Earlier we observed John in Homily 2
assuring himself and others of the objective value and power of the eucharistic
sacrifice flowing from the nature of the priesthood. Noting again that “it is
God who does the whole thing” (οτι το παν ο Θεος ποιει),
Chrysostom emphasizes that the eucharistic offering (προσφορα) does not depend on which
priest acts in Christ’s place:
I want to tell you a paradox, but don’t be
perplexed or disturbed. So why is this? This offering is the same whether it is
Paul or Peter doing it. It is the same in fact that Christ died and that he
gave to the disciples; the same as the priests now do. This is nothing less
than that [offering] because it is not men who make this holy but the One who
sanctifies it himself. As the words that God uttered are the same that the priest
now speaks, so also the offering is the same and the baptism he gave. The whole
matter is of the faith. (Homily 2 on 2 Timothy, PG 62:612)
If it does not matter which of the two
apostolic pillars of the Church celebrates, then the offering certainly does
not depend on the person or character of the priest. John explicitly grounds
the eucharistic offering in two realities: one historical, the other
supernatural. Christ gave the Eucharist to his apostles and he is also the one
who sanctifies the gifts (αυτος ο και εκεινην αγιασας)
at every liturgy. And that explains the objective reality of the Eucharist. As
other Church Fathers say, the priest lends his voice to God to sanctify the gifts.
John reassures his hearers by affirming that “the whole matter is of faith” (ουτω το παν της πιστεως εστιν). I rather think that John here
means “the faith” in its objective sense (fides quae creditur) rather
than faith as a subjective reality (fides qua creditur). In sum, what John
has expressed about the divine origin, authorization, and action of the
liturgy through the ministry of a priest is part and parcel of the faith delivered
to the holy Church (Jude 3). (Kenneth J. Howell, John Chrysostom:
Theologian of the Eucharist [Washington. D. C.: The Catholic University of
America Press, 2024], 189, emphasis in bold added)
Here is the relevant
text from PG 62:612:
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