St. Alphonsus Liguori: Daily Meditations for Week of Pentecost

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Thursday – Whit Week

Morning Meditation

THE GREAT LOVE JESUS HAS SHOWN US IN GIVING US THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

St. Paul says that God, by becoming Man, showed the world how far His goodness and kindness towards us went. But by giving Himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament He makes us know the depths of the tenderness of His love towards us. Does it not, says St. Augustine, seem madness Jesus Christ to say to us: Eat my flesh; drink my blood?

I.

Jesus, knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father; having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end -(Jo. xiii. I). Jesus, knowing that the time of His death was near, desired to leave us the strongest pledge of His love for us, and this was the gift of the Blessed Sacrament: He loved them to the end-which St. Chrysostom explains: “He loved them with extreme love.” He, therefore, loved men with the greatest love He could possibly entertain towards them by giving them His whole Self. But when was it that Jesus instituted this great Sacrament? The night before His death. The Lord Jesus, says the Apostle, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke and said: Take ye and eat-this is my body-(1 Cor. xi. 23, 24}. While men were preparing to put Him to death, He was pleased to give them this last proof of His love. O infinite love of Jesus, Thou art worthy of being loved with an infinite love! Thou, my Lord, hast loved man so much, and how is it that man loves Thee so little? What more couldst Thou do to make him love Thee? O my Jesus, Thou art most amiable and loving; make Thyself known, make Thyself loved. When shall I ever love Thee as Thou hast loved me? Discover to me more and more the greatness of Thy bounty, that I may always burn more and more with Thy love and always seek to please Thee.


II.

The marks of affection which are shown to us by our friends at the time of their death remain more deeply impressed on our hearts; and for this reason did Jesus choose to bestow Himself upon us in the Blessed Sacrament, a little before His death. Well, therefore, might St. Thomas call this Sacrament “the Sacrament of love and pledge of tenderest affection”; and St. Bernard, “the love of loves”-“amor amorum“-because Jesus Christ in this Sacrament unites and comprises all the other marks of His love towards us. Hence St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, speaking of the day on which Jesus instituted this Sacrament, calls it “the day of love.”

O Beloved of my soul, oh! that I had always loved Thee! Alas! there was a time when I not only did not love Thee, but even despised Thy graces and Thy love. I am consoled with the sorrow I feel for having done so, and I hope for pardon through Thy promise to forgive those who repent. To Thee, my Saviour, do I direct all my affections; help me, through the merits of Thy Passion, to love Thee with my whole strength. O that I could die for Thee, as Thou hast died for me! Holy Mary, Mother of God, obtain for me the grace of loving henceforward God alone.

Spiritual Reading

CORAM SANCTISSIMO

Introductory Prayer to be said before each Visit

My Lord Jesus Christ, Who for the love which Thou bearest to men, remainest night and day in this Sacrament full of compassion and of love, awaiting, calling, and welcoming all who come to visit Thee; I believe that Thou art present in the Sacrament of the Altar. I adore Thee from the abyss of my nothingness, and I thank Thee for all the graces Thou hast bestowed upon me, and in particular for having given me Thyself in this Sacrament, for having given me Thy most holy Mother Mary for my advocate, and for having called me to visit Thee in this church. I now salute Thy most loving Heart: and this for three ends:

I. In thanksgiving for this great gift;

II. To make amends to Thee for all the outrages which Thou receivest in this Sacrament from all Thine enemies;

III. I intend by this visit to adore Thee in all the places on earth in which Thou art present in this Sacrament, and in which Thou art the least revered and the most abandoned.

My Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart. I grieve for having hitherto so many times offended Thine infinite Goodness. I purpose by Thy grace never more to offend Thee for the time to come; and now, miserable and unworthy though I am, I consecrate myself to Thee without reserve; I give Thee and renounce my entire will, my affections, my desires, and all that I possess. From henceforward do Thou dispose of me and of all that I have as Thou pleasest. All that I ask of Thee and desire is Thy holy love, final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Thy will. I recommend to Thee the souls in Purgatory; but especially those who had the greatest devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament and to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. I also recommend to Thee all poor sinners. In fine, my dear Saviour, I unite all my affections with the affections of Thy most loving Heart; and I offer them, thus united, to Thy Eternal Father, and beseech Him in Thy Name to vouchsafe, for Thy love, to accept and grant them.

(Indulgence of 300 days each time; Plenary once a month).


FIRST VISIT

Behold the source of every good, Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, Who says, If any man thirst let him come to me-(Jo. vii. 37). Oh, what torrents of grace have the Saints drawn from the fountain of the Most Blessed Sacrament! For there Jesus dispenses all the merits of His Passion, as it was foretold by the Prophet: You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains-(Is. xii. 3). The Countess of Feria, that illustrious disciple of the Blessed John of Avila, afterwards a Poor Clare, and surnamed the spouse of the Most Blessed Sacrament, from her long and frequent visits to It, on being asked how she employed the many hours thus passed in the presence of the Holy of Holies, replied: “I could remain there for all eternity. And is not the very Essence of God, which will be the food of the blessed, there present? Good God! Am I asked what I do in His presence? Why am I not rather asked, what is not done there? We love, we praise, we give thanks, we ask. What does a poor man do in the presence of one who is rich? What does a sick man do in the presence of his physician? What does a man do who is parched with thirst in the presence of a limpid fountain? What is the occupation of one who is starving, and is placed before a well-supplied table?”

O my most amiable, most sweet, most beloved Jesus, my Life, my Hope, my Treasure, the only Love of my soul, oh, what has it cost Thee to remain thus with us in this Sacrament! Thou hadst to die, that Thou mightest dwell amongst us on our altars; and then how many insults hast Thou not had to endure in this Sacrament, in order to aid us by Thy presence! Thy love, and the desire which Thou hast to be loved by us, have conquered all.

Come, then, O Lord, come and take possession of my heart; close its doors for ever, that henceforward no creature may enter to divide the love which is due to Thee, and which it is my ardent desire to bestow all on Thee. Do Thou alone, my dear Redeemer, rule me; do Thou alone possess my whole being; and if ever I do not obey Thee perfectly, chastise me with rigour that henceforward I may be more watchful to please Thee as Thou willest. Grant that I may no longer seek for any other pleasure than that of giving Thee pleasure: that all my delight may be to visit Thee often on Thy altars; to entertain myself with Thee, and to receive Thee in Holy Communion. Let all who will seek other treasures: the only treasure that I love, the only one that I desire, is the Treasure of Thy love; for this only will I plead at the foot of the altar. Do Thou make me forget myself, that thus I may remember only Thy goodness. Blessed Seraphim, I envy you, not for your glory, but for the love which you bear to your God and mine; oh, do you teach me what I must do to love Him, and to please Him.

Ejac. My Jesus, I will love Thee only; Thee only do I desire to please.


A Spiritual Communion here follows for which an Indulgence of 60 days is granted by the Church:

AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as already there, and unite myself wholly to Thee; never permit me to be separated from Thee.

VISIT TO MARY

In our Mother Mary we have another fountain which is indeed fruitful for us. She is so rich in good things and in graces, says St. Bernard, that there is no one in the world who does not participate in them: “Of her fulness we have all received.” The Most Blessed Virgin Mary was filled by God with grace, and as such was saluted by the Angel, Hail, full of grace!-(Luke i. 28), not for herself alone, but also for us. St. Peter Chrysologus adds, that she received that great abyss of grace, that she might afterwards impart it to all who were devout to her: “The Blessed Virgin received this grace, that she might give in return salvation to all.”


Ejac. Prayer. Cause of our joy, pray for us.


Concluding Prayer

Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord, and Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I have recourse today-I, who am the most miserable of all. I render thee my most humble homage, O great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now, particularly for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I love thee, O most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always, and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. I place in thee all my hopes; I confide my salvation to thy care. Accept me for thy servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask a perfect love of Jesus Christ. From thee I hope to die a good death. O my Mother, for the love which thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me at all times, but especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech thee, until thou seest me safe in Heaven, blessing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen. So I hope. So may it be.

Indulgence of 300 days for above Prayer

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XIV.-THE MEANS OF AVOIDING LUKEWARMNESS AND ATTAINING PERFECTION

I.

The fifth and most necessary means for the spiritual life, and for obtaining the love of Jesus Christ is prayer of petition. In the first place, I say that by this means God convinces us of the great love He bears us. What greater proof of affection can a person give to a friend than to say to him, “My friend, ask anything you like of me, and I will give it to you”? Now that is precisely what our Lord says to us: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find-(Luke xi. 9). Wherefore prayer is called all-powerful with God to obtain every blessing: “Prayer, though it is only one, can effect all things,” as Theodoret says; whoever prays obtains from God whatever he chooses. The words of David are beautiful: Blessed be God who hath not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me-(Ps. lxv. 20). Commenting on this passage, St. Augustine says, “As long as thou seest thyself not failing in prayer, be assured that the Divine mercy will not fail thee either.” And St. John Chrysostom: “We always obtain, even while we are still praying.” When we pray to God, He grants us the grace we ask for, even before we have ended our petition. If, then, we are poor, let us blame only ourselves, since we are poor merely because we wish to be poor, and so we are undeserving of pity. What sympathy can there be for a beggar, who, having a very rich master, and one most desirous to provide him with everything, if he will only ask for it, nevertheless chooses still to continue in, his poverty rather than ask for what he wants? Behold, says the Apostle, our God, rich unto all that call upon him-(Rom. x. 12).


II.

Humble prayer, then, obtains all from God; but we must be persuaded at the same time, that if it be useful it is no less necessary for our salvation. It is certain that we absolutely require the Divine assistance, in order to overcome temptations; and sometimes, in certain more violent assaults, the sufficient grace which God gives to all, might possibly enable us to resist them; but on account of our inclination to evil, it will not ordinarily be sufficient in these violent temptations, and we shall then stand in need of a special grace. Whoever prays obtains this grace; but whoever prays not obtains it not, and is lost. And this is more especially the case with regard to the grace of final perseverance, of dying in the grace of God, which is the grace absolutely necessary for our salvation, and without which we should be lost for ever. St. Augustine says of this grace, that God only bestows it on those who pray. And this is the reason why so few are saved, because few indeed are mindful to beg of God this grace of perseverance.