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Perpetua sanitas mentis: A Blessing of the Eucharist according to the Council of Trent

Publication at Catholic Theological Faculty |
2020

Abstract

According to the Decree on the Sacraments by the Council of Trent, one of the effects of frequent participation in Holy Communion is perpetual health of the mind. The present article shows that these words echo a text that the authors of the decree associated with Saint Cyprian of Carthage (+ 258), although the real author was the monk Arnold of Bonneval (+ post 1159).

This article demonstrates that the theme of mental health through communion with Christ was present in the theology of the church fathers, in the liturgical prayer of the Church, and in the work of theologians and preachers of the XII-XIII century. Their theology informed the thinking of the participants in the Council of Trent and provides a key to understanding the Tridentine decree.