A Year with the Saints offers 365 daily meditations drawn from the treasury of saintly writings. Spend each day with the saints this new year, beginning with these gorgeous contemplations of the Blessed Sacrament.
Like a Seal of Hot Wax
Saint Catherine of Siena
See, dearest daughter, the excellent state of the soul who receives, as she should, this Bread of life, this food of the angels. By receiving this Sacrament she dwells in me and I in her. Just as the fish is in the sea, and the sea is in the fish, so I dwell in the soul, and the soul in me, the peaceful sea. In that soul grace dwells. Since she has received this Bread of life in a state of grace, my grace remains in her. After the appearance of bread has been consumed, I leave behind in you the imprint of grace, like a seal that leaves behind its imprint when it’s lifted from hot wax.
In this way, then, the power of this Sacrament remains in the soul — that is, the heat of my divine Love, and the mercy of the Holy Spirit. The wisdom of my only-begotten Son also remains there in you, by which the eye of your mind has been enlightened to see and to know the doctrine of my Truth. Together with this wisdom, you have a share in my strength and power, which fortify the soul against sensual self-love, against the Devil, and against the world. So you see, the imprint remains when the seal has been taken away. Through my divine arrangement and providence, the abyss of my loving desire for your salvation has come to meet your needs. I have given you my Son, sweet Truth himself, as food in this life, where you are pilgrims and travelers, so that you may have refreshment and not forget the benefit of the Blood. See then how tightly bound and highly obligated you are to love me in return. Why? Because I love you so much, and as the supreme and eternal Goodness, I deserve your love.
Consideration
How often do I take part in Holy Communion? If such wonderful benefits come from receiving our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, should I be receiving him this way more often?
Prayer
My Eucharistic Lord, you are a sea of peace and power. Draw me to yourself, so that I can plunge myself in your grace, and you can fill me to overflowing.
The Spirit of Zacchaeus
Saint Thomas More
Having received the Blessed Sacrament, we have a special time of prayer. For he who made us — he who redeemed us, he whom we have offended, he who will judge us, he who will either damn us or save us — because of his great goodness has become our Guest. He’s personally present within us, and he’s done that for no other purpose but to be sought for pardon so that he can save us.
Let’s receive Christ in the Eucharist as he was received by the good tax collector Zacchaeus. When he longed to see Christ, he climbed up a tree because he was short in stature. Our Lord, seeing his devotion, called to him and said: “Zacchaeus, come down and come along, for this day I must stay with you” (see Luke 19:5).
Zacchaeus hurried to come down, and very gladly received Christ into his house. But he didn’t receive him with only a fickle joy and a soon-fading affection. Instead, so that it might be clear that he received Christ with a sure, earnest, and virtuous mind, he provided evidence by his virtuous works, making restitution to all those he’d wronged.
With the same eagerness, quickness of spirit, gladness, and spiritual rejoicing as this man displayed when he received our Lord into his house, may our Lord give us the grace to receive his blessed Body and Blood, his holy Soul, and his almighty Godhead too into our bodies and into our souls. May the fruit of our good works bear witness to our conscience that we receive him worthily and with the kind of full faith — with a firm purpose to live rightly — that we’re obliged to have.
Consideration
Have I allowed good works to multiply in my life as the proper fruit of my reception of the Eucharist?
Prayer
My Eucharistic Jesus, come to dwell in me and remain in me, so that the good I do for others can bear witness to your love for the world.
Christ the Pelican
Saint Thomas Aquinas
I devoutly adore you, hidden God, who truly lies concealed under these forms. To you my whole heart subjects itself, because it totally loses itself in contemplating you.
The senses of sight, feeling, and taste are deceived here. The sense of hearing alone may be safely believed: For I believe whatever the Son of God has spoken; nothing can be more true than the Word of truth himself. Upon the Cross only the divinity of Christ was concealed. But here, his humanity also lies hidden. Yet I believe and confess both the humanity and the divinity of Christ here, making the same petition that the penitent thief made. I do not see here your wounds, Lord, as Thomas did. Yet I too confess you to be my God. Grant that I may believe in you always more and more, and forever put my trust in you, and love you.
Blessed memorial of the death of our Lord; living Bread, giving life to humankind: Grant that my soul may always live on you. Grant that I may always enjoy your sweetness.
Jesus our Lord: you are like the virtuous pelican, who gives her own blood to feed her children. Cleanse me, an unclean sinner, with your blood. One drop of it is sufficient to save the whole world from all its guilt. Jesus, whom I now see under a veil: I pray for that hour to come, which I so dearly long for, when the veil will be removed, and I will see your face, and be happy forever in the contemplation of your glory.
Consideration
Do I make time for a regular holy hour with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, either when he reposes in the tabernacle or when he is exposed on the altar?
Prayer
My Eucharistic Lord, you humble yourself to come to me under the appearances of bread and wine. Don’t let me spurn your humility be neglecting to spend time with you in the tabernacle and on the altar.
ooo
This article is taken from a chapter in A Year with the Saints by Paul Thigpen, PhD which is available from TAN Books.
