aeternus

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and yesterday it was celebrated with great joy at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. The day started with heavy rain and severe storms, but cleared in time for mass and the outdoor procession. Our Archbishop carried the monstrance throughout the neighborhood stopping at 3 outdoor altars for benediction services before ended up back inside the Cathedral for a final Benediction of the Eucharist. As the crowd processed (my estimate is there were 350 to 450 people) hymns were sung and litanies were prayed. I would LOVE to write about every moment of this most beautiful service, but as I said, we had severe storms in St. Louis yesterday and now we are busy trying to dry out our basement which was flooded with about 1/2 foot of water in the night time! (yeach!) In any case, I wanted to share some photos - which will tell the story much better than I could anyway!

My daughter is the girl who does not run with the crowd. At 7 years old she is not fascinated with “Hanna Montana” and could care less about “American Girl” or “fashion” or the “Disney Channel” like the rest of her little friends. Of course, this makes me very happy.

When this little one gets home from school her most favorite thing to do in the world is go out front in our yard to play on her big tree swing. She will be there for hours entertaining herself by admiring nature and singing to it. And when I say sing, I really mean sing. She does NOT stop. I am thankful that we live on a hidden little Lane with zero traffic. If not, she would obviously have become the city curiosity by now!

In any case, she is just lovely in her little solitudes of song. I love to be making dinner in the late afternoon while being entertained by her musical performance. I look out the window while cutting up some vegetables and smile at her and her little companion - our dog Obi (she’s a Jedi dog you know!).

In short, this is a genuine little girl. Not a wannabe teen and not a distracted child who’s every over scheduled moment in life is booked from now until death. One might imagine that this girl who spends quite a bit of time in her own imaginary world among the trees and squirrels would be one to not partake in the social activity of school, but by thinking that you would be incorrect. As content as she is, it must be some sort of attraction to the other girls for they flock to her like bees to honey and she is a glad to be with their company as she is to be alone in her own solitude.

So this is the girl we are talking about who was preparing for her First Communion last week. She is a girl with a couple of ants in her pants when it comes to mass (age seven and some figets are inevitable) but she comes with a understanding of the mass which is quite beautiful. As we studied the catechism together over the past few months (the old St. Joseph’s edition of the Baltimore Catechism is wonderful!) she began to see things in a new way. She already has a great fondness for Saint Therese of Lisieux and I caught her reading her “St. Therese Autobigoraphical comic book” many times lately. I was happy to see that Therese too was playing a part in our little girl’s preparation.

To be honest, I try to never pester our little girl or try to get her to talk about spiritual things but rather like to wait for the thoughts and occasions to come from her. Casually, over time, as I was trying to prepare her for the Eucharist, there were these amazing little moments which were like the white fluffy happiness of a dandelion seed floating through the air in a gentle breeze. This child would speak beautiful little whisperings from her young lips and from her soul which would float around in the air to land square between the muscles of a mother’s heart. Every word of these musings was filled with the Holy Spirit and how I would have to hold back tears sometimes at the beauty of her words. In these moments I was sure that our dear Lord was shedding these tears in joy for me!

As the “big day” was approaching, there was much occasioning in the classroom at school in preparation for the Eucharist. The children were quite practiced in processing into the chapel (at snail pace) and they had had a “taste” of some wine and a bit of bread and had even drawn a life size banner representing the Last Supper which was attached over the doorway of the chapel. Our little girl drew St. Andrew at the Last Supper and gave him lots of freckles because another little boy she admires has such a face! At home we had been ready for First Communion in our hearts a little more quickly than we had managed to collect the proper First Communion “attire” of a dress, veil, gloves, shoes, etc. There was a little rush at the end, but all was quite well. It seemed all would continue to be well when she came home from school crying one day.

“They won’t let us wear gloves or a veil Mommy!!!”

I tried not to show my dismay, but I was upset too. I could not imagine why a Catholic School would not want their beautiful little girls to wear veils? Is it so outdated a custom? Are we suppose to throw away our heritage so quickly? Will these girls grow up and be married without veils too? Did our Holy Mother not wear a veil 24/7? Is humility of a women so defunct a modern action?

I tried to lie low for a few days hoping the situation would resolve itself so I would not have to go into school and make a fuss with the faculty. Then the next day she came home to say:

“Mommy, they want us to receive Jesus in our hands and not on our lips! I don’t want to have my first communion at school, I want to do it at Carmel with the Sisters and Saint Therese!”

This was just too much for me. I could not stand to see her so distraught. She would not find consolation in my words so I marched her and myself up the hill to Carmel for a pow wow with the Extern Sister who is our friend.

Words of wisdom flew from dear Sister’s mouth as she made it clear and precise to our girl that she must offer these things (the veil, gloves, communion in hand, ect.) to Jesus as a sacrifice. Sister expertly explained to this Innocent that He knew what she wished and how she loved Him. Sister beautifully navigated this little one’s troubled thoughts and worries and disarmed each of her fears and sadnesses. In a final aplomb she said, “you must go and take your First Communion with Jesus with your schoolmates on Saturday afternoon and do it just the way your teachers want. Then on Sunday morning you wake up early and put your dress back on, this time with your veil and gloves and come up to Carmel with your Mommy and Daddy and have a Second Communion with Jesus here with the Sisters and St. Therese”

I was astounded by the goodness of dear Sister. She was wonderful. Our little girl was so very happy and her soul was filled with happiness. Our plan was set, all worries were gone and nothing was to be done but anticipate the happiness to come. The Carmelite wisdom of “suffering in silence” was pure beauty.

So the big day was almost here, but first we had to get to sleep that night! Getting to sleep seemed to be a bit of a trial. Our dear girl was just so excited that she had the greatest of trouble falling asleep. I usually sit with her after her prayers until she drifts off, but this night was a little more difficult. She would have her eyes closed and just about to fade off when the eyes would pop back open to say something more to me. This happened a half dozen times before I was certain she would finally be at peace. Her breathing became bigger, and her little hand grasped mine in reflex before her eyes popped back open again. I think she was asleep, or at least not quite awake, when she muttered the most profound little sentence to me. I want to so much share this little speech of hers, but I have locked its beauty away in my heart to be kept in a safe place for eternity. I will say that these words were truly, truly beautiful with an understanding of the Eucharist which could only come from the purest soul of a child.

It was a lucky thing my Mother came to visit us from Pennsylvania for she was so very good in helping iron out any wrinkles which may have accumulated on the communion dress and made sure her shoes were shiny and bright. When we started to leave the house our little girl asked if she could just take her veil in the car with us. Of course I said. When we got to the school chapel a photographer was there taking pictures. Upon seeing this we agreed that she could be photographed with her veil on and so my husband dutifully ran out to the car to retrieve it. When we placed it on her head our girl looked so beautiful and her happy smile filled the room. She seemed to beam so brightly that I could not dare ask her to take the veil off (so much for suffering in a Carmelite silence!) I looked across the room to see the School Principal and walked over to her. I said as nicely as I possibly could, “please, you would not ask her to take off her veil, she is so happy in it”. The Principal aghast replied, “Oh no, I am not the veil police. Of course she can wear it. Is there some reason she should not! She looks beautiful in it!”

Now, I ask you, dear reader, is there some reason I should not have trusted all along that heaven would not intercede on the part of a young soul who it loves so very much! Shame on any doubt I may have had!

I will not say too much more about the ceremony. It was beautiful. The children processed into chapel with grace and reverence (at their practiced great and amazing snail’s pace) and I am sure they were an inspiration to all in attendance. At the proper time of the mass the Eucharist was given to these handsome young souls and the Holy Spirit was swiftly flying throughout this holy persuasion.

When mass was over we gathered for a few pictures as we took our time to leave the chapel. I don’t think any of us wanted for the occasion to be over and our dear girl only complained that the mass seemed to last only 5 minutes. As we were finished and perhaps some of the last left in the building, we started to walk down the hallway of the school towards the statue of Mater Admirabilis (our school’s most favorite Mother and a model for the religious of the Sacred Heart of our school) for one more photograph. There were no other people in the hallway but our family when a small little call came from beyond for our dear girl. It was the Principal calling her name. She drew close to our girl and presented her with a wrist corsage of white roses.

O.K. now, WHOA! Did I just say white roses?!!

Mother and daughter (in front of Our Lady mind you) stop dead in their tracks with open mouths of wonderful joy and an amazing look of knowing passes between the both of us. I ask you again, dear reader, is there some reason I should not have trusted that our dear Saint Therese would not be with us on this day?!! As our dear Therese has said ” I wish to pass my Heaven in doing good on earth,” and also “After my death I will let fall a shower of roses.”

I do hope gentle reader, that you have had a chill of holy hope run through your veins learning about yet another little miracle sent down to earth from above!

As this is perhaps my LONGEST blog entry ever, I feel I had better wrap it up. The story ends with a “Second Communion” early Sunday morning at the Carmelite chapel. Our dear Carmelite sister’s were so gracious and good to our girl. Perhaps they could not contain their happiness at seeing this little one in her white dress and veil sitting up the front of the chapel chaperoned by her family and our super hero Extern Sister. There were a couple of smiles and perhaps a few little winks and waves between the Sister’s choir stalls and our dear little girl. The Sister’s mentioned our girl in the Petitions of the Mass and prayed for ALL those young souls who would be meeting Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist this Easter-springtime.

I am so thankful to these wonderful Carmelites who live a life of seclusion interceding to our God on behalf of the world. They give up their every desire to unite themselves completely to Christ their Bridegroom. Their prayers and self-mortification no doubt steadies the hand of Divine Justice and this selfless homage of their own souls goes unnoticed and un-thanked by millions and millions of other souls. From my heart I thank them for everything they do. God reward their goodness and kindess.

Praise be Jesus Christ, Now and Forever!

I am so very happy after the MOST wonderful weekend spent here in St. Louis.  My daughter’s First Communion was so very special and filled with lots of little stories I should very much like to write about.  However, my Mother is visiting and it seems I will not have time to write for a few more days.  I thought I would say thank you for the prayers and put up this photo while she is busy reading…

Deo Gratias!

“One morning in May
or June, 1829, the aged clergyman came to our
house very early. Looking immediately for mother,
he withdrew with her to the garden. Presently
mother called me, and the reverend gentleman took
my hand and said: “Child, I had a very peculiar
dream concerning you last night. You must be
prepared as soon as possible to receive your first
holy Communion.” Mother remarked that I was
still very young, but withal no dunce ; she would
therefore make no objections. Then she inquired
on what day it was to take place. The clergyman
answered that it must occur on no other day than
the feast of St. Francis. Mother consulted the
almanac and was rejoiced to find that in that year
the feast of the saint coincided with that of Our
Lady of Victories, which was celebrated in a
solemn manner in our parish church, and, in a
sense, was also my mother’s (Mary Louisa Victoria)
patronal feast. It was now decided that I
should receive first Communion on that day
together with my sister Julia Ottilia, who was
about a year and a half older than I.  A priest
gave us the necessary instruction. The immediate
preparation for Communion was well made. I
yearned for the happy moment when Our Lord
was to give Himself to me. I was greatly moved
when I received the Blessed Sacrament. My sponsor,
the aged canon, gave it to us and to our whole
family, who all approached the holy table at the

same time. When he ministered the sacred host
to me his tears flowed copiously, and he was so
moved that his voice almost failed him. I was
moved to tears also, but I do not remember
whether it was solely because Our Dear Saviour
came to me, or whether it was not also because I
saw the good old priest weep. I was very recollected
and filled with spiritual joy ; but the day did
not pass without some interior distractions caused
mostly by outward circumstances. This saddened
me the more because I had not expected it.”

– from THE VENERABLE MOTHER FRANCES SCHERVIER, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF THE POOR OF ST. FRANCIS.

And, now for the most beautiful (and perhaps most famous) of First Communion stories. I’ve been waiting all week to post this for it is my favorite. It is from Saint Therese of Lisieux…

“I shall always remember my First Communion Day as one of unclouded
happiness….

At last there dawned the most beautiful day of all the days of my
life. How perfectly I remember even the smallest details of those
sacred hours! the joyful awakening, the reverent and tender
embraces of my mistresses and older companions, the room filled
with snow-white frocks, where each child was dressed in turn, and,
above all, our entrance into the chapel and the melody of the
morning hymn: “O Altar of God, where the Angels are hovering.”

But I would not and I could not tell you all. Some things lose
their fragrance when exposed to the air, and so, too, one’s inmost
thoughts cannot be translated into earthly words without instantly
losing their deep and heavenly meaning. How sweet was the first
embrace of Jesus! It was indeed an embrace of love. I felt that I
was loved, and I said: “I love Thee, and I give myself to Thee for
ever.” Jesus asked nothing of me, and claimed no sacrifice; for a
long time He and little Therese had known and understood one
another. That day our meeting was more than simple recognition, it
was perfect union. We were no longer two. Therese had disappeared
like a drop of water lost in the immensity of the ocean; Jesus
alone remained–He was the Master, the King! Had not Therese asked
Him to take away her liberty which frightened her? She felt
herself so weak and frail, that she wished to be for ever united
to the Divine Strength.

And then my joy became so intense, so deep, that it could not be
restrained; tears of happiness welled up and overflowed. My
companions were astonished, and asked each other afterwards: “Why
did she cry? Had she anything on her conscience? No, it is because
neither her Mother nor her dearly loved Carmelite sister is here.”
And no one understood that all the joy of Heaven had come down
into one heart, and that this heart, exiled, weak, and mortal as
it was, could not contain it without tears.

How could my Mother’s absence grieve me on my First Communion Day?
As Heaven itself dwelt in my soul, in receiving a visit from Our
Divine Lord I received one from my dear Mother too. Nor was I
crying on account of Pauline’s absence, for we were even more
closely united than before. No, I repeat it–joy alone, a joy too
deep for words, overflowed within me.

During the afternoon I read the act of consecration to Our Lady,
for myself and my companions. I was chosen probably because I had
been deprived of my earthly Mother while still so young. With all
my heart I consecrated myself to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and
asked her to watch over me. She seemed to look lovingly on her
Little Flower and to smile at her again, and I thought of the
visible smile which had once cured me, and of all I owed her. Had
she not herself, on the morning of that 8th of May, placed in the
garden of my soul her Son Jesus–”the Flower of the field and the
Lily of the valleys”?

On the evening of this happy day Papa and I went to the Carmel,
and I saw Pauline, now become the Spouse of Christ. She wore a
white veil like mine and a crown of roses. My joy was unclouded,
for I hoped soon to join her, and at her side to wait for Heaven.

I was pleased with the feast prepared for me at home, and was
delighted with the beautiful watch given to me by Papa. My
happiness was perfect, and nothing troubled the inward peace of my
soul. Night came, and so ended that beautiful day. Even the
brightest days are followed by darkness; one alone will know no
setting, the day of the First and Eternal Communion in our true
Home. Somehow the next day seemed sorrowful. The pretty clothes
and the presents I had received could not satisfy me. Henceforth
Our Lord alone could fill my heart, and all I longed for was the
blissful moment when I should receive Him again.”

– St. Thérèse’s First Communion 8th May 1884 From a Story of a Soul [St. Thérèse's autobiogrphy]

“FROM the moment you were old enough to understand
what is meant by the adorable Eucharist, you
should look forward with a holy impatience to you:
first Communion, and never pass a day without humbly
and fervently begging the Almighty to prepare
you for that happiness. Each time that you see your
elder companions communicate, you should make a
spiritual communion, by an act of Faith in the adorable
Eucharist, an act of hope, of love, and ardent desire
to communicate yourself; looking on those who
enjoy such a happiness as objects of that holy envy
which is very allowable and innocent, since the angels
themselves would envy a Christian the felicity and
if these were your dispositions with regard to the
holy Communion, so long as your extreme youth,
ignorance of the Christian Doctrine, or any other
cause, deferred your first Communion, you need not
be told to rejoice from your heart, now that you have
been chosen to prepare for that most solemn duty;
you will naturally feel delighted at the prospect of
soon enjoying the happiness you so much desired
Your first care should be to make your most humble
and grateful thanksgivings to God.

There is reason to hope that
it is He who has selected you for his
temple, since that choice was not made without consulting
his Divine Majesty, and imploring the light
of his Holy Spirit by prayer. But that sentiment
which should predominate over all others on this occasion,
is a holy fear of the awful duty for which
you are now going to prepare, and a deep sense of
its great responsibility. This disposition is of the
utmost importance, so much so, that the first Communion
is always deferred until children are old
enough to discern the body of the Lord; that is, as
your Catechism says, until they are of an age to
understand what the blessed Eucharist is; how they
snould prepare to receive it worthily; the terrible
misfortune of an unworthy Communion, and the risk
those run who prepare negligently for an action of
such importance, that thereby they may learn to tremble
at their own weakness, to trust unreservedly in
God’s grace, and at the same time to leave noth
ing in their own power undone for rendering themselves
less unworthy of the happiness of communicating.
You have now attained that age, and you do not, it
is hoped, resemble many children, who are more delighted
at the thoughts of making their first Communion, than
impressed with the necessity of sparing
no exertion to make it well. But as so much depends
on this sentiment a holy fear, which should honour of
receiving the Almighty, if it were possible for them
to desire any thing they do not possess.

You should most earnestly beg of God to enlighten your
understanding, and penetrate your heart, that yoy
may know and feel what you are about, and never be
so thoughtless as to prepare lightly for a Sacrament,
which no created being could dare to receive, had
not the command proceeded from God himself. Endeavour
likewise to conceive a just notion of this
great work, by reflecting seriously that your first
Communion is without comparison the most important
action you will ever have to perform. This is
the action on which perhaps your eternal salvation
or misery depends, because nothing more directly
lea^ds a soul to heaven or to hell, than the good or
bad use of this Sacrament; now, that is often decided
by the first Communion. Those who are so happy
as to make it worthily, begin well, and receive in the
first visit of their Saviour abundant graces and
special assistance for persevering in his holy service;
whereas those who are so truly unfortunate as to
profane the precious body and blood of Jesus Christ
the very first time they receive it…

How many perhaps of the blessed in heaven owe
their happiness to the care, the fervour, and purity
of heart with which they approached, for the first
time, the holy communion!”

– From The Ursuline Manual: Or A Collection of Prayers, Spiritual Exercises

WHITE maid, like snowflake at my door,
Why comest in such weed ?
Thy pure sweet face is fresh with joy,
Thy hands with flowers.
Say, hast thou ended life’s annoy
By one brave holy deed ?
Amid life’s showers,
Say, hast thou leave to sit in waveless calm for evermore?
Not so; thy cloudless day must die,
Thy stainless garb wax dim;
But fed with Hidden Manna still,
Thy strength shall last.
Thy violets, wash’d by living rill,
Shall purple o’er its brim;
Thy lot is cast,
And thou with whiter lilies shall be crowned by and by.

– from: The three kings, and other poems By Emily Bowles

Here is an excerpt from a book on St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the preparation she maintained for her “first communion” as she was living among the Poor Clares for her education.

The silence of this sacred cloister, the austerity and
continual prayer of the religious, their nocturnal devotions,
their modesty and recollection, made an extraordinary
impression upon Margaret. She became conscious
that this was the kind of life God desired of her.”
I thought,” she said, “were I a religious, I should become
holy like those around me. I conceived so great
a longing for the life that I breathed but for it. I did
not find the convent in which I was retired enough for
my taste; but not knowing any other, I thought I must
remain there.”

Let us note this new feature. This
convent of Poor Clares, enclosed by austere grates,
shrouded in silence and fervor, was not sufficiently retired
to satisfy the craving after a hidden life already
experienced by this young child. From the cradle to
the tomb, that desire of hers was to go on increasing.
Hardly had she entered with the Poor Clares, when
they prepared her to make her first Communion. She
was only nine years old; but her angelic dispositions
supplied the defect of age. The results were extraordinary.
Margaret was gay, lively, naturally given to
play and amusement; but from this day, she no longer
found in them the same attraction. “This first Com-
munion,” she said, ” infused so much bitterness into all
the little pleasures and amusements of my age that I
could find no relish in them, though I still sought them
eagerly. When I desired to share my companions’ games,
I always felt something restraining me, something that
called me apart; and I had no peace until I obeyed.
The same impulse made me begin to pray, almost always,
provided I was not seen, on my bare knees, or making
genuflections. To be observed was for me inconceivable
torment.”

A very serious illness at this time endangered the
child’s life, and obliged her family to withdraw her
from the Poor Clares. She returned to Lhautecour,
where she was surrounded with the tenderest care by
her mother and brothers, who loved her dearly. They
did everything to promote her cure, but in vain. “They
could,” said she, “find no cure for my malady till they
gave me to the Blessed Virgin. They promised her, if
I were cured, I should some day be one of her daughters.
I had no sooner made the vow than I was cured.
I ever after experienced the Blessed Virgin’s protection
in a manner altogether marked, as of one belonging entirely
to her.”

This was the first public sign of the special love of God for
the holy child. She was deeplymoved by it, and resolved
more firmly than ever to belong to Him without reserve.

— from the Life of Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque

This is a letter from Elizabeth Ann Seton to a friend about to receive her first communion…

“DEAR THERESA:
I only write to you to put you in mind of the great
action you are going about; and do, my dear love, try to prepare
your heart to receive our blessed Lord. Oh, think how
good he is to you in granting you such a favor! Spend,
every day till Christmas, a quarter of an hour in the chapel,
to offer your heart to our blessed Lord and beg him to prepare
it. You know you cannot do it yourself. Offer yourself
to the Blessed Virgin ; beg her to make you her child.
Pray our dear Lord to be born in your heart, as he was in
the stable of Bethlehem for our salvation. Oh, remember,
Theresa, you can make your first communion but once : try
to make it well, then. Think, my love, how happy you will
be if you receive him for your salvation. Oh, when death
comes, how you will wish that you had made it well ! but it
will be too late then, and how dreadful if you have made it
ill I Take care : throw yourself, in spirit, at the foot of the
cross; say to our Lord you are a weak child, you can do nothing
of yourself. Beg him to send the holy spirit of his love
in your heart, to consume it with this blessed fire; beg him
to enlighten your faith, that you may receive him worthily.
Oh, how happy would I think myself if 1 could again make
my first communion ! I would think I could never
prepare myself enough. In the course of the day, while you
are at your lessons, sometimes think, ‘ Oh, how happy am I !
Jesus, my dear Jesus, is coming to me. O dearest Lord,
prepare me for yourself.’ Try to serve him, and make resolutions
to do your best. Try, when you think any thing
will make you angry, to reflect, ‘ Is this preparing to receive
my Jesus ?’ When you are at your prayers, keep your head
bowed down and your hands joined, and do not look about
the chapel, because you need not think our Lord will listen
to your prayers when you do not even think of what yea
are saying to him. . . . Oh, my love, if you knew what I
feel for you and the girls who are to make their first communion !
All I ask of you is to beg Him to prepare your
heart and to give you a true sense of what you are going to
do. I know I need say nothing if our Lord pleases to make
you his; all I wish is to put you in mind, because I would be
so happy to think you would be forever his. Pray for me,
dear love ; beg our dear Lord to make me his and to teach
me how to love him.”

– from: Life of Mrs. Eliza A. Seton, Foundress and First Superior of the Sisters Of The Daughters of Charity IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

– image above: lithograph of Christ the Redeemer given to Elizabeth Ann Seton by William Magee Seton, her husband, sometime between 1774 and 1803. The Eucharistic theme of this print reflects Elizabeth Seton’s deep devotion to the reception of Holy Communion and her reverence for the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

As our family is in the final week’s preparation for our little one’s first communion, I thought I would focus on that theme this week as I post. The theme may be geared towards the prayer of children, but the meditations for us “older folks” is the same. May we see and love with a childlike trust and may we value our communion in a most appreciative way as such a gift given to us from above…

Here is a snippet from a book on first holy communion. It is helpful in getting our souls ready for battle and ordering our hearts towards goodness for a state of grace to receive the Most Blessed Sacrament…

“My dear Angel Guardian, guardian of my soul and body, how hard I make your work for you by thinking so much of my body and so little of my soul. You must envy the Guardian Angels of the Saints. Pray for me that I may be more like them, more in earnest about the work of my salvation ; that I may have the courage to say “ No” to myself when I ought to say it, and to bear patiently the pain that comes of saying it. The pain will grow less as I grow more expert in battle, so that what seems hard now will come to be easy. Besides, a soldier of Christ must not mind a little pain. The pain will pass, but the reward in Heaven and the joy of having given glory to God will not pass. Stand by me, dear Angel, in all my battles, and when the last struggle is over, present me to my King. Your reward as well as mine will be to see His smile and hear Him say, “Well done.”"

– The photo above is another from Mepkin Trappist Abbey in South Carolina. The landscape is truly unbelievable in its early spring beauty!

P.S. Just in case the Holy Father is reading (insert snicker and roll eyes here at my brash presumption!) Dear Holy Father we are so excited for your visit. May you travel in safety and know we are eager for your apostolic visit to us tomorrow!

My daughter is to receive her first communion in a few weeks and when we were talking at bedtime the other evening she asked me if there was a special novena we could pray for the event. I thought that was such a sweet request and certainly a beautiful gracious thought to come to her. I have gone in search of such a novena. I was hoping to find one quite specific for a FIRST communion but was not able to. However, I did find this beautiful novena dedicated to “Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament”

If anyone knows of another such novena, please pass it along. I am going to make copies of this prayer and distribute it to all the second graders at school. During this “Easter Season of the Eucharist” would it not be great to spread this throughout all our parishes and schools!

Here is the prayer:

FIRST DAY
THE TITLE OF OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of Jesus and our tender Mother, we invoke thee under the title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, because thou art the Mother of the Savior who lives in the Eucharist, and because it was from thee that He took the Flesh and Blood with which He there feeds us! We invoke thee under that title because, again, thou art the sovereign dispensatrix of all graces and, consequently, of those contained in the august Eucharist, also, because thou didst first fulfill the duties of the Eucharistic life, teaching us by thy example how to assist properly at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, how to communicate worthily, and how to visit frequently and piously the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

SECOND DAY
MARY AND THE HOLY MASS

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, after having been present at the death of thy Divine Son on Calvary, where thou didst unite thy immense sorrow to the Redeemer?Ts sacrifice, thou didst frequently assist at the real, though mysterious, renewal of that adorable sacrifice in the celebration of the Holy Mass. Teach us by thy example to esteem as it deserves the divine action performed at the altar, and obtain for us the grace to be able often, and even daily, to assist piously at the Holy Sacrifice.

Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

THIRD DAY
MARY AND HOLY COMMUNION

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, thy Communions were the most fervent, the most holy that were ever made! When thou didst possess thy Divine Son in thy breast, thou didst love Him with a love exceeding that of any other creature soever for his God. Teach us to make Holy Communion the center of our life, and may that life be spent in preparing us for so great an action and in thanking God for so inappreciable a benefit!

Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

FOURTH DAY
MARY AND THE REAL PRESENCE

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, who after the ascension of thy Divine Son, didst console thy exile on earth by thy Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament, and didst spend before the tabernacle the greater part of thy days and even thy nights, make us comprehend the treasure we possess on the altar. Inspire us to visit often the God of Love in the Sacrament in which He abides to receive the homage that He deserves by so many titles, and to guide, protect, and console us in this exile!
Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

FIFTH DAY
MARY, THE MODEL OF ADORERS

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, thou art our perfect Model in the service of the Divine Eucharist. With the most lively faith and the most profound respect thou didst adore Jesus hidden under the sacramental veils. After thy example, we desire to render to the Sacred Host all the honor due the Divinity and the glorified Humanity of the Son of God made Man. We wish to maintain at all times in the holy place the modesty and recollection becoming true adorers.

Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

SIXTH DAY

MARY, THE MODEL OF THANKSGIVING

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, who didst return to Jesus so perfect Thanksgiving for the institution of the Divine Eucharist and the ineffable Gift in which the Savior exhausted His power and the treasures of His Heart, teach us to thank thy Divine Son for this great benefit, and especially to make our thanksgiving well when we have had the happiness of receiving Him in Holy Communion.
Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

SEVENTH DAY

MARY, THE MODEL OF REPARATION

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, thou didst adore thy Divine Son in His state of perpetual Victim, always immolated on our altars, incessantly demanding, by His death, grace and mercy for sinners. We unite with thy dolors and thy perfect reparation. We desire to accept our daily trials for love of Him, and with thee to console Jesus for the ingratitude of men and the outrages He daily receives in the Blessed Sacrament.

Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

EIGHTH DAY

MARY, THE MODEL OF PRAYER

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, while the Apostles went to preach the Gospel, thou didst remain close to the tabernacle, supplicating for them the goodness of the Savior, and thy prayer obtained for them the grace to convert the world! Teach us to pray, above all, to pray near the tabernacle, where Jesus wills to abide continually in order to hear our petitions. Teach us to pray for the extension of the Eucharistic kingdom, for the salvation of the whole world, for the exaltation of the Holy Church, and most especially for the sanctification of the clergy and the conversion of sinners.
Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

NINTH DAY

MARY, THE DISPENSATRIX OF EUCHARISTIC GRACES

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, Mother most loving and admirable Model of adorers of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, thou art also the dispensatrix of the graces necessary to fulfill that great duty! Grant us, then, we beseech thee, as the fruit of this novena, the virtues that will render our adoration less unworthy of thy Divine Son. Teach us to honor so well this Mystery of mysteries that we may receive here below the graces it contains, in order to enjoy in heaven the eternal life of which it is the pledge!

Versicle:Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Response: That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary, of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost! Grant, also that we may imitate the worship that she rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so we may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

“Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus,
my inmost soul with the most joyous
and healthful wound of Thy love,
and with true, calm and most holy
apostolic charity, that my soul may
ever languish and melt with entire love
and longing for Thee, may yearn for Thee
and for thy courts,
may long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee,
the Bread of Angels,
the refreshment of holy souls,
our daily and supersubstantial bread,
having all sweetness and savor and
every delightful taste.
May my heart ever hunger after
and feed upon Thee,
Whom the angels desire to look upon,
and may my inmost soul be filled
with the sweetness of Thy savor;
may it ever thirst for Thee,
the fountain of life,
the fountain of widsom and knowledge,
the fountain of eternal light,
the torrent of pleasure,
the fulness of the house of God;
may it ever compass Thee,
seek Thee,
find Thee,
run to Thee,
come up to Thee,
meditate on Thee,
speak of Thee,
and do all for the praise
and glory of Thy name,
with humility and discretion,
with love and delight,
with ease and affection,
with perseverence to the end;
and be Thou alone ever my hope,
my entire confidence,
my riches, my delight,
my pleasure, my joy,
my rest and tranquility, my peace,
my sweetness, my food, my refreshment,
my refuge, my help, my wisdom,
my portion, my possession, my treasure;
in Whom may my mind and my heart
be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably.

Amen.”

— St. Bonaventure

It was a beautiful “thunder snow” yesterday and the children just loved being off school to watch the inches of snow blizzard down each hour reaching about 10 inches or so by early afternoon. We did a little outing to marvel in the beauty of the day. Here is a picture from the hike…

And now onto a meditation for the day…

“In these two words, Make haste and Come down
Our Lord indicates the manner in which we
should prepare ourselves for Holy Communion by
eagerness and humility. Let us obey the desire with
which love has inspired us, let us satisfy the eager
haste of Jesus to receive us at His Holy Table. How
can we fail to go to Jesus Christ with humility? to
Jesus, who descended from the bosom of His Father
into Mary’s womb ? who descended from the Cross to
the tomb, from His glory into the Holy Eucharist?
so much does His humble Heart aspire to descend for
our sakes ! May our hearts, abased in deep humility,
be ready to take the lowest place of all. There we
shall meet our Lord face to face, because He humbles
Himself; not as of old, under the delicate and graceful
form of a little child, but under appearances whose
sole reality consists in the assurance that they give me
of the humility and love of my God.

Jesus invites me to practice a fresh humility, and
Himself sets me the example of it Does He not
humble Himself to the lowest degree upon the Altar ?
From what a distance does He come to enter my poor
soul ! For what an immense distance exists between
our nature and God, between the immortal soul and
our bodily food! Can I sink too low in humble
adoration before a God who descends from such a
height to me?
O Jesus, I thank Thee for giving me so many sweet
assurances of my salvation. I thank Thee because
Thou art Thyself my Joy, and will hereafter be my
Crown. I love Thee, my God, for having prepared
so beautiful a crown for me. I can never give Thee
praise or gratitude enough, in time or in eternity.

You must understand, that in consequence of our Lord’s
infinite mercy and kindness towards you, your sins,
however numerous they may be, from the moment
that you sincerely mourn for them with deep humility
and full confidence in Christ, actually become your
titles to the especial love and tenderness of our
Blessed Lord. You should then use your faults as
instruments to revive your faith in the mercy of the
Sacred Heart, and to encourage your hope for greater
favours at His hands, because you give Him occasion
to glorify Himself still more in you, by the treasures
of His love and forgiveness.

Oh, how dear is this reply of Jesus to my soul !
How sweetly it re-assures me, when I think of all
that I have done to effect my own ruin, and when
I receive the immediate proof of the persevering love
which determined Jesus to save me.

By my devotion to the Holy Eucharist, O my
Savior, Thou hast deigned to associate me with Thy
zeal for the salvation of souls. Remind me always
that Thy Heart burns with desire for their salvation :
that I may pray continually for those who know not
this desire : for those who have forgotten it : for those
who despise it, that their souls may eternally expe-
rience the efficacious power of Thy most merciful
desire.

In the beginning of our spiritual life, we feel as it
were drawn towards detachment : but by slow degrees
our natural inclinations resume their sway over our
minds ; afterwards we feel attraction to certain things,
and from attraction to consent the distance is but
small. Exercise great vigilance over your senses, that
you may neither conceive nor preserve any intimacy
with or affection for any of the objects of sense that
surround you. The original depravity of our nature
prevents us from rising to God, and causes us to
become attached to creatures and to ourselves; so
that every person takes pleasure in the objects which
offer him an advantage of any kind whatever. The
soul that yields to this inferior or lower attraction,
instead of raising its desires on high, towards our
Blessed Lord, will be capable of turning to its own
destruction the most useful means of salvation.”

Reflections and Prayer for Holy Communion (1876) Imprimatur. Henricus Edawardus, Cardinal Archiep. Westmon. Translated from the French with a preface by His Eminence Cardinal Manning

This meditation is from an old book “Reflections and Prayers for Holy Communion” is just absolutely wonderful. It has inspired me so much. It is too bad it is out of print, but you can see it via the Google Book search. The link is below.

BY WHAT TITLES OUGHT WE TO ADDRESS OURSELVES 
TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT?

THE relations which we contract with our Lord in 
the Holy Eucharist are assuredly the most signal 
favours that man can possibly receive, and also the 
most easy to be obtained. St . Paul exhorts us to 
come to Jesus Christ that we may obtain mercy. 
Observe that by this expression the Apostle means 
that we should ask with full confidence that we shall 
receive. Come to Jesus, and address him by all those 
titles which best describe His kindness to us. If 
you dwell especially upon the tenderest, you will most 
surely touch His Heart.

Come to Jesus as to a skilful Physician. 
Jesus when upon earth manifested His power in 
such a variety of ways, and exercised it for the 
healing of so many different infirmities, that He 
showed plainly that for Him there exists no incurable 
malady. He can and will heal all our sicknesses. 
Let us then bring them all to Him with simplicity, 
humility, and confidence. He will lay His hand 
upon our wounds, whether it be to heal or to enlarge 
them. Whatever His course of treatment may be, let 
us have resignation, peace, and confidence.

O my God, I speak to Him who knoweth all, who 
seeth all, who can do all, who beholdeth all, even the 
most secret, the most sorrowful thoughts of my heart. 
My soul shrinks alike from the retrospect of the past, 
and from the prospect of what may await it in the 
future. Take pity on the miseries which are not 
incurable to an Almighty Physician.
I thank Thee, O Jesus, because the miseries, which 
seem to weaken the vigour of my will, serve to lead 
me unto Thee; because when I behold them in the 
sight of Thy holiness, I feel a more ardent desire 
to be delivered from them.
I fear to wound Thy love far more than any 
personal sorrow, and not to receive Thee with the 
purity and fervour which is due to Thy presence 
in the Holy Eucharist.

Suffer me in the Communion to touch Thee in 
such an humble manner, as once drew miraculous 
virtue from Thy sacred Person. Many receive Thee 
in Holy Communion, but few touch Thee with that 
lively faith which renders their touch efficacious. Let me 
not be of the number of these careless ones. Shed 
upon my soul that Divine virtue which healed so 
many diseases of the body, and which is still more 
directly efficacious in its influence upon the soul.

We should come to Jesus as the discreet confidant of 
our troubles, The most perfect earthly enjoyment is unquestionably 
to be found in the mutual confidence of two 
loving hearts, which have not a thought hidden from 
each other. The Christian life is exactly that! Only 
the relations between God and the creature are different. 
The Heart of Jesus condescends to us; and the heart 
of man, borne up on the wings of faith and prayer, 
aspires towards heaven. This continual intercourse, 
which keeps alive our hopes of heaven, is of the 
sweetest kind in the Holy Eucharist, because in it 
Christ visits our souls in a specially direct and intimate 
manner, and reveals Himself to us with almost unimaginable 
tenderness and delicacy.

The more frequent and intimate this intercourse 
between Jesus Christ and my soul becomes, the greater 
will be my happiness. But it is my duty to increase 
it by my confidence in Him. Our Lord will not suffer 
me to have any secrets from Him. If He were to 
read in my countenance any sorrow which I had not 
brought to Him to be relieved, or in my heart any 
offence which I had not confessed to Him, He would 
be sorrowful! I owe it to His Heart to tell Him all 
the truth. Ah, if I had always reposed full confidence 
in Jesus, what errors, what regrets might have been 
spared me!

My beloved Saviour, I come to confide all my trials 
to Thee, for Thou hast said, ‘ Come unto Me, all ye 
that are weary and heavy laden.’ 
Suffering and sadness give me double cause to 
come to Thee. I will tell Thee all my daily trials; 
Thou knowest how much I suffer from such a thing, 
from such a person. Thou knowest how much I am 
afflicted by such an event: how deeply such words have 
wounded me. These are my outward trials, but I 
have inward ones also. Lay thine healing hand upon them all, O Lord, and if Thou dost not see fit to deliver 
me from them, enable me at least to endure, for Thy 
glory, that which I could not endure for a moment 
without Thee.

We must come to Jesus as our pattern, whom we are 
to strive most earnestly to resemble. 
God has granted me a very close connection witli 
the Sacred Humanity of His Son. I have a certain 
natural resemblance to His sacred Body; I ought 
then to regulate my actions by those of our Lord, and 
use my senses in a measure answering to the use 
which He made of His. It is easy to see with what 
discretion and modesty I should order my exterior 
motions.

I have also a spiritual resemblance to Jesus by reason 
of the immortal mind with which God has endowed 
me. I ought to adopt in every particular the thoughts 
and feelings of Jesus. This is precisely my most difficult 
task, because I am so apt to judge according to 
my feelings, my tastes, and my inclinations. But by 
His grace, by the help of Holy Communion, I may 
acquire a more perfect supernatural resemblance to 
Jesus. If I were ignorant of all the other advantages 
I receive in the Holy Eucharist, this last would be 
sufficient to make me love it. How many are the 
motives which attract me to the Holy Table ! I know 
not which to prefer. .

O Lord, my God, by this Communion I ask that I 
may be enabled to do more than resemble Thee. I 
desire to lose myself, only to find myself again in 
Thee. May Thy adorable Person, at this hour united 
to my being, absorb my feelings and affections, and 
transform me according to Thy good pleasure. Sanctify 
my heart, so that I may not love any created being, 
except with that pure, angelic love, with which they 
love in heaven. Bring my dispositions nearer to perfection, and give me strength to be willing to do for 
Thy glory, all that grace alone can enable me to 
perform. We should come to Jesus, as to the Victim offered 
for our salvation. 
You should be present at Mass with the same 
feelings of gratitude and love, as if you were seeing 
our Lord hanging upon the Cross. From the altar, 
He says to you, in showing you His Blood in the 
chalice: ‘ See what I have suffered for you; behold 
My Wounds, and My love. What will you do for Me?’ 
Do not answer vaguely, but specify with generous 
willingness the sacrifice that you will make to-day. 
Jesus did not put off His sacrifice until to-morrmi’, do 
not defer yours. You cause sorrow to His Heart every 
day in some particular, and every day He gives you 
His Blood to wash away your sins. Would you ever 
have thought of asking our Lord to die upon the Cross, 
to place in your hands His adorable Flesh to be the 
Food of your soul which has derived life from His 
death ? If His Heart did not refuse to suffer and die 
for your sake, will you refuse to make one single 
sacrifice for Him? Love will make your desire 
to please Him stronger far, than your selfish fear of 
suffering.

Make here a short examination of your feelings with 
respect to such and such an occasion, which may 
present itself in the course perhaps of the next few 
hours.

Question your heart as well as your conscience; and 
pray that you may not fall short of your present 
resolutions. Remember that, upon the altar, Jesus 
offers Himself, is a Victim for us.

What an instructive lesson ! The Sacrifice is consummated 
by the destruction of the sacramental state 
of our Lord. After Communion His sacramental 
being disappears!
Let us not receive with lukewarmness the Bread 
which makes us partakers of the Divine nature. 
To receive Holy Communion with little faith, little 
recollectedness, shows we are forgetting that it unites 
us to our Lord. Let us remember well that our Lord 
does not love the profane heart, the frivolous mind, 
and that He can take no pleasure in a state of 
internal agitation and excitement. Let us leave all 
for Jesus, and be assured that He will repay us a 
hundred-fold for all our sacrifices.
from:

Reflections and Prayers for holy Communion
Translated from the French
with Preface by His Eminence
The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster
1876

Public domain photo of Nevada Desert.

To give thanks, is to offer unto God an offering
equal to that which we have received, but after Com-
munion it is to render God to God.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is an offering worthy
of the Divine Majesty, and equal to His infinite great-
ness. By a Holy Communion I render unto God as
much as He has given to me. The gift that I receive
becomes the price of my gratitude. Oh, if we under-
stood all that God has done for us, in giving us Jesus
Christ, and all that we owe to Him in return, with
what fervour should we not communicate, in order
to thank Him, and to promote His glory.

At the Altar, our Lord bore me on His Heart, and
covered all my defects by His merits; now it is in
my own heart that He listens to my prayers, and
offers up His requests to God. If by the Incarnation
I am become the debtor of a God, my gratitude for
that divine gift, as manifested by the offering which
I now make of Jesus Christ to His Father, is equal to
the divine liberality itself. It is most true that the
numberless benefits which have been so freely be-
stowed upon me during my whole life time, are not
worth more than the offering of a single Communion.
My God, I offer Thee the Body of Jesus Christ Thy
Son, who is my life, and His Adorable Blood, which
has purchased my salvation the Blood from which
I have received strength to obtain the victory over
sin, and to look with sure and certain hope to my
reward in heaven. Give me grace to return to-morrow,
or as soon as I possibly can, to this Sacred Banquet,
and let not my frequent access to so great and pre-
cious a means of grace weaken my feelings of rever-
ence and holy fear. I offer to Thee again the gift
which I implore, and I hope that having conferred
upon me that great and wondrous gift, Thou wilt be
graciously pleased to receive It again for Thy greater
glory.

Reflections and Prayer for Holy Communion (1876)

Imprimatur. Henricus Edawardus, Cardinal Archiep. Westmon.

Translated from the French

with a preface by His Eminence Cardinal Manning

London: Burns & Oats, Limited