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. |
That the greatness and charity of God is shown to
men in the Sacrament
The Voice of the Disciple
Trusting in Thy goodness and great mercy, O Lord,
I draw near, the sick to the Healer, the hungering and thirsting to
the Fountain of life, the poverty-stricken to the King of heaven, the
servant to the Lord, the creature to the Creator, the desolate to my
own gentle Comforter. But whence is this unto me, that Thou comest
unto me? Who am I that Thou shouldest offer me Thyself? How doth a
sinner dare to appear before Thee? And how dost thou vouchsafe to
come to the sinner? Thou knowest Thy servant, and Thou knowest that
he hath in him no good thing for which Thou shouldest grant him this
grace. I confess therefore mine own vileness, I acknowledge Thy
goodness, I praise Thy tenderness, and I give Thee thanks for Thine
exceeding great love. For Thou doest this for Thine own sake, not for
my merits, that Thy goodness may be more manifest unto me, Thy charity
more abundantly poured out upon me, and Thy humility more perfectly
commended unto me. Therefore because this pleaseth Thee and Thou hast
commanded that thus it shall be, Thy condescension pleaseth me also;
and oh that mine iniquity hinder it not.
2. O most sweet and tender Jesus, what reverence,
what giving of thanks is due to Thee with perpetual praise for the
receiving of Thy sacred Body and Blood, the dignity whereof no man is
found able to express. But what shall I think upon in this Communion
in approaching my Lord, whom I am not able worthily to honour, and
nevertheless whom I long devoutly to receive? What shall be better
and more healthful meditation for me, than utter humiliation of myself
before Thee, and exaltation of Thine infinite goodness towards me? I
praise Thee, O my God, and exalt Thee for evermore. I despise myself,
and cast myself down before Thee into the deep of my vileness.
3. Behold, Thou art the Saint of saints and I the
refuse of sinners; behold, Thou stoopest unto me who am not worthy to
look upon Thee; behold, Thou comest unto me, Thou willest to be with
me, Thou invitest me to Thy feast. Thou willest to give me the
heavenly food and bread of angels to eat; none other, in truth, than
Thyself, The living bread, which didst descend from heaven; and givest
life to the world.(1)
4. Behold, whence this love proceedeth! what
manner of condescension shineth forth herein. What great giving of
thanks and praise is due unto Thee for these benefits! Oh how
salutary and profitable Thy purpose when Thou didst ordain this! How
sweet and pleasant the feast when Thou didst give Thyself for food!
Oh how admirable is thy working, O Lord, how mighty Thy power, how
unspeakable Thy truth! For Thou didst speak the word, and all things
were made; and this is done which Thou hast commanded.
5. A thing wonderful, and worthy of faith, and
surpassing all the understanding of man, that Thou, O Lord my God,
very God and very man, givest Thyself altogether to us in a little
bread and wine, and art so our inexhaustible food. Thou, O Lord of
all, who hast need of nothing, hast willed to dwell in us through Thy
Sacrament. Preserve my heart and my body undefiled, that with a
joyful and pure conscience I may be able very often to [celebrate,
and](2) receive to my perpetual health. Thy mysteries, which Thou
hast consecrated and instituted both for Thine own honour, and for a
perpetual memorial.
6. Rejoice, O my soul, and give thanks unto God
for so great a gift and precious consolation, left unto thee in this
vale of tears. For so oft as thou callest this mystery to mind and
receivest the body of Christ, so often dost thou celebrate the work of
thy redemption, and art made partaker of all the merits of Christ.
For the charity of Christ never groweth less, and the greatness of His
propitiation is never exhausted. Therefore, by continual renewal of
thy spirit, thou oughtest to dispose thyself hereunto and to weigh the
great mystery of salvation with attentive consideration. So great,
new, and joyful ought it to appear to thee when thou comest to
communion, as if on this self-same day Christ for the first time were
descending into the Virgin's womb and becoming man, or hanging on the
cross, suffering and dying for the salvation of mankind. |