Constructo teórico de los estilos de aprendizaje y pensamiento

Andrewes takes what was said in the Gospel about Christ having risen as the reason of the feast and the Epistle as the explanation of the agendum that is to be a result of the feast. We are to search for the things from above and fix our minds on them. The Church fulfils her vocation by setting before the people the agendum of what the people are duteously to seek after. She does this by setting forth the holy mysteries. Andrewes writes,

For these are from above; the “Bread that came down from heaven,” the Blood that hath been carried “into the holy place.” And I add, ubi Christus; for ubi sanguis Christi, ibi Christus, I am sure. On earth we are never so near Him, nor He us, as then and there. There in efficacia, and when all is done, efficacy, that is it must do us good, must raise us here, and raise us at the last day to the right hand; and the local ubi without it of no value. He was found in the “breaking of bread:” that bread she breaketh, that there we may find Him. He was found by them that had their minds on Him: to that end she will call to us, Sursum corda, ‘Lift up your hearts;’ which, when we hear, it is but this text iterated, “Set your minds,” have your hearts where Christ is. We answer, ‘We lift them up;’ and so I trust we do, but I fear we let them fall too soon again….But especially, where we may sentire and sapere quæ sursum, and gustare donum cæleste, ‘taste of the heavenly gift,’ as in another place he speaketh; see in the breaking, and taste in the receiving, how gracious He was and is; was in suffering for us, is in rising again for us too, and regenerating us thereby “to a lively hope.” And gracious in offering to us the means, by His mysteries and grace with them, as will raise also and set our minds, where true rest and glory are to be seen.93 Andrewes makes the point that the sacraments are more than mere signs but rather exhibit the very thing they signify. There is a sacramental union with the reality of Christ who is the greater Jonah.

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In Christ this sign is a sign, not betokening only, but exhibiting also what it

betokenteth, as the Sacraments do. For of signs, some shew only and work nothing; such was that of Jonas in itself, sed ecce plus quam Jonas hic. For some other there be that shew and work both—work what they shew, present us with what they

represent, what they set before us, set or graft in us. Such is that of Christ. For besides that it sets before us of His, it is farther a seal or pledge to us of our own, that what we see in Him this day, shall be accomplished in our own selves, at His good time. And even so pass we to another mystery, for one mystery leads us to another; this in the text, to the holy mysteries we are providing to partake, which do work like, and do work to this, even to the raising of the soul with “the first resurrection.”94

And as they are a means for the raising of our soul out of the soil of sin—for they are given us, and we take them expressly for the remission of sins—so are they no less a means also, for the raising of our bodies out of the dust of death. The sign of that body which was thus “in the heart of the earth,” to bring us from thence at the last. Our Saviour saith it totidem verbis, “Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My Blood, I will raise him up at the last day”—raise him, whither He hath raised Himself. Not to life only, but to life and glory, and both without end.95

The greater sign between Jonah and the Eucharist is found in the above quotation. Andrewes juxtaposes incarnation and redemption when he describes how presence influences the life-giving grace in the sacraments. The sacraments are not bare signs but give the ‘reality’ of what they signify. They are both sign and thing signified at the same time. This has reference to their use as instruments of mercy and grace as discussed in the prior chapter. They not only signify but also work the grace that they represent in sign. They set the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection before us. They graft us into his death and resurrection by uniting us to Christ. They accomplish the great eschatological hope of what we see now of Christ through the scriptures that will be true of us as well and they are more than pledges and promises but give us the hope of the mystery in the second resurrection. These instruments are the means by which God has chosen to raise our souls out of the soil of sin. Andrewes shows the absolute necessity of these tangible means to raise us up at the last day. This is done by eating the Flesh of the Son of Man and drinking his Blood.

In a sermon on John 20:17, Andrewes takes the Latin phrase Noli Me tangere which were the words of Jesus to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection and makes

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Revelation 20.5. 95

them the nucleus of his sermon. The question that Andrewes sets out to answer in this sermon is why Christ would allow Mary to touch him prior to his resurrection but now at the resurrection she could not. He brings forth reasons from Chrysostom, Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa to explain his own conclusion to this question. Andrewes concludes that it is the manner in which we are to touch Christ and sets it forth in the context of our worship. There is a hint of a censure to some of the Puritans lack of reverence in worship when he says, ‘And as not with the foot of pride, nor the hand of presumption, so along through the rest; neither with a scornful eye, nor a stiff knee; all are equally forbidden under one, all to be far from us.96 Far more than anything else, this tangere is related to the sacrament. It is in reference to the

reverence in coming to the Blessed Sacrament that Andrewes expounds these words of Jesus. Commenting on this relationship Andrewes states Chrysostom’s view, saying,

I know not how they would touch Christ, if they had Him; that which on earth doth most nearly represent Him, His highest memorial, I know not how many both touch and take otherwise than were to be wished. But thus are we now come to the day, the very day it was given on. Christ gave this noli Me tangere, that it might be verbum diei, ‘a watch-word for this day.’ Take heed how you touch, for He easily foresaw this would be tempus tangendi, ‘the time whereon touch we must;’ nay, more than touch Him we must, for “eat His flesh, and drink His blood” we must; and that we can not do, but we must touch Him. And this we must do by virtue of another precept, Accipite et manducate. How will Accipite et manducate, and noli Me tangere cleave together? “Take, eat,” and yet “touch not?” If we take we must needs touch, one would think; if we eat, gustus est sub tactu [tasting is under touching], saith the philosopher; so that comes under touching too.97

Finally, Andrewes offers Augustine’s position that it was to wean Mary Magdalene from sensual touching as there was a better touch since he had not yet ascended. Andrewes argues that Augustine’s view was that her touch was a touch primarily for the fingers or a corporal touching. Andrewes explains that it is even not of Rome’s teaching that the corporal touching of Christ does any good in the

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Andrewes, Works, III, 34. 97

sacrament, as it profits nothing. Andrewes then explains what it is to rightly taste of Christ’s presence and says, ‘The words He spake, were spirit; so the touching, the eating, to be spiritual.’98

Andrewes argues that the proper touching of Christ is of the essence of faith more so than the corporal touching. Andrewes’ point here in arguing Augustine’s position is that the ascension cannot hinder the touch as faith reaches up to Heaven and faith elevates itself for those who believe and they ascend in the Spirit and touch Him and take hold of Him.99Andrewes concludes:

So do we then; send up our faith, and that shall touch Him, and there will virtue come from Him; and it shall take such hold on Him., as it shall raise us up to where He is; bring us to the end of the verse, and to the end of all our desires; to Ascendo ad Patrem, a joyful ascension to our Father and His, and to Himself, and to the unity of the Blessed Spirit.100