03-16-2021, 11:42 AM
MEDITATION 6: THE SUNDAY FEAST
The Council of Trent wishes that at each Mass the faithful who are present may communicate
in order to draw more abundant fruit from the Holy Mass (Sess. xxii. cap. vi). The faithful being
obliged to assist at Mass on Sunday should then enter into the spirit of the Church and receive
Holy Communion. That is why the saint recommends so earnestly “that we give our souls this
special feast on Sunday.”
Let us thank the Holy Spirit for the light that he gives us by His Church and let us strive to
conform our conduct to it.
1. THE SUITABILITY FOR AN IMMORTAL SOUL OF A GOOD BANQUET ONCE A WEEK.
The Third Commandment is a great affair — “You will spend the Sunday serving God
devotedly.” Weekdays are for the matter, Sunday is for the spirit.
The body made from the earth can be destroyed; the soul image of God is imperishable, and it
is this which sustains the body. It is to this then that we owe the most care, and, nevertheless, we
always neglect the soul and care only for the body.
See, all the week one gathers, one spends, one buys, one sells; but all that is for the body.
Arrange things then to make once a week a feast for the immortal soul: O delicious banquet! O
heavenly Bread! Oh! what a privilege! to be able to feed his soul and to feed it with God!
2. WHEN OUGHT ONE TO COMMUNICATE?
On Sunday at least, it is true that we are obliged to do this only once a year — at Easter; but
should we deny ourselves the happiness we may have by communicating often? The wise men of
old could not understand this extraordinary thing. They said God was too great to become
incarnate to give Himself’. That is because they did not know how good God is. We know it.
How much better off we are; God has come amongst us, we can go up to Him. Ah, if we will,
we will be as Angels on earth.
O beautiful life! O happy life! To live for God. Live for God at least on Sunday. Take care,
without God you are lost. Has one then to hunger for God? Is it too much one day in seven to
nourish oneself on God?
My body eats when it is hungry, but my soul? If it is not hungry, then it is that it is very ill. Oh!
let us love God, live for God, serve God. There is happiness.
3. WE SHOULD PREPARE FOR THIS FEAST OF THE SOUL BY PURITY OF HEART.
We must take some trouble to purify our souls. Look at the pictures of the holy Virgin, of St.
Philomena, the painter has worked hard to adorn them, that is why they are so beautiful. They are
pleasing to look at. Let us work as hard to adorn our souls to please men and Angels and the good
God.
Nothing is so beautiful as the pure soul that is nourished by its God. Purify yourself then by a
good Confession, and each Sunday receive God the food of your soul. You know that one only
relishes the good odour and taste of fruits in proportion to the health of the body; thus the soul
penetrates the wonders of God in the measure of its purity.
Ah! we do not relish God because of lack of purity. Oh! what a misfortune not to taste the
good God. Let us purify ourselves, let us receive our God, let us merit heaven; in heaven we shall
see our beauty, and we shall feel all the taste of God.
4. TO DESIRE IT ARDENTLY.
See, if we reflected . . . this priest holds God to feed my soul! O! we should die of joy . . . but
we do not love the good God. No.
Behold the good God is so good, so great that we must fly joyously and very high like a bird to
come to Him. How we shall sing for joy when we have attained to Him! See then what joy it is to
have this great God for food.
What has this soul done to merit it? O my soul, whom do you go to receive? Thy God, thy
Creator, thy Saviour.
Ah, my children, if you understood this clearly, you would die of joy!
5. THE EFFECTS OF THIS BANQUET ON THE SOUL AND THE BODY.
We have seen good Christians who are unmindful of their bodies. Isn’t that better than to be
like those bad Christians who forget their souls, like people in the world who think only of
material things, who fill their stomachs with plentiful and delicious food. Well, what is the fruit of
it? At the end a body which will go to the graveyard. For us Christians the fruit of our spiritual food
is our salvation, and in heaven even our bodies will be transfigured.
Do you understand? To go up to heaven, to be filled with God! Man is so great, so great, that
he is carried there on the shoulders of God.
See to what the fruit of partaking of this food leads; the Holy Communion nourished St.
Simeon in his body as well as in his soul. His soul bathed in the joy of the love of God sustained
his body.
The Council of Trent wishes that at each Mass the faithful who are present may communicate
in order to draw more abundant fruit from the Holy Mass (Sess. xxii. cap. vi). The faithful being
obliged to assist at Mass on Sunday should then enter into the spirit of the Church and receive
Holy Communion. That is why the saint recommends so earnestly “that we give our souls this
special feast on Sunday.”
Let us thank the Holy Spirit for the light that he gives us by His Church and let us strive to
conform our conduct to it.
1. THE SUITABILITY FOR AN IMMORTAL SOUL OF A GOOD BANQUET ONCE A WEEK.
The Third Commandment is a great affair — “You will spend the Sunday serving God
devotedly.” Weekdays are for the matter, Sunday is for the spirit.
The body made from the earth can be destroyed; the soul image of God is imperishable, and it
is this which sustains the body. It is to this then that we owe the most care, and, nevertheless, we
always neglect the soul and care only for the body.
See, all the week one gathers, one spends, one buys, one sells; but all that is for the body.
Arrange things then to make once a week a feast for the immortal soul: O delicious banquet! O
heavenly Bread! Oh! what a privilege! to be able to feed his soul and to feed it with God!
2. WHEN OUGHT ONE TO COMMUNICATE?
On Sunday at least, it is true that we are obliged to do this only once a year — at Easter; but
should we deny ourselves the happiness we may have by communicating often? The wise men of
old could not understand this extraordinary thing. They said God was too great to become
incarnate to give Himself’. That is because they did not know how good God is. We know it.
How much better off we are; God has come amongst us, we can go up to Him. Ah, if we will,
we will be as Angels on earth.
O beautiful life! O happy life! To live for God. Live for God at least on Sunday. Take care,
without God you are lost. Has one then to hunger for God? Is it too much one day in seven to
nourish oneself on God?
My body eats when it is hungry, but my soul? If it is not hungry, then it is that it is very ill. Oh!
let us love God, live for God, serve God. There is happiness.
3. WE SHOULD PREPARE FOR THIS FEAST OF THE SOUL BY PURITY OF HEART.
We must take some trouble to purify our souls. Look at the pictures of the holy Virgin, of St.
Philomena, the painter has worked hard to adorn them, that is why they are so beautiful. They are
pleasing to look at. Let us work as hard to adorn our souls to please men and Angels and the good
God.
Nothing is so beautiful as the pure soul that is nourished by its God. Purify yourself then by a
good Confession, and each Sunday receive God the food of your soul. You know that one only
relishes the good odour and taste of fruits in proportion to the health of the body; thus the soul
penetrates the wonders of God in the measure of its purity.
Ah! we do not relish God because of lack of purity. Oh! what a misfortune not to taste the
good God. Let us purify ourselves, let us receive our God, let us merit heaven; in heaven we shall
see our beauty, and we shall feel all the taste of God.
4. TO DESIRE IT ARDENTLY.
See, if we reflected . . . this priest holds God to feed my soul! O! we should die of joy . . . but
we do not love the good God. No.
Behold the good God is so good, so great that we must fly joyously and very high like a bird to
come to Him. How we shall sing for joy when we have attained to Him! See then what joy it is to
have this great God for food.
What has this soul done to merit it? O my soul, whom do you go to receive? Thy God, thy
Creator, thy Saviour.
Ah, my children, if you understood this clearly, you would die of joy!
5. THE EFFECTS OF THIS BANQUET ON THE SOUL AND THE BODY.
We have seen good Christians who are unmindful of their bodies. Isn’t that better than to be
like those bad Christians who forget their souls, like people in the world who think only of
material things, who fill their stomachs with plentiful and delicious food. Well, what is the fruit of
it? At the end a body which will go to the graveyard. For us Christians the fruit of our spiritual food
is our salvation, and in heaven even our bodies will be transfigured.
Do you understand? To go up to heaven, to be filled with God! Man is so great, so great, that
he is carried there on the shoulders of God.
See to what the fruit of partaking of this food leads; the Holy Communion nourished St.
Simeon in his body as well as in his soul. His soul bathed in the joy of the love of God sustained
his body.