PRAYERS TO OUR LADY

Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

TO MARY, THE EVER-IMMACULATE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD

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My most holy Queen, – On the point of publishing the present little work, in which I treat of the love of thy Son, I know not to whom I can better dedicate it than to thee, my most beloved Mother, who, amongst all creatures, art His most tender lover. I believe that by this little offering which I present to thee, and which is composed for the sole purpose of inflaming souls more and more with the love of Jesus Christ, – I believe, I say, that by it I shall greatly please thee, who desirest to see Him loved by all as He deserves. To thee, then I consecrate it, such as it is; do thou graciously accept and protect it; not indeed that I may receive the praises of men, but that all who read it may for the future correspond, by their greater devotion and affection, with the tender and excessive love which our most sweet Saviour has been pleased to show us in His Passion, and in the institution of the Most Holy Sacrament. As such, I place it at thy feet, and beseech thee to accept the gift as wholly thine, as also the giver, who has long since placed all his hopes in thee, and wishes and hopes always to call himself, and to rejoice in being, Most gracious Lady,

Thy most loving, though most unworthy servant,

ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI,

Of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

INTRODUCTION.

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FOR THE VISIT TO THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT

Our holy faith teaches us, and we are bound to believe, that in the consecrated Host, Jesus Christ is really present under the species of bread. But we must also understand that He is thus present on our altars as on a throne of love and mercy, to dispense graces, and there to show us the love which He bears us, by being pleased to dwell night and day hidden in the midst of us. It is well known that the Holy Church instituted the Festival of Corpus Christi with a solemn octave, and that she celebrates it with the many usual processions, and such frequent expositions of this Most Holy Sacrament, that men may thereby be moved gratefully to acknowledge and honor this loving presence and dwelling of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, by their devotions, thanksgivings, and the tender affections of their souls. O God! how many insults and outrages has not this amiable Redeemer had, and has He not daily, to endure in this Sacrament on the part of those very men for whose love He remains upon their altars on earth! Of this He indeed complained to His dear servant Sister Margaret Alacoque, as the author of the Book of the Devotion to the Heart of Jesus relates. One day, as she was in prayer before the Most Holy Sacrament, Jesus showed her His Heart on a throne of flames, crowned with thorns, and surmounted by a cross, and thus addressed her: “Behold that Heart which has loved men so much, and which has spared Itself nothing; and has even gone so far as to consume Itself, thereby to show them Its love; but in return the greater part of men only show Me ingratitude, and this by the irreverences, tepidity, sacrileges, and contempt which they offer Me in this sacrament of Love; and that which I feel the most acutely is, that they are hearts consecrated to me.” Jesus then expressed His wish, that the first Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi should be dedicated as a particular festival in honor of His adorable Heart; and that on that day all souls who loved Him should endeavor, by their homage, and by the affections of their souls, to make amends for the insults which men have offered Him in this Sacrament of the Altar; and at the same time He promised abundant graces to all who should thus honour Him.

We can thus understand what our Lord said of old by His prophet, that His delight is to be with the children of men; since He is unable to tear Himself from them, even when they abandon and despise Him. This also shows us how agreeable all those souls are to the Heart of Jesus who frequently visit Him, and remain in His company in the churches in which he is under the sacramental species. He desired St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi to visit Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament thirty-three times a day; and this beloved Spouse of His faithfully obeyed Him, and in all her visits to the altar approached it as near as she possibly could, as we read in her life. But let all those devout souls who often go and spend their time with the Most Blessed Sacrament speak: let them tell us the gifts, the inspirations which they have received, the flames of love which are there enkindled in their souls, the paradise which they enjoy in the presence of this hidden God. The servant of God and great Sicilian missionary-father, Louis La Nusa, was, even in his youth and as a layman, so enamoured of Jesus Christ, that he seemed unable to tear himself from the presence of his beloved Lord; and such were the joys which he there experienced, that his director, having commanded him, in virtue of obedience, not to remain there for more than an hour; when that time had elapsed, he showed in obeying (says the author of his life), that in tearing himself from the bosom of Jesus Christ, he had to do himself just such violence as a child which has to detach itself from its mother’s breast in the very moment in which it is satiating itself with the utmost avidity; and when he had to do this, we are told that he remained standing with his eyes cast on the altar, making repeated inclinations, as if he knew not how to quit his Lord, whose presence was so sweet and gracious to him. St. Aloysius was also forbidden to remain in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament; and as he used to pass before it, finding himself drawn, so to say, by the sweet attractions of his Lord, and almost forced to remain there, he would, with the greatest effort, tear himself away, saying, with an excess of love: Depart from me, O Lord, depart! There it was also that St. Francis Xavier found refreshment in the midst of his many labors in India; for he employed his days in toiling for souls, and his nights in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament. St. John Francis Regis did the same thing: and sometimes finding the church closed, he endeavored to satisfy his longings by remaining on his knees outside the door, exposed to the rain and cold, that at least at a distance he might attend upon his Comforter concealed under the sacramental species. St. Francis of Assisi used to go and communicate all his labors and undertakings to Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament. But tender indeed was the devotion of St. Wenceslaus, duke of Bohemia, to the Most Holy Sacrament. This holy king was so enamoured of Jesus there present, that he not only gathered the wheat and grapes, and made the hosts and wine with his own hands, and then gave them to be used in the Holy Sacrifice, but moreover, he used, even during the winter, to go at night to visit the church in which the Blessed Sacrament was kept; and these visits enkindled in his beautiful soul such flames of Divine love, that their ardour imparted itself even to his body, and took from the snow on which he walked its wonted cold; for it is related, that the servant who accompanied him in there nightly excursions having to walk through the snow, suffered much from the cold. The holy king, on perceiving it, was moved to compassion, and commanded him to follow him, and only to step in his footmarks: he did so, and never afterwards felt the cold.

In the visits you will read other examples of the tender affection with which souls inflamed with the love of God loved to dwell in the presence of the Most Holy Sacrament. But you will find that all the Saints were enamoured of this most sweet devotion; since, indeed, it is impossible to find on earth a more precious gem, or a treasure more worthy of all our love, than Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament. Certainly amongst all devotions, adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament holds the first place, is the most pleasing to God, and the most useful to ourselves. Be not then loth, devout soul, now to begin; and forsaking the conversations of men, dwell each day, from this time forward, for at least half or quarter of an hour, in some church, in the presence of Jesus Christ under the sacramental species. “Taste, and see how sweet is the Lord.” Only try this devotion, and by experience you will see the great benefit that you will derive from it. Be assured that the time you will thus spend with devotion before this Most Divine Sacrament, will be the most profitable to you in life, and the source of your greatest consolations in death and in eternity. You must also be aware, that in a quarter of an hour’s prayer spent in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, you will perhaps gain more than in all the other spiritual exercises of the day. It is true, that in every place God graciously hears the petitions of those who pray to Him, having promised to do so: “Ask, and you shall receive;” yet the disciple tells us that Jesus dispenses His graces in greater abundance to those who visit Him in the Most Holy Sacrament. Blessed Henry Suso used to also say, that Jesus Christ hears the prayers of the faithful more graciously in the Sacrament of the Altar than elsewhere. And where, indeed, did holy souls make their most beautiful resolutions, but prostrate before the Most Holy Sacrament? Who knows but that you also may one day, in the presence of a tabernacle, make the resolution to give yourself entirely to God? In this little book I feel myself bound, at least out of gratitude to my Jesus in the Holy Sacrament to declare, that through the means of this devotion of visiting the Most Blessed Sacrament, which I practiced, though with so much tepidity and in so imperfect an manner, I abandoned the world, in which, for my misfortune, I lived until I was six-and-twenty years of age. Fortunate indeed will you be if you can detach yourself from it at an earlier period, and give yourself without reserve to that Lord who has given Himself without reserve to you. I repeat it, that indeed you will be blessed, not only in eternity, but even in this life. Believe me, all is folly: feasts, theatres, parties, excursions, – these are the pleasures of this world, but pleasures which are filled with bitterness of gall and with sharp thorns. Believe me, who have experienced it, and now weep over it. Be also assured that Jesus Christ finds means to console a soul which remains with a recollected spirit before the Most Blessed Sacrament, far beyond what the world can do with all its feasts and pastimes. Oh, how sweet a joy it is, to remain with faith and tender devotion before an altar, and converse familiarly with Jesus Christ, who is there for the express purpose of listening to and graciously hearing those who pray to Him; to ask His pardon for the displeasures which we have caused Him; to represent our wants to Him, as a friend does to a friend in whom he places all his confidence; to ask Him for His graces, for His love, and for His kingdom; but above all, oh, what a heaven is it there to remain making acts of love towards that Lord who is on the very altar, praying to the Eternal Father for us, and is there burning with love for us; since indeed that love it is which detains Him there, thus hidden and unknown, and when He is even despised by ungrateful souls! But why should we say more? “Taste and see”

And now as to the visits to the Most Blessed Virgin, the opinion of St. Bernard is well known, and generally believed: it is, that God dispenses no graces otherwise than through the hand of Mary: ‘God wills that we should receive nothing which does not pass through Mary’s hands.’ Hence Father Suarez declares that it is now the sentiment of the universal Church, that ‘the intercession of Mary is not only useful, but even necessary to obtain graces.’ And we may remark that the church gives us strong grounds for this belief, by applying the words of the Sacred Scripture to Mary, and making her say: “In me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me” (Ecclus. xxiv. 25). Let all come to me; for I am the hope of all that you can desire. Hence she then adds: “Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors” (Prov. viii. 34). Blessed is he who is diligent in coming every day to the door of my powerful intercession; for by finding me he will find life and eternal salvation: “He that shall find me shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord” (ibid. 35). Hence it is not without reason that the Holy Church wills that we should all call her our common hope, by saluting her saying, ‘Hail, our hope!’

‘Let us then,’ says St. Bernard (who went so far as to call Mary ‘the whole ground of his hope’), ‘seek for graces, and seek them through Mary.’ Otherwise, says St. Antoninus, if we ask for graces without her intercession, we shall be making an effort to fly without wings, and we shall obtain nothing: ‘He who asks without her as his guide, attempts to fly without wings.’

In Father Auriemma’s little book, Affetti Scambievoli, we read of innumerable favors granted by the Mother of God to those who practiced this most profitable devotion of often visiting her in her churches or before some image: we read of the graces which she granted in these visits to Blessed Albert the Great, to the Abbot Rupert, to Father Suarez, especially when she obtained them the gift of understanding, by which they afterwards became so renowned throughout the Church for their great learning; the graces which she granted to the Venerable John Berchmans of the Society of Jesus, who was in the daily habit of visiting Mary in a chapel of the Roman college, and declared that he renounced all earthly love, to love no other after God than the Most Blessed Virgin, and had written at the foot of the image of his beloved Lady: ‘I will never rest until I shall have obtained a tender love for my Mother;’ the graces which she granted to St. Bernardine of Sienna, who in his youth also went every day to visit her in a chapel near the city gate, and declared that that Lady had ravished his heart; hence he called her his beloved, and said that he could not do less than often visit her; by her means he afterwards obtained the grace to renounce the world, and to become what he afterwards was, a great saint and the apostle of Italy.

Do you, then, be also careful always to join to your daily visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament a visit to the most holy Virgin of Mary in some Church, or at least before a devout image of her in your own house. If you do this with tender affection and confidence, you may hope to receive great things from this most gracious Lady, who, as St. Andrew of Crete says, always bestows great gifts on those who offer her even the least act of homage

Mary, Queen of sweetest hope,
Who can e’ver forget thee?
By thy mercy, by thy love,
Have pity, Queen, on me!

ON SPIRITUAL COMMUNION.

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As in all the following visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament a spiritual communion is recommended, it will be well to explain what it is, and the great advantages which result from its practice. A spiritual communion, according to St. Thomas, consists in an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament, and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him. How pleasing these spiritual communions are to God, and the many graces which He bestows through their means, was manifested by our Lord Himself to Sister Paula Maresca, the foundress of the convent of St Catherine of Sienna in Naples, when (as it is related in her life) He showed her two precious vessels, the one of gold, the other of silver; He then told her that in the gold vessel He preserved her sacramental communions, and in the silver one her spiritual communions. He also told Blessed Jane of the Cross, that each time that she communicated spiritually, she received a grace of the same kind as the one which she received when she really communicated. Above all, it will suffice us to know that the holy Council of Trent greatly praises spiritual communions, and encourages the faithful to their practice.

Hence all devout souls are accustomed often to practice this holy exercise of spiritual communion. Blessed Agatha of the Cross did so two hundred times a day. And Father Peter Faber, the first companion of St. Ignatius, used to say that it was of the highest utility to make spiritual communions, in order to receive the sacramental communion well.

All those who desire to advance in the love of Jesus Christ, are exhorted to make a spiritual communion at least once in every visit that they pay to the Most Blessed Sacrament, and at every mass that they hear; and it would even be better on these occasions to repeat the communions three times, that is to say, at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This devotion is far more profitable than some suppose, and at the same time nothing can be easier in practice. The above-named Blessed Jane of the Cross used to say, that a spiritual communion can be made without any one remarking it, without being fasting, without the permission of our director, and that we can make it at any time we please: an act of love does all.

ACT FOR SPIRITUAL COMMUNION.

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

A SHORTER ACT.

I believe that Thou, O Jesus, art in the Most Holy Sacrament! I love Thee and desire Thee! Come into my heart. I embrace Thee; oh, never leave me!

‘May the burning and most sweet power of Thy love, O Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech Thee, absorb my mind, that I may die through love of Thy love, who wast graciously pleased to die through love of my love.’ – St. Francis of Assisi.

‘O Love who are not loved! O Love who are not known!’ – St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi.

‘O my Spouse, when wilt Thou ravish me in Thyself?’ – St. Peter of Alcantara.

Jesus, my good, my sweetest love,
Strike and inflame this heart of mine,
Make it all fire for love of Thee!

Hail to the love of Jesus, our Life, and our All! Hail to Mary, our hope! Amen.

ACTS TO BE MADE BEFORE EACH VISIT TO THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT.

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 which 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: 1. in thanksgiving for this great gift; 2. to make amends to Thee for all the outrages which thou receivedst in this Sacrament from all Thine enemies; 3. I intend by this visit to adore Thee in all the places on earth in which Thou art present in this Sacrament, and which Thou are 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 Thy infinite goodness. I purpose by Thy grace never more to offend Thee for the time to come; and now, miserable and unworthy though I be, 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 prefect 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 the 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.

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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” (St. John 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 Venerable Father John d’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? Rather what is not done there? We love, we ask, we praise, we give thanks. We ask, what does the 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-charged 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 in the midst of us in this Sacrament! Thou hadst to die, that Thou mightest thus dwell amongst us on our altars; and then, how many insults has Thou not had not 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 center Thyself within my heart; close its doors for ever, that henceforward no creature may enter there, 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 in full possess me; and if betimes I no not obey Thee perfectly, chastise me with rigour, that thenceforward I may no longer seek for any other pleasure than that of giving Thee pleasure; that all my pleasure may be to visit Thee often on Thine altars; to entertain myself with Thee, and to receive Thee in the Holy Communion. Let all who will, seek other treasures; the only treasure which I love, the only one which I desire, is that of Thy love; for this alone will I ask at the foot of the altar. Do Thou make me forget myself, that thus I may alone remember Thy goodness. Blessed Seraphim, I envy you, not for your glory, but for the love which you bear to your and my God; oh, do you teach me what I must do to love Him, and to give Him the greatest pleasure.

Ejaculatory Prayer. My Jesus, I will love thee alone.

Then follows the Spiritual Communion, after which the visit should be to the ever blessed Mary, the Mother of God, before some image of her.

VISIT TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.

In our Mother Mary we have another fountain, which is indeed fruitful to 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 fullness we have all received.’ The Most Blessed Virgin Mary was filled by God with grace, and such was saluted by the angel: “Hail, full of grace;” not for herself alone, but also for us. St. Peter Chrysologus adds, that she received that great abyss of grace, that she might then impart it to all who are devout to her: ‘The Blessed Virgin received this grace, that she might give in return salvation to all.”

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

Then is said the following Prayer to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary which should be recited every day after each visit to her, thereby to obtain her most powerful patronage.

Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I have recourse to-day, – I, who am the most miserable of all. I worship thee, O great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces which thou hast hitherto granted me; and especially I thank thee for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I love thee, most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise always to serve thee, and to do all that I can that thou mayest also be loved by others. I place all my hopes in thee, and 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, do thou deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain me strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask the true love of Jesus Christ; through thee I hope to die a good death. My Mother, by the love which thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me always, but especially at the last moment of my life; leave me not until thou seest me safe in heaven, blessing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen.

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Second Visit

The devout Father Nieremberg says, that bread being a food which is consumed by eating, and which keeps when preserved for use, Jesus was pleased to dwell on earth under its species, that He might thus not only be consumed by uniting Himself to the souls of His lovers by the means of the Holy Communion, but also that He might be preserved in the tabernacle, and be present with us, and thus remind us of the love which He bears us. St. Paul says: “He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. ii. 7). But what must we say when we see Him ‘taking the form of bread?’ ‘No tongue would suffice,’ says St. Peter of Alcantara, ‘to proclaim the greatness of the love which Jesus bears to every soul which is in a state of grace; and therefore, in order that His absence might be to them an occasion of forgetting Him, this most sweet Spouse, when He was pleased to quit this life, left as a memorial this Most Blessed Sacrament, in which He Himself remained; He willed not that between these souls and Himself any other pledge but Himself should remain, whereby to keep alive their remembrance of Him.’

Since, then, my Jesus, Thou art enclosed in this tabernacle to receive the supplications of miserable creatures who come to seek an audience of Thee, listen this day to the petition addressed to Thee by the most ungrateful sinner living on earth.

I come repentant to Thy feet; for I now know the evil which I have committed in giving Thee displeasure. My first prayer and desire, then, is, that Thou wilt be pleased to pardon me all the sins which I have committed against Thee. Ah, my God, would that I had never offended Thee! After this I must tell Thee my next desire. Now that I have found out Thy sovereign goodness, I have become enamoured of Thee; I feel an ardent desire to love Thee and to please Thee; but I have not the strength to do this unless Thou helpest me. Manifest, O great Lord, They supreme power, and Thy immense goodness to the whole court of heaven; change me from a great rebel, such as I have hitherto been to Thee, into a great lover of Thee. Thou canst do it, and I know that such is Thy will; supply all that is wanting in me, that thus I may be enabled to love Thee much, – at least that I may love Thee as much as I have offended Thee. I love Thee, my Jesus; I love Thee above all things; I love Thee more than my life, my god, my Love, my All!

Ejac. My God and my All.

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

“Let us go with confidence to the throne of grace: that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid.” Heb. iv. 16

St. Antoninus says, that Mary is this throne, from which God dispenses all graces. O most amiable Queen, since thou hast so great a desire to help sinners, behold a great sinner who has recourse to thee; help me much, and help me without delay!

Ejac. Sole refuge of sinners, have mercy on me. S. Aug.

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Third Visit

“And My delights were to be with the children of men.” Prov. viii. 31.

Behold our Jesus, who, not satisfied with dying on earth for our love, is pleased even after His death to dwell with us in the Most Holy Sacrament, declaring that He finds His delights among men. ‘O men,’ exclaims St. Teresa, ‘how can you offend a God who declares that it is with you that He finds His delights!’ Jesus finds His delights with us; and shall we not find ours with Jesus? And we especially who have had the honour to dwell in His palace? How greatly do those vassals esteem themselves honoured to whom the king assigns an abode in his own residence! Behold the palace of the King; it is this house in which we dwell with Jesus Christ. Let us, then, learn to thank Him for it, and to avail ourselves of conversing with Jesus Christ.

Behold me, then, O my Lord and God, before this altar, on which Thou residest night and day for my sake. Thou art the Source of every good; Thou art the Healer of every ill; Thou art the Treasure of every poor creature. Behold now at Thy feet a sinner, who is of all others the poorest and most infirm, and who asks Thy mercy; have pity upon me! Now that I see Thee in this Sacrament, come down from heaven upon earth only to do me good, I will not be disheartened at the sight of my misery. I praise Thee, I thank thee, I love Thee; and if Thou willest that I should ask Thee for an alms, I will ask for this; O listen to me; I desire never more to offend Thee; and I desire that Thou shouldst give me light and grace to love Thee with all my strength. Lord, I love Thee with my whole soul; I love Thee with all my affections. Do Thou grant that I may thus speak with truth; and that I may speak in the same way during life and for all eternity. Most holy Virgin Mary, my holy patron saints, ye angels, and all ye blessed spirits of paradise, help me to love my most amiable God.

Ejac. O Good Shepherd, true Bread, Jesus, have mercy on us: do Thou feed us; do Thou guard us; do Thou show us good things in the land of the living!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

“Her bands are a healthful binding.” Ecclus. vi. 31.

The devout Pelbart says, that devotion to Mary is a chain of predestination. Let us beseech our sovereign Lady to bind us always more closely by the chains of love to confidence in her protection.

Ejac. O clement, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary!

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Fourth Visit

“Her conversation hath no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness.” Wisd. viii. 16.

Friends on earth find such pleasure in being together, that they lose entire days in each other’s company: with Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, those who love Him not get weary. After her death, St. Teresa who was already in heaven, said to a nun: ‘Those who are in heaven and those who are on earth should be one and the same in purity and in love; we enjoying, and you suffering; and that which we do in heaven with the Divine Essence, you should do on earth with the Most Blessed Sacrament.’ Behold, then, our paradise on earth; – the Most Blessed Sacrament. O immaculate Lamb, sacrificed for us upon the cross, remember that I am one of those souls which Thou hast redeemed by so many sufferings, and by Thy death. Grant that Thou mayest be mine, and that I may never lose Thee, since Thou hast given Thyself to me, and givest Thyself every day, sacrificing Thyself for my love on the altar; and grant that I may be all Thine. I give myself to Thee without reserve, that thou mayest dispose of me as Thou pleasest. I give Thee my will; chain it with the sweet bonds of Thy love, that it may be for ever be the slave of Thy most holy will. I wish no longer to live for the satisfaction of my desires, but only to please Thy goodness. Destroy in me all that does not please Thee; grant me the grace never to have any other thought than to please Thee, any other desire than that which Thou desirest. I love Thee, O my dear Saviour, with my whole heart; I love Thee because Thou desirest that I should love Thee; I love Thee because Thou indeed art worthy of my love I grieve that I love Thee not as much as Thou deservest. I desire, Lord, to die for Thy love; accept my desire, and give me Thy love. Amen.

Ejac. O good pleasure of my God, I sacrifice myself all to Thee!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

Mary says: “I am the Mother of fair love” (Ecclus xxiv. 24); that is to say, she is the Mother of that love wich beautifies souls. St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi saw the Most Blessed Virgin Mary going about dispensing a sweet liquid, which was Divine love. This gift is dispensed only by Mary; from Mary let us seek it.

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Fifth Visit

“The sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself, where she may lay her young ones: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God..” Ps. lxxxiii. 4.

The sparrow, says David, finds a dwelling in houses; turtle-doves in nests; but Thou my King and my God hast made Thyself a nest and found a dwelling on earth on our altars, that we might find Thee, and that Thou mightest dwell amongst us. Lord, we cannot but say, that Thou art too much enamoured of men; Thou no longer knowest what to do to gain their love. But do Thou, my most amiable Jesus, give us the grace that we also may be passionately enamoured of Thee. It would indeed be unreasonable were we cold in our love towards a God who loves us with such affection. Draw us to Thee by the sweet attractions of Thy love; make us understand the endearing claims which Thou hast on our love.

O infinite Majesty and infinite Goodness, Thou lovest men so much, Thou hast done so much that Thou mighest be loved by men: how is it, then, that amongst men there are so few who love Thee? I will no longer be as I have hitherto been, of the unhappy number of those ungrateful creatures; I am resolved to love Thee as much as I can, and to love no other than Thee: thou deservest it; Thou commandest me with so much earnestness to do so, I am resolved to satisfy Thee. Grant, O God of my soul, that I may fully satisfy Thee. I entreat Thee to grant me this favour by the merits of Thy passion, and I confidently hope for it. Bestow the good of the earth on those who desire them; I desire and seek the great treasure of Thy love alone. I love Thee, my Jesus; I love Thee, infinte Goodness; thou art all my riches, my whole satisfaction, my entire love.

Ejac. My Jesus, Thou hast given Thy whole self to me; I give my whole self to Thee!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY

My Lady, St. Bernard calls thee ‘the ravisher of hearts.’ He says, that thou goest about stealing hearts by the charms of thy beauty and goodness. Steal also my heart and will, I beseech thee: I give them wholly to thee; offer them to God with thine own.

Ejac. Mother most amiable, pray for me!

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Sixth Visit

“Where your treasure is, there is your heart be also.” St. Luke xii. 34.

Jesus Christ says, that where a person esteems his treasure to be, there also he keeps his affections. Therefore the saints, who neither esteem nor love any other treasure than Jesus Christ, center their hearts and all their love in the Most Blessed Sacrament. My most amiable Jesus, hidden under the sacramental veils, who for the love which Thou bearest me remainest night and day imprisoned in this tabernacle, draw, I beseech thee, my whole heart to Thee, that I may think of none but Thee, that I may love and seek and hope for Thee alone. Do this by the merits of Thy Passion, through which I seek and hope for it.

Ah, my Sacramental* Lord and Divine Lover, how amiable and tender are the inventions of Thy love to gain the love of souls! O Eternal Word, Thou, in becoming man, wast not satisfied with dying for us; Thou hast also given us this Sacrament as a companion, as food, and as a pledge of heaven. Thou reducest Thyself so as to appear amongst us, at one time as an infant in a stable, at another as a poor man in a workshop, then as a criminal on a gibbet, and now as bread on an altar. Tell me, couldst Thou invent other means to win our love? O infinite Goodness, when shall I really begin to correspond with such refinements of love? Lord, I will only live to love Thee alone. And of what use is life to me, if I do not spend it wholly in loving and pleasing Thee, my beloved Redeemer, who hast poured out Thy whole life for me? And what I have to love, if it is not Thee, who art all beauty, all condescension, all goodness, all loving, all worthy of love? May my soul live only to love Thee; may the sole remembrance of Thy love dissolve my soul with love; may the very names of Crib and Cross, and Sacrament inflame it

* It is almost impossible to give the full force of this original, sacramentato, in English. The word sacramental has been adopted from time to time to avoid the necessity of paraphrasing the expression. Literally translated it is sacramented, which is not English. ED.

with the desire to do great things for Thee, O my Jesus, who hast indeed done and suffered great things for me!

Ejac. Grant, my Lord, that before I die, I may do something for Thee!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

“As a fair olive-tree in the plain.” Ecclus. xxiv. 19.

I am, says Mary, the beautiful olive-tree, from which the oil of mercy always flows. And I stand in the plain, that all may see me, that all may have recourse to me. ‘Remember (let us say in the words of the prayer of St. Bernard), O most compassionate Mary, that is has never been heard of in any age, that anyone having recourse to thy protection was abandoned by thee.’ Most merciful Queen, such a thing was never heard of, that any one having recourse to thy aid was abandoned: I will not be the first unfortunate creature who, having recourse to thee, was abandoned.

Ejac. O Mary, grant me the grace of always to have recourse to thee!

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Seventh Visit

“Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” St. Matt. xxviii. 20.

Thus our loving Shepherd, who has given His life for us who are His sheep, would not separate Himself from us by death. Behold Me, He says, beloved sheep, I am always with you; for you I have remained on earth in this Sacrament; here you find Me whenever you please, to help and console you by My presence; I will not leave you until the end of the world, as long as you are on earth. The Bridegroom, says St. Peter of Alcantara, wished to leave His Bride company, that she might not remain alone during so long an absence; and therefore He left this Sacrament, in which he Himself, the best companion He could leave her, remains.

My sweetest Lord, my most amiable Saviour, I am now visiting Thee on this altar; but Thou returnest me the visit with far other love when Thou enterest my soul in the Holy Communion. Thou art then not only present to me, but Thou becomest my food; Thou unitest and givest Thy whole self to me, so that I can then say with truth, My Jesus, Thou art mow all mine. Since, then, Thou givest Thyself all to me, it is reasonable that I should give myself all to Thee. I am a worm, and Thou art God. O God of Love! O Love of my soul! When shall I find myself all Thine, in deeds, and not only in words? Thou canst do it; by the merits of Thy Blood increase my confidence, that I may at once obtain this grace of Thee, that I may find myself al Thine, and in nothing mine own. Thou graciously hearest, O Lord, the prayers of all; hear now the prayers of a soul who indeed desires really to love Thee. I desire to love Thee with all my strength, I desire to obey Thee in all that Thou willest, without self-interest, without consolations, without reward. I wish to serve Thee through love, only to please thee, only to content Thy heart, which is so passionately enamoured of me. My reward will be to love Thee. O beloved Son of the Eternal Father, take possession of my liberty, of my will, of all I possess, and of my entire self, and give me Thyself. I love Thee, I seek after Thee, I sigh after Thee; I desire Thee, I desire Thee, I desire thee!

Ejac. My Jesus, make me all Thine own!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

O our own most amiable Lady, the whole Church proclaims and salutes thee as ‘our hope!’ Thou, then, who art the hope of all, be also my hope. St. Bernard called thee ‘the whole ground of his hope,’ and said: ‘Let him who despairs hope in thee.’ Thus also will I address thee: My own Mary, thou savest even those who are in despair; in thee I place all my hope.

Ejac. Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me!

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Eighth Visit

To every soul that visits Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, He addresses the words which He said to the Sacred Spouse: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come. [Cant. ii. 10] Thou, O soul, that visitest Me, "arise" from thy miseries; I am here to enrich thee with graces. "Make haste," approach, come near Me; fear not My majesty, which has humbled itself in this Sacrament in order to take away thy fear, and to give thee confidence. "My beloved," thou art no longer My enemy, but My friend; since thou lovest Me and I love thee. "My beautiful one," My grace has made thee fair. "And come," draw near and cast thyself into My arms, and ask Me with the greatest confidence for whatever thou willest.

St. Teresa says that this great king of glory has disguised Himself in the Sacrament under the species of bread, and that He has concealed His majesty to encourage us to approach His Divine Heart with greater confidence. Let us, then, draw near to Jesus with great confidence and affection; let us unite ourselves to Him, and let us ask Him for graces.

O Eternal Word made man, and present for my sake in this Sacrament, what joy should be mine now that I stand in Thy Presence, Who art my God, Who art infinite majesty and infinite goodness, and hast so tender an affection for my soul! Ye souls who love God, wherever you may be, either in Heaven or on earth, love Him for me also. Mary, my Mother, help me to love Him. And Thou, most beloved Lord, make Thyself the object of all my love. Make Thyself the Lord of my entire will; possess my entire self. I consecrate my whole mind to Thee, that it may always be occupied with the thought of Thy goodness; I also consecrate my body to Thee, that it may help me to please Thee: I consecrate my soul to Thee, that it may be all Thine. Would, O beloved of my soul, that all men could know the tenderness of the love which Thou bearest them, that all might live only to honor Thee and to please Thee, as Thou desirest and deservest. Grant that at least I may always live enamoured of Thine infinite beauty. From this day forward my desire is to do all that I can to be pleasing to Thee. I now resolve to abandon everything, be it what it may, as soon as I perceive that it displeases Thee, however much it may cost me, even should it be necessary for this purpose to lose all, or even to lay down my life. Fortunate indeed shall I be, if I lose all to gain Thee, my God, my treasure, my love, my all!

Ejaculatory prayer. Jesus, my love, take all that I have; take full possession of me!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

Whoever is a little one, let him come to me. [Prov. ix. 4] Mary invites all children who need a mother to have recourse to her, as to the most loving of all mothers. The devout Nieremberg says, that the love of all mothers is a shadow in comparison with the love which Mary bears to each one of us. [De Affect. ergo B. V. c. 14] My Mother, mother of my soul, thou who lovest me, and desirest my salvation more than any other after God, O Mother, "show thyself a Mother."

Ejaculatory Prayer. My Mother, grant that I may always remember thee!

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Ninth Visit

St. John says that he saw our Lord girt up with a golden girdle, which supported His breasts: I saw the Son of Man girt about the paps with a golden girdle. [Apoc. i. 12] Thus also is Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar, with His breasts all filled with milk; that is to say, with the graces which, in His mercy, He desires to bestow upon us. And as a mother, whose breasts are overcharged with milk goes about seeking for children who may draw it off, and relieve her of its weight, [St. Francis de Sales, in his treatise The Love of God, B. 1, ch. 15, uses the same comparison in explaining it, to show us that the Divine goodness takes greater pleasure in giving us His graces than we do in receiving them.-----ED.] so also does He call out to us, You shall be carried at the breasts. [Isa. lxvi. 13]

The Venerable Father Alvarez saw Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with his hands filled with graces, and seeking to whom He might dispense them. Of St. Catherine of Sienna it is related, that when she approached the Most Holy Sacrament, she did so precisely with the same loving avidity with which a child flies to its mother's breast.

O most beloved and only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, I know that Thou art the object most worthy of being loved. I desire to love Thee as much as Thou deservest to be loved, or at least as much as a soul can ever desire to love Thee, I fully understand that I, who am a traitor, and so great a rebel to Thy love, deserve not to love Thee, neither do I deserve to approach Thee so near as I now am in this church, but I feel that Thou, for all this, seekest my love; I hear Thee say My son, give Me thy heart. [Prov. xxiii, 26] Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart. [Matt. xxii. 37] I understand that it is for this end that Thou hast spared my life, and not sent me to Hell, that I might be converted and turn all my affections to Thee. Since, then, Thou art pleased that even I should love Thee, oh, yes, my God, I will do so. Behold me: to Thee I yield myself up; I give myself to Thee; I love Thee. O God! all goodness, all love, I choose Thee for the only king and lord of my poor heart. Thou desirest it, and my will is to give it to Thee: it is cold, it is loathsome; but if Thou acceptest it, Thou wilt change it. Change me, my Lord, change me; I no longer have courage to live as I have hitherto done, ungrateful, and with so little love towards Thine infinite goodness, which loves me so much, and deserves an infinite love. Enable me to supply from this day forward i for all the love which I have hitherto failed to bear Thee.

Ejaculatory prayer. My God, my God, I will love Thee, I will love Thee, I will love Thee!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

In all things like to her Son Jesus is His Mother Mary; and as she is the Mother of mercy, she is thrice happy when she helps and consoles the miserable. So great is the desire of this Mother to bestow graces on all, that Bernardine de Bustis says, that "she desires more to do us good, and to impart to us graces, than we can desire to receive them." [Mar. p. 2, s. 5]

Ejaculatory prayer. Hail, our hope!

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Tenth Visit

O foolish ones of the world, says St. Augustine, miserable creatures, where are you going to satisfy your hearts? Come to Jesus; for by Him alone can that pleasure which you seek be bestowed. "Unhappy creatures, whither are you going? The good you seek for comes from Him." [Conf. 1. 4, c. 12] My soul, be not of the number of these foolish ones; seek God alone: "seek for that one good in which are all good things." [Man. c. 34] And if thou desirest soon to find Him, behold, He is close to thee; tell Him what thou desirest, since for this end it is that He is in the ciborium, to console thee, and to grant thy prayer. St. Teresa says that all are not allowed to speak to their king: the most that can be hoped for is to communicate with him through a third person. To converse with Thee, O King of glory, no third person is needed; Thou art always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire Thee always find Thee there, and converse with Thee face to face. And even if anyone at length succeeds in speaking with a king, how many difficulties has he had to overcome before he can do so! Kings grant audiences only a few times in the year; but Thou, in this Sacrament, grantest audience to all night and day, and whenever we please.

O Sacrament of love, Thou who, whether Thou givest Thyself in the Communion, or dwellest on the Altar, knowest, by the tender attractions of Thy love, how to draw so many hearts to Thyself, who, enamoured of Thee, and filled with amazement at the sight of such love, burn with joy, and think always of Thee; draw also my miserable heart to Thyself; for it desires to love Thee, and to live enslaved by Thy love. For my part, I now and henceforward place all my interests, all my hopes, and all my affections, my soul, my body,-----I place all in the hands of Thy goodness. Accept me, O Lord, and dispose of me as Thou pleasest. I will never again complain, O my love, of Thy holy dispensations; I know that, as they all take their source in Thy loving heart, they all will be full of love, and for my good. It is enough for me to know that Thou willest them; I will them also in time and in eternity. Do all that Thou willest in me and with me; I unite my entire self to Thy will, which is all holy, all good, all beautiful, all perfect, all loving. O will of my God, how dear art Thou to me! My will is ever to live and die united to and bound up with Thee. Thy pleasure is my pleasure. I will that Thy desires shall also be my desires. My God, my God, help me; make me henceforward live for Thee alone; make me will only what Thou willest, and make me live only to love Thy amiable will. Grant that I may die for Thy love, since Thou hast died and become food for me. I curse those days in which I did my own will, so much to Thy displeasure. I love thee, O will of God, as much aa I love God, since Thou art one with Him. I love Thee, then, with my whole heart, and give myself all to Thee.

Ejaculatory prayer. O will of God, thou art my love!

Spiritual Communion.

VISIT TO MARY.

The great Queen says, With me are riches . . . that I may enrich them that love me. [Prov. xviii. 8] Let us love Mary, if we would be rich in graces. The writer who calls himself "the Idiot" styles her "the treasurer of graces." [Cont. de V. M. c. i] Blessed is he who has recourse to Mary with love and confidence. My Mother, my hope, thou canst make me a Saint; from thee I hope for this favor.

Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

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