Why Thomas Aquinas believed the Eucharist is Jesus

One of the poems he wrote in honor of Corpus Christi explains the reason for his faith.

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St. Thomas Aquinas wrote five beautiful hymns to the Eucharist at the request of Pope Urban VI, who established the feast of Corpus Christi in 1264.

Various translations exist for his hymn Adoro Te Devote, written in Latin.

Spending time in prayer with more than one translation can help us go deeper in the beauty of the poetry and the faith that brought it about.

For example, the verse rendered below in three different translations emphasizes how God, Truth himself, simply cannot utter untruth. Perhaps an analogy can help us think about this: a hot fire simply cannot put off a cool breeze.

Therefore, what God has told us can be believed, even when the senses of touch and seeing “tell” us something different.

Enliven your faith in the Eucharist today by meditating with this verse:

Not to sight, or taste, or touch be credit. Hearing only do we trust secure; I believe, for God the Son has said it — Word of truth that ever shall endure. Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived: How says trusty hearing? That shall be believed; What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do; Truth Himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true. Sight, touch, and taste in Thee are each deceived; The ear alone most safely is believed: I believe all the Son of God has spoken, Than Truth’s own word there is no truer token.