famine into the land, not a famine of bread, or a thirst of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord." [1] And as an incapability of taking food, or, having taken it, of retaining it, is a sure sign of approaching dissolution; so, it is a strong proof of the utter hopelessness of salvation, to reject the word of God, or, hearing it, to be unable to endure it, and to utter against God the blasphemous cry, " Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." [2] Such is the infatuation, such the blindness of those who, disregarding the authority of the Catholic Church, of her legitimate pastors and prelates, and revolting against the spiritual power with which they are invested, have joined the standard of heretics, who corrupt the word of God.
Christ our Lord is, also, the bread of the soul: " I am," says he, " the living bread that came down from heaven." [3] It is incredible with what exquisite pleasure and joy this bread fills devout souls, even when agitated by the rude shocks and afflictions of this life; and of this we have a strong illustration in the holy choir of the Apostles, of whom it is recorded, that " they went out from the presence of the council rejoicing." [4] The lives of the saints are replete with similar examples; and it is of these interior delights, which replenish the souls of the just, that God speaks when he says, " To him that overcometh I will give the hidden manna." [5]
But Christ our Lord, really and substantially present in the ill. sacrament of the Eucharist, is pre-eminently this bread. Of this ineffable pledge of his love, which he bequeathed to us when about to return to his Father, he said, " He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him." [6] " Take ye and eat: THIS is MY BODY." [7] But, for those matters, which Note will serve to instruct the faithful on this subject, the pastor will revert to what we have already said, especially, on this sacrament. The Holy Eucharist is called " our bread," because it is the spiritual food of the faithful only, that is, of those who, uniting charity to faith, cleanse their souls from sin in the sacrament of penance, and, mindful that they are children of God, receive and adore this divine mystery with all the holiness and veneration to which they can excite themselves. [8] It is called " daily" for obvious reasons: it is offered daily to God in the holy sacrifice of the altar, and is given to those who desire to receive it with piety and holiness; and we should, also, receive it daily, or, at least, live in such a manner as to be worthy, as far as human infirmity will allow, to receive it daily. Let him who, on the contrary, is of opinion, that the soul should not partake of this saving banquet but at distant intervals, hear the words of St. Ambrose: " If it is daily bread, why partake of it but once a year?" [9]
