thout meaning or truth. But, if
they are taken literally, they are full of sense and of awful
significance, and an eloquent commentary on the words I have quoted from
the Evangelist.

The Fathers of the Church, without an exception, re-echo the language of
the Apostle of the Gentiles by proclaiming the Real Presence of our Lord
in the Eucharist. I have counted the names of sixty-three Fathers and
eminent Ecclesiastical writers flourishing between the first and sixth
century all of whom proclaim the Real Presence--some by explaining the
mystery, others by thanking God for his inestimable gift, and others by
exhorting the faithful to its worthy reception. From such a host of
witnesses I can select here only a few at random.

St. Ignatius, a disciple of St. Peter, speaking of a sect called Gnostics,
says: "They abstain from the Eucharist and prayer, because they confess
not that the Eucharist and prayer is the flesh of our Savior Jesus
Christ."

St. Justin Martyr, in an apology to the Emperor Antoninus, writes in the
second century: "We do not receive these things as common bread and drink;
but as Jesus Christ our Savior was made flesh by the word of God, even so
we have been taught that the Eucharist is _both the flesh and the blood of
the same incarnate Jesus_."

Origen (third century) writes: "If thou wilt go up with Christ to
celebrate the Passover, He will give to thee that bread of benediction,
His own body, and will vouchsafe to thee His own blood."

St. Cyril, of Jerusalem (fourth century), instructing the Catechumens,
observes: "He Himself having declared, _This is My body_, who shall dare
to doubt henceforward? And He having said, _This is My blood_, who shall
ever doubt, saying: This is not His blood? He once at Cana turned water
into wine, which is akin to blood; and is He undeserving of belief when He
turned wine into blood?" He seems to be arguing with modern unbelief.

St. John Chrysostom, who died in the beginning of the fifth century,
preaching on the Eucharist, says: "If thou wert indeed incorporeal, He
would have delivered to thee those same incorporeal gifts without
covering. But since the soul is united to the body, He delivers to thee in
things perceptible to the senses the things to be apprehended by the
understanding. How many nowadays say: 'Would that they could look upon His
(Jesus') form, His figure, His raiment, His shoes. Lo! thou seest Him,
touchest Him, eatest Him.' "

St. Augustine (