proper place, to be burned to sacred ashes on the day of ashes in Lent.' "All being now confirmed, the bishop prays over all at once, that God would confirm the grace received, by perfecting it in them. Finally, he bestows upon them the benediction, before which no one of the confirmed may depart, &c. And likewise, all are to be present, at all the ceremonies, from the commencement," &c. CHAPTER XXXVII. TREATISE CONCERNING THE ADORABLE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST. PREFACE. Decree of the Council of Florence for the instruction of the Armenians. "THE third is the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the matter of which is wheaten bread, and wine from the vine, with which, before the consecration, a very small quantity of water should be mixed. But water is thus mixed, since it is believed that the Lord himself instituted this sacrament in wine mixed with water: besides because this agrees with the representation of our Lord's passion: because it is recorded that blood and water flowed forth from the side of Christ: and also because this is proper to signify the effect of this sacrament, which is the union of Christian people with Christ: for water signifies the people, according to Revel. xvii. 15. And he said to me, the waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and nations, and tongues. 66 The form of this sacrament are the words of the Saviour, by which this sacrament is performed: for the priest, speaking in the person of Christ, performs this sacrament: for by virtue of the words themselves, the substance of the bread is converted into the body, and the substance of the wine into the blood, of Christ; yet so that Christ is contained entire under the form of bread, and entire under the form of wine: Christ is entire also under every part of the consecrated host, and of the consecrated wine, after a separation has been made. The effect of this sacrament which it produces in the soul of a worthy partaker, is the union of the person to Christ," &c. Canons of the Council of Trent concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. “1. Whoever shall deny that in the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist are contained truly, really, and substantially the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore the entire Christ; but shall say that he is in it only as in a sign, or figure, or virtue; let him be accursed! "2. Whoever shall say that in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of bread and wine remains together with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; and shall deny that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the blood, only the forms of bread and wine remaining: which conversion indeed, the Catholic Church most aptly calls transubstantiation; let him be accursed! "3. Whoever shall deny that in the adorable sacrament of the Eucharist, the entire Christ is contained under each kind and under the single parts of each kind, when a separation is made; let him be accursed! "4. Whoever shall say that the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are not present in the admirable Eucharist so soon as the consecration is performed, but only in the use when it is received, and neither before nor after; and that the true body of our Lord does not remain in the hosts, or consecrated morsels, which are reserved or left after the communion; let him be accursed! "5. Whoever shall say either that remission of sins is the principal fruit of the most holy Eucharist, or that no other effects proceed from it; let him be accursed! "6. Whoever shall affirm that in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ the only-begotten Son of God, is not to be adored even with the external worship of latria; and therefore that the Eucharist is to be honoured neither with peculiar festive celebration, nor to be solemnly carried about in processions according to the laudable and universal rite and custom of the Church, or that it is not to be held up publicly before the people that it may be adored, and that its worshippers are idolaters; let him be accursed! "7. Whoever shall say that it is not lawful that the holy Eucharist be reserved in the sacristy, but that it must necessarily be distributed to those who are present immediately after the consecration; or that it is not proper that it be carried in procession to the sick; let him be accursed! "8. Whoever shall say that Christ as exhibited in the Eucharist, is eaten only spiritually, and not also sacramentally and really; let him be accursed! "9. Whoever shall deny that each and every one of Christ's faithful of both sexes, when they have attained to years of discretion, are obliged at least once every year, at Easter, to commune according to the precept of holy mother Church; let him be accursed! 10. Whoever shall say that it is not lawful for the officiating priest to administer the communion to himself; let him be accursed! "11. Whoever shall affirm that faith alone is a sufficient preparation for taking the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist; let him be accursed! And lest so great a sacrament be taken unworthily, and therefore to death and condemnation, the said holy synod doth decree and declare, that sacramental confession must necessarily precede in the case of those whom conscience accuses of mortal sin, if a confessor is at hand, however contrite they may suppose themselves to be. But if any one shall presume to teach, preach, or pertinaciously assert, or in publicly disputing, to defend the contrary, let him by this very act be excommunicated." Canons of the same Council concerning the communion of children, and in both kinds. "1. Whoever shall say that each and every one of Christ's faithful ought to take both kinds of the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, by the command of God, or because necessary to salvation; let him be accursed! “2. Whoever shall say that the holy Catholic Church has not been induced by just causes and reasons, to administer the communion to the laity, and also to the clergy not officiating, only under the form of bread; or that she has erred in this; let him be accursed! "3. Whoever shall deny that the whole and entire Christ, the fountain and author of all graces, is received under the one form of bread, because as some falsely assert, he is not received under both kinds, according to the institution of Christ; let him be accursed! "4. Whoever shall say that the communion of the Eucharist is necessary for little children before they have attained to years of discretion; let him be accursed!" &c. As this Sacrament has reference to the present, past, and future, its names are applied with reference to these relations. In respect to the past, inasmuch as it is commemorative of the Lord's passion, it is called a sacrifice, also the host. As it signifies something present, or is a demonstrative sign of the ecclesiastical unity by which we are specially united to Christ, it is called the communion. Inasmuch as it designates something future, or is a prognostic sign of the enjoyment of God in the heavenly country, it is called the viaticum; because here he affords us a way of arriving there and so also it is called the eucharist, that is good grace or because it really contains Christ, who is the fountain of grace or also according to others, because Christ in the institution of this sacrament gave thanks and is still daily offered in giving thanks to God. It is also called bread, generally with the addition of eternal life, of angels, &c.; or the body of Christ, the body of the Lord; also, the sacred feast, the table of the Lord: "the supper, because it was instituted in the last supper: but because the heretics abuse this name that they may persuade that the sacrament consists in the use or the act of supping, and that fasting may not be enjoined at its reception, therefore, this name is to be seldom used." (No. 1.) 66 The sacrament of the Eucharist is usually defined; a sacrament instituted by Christ the Lord, which under the consecrated forms of bread and wine, contains the body and blood of Christ, for the spiritual refreshment of man." It differs from the other sacraments, principally in two respects: "1. Because it consists in a permanent thing, the other sacraments being only a transient action. And "2. Because the Eucharist contains Christ himself, the author of all holiness, and the fountain of all grace, truly, really, and substantially; but the other sacraments have only a certain instrumental virtue imparted by Christ. hence this sacrament is far more important than the rest, is called by more distinguished names, and is termed antonomastically the sacrament." (No. 3.) The matter to be consecrated should be morally so present that it may be perceptibly designated by the pronoun hoc and hic and this is requisite for the validity of the con secration, the demonstrative words of which would otherwise not be verified. Hence we may infer that matter placed behind the priest's back, a host lying under a napkin, under the bottom of the cup, is not consecrated in a valid manner. It is not necessary, however, that the matter be seen or touched, or that it should be, as it were, struck by the sound of the words, but it is sufficient that it is demonstrable by the pronoun hoc and hic, (this,) either in itself or in something else which contains it. Thus, hosts lying in a heap one on top of the other are duly consecrated, or if they are shut up in a case or pixis; according to the rubrics however, the pixis containing the hosts to be consecrated, ought to be open when the ceremony is performed. The practice of some unmannerly priests, who put their mouth too near, and as it were breathe upon the cup and the bread, is reproved; the rubrics prescribe merely that in the consecration, the priest stand with his head bowed, and that he pronounce the words distinctly, secretly, and reverently. "Should any priest having before him eleven hosts intend to consecrate only ten, not determining which ten were meant, the consecration is invalid. Not so, however, if thinking there were but ten, he wished to consecrate all which he had before him:-and therefore, every priest ought always to have the intention of consecrating all the hosts which he has before him. On account of this intention, if the priest without knowing it has in his hands two greater hosts, they are both consecrated, and in such a case the Roman missal prescribes that both must be taken. Hosts placed upon the altar altogether without the knowledge of the priest are not consecrated for the will is not exercised on any thing unknown. The case is different however if the priest himself, or any one else by his direction, or with his observation, has brought them to the altar to be consecrated: although at the time of consecration he may not have thought of them: because the virtual intention remains: only at the time of consecration the hosts should be placed in such a way and place as that in which hosts are usually deposited, which are to be consecrated. When the cup has been consecrated, the drops of wine adhering to the outside of the cup, are not consecrated, supposing that the ordinary intention has been afforded and hence such drops may without scruple be : : |