In the glorious ages of the primitive Church, to be a Christian and a saint, was almost the same thing, and examples of the most exalted and heroic virtues were continually presented to the world. Then might be seen the young maiden joyfully renouncing the most advantageous offers of marriage, to become the spouse of Jesus Christ, and obtain the virgin's glorious crown; the young man struggling resolutely against his passions,-against every thing that might draw him into sin; tender, weak young girls, even children and old persons, feeble in body but strong in soul, encountering the rage of persecutors, joyfully mounting the funeral pile to be burned alive, or permitting themselves to be devoured by furious beasts, rather than sacrifice to idols, and prove faithless to Jesus Christ. Whence did they get this superhuman strength and this heroic love of God? Oh! they were persevering in prayer, and the eating of the bread,— of that living bread which has come down from heaven, of which whoever eats, he perseveres in grace, is preserved from sin and dieth not.

In truth, my Brethren, the holy Eucharist is "a powerful antidote to deliver us from our daily faults and preserve us from mortal sin," as the Council of Trent tells us. Though this divine nourishment does not entirely place us beyond the reach of temptations, it gives us strength to conquer them and makes them a source of merit for our souls. The ship which carried the Apostles also bore our divine Saviour, and yet it was tossed about by the tempest; but the divine Master commands,-the storm ceases, and immediately tranquillity is restored. In like manner, the holy Eucharist is in our souls, and yet our hearts are sometimes agitated and tormented by the tempestuous waves of our passions; but let us have confidence, for, when Jesus is within us, says St. Cyril, He will not permit us to be shipwrecked; He calms our passions, animates and supports our will, excites our courage, and powerfully helps us to advance toward the harbor of salvation,-toward the promised land. Communicate often and worthily, says the same St. Cyril, and this divine bread will make you persevere in the grace and friendship of God during your whole life, and on the great day of judgment, you will rise from death to live forever. Indeed, as St. Augustine teaches us, those who take this heavenly food become incorruptible and immortal, for our divine Saviour has said: "he that eateth my

flesh, and drinketh my blood,.. I will raise him up at the last day. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever :" he shall participate in the happiness of the saints, or rather he is already happy; for our blessed Lord adds: "he that eateth my flesh, . . hath everlasting life." The holy Eucharist is truly the treasure of the bounties of the Lord.

Jesus Christ speaks, and every disease is cured,-sickness disappears to give way to robust health; He touches the coffin, and the dead are restored to life! How then does it happen, that after having so often received into your hearts the body and blood of the Saviour, you are still subject to the same infirmities,-to the same maladies; that you have not subdued one single passion, nor corrected one single defect? Whence comes this misfortune? There is no doubt, my Brethren, that it arises from your not receiving the holy Eucharist with proper dispositions. Though you presented yourself at the table of the Lord, had you not mortal sin reigning in your soul? Did you not preserve some secret affection for the objects of your criminal passions? What brought you to the holy banquet, was it faith, piety, the love of God, the desire of uniting yourself intimately to Jesus Christ? or was it not rather mere custom, perhaps even human respect? Jesus Christ refused you His gifts and His graces, because you were not worthy of them; He permitted you to remain afflicted with the same infirmities and evils, because you did not wish to be healed of them.

Let us henceforth go to the table of the Lord with hearts well prepared, with hearts widely open to receive His gifts, His favors and graces, and then we will not be refused. Be assured, my Brethren, that He will not be content to remain but a few moments with you, but He will abide in you, if you sincerely wish to abide in Him, He will unite himself to you,-He will clothe you with His power, will combat with you,-will aid you to subdue your enemies, to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of your eternal salvation,-He will be your Viaticum,-your support,— your consolation during life, and, at the hour of your death, He will introduce you into the mansions of His Father,-into eternal glory. AMEN.

SERMON LXXV.

DISPOSITIONS FOR COMMUNION.

"The work is great, for a house is prepared, not for man, but for God."1 PARALIPOMENON, xxix: 1.

HOLY Communion unites us intimately to Jesus Christ, purifies us from slight faults, preserves us from mortal sin, nourishes, fortifies and confirms our souls in the love of virtue, and serves us as a most consoling pledge of a glorious resurrection and immortal life. Such, my Brethren, the wonderful graces which Jesus brings to a heart well disposed to receive Him. Prove yourselves therefore, according to the counsel of the Apostle, before you eat of the bread of angels, and remember that the work is great, since there is question here of preparing in your souls an abode for the Lord himself. You perceive that I come to speak to you on the dispositions which you ought to bring to the table of the Lord, to communicate worthily.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist being the most excellent and august of all the sacraments, since in it we receive not only grace, but the Author of grace, necessarily demands the holiest dispositions, and exacts them more rigorously than the other sacraments. Of these dispositions, some relate to the body, and others regard the soul. The dispositions which relate to the body, are, to be fasting from the previous midnight, and to keep our whole exterior modest, recollected and respectful. A constant tradition, which can be traced back to the apostolic times, has established a strict law, not to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist except fasting. Such has ever been the general usage of the Church,such it is at present, and to violate this law would be to commit a grievous fault. The Church admits exceptions only in favor of the sick who receive holy Communion as a Viaticum; she allows them to receive the Communion without fasting, that they may satisfy

the divine precept, which obliges them to receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ when they are in danger of death. The sacramental fast is more severe and rigorous than that which is prescribed on days of penance; it consists in having absolutely taken nothing, either solid or liquid, either as nourishment or as medicine, from midnight of the day on which we communicate; it admits no smallness of matter with regard to this. Anything which is eaten or drunk, whether voluntarily or through inadvertence, is an infraction of this law, and prevents Communion on that day. Nevertheless, it is not considered a violation of the law, (if something is accidentally and undesignedly swallowed by respiration.) It is not forbidden then to go to Communion, though, while washing your mouth, you happen to swallow a few drops of water which become mixed with the saliva. When you approach the holy table, be fasting, and present yourselves with a modest and recollected exterior.

Under the appearance of bread, which is there no more, in this host which is about to be placed upon your tongue, the unerring voice of faith reveals to us Jesus, the Son of God, the Omnipotent God, the Supreme Master of the universe, who calls us, who is now about to visit us, and whom we receive into our hearts. Yes, we know and we are convinced that our divine Saviour is truly and really present in the adorable Eucharist; is not this enough to inspire us with a holy awe, a profound humility and a perfect modesty when we go to the holy table of the Lord? To present ourselves there in a disrespectful manner, with a distracted and worldly air, might well give grounds to suppose that we have neither faith, piety nor religion?

In what dispositions must our soul be to receive the fruits of holy Communion? To receive worthily, we must be in a state of grace, that is to say, we must be free from mortal sin. The holy Eucharist being a sacrament of the living, supposes spiritual life, and at least the beginning of sanctity in those who receive it. To make a good and worthy Communion, we must therefore be just and pure in the eyes of God. Hence, we read that in the early ages of the Church, every time that the holy Eucharist was distributed to the faithful, a deacon said with a loud voice: "Holy things are for the holy." As if he said: 'Let those only come to the table of the Lord, who have proved themselves, and in whom mortal sin no

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longer dwells; and let those whose souls are stained with sin withdraw; let them go and first purify themselves in the holy waters of penance. My Brethren, man is very much inclined to evil; and who among us would presume to flatter himself that he is exempt from sin? Examine then your conscience well, before you approach the holy table, and, if you feel that you are guilty of mortal sin, remember that you must have recourse to the Sacrament of Penance to cleanse yourself; that you must not go to Communion before you have received absolution, no matter what may be your contrition; that if you receive Communion in the sad state of sin, you commit a horrible sacrilege.

To receive the fruits of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we must not only be exempt from all mortal sin, but even free from every attachment to venial sin. Strong and substantial food is of no service to a sick body; in like manner, the strong and holy food of the angels, the adorable Eucharist, is of little service to those cold and indolent Christians, who crawl lazily along in the way of the commandments, who have no dread of venial sin, who continually relapse into their faults and make no effort to correct their imperfections. They feed upon the bread of angels, and they remain weak: why so? because they prevent this divine Bread from producing its effects; they place an obstacle to it by the attachment which their hearts preserve for venial sin.

Do you wish therefore to communicate worthily and to receive much fruit from your Communions? Remove all the obstacles, renounce all venial sin; take the generous resolution to resist, with the grace of God, all your evil inclinations; approach often to the tribunal of penance to have your souls purified from the smallest defilement, or, at least, efface every stain by a sincere sorrow. Our divine Saviour told His Apostles, that they were pure, and yet, before giving them His body and blood, He desired to wash their feet. "His design was to show us by this act," says St. Bernard, "with what purity and what sanctity we ought to receive this august Sacrament; His intention was to teach us, that it is not sufficient to be purified from all mortal sins, but that we must renounce venial faults, which are like dust that sticks to the feet."

Although full of life and health, the body of man receives but little advantage from the food which he takes, unless he is hungry