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On the Sacraments
St Ambrose of Milan, tr. Thompson, 1919
Book 4, The Sacrament a Memorial of Christ’s Death and a Proclamation of the Forgiveness…
But that thou mayest know that this is a sacrament, it was prefigured beforehand. Then learn how great is the sacrament. See what he says: As often as ye do this, so often will ye make a memorial of me until I come again.1
And the priest says:2 Therefore having in remembrance his most glorious passion and resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven, we offer to thee this spotless offering, reasonable offering,3 unbloody offering,4 this holy bread and cup of eternal life: and we ask and pray that thou wouldst receive this oblation on thy altar on high by the hands of thy angels,5 as thou didst vouchsafe to receive the presents of thy righteous servant Abel, and the sacrifice of our patriarch Abraham, and that which the high priest, Melchizedek offered to thee.”
Therefore as often as thou receivest—what saith the Apostle to thee?—as often as we receive, we show the Lord’s death; if we show his death, we show remission of sins. If, as often as blood is poured forth, it is poured for remission of sins, I ought always to receive it, that my sins may always be forgiven me. I, who am always sinning, ought always to have a remedy.
Meanwhile, we have explained to you to-day, also, as much as we could. But to-morrow, Saturday, and on Sunday6 we will speak of the order of prayer as we are able. May the Lord our God preserve to you the grace which he has given and may he deign to illuminate more fully the eyes which he has opened for you, through his only begotten Son, our Lord God, king and saviour, through whom and with whom to him is praise, honour, glory, majesty, power with the Holy Spirit from all ages, both now and ever, and world without end.—Amen.
Notes
- The words appear to be a liturgical formula, concluding the recital of the institution. In that case “he says” refers to the priest (cf. “the priest says” in § 25). The words are based on 1 Cor. xi. 25, 26. The attribution to our Lord (“until I come”) is found in the Liturgy of the Apostolic Constitutions and several Eastern rites, as well as in the Ambrosian Sacramentary of Biasca, and it appears as an addition by a later scribe in the Stowe Missal. The Roman Canon has the form haec quotiescumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis, and this appears to be attested about the middle of the fifth century in a Commentary on the Psalms attributed to Arnobius the younger (quoted by Dom Morin, Revue bén. xxiv. (1907), pp. 404 f.). As Dom Connolly has pointed out to me, either the formula of de Sacram. represents a local variation, or the Roman form must have ousted an earlier form some time before Arnobius, if the passage ascribed to him is genuine.
- This prayer corresponds to the Anamnesis of the Roman Canon.
- Cf. Rom. xii. 1. The word for “offering” (hostia) is that used in the Latin version of Heb. xiii. 15 (hostiam laudis, “sacrifice of praise”).
- This expression is frequently found in early Christian writers, and in Eastern rites, as well as in some Gallican books.
- The Roman Canon has the singular “angel,” possibly a reference to the angel in Rev. viii. 3 f. Cf. Tertullian, de Orat. 16.
- On this see Introd. p. xx.