Commentaria in Exodum
Hence note secondly: Manna agrees most aptly with the body of Christ in the Eucharist, and most beautifully adumbrated it. First, the colour of the species of the Eucharist and of manna is the same. Secondly, the sweet taste of both. Again, as the sweetness in manna was hidden, so also Christ is hidden under the species of bread. Thirdly, only by leaving the Egyptian pots and the pleasures of the flesh is either found or tasted. Fourthly, to the unfaithful and avaricious both turn to worms and judgment. Fifthly, manna was not given except after the passage of the sea: the Eucharist is not given except after baptism. Sixthly, after the manna the Hebrews fought with Amalec, when before God alone had fought for them against the Egyptians; they fought, I say, and conquered: so the hindrances and temptations of the heavenly life, which God suffers to be set only before the stronger, are overcome by the virtue of the Eucharist. Wherefore St. Bernard, in a sermon on baptism given on the Lord’s Supper, says: “That Sacrament works two things in us, namely that it lessens the sense of sin in the least things, and in graver sins takes away consent altogether. If any one of you does not so often, not so bitterly feel the motions of anger, envy, lust, etc., let him give thanks to the body and blood of the Lord, because the virtue of the Sacrament” works this. Cyril on John, chap. 16: “The Eucharist,” he says, “while Christ abides in us, calms the raging law of our members, strengthens piety, extinguishes the disturbances of the mind, and considers not in what sins we are, but cures the sick, restores the broken, and like a good shepherd, who laid down his life for his sheep, raises us from every fall.” Seventhly, manna was bread without seed, without ploughing or any other human work, made by angels: so the body of Christ was born of the Virgin alone, by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost. Eighthly, manna gave the Hebrews every variety of savour. Whence Wisdom 16 it is said of manna: “Thou didst feed thy people with the food of angels, and gavest them bread from heaven prepared without labour, having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste”: so too Christ is milk to little ones, herbs to infants, solid food to the perfect, says Nyssen. And St. Cyprian, in his treatise On the Lord’s Supper: “This bread,” he says, “surpasses the allurements of all carnal savours, and the pleasures of all sweetnesses. See how for those who commemorate the passion of Christ within the sacred offices, as through certain channels streams issue from interior fountains, and the soul above all delights is delighted with nectareous tears; what sweetness the sighs of contemplation draw forth for the soul seeking where its God is.” Whence it follows, he says, “that thenceforth it shudders at the cups of sins, and every savour of carnal delights is to it as rancid, and as vinegar of sharp bitterness scraping the palate.” Thence follows the jubilation and inebriation of the mind, “that it may carry Christ,” he says, “in its breast, bear him in its mind, and at all times resound praises to its inhabitant, harmonious with the jubilation of sayings and deeds, and sing thanksgivings. This kindles not but extinguishes sin. When oblivion has lulled all the mockeries of the flesh, wonderful are the things it feels, great the things it sees, unheard-of the things which” And on 1 Corinthians: “This table,” he says, “is the strength of our soul, the sinews of the mind, the bond of confidence, our hope, salvation, light, life.” Ninthly, manna was small; Christ is enclosed in a small host. Tenthly, manna was beaten with a pestle: Christ was stripped of mortality by the pestle of the cross. Eleventhly, the faithful in wonder exclaim, man hu! what is this, that God is with us? Twelfthly, all gathered an equal measure of manna, namely one gomor: so all receive whole Christ equally, whether the species or host be larger or smaller. So Rupert. Thirteenthly, manna was gathered in the desert for six days only: so in the sabbath of eternity and in the promised land the veil of the sacrament shall cease, and we shall enjoy Christ face to face in utmost rest. Fourteenthly, manna melted in the sun: so when the species are dissolved by heat, the Sacrament is dissolved. Lastly, St. Ambrose, sermon 3, thinks the Blessed Virgin was figured by manna; for she is the mother of mercy, our life, sweetness and hope.
Tropologically, manna signifies the most sweet spiritual consolations which are perceived in the contemplation of heavenly things, and in the victory over temptations and concupiscences, of which it is said Psalm 30:20: “O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee!” and Apoc. 2:17: “To him that overcometh I will give the hidden manna.” For this consolation is a prelude and a kind of foretaste of eternal beatitude. This manna is not given except to one coming out of Egypt, and leaving the pots of flesh, and overcoming his concupiscences: for to him that overcometh it is promised by St. John, and by Christ the Lord. Whence a preceding temptation is wont to be a sign of consolation to follow: for to those proved by temptation heavenly consolation is promised. It is established by experience that no one heroically overcomes any temptation, infirmity, contempt of himself, concupiscence, curiosity, sickness, weariness, etc., but he presently feels a wonderful pleasure and joy of mind, which far surpasses adverse sadness, as well as the delights of concupiscence. Let each try it in himself, and he will feel that it is so.
So St. John, who foretold to the Emperor Theodosius victory over the tyrants, having denied himself and forgotten himself, searched into heavenly things, attending upon God alone, conversing with him, and celebrating him with continual hymns, so that he seemed to be in heaven. Whence he himself speaking of himself, in Palladius in the Lausiac History, chap. 46: “I know,” he says, “a man in the solitude, who for ten years tasted nothing of earthly food, but an angel every third day put heavenly food into him: and this was to him in place of food and drink.” Again Palladius writes thus of another John, chap. 16: “John at first stood three years under a certain rock, praying continually, not sitting at all, not sleeping, except so much sleep as he stole standing, and on the Lord’s day only receiving the Eucharist (behold manna) brought to him by a priest, he ate nothing else.” And in chap. 58, Abbot Anuph says of himself: “Since I professed the name of the Saviour, I have taken none of human food, an angel feeding me daily; the desire of nothing else has risen in my heart, except of God: nothing of earthly things has God hidden from me: every petition I have received from God.
I have often seen myriads assisting God, I have seen the choirs of the just, I have seen the throng of Martyrs praising God, I have seen the just rejoicing for ever.” Relating these and many other things, on the third day he gave up his soul to God; which Abbot Paul and his companions saw borne up to heaven by angels singing hymns, and by Martyrs. Anagogically, manna signifies the ambrosia of the Blessed, and their ineffable felicity in heaven, delight, joy and sweetness. “Glorious things are said of thee, O city of God,” and “The dwelling in thee is as it were of all rejoicing.” “There,” says St. Gregory on the seventh penitential Psalm, “is light without defect, joy without groaning, desire without pain, love without sadness, fullness without loathing, soundness without vice, life without death, health without languor. Perfect charity flourishes in all; in that one city of God of all, he says, the king is truth, the law charity, the dignity equity, the peace felicity, the life eternity.” And St. Bernard, On the Reward of the heavenly country: “The reward is to see God, to live with God, to live of God, to be with God, to be in God, who shall be all in all. And where is the highest good, there is the highest felicity, the highest delight, true liberty, perfect charity, eternal security, and secure eternity: there is true joy, full knowledge, all beauty, and all beatitude. There is peace, piety, goodness, light, virtue, honour, joys, sweetness, perennial life, glory, praise, rest, love and sweet concord.”