sirable goodness, meekness, charity, and mercy of thine, by which my wretchedness may be aided and forgiven. Behold, O Lord, I have thee now, who hast all things. I possess thee, who possessest all power and wealth. Therefore, O my God, and my all! draw my heart away from all other things that are out of thee, in which there is nothing but vanity and affliction of spirit. Let my heart be fixed in thee alone, in thee let me rest, where my treasure is, the sovereign Truth, true happiness, and happy eternity! Let my soul, O Lord, feel the sweetness of thy presence! Let it taste how sweet thou art, O Lord; that, being allured by thy love, it may seek for no joy out of thee, for thou art the joy of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever! Thou art the physician of my soul, who, by thy bruises, hast healed our infirmities. I am that sick man whom thou camest from heaven to heal. Heal, then, my soul, for I have sinned against thee. Thou art the good Shepherd who hast laid down thy life for thy sheep. Behold, I am that sheep which was lost, and yet thou vouchsafest to feed me with thy Body and Blood. Take me now upon thy shoulders. What wilt thou refuse me, who hast given me thyself! Rule me, and I shall want nothing in the place of pasture where thou hast set me, till thou bring me to the pastures of eternal life. O true Light! that enlightenest every man that comes into this world, enlighten my eyes that I may never sleep in death, &c. O ever-burning and neverfailing fire! behold, I am tepid and cold: inflame my reins and my heart, that they may ever burn with the love of thee. For thou camest to cast fire, and what wilt thou but that it be enkindled? O King of heaven and earth, rich in mercy! behold, I am poor and needy. Thou knowest what I most require. Thou alone canst assist and enrich me. Help me, O God, and out of the treasures of thy goodness succour my poor soul. O my Lord and my God! behold I am thy servant, give me understanding, and awaken my affection, that I may know and do thy will. Thou art the Lamb of God, Lamb without spot, that takest away the sins of the world. Take away from me whatever is hurtful to me and displeasing to thee, and give me what thou knowest to be pleasing to thee and profitable to me. Thou art my love, and all my joy. Thou art my God and my all. Thou art the portion of my inheritance and of my cup. It is thou that indisposed, if he be presently too much given to outward matters." When Mass or Communion it is that one is made greatly is ended, it is of very great consequence to know how to employ the time in which Christ continues with us, and benefit by the presence of so great a guest. For we can have no fitter opportunity of forwarding the business of our salvation than when we have with us, and within us, the Author of salvation himself. 66 Beautiful and holy, as it is usual with him to be, is the counsel of Thomas à Kempis.' "Thou shouldst," he says, prepare thyself not only for being devout before Communion, but also for carefully keeping thyself so after receiving the Sacrament. Nor is watchfulness after less required than devout preparation before it. For a good guard afterwards is the best second preparation for greater graces. For by this Imit. Chr. b. iv. ch. xii. 4. Herein learn from thyself what ought to be done. If any person had invited thee to his house, but when once received left thee presently to thyself, as though weary of thy company, and resorted to I know not what silly or empty occupation, not deeming thee worthy of familiar converse, or of any kind or polite attention, wouldst thou not call this uncourteous and unworthy conduct, and even hold such a friend in abhorrence, as one forgetful of his duty? See, then, what is to be said of those who, after having received such and so great a guest as God into their house, presently turn their back upon him, and go away, and have no wish to converse with him a little while. What i this but to slight, nay, highly offend their guest, especially when it is a guest who comes, not to receive, but to give thee refreshment? Why, then, make such haste? What seekest thou beside thy God? Not any books will teach thee more than he; not any friends will give thee so much pleasure; not all the arts, wealth, sciences, &c. of the world will do thee so much good. "Therefore conduct thy guest into thy inner chamber, that is thy heart. Beware of much talk" (says the Thomas above cited), "remain in secret, and enjoy thy most sweet guest; for thou hast him himself, whom the whole world cannot take away from thee." We will here give an easy exercise for practice, comprised in three principal points. I. POINT. THANKSGIVING. I. To excite thyself to due thanksgiving, make acts of lively faith, united with affections of humility, reverence, admiration, &c. O most merciful Saviour, Christ Jesus, how sweet and meek art thou, and of great mercy, to all that call upon thee! For by thy divine power thou didst create us when we were not; when we were thy enemies, with wonderful wisdom thou camest from 1 Imit. Chr. b. iv. ch. xii. 4. heaven to redeem us; and because without thee we cannot live, move, or be, whether in body or soul, by thy measureless goodness thou preservest us hitherto by so many Sacraments and assistances of grace; nay, in a manner most admirable, thou bestowest on us in this Sacrament thy Body and Blood, that is, thyself. Oh, charity! oh, goodness! oh, mystery new and profound! Dost thou, O my God, vouchsafe to come to me! The King and Lord of sovereign majesty to his meanest servant! God to man! The Creator to the creature! Whence is this to me, that thou, O Lord, shouldst come to me! from whom thou mightst depart, because I am a man that is a sinner? What is man that thou art mindful of him; or the son of man that thou visitest him? Knowest thou not what I am? Dust and ashes, vessel of filth, food of worms. is it to me that thou comest from heaven? O Lord our God, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! And II. Here make acts of gratitude and praise to God for benefits so great. What return shall I make to the Lord for all that he has done for me? Oh, that my lips were opened, and my mouth filled with praise, that I might sing thy glory, thy greatness all the day long; and tell of all thy wondrous works! Let my soul, touched with so many and great benefits, magnify the Lord; and let my spirit rejoice in God my Saviour, because he has regarded the humility of his servant, and he that is mighty has done to me great things, and filled me when hungry with good things. Bless, therefore, now the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all that he has done for thee; who forgives all thy iniquities, and, by the power of this Sacrament, heals all thy diseases, &c. III. Because thou art by no means equal singly to the celebration of benefits so great, invite all the Saints, nay even all creatures, to unite with thee in praising God. As the three children who were in the fiery furnace unhurt summoned all creatures of heaven, earth, and sea to the praise of God, saying, with one voice, All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord, &c. how much rather should we do so when we have received within us him by whom we have been delivered from death and the flames of eternal fire! Hence, according to the rite of the Church, it is usual for priests to recite that Canticle after Mass. Great art thou, O Lord, and exceedingly to be praised, and who shall declare thy power, or set forth all thy praise! Though all my limbs should be turned into tongues, and all the breathings of my life into thy praises and thanksgivings, still I should fall far short of all thy mercies. Therefore, confessing my own insufficiency, I have this one wish above all, that with me and for me, all thy creatures should praise and bless thy Name for ever. But before all things, O most merciful God! accept the praises and thanksgivings which, from the moment of his incarnation, thy Son our Saviour offered thee in our nature, which he took; above all, those thanks which, in the name of us all, when instituting this Sacrament, and recognising even then our inability to render thanks adequate to the greatness of the benefit, he gave, after raising his eyes to heaven, to thee his almighty Father. Receive also, O most meek Father! those thanksgivings offered thee by the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of thy only-begotten Son, when herself she conceived and carried and bore, in her most chaste womb, him who, enclosed now within my breast, is embraced even by me! And those also which, in her whole lifetime, and especially as often as after thy ascension to heaven she received thee in this Sacrament, from her heart's burning desire and inward devotion, she rendered to thee. May all the angelic spirits also bless thee and praise thee, who stand ever trembling by the throne of thy majesty, and sing with voice unceasing, saying, Holy, holy, holy. With my whole heart too I desire that all thy Saints and friends who now reign with thee in heaven, and we believe have communion with us, may compensate my insufficiency by their own most worthy praises, which here on earth they ever most devoutly offered thee in the use and veneration of this Sacrament; and which they sing to thee now, when, with face revealed, they eat the Bread of life, and drink of the torrent of thy pleasure. Make me partaker, O God, with all that fear thee, and that keep thy commandments. Oh, that I could gather at once into myself alone the fervent affections of all the holy faithful, with all the prayers, desires, and merits of all that please thee upon earth! and love and honour thee with all the intensity of my soul, in proportion to the love and honour which in this Sacrament thou hast vouchsafed to me! For I profess that, if the efforts, desires, grateful and pious affections, of all the holy persons that ever were, are, or shall be, who ever have or shall receive this divine Sacrament with due preparation, devotion, and profit, were to be centred in me alone, I would cheerfully and readily turn them all to the praise and glory of thy Name, and the thanksgiving that is thy due. And yet, Lord, I sincerely confess that even thus I should be an unprofitable servant, and could not praise thee as thou deservest, because thou art greater than all praise. But spare me, O Lord, for I am poor and needy, and at least despise not the desire of the poor, nor the service of his good will. Oh, that all the works of the Lord would bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all for ever! &c. |