(As we impregnate plastics and sand into another type of material, so too, can the Creator recombine His own creation into something much more).

Some folks have questioned what is meant by the Body and Blood of Christ. through an analysis of some of the writings of the early Church Fathers, the Church, and others, we hope to provide at least some answers:

Now the consumption is in the same manner of consumption of the atoms splitting from matter and joining with another. We consider it a mystery.(Much like many Khemetian mysteries)

But that might "explain" somewhat. We can forward some sources in which you may conduct a more scholarly examination on the subject, if so disposed.

Below please find some of the thoughts from those on the Western side, but still exemplification nevertheless:

_______________________________________________________ From the Catecheses by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop

"Sacrifice a lamb without blemish," commanded Moses, "and sprinkle its blood on your doors." If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord's blood.

In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master's side.

The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the Holy Eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord's side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.

"There flowed from his side water and blood." Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the Holy Eucharist.

From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, "the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit," and from the holy eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: "Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!"

As God then took a rib from Adam's side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished.

As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life.

_______________________________________________________

From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory.

At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: "My Lord be with you all." Christ answered him: "And with your spirit." He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: "Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.

Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth.

For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God.

The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity."

-------------------------------------------------------_______________________________________________________ >o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>

AIf we wish to understand the power of Christ's blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt.

"Sacrifice a lamb without blemish," commanded Moses, "and sprinkle its blood on your doors."

If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord's blood.

In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master's side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood.

Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy Eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord's side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.

"There flowed from his side water and blood." Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you.

I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, "the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit," and from the holy eucharist.

Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: "Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!"

As God then took a rib from Adam's side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life.@

960. "The Church is a 'communion of saints': this expression refers first to the 'holy things' (sancta), above all the EUCHARIST, by which 'the unity of believers, who form one body in Christ, is both represented and brought about' (LG 3)."

"The EUCHARIST is the center of the life of the particular Church.

1381. "'That in this sacrament are the true BODY OF CHRIST AND his true BLOOD is something that 'cannot be apprehended by the senses,' says St. Thomas, 'but only by faith, which relies on divine authority.' For this reason, in a commentary on Luke 22:19

('This is my BODY which is given for you.'), St. Cyril says: 'Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words OF the Savior in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie.''[ St. Cyril OF Alexandria (ALEXANDRIA AS YOU KNOW, IS IN KHEMET)

1382. "The Mass is at the same time, AND inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice OF the cross is perpetuated AND the sacred banquet OF communion with the Lord's BODY AND BLOOD. But the celebration OF the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union OF the faithful with CHRIST through communion. To receive communion is to receive CHRIST himself who has offered himself for us. "

790. "Believers who respond to God's word and become members of Christ's Body, become intimately united with him: 'In that body the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe, and who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in his Passion and glorification.'[LG 7.] This is especially true of Baptism, which unites us to Christ's death and Resurrection, and the EUCHARIST, by which 'really sharing in the body of the Lord, . . . we are taken up into communion with him and with one another.'[LG 7; cf. Rom 6:4-5 ; 1 Cor 12:13 .]"

1000. "This 'how' exceeds our imagination and understanding; it is accessible only to faith. Yet our participation in the EUCHARIST already gives us a foretaste of Christ's transfiguration of our bodies:

Just as bread that comes from the earth, after God's blessing has been invoked upon it, is no longer ordinary bread, but EUCHARIST, formed of two things, the one earthly and the other heavenly: so too our bodies, which partake of the EUCHARIST, are no longer corruptible, but possess the hope of resurrection.[St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4, 18, 4-5: PG 7/1, 1028-1029.]"

1391. "Holy Communion augments our union with CHRIST. The principal fruit OF receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with CHRIST Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: 'He who eats my flesh AND drinks my BLOOD abides in me, AND I in him.'[Jn 6:56 .] Life in CHRIST has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: 'As the living Father sent me, AND I live because OF the Father, so he who eats me will live because OF me.'[Jn 6:57.]

(Now it must be borne in mind...in the Christian after Christ resurrected He told the apostles he was in His glorified body. Glorified, here, symbolizing "Light". Further the body of Christ is THE CHURCH.

v 1357. "We carry out this command OF the Lord by celebrating the memorial OF his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts OF his creation, bread AND wine which, by the power OF the Holy Spirit AND by the words OF CHRIST, have become the BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. CHRIST is thus really AND mysteriously made present. "

1376.: 'Because CHRIST our Redeemer said that it was truly his BODY that he was offering under the species OF bread, it has always been the conviction OF the Church OF God, AND this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration OF the bread AND wine there takes place a change OF the whole substance OF the bread into the substance OF the BODY OF CHRIST our Lord AND OF the whole substance OF the wine into the substance OF his BLOOD. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly AND properly called transubstantiation.'[Council OF Trent (1551): DS 1642; cf. Mt 26:26 ff.; Mk 14:22 ff.; Lk 22:19 ff.; 1 Cor 11:24 ff.]"

611. "The EUCHARIST that Christ institutes at that moment will be the memorial of his sacrifice.[1 Cor 11:25 .]

1331. "Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to CHRIST, who makes us sharers in his BODY AND BLOOD to form a single BODY.[Cf. 1 Cor 1016-17 .] We also call it: the holy things (ta hagia; sancta)[Apostolic Constitutions 8, 13,12 PG 1,1108; Didache 9, 5; 10:6: SCh: 248,176- 178.] - the first meaning OF the phrase 'communion OF saints' in the Apostles' Creed - the bread OF angels, bread from heaven, medicine OF immortality,[St.Ignatius OF Antioch, Ad Eph. 20, 2 SCh 10, 76.] viaticum...."

1333. "At the heart OF the Eucharistic celebration are the bread AND wine that, by the words OF CHRIST AND the invocation OF the Holy Spirit, become CHRIST's BODY AND BLOOD. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory AND until his glorious return, what he did on the eve OF his Passion: 'He took bread....' 'He took the cup filled with wine....'

The signs OF bread AND wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST; they continue also to signify the goodness OF creation.

Thus in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread AND wine,[Cf. Ps 104:13-15 .] fruit OF the 'work OF human hands,' but above all as 'fruit OF the earth' AND 'OF the vine' - gifts OF the Creator. The Church sees in the gesture OF the king-priest Melchizedek, who 'brought out bread AND wine,' a prefiguring OF her own offering.[Gen 14:18; cf. Roman Missal, EP I (Roman Canon) 95.]"

1350. "The presentation OF the offerings (the Offertory). Then, sometimes in procession, the bread AND wine are brought to the altar; they will be offered by the priest in the name OF CHRIST in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become his BODY AND BLOOD. It is the very action OF CHRIST at the Last Supper - 'taking the bread AND a cup.'

'The Church alone offers this pure oblation to the Creator, when she offers what comes forth from his creation with thanksgiving.'[St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4, 18, 4: PG 7/1, 1027; cf. Mal 1:11 .] The presentation OF the offerings at the altar takes up the gesture OF Melchizedek AND commits the Creator's gifts into the hands OF CHRIST who, in his sacrifice, brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices."

1355. "In the communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer AND the breaking OF the bread, the faithful receive 'the bread OF heaven' AND 'the cup OF salvation,' the BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST who offered himself 'for the life OF the world':[Jn 6:51 .]

Because this bread AND wine have been made Eucharist ('eucharisted,' according to an ancient expression), 'we call this food Eucharist,

AND no one may take part in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness OF sins AND new birth, AND lives in keeping with what CHRIST taught.'[St. Justin, Apol. 1, 66,1-2: PG 6, 428.]"

... That is why Christians pray, above all in the EUCHARIST, to hasten Christ's return by saying to him:[Cf. 1 Cor 11:26 ; 2 Pet 3:11-12 .] Maranatha! 'Our Lord, come!'[1 Cor 16:22 ; Rev 22:17,20.]"

. The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection.

He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the EUCHARIST, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may 'bear much fruit.'[Jn 15:8,16 .]"

766. "The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the EUCHARIST and fulfilled on the cross. 'The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus.'[LG 3; cf. Jn 19:34 .]

'For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.''[SC 5.] As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.[Cf. St. Ambrose, In Luc. 2, 85-89 PL 15,1666-1668.]"

For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In the celebration of the EUCHARIST these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives.'[LG 34; cf. LG 10, 1 Pet 2:5 .]"

948. "The term 'communion OF saints' therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion in holy things (sancta)' AND 'among holy persons (sancti).' Sancta sancti's! ('God's holy gifts for God's holy people') is proclaimed by the celebrant in most Eastern liturgies during the elevation OF the holy Gifts before the distribution OF communion.

The faithful (sancta) are fed by CHRIST's holy BODY AND BLOOD (sancta) to grow in the communion OF the Holy Spirit (koinonia) AND to communicate it to the world."

1105. "The Epiclesis ('invocation upon') is the intercession in which the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the offerings may become the BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST AND that the faithful by receiving them, may themselves become a living offering to God.[Cf. Rom 12:1 .]"

1106. "Together with the anamnesis, the epiclesis is at the heart OF each sacramental celebration, most especially OF the Eucharist:

_______________________________________________________

Let it be enough for you to understand that it is by the Holy Spirit, just as it was OF the Holy Virgin AND by the Holy Spirit that the Lord, through AND in himself, took flesh.[St. John Damascene, De fide orth 4, 13: PG 94, 1145A.] "

From a treatise by Gaudentius of Brescia, bishop, and friend of God.

One man has died for all, and now in every church in the mystery of bread and wine he heals those for whom he is offered in sacrifice, giving life to those who believe and holiness to those who consecrate the offering.

This is the flesh of the Lamb; this is his blood. The bread that came down from heaven declared: The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

It is significant, too, that his blood should be given to us in the form of wine, for his own words in the gospel, I am the true vine, imply clearly enough that whenever wine is offered as a representation of Christ's passion, it is offered as his blood.

This means that it was of Christ that the blessed patriarch Jacob prophesied when he said: He will wash his tunic in wine and his cloak in the blood of the grape. The tunic was our flesh, which Christ was to put on like a garment and which he was to wash in his own blood.

Creator and Lord of all things, whatever their nature, he brought forth bread from the earth and changed it into his own body.

Not only had he the power to do this, but he had promised it; and, as he had changed water into wine, he also changed wine into his own blood. It is the Lord's passover, Scripture tells us, that is, the Lord's passing.

We are no longer to look upon the bread and wine as earthly substances. They have become heavenly, because Christ has passed into them and changed them into his body and blood.

What you receive is the body of him who is the heavenly bread, and the blood of him who is the sacred vine; for when he offered his disciples the consecrated bread and wine, he said: This is my body, this is my blood. We have put our trust in him. I urge you to have faith in him; truth can never deceive.

When Christ told the crowds that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood, they were horrified and began to murmur among themselves: This teaching is too hard; who can be expected to listen to it?

As I have already told you, thoughts such as these must be banished. The Lord himself used heavenly fire to drive them away by going on to declare: It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

From the Catecheses by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop

If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord's blood.

In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master's side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood.

Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord's side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.

"There flowed from his side water and blood." Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolised baptism and the holy eucharist.

From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, "the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit," and from the holy Eucharist.

Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: "Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!"

As God then took a rib from Adam's side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life.

Some folks have questioned what is meant by the Body and Blood of Christ. through an analysis of some of the writings of the early Church Fathers, the Church, and others, we hope to provide at least some answers:

Now the consumption is in the same manner of consumption of the atoms splitting from matter and joining with another. We consider it a mystery.(Much like many Khemetian mysteries) But that might "explain" somewhat. We can forward some sources in which you may conduct a more scholarly examination on the subject, if so disposed.

Below please find some of the thoughts from those on the Western side, but still exemplification nevertheless:

805. "The Church is the Body of Christ. Through the Spirit and his action in the sacraments, above all the EUCHARIST, Christ, who once was dead and is now risen, establishes the community of believers as his own Body. "

960. "The Church is a 'communion of saints': this expression refers first to the 'holy things' (sancta), above all the EUCHARIST, by which 'the unity of believers, who form one body in Christ, is both represented and brought about' (LG 3)."

.... The EUCHARIST is the center of the life of the particular Church.

1382. "The Mass is at the same time, AND inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice OF the cross is perpetuated AND the sacred banquet OF communion with the Lord's BODY AND BLOOD.

But the celebration OF the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union OF the faithful with CHRIST through communion. To receive communion is to receive CHRIST himself who has offered himself for us. "

1106. "Together with the anamnesis, the epiclesis is at the heart of each sacramental celebration, most especially of the EUCHARIST:

You ask how the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine . . . the Blood of Christ I shall tell you: the Holy Spirit comes upon them and accomplishes what surpasses every word and thought . . .

Let it be enough for you to understand that it is by the Holy Spirit, just as it was of the Holy Virgin and by the Holy Spirit that the Lord, through and in himself, took flesh.[St. John Damascene, De fide orth 4, 13: PG 94, 1145A.] "

1357. "We carry out this command OF the Lord by celebrating the memorial OF his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts OF his creation, bread AND wine which, by the power OF the Holy Spirit AND by the words OF CHRIST, have become the BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. CHRIST is thus really AND mysteriously made present. "

1376.: 'Because CHRIST our Redeemer said that it was truly his BODY that he was offering under the species OF bread, it has always been the conviction OF the Church OF God, AND this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration OF the bread AND wine there takes place a change OF the whole substance OF the bread into the substance OF the BODY OF CHRIST our Lord AND OF the whole substance OF the wine into the substance OF his BLOOD.

This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly AND properly called transubstantiation.'[Council OF Trent (1551): DS 1642; cf. Mt 26:26 ff.; Mk 14:22 ff.; Lk 22:19 ff.; 1 Cor 11:24 ff.]"

1331. "Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to CHRIST, who makes us sharers in his BODY AND BLOOD to form a single BODY.[Cf. 1 Cor 1016-17 .]

We also call it: the holy things (ta hagia; sancta)[Apostolic Constitutions 8, 13,12 PG 1,1108; Didache 9, 5; 10:6: SCh: 248,176- 178.] - the first meaning OF the phrase 'communion OF saints' in the Apostles' Creed - the bread OF angels, bread from heaven, medicine OF immortality,[St. Ignatius OF Antioch, Ad Eph. 20, 2 SCh 10, 76.] viaticum...."

1355. "In the communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer AND the breaking OF the bread, the faithful receive 'the bread OF heaven' AND 'the cup OF salvation,' the BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST who offered himself 'for the life OF the world':[Jn 6:51 .]

Because this bread AND wine have been made Eucharist ('eucharisted,' according to an ancient expression), 'we call this food Eucharist, AND no one may take part in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness OF sins AND new birth, AND lives in keeping with what CHRIST taught.'[St. Justin, Apol. 1, 66,1-2: PG 6, 428.]"

... That is why Christians pray, above all in the EUCHARIST, to hasten Christ's return by saying to him:[Cf. 1 Cor 11:26 ; 2 Pet 3:11-12 .] Maranatha! 'Our Lord, come!'[1 Cor 16:22 ; Rev 22:17,20.]"

The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the EUCHARIST, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may 'bear much fruit.'[Jn 15:8,16 .]"

766. "The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the EUCHARIST and fulfilled on the cross.

'The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus.'[LG 3; cf. Jn 19:34 .] 'For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.''[SC 5.]

As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.[Cf. St. Ambrose, In Luc. 2, 85-89 PL 15,1666-1668.]"

For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In the celebration of the EUCHARIST these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives.'[LG 34; cf. LG 10, 1 Pet 2:5 .]"

1323. "'At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice OF his BODY AND BLOOD.

This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice OF the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, AND so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial OF his death AND resurrection: a sacrament OF love, a sign OF unity, a bond OF charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which CHRIST is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, AND a pledge OF future glory is given to us.''[SC 47.]"

Note: Eucharist means "assuming grace" or favor. For those of the liturgical church, it means something more profound, the "Lord's Supper", the "Lord's table", or "Communion".

Take thought now, redeemed man, and consider how great and worthy is he who hangs on the cross for you. His death brings the dead to life, but at his passing heaven and earth are plunged into mourning and hard rocks are split asunder.

It was a divine decree that permitted one of the soldiers to open his sacred side with a lance. This was done so that the Church might be formed from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death on the cross, and so that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'They shall look on him whom they pierced.' The blood and water which poured out at that moment were the price of our salvation.

Flowing from the secret abyss of our Lord's heart as from a fountain, this stream gave the sacraments of the Church the power to confer the life of grace, while for those already living in Christ it became a spring of living water welling up to life everlasting.

Arise, then, beloved of Christ! Imitate the dove 'that nests in a hole in the cliff,' keeping watch at the entrance 'like the sparrow that finds a home.' There like the turtledove hide your little ones, the fruit of your chaste love. Press your lips to the fountain, 'draw water from the wells of your Saviour; for this is the spring flowing out of the middle of paradise, dividing into four rivers,' inundating devout hearts, watering the whole earth and making it fertile.

Run with eager desire to this source of life and light, all you who are vowed to God's service. Come, whoever you may be, and cry out to him with all the strength of your heart.

"O indescribable beauty of the most high God and purest radiance of eternal light! Life that gives all life, light that is the source of every other light, preserving in everlasting splendour the myriad flames that have shone before the throne of your divinity from the dawn of time! Eternal and inaccessible fountain, clear and sweet stream flowing from a hidden spring, unseen by mortal eye!

None can fathom your depths nor survey your boundaries, none can measure your breadth, nothing can sully your purity. From you flows 'the river which gladdens the city of God' and makes us cry out with joy and thanksgiving in hymns of praise to you, for we know by our own experience that 'with you is the source of life, and in your light we see light.'

The bread of Heaven and the cup of salvation On the night he was betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said: "Take, eat: this is my body.

" He took the cup, gave thanks and said: "Take, drink: this is my blood." Since Christ himself has declared the bread to be his body, who can have any further doubt? Since he himself has said quite categorically, This is my blood, who would dare to question it and say that it is not his blood? Therefore, it is with complete assurance that we receive the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ. His body is given to us under the symbol of bread, and his blood is given to us under the symbol of wine, in order to make us by receiving them one body and blood with him. Having his body and blood in our members, we become bearers of Christ and sharers, as Saint Peter says, in the divine nature.

Once, when speaking to the Jews, Christ said: Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you shall have no life in you. This horrified them and they left him. Not understanding his words in a spiritual way, they thought the Saviour wished them to practise cannibalism.

Under the old covenant there was showbread, but it came to an end with the old dispensation to which it belonged. Under the new covenant there is bread from heaven and the cup of salvation. These sanctify both soul and body, the bread being adapted to the sanctification of the body, the Word, to the sanctification of the soul.

Do not, then, regard the eucharistic elements as ordinary bread and wine: they are in fact the body and blood of the Lord, as he himself has declared. Whatever your senses may tell you, be strong in faith.

You have been taught and you are firmly convinced that what looks and tastes like bread and wine is not bread and wine but the body and the blood of Christ.

You know also how David referred to this long ago when he sang: Bread gives strength to man's heart and makes his face shine with the oil of gladness. Strengthen your heart, then, by receiving this bread as spiritual bread, and bring joy to the face of your soul.

May purity of conscience remove the veil from the face of your soul so that be contemplating the glory of the Lord, as in a mirror, you may be transformed from glory to glory in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen

This message is two fold. The first is for those in the the Liturgical Church. Skip, as need be, if the background is not there for understanding.

No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ.

We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Saviour became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.

The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood.

The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time.

When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray. On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward.

The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, "Amen." The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.

The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.

We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world, and because on that same day our saviour Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration.

Moreover, when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered his body to God the Father on the altar of the cross as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed his blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin.

But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us for ever, he left his body as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.

O precious and wonderful banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is set before us as our food.

What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all.

Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion.

It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all his miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.

Christ died for all In your unfathomable mercy you first gave the humble certain pointers to the true Mediator, and then sent him, so that by his example they might learn even a humility like his.

This Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, appeared to stand between mortal sinners and the God who is immortal and just: like us he was mortal, but like God he was just.

Now the wage due to justice is life and peace; and so, through the justice whereby he was one with God, he broke the power of death over malefactors and by that act rendered them just, using that very mortality which he had himself chosen to share with them.

How you loved us, O good Father, who spared not even your only Son, but gave him up for us evil-doers! How you loved us, for whose sake he who deemed it no robbery to be your equal was made subservient even to the point of dying on the cross!

Alone of all, he was free among the dead, for he had power to lay down his life and power to retrieve it.

For our sake he stood to you as both victor and victim, and victor because victim; for us he stood to you as priest and sacrifice, and priest because sacrifice, making us your children instead of your servants by being born of you in order to serve us.

There is good reason for my solid hope in him, because you will heal all my infirmities through him who sits at your right hand and intercedes for us. Were it not so, I should despair; for many and grave are those infirmities, many and grave; but wider-reaching is your healing power.

We might have despaired of ourselves, thinking your Word remote from any conjunction with mankind, had he not become flesh and made his dwelling among us. Filled with terror by my sins and my load of misery, I had been turning over in my mind a plan to flee into solitude; but you forbade me, and strengthened me by your words: To this end Christ died for all, that they who are alive might live not for themselves but for him who died for them.

See, then, Lord: I cast my care upon you so that I may live, and I will contemplate the wonders you have revealed. You know how stupid and weak I am: teach me and heal me. Your only Son, in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, has redeemed me with his blood. Let not the proud disparage me, for I am mindful of my ransom.

I eat it, I drink it, I dispense it to others, and as a poor man I long to be filled with it among those who are fed and feasted. And then, let those who seek him praise the Lord.

Friday, July 20, 2001 [Jesus speaks......] Daughters and sons, hear Me speak to you this day! *I* am the Sacrifice! *I* am the Body! *I* am the Blood! See how your heart comes to Me. I await your arrival with sincerity of heart. How shall you come to Me? How shall our moment be? Who is it that you see?

Do you see My Body? Do you see My Blood.....beyond the image of the bread, the wine? Do you hear the Words pronounced? Do you see, and believe even what you do not see? I am here! I am the Sacrifice Which resolves all things to the Father. It is for you to enter into the Sacrifice with a well-tuned heart.

Come forth in the pure spirit of the moment. DO be marked with My Blood. Be recognized as My Own. Some will look and not understand. Some will develop their own approach. Each time you approach Me be willing to give more and more of self, that I might enter more and more deeply, your dwelling place. I mark you as My Own in Holy Baptism.

Come now, pure in heart, to receive Me as I am: your Sacrificial Lamb.Your Meal of Hope and Love. Your God of Mercy. Keep your eyes focused on Who I am. See Me here. In My Mass. In My Sacrifice. Upon My Altar.Risen up from My Tomb. Your Precious Meal. Your Sacrificial Lord. Your Bridegroom. The Guest of your Soul. Your Lord, your Saviour.

Come to see how I would bring you to Me.....by your own willing approach to This Throne of Grace now in your midst.....My Body.....My Blood. Come and feast at the Table of the Lord. I am the Banquet. I am the Meal. I am your Lord, God of hosts. See and believe! Amen. +

(Ex. 11:10--12:14; Ps. 116:12-13, 15-18; Mt. 12:1-8) This message and all previous messages are archived at the following URL, Using any browser, type in the location: http://www.mfoh.com

DO heed My Word! DO believe in Me! DO intend to relinquish yourself into Me. The sooner, the better. For the Moment is NOW!"

My Heart is pouring forth Mercy for My children. I speak. I pray that you heed Me.

Come Here, closer to My Side. The Way is carved through My Word. I etch Myself in your hearts. And I feed you My Body and My Blood. You must come to be willing to be complete in Me.

For I shall make you whole. The Moment I have chosen for you to be with Me is here and now, as I speak. DO reach out for Me. See how I touch you, through one another!

My Heart is pounding with Love for you, lambs! DO heed My Word! DO believe in Me! DO intend to relinquish yourself into Me. The sooner, the better. For the Moment is NOW!

Let Me hear your sigh of "yes." Let Me see your open heart. Let Me see you. Let Me see you. Let me see you. Be open, now, to My Word. Receive Me, now, in your heart. Receive Me and let ME receive YOU! Amen. Amen. Amen. In Hope, I wait for you. Here and now. Let us begin. Amen. A new line. A new motion. Amen. H

(1 Kings 17:1-6; Ps. 12:1-8; Mt. 5:1-12) p>
Discourse on the body:

by St Maximus the Confessor

A mystery ever new The Word of God, born once in the flesh (such is his kindness and his goodness), is always willing to be born spiritually in those who desire him.

In them he is born as an infant as he fashions himself in them by means of their virtues. He reveals himself to the extent that he knows someone is capable of receiving him.

He diminishes the revelation of his glory not out of selfishness but because he recognises the capacity and resources of those who desire to see him. Yet, in the transcendence of mystery, he always remains invisible to all.

For this reason the apostle Paul, reflecting on the power of the mystery, said: Jesus Christ, yesterday and today: he remains the same for ever. For he understood the mystery as ever new, never growing old through our understanding of it.

Christ is God, for he had given all things their being out of nothing. Yet he is born as man by taking to himself our nature, flesh endowed with intelligent spirit.

A star glitters by day in the East and leads the wise men to the place where the incarnate Word lies, to show that the Word, contained in the Law and the Prophets, surpasses in a mystical way knowledge derived from the senses, and to lead the Gentiles to the full light of knowledge.

For surely the word of the Law and the Prophets when it is understood with faith is like a star which leads those who are called by the power of grace in accordance with his decree to recognise the Word incarnate.

Here is the reason why God became a perfect man, changing nothing of human nature, except to take away sin (which was never natural anyway).

His flesh was set before that voracious, gaping dragon as bait to provoke him: flesh that would be deadly for the dragon, for it would utterly destroy him by the power of the Godhead hidden within it. For human nature, however, his flesh was to be a remedy since the power of the Godhead in it would restore human nature to its original grace.

Just as the devil had poisoned the tree of knowledge and spoiled our nature by its taste, so too, in presuming to devour the Lord's flesh he himself is corrupted and is completely destroyed by the power of the Godhead hidden in it.

The great mystery of the divine incarnation remains a mystery for ever. How can the Word made flesh be essentially the same person that is wholly with the Father?

How can he who is by nature God become by nature wholly man without lacking either nature, neither the divine by which he is God nor the human by which he became man?

Faith alone grasps these mysteries. Faith alone is truly the substance and foundation of all that exceeds knowledge and understanding.

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mys*ti*cal (adjective)

1 a : having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence b : involving or having the nature of an individual's direct subjective communion with God or ultimate reality
2 : MYSTERIOUS, UNINTELLIGIBLE 3 : MYSTIC 2, 3 -- mys*ti*cal*ly (adverb)

From the first apology in defence of the Christians by Saint Justin, martyr

We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Saviour became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.

The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me.

This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood. The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things.

The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time.

When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.

On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, "Amen." The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.

The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.

We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world, and because on that same day our saviour Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration."

From the Philosopher, St Thomas Aquinas " O precious and wonderful banquet! Since it was the will of God's only-begotten Son that men should share in his divinity, he assumed our nature in order that by becoming man he might make men gods.

Moreover, when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered his body to God the Father on the altar of the cross as a sacrifice for our reconciliation.

He shed his blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin.

But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us for ever, he left his body as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.

O precious and wonderful banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is set before us as our food.

What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift.

It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all.

Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion.

It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all his miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.

FROM A MEDITATIONAL SOURCE

"DO heed My Word! DO believe in Me! DO intend to relinquish yourself into Me.

The sooner, the better. For the Moment is NOW!"

My Heart is pouring forth Mercy for My children. I speak. I pray that you heed Me.

Come Here, closer to My Side. The Way is carved through My Word. I etch Myself in your hearts. And I feed you My Body and My Blood. You must come to be willing to be complete in Me.

For I shall make you whole. The Moment I have chosen for you to be with Me is here and now, as I speak. DO reach out for Me. See how I touch you, through one another!

My Heart is pounding with Love for you, lambs! DO heed My Word! DO believe in Me! DO intend to relinquish yourself into Me. The sooner, the better. For the Moment is NOW!

Let Me hear your sigh of "yes." Let Me see your open heart. Let Me see you. Let Me see you. Let me see you. Be open, now, to My Word. Receive Me, now, in your heart. Receive Me and let ME receive YOU!

Amen. Amen. Amen. In Hope, I wait for you. Here and now. Let us begin. Amen. A new line. A new motion. Amen. H

(1 Kings 17:1-6; Ps. 12:1-8; Mt. 5:1-12)

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A mystery ever new The Word of God, born once in the flesh (such is his kindness and his goodness), is always willing to be born spiritually in those who desire him. In them he is born as an infant as he fashions himself in them by means of their virtues. He reveals himself to the extent that he knows someone is capable of receiving him.

He diminishes the revelation of his glory not out of selfishness but because he recognises the capacity and resources of those who desire to see him. Yet, in the transcendence of mystery, he always remains invisible to all.

For this reason the apostle Paul, reflecting on the power of the mystery, said: Jesus Christ, yesterday and today: he remains the same for ever. For he understood the mystery as ever new, never growing old through our understanding of it.

Christ is God, for he had given all things their being out of nothing. Yet he is born as man by taking to himself our nature, flesh endowed with intelligent spirit.

A star glitters by day in the East and leads the wise men to the place where the incarnate Word lies, to show that the Word, contained in the Law and the Prophets, surpasses in a mystical way knowledge derived from the senses, and to lead the Gentiles to the full light of knowledge.

For surely the word of the Law and the Prophets when it is understood with faith is like a star which leads those who are called by the power of grace in accordance with his decree to recognise the Word incarnate.

Here is the reason why God became a perfect man, changing nothing of human nature, except to take away sin (which was never natural anyway). His flesh was set before that voracious, gaping dragon as bait to provoke him: flesh that would be deadly for the dragon, for it would utterly destroy him by the power of the Godhead hidden within it.

For human nature, however, his flesh was to be a remedy since the power of the Godhead in it would restore human nature to its original grace.

Just as the devil had poisoned the tree of knowledge and spoiled our nature by its taste, so too, in presuming to devour the Lord's flesh he himself is corrupted and is completely destroyed by the power of the Godhead hidden in it.

The great mystery of the divine incarnation remains a mystery for ever. How can the Word made flesh be essentially the same person that is wholly with the Father?

How can he who is by nature God become by nature wholly man without lacking either nature, neither the divine by which he is God nor the human by which he became man?

Faith alone grasps these mysteries. Faith alone is truly the substance and foundation of all that exceeds knowledge and understanding.

Saying of the disciple Paul, " I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead".

Therefore, the only thing he really wanted was always to please God. The only thing you should really want is to please God The most important thing of all to you, however, is to know yourself to be loved by Christ.

For God's word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colours, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits him. Within it he has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out.

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food and they drank spiritual drink.

From a commentary on the Diatessaron by Saint Ephrem, deacon God's word is an inexhaustible spring of life Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring.

For God's word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colours, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits him. Within it he has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out.

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food and they drank spiritual drink.

And so whenever anyone discovers some part of the treasure, he should not think that he has exhausted God's word. Instead he should feel that this is all that he was able to find of the wealth contained in it.

Nor should he say that the word is weak and sterile or look down on it simply because this portion was all that he happened to find. But precisely because he could not capture it all he should give thanks for its riches.

Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring.

So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage.

For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on. _______________________________________________________ >o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>

Canticle

The glorious choir of Apostles - The noble ranks of prophets - The shining army of martyrs - all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you. - Father of immeasurable majesty, - True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship, - Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ: - You are the king of glory. - You are the Father's eternal Son. - You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin's womb. - You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you. - You sit at God's right hand, in the glory of the Father. - You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood. Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory. Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance. Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

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