8. Of the suckling of the hungry Jesus

Bless Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, never-failing Fountain of life, for being suckled at the breasts of Mary the Virgin, by whose sacred milk Thou wast fed — Thou Who givest food to all, Thou Who art the Food and Bread of Angels.

0 the unspeakable sweetness of the condescen sion of God to man! Who can rightly think of the excellence of the mystery and the bounty of the undeserved mercy, that God should be suckled at a Mother's breasts, and be nourished by a Virgin's milk ? O my Lord and my God, with what tender ness of love hast Thou made Thyself one with me, by thus subjecting Thyself to the needs of our human weakness ! O great and tremendous mys tery that Thou, one and the same Person, art thus made known to us as God of the substance of God the Father, and very man of the substance of Thy virgin Mother: that we thus confess Thee to be, at one and the same time, the son of a woman, and the Only-Begotten of the Father's Glory: that Thou art made a partaker of our human nature, and yet, being one and the same person, art wor shipped as the Lord of Angels.

1 praise Thee, therefore, and bless Thy infinitely tender love, for that Thou didst think no scorn of being nourished at Thy Mother's breasts, if so Thou mightest make it plain that Thou hadst in deed taken upon Thee our flesh, of the substance of Thy Virgin Mother.

O Thou Who givest food to all, and wast Thy self content with so little, feed my soul, I beseech Thee, with the rich banquet of Thy Holy Word, and give me grace to serve Thee, and to give thanks to Thee, so long as I shall dwell in this frail tenement of clay.