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The Disciple
Trusting in Your goodness and great mercy, O Lord, I
come as one sick to the Healer, as one hungry and
thirsty to the Fountain of life, as one in need to
the King of heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature
to his Creator, a soul in desolation to my gentle
Comforter.But whence is this to me, that You
should come to me? Who am I that You should offer
Yourself to me? How dares the sinner to appear in
Your presence, and You, how do You condescend to come
to the sinner? You know Your servant, and You know
that he has nothing good in him that You should grant
him this.
I confess, therefore, my unworthiness. I acknowledge
Your goodness. I praise Your mercy, and give thanks
for Your immense love. For it is because of Yourself
that You do it, not for any merit of mine; so that
Your goodness may be better known to me, that greater
love may be aroused and more perfect humility born in
me. Since, then, this pleases You and You have so
willed it, Your graciousness pleases me also. Oh,
that my sinfulness may not stand in the way!
O most sweet and merciful Jesus, what great
reverence, thanks, and never-ending praise are due to
You for our taking of Your sacred body, whose dignity
no man can express!
But on what shall I think in this Communion, this
approach to my Lord, Whom I can never reverence as I
ought, and yet Whom I desire devoutly to receive?
What thought better, more helpful to me than to
humble myself entirely in Your presence and exalt
Your infinite goodness above myself?
I praise You, my God, and extol You forever! I
despise myself and cast myself before You in the
depths of my unworthiness. Behold, You are the Holy
of holies, and I the scum of sinners! Behold, You bow
down to me who am not worthy to look up to You!
Behold, You come to me! You will to be with me! You
invite me to Your banquet! You desire to give me
heavenly food, the Bread of Angels to eat, none other
than Yourself, the living Bread Who are come down
from heaven and give life to the world.
Behold, whence love proceeds! What condescension
shines forth! What great thanks and praise are due
You for these gifts! Oh, how salutary and profitable
was Your design in this institution! How sweet and
pleasant the banquet when You gave Yourself as food!
How admirable is Your work, O Lord! How great Your
power! How infallible Your truth! For You spoke and
all things were made, and this, which You commanded,
was done. It is a wonderful thing, worthy of faith,
overpowering human understanding, that You, O Lord,
my God, true God and man, are contained whole and
entire under the appearance of a little bread and
wine, and without being consumed are eaten by him who
receives You!
You, the Lord of the universe, Who have need of
nothing, have willed to dwell in us by means of Your
Sacrament. Keep my heart and body clean, so that with
a joyous and spotless conscience I may be able often
to celebrate Your Mysteries and to receive for my
eternal salvation what You have ordained and
instituted for Your special honor and as an
everlasting memorial.
Rejoice, my soul, and give thanks to God for having
left you so noble a gift and so special a consolation
in this valley of tears. As often as you renew this
Mystery and receive the Body of Christ, so often do
you enact the work of redemption and become a sharer
in all the merits of Christ, for the love of Christ
never grows less and the wealth of His mercy is never
exhausted.
Therefore, you should prepare yourself for it by
constantly renewing your heart and pondering deeply
the great mystery of salvation. As often as you
celebrate or hear Mass, it should seem as great, as
new, as sweet to you as if on that very day Christ
became man in the womb of the Virgin, or, hanging on
the Cross, suffered and died for the salvation of
man.
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