changed into man's body, but nourishes his soul."112 Thomas turns again to this passage in the corpus of his first article on the effects the sacrament. He distinguishes four ways in which one can consider the effect of the sacrament. The third way considers the Eucharist from the way it is given-as food and drink. Thomas asserts, therefore, that "this sacrament does for the spiritual life all that material food does for the bodily life, namely, by sustaining, giving increase, restoring, and giving delight."113 He cites Ambrose, as quoted above, and Chrysostom as his authorities. Christ comes as saving spiritual food and drink to nourish our souls.

Further, Ambrose provides Thomas with significant justification for meeting Christ in this sacrament daily. When Thomas considers whether the Eucharist forgives venial sins, he affirms this both with respect to the sacramentum ipsum (sacramentum tantum) and the res sacramentum. Given as food and drink, the Eucharist restores the spiritual energy of charity lost through venial sins, just as natural food restores the energy lost through activity. This is why, Thomas argues, Ambrose says that the Eucharist is received daily "as a remedy against daily infirmity."114 Meeting Christ daily in the Eucharist, we receive the remedy that restores the health of our souls. On the question of daily reception itself, Thomas makes much the same point, again with Ambrose's help. The sed contra authority gives strong and straightforward support to daily reception: "This is our daily bread; take it daily, that it may profit you daily."115 Thomas attributes this quotation to Augustine, but it actually comes from Ambrose.116 On the side of the sacrament itself, which gives health, daily reception is profitable. Hence, Ambrose says, "if, whenever Christ's blood is shed, it is shed for the forgiveness of sins, I who sin often, should receive it often: I need a frequent remedy."117 Thomas cites the same quotation again when considering daily reception on the side of the recipient. He then continues the citation: "So live as to deserve to receive it daily."118 Thomas's point is that only the lack of a proper

112 ST III, q. 77, a. 6, ad 1.113 ST III, q. 79, a. 1, resp.114 ST III, q. 79, a. 4, resp. Rather than an exact quote, this is a paraphrase or summary faithful to the meaning of De sacr. 5.4.115 ST III, q. 80, a. 10, sc. I altered the translation slightly.116 Ambrose, De sacr. 5.4: "If it is daily bread, why do you take it once a year, as the Greeks are accustomed to do in the East. Take it daily, that it may profit you daily! [Si cottidianus est panis, cur post annum illum sumas, quemadmodum Graeci in oriente facere consuerunt? Accipe cottidie, quod cottidie tibi prosit!]" (trans. mine). I am grateful to Andrew Hofer, O.P. for pointing out this further hidden influence of Ambrose.117 ST III, q. 80, a. 10, resp.118 ST III, q. 80, a. 10, resp .; Ambrose, De sacr. 5.4.

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The Christ Who Meets Us in the Sacraments: The Influence of St. Ambrose on the tertia pars of St. Thomas’s Summa theologiae

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