Article 7
The answer continued.
THE cloister is like a hospital, in which there are many sick people suffering from different illnesses, who need different medicines according to the diversity of their infirmities: so in the cloister there are many persons wounded by many and various spiritual infirmities (that is, by manifold passions, faults, forms of ignorance and failings), who for their cure and inner health need spiritual medicines: among these medicines the chief are the seven sacraments of the Church, the first of which is Baptism, which is spiritual regeneration and a medicine especially against original sin. And just as it belongs to the bodily physician to weigh carefully which medicines, and of what kind, are to be given to the physically ill, so it falls to the spiritual physician, that is, to the prelate and confessor, to consider most watchfully which spiritual remedies he should give to the sheep of Christ committed and entrusted to him; and the sheep themselves, if they wish to be cured and are to be saved, must yield to and obey their spiritual physicians, their pastors and confessors. Hence if at times they judge that the sacrament of the Eucharist should be denied and withheld from some for a time, because of their unworthiness or lack of disposition, or so that meanwhile they may be more fully prepared for it, and receive it in its time more fruitfully and wholesomely, neither they nor others should take this ill, nor judge rashly, nor put the worse construction on it, but with the simplicity of sheep, under the direction of the one who presides, serve the Most High with reverence and fear.1
Moreover, as the common teaching holds, the virtues are a kind of mean between extreme vices: just as hope holds the mean between excessive presumption on God's mercy and despair born of an excessive and immoderate fear of the rigor of divine justice. In the same way, Christ's ministers and religious persons should keep to a middle way in desiring and receiving holy communion, so that from considering their own faults and failings they are afraid to receive, but from beholding God's mercy, and Christ's charity and benefits, they are drawn to holy communion.
Again, since one who communicates while not in the charity and grace of God sins mortally; and Solomon declares, There are just men and wise men, and their works are in the hand of God, and yet man knows not whether he is worthy of love or hatred:2 it is plain that a truly enlightened man does not without great fear desire to receive so sublime a sacrament, since he is uncertain whether he is in charity.
Moreover, no one ought to approach this sacrament without a careful examination of his conscience. Therefore a religious person must examine her conscience especially on this: whether she is truly obedient and ready with her whole heart to obey, and prefers the judgment of her superior, confessor and judge to her own judgment. And if she does not find herself such, by that very fact she is unworthy, and must think herself unworthy, of this heavenly food and supersubstantial bread, and must not approach the table of the supreme King without her confessor's counsel.
These things, venerable and most devout Father, occur to me for the present about the question proposed. I would indeed now write more on this same matter, especially on the institution, dignity and efficacy of this sacrament, on the preparation for it, on its effects, and on the frequency of celebrating and communicating, had I not some years ago, at the urging of certain people, written a little work on these things3, which I send together with this little treatise, commending myself to the prayers of your Paternity and of all over whom you preside. To the praise and glory of the Almighty, who is God above all things, sublime and blessed. Amen.
Footnotes
Chapter 8 of 8