SECTION 4 



THE HOLY EUCHARIST 



The Holy Eucharist is entitled to an important 

 place in Moral Theology because it has been insti- 

 tuted as the spiritual food of the soul, as a means 

 to avoid everyday sins, and as a pledge of eternal 

 glory. 1 Christ instituted this Sacrament for 

 the twofold purpose of transforming and en- 

 nobling human nature, and enabling men to ad- 

 vance on the way to righteousness and become 

 intimately united with God. As Communion 

 the Holy Eucharist is both the efficient cause 

 and sign of a real and mystic union with Jesus 

 Christ 2 — "the sacrament of ecclesiastical unity, 

 which is brought about by many being one in 

 Christ." 3 "From the Eucharist the martyrs 



1 John VI, SO sqq.— St. Ignatius 2 Cfr. John VI, 54! I Cor. X, 

 (Ep. ad Ephes., 20, 2) calls the 16 sq. — Pohle-Preuss, The Sacra- 

 Holy Eucharist "the medicine of merits, Vol. II, 2nd ed., pp. 218 

 immortality, the antidote that we sqq.; M. Heimbucher, Die Wirkung 

 should not die, but live forever in der hi. Kommunion, Ratisbon 1884. 

 Christ." (Funk, Patres Apost., 3 "Sacr amentum unitatis ecclesia- 

 Vol. I, 2nd ed., p. 230). — Rit. Rom., sticae, quae attenditur secundum hoc, 

 De S. Euch. Sacr., tit. 4, c. 2, n. 6: quod multi sunt unum in Christo." 

 "O sacrum convivium, in quo (St. Thomas, Summa TheoL, 3a, 

 Christus sumitur, recolitur memoria qu. 82, art. 2, ad 2). — St. Augustine 

 passionis eius, mens impletur gra- exclaims: "O sacramentum pietatis! 

 tia et futurae gloriae nobis pignus O signum unitatis! O vinculum cari- 

 datur." tatis!" (Tr. in Ioa., 26, n. 13). 



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