Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/680

 of His  love. He therefore  took  bread in  His  holy  and  venerable Hands, and,  raising  His  Eyes  to  heaven,  He  blessed  the  bread, broke it,  and  gave  it  to  His  apostles,  saying:  “Take  ye  and  eat; this is  My  Body,  which  is  given  for  you;  do  this  for  a commemoration of  Me.”  In  like  manner,  taking  the  chalice,  He gave  thanks,  and  blessed  it,  saying:  “Drink  ye  all of  this. For this is  My  Blood  of  the  New  Testament,  which  shall  be  shed  for many, for  the  remission  of  sins.”

The Real  Presence  of  our  Lord  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament. A year before (as  you  learnt  in  chapter  XXXIV),  our  Lord  had  promised  to give  to  His  disciples  His  Flesh  to  eat  and  His  Blood  to  drink; and  now, at the  Last  Supper,  He  fulfilled  His  promise. By His  almighty  and efficacious words:  “'This  is  My  Body;  this  is  My  Blood”,  Jesus  changed the bread  into  His  Body,  and  the  wine  into  His  Blood,  and  gave  them to be  partaken  of  by  His  apostles. The appearances,  the  shape,  colour, taste &amp;c.,  of  the  bread  and  wine  remained,  therefore  our  Lord  gave His Body  and  Blood  to  be  received  by  the  apostles  under  the  form of bread  and  wine. The apostles  neither  doubted  nor  questioned  His words, for  the  promise  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  made  a year  before as well  as  the  preceding  promise  that  “He  would  eat  the  Paschal  lamb new in  His  kingdom”,  had  already  prepared  them  for  the  mystery. As Jesus solemnly  took  bread,  raised  His  Eyes  to  heaven  &amp;c.,  they  said within themselves:  “Now  the  Master  is  going  to  perform  that  which He promised  to  do,  a year  ago  in  the  synagogue  at  Caphamaum.”  By