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Eucharistic
Theory, Practice and Devotion |
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VI Sacramental
Devotion Of all the literature of the Devotio Moderna,
nothing else even comes close to the devotional language of the Imitation,
which, as I mentioned before, is a distillation of the thoughts,
practices, and writings of many of the Brethren, including the founder,
Gerhard Groote. The remainder of this study will consist of topics and
devotional quotes from the The Fourth Book of the Sacrament of the
Altar from The Imitation of Christ;[2]
this is what I have been aiming for all along. Since text without context
is of very limited value, the reader should now have sufficient background
to get the most from the concluding pages. Enjoy. Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will refresh you, (saith the Lord). The bread that I will give is My flesh
which I give for the light of the world.
Take, eat: this is My Body, which is given for you; this do in
remembrance of Me. He that
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in me and I in him. The
words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. (349) The
Condition of Communicants Very often I am confounded in myself and blush for shame,
that I approach Thine altar and table of Holy Communion so carelessly and
coldly, that I remain so dry and without affection, that I am not wholly
kindled with love before Thee, my God, nor so vehemently drawn or affected
as many devout persons have been, who out of their very earnest desire of
the Communion, and tender affection of heart, could not refrain from
weeping, but as it were with mouth of heart and body alike panted inwardly
after Thee, having no power to appease or satiate their hunger, save by
receiving Thy Body with all joyfulness and spiritual eagerness. (373) On
the Desire of the Virgin Mary O Lord my God, my Creator and Reedemer [sic]! with such
affection, reverence, praise, and honour, with such gratitude, worthiness,
and love, with such faith, hope, and purity do I desire to receive Thee
this day, as Thy most blessed Mother, the glorious Virgin Mary, received
and desired Thee, when she humbly and devoutly answered the Angel who
brought unto her the glad tidings of the mystery of the Incarnation! (377) Distraction How short a time do I spend when I am disposing myself to
Communion. Rarely altogether
collected, most rarely cleansed from all distraction. And surely in the
saving presence of Thy Godhead no unmeet thought ought to intrude, nor
should any creature take possession of me.(351)
Beware of much speaking; remain in a secret place, and hold
communion with thy God; for thou has Him whom the whole world cannot take
away from thee.(371). Substance Thou art present altogether, My God, [in] the man Christ
Jesus. But to this no levity
draweth, no curiosity, nor sensuality, only steadfast faith, devout hope,
and sincere charity.(352) Surely
in Thy presence and in the presence of the Holy Angels my whole heart
ought to burn and weep with joy; for I have Thee in the Sacrament verily
present, although hidden under other form.(367) Benefit Spiritual grace and lost virtue is regained in the soul,
and the beauty which was disfigured by sin returneth again.(352)
The Disciple: I confess that I need two things, even food
and light: Thy sacred Body and Blood.(368) The Beloved: Thou
comest that thou mayest be sanctified by Me, and be united to Me; that
thou mayest receive fresh grace, and be kindled anew to amendment of life.
(371) This man in receiving the Holy Eucharist obtaineth the great grace
of Holy Union (375). Universality For if this most holy Sacrament were celebrated in one
place only, and were consecrated only by one priest in the whole world,
with what great desire would men be affected towards that place and
towards such a priest of God, that they might behold the divine mysteries
celebrated? But now are many
men made priests and in many places the Sacrament is celebrated, that the
grace and love of God towards men might the more appear, the more widely
the Communion is spread abroad over the whole world. (352-353) Priesthood
and Holiness The Beloved:
Priests only, rightly ordained in the Church, have the power of
consecrating and celebrating the Body of Christ.
The priest indeed is the minister of God, using the Word of God by
God's command and institution. Take heed and see what is committed to
[you, priest,] by the laying on of the Bishop's hand. Thou art bound with
a straiter [sic] bond of discipline, and art pledged to a higher degree of
holiness. (359) When the
priest celebrateth, he honoreth God, giveth joy to the Angels, buildeth up
the Church, helpeth the living, hath communion with the departed, and
maketh himself a partaker of all good things. (360) Oh how clean ought
those hands be [of the priest], how pure the mouth, how holy the body, how
unspotted the heart, to whom so often the Author of purity entereth in! To
priests it is especially said in the Law, "Be ye holy, for I, the
Lord your God, am holy." (369) The
Negative Way Thou knowest Thy servant, and Thou knowest that he hath
in him no good thing. Thou
dost this for Thine own sake, not for my merits, that Thy goodness might
me more manifest unto me. (353) I despise myself, and cast myself down
before Thee into the deep of my vileness. (353)
I indeed labor in the sweat of my face, I am tormented with sorrow
of heart, I am burdened with sins, I am disquieted with temptations, I am
entangled and oppressed with many passions, and there is none to help me,
there is none to deliver and ease me, but thou, O Lord God, my Savior.
(359) Propitiation
for Sin The Beloved:
As I of my own will offered myself unto God the Father on the Cross for
Thy sins with outstretched hands and naked body, so that nothing remained
in me that did not become altogether a sacrifice for the Divine
propitiation (or, appeasement). (362) Confessional
Prayer Lord, I lay before thee at this celebration all my sins
and offenses which I have committed before Thee and Thy Holy Angels, from
the day whereon I was first able to sin even unto this hour; that Thou
mayest consume them every one with the fire of Thy charity, and Thou
mayest do away all the stains of my sins, and cleanse my conscience from
all offense, and restore me to Thy favor which by sinning I have lost,
fully forgiving me all, and mercifully admitting me to the kiss of peace.
(363) [After this comes the petitions, or blessings for those who
have done good to the author, and the forgiveness of others.]
Exorcism The Beloved:
The enemy, knowing what profit and exceeding strong remedy lieth in the
Holy Communion, striveth by all means and occasions to draw back and
hinder the faithful and devout, so far as he can. For when some set about
to prepare themselves for the Holy Communion, they suffer from the more
evil suggestions of Satan. His
delusions must be cast back on his own head.
The wretch must be despised and laughed to scorn. (365) Good
Health Preserve my heart and body undefiled, that with a joyful
and pure conscience I may be able very often to receive to my perpetual
health (355). For this most high and most glorious Sacrament is the health
of the soul and the body, the medicine of all spiritual sickness, whereby
I am healed of my sins, my passions are bridled, temptations are conquered
or weakened, more grace is poured into me, virtue begun is increased,
faith is made firm, hope is strengthened, and charity is enkindled and
enlarged. (357) Preparation Necessary indeed it is for me, who so often slide
backwards and sin, so quickly wax cold and faint, to renew, cleanse, and
rekindle myself by frequent prayers and penitences and receiving of Thy
sacred Body and Blood lest haply by too long abstinence, I fall short of
my holy resolutions. (356) One
Must Not Be a Curious Searcher of the Sacrament! Thou must take heed of curious and useless searchings
into the most profound Sacrament, if thou wilt not be plunged into an
abyss of doubt. God is able to do more than man can understand. A pious
and humble search after truth is to be allowed, when it is always ready to
be taught, and striving to walk after the wholesome opinions of the
fathers. But many have lost devotion whilst they sought to search into
deeper things. Faith is required of thee, and a sincere life, not loftiness
of intellect, nor deepness in the mysteries of God. Dispute not with thine
own thoughts, nor make answer to the doubts which are cast into thee by
the devil; but believe the words of God, believe His Saints and Prophets,
and the wicked enemy shall flee from thee. (378) God walketh with the
simple, revealeth Himself to the humble, giveth understanding to babes,
openeth the sense to pure minds, and hideth grace from the curious and
proud. All reason and natural investigation ought to follow faith,
not to precede, nor to break it. (379) May
the Lord bless us as we endeavor to imitate him! Bibliography Axters,
Stephanus. The
Spirituality of the Old Low Countries. Trans. Donald Attwater. London:
Blackfriars, 1954. Belford,
William J. Special
Ministers of the Eucharist. New
York: Pueblo Publishing Co., 1978. Bettenson,
Henry. Documents of the Christian Church. Second Ed. London: Oxford
University Press, 1963. Camp,
John. The Healer's Art:
The Doctor Through History. New York: Taplinger Publishing Co., 1977. Clark,
James M. The Great German Mystics. New York: Russel and Russell,
1970. Cox,
Michael. Handbook of
Christian Spirituality. New
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Moderna: Basic Writing.
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à Kempis. The Imitation of Christ.
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Evelyn. The Mystics of the
Church. London: James
Clarke, 1964. Walker, Williston, Richard A. Norris, David W. Lotz, and Robert T. Handy. The History of the Christian Church. Fourth ed. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1985. |