OWHERE,' says St. Francis of Sales, 'does the divine Jesus display so much love and so much tenderness, as in the holy Communion; where, as it were, He annihilates Himself, and becomes our very food, in order to unite Himself to His faithful children, to become one thing with them.' Hence the pious and learned Gerson affirms, that of all the means we can make use of to enkindle in our souls the spirit of true devotion, and the fire of Divine love, there is none so powerfully efficacious as that of the most holy Eucharist. In fact, if a devout soul desires to shew the ardour of her love for her divine Spouse, what can she do more pleasing and more agreeable in His sight, than devoutly approach the Holy Communion? For, as St. Dionysius teaches, true love ardently tends to the closest union with the beloved; and what union can there be more perfect than that of a soul with Jesus in the holy Eucharist, who has said, "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me, and I in him." 6 If thou dost approach every day to this heavenly table,' says St. Augustine, 'Jesus will always dwell with

thee; and thou shalt become daily more and more inflamed with Divine love.' If we desire also to seek a remedy for our spiritual infirmities, what more powerful one can we find than that of Holy Communion; which the Council of Trent calls an antidote which frees us from our daily imperfections, and preserves us from more grievous faults?

So sweet, so tender are the invitations with which Jesus, our loving Redeemer, urges us to partake frequently of His most sacred body in the holy Eucharist, that to keep aloof from this heavenly banquet would indeed be to despise His ardent and generous love, to inflict a deep wound upon His loving heart, and to close the avenue through which we might receive His rich gifts and graces. 'Come,' He says to us, with all the love and affection of His tender heart, come, beloved child, to My bosom, which is all on fire, and continually consumed with love of thee. Here have I prepared for thee a sacred banquet, full of heavenly sweetness; here thou wilt find the bread of the strong, the wheat of the elect, and a celestial drink which produces spotless innocence and original purity. Here will I give thee a divine and adorable manna, which truly came down from heaven, and which is replenished with more heavenly sweetness than that manna which of old fell in the desert for the refreshment of the wandering children of Israel. Come, then, and nourish thy soul with this delicious food of Paradise. Come and quench thy thirst at this fountain of all graces, whence flow, in copious streams, the waters of salvation. Approach to Me, all ye who are in sorrow, trouble, and affliction, and I will wipe away the tears from your eyes, and fill you with consolation. Come to Me, ye who are tepid, and I will cast into your hearts

that heavenly fire which will inflame you with Divine love, and enrich you with every blessing. Come to Me, ye sorrowing penitents, and I will heal all your wounds, -draw near to Me, and I will free you from all your sores, and restore you to your former innocence; cast yourselves into My arms, and I will press you once more to My loving heart, and treat you with the same love as those who have never offended Me. I exclude no one from this heavenly table, except those who have not bewailed and confessed their sins as they ought.' Ah, how could Jesus express more forcibly the ardent desire of His heart, that we should frequently approach this sacred banquet! Oh, how happy, how blessed is our lot, in being invited by a God so good to receive Him into our souls! Truly happy indeed was the Magdalen, when the divine Jesus permitted her to bathe His sacred feet with her tears, and to cover them with her kisses; great, too, was the privilege of St. Peter, when he was admitted to the most familiar confidence of his divine Master; and of St. John, when he was allowed to recline on the bosom of Jesus. But what are all these favours compared with that which Jesus here shews to thee, when He so lovingly invites and presses thee to feed on His most sacred body and blood! Oh, can we, then, be so ungrateful to His infinite love, as to despise His tender invitations? Shall our loving Jesus seek to communicate Himself so frequently to us, that He may enrich us with His graces; shall He desire to console us in our afflictions, to strengthen us in our weakness, and shall we be so blind as to fly from Him? Ah, why do we not approach this heavenly table more frequently, when the early Christians communicated every day? We must not fix our eyes upon our own misery and unworthiness, but rather raise them to con

template the boundless mercy of Him whom we receive. They who were invited to the supper mentioned in the Gospel, which was a figure of the holy Eucharist, were not the rich and noble, but the blind and the lame: fit emblems of us miserable sinners. No one is excluded from this celestial banquet who is clothed with the nuptial robe of sanctifying grace.

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Let those timid persons who are prevented from approaching often to the sacred table by the over-excessive fear of their own unworthiness, turn their thoughts to the Divine mercy, and thereby encourage themselves to confidence and love; for however great may be our unworthiness, yet the goodness of God is still greater, and He has appointed this holy sacrament for the express purpose of providing for our spiritual wants. 'Thou oughtest often,' says the Imitation of Christ, to have recourse to the fountain of grace and of Divine mercy,—to the source of all goodness and purity, that thou mayest be healed of thy passions and vices, and be made more strong and vigilant against all the temptations and deceits of the devil. The enemy, knowing how certain is the remedy and great the advantage which is derivable from the holy communion, strives by all means and occasions in his power to withdraw the faithful from it, and to hinder devout persons from partaking of it; and some persons, when preparing themselves for the sacred communion, are conscious of increased assaults of Satan. This wicked spirit, as it is written in the book of Job, cometh amongst the sons of God to trouble them with his accustomed malice, and makes them sometimes over-fearful and perplexed, that so he may diminish their devotion; or by his assaults endeavour to disturb their faith, that they may either altogether forbear the communion, or at least

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approach it with tepidity. But all our care should be to despise his wiles and suggestions, be they ever so filthy and abominable, and to turn all his attempts back upon his own head. This unhappy being is to be contemned and despised; and far from omitting the holy Communion for his assaults or the commotions which he causeth, we should persevere more steadily in our pious design. Oftentimes a person is hindered by having too great a solicitude to obtain devotion, and a certain painful anxiety about making his confession; but he should follow herein the counsel of the wise, and put away all anxiety and scruple, which hinder the grace of God, and destroy devotion. Let him with all possible speed shake off all heaviness and sadness, for it is wasting precious moments to continue in uneasiness and pass a long time in trouble; and still worse to allow such impediments to withdraw him from these divine mysteries. It is also very hurtful to defer the communion long, for this usually causeth a great lukewarmness and numbness; but alas, there are persons so thoughtless and tepid as to be willing to put off their confession, and defer their communion, lest they should be obliged thereby to keep a stricter watch over themselves. Alas, how little is the love of God, how weak is the devotion, of those who so needlessly forego the sacred communion! How happy is he, and acceptable to God, who so liveth, and keepeth his conscience in such purity, as to be ready and well prepared to communicate every day if it were permitted to him! He that only prepareth himself when a festival draweth near, or when custom compelleth him thereunto, shall often be unprepared. Blessed is he that offereth himself up as an holocaust to the Lord as often as he celebrates or communicates." Communicate, then, frequently, O Chris