod sit proprius effectuslncarnationis Verbi, et. finalis causa Dominicae Passionis. Unde Augustinus : « Hunc itaque cibum et potum . socdexatera vult intelligi . corposis et membrorum suorum, quod est Ecciesia. Hujus rei sacramentum, id est unitatis corporis et sanguinis Christi, inDominicamensa prasparatur et de mensa Domini sumitur. Qui accipit mysterium unitatis, et non tenet vinculum pacis, non mysterium recipit pro se, aed testimonium contra se.
Hoc est ergo manducare illam escam, et il- t lum potum bibere, in Chriato manere; et illura manentem in se ha- ' bere. Ac per hoc qui non manet in Ghristo, et in quo non manet Christus, procul dubio non manducat I spiritualiter ejus carnenr, nec bibit «>us sanguinem, licet carnaliter et I viaihilker premat derttibus sacramento Corporas nt Sanguinis Christir, et taoise xei sacramentum ad judicutm sibi manducat et bibit. &igrmm ergoquiamandttcavitjet bibit, hoc est, ai manet et manetur; si hahitat et inhabitatur; si haeret et non dssoratur. Manemus autem in illo, cum sirmus. memhra cjus ; manet autem ipse in nobk, cum sumus templurn ejus. Haec dicuntur ut amemus unitatem, et tsmcamus separatidnem. Hoc totum quod Dominus. de cajine et sangtrine suo locutus est, ad :hoc nobiF vaieat, ut Gorpus et Sanguinem 'Christi non edamus et bibanms tantum in sacramento, quod et multi mciunt mali; sed usque ad spimlus parucipationem manducemus et bibamus, ut in Domini corpone tanquam membra maneamus, ut ejus sparitu vegetemur .
: » haec Augustinus* Et secundum eumdera, iiie -sacramantaliter manducat et bibit, qui ipsum> sacramentum tantum sumit; :spiritualiter vero, qui pertingit ad rem sacramenti, qum est nss duplex : una signata et contenta, quae est Ghristus integer , qui continetur sub specie panis et vini ; alia res est, signata et non contenta^, et hoc -est corpu6 Christi mysticum, quod est in praedestinatis vocatis et justificatis. Et sciendum quod nonnuiii doctores aliqua de praedictisincidentaliter ad altaris sacramentum referunt; sed in continua ejcpositione nullus, quia de -sacmraento altaras propide hahetur infra in coena Domini , quando hoc sacramentum instituit. ORA. TIO Domine Jesu Christe, suf&cien6 salus animse mew , da mihi te sohrm desiderare, desiderando te propter te, non propter aliud quaerere, queeren— do invenire, inveniendo tenere, tenendo amare, amando peccata redimere^ Tedempta non iterare. IUustra, qua? so, Domine, cor meum lumine tuae gra» tiae divinae, ut te ductorem in omnibus viis meis habeam, et semper te, qui es-super omnia, prae omnibus timeam et diligam, tuamque in omnibus raciam voluntatem^ nec unquam a te recedam; sed semper tibi adhaeream, quia tu solus sufi&cis» et vitam «temam promittis, ad quam misericorditsr pexducere me digneris. Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩The source text uses 'pennanet', which is a clear scribal error for 'permanet'.
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