Chapter XXXV

Continues the foregoing subject. Contains an appeal to the eternal Father. Of the recollection which should be practised after Holy Communion.¹

1. Spiritual Communion. 2. Difficulties of acquiring the habit of recollection. 3. A prayer that the Blessed Sacrament may be honoured. 4. And that outrages against It may be stopped. 5. An offering of propitiation.

1. Although I had already written about it while explaining the prayer of recollection, yet because of its great importance I have spoken here at length of the need of our retiring into our own souls to be alone with God. When you hear Mass, but do not go to Holy Communion, you may make an act of Spiritual Communion, which is exceedingly profitable. Recollect yourselves in the same manner: this impresses a deep love for our Lord on our minds; for if we prepare our souls to receive Him, He never fails, in many ways unknown to us, to give us His grace. It is as if we approached a large fire — if we kept at a distance from it and covered our hands, we should hardly feel its heat although we should be warmer than without it. But if we approach this fire (which is our Lord), with the intention of expelling the cold, the case is quite different, for if the soul is thus well-disposed and perseveres for some time, it retains its warmth for several hours and any small spark which flew out would at once ignite it.

2. It is of such immense advantage for us to cultivate the habit of recollection that you must not be surprised at my mentioning it very frequently. Do not be disturbed if you cannot succeed at first; perhaps the devil may be filling your heart with repugnance and trouble because he sees what loss he would suffer by your acquiring this habit. Though he may try to make you believe that you could practise greater devotion in other ways, do not be dissuaded from this: our Lord thus tests your love for Him. Remember, there are few souls that keep beside Him or follow Him in His trials.² Let us suffer something for Him — He will repay us. Only think! there are people who not only do not like to be with Him, but who drive Him from their houses with rudeness and insults; therefore we ought to endure some discomfort in order to show that we wish to see Him. Although, in many places, men leave Him by Himself, or treat Him badly, yet He endures all this, and will continue to endure it for the sake of finding but one single soul that will receive Him with affection and bear Him loving company. Let this soul be yours, for if none were to be found, the eternal Father would justly refuse to allow Him to remain with us. Yet He loves Christ's friends so well, and is so kind a Master, that, knowing it is the will of His holy Son, He will not dissuade Him from this praiseworthy deed in which He so generously proves His love for His Father by finding this wonderful way of testifying His affection for us and of aiding us to bear our trials.

3. Since, O our Father Who art in heaven! Thou dost will and ratify this act (for by no means wouldst Thou deny us so great a boon), there must be some one to plead the cause of Thy Son, as He will never defend Himself. Let that part be ours: daring as the task may be for us unworthy creatures, yet let us rely on our Lord's command that we should pray. In obedience to this decree I beg of you, daughters, to join me in asking of our holy Father, in the name of the good Jesus, that, seeing how He has done all that could be done in granting this great gift to sinners, He would mercifully prevent our Lord's being so ill-treated. Since His blessed Son has left us so powerful a means as the sacrifice of the Mass, by which we can repeatedly offer Him up, let us implore God that this precious oblation may prevent the spread of the terrible wickedness and sacrileges committed among the Lutherans against the most Blessed Sacrament. It seems as if the end of the world must have come, for they demolish the churches, massacre numbers of priests, and abolish the sacraments. Even many Christians behave so irreverently in church that they seem sometimes to have gone there more for the purpose of offending our Lord than of worshipping Him. Why do such things happen, O Lord God? Either let the world come to an end, or stop these dreadful crimes, for, wicked as we are, they are more than our hearts can bear. I beseech Thee, O Eternal Father! to extinguish this conflagration, since it is in Thy power to do so.

4. Behold, Thy Son remains on earth with us: in deference to Him, stop these foul and abominable outrages, for one so pure and beautiful as He ought not to dwell amid such pollution. We do not ask this for ourselves, O God! we do not deserve it — grant it for the sake of Thy Son! We dare not beg that He should stay with us no longer, for Thou hast consented to His prayer that for 'to-day', that is, as long as the world lasts, Thou wouldst leave Him with us. Without His presence, what would become of us? Everything would go to wrack and ruin, for if aught can propitiate Thee it is this Hostage which we hold. As some redress must be found for these wrongs, may it please Thee to supply it, for Thou canst do so if Thou wilt.

5. O my God! would that my fervent importunity and the signal services rendered Thee, gave me the right to beg of Thee so great a favour in return, for never dost Thou leave a just claim unrewarded. But I have done nothing of the kind. Indeed, perchance it is I who have provoked Thee and brought about these evils in punishment for my sins. What then can I do, O my Creator! but offer Thee this most holy Bread, thus rendering Thee back Thine own gift, beseeching Thee, by the merits of Thy Son, to grant this boon which, in so many ways, He has earned from Thee? Do Thou, O God! calm the sea and no longer permit the ship of the Church to be tossed in this tempest. Save us, O Lord, for we perish!³