The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Visits to the Blessed Sacrament for Every Day in the Week
Visits to the Blessed Sacrament
FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK.
PRAYER BEFORE EACH VISIT.
O JESUS CHRIST, my Lord, who, for the love which thou bearest to men, dost dwell night and day in this Sacrament, full of goodness and love, waiting for, inviting, and welcoming all those who come to visit thee, 1 believe thee here present in the Sacrament of the Altar. From the deep abyss of my own nothingness, I adore thee, and I thank thee for all thy graces granted to me hitherto, and especially for having given thyself to me in this Sacrament, for having given me also thy holy Mother, Mary, to be my advocate, and for having called me to visit thee in this church. I adore thy most loving heart this day, and I adore it with this threefold intention: first, in thanksgiving for so great a gift; secondly, to make satisfaction for so many injuries which thou hast received from thy enemies in this Sacrament; and thirdly, by this visit I wish to adore thee in all those places throughout the world, where thou art least honoured and most neglected in this divine Sacrament. My Jesus, I love thee with my whole heart! I am sorry for having offended thy infinite goodness so often in time past. I am resolved, by the help of thy grace, to offend thee no more for the future; and at this present moment, all miserable as I am, I consecrate myself entirely to thee. I give and abandon to thee my whole will, all my affections, my desires, and all that 1 have. Hereafter do with me. and with mine, whatever thou wilt. My only desire and petition is, that I may have thy holy love, the grace of final perseverance, and may be able to fulfil in all things thy holy will. I recommend to thee the souls in purgatory, especially those who have been most devout to thee in this Holy Sacrament, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I recommend to thee, moreover, all poor sinners. Finally, my dear Redeemer, I unite all my desires to the desires of thy own heart so full of love; and thus united, I offer them to thy eternal Father, and beseech him in thy name to receive them, and for thy love's sake to grant them,
FOR SUNDAY.
BEHOLD the source of every good, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, who says to us: “ If any man thirst, let him come to me.” ( John vii. 87.)
Oh! how many graces have the saints always drawn at this fountain of the most Holy Sacrament, where Jesus dispenses to us all the merits of his Passion, as the Prophet foretold: "You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour's fountains.” (Isai. xil) 3. The Countess of Feria, that distinguished disciple of the venerable Father Avila, who became a nun of the Order of St. Clare, and was named the spouse of the Blessed Sacrament, on account of her long and frequent devotions in presence of the most Blessed Sacrament, was asked one day, what she was doing all those long hours she spent in presence of her Lord? She replied: “ I would remain there for all eternity. Have I not there present my God, who will be the joy of the blessed in heaven? Good God! what is one doing before him? Ah! rather, what does one not do? One loves, one praises, one gives thanks, one prays. What does a beggar in presence of a rich man? What does a sick man in presence of his physician? What does a thirsty man before a fountain of pure water? W hat does a hungry man before a table well laid out?”
O MOST lovely, most sweet, and dearest Jesus! life, hope, treasure, and only love of my soul. Oh! how much has it cost thee to remain with us in this Sacrament! It was necessary for thee to die in order to remain afterwards upon our altars: and how many injuries hast thou not been made to suffer in consequence of this presence among us! But thy love, and thy desire to be loved by us, have surmounted all. Come then, Lord, come and occupy my heart, and afterwards close its entrance for ever, so that no creature may ever enter there again to take away a part of this love which belongs entirely to thee, and which I am unwilling to give to any other. Do thou alone, my dear Redeemer, reign over me! Do thou alone possess me entirely; and if at any time I should not obey thee perfectly, punish me severely, that for the future I may be more careful to please thee according to thy desire. Let me no more desire nor seek for any other pleasure than to please thee, to visit thee often at thy altar, to converse with thee, and to receive thee in the holy Communion. Let them look for other goods who will. For me, I love only, I desire only the treasure of thy love. The only favour I ask at the foot of this altar is, that I may forget myself altogether, only to remember thy goodness. Blessed Seraphs, I do not envy you your glory! but by the love you bear to your God and mine, O teach me what I must do, to love him and please him like you!
Short prayer to remember and repeat. — “ O my Jesus, thee only I love, thee only will I please! ”
To conclude, make your Spiritual Communion. See Prayers for Spiritual Communion, at page 323.
FOR MONDAY.
JESUS addresses to every soul that visits him in the most Holy Sacrament, the same words addressed to the sacred Spouse of the Canticles: "Arise, make haste, my love, my beautiful one, and come.” (Cant, ii.) Soul, who comest to visit me, arise! come out from all thy misery; I am here to enrich thee with graces. Come near to me: do not fear my majesty, which has humbled itself in this Sacrament, in order to take away thy fear and to inspire thee with confidence. Thou art my friend. Yes! no longer my enemy, but my beloved friend, since thou lovest me, and I love thee also. Thou art my beautiful one, for my grace has made thee beautiful. Come then, come and unite thyself to me, and with the greatest confidence ask what thou wilt. It is St. Teresa who says that this great King of glory has put on the appearance of bread in the Holy Sacrament, and hidden his majesty from our eyes, in order to encourage us to approach with more confidence to his divine heart. Let us draw near, then, with great confidence and lore. Let us unite ourselves to him, and ask him for his holy grace.
WHAT joy ought mine to be, O eternal Word made man, and hidden in this Sacrament for me, knowing that I am in thy presence, that thou art my God, that thou art infinite in majesty, infinite in goodness, and that thou hast such a tender regard for my soul! O all ye souls who love God, whereever you are, in heaven or on earth, love him for me too! Mary, my Mother! help me to love him: and thou, most loving Lord, render thyself the object of all my affections; make away with all my will; take possession of me entirely I consecrate to thee my whole mind, so that I may think always of thy goodness; I consecrate to thee my body also, so that it may assist me to please thee; I consecrate to thee my soul, so that it may be always thine. How I desire, O Beloved of my soul, that all men knew the tenderness of thy love for them! They would then all live only to honour and please thee, as thou desirest and deservest. As for me, at least, let me live always thus, charmed with thy infinite beauty! I desire to do all in my power hereafter to make myself agreeable in thy sight.
I resolve, moreover, to abandon anything, no matter what it may be, so soon as I shall know that such is thy desire, no matter what suffering it may cause me, if I were called even to lose my life. Happy would I be to lose all and gain thee, O my God, my treasure, my love, my all!
Short prayer to remember and repeat. — “ Jesus my love, take me entirely, possess me entirely.”
The Spiritual Communion, as before, page 323.
FOR TUESDAY.
“IN that day,” says the Prophet, “ there shall be 1 a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the cleansing of the sinner.” (Zach. xiii. 1.) Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is this fountain foretold by the Prophet, which is open to all, and where, as often as we like, we can wash away from our souls all those spots with which they are contaminated by daily sin. What better remedy can we find for any fault into which we have fallen, than to have immediate recourse to the Blessed Sacrament? Yes, my Jesus, so will I always do: for well I know that the water of this salutary fountain, at the same time that it washes my soul, will give me the light and strength to fall no more: and while it inflames me with thy love, will teach me to suffer adversity with joy. This is the reason, 1 know it well, why thou dost wait for my visits here, and why thou repayest the visits of those that love thee with such abundant graces. Be it so, then, () my Jesus! wash away all the faults which I have committed this day, and which I am now sorry for, because they have displeased thee. Give me the strength not to fall again, and give me also an ardent desire to love thee more than I do. O! why can I not be near thee always, like thy faithful servant Mary Diaz, who lived in the time of St. Teresa, and who obtained of the Bishop of Avila the permission to dwell in the gallery of a church? There she remained almost always in presence of the Blessed Sacrament, which she called her neighbour, never going out from there except for confession or communion. The venerable brother Francis of the Infant Jesus, barefooted Carmelite, whenever he passed before a church where the Holy Sacrament was kept, could not help entering to visit it, for he said it was not becoming for one to pass before the house of his friend without going in to greet him, and to say one word at least. But he was not contented with a word, he always remained in presence of his dearly beloved Lord as long as he was permitted.
MY only, my infinite Good, I understand full well why thou hast been pleased to institute this Sacrament, and to remain thus upon this altar: it is to gain my love, and for the same reason thou hast given me a heart capable of loving much. Why, then, thankless sinner that I am! do I not love thee, or why do I love thee so little? No! it is not just to love feebly a goodness so worthy of love as thine. Thy love to me deserves a far greater return of love on my part. Thou art the infinite God, and I am only a miserable worm of the earth. It would be but little if I were to die, to become annihilated for thee, since for me thou hast died, and for love of me thou dost sacrifice thyself daily upon the altar. Much thou deservest to be loved, and 1 desire to love thee much. Help me, my Jesus, help me to love thee, that thus I may do what is so pleasing in thy sight, and what thou demandest so earnestly of me?
Short prayer to remember and repent. — "My beloved is mine, and I am his.”
The Spiritual Communion, page 323.
FOR WEDNESDAY.
ST, Paul, praising the obedience of Jesus Christ, says that he was “ obedient unto death ” to his Eternal Father. (Phil, ii.) But in this Sacrament our divine Lord has carried his obedience farther still, for he is content to obey not only his Eternal Father, but even man himself, and not only until death, but even unto the end of the world. He has made himself obedient, one may say, until the consummation of ages. King of heaven as he is, he comes down, nevertheless, out of obedience to man, and remains afterwards upon the altar, only, as it would seem, out of obedience to man. “ As for me,” he says by his Prophet, “ I make no resistance.” (Isai. 1. 5.) There he remains without any movement of his own; he allows himself to be placed wherever they may choose to place him, whether exposed to view in the ostensorium, or shut up in the ciborium; he lets himself be carried where they please to carry him, either through the street, or in the house; he allows himself to be given in communion to every one as they think fit to give him: to the just, or to the sinner. When he was living on the earth, as St. Luke tells us, he was obedient to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to St. Joseph, but in this Sacrament he obeys as many creatures as there are Priests on the earth. “ As for me, I make no resistance.”
O LISTEN, while I venture to address thee, most loving heart of my Jesus! Heart from which so many sacraments have issued, and especially this Sacrament of Love! Would that I could procure as much honour and glory for thee, as thou dost promote the honour and glory of thy Eternal Father by means of the Holy Sacrament in our churches! I know that on this altar thou dost love me with that same love which moved thee to sacrifice thy divine life for me in a sea of sorrows on the cross. Enlighten. O divine Heart! those who do not know thee, in order that they may know thee. Deliver, through thy merits, all who are in purgatory, or at least comfort those suffering souls which thou hast already chosen to be thy spouses for eternity. I adore thee, I thank thee, and I love thee with all the souls that love thee at this moment, whether on earth or in heaven. O most pure and holy Heart of Jesus, purify my heart from all attachment to creatures, and fill it with thy holy love. O most tender Heart of Jesus, take possession of my whole heart in such a way that it may be all thine own, and may always be .able to repeat with confidence: “ Who shall •separate me from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ?” (Rom. viii.) O most holy Heart, engrave in my heart those bitter pains which thou didst suffer on the earth for so many years, and with such great love for me, so that, moved to compassion at the sight, I may always desire, or at least suffer with patience for thy sake, all the pains of this life. O most humble Heart of Jesus, impart to me thy spirit of humility. O most gentle heart of Jesus, lend me something of thy gentleness. Take away from my heart all that does not please thee, convert it entirely to thee, so that it may will nothing, wish nothing, except what thou wilt. In a word, so dispose of me that I may live only to obey thee, to love thee, and to please thee. 1 acknowledge that I am most deeply in thy debt; yes, that I am bound to thee by the heaviest obligations, and it would be still only a small return if I could annihilate and sacrifice myself entirely for thee.
Short prayer to remember and repeat. — “ O Heart of Jesus, thou only shalt be master in my heart!”
The Spiritual Communion, page 323.
FOR THURSDAY.
"GOD having given us his own Son,” so reasons St. Paul, how can we fear that he will ever refuse us anything? ” (Rom. viii.) And this all the more, since we know that the Eternal Father has given all things into his hands. (St. John xiii.) Let us, then, always thank the goodness, the mercy, and the bounty of our most gracious God, who has been pleased to enrich us with every good and every grace by giving us Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. (1 Cor. i.) Have I not good reason, then, to think,
O Saviour of the world, O incarnate Word, that thou art mine, and if I desire it. wholly mine? But can
I say as truly that I am wholly thine as thou wouldst have me? Ah! my Lord, grant that the world may be no longer witness to this injustice and ingratitude which I show thee by not yielding myself up entirely to thee, according to thy desire.
Ah! let it be so no more. Let the future be something far different from the past. To-day with the most steadfast resolution I consecrate myself all to thee. I consecrate to thee my life, my will, my thoughts, my actions, and my sufferings, while time lasts, and eternally. Behold! I am all thine; like a victim devoted to thee, I detach myself from creatures and offer myself all to thee: consume me with the flames of thy divine love. No! I am unwilling that creatures should any longer have a place in my heart. The many marks of love which thou hast given me, even when I did not love thee — these make me hope with confidence that thou wilt accept me, now that I do love thee and give myself entirely to thee through love.
ETERNAL Father! I offer thee to-day all the virtues, the acts, and the affections of the Heart of Jesus. Accept them on my behalf; and through his merits, which are all mine, since he has given them to me, grant me those graces which Jesus asks for me. For all thy mercies shown to me I offer thee my thanks, in union with those same merits. Through them also I hope to satisfy for what is still due to thy justice for my sins. Through them, finally, I hope for every grace at thy hand, for pardon, for perseverance, for paradise, and above all, for the gift of thy pure love. I see clearly that in all I do, I only put obstacles in the way of this, but to this evil apply a remedy also. I ask it of thee in the name of Jesus Christ, who has promised us “that thou wilt grant all we ask of thee in his name ” (John xiv.), and therefore thou canst not refuse me. Lord! my only desire is to love thee, to give myself entirely to thee, and no longer to remain so ungrateful as I have been hitherto. Look upon me, and grant my prayer. From this very day may I be thoroughly converted to thee, never to fall away from thy love again. My God, I love thee! Infinite Goodness, I love thee! I love thee, for thou art indeed my love, my paradise, my good, my life, my all.
Short prayer to remember and repeat. — “ My Jesus! my all! it is thy will to have me thine, and my will is to have thee mine.”
The Spiritual Communion, page 323.
FOR FRIDAY.
"WHY hidest thou thy face? ” ( Job xiv.) Job was filled with alarm when he saw that God had hid his face from him; but if Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament hides his majesty from our eyes, we have no reason to be afraid, but to be animated all the more with confidence and love. It is only to manifest his love more clearly, and to inspire us with greater confidence, says a holy writer, that he hides himself under the semblance of bread, and stations himself on the altar. For who, indeed, would ever dare to approach with confidence, and make known all his desires and affections, if this King of Heaven were to appear on the altar with full splendour and glory?
AH! my Jesus, what an invention of love is this Blessed Sacrament! Thou hidest thyself under the appearance of bread in order to gain our love, and so that every one who seeks for thee may find thee even here on earth. It is not without great reason that the Prophet calls on us to proclaim to the whole world the inventions of that love which our God has for us. (Isa. xii. 4). O Heart of Jesus, full of love, and worthy to possess the hearts of all creatures! Heart, always full of the flames of purest love! O burning fire that thou art, consume me wholly, and give me a new life of love and of grace! Unite me to thyself in such a way that I may never separate from thee again. Heart of Jesus, open refuge for souls, receive me. Heart of Jesus, so afflicted on the cross for the sins of the world, give me a true sorrow for my sins. I know that in this divine Sacrament thou preservest the same sentiments of love which thou didst feel in dying for me on Calvary, and therefore thou dost ardently wish me to be united to thee. Can I then any longer refuse to yield myself up entirely to thy love, to thy desire? All! my beloved Jesus, by thy own merits I entreat thee, wound my soul with thy love, and bind and unite me entirely to thy heart. I resolve this day, with the assistance of thy grace, to do all in my power to please thee, and for thy sake to trample under foot all human respect, every inclination or repugnance, all pleasures and comforts, which may be in any way hindrances to the perfect accomplishment of thy will. Grant, O Lord, that I may keep this resolution, so that henceforth all my actions, and all my feelings and affections, may be in all things conformable to thy will. O love of God, banish from my heart all other love! O Mary, my hope, thou art all-powerful with God; obtain for me the grace to be until death the faithful servant of Jesus and of his pure love. Amen! Amen! Behold my hope and my desire, for time and for eternity.
Short prayer to remember and repeat. — “ Who shall separate me from the charity of Christ?”
The Spiritual Communion, page 823.
FOR SATURDAY.
O HOW beautiful a sight it was to behold our dear Redeemer that day when, “weary with his journey,” but full of sweetness and love, he was seated by the fountain, waiting for the Samaritan woman, to convert and save her! “Jesus therefore sat thus on the well.” {John iv. 6.) Does it not seem that the same thing is repeated every day, when, descending from heaven upon our altars, he remains there as if by the side of so many fountains of grace, waiting for souls, and inviting them to keep him company for a little while at least, that he may draw them in this way to his perfect love? From each altar where Jesus dwells in the Blessed Sacrament he seems to speak to us, and say: Christians, why do you fly from my presence? Why will you not come, why will you not draw near to one who loves you so tenderly, and who humbles himself to remain in this place for your sake? What do you fear? I am not come to judge you, but I am hidden in this Sacrament of Love only to do good, and to save every one who will have recourse to me. " I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” ( John xii. 47.)
Let us then be persuaded, that as Jesus Christ in heaven “ is always living to make intercession for us*’ (Heb. viii.); so in the Sacrament of the Altar he is fulfilling, night and day, the office of our advocate, offering himself as a victim to his eternal Father to obtain for us mercy and graces without number. Hence the devout A-Kempis says that we ought to pray to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as one speaks to a beloved friend: “ As lover speaks to one beloved, as friend to friend.”
SO then, O my Lord and King, hidden in this Sacrament, since thou dost invite me to converse with thee, I will open my heart with confidence, and speak. O my Jesus, ardent lover of souls, I know too well the injustice and ingratitude of men towards thee. Thou lovest them, and they do not love thee: thou dost confer benefits on them, and they return thee insults: thou wouldst have them hear thy voice, and they will not listen: thou dost offer graces, and they refuse them. Ah! my Jesus, I, too, have been once among the number of these ungrateful souls. O my God, it is only too true. But I desire to amend, and I wish to compensate for the injuries I have done thee, by doing all I can to please thee for the remainder of my life. Tell me, O Lord, what thou dost require of me. I will do it without the least reserve. Make known to me thy will by the way of holy obedience, and I hope to accomplish it. My God! I firmly promise never to leave undone any act which I know to be agreeable to thee, although the performance of it should cost me the loss of all things, of relations, friends, character, health, and even life itself. Let me lose all, if only I may do thy will! Happy loss, when all is sacrificed to content thy heart, O God of my soul!
I love thee, O sovereign good, above all goods worthy of my love, and in loving thee I unite my feeble heart with the hearts of all the Seraphim. I unite it with the heart of Mary and with the heart of Jesus. I love thee with my whole soul; I wish to love thee alone, now and for ever.
Short prayer to remember and repeat.— “ My God! my God! I am thine, and thou art mine.”
The Spiritual Communion, page 323.