Chapter XXXIV

Continues the same subject. Contains very useful advice for those who have received Holy Communion. An explanation of the word 'daily'.¹

1. What 'daily bread' means. 2. What 'this day' signifies. 3. The 'bread' of bodily sustenance. 4. For which we must trust to God. 5. As the servant trusts his master for maintenance. 6. And must only ask Him for the 'heavenly' bread. 7. Christ our food and medicine. 8. St. Teresa's Communions. 9. Why Christ remains hidden in the Holy Eucharist. 10. The time after Holy Communion. 11. Holy Communion.

1. The good Jesus, having resolved to give Himself to us, asks His Father to allow Him to remain with us 'daily', which appears to mean 'for ever'. Yet, while writing this, I have been wondering why, having said 'daily', He should add, 'this day'. I tell you of my foolish thoughts so that, if they really are absurd, you may see what a simpleton I am — as indeed I must be, to dare to discuss such matters. Yet, as we are to think over what we are praying for, let us consider what this petition means, so that we may fulfil its obligations reasonably and may thank our Lord for taking so much trouble to teach us. I believe that 'daily' means that we may enjoy His presence while we dwell in this world, where He remains with us and we receive Him as our Food, and in heaven also, if we profit by His company here. His sole object in abiding with us is to aid, to incite, to strengthen us to do the will of God which we have asked may be 'done' in us.

2. The term 'this day,' seems to mean the one day, and no more, during which this mortal life lasts — and indeed it is but a single day for the unfortunate wretches who condemn themselves to forfeit our Lord's presence in the next world. He has done all that He could to aid them, as His own children, while they lived on earth, dwelling with them and strengthening them, and if they are overcome He will not be to blame, for He never ceased to encourage them until the end of the fray. Lost souls will have no excuse to make for themselves, nor will they be able to accuse Christ's Father of depriving them of this Bread in their direst need. Therefore Jesus covenants with His Father that, since the world only lasts 'one day', He may be allowed to spend it in our service. As God has given Him to us and has sent Him on earth of His own free-will, it is incredible that He would deprive us of His Son when most we want Him, for the insults men offer Him will endure but for a single day. Our Lord respects the obligation He has contracted by offering our will in conjunction with His own, which binds Him to aid us to fulfil this promise by every means in His power; He is not willing to desert us, but desires to remain with us for the greater glory of His friends and the confusion of His enemies. He prays for nothing new when He says 'this day', for since His Majesty has given this food and manna for the children of men once for all, we can obtain it whenever we please: we shall never die of famine except by our own fault, for the soul that receives the Blessed Sacrament will find in it whatever solace and help it requires. There is neither need, nor cross, nor persecution that cannot easily be borne when we once begin to share and to love those our Lord bore and to keep them ever in our hearts.

3. As regards the other bread — I mean bodily nourishment and wants — I neither wish you to remind God of them nor to remember them yourselves. Keep your thoughts as guarded as if you were raised to the heights of contemplation where one no more thinks of food than if one had already quitted this world. Would our Lord have laid such stress on our asking for our meals? It would not seem to me becoming either for Him or for us. He is here teaching us 'to fix our affections on things above'² and to pray that we may enjoy the first-fruits of them here: would He, then, bid us concern ourselves about anything so base as asking God for our sustenance? He knows perfectly well that, if we once began to concern ourselves about the needs of our bodies, we should soon forget the needs of our souls. Besides, who would carry prudence to such an excess? We are satisfied with little and we do not beg for much; the more men give the more the heavenly water appears to fail us. Let those of you, daughters, who are most anxious about our necessities, ask for this!

4. Join our Lord, then, in praying to His Father to let you have your Bridegroom 'this day', that you may never be without Him in this world— your joy will be tempered by His remaining hidden beneath the accidents of bread and wine, which is a torture to those who can find no love or consolation elsewhere. Beg Him not to fail you but to give you grace to receive Him worthily. Since you have completely abandoned yourselves into the hands of God, have no care for any other bread but this: I mean while you are at prayer and are asking Him for other things of far greater importance, for there are times when you ought to work to gain your living,³ although without feeling undue anxiety about it. Never trouble your mind about such matters, but while your body labours (for you ought to support yourselves) let your soul be at peace. As I have fully explained to you,⁴ these cares should be left to your Bridegroom Who will always provide for you. Never fear that He will fail you, if you do not fail to keep your promise of resigning yourselves to the will of God. As for me, daughters, I assure you that if I deliberately broke this pledge, as I have often done before, I would neither ask Him to give me bread nor any other food: let Him leave me to die of hunger! For why should I seek to live, if every day I am making eternal death more inevitable?⁵

5. A comparison. If then you have truly surrendered yourselves to God, as you say, abandon all care of yourselves, for He cares for you and will always do so. We may be compared to a servant who enters into service with a householder: the domestic is obliged to do all he can to please his master and the master is bound to maintain the servant while employing him in his house, unless prevented by poverty from feeding either himself or his dependents. Here the case differs, for our Master is and always will be rich and powerful. It would seem very strange if the servant went to his employer every day to ask for his meals, knowing perfectly well that without this he would be fed and cared for. It would be waste of time, and his master might tell him to look after his own work, for if he worried himself about other people's business he would do his own badly.

6. Then, sisters, let who will demand this earthly bread. Let us speak to the purpose and beseech the Father to give us grace so to prepare ourselves for the reception of this sacred and heavenly food that, although our bodily eyes cannot rejoice in looking on Jesus, hidden as He is beneath the sacramental veils, yet He may reveal Himself to the sight of our soul and may teach us that this Bread is a special kind of nutriment, which contains in itself sweetness and joy, and sustains our life. Inadvertently, we shall often desire and pray for earthly things, but we need not purposely recall such matters to our minds. Our miserable tendency to whatever is base and low may often excite these thoughts against our will, but let us not deliberately ask for any gifts except those I have recommended to you, for if we obtain these we obtain all the rest.

7. Do you not know that this most holy Sacrament is a most beneficial food even for our body and a powerful remedy for its diseases? I am sure that it is. I am acquainted with a person subject to severe illnesses which often cause her acute pain; she was freed from them instantaneously by this Bread,⁶ and remained in perfect health. This often occurs, and people are cured of visible maladies which I do not think could be counterfeit. The miracles worked by this most holy Bread on those who receive it worthily are so well recognised that I will not say much about those which happened to the person I mentioned, although I know all about them and am sure of their truth. But our Lord had given her so lively a faith and devotion that when she heard people saying that they wished they had lived while Christ, our only Good, dwelt in the world, she used to smile to herself, thinking that, while He so undoubtedly remains among us in the Blessed Sacrament, we have nothing left to desire.

8. Although she was far from perfect, yet I know that for many years my friend endeavoured so to strengthen her faith that whenever she received Holy Communion, at which time, as she believed, our Lord entered her poor little dwelling, she might as far as possible withdraw her mind from all earthly things and enter into herself with Him. She strove to control her senses in order that they might comprehend the grace she was enjoying, or rather, that they might not prevent her soul from enjoying it. She imagined herself at the feet of our Lord and wept with Magdalen⁷ as if she had really seen Him in the house of the Pharisee. Even if she felt no devotion, faith told her that it was well for her to be there, and she continued conversing with Him. For unless we choose to be obtuse and to blind ourselves to the fact, we cannot suppose that Christ's presence here is only an image of our imagination, as when we think of Him on the cross or in any other phases of His Passion. These happened in the past, but He is here with us at the present moment in very truth: we need not go far to seek Him, for we know that our good Jesus remains with us until the accidents of bread have been consumed by our natural heat. Let us not lose this golden opportunity but let us stay in His company.

9. If, while Jesus lived in the world, the mere touch of His garments healed the sick, who can doubt that when He is dwelling in the very centre of our being He will work miracles on us⁸ if we have a living faith in Him? And will He not grant our petitions while He is our Guest? His Majesty is not a bad Paymaster for a good inn. Are you grieved at not seeing Him with your bodily eyes? That would not be expedient for us here. It would be a different matter, now that He is glorified, from what it was when He lived in the world. Human nature would be too weak to bear it. The world would exist no longer and no one would remain in it, for when men had once seen eternal Truth they would perceive that all we value on earth is but a lie and a mockery. And if His sublime glory could be seen, how could such a sinful wretch as I am dare to draw thus near to Him after my many offences? Beneath the accidents of bread, He is accessible — if the King disguises Himself, there does not seem to be the same need for ceremonies and court etiquette; indeed, He appears to have waived His claim to them by appearing incognito. Who otherwise would venture to approach Him thus tepidly, unworthily, and laden with imperfections? Indeed, we know not what we ask; but He in His wisdom understands far better than we do. When He sees that it would profit a soul, He reveals Himself to it; although unseen by the bodily eyes, He manifests Himself to it by vivid interior intuitions and by other means.

10. Take pleasure in remaining in His society: do not lose this most precious time, for this hour is of the utmost value to the soul, and the good Jesus desires you to spend it with Him; take great care, daughters, not to waste it. If obedience calls you, try to leave your soul with our Lord, Who is your Master; although you may not understand how, He will continue to teach you. But if you allow your thoughts to wander at once to other matters and you show no more care or reverence for Him Who dwells within you than if you had not received Holy Communion, how can He make Himself known to you? You have no one to blame for this but yourself. This is the time for our Master to instruct, and for us to listen. I do not assert that you must use no vocal prayers, for you would say I was speaking of contemplation. If our Lord does not raise you to this, recite the Pater Noster, but take care to remember how truly you are in the company of Him Who taught it you: kiss His feet for having done so and beseech Him not to leave you. If you are accustomed to ask for graces from Christ while looking at His picture, would it not be foolish, at this time, to turn away from Him Who is now with you in person, and to look at His image? It would be the same thing as if, when a friend we dearly loved came to visit us, we refused to talk to him and would only speak to his portrait. Do you know when the gazing on a representation of Christ is a good and holy practice in which I take great pleasure? It is when our Lord is absent and makes us feel His loss by aridities. It is a great joy to look at an image of our Lady or of any Saint for whom we have a devotion. How much more so when the likeness is that of Christ, Who has given us such cause to love Him? To gaze on His picture rouses the soul to fervour.⁹ And I should like to see His image wherever I turned my eyes. What can we look on that is better or more delightful than Him Who loves us so tenderly and Who comprises in Himself all good things? Unhappy heretics who have forfeited this consolation¹⁰ and support, as well as many others!¹¹

11. When you have received our Lord, since He really dwells within you, try to shut the eyes of your body and to open those of your soul; look into your hearts. I have told you, and shall tell you, again and again, if you do this whenever you go to Holy Communion — I do not mean once or twice, but every time you communicate — and if you strive to keep your conscience clear so that you may frequently enjoy this grace, His coming will not be so hidden but that, in many a way, He will reveal Himself to you in proportion to the desire you have of seeing Him. Indeed, if your longing for Him is very vehement,¹² He may disclose Himself entirely to you.¹³ But if we care nothing for Him Whom we have received in such intimate union, but either go to seek Him elsewhere or busy ourselves about other, and lower matters, what would we have Him do? Must He drag us by force to look at Him and to stay with Him because He wishes to manifest Himself to us? No! for men did not treat Him too well when He showed Himself visibly among them and told them Who He was — few indeed of them believed Him. He has done us a great grace in teaching us that He is present in the Blessed Sacrament. But He will not show Himself openly or reveal His glories or bestow His treasures, save on souls which prove that they ardently desire Him, for these are His real friends. But let not the soul which is not of their number, which offends Him and approaches to receive Him without having prepared itself to the best of its ability — let not that soul importune Him to reveal Himself to it. Scarcely is the hour over which has been spent in fulfilling the precepts of the Church, when such a person leaves her own home and tries to drive Christ out of it, or if she does enter into herself it is only to engage in worldly thoughts in the very presence of Jesus. Indeed, what with other interests, business, and the cares of this life, she seems to make all possible haste to prevent our Lord from taking possession of her house!