who love ardently." Therefore it was, that our Blessed Lord willed to perform this most wonderful of all miracles that " The merciful and gracious Lord hath so done His marvellous works, that they ought to be had in remembrance, He hath given meat unto them that fear Him," (Ps. cxi. 4, 5) that He might satisfy the desire that He had, of remaining with us and of uniting in one, our own with His most Sacred Heart. S. Laurence Justinian exclaims, " O Lord Jesus, how wonderful is Thy love, Who so willed to incorporate us with Thy Body, that we might have with Thee one heart and one mind inseparably bound together."
Father de la Colombiêre said, " That if anything could shake my faith in the mystery of the Eucharist, I should not be able to doubt the power, but rather the love of God, which He has revealed to us in this Sacrament." How can the bread become the Body of Jesus? How can Jesus be found in more than one place? I answer, that God can do all things. But if you ask me how God can love man to such an extent as to be willing to become his food, I can only answer, that I do not understand it, and that the love of Jesus cannot be more fully comprehended. But Lord, this excess of affection, in reducing Thyself into food, is not agreeable to Thy majesty! But S. Bernard replies, " Love is conscious of no dignity;" and S. Chrysostom says, that love is bound by no consideration of convenience, when it seeks to make itself known to the loved one: " Love lacks reason, it goes whither it is led, not whither it ought." S. Thomas Aquinas rightly calls the Holy Communion " a Sacrament and pledge of love;" and S. Bernard the "love of loves;" and S. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi styled, Holy Thursday, the day of its institution, " The day of love."
Affections and Prayers.
O infinite love of Jesus, worthy of infinite love! Alas! when, my Jesus, shall I love Thee as Thou hast loved me? Thou couldst do no more to make Thyself loved by me, and I have had the heart to leave Thee, O Infinite Good, and to turn myself back to vile and miserable riches. Oh, enlighten me, O my God, discover to me evermore the glories of Thy goodness, so
