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The Second Chapter
GOD'S GREAT GOODNESS AND LOVE IS SHOWN TO MAN IN THIS SACRAMENT
THE DISCIPLE
TRUSTING in Your goodness and great mercy, O Lord, I come as one sick to the
Healer, as one hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life, as one in need to the
King of heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature to his Creator, a soul in
desolation to my gentle Comforter.
But whence is this to me, that You should come to me? Who am I that You should
offer Yourself to me? How dares the sinner to appear in Your presence, and You,
how do You condescend to come to the sinner? You know Your servant, and You know
that he has nothing good in him that You should grant him this.
I confess, therefore, my unworthiness. I acknowledge Your goodness. I praise
Your mercy, and give thanks for Your immense love. For it is because of Yourself
that You do it, not for any merit of mine; so that Your goodness may be better
known to me, that greater love may be aroused and more perfect humility born in
me. Since, then, this pleases You and You have so willed it, Your graciousness
pleases me also. Oh, that my sinfulness may not stand in the way!
O most sweet and merciful Jesus, what great reverence, thanks, and never-ending
praise are due to You for our taking of Your sacred body, whose dignity no man
can express!
But on what shall I think in this Communion, this approach to my Lord, Whom I
can never reverence as I ought, and yet Whom I desire devoutly to receive? What
thought better, more helpful to me than to humble myself entirely in Your
presence and exalt Your infinite goodness above myself?
I praise You, my God, and extol You forever! I despise myself and cast myself
before You in the depths of my unworthiness. Behold, You are the Holy of holies,
and I the scum of sinners! Behold, You bow down to me who am not worthy to look
up to You! Behold, You come to me! You will to be with me! You invite me to Your
banquet! You desire to give me heavenly food, the Bread of Angels to eat, none
other than Yourself, the living Bread Who are come down from heaven and give
life to the world.
Behold, whence love proceeds! What condescension shines forth! What great thanks
and praise are due You for these gifts! Oh, how salutary and profitable was Your
design in this institution! How sweet and pleasant the banquet when You gave
Yourself as food!
How admirable is Your work, O Lord! How great Your power! How infallible Your
truth! For You spoke and all things were made, and this, which You commanded,
was done. It is a wonderful thing, worthy of faith, overpowering human
understanding, that You, O Lord, my God, true God and man, are contained whole
and entire under the appearance of a little bread and wine, and without being
consumed are eaten by him who receives You!
You, the Lord of the universe, Who have need of nothing, have willed to dwell in
us by means of Your Sacrament. Keep my heart and body clean, so that with a
joyous and spotless conscience I may be able often to celebrate Your Mysteries
and to receive for my eternal salvation what You have ordained and instituted
for Your special honor and as an everlasting memorial.
Rejoice, my soul, and give thanks to God for having left you so noble a gift and
so special a consolation in this valley of tears. As often as you renew this
Mystery and receive the Body of Christ, so often do you enact the work of
redemption and become a sharer in all the merits of Christ, for the love of
Christ never grows less and the wealth of His mercy is never exhausted.
Therefore, you should prepare yourself for it by constantly renewing your heart
and pondering deeply the great mystery of salvation. As often as you celebrate
or hear Mass, it should seem as great, as new, as sweet to you as if on that
very day Christ became man in the womb of the Virgin, or, hanging on the Cross,
suffered and died for the salvation of man.
