Volume II, Treatise VIII, Chapter X

That Frequent Communion, Ts a Great Remedy Against All Sorts of Temptations, and that I Helps in a Most Particular Manner to Preserve Chastity

THE saints tell us, that to approach frequently the sacrament of the

altar, is a great remedy against all temptations; because, besides

strengthening the soul, and rendering us more prompt to do the will of God, it weakens also our passions and ill habits; and diminishes the fire of concupiscence, which is the root of all evils. St. Thomas says, that one of the reasons why it delivers us from temptations is, that hell being subdued by the death of our Saviour, and this sacrament being a representation thereof, the devils no sooner perceive his body and’blood in us, but they presently fly from us, and give place to the angels, who assist and accompany ua. St. Ignatius, the martyr, and St. Cyril, for this reason counsel us, to communicate often, thereby to put the devils to flight. For if in the old law, says St. Chrysostom, the blood of the lamb sprinkled on the doors of the houses, had power to deliver those that lived in them, from the sword of the exterminating angel, what power ought not this sacrament have, of which the other was only a figure?

But above all, the saints assure us, that it is a sovereign remedy against the temptations of impurity; “‘ because it allays the motions of concupiscence, deadens the incentive to sin, and extinguishes the heat of sensuality,” just as water extinguishes fire. This is the sense St. Jerom, St. Thomas, and many other saints give to this passage of Zachary, ‘“what is there so beautiful as the bread of the elect, and the wine that makes virgins?” (Zacharias 9:17) It is the property of this bread of angels, say they, to make virgins; and as corporal food, when it is good, produces good blood, and good humours; so this spiritual food produces in us chaste sentiments, and thoughts full of purity. This is the meal, with which Elizeus took away all that bitterness that was in the meat, they had served up to the children of the prophets. St. Cyril’ says, that this heavenly food, not only sanctifies the soul, but even the body also; and it is for this reason, that the church begs of God that the sacrifice of the mass “may conduce to the strength both of body and soul,” and finds its petition entirely granted. As the Cana-nan woman, no sooner touched the garment of our Saviour, but the bloody flux immediately stopped, with which she had been for so long a time before tormented; and as the waters of Jordan immediately stopped as soon as the ark entered into the river; so as soon as our Saviour enters into us, all our temptations are presently appeased, and the fire of concupiscence extinguished. ‘“O happy fruit,” cries out the holy man, “OQ fruit, bringing plenty, and producing virginity!“ (Zacharias 9:17) There is not a better remedy for chastity, says another author, than a good and frequent use of communion. Nicephorus, Calixtus, and Gregory of Tours,. relate 8 wonderful thing that happened at Constantinople, which excellently well declares, that the virtue of this sacrament, extends itself to the body as well as to the soul. The custom of the Greek church, being to consecrate in such kind of bread az we daily eat, the remainder of this bread, after the people had communicated, was given to those children that were fasting, that they might bethe more used to it; and Nicephorus himself testifies, that when he was a child, it was several times given to him.”—(Evag. Eccl. Hist. 1. iv. c. 35.) But it once happened that as they distributed these precious remains to the children that were in the church, a child of a Jew, a glass-maker, presented himself amongst the rest. This having kept him for some time in the church, he returned home later than ordinary, and his father asking him the reason hereof, he said he had been in the church of the Christians, and there had eaten some of the bread which they gave to children. This man fell presently into such a rage and passion with his son, that he immediately cast him into the glass furnace that was lighted, and shut the door of it. His mother, who had been in town, finding that her son had not returned home, and that his delay was much longer than usual, immediately sought everywhere about for him, and after a great deal of pains to no purpose, she returned home in deep desolation and affliction. At the end of three days, not being able to comfort herself for the loss of her child, and being near the door of the glass furnace, weeping, and tearing her hair, and calling upon her son by his name, she was astonished to hear him answer out of the furnace, where he was; she présently runs to open the door, fullof hope and fear, and beholds her son coming from the midst of the flames, without being the least touched by them. She asked him what had preserved him from the fire? He answered, that a lady clad in purple had oftentimes assisted him, extinguishing the fire with water she cast upon it, and bringing him something to eat, as often as he wanted it; all this being told to the emperor Justinian, he caused the child and the mother to be baptized, who both desired to become Christians, and caused the unhappy father, who would never be converted, to be hanged upon a tree as a parricide. But what this holy host, wrought upon the body of this child, preserving it in the midst of the flames, it works also spiritually upon the souls of those that worthily receive it, keeping them whole and entire, amidst the flames of concupiscence, and amidst all sorts of temptations.

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