Body and Blood of Christ, a test of faith

I answer that, The presence of Christ's true body and blood in this sacrament cannot be detected by sense, nor understanding, but by faith alone, which rests upon Divine authority. Hence, on Luke 22:19: "This is My body which shall be delivered up for you," Cyril says: "Doubt not whether this be true; but take rather the Saviour's words with faith; for since He is the Truth, He lieth not."(St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 3rd Part, Q75, Article 1)

Before the Protestant Revolution, faithful Catholics such as St. Thomas Aquinas did not shy away from using the term "faith alone".  But that term meant so much more than that to which Protestants have reduced it.

It is in the Sacraments that faith alone comes into play.  The discerning of the Body and Blood of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist is an excellent example of what St. Thomas and St. Paul and all the Saints in between and thereafter meant when they spoke of "faith" without deeds.

This faith is illustrated over and over in the Gospels.  The Canaanite woman:

Matthew 15
King James Version (KJV)
²² And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.²³ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.²⁴ But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.²⁵ Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.²⁶ But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.²⁷ And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

The Centurion:

Matthew 8
⁵ And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,⁶ And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.⁷ And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.⁸ The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.⁹ For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.¹¹ And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.¹² But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¹³ And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

The woman with a hemorrhage:

Mark 5:
King James Version (KJV)
24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

These and many more, presented themselves to Christ with faith alone.  No works to their credit.  And by their faith alone, Christ healed them.

And that is what we, Catholics, do today when we present ourselves to Christ in the Sacraments.  And this is illustrated most clearly in the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Our Lord.  Because, it is as St. Thomas Aquinas so clearly spoke. 

The presence of Christ's true body and blood in this sacrament cannot be detected by sense, nor understanding, but by faith alone, ....

Sincerely,

De Maria