by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. [E.D.M.] With Eccles. Appr., 1949, Portugal TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS Chapter  6 AFTER HIS ASCENSION Before leaving us, Our Lord promised that though in Heaven He would still be with us here below. His last words were, "My peace I leave you, My peace I give you, a peace that the world cannot give, a peace that surpasses all comprehension." Fulfilling this promise, He has ever continued to give us proofs of His tender love. Not only does He protect His Church from her enemies, but He appears frequently to His Saints, manifesting the most intimate love for them. We read in the life of St. Anthony how Jesus appeared to the Saint in the form of the Divine Child and most lovingly caressed him and allowed Anthony to caress Him in return. His intimacy with St. Rose of Lima was perhaps more touching. He appeared to her constantly, and when He delayed the hour of His visit, the Saint, who enjoyed the visible presence of her Guardian Angel, bade the Angel fly to Heaven and tell Jesus that her heart was burning with love and that she could wait no longer for His visit. The Divine Child with loving condescension came at once in answer to her message. He was wont to call her "Rose of My Heart." St. Catherine of Siena was still more honored by Our Lord. He appeared to her frequently and recited the Divine Office with her. He took out her heart and replaced it by His Own Sacred Heart, that thenceforward she might love Him, not with her heart, but with His Divine Heart. Appearing to her on another occasion, in company of His Blessed Mother and the Saints, He made her His spouse and placed a ring on her finger, which she retained ever after. "Catherine," He said, "think of Me and I will think of thee." As a crowning favor, He gave her the marks of His Five Wounds on her hands and feet and side. St. Agnes of Montepulciano received the most wonderful graces, even from her tenderest years, and so wise and prudent did she become that at the age of twelve she became prioress of her convent by order of the Pope. Our Blessed Lady placed in her arms the Child Jesus, who treated her with the most intimate affection, allowing her to detach from His neck a little gold chain and medal, which she made her own. St. Teresa of Jesus once saw the Child Jesus in her convent, who asked her: "Who are you?" The Saint replied, "I am Teresa of Jesus." "Oh! then." said Our Lord, "I am Jesus of Teresa." We might multiply indefinitely similar incidents, did our space allow. We mention these few to show what kind of love God has for us and what kind of love He wishes us to give to Him. He is not content with our service, our adoration; He asks us, above all, for our love, He asks us to love Him with all our heart and soul, with all our strength and mind. These proofs of love, one may urge, God gave to the Saints, but not to us. We dare not hope for such intimate proofs of love. That is a wrong inference. He gave these proofs of love to the Saints, not only for their sakes but to show us also how loving, how tender He is. HE HAS DONE EVEN GREATER THINGS FOR US But why complain? Our Lord has given each of us proofs of love as great and greater than those visible favors just mentioned, which He gave to the Saints. Does He not come to us daily in Holy Communion, if we allow Him? He, the great Creator of Heaven and Earth, comes, not into our arms or into our rooms, but into our very souls. He not only comes, but He comes with infinite love. He unites Himself to us so intimately that He, the great God, becomes one with us. Did He fold us in His arms and press us to His bosom, it would be much less than when He unites Himself to our souls in Communion. He does not come for a moment; He stays in our souls as long as the Sacred Host retains the appearances of bread. Strange blindness of many Catholics who receive Communion and who do not enjoy it! As Martha and Mary longed for the visits of Jesus to their home in Bethany, as St. Rose longed for the visits of the Divine Child, so should we long for the visit of Jesus in Holy Communion and enjoy it. He is in our souls as really and truly as He is in Heaven. What will He not give us in these precious moments if only we ask Him? He is not only in our souls, He is there with infinite love. He pours out His graces on us with infinite generosity. We eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. Our souls are bathed, purified, strengthened by this Precious Blood, the same Blood that flowed for us on Calvary. Oh, if Christians only understood the wonders of Holy Communion, they would not complain that God has not given them as intimate, personal proofs of His love as He gave to the Saints! The glorious Angels themselves, were they capable of jealousy, would envy us the wondrous grace of Holy Communion. These great Angels do not receive God as we do, but stand around us gazing with ineffable love as Jesus enters our hearts. As long as He remains in our souls, they adore and bless and praise Him in an ecstasy of delight. They see here something that they do not see in Heaven itself. Oh, that we understood the unspeakable grace of Holy Communion! All Eternity will not be sufficient to thank God even for one Holy Communion. What more could God do for us than come into our souls and make Himself one with us! What more could He do than give us His Flesh to eat and His Blood to drink. Holy Communion thus made will make us Saints. JESUS ON OUR ALTARS And, as if that were not enough, He remains on the Altar, waiting for our visits, ready to console and comfort us, ready to pardon the most depraved sinner, even as He pardoned the Publican in the Temple, to give help and strength to the weak, to comfort the sad, to console the sorrowful. This Sacrament is indeed a Sacrament of peace and love. Here Our Lord is on a throne of Mercy, continuing the work of His life on Earth, but-----dare we say it-----in a more merciful way. When on Earth, He was in one land; only the people of that land could hope to approach Him. In the Blessed Eucharist, He is in all lands, in all cities and towns, even in the deserts, wherever a Catholic missionary is found. He is really and truly present; He sees us distinctly; He hears us; He loves us. He is waiting, longing for our visits. A few incidents of recent occurrence will show us how really Our Lord is on the Altar. A Protestant Minister in England was taking a walk with his little daughter, six years old. They entered a Catholic church, where the minister explained to his little girl the meaning of the Way of the Cross and other objects of note in the church. The little one, attracted by the red lamp burning before the Tabernacle, asked what that meant. Her father replied that it was to show that Jesus was in the Tabernacle. "Jesus!" she exclaimed. "Our Jesus, the Son of God?" "Yes, dear." The child was deeply impressed. Even after, when walking with her father or mother, she insisted on going into a Catholic church to see the lamp and to visit Jesus. Wonderful visits! Our Lord was speaking to their hearts. After six months the child with her father and mother became fervent Catholics. In London, two girlfriends, one a Catholic and the other a Protestant, went shopping. Passing a church, the Catholic said goodbye to her friend, as she wished to assist at Benediction. The Protestant, however, entered the church to wait. She remained standing, looking about. It was the first time she had been in a Catholic church. When, however, the priest placed the Monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar, she instinctively fell on her knees and folded her hands on her breast, gazing at the Sacred Host. On leaving the church, to the surprise of her friend, she asked to be introduced to the priest. She wished to become a Catholic, though never before had she thought of it. A Protestant young man fell in love with a Catholic girl, but after some time, as he refused to become a Catholic, she declared that she could not marry him, though she loved and respected him very much. She begged him to consider the affair ended and asked him not to write to her again. Broken-hearted, the young man took his annual holiday and went off to a country village to try to forget his grief. The hotel in which he stayed was near the Catholic church, and he could see from his room the Tabernacle lamp. The lamp became a fascination for him; sitting at his table, his eyes invariably turned toward it. It became an obsession. He asked the servant who had charge of his room what that red lamp meant. Smiling, she answered, "It is the red lamp that burns before the Blessed Sacrament." The obsession continued, and finally he resolved to enter the church and see it for himself. On entering the church, great was his surprise to come face to face with the girl whom he had so wished to marry. "What has brought you here?" he exclaimed. "I came," she answered, "to nurse my aunt, who is ill." "And what," she asked in turn, "brought you into this Catholic church, you who refused to think of becoming a Catholic?" He told her simply that the red lamp, which he could see from his room in the hotel, fascinated him and he had to come to see it. "Then continue." she said, "Our Lord Himself is calling you." He did so and gradually his doubts and dislikes for the Church cleared away and he became a fervent Catholic and the happy husband of the girl he loved. STILL ANOTHER INCIDENT A gentleman and his wife, both staunch Protestants, had a business transaction with the priest in whose parish they lived. Unfortunately the settlement of this affair caused annoyance to both parties, and the Protestants became more embittered than ever against the Catholic Church. Some time elapsed, and the lady happened to be passing the church. Feeling tired, she went in to rest. She remained for twenty minutes, enjoying the calm and silence and looking at the High Altar. This visit was repeated frequently, at first merely with the wish to rest, but gradually this gave way to a feeling of pleasure and peace. A few months passed and both husband and wife became Catholics! If then Our Sweet Lord works so wonderfully on those souls who did not even pray to Him, what will He not do for those who pray fervently to Him? As we get warmth and comfort when we approach a blazing fire in the wintertime, even so, our poor cold hearts are filled with the fire of love when we kneel lovingly before Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar. He is the same God Who in Heaven fills the Angels with love. Here in the Blessed Sacrament He is on a throne of mercy and wishes to fill our poor souls with peace and joy. We are in the midst of Angels, who stand around the Altar praying with us and for us. Our Lord has many times shown Himself in the Blessed Sacrament to help our faith. We will mention just one fact. Thomas of Canimbre, the celebrated Dominican Bishop, famed for his profound learning and deep piety, describes a miracle which he himself witnessed in company with many others. Having heard that Our Lord had appeared visibly in a consecrated Host in the Church of St. Amand in Douay, he immediately hastened thither and begged the priest to open the Tabernacle and expose the Sacred Particle. Many persons flocked to the church on learning of the Bishop's arrival and were privileged to see the miracle once more. The Bishop tells us what he himself saw: "I saw my Lord face to face. His eyes were clear and had an expression of wondrous love. His hair was abundant and floated on His shoulders; His beard was long, His forehead broad and high; His cheeks were pale, and His head slightly inclined. At the sight of my loving Lord, my heart well-nigh burst with joy and love. After a little time Our Lord's face assumed an expression of profound sadness, such as it must have worn in the Passion. He was crowned with thorns and His face bathed in blood. On looking on the countenance of my Sweet Saviour thus changed, my heart was pierced with bitter grief; tears flowed from my eyes, and I seemed to feel the points of the thorns enter my head." Though we do not see Our Dear Lord as the Bishop did, He is there on the Altar, the same loving Lord. MY LORD AND MY GOD Oh, how we all should like to speak to the good God, the God of peace and love, the God of infinite mercy and compassion! We should like to speak to Him, as Peter and James and John did. We should like to gaze on Him, as did the multitudes who thronged around Him in Judea, who looked into His face, who heard the wondrous words of love that fell from His lips and sank into their hearts like a heavenly balsam. Wonder of wonders, all this we can do if only we have a living, understanding, undoubting faith in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus is on the Altar as really and truly as He is in Heaven, as really and truly as He was on Earth, the self-same God of infinite mercy and love. He is waiting for us, for you and for me. Let us go in and kneel at His feet and speak to Him in the Tabernacle. Contact Us HOME-------------------------PRAYER INDEX-----------CATHOLIC CLASSICS www.catholictradition.org/Classics/saint-ch6.htm