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. |
That the Body and Blood of Christ and the Holy
Scriptures are most necessary to a faithful soul
The Voice of the Disciple
O most sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the
blessedness of the devout soul that feedeth with Thee in Thy banquet,
where there is set before it no other food than Thyself its only
Beloved, more to be desired than all the desires of the heart? And to
me it would verily be sweet to pour forth my tears in Thy presence
from the very bottom of my heart, and with the pious Magdalene to
water Thy feet with my tears. But where is this devotion? Where the
abundant flowing of holy tears? Surely in Thy presence and in the
presence of the holy Angels my whole heart ought to burn and to weep
for joy; for I have Thee in the Sacrament verily present, although
hidden under other form.
2. For in Thine own Divine brightness, mine eyes
could not endure to behold Thee, neither could the whole world stand
before the splendour of the glory of Thy Majesty. In this therefore
Thou hast consideration unto my weakness, that Thou hidest Thyself
under the Sacrament. I verily possess and adore Him whom the Angels
adore in heaven; I yet for a while by faith, but they by sight and
without a veil. It is good for me to be content with the light of
true faith, and to walk therein until the day of eternal brightness
dawn, and the shadows of figures flee away.(1) But when that which is
perfect is come, the using of Sacraments shall cease, because the
Blessed in heavenly glory have no need of Sacramental remedy. For
they rejoice unceasingly in the presence of God, beholding His glory
face to face, and being changed from glory to glory(2) of the infinite
God, they taste the Word of God made flesh, as He was in the beginning
and remaineth for everlasting.
3. When I think on these wondrous things, even
spiritual comfort whatsoever it be becometh sore weariness to me; for
so long as I see not openly my Lord in His own Glory, I count for
nothing all which I behold and hear in the world. Thou, O God, art my
witness that nothing is able to comfort me, no creature is able to
give me rest, save Thou, O my God, whom I desire to contemplate
everlastingly. But this is not possible, so long as I remain in this
mortal state. Therefore ought I to set myself unto great patience,
and submit myself unto Thee in every desire. For even Thy Saints, O
Lord, who now rejoice with Thee in the kingdom of heaven, waited for
the coming of Thy glory whilst they lived here, in faith and great
glory. What they believed, that believe I; what they hoped, I hope;
whither they have attained to, thither through Thy grace hope I to
come. I will walk meanwhile in faith, strengthened by the examples of
the Saints. I will have also holy books for comfort and for a mirror
of life, and above them all Thy most holy Body and Blood shall be for
me a special remedy and refuge.
4. For two things do I feel to be exceedingly
necessary to me in this life, without which this miserable life would
be intolerable to me; being detained in the prison of this body, I
confess that I need two things, even food and light. Thou hast
therefore given to me who am so weak, Thy sacred Body and Blood, for
the refreshing of my soul and body, and hast set Thy Word for a
lantern to my feet.(3) Without these two I could not properly live;
for the Word of God is the light of my soul, and Thy Sacrament the
bread of life. These may also be called the two tables, placed on
this side and on that, in the treasury of Thy holy Church. One table
is that of the Sacred Altar, bearing the holy bread, that is the
precious Body and Blood of Christ; the other is the table of the
Divine Law, containing holy doctrine, teaching the true faith, and
leading steadfastly onwards even to that which is within the veil,
where the Holy of Holies is.
5. Thanks be unto Thee, O Lord Jesus, Light of
Light everlasting, for that table of holy doctrine which Thou has
furnished unto us by Thy servants the Prophets and Apostles and other
teachers. Thanks be to Thee, O Creator and Redeemer of men, who to
make known Thy love to the whole world has prepared a great supper, in
which Thou hast set forth for good not the typical lamb, but Thine own
most Holy Body and Blood; making all Thy faithful ones joyful with
this holy banquet and giving them to drink the cup of salvation,
wherein are all the delights of Paradise, and the holy Angels do feed
with us, and with yet happier sweetness.
6. Oh how great and honourable is the office of
the priests, to whom it is given to consecrate the Sacrament of the
Lord of majesty with holy words, to bless it with the lips, to hold it
in their hands, to receive it with their own mouth, and to administer
it to others! Oh how clean ought those hands to be, how pure the
mouth, how holy the body, how unspotted the heart of the priest, to
whom so often the Author of purity entereth in! From the mouth of the
priest ought naught to proceed but what is holy, what is honest and
profitable, because he so often receiveth the Sacrament of Christ.
7. His eyes ought to be single and pure, seeing
they are wont to look upon the Body of Christ; the hands should be
pure and lifted towards heaven, which are wont to hold within them the
Creator of heaven and earth. To priests is it specially said in the
Law, Be ye holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.(4)
8. Assist us with Thy grace, O Almighty God, that
we who have taken upon us the priestly office, may be able to converse
worthily and devoutly with Thee in all purity and good conscience.
And if we are not able to have our conversation in such innocency of
life as we ought, yet grant unto us worthily to lament the sins which
we have committed, and in the spirit of humility and full purpose of a
good will, to serve Thee more earnestly for the future. |