Jesus delights to come to us in holy communion

Oh, how delighted Jesus is to be united to our souls! To excite souls to receive Him He exhorts them to do so by many invitations. Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you-(Prov. ix. 5). Eat, O friends, and drink,-speaking of this Heavenly Bread and Wine. These invitations all proceed from the ardent desire Jesus has to come to us in this Sacrament.

I. Eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved-(Cant. v. 1). The “friends,” that is, beginners, who scarcely enjoy the Divine friendship, when they receive the Holy Communion, feed indeed on the Flesh of Jesus Christ, but they eat with labour; while those who are on the way to perfection eat with less difficulty. But, by the “dearly beloved” are meant the perfect, who, inebriated with holy love, live almost out of the world, forgetting all things, even themselves, and think only how they may love and please their God.

My beloved Jesus, I am not yet perfect, but Thou canst make me perfect. I am not dear to Thee, and it is my own fault, because I have been ungrateful and unfaithful; but Thou canst make me dear to Thee by inebriating me this morning with Thy love. Thy kingdom come-(Matt. vi. 10). Come, my beloved Lord. and take possession of my whole soul. Establish Thy kingdom in me; so that Thou alone mayest reign in me, that Thy love alone may command me, and that Thy love alone may I obey. Inebriate me, inebriate me entirely; make me forget all creatures, myself, my interests, and all, that I may love nothing but Thee, my God, my Treasure, all my Good, my All! May I sigh for Thee alone, seek Thee alone, think of Thee alone, and please Thee alone. Do this by the merits of Thy Passion. This only do I ask of Thee; for this I hope.

II. I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him, and I will not let him go-(Cant. ii.i. 4). So ought every soul to say who is united with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: Creatures, depart from me! Go out altogether from my heart! I loved you once because I was blind; now I love you not, nor can I ever love you again. I have found another Good, infinitely more delightful than you. I have found in myself my Jesus, Who has enamoured me of His beauty. To this Love I have given myself entirely. He has already accepted me, so that I am no longer my own. Creatures, farewell! I am not, nor shall I ever again be yours; but I am and shall always be Christ’s. He, too, is mine, and will always be mine: I held him and I will not let him go. Now l have pressed Him to my heart, receiving Him in the Holy Communion; for the future I will hold Him with my love, and will not let Him leave me again.

Permit me, sweet Saviour, to embrace Thee so closely that I may never more be separated from Thee. Behold, I press Thee to myself, my Jesus! I love Thee! I love Thee! Oh, that I could love Thee worthily! I wish that my only happiness and repose should be to love Thee and please Thee. Do Thou command all creatures to leave me, and not to disturb me. Say to them_: I adjure you, do not arouse or waken my love_–(Cant. viii. 4). Ah, if I do not wish it, creatures cannot enter in to disturb and divide me from Thee. Strengthen, then, my will; unite my miserable heart to Thy Divine Heart that it may always will what Thou wilIest. Do this, Lord, by Thy merits.