Perhaps you will say,

I see something else, how is it that you assert that I receive the Body of Christ?

And this is the point which remains for us to prove. And what evidence shall we make use of? Let us prove that this is not what nature made, but what the blessing consecrated, and the power of blessing is greater than that of nature, because by blessing nature itself is changed.

Moses was holding a rod, he cast it down and it became a serpent. (Exodus 4:3-4)

Again, he took hold of the tail of the serpent and it returned to the nature of a rod. You see that by virtue of the prophetic office there were two changes, of the nature both of the serpent and of the rod. The streams of Egypt were running with a pure flow of water; of a sudden from the veins of the sources blood began to burst forth, and none could drink of the river.

Again, at the prophet’s prayer the blood ceased, and the nature of water returned. The people of the Hebrews were shut in on every side, hemmed in on the one hand by the Egyptians, on the other by the sea; Moses lifted up his rod, the water divided and hardened like walls, and a way for the feet appeared between the waves.

Jordan being turned back, returned, contrary to nature, to the source of its stream. (Jos. 3:16)

Is it not clear that the nature of the waves of the sea and of the river stream was changed? The people of the fathers thirsted, Moses touched the rock, and water flowed out of the rock. (Exodus 17:6)

Did not grace work a result contrary to nature, so that the rock poured forth water, which by nature it did not contain?

Marah was a most bitter stream, so that the thirsting people could not drink. Moses cast wood into the water, and the water lost its bitterness, which grace of a sudden tempered. (Exodus 15:25)

In the time of Elisha the prophet one of the sons of the prophets lost the head from his axe, which sank. He who had lost the iron asked Elisha, who cast in a piece of wood and the iron swam. This, too, we clearly recognize as having happened contrary to nature, for iron is of heavier nature than water.

We observe, then, that grace has more power than nature, and yet so far we have only spoken of the grace of a prophet’s blessing. But if the blessing of man had such power as to change nature, what are we to say of that divine consecration where the very words of the Lord and Saviour operate? For that sacrament which you receive is made what it is by the word of Christ. But if the word of Elijah had such power as to bring down fire from heaven, shall not the word of Christ have power to change the nature of the elements? You read concerning the making of the whole world:

He spoke and they were made, He commanded and they were created.

Shall not the word of Christ, which was able to make out of nothing that which was not, be able to change things which already are into what they were not? For it is not less to give a new nature to things than to change them.

But why make use of arguments? Let us use the examples He gives, and by the example of the Incarnation prove the truth of the mystery. Did the course of nature proceed as usual when the Lord Jesus was born of Mary? If we look to the usual course, a woman ordinarily conceives after connection with a man. And this body which we make is that which was born of the Virgin. Why do you seek the order of nature in the Body of Christ, seeing that the Lord Jesus Himself was born of a Virgin, not according to nature? It is the true Flesh of Christ which crucified and buried, this is then truly the Sacrament of His Body.

The Lord Jesus Himself proclaims:

This is My Body. (Matt. 26:26)

Before the blessing of the heavenly words another nature is spoken of, after the consecration the Body is signified. He Himself speaks of His Blood. Before the consecration it has another name, after it is called Blood. And you say, Amen, that is, It is true. Let the heart within confess what the mouth utters, let the soul feel what the voice speaks.

Christ, then, feeds His Church with these sacraments, by means of which the substance of the soul is strengthened, and seeing the continual progress of her grace, He rightly says to her: How comely are your breasts, my sister, my spouse, how comely they are made by wine, and the smell of your garments is above all spices. A dropping honeycomb are your lips, my spouse, honey and milk are under your tongue, and the smell of your garments is as the smell of Lebanon. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed. By which He signifies that the mystery ought to remain sealed up with you, that it be not violated by the deeds of an evil life, and pollution of chastity, that it be not made known to thou, for whom it is not fitting, nor by garrulous talkativeness it be spread abroad among unbelievers.

Your guardianship of the faith ought therefore to be good, that integrity of life and silence may endure unblemished.

(On the Mysteries 9.50-55)

Source

© 2012, Fr. John A. Peck. All rights reserved.

This is reprinted from the Nov. 11th, 2010 entry on the excellent blog Lord, I have cried unto Thee.

This being Veterans’ Day here in the USA, it is a time when we are compelled to rightfully give thanks to our countrymen who serve and have served in our armed forces, especially in times of war.

Understandably, this can be difficult for the Christian conscience. How can we condone killing when we are explicitly told to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies? Well, this is nothing new for Christians, and I figured I would share some words of St. Ambrose of Milan (+397) in regard to the matter. The material I’m sharing here is from Message of the Fathers of the Church: The Early Fathers on War and Military Service, by Louis J. Swift (pp. 97-102).

It is important to note that St. Ambrose writes in the fourth century, at a time when Christianity went from being persecuted to being tolerated, then to being adopted by the Roman Empire as the official imperial faith. It should not be surprising for us, then, that Christians were having to come to terms with the reality that human existence would be fraught with violence, no matter how much we might want to turn the other cheek. St. Ambrose’s words reflect this and contributed to the emerging voice that Christians would have when it came to dealing with matters of national security.

I don’t make this post as some kind of political expression, but simply to illustrate how early Christians began to come to terms with this difficult matter. There are parallels to current American politics and society, but they are not exact, as America is not officially a Christian nation. However, in looking at the Christian response to its increasing civic responsibility in its early centuries, we can reflect on what it means to approach the reality of war with sobriety and with a wish to behave, in the most unseemly of human interactions, in the best way possible, so as to try and glorify God in all things.

[O]ne must keep in mind that Ambrose’s election as bishop in 374 AD occurred while he was enjoying a distinguished public career and was, in fact, governor of the province of Aemilia-Liguria in Northern Italy. It should come as no surprise, then, that his attitudes on war and violence were much influenced by Roman sentiments of justice, loyalty, courage and public responsibility.

Ambrose says quite plainly that

“the kind of courage which is involved in defending the empire against barbarians, or protecting the weak on the home front or allies against plunderers is wholly just” (On the Duties of the Clergy 1.27.129).

He talks of courage in war as noble and comely

“because it prefers death to slavery and disgrace” (Duties 1.41.201),

and he speaks with pride about the fearlessness of Old Testament figures such as Joshua, Jonathan and Judas Maccabeus (1.40.195). If a man fighting for personal gain deserves condemnation, that same individual is in quite a different position when he risks his life for the welfare of his country.

There is nothing that goes against nature as much as doing violence to another person for the sake of one’s own advantage. Natural feeling argues that we ought to look out for everyone else, to lighten the other man’s burdens and to expend our efforts on his behalf. Any man wins a glorious reputation for himself if he strives for universal peace at personal risk to himself. Everyone believes it is much more commendable to protect one’s country from destruction than to protect oneself from danger and that exerting oneself for one’s country is much superior to leading a peaceful life of leisure with all the pleasures it involves (Duties 3.3.23).

[...]It would be simplistic and misleading, however to suggest that Ambrose is merely putting the stamp of Christian approval on common Roman practices and principles while paying little attention to the evangelical precepts about peace and forbearance. He is aware that the

“whole purpose of virtue and physical courage is to re-establish peace when war is over” and that “military courage itself very often militates against peace” (Discourse on Psalm 118, 21.17).

He states unequivocably [sic.] that

“it is not permissible for a Christian to withhold his love even from his enemies” (ibid. 12.51),

and he is sensitive to the different approaches that are called for by the Old and the New Law in this regard:

The law calls for reciprocal vengeance; the Gospel commands us to return love for hostility, good will for hatred, prayers for curses. It enjoins us to give help to those who persecute us, to exercise patience toward those who are hungry and to give thanks for a favor rendered (Discourse on Luke’s Gospel 5.37).

For Ambrose one of the most obvious instances in which this advice is to be followed quite literally is in the matter of personal self-defense. On this point the Bishop of Milan, in his Duties of the Clergy is a pacifist.

Some people inquire whether a wise man caught in a shipwreck can or should take a life preserver away from a fool. Though common opinion would argue that it is better to have the wise man escape drowning than a fool, it does not seem to me that a Christian who is both wise and just should try to save his own life at the expense of another’s. Indeed, even if a man comes up against an armed thief, he cannot return blow for blow lest in the act of protecting himself he weaken the virtue of love. The Gospel supports this position in a clear and obvious way: ‘Put up your sword; everyone who kills with the sword will be killed by it’ (Matt. 26.52). Who is more detestable than the thief, the persecutor who approached Christ with an eye to bring about his death. But Christ who sought to cure everyone through his own wounds did not want to be protected by doing harm to his persecutors (Duties 3.4.27).

Violent self-defense is unacceptable in Ambrose’s view because it inevitably destroys the virtue of love — elsewhere called piety — which unites man to God and is the foundation of all the other virtues. Harming an assailant in order to protect one’s own life or property is tantamount to preferring a human good to a divine one, and such a reversal of the proper hierarchy of values undercuts any benefit that might accrue from preserving one’s life.

The same principle does not apply, however, whenever a third party is involved.

Here Ambrose is very explicit.

The glory that courage brings resides not only in strength of arm and body but in the virtue of the soul, and the essence of the virtue is not to be found in inflicting injury but in preventing it. For anyone who does not prevent an injury to a companion, if he can do so, is as much at fault as he who inflicts it. Following this principle Holy Moses provided an early proof of his courage. For when he saw a Jew being injured by an Egyptian, he defended his countryman to the point of killing the Egyptian and hiding him in the sand (Duties 1.36.178).

The significance of this statement for the development of Christian ideas on violence and war is difficult to exaggerate. What is denied to an individual in his own case is not only permitted but morally required of him when it comes to defending another against aggression. Moreover, the example cited by Ambrose makes it evident that he is not thinking of passive resistance alone. The responsibility for looking out for one’s neighbor can require a person to use force on another’s behalf even to the point of taking an aggressor’s life. … For all subsequent discussion of the problem of war in a Christian context this is a critical point…

© 2010, admin. All rights reserved.

From “On The Duties of Clergy: Book II, Chapter 1

Happiness in life is to be gained by living virtuously, inasmuch as thus a Christian, whilst despising glory and the favour of men, desires to please God alone in what he does.

1. In the first book we spoke of the duties which we thought befitted a virtuous life, whereon no one has ever doubted but that a blessed life, which the Scripture calls eternal life, depends. So great is the splendor of a virtuous life that a peaceful conscience and a calm innocence work out a happy life. And as the risen sun hides the globe of the moon and the light of the stars, so the brightness of a virtuous life, where it glitters in true pure glory, casts into the shade all other things, which, according to the desires of the body, are considered to be good, or are reckoned in the eyes of the world to be great and noble.

2. Blessed, plainly, is that life which is not valued at the estimation of outsiders, but is known, as judge of itself, by its own inner feelings. It needs no popular opinion as its reward in any way; nor has it any fear of punishments. Thus the less it strives for glory, the more it rises above it. For to those who seek for glory, that reward in the shape of present things is but a shadow of future ones, and is a hindrance to eternal life, as it is written in the Scriptures:

“Truly, I say unto you, they have received their reward.” Matthew 6:2

This is said of those who, as it were, with the sound of a trumpet desire to make known to all the world the liberality they exercise towards the poor. It is the same, too, in the case of fasting, which is done but for outward show. “They have,” he says, “their reward.”

3. It therefore belongs to a virtuous life to show mercy and to fast in secret; that you may seem to be seeking a reward from your God alone, and not from men. For he who seeks it from man has his reward, but he who seeks it from God has eternal life, which none can give but the Lord of Eternity, as it is said:

“Truly, I say unto you, today shall you be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

Wherefore the Scripture plainly has called that life which is blessed, eternal life. It has not been left to be appraised according to man’s ideas on the subject, but has been entrusted to the divine judgment.

© 2010, admin. All rights reserved.

Our father among the saints Ambrose of Milan came to be bishop of Milan as the only competent candidate to succeed Auxentius, a bishop of Arian persuasion, in 374. A catechumentheology through intense study of subject as he was successively baptized and then consecrated as Bishop of Milan. He held to the Nicene belief and through the eloquence of his arguments he persuaded Emperor Gratian to the Nicene confession.

Ambrose zealously combatted imperial court attempts at favoritism to the parties of Arians, the “old” religion, and the Jews, particularly opposing the favors from Emperor Valentinian who supported the Arians. In defending the Orthodox position he has often been compared to St. Hilary of Poitiers.

He was known for his sermons which greatly influenced the conversion of Augustine of Hippo.

The mysteries of God are unsearchable, as is especially declared in the prophetical words :

What man is he that can know the counsel of God? or who can think what the will of the Lord is?

Nevertheless, some things have been revealed to us.  And hence we may gather, from the words and works of our Lord and Saviour, that there was a special purpose of God in the fact that she who was chosen to bring forth the Lord was espoused to a man.

Why did not the power of the Highest overshadow her before she was so espoused?  Perhaps it was lest any might blasphemously say that the Holy One was conceived in fornication, and the Angel came in unto her.

Let us learn from this Virgin how to bear ourselves: let us learn by her devout utterance ; above all let us learn by the holy mystery to be timid, to avoid the advances of men, and to shrink from men’s addresses.  Would that our women would learn from the example of modesty here set before us.  She upon whom the stare of men had never been fixed was alone in her chamber, and was found only by an Angel.

There was neither companion nor witness there, that what passed might not be debased in gossip ; and the Angel saluted her.

The message of God to the Virgin was a mystery so great that it must needs not be uttered by the mouth of man, but only by an Angel.

For the first time on earth the words are spoken:

The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee.

The holy maiden heareth, and believeth.

At length she saith:

Behold the handmaiden of the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy word.

Here is an example of lowliness, here is a pattern of true devotion.  At the very moment she is chosen to be the Mother of the Lord she declareth herself to be his handmaid.  The knowledge that she was chosen to this high vocation wrought in Mary only an act of humility.

© 2010, Fr. John A. Peck. All rights reserved.

Our father among the saints Ambrose of Milan came to be bishop of Milan as the only competent candidate to succeed Auxentius, a bishop of Arian persuasion, in 374. A catechumen and trained as a lawyer, he learned his theology through intense study of subject as he was successively baptized and then consecrated as Bishop of Milan. He held to the Nicene belief and through the eloquence of his arguments he persuaded Emperor Gratian to the Nicene confession.

He was known for his sermons which greatly influenced the conversion of St. Augustine of Hippo.

“Where a man’s heart is, there is his treasure also.”

God is not accustomed to refusing a good gift to those who ask for one.

Since he is good, and especially to those who are faithful to him, let us hold fast to him with all our soul, our heart, our strength, and so enjoy his light and see his glory and possess the grace of supernatural joy.

Let us reach out with our hearts to possess that good, let us exist in it and live in it, let us hold fast to it, that good which is beyond all we can know or see and is marked by perpetual peace and tranquillity, a peace which is beyond all we can know or understand.

[...] We have died with Christ. We carry about in our bodies the sign of his death, so that the living Christ may also be revealed in us.

The life we live is not now our ordinary life but the life of Christ: a life of sinlessness, of chastity, of simplicity and every other virtue.

We have risen with Christ. Let us live in Christ, let us ascend in Christ, so that the serpent may not have the power here below to wound us in the heel.

Let us take refuge from this world. You can do this in spirit, even if you are kept here in the body. You can at the same time be here and present to the Lord.

Your soul must hold fast to him, you must follow after him in your thoughts, you must tread his ways by faith, not in outward show. You must take refuge in him.

He is your refuge and your strength. David addresses him in these words:

“I fled to you for refuge, and I was not disappointed”.

Since God is our refuge, God who is in heaven and above the heavens, we must take refuge from this world in that place where there is peace, where there is rest from toil, where we can celebrate the great sabbath, as Moses said:

“The sabbaths of the land will provide you with food”.

To rest in the Lord and to see his joy is like a banquet, and full of gladness and tranquillity.

Let us take refuge like deer beside the fountain of waters. Let our soul thirst, as David thirsted, for the fountain.

What is that fountain? Listen to David:

“With you is the fountain of life”

Let my soul say to this fountain:

“When shall I come and see you face to face?”

For the fountain is God himself.

Source: Ambrose of Milan (c. 337-397): from Flight From The World (Cap. 6, 36; 7,44; 8, 45; 9,52).

© 2010, Fr. John A. Peck. All rights reserved.