Книга четвертая. О таинстве тела Христова

Reverent exhortation to the holy image of the body of Christ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28). The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51). Take, eat, this is My Body, broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. (Matthew 26:26; 1 Cor. 11:24). He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him. (John 6:56). The words that I speak to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63) Chapter 1. With what reverence should we receive Christ? These are Thy words, O Christ, eternal Truth: although they were not spoken at the same time and written in one place. They are Yours, and for this I must accept them with a grateful and faithful heart: They are Yours, and You Yourself have spoken them. But they are also mine, for You declared them for my salvation. I receive them with joy from Your lips, so that they may take root deeply in my heart. Words excite me, filled with great goodness, sweetness and love; but my iniquities frighten me, and my bad conscience prevents me from accepting so many sacraments. The sweetness of Your words attracts me, but the multitude of my sins weighs heavily on me. You command that I approach You with confidence if I want to have a part with You; You order me to take the food of immortality if I want to acquire eternal life and glory. “Come,” you say, “to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Oh, how sweet and friendly this word is to the ears of sinners, that You, Lord my God, call the needy and needy to the communion of Your most holy Body! And who am I, Lord, that I should dare to approach You? Behold, heaven and heaven are not sufficient for You, and You say: “Come to Me, all of you.” Why such goodness in Your condescension, and why such a friendly invitation? How dare I come to You, not knowing anything good about myself? How can I have a good opinion of myself? So often have I insulted Your meekest face - and how can I bring You into my home? Angels and archangels worship you, the saints and righteous are in fear of you, and you say: “Come to me in cu.” If it were not for your word, Lord, who would believe the truth? And if it were not for your command, who would attempt to approach? Behold, the righteous man Noah labored for a hundred years in the building of the ark, that he might be saved with a small number. How is it possible for me to arrange myself in one hour so that I can accept with reverence the Creator of the universe? Moses, great among Your servants, and Your chosen friend, created an ark from imperishable trees and clothed it with pure gold - He placed the tablets of the covenant in it: and I, a corruptible creature, dare You, the Creator of the law and the Giver of life, to accept so freely? Solomon, the wisest of the kings of Israel, spent seven years building a magnificent church to the glory of Your name, and celebrated its dedication for eight days, offered a thousand sacrifices of peace, and solemnly placed the ark of the covenant in the prepared place, with the sound of a trumpet and with great celebration; and I am an unhappy and poor person more than anyone else - how can I bring You into my house when I can barely keep myself in reverence even for less than an hour? And when again would it happen to me to live with dignity for less than half an hour! gel of the universe? Moses. Yours, and your friend How they labored, my God, to do what was pleasing to You, but what am I doing - alas! how petty and insignificant! How I reduce the cooking time when preparing for communion! Rarely can I gather my thoughts together, and even more rarely can I clear myself of any distraction. But in the saving presence of Your Divinity, every obscene thought should truly disappear, and there should be no place for a single creature; for I am preparing to take under my roof not an angel, but the Lord of angels. And there is still a great distance between the ark of the covenant of the Lord with its shrine, and Your most pure Body with its indescribable powers, between the legal sacrifices, prefiguring the future, and the true sacrifice of Your Body, fulfilling all the ancient sacrifices. Why does my soul flare up so weakly before Your glorious visit? Why do I care so little to prepare myself to receive Your shrine, when those ancient holy patriarchs and kings and princes with all the people showed such zeal of reverence in divine service? The most pious King David galloped with all his heart before the ark of God, remembering the ancient mercies to the fathers: he arranged organs, composed psalms and instituted joyful singing; and he himself often rattled the harp, inspired by the grace of the Holy Spirit; He taught the people of Israel to glorify God with all their hearts, and with one mouth to bless and confess every day. If at that time there was so much reverence, such a confession of divine praise before the Ark of the Covenant, what kind of tenderness and reverence should I now and the entire Christian race have in the presence of the sacrament, in the perception of the Holy Body of Christ? Many travel to different places to venerate the relics of saints and marvel at their deeds, look at the vast church buildings and kiss the sacred remains covered with gold and brocade. But here on the altar You stand, O my God. Holy of holies, Creator of men and Lord of angels. Human curiosity often attracts to look at holy places, to see new things that have not been seen, and they bring little fruit from there for correction, especially when they wander here and there frivolously, without true contrition of heart. Here, in the sacrificial sacrament, You are completely present, my God and the Human Christ Jesus: and whoever receives You worthily and piously, with You receives the abundant fruit of eternal salvation. But what attracts to this is not frivolity or curiosity or sensual desire, but strong faith, reverent hope and sincere love. O God, invisible Creator of the world, how wonderfully You act with us, how tenderly and quietly You arrange everything for Your chosen ones, to whom You offer Yourself to receive in the sacrament! This is why it surpasses all reason, and this is why it especially attracts reverent hearts and inflames the soul with love. For those who are truly Thy faithful, whose whole life is arranged for correction, often receive from the most holy sacrament the great grace of reverence and the great power of love. Oh, the divine and hidden grace of the sacrament! Only the faithful of Christ know you, but the unfaithful and servants of sin cannot know you! In this sacrament, spiritual grace is poured out, and the lost strength is restored in the soul, and the beauty distorted by sin returns. And sometimes such is the grace that from the fullness of deep reverence, not only the spirit, but also the mortal body feels an increase in strength by nature. But we should be sick and grieve a lot about our coldness and our indifference, because there is so little fervor in our desire to perceive Christ, for in Him alone is all the hope and all the merit of those who want to be saved. He is our sanctification and redemption; He is a consolation to the wandering, and an eternal delight to the saints. And there is still much to mourn about this, that many care so little about this saving sacrament, while from it the sky is filled with joy and the whole universe is supported by it. Oh, what blindness and deep-rootedness there is in the human heart, that such an ineffable gift is so little respected, and even completely neglected by its daily use. And if this most holy sacrament were celebrated in just one place and the sacrifice were offered up by just one priest throughout the whole world: with what zeal, it seems, people would strive to that place and to that priest - to hear the solemn service of the mysteries of God! Now many priests have been established, and in many places Christ is offered, so that the grace and love of God for man will appear all the more abundantly, the further the holy communion spreads throughout the world. Thank you, Good Jesus, Eternal Shepherd, that you have vouchsafed to renew us poor and exiled with your precious Body and Blood, and with your lips you invite us to receive the sacrament, saying: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 3) 1 Kings 8: 27. 12) 1 Cor. 1:30. Chapter 2. About the great love and goodness of God, revealed to man in the sacrament Trusting in Your goodness, O Lord, and in Your great mercy, I approach, sickly to the Healer, hungry and thirsty to the Source of life, rootless to the Heavenly King, servant to the Lord, creature to the Creator, desperate to my complacent Comforter. But where do I get this from, will you come to me? Who am I that You would give Yourself to me? How dare a sinner appear before You? And how do You deign to come to a sinful husband? You know Your servant, and You know that there is nothing good in him for which you would treat him so kindly. I confess my insignificance, I testify to Your goodness, I praise Your good care, and I bless You about Your excessive love! You do all this about Yourself, and not according to my merit: may Your goodness shine forth most to me, may my soul be filled more abundantly with Your love and praise for Your humility. Because You favor this and You commanded it. Lord, I too accept Your condescension with joy - oh, if only my wickedness would not forbid it! Oh, Sweetest and Goodest Jesus above all! You are due worship and blessing and endless praise for the reception of Your most pure Body; no one can explain its honor and glory! But in this communion, what will my thoughts be about when I approach my Lord, Whom I do not know how to praise worthily, but I wish to receive in every possible way in reverence? And what is the best and most salutary way for me to confirm my thoughts, is it to completely humble myself before You, and above myself should I magnify Your infinite goodness with everything? I praise You, my God, and magnify You forever. I despise myself and before You I plunge into the full depth of my humiliation. So, You are the Holy of Holies, and I am the rabble of sinners: and You incline Yourself to me, when I am not worthy to look to You. Behold, you come to me, You want to be with me, You invite me to Your meal. You want to give me heavenly food and satisfy me with angelic bread. And this bread is nothing other than You, Lord, the living bread that came down from heaven and gave life to the world. Behold the source of love, its great light of favor. Oh, what thanksgiving and praise is due to You for Your good deeds! Oh, how good and salutary is Thy advice, for which Thou hast instituted all this! What sweetness and joy there is in this meal, in which you give us Yourself as food! Wonderful is Your dispensation, O Lord, Your power is in great strength, Your truth is immutable forever! You spoke and everything happened and appeared as You commanded. It is a wondrous work of faith, worthy and surpassing human understanding, that You, Lord my God, true God and true Man, are completely contained under the small appearance of bread and wine and, without being consumed, turn into food for the recipient. You, Lord of all, without demanding anything, have favored us with Your sacrament, the church of Your dwelling to be in us: keep my heart and my body pure, so that I may be strong in a clear conscience and in the joy of my heart to glorify more often and for my eternal salvation to perceive Your sacraments, sacredly instituted by You in Your honor and in constant remembrance of You! Rejoice, my soul, and give thanks to God for leaving you such a valuable gift and special consolation in this vale of tears. For every time you contemplate this sacrament and accept the Body of Christ, you do the work of your redemption and become a participant in the entire ministry of Christ. The love of Christ never diminishes, and the great power of Christ’s intercession is never exhausted: therefore, every time you must, by renewing your spirit, prepare yourself again and contemplate the great mystery of salvation with deep thought. Every time you listen to the liturgy, may it appear to you again in such power and sweetness, as if on that very day Christ, who first descended into the womb of the Ever-Virgin, became man. or, hanging on the tree of the cross, he would suffer and die for our salvation. 3) Ps. 77:25. In. 6:51.52. 5) 2Mac. 14:35. Chapter 3. About the benefits of frequent communion So, I come to You, Lord, may it be good for me from Your good gift, and may I enjoy Your table, which You have prepared with Your goodness for the poor, O God. So, everything is in You that I can desire and should. You are my salvation and redemption, my hope and strength, my beauty and glory. Now make the soul of Your servant glad, for I have taken my soul to You, O Jesus Christ, Lord. With my desire I now wish to accept You honestly and reverently; I wish to bring You into my home, so that I may be honored with Zacchaeus to receive Your blessing and be numbered among the children of Abraham. My soul and body thirst for You, my heart desires to unite with You. Grant yourself to me, and it is enough for me; for apart from You there is no consolation. I cannot be without You, and I have no strength to live without Your visit. This is why I need to come to You often and accept You for my salvation, so that I may not weaken on the way if I am deprived of heavenly food. Thus You once spoke, O most merciful Jesus, preaching to the nations and healing all sorts of ailments: I do not want to send them home without eating, lest they become weak on the way. Do the same with me now, for You left Yourself in the sacrament for the consolation of the faithful. You are sweet food for a hungry soul, and whoever is worthily fed by You will be a sharer and heir of eternal glory. And I also fall and sin so often, so quickly I grow cold and weak, and I need to renew, purify and kindle myself with frequent prayers and frequent confession to the holy communion of Your Body, so as not to fall completely behind the holy intention if I put it off for too long. A person's mind is diligent about evil from his youth, and if there were no healing help from God along the way, it is easy for a person to fall further and further into the worst. But holy communion leads away from evil and strengthens us towards good. And if I am so inattentive and insensitive when I partake; What would have happened to me if I had not eaten healing food and had not sought such strong help for myself? Even if I am not able to do this every day and may not be inclined, as I should, to glorify the shrine: at least I will make sure that at least from time to time I receive the divine mysteries and become a partaker of so much grace. For in that one thing there is the first consolation of the faithful soul, wandering far from You in a mortal body - that it can have frequent remembrance of its God and perceive its Beloved with a reverent spirit. Oh, how marvelous is the condescension of Your love for us, Lord God, that You, the Creator and Life-Giver of all spirits, deign to come to the poor human soul, and with all Your Divinity and all humanity to satisfy its hunger! Blessed is that soul that is worthy to receive You, the Lord its God, reverently, and to rejoice with spiritual joy at Your reception. Oh, if he accepts the Great Lord! What kind of guest does the beloved introduce to himself? What a welcome companion he meets! What a faithful friend he finds, what a beautiful, what a noble groom he takes into his arms - so that he can love him alone, forgetting about all his beloved, abandoning all his desires! May heaven and earth with all their beauty be silent before You, my Sweetest and Beloved. Whatever is in them, all their beauty and all their glory, is all from Your mercy and generosity, and nothing can compare with the splendor of Your name, which is infinite in number. 1) Ps. 67:11. Ps.86:4 2) Matt.15:32. 3) Gen. 8:21 2 Cor. 5:6. 4) Ps. 146:5. Chapter 4. About the many benefits of reverent communion Lord my God, precede his servant with the blessing of Your sweetness, so that I may be worthy to approach Your magnificent sacrament with dignity and reverence. Arouse my heart in You and call me out of heavy torpor. Visit me with Thy salvation, to perceive by spiritual tasting Thy sweetness hidden in this sacrament, as in the source of many waters. And enlighten my eyes - to see into the great mystery, and strengthen me - to believe in Him with firm faith, without any doubt. For it is Your work, Lord, and not the work of human power; Your institution, not a human invention. It is above the angelic mind; no one is capable of understanding and comprehending it on their own. How can I, an unworthy sinner, this earth and ashes, how can I ascend to such a height, penetrate such a great mystery with my understanding? Lord, in the simplicity of my heart, in good and firm faith, in the manifestation of Your face, I approach You with strong hope, reverently, and truly believe that You Yourself, this sacrament. It is Your will that I accept You and unite with You in love. And for this reason I pray: be merciful, O Lord, and grant me Your special grace for this; so that I will melt completely in You and be poured out with love, and not leave a single part of myself for any other consolation. This most honorable and supreme sacrament of Yours: in it is the salvation of soul and body and the healing of all spiritual relaxation. Through him, my vices are healed, passions are curbed, temptations are defeated and diminished, an abundance of grace flows from him, the gift of spiritual strength is multiplied, faith is confirmed, hope is strengthened, and love flares up and expands. You have generously multiplied Your good gifts, and again and again You multiply them in the sacrament to Your beloved, who reverently partake. My God, Receiver of my soul, Healer of my weakness and Giver of all inner consolation. You instill in them much consolation to help in troubles and sorrows, You raise them from the depths of despair to the hope of Your protection, and with the renewal of grace you internally strengthen and enlighten them; so that the one who, in confusion and without heartfelt fervor, began communion, after being strengthened by the food and heavenly drink, feels a change in himself for the better. And for this purpose is Your good providence for Your chosen ones, so that they truly know and clearly experience that they have nothing in themselves and that they receive all goodness and grace from You alone. In themselves they are cold, hard-hearted, devoid of reverence, but having been honored by You, they have become zealous, reverent and cheerful in spirit. Who, approaching a sweet source with humility, will not accept even a small share of its sweetness? Who, standing near a blazing fire, does not warm up with at least a small amount of heat? You, Lord. - a source ever flowing in abundance, You are an ever-burning fire that never goes out. And if it is impossible for me to draw from the source in full flow, if it is impossible for me to drink until completely quenched, I will at least put my lips to the hole of the heavenly current, so that I can catch even a small drop and calm my thirst, but not dry up at all. And if I cannot be completely heavenly and fiery, like the cherubim and seraphim, I will at least make an effort to establish myself in reverence and prepare my heart so that at least a small flame will be kindled in me from the divine fire in the humble acceptance of the life-giving sacrament. And what is lacking in me, Good Jesus, my Most Holy Savior, You Yourself, in my stead, mercifully and graciously complete; For You have deigned to graciously call everyone to You, saying: Come to Me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I work in the sweat of my brow, I am tormented by heart disease, I am burdened with sins, I languish in temptations, I am burdened and entangled with many evil passions, and there is no one to help me, and there is no one to deliver and heal me - except You, Lord God, my Savior. I commit myself and all that I have to you, may you protect me and lead me into the eternal. Receive me in honor of Your name, Who has given me Your body and drink! Create, O Lord God, my salvation, that the zeal of my reverence may increase in the frequent communion of Your sacrament. 1) Ps. 55:4. 4) Matt. 11:28. Chapter 5. About the lordship of the sacrament and the state of the priesthood If only you had angelic purity and were equal in holiness with Saint John the Baptist, then you would not be worthy to receive or perform this sacrament. It is not by human merit that it is given to man to sanctify and perform the sacrament of Christ and to take the bread of angels as food for himself. The great mystery and great dignity of the priestly rank! they were given something that the angels did not accept. Only priests, appointed according to the rank of the Church, have the authority to perform services and sanctify the Body of Christ. But the priest is only a servant of God, and uses the word of God according to the command and institution of God; the initial Author and invisible Performer of the sacrament is God, and everything is subject to His will, and everything is accomplished by His command. So, God Almighty should be believed in this glorious sacrament, more than our feeling or any visible sign: and therefore let us approach this work with fear and reverence. Look and listen to what kind of service has been given to you by the laying on of episcopal hands. You have been ordained a priest and consecrated to perform the Divine service; take care of yourself so that you faithfully and reverently offer sacrifice to God at the right time, and appear yourself without reproach. Your burden has not been lightened, but you have become even more closely bound by the bonds of a strict rule and are obliged to the highest perfection in holiness. A priest must be adorned with all the virtues and show others an example of a good life. His address is not with a crowd of people, but with angels in heaven, or on earth with perfect people. The priest, dressed in holy vestments, represents Christ when he tenderly offers God a humble prayer for himself and for all his people. In front and behind him is the sign of the Cross of the Lord, in constant remembrance of the passion of Christ. He carries the cross in front of him in the ark, and let him look diligently at the path of Christ and learn to walk after Him without laziness. And at the back he is marked with a cross, so that he can endure for the sake of God in meekness everything that he will take as an insult from others. He carries a cross in front of him so that he can mourn his sins; behind himself - so that he would compassionately wash away the sins of others with tears, and would know that he has been placed as a mediator between God and the sinner, and would not weaken in prayer and in offering the holy sacrifice until he is worthy to ask God for grace and mercy. When a priest performs a service, he glorifies God, fills the angels with joy, edifies the church, strengthens the living, gives repose to the dead, and makes himself a participant in all good things. Chapter 6. About preparation for communion: prayer request When I think about Your greatness and my insignificance, I tremble with great trepidation and am embarrassed. Not starting is the same as running away from life; and if I enter unworthily, I will bring wrath upon myself. What should I do? God, my Helper and Teacher in my needs? You guide me on the right path, show me a short exercise befitting holy communion. I need to know how I should prepare my heart for You in reverence and fear, how to accept Your sacrament removed for my salvation, and how to make a great and Divine sacrifice. Chapter 7. About the test of conscience and the intention to correct First of all, a priest of God must, with extreme humility of heart, with prayerful reverence, with full faith and with pious zeal for the glory of God, begin to perform, contemplate and receive this sacrament. Examine your conscience diligently, and as soon as you can, expose and illuminate it in true contrition of heart and humble confession; so that there is nothing behind you and nothing remains in your thoughts that would gnaw at you and confuse your spiritual freedom. Look with disgust at all your sins; lament and groan especially about each of your daily sins; and if time permits, confess all the filth of your passions to God in the secret of your heart. Moan and lament that you are still so attached to the flesh and to the world; He killed himself so little in his passions; so filled with movements of lust, so little control over himself in external feelings, so often entertained by many different dreams; so inclined to externals; so susceptible to laughter and distraction, so immovable to crying and contrition; so eager for all bliss and pleasure for the flesh; so lazy in rigor and diligence; with such curiosity you catch and listen to the news, you so willingly admire beauty, but you so reluctantly accept the humble and base; so greedy in acquiring, so stingy in giving and so stubborn in holding; so reckless in conversation, so impatient in silence; so disorderly in morals, so imprudent in business; so immoderate in food, so deaf to the word of God; so hasty to rest, so slow to work; You listen so vigilantly to fables, so sleepy during church services; so distracted while it goes on, so waiting for it to end; so careless in the conduct of prayer hours, so cold in tinning, so dry in communion, so quickly you have fun, so rarely do you have time to gather your spirit within yourself; so suddenly you become angry, so easily you make your neighbor feel unpleasant; so ready for condemnation, so severe in reproof; so cheerful in happiness, so sad in misfortune; you put so many good intentions and put so little into action. When you confess and mourn these and all other vices, with pain and with great disgust from your weakness, make a firm intention to constantly correct your life and succeed for the better. And then, having completely denied yourself, with all your will, offer yourself for the glory of My name as an eternal burnt offering on the altar of your heart, that is, faithfully surrender your soul and body to Me, so that you may be honored to worthily begin the Divine sacrifice, and receive the sacrament of My Body for salvation. There is no more worthy offering and no more perfect justification for the cleansing of sins than to offer oneself to God in Purity and Wholeness, in the offering of the Body of Christ at the Liturgy and in Communion. If a person does everything that he can, and truly repents every time he comes to Me for the sake of forgiveness and mercy: I live, says the Lord, who do not want the death of a sinner. but turn to him and live; and I will not remember his sins; but all will be released to him. 4) Ezek. 33:11. Heb. 10:17. Chapter 8. About the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and about self-sacrifice Just as I myself, with my hand stretched out on the cross and naked, willingly offered myself as a sacrifice to God the Father for your sins, and there is nothing left in me that would not at all pass into the sacrifice of Divine propitiation: so you must, every day, by your will, offer yourself to me as a pure and holy sacrifice at the liturgy, with all your strengths and inclinations, with all your heart. I don’t demand anything more from you - only that you be jealous and give me all of yourself. Whatever you bring to Me, except yourself, I don’t need anything: it’s not your gift that I demand, but you yourself. You cannot be satisfied, even if you have everything, if you do not have Me: in the same way, nothing can please Me, no matter what you give to Me, unless you sacrifice yourself for the sake of God, and the sacrifice will be acceptable. Behold, I offered all of Myself to the Father for your sake, and I also gave My entire Body and Blood as food for you, so that I could be all yours and you could be Mine. If you remain within yourself, and do not surrender yourself to My will with all your will, the sacrifice will not be complete and the union between us will not be perfect. So, before all your deeds, you must voluntarily surrender yourself into the hands of God if you want to receive freedom and grace. This is why people are so rarely enlightened by inner light and free with inner freedom that they do not know how to completely deny themselves. My word is immutable: whoever does not renounce all his possessions cannot be My disciple. You, if you want to be My disciple, sacrifice yourself to Me with all your desires. Chapter 9. That we must offer ourselves and everything we have to God and pray for everyone CHAPTER IX. Lord, all Your essence is, even in heaven and even on earth. I wish to offer myself to You as a free sacrifice and to remain Yours forever. Lord, in the simplicity of my heart I now commend myself to You, in unceasing service, in obedience and as a sacrifice of eternal praise. Accept me in the holy offering of Your all-honorable Body, which I offer to You now in the presence of the angels invisibly present, so that it will be for me and all Your people for salvation. Lord, I offer You all my sins and crimes that I have committed before You and before Your holy angels, from the day I came into the power to sin, even to this day, and I lay them all on the altar of Your propitiation: may You also burn and destroy everything with the fire of Your love, and may You blot out all the filthiness of my sins and may You cleanse my conscience from every crime, and may You return grace to me, lost by sin, and having forgiven me everything, may you mercifully accept me into the kiss of the world. What can I repay for my sins, except to confess them and mourn humbly, and constantly pray for Your mercy. I pray to You, mercifully hear, my God, always call me to You. All my sins are hateful to me, I don’t want to ever fall into them again, but I grieve for them and am sick. As long as I’m alive, I won’t stop hurting, I’m ready to repent and atone as much as possible. Forgive me, O God, forgive me my sins, for the sake of Your holy name; save my soul. I have already redeemed you with Your holy Blood. Behold, I surrender myself to Your mercy, I cast myself into Your hands. Deal with me according to Your grace, and not according to my malice and wickedness. I also bring to You everything that is good, even though it is small and imperfect. And correct and sanctify all this yourself and create for yourself a favorable offering, and me, a lazy and incapable person, constantly attracting the best. lead to a blessed and praiseworthy end, Lord! I also bring to You all the desires of pious hearts, the needs of relatives, friends, brothers and sisters, and all my beloved, and those who have done good for me or others out of love for You, and all who for themselves and for theirs desired and asked me to offer prayers and serve the Liturgy, living in the flesh and departed from the present age: may everyone receive salvation from Your grace, comforting power, protection in troubles, liberation from sorrows, and being delivered from all evil, in joy let them give You great thanks. I also offer prayers for propitiation. most of all for those who offended me or upset me or discredited me in any way, or what evil and hardship caused me; and for all those whom I once saddened, forgive him every offense: if you yourself have offended someone, humbly ask him for forgiveness, and God will generously forgive you. What is the use of delaying confession for a long time or postponing holy communion? Cleanse yourself as quickly as possible, spit out all your poison at once; hurry up to take the medicine, and you will feel better - if you don’t put it off. Today I put it off for one reason: tomorrow another, even more important one, may appear; and so the hindrance to the sacrament will remain for a long time, and you will become even more incapable. Rather, as soon as you can, shake off real burdens and spiritual laziness: it serves no purpose to remain in care for a long time, walk in confusion, and, for the sake of daily obstacles, remove yourself from Divine communion. On the contrary, there is great harm in postponing communion for a long time: this causes a heavy numbness in the soul. Alas! Other indifferent and depraved people deliberately delay confession and deliberately postpone holy communion so that they are not later burdened by the obligation to monitor themselves more strictly. Alas! How little love and what poverty of reverence there are among those for whom it is so easy to put off holy communion! And how happy and how pleasing to God is he who lives this way and keeps his conscience so pure that he is ready to partake in the fullness of his spiritual feeling every day - if only it were allowed and would not attract human attention! But whoever abstains for the sake of humility, or cannot for a legitimate reason, is worthy of praise for his reverence. If you find insensibility, you should stimulate yourself and try in every possible way, as far as depends on the person himself: then the Lord will also add desires according to his good will, for he especially looks at will. And whoever is hindered by legal obstacles, let him always observe himself in good will and in a pious desire for communion: then he too will not be deprived of the fruit of the sacrament. A pious person can begin spiritual communion with Christ daily and at every hour, for his own salvation, without hindrance; however, he too must, on certain days and at certain times, receive the Body of his Redeemer in the sacrament, with love and reverence, and not so much seek consolation for himself in this as serve God for praise and glory. For man is mysteriously communicated to the world and invisibly renewed, insofar as he remembers with a reverent soul the mystery of the incarnation and suffering of Christ, and is inflamed with the love of Christ. And whoever prepares himself only on the occasion of a holiday or out of necessity, for a custom, is rarely ready. Blessed is he who presents himself as a sacrifice to the Lord every time he performs the mysteries or receives communion. In serving, do not be too slow or hasty, but be consistent with the regular customs of those with whom you live. Do not cause hardship to people and do not lead them into fatigue, but follow the ordinary path, as your fathers and grandfathers walked, and let your service, most of all, be for the benefit of others, and not to please your zeal for piety. Chapter 11. That the Body of Christ and Holy Scripture are necessary for the believing soul Oh, Sweetest Lord Jesus, how great is the sweetness of a reverent soul when it celebrates with You at Your table, and is offered nothing else for food, but You, its only Beloved and Desired more than any heartfelt desire! And it would be sweet for me in Your presence to shed tears from the depths of my heart, and with the much-loving Magdalene to wash Your feet with Your tears. But where can one find such jealousy of love? where do holy tears flow so abundantly? Truly, before the face of You and Your holy angels, my heart should flare up and pour out tears of joy: for truly You are present before me in the sacrament, although hidden under a different appearance. To behold You in Your inherent and Divine radiance - my eyes cannot bear this, and the whole world would not be able to stand in the brilliance of the glory of Your Majesty. And for this reason You condescend to my weakness when You hide Yourself in the sacrament. Truly Him do I accept and Him do I worship, Whom the angels in heaven worship; but I still accept them now by faith, but they are received by sight and without veil. I must be content in the light of true faith, and walk in this light until the day of eternal light breathes and the images of the canopy move. When the perfect comes, the use of the sacraments will cease: for the blessed, in heavenly glory, have no need for sacramental healing. They rejoice with endless joy in the presence of God, contemplating His glory face to face, and being transformed from light to light in the abyss of Divine radiance, they taste the incarnate Word of God, as from eternity it has been and abides forever. When I think about this wondrous glory, all spiritual consolation becomes a burden to me; and until I see my Lord clearly in His glory, I will consider everything that I see and hear in the world to be nothing. You are my witness, God, that nothing can console me and not a single creature can calm me down - only You, the One, my God: I desire to contemplate You alone forever. But it is impossible for this to happen while I remain in this mortality, and for this I need to establish myself in great patience and all of myself with every desire to submit to You. And Your saints, Lord, now rejoice with You in the kingdom of heaven, but while they were in this life, they awaited the coming of Your glory in faith and in great patience. What they believed, I believe; what they hoped, I hope. Where they have reached, I hope to reach by Your grace. Meanwhile, I will begin to walk by faith, and I will strengthen myself by the example of the saints. I also have holy books for consolation and as a mirror for life; Above all and especially, Your most holy Body will be for me for consolation and strengthening. I need two things most of all in my life here: without them it would be impossible for me to endure this miserable life. Food and light: I need both while I am imprisoned in the body. And You gave Your most holy Body to me, the poor one, to strengthen my soul and body, and You set Your law under my feet as a lamp. Without both, I could not truly live: for the word of God is the light of my soul, and Your sacrament is the bread of life. Just two meals are placed in the treasure of the holy church. One meal is the holy altar, and on it is holy bread, which is the valuable Body of Christ: the other is the table of the Divine law, and in it is the holy teaching, and the science of the right faith, leading faithfully even into the inner veils, where the Holy of Holies is. I give You praise. Good Jesus, Light of the eternal light, about the table of holy teaching that You have prepared for us through the hands of Your servants, the prophets and apostles and other teachers. Thank you, Savior and Creator of men, that you wanted to show your love to the whole world, and having prepared the great supper, at it you offered not a representative lamb, but your most holy Body and Blood. To all Your faithful there is great consolation in the holy table, and sweet satisfaction in the cup of salvation; in it are all the joys of heaven, and the holy angels will feast with us in extreme bliss. Oh, how great and honorable is the priestly title, to whom it is given to sanctify the Lord of glory with sacred words, to bless with the tongue, to hold with the hands, to receive with the lips and to teach to others! Oh, how pure these hands should be, how blameless the lips, how holy the body, how chaste the heart of a priest. when the culprit of purity comes to him so many times! It is not proper for a single unclean, dishonest or unprofitable word to come from the lips of a priest, when he so often receives the sacrament of Christ. Usually his eyes are to look at the Body of Christ: let his eye be simple and chaste. Usually his hands touch the Creator of heaven and earth: may his hands be pure and raised to heaven. Priests are especially commanded in the law: Be holy, even as the Lord your God is Holy. Help us, O Almighty God, by Your grace, who accept sacred service, to pass it before You with dignity and reverence, in all purity and in a good conscience. And if in life we ​​cannot maintain ourselves in that integrity as we should: grant us at least to mourn with dignity those who have committed evil, so that we may serve You for the future, with extreme zeal, in the spirit of humility and in the firmness of good will. 2) Song. 4:6. 1 Cor. 13:10. 7) Leo. 11:44. Chapter 12. About the fact that it is necessary to prepare with great diligence for communion with Christ. I am the Lover of purity and the Giver of all holiness. I seek a pure heart: there is My resting place. Prepare a great supper for Me, and I will celebrate the Passover with you and My disciples. If you want, I will come to you and stay with you. Cleanse your old kvass and tidy up the dwelling of your heart. Now, drive out everything that is from this age, and subdue all confusion of vices. Sit like a special bird on the roof and think about your sins with sorrow in your soul. If someone loves, he prepares a red place for his beloved, which is no better, and thereby shows his love for the beloved whom he is preparing to receive. However, know this. that your own merit from your deeds will not help you prepare yourself with dignity, even if you spent a whole year preparing, without thinking about anything else. Only by My love and grace will it be given to you to begin My meal: this is how a beggar is called to a meal with a rich man, and there is nothing to repay him for a good deed - except through humility and thanksgiving. And for this, work on yourself as much as you can, work diligently: not for the sake of custom, not out of need, but with fear and reverence and with love, accept the Body of the Beloved Lord your God, who condescends to you out of goodness. I called, I commanded this to be - I will fill what you lack. Come and receive Me. When you feel the grace of tenderness, give thanks to God: it was given to you not because of your dignity, but because I had compassion for you. If there is no reverence and you feel dry in your soul, ask, stand in prayer, groan, knock on doors; do not lag behind until you receive even a grain or a drop of saving grace. It is you who need Me, and not I who need you; It is not you who come to sanctify Me, but I who come to sanctify and perfect you. You come from Me to be sanctified and united with Me; accept new grace from God and be ignited with new fire towards correction. Do not be inattentive to grace, with all diligence prepare your heart unceasingly, and bring your Beloved to you. And not only should you prepare for reverence before communion, but carefully observe yourself in reverence even after receiving the sacrament. With the same diligence you had to prepare yourself, you also need to watch yourself with the same diligence afterwards. The more strictly you watch yourself after the sacrament, the better you will prepare yourself to receive greater grace. This is why the other becomes so incapable of spirit that soon after communion he becomes too distracted by external consolations. Beware of human conversation, remain in solitude and taste your Lord in silence: He you have within yourself, Whom the whole world cannot take away from you. I am with you, and you must give yourself all to Me, so that henceforth you will no longer live in yourself, but in Me, putting aside all care. 1) 1 Cor. 5: 7. Ps. 101:8. Chapter 13. That a reverent soul from the heart should desire union with Christ in the sacrament Who will give it to me? Lord, may I find You alone, may I open my whole heart to You, may my soul enjoy all its desires in You, and may nothing degrade me. So that no creature would act on me or look at me: but You alone would speak to me and I to You, as a beloved talks to a beloved and a friend talks to a friend. This is what I pray for, this is what I desire, so that I can completely unite with You, and turn my heart away from everything created, and in holy communion and in the frequent celebration of the sacrament, I would learn to feel more and more the sweetness of the heavenly and eternal. Oh, Lord Jesus, when will I be completely united with You, and having completely melted in You, will I completely forget myself? You are in me and I am in You, and so deign us to remain in mutual unity. Truly, truly You are My Beloved. chosen by him, in whom my soul delights to dwell all the days of my life. Truly You are my peacemaker, in You there is supreme peace and true rest, and besides You there is labor and illness and endless pity. Truly You are God; I have not seen Him, and Your counsel is not with the wicked, but Your word remains with the humble and simple. Oh, how sweet, O Lord, is Your spirit: although You showed Your sweetness to Your sons, You deigned to nourish them with the sweet bread that came down from heaven. Truly, such a great language, for it is God; draw near to it, as You do. God, to all Your faithful ones, You give Yourself to them as a niche and for their delight, so that they may be strengthened in spirit every day, and may their hearts rise to heaven. And where is there such a famous race, what is the Christian race? And what creature in heavenly places did God love more than a reverent soul, and He Himself enters into it and nourishes it with His glorified Body? Oh, ineffable grace! O wonderful favor! Oh, immeasurable love, marvelously poured out to man! But what will I repay, Lord, for such grace, for the surpassing love of the Lord? I can’t bring anything pleasant - unless I completely surrender my heart to my God and unite it completely with Him. When my entire inner self rejoices, when my soul is completely united with God. Then the Lord says to me: if you want to be with Me, I also want to be with you. And I answer Him: Deign, Lord, to be with me - I desire to be with You. This is my whole desire, for my heart to unite with You. 2) Song. 5:10. Is. 45:15. Deut.4:7. Chapter 14. About the ardent desire of some reverent souls for communion with the Body of Christ How much of Your goodness, O Lord, has already been hidden by those who fear You! When I think about other pious people, Lord, with what reverence, with what zeal they approach Your sacrament, I myself am embarrassed and ashamed that I so insensitively and coldly approach Your altar and the table of holy communion, that I remain in such dryness of heart, without any reverence and zeal, that I am not completely inflamed before You - before God mine, that I do not have such a strong attraction and love as many pious people had. They, in an excess of desire for communion and from the abundance of love in their hearts, could not restrain themselves from crying, and with their hearts and bodies they together directed their thirsty lips to You, the living Source, and in their thirst they had no other taming and quenching - just to receive Your Body with all the greed of the spirit and in great sweetness. Truly their fiery faith, and reliable evidence of Your holy presence! Truly they know their Lord in the breaking of bread, when their hearts burn with such power about Jesus, who is with them on his journey. And I - alas! How often am I far from this jealousy, from this reverence, from such strong love and ardor! Be merciful to me, Good Jesus, All-Sweet and Gracious Jesus, have mercy on Your poor, your needy, grant at least from time to time to feel a small share of Your love with a heartfelt desire in holy communion, may my faith grow in strength, may my hope in Your goodness be strengthened, and may love, once kindled in fullness and knowing the heavenly manna, never fall away. Great is Thy mercy, O Lord, and the grace desired to grant me, and to visit me with generosity in the spirit of burning love, when the day of Thy favor comes! Although I do not have such a fiery desire with which Your chosen ones burn, but that is, by Your grace I have the desire to achieve a great fiery desire, and I pray and seek this, so that I can become an accomplice of all of them, burning with love for You, and be numbered among their holy host. Chapter 15. That the gift of tenderness is acquired through humility and self-sacrifice You need to persistently seek the grace of tenderness, ask for it with all diligence, wait patiently and receive it with hope with a grateful heart, maintain it in humility, diligently cultivate it, and provide God with the time and image of the heavenly visitation until it comes. Humble yourself especially when you feel little or no tenderness in yourself; but do not despair excessively and do not indulge in boundless sadness. Often, in one short moment, God sends what he has refused for a long time, and what he withheld at the beginning of prayer, then at the end he grants. If grace were always sent quickly and was ready at will, it would be impossible for a weak person to bear it as he should. For this reason, one should expect the grace of tenderness in firm hope and in patience, humbly. Attribute guilt to yourself and your sins when grace is not given or is secretly taken away. Sometimes even smallness makes grace difficult and hidden - if only one can call something small and not a great thing that deprives us of such a great good. If you remove this small or great obstacle to grace and overcome it completely, it will be done for you according to your request. And as soon as you surrender yourself to God with all your heart, and stop looking for this or that according to your own will and desire, but place yourself in God with all your soul, you will immediately feel at peace and united; for nothing will be to your liking, nothing will be pleasant, except what pleases the Divine will. Whoever raises his thoughts towards God in the simplicity of his heart, and abolishes himself in the world of created things from any disordered attachment or aversion, he will become capable of receiving grace and worthy of the gift of tenderness. For there the Lord sends His favor, where he finds idle vessels. And the more completely someone renounces the world below and dies to himself in self-contempt, the sooner grace comes to him, the more abundantly it flows and lifts the free heart higher. Then he will see and rejoice and be amazed and horrified in his heart, for the hand of the Lord will be with him, and he will place himself in His hand even to the end of time. Thus will the man be blessed who seeks God with all his heart and does not take his soul in vain. When he receives holy communion, he will be granted the great grace of Divine communion, for he does not look at his own piety or his consolation, but at the honor and glory of God. Chapter 16. That we must reveal our needs to Christ and ask for grace from Him Oh, Sweetest and Beloved Lord above all, I now reverently desire to receive Him; You know my weakness and the need that I endure; in what evil I lie, in what vices I am defeated; How often am I in difficulty, in temptation, in confusion, in defilement. I come to You to seek healing; I beg you for consolation and relief. I appeal to the Omniscient One, to Whom all my inner being is open, and Who alone is able to give me perfect consolation and help. You know what blessings I am most lacking in, and how poor I am in virtues. Behold, I stand before You poor and naked, demanding grace and begging for mercy. Feed Thy hungry beggar, inflame me with the cold fire of Thy love, illuminate my blindness with the light of Thy presence. Turn everything earthly into bitterness for me, put every burden and opposition into my patience, bring everything worth living and everything created into contempt and oblivion for me. Raise my heart to You in heaven, and do not leave me to wander on earth. You alone will be my sweetness from now on and forever, for in You alone is my food and drink, my love and joy, my delight and all my good! Oh, that You would, with Your presence, set me on fire, scorch me, and transform me into Yourself, so that I might become one with You in spirit in the grace of inner communication and in the outpouring of fiery love! Do not leave me thin and dry to leave You, but do with me according to Your mercy, as You have done wonderfully with many of Your saints. And is it marvelous that I will all be ignited by You and disappear within myself, when You are the Fire that is eternally blazing and never extinguished, You are the Love that purifies the heart and enlightens the mind? Chapter 17. About fiery love and a strong desire to receive Christ With extreme tenderness, with ardent love, with all the lust and jealousy of the heart, I desire You, Lord, as many holy and reverent people desired You in communion, those who pleased You more than others with the holiness of their lives and were in ardent tenderness before You. Oh, my God, eternal Love, all my goodness, endless bliss, I wish to receive You with a strong desire, in the reverent reverence that Your saints used to have and could hold in their hearts! And although I am not worthy to have such a complete feeling of reverence, I offer You all that I have, the feeling of my heart, as if I were the only one in the world with such fiery zeal of a grateful soul! And everything that a God-fearing spirit can only accept, everything that a God-fearing spirit can desire, I offer and commit all that to You with extreme reverence, from the depths of my heart. I don't want to keep anything for myself. but I want to devote all of myself and everything I have to You joyfully and with all my will. Lord my God, my Creator and Redeemer - with such desire and trembling, with such praise and honor, with such gratitude and adoration and love, with such hope and hope and purity, I now want to receive You, as Your Most Holy Mother, the Glorious Virgin Mary, desired and received You, when she spoke a humble answer to the angel preaching the mystery of the Incarnation and reverent: behold the handmaid of the Lord: be unto me according to thy word. And as Thy blessed Forerunner, most honorable in the saints, John the Baptist, leapt, hearing Thy presence, rejoicing with joy in the Holy Spirit, even in his mother’s womb, and then, seeing Jesus walking among the people, with great humility, filled with reverent zeal, he exclaimed: the friend of the suitors, standing and listening to him, rejoices with joy for the voice of the suitors: - so I want to be inflamed with great and holy desires, and to devote myself to You with all my heart. For this reason, and from all my reverent hearts, I offer and present to You voices of joy and fiery feelings, spiritual raptures and grace-filled radiances and heavenly visions, with all the virtues and with all the praises that every creature in heaven and on earth has brought to You and has to offer, for myself and for all those entrusted to me in prayer, may You be worthy of praise and glory from all forever. Accept, O Lord, my God, my desires and vows - to offer You endless praise and boundless blessing, as it rightly befits You according to the multitude of Your ineffable greatness. I give You praise and want to give it every day and every moment of the day, and I call upon all the heavenly spirits and all Your faithful ones and pray with every desire and prayer to give You praise and thanksgiving. May all peoples and tribes and languages ​​praise You, and in the depths of tenderness and in the flame of joy may they magnify Your holy and honey-bearing name! And whoever reverently and reverently performs Your supreme sacrament, and who receives it in the fullness of faith, may they be deemed worthy to receive grace and mercy from You, and may they pray for me, a sinner. And when they achieve the desired sanctification, they will return from the holy heavenly table, comforted and wonderfully strengthened; May they also remember me, a poor man. 2) Luke. 1:38. 3) In. 3:29. Chapter 18 and last. About the fact that a person should not be curious to explore the sacrament, but let him be a humble imitator of Christ, bringing his mind into obedience to the holy faith Beware of entering with a curious mind into a useless investigation of the deepest mystery, if you do not want to plunge into the abyss of doubt. Whoever begins to experience the greatness of God will be overwhelmed by glory. God is also powerful in creating things that cannot be understood by man. An unrestrained reverent and humble search for the truth, in an everlasting desire to learn, diligently following the sound path of fatherly teachings. Blessed is the simplicity that leaves the difficult paths of questioning and walks directly and firmly in the paths of God’s commandments! Many have lost their fear of God, desiring to explore the lofty mysteries. Faith and sincerity of life are required from you, and not the height of understanding and not the depth of God’s mysteries. If you do not understand this and do not comprehend what is below you, how can you understand what is above you? Submit to God and humble your feelings in faith, and the light of knowledge will be given to you, to the extent that it will be useful and necessary for you. Others are subjected to severe temptation in faith and in the sacrament; but this does not come from themselves, but rather from the enemy. Don’t worry, don’t compete with your thoughts, don’t answer questions and doubts sent from the devil; but believe the words of God, believe His saints and prophets, and the evil enemy will flee from you. It often happens to the great benefit of a servant of God to withstand such a temptation. The enemy does not tempt the infidels and sinners, because he already possesses them; he tempts and disturbs the faithful and reverent in every possible way. Go firmly forward, with simplicity and undoubted faith, and approach the sacrament in simplicity of reverence. What you cannot understand, then leave it carelessly to Almighty God. God does not deceive you: he who believes in himself too much is deceived. God deals with the simple, reveals Himself to the humble, gives understanding to infants, reveals meaning to chaste souls, and hides grace from the inquisitive and proud. The human mind is weak and can be deceived; but true faith cannot be deceived. Reason and all natural research must follow faith, and not precede or transgress it; and in this most holy and most luminous sacrament, faith and love especially shine and act in hidden ways. God, the Eternal and Infinite and Almighty, is beyond measure and number, doing great and unsearchable things in heaven and on earth, and there is no test for His wondrous works; and if the works of God were such that the human mind could easily comprehend them, they would not be wonderful and they would not have the name of incomprehensible works. Amen. You might be interested in: