Meditation for Easter Monday (04/06/26)

Prayer Before and Prayer After

 

MEDITATION FOR EASTER MONDAY

JESUS APPEARS TO THE TWO DISCIPLES GOING TO EMMAUS

“And behold, two of them went the same day to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus Himself also drawing near, went with them. But their eyes were held, that they should not know Him” (Luke 24, 13–16).

First Prelude: Picture the two disciples, troubled and sad, on their way to Emmaus. Behold, Jesus, the risen Saviour, Who joins them though they do not recognize Him.

Second Prelude: O my beloved Saviour, let me be ever mindful that Thou wilt be my companion on this earthly pilgrimage and that Thy merciful Heart is always open to humble confidence.

FIRST POINT

THE TWO DISCIPLES LEAVE JERUSALEM

According to the words of the gospel, the two disciples had been brought to waver in the faith by the terrible incidents of the preceding days. Their souls were flooded with grief. Then, too, they were troubled by doubt in the long desired redemption, because He Who should accomplish it had died the shameful death of the cross. In their grief, they even discredited the pious women and the Apostles, who testified to the resurrection of the Lord. In their estimation, Jesus was no longer the promised Messiah, but only a prophet. Their confidence, too, was shaken, as we infer from their words: “But we hoped that it was He that should redeem Israel; and now besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done” (Luke 24, 21). Oh, how weak and insufficient to resist temptation is virtue, if not firmly rooted, if not sought for in its proper source!

The disciples had forsaken the company of the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles, to seek comfort in a stroll to Emmaus. It was their fortune that in thought, at least, they were occupied with their Divine Master. In answer to the question: “What are these discourses that you hold one with another?” they could say that they were discoursing on His passion and death. Love, at least, had not wholly died out in their hearts, and could therefore more quickly rekindle in conversation with the Saviour. Are we not often guilty of similar faults? Do not we easily become discouraged and disheartened when God hesitates to grant our petitions, or to realize our hopes and expectations? It seems impossible for us to abide the Lord’s own good time. Forgetting that true consolation is to be found in God alone, and not in creatures, we become dismayed and drift away from God, the source of all graces, Who is ever ready to console, to protect, to encourage and strengthen us on our earthly pilgrimage. Let us, therefore, entrust ourselves to the Saviour gloriously risen, Who will replenish our hearts with peace and heavenly bliss.

SECOND POINT

THE LOVE OF JESUS FOR HIS DISCIPLES

How touching is the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus here manifested! While the two disciples, dejected and sad, were discussing intently the recent occurrences, they were suddenly joined by the Saviour, Who addressed them lovingly. He asked them the subject of their conversation, to afford them an opportunity of pouring out their hearts! Oh, that in all our cares and anxieties we would, with child-like simplicity, unburden our heart to our beloved Saviour! What peace should then be ours! Though He knows our wants and needs, and divines our most secret thoughts, Jesus takes pleasure in the humble avowal of our faults and weaknesses, seeing as He does in it a mark of our confidence and trust. Like a good father, who never tires of listening to His dear children, Jesus feels Himself constrained to help, to encourage, and constantly to bestow upon us new proofs of His affection. How loving and affable is not our Blessed Lord in imparting grace to the two disciples and revealing to them the goodness of His Heart! He joins them as a casual traveler, speaks with them as though one of their kind, and unmindful of their being only two, entertains Himself at length with them. Does not such love reveal His concern for the salvation of each individual soul?

Admire the goodness of our Divine Lord in utilizing every opportunity to render souls receptive for His grace. How often, alas, do we misconstrue the designs of Jesus! Wholly unmindful of the nearness of our amiable Consoler, Who withholds His marks of special favor to confirm our faith and our fidelity, we frequently yield to melancholy and despondency. Oh, let us surrender ourselves unreservedly to our Divine Saviour! Let us consider tribulations as welcome means to come closer to Him! What consolation, encouragement and fortitude should then be our support and stay on the pilgrimage of this mortal life! With what assurance should we then look forward to the reward of eternal glory, which Christ has merited for us by His bitter passion and death!

Affections: O my Saviour, how weak and inconstant is my heart! I am so easily discouraged at sight of difficulties I meet in the discharge of my duties. Is it not due to a lack of faith in Thy divine promises, a lack of confidence in Thy supreme power, Thy unbounded love and mercy? Strengthen me, O Jesus, I pray Thee by Thy glorious resurrection. Let me ever be mindful of Thy holy presence, that I may despise the vain consolation of creatures, and in all reverses have recourse to Thee, my Comforter, my most loving Father. Thus I may become worthy to find in Thee my salvation, my happiness, my peace on this pilgrimage through life, and be vouchsafed the happiness of possessing Thee in never-ending bliss.

Resolution: I will remain in the presence of my risen Saviour by silence and recollection, and in all difficulties have recourse to Him.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Jesus Himself also drawing near, went with them.”

Prayer: Soul of Christ . . .

 

Meditation for Easter Sunday (04/05/26)

Prayer Before and Prayer After

 

MEDITATION FOR EASTER SUNDAY

THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD

“And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror and became as dead men” (Matt. 28, 2-4).

First Prelude: Behold Jesus, rising gloriously from the tomb.

Second Prelude: Adorable Conqueror, I rejoice in Thy glorious resurrection. Replenish my heart with love and exultation and render me worthy to participate in the fruits of Thy glorious triumph.

First Point

THE GLORY OF THE RISEN SAVIOUR

“The Lord is risen! Alleluja!” This is the glad tidings announced by the angels on Easter morn. Jesus, our beloved Redeemer, Whose bitter passion filled us with grief and sorrow, has returned to life, to die no more. Having conquered death and all His enemies, He now enjoys inexpressible glory in His holy Humanity. A great mystery was enacted on that hallowed Easter morn. In the company of all the holy souls of the Old Testament, who were to witness His resurrection, the glorified soul of Jesus appeared and reunited Itself with His sacred Body, covered with blood and wounds, until then lying in the tomb. What a sudden transformation! With wondrous majesty, arrayed with all the magnificence of heavenly glory, the Lord of life raises Himself from the grave. His sacred wounds, but a moment ago eliciting sympathy and compassion, are now translucent and brilliant! In place of the crown of thorns, a diadem of immortal splendor rests upon His sacred head. How lovely is now the once so shamefully disfigured sacred countenance! His eyes are aglow with heavenly joy, His features radiate a holy peace and inexpressible delight. This transformation was but the work of one moment. Earth trembled as if to celebrate, with awe, the resurrection of her Creator. An angel descended from heaven, his countenance radiant with heavenly lustre, his garments white as snow. He rolled back the stone from the entrance to the grave and sat thereon. The guards, terrified and blinded by the splendor issuing from the opened cavern, fell senseless to the ground.

Rejoice, O my soul, in the glorious victory of your risen Saviour. If, as a true spouse of the Crucified, you have shared in His sufferings; if the ignominy and the contemptuous treatment accorded Him filled your heart with compassion and sorrow, then, now, participate in the joy of His glorious triumph. Behold, your truest Friend, your dearest Father, your King, your Lord and God, has risen again. He will live and reign for all eternity! Is my love the love of exquisite delight, peculiar to the true friends and faithful followers of Christ who rejoice in the marvelous glory of the risen Lord?

Second Point

THE JOY OF HOLY CHURCH ON THIS GLORIOUS FESTIVAL

“This is the day the Lord hath made! Let us rejoice and be glad! Alleluja!” With these words Holy Mother Church exhorts us to rejoice and exult in the resurrection of her Divine Bridegroom. He is risen, she tells us, in the Mass and in the divine office. Yes, He is risen! The Lion of the tribe of Juda has conquered, Alleluja! The heavenly Father has given Him all power in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Let us rejoice and be glad! May the joy of this great festival expand our heart! Holy Church by her example, invites us to praise and exultation. She has put off her garment of mourning and donned her costliest festal attire,—her lamentations have ceased and ever and anon, she pours forth her joy in the canticle: “Alleluja! Christ is risen from the dead!”

O Mystery of joy and consolation, foundation of our faith and our hope! Thou teachest us that victory and glory will be the end of all sufferings endured for love of Christ. We will, to-day, open our hearts to the great expectations embodied in the resurrection of our Divine Saviour, and seek to become wholly imbued with that true, spiritual joy, which tends to our growth in holiness. Replenished with this holy joy, we shall find all things easy. Irksome labor and heavy crosses shall then be our delight, while we shall run with alacrity on the way of perfection, forgetting with St. Paul, what we have already achieved and thinking only of that which is yet before us. When oppressed by the hardships of daily life, let us recall the words of St. Paul: “The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8, 18). Have I not often experienced that fidelity in little things, perseverance in the combat of my passions and in the exercise of virtue, have elicited new energy and spiritual joy? Which sacrifice must I make today in order to render my heart receptive for the graces that the Saviour desires to bestow on me so abundantly on this glorious festival?

Affections: O holy, truly blessed day of my beloved Saviour’s glorious resurrection! What exquisite joy and delight are mine in Thy glorious triumph! It is my sweetest consolation to know that Thou, dear Lord, hast no more to suffer, and now rejoicest in Thy inexpressible glory and exultation. O almighty Conqueror of death and hell, complete the work of Thy grace in me, let me participate in the glorious life to which Thou invitest me in the mystery of this day. O Jesus, Who didst clothe in glory and splendor that Body which had been the victim of the cruelty of man, give me grace to die to myself that I may rise again with Thee, and after Thy likeness lead a new, divine, immortal life, worthy of an all-surpassing, everlasting glory! O holy Virgin, by thy glorified Son, obtain for us the grace to rise after our death to the eternal glory of paradise.

Resolution: Animated with holy joy, I will today contemplate the radiant beauty of my risen Saviour, and resolve anew to lead a life of fervor and love.

Spiritual Bouquet: “This is the day the Lord hath made! Let us rejoice and be glad! Alleluja!”

O Queen of Heaven, rejoice! 

V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Meditation for Holy Saturday 04/04/26

Prayer Before and Prayer After

 

MEDITATION FOR HOLY SATURDAY

JESUS IS LAID IN THE SEPULCHRE

“And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave leave. He came, therefore, and took away the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pounds. They took, therefore, the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths, with the spices, as it is the custom with the Jews to bury. Now there was in the place where He was crucified, a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein no man yet had been laid. There, therefore, because of the parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus, because the sepulchre was nigh at hand” (John 19, 38–42).

First Prelude: Behold the Blessed Virgin and the disciples, reverently preparing the Body of Christ for the sepulchre.

Second Prelude: O my beloved Saviour, grant me grace to prepare for Thee an agreeable resting-place in my heart, and to love, esteem and practice the interior, hidden life.

FIRST POINT

THE SACRED BODY OF JESUS IS PREPARED FOR THE SEPULCHRE

At the death of Jesus, a great change was wrought. In life, He had not whereon to lay His head; in His passion, He was denied a drop of water to allay His thirst; but hardly had He expired, than He no longer lacked the love and sympathy of His own, neither the faithful service of His disciples, nor the honor of a respectable grave. Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped His sacred Body in costly linens; pious women brought aromatic balsam and precious ointments, and tired not in manifesting their love and veneration for the sacred Body. Well might we envy the holy women their happiness in being permitted to bestow their loving services on our Blessed Lord! But are we not more privileged than were these holy women? Does not the Body of our dear Lord repose in the Tabernacle as in a grave? Yes, here we have His sacred Body and His holy Soul in all the glory of His resurrection. Here, too, loving hearts render Him the tenderest service, frequently visit and console Him in His Eucharistic grave, and offer Him loving sympathy, as did the friends of our Lord of old. Holy Church procures the best, the costliest and most precious that earth can produce, gold and precious gems, for the adornment of His holy sepulchre, and incessantly pays homage to her glorified Saviour in hymns of praise, love, adoration and thanksgiving. Of the Tabernacle, also, the words of the prophet were spoken: “His sepulchre shall be glorious” (Is. 11, 10).

Let us bring the most precious ointments to the tomb of our dear Lord and rejoice in being able to testify our love by self-immolation and the practice of every virtue. Let us unite our poor prayers and canticles of praise with those of the angels, who form a continuous guard of honor before the holy sepulchre. As Mary, who, though compelled to retire from the grave, remained in spirit, so will we persevere in the company of our dear Lord with all the love of which our hearts are capable, while discharging external duties. Through such interior union with our Divine Saviour, our hearts will become worthy abodes, glorious sepulchres for our Divine Bridegroom, and we will be made worthy to participate in the special graces of His glorious resurrection. Let us beg the Sorrowful Mother to teach us how to show our love, our fidelity, our gratitude to Jesus and to surrender ourselves wholly to Him.

SECOND POINT

OUR LIFE SHOULD BE HIDDEN IN CHRIST

In imitation of our Blessed Mother of God, interior souls desire to follow Jesus on the Way of the Cross, and to die spiritually with Him. They either choose His adorable Heart for their grave, or they pray Jesus to take up His abode in their heart. This was the pious practice of St. Gertrude, whom Jesus assured that He would seal the doors of her senses and put on guard sentiments of a holy fear and love, to defend her against the attacks of all inordinate inclinations. Let us strive more and more to die to the world and to live solely for Jesus. We will endeavor to curb our evil tendencies, to lead a life opposed to nature, and thus tend to intimate union with Christ. What happiness and what peace will be the portion of souls who have conceived the value of such a union! They desire to be seen by God alone, known by Him alone, guided by Him alone, and rewarded solely by Him. Desirous of concealing their actions from the eyes of men, they communicate with the world only in so far as obedience and the honor of God demand it. Mindful of danger, they place a guard upon their eyes and restrain them even in lawful things. They desire no knowledge but to advance in perfection, and, far from all thoughtlessness, are saving of their words. They rejoice when lowly, apparently insignificant tasks are assigned them, which afford them opportunity, by the exercise of humility and self-denial, for closer union with God. Thus, as it were, their heart is a new grave in which no other love reigns than the love of Jesus.

O hidden life, how lavishly do you endow the soul with graces, and how preeminently are you a foretaste of the life of future glory! How powerfully do you put to naught the works of death, and remove our faults and imperfections! Do I tolerate in my heart any other inclination than the love of God? Am I solicitous to conceal my actions from the eyes of the world, that they may be the more pleasing to God?

Affections: O blessed sepulchre, worthy of all veneration and esteem, let me enter thee with pious reverence, devotion, and love. O my beloved Saviour, I pray Thee, transform my heart and make of it an agreeable and holy resting place for Thee. Teach me to die to self that I may rest with Thee in the grave of recollection, silence and seclusion. With all my heart, I will love the silence and repose of the Tabernacle, wherein Thou dwellest, as once in the sepulchre, hidden from the eyes of men. I will deposit at Thy feet every victory achieved over my evil tendencies and corrupt nature, and entreat Thee to renew and confirm more and more, through every Holy Communion, the new life of grace and love within my heart. My dear Mother of Dolors, let me share thy sorrow and thy love, that like thee, dead to all things, I may live solely in Jesus, with Jesus, and for Jesus.

Resolution: In close union with my holy Mother, I will prepare in silence and holy recollection for the glorious feast of the resurrection of our Blessed Lord.

Spiritual Bouquet: “You are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Prayer: Soul of Christ. . .

 

Meditation for Good Friday 04/03/26

Prayer Before and Prayer After

Meditation for Good Friday – The Death of Jesus

“Jesus therefore, when He had taken the vinegar, said: ‘It is consummated’ and bowing His head, He gave up the Ghost” (John 19, 30).

First Prelude: In spirit ascend the heights of Calvary and reverently remain at the foot of the cross, whereon our Blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ, dies for love of us.

Second Prelude: O my crucified Saviour, Who didst die for love of me, grant that, through the merits of Thy precious death, I may die to self, and live henceforth only in Thee and for Thee.

In the gospel narrative we read: “Having tasted the vinegar, He said: ‘It is consummated’ and thereupon He bowed His head and gave up the Ghost” (John 19, 30). Oh, marvelous death of the God-Man! The Saviour died of His own free will for love of us! For, though the torments He suffered were more than sufficient to deprive Him of life, nevertheless, death should have been powerless over Him Who holds in His hands the keys of life and death, had not love deprived Him of life. The prophet had foretold of Him: “He was offered because it was His own will, and He opened not His mouth; He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before His shearer, and He shall not open His mouth” (Is. 53, 7). His death was a holocaust of the purest love, which He offered to His heavenly Father for our redemption. Contemplating our Divine Saviour on the cross, let us seek to penetrate His forgiving and merciful Heart, and we shall find therein nothing but love. Love took His very life away; His passion breathes love, speaks the language of love. His holy lips are sealed, but His outstretched arms, His wounds, His lovingly-inclined head, speak louder than words: “I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd giveth His life for His sheep” (John 10, 11). In union with Mary, with the beloved disciple, and the pious women, let us embrace the foot of the cross, the tree of salvation, and adore the Eternal Son, Who immolated Himself to the Father for our redemption—the Innocent Lamb Who takes away the sins of the world. Let us beseech our Divine Saviour, bleeding for love of us, for the grace to die for love of Him; to die to our evil habits, to our sensual desires, to pride, to self-will, to levity and dissipation, and to all that opposes His love in our hearts. Let us humbly offer the passion and death of our Lord and God to the heavenly Father through the hands of the Mother of Dolors, for the conversion of sinners and for the salvation of the whole world. By the Precious Blood flowing copiously from the cross, let us beg for a love, strong as death, which recoils from no sacrifice, that thus strengthened we may persevere on the cross of our religious vows until death.

How do I account for my lack of love? Is it not due to my neglect to ponder sufficiently the love of the Crucified? Having considered His painful sufferings, His boundless love, can I ever again refuse my dear Lord a sacrifice?

Not satisfied with having suffered and died, Jesus, in His infinite love, desired to have His Sacred Heart opened, that in life and in death we might conceal ourselves therein as in a secure fortress. The fire of His love should melt our icy hearts. In His Sacred Heart, we should find not only sufficient grace, but an abundance of all the graces which we desire, protection in all temptations, consolation in distress, encouragement and strength in all our sufferings and afflictions. With what confidence should we then approach the throne of grace and heed the sweetly penetrating words of our dear Saviour: “Come to Me all ye that labor and are burdened and I will refresh you” (Matt. 11, 28). Our hearts have need to love and be loved; here we find a Heart that is ever good and true, Whose love is constant, shedding even the last drop of blood to draw our icy hearts close to His loving Heart. On this great day of love let us offer Him our heart in return. Many a time we have given it to Him, but how often have we not reclaimed it wholly or in part, and sullied it by our infidelity! Penetrated with the most profound sentiments of contrition and love, let us, at last, surrender it irrevocably to Him Who will not despise a humble and contrite heart.

By what sacrifice will I prove my gratitude to Jesus for having suffered His sacred side to be opened for me?

Affections: O my Divine Saviour, obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross, Thou hast achieved on the sacrificial altar of Thy love the sacrifice whereby Thou didst merit eternal life for my soul. What couldst Thou have done more for me, to impress me with the terrible malice of sin, but also with the astounding greatness of Thy divine love and mercy? Embracing Thy holy cross, dear Lord, I detest and repent of all my sins. By the merits of Thy saving death, by every drop of Thy Precious Blood, give me the grace to die to myself and all my evil inclinations, and to live in future for Thee alone as a victim of immolation. Wound my heart with the love that opened Thine, O my beloved Saviour, and let the Blood and water from the sacred wound in Thy side flow upon my soul, and be my salvation and my consolation. O sacred Blood, that flowed so copiously on Calvary’s height, cleanse all sinners that they may love Thee.

Resolution: With tender love and gratitude, I will frequently contemplate my crucified Saviour and renew the sacrifice of the complete abandonment of my entire being.

Spiritual Bouquet: “He was obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross.”

Prayer: Soul of Christ. . .

 

Meditation for Holy Thursday 04/02/26

Prayer Before and Prayer After

Meditation for Thursday

The Washing of the Feet and Institution of the Blessed Eucharist

“And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke and gave to His disciples, and said: ‘Take ye and eat. This is My Body.’ And taking the chalice, He gave thanks and gave to them, saying: ‘Drink ye all of this. For this is My Blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins. And I say to you, I will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it with you anew in the kingdom of My Father.’ And a hymn being said, they went out unto Mount Olivet” (Matt. 26, 26–30).

First Prelude: In spirit enter the Cenacle, contemplate Jesus humbly washing the feet of His disciples, and hear from His adorable lips the sacred words which constitute the most wonderful proof of His infinite love.

Second Prelude: Give me grace, O Jesus, to understand Thy inexpressible love, that I may love Thee in return from the depths of my heart, and show my love for Thee by profound humility.

First Point

Jesus Sets Us the Example of the Most Profound Humility

What a touching spectacle,—Jesus kneeling down before His Apostles,—even before Judas,—and washing their feet! Consider, my soul, Who performs such a lowly service, usually imposed upon the meanest slaves and servants. The Incarnate God, the well-beloved Son of the heavenly Father, of whom St. John speaks on this occasion: “Knowing that the Father hath given Him all things into His hands and that He came from God and goeth to God” (John 13, 3), arises to wash the feet of His Apostles. With what reverence and devotion, with what astonishment may the angels, who assisted invisibly, have contemplated this affecting scene! We, too, will admire the most profound abasement of our Divine Saviour; and in spirit kneel at His feet, humbly acknowledging our unworthiness even to kiss those blessed hands, with which He washed the feet of His disciples. Like Mary Magdalene, let us offer Him our desire to lave His sacred feet with tears of compunction and love. Let us declare our readiness cheerfully to comply with His loving admonition to the disciples on this occasion: “If then I, being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also” (John 13, 14–15).

Let us ponder, for a moment, such unspeakable condescension and love! Popes, kings and princes deem it an honor, by washing the feet of the poor, to enter into the footprints of their Lord and Saviour. What humiliation should ever find me wanting, when I see the thrice holy God abasing Himself so profoundly in self-forgetting love? Holy Mother Church is glorified by countless religious orders, who make it their life-task to render the meanest services to the poor and the forsaken. In the humble offices of our holy vocation, let us ever again fix our eyes upon our Blessed Saviour and His lowly example, and seek to penetrate His loving sentiments. Humility and love render our heart acceptable to our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion. When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples before the institution of the Blessed Eucharist, did He not will to impress upon us that true humility and ardent love constitute the most fitting preparation for the heavenly Banquet? Dare I ever regard anything in the service of the Lord as lowly, when I behold my God and Saviour washing the feet of His disciples?

Second Point

Jesus Gives Us Proofs of the Greatest Love

Our Divine Saviour had said to His disciples: “Greater love than this hath no man than that he lay down His life for His friends” (John 15, 13). Such is the love Jesus bestowed upon us, yet that did not suffice for His infinitely loving heart! In His infinite wisdom, He found another, quite astonishing proof of His inexpressible love. He offered His life, to restore to us the life of grace. He gave us Himself in the Sacrament of His Love, to preserve and increase our supernatural life. In this sacred mystery He gave us all that He would give, wherefore St. John very aptly said: “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (John 13, 1). Finally, the great moment had come for which He had so long prepared His disciples, of which He had so often spoken, and which He now announced with the love-inflamed words: “With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you, before I suffer” (Luke 22, 15). Truly, the Eucharistic Banquet was worthy of the most ardent desire of the God-Man. Christ desired to eat It with His Apostles before His passion, that by union with Him they might be strengthened and prepared for sufferings. Hear His words: “This is My Body which is given for you” (Luke 22, 19). “This is My Blood which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins” (Matt. 26, 28).

Jesus thus offers Himself for the first time in an unbloody manner to the heavenly Father, and gives His sacred Body and priceless Blood to His disciples as nourishment. O love of my Jesus, O powerful, tender, generous, infinite love of my Saviour, nothing remains to Thee; Thou, O Jesus, hast loved us to the end. Thou hast instituted this adorable Sacrament to refresh our souls and to implant into our hearts the germ of immortality, which on the Day of Judgment shall unfold to the most glorious transfiguration of the body. How could it be possible for us not to desire Jesus, not to long for perfect union with Him in the Sacrament of His Love? Let us beseech Him to inflame our hearts with a grateful return of love, and to impress deeply therein the memory of His sacred passion, that we, too, will love to sacrifice ourselves in His service. Do I burn with a fiery ardor to be united with Jesus in Holy Communion? Am I animated with sentiments of humility and self-sacrificing charity, thus, in some measure, to requite His unbounded love?

Affections: O Divine Saviour, Who didst set me so wonderful an example in the washing of the feet of Thy disciples,—by Thy infinite merits, by Thy Precious Blood, I pray Thee for the grace to be inflamed with Thy holy love and saturated with Thy saving Blood. By sincere humility, let me share in the infinite treasures which Thou hast reserved for the truly humble, in the Sacrament of Thy Love. Oh, that we could worthily thank Thee, O Jesus, for the infinitely precious treasure of the Blessed Eucharist! Couldst Thou give us anything more precious than Thyself? Who can fathom the depths of Thy love! I, too, my Saviour, will give Thee all that I am and have. Let my oblation be pleasing to Thee by intimate union with Thy sublime sacrifice in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar. “O loving Pelican! O Jesus Lord! Unclean I am, but cleanse me in Thy Blood.”

Resolution: I will prepare my heart for Holy Communion by fervent acts of profound humility and ardent love.

Spiritual Bouquet: “With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you before I suffer.”

Prayer: Soul of Christ. . .