Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/176

 strength to  resist  temptations,  and  therefore  she  easily falls into  sin. The most  holy  sacrament  is  called heavenly bread; because  as  earthly  bread  supports  the life of  the  body,  so  this  heavenly  bread  preserves the life  of  the  soul. “ Hence,” the  saint  adds,  “let  every Christian communicate  at  least  every  eight  days.”

It is  known  that  the  first  Christians,  as  St.  Luke declares, went  daily  to  the  table  of  the  Lord. “ They continued  daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple, and broke  bread  from  house  to  house.”  (Acts  ii.  46.) It is  also  known  that  the  greatest  saints  made  use often of  Holy  Communion  as  the  most  effectual means of  advancing  in  piety  and  virtue.

What shall  we  say,  then,  of  those  Christians  who do not  conform  to  the  wishes  of  Jesus  Christ  and  of the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  and  who  will  not  imitate the example  of  all  holy  souls? Alas ! I know that they excuse  themselves  with  the  wretched  pretext: we are  not  worthy  to  go  so  often  to  the  table  of the  Lord.

O my God! if worthiness  were  to  be  considered, who would  be  found  truly  worthy  to  receive  communion? No one  but  Jesus  Christ  would  be  so, because God  alone  is  worthy  to  receive  God. But I assure  you,  my  dear  Christian,  that  the  longer  you are absent  from  communion,  all  the  more  unworthy will you  be  to  receive  it; the  more  rarely  you  go  to the  table  of  the  Lord,  so  much  the  more  numerous will be  your  faults,  because  you  are  thus  deprived  of the  principal  means  of  freeing  yourself  from  sin  and amending your  life,  namely,  the  Holy  Communion.

"What will  people  say,”  you  answer,  “ when  they see  me  going  so  often  to  communion? They  will either  look  upon  it  as  a profanation,  and  blame  it,  or ridicule  me,  and  make  a laughing-stock  of  me.”  To