Letter 6. To a priest, on due preparation for saying Mass

From bis childhood Blessed John of Avila had a most ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. He spent two hours every morning in preparing to say Holy Mass and another hour in thanksgiving ; and sometimes he took two or three hours to celebrate it. His great zeal for training priests was an outcome of this devotion , and he spared no effort to inculcate a like affection for this sacred Mystery on priests under his direction. During the infirmities of his later years t his greatest relief was to write about the Holy Eucharist and he has left many treatises and sermons on this subject.

Very Reverend Father, I beseech our Lord that delay in answering you may be compensated by the soundness of the doctrine contained in my letter, and by the help it may bring youf soul, for your request is one of serious import, and requires a suitable reply.

Letter tV Jjd Ydii Wish W kRBfc ^Hat is the best ptepiratldh tb imfik'e befote 'offering the mbst Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blbbd of oiir Lord Jesui Christ, fihd the most profitable considerations to beat in hiind during the celebration. You ask this because you fear lest, for Waht of due dispositions, that which ought to bring great blessihgs tb your sold should injure it instead. Men’s bodies, as you know, ate bf Very varioiis teniperamfents, and there is just as great a dissimilarity in tne Constitution of their minds, for God bestoWs very diverse gifts upon different Individuals. He does not lead all by the same path, therefore it is impossible to fix upon any devotiort as the most Suitable duiring Miss, blit what our Creator find Redeemer puts into the heart; and what moves it most to piety is the best. These things are not niatters of faith, and there is ho certain rule about them, and if anyone has reason to think that his dispositions find preparation for this Mystery are instigated by God, there is no reason to change from them iintil pur Lord should inspire him so tb do. This should be ascertained by laying the matter before some experienced person and following his advice. Some have no special attraction for any one form of devotion at this time, and they, too; ought tb consult some one as to their interior dispositions, so as tb know whether they should allow themselves to be led by motives of love or fear; of sadness or joy* and how to apply the remedies most suitable tp their needs. From what you have told me about yourself, I consider that you have made progress in virtue, and that it would be best for you to practise yourself in considerations proper to excite in you fervent love and reverence. For this purpose, I know of nothing better than to meditate on the fact that our Lord, with Whom we are to treat, is both God and man, and to think over the reasons for which He comes down upon the altar. Surely such a stroke of love 1 should be enough to awaken anyone from the slumber of indifference. Let such a one reflect upon this Mystery and say to himself: “ It is God Almighty Who will come down upon the altar at the words of Consecration: I shall hold Him in my hands, and converse with Him, and receive Him into my breast.” If only we remember this, and if, by the help of God’s Holy Spirit, it penetrate our soul, it will suffice, and more than suffice, to enable us, frail mortals as we are, to perform this sacred duty as we ought.

Who can help being inflamed by love on thinking that he is about to receive die Infinite tremble with reverential fear in that Presence, before which the powers of heaven are awed? Who would not resolve never to offend Him, but to praise and serve Him evermore? Is it¹

possible for anyone not to be confounded and overwhelmed with grief at having sinned against that great Lord Whom he bears in his hands? Can the Christian fail to trust such a pledge, or can he want for strength to walk the way of penance through the desert of this world, nourished by such food? In short, such considerations, by God’s help, entirely change and possess the soul, and draw it out of itself, — at one time, by feelings of reverence, at another, by love, and yet again, by the strong emotion caused by the realisation of Christ’s presence. Although these thoughts do not inevitably produce this result, yet unless the heart hardens itself into stone against their influence, they strongly conduce to it. Let your mind then dwell on such reflections; listen to the cry: “ Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, ”-(St. Matth. XXV. 6.), your God cometh! Retire into the secresy of your own heart, and open it to receive what is wont to come from so powerful a Light. Beseech this same Lord that, as He has deigned to place Himself within your hands, He will give you the further grace to esteem, and venerate, and love Him as you should. Beg Him fervendy not to permit you to be in the presence of His Majesty but with reverence, and fear, and love. Endeavour constandy to have a fitting sense of our Lord’s presence, even should you contemplate no other part of this Mystery.

Think how men when they have due respect for the king, stand before him with gravity atld reverence even though they; be silent. Better Still, picture in your mind how the highest iij the court of heaven behave in the presence of the Infinite Majesty. See how they tremble at the remembrance of their own littleness, and burn with the fire of love, so that they appear to be consumed in its furnace. Imagine yourself In the company of these, who are so gloriously adorned; who are so reverent and so fervent in God’s service, and being in such society and standing before so great a King, strive to feel as you should at such a time, even though you meditate on no other point. I wish to show you how if is one thing to be able to speak fitly to the king, and another to know how to conduct yourself becomingly in his presence, although you may have simply to stand by in silence. This is that union with our Lord which should keep you as closely united to Him during Mass as you are in the interior of your heart when alone with Him in your cell, and which will prevent your being distracted by the words you have to pronounce. You must, however; pay fitting attention to the Liturgy, while accustoming yourself at the same time to keep your mind fixed on God’s presence. O great God, what should not be your feelings when you hold in your hands Him Who elected our Lady and enriched her with celestial graces to fit her to minister to the God made man! Compare her hands, her arms, her eyes, with Letter TV 45 your own! The very thought should cover ypu with confusion. What stringent obligation? do such benefits lay upon you! What care must you not take to keep yourself wholly for Him Who honours you in such a way as to place Himself in your hands, and comes into them when you pronounce the words of Consecration!

These, Reverend Father, are no mere words, nor lifeless thoughts, but they are arrows shot frotu the strong bow of God Himself, which pierce and wholly transform the heart, so that when Mass is over, the mind ponders on our Lord’s words : “ Scitis quid fecerim vobis ? — Know you what I have done to you? ” (St. John XIII. 12,). Would that it were possible for a man to understand “what our Lord has done pot us ” in that hour, and to taste Him with the palate of the soul! Oh that man had scales that could rightly weigh this benefit ! How happy would he be, even in this world! When Mass is over, he would feel a loathing for all creatures, their society would be a torment to him, while hi$ only joy would be to remember “ what the Lord had done to ^lim, ” until he should say Mass again next day.

i f God should ever give you this light, you realise what shame and sorrow you onght to feel, on approaching the altar without i,t, but he yrhom it has never illuminated know? not tlie torture of losing it Besides the consideration of it is that corpes clown upop the a^ftir, you may also meditate on why He comes, and you will see a semblance of the love shown in our Lord’s Incarnation, Nativity, Life, and Death, and how these mysteries are renewed in the Holy Sacrifice or the altar. If you could enter into the very Heart of our Lord, and if He would vouchsafe to show you that the reason of His coming down upon the altar is an impassioned and strong affection, which will brook no separation between the Lover and His beloved, your soul would swoon away before the very sight of such a marvel. The mind is greatly moved by realising Christ’s presence on the altar, but when it further reflects that He comes to us because His affection for us is like that of the betrothed for his bride, which will not allow him to pass a single day without seeing and conversing with her, the Christian wishes he had a thousand hearts wherewith to make a fitting return for such love. He longs to cry out with St. Augustine: “Domine, quid tibi sum, quia jubes me diligere te? Quid tibi sum? Lora, what am I to Thee, that Thou shouldst bid me love Thee? What am I to Thee?” Why dost thou so fervently desire to see and to embrace me? Thou , Who dost dwell in heaven in company with those who understand so well how Thou shouldst be served and loved, dost come to me, who only know how to offend Thee or to render Thee slack service. Canst not Thou, then, O my Lord, be happy without me, that my love should draw Thee down to me? Oh, blessed mayst Thou be, Who being what Thou art, hast yet set Thy heart upon such a creature as me! Can it be that Thou, King as Thou art, dost come here and dost place Thyself in my hands, and seem to say: “ I died once for thy sake and I come to thee now to show thee that I do not repent of it, but on the contrary that, if there were need, I would give my life for thee a second time?” Who could remain unmoved by such love? Who could hide himself, O Lord, from Thy burning Heart, which warms our own by Its very presence, and is like a mighty furnace, throwing out sparks of fire on all around it? Such a Lord as this, dear Reverend Father, visits us from heaven, and we, wretches as we are, hold intercourse with Him and receive Him within our breasts!

Let us now conclude our discourse on this great Mystery, so worthy of being meditated on and understood. Let us beg our Lord that as He has already done us one favour, He will grant us a second, for unless we appreciate His blessings, and thank, and serve Him for them as He deserves, they will benefit us little. Rather, as St. Bernard says of an ungrateful man: “Eo ipso pessimus, quo optimus. — The greater his gain ought to be, the greater is his loss.” Let us watch over our conduct during the day, lest Christ punish our faults when we are at the altar. Let us ever bear in mind the thought: “ I have received our Lord and sat at Hi? table; tomqrrqw I shall do the sa^e.” By ttys qieaps \ye shall avoicj sin and have tit? coqragp t° do tvhat is right, for qqr Lore! Is wont to reward at the altar what is done away ffpm the altar. To conclude, I would remind you how, when Jesus was the guest of Simon the Pharisee, Jde complained that His hpst gave Him no water for His feet, and kissed not His face, to show us that when He enters oqr hoqse He would have us wash His feet with tears for our sins aqd manifest our love as the kiss of peace. May our Lord bestow on yqu both for yourself and for your neighbours this peace, tyhich is born of perfect love, and may you grieve both for ypur own sins against Gpd and those which other men commit against Him. I pray that you may enjoy this peace one day in heaven, and also that you may hold God’s interests dearer than your own, because of the greater love you bear Him. I beg of you, for His sake, that if there be aught in this letter lytych requires amending you will correct it for iqe, and thank Gpd for any good it may contain, and I ask you to remember me when you are at Hi s altar.

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Footnotes

1. At the mere mention of the Blessed Sacrament, Blessed John would often exclaim, with tears coursing down his cheeks : M O great stroke of love ! O great stroke of love ! ” ↩