Catechesis
On-Going Instruction in the Principles of Christianity

2020 Jubilee 2021
YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST - 8/9

MYSTERIUM FIDEI
("MYSTERY OF FAITH",
ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF
POPE PAUL VI)
 

The Holy Eucharist is a Mystery of Faith
(Continued)

In fact, St. Bonaventure asserts: “There is no difficulty about Christ’s presence in the Eucharist as in a sign, but that He is truly present in the Eucharist as He is in Heaven, this is most difficult. Therefore to believe this is especially meritorious.” 

Moreover, the Holy Ghost alludes to this when it tells of the many disciples of Christ who, after listening to the sermon about eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood, turned away and left Our Lord, saying: “This is strange talk, who can be expected to listen to it?” Peter, on the other hand, in reply to Jesus’ question whether also the Twelve wished to leave, expressed his faith and that of the others promptly and resolutely with the marvelous answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thy words are the words of eternal life.” 

It is logical, then, that we should follow as a guiding star in our investigations of this Mystery the Magisterium of the Church, to which the Divine Redeemer entrusted for protection and for explanation the revelation which He has communicated to us through Scripture or Tradition. For we are convinced that “what since the days of antiquity was preached and believed throughout the whole Church with true Catholic Faith is true, even if it is not submitted to rational investigation, even if it is not explained by means of words.” 

But this is not enough. Having safeguarded the integrity of the Faith, it is necessary also to safeguard also its proper mode of expression, lest by the careless use of words, we occasion (God forbid) the rise of false opinions regarding faith in the most sublime of Mysteries. St. Augustine gives a stern warning about this in his considerations of the way of speaking employed by the philosophers and of that which ought to be used by Christians. 

“The philosophers,” he says, “speak freely without fear of offending religious listeners on subjects quite difficult to understand. We, on the other hand, must speak according to a fixed norm, lest the lack of restraint in our speech result in some impious opinions even about the things signified by the words themselves.”