Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/175

 reason it  is  called  bread,  because,  just  as  common bread sustains  the  life  of  the  body,  so  this  heavenly bread preserves  the  life  of  the  soul,  which  life  is  the grace of  God. Therefore, according  to  the  Council of Trent,  “ it  is  the  most  powerful  remedy  to  free us from  our  daily  faults,  and  to  preserve  us  from mortal sin.” — Trid. sess. xiii. c. 2.

First of  all,  the  Holy  Communion  infuses  into  our hearts the  love  of  God  Jesus  Christ  has  expressly declared that  he  came  into  the  world  for  no  other cause than  to  kindle  in  our  hearts  the  fire  of  his divine love. “ I am come  to  cast  fire  on  the  earth,  and what will  1,  but  that  it  be  kindled?”  ( Luke  xii.  49.) What is  there  now  on  the  earth  that  can  better  inflame the  heart  of  man  with  divine  love,  than  the  holy Sacrament of  the  Altar,  where  the  divine  Redeemer gives us  himself  entire? Therefore the  holy  Council of Trent  teaches  us  that  our  Saviour  in  this  Sacrament “ has  poured  out  all  the  treasures  of  his  love for us.” — Sess. xiii. c. 2.

Men should  desire  nothing  more,  or  more  ardently, than to  receive  Jesus  Christ  as  often  as  possible  in the  Holy  Communion.

How dear  to  the  Church  is  the  practice  of  frequenting the  sacraments! How earnestly  do  the saints exhort  us  to  go  to  confession  and  communion, not only  when  we  are  bound  to  do  so,  as  the  Church commands, but  often  besides. “ Let not,”  says the Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  “let  not the faithful  imagine  that  it  is  enough  to  receive  the body of  the  Lord  once  a year  only — they  should approach oftener; but  whether  monthly,  weekly,  or daily,  cannot  be  decided  by  any  universal  rule.” And St.  Alphonsus  teaches  that  when  the  soul  is  a long  time  without  this  divine  food,  she  scarcely  has