Page:TheParadiseOfTheChristianSoul.djvu/390

 have for  it  very  little  relish. How can  it  be,  then,  but  that your soul  must  loathe  this  at length,  as  though  it  were  very light food? Because, that  is, thou tasteth  not  how  sweet the Lord  is  in  this  heavenly food, which, although  it  contains all  sweetness  of  taste, will satisfy  none  with  its  good things but  the  empty  and  the hungry soul.

We will,  therefore, give some exercises  proper  to  increase the  hunger  for  this food, and  also  its  fruit. They should be  used  as  holy  aspirations, not  thoughtlessly  and carelessly pronounced, but with earnestness  of  feeling, and in  the  heart  rather  than with the  lips.

For the  souls  affection  is the  one  thing  with  which  every work of  piety  must  be  recommended and  seasoned, or  it will  be  distasteful  and  wholly insipid. These exercises,  of which  we  have  drawn  merely the method  and  outline,  it  is free  for  every  one  to  enlarge; though it  is  to  be  feared  that these and  similar  exercises may be  distasteful  to  some, as too  diffuse  to  be  used  so frequently  at  Communion  or Mass.

But it  were  to  be  wished that these  persons  would  better consider the  majesty  of  this Sacrifice and  Sacrament, and would desire  more  earnestly to derive  fruit  and  spiritual refreshment from  their  use. For nothing  is  hard  to  those who love; and  therefore  they who burn  with  the  desire  of heavenly  grace  find  nothing disagreeable in  any  labour  or pains.

But if  there  is  not  time  always, still  it  will  be  useful very frequently  to  prepare  in this  manner  for  Holy  Communion, or  the  Sacrifice  of the  Mass.

Although I do  not  see  with what face  we  can  complain  of prolixity  in  this  matter, when on other  occasions  we  are  too long and  lavish  of  our  time upon things  that  are  trifling and frivolous.

How few  there  are  who  do not  readily  bestow  the  space of a whole  hour,  not  to  say hours, every  day  on  tending and  feeding  the  body  t And  shall  it  be  irksome  to give  so  much,  nay,  one  quarter of  an  hour  only, to  the heavenly feast  t Yet  in  the one it  is  only  the  mortal  body that receives  sustenance,  in  the other it  is  the  immortal  soul.

What! are our  other  personal and  domestic  affairs  so carefully  and  diligently,  so closely  and  attentively,  performed; and  is  the  business of the  soul,  and  of  salvation, the most  important  of  all,  to be  so  waveringly  and  precipitately dealt  with?

The various  points  of  this  exercise may  be  comprised  under three  principal  heads: