Visit 15 Jesus Eucharistic Model of Poverty, Humiliation, and Self-Denial

I. Jesus m the tabernacle, as in the crib, welcomes with an equal love the lowly and the great, the rich and the poor. All may approach Him to pay their homage.

II. When we draw near to Him, let us be lowly, as the shepherds were, by humility and simplicity.

III. Be we ever so poor we may "come to adore Him," and join in the angels’ song: " Glory to God in the highest."

CONSIDERATIONS.
Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is the Model of the religious soul and of the perfect life. He teaches us poverty, obedience, chastity, and these include meekness, humility, charity, self-denial, and all other virtues. 
In this visit let us consider the virtue of poverty, as exemplified in Our Savior, together with humility and self-denial. 

When Jesus Christ was born there came into existence an incomprehensible alliance between His holy humanity and poverty, in virtue of which He chose the latter as His inseparable companion through life. Our Lord had no lands, nor gold, nor silver; He never used valuable furniture; He lived by alms. He had no powerful friends or relations to defend Him against the persecution of His enemies; He exposed Himself to all their fury and yet was never weary of doing good. He was entirely stripped of Himself—and this is the most sublime degree of perfection. In becoming man. He laid aside every appearance of His perfections and assumed our weakness. He submitted to be acted on by the elements, by creatures, by demons, and, in a manner, depriving Himself of strength to resist them. 

Consider the poverty of Jesus on the cross. There, separated from every person and from everything, dying while deserted by His Father, He becomes to us the Model of perfect deprivation of all things. 

Consider His poverty in the tabernacle. It is voluntary poverty, chosen out of love. He deprives Himself of everything, even to the appearance of existence, and does not so much as retain His liberty of action. He allows Himself to be taken by the priest to the homes of the poor as well as the rich, to be exposed upon the altar, or enclosed in the tabernacle; to be given to the worthy or the unworthy communicant. He gives up all that He has in giving us Himself— His open heart, His pierced hands can no longer keep back any graces. 

But in order to receive them, your heart must be empty of creatures— free from any voluntary attachment to sin and imperfection. "The perfect soul," says St. Jerome, "has nothing but Jesus Christ; if it has anything beside, it is not yet perfect." Enter deeply into these thoughts; nourish your soul with them, knowing that the Heart of Jesus is an inexhaustible fountain of grace. Seek also to relieve the poverty of Jesus somewhat in the tabernacle. Let us, like Mary and Joseph, remain near Him, and minister to His wants, as they did in the cave of Bethlehem and in the house of Nazareth. Too often carelessness and slovenliness in His service take the place of Mary and Joseph's ministrations. Too frequently withered leaves, soiled and dilapidated artificial flowers are deemed a sufficient offering for the Creator, Who has clothed the earth with all her beauty.

Let us take an example of the lowly animals with which Jesus took up His first visible dwelling on earth, and as they are the types of patient, willing labor, so let us imitate them in making it our happiness and pride to work for the Babe of Bethlehem, by helping to raise fitting tabernacles for His dwelling-place, by doing what we can to have the churches kept clean and attractive and the altars duly provided with vestments, ornaments, and, especially, fine linen—the new swaddling clothes of the Eucharistic Babe—by laboring in behalf of poor sanctuaries with our own hands and by seeking to draw other souls to the practice of greater devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. 

0 Jesus! teach me to become poor in spirit as Thou art poor, humble as Thou art humble, and by Thy utter abandonment of Thyself to the wishes of Thy creatures, teach me to give myself up unreservedly to the directions of Thy divine will. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like Thine!

Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, Mother and model of adorers, pray for us, who have recourse to thee.

St. Joseph, pray for us, that like thee, we may die in the arms of Jesus and Mary.


PRAYER TO THE HOLY GHOST
0 Holy Ghost, Thou Teacher and Sanctifier, Who givest light and strength to my soul, bless me that I may be more faithful to Jesus, my Savior and my God, Who is hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, and that I may love Him more and more. In the light of the tabernacle I ask of Thee, 0 Holy Spirit, to fill my heart with pure desire for Jesus, the Living Bread. Give me grace to adore Him with the zeal and humble ven­eration of the holy angels; grant that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that His will be done in my soul. Help me to thank Him for all His gifts, and, most of all, for Himself. By this Holy Sacrament He strengthens souls on earth, gives rest to souls in purgatory, and gladdens souls in heaven. He is the hidden manna, promised by Himself to all who overcome them­selves and love Him. May I taste the sweetness of Jesus! Set up more and more Thy kingdom in my soul, that I may keep my body under and bring it to subjection, lest I should be a castaway from Jesus and from Thee.

SPIRTUAL COMMUNION
0 Jesus, my Savior, Who art truly present in the Blessed Sacrament for the nourishment of our souls! since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, I humbly and earnestly beseech Thee to re­fresh me spiritually. I love Thee above all things and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Come into my mind to illumine it with the light of heaven; come into my heart to enkindle therein the fire of Thy love. Unite me so intimately with Thee, that it may be no more I that live, but Thou that livest and reigneth in me forever.



FRUIT OF THE VISIT.
I. Behold Christ seated in thy heart, breaking His bread for thee, who art perishing of hunger; regard thyself as a poor outcast, asking for the precious and life-giving crumbs.

II. Love Him with changeless love as the holy confessors loved Him; that so, being holy in thy life, thou mayest continue in wisdom, as the sun, and not, in thy foolishness, be changed as the moon (Ecclus. xxvii. 12).

III. Ask Him for the true spirit of " Poverty;" that, renouncing all things, thou mayest run more swiftly along the way of perfection, which leadeth straight to the heavenly kingdom.

Aspiration.
"Thou didst feed Thy people with the Food of Angels, and gave them bread from Heaven, prepared without labor, having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste " (Wisd. xvi. 20),

EUCHARISTIC GEMS.
Receive Him without fear, yet without pride: without fear, because the God Who comes to thee is meek and humble; without pride, because thou hast not deserved to touch Him so familiarly. Open thy lips to eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and to drink His blood; for thus He Himself invites thee to the banquet.—Pere Lacobdaire.

Heart of Jesus, Hear! 
Make me, Jesus, wholly Thine ; 
Take this wayward heart of mine; 
Guide me through this world so drear— 
Heart of Jesus, hear!

When I draw my parting breath, 
When my eyes shall close in death, 
Then, sweet Jesus, be Thou near— 
Heart of Jesus, hear!

St. Felix of Cantalice, Brother " Deo Gratias."  1587AD. 
This amiable saint was a lay-brother of the strict Order of the Capuchins. It was his office to collect alms for his brethren, in which work he was engaged every day for forty years. But in spite of this occupation, carried on humbly through the streets of Rome, he attained to an eminent degree of sanctity, which was acknowledged even in his lifetime by persons of all ranks. 

It was to the exercise of two super eminent graces that his great virtue and influence with others may be ascribed—-viz., a humble, unintermitting devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and an overflowing spirit of thankfulness, which procured for; him the title of Brother "Deo Gratias." He was in the habit of rising at night when the Fathers slept, and, taking his place before the Blessed Sacrament, he watched and proyed until dawn, when he rang the Angelus; he then served the first Mass, which was said at that hour, and, with tears of pious devotion, received holy communion. After this he made his thanksgiving until it was time for him to go forth on his daily task.

When abroad, his only greeting was "Deo gratias;" and his delight it was to collect the little children, and to hear them at his bidding praise God repeatedly in the same sweet words, so that seeing him afar off, they would run to meet him, crying out, "Deo gratias, Brother Felix—Deo gratias!" He then with tears in his eyes would reply, " Deo gratias! Bless you, dear children! Deo gratias! "

St. Felix lived until he was above seventy years old. When about to receive the Viaticum, he exclaimed with a loud' voice: "0 Sacrum Convivium," etc.; and shortly after receiving it he turned to the brethren around his bed, begging them to say with him and for him: "Deo Gratias." As they did so, he peacefully closed his eyes as one about to sleep; and so did he indeed sleep in Jesus on May 18, 1587.