St. Gregory Palamas (c. 1296-1359) of Eastern Orthodoxy, who is known as the equivalent of St. Thomas Aquinas in the West, reminds Christians as follows concerning the Holy Eucharistic union granted to them (or us) by Christ Himself:

"They must be with Christ not only one Spirit, but also one body, that they are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. Such is the union that has been granted to us by this Bread."

"Christ has become our brother, by sharing our flesh and blood and so becoming assimilated to us. He has joined and bound us to Himself, as a husband His wife, by becoming one single flesh with us through the communion of His blood; He has also become our father by divine baptism which renders us like unto him, and He nourishes us at His own breast as a tender mother nourishes her babies…"

"Come, (Christ) says, eat my Body, drink my Blood… so that you be not only made after God's image, but become gods and kings, eternal and heavenly, in me clothing yourselves with me, King and God."

* Taken from Hom.56, ed. Oikonomos, pp.206-8; John Meyendorff, A Study of Gregory Palamas (Beds, London: The Faith Press, 1974) p.177.

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