468. The palace which the supreme King of kings
and the Lord of lords had chosen for entertaining his
eternal and incarnate Son in this world was a most poor
and insignificant hut or cave, to which most holy Mary
and Joseph betook themselves after they had been denied
all hospitality and the most ordinary kindness by their
fellow-men, as I have described in the foregoing chapter.
This place was held in such contempt that though the
town of Bethlehem was full of strangers in want of nightshelter,
none would demean or degrade himself so far
as to make use of it for a lodging; for there was none
who deemed it suitable or desirable for such a purpose,
except the Teachers of humility and poverty, Christ our
Savior and his purest Mother. On this account the wis
dom of the eternal Father had reserved it for Them, con
secrating it in all its bareness, loneliness and poverty as
the first temple of light (Malachy 4, 2, Ps. Ill, 4) and
as the house of the true Sun of justice, which was to
arise for the upright of heart from the resplendent Aurora
Mary, turning the night of sin into the daylight of grace.
469. Most holy Mary and saint Joseph entered the
lodging thus provided for them and by the effulgence of
the ten thousand angels of their guard they could easily
ascertain its poverty and loneliness, which they esteemed
as favors and welcomed with tears of consolation and
joy. Without delay the two holy travelers fell on their
knees and praised the Lord, giving Him thanks for his
benefit, which they knew had been provided by his wis
dom for his own hidden designs. Of this mystery the
heavenly Princess Mary had a better insight ; for as soon
as She sanctified the interior of the cave by her sacred
footsteps She felt a fullness of joy which entirely elevated
and vivified Her. She besought the Lord to bless with
a liberal hand all the inhabitants of the neighboring city,
because by rejecting Her they had given occasion to the
vast favors, which She awaited in this neglected cavern.
It was formed entirely of the bare and coarse rocks, with
out any natural beauty or artificial adornment; a place
intended merely for the shelter of animals ; yet the eternal
Father had selected it for the shelter and dwelling-place
of his own Son.
470. The angelic spirits, who like a celestial militia
guarded their Queen and Mistress, formed themselves
into cohorts in the manner of court guards in a royal
palace. They showed themselves in their visible forms
also to saint Joseph ; for on this occasion it was befitting
that he should enjoy such a favor, on the one hand in
order to assuage his sorrow by allowing him to behold
this poor lodging thus beautified and adorned by their
celestial presence, and on the other, in order to enliven
and encourage him for the events which the Lord in
tended to bring about during that night, and in this for
saken place. The great Queen and Empress, who was
already informed of the mystery to be transacted here,
set about cleaning with her own hands the cave, which
was so soon to serve as a royal throne and sacred mercyseat;
for neither did She want to miss this occasion for
exercising her humility, nor would She deprive her onlybegotten
Son of the worship and reverence implied by
this preparation and cleansing of his temple.
471. Saint Joseph, mindful of the majesty of his
heavenly Spouse (which, it seemed to him, She was for
getting in her ardent longing for humiliation), besought
Her not to deprive Him of this work, which he con
sidered as his alone ; and he hastened to set about cleaning
the floor and the corners of the cave, although the hum
ble Queen continued to assist him therein. As the holy
angels were then present in visible forms, they were
(according to our mode of speaking) abashed at such
eagerness for humiliation, and they speedily emulated
with each other to join in this work; or rather, in order
to say it more succinctly, in the shortest time possible
they had cleansed and set in order that cave, filling it with
holy fragrance. Saint Joseph started a fire with the
material which he had brought for that purpose. As it
was very cold, they sat at the fire in order to get warm.
They partook of the food which they had brought, and
they ate this, their frugal supper, with incomparable joy
of their souls. The Queen of heaven was so absorbed
and taken up with the thought of the impending mystery
of her divine delivery, that She would not have partaken
of food if She had not been urged thereto by obedience
to her spouse.
472. After their supper they gave thanks to the Lord
as was their custom. Having spent a short time in this
prayer and conferring about the mysteries of the incar
nate Word, the most prudent Virgin felt the approach
of the most blessed Birth. She requested her spouse
saint Joseph to betake himself to rest and sleep as the
night was already far advanced. The man of God
yielded to the request of his Spouse and urged Her to
do the same; and for this purpose he arranged and pre
pared a sort of couch with the articles of wear in their
possession, making use of a crib or manger, that had been
left by the shepherds for their animals. Leaving most
holy Mary in the portion of the cave thus furnished, saint
Joseph retired to a corner of the entrance, where he
began to pray. He was immediately visited by the
divine Spirit and felt a most sweet and extraordinary
influence, by which he was wrapt and elevated into an
ecstasy. In it was shown him all that passed during that
night in this blessed cave; for he did not return to con
sciousness until his heavenly Spouse called him. Such
was the sleep which saint Joseph enjoyed in that night,
more exalted and blessed than that of Adam in paradise
(Gen. 21, 2).
473. The Queen of all creatures was called from her
resting-place by a loud voice of the Most High, which
strongly and sweetly raised Her above all created things
and caused Her to feel new effects of divine power; for
this was one of the most singular and admirable ecstasies
of her most holy life. Immediately also She was filled
with new enlightenment and divine influences, such as I
have described in other places, until She reached the clear
vision of the Divinity. The veil fell and She saw intui
tively the Godhead itself in such glory and plenitude of
insight, as all the capacity of men and angels could not
describe or fully understand. All the knowledge of the
Divinity and humanity of her most holy Son, which She
had ever received in- former visions was renewed and,
moreover, other secrets of the inexhaustible archives of
the bosom of God were revealed to Her. I have not
ideas or words sufficient and adequate for expressing
what I have been allowed to see of these sacraments by
the divine light ; and their abundance and multiplicity con
vince me of the poverty and want of proper expression in
created language.
474. The Most High announced to his Virgin Mother,
that the time of his coming into the world had arrived
and what would be the manner in which this was now tp
be fulfilled and executed. The most prudent Lady per
ceived in this vision the purpose and exalted scope of
these wonderful mysteries and sacraments, as well in so
far as related to the Lord himself as also in so far as
they concerned creatures, for whose benefit they had been
primarily decreed. She prostrated Herself before the
throne of his Divinity and gave Him glory, magnificence,
thanks and praise for Herself and for all creatures, such
as was befitting the ineffable mercy and condescension of
his divine love. At the same time She asked of the divine
Majesty new light and grace in order to be able worthily
to undertake the service and worship and the rearing up
of the Word made flesh, whom She was to bear in Her
arms and nourish with her virginal milk. This petition
the heavenly Mother brought forward with the profoundest
humility, as one who understood the greatness
of this new sacrament. She held Herself unworthy of
the office of rearing up and conversing as a Mother with
a God incarnate of which even the highest seraphim are
incapable. Prudently and humbly did the Mother of
wisdom ponder and weigh this matter. And because She
humbled Herself to the dust and acknowledged her noth
ingness in the presence of the Almighty, therefore his
Majesty raised Her up and confirmed anew upon Her the
title of Mother of God. He commanded Her to exercise
this office and ministry of a legitimate and true Mother
of Himself ; that She should treat Him as the Son of the
eternal Father and at the same time the Son of her womb.
All this could be easily entrusted to such a Mother, in
whom was contained an excellence that words cannot
express.
475. The most holy Mary remained in this ecstasy and
beatific vision for over an hour immediately preceding
her divine delivery. At the moment when She issued
from it and regained the use of her senses She felt and
saw that the body of the infant God began to move in
her virginal womb; how, releasing and freeing Himself
from the place which in the course of nature He had
occupied for nine months, He now prepared to issue forth
from that sacred bridal chamber. This movement not
only did not cause any pain or hardship, as happens with
the other daughters of Adam and Eve in their childbirths;
but filled Her with incomparable joy and delight,
causing in her soul and in her virginal body such exalted
and divine effects that they exceed all thoughts of men.
Her body became so spiritualized with the beauty of
heaven that She seemed no more a human and earthly
creature. Her countenance emitted rays of light, like a
sun incarnadined, and shone in indescribable earnestness
and majesty, all inflamed with fervent love. She was
kneeling in the manger, her eyes raised to heaven, her
hands joined and folded at her breat, her soul wrapped
in the Divinity and She herself was entirely deified. In
this position, and at the end of the heavenly rapture, the
most exalted Lady gave to the world the Onlybegotten
of the Father and her own, our Savior Jesus, true God
and man, at the hour of midnight, on a Sunday, in the
year of the creation of the world five thousand one hun
dred and ninety-nine (5199), which is the date given in
the Roman Church, and which date has been manifested
to me as the true and certain one.
476. There are other wonderful circumstances and par
ticulars, which all the faithful assume to have miracu
lously accompanied this most divine Birth; but as the
only witnesses were the Queen of heaven and her cour
tiers, they cannot all be certified, except only those which
the Lord himself manifests in his holy Church to all or
to some particular souls in diverse ways. As I think there
is some divergence of opinion in this matter, which is
most sublime and venerable, as soon as I had manifested
to my superiors and directors what had been made known
to me, they commanded me under obedience to consult
anew the divine oracle and ask the Empress of heaven,
my Mother and Teacher, and the holy angels that attend
on me, for information on some particulars necessary for
a clearer statement of the most sacred parturition of
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, our Redeemer. In order to
comply with this command I returned for a better under
standing of these same happenings and it was then ex
pounded to me in the following manner:
477. At the end of the beatific rapture and vision of
the Mother ever Virgin, which I have described above
(No. 473), was born the Sun of Justice, the Onlybegotten
of the eternal Father and of Mary most pure, beautiful,
refulgent and immaculate, leaving Her untouched in her
virginal integrity and purity and making Her more god
like and forever sacred ; for He did not divide, but pene
trated the virginal chamber as the rays of the sun pene
trate the crystal shrine, lighting it up in prismatic beauty.
Before I describe the miraculous manner in which this
took place, I wish to say that the divine Child was born
pure and disengaged, without the protecting shield called
secundina, surrounded by which other children are com
monly born, and in which they are enveloped in the wombs
of their mothers. I will not detain myself in explaining
the cause and origin of the error, which is contrary to
this statement. It it enough to know and suppose that
in the generation and birth of the incarnate Word the
arm of the Almighty selected and made use of all that
substantially and unavoidably belonged to natural human
generation, so that the Word could truly call Himself
conceived and engendered as a true man and born of the
substance of his Mother ever Virgin. In regard to the
other circumstances, which are not essential but acci
dental to generation and nativity, we must disconnect our
ideas of Christ our Lord and of the most holy Mary not
only from all that are in any way related or consequent
upon any sin, original or actual; but also from many
others which are not necessary for the essential reality of
the generation or birth and which imply some impurity
or superfluity, that could in any way lessen or impair the
dignity of Mary as the Queen of heaven and as true
Mother of Christ our Lord. For many such imperfec
tions of sin or nature were not necessary either for the
true humanity of Christ, or for his office of Redeemer or
Teacher ; and whatever was not necessary for these three
ends, and whatever by its absence would redound to the
greater dignity of Christ and his Mother, must be denied
of Both. Nor must we be niggardly in presuming won
derful intervention of the Author of nature and grace
in favor of Her who was his worthy Mother, prepared,
adorned and made increasingly beautiful for this pur
pose : for the divine right hand enriched Her at all times
with gifts and graces and reached the utmost limits of his
Omnipotence possible in regard to a mere creature.
478. In accordance with this truth her true motherhood
was not impaired by her remaining a Virgin in his con
ception and birth through operation of the Holy Ghost.
Although She could have lost her virginity in a natural
manner without incurring any fault, yet in that case the
Mother of God would also be without this singular pre
rogative of virginity. Therefore we must say, in order
that She might not be without it, the divine power of her
most holy Son preserved it for Her. Likewise the divine
Child could have been born with this covering or cuticle
in which others are born; yet this was not necessary in
order to be born a natural Son of the blessed Mother;
hence He could chose not to take it forth with Him from
the virginal and maternal womb, just as He chose not to
pay to nature other penal tributes of impurity, which
other human beings do pay at their coming into the light.
It was not just that the incarnate Word should be sub
ject to all the laws of the sons of Adam; but it was conse
quent upon his miraculous Birth that He be exempt and
free from all that could be caused by the corruption or
uncleanness of matter. Thus also this covering, or
secundina, was not to fall a prey to corruption outside
of the virginal womb, because it had been so closely con
nected and attached to his most holy body and because
it was composed of the blood and substance of his
Mother; in like manner it was not advisable to keep and
preserve it outside of Her, nor was it becoming to give
it the same privileges and importance as to his divine
body in coming forth from the body of his most holy
Mother, as I will yet explain. The wonder which would
have to be wrought to dispose of that sacred covering out
side of the womb could be wrought much more appro
priately within.
479. The infant God therefore was brought forth from
the virginal chamber unencumbered by any corporeal or
material substance foreign to Himself. But He came
forth glorious and transfigured for the divine and
infinite wisdom decreed and ordained that the glory of
his most holy soul should in his Birth overflow and
communicate itself to his body, participating in the
gifts of glory in the same way as happened afterwards
his Transfiguration on mount Tabor in the presof
the Apostles (Matth. 17, 2). This miracle was
not necessary in order to penetrate the virginal en
closure and to leave unimpaired the virginal integrity;
for without this Transfiguration God could have brought
this about by other miracles. Thus say the holy doc
tors, who see no other miracle in this Birth than that
the Child was born without impairing the virginity of the
Mother. It was the will of God that the most blessed
Virgin should look upon the body of her Son, the Godman,
for this first time in a glorified state for two reasons.
The one was in order that by this divine vision the most
prudent Mother should conceive the highest reverence for
the Majesty of Him whom She was to treat as her Son,
the true God-man. Although She was already informed
of his two-fold nature, the Lord nevertheless ordained
that by ocular demonstration ghe be filled with new
graces, corresponding to the greatness of her most holy
Son, which was thus manifested to Her in a visible man
ner. The second reason was to reward by this wonder
the fidelity and holiness of the divine Mother; for her
most pure and chaste eyes, that had turned away from all
earthly things for love of her most holy Son, were to see
Him at his very Birth in this glory and thus be rejoiced
and rewarded for her loyalty and beautiful love.
480. The sacred evangelist Luke tells us that the
Mother Virgin, having brought forth her firstbegotten
Son, wrapped Him in swathing clothes and placed Him
in a manger. He does not say that She received Him
in her arms from her virginal womb; for this did not
pertain to the purpose of his narrative. But the two
sovereign princes, saint Michael and saint Gabriel, were
the assistants of the Virgin on this occasion. They stood
by at proper distance in human corporeal forms at the
moment when the incarnate Word, penetrating the vir
ginal chamber by divine power, issued forth to the light,
and they received Him in their hands with ineffable rev
erence. In the same manner as a priest exhibits the
sacred host to the people for adoration, so these two
celestial ministers presented to the divine Mother her
glorious and refulgent Son. All this happened in a short
space of time. In the same moment in which the holy
angels thus presented the divine Child to his Mother,
both Son and Mother looked upon each other, and in this
look, She wounded with love the sweet Infant and was
at the same time exalted and transformed in Him. From
the arms of the holy princes the Prince of all the heavens
spoke to his holy Mother: "Mother, become like unto
Me, since on this day, for the human existence, which
thou hast today given Me, I will give thee another more
exalted existence in grace, assimilating thy existence as
a mere creature to the likeness of Me, who am God and
Man." The most prudent Mother answered : "Trahe
me post Te, curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum"
(Cant. 1, 3). Raise me, elevate me, Lord, and I will
run after Thee in the odor of thy ointments. In the same
way many of the hidden mysteries of the Canticles were
fulfilled; and other sayings which passed between the
infant God and the Virgin Mother had been recorded
in that book of songs, as for instance : "My Beloved to
me, and I to Him, and his desire is toward me"
(Cant. 2, 16). "Behold thou art beautiful, my friend,
and thy eyes are dove s eyes. Behold, my beloved, for
thou art beautiful"; and many other sacramental words
which to mention would unduly prolong this chapter.
481. The words, which most holy Mary heard from
the mouth of her most holy Son, served to make Her
understand at the same time the interior acts of his
holiest soul united with the Divinity; in order that by
imitating them She might become like unto Him. This
was one of the greatest blessings, which the most faithful
and fortunate Mother received at the hands of her Son,
the true God and man, not only because it was continued
from that day on through all her life, but because it fur
nished Her the means of copying his own divine life as
faithfully as was possible to a mere creature. At the
same time the heavenly Lady perceived and felt the
presence of the most holy Trinity, and She heard the voice
of the eternal Father saying : "This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am greatly pleased and delighted" (Matth.
17, 5). The most prudent Mother made entirely god
like in the overflow of so many sacraments, answered:
"Eternal Father and exalted God, Lord and Creator of
the universe, give me anew thy permission and benedic
tion to receive in my arms the Desired of nations
(Agg. 2, 8) ; and teach me to fulfill as thy unworthy
Mother and lowly slave, thy holy will." Immediately
She heard a voice, which said: "Receive thy Onlybegotten
Son, imitate Him and rear Him; and remember,
that thou must sacrifice Him when I shall demand it of
thee." The divine Mother answered : "Behold the crea
ture of thy hands, adorn me with thy grace so that thy
Son and my God receive me for his slave; and if Thou
wilt come to my aid with thy Omnipotence, I shall be
faithful in his service ; and do Thou count it no presump
tion in thy insignificant creature, that she bear in her arms
and nourish at her breast her own Lord and Creator."
482. After this interchange of words, so full of mys
teries, the divine Child suspended the miracle of his
transfiguration, or rather He inaugurated the other
miracle, that of suspending the effects of glory in his
most holy body, confining them solely to his soul; and
He now assumed the appearance of one capable of suf
fering. In this form the most pure Mother now saw
Him and, still remaining in a kneeling position and ador
ing Him with profound humility and reverence, She re
ceived Him in her arms from the hands of the holy angels.
And when She saw Him in her arms, She spoke to Him
and said : "My sweetest Love and light of my eyes and
being of my soul, Thou hast arrived in good hour into
this world as the Sun of justice (Malach. 4, 2), in order
to disperse the darkness of sin and death ! True God of
the true God, save thy servants and let all flesh see Him,
who shall draw upon it salvation (Is. 9, 2). Receive me
thy servant as thy slave and supply my deficiency, in order
that I may properly serve Thee. Make me, my Son, such
as Thou desirest me to be in thy service." Then the
most prudent Mother turned toward the eternal Father
to offer up to Him his Onlybegotten, saying: "Exalted
Creator of all the Universe, here is the altar and the sac
rifice acceptable in thy eyes (Malachy 3, 4). From this
hour on, O Lord, look upon the human race with mercy ;
and inasmuch as we have deserved thy anger, it is now
time that Thou be appeased in thy Son and mine. Let
thy justice now come to rest, and let thy mercy be ex
alted ; for on this account the Word has clothed itself in
the semblance of sinful flesh (Rom. 8, 3), and became
a Brother of mortals and sinners (Philip 2, 7). In this
title I recognize them as brothers and I intercede for them
from my inmost soul. Thou, Lord, hast made me the
Mother of thy Onlybegotten without my merit, since this
dignity is above all merit of a creature ; but I partly owe
to men the occasion of this incomparable good fortune;
since it is on their account that I am the Mother of the
Word made man and Redeemer of them all. I will not
deny them my love, or remit my care and watchfulness
for their salvation. Receive, eternal God, my wishes
and petitions for that which is according to thy pleasure
and good will."
483. The Mother of mercy turned also toward all
mortals and addressed them, saying: "Be consoled ye
afflicted and rejoice ye disconsolate, be raised up ye fallen,
come to rest ye uneasy. Let the just be gladdened
and the saints be rejoiced; let the heavenly spirits break
out in new jubilee, let the Prophets and Patriarchs of
limbo draw new hope, and let all the generations praise
and magnify the Lord, who renews his wonders. Come,
come ye poor; approach ye little ones, without fear, for
in my arms I bear the Lion made a lamb, the Almighty,
become weak, the Invincible subdued. Come to draw
life, hasten to obtain salvation, approach to gain eternal
rest, since I have all this for all, and it will be given to
you freely and communicated to you without envy. Do
not be slow and heavy of heart, ye sons of men; and
Thou, O sweetest joy of my soul, give me permission to
receive from Thee that kiss desired by all creatures."
Therewith the most blessed Mother applied her most
chaste and heavenly lips in order to receive the loving
caresses of the divine Child, who on his part, as her
true Son, had desired them from Her.
484. Holding Him in Her arms She thus served as the
altar and the sanctuary, where the ten thousand angels
adored in visible human forms their Creator incarnate.
And as the most blessed Trinity assisted in an especial
manner at the birth of the Word, heaven was as it were
emptied of its inhabitants, for the whole heavenly court
had betaken itself to that blessed cave of Bethlehem and
was adoring the Creator in his garb and habit of a pilgrim
(Phil. 2, 7). And in their concert of praise the holy
angels intoned the new canticle : "Gloria in excelsis Deo,
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis" (Luke 2,
14). In sweetest and sonorous harmony they repeated it,
transfixed in wonder at the new miracles then being
fulfilled and at the unspeakable prudence, grace, humility
and beauty of that tender Maiden of fifteen years, who
had become the worthy Trustee and Minister of such vast
and magnificent sacraments.
485. It was now time to call saint Joseph, the faithful
spouse of the most discreet and attentive Lady. As I have
said above ( No. 472 ) he was wrapped in ecstasy, in which
he was informed by divine revelation of all the mysteries
of this sacred Birth during this night. But it was be
coming that he should see, and, before all other mortals,
should in his corporeal faculties and senses be present
and experience, adore and reverence the Word made
flesh; for he of all others had been chosen to act as the
faithful warden of this great sacrament. At the desire
of his heavenly Spouse he issued from his ecstasy and,
on being restored to consciousness, the first sight of his
eyes was the divine Child in the arms of the Virgin
Mother reclining against her sacred countenance and
breast. There he adored Him in profoundest humility
and in tears of joy. He kissed his feet in great joy and
admiration, which no doubt would have taken away and
destroyed life in him, if divine power had not preserved
it; and he certainly would have lost all the use of his
senses, if the occasion had permitted. When saint Joseph
had begun to adore the Child, the most prudent Mother
asked leave of her Son to arise (for until then She had
remained on her knees) and, while saint Joseph handed
Her the wrappings and swaddling-clothes, which She had
brought, She clothed Him with incomparable reverence,
devotion and tenderness. Having thus swathed and
clothed Him, his Mother, with heavenly wisdom, laid Him
in the crib, as related by saint Luke (Luke 2, 7). For
this purpose She had arranged some straw and hay upon
a stone in order to prepare for the God-Man his first
resting-place upon earth next to that which He had found
in her arms. According to divine ordainment an ox from
the neighboring fields ran up in great haste and, entering
the cave, joined the beast of burden brought by the
Queen. The blessed Mother commanded them, with
what show of reverence was possible to them to acknowl
edge and adore their Creator. The humble animals
obeyed their Mistress and prostrated themselves before
the Child, warming Him with their breath and render
ing Him the service refused by men. And thus the God
made man was placed between two animals, wrapped in
swaddling-clothes and wonderfully fulfilling the proph
ecy, that "the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his
master s crib; but Israel hath not known me, and my
people hath not understood."
TEACHING OF THE MOST HOLY QUEEN MARY.
486. My daughter, if men would keep their heart dis
engaged and if they would rightly and worthily consider
this great sacrament of the kindness of the Most High
towards men, it would be a powerful means of conduct
ing them in the pathway of life and subjecting them to
the love of their Creator and Redeemer. For as men
are capable of reasoning, if they would only make use of
their freedom to treat this sacrament with the reverence
due to its greatness, who would be so hardened as not to
be moved to tenderness at the sight of their God become
man, humiliated in poverty, despised, unknown, enter
ing the world in a cave, lying in a manger surrounded
by brute animals, protected only by a poverty-stricken
Mother, and cast off by the foolish arrogance of the
world? Who will dare to love the vanity and pride,
which was openly abhorred and condemned by the Crea
tor of heaven and earth in his conduct? No one can
despise the humility, poverty and indigence, which the
Lord loved and chose for Himself as the very means of
teaching the way of eternal life. Few there are, who stop
to consider this truth and example: and on account of
this vile ingratitude only the few will reap the fruit of
these great sacraments.
487. But if the condescension of my most holy Son
was so great as to bestow so liberally upon thee his light
and knowledge concerning these vast blessings, ponder
well how much thou art bound to co-operate with this
light. In order that thou mayest correspond to this ob
ligation, I remind and exhort thee to forget all that is
of earth and lose it out of thy sight; that thou seek
nothing, or engage thyself with nothing except what can
help thee to withdraw and detach thee from the world
and its inhabitants; so that, with a heart freed from all
terrestrial affection, thou dispose thyself to celebrate in
it the mysteries of the poverty, humility and divine love
of the incarnate God. Learn from my example the rev
erence, fear and respect, with which thou must treat Him,
remembering how I acted, when I held Him in my arms ;
follow my example, whenever thou receivest Him in thy
heart in the venerable sacrament of the holy Eucharist,
wherein is contained the same God-Man, who was born
of my womb. In this holy Sacrament thou receivest Him
and possessest Him just as really, and He remains in thee
just as actually, as I possessed Him and conversed with
Him, although in another manner.
488. I desire that thou go even to extremes in this
holy reverence and fear ; and I wish that thou take notice
and be convinced, that in entering into thy heart in the
holy Sacrament, thy God exhorts thee in the same words,
which thou hast recorded as spoken to me : become like
unto Me. His coming down from heaven onto the earth,
his being born in humility and poverty, his living and
dying in it, giving such rare example of the contempt of
the world and its deceits; the knowledge, which thou
hast received concerning his conduct and which thou hast
penetrated so deeply by divine intelligence : all these things
should be for thee like living voices, which thou must
heed and inscribe into the interior of thy heart. These
privileges have all been granted to thee in order that thou
discreetly use the common blessings to their fullest ex
tent, and in order that thou mayest understand, how
thankful thou must be to my most holy Son and Lord,
and how thou shouldst strive to make as great a return
for his goodness, as if He had come from heaven to re
deem thee alone and as if He had instituted all his won
ders and doctrines in the holy Church for none else than
thee (Gal. 7, 20).
|