Article Second. On the Effects of the Eucharist

104. What the effects are. The effects of the Eucharist, insofar as it is a sacrament, are numbered as several; of these, two (the nourishment of the soul and union with Christ) are essential, while the others are accidental.¹

1. The spiritual nourishment of the soul, which consists in an increase of sanctifying grace, of the virtues, and of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with a right to special actual graces, which, in view of the Eucharist received, are granted for preserving, increasing, and perfecting the supernatural life through good works: he who eats me, he also shall live because of me.²

Since this sacrament has the nature of spiritual refreshment, it produces in the soul those effects which material food and drink produce in the body: it repairs, preserves, and increases the powers.

2. The intimate conjunction of the soul with Christ and with his mystical body through grace and charity; this union in this sacrament is intended of itself and by reason of itself, and therefore constitutes its essential effect: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.³

This union is not only moral, such as consists among friends through love, but is more intimate and more perfect, and can be called natural. It is explained by the holy Fathers with various analogies: as leaven with flour, a branch with the vine, fire with heated iron, so the soul of the communicant is united to and made like Christ the Lord. Among created things there is not a union so perfect as between Christ and the soul of the communicant.

It produces a bond of union and charity not only between the soul and Christ, but also among individual men and among peoples and nations; it is a sign and means of the union of the faithful of the universal Church among themselves. In the sacramental species chosen by Christ, one thing is produced from many: bread from many grains, wine from many grapes, is reduced into one.

Besides the spiritual union of Christ with the soul of the recipient, in this sacrament there is also a physical conjunction of the body of Christ with our body, insofar as the flesh of Christ, through the eucharistic species, is joined by physical contact to our body and sanctifies it in a special way by the influence of his body. This sanctification, proceeding from real contact with the flesh of Christ, constitutes a twofold effect which this sacrament produces in the body of the recipient, as will be said below.

3. The diminution of the fomes of concupiscence, or the mitigation of lust; for from this banquet virgins spring forth.

It produces this effect not only because it confers grace for conquering temptations arising from concupiscence, nor only because it increases charity in a special way, which increase of charity, by directing the mind to heavenly things, indirectly diminishes the movements of concupiscence; but also because it directly diminishes and restrains concupiscence, and this both morally and physically. For the sanctification of our body proceeding from intimate union with the glorious flesh of Christ consists first of all in this: that Christ considers our flesh as his own and as joined to himself by a certain affinity, loves and protects it, makes it conformable to himself, and therefore by a special providence diminishes and represses the evil movements of the flesh. There are some, however, who further think that the influence of the body of Christ, by immediate and direct operation in our body, calms and gradually extinguishes the fomes itself, or the ardor of lust.⁴

4. The glorious resurrection of bodies; for the conjunction which the body of the communicant has with the vivifying flesh of Christ supplies a title of the future glorious resurrection: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.⁵

The Eucharist produces this effect not only indirectly, because it supplies the means of preserving sanctifying grace until the end of life; for those who depart in the state of grace will come to the glorious resurrection. But it also produces it directly, because it inserts into the body the seed of the future glorious resurrection. For the glorious flesh of Christ, by sanctifying our body, makes it a participant of incorruptibility. Others, who in this life have not been refreshed by the body of Christ, will indeed also themselves be raised, but not by this special title.

5. The remission of venial sins, provided that they are retracted at least virtually.

a. The Council of Trent, distinguishing between mortal and venial sins, expressly teaches that this sacrament preserves us from mortal sins and frees us from venial sins.⁶ The internal reason is to be taken: alpha. from the nature of this sacrament, which has the nature of spiritual food. For just as natural food restores the powers lost by vital activity, so the Eucharist repairs the spiritual powers which are lost by the struggle against temptations and by venial sins. beta. From the principal effect of this sacrament, which consists in the union of charity and friendship with God; but venial sins impede the perfection of charity and friendship.

b. It is not settled whether the remission of venial sins proceeds immediately from the Eucharist, or mediately, because it itself excites in us acts of devotion and penitence, which acts are then followed by remission of sins. The opinion of those who, with Suarez and Lugo, think that the Eucharist produces this effect immediately is not improbable, provided that a sufficient disposition is present in the recipient.⁷

6. Spiritual sweetness and delight; for this sacrament contains the bread having in itself every delight and furnishing delights to kings.

As cheerfulness and pleasantness arise from a bodily banquet, so the spiritual banquet fills the soul with sweetness and delight. This delight consists especially in this: that holy communion confers on man the grace of tolerating the hardships and sorrows of this life not only with an even mind, but also with spiritual gladness. Then the soul is suffused by this sacrament with love toward Christ, whose intimate presence it enjoys; but where there is love, there is delight.

This effect is infallibly produced by the force of holy communion, unless it is impeded by the negligence of the communicant and by distractions and temporal cares; indeed sometimes by redundancy it is perceived in the very senses.

¹ M. Heimbucher, Die Wirkungen der hl. Kommunion (Regensburg: Manz, 1884). I. Behringer, Die hl. Kommunion in ihren Wirkungen und ihrer Heilsnotwendigkeit (Regensburg: Pustet, 1898). Nicolussi, Die Wirkungen der hl. Eucharistie (Bozen: Emmanuel, 1918).

² John 6, 58.

³ John 6, 57.

⁴ Cf. Suarez, disp. 64, sect. 1; Lugo, disp. 12, sect. 5.

⁵ John 6, 55.

⁶ Sess. 13, c. 2.

⁷ Cf. Lugo, De poenit., disp. 9, n. 45 ss.