Letter 25. To Madame De Chantal

ON SPIRITUAL HUNGER.

You say that you hunger more than usual after Holy Commimion. There are two kinds of hunger — one which proceeds from a good digestion, the other from a perverted appetite. Humble yourself, and kindle your soul with the Holy Love of Jesus Christ Crucified, in order that you may be able to digest this celestial food; and, inasmuch as he who complains io6 of hunger surely craves for bread, I would say, communicate this Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as on Lady Day and Sundays.

Do you know what I mean by rightly digesting this spiritual food? In the natural life a good digestion assimilates the food we eat, so that it invigorates the whole system. And even so those who spiritually digest the Blessed Sacrament, will find that it spreads its sacred influence throughout body and souL Brain, heart, eyes, hands, tongue, ears, feet, all will be partakers of their Saviour. He makes all that is crooked straight, purifies all that is soiled, mortifies what is redundant, animates everything. The heart lives through Him, the brain thinks through Him, the eyes see, the tongue speaks, through Him. He is All in all, so that “ it is not I that live, but Christ liveth in me.” Oh, my daughter, when will that be? My God, when will it be?

Now I will tell you at what we must aim, though •indeed we must be content to attain it by very slow degrees. Let us be very humble, and communicate boldly; little by little our spiritual digestion will learn to assimilate the celestial food. It is a great matter to be well supplied with good food; the digestion works better when such is the case. Let us desire our Lord only, and I trust it may be so with us.

C«4x.] XXVIL