The Eucharistic Hymns of St. Thomas Aquinas

The Angelic Doctor. The Dumb Ox. The Universal Doctor. St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the most brilliant scholars and theologians to grace the Catholic Church.

He is known as the Angelic Doctor because of his extensive writings on the choirs of angels and because of his holy demeanor. His young classmates called him “The Dumb Ox” because of his large frame and shy disposition. (His teacher, St. Albert the Great, rightfully retorted and prophesied, “You call him a Dumb Ox, but I tell you this Dumb Ox shall bellow so loud his bellowing will fill the world.”) And he is known as the Universal Doctor because of the great expanse of his mind and the fact that his writings touch on all areas of Catholic doctrine.

As Pope Leo XIII wrote, “Among the Scholastic Doctors, the chief and master of all towers Thomas Aquinas… he is rightly and deservedly esteemed the special bulwark and glory of the Catholic faith.” Certainly, the intellectual magnificence of Aquinas is evident. There is, however, another way in which this priest and theologian proved his brilliance.

The Five Hymns of Thomas Aquinas

While Aquinas’ writings and teachings were prolific in the areas of theology and philosophy, and it is his intellectual rigor for which he is most often remembered, there are a few times in which the saint ventured into verse. At least five hymns have been attributed to St. Thomas: Lauda Sion, Pange Lingua, Sacris Solemniis, Verbum Supernum, and Adoro Te Devote.

One thing all five hymns have in common is that they are each centered on the Holy Eucharist. The first four were written at the request of Pope Urban IV for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi which was instituted in 1264. The final hymn, Adoro Te Devote, is the only verse that was not meant for liturgical use. It was, perhaps, written by Aquinas for personal prayer and meditation.

In each of these hymns, Aquinas paints with poetic words the reality and the beauty of the Eucharist. His vast works of philosophy and theology written in defense of this most important dogma of the Church are shaped into rich and fruitful poetry. When set to music and repeated in prayer and adoration, these hymns help reveal the heart of the theologian and the deeply held belief of the Church.

While each hymn ought to be read and meditated upon, it is Aquinas’ fifth hymn, Adore Te Devote, to which I would like to draw attention and share in its fullness.

Adoro Te Devote

Taken from the first line of the poem, the title can be translated as “I devoutly adore thee” and refers to the adoration given to the Lord who is truly present in the Eucharist. Take a minute to slowly read and pray through this ancient and glorious hymn.

O Godhead hid, devoutly I adore Thee, Who truly art within the forms before me; To Thee my heart I bow with bended knee, As failing quite in contemplating Thee.

Sight, touch, and taste in Thee are each deceived; The ear alone most safely is believed: I believe all the Son of God has spoken, Than Truth’s own word there is no truer token.

God only on the Cross lay hid from view; But here lies hid at once the Manhood too: And I, in both professing my belief, Make the same prayer as the repentant thief.

Thy wounds, as Thomas saw, I do not see; Yet Thee confess my Lord and God to be: Make me believe Thee ever more and more; In Thee my hope, in Thee my love to store.

O thou Memorial of our Lord’s own dying! O Bread that living art and vivifying! Make ever Thou my soul on Thee to live; Ever a taste of Heavenly sweetness give.

O loving Pelican! O Jesu, Lord! Unclean I am, but cleanse me in Thy Blood; Of which a single drop, for sinners spilt, Is ransom for a world’s entire guilt.

Jesu! Whom for the present veil’d I see, What I so thirst for, O vouchsafe to me: That I may see Thy countenance unfolding, And may be blest Thy glory in beholding. Amen.

This particular hymn offers an insight into and defense of the reality of the Eucharist that I think is worth dwelling on. In the second stanza, Aquinas assures that while the senses of sight, touch, and taste are of no help in recognizing Christ in the Eucharist, we can trust our sense of hearing for we have heard from Jesus (through the faithful recording of his words in the Gospels) that the bread and wine truly are his Body and Blood. There is nothing truer than the word spoken by Truth Himself. It is this defense of the Eucharist and stanza of the hymn that Pope Paul VI points to in his 1965 encyclical on the Holy Eucharist, Mysterium Fidei.

Aquinas is drawing out a biblical truth—when the Lord speaks, reality is changed. The Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah saying, “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:1).

When God speaks, “Let there be light” light is created. When he tells the storming sea to be still it obeys. When he commands the dead Lazarus to come out of his tomb, the dead man awakens from his slumber and walks out of his tomb. So, when the Lord Jesus takes mere bread and wine into his hands and says “This is my body” and “This is my blood” there should be no doubt that his words are true and efficacious.

In the third stanza, St. Thomas reflects on the fact that Christ’s divinity remained hidden when he was nailed to the Cross and dying. In the Eucharist, we are challenged—like the original eyewitnesses of Christ—to look beyond mere human sight. Just as the apostles could look upon the dying man upon the Cross, and through Faith see the Son of God, we can look upon the Eucharistic host and chalice and see our Lord. In the first mystery, the divinity of Christ remains hidden, in the second, his humanity, too.

Eucharistic Revival

This year is marked in a special way as a time for Eucharistic Revival among the Catholic faithful. A 2019 Pew Survey shockingly revealed that 69% of Catholics do not believe in the central Catholic teaching of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

In response to this, and other signs that the Catholic faithful are falling further away from Christ, the National Eucharistic Revival began a movement to rekindle devotion to the Eucharist. Individuals, families, and parishes need to strive to remember and recognize the reality of the Eucharist and foster a deeper devotion to Christ in this great Sacrament.

One way to do this is to read through and pray with these beautiful hymns from St. Thomas Aquinas. Not only do they provide amazing opportunities for reflection and meditation, but they also provide amazing insight and apologetics for the reality of the Eucharist. Aquinas’ poetry is just as intellectually rigorous as his theological writings, but they also uniquely speak to the heart.

Reading through Aquinas’ Eucharistic hymns will help form the mind and the heart. They can help foster a deeper understanding of the Eucharist and inspire a desire to receive our Lord in this most special way.

An Invitation

Take time in prayer, perhaps after Mass or in Eucharistic Adoration to sit and pray through these hymns by the Universal Doctor of the Church. Savor the words and let the truth and beauty of Christ’s love and presence in the Eucharist sink into your heart and take root. You can read through each hymn at the links below.

Lauda Sion – Praie, Zion

Pange Lingua – Sing, My Tongue

Sacris Solemniis – Solemn Feast

Verbum Supernum – The Word Above

Adoro Te Devote – I Devoutly Adore You