Since today has no saint attached to it, I thought I'd pass on some education to you on the Sacraments. The following is from St. Ambrose, a Doctor of the Church. I really like reading his stuff. It is easy reading.
De
Mysteriis
Treatise
On the Mysteries (Sacraments)
CHAPTER
VIII Of
the mystical feast of the altar of the Lord. Lest any should think
lightly of it, St. Ambrose shows that it is of higher antiquity than
the sacred rites of the Jews, since it was foreshadowed in the
sacrifice of Melchisedech, and far better than the manna, as being
the Body of Christ.
43.
The cleansed people, rich with these adornments, hastens to the altar
of Christ, saying: "I will go to the altar of God, to God Who
maketh glad my youth;" for having laid aside the slough of
ancient error, renewed with an eagle's youth, it hastens to approach
that heavenly feast. It comes, and seeing the holy altar arranged,
cries out: "Thou hast prepared a table in my sight." David
introduces the people as speaking, where he says: "The Lord
feedeth me, and nothing shall be wanting to me, in a place of good
pasture hath He placed me. He hath led me forth by the water of
refreshment." And later: "For though I walk in the midst of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me. Thy
rod and Thy staff have comforted me. Thou hast prepared in my sight a
table against them that trouble me. Thou hast anointed my head with
oil, and Thy inebriating cup, how excellent it is!"
44.
We must now pay attention, lest perchance an y one seeing that what
is visible (for things which are invisible cannot be seen nor
comprehended by human eyes), should say, "God rained down manna
and rained down quails upon the Jews," but for the Church
beloved of Him the things which He has prepared are those of which it
is said: "That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it
entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them
that love Him." So, lest any one should say this, we will take
great pains to prove that the Sacraments of the Church are both more
ancient than those of the synagogue, and more excellent than the
manna.
45.
The lesson of Genesis just read shows that they are more ancient, for
the synagogue took its origin from the law of Moses. But Abraham was
far earlier, who, after conquering the enemy, and recovering his own
nephew, as he was enjoying his victory, was met by Melchisedech (a priest of 'Salem', as in Jerusalem), who
brought forth those things which Abraham reverently received. It was
not Abraham who brought them forth, but Melchisedech, who is
introduced without father, without mother, having neither beginning
of days, nor ending, but like the Son of God, of Whom Paul says to
the Hebrews: "that He remaineth a priest for ever," Who in
the Latin version is called King of righteousness and King of peace.
46.
Do you recognize Who that is? Can a man be king of righteousness,
when himself he can hardly be righteous? Can he be king of peace,
when he can hardly be peaceable? He it is Who is without mother
according to His Godhead, for He was begotten of God the Father, of
one substance with the Father; without a father according to His
Incarnation, for He was born of a Virgin; having neither beginning
nor end, for He is the beginning and end of all things, the first and
the last. The Sacrament, then, which you received is the gift not of
man but of God; brought forth by Him Who blessed Abraham the father
of faith, whose grace and deeds we admire.
47.
We have proved the Sacraments of the Church to be the more ancient,
now recognize that they are superior. In very truth it is a
marvellous thing that God rained manna on the fathers, and fed them
with daily food from heaven; so that it is said, "So man did eat
angels' food." But yet all those who ate that food died in the
wilderness, but that food which you receive, that living Bread which
came down from heaven, furnishes the substance of eternal life; and
whosoever shall eat of this Bread shall never die, and it is the Body
of Christ.
49.
Now consider whether the bread of angels be more excellent or the
Flesh of Christ, which is indeed the body of life. That manna came
from heaven, this is above the heavens; that was of heaven, this is
of the Lord of the heavens; that was liable to corruption, if kept a
second day, this is far from all corruption, for whosoever shall
taste it wholly shall not be able to feel corruption. For them water
flowed from the rock, for you Blood flowed from Christ; water
satisfied them for a time, the Blood satiates you for eternity. The
Jew drinks and thirsts again, you after drinking will be beyond the
power of thirsting; that was in a shadow, this is in truth.
49.
If that which you so wonder at is but shadow, how great must that be
whose very shadow you wonder at. See now what happened in the case of
the fathers was shadow: "They drank, it is said, of that Rock
that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them
God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things were done in a figure concerning us." You
recognize now which are the more excellent, for light is better than
shadow, truth than a figure, the Body of its Giver than the manna
from heaven.
CHAPTER
IX In
order that no one through observing the outward part should waver in
faith, many instances are brought forward wherein the outward nature
has been changed, and so it is proved that bread is made the true
body of Christ. The treatise then is brought to a termination with
certain remarks as to the effects of the sacrament, the disposition
of the recipients, and such like.
50.
Perhaps you will say, "I see something else, how is it that you
assert that I receive the Body of Christ?" And this is the point
which remains for us to prove. And what evidence shall we make use
of? Let us prove that this is not what nature made, but what the
blessing consecrated, and the power of blessing is greater than that
of nature, because by blessing nature itself is changed.
51.
Moses was holding a rod, he cast it down and it became a serpent.
Again, he took hold of the tail of the serpent and it returned to the
nature of a rod. You see that by virtue of the prophetic office there
were two changes, of the nature both of the serpent and of the rod.
The streams of Egypt were running with. a pure flow of water; of a
sudden from the veins of the sources blood began to burst forth, and
none could drink of the river. Again, at the prophet's prayer the
blood ceased, and the nature of water returned. The people of the
Hebrews were shut in on every side, hemmed in on the one hand by the
Egyptians, on the other by the sea; Moses lifted up his rod, the
water divided and hardened like walls, and a way for the feet
appeared between the waves. Jordan being turned back, returned,
contrary to nature, to the source of its stream. Is it not clear that
the nature of the waves of the sea and of the river stream was
changed? The people of the fathers thirsted, Moses touched the rock,
and water flowed out of the rock. Did not grace work a result
contrary to nature, so that the rock poured forth water, which by
nature it did not contain? Marsh was a most bitter stream, so that
the thirsting people could not drink. Moses cast wood into the water,
and the water lost its bitterness, which grace of a sudden tempered.
In the time of Elisha the prophet one of the sons of the prophets
lost the head from his axe, which sank. He who had lost the iron
asked Elisha, who cast in a piece of wood and the iron swam. This,
too, we clearly recognize as having happened contrary to nature, for
iron is of heavier nature than water.
52.
We observe, then, that grace has more power than nature, and yet so
far we have only spoken of the grace of a prophet's blessing. But if
the blessing of man had such power as to change nature, what are we
to say of that divine consecration where the very words of the Lord
and Saviour operate? For that Sacrament which you receive is made
what it is by the word of Christ. But if the word of Elijah had such
power as to bring down fire from heaven, shall not the word of Christ
have power to change the nature of the elements? You read concerning
the making of the whole world: "He spake and they were made, He
commanded and they were created." Shall not the word of Christ,
which was able to make out of nothing that which was not, be able to
change things which already are into what they were not? For it is
not less to give a new nature to things than to change them.
53.
But why make use of arguments? Let us use the examples He gives, and
by the example of the Incarnation prove the truth of the mystery. Did
the course of nature proceed as usual when the Lord Jesus was born of
Mary? If we look to the usual course, a woman ordinarily conceives
after connection with a man. And this body which we make is that
which was born of the Virgin. Why do you seek the order of nature in
the Body of Christ, seeing that the Lord Jesus Himself was born of a
Virgin, not according to nature? It is the true Flesh of Christ which
crucified and buried, this is then truly the Sacrament of His Body.
54.
The Lord Jesus Himself proclaims: "This
is My Body." Before the
blessing of the heavenly words another nature is spoken of, after the
consecration the Body is signified. He Himself speaks of His Blood.
Before the consecration it has another name, after it is called
Blood. And you say, Amen,
that is, It is true.
Let the heart within confess what the mouth utters, let the soul feel
what the voice speaks.
55.
Christ, then, feeds His Church with these Sacraments, by means of
which the substance of the soul is strengthened, and seeing the
continual progress of her grace, He rightly says to her: "How
comely are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse, how comely they are
made by wine, and the smell of thy garments is above all spices. A
dropping honeycomb are thy lips, my spouse, honey and milk are under
thy tongue, and the smell of thy garments is as the smell of Lebanon.
A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a
fountain sealed." By which He signifies that the mystery ought
to remain sealed up with you, that it be not violated by the deeds of
an evil life, and pollution of chastity, that it be not made known to
thou, for whom it is not fitting, nor by garrulous talkativeness it
be spread abroad amongst unbelievers. Your guardianship of the faith
ought therefore to be good, that integrity of life and silence may
endure unblemished.
56.
For which reason, too, the Church, guarding the depth of the heavenly
mysteries, repels the furious storms of wind, and calls to her the
sweetness of the grace of spring, and knowing that her garden cannot
displease Christ, invites the Bridegroom, saying: "Arise, O
north wind, and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, and let my
ointments flow down. Let my Brother come down to His garden, and eat
the fruit of His trees." For it has good trees and fruitful,
which have dipped their roots in the water of the sacred spring, and
with fresh growth have shot forth into good fruits, so as now not to
be cut with the axe of the prophet, but to abound with the
fruitfulness of the Gospel.
57.
Lastly, the Lord also, delighted with their fertility, answers: "I
have entered into My garden, My sister, My spouse; I have gathered My
myrrh with My spices, I have eaten My meat with My honey, I have
drunk My drink with My milk." Understand, you faithful, why He
spoke of meat and drink. And there is no doubt that He Himself eats
and drinks in us, as you have read that He says that in our persons
He is in prison.
58.
Wherefore, too, the Church, beholding so great grace, exhorts her
sons and her friends to come together to the Sacraments, saying:
"Eat, my friends, and drink and be inebriated, my brother."
What we eat and what we drink the Holy Spirit has elsewhere made
plain by the prophet, saying, "Taste and see that the Lord is
good, blessed is the man that hopeth in Him." In that Sacrament
is Christ, because it is the Body of Christ, it is therefore not
bodily food but spiritual. Whence the Apostle says of its type: "Our
fathers ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink," for the
Body of God is a spiritual body; the Body of Christ is the Body of
the Divine Spirit, for the Spirit is Christ, as we read: "The
Spirit before our face is Christ the Lord." And in the Epistle
of Peter we read: "Christ died for us." Lastly, that food
strengthens our heart, and that drink "maketh glad the heart of
man," as the prophet has recorded.
59.
So, then, having obtained everything, let us know that we are born
again, but let us not say, How are we born again? Have we entered a
second time into our mother's womb and been born again? I do not
recognize here the course of nature. But here there is no order of
nature, where is the excellence of grace. And again, it is not always
the course of nature which brings about conception, for we confess
that Christ the Lord was conceived of a Virgin, and reject the order
of nature. For Mary conceived not of man, but was with child of the
Holy Spirit, as Matthew says: "She was found with child of the
Holy Spirit." If, then, the Holy Spirit coming down upon the
Virgin wrought the conception, and effected the work of generation,
surely we must not doubt but that, coming down upon the Font, or upon
those who receive Baptism, He effects the reality of the new birth.
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