A Sermon to the Newly Baptized
This which you see on God's altar you saw last night also; but you have not yet heard what it was, what it meant, of how great a thing it contains, the sacrament. Accordingly, what you see, what indeed your eyes declare unto you, is bread and a cup. But what your faith demands to be instructed about is that the bread is the body of Christ, the cup, the blood of Christ. This is a brief way of saying, perhaps, what is sufficient for faith; but faith desires instruction. For the prophet says, "Unless you believe you will not understand." But then you may tell me, "You have taught us so that we believe; explain so that we may understand."
Indeed, some such thought as this may arise in someone's mind: "Our Lord Jesus Christ - we know whence He received flesh, namely, from the Virgin Mary. As a babe He was suckled, He was nursed, He grew, He came to young man, He suffered persecution from the Jews, He was hung on a tree, He was slain on a tree, He was taken down from the tree, He was buried, on the third day, when He willed, He rose again, He ascended into heaven whither he lifted up His body; thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead; there He is now, sitting at the right hand of the Father. How then is the bread His body? And the cup, or rather what the cup contains, how is it His blood?
These things, brethren, are called sacraments for this reason, namely, that in them one thing is seen, another thing is understood. What is seen has an outward, bodily form; what is understood has a spiritual fruit. Hence if you wish to understand 'body of Christ,' listen to the Apostle, speaking to the faithful: Now you are the body of Christ, and members. If then you are the body and members ˚of Christ, your mystery is placed on the Lord's Table, you receive your mystery. To that which you are, you reply, "Amen," and by your answer you assent. For you hear, "Body of Christ," and you reply, "Amen." Be a member of Christ's body in order that the "Amen" be true!!!!
But why is it in bread? Let us not bring forward here any thing of our own, but let us hear again the Apostle, who says, when he is speaking of the sacrament, "We being many are one bread, one body." Understand and be joyful: unity, true, piety, love! One bread - what is this one bread? The many, being one body. You recall that the bread is not made from one grain, but from many. When you receive exorcism, you were ground, as it were. When you were baptized, you were moistened, as it were. When you received the fire of the Holy Spirit, you were baked, so to speak. Eat what you see and receive what you are! This is what the Apostle said about the bread.
Now as to what we should say about the cup, it is sufficiently indicated, though it has not been said. For just as many grains are moistened in one dough to make bread of a visible, outward form, in the same way this is done regarding the wine - what Holy Scripture says concerning the faithful, "They had one mind and one heart towards God." Brethren, recall how the wine is made. Many grapes hang in one cluster, but their juice is poured together in one liquid. So also the Lord Christ has signified us, has willed us to belong to Himself, has consecrated the mystery of our peace and unity on His table. He who receives the mystery of unity and does not hold the bond of peace does not receive the mystery to his own benefit, but a testimony against himself. Let us who have been converted to the Lord God, the Father Almighty, render to Him the highest and true thanks with a pure heart, as much as our littleness can; beseeching with our whole heart His singular mercy that He may in His good favor vouchsafe to hearken to our prayers; that He may also drive out by His might our enemy from our deeds and thoughts, increase our faith, govern our mind, grant us spiritual thoughts, and lead us to His blessedness; through Jesus Christ His Son. Amen
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