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Pars 6, Cap. 9

Breviloquium · Pars VI: De medicina sacramentali

Textus Latinus
p. 273

Capitulum IX. De integritate eucharistiae.

De Sacramento eucharistiae hoc tenendum est, quod in hoc Sacramento verum Christi corpus et verus sanguis non tantum significatur, verum etiam veraciter continetur sub duplici specie, panis scilicet et vini, tanquam sub uno, non sub duplici Sacramento; hoc autem est post consecrationem sacerdotalem, quae fit in prolatione vocalis formae a Domino institutae; super panem scilicet: Hoc est7 corpus meum; super vinum vero: Hic est calix sanguinis mei. Quibus verbis cum intentione conficiendi a sacerdote prolatis, transsubstantiatur utrumque elementum secundum substantiam in corpus et sanguinem Iesu Christi; remanentibus speciebus sensibilibus, in quarum utraque continetur totaliter, non circumscriptibiliter, sed sacramentaliter totus Christus. — In quibus etiam proponitur nobis ut cibus, quem qui digne accipit, non solum sacramentaliter, verum etiam per fidem et caritatem spiritualiter manducando, corpori Christi mystico magis incorporatur et in se ipso p. 274 reficitur et purgatur; qui vero indigne accedit iudicium sibi manducat et bibit, non diiudicans sanctissimum corpus Christi1.

Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia principium nostrum reparativum, Verbum scilicet incarnatum, et sufficientissimum est in virtute et sapientissimum in sensu; ideo sic nobis contulit Sacramenta, secundum quod exigit sapientia et sufficientia sua2. — Et quia sufficientissimum est, ideo in largiendo medicamenta morborum et charismata gratiarum non tantum instituit Sacramentum, quod nos in esse gratiae generaret, ut baptismum, et genitos augmentaret et roboraret, ut confirmationem, verum etiam quod genitos et augmentatos enutriret, ut Sacramentum eucharistiae; propter quod haec tria Sacramenta omnibus dantur, qui accedunt ad fidem. Quoniam ergo nutrimentum nostrum quantum ad esse gratuitum attenditur in unoquoque fidelium per conservationem devotionis ad Deum, dilectionis ad proximum et delectationis intra se ipsum; et devotio ad Deum exercetur per sacrificii oblationem, dilectio ad proximum per unius Sacramenti communionem, et delectatio intra se ipsum per viatici refectionem: hinc est, quod principium nostrum reparativum istud Sacramentum eucharistiae dedit in sacrificium oblationis et Sacramentum communionis et viaticum refectionis.

Quia vero principium nostrum reparativum non tantum est sufficientissimum, verum etiam sapientissimum, cuius est omnia agere ordinate; ideo sic dedit et disposuit nobis sacrificium, Sacramentum et viaticum exhibere, secundum quod competit tempori gratiae revelatae, statui viae et capacitati nostrae. — Primo igitur, quoniam tempus gratiae revelatae requirit, quod iam non offeratur oblatio qualiscumque, sed pura, placida et plenaria3; et nulla alia est talis, nisi illa quae fuit in cruce oblata, scilicet Christi corpus et sanguis: hinc est, quod necessario oportet in hoc Sacramento non tantum figurative, verum etiam veraciter corpus Christi tanquam oblationem huic tempori debitam contineri. — Similiter, quia tempori gratiae consonat, quod Sacramentum communionis et dilectionis non tantum sit communionem et dilectionem significans, verum etiam ad illam inflammans, ut « efficiat quod figurat4 »; et quod maxime nos inflammat ad dilectionem mutuam et maxime unit membra est unitas capitis, a quo per vim amoris diffusivam, unitivam et transformativam manat in nos dilectio mutua: hinc est, quod in hoc Sacramento continetur verum Christi corpus et caro immaculata ut se nobis diffundens et nos invicem uniens et in se transformans per ardentissimam caritatem, per quam se nobis dedit, se pro nobis obtulit et se nobis reddidit et nobiscum existit usque ad finem mundi5. — Per hunc etiam modum refectio competens statui gratiae est refectio spiritualis, communis et salutaris. Refectio autem spiritus est verbum vitae6, ac per hoc refectio spiritualis spiritus in carne est Verbum incarnatum seu caro Verbi, quae cibus est communis et salutaris, quia, licet sit una, omnes tamen salvantur per ipsam. Quia ergo non est dare alium cibum spiritualem, communem et salutiferum nisi ipsum verum Christi corpus; hinc est, quod necesse est, ipsum in hoc Sacramento veraciter esse contentum, exigente hoc perfectione sacrificii placativi, Sacramenti unitivi et viatici refectivi; quae debent esse in tempore novi testamenti et gratiae revelatae et veritatis Christi.

Rursus, quia statui viae non competit Christum aperte videre, propter velamen aenigmatis et propter meritum fidei; nec convenit Christi carnem dentibus attrectare et propter horrorem cruditatis7 et immortalitatem ipsius corporis: ideo necesse fuit, corpus et sanguinem Christi tradi velatum sacratissimis symbolis et similitudinibus congruis et expressis. Et quoniam nihil magis est idoneum ad refectionem quam cibus panis et potus vini; nihil est etiam magis idoneum ad significationem unitatis corporis Christi veri et mystici, quam panis factus de mundissimis granis et vinum expressum de purissimis acinis in unum collectis8: ideo sub his speciebus magis quam sub aliis debuit Sacramentum istud exhiberi. Et quia Christus sub illis speciebus esse debebat non secundum mutationem factam in ipso, sed potius in eis; ideo ad prolationem duplicis verbi praedicti, in quo insinuatur existentia Christi sub speciebus illis, fit conversio substantiae utriusque in corpus et sanguinem, remanentibus solis accidentibus tanquam signis ipsius corporis contentivis et etiam expressivis.

Quia vero corpus Christi beatum et gloriosum non potest dividi in partes suas nec separari ab anima neque a Divinitate summa; ideo sub utraque specie est unus Christus et totus et indivisus, scilicet corpus et anima et Deus; ac per hoc utrobique est unum et simplicissimum Sacramentum continens totum Christum. Et quoniam quaelibet pars speciei significat corpus Christi; hinc est, quod totum sic p. 275 est in tota specie, quod in qualibet eius parte, sive sit integra, sive divisa; ac per hoc non est ibi ut circumscriptum, ut occupans locum, ut1 habens situm, ut perceptibile per aliquem sensum corporeum et humanum, sed omnem latens sensum, ut fides habeat locum et meritum. Propter quod etiam, ut non deprehendatur, accidentia illa habent omnem operationem, quam etiam habebant prius, licet sint praeter subiectum, quamdiu intra se continent Christi corpus; quod quidem est, quamdiu durant in suis proprietatibus naturalibus et sunt idonea ad cibandum.

Postremo, quoniam capacitas nostra ad Christum efficaciter suscipiendum non est in carne, sed in spiritu, non in ventre, sed in mente; et mens Christum non attingit nisi per cognitionem et amorem, per fidem et caritatem, ita quod fides illuminat ad recogitationem2, et caritas inflammat ad devotionem: ideo ad hoc, quod aliquis digne accedat, oportet, quod spiritualiter comedat, ut sic per recogitationem fidei masticet, per devotionem amoris suscipiat; per quae non in se transformet Christum, sed ipse potius traiiciatur in eius mysticum corpus. — Propter quod manifeste colligitur, quod qui tepide, indevote et inconsiderate accedit iudicium sibi manducat et bibit3, quia tanto Sacramento contumeliam facit. Et ideo consilium est his qui se sentiunt minus mundos mente, vel carne, vel etiam indevotos, ut differant, quousque parati ad esum veri Agni mundi, devoti et circumspecti accedant.

Propter quod etiam hoc Sacramentum praeceptum est celebrari cum solemnitate praecipua tam quantum ad locum quam etiam quantum ad tempus et quantum ad verba et orationes et quantum ad vestimenta in celebratione Missarum; ut tam ipsi sacerdotes conficientes quam etiam suscipientes percipiant4 gratiae donum, per quam purgentur, illuminentur, perficiantur, reficiantur, vivificentur et in ipsum Christum per excessivum amorem ardentissime transferantur.

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English Translation

Chapter IX. On the integrity of the eucharist.

Concerning the Sacrament of the eucharist this must be held: that in this Sacrament the true body of Christ and his true blood are not only signified, but also truly contained under a twofold species, namely of bread and of wine, as under one, not under a twofold Sacrament; and this is after the priestly consecration, which takes place in the utterance of the vocal form instituted by the Lord; over the bread, namely: This is7 my body; and over the wine: This is the chalice of my blood. When these words have been uttered by a priest with the intention of consecrating, each element is transubstantiated according to its substance into the body and blood of Jesus Christ; the sensible species remaining, in each of which the whole Christ is contained totally, not circumscriptibly, but sacramentally. — In which he is also set before us as food, and whoever receives it worthily — eating not only sacramentally but also spiritually through faith and charity — is the more incorporated into the mystical body of Christ, and in his own self is p. 274 refreshed and purged; but he who approaches unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the most holy body of Christ1.

Now the reason for the understanding of the aforesaid is this: since our reparative principle, the Word namely incarnate, is both most sufficient in power and most wise in understanding; therefore he has so bestowed the Sacraments upon us as his wisdom and sufficiency require2. — And because he is most sufficient, therefore, in the bestowing of the medicines of diseases and of the charisms of graces, he instituted not only a Sacrament which should beget us into the being of grace, as baptism, and should augment and strengthen those begotten, as confirmation, but also one which should nourish those begotten and augmented, as the Sacrament of the eucharist; on account of which these three Sacraments are given to all who come to the faith. Since therefore our nourishment, as regards gratuitous being, is attended to in each of the faithful through the preservation of devotion toward God, of love toward the neighbour and of delight within himself; and devotion toward God is exercised through the oblation of the sacrifice, love toward the neighbour through the communion of the one Sacrament, and delight within himself through the refection of the viaticum: hence it is that our reparative principle gave this Sacrament of the eucharist as a sacrifice of oblation and a Sacrament of communion and a viaticum of refection.

But because our reparative principle is not only most sufficient but also most wise, whose part it is to do all things in an ordered way; therefore he so gave and disposed to set forth for us the sacrifice, the Sacrament and the viaticum as befits the time of revealed grace, the state of the wayfarer and our capacity. — First then, since the time of revealed grace requires that there be no longer offered an oblation of just any kind, but one pure, pleasing and plenary3; and no other is such except that which was offered on the cross, namely the body and blood of Christ: hence it is that necessarily it behooves the body of Christ to be contained in this Sacrament not only figuratively but also truly, as the oblation due to this time. — Likewise, because it accords with the time of grace that the Sacrament of communion and of love should not only be signifying communion and love, but also enkindling unto it, so that it may « effect what it figures4 »; and that which most of all enkindles us to mutual love and most of all unites the members is the unity of the head, from whom, by the diffusive, unitive and transformative power of love, mutual love flows into us: hence it is that in this Sacrament there is contained the true body of Christ and his immaculate flesh, as diffusing itself to us and uniting us to one another and transforming us into itself through that most ardent charity by which he gave himself to us, offered himself for us and restored himself to us and abides with us unto the end of the world5. — In this manner also the refection befitting the state of grace is a spiritual, common and salutary refection. But the refection of the spirit is the word of life6, and through this the spiritual refection which is spirit in flesh is the Word incarnate, or the flesh of the Word, which is food common and salutary, because, although it is one, yet all are saved through it. Since therefore no other food spiritual, common and salvific can be given except the true body of Christ itself; hence it is that it is necessary that it be truly contained in this Sacrament, this being required by the perfection of the propitiatory sacrifice, of the unitive Sacrament and of the refective viaticum; which ought to be in the time of the new testament and of revealed grace and of the truth of Christ.

Again, because it does not befit the state of the wayfarer to see Christ openly, on account of the veil of the enigma and on account of the merit of faith; nor is it fitting to handle the flesh of Christ with the teeth, both on account of the horror of rawness7 and on account of the immortality of that body: therefore it was necessary that the body and blood of Christ be handed over veiled under most sacred symbols and under congruous and expressive likenesses. And since nothing is more suited to refection than the food of bread and the drink of wine; nothing also is more suited to the signification of the unity of the body of Christ, the true and the mystical, than bread made of the purest grains and wine pressed out of the cleanest berries gathered into one8: therefore under these species rather than under others ought this Sacrament to be set forth. And because Christ had to be under those species not according to a change made in himself, but rather in them; therefore, at the utterance of the aforesaid twofold word, in which the existence of Christ under those species is intimated, there takes place a conversion of the substance of each into his body and blood, only the accidents remaining, as signs both containing and also expressing that body.

But because the blessed and glorious body of Christ cannot be divided into its parts nor separated from the soul nor from the supreme Divinity; therefore under each species there is one Christ, whole and undivided, namely body and soul and God; and through this in both there is one and most simple Sacrament containing the whole Christ. And since any part whatever of the species signifies the body of Christ; hence it is that the whole is so p. 275 in the whole species that it is in any part of it whatever, whether it be entire or divided; and through this he is not there as circumscribed, as occupying a place, as1 having position, as perceptible through any bodily and human sense, but as lying hidden from every sense, that faith may have place and merit. On account of which also, that he may not be detected, those accidents have every operation which they had before, although they are without a subject, so long as they contain the body of Christ within themselves; which indeed is so long as they endure in their natural properties and are fit for feeding.

Lastly, since our capacity for receiving Christ efficaciously is not in the flesh but in the spirit, not in the belly but in the mind; and the mind does not attain Christ except through knowledge and love, through faith and charity, so that faith illumines unto recollection2, and charity enkindles unto devotion: therefore, for this, that anyone may approach worthily, it is required that he eat spiritually, so that thus through the recollection of faith he may chew, and through the devotion of love receive; by which things he does not transform Christ into himself, but he himself is rather translated into Christ's mystical body. — On account of which it is manifestly gathered that whoever approaches tepidly, undevoutly and inconsiderately eats and drinks judgment to himself3, because he does an outrage to so great a Sacrament. And therefore the counsel is given to those who feel themselves less clean in mind, or in flesh, or even undevout, that they defer, until, prepared for the eating of the true Lamb of the world, they approach devout and circumspect.

On account of which also this Sacrament is commanded to be celebrated with a special solemnity as much as regards place as also as regards time and as regards words and prayers and as regards vestments in the celebration of Masses; that both the priests themselves who consecrate and also those who receive may take4 the gift of grace, through which they may be purged, illumined, perfected, refreshed, vivified, and through excessive love most ardently transferred into Christ himself.

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Apparatus Criticus
  1. 7
    E K addunt enim. Inferius post sanguinis mei K addit etc., et pro in quarum C I K L M O sub quarum. Subinde post circumscriptibiliter Vat., 1 et 3 addunt nec localiter.
    E, K add enim. Below, after sanguinis mei, K adds etc., and for in quarum, C, I, K, L, M, O read sub quarum. Thereafter, after circumscriptibiliter, the Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 add nec localiter.
  2. 1
    Epist. I. Cor. 11, 29. Ed. 1 cum Vulgata corpus Domini. — De eucharistia agitur IV. Sent. d. 8-13.
    Epistle I Corinthians 11:29. Edition 1, with the Vulgate, reads corpus Domini. — The eucharist is treated in IV Sent. d. 8–13.
  3. 2
    Vat. efficientia sua.
    The Vatican edition reads efficientia sua.
  4. 3
    Cfr. Hebr. 9, 10.
    Cf. Hebrews 9:10.
  5. 4
    Quo loquendi modo utitur secundum Augustinum Magister Sent., in lit. IV. Sent. d. IV. c. 1.
    Which manner of speaking the Master of the Sentences uses, following Augustine, in the text of IV Sent. d. IV, c. 1.
  6. 5
    Matth. 28, 20: Et ecce, ego vobiscum sum etc. Tit. 2, 14: Qui dedit semetipsum pro nobis, ut nos redimeret etc. — Pro ad finem plures codd. in finem. Superius pro diffundens B melius infundens.
    Matthew 28:20: "And behold, I am with you" etc. Titus 2:14: "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us" etc. — For ad finem, several codices read in finem. Above, for diffundens, B reads, better, infundens.
  7. 6
    Cfr. Ioan. 6, 69.
    Cf. John 6:69.
  8. 7
    Cfr. IV. Sent. lit. Magistri, d. XI. c. 3. — Codd. et 2 crudelitatis.
    Cf. IV Sent., the text of the Master, d. XI, c. 3. — The codices and edition 2 read crudelitatis.
  9. 8
    Secundum August., in Ioan. Evang. tr. 26. n. 17. Cfr. IV. Sent. lit. Magistri, d. VIII. c. 7. — Inferius pro in quo Vat., 1 et 3 cum uno alteroque cod. in qua.
    According to Augustine, On the Gospel of John, tract 26, n. 17. Cf. IV Sent., the text of the Master, d. VIII, c. 7. — Below, for in quo, the Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3, with one or another codex, read in qua.
  10. 1
    Edd., excepta 2, vel. Pro ut perceptibile 1 aut perceptibile. Aliquanto inferius pro idoneae cum E substituimus idonea.
    The editions, edition 2 excepted, read vel. For ut perceptibile, edition 1 reads aut perceptibile. Somewhat below, for idoneae, we have substituted, with E, idonea.
  11. 2
    Ed. 2 cum pluribus codd. recognitionem (sed vide IV. Sent. d. 9. a. 1. q. 2.), Vat., 1 et 3 recognitionem vel recordationem. Idem recurrit inferius, ubi pro ut sic per recogitationem, quod exhibent B M, alii codd. et edd. substituunt ut sic [Vat., 1 et 3 addunt Christum] per recordationem. Superius pro in carne permulti codd. et 2 a carne, ac pro in spiritu E P T W et 2 a spiritu.
    Edition 2, with several codices, reads recognitionem (but see IV Sent. d. 9, a. 1, q. 2), the Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 recognitionem vel recordationem. The same recurs below, where for ut sic per recogitationem, which B, M exhibit, the other codices and the editions substitute ut sic [the Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 add Christum] per recordationem. Above, for in carne, very many codices and edition 2 read a carne, and for in spiritu, E, P, T, W and edition 2 read a spiritu.
  12. 3
    Epist. I. Cor. 11, 29. — Mox pro contumeliam plures codd. iniuriam. Subinde pro ut differant 2 ire differant.
    Epistle I Corinthians 11:29. — Presently, for contumeliam, several codices read iniuriam. Thereafter, for ut differant, edition 2 reads ire differant.
  13. 4
    I M V percipientes suscipiant, qui etiam inferius cum nonnullis aliis codd. pro excessivum substituunt excellentissimum; 2 legit: per excellentissimum amorem et excessivum. Pro transferantur P transformentur.
    I, M, V read percipientes suscipiant; and these, below also, together with some other codices, substitute excellentissimum for excessivum; edition 2 reads: per excellentissimum amorem et excessivum. For transferantur, P reads transformentur. ---
Cited by

1 place in the Opera Omnia citesthis question. Derived from Quaracchi’s own apparatus, never tagged by hand.

Whether the Sacrament of the eucharist ought to have been instituted from the beginning
Book IV: On the Sacraments · Distinction 8
Breviloq. p. VI. c. 9

1 further reference addresses the article or printed page this question belongs to, rather than the question itself.

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