Eucharistic Saints

Cyril of Jerusalem

by Gary Penkala

As we continue with the National Eucharistic Revival, it would be profitable to recall those saints who had a special devotion to the Blessed Eucharist. Over the next few articles we'll study these saints, their lives, their devotion to the Blessed Eucharist, and music connected to them.

Life

Two strong and important theologians of the fourth century were Arius and Cyril of Jerusalem, each on opposite sides of the inflamatory heresy denying the divinity of Charist, Arius (250-336) was a priest in Alexandria, Egypt. He was popular with the people and sang and wrote poetry to explain his message. His preaching, that Jesus Christ was merely a wise human who was adopted by God as his Son, was antithetical to the beliefs of the Church at the time. He was not co-equal or of "one substance" with the Father, according to Arius. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem argued the prevailing Trinitarian opinion that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were three persons of One God, all co-equal in subsatance and dignity. The Council of Nicæa was convened by the Emperor Constantine to settle the question. The gathered bishops found overwhelmingly in favor of Saint Cyril's teaching, opposing and exiling Arius. The formula of beliefs written by the Council (the Nicene Creed) was signed by all participants except Arius and two sympathetic bishops.

Devotion to the Eucharist

Fr. John Hardon SJ writes:

Saint Cyril wrote extensively on the Holy Eucharist as Sacrifice, Communion, and Real Presence. His writings are not only clear and uncomplicated, they show us how unqualified was the faith of the early Church in the priestly powers of changing bread and wine into the living Jesus Christ. Among the classic passages that have been quoted over the centuries, the following is typical:

The bread and wine of the Eucharist before the invocation of the holy and adorable Trinity were simply bread and wine. But after the invocation the bread becomes the Body of Christ and the wine becomes the Blood of Christ. [Catechetical Discourses, 19,7]

What is most significant about this profession of faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist is its unqualified clarity. From the dawn of Christian history, faith in the Holy Eucharist as the living Christ has been continuous. Thus we have writers like Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Justin Martyr, Saint Irenæus, Saint Cyprian, and many others, all attesting to the presence of the living Christ in the Holy Eucharist through the words of consecration at Mass.

Related Music

1. Ave verum corpus (Colin Brumby)

   Ave verum corpus is a beautiful Latin Eucharistic hymn dating from the 14th century, attributed to the French pope, Innocent VI. It is often used for Benediction or sung during Communion time, and its English translation is:

   Hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary:
   You who truly suffered and were sacrificed on the cross for the sake of man.
   From whose pierced side flowed water and blood:
   Be a foretaste [of heaven] for us in the trial of death.
   O sweet, O merciful, O Jesus, Son of Mary.

   Amid prestigious company like Byrd, Mozart, Fauré and others, Colin Brumby has set the text in a dignified, simple manner. This is an excellent example of Dr. Brumby's choral composing skill; though not beyond the scope of any choir capable of four parts, the music is compelling and makes expert use of repetition and variation. This rich motet also has quite limited ranges for most of the voices:

   • Soprano: E - E-flat
   • Alto: C - A-flat
   • Tenor: G - E-flat
   • Bass: G - B-flat

   The thirty measures of this motet can easily be extended by beginning with the chant version. This is one of those easy pieces that will make your choir sound fantastic!
    

2. Now, My Tongue, the Mystery Telling (Alan Smith)

   Saint Thomas wrote his great Eucharistic hymn, Pange lingua gloriosi, for the newly-created feast of Corpus Christi — and that was back in the 13th century during the pontificate of Urban IV. Many translators have offered English versions of the poem, perhaps greatest among these are the churchmen, John Mason Neale and Edward Caswell. Their translations are used in this setting of the hymn tune, Picardy, which otherwise is sung with the common text, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence."

   The verses are set simply:

   1. Unison mixed voices, p, light organ without pedal
   2. SATB, mp, a cappella
   3. Men's voices, mp, organ without pedal
   4. Unison mixed voices, mf, organ with pedal

   If the congregation is familiar with this hymn tune, the CNP setting by Alan Smith will be a welcome addition to the choral repertoire, using a known tune with a different text. If the congregation doesn't know this beautiful French tune, this motet is a great way for the choir to introduce the melody, perhaps on the Sunday before they sing the hymn the first time.
    

3. Two Communion Pieces for Manuals (Donna N. Robertson)

   These two Communion hymns come from different traditions. Adoro te devote is a Mode V chant melody from the 13th century Processionale, published in Paris in 1697. It is quite likely a late addition to the chant repertoire, owing to its opening triad and its rather diatonic, major-mode tonality. Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele is a 17th century Lutheran hymn tune by Johann Crüger, cantor and organist of Saint Nikolai Church in Berlin, written in 1644.

   Donna Robertson has set these tunes in wonderfully appropriate style. The chant tune appears as a flowing, flexible prelude, in comfortably alternating meters: 7/8 6/8 9/8. The melody appears in "paraphrase" in the soprano line. The German chorale is set as a Baroque, three-voice fughetta, with the melody often in the soprano line in both a straight quarter-note rhythm and an ornamented version.

   Do not be misled by the "manuals only" designation here. These preludes are not overly difficult, but they are far from simplistic. Even highly competent organist will find abundant interest here, all the result of a fine organist-composer's skill.

Article written 12 May 2023