September 2

Jesus, Our Physician

Preparation. - In vain do we labor to heal our spiritual diseases, if we do not have recourse to our heavenly Physician. Wherefore we shall meditate, first, on His qualities, and secondly, on the remedies He uses to cure us. We shall then conclude by resolving often to have recourse to Jesus, for of Him it was said: “He healed all manner of sickness and infirmity” (Mat. 4. 23).

I. Qualities Of The Physician Of Our Souls

Our divine Redeemer, whose mission it was to remedy our ills, is a kind, compassionate and devoted physician. “The Sun of justice shall arise,” says the prophet, “and health in His wings” (Mal. 4. 2), for He is come to heal all diseases. He came down, observes St. Augustine, to the bed of the sick, assuming our body, the bed of our diseased soul. Without requiring or awaiting that we should take the first step, He lowered Himself down to us by the greatest of prodigies, the Incarnation. O ineffable kindness of the infinite Being, who abased Himself to our own nothingness!

And how can we sufficiently admire His compassion for our souls, for it surpasses all we could have hoped for. Other physicians, however much they may love a patient, do not and cannot go beyond restoring him to health. None of them has ever gone so far as to assume the diseases of his patient. Thou alone, O Jesus, hast been able to do it, and hast actually done it, by taking upon Thyself our iniquities, and undergoing the punishment we deserved, in order to effect our cure. O truly divine charity. “Surely He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (Is. 53. 4).

And how devotedly did Jesus labor all His life to restore us to perfect health. Never did He refuse to undergo hardships, humiliations and torments. How much annoyance, disgust and sadness He endured for our welfare! “Shall I not drink the chalice,” He says, “which My Father hath given Me?” (John 18. 11) “Must I not cure man of is pride by My ignominies; of his avarice, by My poverty; of his lusts, by My sufferings? Must not My wounds close his, and My death restore his life?” O incomprehensible charity, how can we sufficiently praise and thank Thee?”

“You can do it,” answers Jesus, “by consoling, in My name, the afflicted; by helping the weak and freeing souls from the ulcer of sin, whether by your prayers and counsels, or by the influence of your good examples.” O my divine Master, impart to me, for this object, the kind, obliging, compassionate and devoted charity that overflows Thy Heart. I am resolved to labor without intermission, by means of humility and mental prayer, for my spiritual cure, so that I may be also able to free others from the fearful evils into which our vices and disorderly inclinations precipitate us.

II. The Remedies Jesus Offers Us

How fatal is the disease of sin! It covers our soul with a hideous leprosy, that leads her to death eternal. To cleanse us therefrom, the Redeemer has prepared for us, says St. Bernard, a fountain of mercy, a bath of salvation in the sacrament of penance. Every soul making use of it full of repentance and resolved to amend, were she stained far more than even Judas and Lucifer, will come forth therefrom as pure as the heavenly rays. This is a powerful motive for us to esteem and love this sacred fountain, in which Christ’s tears and blood wash away even our most enormous faults, and dispose us to enjoy perfect health. “Who healeth the broken of heart, and bindeth up their bruises” (Ps. 146. 3).

Thus purified we may partake with greater fruit of the Eucharistic Banquet. Jesus declares that we can do nothing without Him (John 15. 5), and St. Paul tells that in Jesus we can do all things (Phil. 4. 13). “He that eateth Me,” says Jesus, “abideth in Me, and I in him” (John 6. 57). Behold now how our Physician becomes our Remedy! And, O God, what a remedy! A remedy capable of healing all mankind. Let us no longer allege our weakness, for we can draw strength from its very source.

Unfortunately, we fail to profit by this great means of salvation. Often a mere trifle, an attachment, an habitual fault, a slight resentment or aversion, a useless and foreign worry prevents the powerful effects of holy Communion in us. Had we the fervor of the saints, we would soon get rid of all the wounds and infirmities proceeding from our pride and sensuality. But, alas! we often receive holy Communion with but little fervor, and therefore we remain always vain, presumptuous, dissipated in mind, without spirit of recollection and prayer, without the interior life that is nourished by faith, humility, prayer and self-denial. Does it not even happen that after receiving the Lamb of peace and meekness, we soon relapse into our troubles, our worry, our impatience, as if the remedy, which produced so many saints and martyrs, had lost all its efficacy for us?

O great and merciful God, I am not worthy to possess Thee within me, but say only the word, and my soul shall be healed. Through Thy most holy Mother’s intercession, deign to prepare me to receive fervently the sacraments of penance and the Holy Eucharist, the precious antidotes that will purify me of sin, increase grace in me, and will enable me to live by Thy spirit. “And he that eateth Me, the same shall live by Me.”

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Sunday After Corpus Christi

Holy Communion

Preparation. - This day's Gospel speaks of the great banquet to which Jesus invites us, which is nothing else than holy Communion. Let us consider its precious effects, first, for our souls, and secondly, for even our bodies, and let us thereby be filled with the desire of being always united to Jesus, so that we may realize in ourselves His promise: "He that eateth Me, the same shall live by Me" (John 6. 58), that is, by My spirit, My sentiments, My doctrine and My grace.

I. The Effects Of Holy Communion In Our Souls.

Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12. 24, 25). The grain of wheat is no other than our Saviour, who by His death became "the corn of the elect"; and what fruits does it not most abundantly bear in the adorable Eucharist! The material bread, the bread of the body becomes a part of the substance of him who eats it; not so with the Eucharistic Bread. Being more powerful than we, it transforms us into itself, by an unheard-of wonder; and, being nobel, heavenly and divine, it elevates us, detaches us from every thing earthly, and causes us to participate in Christ's nobility, wisdom and holiness. Thenceforth His thoughts, intentions, light and sentiments penetrate us as the sun's rays penetrate crystal. His holy inclinations, imparted to our heart, enable us, like Him, to love the interior life, the life of faith and grace, which sanctifies our intentions, directs our undertakings, regulates our speech and conduct, renders us modest in our demeanor, respectful towards God, meek and charitable towards our neighbor.

Such is the heavenly perfume given out by holy souls after holy Communion, and which clings to them even long after the disappearance of the sacred species. When St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi was still a child, she would, on the day her mother communicated, follow her every where, saying to her: "Mother, you have the odor of Jesus Christ."

There is nothing astonishing in this, for if there exists between loving friends a mysterious understanding and sympathy which, notwithstanding the distance separating them, brings them nearer to each other, how much more is this the case between the Redeemer and the souls that receive Him under the sacramental species, and thereby contract with Him ties of friendship and spiritual affinity, ties stronger than those that are merely natural! "He who receives holy Communion," says St. Alphonsus, "is in the Heart of Jesus, and Jesus is in his heart; this union is not one of mere affection, but is real and true."

And, O adorable Saviour, what a source of benefits is not this mystical union for us! How solicitously Thou protectest and defendest us, and loadest us with graces, especially on the days when we partake e of Thy divine Banquet! Thou has said, that the soul which receives Thee should live by Thy Spirit; hence do not permit me to be governed by a sensual and natural life, by my passions and their instincts; but enable me always to act through principles of faith, through motives of virtue, especially in obeying my superiors, who are Thy representatives; of charity towards my neighbor, Thy living image; of conformity to Thy will, contained for me in my duties and in all the events that concern me and often exercise my patience; "He who eateth Me, the same shall live by Me."

II. The Effects Of Holy Communion In Our Bodies.

The Eucharistic food, according to St. Thomas, acts not only  on our souls, but also on our bodies in two ways; indirectly, by increasing in us charity and thus diminishing concupiscence; and directly, inasmuch as our body comes in contact with the sacred  species, which nourish us miraculously, as if they were real substances. St. Cyril of Alexandria says, that the Eucharist sometimes cures the sick and preserves from corporal death. the father of St. Gregory of Naziance, exhausted by a long and painful fever and on the very verge of death, was suddenly cured by receiving holy Communion on Easter Sunday. Many similar facts are related by reliable authors.

"O wonderful and hidden grace," exclaims the author of the Imitation; "it is at times so strong in this Sacrament, that by the fulness of devotion, which it produces, not only our soul, but also our body finds therein fresh strength." How many saints have miraculously lived on no other food than the Eucharist! Bl Nicholas de Flue used no other food for twenty-two years.

These Miraculous facts are well calculated to reanimate our confidence in the all-powerful virtue of this Sacrament, especially in the assaults of the flesh and sensual desires. How fervently and confidently should we not invoke it in every danger! If you are no longer frequently beset with feelings of anger, envy , lust and other vices, give thanks to the body of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, when we receive Him, He places in us seeds of immortality, for He says,"Him that eateth My flesh ... I will raise up at the last day" (John 6. 55). In fact, the union we contract with Christ's glorious body in the Eucharist, will merit for us the happiness of rising again as His elect. Were we to understand the value of the Eucharistic Banquet, we would go to Jesus, as a sick person to his physician, as a thirsty deer to a cool spring, as a famished beggar to a good meal; we would ask Him for an alms as a needy person from a generous benefactor, as a creature from its Creator, as an indigent and grieving soul from her sovereign Benefactor and beloved Consoler.

"O Jesus in the sacred Host, Thou art a remedy for the sick," let us say with St. Bernard; "Thou impartest  strength to the weak and joy to the strong, Thou curest our languors and preservest our health. Through Thee, he who receives Thee becomes meek and patient in affliction, courageous in labor, ardent in loving Thee, watchful over himself, ready to obey and grateful for Thy benefits." O Mary, my Mother, enable me to receive and taste these precious fruits in holy Communion, that my whole conduct may be thereby sanctified.

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Saturday After Corpus Christi

Mary And The Eucharist

Preparation. - "She is like the merchant's ship; she bringeth her bread from afar" (Prov. 31. 14). these words of the Holy Ghost are applicable to Mary, for, first, it is to her, next to Jesus, that we owe the Eucharistic Bread; and  secondly, our holy mysteries remind us of this consoling truth. Let us then resolve to entreat the most blessed Virgin, when we are to communicate, to help us to prepare to receive the Bread of life, which she procured us in the Incarnation. "Like the merchant's ship bringing her bread from afar."

I. We Owe The Eucharist To Our Saviour's Mother.

The Holy Ghost compares Mary to a ship, because she brings to earth all the goods of heaven; to a merchant's ship, because of her solicitude in procuring our happiness. She has especially given us the Bread of life, which the sacred text calls "her bread," because it is formed from her substance, since, as St. Augustine declares, "the flesh of Jesus is the flesh of Mary."

She has brought it to us from afar, having caused Jesus to come down from the highest heaven: "Bringing her bread from afar." The divine Word was in glory the food of the Blessed Spirits; a food too strong for our weakness. By consenting to the Incarnation of the uncreated Word, the Virgin Mother placed Him within our reach, by giving Him the body and blood with which He feeds us under the Eucharistic species. Thus is accomplished the saying of the psalmist: "Man ate the bread of angels" (Ps. 77. 25), and that of the prophet: "Thou shalt be nursed with the breasts of kings" (Is. 60. 16).

In fact, is it not the Mother of the King of the universe, who becomes our nurse in holy Communion? We receive therein under the sacred species the Son she gave us in the grotto of Bethlehem. How grateful were not St. Antony of Padua and St. Stanislaus Kostka when they received from the Virgin Mother the holy Child Jesus in to their arms! How great should not our gratitude also be towards Mary, when we receive this same Saviour not merely into our arms, but into our heart in the form of food! O tender love of the Mother of our souls, how can we sufficiently thank thee! "What tongue," exclaims St. Peter Damian, "can worthily praise thee, what heart can sufficiently love thee, who givest to our weakness a food so substantial and so divine!"

Is it not, then, meet that henceforth, when we receive the Son, we should think of His Mother, and that at every holy Communion we should resolve to increase in the love of both? Let us then unite both in our thoughts, affections and devotions, and especially imitate their virtues in our relations with God and our neighbor.

O Jesus, my Saviour, through Thy loving Mother's intercession, impart to me the strength to retrace in my conduct the examples of self-denial, patience and the interior and hidden life, which Thou didst not cease giving me during Thy mortal life, and of which the Eucharist unceasingly recalls to me the edifying remembrance, and even daily renews the consoling reality.

II. Our Holy Mysteries Remind Us Of Mary.

The holy sacrifice of the Mass daily recalls to us the mysteries of our Saviour's life and death, in which Mary was associated. In fact, the Incarnation of the Word is revealed to our piety every time the priest consecrates at the altar. His word, like Mary's, is, in some manner, creative, changing the substances of the bread and wine into the body and blood of the Man-God. O touching prodigy, for Jesus then takes birth, so to speak, in our churches; the altar is as the crib on which He lies, the sacred linens figure His swaddling clothes, and the faithful adoring Him represent the shepherds and the Magi paying Him their homages at Bethlehem.

At Mass the priest offers Jesus to the eternal Father, as Mary did in the Temple, and particularly on Calvary, were she had so great a share in our Redemption. The sacrifice of our altars is essentially the same as that of the cross, differing therefrom only in form. Wherefore it recalls to us what took place on Golgatha, where the voice of the only -begotten Son of God proclaimed Mary as our Mother. O delightful remembrance which enraptures all Christian hearts! Jesus, the sacred Wheat, was ground in torments that He might become our Bread of life, and this under the eyes and with the consent of His Mother. His bleeding body, taken down from the cross, was placed in Mary's arms, and she could then offer it to men, as the pure Victim, with which they should nourish themselves to regain their immortality. These ineffable mysteries are brought back to mind both at Mass and holy Communion.

Let us be careful not to lose sight of them. In the first place, when we assist at the holy Sacrifice, let us share in the feelings of the Mother of sorrows at the foot of the cross; feelings of horror for sin, which caused the death of a God; of gratitude, confidence an love towards Jesus crucified, who renews His immolation on our altars. Secondly, let us receive Him in holy Communion with the dispositions of Mary on Calvary, pressing the body of Jesus to her maternal heart. Let us, after her example, be filled with the desire to devote ourselves for our Saviour, as He devoted Himself for us.

O holy Virgin, thou knowest that after thy divine Son's death, His body was laid in a new tomb hewn out of a rock, and was embalmed with sweet spices and wrapped in a linen shroud. Do not allow my heart, into which He is so often laid in holy Communion, to be defiled by light faults and worldly attachments; but make it pure, and all renewed and strengthened in God's service. Embalm it with piety, purity and devotion, that it may prove a pleasant dwelling for Jesus who so lovingly deigns to visit it.

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Friday After Corpus Christi

The Eucharist, A Source Of Graces

Preparation. - "In that day," says the prophet, "there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (Zach. 13. 1). In the first place, "Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament," says St. Alphonsus, "is the fountain foretold by the prophet," and secondly, its mysterious waters give drink to souls to the uttermost parts of the earth. Let us resolve often to draw therefrom the graces which purify, support and console us in this vale of tears.

I. The Eucharist, A Source Of Graces.

The great torment of the human heart is the thirst for life, enjoyment, glory, rest, wealth and immortality. In vain does the world strive to quench this thirst, offering us only  "dried up cisterns," which increase, instead of appeasing our thirst. Our soul, created for heaven, notwithstanding the fall, has not lost the consciousness of its destiny, and the earth is always powerless fully to satisfy its cravings. Hence the Incarnate Word had to bring us from heaven goods proportionate to our aspirations.

Let us, then, represent to ourselves our adorable Saviour, seated near Jacob's well, saying to the Samaritan woman: "If thou didst know the gift of God, and who He is that saith to thee" (John 4. 10). This gift of God is grace, and He that speaks to us is Jesus in the Eucharist. And what does He say to us? Let us listen: "If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink." If anyone thirsts after wisdom, holiness, contentment, let him come to Me, and drink: "He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly flow rivers of living water" (John 7. 37, 38); "But the water that I will give him, shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting" (John 4. 14).

In holy Communion, indeed, the soul, as if inebriated with the divinity, can no longer wish or desire any thing but God. In her every thing aspires to heavenly life. Her interior acts raise her up to the very angels, and enable her to deserve to live one day with them in endless bliss. Jesus compares grace to water, because, first, it cleanses us from our faults; secondly, it moderates in us the fire of concupiscence; thirdly, it enables us to grow in virtue and merit; fourthly, it refreshes us, in some manner, by its consolations, and finally, it satisfies our thirst for interior peace and happiness. Such are the precious affects of grace and of the Eucharist, its source.

Let us, like the Samaritan woman, go daily with eagerness to draw from this new well of Jacob the vivifying waters which extinguish in us the fires of passion and appease the yearnings of our heart. But let us not forget that grace requires sacrifices of us, and demands watchfulness and fidelity on our part. Let us then examine, if after visiting Jesus or receiving Him in the Blessed Sacrament, we become earnest, recollected, eager for progress, careful to master our feelings and inclinations, in practicing docility, meekness and condescension towards all.

O my God, I am far from deriving so much profit from the Blessed Eucharist. Deign to change me and to impart to me greater fervor in my holy Communions, a spirit of faith during holy Mass, and devotion in my visits to Thee. Make me watchful and faithful; watchful, that I may better regulate my interior and always remain united to Thee; faithful, that I may shun what displeases Thee and obey in all things the attractions of Thy grace.

II. The Eucharist, A Universal Fountain.

A striking figure of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the fountain of Siloe (Is. 8. 6), whose waters, coming out of Mount Sion, flow quietly underground and irrigate the gardens and the fields. Mount Sion, whence the fountain springs forth, represents the Church, without which we should not have the Eucharist. The waters flowing underground and irrigating the fields, recall to us the wonderful effects of this hidden mystery.  Although its operations are noiseless, its influence over men is immense, universal and effective.

"I have given waters in the wilderness, rivers in the desert," says the Lord, "to give drink to My people, to My chosen" (Is. 43. 20). By multiplying His presence in thousands of churches, our Saviour placed fountains of living water in the desert of this life, and caused them to flow to the ends of the earth, where only the zeal of missionaries could penetrate into those inaccessible countries.

As in the earthly paradise there sprang from the earth so abundant a fountain, that it was sufficient to irrigate the earth, so also in the bosom of Christ's Church there springs forth a fountain of graces, which from our altars bring to souls every where hope, strength and life. How great our happiness, if like the palm trees planted by the waters, whose foliage is always green, we dwell without ceasing, at least in spirit, near the Eucharistic streams! Then our foliage will ever be green, that is, our dispositions will ever be fervent; and we shall draw from the heart of the Man-God the spiritual sap to nourish our thoughts, to purify our affections and to strengthen our will in seeking the supreme Good.

Let us examine how far we profit by the inappreciable advantage of possessing so near us the God of the Eucharist. Are we not indifferent at the thought of so great a privilege, about which the very angels, in some manner, envy us? O how at our last moments we shall regret having spent so many years near the Saviour's fountains without daily making progress in virtue and merit!

O Mother of mercy, obtain for me the forgiveness of my coldness and neglect in the service of Jesus. Make me docile to His voice, saying to me without ceasing from His tabernacle: "If any man thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." If any one thirsts after knowledge, counsel, peace of mind; if any one longs for the graces that produce saints, let him come to Me at prayer, holy Communion, holy Mass, and let him take long draughts of all the he needs for his happiness, perfection and salvation. "If any man thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."

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Corpus Christi

The Wonders Of The Eucharist

Preparation. - That we may reanimate our devotion to tomorrow's great mystery, we shall consider, first, how admirable are the Eucharistic mysteries, and secondly, how little do we admire them. Our spiritual nosegay will consist in frequently repeating interiorly these words of the prophet: "What is the good thing of Him, and what is His beautiful thing, but the corn of the elect, and wine springing forth virgins?" (Zach. 9. 17).

I. How Greatly We Should Admire The Eucharistic Mysteries.

There is nothing more sublime in religion than sacrifice, for by it God is more perfectly honored than by the most precious offerings. For a sacrifice is the immolation, annihilation and destruction of the victim, and there is nothing left beyond this. God's dominion over us is so absolute, so infinite; and the gratitude we owe Him for His benefits, and the expiation due for our faults are so far beyond our power, that were all mankind to immolate themselves at every moment, it would be but the merest trifle of what we owe to the Lord.

Let us, nevertheless, be consoled, for a Victim has taken our place, the most august Victim that ever has been. As man, He sacrifices Himself, and as God, He imparts unlimited value to His sacrifice, and thus pays all our debts, and renders to God most worthily all the homages and submission we owe Him. And are these prodigies accomplished in heaven or in some distant land? No; for it is in our very midst. Every day on our altars a spotless Victim, such as the earth had never before witnessed, immolates Himself for sinful men; the mysteries of the creation, the Incarnation and the Redemption are renewed in a single mystery, and the God who made the universe out of nothing, annihilates and, so to speak, destroys Himself through the words of Consecration.

Moreover, the immolated Man-God dwells in our tabernacles, surviving Himself, concealing Himself under the most humble species, not in one place only, but in thousands of sanctuaries at once in millions of consecrated hosts, that He may become our prisoner and our companion in exile. Furthermore, He condescends to become our food, thus performing new prodigies. He comes into us, and, instead of being changed into our substance, He transforms us into Himself, acting directly on our souls and indirectly on our bodies; the sacred species concealing Him, whilst being only appearances, miraculously nourish us, as if they were real substances. O ineffable wonders, alone worthy to ravish a Christian heart here below!

O Jesus, it was Thy boundless love that prompted Thee to perform these wonders! I unite myself with the angels praising Thy holy Majesty, with the Dominations venerating it in humble prostration, with the Powers filled with awe in Thy divine presence, and with all Thy heavenly court to adore, love, serve and glorify Thee in Thy august Sacrament. Grant me, first, a lively faith in this ravishing mystery, and secondly, the ardent devotion it should inspire in all faithful and docile hearts.

II. The Indifference Of Men Towards The Blessed Eucharist.

People admire the progress in industry, science and art, and also the immense wealth of some individuals, their grand palaces and superb gardens; but how few souls think of the great prodigy of the Eucharist! As for us, are we not charmed by the beauties of nature, the splendor of the firmament, the sight of creation? And yet, how often are we not indifferent, unmoved in the sanctuaries inhabited by the uncreated Greatness!

The Almighty, who created the universe, could by a single word bring forth out of nothing millions of other worlds incomparably greater and more beautiful; but, says St. Augustine, He, though almighty, cannot produce anything else so admirable as the Sacrament of the altar. God, being essential Wisdom and Goodness, could, if He so wished, indefinitely multiply the immense benefits He lavishes on us, but, says the same saint, He could not bestow on us another gift equal to the Blessed Eucharist. O ineffable mystery!

Who would not marvel at seeing men so indifferent towards it! When a king, a ruler, a president visits a city, people flock from all directions to greet him; and the Lord of the universe daily descends from heaven on earth with His court, dwells among us, and no one thinks of Him, or comes to adore Him, except a few pious and faithful souls!

Let us strive to be among these few, and let us admire and esteem nothing else in our exile than the permanent Eucharistic miracle, which eclipses every prodigy already wrought or that will ever be wrought till the end of the world. Were we to appreciate these truths as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Aloysius, St. Teresa, St. Alphonsus, would we, for a single moment, forget the God of the Eucharist? With what awe and love would we think on Him, His greatness and infinite perfections! How assiduously would we visit Him, pray to Him, offer Him our homages! and how zealously would we strive to propagate His worship!

O Jesus, make Thyself known, make Thyself loved. Thou didst work so many prodigies in favor of Thy doctrine; do not leave Thy sacred Person in the shade, which dwells in our midst.

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