Sermon 229

SERMO 229

Of the Sacraments of the Faithful

Holy Sunday Easter

We, made the body of Christ, are what we receive.

What you see here, beloved, on the table of the Lord, is bread and wine; but this bread and this wine by the word become the body and blood of the Word. For the Lord, who in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, because of His mercy, by which He did not despise what He created in His own image, the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, as you know; for the Word also assumed man, that is, the soul and flesh of man, and became man, remaining God. Because of this, because He also suffered for us, He entrusted to us in this sacrament His body and blood, which He also made us ourselves. For we too have become His body, and by His mercy, what we receive, we are. Remember what this creature was once in the field, how the earth bore it, the rain nurtured it, brought it to the ear; then human labor carried it to the threshing floor, threshed it, winnowed it, stored it, brought it forth, ground it, wetted it, baked it, and scarcely ever brought it to bread. Remember also yourselves: you were not, and you were created, you were brought to the Lord’s threshing floor, you were threshed by the labors of oxen, that is, by those who announce the Gospel. When you were catechumens, you were kept in the granary. You gave your names; you began to be ground by fasts and exorcisms. Afterward, you came to the water, and you were wetted, and you became one. With the coming fervor of the Holy Spirit, you were baked, and you became the bread of the Lord.

Just as you see that what has been made is one, so you also be one.

Behold what you have received. Even as you see that what has been made is one, so be you one, loving one another, holding one faith, one hope, undivided charity. When heretics receive this, they receive it as testimony against themselves; for they seek division, whereas this bread signifies unity. Likewise, the wine was in many grapes, and now it is in one; it is one in the sweetness of the cup, but after the pressing of the winepress. And you, after those fasts, after labors, after humility and contrition, have now come in the name of Christ as to the cup of the Lord; and there you are at the table, and there you are in the cup. You are this with us: for we take this together, we drink together, for we live together.

The mysteries of the eucharistic sacrifice are explained.

You will hear what you also heard yesterday, but today it is explained to you what you heard, and what you responded, or perhaps when the response was given you remained silent, but what should be responded today you learned yesterday. After the salutation that you know, that is: The Lord be with you, you heard: Lift up your hearts. The whole life of true Christians is: Lift up your hearts; not Christians in name only, but Christians in reality and truth, the whole life is lift up your hearts. What does it mean: Lift up your hearts? Hope in God, not in yourself; for you are below, God is above. If you have hope in yourself, the heart is below, not above. Therefore, when you hear from the priest: Lift up your hearts, you respond: We lift them to the Lord. Strive to respond truly, because you are responding before the acts of God; let it be as you say; let not the tongue speak and the conscience deny. And because this very thing, to have your heart above, is given to you by God, not by your own strength, therefore it follows, when you say you have your hearts above to the Lord, the priest follows and says: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. From where do we give thanks? Because we have our hearts above, and unless He had lifted it, we would lie on the ground. And from there what is done in the holy prayers which you will hear, so that with the added word it becomes the body and blood of Christ. For take away the word, it is bread and wine: add the word, and it is now something else. And what is that something else? The body of Christ, and the blood of Christ. Therefore take away the word, it is bread and wine; add the word, and it will become a sacrament. To this you say: Amen. To say Amen is to subscribe. Amen in Latin means "true". Then the Lord's Prayer is said, which you have already received and returned. Why is it said before receiving the body and blood of Christ? Because, as human frailty is, if perhaps our thought has conceived any inappropriate thing, if the tongue has uttered anything inappropriate, if the eye has looked at anything as it should not, if the ear has heard anything too pleasing that it should not, if perhaps such things have been contracted by the temptation of this world and the frailty of human life, it is cleansed by the Lord's Prayer, where it is said: Forgive us our debts, so that we may approach safely, lest we eat and drink what we receive to our condemnation. After this it is said: Peace be with you. A great sacrament, the kiss of peace; kiss in such a way that you love. Do not be Judas: Judas the traitor kissed Christ with his mouth, while he plotted with his heart. But perhaps someone has an inimical mind against you, and you cannot convince him, admonish him: you are compelled to endure. Do not return evil for evil in your heart; he hates, you love, and you kiss securely. You have heard few things, but great; let them not seem insignificant because of their fewness, but let them be dear by their weight. Also, you are not to be burdened, so that you may retain what has been said.