Whether the Body of Christ, As It Is in This Sacrament, Can Be Seen
by Any Eye, at Least by a Glorified One?
Objection 1: It seems that the body of Christ, as it is in this
sacrament, can be seen by the eye, at least by a glorified one. For
our eyes are hindered from beholding Christ's body in this sacrament,
on account of the sacramental species veiling it. But the glorified
eye cannot be hindered by anything from seeing bodies as they are.
Therefore, the glorified eye can see Christ's body as it is in this
sacrament.
Obj. 2: Further, the glorified bodies of the saints will be "made
like to the body" of Christ's "glory," according to Phil. 3:21. But
Christ's eye beholds Himself as He is in this sacrament. Therefore,
for the same reason, every other glorified eye can see Him.
Obj. 3: Further, in the resurrection the saints will be equal to the
angels, according to Luke 20:36. But the angels see the body of
Christ as it is in this sacrament, for even the devils are found to
pay reverence thereto, and to fear it. Therefore, for like reason,
the glorified eye can see Christ as He is in this sacrament.
_On the contrary,_ As long as a thing remains the same, it cannot at
the same time be seen by the same eye under diverse species. But the
glorified eye sees Christ always, as He is in His own species,
according to Isa. 33:17: "(His eyes) shall see the king in his
beauty." It seems, then, that it does not see Christ, as He is under
the species of this sacrament.
_I answer that,_ The eye is of two kinds, namely, the bodily eye
properly so-called, and the intellectual eye, so-called by
similitude. But Christ's body as it is in this sacrament cannot be
seen by any bodily eye. First of all, because a body which is visible
brings about an alteration in the medium, through its accidents. Now
the accidents of Christ's body are in this sacrament by means of the
substance; so that the accidents of Christ's body have no immediate
relationship either to this sacrament or to adjacent bodies;
consequently they do not act on the medium so as to be seen by any
corporeal eye. Secondly, because, as stated above (A. 1, ad 3; A. 3),
Christ's body is substantially present in this sacrament. But
substance, as such, is not visible to the bodily eye, nor does it
come under any one of the senses, nor under the imagination, but
solely under the intellect, whose object is "what a thing is" (De
Anima iii). And therefore, properly speaking, Christ's body,
according to the mode of being which it has in this sacrament, is
perceptible neither by the sense nor by the imagination, but only by
the intellect, which is called the spiritual eye.
Moreover it is perceived differently by different intellects. For
since the way in which Christ is in this sacrament is entirely
supernatural, it is visible in itself to a supernatural, i.e. the
Divine, intellect, and consequently to a beatified intellect, of
angel or of man, which, through the participated glory of the Divine
intellect, sees all supernatural things in the vision of the Divine
Essence. But it can be seen by a wayfarer through faith alone, like
other supernatural things. And not even the angelic intellect of its
own natural power is capable of beholding it; consequently the devils
cannot by their intellect perceive Christ in this sacrament, except
through faith, to which they do not pay willing assent; yet they are
convinced of it from the evidence of signs, according to James 2:19:
"The devils believe, and tremble."
Reply Obj. 1: Our bodily eye, on account of the sacramental species,
is hindered from beholding the body of Christ underlying them, not
merely as by way of veil (just as we are hindered from seeing what is
covered with any corporeal veil), but also because Christ's body
bears a relation to the medium surrounding this sacrament, not
through its own accidents, but through the sacramental species.
Reply Obj. 2: Christ's own bodily eye sees Himself existing under the
sacrament, yet it cannot see the way in which it exists under the
sacrament, because that belongs to the intellect. But it is not the
same with any other glorified eye, because Christ's eye is under this
sacrament, in which no other glorified eye is conformed to it.
Reply Obj. 3: No angel, good or bad, can see anything with a bodily
eye, but only with the mental eye. Hence there is no parallel reason,
as is evident from what was said above.
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