Page:Ninety-nine homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the epistles and gospels for forty-nine Sundays of the Christian year (IA ninetyninehomili00thom).pdf/87



Our Lord Jesus Christ in a threefold manner showed Himself to us in eating. Firstly, sacramentally: S. Matt. xxvi. 26, 27, “Take, eat; this is My Body,” &c. Secondly, spiritually : “For what hast thou designed teeth and stomach? Believe, and thou hast eaten” (S. Austin). Thirdly, eternally: “ There Thou wilt satiate me of thee with a wonderful satiety” (S. Austin). According to this, He made to us a threefold Paschal Feast—(1) bodily; (2) spiritual; (3) eternal. These three mystical Passovers were those which the children of Israel celebrated—the first in the Exodus from Egypt (Ex. xii. 21 et seq.) ; the second in the desert (Numb. ix. 3-5); the third in the land of promise (Jos. v. 10). For the celebrating of the first Passover, in which we eat a Lamb without blemish, sacrified for all, the Apostle in this epistle shows five things to be necessary—(1) That we should be cleansed from carnal concupiscence: “ Purge out, therefore, the old leaven.” The “ old leaven” is carnal concupiscence, which from our first parent begun to corrupt the lump of human nature: 1 Cor. v. 6, “ A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” (2) That we may be cleansed from pride: “ Neither with the leaven of malice.” Malice is another term to express pride, which is the beginning of all malice: Ecclus. x. 15, “ Pride is the beginning of every sin.” (3) That we may be cleansed from an evil covetousness, “ And wickedness.” Covetousness is called wickedness because it desires that which is not; for all love the riches of the world, which they can never obtain : Ecclus. x. 10, “ Nothing is more wicked than to love money.” (4) A cleansing of the heart is necessary, “ But with the unleavened