Section A: On the Sacrament Itself of the Eucharist

201. The sacrament of the Eucharist is customarily defined: A sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ the Lord, which, under the consecrated species of bread and wine, contains the body and blood of Christ for the spiritual refreshment of man.

In this definition there is indicated:

1. The genus to which the Eucharist pertains: a Sacrament of the New Law;

2. The author of the Eucharist: instituted by Christ the Lord;

3. The external sign, which is sacrament only, consisting at the same time of matter: which under the species of bread and wine, and form: consecrated by the very words of Christ which are now uttered by the priest in His name;

4. Reality and sacrament: it contains the body and blood of Christ;

5. The reality or proper effect of the sacrament: for the spiritual refreshment of man, by which also the subject is indicated, who is baptized man; for he alone who by Baptism has been born unto spiritual life can be spiritually refreshed.

202. Division of the treatment. - According to the given definition, whose truth will be shown in the whole course of the treatise, this is divided into three parts:

The first treats of the external sacrament: 1. of the sacrament itself in itself, namely, of its existence, essence, and institution; - 2. of the matter: a) of matter in general, b) of bread, c) of wine; - 3. of the form: a) of form in general, b) of the form of consecration of the bread, c) of the form of consecration of the wine.

The second treats of the body and blood of Christ, which are reality and sacrament: 1. of the action by which Christ becomes present: a) of the real presence of Christ, b) of the ceasing-to-be and conversion of bread and wine, c) of the accidents remaining; - 2. of the mode in which Christ is present; - 3. of the species under which Christ is present.

The third treats of the effects which are the reality of the sacrament: 1. of the effects themselves according to themselves; - 2. of the use of the Eucharist for obtaining the effects, i.e. a) of the dispositions of the soul, b) of the dispositions of the body, c) of the frequency of communion, and d) of the necessity of communion.¹

¹ Concerning the Sacrament of the Eucharist there can be consulted: St. Albert the Great, De Sacrosancto Corporis Domini Sacramento; St. Thomas, C. Gent. IV, 61 sq., and III, q. 73-80, with the commentaries of Cajetan, John of St. Thomas, the Salmanticenses, and Billuart; - likewise Suarez, on III p.m.; St. Bellarmine, Controversies: on the Sacrament of the Eucharist; Lugo, De Venerabili Sacramento Eucharistiae; Du Perron, Traite du Sacrement de l'Eucharistie; Franzelin, Tractatus de SS. Eucharistiae Sacramento et Sacrificio; Scheeben, Die Mysterien des Christentums; Billot, Van Noort, Tanquerey, and Hugon in their dogmatic works; Labauche, Lecons de Theologie Dogmatique, IV; de la Taille, Mysterium Fidei; A. Van Hove, on the Most Holy Eucharist; - Beguinot, La tres sainte Eucharistie, expose de la Foi des 12 premiers siecles; Corblet, Histoire dogmatique, liturgique, archeologique du sacrement de l'Eucharistie; Chardon, Histoire des Sacrements; Ermoni, L'Eucharistie dans l'Eglise primitive; Rauschen, Eucharistie und Buszsakrament (French version); Battifol, L'Eucharistie (5th ed.); Dict. de Theol., art. Eucharistie; Struckmann, Die Gegenwart Christi in die H. Eucharistie nach den Schrift. Quellen der Vor-Nicaemschen Zeit; d'Ales, Prima Lineamenta tractatus dogmatici de SS. Eucharistia; Goossens, Les Origines de l'Eucharistie; Janssens, De H. Eucharistie; - for the practical part, St. Alphonsus in Th. M., and other modern authors such as Aertnijs-Damen and Marc-Gestermann-Rausch, Ballerini, Lehmkuhl, Noldin-Schmitt and Genicot-Salsmans, Prummer, Vermeersch; - for the canonical part: Gasparri, Tractatus canonicus de SS. Eucharistia; and Cappello, Tractatus canonico-moralis de Sacramentis, I; - among orators: Monsabre, L'Eucharistie.