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Office Of Readings | Eastertide Week 2, Thursday | A Reading From A Treatise Of Saint Gaudentius Of Brescia | Jesus Our Bequest Of The New Testament
‘Jesus Christ is our bequest of the new testament.’
Commentary on ‘The Inheritance of the New Covenant’ by Saint Gaudentius of Brescia
Saint Gaudentius, a 4th–5th century bishop and contemporary of Saint Ambrose, offers in this homily a profound reflection on the Eucharist as the enduring inheritance Christ has left his Church. Rooted deeply in the language and symbolism of Scripture and the early Church, his words provide a moving theology of presence, sacrifice, and transformation that remains strikingly relevant to Christian thought today.
The Eucharist As Covenant And Legacy
At the heart of Gaudentius’s sermon is the idea of the Eucharist as the gracious legacy of Christ—a living testament of the New Covenant. Just as in human affairs a legacy is a final, often solemn gift left by someone departing, so here Christ, on the night before his Passion, gives his very self to his Church in the sacrament of his Body and Blood. This aligns closely with the institution narratives found in the Synoptic Gospels and in 1 Corinthians 11, where Jesus says: ‘Do this in memory of me.’
But this memorial is not a mere recollection; it is a re-presentation of the once-for-all sacrifice. Drawing on the biblical understanding of anamnesis—a memory that makes present—Gaudentius insists that the Eucharist is not a symbolic reminder of a past event but the enduring presence of Christ’s saving action. Christ, who ascended bodily into heaven, nevertheless abides sacramentally in his Church. This gift sustains us on our journey through life, much as manna sustained Israel in the desert.
The Eucharist As Necessary For Life
Gaudentius references Jesus’ own teaching in John 6: ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’ This stark and mystical claim expresses the necessity of the Eucharist for eternal life. The early Church Fathers did not spiritualize or metaphorize these words—they took them with utmost seriousness. In receiving Christ’s Body and Blood, the faithful are nourished not only spiritually, but are joined more intimately to the life of the Risen Lord.
This Eucharistic realism—shared by Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus, Ambrose, and Augustine—emphasizes that Christ’s sacrifice is not just remembered but received, and through it, believers are transformed. The grace of the cross becomes present and active in every celebration of the Mass.
Priestly Continuity And The Everlasting Memorial
Gaudentius affirms that the apostles were instituted by Christ as the first priests and commanded to continue this mystery ‘until Christ comes again from heaven’. This clear expression of apostolic succession reflects early ecclesiology: that the Eucharist is not a private devotional act but the act of the Church, led by ordained ministers. Across time and space, through the hands of countless priests, the single sacrifice of Calvary is made present.
This universality links all the faithful—priests and people alike—in one common act of worship. The Eucharist is, therefore, both profoundly personal and essentially communal. Gaudentius urges us to participate in it not as passive observers but as living members of Christ’s body.
Eucharistic Symbols: Bread And Wine
A beautiful element of this sermon is its use of natural metaphors to explain the Eucharistic signs:
- Bread is made from ‘many grains’ ground into flour, mixed with water, and baked by fire. This symbolizes the unity of the Church—many members formed into one body and consecrated by the Holy Spirit. As Saint Augustine similarly says, ‘Be what you see; receive what you are—the Body of Christ.’
- Wine, made from many grapes pressed in the wine-press, evokes both suffering and transformation. Gaudentius’s mention of the wine-press of the cross recalls Isaiah 63 and Revelation 14, where divine justice and love meet. This wine, when received in faith, ferments within the believer—an image of interior transformation, filled with both vitality and mystery.
In using such homely, earthy images, Gaudentius connects divine grace to the ordinary stuff of creation, reminding us that God’s glory is revealed not only in heaven, but in wheat, water, grapes, and fire.
Baptism And The New Exodus
Gaudentius also draws a subtle parallel between Israel’s Exodus and the Christian’s deliverance from sin. Egypt and Pharaoh symbolize sin and the devil. Just as Israel was saved by the blood of the lamb and passed through the Red Sea, so Christians are saved by the blood of Christ and pass through the waters of baptism. The Eucharist becomes the Paschal meal of this New Exodus, completing what baptism begins and sustaining us until we reach the promised land of eternal life.
This is why early Christians saw in the liturgical year—and especially the Paschal feast—a spiritual journey mirroring salvation history. The Eucharist is thus the Passover of the Church, the sign that we have been brought from death to life.
Presence Of Christ And The Power Of Faith
Central to this homily is the assertion that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist—not as a memory or symbol only, but as a reality, encountered by faith. This is not a philosophical abstraction but a lived truth: ‘we hold it in our hands, we receive it in our mouths, and we accept it in our hearts.’ It is a tactile and intimate union.
This presence is transformative. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread. The Eucharist shapes not only individual piety but the very identity of the Church as Christ’s Body.
Contemporary Resonance
Though written over fifteen centuries ago, Gaudentius’s theology speaks powerfully to the contemporary Church. In an age where the Eucharist is sometimes reduced to mere ritual or misunderstood as purely symbolic, his words are a needed reminder of the profound mystery at the heart of Christian life.
His focus on unity, sacrificial love, and spiritual renewal speaks to the mission of the Church today: to be the Body of Christ in the world, nourished by the Body of Christ in the sacrament. As Sacrosanctum Concilium would affirm many centuries later, the Eucharist is truly ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’
A Reading From A Treatise Of Saint Gaudentius Of Brescia
The heavenly sacrifice, instituted by Christ, is the most gracious legacy of his new covenant. On the night he was delivered up to be crucified he left us this gift as a pledge of his abiding presence.
This sacrifice is our sustenance on life’s journey; by it we are nourished and supported along the road of life until we depart from this world and make our way to the Lord. For this reason he addressed these words to us: Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not have life in you.
It was the Lord’s will that his gifts should remain with us, and that we who have been redeemed by his precious blood should constantly be sanctified according to the pattern of his own passion. And so he commanded those faithful disciples of his whom he made the first priests of his Church to enact these mysteries of eternal life continuously. All priests throughout the churches of the world must celebrate these mysteries until Christ comes again from heaven. Therefore let us all, priests and people alike, be faithful to this everlasting memorial of our redemption. Daily it is before our eyes as a representation of the passion of Christ. We hold it in our hands, we receive it in our mouths, and we accept it in our hearts.
It is appropriate that we should receive the body of Christ in the form of bread, because, as there are many grains of wheat in the flour from which bread is made by mixing it with water and baking it with fire, so also we know that many members make up the one body of Christ which is brought to maturity by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Christ was born of the Holy Spirit, and since it was fitting that he should fulfil all justice, he entered into the waters of baptism to sanctify them. When he left the Jordan he was filled with the Holy Spirit who had descended upon him in the form of a dove. As the evangelist tells us: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan.
Similarly, the wine of Christ’s blood, drawn from the many grapes of the vineyard that he had planted, is extracted in the wine-press of the cross. When men receive it with believing hearts, like capacious wineskins, it ferments within them by its own power.
And so, now that you have escaped from the power of Egypt and of Pharaoh, who is the devil, join with us, all of you, in receiving this sacrifice of the saving passover with the eagerness of dedicated hearts. Then in our inmost being we shall be wholly sanctified by the very Lord Jesus Christ whom we believe to be present in his sacraments, and whose boundless power abides for ever.
Christ prepares to be crucified. This may seem very strange as we look forward to Advent, and these really are the events of Holy Week. And yet this declaration of Christ’s coming again can be seen as a wonderful culmination of the Church year. Christ’s promise of resurrection and eternal life marks the summit of Christian faith. The declaration of Christ the King, our knowledge Christ is King, is a wonderful thought to carry through the coming weeks of Advent as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth [ … ]
King James Audio Bible | KJV | King James Version King Herod There were several individuals named Herod who played significant roles in ancient history, particularly in the history of the Roman Empire and the region of Palestine. Here is a brief overview of the most notable Herods: Herod the Great: Also known as Herod I, he was a Roman client king of Judea, ruling from 37 BC to 4 BC. He is perhaps most famous for his role in the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. Herod Antipas: Also known as Herod II, he was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist and later had him beheaded. Herod Agrippa I: Also known as Herod III, he was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned the apostle Paul. Herod Agrippa II: Also known as Herod IV, he was the great-grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over parts of Palestine and Syria from 50 to 100 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who heard Paul’s defence before the Roman governor Festus. These rulers, who were known as the Herodian dynasty, were not Jewish but rather descended from a Greek family that had converted to Judaism. Despite this, they were appointed as rulers by the Roman Empire and were generally unpopular among the Jewish population due to their collaboration with the Roman occupation and their often brutal methods of rule. Herod The Great Herod the Great, also known as Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea who ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was born in 73 BC in Idumea, a region in southern Palestine, and was the son of Antipater the Idumean, an Edomite who had been appointed as a governor of Judea by the Roman general Pompey. Herod rose to power after the Roman general Julius Caesar appointed him as king of Judea in 40 BC. He consolidated his power over the next few years by defeating his rivals and establishing himself as the undisputed ruler of the region. As king, Herod embarked on a massive building program that included the expansion and renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem, the construction of the port city of Caesarea Maritima, and the fortification of several cities in Judea. He also commissioned the construction of a number of palaces and other buildings, including the famous Herodium, a palace-fortress located south of Jerusalem. Despite his many accomplishments, Herod was a controversial figure who was known for his harsh rule and his willingness to use violence to maintain his power. He was married several times and had a large number of children, several of whom he had executed when they posed a threat to his rule. One of the most famous stories associated with Herod is the biblical account of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was saved by his parents, who fled to Egypt, and later returned to Palestine after Herod’s death. Herod died in 4 BC at the age of 70, leaving a legacy as one of the most significant rulers in the history of ancient Palestine. Herod Antipas Herod Antipas, also known as Herod II, was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He was born in 20 BC and was named after his father’s patron, the Roman emperor Augustus. Like his father, Herod Antipas was known for his ambitious building projects, including the construction of the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and the expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was also known for his political cunning and his ability to navigate the complex political landscape of the Roman Empire. Herod Antipas is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist, a prominent religious figure who criticized Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law, Herodias. According to the New Testament, John was eventually beheaded at the request of Herodias’ daughter, Salome, who danced for Herod and his guests at a banquet. Herod Antipas is also mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who oversaw the trial and execution of Jesus. Although he initially wanted to release Jesus, he ultimately handed him over to the Roman authorities at the urging of the Jewish religious leaders. Herod Antipas’ rule came to an end in 39 AD when the Roman emperor Caligula exiled him to Gaul, modern-day France. He died in exile a few years later. Herod Agrippa I Herod Agrippa I, also known as Herod III, was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He was born in 10 BC and was the son of Aristobulus and Bernice, two of Herod the Great’s children. Herod Agrippa I was well-educated and fluent in both Greek and Hebrew, and he was highly regarded by the Roman authorities for his loyalty and his ability to maintain order in Judea. He was appointed as king of Judea in 41 AD by the Roman emperor Claudius, who was impressed by his abilities and saw him as a reliable ally in the region. As king, Herod Agrippa I continued the building projects of his grandfather and expanded the Temple in Jerusalem. He also implemented a number of reforms aimed at improving the lives of the […]
Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310–367) was a bishop and doctor of the Church known primarily for his role in defending the Nicene faith against Arianism. This heresy denied the full divinity of Christ and therefore threatened the entire theological foundation of the Incarnation, Trinity, and Eucharist. In his principal theological work, De Trinitate (‘On the Trinity’), Hilary argues forcefully for the unity of the divine and human in Christ. The Eucharistic theology expressed in this passage reflects and supports that Christological argument [ … ]
