Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/580

 Jesus, seeing  this,  addressed  His  apostles: “Will  you  also go away?”  Peter  answered  in  the  name  of  all:  “Lord,  to  whom shall we  go? Thou hast  the  words  of  eternal  life. We have believed and  have  known  that  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of God.”

The promises  made  by  our  Lord  in  this  discourse.  He  promised  to give  us  a food,  the  effects  of  which  would  not  be  passing,  but  would endure for  ever. This Food  is  Himself:  He  is  the  living  and  life-giving  Food  which  came  down  from  heaven. He promised  to  give His Flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world,  and  to  offer  this  His  Flesh  to  be our  Food. When the  Jews  were  scandalized  at  the  idea  of  His  giving His Flesh  to  be  eaten,  He  did  not  say  to  them:  “You  have  misunderstood Me.”  On  the  contrary,  He  reaffirmed  the  very  thing  which had scandalized  them,  and  asserted  repeatedly  that  His  Flesh  was  meat indeed and  His  Blood  drink  indeed,  and  that  those  only  will  have  life who eat  His  Flesh  and  drink  His  Blood; though,  at  the  same  time,  He signified  that  the  Flesh  which  He  would  give  to  be  our  Food  was  His glorified Body. When many  of  His  disciples  were  still  offended  at  the idea of  His  giving  His  Flesh  to  eat,  and  refused  to  believe  His  words, our Lord  preferred  to  let  them  go,  rather  than  retract  or  explain  away one syllable  of  the  words  He  had  spoken. It is  therefore  undeniably true that  our  Lord  promised  to  give  His  Body,  His  Flesh  and  Blood, to be  the  Food  of  His  servants. Our Lord  gave  this  promise  at  the time of  the  third  Pasch,  kept  during  His  public  life,  and  He  fulfilled it a year  later  when,  at  the  Last  Supper,  He  instituted  the  most  holy Sacrament of  the  Altar.

Our Lord  is  entirely  present  in  the  most  holy  Sacrament,  under the form  of  bread,  for  He  says:  1. “I (Myself)  am  the  living  bread”; 2. “he  that  eateth  Me”,  and  therefore  he  who  eats  His  Flesh  eats  Him; 3. “I  abide  in  him”  (namely  in  him  who  eats  My  Flesh);  4. “the flesh