Sermo 3
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/14/d/3/q/bon-serm-s3
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### Sermon III.
#### *On the most holy Body of Christ.*

### Summarium

*Introduction; six defects of human misery, and six effects of the divine mercy, number 1. — To these six correspond six figures, which in Scripture prefigure the most holy Body of Christ, 2.* — Part I. On the first and the second figure. *The first is the figure of* fatness, *because the Sacrament avails for the filling of the empty. The figure in Genesis; three things necessary for preserving the divine fervour; whence the Eucharist is given as a viaticum of refreshment for preserving inward delight, as a Sacrament of communion for preserving love of neighbour, as a sacrifice of oblation for preserving devotion; these things fatness does, 3. — The first effect against the four things which afflict a man, the figure intimates, 4. — The second effect of fatness: a fourfold widening of the love of neighbour, 5. — The third effect of the same: four things preserve devotion toward God, 6. 7. — The second is the figure of* bread, *as to the refreshment of the hungry. The bread given to Elias. The four things done by Elias signify four things to be supplied, that this Sacrament may be worthily taken, 8. — First one must flee the consolation of the world; secondly, compose oneself to the religion of an upright life; thirdly, have subjection to a prelate; fourthly, have God's arousing, 9-12. — Four fruits of worthy taking: it strengthens for action, raises up to contemplation, disposes to the revelation of divine things, animates to contempt of the world and to desire of eternal goods, 13-16.* — Part II. On the third and the fourth figure. *The third is the figure of* honey, *as to the illumination of those sitting in darkness, according to the figure of Ionathas tasting a little honey; who did four things to signify four things to be done by one taking the Eucharist, 17. — First let him have an endeavour of bettering; secondly, victory over temptation; thirdly, the patronage of the Blessed Virgin; fourthly, the safeguard of an illumined working, 18-21. — With Ionathas four fruits are then received: the rational power is illumined, the concupiscible is stirred, the irascible is strengthened, the whole man is mortified to the world, 22-25. — The fourth is the figure of* the paschal lamb *in Exodus, as to the reconciliation of those sitting in the shadow of death. From this figure are drawn the things a man ought to have before his approach, in his approach, after his approach, 26. — Before the approach, four, 27. — In the approach itself, four, 28. — After the approach let him have four fruits, 29.* — Part III. On the fifth and the sixth figure. *The fifth figure is that of the heavenly treasure, as to the enriching of beggars. Hidden treasures are promised to the Church in Isaias; four hidden treas-*

*-ures in the Eucharist, namely of all being, of wisdom, of grace, of glory, 30. — They are explained singly, 31. — This treasure is hidden for four reasons, 32-35. — The sixth figure is* manna, *as to the softening of iron hearts. From this figure related in Exodus are drawn four properties of the Eucharist, 36. — For it is a food noblest in kind, sweetest in savour, most worthy in what it contains, most wonderful in efficacy, 37-40. — From the same are drawn four things to be done by one taking the Eucharist, 41. — Epilogue, 42.*

1. *Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men; for he hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath filled the hungry soul with good things, them that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in want and in iron.* This word David the Prophet writes, in which he stirs us up to thanksgivings, when he says: *Let them give glory to the Lord,* etc. He adds the reason, when he says: *For he hath satisfied,* etc. The Prophet therefore, wishing to stir up our hearts to thanksgivings, shows in this word the manifold *defects of our misery*, and none the less the manifold *effects of the divine mercy.* — For he says here that man *was empty, man was hungry, man sat in darkness, lay in the shadow of death, was bound in want and in iron.* — He was *empty*, because he did not have God in himself by indwelling. He *was hungry,* because he did not have spiritual refreshment. He *sat in darkness,* because he did not have divine knowledge. He *lay in the shadow of death,* because he had been judged unto damnation. He *was bound in want,* because he did not have virtuous working. He *was bound in iron,* because he had hardness of heart.

*Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord,* etc., because he himself *filled* the empty soul, *satisfied* the hungry, *illumined* him sitting in darkness, *reconciled* him lying in the shadow of death, *enriched* the beggar, *softened* him having an iron heart. — Man was *empty*, and he himself gave himself to him by indwelling. Man *was hungry*, and he himself gave himself to him by refreshment; he *sat in darkness*, and he himself gave himself to him unto the illumination of the heart; he *lay in the shadow of death*, and he himself gave himself to him in the oblation of reconciliation. Man *was bound in want*, and he himself gave himself to him unto virtuous working; he *was bound in iron*, that is, with a hardened heart, and he himself gave himself to him unto the softening of the heart. *Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord,* etc., because he himself is the *filling* of the empty, the *refreshment* of the hungry, the *lumen* of those sitting in darkness, the *reconciliation* of those lying in the shadow of death, the *enriching* of beggars and the *softening* of iron hearts. — All these things are touched on in the words of the theme, as is plain.

2. And on account of these six, under six *figures* was the Body of Christ prefigured in the Scriptures, namely under the figure of *the fat* or of *fatness*, under the figure of *bread*, under the figure of *honey*, under the figure of *the paschal lamb*, under the figure of *the heavenly treasure* and under the figure of *manna.* — For because *fatness* is something penetrating, therefore it avails for the filling of the empty, as to the first. Because *bread* is something strengthening, therefore it avails for the refreshment of the hungry, as to the second. Because *honey* is something that purifies the eyes, therefore it avails for the illumination of those sitting in darkness, as to the third. Because *the paschal lamb* is something immolated, therefore it avails for the reconciliation of those lying in the shadow of death, as to the fourth. Because *treasure* is something desirable, therefore it avails for the enriching of beggars, as to the fifth. Because *manna* is something that melts, therefore it avails for the softening of iron hearts, as to the sixth. *Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord,* etc.

3. First, because the most holy Body of Christ is prefigured to us under the figure of *fatness*, and this rightly. For the Body of Christ is given to us for preserving the divine fervour in the heart; which is preserved in three ways: by *delight* within oneself, by *love* toward the neighbour and by *devotion* toward God. Now *delight* within oneself is not had except through the viaticum of refreshment; *love* toward the neighbour is had through the Sacrament of communion; *devotion* toward God is had through the sacrifice of oblation. And therefore for these three the Body of Christ was given, namely as a *viaticum of refreshment*, that it may preserve delight within oneself; as a *Sacrament of communion*, that it may preserve love toward the neighbour; as a *sacrifice of oblation*, that it may preserve devotion toward God. And these three things *fatness* does: delightful

indeed it makes the foods into which it is poured, as to the first; it widens the skin which it anoints, as to the second; it lifts up the flame which it touches, as to the third.

4. Since therefore *fatness* makes foods delightful, it signifies the Body of Christ, which works a great *delight* in a man within himself, who eats it devoutly. And this was figured in the last chapter but one of Genesis: *Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings.* This bread pours great dainties into a man, because it takes away everything that afflicts. For four things afflict a man in this life: *powerlessness, ignorance, malice* and *concupiscence*; and these four were inflicted on man on account of original sin; the Psalm: *I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly,* and at once he adds the cause, saying: *My strength hath forsaken me,* as to powerlessness; *and the lumen of my eyes itself is not with me,* as to ignorance; *my friends and my neighbours have drawn near and stood against me,* as to concupiscence — for by *friends* and *neighbours* he calls the flesh with its concupiscences, and yet *adversaries*, because *the flesh lusteth against the spirit*, in Galatians, chapter five — *and they that were near me stood afar off,* as to malice. — Against these four, in the word set before us, the Body of Christ is given under the figure of *the bread of Aser, fat bread, bread yielding dainties, bread of kings.* — It is called *bread of kings*, because by strengthening it makes men *kings*, against *powerlessness*, so that namely the *king*, that is, right reason, sitting *on the throne of judgment,* that is in the right governing of the soul, may *scatter away all evil with his look,* as is said in the Proverbs. — The Body of Christ is also called *fat bread*, because it illumines, against *ignorance.* For fatness placed in a lamp-sherd or poured into a lamp gives the use of the *lumen.* — It is also called *bread yielding dainties* against *the concupiscences of the flesh*. For this bread *has in it all delight and the sweetness of every taste*, in Wisdom, chapter sixteen. — It is also called *the bread of Aser*, which is interpreted *beatitude*, because it beatifies the whole man, against all *malice.* For the power of this bread is that it transmutes a man into Christ, who is supremely blessed by essence and beatifying others by grace. Whence the Lord said to blessed Augustine: "Thou shalt not change me into thyself, as the food of thy flesh, but thou shalt be changed into me."

5. Secondly, the Body of Christ was given to us as a Sacrament of communion for preserving *love toward the neighbour*; and therefore it is well signified by *fatness.* For as fatness widens the skin which it anoints, so the Body of Christ widens the soul which eats it devoutly. And it widens it to every part of position, namely *above* and *below, to the right, to the left, before* and *behind*; and on account of this it is said in Jeremias, chapter thirty-one: *I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness.* — The *fatness* with which he makes drunk the soul of priests he here calls the Sacrament of the altar, by which he inflames the soul of those taking it worthily unto charity, which vehemently widens the soul to every position; and on account of this it is added: *And my people shall be filled with my good things.* By *people* he here calls the whole Church, both militant and triumphant. For after the soul of the priest has been made drunk by the power of this Sacrament with the fatness of love, at once it fills the whole Church with good things. Out of the abundance of charity it is widened *above* even into heaven, by offering to God unto the honour of the Saints reigning in heaven; it is widened *below* even to purgatory, because it offers for the redemption of those existing there; it is widened *to the right*, because it offers for the salvation of friends and benefactors; it is widened *to the left*, because it offers for the salvation of enemies and persecutors; it is widened *behind*, because it offers for the salvation of its own predecessors; *before*, because it offers for the salvation of all the predestined who are to be until the day of judgment.

6. Thirdly, the Body of Christ was given to us as a sacrifice of oblation, that it may preserve *devotion toward God*; and therefore it was well signified in fatness;

because, as fatness poured over fire lifts the flame on high, so the most divine Eucharist, received by a devout heart, snatches it up through devotion to God. And on account of this it is said in the Psalm: *In thy name I will lift up my hands. Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.* For as a vessel filled with marrow and fatness, not able to contain it within, runs over outside; so the Body of Christ, when it has filled the soul with the fatness of devotion, breaks out exteriorly in joyful lips. — Now four things are touched on in this word, which are wont to preserve devotion toward God, namely *rightness of intention, the habit of prayer, the devotion of communion* and *the following through of thanksgiving.* And a man ought so to order this, that first he prepare a *right intention*, afterwards stir himself up by *prayer*, and from then approach devoutly to *communion*, and lastly loose his mouth in *thanksgiving.*

7. First he ought to have a *right intention*: because a man ought not to offer this sacrifice for the favour of men, or for carnal advantage, or for gain of temporal things; but purely for the divine honour, for the profit of his neighbours and for the increase of his own merits. And on account of this it is said here: *In thy name*, according to that word of the Apostle: *All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.* — He ought also, approaching to this Sacrament, to be stirred up to *prayer*; for no one ought to approach with a lukewarm heart, because in that way he could earn hardness. And on account of this it is said here: *I will lift up my hands*, namely by prayer, according to that word of the Apostle to Timothy: *I will that men pray in every place, lifting up pure hands,* namely to the Lord. — And so thirdly he ought to approach devout to *communion*; whence it is subjoined: *Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness.* — And lastly, made fat by devotion and inflamed by *love*, he ought to break out into *thanksgiving*; therefore it is added: *And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.* — *Let* them therefore *give glory to the Lord for his mercies,* because he first prefigured to us his Body under the figure of *fatness.*

8. Secondly, he prefigured to us this most holy Body of his in the form of *bread*, of which he himself says in John, chapter six: *I am the living bread, which came down from heaven;* and in the same place: *The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.* — This is the bread which the Angel brought to Elias, as is said in the third book of Kings, chapter nineteen: *Elias looked, and behold, there was at his head a hearth cake and a vessel of water. The hearth cake* is the Body of Christ, which is well called *baked under the ashes*, because it is veiled by the accidents; by the *ashes* are signified the accidents, and under those ashes of the accidents lies hidden the refreshment of our minds. But as to what is said, that there was there *a vessel of water,* this is added on account of the mystery of Christ's blood. And that this bread was brought by angelic ministry signifies that, when this Sacrament is confected, there is present the greatest army of Angels. Gregory in the Dialogue: "To which of the faithful is it doubtful that in the very hour of the immolation, at the voice of the priest, the heavens are opened, the lowest are joined to the highest, earthly things are joined to heavenly, and one thing is made out of the visible and the invisible? But when we do these things, it is necessary that we first slay ourselves to God before God upon the altar in compunction of heart."

But before Elias came to the refreshment of this bread, he is read to have done four things: for he left the boy, came into the desert, sat under a juniper tree and had an Angel to rouse him; to signify that he who wishes worthily to approach this Sacrament ought to have four things. — First he ought to flee the consolation of the world; he ought to enter religion; he ought there to have subjection in respect of a prelate; he ought to have toward

God devotion. And these are those four things which we said above.

9. First therefore he ought to flee the consolation of the world. For since in this Sacrament there is a fulness of spiritual consolation; and such[?] a thing is not given to those who admit an alien consolation, as Bernard says[?]: therefore it is necessary that he who wishes to attain[?] spiritual consolation should let go carnal delight[?]. And this is what is said here, that when he had come into *Bersabee, he left there his boy. Bersabee* is interpreted *the well of fulness* and signifies Christ, in whom is all the fulness of graces. He who attains this fulness leaves all the delight of the world; and this is what is subjoined there: *He left there his boy.* What do we understand by the *boy* except carnal delight? Which boy the Apostle taught us to leave, when he said: *Do not become children in sense, but in malice be children.* He therefore leaves the boy who leaves the childish way of the world.

10. Secondly, he who worthily wishes to approach this Sacrament ought to compose himself to the religion of an upright life. And this is what is said here, that Elias *went forward into the desert. The desert* signifies the religious state, because it is named from *deserting*; and there all temporal things are deserted. For there are deserted *riches* by the vow of poverty, *dainties* by the vow of chastity, *honours* and *worldly dignities* by the renouncing of one's own will. And nothing is so harmful in the world as these three; John in the Canonical Epistle: *All that is in the world is either the concupiscence of the flesh, or the concupiscence of the eyes, or the pride of life.* And because through these three the devil takes captive sinful souls, through these three also he assails religious souls; which was signified in Deuteronomy, chapter eight, *that in the desert there was a serpent burning with his breath,* that is, the devil tempting through pride; *and the dipsas* killing with thirst, that is, the devil tempting through avarice; *and the scorpion* fawning with its face and stinging with its tail, that is, the devil tempting through the concupiscence of the flesh.

11. Thirdly, he ought to have subjection in respect of a prelate; and this is what is said here, that Elias sat *under one juniper tree. The juniper,* as Isidore says, is a tree whose ashes preserve fire through the whole year. What then can we signify by the *juniper* but *a good prelate*? The ash of the juniper is the humility of the prelate, which is wont to preserve in the breasts of subjects the fire of mutual love and the warmth of fervent devotion.

12. Fourthly, he ought to have devotion in respect of God, and this is what is said here, that the Angel roused him. What is signified by the *Angel* but the gift of divine grace? For *Angel* is interpreted *messenger.* For then God sends as it were an Angel to us, when he sends grace into us. And this Angel rouses once and again, because the gift of divine grace always urges us on in spirit to make progress. — But he who worthily approaches this Sacrament does not go away empty. And therefore note that there are four things which they who approach worthily are wont to draw from this Sacrament.

13. For this Sacrament *strengthens* for action, *raises up* to contemplation, *disposes* to the revelation of divine things, *animates* and *kindles* to contempt of the world and to the desiring of heavenly and eternal goods. And therefore it is said here that Elias *walked in the strength of that food, even to*

*the mount of God,* saw divine secrets and *stood in the mouth of the cave*; and these are those four things.

The first thing therefore which a devout soul draws in this Sacrament is that it *is strengthened* *for action.* Whence it is said here: *And he walked in the strength of that food forty days* etc. This food signifies the Body of Christ, in whose strength a man labours, while he does not cease to make progress in the spiritual life. And he walks *forty days.* In the number forty there is ten multiplied by four. By *ten* is signified the decalogue, to which the whole Old Testament is reduced. By *four* are signified the four Gospels, to which the whole New Testament is reduced. To walk therefore in the strength of that food forty days is to make progress in the spiritual life through our whole time, by which our life is governed through the New and the Old Testament.

14. Secondly, *it is raised up to contemplation*; whence it is said here that *he came to the mount of God.* What can we signify by the *mount* but the raising up of the mind? To this mount Moses had come, of whom we read in Exodus, chapter three: *Moses fed the sheep,* there is noted the exercise of action. Afterwards *he drove the flock to the inner parts of the desert,* in which is designated the leading back of all actions and affections to the inmost parts of the heart. And *he came to the mount of God,* in which is noted the raising up of the mind to heavenly things. And there *the Lord appeared to him,* because from then the act of contemplation is given to the soul. And he appeared to him *in a flame of fire.* Fire has it to warm and to illumine, to signify that, when the soul comes to the grace of contemplation, both the *understanding* draws the *lumen* of knowledge and the *affection* the burning of love.

15. Thirdly, *it is disposed to the revelation of divine secrets*; and therefore it is said here that the Lord said to Elias: *Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord; and behold, the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord overthrowing the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces; the Lord is not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; the Lord is not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; the Lord is not in the fire; and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air, there the Lord.* For there it was revealed to Elias that the Lord is not in the spirit of pride, not in the commotion of impatience, not in the fire of cupidity or of carnal concupiscence; but in the whistling of the gentle air, that is, in the tranquillity of a pacified conscience; the Psalm: *In peace* indeed *is his place made, and his dwelling in Sion.*

16. Fourthly, *it is animated to contempt of the world and to the desiring of heavenly goods.* And this is what is said here, that *Elias covered his face with his mantle and going out stood in the mouth of the cave.* For when the soul is raised up to see the immensity of that beauty and the infinity of the divine power, at once it springs back into its own littleness and *covers* *its face* through profound humility, and *goes out* from the cupidity of the world, and *stands in the mouth of the cave,* that is, sighs after eternity. For by the *cave* is signified the human body, by the *mouth* the desire of going out. And on account of this it stood as it were in the mouth, because it desired to go out. — *Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord,* because secondly he prefigured to us his most holy Body in the figure of *bread.*

17. Thirdly he prefigured to us his most reverend Body in the figure of *honey.* And on account of this it is said in Proverbs, chapter twenty-four: *Eat honey, my son, because it is good, and the honeycomb sweet to my throat.* By the *honeycomb* is signified the Sacrament of the Lord's Body; and it is well signified by *honey*, because honey delights the taste and, according to the physicians, has it to purify the sight. So Christ delights the affection and illumines the understanding. Bernard: « Jesus, sweetness of hearts, living fountain, *lumen* of minds, surpasses every joy and every desire ». By this, that he says that he is the *sweetness of hearts*, he has it to delight the affection; and by this, that he is the *lumen of minds*, he has it to illumine the understanding. — But that Christ is *honey*, Bernard says upon the Canticle: « Jesus is honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, jubilation in the heart ». And elsewhere: « Jesus, angelic comeliness, in the ear a sweet canticle, in the mouth a wondrous honey, in the heart a heavenly spice ». This honey our bee, the Virgin Mary, brought forth for us, according to that word of

Ecclesiasticus, chapter eleven: *The bee is little among flying things, and her fruit hath the beginning of sweetness.* — The *bee* is the blessed Virgin, who is called *little*, because she is the most humble among all the Saints. *Her fruit hath the beginning of sweetness*, because the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the fruit of her womb, was not only *sweet*, like honey, but rather *above honey and the honeycomb*; whence Bernard: « Above honey and all things is the sweet presence of Jesus ». — As therefore the Body of Christ is prefigured under the figure of *bread*, and this as to the *refreshment* of the hungry; so it has been prefigured under the figure of *honey* as to the *illumination* of those sitting in the shadow of death; and this is what is said in the first book of Kings, chapter fourteen, that Jonathan tasted of the honey, *and his eyes were enlightened.* — But because four things are necessary to a man approaching worthily to this Sacrament, therefore Jonathan is read to have done four things before he came to taste the honeycomb: he climbed a laborious way, he turned the whole army of the Philistines to flight, he held in his hand a rod and applied his hand to his mouth; to signify that he who approaches worthily to this Sacrament ought to have *an effort of bettering, a victory over temptation, the patronage of the blessed Virgin and the safeguard of an illumined working.*

18. First therefore he ought to have *an effort of bettering*; and on account of this it is read of Jonathan that *he climbed up creeping with hands and feet*, to signify that a man ought always to have a great desire of making progress, of growing and of ascending from virtue to virtue, according to that word of the Psalm: *Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps, in the vale of tears, in the place which he hath set. For the lawgiver shall give a blessing; they shall go from virtue to virtue; the God of gods shall be seen in Sion.* And because no one is fit for this unless he applies to it all the powers of soul and body, therefore Jonathan is said *to have crept with hands and feet.* Bernard: « This is my daily exercise: assiduously I aim at my own spirit, and with all thy lovely things, as it were with hands and feet and leaning with all my strength, I stretch upwards to thee; but the more strongly I stretch, the more harshly am I thrust down into the earth, into myself and beneath myself, and, looking back upon myself, I have become to myself, out of myself, a laborious and wearisome question ».

19. Secondly he ought to have *victory over temptation*; and on account of this it is read of Jonathan that he turned the whole army to flight, to signify that he who wishes to approach worthily to the Sacrament of the altar ought in all temptations to come through to victory.

20. Thirdly he ought to have *the patronage of the blessed Virgin Mary* who wishes to taste the sweetness of this honey hidden in the Sacrament of the altar; and on account of this Jonathan is read to have held a rod in his hand before he came to the honeyed sweetness. By the *rod* is signified the Virgin Mary in Scripture, according to that word of Isaias, chapter eleven: *There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.* He therefore holds the rod in his hands who in all his working has the memory of the blessed Virgin, by whose extending the honey is reached, because it is only by the patronage of the blessed Virgin Mary that one comes through to the virtue of this Sacrament. And on account of this, just as through her this most sacred Body was given to us, so through her hands it ought to be offered and through her hands received under the Sacrament, which was bestowed upon us and born of her womb. Bernard: « Whatever it be that thou preparest to offer, remember to commend it to the hands of blessed Mary, that grace may flow back to the bestower of grace by the same channel by which it flowed in. For perhaps thy hands are either full of blood, or infected with gifts, in that thou hast not shaken them clean of every gift ».

21. Fourthly he ought to have *the safeguard of an illumined working* who wishes to approach worthily to the mystery

of the Body of Christ. For as the Apostle says to the Thessalonians: *He that will not work*, that is, he who does not labour, *let him not eat.* This ought to be kept most perfectly about the eating of the Body of Christ; for no one is fit for the receiving of this Sacrament but he who is exercised in good working. And on account of this it is said of Jonathan that *he applied his hand to his mouth.* Because we labour with our hands, therefore in the Scriptures the working is signified by the *hands*; but by the *mouth*, because we eat with it, therefore by this name of the *mouth* is signified the act of eating. He therefore applies his hand to his mouth who brings to the eating itself of the Body of Christ the exercise of good working.

22. But because the gift of grace is wont to be increased in him who eats worthily, therefore Jonathan is read to have received four goods in the tasting of the honey, to signify that he who approaches worthily receives four effects of grace in the Sacrament. — For there *the rational power is illumined* to know the highest truth; and therefore it is read here, after Jonathan tasted the honey: *His eyes were enlightened.* For he who frequents that Sacrament with the fervour of devotion makes progress from day to day in the illumination of the mind. And on account of this it is said here: *You have seen yourselves that my eyes are enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.*

23. Secondly, there *the concupiscible power is stirred up* to seek the highest good; for he who approaches worthily to this Sacrament is delighted more and more in his inmost parts. And this is what is said of Jonathan: *Tasting I tasted a little honey.* It is notable that he says: *Tasting I tasted.* For when that sweetness is tasted, the concupiscible power is the more stirred up to taste and the more enlarged; and so, because in tasting it tastes, out of the taste it always widens its desire. Whence Bernard: « The spiritual taste is the incitement of love and the provocation of desire »; the same: « They who taste thee hunger, they who drink still thirst, they know not how to desire anything but Jesus, whom they love ». And he well adds *a little honey*, because, however ample a tasting be given to a man in this life, yet in comparison of that supernal fulness it is but *a little honey.*

24. Thirdly, *the irascible power is fortified* to root out every evil. And on account of this it is read that Jonathan, strengthened by the taste of the honey, pursued *the Philistines as far as Hailon*. *The Philistines* are interpreted a twofold ruin and signify the vices, which make the soul and the body fall by eternal death. *Hailon* is interpreted the seeking of life and signifies the eternal life, which there we shall most perfectly acquire. For this temporal life is not to be called *life*, but rather *death*, as Gregory says. Jonathan therefore, strengthened by the honey, that is, the man made a man by the Body of Christ, pursues the Philistine as far as Hailon, that is, he does not cease to exterminate the vices until he possess eternal life.

25. Fourthly, a man *is mortified* to the world to live according to God. And this is what is said here of Jonathan. After he had said: *tasting*, namely a little of the honey, he consequently added: *behold, I die*, to signify that whomsoever the sweetness of this Sacrament floods over, him it utterly extinguishes to the world. And this is the desire of the Saints; whence Job: *My soul hath chosen hanging, and my bones death;* for this mortification of the outward man is the highest quickening of the inward. Whence the Lord said to Moses: *Man shall not see me and live*, because it is only after this mortification that one comes through to the vision of God. Because therefore « the vision of God is the whole reward », as Augustine says; and one does not come through to the vision of God save through mortification: therefore blessed Augustine desired this mortification, saying: « Make me, Lord, by thy desire and thy love, to be utterly extinguished to this world and to forget the vanity of all passing things before the greatness of thy love, so that of temporal things I may neither grieve nor rejoice, nor be corrupted by blandishments nor shaken by adversities ». — *Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord his mercies*, because he prefigured to us his Body under the figure of *honey.*

26. Fourthly he prefigured to us his Body under the figure of *the paschal lamb*; Exodus, chapter twelve: *Let every one take a lamb by their families and houses. And the lamb shall be without blemish.* That Lamb had been foreseen by the Prophet; whence Isaias: *Send forth, O Lord, the Lamb, the ruler of the earth.* That Lamb was *without blemish*, because he had come to take away the sins of the world; John, chapter one: *Behold, the Lamb of God; and behold, he who taketh away the sins of the world.* — That paschal Lamb signifies the Body of Christ, and therefore it is determined for us here what a man ought to be before he approaches; what he ought to be in the approach itself; and how many fruits he receives after the approach itself.

27. For before he approaches, a man ought to have four things. For he ought to have regard *to the whole body*; he ought to dispose himself to *fitness*; he ought to be kindled to *charity*; he ought to come to *integrity of faith.* — First therefore he who approaches ought *to have regard to the whole body.* For the priest ought to offer not in the person of himself alone, but in the person of the whole body; and this is what is said here: *And the whole multitude of the children of Israel shall sacrifice it.* For by the hands of all the living he ought to offer for the redemption of those existing in purgatory, and by the hands of the living and of the dead to the praise and glory of all the holy Angels and men reigning in eternal life, and by the hands of the whole body to the honour of the holy Trinity. — Secondly he ought *to prepare himself to fitness*; and this is what is added: *And they shall take of the blood thereof and put it upon both the side posts and on the upper door posts of the houses wherein they shall eat it.* By the *two side posts* and the *upper door post*, which make the doorway into the house, are signified three things in the soul, through which God enters into the dwelling of the heart, namely the *rational power*, through which God enters as light or brightness; the *concupiscible*, through which God enters as sweetness and goodness; the *irascible*, through which he enters as glory and immensity. These three are dyed with blood when they are occupied about the passion of Christ. The *rational power* is dyed with the blood of the Lamb when it wonders at the truth of the Sacrament. The *concupiscible* is dyed when, the truth being known, it is made bitter in compassion with Christ suffering. The *irascible* is then dyed when, Christ's suffering being known, it is animated to imitation. — Thirdly he ought *to be kindled to charity*; and this is what is added: *And they shall eat the flesh that night, roasted at the fire.* By that *fire* is signified charity, which the Lord commanded always to burn on the altar of the heart. In this fire the flesh of the Body of Christ is said to be roasted, because it ought not to be eaten save in charity. He therefore eats the flesh raw who approaches to the Sacrament without charity. But he who eats the flesh raw puts his life in danger; so he who eats the Body of Christ and has not love earns eternal damnation. — Fourthly he ought *to have integrity of faith*; and this is what is joined on: *You shall eat the head with the feet and entrails thereof.* By the *head* is signified the Godhead, for *the head of Christ is God*, as the Apostle says. The *feet*, the humanity; for God is everywhere and cannot be moved from place to place; as it were therefore he took on *feet* when in the manhood he had taken on he walked from place to place. These feet, while Tobias, that is Christ, washed them in the river, that is, exposed them on the cross; the fish that wished to swallow them, that is the devil, he conquered « by making manifest his wickednesses ». The *entrails* are the things about this Sacrament that cannot be reached; all which a man ought to *devour*, because he ought faithfully to believe all things, even those which he cannot reach by the understanding. For he ought to believe that there is the true Body of Christ, which he drew from the blessed Virgin; and it is there by transubstantiation, but the soul is there by natural connexion, the Godhead is there by inseparable union. There are also there the *entrails* of both natures, that is, the inexplicable mysteries. And therefore he who cannot take in by the understanding the height of this Sacrament ought to commit this to the power of the Holy Spirit; and this is what is said here: *If there be anything left, you shall burn it with fire.*

28. A man ought also to have four things *in the approach*, namely first in the flesh *continence*, in the affection *cleanness*, in the mind *the memory of the passion*, in desire *eternal life.* — First therefore he ought to have *continence in the flesh*; whence it is said here

*You shall gird your reins.* In the reins is the seat of lust, and therefore he *girds his reins* who by continence restrains the flow of desire. — Secondly he ought to have *cleanness in the affection*; and this is what is added: *You shall have shoes on your feet.* For by the *feet* in Scripture the affections are signified, because, as the body is moved by the feet, so the soul is moved by its affections; and these feet ought to be *shod*, that is, drawn away from all earthliness; but because nothing so keeps our affections clean as the meditation of the Scriptures, therefore the Apostle exhorts us that we be *shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.* — Thirdly it is said here: *Holding staves in your hands* etc. By the *staff* is signified the cross. For on that staff Jacob, that is Christ, passed over the Jordan, that is the flow of the world, and brought back with him two companies, that is, many souls gathered from the Gentiles and the Jews. He therefore holds the staff in his hands who holds the memory of the passion of Christ in his mind; and this the Lord commanded when he instituted this Sacrament, saying: *Do this, as often as you receive it, in commemoration of me.* — Fourthly he ought to have *eternal life in his desire*; and this is what is added: *And you shall eat in haste*, to signify that he who eats this Sacrament ought to hasten to the full measure of its fulness. For by the taste of this sweetness he is provoked to full joy; and this is what is added: *For it is the Phase, that is, the Passage, of the Lord.* Whence that Lamb was given in figure to the children of Israel at their going out of Egypt, to signify that he who devoutly receives this Sacrament passes from this world to God.

29. Thirdly it is to be noted that he who approaches worthily to this Sacrament receives *four fruits.* And on account of this, after the eating of the Lamb, the Lord does these four things: he passes through the land of Egypt, he strikes the firstborn, he executes judgment on the gods of Egypt and keeps those marked with the blood from the plague; to signify that upon those who communicate worthily he *sends in consolation, lessens the tinder, takes away the love of the world* and *makes them secure in the day of judgment.* — First therefore he *sends in consolation*; and this is what is said: *And I will pass through the land of Egypt. Egypt* is interpreted darkness and signifies the human heart not yet perfectly illumined. This the Lord *passes through* when he sends in consolation; and he well *passes through*, because he does not make a dwelling there, because he does not find it fit for this. Yet he can pass through so long that he will be able to make himself a dwelling in the same place, according to that which is said in the person of the faithful in the fourth book of Kings, chapter four: *I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us. Let us therefore make him a little chamber*, that is, let us prepare for him the dwelling of the heart; *and let us set for him in it a candlestick* of his own knowledge, *a table* of inward refreshment, *a stool* of quiet abiding, *and a bed* of contemplation, *that, when he cometh to us, he may abide there.* — Secondly he *lessens the tinder*; therefore it is added: *I will strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt.* What are the firstborn but the vices of the flesh, which are inborn in us from our first parents? And these the Lord strikes when he diminishes the tinder of the flesh; he diminishes it, I say, he does not wholly take it away, because, as Bernard says, « however much thou hast advanced in this life, thou errest if thou believest thy flesh dead and not merely held down: will thou, nill thou, the Jebusite dwells within thy borders; he can be subdued, he cannot be exterminated ». — Thirdly he *takes away the love of the world*; and this is what is said: *And on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. The gods of Egypt* are the lovable things of the world; for « whatever a man loves above the rest, that is his God », as Ambrose says. Whence of carnal men it is said to the Philippians: *Whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame.* In these therefore God executes judgments when he begets contempt of the world. — Fourthly he *makes those who approach worthily secure in the day of judgment*; and this is what is joined on: *And the blood shall be unto you for a sign in the houses where*

*you shall be; and I shall see the blood and shall pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy, when I shall strike the land of Egypt.* For in whomsoever on the day of judgment he shall see the blood of their redemption, those he will free from the plague of the eternal striking, when namely *he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.* — *Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord his mercies*, because he prefigured to us his Body in the figure of *the paschal lamb.*

30. Fifthly he prefigured to us his Body under the figure of *a heavenly treasure.* And well is the Body of Christ compared to *a treasure*; because, as in a treasure the desirable things of riches are laid up, so in the Body of Christ are laid up all the free gifts of graces; and this is why God the Father, wishing to console the spouse of his Son, holy mother Church, promised her these treasures before the coming of Christ, saying: *I will give thee hidden treasures*, Isaias, chapter forty-five. These treasures of graces are well called *hidden*, because they are veiled under a visible Sacrament. And it is notable that he says: *I will give thee treasures*, in the plural. For there are four treasures in Christ hidden under the veil of the Sacrament. For in him is the treasure of all *being*, of all *wisdom*, of all *grace* and of all *glory.*

31. For first, in Christ is the treasure of *all being.* For all things which are, which have been, which shall be, or which can be made, *are from him and through him and in him.* Consider therefore what manner of treasure that is, from which *heaven, earth, the sea and all things that are in them* went forth. Whence of Christ can be said that word of Matthew, chapter thirteen: *Who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old;* and that word of the Psalm: *Who bringeth forth winds out of his treasures.* — Secondly, in Christ is the treasure of *all wisdom*; for he knows all things, whatsoever are, whatsoever have been, whatsoever shall be, whatsoever can be made. And he knows not only the things, but also the conditions which the things have or can have. For he is God, « to whom every heart is open and every will speaks, and from whom no secret is hidden ». And not only does he himself most perfectly know things, but he makes all things which are known to be known. For he is himself the light which illumines every *lumen* and preserves it in its vigour; John, chapter eight: *I am the light of the world.* Of this treasure it is said to the Colossians: *In whom are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God.* — Thirdly, in Christ is the treasure of *all grace*; for he is *full of grace and truth*, of whose fulness Angels and men draw. For he has the fontal fulness, who *openeth his hand and filleth every* rational *living creature with blessing.* — And that treasure of graces is hidden under the veil of the Sacrament of the altar; Matthew, chapter thirteen: *The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field* etc. What is signified here by the *field* but the Sacrament of the Body of Christ, which is gathered out of a field? In this field we have a hidden treasure, because there lie hidden all kinds of graces; *which when a man hath found, for joy thereof he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field;* because he who knows the fulness of this Sacrament most gladly leaves off all other work, that he may freely exercise himself about the working or the devotion of this Sacrament, because he knows that there he draws the possession of eternal life, the Lord saying in John, chapter six: *He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life.* — Fourthly, in Christ is the treasure of *all glory.* For whatever of glory the Angels have and men, whoever are to be saved up to the day of judgment, they draw from him as from a treasure, whether it belong to the robe of the body or of the soul. For it is he who *layeth up the depths in his treasures*, that is, the inexplicable bounds of that glory. And on account of this he bade us hasten to that treasure, when he says in Matthew, chapter six: *Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven.* To these treasures the Saints vehemently desire to come; and since they cannot reach them save through death, *like them that dig for a treasure, they rejoice exceedingly when they have found the grave*, Job, chapter three.

32. But that treasure is *hidden* under the veil of bread and wine for four reasons; and

on account of this it is said here: *I will give thee hidden treasures*: first, on account of *the merit of faith*; secondly, on account of *the shock of rawness*; thirdly, on account of *the imperfection of our sense*; fourthly, on account of *the exclusion of unbelievers*.

First, that treasure is hidden under the veil of bread and wine on account of *the merit of faith.* For he heaps up a great merit for himself who most bravely overcomes seven adversaries by believing the things that belong to the Sacrament. These adversaries are the *five senses*, which all perceive that the Body of Christ is not there; and the *imagination* is likewise contrary, which can in no way imagine that so great a man, the whole Christ, who hung upon the cross, could be hidden in so small a host. It is also against all *reason* that the same body should be able at one and the same time to be in different places, as appears in this Sacrament; which is most perfectly in heaven, while none the less it is most perfectly food upon the altar, and not several bodies, but one only and the same body. On account of such a merit of faith is the Body of Christ veiled. Gregory: « Faith has no merit for which human reason furnishes the proof ».

33. Secondly the Body of Christ is veiled on account of *the shock of rawness.* For the horror of rawness could keep many away from this Sacrament, if they saw a living man eat a man and devour raw flesh. And on account of this, this Body was given under the figure and veil of *that* which it is customary to eat, namely under the accidents of bread. Whence the Lord himself deigned to call himself our *bread*, saying in John, chapter six: *I am the living bread*, that in eating Christ himself under the accidents of bread a man might not have the horror of rawness.

34. Thirdly this Body of Christ is veiled on account of *the imperfection of our sense.* For if in the glory of his brightness, as he is, he showed himself, no mortal could bear so great a brightness of the sight. For as Moses, from the fellowship of the Lord's speech, had conceived so great a splendour and brightness of his own countenance that he had to veil his face when he spoke to the children of Israel, because they could not look upon him on account of the brightness of his countenance; so here too Christ, condescending to our infirmity, laid a veil over his brightness.

35. Fourthly the Body of Christ is veiled on account of *the exclusion of unbelievers.* For he himself said: *Give not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine.* What he said in word he fulfilled in deed; because he hid his face in the Sacrament, and so shut out *dogs* and *swine*, that is, all the unworthy, from the knowledge of this Sacrament. — *Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord his mercies*, because he prefigured to us his Body under the figure of *a heavenly treasure.*

36. Sixthly he prefigured to us his Body under the figure of *manna.* And this is what is said in Exodus, chapter sixteen: *The Lord said to Moses: Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; let the people go forth and gather what is sufficient for every day. And when the children of Israel had seen it, they said one to another: Manhu? which signifies: What is this? And the house of Israel called the name thereof Man.* It is written in the book of Wisdom, chapter sixteen: *Thou didst feed thy people with the food of Angels, and gavest them bread from heaven prepared without labour, having in it all that is delicious and the sweetness of every taste. For thy substance and thy sweetness, which thou hast towards thy children, thou didst show; and serving every man's will, it was turned to what every man would.* Behold, here under the figure of manna the Sacrament of the Body of Christ is described to us as a food *most noble* in kind, *most sweet* in savour, *most worthy* in what it contains and *most wonderful* in its efficacy.

37. First therefore the Lord's Body is a food *most noble in its kind*, because by the most holy Trinity, in the oven of the virginal womb, it was baked through by the fire of the Holy Spirit, and by the power of that most blessed Trinity this same body was made out of material bread. And this is what is said: *Thou gavest them bread from heaven prepared without labour:* prepared indeed at one time in the virginal womb, but now abiding in heaven and lying hid-

den under the Sacrament. It is therefore most noble, because it has a most noble cause. — It is none the less most noble, because the most noble, namely the Angels, eat that bread without the bran of the Sacrament, which is given to us sinners under the husk of the veil. And on account of this the Holy Spirit, stirring us up to thanksgiving, sets it forth, saying: *Thou didst feed thy people with the food of Angels.*

38. Secondly, the Body of Christ under the figure of manna is a food *most sweet in savour*; for the savour of this bread draws the desires of thousands of Angels, but even in this world its odour stirs up our hearts and daily draws them to the prize and to the full measure of its fulness; whence John the Evangelist: *Thy odour, O Lord, hath stirred up in me eternal longings.* This also is what is said here of the Body of Christ under the figure of manna, that it had *all that is delicious and the sweetness of every taste.*

39. Thirdly, that food is *most worthy in what it contains.* For it contains the whole most holy Trinity; and on account of this it is also called *the vessel of the Trinity.* It contains, I say, by presence and assistance, not by circumscription. For she « is within all things, not enclosed; outside all things, not excluded; above all things, not lifted up; beneath all things, not cast down ». For there is the Son by the incarnation, the Father and the Holy Spirit with him by the indivisible communion of one substance; and on account of this it is said here to the Father: *Thy substance and thy sweetness, which thou hadst towards thy children*, *thou didst show*, as if he said: O thou, Father, thy substance, that is, thy Son — for the Father gives his whole substance to the Son — and thy sweetness, that is, thy Spirit, which thou hadst from eternity, thou showest present in the world to illumined minds under this Sacrament.

40. Fourthly, that food under the figure of manna is *most wonderful in its efficacy*; and on account of this it is said here that *serving every man's will, it was turned to what every man would.* For according to the measure of good will and according to the greatness of life and of holiness is the effect of its profit attained, as blessed Bernard says: « So far as thou shalt have set the foot of confidence upon the Lord's goods, so far shalt thou possess ». — And this is the reason why the Saints came through to the most noble effects of this Sacrament, because upon his goods they set the foot of the highest confidence. And on account of this it is read of blessed Clare that she so feared him lying hidden under the Sacrament as sitting at the right hand of the Father, and because she had the highest confidence towards God, therefore she deserved to hear him existing under the Sacrament speaking with bodily ears. — According therefore as each man meets Christ under this Sacrament, according to that also will Christ show himself to him with the gifts of his grace, namely greatly to the great, moderately to the middling, in small measure to little ones, ill to the evil. For *with the holy* thou *shalt be holy, and with the perverse thou shalt be perverted*; and on account of this it is read of this sacrament: *What could not be destroyed by fire, being warmed with a little ray of the sun, presently melted away*, that is, was made liquid. For this was the matter of the manna, that it was hardened by the heat of fire and melted by the heat of the sun; to signify that he who approaches this Sacrament having in himself the fire of carnal pleasure or of human cupidity deserves to be hardened; for by fire this sacrament was hardened. But he who approaches having the heat of the sun, that is, the fervour of charity, deserves to be made liquid, that is, to be purged by the fire of a more vehement charity; for by the ray of the sun that sacrament melted, that is, by affection it makes the soul liquid, so that it can say that word of the Canticle: *My soul melted when my beloved spoke.* And so there is fulfilled in this Sacrament what was said in figure of the manna, that *being transformed into all things, it served thy grace, the nourisher of all, according to the will of them that had desire of thee.*

41. But it is read that the children of Israel did not come through to the food of the manna unless they had first gone out of Egypt, passed through the Red Sea, entered the desert, and sweet-

ened the water by the wood thrown into it, to signify that he who wishes to come to the most noble effects of this Sacrament which we have spoken of above ought to do four things. For he ought *to go out from the darkness of vices*; he ought *to bring forth worthy fruit of penance*; he ought *to despise everything earthly*; he ought *to turn the bitterness of the cross into delight.* — First therefore he ought *to forsake the darkness of vices*; and this is what is said, that the children of Israel first went out of Egypt, and afterwards came to the tasting of this food. *Egypt* is interpreted darkness. Let him therefore go out from the darkness of vices who hastens to the sweetness of these graces, so that of him may be said that word of the Apostle: *You were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord.* — Secondly he ought *to bring forth worthy fruit of penance*; and this is what is said, that the children of Israel afterwards passed through the Red Sea. For what is signified by the *sea* but the bitterness of penance, in which there is *a great contrition like the sea*, in which sea let the king of Egypt be drowned with his army, that is, the devil with all his array. — Thirdly he ought *to forsake everything earthly*; and this is what is said, that the children of Israel, before they took that food, came into the desert, that is, they forsook everything earthly. And because there are three things by which a man is wont to be bound to the world, namely the love of possession, the pleasure of the flesh and the cupidity of honour, according to that word of the first epistle of John, chapter two: *All that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, or the concupiscence of the eyes, or the pride of life;* therefore Moses said: *We will go three days' journey into the desert*, to signify that by the journey of one day the love of possession is forsaken; by the journey of the second day the pleasure of the flesh is forsaken; by the journey of the third day the cupidity of honour is forsaken. — Fourthly a man ought to turn *the bitterness of his cross into the delight of sweetness*, so that, namely, the bearing of his cross may delight him, which he must needs bear who wishes to save his soul. *For he that taketh not up his cross*, says the Lord, *and followeth me, is not worthy of me.* If therefore thou wilt turn the bitterness of thy cross into the delight of sweetness, have always in thy heart the memory of the Lord's passion. « For he will not feel his own wounds who shall look upon the wounds of Christ », says Bernard. And this is what is read of the children of Israel, that before they came to the sweetest food, they came into Marath to a most bitter drink; and when for its bitterness they could not drink it, the Lord commanded that they should throw into that same drink the wood which prefigured the cross, and so sweeten the bitterness. — *Let them* therefore *give glory to the Lord his mercies* *and his wonderful works to the children of men, for he hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath filled the hungry soul with good things: such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in want and in iron.*

42. If therefore thou feelest thyself *empty*, seek thy filling in this Sacrament under the figure of *fatness*; if thou feelest thyself hungry, seek thy refreshment under the figure of *bread*; if thou feelest thyself blind and sitting in darkness, seek thy illumination in this Sacrament under the figure of *honey*; if thou feelest thyself lying in the shadow of death, seek thy reconciliation in this Sacrament under the figure of *the paschal lamb*; if needy and begging, seek thy enriching in this Sacrament under the figure of *a heavenly treasure*; if thou findest thyself having a heart of iron, seek thy softening in this Sacrament under the figure of *manna.* Which may Jesus Christ, the son of the most blessed Mary, deign to grant us. Amen. — Exᴘʟɪᴄɪᴛ.

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