The Bread of Life, or, St. Thomas Aquinas on the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar

by Thomas Aquinas

Publisher:

Burns and Oates

, 1879

Overview

Divided into seven parts, The Bread of Life consists of 30 meditations on the Blessed Sacrament. Henry Augustus Rawes has translated the original Latin into English and provided summaries for each meditation in the table of contents.

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Key Features

• Offers 30 meditations on the Blessed Sacrament by Thomas Aquinas
• Includes a summary of each meditation by the translator
• Provides insight into the Middle Ages

Contents

Top Highlights

“There are three signs of His love to keep His memory fresh in our hearts: 1, the forgiveness of our sins; 2, the redemption of those in bondage; 3, the ceaselessness of His kindness.” (Page 2)

“When our Lord says, ‘Do this in remembrance of Me,’ we have the first reason, namely, that we may not forget our Saviour. When He says, ‘which is given for you,’ He tells us of the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, and thus the Sacrifice of the Altar is offered against our robbery. When He says, ‘Take and eat,’ He tells us of the Food that is the medicine against corruption.” (Page 2)

“To show the greatness of this Sacrifice, we mark three reasons for changing the ancient sacrifice: 1, the power of the Author of our Sacrifice; 2, the greatness of our debt; 3, the insufficiency of the sacrifices of the law.” (Page 3)

“There is the food of man: and this is the medicinal Food against the corruptions of the death-bringing apple. Now this corruption, brought by Adam and Eve on the human race, was so deep-seated that it would have been incurable but for that wondrous medicine which only the wisdom of God could make. St. Ambrose says, ‘The Body of Christ is that spiritual medicine which, tasted with reverence, purifies those that are devoted to it.’” (Pages 3–4)

“This Body, the fruit of the tree of life, is powerful to save us from hell and bring us to Heaven. St. Hilary says, ‘When we have eaten the Flesh of the Lord and drunk His Blood, then we are in Him and He in us. Christ dwelling by His Flesh in our bodies is the cause of our life, for He truly is life. We shall live by Him, as He lives by the Father, who is in Him.’” (Page 4)

Product Details

• Title: The Bread of Life, or, St. Thomas Aquinas on the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar
• Author: Thomas Aquinas
• Translator: Henry Augustus Rawes
• Publisher: Burns & Oates
• Publication Date: 1879
• Pages: 303
• Christian Group: Catholic
• Resource Type: Topical
• Topic: Medieval Church

About Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas (1225–7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church. An immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, he is also known within the latter as the Doctor Angelicus and the Doctor Communis. He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology and he argued that reason is found in God. His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy developed or opposed his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory.

Unlike many currents in the Church of the time, Aquinas embraced the philosophy of Aristotle—whom he called “the Philosopher”—and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity.

His best-known works are the Disputed Questions on Truth (1256–1259), the Summa contra Gentiles (1259–1265), and the unfinished but massively influential Summa Theologica (1265–1274). His commentaries on Scripture and on Aristotle also form an important part of his body of work. Furthermore, Thomas is distinguished for his eucharistic hymns, which form a part of the Church’s liturgy. The Catholic Church honors Thomas Aquinas as a saint and regards him as the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood, and indeed the highest expression of both natural reason and speculative theology. In modern times, under papal directives, the study of his works was long used as a core of the required program of study for those seeking ordination as priests or deacons, as well as for those in religious formation and for other students of the sacred disciplines (philosophy, Catholic theology, church history, liturgy, and canon law).

Thomas Aquinas is considered one of the Catholic Church’s greatest theologians and philosophers. Pope Benedict XV declared: “This (Dominican) Order . . . acquired new luster when the Church declared the teaching of Thomas to be her own and that Doctor, honored with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the master and patron of Catholic schools.”