[The boundless favors of divine generosity, shown to the Christian people, bestow an inestimable dignity on them. There neither is nor ever was so great a nation having gods so near to itself as our God is to us. The only-begotten Son of God, desiring that we be participants in his divinity, took on our nature, so that, having become man, he might make men gods. Whatever he assumed of our nature he made instrumental in the work of our salvation. He offered to God the Father his own body as sacrifice for our reconciliation on the altar of the cross, shed his own blood for our ransom and re-birth, so that, having been redeemed from wretched servitude, we might be washed clean of all sins. And, so that a memory of such great kindnesses might remain always in us, he left behind his body as food and his blood as drink, to be consumed by the faithful in the form of bread and wine. O most precious and wondrous banquet, full of health and filled with every delicacy! What can be more precious than this banquet, is given to us as nourishment? What is more wondrous than this sacrament? For in it, bread and wine are changed substantially into the body and blood of Christ. Indeed Christ, the perfect God and man, is contained under the appearance of a little bread.]

Immensa divine largitatis beneficia, exhibita populo christiano: inestimabilem ei conferunt dignitatem. Neque enim est, aut fuit aliquando tam grandis nacio, que habeat deos appropinquantes sibi: sicut adest nobis deus noster. Unigenitus siquidem dei fi­lius, sue divinitatis volens nos esse participes: naturam nostram assumpsit, ut homines deos faceret factus homo. Et hoc insuper quod de nostro assumpsit: totum nobis contu­lit ad salutem. Corpus namque suum pro nostra reconciliatione in ara crucis hostiam obtulit deo path, sanguinem suum fudit in precium simul et lavachrum: ut redempti a miserabili servitute, a peccatis omnibus mundaremur. Et ut tanti beneficii iugis in nobis maneret memoria: corpus suum in cibum, et sanguinem suum in potum, sub specie panis et vini sumendum: fidelibus dereliquit. 0 preciosum et ammirandum convivium, salutiferum et omni suavitate repletum. Quid enim hoc convivio preciosius esse potest, in quo non carnes vitulorum et hyrcorum ut olim in lege, sed nobis Christus sumendus proponitur verus deus? Quid hoc sacramento mirabilius? In ipso namque panis et vinum, in corpus Christi et sanguinem substancialiter convertuntur. Ideoque Christus deus et homo perfectus sub modici panis specie continetur.

Lesson 2

[He is consumed entirely by the faithful, but he is in no way broken up, but rather, even though the sacramental sign is divided, he remains entire in each particle of divi­sion. For the accidents exist in it without material form in order that faith may have its place, when the visible is invisibly consumed, hidden in the form of another thing, and our senses, which judge events that happen to them, are restored safely from deception. For no sacrament is more salubrious than this, through which sins are purged, virtues are increased, and the soul is filled with an abundance of every spiritual gift.

Manducatur utique a fidelibus, sed minime laceratur: quinimmo diviso sacramento integer sub qualibet divisionis particula perseverat. Accidencia eciam sine subiecto in eodem existunt, ut fides locum habeat, dum visibile invisibiliter sumitur, aliena specie occultatum: et sensus a deceptione immunes reddantur, qui de accidentibus iudicant sibi notis. Nullum enim sacramentum est isto salubrius, quo purgantur peccata, vir­tutes augentur, et mens omnium spritualium carismatum habundancia impinguatur.

It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may benefit all. No one suffices to express the delicacy of this sacrament, through which spiritual sweetness is tasted in its source, and the memory of the most excellent charity, which Christ showed in his passion, is recalled. Whereby, so that the immensity of this charity might be impressed more profoundly on the hearts of the faithful, at the last sup-per, when, having celebrated the passover with his disciples, he was about to leave this world and return to the father, he instituted this sacrament as an eternal remembrance of his passion, the fulfillment of ancient precursors, the greatest of the miracles performed by him, and sole solace to those saddened by his absence.]

Offertur in ecclesia pro vivis et pro mortuis: ut omnibus prosit, quod est pro salute om­nium institutum. Suavitatem namque huius sacramenti nullus exprimere sufficit, per quod spiritualis dulcedo in suo fonte gustatur: et recolitur memoria illius quam in sua passione Christus monstravit excellentissime caritatis. Unde ut arcius huius caritatis in­mensitas cordibus infigeretur fidelium, in ultima cena. quando pascha cum discipulis celebrato, transiturus erat ex hoc mundo ad patrem, hoc sacramentum instituit, tamquam passionis sue memoriale perhenne: figurarum veterum impletivum, miraculorum ab ipso factorum maximum, et de sua contristatis absencia solacium singulare. Tu [autem ... ]

Lwsson 3

[It is fitting therefore for the devotion of the faithful, solemnly to honor again the institution of such a salubrious and miraculous sacrament, so that we may venerate the ineffable mode of the divine presence in a visible sacrament, and so that the power of God may be praised, which, in the same sacrament, works so many miracles, and in-deed so that the thanks owed to God for such a salubrious and sweet kindness may be discharged. But, although on the day of the last supper, when the aforesaid sacrament is known to have been instituted, special mention is made of its institution within the solemnities of the mass, nevertheless all the remaining worship of this same day is con­cerned with Christ's suffering, around whose veneration the church at that time is oc­cupied. Hence, so that the faithful may solemnly honor again the institution of such a great sacrament by a complete office of celebration, the Roman Pope Urban IV, influ­enced by the devotion of this sacrament, piously decreed commemoration of the aforementioned institution on feria five after the octave of Pentecost, to be celebrated by all the faithful, so that we, who use this sacrament throughout the year for salvation, may honor again, at that time especially, its institution, by which the Holy Spirit taught the hearts of the disciples to understand fully the mysteries of this sacrament. For at the same time this sacrament began to be frequented by the faithful. It is indeed read in the Acts of the Apostles that they were persevering in the apostolic doctrine by sharing in the breaking of bread, and by prayers, immediately after the departure of the Holy Spirit. So that, on the the aforesaid feria five and the following octave, remembrance of this same saving institution may be performed more honorably and its ceremony have greater participation, in place of the distributions of material goods that are bestowed in cathedral churches, during current established times, night as well as day, the afore-said Roman pope grants to those who, during its times, personally take part in this ceremony at church spiritual stipends through apostolic generosity, so that by them the faithful more eagerly and more numerously may come together for the celebration of so great a feast. Hence, to all the truly penitent and to those having confessed, who are present at the office of matins of this feast in person in the church where it is celebrated, one hundred [days' indulgence]. To those who attend mass, the same number. To those who take part in first vespers of the feast, similarly one hundred. The same number to those in second vespers. To those who attend the offices of prime, terce, sext, none, and compline, forty for any of those hours. To those who personally appear through the octave of this feast at matins, vespers, mass, and the aforesaid office hours, for each of the days of the octave he mercifully allots one hundred days in perpetuity.]

Convenit itaque devotioni fidelium sollempniter recolere institutionem tam salu­tiferi, tamquam mirabilis sacramenti: ut ineffabilem modum divine presencie in sacra­mento visibili veneremur: et laudetur dei potencia que in Sacramento eodem tot mir­abilia operatur, nec non et de tam salubri, tamquam suavi beneficio exsolvantur deo graciarum debite actiones. Verum etsi in die cene quando sacramentum predictum

noscitur institutum, inter missarum sollempnia de institutione ipsius specialis mencio habeatur: totum tamen residuum eiusdem officium diei ad Christi passionem pertinet, circa cuius venerationem ecclesia illo tempore occupatur. Unde ut integro celebritatis officio institutionem tanti sacramenti sollempniter recoleret plebs fidelis: romanus pon­tifex Urbanus quartus huius sacramenti devotion&° affectus, pie statuit prelate institu­tionis memoriam, prima feria quinta post octavas pentecostes, a cunctis fidelibus cele­brari: ut qui per totum anni circulum hoc sacramentuo utimur ad salutem, eius institutionem illo specialiter tempore recolamus: quo spiritus sanctus discipulorum corda edocuit, ad plene cognoscenda huius misteria sacramenti. Nam et in eodem tern-pore cepit hoc sacramentum a fidelibus frequentari. Legitur enim in actibus apostolorum: quod erant perseverantes in doctrina apostolorum et communicatione fractionis panis, et orationibus: statim post sancti spiritus missionem. Ut autem predicta quinta feria, ct per octavas sequentes eiusdem institutionis salutaris, honorificencius agatur memoria, et sollempnitas de hoc celebrior habeatur, loco distributionum materialium, que in ecclesiis cathedralibus largiuntur: existentibus canonicis horis, nocturnis pariter­que diurnis, prefatus romanus pontifex, eis qui huiusmodi horis in hac sollemnitate personaliter in ecclesiis interessent, stipendia spiritualia apostolica largitione concessit: quatinus per hec fideles ad tanti festi celibritatem, avidius et copiosius convenirent. Unde omnibus vere penitentibus et confessis, qui matutinali officio huius festi, presen­cialiter in ecclesia ubi celebraretur adessent centum. Qui vero misse totidem. Ms autem qui interessent in primis ipsius festi vesperis similiter centum. Qui vero in secundis totidem. Eis quoque qui prime, tercie, sexte, none, ac completorii, adessent officiis, pro qualibet horarum ipsarum quadraginta. his vero qui per ipsius festi octavas in matuti­nalibus, vespertinis, misse, ac predictarum horarum officiis presentes existerent: singu­lis diebus octavarum ipsarum centum dierum indulgenciam misericorditer tribuit, per­petuis temporibus duraturam.