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ON THE MOST HOLY BODY OF CHRIST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Bonaventure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Translated by

 

Campion Murray OFM


SUMMARY

 

Introduction    4

Six of our imperfections are indicated    4

Six effects of God are indicated   4

Six themes that prefigure the Eucharist   4

 

Part I: The first and second themes   5

The first is the theme of dripping   5

   First effect    5

The theme points to four remedies   5

Firstly    5

Secondly   6

Thirdly    6

   Fourthly   6

   Second effect   6

   Third effect    6

The second theme, namely, bread

   Four actions of Elijah   7

Firstly    8

Secondly   8

Thirdly    8

Fourthly   8

Four fruits     8

   Themes prefiguring the four fruits   9

   First fruit   9

   Second fruit   9

   Third fruit   9

   Fourth fruit   9

 

Part II. The third and fourth themes   10

The third is the theme of honey   10

   Four actions of Jonathan   10

   Four fruits of the Eucharist   11

   First fruit   11

   Second fruit   11

   Third fruit   11

   Fourth fruit   12

The fourth theme, namely, the Paschal Lamb   12

   Four qualities needed before his coming   12

   First quality   12

   Second quality   13

      Third quality   13

   Fourth quality   13

     Four qualities needed in approaching the Sacrament   13

   First quality   13

   Second quality   13

   Third quality   14

   Fourth quality   14

   Four fruits after receiving the Sacrament   14

   First fruit   14

   Second fruit   14

   Third fruit   15

   Fourth fruit   15

 

Part III. On the fifth and sixth themes    15

Fifth theme: the theme of heavenly treasure   15

   Four treasures hidden in the Sacrament   15

   First treasure   15

   Second treasure   15

   Third treasure   16

   Fourth treasure   16

   Hidden for four reasons   16

   First reason   16

   Second reason   17

   Third reason   17

   Fourth reason    17

Sixth theme: Manna   17

      Four properties of manna   17

   First property   18

   Second property   18

   Third property   18

      Fourth property   18

         Example of the Saints   18

   Four things to be done   19

   First preparation   19

   Second preparation   19

   Third preparation   19

   Fourth preparation   19

 

Epilogue       20


Introduction[1]:

1. Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him and his wonderful works to the children of men. He has satisfied the empty soul, and has filled the hungry soul with good things. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound, in want and in iron [Psalm 106:8-10].[2] The Prophet David wrote this text to stimulate us to give thanks when he said: Let the mercies of the Lord etc. So, wanting to stimulate our hearts to give thanks, in this text he shows multiple imperfections in our poor condition, but also multiple effects of divine mercy.

 

Six of our imperfections are indicated:

He says:

§   that people are empty,

§   that they hunger,

§   sit in darkness,

§   and lie in the shadow of death,

§   bound in want

§   and in iron.

Empty, because God does not dwell within them; hungry, because they do not have spiritual refreshment. They sit in darkness, because they lack divine knowledge. They lie in the shadow of death, because they are under a judgment of damnation. They are bound in want, because they do not have works of virtue. They are bound in iron, because they are hard of heart.

 

Six effects of God are indicated:

Therefore, let them give glory to the Lord, because

§   the Lord has filled the empty soul,

§   has satisfied the hungry soul,

§   enlightened the soul sitting in darkness,

§   reconciled the soul lying in the shadow of death,

§   enriched the soul in need,

§   and softened the hard heart.

They were empty and the Lord gave himself to them by living in them. They were hungry and the Lord gave himself to them as refreshment; they sat in darkness and the Lord God gave himself to them as the enlightenment of their hearts; they lay in the shadow of death and the Lord gave himself to them as an offering of reconciliation. They were bound in want, and the Lord gave himself to them in good works; they were bound in iron, that is, in hardness of heart, and he gave himself to them to soften their hearts. Therefore, give glory to the Lord for he fills the empty, he is the refreshment of the hungry, the light of all who sit in darkness, the reconciliation of those living in the shadow of death, the enrichment of those in want and the softening of hardened hearts.

It is clear that all of these are mentioned in the text chosen for our treatise.

 

Six themes that prefigure the Eucharist:

2. Corresponding to these six points, the body of Christ is prefigured in Scripture by six themes, namely,

§   the theme of marrow or dripping,

§   the theme of bread,

§   the theme of honey,

§   the theme of the paschal lamb,

§   the theme of heavenly treasure

§   and the theme of manna.

On the first theme, because dripping is something penetrating, it is suitable for filling the empty. On the second theme, because bread is strengthening, it is suitable for refreshing the hungry. On the third theme, because honey cleanses the eyes, it is suitable for enlightening those sitting in darkness. On the fourth theme, because the paschal lamb can be offered in sacrifice, it is suitable for reconciling those who lie in the shadow of death. On the fifth theme, because treasure is desirable, it is suitable for enriching the poor.  On the sixth theme, because manna can liquefy, it is suitable for softening hardness of hearts. Therefore, let the mercies of the Lord etc.  

 

Part I: On the first and second themes:

The first theme, namely, of dripping

3. Firstly, the most holy Body of Christ is rightly prefigured for us by the theme of dripping. The Body of Christ is given to us to preserve divine fervour in our heart and it is preserved in three ways:

§   by interior delight,

§   by love for a neighbour,

§   and by devotion to God.

Interior delight is only experienced through a provision of refreshment; love for a neighbour comes through the Sacrament of communion; devotion to God through the sacrifice of an offering. The Body of Christ is given for these three reasons, namely, for a provision of refreshment[3] to preserve interior delight; for the Sacrament of communion to preserve love for a neighbour; for the sacrifice of an offering to preserve devotion to God. Fatness provides these three: for interior delight it provides delightful foods which it imparts; to preserve love of neighbour, it extends a skin on which it is smeared; to preserve devotion to God it supports a flame which it enkindles.

 

First effect:

4. Because dripping produces delightful foods, it represents the Body of Christ that produces great interior delight in anyone who eats it with devotion. This is prefigured in Genesis 49:20: Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings. This bread imparts great delights to a person because it takes away all that causes trouble. Four things trouble a person in this life[4]:

§   weakness,

§   ignorance,

§   malice

§   and concupiscence,

four things inflicted on people because of original sin. Psalm 37:9: I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly and the cause is added immediately when it says: my strength has left me, because of weakness; and the light of my eyes itself is not with me, because of ignorance; my friends and my neighbours have drawn near, and stood against me, because of concupiscence. He calls his friends and neighbours flesh with its concupiscence, and even adversaries because the flesh lusts against the spirit (Galatians 5:17). And they that were near me stood afar off because of malice. 

 

The theme points to four remedies:

Under the theme of the bread of Asher, that is, abundant bread, bread providing delights, and bread of kings, the Body of Christ is given against the four afflictions in the text quoted from Genesis 49:20.

 

Firstly:

It is called the bread of kings because it strengthens kings against weakness so that a king, that is, right reason, sitting on the throne of judgment, that is, by a correct governing of the soul, scatters away all evil with his look as stated in Proverbs 20:8.

Secondly:

The Body of Christ is called rich bread because it enlightens against ignorance. When placed in a jug or poured into a lamp, dripping provides light.

 

Thirdly:

It is also called a bread giving delights against concupiscence of the flesh. This is the bread having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste, Wisdom 16:20.

 

Fourthly:

It is called the bread of Asher[5] which means happiness because it gladdens the whole person against all malice. The power of this bread is that it changes humans into Christ who is most blessed from his essence and blesses others by grace. So the Lord said to blessed Augustine[6]: ‘You will not change me into you as food of your flesh, but you will be changed into me’.

 

Second effect:

5. Secondly, the Body of Christ is given to us in the Sacrament of communion to preserve love for a neighbour; and so it is well prefigured by dripping, for just as dripping expands a skin on which it is smeared, so the Body of Christ expands a soul that eats it devoutly. It broadens it in every direction, namely, above and below, to the right, to the left, before and behind; for this reason Jeremiah 31:14 says: I will fill the souls of the priests with fatness.

The fatness, by which he fills the soul of priests, refers to the Sacrament of the altar by which a soul receiving it worthily is warmed to love. This expands the soul strongly in every direction and so he adds: and my people shall be filled with my good things. The word, people, stands for the whole Church, both militant and triumphant. After the soul of a priest has been filled by virtue of the Sacrament with the dripping of love, immediately he fills the whole Church with good things. From the abundance of love, the Church is expanded up to heaven by praying to God to the honour of the Saints reigning in heaven; it is expanded below even to purgatory because it prays for the redemption of those abiding there; it is expanded to the right because it prays for the salvation of friends and benefactors; it is expanded to the left because it prays for the salvation of enemies and persecutors; it is expanded behind because it prays for the salvation of its predecessors; before because it prays for the salvation of all the future predestined until the day of judgment.

 

Third effect:

6. Thirdly, the Body of Christ is given to us for a sacrificial offering to preserve devotion towards God. For this reason it is well represented by dripping because just as dripping poured on a fire raises the flame higher, so the most divine Eucharist, received by a devout soul, raises the soul through devotion to God. So Psalm 62:5-6 says: In your name I will lift up my hands. Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips. Just as a vase filled with marrow and dripping, cannot hold all within and overflows outside, so the Body of Christ, when it has filled a soul with the dripping of devotion, overflows exteriorly with joyful lips.[7]

In this text there is mention of four things that help to preserve devotion to God, namely,

§   a correct intention,

§   routine in prayer,

§   devotion in communion,

§   and subsequent thanksgiving.

One should so order these things that one, firstly, prepares a right intention, afterwards stirs oneself by prayer, then devoutly approaches communion, and finally opens the mouth in thanksgiving.

7. Firstly, a person must have a right intention. One should not offer this sacrifice to please others, or for a personal convenience or for temporal gain. It is to be offered only for the sake of divine honour, for the benefit of a neighbour and to increase one’s merit. For this reason the Apostle says: All whatsoever you do in word or work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17).  

One approaching this Sacrament should be ready for prayer; one should not come with a tepid heat because this could cause obstinacy. For this reason the Psalm says: I will lift up my hands, namely, in prayer according to the Apostle in 1 Timothy 2:8: I will therefore that people pray in every place, lifting up pure hands, namely, to the Lord.

Then thirdly, a devout person should approach communion, and so there is added: Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness.

And lastly, fattened by devotion, and inflamed from love, one must break out in thanksgiving. So there is added: and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips.

Therefore, let the mercies of the Lord give glory, because his Body is first prefigured for us by the theme of fatness.

 

The second theme, namely, bread:

8. Secondly, this most holy Body is prefigured for us in the theme of bread, of which John 6:51 says: I am the living bread which came down from heaven, and in 6:52: The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

This is the bread brought by the Angel to Elijah as stated in 1 Kings 19:6: Elijah looked and behold there was at his head a hearth[8] cake and a vessel of water. A hearth cake is the Body of Christ that is well called hearth because it is covered with other material.[9] The hearth implies other material and under this material, namely, ashes, the refreshment of our minds is hidden. The text says also that there was a vessel of water there and this is added because of the mystery of the Blood of Christ. That the bread was brought by an angel’s ministry signifies that when this Sacrament is confected, there is present an army of angels. Gregory in Dialogues[10]:

 

Who among the faithful doubts that in the very hour of immolation at the voice of a priest the heavens are opened, the lowest is connected to the highest, earth is joined to heaven, and the visible and invisible become one? But when we do this, it is necessary that before God we first, in compunction of heart, offer ourselves on the altar to God.

 

Four actions of Elijah:

But before Elijah came to the refreshment of this bread, we read that he did four things.

§   He left the servant,

§   came into the desert,

§   sat under a juniper

§   and received an angelic awakening.

This signifies that for a person to want to approach this Sacrament worthily four things are necessary.

§   Firstly, a person must flee from the consolation of the world,

§   enter religion,

§   remain subject to a superior there,

§   and have devotion towards God.

And these are the four things spoken of above.

 

Firstly:

9. Firstly, it is necessary to flee from the consolation of the world. There is a fullness of spiritual consolation in this Sacrament, something not given to anyone indulging in other consolation, as Bernard says.[11] Hence, it is necessary that whoever wants to receive spiritual consolation has to dismiss carnal delight. This is what is said, namely, that when he came to Beersheba he left his servant there. Beersheba means a spring of abundance and it represents Christ in whom is all fullness of graces. Whoever reaches this fullness sets aside every delight of the world; and this is what is added here: he left his servant there. What do we get from a servant other than carnal delight? The Apostle teaches us to leave this servant when he says: Therefore, do not become children in sense, but in malice be perfect (1 Corinthians 14:20). Therefore, the one who leaves a servant is one who leaves behind the childish ways of the world.

 

Secondly:

10. Secondly, whoever wants to approach this Sacrament worthily must engage in the religion of an upright life. This is what is said here: Elijah went into the desert. The desert represents religious life which is named from deserting[12] for in it all temporal things are left behind. There, riches are abandoned by the vow of poverty, delights by the vow of chastity, honours and worldly dignities by giving up one’s own will. Nothing in the world is as harmful as these three; 1 John 2:16 states: For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life. Because the devil captures sinful souls through these three things, so it is that religious souls struggle against these three things. This is implied in Deuteronomy 8:15: in the desert was the serpent burning with his breath, that is, the devil tempting through pride; and the dipsas[13] killing from thirst, that is, the devil tempting through avarice; and the scorpion fawning in appearance but stinging with the tail, that is, the devil temping through concupiscence of the flesh.

 

Thirdly:

11. Thirdly, it is necessary to be subject to a superior; this is said in the text: Elijah sat under a juniper tree. Isidore[14] says that a juniper is a tree whose ashes conserve fire for a whole year. Therefore, what are we able to see in a juniper other than a good superior? The ash of a juniper is the humility of a superior; this humility serves to preserve a fire of mutual love and warmth of fervent devotion in the hearts of subjects.

 

Fourthly:  

12. Fourthly, it is necessary to maintain devotion for God; this is what the text says here[15]: that an angel touched him. What does the Angel represent other than a gift of divine grace? An Angel means messenger. When God sends us grace, then it is as if God is sending an Angel to us. This angel stirs us once and yet again because the gift of divine grace always prompts us in spirit to go forward.

 

Four fruits:

 Whoever approaches this Sacrament worthily does not return empty. And so note that there are four things usually received in this Sacrament when approached worthily.

 

 

Themes prefiguring the four fruits:

13. This Sacrament

§   comforts for action,

§   raises to contemplation,

§   disposes to the revelation of divine things,

§   animates and enkindles contempt of the world and a desire for heavenly and eternal goods.

This is stated in the text: Elijah walked in the strength of that food and reached the mount of God, saw divine secrets and stood at the mouth of a cave. These are the four things referred to above.

 

First fruit:

The first fruit drawn by a devout soul from this Sacrament is to be comforted in actions. So it is said: he walked in the strength of that food for forty days etc. This food represents the Body of Christ in the strength of which a person works while not ceasing to make progress in the spiritual life. He walks for forty days. In the number forty, ten is taken four times. Ten represents the Decalogue to which the whole of the Old Testament can be reduced. Four represents the four Gospels to which the whole of the New Testament can be reduced. So, to walk in the strength of that food for forty days is to progress in the spiritual life throughout all the time we have in such a way that our life is ruled by the New and the Old Testaments.

 

Second fruit:

14. Secondly, one is raised to contemplation; so the text says: he came unto the mount of God. What else can we understand by the mount other than a lifting up of the mind? Moses came to this mount, of which we read in Exodus 3:1ff.: Moses fed the sheep, and note here the carrying out of an action. Afterwards, he drove the flock to the inner parts of the desert, indicating the leading back of all actions and affections to the inner parts of the heart. And he came to the mount of God, in which is noted the raising of the mind to heavenly matters. There, the Lord appeared to him, because from then on an act of contemplation occurs in the soul. The Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire. Fire warms and illuminates and so indicates that, when a soul reaches the grace of contemplation, the intellect draws the light of knowledge and the affections the glow of love.

 

Third fruit:

15. Thirdly, one is disposed for the revelation of divine secrets; so the text of 1 Kings 19:11-12 says that the Lord said to Elijah: Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord, and behold the Lord passes and a great and strong wind before the Lord overthrowing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces; the Lord is not in the wind and after the wind an earthquake; the Lord is not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire; the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air, and the Lord is there. There, it was revealed to Elijah that the Lord is not in a spirit of pride, not in the upset of impatience, nor in a fire of greed or carnal concupiscence, but in the whispering of a gentle air, that is, in the tranquillity of a peaceful conscience. Psalm 75:3 says: His place is in peace, and his abode in Zion.

 

Fourth fruit:

16. Fourthly, one is animated to contempt of the world and to a desire for heavenly goods. So the text says here (1 Kings 19:13) that Elijah covered his face with his mantle and coming forth stood at the entrance of the cave. When a soul is lifted up to see the immensity of that beauty and the infinity of divine power, it immediately draws back to its own smallness, covers its face with deep humility, comes forth from the greed of the world, and stands at the entrance of the cave, that is, it longs for eternity. The cave represents a human body and the entrance a desire to leave. For this reason he, as it were, stood at the entrance because he wanted to go out.

Therefore, let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, because his most holy Body is prefigured for us in this second way by the theme of bread.

Part II. The third and fourth themes:

The theme of honey:

17. Thirdly, his most reverent Body is prefigured for us in the theme of honey. So, Proverbs 24:13 says: Eat honey, my son, because it is good, and the honeycomb most sweet to your throat. The honeycomb represents the Sacrament of the Lord’s Body, and it is well represented by honey because honey delights the taste and, according to doctors purifies eyesight. In the same way, Christ delights the affections and enlightens the mind. Bernard[16]: ‘Jesus, sweetness of hearts, living fountain, light of minds, surpasses every joy and every desire’. By saying that he is sweetness of hearts, the affections are delighted, and that he is the light of minds, the intellect is enlightened.

Bernard says on the Canticle[17] that Jesus is honey: ‘Jesus is honey in the mouth, a song in the ear, joy in the heart’. And in another text: ‘Jesus, angelic glory, a sweet song to the ear, wonderful honey in the mouth, heavenly ornament in the heart’. Our bee, the Virgin Mary, made for us this honey, according to Sirach 11:3: The bee is small among flying things, but her fruit has the greatest sweetness.

The blessed Virgin is a bee, an animal described as small, because she is the most humble among all the Saints. Her fruit has the greatest sweetness, because the Lord Jesus Christ, the fruit of her womb, was not only sweet like honey but indeed more than honey and the honeycomb. Bernard says: ‘Jesus is a presence sweeter than honey and everything else’.

Therefore, just as the Body of Christ is prefigured by the theme of bread and this is for the refreshment of the hungry, so it is prefigured by the theme of honey for the illumination of those sitting in the shadow of death. This is stated in 1 Samuel 14:27, 29: Jonathan tasted the honey and his eyes were enlightened.

 

Four actions of Jonathan:

Four things are necessary for a person who approaches this Sacrament. We read that Jonathan did four things before he came to taste the honeycomb of honey:

§   he climbed a difficult track,

§   put the whole army of the Philistines to flight,

§   held in his hand a rod,

§   and brought his hand to his mouth.

This signifies that anyone approaching this Sacrament worthily has to be trying to improve, have victory over temptation, the protection of the blessed Virgin, and the assistance of an enlightened way of acting.

18. Therefore, firstly, one must be trying to improve. So the text says of Jonathan that he went up creeping on his hands and feet, to signify that one must always have a strong desire to move forward, to increase and ascend from virtue to virtue, according to Psalm 83:6-8: Blessed are they whose help is from you, whose heart is disposed to ascend by steps, in the vale of tears, in the place which has been set. For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue; the God of gods shall be seen in Zion. No one is capable of this other than one who concentrates all the strength of soul and body on all these. For this reason, Jonathan is said to have gone creeping on his hands and feet. Bernard[18]:

 

This is my daily exercise: I examine my spirit assiduously and with all in you that deserves love, as if with hands and feet and striving with all my strength, I move towards you; but the more strongly I strive, the more severely am I pressed down to the earth; in myself and under myself, and looking at myself, I have come to regard myself as a difficult and tedious question.

 

19. Secondly, one must have a victory over temptation. For this reason we read of Jonathan that he put the whole army to flight, signifying, that one who wants to approach the Sacrament of the altar worthily must achieve victory over all temptations.

20. Thirdly, one who wishes to taste the sweetness of the honey hidden in the Sacrament of the altar must have the protection of the blessed Virgin. For this reason we read that Jonathan held a rod in his hand before he came to the sweetness similar to honey. In Scripture, the rod represents the Virgin Mary according to the text of Isaiah 11:1: There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. One holds a rod in the hand as long as the memory of the blessed Virgin is held during every activity; honey is got by reaching out with her because it is only by the protection of the blessed Virgin Mary that one reaches the power of this Sacrament. For this reason, just as this most holy Body is given to us through her, so what was given to us and was born from her womb should be offered through her hands and accepted through her hands in the Sacrament. Bernard[19]:

 

Whatever it may be you are preparing to offer remember to entrust it to the hands of the blessed Virgin so that grace may flow back by the same channel to the giver of grace from whom it flowed. Perhaps your hands are either full of blood or stained from gifts in so far as you have not kept them free from every gift.

 

21. Fourthly, one who wants to approach the mystery of the Body of Christ worthily must have the assistance of an enlightened way of acting. Just as the Apostle says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10: Anyone who will not work, or who does not work, is not to eat. This must be observed most faithfully when eating the Body of Christ; no one is worthy to receive this Sacrament other than a person exercised in good works. And so it is said of Jonathan that he brought his hand to his mouth. Because we work with our hands, work is indicated in Scripture by hands; but work is also indicated by the mouth and so the word mouth indicates the act of eating.   

 

Four fruits of the Eucharist:

22. But because the gift of grace in one who eats worthily is usually increased, we read that Jonathan received four good effects from tasting the honey; these represent four effects of grace that one receives from approaching the Sacrament worthily.

 

First fruit:

The mind is enlightened to know the highest truth, and so we read in 1 Samuel 14:27 that after Jonathan tasted the honey: his eyes were enlightened. Whoever frequents this Sacrament daily with fervour of devotion advances in enlightenment of mind, and so the text says: You have seen yourselves that my eyes are enlightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

 

Second fruit:

23. Secondly, desire is here incited to seek the highest good; whoever approaches this Sacrament worthily is delighted more and more in its intimacies. This is what is said of Jonathan: I did but taste a little honey (1 Samuel 14:43). It is noteworthy that he said: I did but taste. Once that sweetness is tasted, the desire to taste is incited and further increased; so because one tastes by tasting, from the taste desire always increases.  So Bernard[20]: ‘A spiritual taste is a stirring of love and a prompting of desire’. Also he says: ‘Who tastes you still hungers, who drinks you still thirsts, they know of no desire other than Jesus whom they love’. And it adds well a little honey because even though an ample taste is given to someone in this life, in comparison with the heavenly fullness, it is only a little honey.

 

Third fruit:

24. Thirdly, an irascible person is strengthened to stamp out all evil. For this reason we read that Jonathan, strengthened by the taste of honey, pursued the Philistines to Aijalon (1 Samuel 14:31). The word Philistines means double ruin and represents vices that bring ruin to the soul and eternal death to the body. Aijalon means a searching for life and represents the eternal life that we acquire there most perfectly. Temporal life is not called life but rather death, as Gregory[21] says. Therefore, Jonathan, strengthened by the honey, that is, a man made from the Body of Christ, pursued the Philistines to Aijalon, that is, he did not cease to stamp out vices until he gained eternal life.

 

Fourth fruit:

25. Fourthly, a person dies to this world so as to live for God. And this is what is said of Jonathan. After tasting a little honey, he then added: Behold, I must die (1 Samuel 14:43), signifying that the sweetness of this Sacrament fills a person and totally destroys this person for the world. This is the desire of the Saints, and so Job 7:15 says: My soul rather chooses hanging and my bones death. This death of the external person is the total bringing to life of the inner person. So the Lord said to Moses: a person shall not see me and live (Exodus 33:20), because it is only after this death that one reaches the vision of God.[22] Therefore, because ‘the vision of God is the whole reward’, as Augustine[23] says, there is no way to the vision of God except through death. Blessed Augustine desired this death saying:

 

Make me, Lord, out of desire and love for you, totally dead to this world and make me forget the vanity of all transient things because of the greatness of your love, so that over temporal things may I neither lament nor rejoice nor be corrupted by flattery nor be shaken by adversity.[24]