Words of St. Ambrose regarding the Eucharist

From the treatise On the Mysteries by Saint Ambrose, bishop
To the newly baptized on the Eucharist

 

Fresh from the waters and resplendent in these garments, God’s holy people hasten to the altar of Christ, saying: I will go in to the altar of God, to God who gives joy to my youth. They have sloughed off the old skin of error, their youth renewed like an eagle’s, and they make haste to approach that heavenly banquet. They come and, seeing the sacred altar prepared, cry out: You have prepared a table in my sight. David puts these words into their mouths: The Lord is my shepherd and nothing will be lacking to me. He has set me down there in a place of pasture. He has brought me beside refreshing water. Further on, we read: For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I shall not be afraid of evils, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff have given me comfort. You have prepared in my sight a table against those who afflict me. You have made my head rich in oil, and your cup, which exhilarates, how excellent it is.

 

 

 

It is wonderful that God rained manna on our fathers and they were fed with daily food from heaven. And so it is written: Man ate the bread of angels. Yet those who ate that bread all died in the desert.

 

 

 

 

But the food that you receive, that living bread which came down from heaven, supplies the very substance of eternal life, and whoever will eat it will never die, for it is the body of Christ.

 

Consider now which is the more excellent: the bread of angels or the flesh of Christ, which is indeed the body that gives life. The first was manna from heaven, the second is above the heavens. One was of heaven, the other is of the Lord of the heavens; one subject to corruption if it was kept till the morrow, the other free from all corruption, for if anyone tastes of it with reverence he will be incapable of corruption. For our fathers, water flowed from the rock; for you, blood flows from Christ. Water satisfied their thirst for a time; blood cleanses you for ever. The Jew drinks and still thirsts, but when you drink you will be incapable of thirst. What happened in symbol is now fulfilled in reality.

 

 

 

If what you marvel at is a shadow, how great is the reality whose very shadow you marvel at. Listen to this, which shows that what happened in the time of our fathers was but a shadow.

 

 

 

They drank, it is written,

from the rock that followed them,

and the rock was Christ.

All this took place as a symbol for us.

 

You know now what is more excellent:

light is preferable to its shadow,

reality to its symbol,

the body of the Giver

to the manna he gave from heaven.

Christ dwells in our hearts by faith - St. Cajetan

From a letter by Saint Cajetan, priest

Christ dwells in our hearts by faith

"I am a sinner and do not think much of myself; I have recourse to the greatest servants of the Lord, that they may pray for you to the Blessed Christ and his Mother.   

But do not forget that all the saints 

can not endear you to Christ 

as much as you can yourself.   

It is entirely up to you.   

If you want Christ to love you and help you, you must love Him and always make an effort to please Him.  

Do not waver in your purpose, because even if all the saints and every single creature should abandon you, 

He will always be near you, whatever your needs.

You know, of course, that we are pilgrims in this world, on a journey to our true home in heaven. 

  

The man who becomes proud

 loses his way and rushes to death.   

St. Cajetan

While living here we should strive to gain eternal life.  Yet of ourselves we cannot achieve this since we have lost it through sin; but Jesus Christ has recovered it for us.  For this reason we must always be grateful to him and love him.  We must always obey him, and as far as possible remain united with him.

He has offered himself 
to be our food.  

 How wretched is the man 

who knows nothing of such a gift!   

To us has been given the opportunity to receive Christ, son of the Virgin Mary, and we refuse him.  Woe to the man who does not care enough to receive him.  

My daughter, I want what is good  for myself; I beg the same for you.  Now there is no other way to bring this about than to ask the Virgin Mary constantly to come to you with her glorious Son.  Be bold!  

Ask her to give you her Son, 

Who in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar 

is truly the Food of Your Soul.   

Readily will she give Him to you, still more readily will He come to you, giving you the strength to make your way fearlessly through this dark wood. 

 In it large numbers of our enemies lie in wait, 

but they cannot reach us 

if they see us relying on such powerful help.

Nor, my child, must you receive Jesus Christ simply as a means to further your own plans; I want you to surrender to Him, that He may welcome you and, as your Divine Savior, do to you and in your whatever He wills.  This is what I want, this is what I beg of you, this, as far as I can, is what I compel you to do."

Taken from The Liturgy of the Hours, According to the Roman Rite, Catholic Book Publishing Corp. New York, 1975