THE SACRED HEART, A FONT OF MERCY.

For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened by His Spirit with might unto the inward man, that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts; that being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to comprehend, with all the Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth: to know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God. (Eph. 3:14-19)

I.

Consider that the Heart of Jesus, by its infinite union with the Divinity, and on account of its own divine perfections, draws all the complacency of the eternal Father, and is worthy of the respect and adoration of all creatures. What obligation, then, can be more urgent for us than to pay all kind of respect which we are capable of to a heart which is deserving of infinitely more than we can offer? What more just than to endeavor to atone by our respect and reiterated homage, for the irreverences, abuses, and sacrileges with which we have perhaps to reproach ourselves with regard to this Divine Heart? But we must not stop here; we must moreover have a lively sense of the offences and ingratitude of others, and endeavor to atone for them as much as lies in our power. Nor must we be satisfied with our own atonement; we must aspire and contribute, as far as we are able, to excite all creatures to join us in so just and so holy a duty.

PRAYER.

O adorable Heart of my amiable Jesus! I adore Thee with the most profound homage I am capable of; I beg thy pardon for all my past offences, irreverences, and sacrileges; I acknowledge their injustice and enormity; I beg Thy pardon also for all the sins and ingratitudes which have hitherto ever been committed against Thee: I most humbly beseech Thee to accept my homage and the ardent desire I have to love and honor Thee, and grant that I may live to see Thee known, adored, and loved by all creatures. Amen.

II.

Consider the infinite obligations we lie under to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the love He bears us, and for the inestimable gift He bestows on us in himself in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. We ought to be ever grateful, ever mindful of so great a favor; and yet how few are there who ever think of it; how few who ever return Him thanks for it. How happy should we be, if, incapable as we are of offering Him anything which is not infinitely inferior to what He has done for us, we knew how to benefit by His goodness, which induces Him to be satisfied with the sincere offering up to Him of our own hearts; and yet, by a monstrous ingratitude, we refuse even to grant Him what He asks, when it is not in our power to grant Him what He deserves.

PRAYER.

I am penetrated with confusion and sorrow, my amiable Jesus! when I reflect that I have hitherto lived so forgetful of Thy benefits, and so careless in returning Thee my thanks. It grieves me to think how unjust I have been in refusing Thee my wretched heart. Alas, my adorable Savior! Wilt Thou deign now to accept it? It is truly humbled and contrite. I will for the future rather forget my right hand and my own heart than forget Thee. I will invite all creatures to unite their thanks with mine and to repair with me our past ingratitudes; and I will not omit to beseech Thee, that, through the merits of Thy adorable Heart, we may, after having loved and served Thee in this life, sing eternally Thy mercies in heaven. Amen.

III.

Consider that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the most perfect of all hearts, and the only one which ought to serve as a model to all others; our hearts cannot have any claim to eternal happiness, but in as much as they have conformity and resemblance with the Heart of Jesus. O, that we would but seriously reflect on this truth! That we would but consider what a happiness it is for us to have any likeness to Jesus Christ! How humble should we be, how patient, how ready to forgive injuries, and to love our enemies, of which Jesus has given us so great an example! Happy are they, who, by a sincere devotion to the Sacred Heart, constantly apply themselves to imitate the virtues of this Divine Heart.

PRAYER.

I beseech Thee, my amiable Savior, to bless with Thy grace the endeavors of those whom Thou hast inspired with zeal for the devotion to Thy amiable Heart. May it be more and more propagated among the faithful, and may they acquire by this means such a conformity with Thee, who art the model of the elect, that they may deserve to be partakers of the glory which Thou enjoyest in heaven. Amen.

ON THE WORTHY RECEPTION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST.

I.

How necessary it is to prepare beforehand for the worthy receiving of Holy Communion, lest, by approaching with a conscience loaded with mortal guilt, you convert the food of life into poison, or by communicating with indevotion and tepidity, you receive but little grace! Fearful of these evils, St. Paul exclaims to all Christendom: "Let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread." (1 Cor. 11:28) He that presumes to come to the marriage feast without the wedding garment will be cast into utter darkness. (Matt. 22) Admit, then, the necessity of proper preparation for so sacred and important a duty.

II.

The first condition requisite for a worthy communion is a lively faith. Faith is the groundwork and foundation of every virtue, and of every meritorious action. Hence the Apostle says: "Let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith." (Heb. 10:22) Excite, therefore, a lively faith in your soul, as often as you approach this Holy Mystery; reject every temptation arising from the dictates of the senses, against a firm belief in the mystery; tell them that the veracity of God Himself, Whose revelations are not to be judged at the tribunal of man's weak senses and limited understanding, is pledged for its truth.

III.

The second preparation requisite for a worthy communion is purity of mind and conscience. In proportion to the perfection of this purity, will you receive the benefits of the sacrament. Hence, Isaiah exclaims: "Be ye clean, you that carry the vessels of the Lord." (Isa. 52:11) The Church recommends the same purity to us; hence, she has ordained that the Eucharist shall be consecrated on clean corporals. These corporals, says the Angelical Doctor, are first washed, then wrung, and lastly dried: so he who approaches the Sacrament must first wash his sins by the tears of penance; he must then drain from his soul every affection to sin that may linger in it, by mortification; and, thirdly, the fire of charity must expel from it every inclination to relapse. Examine if these be your dispositions when you approach the Holy Table.

IV.

To a lively faith and purity of mind and conscience must be joined an ardent desire and hunger for this heavenly banquet. To such as these only does our Lord address the invitation: "Come over to Me, all ye that desire Me, and be filled with My fruits." (Ecclus. 24:26) And the Psalmist tells us: "He hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath filled the hungry soul with good things." (Ps. 106:9) Excite in your soul, therefore, this hunger and thirst, as often as you approach this Holy Table. "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it," says the Lord. (Ps. 80:11)

V.

To this desire must be added earnest prayer, for God bestows His blessings on those who ask them. Therefore King David said: "They asked and the quail came, and He filled them with the bread of heaven." (Ps. 104:40) If, therefore, you wish to be satisfied with this heavenly food, you must surrender your soul to meditation and prayer. "I sat down under His shadow, whom I desired," says the spouse in the canticles. (Cant. 2:3) "I sat," that is, in holy meditation and contemplation; and having experienced their sweetness, the spouse immediately adds, "and His fruit was sweet to my palate."

VI.

You must not wonder if, after diligent preparation on your part, you do not immediately discover the sweetness of this heavenly food. As a skillful physician sometimes prescribes medicine which is disagreeable to the palate, and sometimes that which is agreeable, so does God temper the sweetness of this Divine Food in such a manner that some feed on it with sensible devotion, whilst others only relish it by the knowledge and satisfaction, which they receive of its great benefits. Submit yourself, therefore, to this heavenly Physician, and beg of Him to give you that relish of this Holy Bread, which He knows to be most for your benefit.