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1 The Great Reverence With Which We Should Receive Christ
2 God's Great Goodness and Love is Shown to Man in This Sacrament
3 It Is Profitable To Receive Communion Often
4 Many Blessings Are Given Those Who Receive Communion Worthily
5 The Dignity of the Sacrament and of the Priesthood
6 An Inquiry on the Proper Thing to do Before Communion
7 The Examination of Conscience and the Resolution to Amend
8 The Offering of Christ on the Cross; Our Offering
9 We Should Offer Ourselves and All That We Have to God, Praying for All
10 Do Not Lightly Forego Holy Communion
11 The Body of Christ and Sacred Scripture Are Most Necessary to a Faithful Soul
12 The Communicant Should Prepare Himself for Christ with Great Care
13 With All Her Heart the Devout Soul Should Desire Union with Christ in the Sacrament
14 The Ardent Longing of Devout Men for the Body of Christ
15 The Grace of Devotion is Acquired Through Humility and Self-Denial
16 We Should Show Our Needs to Christ and Ask His Grace
17 The Burning Love and Strong Desire to Receive Christ
18 Man Should Not Scrutinize This Sacrament in Curiosity, But Humbly Imitate Christ and Submit Reason to Holy Faith
The Voice of Christ
COME to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh
you.[1] The bread
which I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world.[2]
Take you and eat: this is My Body, which shall be delivered for you. Do
this for the commemoration of Me.[3]
He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in
him.[4] The words
that I have spoken to you are spirit and life."[5]
The First Chapter
The Great Reverence With Which We Should Receive
Christ
The Disciple
THESE are all Your words, O Christ, eternal Truth, though they were
not all spoken at one time nor written together in one place. And because
they are Yours and true, I must accept them all with faith and gratitude.
They are Yours and You have spoken them; they are mine also because You
have spoken them for my salvation. Gladly I accept them from Your lips
that they may be the more deeply impressed in my heart.
Words of such tenderness, so full of sweetness and love, encourage me;
but my sins frighten me and an unclean conscience thunders at me when
approaching such great mysteries as these. The sweetness of Your words
invites me, but the multitude of my vices oppresses me.
You command me to approach You confidently if I wish to have part with
You, and to receive the food of immortality if I desire to obtain life
and glory everlasting.
"Come to me," You say, "all you that labor and are burdened,
and I will refresh
you."[6]
Oh, how sweet and kind to the ear of the sinner is the word by which You,
my Lord God, invite the poor and needy to receive Your most holy Body!
Who am I, Lord, that I should presume to approach You? Behold, the heaven
of heavens cannot contain You, and yet You say: "Come, all of you,
to Me." What means this most gracious honor and this friendly invitation?
How shall I dare to come, I who am conscious of no good on which to presume?
How shall I lead You into my house, I who have so often offended in Your
most kindly sight? Angels and archangels revere You, the holy and the
just fear You, and You say: "Come to Me: all of you!" If You,
Lord, had not said it, who would have believed it to be true? And if You
had not commanded, who would dare approach?
Behold, Noah, a just man, worked a hundred years building the ark that
he and a few others might be saved; how, then, can I prepare myself in
one hour to receive with reverence the Maker of the world?
Moses, Your great servant and special friend, made an ark of incorruptible
wood which he covered with purest gold wherein to place the tables of
Your law; shall I, a creature of corruption, dare so easily to receive
You, the Maker of law and the Giver of life?
Solomon, the wisest of the kings of Israel, spent seven years building
a magnificent temple in praise of Your name, and celebrated its dedication
with a feast of eight days. He offered a thousand victims in Your honor
and solemnly bore the Ark of the Covenant with trumpeting and jubilation
to the place prepared for it; and I, unhappy and poorest of men, how shall
I lead You into my house, I who scarcely can spend a half-hour devoutly
-- would that I could spend even that as I ought!
O my God, how hard these men tried to please You! Alas, how little is
all that I do! How short the time I spend in preparing for Communion!
I am seldom wholly recollected, and very seldom, indeed, entirely free
from distraction. Yet surely in the presence of Your life-giving Godhead
no unbecoming thought should arise and no creature possess my heart, for
I am about to receive as my guest, not an angel, but the very Lord of
angels.
Very great, too, is the difference between the Ark of the Covenant with
its treasures and Your most pure Body with its ineffable virtues, between
these sacrifices of the law which were but figures of things to come and
the true offering of Your Body which was the fulfillment of all ancient
sacrifices.
Why, then, do I not long more ardently for Your adorable presence? Why
do I not prepare myself with greater care to receive Your sacred gifts,
since those holy patriarchs and prophets of old, as well as kings and
princes with all their people, have shown such affectionate devotion for
the worship of God?
The most devout King David danced before the ark of God with all his strength
as he recalled the benefits once bestowed upon his fathers. He made musical
instruments of many kinds. He composed psalms and ordered them sung with
joy. He himself often played upon the harp when moved by the grace of
the Holy Ghost. He taught the people of Israel to praise God with all
their hearts and to raise their voices every day to bless and glorify
Him. If such great devotion flourished in those days and such ceremony
in praise of God before the Ark of the Covenant, what great devotion ought
not I and all Christian people now show in the presence of this Sacrament;
what reverence in receiving the most excellent Body of Christ!
Many people travel far to honor the relics of the saints, marveling at
their wonderful deeds and at the building of magnificent shrines. They
gaze upon and kiss the sacred relics encased in silk and gold; and behold,
You are here present before me on the altar, my God, Saint of saints,
Creator of men, and Lord of angels!
Often in looking at such things, men are moved by curiosity, by the novelty
of the unseen, and they bear away little fruit for the amendment of their
lives, especially when they go from place to place lightly and without
true contrition. But here in the Sacrament of the altar You are wholly
present, my God, the man Christ Jesus, whence is obtained the full realization
of eternal salvation, as often as You are worthily and devoutly received.
To this, indeed, we are not drawn by levity, or curiosity, or sensuality,
but by firm faith, devout hope, and sincere love.
O God, hidden Creator of the world, how wonderfully You deal with us!
How sweetly and graciously You dispose of things with Your elect to whom
You offer Yourself to be received in this Sacrament! This, indeed, surpasses
all understanding. This in a special manner attracts the hearts of the
devout and inflames their love. Your truly faithful servants, who give
their whole life to amendment, often receive in Holy Communion the great
grace of devotion and love of virtue.
Oh, the wonderful and hidden grace of this Sacrament which only the faithful
of Christ understand, which unbelievers and slaves of sin cannot experience!
In it spiritual grace is conferred, lost virtue restored, and the beauty,
marred by sin, repaired. At times, indeed, its grace is so great that,
from the fullness of the devotion, not only the mind but also the frail
body feels filled with greater strength.
Nevertheless, our neglect and coldness is much to be deplored and pitied,
when we are not moved to receive with greater fervor Christ in Whom is
the hope and merit of all who will be saved. He is our sanctification
and redemption. He is our consolation in this life and the eternal joy
of the blessed in heaven. This being true, it is lamentable that many
pay so little heed to the salutary Mystery which fills the heavens with
joy and maintains the whole universe in being.
Oh, the blindness and the hardness of the heart of man that does not show
more regard for so wonderful a gift, but rather falls into carelessness
from its daily use! If this most holy Sacrament were celebrated in only
one place and consecrated by only one priest in the whole world, with
what great desire, do you think, would men be attracted to that place,
to that priest of God, in order to witness the celebration of the divine
Mysteries! But now there are many priests and Mass is offered in many
places, that God's grace and love for men may appear the more clearly
as the Sacred Communion is spread more widely through the world.
Thanks be to You, Jesus, everlasting Good Shepherd, Who have seen fit
to feed us poor exiled people with Your precious Body and Blood, and to
invite us with words from Your own lips to partake of these sacred Mysteries:
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh
you."
The Second Chapter
God's Great Goodness and Love is Shown to Man
in This Sacrament
The Disciple
TRUSTING in Your goodness and great mercy, O Lord, I come as one sick
to the Healer, as one hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life, as one
in need to the King of heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature to his
Creator, a soul in desolation to my gentle Comforter. But whence is this
to me, that You should come to me? Who am I that You should offer Yourself
to me? How dares the sinner to appear in Your presence, and You, how do
You condescend to come to the sinner? You know Your servant, and You know
that he has nothing good in him that You should grant him this.
I confess, therefore, my unworthiness. I acknowledge Your goodness. I
praise Your mercy, and give thanks for Your immense love. For it is because
of Yourself that You do it, not for any merit of mine; so that Your goodness
may be better known to me, that greater love may be aroused and more perfect
humility born in me. Since, then, this pleases You and You have so willed
it, Your graciousness pleases me also. Oh, that my sinfulness may not
stand in the way!
O most sweet and merciful Jesus, what great reverence, thanks, and never-ending
praise are due to You for our taking of Your sacred body, whose dignity
no man can express!
But on what shall I think in this Communion, this approach to my Lord,
Whom I can never reverence as I ought, and yet Whom I desire devoutly
to receive? What thought better, more helpful to me than to humble myself
entirely in Your presence and exalt Your infinite goodness above myself?
I praise You, my God, and extol You forever! I despise myself and cast
myself before You in the depths of my unworthiness. Behold, You are the
Holy of holies, and I the scum of sinners! Behold, You bow down to me
who am not worthy to look up to You! Behold, You come to me! You will
to be with me! You invite me to Your banquet! You desire to give me heavenly
food, the Bread of Angels to eat, none other than Yourself, the living
Bread Who are come down from heaven and give life to the world.
Behold, whence love proceeds! What condescension shines forth! What great
thanks and praise are due You for these gifts! Oh, how salutary and profitable
was Your design in this institution! How sweet and pleasant the banquet
when You gave Yourself as food!
How admirable is Your work, O Lord! How great Your power! How infallible
Your truth! For You spoke and all things were made, and this, which You
commanded, was done. It is a wonderful thing, worthy of faith, overpowering
human understanding, that You, O Lord, my God, true God and man, are contained
whole and entire under the appearance of a little bread and wine, and
without being consumed are eaten by him who receives You!
You, the Lord of the universe, Who have need of nothing, have willed to
dwell in us by means of Your Sacrament. Keep my heart and body clean,
so that with a joyous and spotless conscience I may be able often to celebrate
Your Mysteries and to receive for my eternal salvation what You have ordained
and instituted for Your special honor and as an everlasting memorial.
Rejoice, my soul, and give thanks to God for having left you so noble
a gift and so special a consolation in this valley of tears. As often
as you renew this Mystery and receive the Body of Christ, so often do
you enact the work of redemption and become a sharer in all the merits
of Christ, for the love of Christ never grows less and the wealth of His
mercy is never exhausted.
Therefore, you should prepare yourself for it by constantly renewing your
heart and pondering deeply the great mystery of salvation. As often as
you celebrate or hear Mass, it should seem as great, as new, as sweet
to you as if on that very day Christ became man in the womb of the Virgin,
or, hanging on the Cross, suffered and died for the salvation of man.
The Third Chapter
It Is Profitable to Receive Communion Often
The Disciple
BEHOLD, I come to You, Lord, that I may prosper by Your gift and be
delighted at Your holy banquet which You, O God, in Your sweetness have
prepared for Your poor. Behold, all that I can or ought to desire is in
You. You are my salvation and my redemption, my hope and strength, my
honor and glory.
Gladden, then, this day the soul of Your servant because I have raised
my heart to You, O Lord Jesus. I long to receive You now, devoutly and
reverently. I desire to bring You into my house that, with Zacheus, I
may merit Your blessing and be numbered among the children of Abraham.
My soul longs for Your Body; my heart desires to be united with You. Give
me Yourself -- it is enough; for without You there is no consolation.
Without You I cannot exist, without Your visitation I cannot live. I must
often come to You, therefore, and receive the strength of my salvation
lest, deprived of this heavenly food, I grow weak on the way. Once, most
merciful Jesus, while preaching to the people and healing their many ills,
You said: "I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in
the way."[7] Deal with me likewise, You Who have left Yourself in
this Sacrament for the consolation of the faithful. You are sweet refreshment
to the soul, and he who eats You worthily will be a sharer in, and an
heir to, eternal glory.
It is indeed necessary for me, who fall and sin so often, who so quickly
become lax and weak, to renew, cleanse, and inflame myself through frequent
prayer, confession, and the holy reception of Your Body, lest perhaps
by abstaining too long, I fall away from my holy purpose. For from the
days of his youth the senses of man are prone to evil, and unless divine
aid strengthens him, he quickly falls deeper. But Holy Communion removes
him from evil and confirms him in good.
If I am so often careless and lax when I celebrate or communicate, what
would happen if I did not receive this remedy and seek so great a help?
Although I am neither fit nor properly disposed to celebrate every day,
yet I will do my best at proper times to receive the divine Mysteries
and share in this great grace. This, indeed, is the one chief consolation
of the faithful soul when separated from You by mortality, that often
mindful of her God, she receives her Beloved with devout recollection.
Oh, wonderful condescension of Your affection toward us, that You, the
Lord God, Creator and Giver of life to all, should see fit to come to
a poor soul and to appease her hunger with all Your divinity and humanity!
O happy mind and blessed soul which deserves to receive You, her Lord
God, and in receiving You, is filled with spiritual joy! How great a Master
she entertains, what a beloved guest she receives, how sweet a companion
she welcomes, how true a friend she gains, how beautiful and noble is
the spouse she embraces, beloved and desired above all things that can
be loved and desired! Let heaven and earth and all their treasures stand
silent before Your face, most sweetly Beloved, for whatever glory and
beauty they have is of Your condescending bounty, and they cannot approach
the beauty of Your name, Whose wisdom is untold.
The Fourth Chapter
Many Blessings Are Given Those Who Receive Communion
Worthily
The Disciple
O LORD my God, favor Your servant with the blessings of Your sweetness
that I may merit to approach Your magnificent Sacrament worthily and devoutly.
Lift up my heart to You and take away from me this heavy indolence. Visit
me with Your saving grace that I may in spirit taste Your sweetness which
lies hidden in this Sacrament like water in the depths of a spring. Enlighten
my eyes to behold this great Mystery, and give me strength to believe
in it with firm faith.
For it is Your work, not the power of man, Your sacred institution, not
his invention. No man is able of himself to comprehend and understand
these things which surpass even the keen vision of angels. How, then,
shall I, an unworthy sinner who am but dust and ashes, be able to fathom
and understand so great a mystery?
O Lord, I come to You at Your command in simplicity of heart, in good,
firm faith, with hope and reverence, and I truly believe that You are
present here in this Sacrament, God and man. It is Your will that I receive
You and unite myself to You in love. Wherefore, I beg Your mercy and ask
that special grace be given me, that I may be wholly dissolved in You
and filled with Your love, no longer to concern myself with exterior consolations.
For this, the highest and most worthy Sacrament, is the health of soul
and body, the cure of every spiritual weakness. In it my defects are remedied,
my passions restrained, and temptations overcome or allayed. In it greater
grace is infused, growing virtue is nourished, faith confirmed, hope strengthened,
and charity fanned into flame.
You, my God, the protector of my soul, the strength of human weakness,
and the giver of every interior consolation, have given and still do often
give in this Sacrament great gifts to Your loved ones who communicate
devoutly. Moreover, You give them many consolations amid their numerous
troubles and lift them from the depths of dejection to the hope of Your
protection. With new graces You cheer and lighten them within, so that
they who are full of anxiety and without affection before Communion may
find themselves changed for the better after partaking of this heavenly
food and drink.
Likewise, You so deal with Your elect that they may truly acknowledge
and plainly experience how weak they are in themselves and what goodness
and grace they obtain from You. For though in themselves they are cold,
obdurate, and wanting in devotion, through You they become fervent, cheerful,
and devout.
Who, indeed, can humbly approach the fountain of sweetness and not carry
away a little of it? Or who, standing before a blazing fire does not feel
some of its heat? You are a fountain always filled with superabundance!
You are a fire, ever burning, that never fails! Therefore, while I may
not exhaust the fullness of the fountain or drink to satiety, yet will
I put my lips to the mouth of this heavenly stream that from it I may
receive at least some small drop to refresh my thirst and not wither away.
And if I cannot as yet be all heavenly or as full of fire as the cherubim
and seraphim, yet I will try to become more devout and prepare my heart
so that I may gather some small spark of divine fire from the humble reception
of this life-giving Sacrament.
Whatever is wanting in me, good Jesus, Savior most holy, do You in Your
kindness and grace supply for me, You Who have been pleased to call all
unto You, saying: "Come to Me all you that labor and are burdened
and I will refresh you."
I, indeed, labor in the sweat of my brow. I am torn with sorrow of heart.
I am laden with sin, troubled with temptations, enmeshed and oppressed
by many evil passions, and there is none to help me, none to deliver and
save me but You, my Lord God and Savior, to Whom I entrust myself and
all I have, that You may protect me and lead me to eternal life. For the
honor and glory of Your name receive me, You Who have prepared Your Body
and Blood as food and drink for me. Grant, O Lord, my God and Savior,
that by approaching Your Mysteries frequently, the zeal of my devotion
may increase.
The Fifth Chapter
The Dignity of the Sacrament and of the Priesthood
The Voice of Christ
HAD you the purity of an angel and the sanctity of St. John the Baptist,
you would not be worthy to receive or administer this Sacrament. It is
not because of any human meriting that a man consecrates and administers
the Sacrament of Christ, and receives the Bread of Angels for his food.
Great is the Mystery and great the dignity of priests to whom is given
that which has not been granted the angels. For priests alone, rightly
ordained in the Church, have power to celebrate Mass and consecrate the
Body of Christ.
The priest, indeed, is the minister of God, using the word of God according
to His command and appointment. God, moreover, is there -- the chief Author
and invisible Worker to Whom all is subject as He wills, to Whom all are
obedient as He commands.
In this most excellent Sacrament, therefore, you ought to believe in God
rather than in your own senses or in any visible sign, and thus, with
fear and reverence draw near to such a work as this. Look to yourself
and see whose ministry has been given you through the imposition of the
bishop's hands.
Behold, you have been made a priest, consecrated to celebrate Mass! See
to it now that you offer sacrifice to God faithfully and devoutly at proper
times, and that you conduct yourself blamelessly. You have not made your
burden lighter. Instead, you are now bound by stricter discipline and
held to more perfect sanctity.
A priest ought to be adorned with all virtues and show the example of
a good life to others. His way lies not among the vulgar and common habits
of men but with the angels in heaven and the perfect men on earth. A priest
clad in the sacred vestments acts in Christ's place, that he may pray
to God both for himself and for all people in a suppliant and humble manner.
He has before and behind him the sign of the Lord's cross that he may
always remember the Passion of Christ. It is before him, on the chasuble,
that he may look closely upon the footsteps of Christ and try to follow
them fervently. It is behind him -- he is signed with it -- that he may
gladly suffer for God any adversities inflicted by others.
He wears the cross before him that he may mourn his own sins, behind him,
that in pity he may mourn the sins of others, and know that he is appointed
to stand between God and the sinner, never to become weary of prayer and
the holy offering until it is granted him to obtain grace and mercy.
When the priest celebrates Mass, he honors God, gladdens the angels, strengthens
the Church, helps the living, brings rest to the departed, and wins for
himself a share in all good things.
The Sixth Chapter
An Inquiry on the Proper Thing to Do Before
Communion
The Disciple
WHEN I consider Your dignity, O Lord, and my own meanness, I become
very much frightened and confused. For if I do not receive, I fly from
Life, and if I intrude unworthily, I incur Your displeasure. What, then,
shall I do, my God, my Helper and Adviser in necessity? Teach me the right
way. Place before me some short exercise suitable for Holy Communion,
for it is good to know in what manner I ought to make my heart ready devoutly
and fervently for You, to receive Your Sacrament for the good of my soul,
or even to celebrate so great and divine a sacrifice.
The Seventh Chapter
The Examination of Conscience and the Resolution
to Amend
The Voice of Christ
ABOVE all, God's priest should approach the celebration and reception
of this Sacrament with the deepest humility of heart and suppliant reverence,
with complete faith and the pious intention of giving honor to God.
Carefully examine your conscience, then. Cleanse and purify it to the
best of your power by true contrition and humble confession, that you
may have no burden, know of no remorse, and thus be free to come near.
Let the memory of all your sins grieve you, and especially lament and
bewail your daily transgressions. Then if time permits, confess to God
in the secret depths of your heart all the miseries your passions have
caused.
Lament and grieve because you are still so worldly, so carnal, so passionate
and unmortified, so full of roving lust, so careless in guarding the external
senses, so often occupied in many vain fancies, so inclined to exterior
things and so heedless of what lies within, so prone to laughter and dissipation
and so indisposed to sorrow and tears, so inclined to ease and the pleasures
of the flesh and so cool to austerity and zeal, so curious to hear what
is new and to see the beautiful and so slow to embrace humiliation and
dejection, so covetous of abundance, so niggardly in giving and so tenacious
in keeping, so inconsiderate in speech, so reluctant in silence, so undisciplined
in character, so disordered in action, so greedy at meals, so deaf to
the Word of God, so prompt to rest and so slow to labor, so awake to empty
conversation, so sleepy in keeping sacred vigils and so eager to end them,
so wandering in your attention, so careless in saying the office, so lukewarm
in celebrating, so heartless in receiving, so quickly distracted, so seldom
fully recollected, so quickly moved to anger, so apt to take offense at
others, so prone to judge, so severe in condemning, so happy in prosperity
and so weak in adversity, so often making good resolutions and carrying
so few of them into action.
When you have confessed and deplored these and other faults with sorrow
and great displeasure because of your weakness, be firmly determined to
amend your life day by day and to advance in goodness. Then, with complete
resignation and with your entire will offer yourself upon the altar of
your heart as an everlasting sacrifice to the honor of My name, by entrusting
with faith both body and soul to My care, that thus you may be considered
worthy to draw near and offer sacrifice to God and profitably receive
the Sacrament of My Body. For there is no more worthy offering, no greater
satisfaction for washing away sin than to offer yourself purely and entirely
to God with the offering of the Body of Christ in Mass and Communion.
If a man does what he can and is truly penitent, however often he comes
to Me for grace and pardon, "As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire
not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and
live";[8] I will no longer remember his sins, but all will be forgiven
him.
The Eighth Chapter
The Offering of Christ on the Cross; Our Offering
The Voice of Christ
AS I offered Myself willingly to God the Father for your sins with hands
outstretched and body naked on the cross, so that nothing remained in
Me that had not become a complete sacrifice to appease the divine wrath,
so ought you to be willing to offer yourself to Me day by day in the Mass
as a pure and holy oblation, together with all your faculties and affections,
with as much inward devotion as you can.
What more do I ask than that you give yourself entirely to Me? I care
not for anything else you may give Me, for I seek not your gift but you.
Just as it would not be enough for you to have everything if you did not
have Me, so whatever you give cannot please Me if you do not give yourself.
Offer yourself to Me, therefore, and give yourself entirely for God --
your offering will be accepted. Behold, I offered Myself wholly to the
Father for you, I even gave My whole Body and Blood for food that I might
be all yours, and you Mine forever. But if you rely upon self, and do
not offer your free will to Mine, your offering will be incomplete and
the union between us imperfect. Hence, if you desire to attain grace and
freedom of heart, let the free offering of yourself into the hands of
God precede your every action. This is why so few are inwardly free and
enlightened -- they know not how to renounce themselves entirely.
My word stands: "Everyone of you that doth not renounce all that
he possesseth, cannot be My disciple."[9]
If, therefore, you wish to be My disciple, offer yourself to Me with all
your heart.
The Ninth Chapter
We Should Offer Ourselves and All That We Have
to God, Praying for All
The Disciple
ALL things in heaven and on earth, O Lord, are Yours. I long to give
myself to You as a voluntary offering to remain forever Yours. With a
sincere heart I offer myself this day to You, O Lord, to Your eternal
service, to Your homage, and as a sacrifice of everlasting praise. Receive
me with this holy offering of Your precious Body which also I make to
You this day, in the presence of angels invisibly attending, for my salvation
and that of all Your people.
O Lord, upon Your altar of expiation, I offer You all the sins and offenses
I have committed in Your presence and in the presence of Your holy angels,
from the day when I first could sin until this hour, that You may burn
and consume them all in the fire of Your love, that You may wipe away
their every stain, cleanse my conscience of every fault, and restore to
me Your grace which I lost in sin by granting full pardon for all and
receiving me mercifully with the kiss of peace.
What can I do for all my sins but humbly confess and lament them, and
implore Your mercy without ceasing? In Your mercy, I implore You, hear
me when I stand before You, my God. All my sins are most displeasing to
me. I wish never to commit them again. I am sorry for them and will be
sorry as long as I live. I am ready to do penance and make satisfaction
to the utmost of my power.
Forgive me, O God, forgive me my sins for Your Holy Name. Save my soul
which You have redeemed by Your most precious Blood. See, I place myself
at Your mercy. I commit myself to Your hands. Deal with me according to
Your goodness, not according to my malicious and evil ways.
I offer to You also all the good I have, small and imperfect though it
be, that You may make it more pure and more holy, that You may be pleased
with it, render it acceptable to Yourself, and perfect it more and more,
and finally that You may lead me, an indolent and worthless creature,
to a good and happy end.
I offer You also all the holy desires of Your devoted servants, the needs
of my parents, friends, brothers, sisters, and all who are dear to me;
of all who for Your sake have been kind to me or to others; of all who
have wished and asked my prayers and Masses for them and theirs, whether
they yet live in the flesh or are now departed from this world, that they
may all experience the help of Your grace, the strength of Your consolation,
protection from dangers, deliverance from punishment to come, and that,
free from all evils, they may gladly give abundant thanks to You.
I offer You also these prayers and the Sacrifice of Propitiation for those
especially who have in any way injured, saddened, or slandered me, inflicted
loss or pain upon me, and also for all those whom I have at any time saddened,
disturbed, offended, and abused by word or deed, willfully or in ignorance.
May it please You to forgive us all alike our sins and offenses against
one another.
Take away from our hearts, O Lord, all suspicion, anger, wrath, contention,
and whatever may injure charity and lessen brotherly love. Have mercy,
O Lord, have mercy on those who ask Your mercy, give grace to those who
need it, and make us such that we may be worthy to enjoy Your favor and
gain eternal life.
The Tenth Chapter
Do Not Lightly Forego Holy Communion
The Voice of Christ
YOU must often return to the source of grace and divine mercy, to the
fountain of goodness and perfect purity, if you wish to be free from passion
and vice, if you desire to be made stronger and more watchful against
all the temptations and deceits of the devil.
The enemy, knowing the great good and the healing power of Holy Communion,
tries as much as he can by every manner and means to hinder and keep away
the faithful and the devout. Indeed, there are some who suffer the worst
assaults of Satan when disposing themselves to prepare for Holy Communion.
As it is written in Job, this wicked spirit comes among the sons of God
to trouble them by his wonted malice, to make them unduly fearful and
perplexed, that thus he may lessen their devotion or attack their faith
to such an extent that they perhaps either forego Communion altogether
or receive with little fervor.
No attention, however, must be paid to his cunning wiles, no matter how
base and horrible -- all his suggestions must be cast back upon his head.
The wretch is to be despised and scorned. Holy Communion must not be passed
by because of any assaults from him or because of the commotion he may
arouse.
Oftentimes, also, too great solicitude for devotion and anxiety about
confession hinder a person. Do as wise men do. Cast off anxiety and scruple,
for it impedes the grace of God and destroys devotion of the mind.
Do not remain away from Holy Communion because of a small trouble or vexation
but go at once to confession and willingly forgive all others their offenses.
If you have offended anyone, humbly seek pardon and God will readily forgive
you.
What good is it to delay confession for a long time or to put off Holy
Communion? Cleanse yourself at once, spit out the poison quickly. Make
haste to apply the remedy and you will find it better than if you had
waited a long time. If you put it off today because of one thing, perhaps
tomorrow a greater will occur to you, and thus you will stay away from
Communion for a long time and become even more unfit. Shake off this heaviness
and sloth as quickly as you can, for there is no gain in much anxiety,
in enduring long hours of trouble, and in depriving yourself of the divine
Mysteries because of these daily disturbances. Yes, it is very hurtful
to defer Holy Communion long, for it usually brings on a lazy spiritual
sleep.
How sad that some dissolute and lax persons are willing to postpone confession
and likewise wish to defer Holy Communion, lest they be forced to keep
a stricter watch over themselves! Alas, how little love and devotion have
they who so easily put off Holy Communion!
How happy and acceptable to God is he who so lives, and keeps his conscience
so pure, as to be ready and well disposed to communicate, even every day
if he were permitted, and if he could do so unnoticed.
If, now and then, a man abstains by the grace of humility or for a legitimate
reason, his reverence is commendable, but if laziness takes hold of him,
he must arouse himself and do everything in his power, for the Lord will
quicken his desire because of the good intention to which He particularly
looks. When he is indeed unable to come, he will always have the good
will and pious intention to communicate and thus he will not lose the
fruit of the Sacrament.
Any devout person may at any hour on any day receive Christ in spiritual
communion profitably and without hindrance. Yet on certain days and times
appointed he ought to receive with affectionate reverence the Body of
his Redeemer in this Sacrament, seeking the praise and honor of God rather
than his own consolation.
For as often as he devoutly calls to mind the mystery and passion of the
Incarnate Christ, and is inflamed with love for Him, he communicates mystically
and is invisibly refreshed.
He who prepares himself only when festivals approach or custom demands,
will often find himself unprepared. Blessed is he who offers himself a
sacrifice to the Lord as often as he celebrates or communicates.
Be neither too slow nor too fast in celebrating but follow the good custom
common to those among whom you are. You ought not to cause others inconvenience
or trouble, but observe the accepted rule as laid down by superiors, and
look to the benefit of others rather than to your own devotion or inclination.
The Eleventh Chapter
The Body of Christ and Sacred Scripture Are
Most Necessary to a Faithful Soul
The Disciple
O MOST sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the happiness of the devout soul
that feasts upon You at Your banquet, where there is set before her to
be eaten no other food but Yourself alone, her only Lover, most desired
of all that her heart can desire!
To me it would be happiness, indeed, to shed tears in Your presence from
the innermost depths of love, and like the pious Magdalen to wash Your
feet with them. But where now is this devotion, this copious shedding
of holy tears? Certainly in Your sight, before Your holy angels, my whole
heart ought to be inflamed and weep for joy. For, hidden though You are
beneath another form, I have You truly present in the Sacrament.
My eyes could not bear to behold You in Your own divine brightness, nor
could the whole world stand in the splendor of the glory of Your majesty.
In veiling Yourself in the Sacrament, therefore, You have regard for my
weakness.
In truth, I possess and adore Him Whom the angels adore in heaven -- I
as yet by faith, they face to face unveiled. I must be content with the
light of the true faith and walk in it until the day of eternal brightness
dawns and the shadow of figures passes away. When, moreover, that which
is perfect shall have come, the need of sacraments shall cease, for the
blessed in heavenly glory need no healing sacrament. Rejoicing endlessly
in the presence of God, beholding His glory face to face, transformed
from their own brightness to the brightness of the ineffable Deity, they
taste the Word of God made flesh, as He was in the beginning and will
remain in eternity.
Though mindful of these wonderful things, every spiritual solace becomes
wearisome to me because so long as I do not plainly see the Lord in His
glory, I consider everything I hear and see on earth of little account.
You are my witness, O God, that nothing can comfort me, no creature give
me rest but You, my God, Whom I desire to contemplate forever. But this
is not possible while I remain in mortal life, and, therefore, I must
be very patient and submit myself to You in every desire.
Even Your saints, O Lord, who now rejoice with You in the kingdom of heaven,
awaited the coming of Your glory with faith and great patience while they
lived. What they believed, I believe. What they hoped for, I hope for,
and whither they arrived, I trust I shall come by Your grace. Meanwhile
I will walk in faith, strengthened by the example of the saints. I shall
have, besides, for comfort and for the guidance of my life, the holy Books,
and above all these, Your most holy Body for my special haven and refuge.
I feel there are especially necessary for me in this life two things without
which its miseries would be unbearable. Confined here in this prison of
the body I confess I need these two, food and light. Therefore, You have
given me in my weakness Your sacred Flesh to refresh my soul and body,
and You have set Your word as the guiding light for my feet. Without them
I could not live aright, for the word of God is the light of my soul and
Your Sacrament is the Bread of Life.
These also may be called the two tables, one here, one there, in the treasure
house of holy Church. One is the table of the holy altar, having the holy
Bread that is the precious Body of Christ. The other is the table of divine
law, containing holy doctrine that teaches all the true faith and firmly
leads them within the veil, the Holy of holies.
Thanks to You, Lord Jesus, Light of eternal light, for the table of Your
holy teaching which You have prepared for us by Your servants, the prophets
and Apostles and other learned men.
Thanks to You, Creator and Redeemer of men, Who, to declare Your love
to all the world, have prepared a great supper in which You have placed
before us as food not the lamb, the type of Yourself, but Your own most
precious Body and Blood, making all the faithful glad in Your sacred banquet,
intoxicating them with the chalice of salvation in which are all the delights
of paradise; and the holy angels feast with us but with more happiness
and sweetness. Oh, how great and honorable is the office of the priest,
to whom is given the consecration of the Lord of majesty in sacred words,
whose lips bless Him, whose hands hold Him, whose tongue receives Him,
and whose ministry it is to bring Him to others!
Oh, how clean those hands should be, how pure the lips, how sanctified
the body, how immaculate the heart of the priest to whom the Author of
all purity so often comes. No word but what is holy, none but what is
good and profitable ought to come from the lips of the priest who so often
receives the Sacrament of Christ. Single and modest should be the eyes
accustomed to looking upon the Body of Christ. Pure and lifted up to heaven
the hands accustomed to handle the Creator of heaven and earth. To priests
above all it is written in the law: "Be ye holy, for I, the Lord
your God, am holy."
Let Your grace, almighty God, assist us, that we who have undertaken the
office of the priesthood may serve You worthily and devoutly in all purity
and with a good conscience. And if we cannot live as innocently as we
ought, grant us at least to lament duly the wrongs we have committed and
in the spirit of humility and the purpose of a good will to serve You
more fervently in the future.
The Twelfth Chapter
The Communicant Should Prepare Himself for
Christ with Great Care
The Voice of Christ
I AM the Lover of purity, the Giver of all holiness. I seek a pure heart
and there is the place of My rest.
Prepare for Me a large room furnished and I with My disciples will keep
the Pasch with you.
If you wish that I come to you and remain with you, purge out the old
leaven and make clean the dwelling of your heart. Shut out the whole world
with all the din of its vices. Sit as the sparrow lonely on the housetop,
and think on your transgressions in bitterness of soul.
Everyone who loves prepares the best and most beautiful home for his beloved,
because the love of the one receiving his lover is recognized thereby.
But understand that you cannot by any merit of your own make this preparation
well enough, though you spend a year in doing it and think of nothing
else. It is only by My goodness and grace that you are allowed to approach
My table, as though a beggar were invited to dinner by a rich man and
he had nothing to offer in return for the gift but to humble himself and
give thanks.
Do what you can and do that carefully. Receive the Body of the Lord, your
beloved God Who deigns to come to you, not out of habit or necessity,
but with fear, with reverence, and with love.
I am He that called you. I ordered it done. I will supply what you lack.
Come and receive Me.
When I grant the grace of devotion, give thanks to God, not because you
are worthy but because I have had mercy upon you. If you have it not and
feel rather dry instead, continue in prayer, sigh and knock, and do not
give up until you receive some crumb of saving grace. You have need of
Me. I do not need you. You do not come to sanctify Me but I come to sanctify
you and make you better. You come to be sanctified and united with Me,
to receive new grace and to be aroused anew to amend. Do not neglect this
grace, but prepare your heart with all care, and bring into it your Beloved.
Not only should you prepare devoutly before Communion, but you should
also carefully keep yourself in devotion after receiving the Sacrament.
The careful custody of yourself afterward is no less necessary than the
devout preparation before, for a careful afterwatch is the best preparation
for obtaining greater grace. If a person lets his mind wander to external
comforts, he becomes quite indisposed.
Beware of much talking. Remain in seclusion and enjoy your God, for you
have Him Whom all the world cannot take from you.
I am He to Whom you should give yourself entirely, that from now on you
may live, not in yourself, but in Me, with all cares cast away.
The Thirteenth Chapter
With All Her Heart the Devout Soul Should Desire
Union with Christ in the Sacrament
The Disciple
LET it be granted me to find You alone, O Christ, to open to You my
whole heart, to enjoy You as my soul desires, to be disturbed by no one,
to be moved and troubled by no creature, that You may speak to me and
I to You alone, as a lover speaks to his loved one, and friend converses
with friend.
I pray for this, I desire this, that I may be completely united to You
and may withdraw my heart from all created things, learning to relish
the celestial and the eternal through Holy Communion and the frequent
celebration of Mass.
Ah Lord God, when shall I be completely united to You and absorbed by
You, with self utterly forgotten? You in me and I in You? Grant that we
may remain so together. You in truth are my Beloved, chosen from thousands,
in Whom my soul is happy to dwell all the days of her life. You are in
truth my pledge of peace, in Whom is the greatest peace and true rest,
without Whom there is toil and sorrow and infinite misery.
You truly are the hidden God. Your counsel is not with the wicked, and
Your conversation is rather with the humble and the simple.
O how kind is Your spirit, Lord, Who in order to show Your sweetness toward
Your children, deign to feed them with the sweetest of bread, bread come
down from heaven! Surely there is no other people so fortunate as to have
their god near them, as You, our God, are present everywhere to the faithful,
to whom You give Yourself to be eaten and enjoyed for their daily solace
and the raising of their hearts to heaven.
Indeed, what other nation is so renowned as the Christian peoples? What
creature under heaven is so favored as the devout soul to whom God comes,
to feed her with His glorious Flesh? O unspeakable grace! O wonderful
condescension! O love beyond measure, singularly bestowed upon man!
What return shall I make to the Lord for this love, this grace so boundless?
There is nothing I can give more pleasing than to offer my heart completely
to my God, uniting it closely with His. Then shall all my inner self be
glad when my soul is perfectly united with God. Then will He say to me:
"If you will be with Me, I will be with you." And I will answer
Him: "Deign, O Lord, to remain with me. I will gladly be with You.
This is my one desire, that my heart may be united with You."
The Fourteenth Chapter
The Ardent Longing of Devout Men for the Body
of Christ
The Disciple
HOW great is the abundance of Your kindness, O Lord, which You have
hidden from those who fear You!
When I think how some devout persons come to Your Sacrament with the greatest
devotion and love, I am frequently ashamed and confused that I approach
Your altar and the table of Holy Communion so coldly and indifferently;
that I remain so dry and devoid of heartfelt affection; that I am not
completely inflamed in Your presence, O my God, nor so strongly drawn
and attracted as many devout persons who, in their great desire for Communion
and intense heart love, could not restrain their tears but longed from
the depths of their souls and bodies to embrace You, the Fountain of Life.
These were able to appease and allay their hunger in no other way than
by receiving Your Body with all joy and spiritual eagerness. The faith
of these men was true and ardent -- convincing proof of Your sacred presence.
They whose hearts burn so ardently within them when Jesus lives with them
truly know their Lord in the breaking of bread.
Such affection and devotion, such mighty love and zeal are often far beyond
me. Be merciful to me, O sweet, good, kind Jesus, and grant me, Your poor
suppliant, sometimes at least to feel in Holy Communion a little of the
tenderness of Your love, that my faith may grow stronger, that my hope
in Your goodness may increase, and that charity, once perfectly kindled
within me by tasting heavenly manna, may never fail.
Your mercy can give me the grace I long for and can visit me most graciously
with fervor of soul according to Your good pleasure. For although I am
not now inflamed with as great desire as those who are singularly devoted
to You, yet by Your grace I long for this same great flame, praying and
seeking a place among all such ardent lovers that I may be numbered among
their holy company.
The Fifteenth Chapter
The Grace of Devotion is Acquired Through Humility
and Self-Denial
The Voice of Christ
YOU must seek earnestly the grace of devotion, ask for it fervently,
await it patiently and hopefully, receive it gratefully, guard it humbly,
cooperate with it carefully and leave to God, when it comes, the length
and manner of the heavenly visitation. When you feel little or no inward
devotion, you should especially humiliate yourself, but do not become
too dejected or unreasonably sad. In one short moment God often gives
what He has long denied. At times He grants at the end what He has denied
from the beginning of prayer. If grace were always given at once, or were
present at our beck and call, it would not be well taken by weak humankind.
Therefore, with good hope and humble patience await the grace of devotion.
When it is not given, or for some unknown reason is taken away, blame
yourself and your sins. Sometimes it is a small matter that hinders grace
and hides it, if, indeed, that which prevents so great a good may be called
little rather than great. But if you remove this hindrance, be it great
or small, and if you conquer it perfectly, you shall have what you ask.
As soon as you have given yourself to God with all your heart and seek
neither this nor that for your own pleasure and purpose, but place yourself
completely in His charge, you shall find yourself at peace, united with
Him, because nothing will be so sweet, nothing will please you so much
as the good pleasure of His will.
Anyone, therefore, who shall with simplicity of heart direct his intention
to God and free himself from all inordinate love or dislike for any creature
will be most fit to receive grace and will be worthy of the gift of devotion.
For where the Lord finds the vessel empty He pours down His blessing.
So also the more perfectly a man renounces things of this world, and the
more completely he dies to himself through contempt of self, the more
quickly this great grace comes to him, the more plentifully it enters
in, and the higher it uplifts the free heart.
Then shall he see and abound, then shall his heart marvel and be enlarged
within him, because the Hand of the Lord is with him and in the hollow
of that Hand he has placed himself forever. Thus shall the man be blessed
who seeks God with all his heart and has not regarded his soul in vain.
Such a one, receiving the Holy Eucharist, merits the grace of divine union
because he looks not on his own thoughts, nor to his own comfort, but
above all devotion and consolation to the glory and honor of God.
The Sixteenth Chapter
We Should Show Our Needs to Christ and Ask
His Grace
The Disciple
O MOST kind, most loving Lord, Whom I now desire to receive with devotion,
You know the weakness and the necessity which I suffer, in what great
evils and vices I am involved, how often I am depressed, tempted, defiled,
and troubled.
To You I come for help, to You I pray for comfort and relief. I speak
to Him Who knows all things, to Whom my whole inner life is manifest,
and Who alone can perfectly comfort and help me.
You know what good things I am most in need of and how poor I am in virtue.
Behold I stand before You, poor and naked, asking Your grace and imploring
Your mercy.
Feed Your hungry beggar. Inflame my coldness with the fire of Your love.
Enlighten my blindness with the brightness of Your presence. Turn all
earthly things to bitterness for me, all grievance and adversity to patience,
all lowly creation to contempt and oblivion. Raise my heart to You in
heaven and suffer me not to wander on earth. From this moment to all eternity
do You alone grow sweet to me, for You alone are my food and drink, my
love and my joy, my sweetness and my total good.
Let Your presence wholly inflame me, consume and transform me into Yourself,
that I may become one spirit with You by the grace of inward union and
by the melting power of Your ardent love.
Suffer me not to go from You fasting and thirsty, but deal with me mercifully
as You have so often and so wonderfully dealt with Your saints.
What wonder if I were completely inflamed by You to die to myself, since
You are the fire ever burning and never dying, a love purifying the heart
and enlightening the understanding.
The Seventeenth Chapter
The Burning Love and Strong Desire
to Receive Christ
The Disciple
WITH greatest devotion and ardent love, with all affection and fervor
of heart I wish to receive You, O Lord, as many saints and devout persons,
most pleasing to You in their holiness of life and most fervent in devotion,
desired You in Holy Communion.
O my God, everlasting love, my final good, my happiness unending, I long
to receive You with as strong a desire and as worthy a reverence as any
of the saints ever had or could have felt, and though I am not worthy
to have all these sentiments of devotion, still I offer You the full affection
of my heart as if I alone had all those most pleasing and ardent desires.
Yet, whatever a God-fearing mind can conceive and desire, I offer in its
entirety to You with the greatest reverence and inward affection. I wish
to keep nothing for self but to offer to You, willingly and most freely,
myself and all that is mine.
O Lord God, my Creator and my Redeemer, I long to receive You this day
with such reverence, praise, and honor, with such gratitude, worthiness
and love, with such faith, hope, and purity as that with which Your most
holy Mother, the glorious Virgin Mary, longed for and received You when
she humbly and devoutly answered the angel who announced to her the mystery
of the Incarnation: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done
to me according to thy word."[10]
Likewise as Your blessed precursor, the most excellent of saints, John
the Baptist, gladdened by Your presence, exulted in the Holy Ghost while
yet enclosed in the womb of his mother, and afterward seeing Jesus walking
among men, humbled himself and with devout love declared: "The friend
of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because
of the bridegroom's voice,"[11] even so I long to be inflamed with
great and holy desires and to give myself to You with all my heart.
Therefore I offer and present to You the gladness of all devout hearts,
their ardent affection, their mental raptures, their supernatural illuminations
and heavenly visions together with all the virtues and praises which have
been or shall be celebrated by all creatures in heaven and on earth, for
myself and all commended to my prayers, that You may be worthily praised
and glorified forever.
Accept, O Lord my God, my promises and desires of giving You infinite
praise and boundless benediction, which in the vastness of Your ineffable
greatness are justly due You. This I render and desire to render every
day and every moment of time, and in my loving prayers I invite and entreat
all celestial spirits and all the faithful to join me in giving You praise
and thanks.
Let all people, races, and tongues praise You and with the greatest joy
and most ardent devotion magnify Your sweet and holy name. And let all
who reverently and devoutly celebrate this most great Sacrament and receive
it in the fullness of faith, find kindness and mercy in You and humbly
pray for me, a sinner. And when they have received the longed-for devotion
and blissful union, and, well consoled and wonderfully refreshed, have
retired from Your holy, Your celestial table, may they deign to remember
my poor soul.
The Eighteenth Chapter
Man Should Not Scrutinize This Sacrament in
Curiosity, But Humbly Imitate Christ and Submit Reason to Holy Faith
The Voice of Christ
BEWARE of curious and vain examination of this most profound Sacrament,
if you do not wish to be plunged into the depths of doubt. He who scrutinizes
its majesty too closely will be overwhelmed by its glory.
God can do more than man can understand. A pious and humble search for
truth He will allow, a search that is ever ready to learn and that seeks
to walk in the reasonable doctrine of the fathers.
Blest is the simplicity that leaves the difficult way of dispute and goes
forward on the level, firm path of God's commandments. Many have lost
devotion because they wished to search into things beyond them.
Faith is required of you, and a sincere life, not a lofty intellect nor
a delving into the mysteries of God. If you neither know nor understand
things beneath you, how can you comprehend what is above you? Submit yourself
to God and humble reason to faith, and the light of understanding will
be given you so far as it is good and necessary for you. Some are gravely
tempted concerning faith and the Sacrament but this disturbance is not
laid to them but to the enemy.
Be not disturbed, dispute not in your mind, answer not the doubts sent
by the devil, but believe the words of God, believe His saints and prophets
and the evil enemy will flee from you. It is often very profitable for
the servant of God to suffer such things. For Satan does not tempt unbelievers
and sinners whom he already holds securely, but in many ways he does tempt
and trouble the faithful servant.
Go forward, then, with sincere and unflinching faith, and with humble
reverence approach this Sacrament. Whatever you cannot understand commit
to the security of the all-powerful God, Who does not deceive you. The
man, however, who trusts in himself is deceived. God walks with sincere
men, reveals Himself to humble men, enlightens the understanding of pure
minds, and hides His grace from the curious and the proud.
Human reason is weak and can be deceived. True faith, however, cannot
be deceived. All reason and natural science ought to come after faith,
not go before it, nor oppose it. For in this most holy and supremely excellent
Sacrament, faith and love take precedence and work in a hidden manner.
God, eternal, incomprehensible, and infinitely powerful, does great and
inscrutable things in heaven and on earth, and there is no searching into
His marvelous works. If all the works of God were such that human reason
could easily grasp them, they would not be called wonderful or beyond
the power of words to tell.
1 Matt. 11:28.
2 John 6:52.
3 1 Cor. 11:24.
4 John 6:57.
5 John 6:64.
6 Matt. 11:28.
7 Matt. 15:32.
8 Ezek. 33:11.
9 Luke 14:33.
10 Luke 1:38.
11 John 3:29.
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