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252 : ON THE PRESERVATION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST,
brose applying the words of the canticle to holy Eucharist: “I have
drunk. my wine with my milk.” St. Zeno says to the neophytes:
“The Lamb has poured his sweet milk in love on your stammering lips.”
Two very antique tombstones, speak about the blessed sacra-
ment under the emblem of a fish, one of St. Albericus, bishop of
Hierapolis in Phrygia, the other of Pektorius from the third century.
The inscription of the first is: “Faith produced one food, the fish from
‘the same source, the immaculate fish, which the Virgin has taken
and given her friends wholly to eat.... Every one of one faith with
me will reading this pray for me.” /
Taken all those paintings and inscriptions together we are com-
pelled to believe, that the early Christians disguised the blessed Sacra-
ment from the heathens under the form of the fish with the bread,
and under the lamb. with the milk-bucket whilst those familiar with
it understood their meaning and were reminded of the love of Christ.
On the preservation of the holy Eucharist.
Z syn the early days of Christianity and at times of persecution,
Led dad when priests were scarce, the faithful after holy Communion
carried one or more sacred particles of the Host in a linen cloth,
in a little willow-basket or in a golden pyxis home and preserved them
there, in prepared closets. Thus St. Cyprian relates: that when a
certain person opened this house (tabernacle) with unworthy hands
fire burst forth, at which she was so much frightened, that she never
ventured to touch it any more.
Besides this the Christians had their proper places, where the
Holiest was deposited for the viaticum of the dying, which were
called “Pastophorion and were inside the presbytery at the side
of the altar. These closets afterwards were changed into the “Ciboria”,
consisting of four columns which supported a roof with a cross; be-
neath stood the altar. Above the altar was a dove of silver or gold
hollow inside and provided with a lid on its back containing the
blessed Sacrament, to which Tertullian’s words refer, calling the
church “the house of our dove” i. e. of the holy Eucharist. The
dove is not only an emblem of the holy Ghost, but also of the imma-
culate body of our Saviour.
An other vase for preserving the holy Eucharist was a. little
tower (either with or without the dove), of which mention is made
in the life of pope Innocent. where it is recorded, that he got a little
silver tower made with the patena and a gilded dove 30 pds. in weight;
Is
~—))
Spies lt i iia naa tke iE agp 5 indi se sb ei - : . S “age
ta Ein a ak aS ad i Sa or Me spe a rah ea ai sain ga Eee intamiainccermadin a Hemmant
'
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