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Objection 1: It seems that if this sacrament had been reserved in a
pyx at the moment of Christ's death, or had then been consecrated by
one of the apostles, that Christ would not have died there. For
Christ's death happened through His Passion. But even then He was
in this sacrament in an impassible manner. Therefore, He could not
die in this sacrament.
Objection 2: Further, on the death of Christ, His blood was
separated from the body. But His flesh and blood are together in this
sacrament. Therefore He could not die in this sacrament.
Objection 3: Further, death ensues from the separation of the soul
from the body. But both the body and the soul of Christ are contained
in this sacrament. Therefore Christ could not die in this sacrament.
On the contrary, The same Christ Who was upon the cross would have
been in this sacrament. But He died upon the cross. Therefore, if
this sacrament had been reserved, He would have died therein.
I answer that, Christ's body is substantially the same in this
sacrament, as in its proper species, but not after the same fashion;
because in its proper species it comes in contact with surrounding
bodies by its own dimensions: but it does not do so as it is in this
sacrament, as stated above (Article 3). And therefore, all that
belongs to Christ, as He is in Himself, can be attributed to Him
both in His proper species, and as He exists in the sacrament; such
as to live, to die, to grieve, to be animate or inanimate, and the
like; while all that belongs to Him in relation to outward bodies,
can be attributed to Him as He exists in His proper species, but not
as He is in this sacrament; such as to be mocked, to be spat upon,
to be crucified, to be scourged, and the rest. Hence some have
composed this verse:
"Our Lord can grieve beneath the sacramental veils But cannot feel
the piercing of the thorns and nails."
Reply to Objection 1: As was stated above, suffering belongs to a
body that suffers in respect of some extrinsic body. And therefore
Christ, as in this sacrament, cannot suffer; yet He can die.
Reply to Objection 2: As was said above (Question 76, Article
2), in virtue of the consecration, the body of Christ is under the
species of bread, while His blood is under the species of wine. But
now that His blood is not really separated from His body; by real
concomitance, both His blood is present with the body under the
species of the bread, and His body together with the blood under the
species of the wine. But at the time when Christ suffered, when His
blood was really separated from His body, if this sacrament had been
consecrated, then the body only would have been present under the
species of the bread, and the blood only under the species of the
wine.
Reply to Objection 3: As was observed above (Question 76,
Article 1, ad 1), Christ's soul is in this sacrament by real
concomitance; because it is not without the body: but it is not there
in virtue of the consecration. And therefore, if this sacrament had
been consecrated then, or reserved, when His soul was really
separated from His body, Christ's soul would not have been under
this sacrament, not from any defect in the form of the words, but
owing to the different dispositions of the thing contained.
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