Breviloquium

Concerning the Sacrament of the Eucharist, this must be held: that in this Sacrament the true body of Christ and the true blood are not only signified but also truly contained under the twofold species, namely, bread and wine, as under one Sacrament, not two; this occurs after the priestly consecration, which is effected by the utterance of the vocal form instituted by the Lord, over the bread: This is¹ my body; and over the wine: This is the chalice of my blood. When these words are uttered by the priest with the intention of consecrating, each element is changed in substance into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, while the sensible species remain; in each of them Christ is contained wholly, not circumscribed, but sacramentally. — In these he is also proposed to us as food; whoever receives him worthily, by spiritually eating not only sacramentally but also through faith and charity, is incorporated more fully into Christ's mystical body and is refreshed and cleansed in himself, whereas whoever approaches unworthily eats and drinks judgment upon himself, not discerning the most holy body of Christ.²

The reason for understanding the foregoing is this: our principle of restoration, namely, the incarnate Word, is both entirely sufficient in power and supremely wise in understanding; therefore it gave us the Sacraments in the way required by its wisdom and sufficiency.³ — And since it is entirely sufficient, in bestowing remedies for illnesses and gifts of grace it instituted not only the Sacrament that generates us in the being of grace, as baptism, and increases and strengthens those generated, as confirmation, but also that which nourishes those generated and strengthened, as the Sacrament of the Eucharist; for this reason these three Sacraments are given to all who approach the faith. Since, therefore, our nourishment in respect of our life of grace is understood in each of the faithful through the preservation of devotion toward God, love toward neighbor, and delight within oneself; and devotion toward God is exercised through the offering of sacrifice, love toward neighbor through communion in one Sacrament, and delight within oneself through the refreshment of viaticum, hence our principle of restoration gave this Sacrament of the Eucharist as sacrificial offering, Sacrament of communion, and viaticum of refreshment.

Since our principle of restoration is not only entirely sufficient but also supremely wise, and it belongs to wisdom to do all things in an orderly way, it therefore gave and disposed for us the sacrifice, the Sacrament, and the viaticum to be exhibited according to what suits the time of revealed grace, the state of the way, and our capacity. — First, then, since the time of revealed grace requires that what is now offered be no random offering, but pure, pleasing, and complete,⁴ and no other offering is such except what was offered on the cross, namely Christ's body and blood, it follows that in this Sacrament Christ's body must be contained not only figuratively but truly, as the offering owed to this time. — Similarly, because it accords with the time of grace that the Sacrament of communion and love not only signify communion and love but also inflame us to them, so that it “effects what it signifies”;⁵ and because what most inflames us to mutual love and most unites the members is the unity of the head, from which mutual love flows into us through love's diffusive, unitive, and transformative power, it follows that in this Sacrament there is contained Christ's true body, his immaculate flesh, which pours itself into us, unites us to one another, and transforms us into itself through the most ardent charity, by which it gave itself to us, offered itself for us, restored itself to us, and remains with us until the end of the world.⁶ — In this way, too, the fitting refreshment for the state of grace is spiritual, common, and salutary refreshment. The refreshment of the spirit is the word of life,⁷ and therefore the spiritual refreshment of the spirit in the flesh is the incarnate Word, or the flesh of the Word, which is common and salutary food, because, although it is one, all are nevertheless saved through it. Since, therefore, no other spiritual, common, and saving food can be given except Christ's true body itself, it follows that it must truly be contained in this Sacrament, as required by the perfection of the appeasing sacrifice, the unitive Sacrament, and the nourishing viaticum—realities that must be present in the time of the new covenant, revealed grace, and Christ's truth.

Again, since it is not fitting to the state of the way to see Christ openly, because of the veil of mystery and the merit of faith, nor to handle Christ's flesh with the teeth, because of the horror of rawness⁸ and the immortality of his body, it was therefore necessary that Christ's body and blood be given veiled under the most sacred symbols and fitting, expressive likenesses. And since nothing is more suitable for refreshment than the food of bread and the drink of wine, nor is anything more suitable for signifying the unity of Christ's true and mystical body than bread made from the purest grains and wine pressed from the purest grapes gathered into one,⁹ therefore this Sacrament ought to be exhibited under these species rather than under others. And because Christ was to be under those species not through a change made in him, but rather in them, therefore, at the utterance of the two aforesaid words, in which his existence under those species is indicated, the substance of both is changed into body and blood, while only the accidents remain as signs that contain and also express his body.

Since the blessed and glorious body of Christ cannot be divided into its parts, nor separated from soul or from the supreme Divinity, there is therefore under each species one whole and undivided Christ, namely body, soul, and God; and consequently in both places there is one and most simple Sacrament containing the whole Christ. And since each part of the species signifies Christ's body, the whole is therefore in the whole species and in each of its parts, whether whole or divided; and consequently he is not there as circumscribed, occupying a place, as¹⁰ having a position, or as perceptible through some bodily and human sense¹¹ but hidden from every sense, so that faith may have room and merit. For this reason also, so that he not be detected, those accidents possess every operation they had before, although they exist apart from a subject, so long as they contain Christ's body within themselves; and this is so as long as they persist in their natural properties and are suitable for nourishment.

Finally, since our capacity for receiving Christ effectively is not in the flesh but in the spirit, not in the stomach but in the mind, and the mind reaches Christ only through knowledge and love, through faith and charity, so that faith illumines us for recollection¹² and charity inflames us to devotion, it is therefore necessary, if one is to approach worthily, that one eat spiritually, so that by recollection in faith one chews, and by the devotion of love one receives; through these it is not Christ who is transformed into oneself, but rather oneself who is transferred into his mystical body. — From this it is clearly gathered that whoever approaches tepidly, without devotion, and thoughtlessly eats and drinks judgment upon himself,¹³ because he insults so great a Sacrament. Therefore it is counsel for those who feel themselves less pure in mind or body, or even lacking in devotion, to delay until they approach prepared to eat the true Lamb, clean, devout, and circumspect.

Therefore this Sacrament was also commanded to be celebrated with special solemnity, both with respect to place and time, and to the words and prayers, and to the vestments used in the celebration of Masses, so that both the priests who consecrate and those who receive may receive¹⁴ the gift of grace, through which they may be cleansed, enlightened, perfected, refreshed, given life, and, through an exceeding love, be most ardently transformed into Christ himself.