the vision without a careful examination; he never, for a second, had the shadow of a doubt about Juliana's veracity, but he knew that even the most holy are, so long as they are in this world, liable to error. He, therefore, examined most carefully and diligently by what spirit Juliana was led; but whatever care he took, he found nothing in her that could for one moment lead him to suppose any other thing, than that she was led by the Spirit of God. He was, in his own mind, quite convinced that the proposed Institution of the Feast, far from being opposed to the teaching of the Church, would, on the contrary, be a powerful means of exciting the faithful to greater devotion to that thrice-blessed Sacrament, in which Jesus hath given Himself to be our food. But Lausanne was of opinion that, before any further steps were taken in the matter, it would be well to see what the opinions of wise, learned and discreet men were, upon the subject. He communicated his thoughts to Juliana, and she begged of him to consult other theologians, without, however, mentioning her name in the matter, and after having consulted them, to please to relate to her their opinions upon it.

Lausanne most willingly undertook this commission; he consulted on the subject James Pantaleon, Archdeacon of Liège; Giles, Jolin, Gerard, all three of the Dominican order, and celebrated for their learning and virtue: Hugh of St. Cher, the Provincial of the Dominicans, an order which has always been celebrated for being rich in good theologians; Guy, Bishop of Cambray, and the Chancellor of the University of Paris. These men, all well known for their wisdom, prudence, and learning, after a careful examination of the proposition made to them by John of Lausanne, unanimously declared that they found

that this Feast, far from being in opposition to the dogmas of the Church, should, on the contrary, be established, in order to excite and reanimate the devotion of all Christians to the holy Sacrament of the Altar.

When Juliana, and her friends Eva and Isabella, learned from Lausanne the favourable reception which the proposition of the new Feast had met with, from men so celebrated for their great learning and piety, their hearts were so full of joy and gladness, that it was impossible for them to express it in words. They recognised that God had done great things for them, since He alone could have caused the proposition of a poor, weak woman to be favourably received by men of such weight and dignity. They therefore excited each other to praise the Lord for His goodness, saying to each other, in the words of the Psalmist: “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us extol His name together."*

CHAPTER VIII.

ST. JULIANA MEETS WITH MUCH OPPOSITION.

JULIANA having succeeded so far in the affair she had so much at heart, was not so elated thereby as to attribute anything to herself, but gave all the glory to God. She was too grounded in true humility to think for one moment that it was by her own strength, or wisdom, or sagacity, or by anything that she had said or done, that so favourable a reception had been given to the idea

Psalm xxxiii. 4.

of the institution of the new Feast by men so celebrated. She simply desired the Feast to be celebrated, because she thought such to be the Will of God, and because she thought it would be for His honour and glory. She never for one moment thought that she would receive any honour by the institution of the Feast; hence it was, that whether things succeeded well or ill, she always preserved the same unalterable tranquillity; if she met with success, she was calm without any elation; if she met with opposition, she was serene and peaceful without the slightest perturbation. Nor was it in this matter only that she so acted; but in all affairs she undertook she was ever calm, patient, meek, and gentle; she did what it was her duty to do, and did it with the greatest possible perfection, leaving the successful or unsuccessful issue to God. Nor did it ever occur to her mind that if success attended her efforts, it was due to any virtue or effort of hers; with regard to the institution of the Feast of Corpus Christi, she never appears to have so much as suspected that Almighty God bestowed upon her the honour of being the first to solicit it, as a reward for her great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Yet when we consider how great her devotion to this holy mystery was, we may not unreasonably suppose that as a reward for this intense devotion, God honoured her with being the first to solicit a particular Feast in honour of this blessed mystery.

In all the works that Juliana undertook, she gave most evident proofs that she undertook them for the glory of God, and not through any motive of gaining the esteem or applause of men; since, whether men praised or blamed her, she always preserved the same evenness of soul, and when success attended her efforts, she gave all the glory

to God, and acknowledged herself to be just what she and all of us are, dust and ashes. When we

undertake any work or labour, we usually say,

O, my God, I desire to do this solely for Thy honour and glory." But, if it is so, as we say, how comes it that we are elated, if men praise us, and displeased and cast down if they speak against us? If what we undertake is really undertaken for the honour and glory of God, how is it that we become angry at the least opposition, and full of impatience, fretfulness, and vexation, if things do not turn out as we wish? Ah! is it not because we have sought ourselves and our own honour, instead of seeking God and His honour and glory? Is it not because we have humility on our lips, and but little of it in our hearts? Let us then firmly resolve from this moment to imitate St. Juliana in her profound humility, and in her purity of intention, so that whatever we do may be done for God; and if our labours are crowned with success, let us attribute nothing to ourselves, but give to God all the glory. It is not permitted for us to desire the extraordinary graces bestowed upon Juliana, but we may, and we ought, to imitate her in practising those virtues which rendered her so pleasing in God's sight.

But to return to the history of our saint. After having learned from John of Lausanne the opinions of the other doctors, she thought it was now time to compose the Office for the new Feast. Knowing full well that God often makes use of simple souls to operate the greatest marvels, Juliana charged with the task of composing the Office a young monk of the monastery of Cornillon, whose name was John, and who afterwards became Prior of Cornillon. He at first was extremely unwilling to attempt such a work; he therefore excused himself to Juliana in various ways, now

declaring his incapacity and want of talent, then his ignorance of the works of the Holy Fathers. But Juliana was determined that he should compose the Office, and the better to induce him to undertake the work, she assured him that he would receive from above, help, light, and assistance. Moreover, she promised to pray continually for the success of his labours. John, who had a high idea of the sanctity of Juliana, and the virtue of her prayers, at length agreed to attempt the task.

The young monk, whose many virtues caused him to be beloved by all who knew him, spared neither pains nor labours in the composition of the Office; but while he was doing all that he could to accomplish this task, Juliana was not idle; she offered continual and most fervent prayers to God for the success of his work.

John

was not long in composing the Office, and when completed, its style was so elegant and agreeable, so beautiful and touching, that he himself said he could not see anything at all of his own work in any part of the Office, but confessed that all the beauty, devotion, and piety there was in it, had come from above. As each part of the work was finished he submitted the revision of it to Juliana. He knew that in all things connected with God and His service she had great light and knowledge; therefore, if she thought any alteration was needed, he corrected as she desired; if, on the contrary, she judged no correction necessary, he left it as it was. When Juliana had once revised the work, he never afterwards made the least alteration, but left it just as she had suggested.

Juliana had examined the work with such scrupulous attention, and her judgment was so sound, clear, and solid, that the great and learned