Paul declares that he heard from the “Lord” Himself what Jesus did at His last supper (1
Cor 11:23). Scholars place Jesus’ death in the year 30 and place Paul’s conversion
three years later, in 33. Paul describes Jesus last supper as the “supper of the Lord” (1
Cor 11:20)
If the “Lord” told Paul about His actions at the last supper, they must be of utmost
importance because the Risen Jesus would not communicate Paul trivial information in
His appearance. Paul declares that he himself “handed on” this message. In other
words, this is part of the core of the “good news.”
Paul says that Jesus gave the bread and wine “on the night in which He was betrayed.”
His actions at the supper are related to His coming Passion and death.
St. Leo the Great (461) has said, “What was visible in Christ has passed into the
sacraments of the Church.” 1
St. Thomas Aquinas observes “It was especially suitable that He institute in His own
person this sacrament, in which His body and blood are communicated. Hence, He
Himself says in John (6:52): ‘The bread that I shall give is My flesh for the life of the
world’” (Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians,
647).
Thomas affirms: “It should be noted that the sacraments were instituted on account of a
need in the spiritual life” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 650). The
sacraments address the spiritual needs of a person similar to the way that a person’s
physical needs are met: “The spiritual life requires food, by which man’s body is
sustained, and likewise the spiritual life is fed by the sacrament of the Eucharist, as it
says in Ps 23:2: ‘He make me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still
waters’” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 650).
Christ Himself is present in the Sacrament: “In the sacrament of this Eucharist, which is
spiritual food, Christ is there according to His substance” (Commentary on the First
Letter to the Corinthians, 651).
We know Christ’s presence by faith: “… in order that the merit of faith grow, which
consists in believing something not seen” (Commentary on the First Letter to the
Corinthians, 652).
“Even bodily refreshment is not complete without food and drink, as John says: ‘All ate
of the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink’ (Jn 10:3)” (Commentary
on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 653).
Thomas offers reasons why the sacrament is given under the appearance of bread and
wine: “People generally use bread and wine for their refreshment… Therefore, these
are used in this sacrament. Secondly, on account of the power of this sacrament: for
1 “Quod conspicuum erat in Christo transivit in Ecclesiae sacramenta,” Leo the Great, Sermo
LXXIV, 2; PL, 54, 398.
bread strengthens the heart of man, but wine gladdens it. Thirdly, because bread, which
is made from many grains and wine from many grapes, signifies the unity of the Church
which is made up of many believers. Furthermore, this Eucharist is especially the
sacrament of unity and charity” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians,
654).
Thomas notes that Jesus commanded us to receive this sacrament: “He enjoined the
use of the sacrament, saying: ‘Take’ (Mk 14:22). As if not from any human power or
merit is it proper for you to use this sacrament, but from an eminent gift of God: And He
determines the kind of use when He says, and ‘eat’: ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of man’ (Jn. 6:54)” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 659).
Christ Himself is in this sacrament: “This sacrament is completed in the very
consecration of the matter, in which Christ Himself is contained, Who is the end of all
sanctifying grace” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 660).
The bread and wine are converted into the Body and Blood of Jesus: “The body of
Christ is truly in this sacrament by the conversion of bread into it” (Commentary on the
First Letter to the Corinthians, 662).
The bread becomes the Body of Jesus: “For the body of Christ is in this sacrament from
the conversion of the substance of bread into it” (Commentary on the First Letter to the
Corinthians, 654).
Christ is truly present in each part of the bread: “After the consecration the whole body
of Christ is under each part of the divided bread” (Commentary on the First Letter to the
Corinthians, 654).
The priest speaks the words as Christ said them: “But the priest says them from the
same efficacy now, as when Christ spoke them. For the power conferred on these
words does not vanish either by the difference of time or by the variety of ministers”
(Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 667).
The bread becomes the Body of Christ through the consecration: “It is made the body of
Christ through consecration” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 669).
The bread does not just receive power but it is changed into Christ’s Body: “The
consecration does not occur by the consecrated matter merely receiving some spiritual
power, but by the fact that it is transubstantiated according to its being into the body of
Christ. Therefore, no other word was to be used except a substantive, so as to say, this
is My body” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 670).
Jesus declared that His body will be given for us: “When He says, which will be given up
for you, He touches on the mystery of this sacrament. For this sacrament represents the
Lord’s passion, through which His body was delivered over to death for us, as it says:
‘He gave Himself for us’ (Eph 5:2)” (Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians,
672).
Denis Vincent Wiseman, O.P.
The quotations from St. Thomas’ Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians are
taken from the translations of Fr. Fabian R. Larcher, O.P., edited by J. Mortensen and
E. Alarcón. The translation, found in Volume 38 of the Biblical Commentaries, was
published by the Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, Lander, Wyoming,
in 2012.