A 19th century Benedictine Mystic: Some Anecdotes and Sayings (Pt. 2)

SOME ANECDOTES FROM THE LIFE OF FR. PAUL OF MOLL (d. Feb 24, 1896)

Even the Saints have Imperfections
Someone complained to Father Paul about an ecstatic. ‘Then do not believe,’ he said, ‘that these saintly souls have no faults. No saint in this world is exempt from faults.’

A Vision of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
“One day while I knelt in adoration before the Most Holy Sacrament exposed, I saw Jesus standing before me. He wore a white garment and was of dazzling beauty.” – Fr. Paul of Moll

Simultaneous Novenas
Father Paul advised a countryman to make a novena to St. Benedict. ‘I shall have to wait a few days,’ he replied, ‘for I have commenced a novena to St. Joseph.’
‘Nothing prevents you from making the two novenas at the same time; in Heaven, there is no jealousy among the saints.’

Two Places in Heaven
In the confessional, an ecstatic said to Father Paul that in a dream she had seen the Rev. Father’s soul carried to Heaven by angels and there placed near the choir of angels. He replied simply, ‘Yes indeed, my place is there.’
Then he asked, ‘Do you know your place in Heaven?’
‘No.’
‘Well, I know it.’  (“We may here remark that other ecstatics of our country [Belgium] likewise say that the Rev. Father Paul has a high place in Heaven, and that he is a very powerful protector. But the Church alone has the authority to confirm these assertions.”)

A Miracle Worker – Not in Life, but in Death
To an ecstatic Father Paul said, ‘You will not work any miracles during your life-time, but you will after your death.’

Devotion to the Nine Choirs of Angels 
“A very pious young girl was saying the Rosary in our church, in honor of the nine choirs of angels. I saw above her head nine silver strings which continually moved up and down. This symbolized the joy felt by the angels of the nine choirs at the homage which was paid to them.” – Fr. Paul of Moll (“Father Paul loved to propagate this devotion to the nine choirs of angels.”)

The Evil of Scandal
A Woman in Antwerp who sold liberal papers, being threatened with total blindness, went to Termonde to ask Father Paul to cure her. He replied, ‘You cannot be cured, because you sell bad papers.’

A Visit from Our Lady; Abandoned Souls in Purgatory; A Father in Heaven
“At a visit to Father Paul, in 1895, he said to me, ‘If I were to tell you something, would you believe me?’
‘Yes, Father.’
‘The Blessed Virgin appeared to me, and before disappearing she placed her hand upon my shoulder.'”

He also said to me, ‘There are souls in the fire of Purgatory who ask your prayers for their deliverance. You knew these persons well, and now they are forgotten by their children.’”

He also told me that my father is in Heaven.” – From a young lady of Heusden (Ghent)

SOME SAYINGS OF FR. PAUL OF MOLL

It is Not Always Enough to Pray for Oneself (A Good Reason to Invoke the Saints!)
“In order to be heard, it is not only always sufficient only to pray oneself: one should also ask the prayers of others.” (The same was revealed to St. Gertrude the Great)

“It is written (Job 5:1): ‘Call . . . if there be any that will answer thee, and turn to some of the saints.’ … Therefore when we wish to pray to God, we should turn to the saints, that they may pray to God for us… Further, the saints who are in heaven are more acceptable to God than those who are on the way.”
– St. Thomas Aquinas

Novenas in the Morning
“It is better to make novenas in the morning than in the evening.”

Different Rewards in Heaven: To Each According to His Works
“It is wrong to imagine Heaven as a place whose inhabitants enjoy the same happiness. Heaven is a dwelling place where every work of charity, ‘werk van liefde,’ enjoys an eternal recompense.”

‘Dash Thy Little Ones Against the Rock’ (Ps. 136:9)
“When a demon suggests a bad thought, it is easy to resist the temptation; but if one does not immediately repel it, a second demon comes at once to help the first. Afterwards, in proportion as resistance is delayed, still other demons come and combine their efforts, and when one has to battle against seven devils all at once, it is very difficult not to succumb.”

[This Psalm verse, understood in its spiritual sense, is often explained thus by the Fathers: When we encounter evil thoughts and temptations, we are to take them captive while they are still young, and we are to dash them against the Rock, Christ.]

SOME EXCERPTS FROM THE LETTERS OF FR. PAUL OF MOLL

Love: An Everlasting Treasure
“I wish you an ardent love for God: it is the richest and most beautiful treasure you can wish or desire. All other treasures will disappear like smoke; but the treasure of love shall remain forever in Heaven.”

Love: The Bond of Perfection
“A sigh of love for God is worth more than a whole year of penance.” (i.e. penance performed habitually or in our own will).

God Loves the Children of Mary
“Mary being truly our Mother, how could God love our Mother so much without loving her children?”

Look Upon Christ, Not Your Miseries
“No matter how miserable he may be, provided he is no longer in the state of mortal sin, God loves him with an incomprehensible love.”

Source: ‘Father Paul of Moll: A Flemish Benedictine and Wonderworker of the Nineteenth Century, 1824 – 1896,’ by Edward Van Speybrouck (2nd ed., Benedictine Convent, Clyde, MO, 1914)

“Ask of me whatever you desire, and it will be procured for you.
And continue to ask, for when I am in Heaven,
my power will be greater.”
– Fr. Paul of Moll to a friend

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33 Reasons to Consecrate Yourself to Mary

‘Thy face is full of graces.’  Esther 15:17

+ CONTENTS

PART I:

• ‘And Her Riches I Hide Not’ (Wis. 7:13)
• ‘De Maria Numquam Satis’ – Of Mary, Never Enough!
• ‘Oculi Mei Semper Ad Dominum’ (Ps. 24:15) – My Eyes are Ever Towards the Lord
• Mary Magnifies the Lord; She Leads Souls to the Most-High
• Mary: Terror of Demons
• ‘Her Children Rose Up, and Called Her Blessed’ (Prov. 31:28)
• The Ave Maria: A Simple Key to Understanding Marian Devotion
• A Simple Yet Infallible Means for Coming to Know Mary
• A Final Word for the Centenary of Fatima

PART II:

• 33 REASONS TO CONSECRATE YOURSELF TO JESUS, THROUGH MARY (This material is suitable for use as a preparation for Total Consecration, or as a renewal of one’s Consecration)
• Act of Consecration to the Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin

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PART I

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‘And Her Riches I Hide Not’ (Wis. 7:13)

In 17^th century France, a holy Visitandine, Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (d. 1692), was to echo the teaching of so many Saints, Doctors, mystics and theologians who had preceded her; and a prodigious number, in turn, would echo the sentiments of this little-known Servant of God. Speaking of a vision in which she was privileged to behold the august Queen of Heaven, she declares:

“O God! who can relate the beauty and the grandeur of that incomparable Queen!… I am not afraid of asserting that nothing that has ever been said of the glory enjoyed by that sovereign Queen of Heaven comes even near to what I have seen of it; so that the little sight of it which was granted me took away all the pleasure I used to have before in hearing her praises proclaimed, so low and unworthy has the human expression of them seemed to me since then.”

Upon hearing such words, it might seem somewhat presumptuous to attempt to speak of the dignity and beauty of Our Lady – but this is certainly not the case. St. Alphonsus did not write ‘The Glories of Mary’ for nothing, and the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church does not put the following words on the lips of the Mother of God without just cause: ‘They that explain me shall have life everlasting’ (Ecclus. 24:31). Let us proceed, then, to reflect a little upon the unique prerogatives of the Mother of God.

‘De Maria Numquam Satis’ – Of Mary, Never Enough!

One must always bear in mind that, however much we honour Our Lady, we will never be able to honour her as much as God Himself, Who, through ‘the angel Gabriel’ (Lk. 1:26), was the first to call her ‘blessed’:

‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ (Lk. 1:28)

Yes, blessed, truly blessed is Mary, ‘fairest among women’ (Cant. 1:7), for even prior to the Incarnation she was ‘full of grace’ and the Lord was with her! “For who could call her empty,” asks St. Bernard, Doctor of the Church, “whom the angel greeted as full of grace? Nor was this all, but he also declared that the Holy Ghost would come upon her. For what purpose, but to fill her to overflowing?And why this, but so that when the Spirit should come and find her already full, she would then brim over, and overflow upon us?”

“So full of grace” is she, that St. Thomas, Doctor of the Church, does not hesitate to say that “… it overflows onto all mankind.” “She is so filled with dilection,” said Our Lord to Bl. Agnes de Langeac (d. 1634), “that it is she who gives love to the Cherubim and Seraphim.”

But of course, for Our Lady is “the sacred and living ark of the living God, who conceived her Creator Himself” (St. John Damascene, Doctor of the Church) – that is, He of Whose ‘fulness we all have received’ (Jn. 1:16). She is “the Mother of the Lord, the temple of the living God, the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit” (St. Isidore, Doctor of the Church); she is the Immaculate Conception, of whom it is said: ‘Wisdom hath built herself a house’ (Prov. 9:1) – and, more emphatically still: ‘NOW ALL GOOD THINGS CAME TO ME TOGETHER WITH HER, AND INNUMERABLE RICHES THROUGH HER HANDS.’ (Wis. 7:11).

‘Who is she,’ we ask, ‘that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?’ (Cant. 6:9) Do these words not constitute an apt description of the Immaculate Virgin? Undoubtedly. “She is,” said Jesus to Bl. Agnes de Langeac, “the true unchanging moon that has banished darkness by her virtues… She is the most beautiful and the most perfect of all creatures.” “Because she was humblest among angels and men,” said an Angel to St. Bridget of Sweden (whose revelations were approved by the Ecumenical Council of Constance), “she has been raised up highest over all creation, the most beautiful creature of all and the one most like to God Himself.” (The Angel’s Discourse, Ch. 20)

“It is not possible for the Mother of God not to be heard, according to that which Solomon spoke to his mother by way of a figure:

MY MOTHER, ASK: FOR I MUST NOT TURN AWAY THY FACE (3 Kings 2:20).“

– St. Antoninus

‘Oculi Mei Semper Ad Dominum’ (Ps. 24:15) – My Eyes are Ever Towards the Lord

In the book of Ezekiel we read: ‘And he brought me back toward the outer gate of the sanctuary which looked toward the east; and it was shut. And the Lord said to me: This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it: because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it, and it shall be shut’ (Ezek. 44:1-2). What is this mysterious east gate of which the Scriptures speak? “The east gate,” writes St. Aelred of Rievaulx, “is Mary most holy. For the gate which faces east generally receives the brightness of the sun first. So, Mary most blessed, who always looked to the east, to the brightness of God, first received within herself the ray, indeed, the whole fulness of the brightness of the true sun – the Son of God, of whom Zachary said: The rising sun visited us from on high (Lk. 1:78).”

If only souls knew what a treasure they possess in Mary! What dignity belongs to our dearest Mother, ‘exceedingly beautiful’ (Jud. 8:7) and ‘to all men’s eyes incomparably lovely’ (Jud. 10:4)! ‘There is not such another woman upon earth in look, in beauty, and in sense of words’ (Jud. 11:19).

With St. Ephraem (d. 373), Doctor of the Church, let us proclaim unhesitatingly: “With the Mediator, you [Mary] are the Mediatrix of the entire world.” The priest, acting ‘in persona Christi,’ often imparts a blessing to souls in the following words: “Dominus vobiscum” (“The Lord be with you”); but only of our Blessed Mother, the resting-place of the Most-High (cf. Ecclus. 24:12), could it be said, even while still dwelling in this ‘vale of tears’ (Ps. 83:7): “Dominus tecum” (“The Lord is with you”).

Yes, dear Queen of Heaven, Jesus is and ever will be the Blessed Fruit of your womb; nourish us, then, with ‘the Bread of Life’ (Jn. 6:48) ‘[in] whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Col. 2:3). “Show thyself a mother,” for you are ‘the mother of all the living’ (Gen. 3:20). ‘And do thou call upon the Lord, and speak to the king for us, and deliver us from death’ (Esther 15:3). ‘Blessed art thou, by thy God, in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on occasion of thee’ (Jud. 13:31).

Mary Magnifies the Lord; She Leads Souls to the Most-High

‘And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord’ (Lk. 1:46). Yes, Mary ‘doth magnify the Lord’ – these words are, in some sense, a distillation of all Marian theology. Why did the Eternal Father entrust Mary with His only-begotten Son, if not because, in the words of Almighty God to St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church, she is the “sweet bait” of Heaven, whose raison d’être is to conquer Satan and lead souls to intimate union with Jesus? ‘Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight’ (Mt. 11:26). ‘For this will be a glorious monument for Thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman’ (Jud. 9:15).

Ask yourself: Do the Saints detract from the glory of God? Certainly not; for God is ‘glorified in His saints’ (2 Thess. 1:10); the ‘brightness of the saints’ (Ps. 109:3) reflects His infinite, Uncreated Glory. How, then, can one argue that Mary detracts from the glory of God, when history and Scripture reveal that ‘she maketh the friends of God and prophets’ (Wis. 7:27)?

Read the following, slowly: ‘And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb’ (Lk. 1:41-42). Do not fear that Mary could lead you from the Way, for He is always with her: ‘I found Him whom my soul loveth: I held Him: and I will not let Him go’ (Cant. 3:4). Mary was and, in some sense will forever be, ‘found with child, of the Holy Ghost’ (Mt. 1:18). “The two,” says St. Bernadette Soubirous, “cannot be separated. Jesus and Mary always go together.” One who blesses Mary will, without fail, bless God and draw down His favours! ‘Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord, the most high God, above all women upon the earth’ (Jud. 13:23).

Mary: Terror of Demons

Satan hates nothing more than when a soul draws nigh to the Mother of God. Why? Because she is our most powerful advocate with her Divine Son; she is, quite literally, the Mother of Mercy (c.f. Ps. 143:2; Ps. 58:18). “Call Me Mercy,” said Our Lord to Ven. Louise Margaret (d. 1915).

“Oh Lady, what the prayers of all these saints can obtain, in union with thine, thou canst obtain, by thy intercession alone without their aid.”

–St. Anselm, Doctor of the Church

“God gave her such power over the evil spirits,” said an Angel to St. Bridget of Sweden, “that whenever they attack anyone devoutly imploring her aid, they scatter right off in fear and flee far away at her merest nod” (The Angel’s Discourse, Ch. 20). The demons are terrified of the Immaculate; they are powerless against her. God will not so much as allow the demons to speak a word against Mary. ‘And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much, neither was there any one that spoke an ill word of her’ (Jud 8:8). ‘The Lord hath blessed thee,’ O powerful Virgin, ‘by His power, because by thee He hath brought our enemies to nought’ (Jud. 13:22).

‘Her Children Rose Up, and Called Her Blessed’ (Prov. 31:28)

In imitation of so many great Saints, whose divine Election has been confirmed by extraordinary charity and countless miracles, let us make the words of the Almighty Father, of St. Gabriel and of St. Elizabeth our own – especially by means of praying the Holy Rosary. “The recitation of the Rosary – that is what Lucifer hates” (Père Lamy). There is nothing to fear. “He who loves Jesus,” says St. Crescentia, “will also love His Mother. He who loves the Mother will likewise love the Son.” The Saints bear witness to this. The words of St. Maximilian Kolbe are being confirmed every day: “It can be said that all the Saints are the work of the Blessed Virgin, and that a special devotion to her is their common characteristic.” ‘Her children rose up, and called her blessed’ (Prov. 31:28). ‘And he that honoureth his mother is as one that layeth up a treasure’ (Ecclus. 3:5).

If we wish to have God as our Father, we must take for our Mother her who said: ‘from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed’ (Lk. 1:48). So be prudent: ‘Receive the words of thy handmaid, for if thou wilt follow the words of thy handmaid, the Lord will do with thee a perfect thing’ (Jud. 11:4). And what does ‘the handmaid of the Lord’ (Lk. 1:38) say to us? ‘Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye’ (Jn. 2:5). ‘All that shall be good and best before His eyes, I will do. And whatsoever shall please Him, that shall be best to me all the days of my life’ (Jud. 12:14).

Imitate St. John, the “Disciple whom Jesus Loved” and “the Guardian of the Virgin”*: ‘Behold thy mother’ (Jn. 19:27). ‘But the Mother of the child said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. He arose, therefore, and followed her’ (2 Kings 4:30). ‘And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own’ (Jn. 19:27).

*St. Gertrude the Great had a vision in which she beheld these words inscribed on golden lilies that were attached to the shoulders of St. John.

“Consider, Bernard, my son, that he [St. John] is the first-born of my adopted sons and the model of my cherished ones: aspire to imitate his love for me and for my most holy Son.”

– Our Lady to Bl. Bernard Francis de Hoyos

“Know that the distance from Heaven to Earth is not so great as from my love to thine.” – Our Lady to St. Alphonsus Rodriguez (d. 1617) “Give up thy devotion to Mary, and I will cease to tempt thee.” – Satan to St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

The Ave Maria: A Simple Key to Understanding Marian Devotion

Take note of the structure of the ‘Hail Mary.’ If one looks at this powerful little prayer in Latin – the Church’s “mother-tongue,” and that language so feared by the demons – they will discover that it consists of 31 words. Now, pay close attention to the middle-word of the Ave Maria, the first word of which (‘Ave’) ought to remind us that it was subsequent to Gabriel’s ‘Ave’ that Eva’s knot of disobedience was untied (‘Ave’ is ‘Eva’ backwards):

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.

Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui,

IESUS. 

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus,

nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.

Amen.

Let this simple observation be for us a reminder that the Rosary – as with all authentic Marian devotion –is Christo-centric, and that if we wish to seek Jesus, Who is an infinite ‘treasure hidden in a field’ (Mt. 13:44), we must seek Him in and with Mary, who is that ‘plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed’ (Gen. 27:27).

Also, notice how the Holy Name of Jesus is nestled between Maria, gratia plena – Mary, full of grace, and Sancta Maria – Holy Mary. We, too, should let Mary embrace us. ‘Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her’ (Prov. 4:8). Can anything but an immense good come from imitating Jesus in this regard? Did He not live in the closest union with Our Lady for the 30 years preceding His public ministry? (Again, look at the structure of the prayer). And did He not remain close to Mary – at least in spirit – throughout His public ministry, even until the end?

A Simple Yet Infallible Means for Coming to Know Mary

The purpose of this article is to lead us to Jesus, through Mary; this is the end of all authentic Marian devotion. If the thought of asking for Mary’s intercession leaves you feeling a bit perplexed, begin by praying the following Scriptures, and, provided that you are seeking God, you will find that, in time, God will reward you with a sincere affection for she who is the sweetest, dearest, purest Queen of Hearts:

‘Hail [Mary], full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women’ (Lk. 1:28) ‘and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb [Jesus]’ (Lk. 1:41-42). ‘[Jesus,] I am Thine: save Thou me’ (Ps. 118:94). ‘I am Thy servant, and the son of Thy handmaid’ (Ps. 115:16). ‘O look upon me, and have mercy on me: give Thy command to Thy servant, and save the son of Thy handmaid’ (Ps. 85:16).

A Final Word for the Centenary of Fatima

This year (2017) is not only the centenary of Mary’s apparitions at Fatima, Portugal; it also marks the 175^th anniversary of the discovery (in 1842) of St. Louis de Montfort’s masterful work, ‘True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin.’ This book is a classic: it is prophetic, inspiring and altogether life-changing if one takes time with it. Why else would Our Lady herself have left a copy of ‘The Secret of Mary’ (which is essentially a distillation of ‘True Devotion’) on Ven. Marthe Robin’s divan bed, saying that she desired this book to be spread across the globe? (While bedridden and too weak to make the Sign of the Cross, Ven. Marthe Robin was assisted by the guiding hand of her Blessed Mother – so solicitous is Mary for the welfare of her children!)

It is my hope that this humble article will contribute in some way to fulfilling Our Lord’s desire that souls entrust themselves without reserve to their Blessed Mother. The fruits of this devotion are eternal.

This article henceforth follows a very simple structure:

1. A quote from ‘True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin’ by St. Louis de Montfort
2. An accompanying quotation

If you want to know more about how and when to consecrate yourself to Mary, according to the recommendations of St. Louis de Montfort, you will find the following link useful:

https://www.fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationmontfort.html

Also, ‘The Secret of Mary’: http://www.ewtn.com/library/montfort/secret.htm

At the end of the article you will find a beautiful little formula for consecrating yourself to Mary. This prayer was dictated by Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero (d. 1916).

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PART II

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33 REASONS TO CONSECRATE YOURSELF TO JESUS, THROUGH MARY

WEEK 1

-1- Mary is Mediatrix of All Graces

‘The Holy Ghost gives no heavenly gift to men which He does not pass through her virginal hands.’

“I am the mediatrix between God and men; all graces pass through my hands.” – Our Lady to St. Veronica Giuliani

-2- Mary’s Will is Perfectly Aligned with God’s Will

‘Mary, being altogether transformed into God by grace [so to speak], and by the glory which transforms all the Saints into Him, asks nothing, wishes nothing, does nothing which is contrary to the Eternal and Immutable Will of God.’

“Mother, when thou wast on earth, there was nothing thou didst refuse to do for love of Me; now that I am in Heaven, it is just that I refuse nothing which thou dost ask of Me.” – Jesus to Our Lady (From ‘The Revelations of St. Bridget’ as quoted in ‘The Glories of Mary’)

-3- Mary’s Intercession is All-Powerful with God

‘To Mary, His faithful Spouse, God the Holy Ghost has communicated His unspeakable gifts; and He has chosen her to be the dispensatrix of all He possesses, in such sort that she distributes to whom she wills, as much as she wills, as she wills, and when she wills, all His gifts and graces.’

“To increase my confidence, my Divine Spouse made me aware most convincingly of the great power over His Heart which He has given to His mother holy Mother; and He assured me that in her intercession she is all–powerful with Him.” – Ven. Maria Dominica Clara Moes

-4- Jesus is Perfectly Obedient to His Blessed Mother

‘Inasmuch as grace perfects nature, and glory perfects grace, it is certain that Our Lord is still, in Heaven, as much the Son of Mary as He was on earth; and that, consequently, He has preserved the most perfect obedience and submission of all children towards the best of all mothers.’

‘And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them.’ (Lk. 3:51)

-5- Jesus Willed to Begin His Miracles by Mary

‘He sanctified St. John in the womb of St. Elizabeth his mother; but it was by Mary’s word. No sooner had she spoken than John was sanctified; and this was His first and greatest miracle of grace. At the marriage at Cana He changed the water into wine; but it was at Mary’s humble prayer; and this was His first miracle of nature.’

‘And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: They have no wine.’ (Jn. 2:3)

-6- Jesus Wills to Continue His Miracles by Mary

‘He has begun and continued His miracles by Mary, and He will continue them to the end of ages by Mary also… Mary has produced, together with the Holy Ghost, the greatest thing which has been, or ever will be, which is a God-Man; and she will consequently produce the greatest things that there will be in the latter times. The formation and education of the great Saints, who shall come at the end of the world, are reserved for her. For it is only that singular and miraculous Virgin who can produce, in union with the Holy Ghost, singular and extraordinary things.’

‘He that shall find me, shall find Life, and shall have salvation from the Lord.’ (Prov. 8:35)

 -7- Mary is the Forma Dei, the “Mould of God”

‘He who is cast in this mould is presently formed and moulded in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in him. At a slight expense and in a short time he will become God [in a manner of speaking], because he has been cast in the same mould which has formed a God.’

“This tender Mother has a particular care for souls who abandon themselves to divine Providence; she exhorts me to give myself up to her Son, to keep myself, by fidelity to the presence of God, susceptible to the touches of grace;

‘and then,’ she adds, ‘all will be easy to thee, and the Will of God will be the desire of thy heart’;

she will have me free from fear and under the reign of pure love. Once, though I saw her not, I heard her sweet voice say to me:

‘My daughter, thou shalt participate in some of my loving sufferings; but I promise thee my assistance.’” – Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos

WEEK 2

-8- To be Moulded in Mary is the Shortest Path to Sanctity

‘Mary is a holy place, and the holy of holies where Saints are formed and moulded. Take notice, if you please, that I say the Saints are moulded in Mary. There is a great difference between making a figure in relief by blows of hammer and chisel, and making a figure by throwing it into a mould. Statuaries and sculptors labour much to make figures in the first manner; but to make them in the second manner, they work little, and do their work quickly.’

“One day the saint [St. Francis of Assisi] saw his sons trying to reach our Lord by a ladder that was red and very steep; after climbing a few rungs, they would fall back. Our Lord then showed St. Francis another ladder, white and much less steep, at whose summit appeared the Blessed Virgin, and He said to Francis:

‘Advise your sons to go by the ladder of My Mother.’” – Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange

-9- The Path of Mary is Short, Sweet, Secure, Meritorious

‘… doing your actions by our Blessed Lady, as this practice teaches you, you abandon your own intentions and operations, although good and known, to lose yourself, so to speak, in the intentions of the Blessed Virgin, although they are unknown*. Thus you enter by participation into the sublimity of her intentions, which are so pure, that she gives more glory to God by the least of her actions — for example, in twirling her distaff or pointing her needle – than St. Lawrence by his cruel martyrdom on his gridiron, or even all the Saints by all their heroic actions put together. It was thus that, during her sojourn here below, she acquired such an unspeakable aggregate of graces and merits, that it were easier to count the stars of the firmament, the drops of water in the sea, or the grains of sand upon its shore, than her merits and graces. Thus it was that she gave more glory to God than all the Angels and Saints have given Him, or ever will give Him. O prodigy of a Mary! thou canst not help but do prodigies of grace in souls that wish to lose themselves altogether in thee!’

*An act which can easily be renewed, e.g. by the simple prayer: “I renounce myself; I give myself to you, my Blessed Mother!”

“By way of Mary the road is easier because the Blessed Virgin supports us by her gentleness; nevertheless, it is a more meritorious road because Mary obtains for us a greater charity, which is the principle of merit. The difficulties to be overcome are certainly an occasion of merit, but the principle of merit is charity, the love of God, by which we triumph over these difficulties. We should remember that Mary merited more by her easiest acts, such as a simple prayer, than did the martyrs in their torments, for she put more love of God into these easy acts than the saints did in heroic acts. Since the road by way of Mary is easier and more meritorious, it is shorter, surer, and more perfect; more easily travelled, progress on it is more rapid. By submission to the Mother of God, a person makes greater progress in a short time than he would make in many years relying excessively on his own personal prudence. Under the direction of her whom the Incarnate Word obeyed, he walks with giant steps.” – Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange

-10- With Mary’s Intercession, We Need Not Fear the Enemy

‘… God has given Mary such a great power against the devils, that, as they have often been obliged to confess, in spite of themselves, by the mouths of the possessed, they fear one of her sighs for a soul more than the prayers of all the Saints, and one of her menaces against them more than all other torments.’

“In the instruction of the beatification of St. Francis de Sales, one of the witnesses was a female religious who knew him in the first monastery of the Visitation in Annecy. She referred that on one occasion a young man, who had been possessed by the devil for the last five years, was brought before the Bishop of Genevre (Msgr. Charles Auguste de Sales, St. Francis’ nephew and successor in the bishop’s seat) to be exorcized. The interrogations of the devil were carried out next to the mortal remains of St. Francis. During one of these sessions, the devil cried out, full of fury:

‘Why should I have to leave?’

A religious of the Sisters of the Visitation was present, who, when she heard this, invoked the Blessed Virgin: ‘Holy Mother of God, pray for…’. When the devil heard these words – as the nun explained in her declaration – the devil cried out even louder:

‘Mary, Mary! For me there is no Mary! Don’t pronounce that name, which makes me shudder! If there were a Mary for me, like there is for you, I would not be what I am! But there is no Mary for me.’

Shaken by this scene, some of the people present began to cry. The devil continued:

‘If I had just an instant of the many that you people lose…! One lone instant and one Mary, I would not be a devil!’

-11- Satan is Supremely Humiliated by Our Lady

‘… Satan, being proud, suffers infinitely more from being beaten and punished by a little and humble handmaid of God, and her humility humbles him more than the Divine power…’

“… I am more humiliated to be defeated by a human creature than being defeated by Him.” – Satan (during an exorcism performed by Fr. Gabriele Amorth, d. 2016)

-12- Mary is The Treasury of God

‘God the Father made an assemblage of all the waters, and He named it the sea (mare). He has made an assemblage of all His graces, and He has called it Mary (Maria). This great God has a most rich treasury in which He has laid up all that He has of beauty, of splendour, of rarity, and of preciousness, even to His Own Son; and this immense treasury is none other than Mary, whom the Saints have named the Treasure of the Lord, out of whose plenitude all men are made rich.’

‘Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.’ (Ecclesiasticus 24: 26-27)

-13- Mary Presents Us to Jesus

‘The Most High God came down to us in a perfect way through the humble Virgin Mary, without losing anything of His divinity or holiness. It is likewise through Mary that we poor creatures must ascend to almighty God in a perfect manner without having anything to fear.’

“If you are willing to be my daughter, pupil, and handmaid, I shall be your mother, mistress, and teacher. And when you have been sufficiently instructed and educated by me, I shall lead you to your dear spouse, my Son, who will receive you into His Hands, as I have just now received you.” – Our Lady to St. Elizabeth of Hungary (d. 1231)

-14- Mary, by God’s Design, Presents Our Gifts to God

‘Mary presents our good works to Jesus. She does not keep anything we offer for herself, as if she were our last end, but unfailingly gives everything to Jesus. So by the very fact we give anything to her, we are giving it to Jesus. Whenever we praise and glorify her, she sings today as she did on the day Elizabeth praised her, “My soul glorifies the Lord.”’

“During this beautiful month [May, the Month of Mary] live as closely united in spirit with your celestial Mother as possible, and give her all that you do, so that she can present it to Me. This divine Mother will sweetly take your part, and before consigning to Me what you have offered her, she will give it a finishing touch. This ought to inspire you to place your filial confidence in her…” – Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata

WEEK 3

-15- Mary Makes of Us and Our Gifts a Pleasing Offering to God

‘Rebecca made Jacob approach the bed of his father. His father touched him, embraced him and even joyfully kissed him after having satisfied his hunger with the well-prepared dishes which Jacob had brought him. Then inhaling most joyfully the exquisite perfume of his garments, he cried: “Behold the fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a field of plenty which the Lord has blessed.” The fragrance of this rich field which so captivated the heart of the father, is none other than the fragrance of the merits and virtues of Mary who is the plentiful field of grace in which God the Father has sown the grain of wheat of the elect, his only Son. How welcome to Jesus Christ, the Father of the world to come, is a child perfumed with the fragrance of Mary! How readily and how intimately does he unite himself to that child!’

“Our Lady offers our prayers to God; she beautifies them; she makes them pleasing in His sight.” – Père Lamy

-16- Submission to Mary Brings Great Glory to God

‘He gave more glory to God, His Father, during all those years of submission and dependence than he would have given by spending them working miracles, preaching far and wide, and converting all mankind. Otherwise he would have done all these things.’

“Blessed are they who serve her, who love and imitate her.”

– Jesus to Bl. Agnes de Langeac

-17- Mary Obtains Liberty of Spirit for Her Children

‘One day the Blessed Virgin appeared to Mother Agnes and put a gold chain around her neck to show her how happy she was that Mother Agnes had become the slave of both her and her Son. And St. Cecilia, who accompanied our Lady, said to her, “Happy are the faithful slaves of the Queen of heaven, for they will enjoy true freedom.” Tibi servire libertas.’

‘I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope… He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.’ (Ecclesiasticus 24: 24, 30)

-18- Mary Delivers her Children from Scruples and Fear

‘The Mother of fair love will rid your heart of all scruples and inordinate servile fear. She will open and enlarge it to obey the commandments of her Son with alacrity and with the holy freedom of the children of God. She will fill your heart with pure love of which she is the treasury. You will then cease to act as you did before, out of fear of the God who is love, but rather out of pure love. You will look upon him as a loving Father and endeavour to please him at all times. You will speak trustfully to him as a child does to its father. If you should have the misfortune to offend him you will abase yourself before him and humbly beg his pardon. You will offer your hand to him with simplicity and lovingly rise from your sin. Then, peaceful and relaxed and buoyed up with hope you will continue on your way to him.’

“I am the Mother of fair love, of fear, of knowledge, and of hope; I will always remain your Mother.” – Our Lady to St. Crescentia

-19- Mary is Our Mother of Perpetual Help

‘It is true that on our way we have hard battles to fight and serious obstacles to overcome, but Mary, our Mother and Queen, stays close to her faithful servants. She is always at hand to brighten their darkness, clear away their doubts, strengthen them in their fears, sustain them in their combats and trials. Truly, in comparison with other ways, this virgin road to Jesus is a path of roses and sweet delights. There have been some saints, not very many, such as St. Ephrem, St. John Damascene, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Francis de Sales, who have taken this smooth path to Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit, the faithful Spouse of Mary, made it known to them by a special grace. The other saints, who are the greater number, while having a devotion to Mary, either did not enter or did not go very far along this path. That is why they had to undergo harder and more dangerous trials.’

“My daughter, be submissive to my Son, and I will ever be thy Mother.” – Our Lady to Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos

-20- Mary is our Mother of Mercy

‘She is so full of love that no one who asks for her intercession is rejected, no matter how sinful he may be. The saints say that it has never been known since the world began that anyone had recourse to our Blessed Lady, with trust and perseverance, and was rejected. Her power is so great that her prayers are never refused. She has but to appear in prayer before her Son and he at once welcomes her and grants her requests. He is always lovingly conquered by the prayers of the dear Mother who bore him and nourished him.’

“No one is so cold in his love of God (unless he is damned) that he will not experience the devil releasing him from his habitual sins if only he invokes my name with the true intention of never returning to his evil deeds… And there is none who is so great a sinner, but I am ready to help him; and my Son to give him grace, if he ask mercy with charity.” – Our Lady to St. Bridget (Bk 6, Ch 52; Bk 1, Chapter 9)

-21- Mary is “More Mother than Queen”

‘She is kind, she is tender, and there is nothing harsh or forbidding about her, nothing too sublime or too brilliant. When we see her, we see our own human nature at its purest. She is not the sun, dazzling our weak sight by the brightness of its rays. Rather, she is fair and gentle as the moon, which receives its light from the sun and softens it and adapts it to our limited perception.’

“… when I was seeking how best to invoke and honour her, my good Angel said to me:

‘She will be pleased if thou salutest her in these few words: Ave Mater Dei carissima, dulcissima, refugium meum, ora pro me’ [Hail dearest, most sweet Mother of God – my refuge; pray for me].” – Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos

WEEK 4

-22- Mary Clothes Us with Her Own Merits and Virtues

‘She imparts new perfume and fresh grace to those garments and adornments [of her children] by adding to them the garments of her own wardrobe of merits and virtues. She bequeathed these to them before her departure for Heaven, as was revealed by a holy nun of the last century, who died a holy death. Thus all her domestics, that is, all her servants and slaves, are clothed with double garments (cf. Prov. 31:21), her own and those of her Son. Now they have nothing to fear from that cold which sinners, naked and stripped as they are of the merits of Jesus and Mary, will be unable to endure.’

“It was also in her Communions that our Benigne learnt to deck herself, so to speak, with the virtues of her beloved Mother, praying her to purify her by her purity, to sanctify her by her sanctity, and to make her perfect by her perfection. ‘Remember, O Mother of God,’ she said, ‘that thy Divine Son has committed to thee the care of making me agreeable in His eyes.’” (p. 374 ‘The Life of Sister Jeanne Benigne Gojos: Lay–Sister of the Visitation of Holy Mary,’ 1878)

-23- Submission to Mary is the Shortcut to Perfection

‘We advance more in a brief period of submission to Mary and dependence on her than in whole years of self-will and self- reliance. A man who is obedient and submissive to Mary will sing of glorious victories over his enemies. It is true, his enemies will try to impede his progress, force him to retreat or try to make him fall. But with Mary’s help, support and guidance, he will go forward towards our Lord. Without falling, retreating and even without being delayed, he will advance with giant strides towards Jesus along the same road which, as it is written, Jesus took to come to us with giant strides and in a short time…

Why do you think our Lord spent only a few years here on earth and nearly all of them in submission and obedience to his Mother? The reason is that ‘attaining perfection in a short time, he lived a long time,’ even longer than Adam, whose losses he had come to make good. Yet Adam lived more than nine hundred years!

Jesus lived a long time, because he lived in complete submission to his Mother and in union with her, which obedience to his Father required. The Holy Spirit tells us that the man who honours his mother is like a man who stores up a treasure. In other words, the man who honours Mary, his Mother, to the extent of subjecting himself to her and obeying her in all things will soon become very rich, because he is amassing riches every day through Mary who has become his secret philosopher’s stone.’

“I then confided thee to the care of My Holy Mother, that she might fashion thee according to My designs.”

– Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary

-24- He Who Seeks Jesus, Must Love Mary

‘He who wishes to have the fruit well ripened and well-formed must have the tree that produces it; he who wishes to have the fruit of life, Jesus Christ, must have the tree of life, which is Mary; he who wishes to have in himself the operation of the Holy Ghost must have His faithful and indissoluble Spouse…’

“For anyone who wants to follow me and yield to my advice will find grace at my hands and salvation. And you should know for certain, daughter, that anyone who does not love me will not be able to find grace from my Son or, consequently, from the Holy Spirit.” – Our Lady to St. Elizabeth of Hungary

-25- Mary is Queen of Hearts

‘Mary is the Queen of heaven and earth by grace, as Jesus is the King of them by nature and by conquest. Now, as the kingdom of Jesus Christ consists principally in the heart and interior of a man – according to that word, ‘The kingdom of God is within you,’ – in like manner the kingdom of our Blessed Lady is principally in the interior of a man, that is to say, his soul; and it is principally in souls that she is more glorified with her Son than in all visible creatures, and that we can call her, as the Saints do, the Queen of hearts.’

“Through the love which you have for my blessed Mother, tell your spiritual director that as I asked Margaret Mary for devotion to my divine Heart, so I ask you to urge the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of my Mother…” – Our Lord to Bl. Alexandrina da Costa (d. October 13, 1955)

-26- Mary Glorifies God in Us

‘The soul of Mary will be communicated to you to glorify the Lord. Her spirit will take the place of yours to rejoice in God, her Saviour, but only if you are faithful to the practices of this devotion… ‘When will that happy day come,’ asks a saintly man of our own day whose life was completely wrapped up in Mary, ‘when God’s Mother is enthroned in men’s hearts as Queen, subjecting them to the dominion of her great and princely Son? When will souls breathe Mary as the body breathes air?’ When that time comes wonderful things will happen on earth. The Holy Spirit, finding his dear Spouse present again in souls, will come down into them with great power. He will fill them with his gifts, especially wisdom, by which they will produce wonders of grace. My dear friend, when will that happy time come, that age of Mary, when many souls, chosen by Mary and given her by the most High God, will hide themselves completely in the depths of her soul, becoming living copies of her, loving and glorifying Jesus?’

‘O magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol His name together.’ (Ps. 33:4)

-27- The Immense Value of Consecrating Oneself to Mary

‘Other congregations, associations, and confraternities set up in honour of our Lord and our Blessed Lady, which do so much good in the Church, do not require their members to give up absolutely everything… But this devotion makes us give Jesus and Mary all our thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings and every moment of our lives without exception. Thus, whatever we do, whether we are awake or asleep, whether we eat or drink, whether we do important or unimportant work, it will always be true to say that everything is done for Jesus and Mary. Our offering always holds good, whether we think of it or not, unless we explicitly retract it.  How consoling this is!’

“If only you knew how many souls can be saved by those little acts!”

– Our Lady to Sr. Josefa Menendez

-28- The Holy Spirit Bears Fruit in Mary

‘God the Holy Ghost being barren in God — that is to say, not producing another Divine Person — is become fruitful by Mary, whom He has espoused. It is with her, in her, and of her, that He has produced His Masterpiece, which is a God made Man, and whom He goes on producing in the persons of His members daily to the end of the world.’

“… And this explains what is said of Mary in the holy Canticles: ‘Thy belly is as a heap of wheat, set about with lilies (Cant. of Cant. 7:2).’ St. Ambrose explains this and says: Although in the pure womb of Mary there was only one grain of wheat, which was Jesus Christ, yet it is called a heap of grain, because in that one grain were contained all the elect, of whom Mary was to be the mother. Hence, William the Abbot wrote: Mary, in bringing forth Jesus, who is our Saviour and our life, brought forth all of us to life and salvation.” – St. Alphonsus Liguori

WEEK 5 (5 days)

-29- Mary Has a “Right and Domination” Over the Souls of the Elect

‘… Mary has received from God a great domination over the souls of the elect; for she cannot make her residence in them, as God the Father ordered her to do (c.f. Ecclus. 24:13), and form them in Jesus Christ, or Jesus Christ in them, and strike the roots of her virtues in their hearts, and be the indissoluble companion of the Holy Ghost in all His works of grace—she cannot, I say, do all these things unless she has a right and domination over their souls by a singular grace of the Most High, who, having given her power over His only and Natural Son, has given it also to her over His adopted children, not only as to their bodies, which would be but little matter, but also as to their souls.’

‘Arise, O Lord, into Thy resting place: Thou and the ark, which Thou hast sanctified.’ (Ps. 131:8) [‘resting place’ – i.e. Heaven/the soul; ‘the ark’ – i.e. Our Lady, the New Ark of the Covenant]

-30- Devotion to Mary is a Sign of Predestination

‘God the Father wishes to have children by Mary till the consummation of the world; and He has said to her these words: In Jacob inhabita — “Dwell in Jacob,” — that is to say, Make your dwelling and residence in My predestinated children, figured by Jacob, and not in the reprobate children of the devil, figured by Esau.’

“Christ in His agony on the Cross had said to her: ‘Behold thy son.’ For centuries now she has been faithful to this commission, never allowing anyone finally to perish—provided he also has been mindful of those other words spoken to him by the Saviour: ‘Behold thy Mother.’” – St. Robert Bellarmine (‘De Gemitu Columae,’ lib. 2, cap. 9.)

-31- Mary is the Way unto The Way

‘The Church, with the Holy Ghost, blesses our Lady first, and our Lord second, — Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus. It is not that Mary is more than Jesus, or even equal to Him – that would be an intolerable heresy; but it is that, in order to bless Jesus more perfectly, we must begin by blessing Mary. Let us, then, say with all the true clients of our Lady against these false scrupulous devotees: Mary, thou art blessed amongst all women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus… Indeed we only honour Mary that we may the more perfectly honour Jesus, inasmuch as we only go to her as to the way in which we are to find the end we are seeking, which is Jesus.’

‘In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.’ (Ecclus. 24:25)

-32- Love of Mary Cannot but Lead to Love of Jesus

‘It would be easier to separate light from the sun than Mary from Jesus. So united are they that our Lord may be called, “Jesus of Mary”, and his Mother “Mary of Jesus.”’

“The souls who love her most and who are most like to her, are the souls who are most like to Me most perfectly.” – Jesus to Ven. Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Diary, Feb. 18, 1917)

-33- The Purpose of Devotion to Our Blessed Mother is to Adore the Fruit of Her Womb 

‘In Fr. Boudon’s book [‘The Holy Slavery of the Admirable Mother of God’] we read of different popes who gave their approval to this devotion, the theologians who examined it, the hostility it encountered and overcame, the thousands who made it their own without censure from any pope. Indeed it could not be condemned without overthrowing the foundations of Christianity. It is obvious then that this devotion is not new. If it is not commonly practised, the reason is that it is too sublime to be appreciated and undertaken by everyone… If, then, we are establishing sound devotion to our Blessed Lady, it is only in order to establish devotion to our Lord more perfectly, by providing a smooth but certain way of reaching Jesus Christ. If devotion to our Lady distracted us from our Lord, we would have to reject it as an illusion of the devil. But this is far from being the case.’

“You must be devoted above all to doing His Will…” – Our Lady to Bl. Anna Maria Taigi

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Act of Consecration to the Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin

+++++++

“O most sweet and amiable Virgin Mary, most beloved Daughter of the Eternal Divine Father, most tender Mother of the Eternal Divine Son, most holy Spouse of the Eternal Divine Spirit, I come to thee, O most loving Mother, to consecrate myself entirely to thee.

Thou art all pure, all beautiful; thou art the Immaculate, and I, O most benign Mother, am only misery, only sin, only prone to evil. Thou, O Mary, art the Immaculate, and hast always been the delight of the most Holy Trinity; thou hast ravished the Heart of God thy Father, thy Son, thy Spouse, with the immaculate whiteness of thy holy Soul.

O most compassionate Mother, cast a glance of pity on this poor soul, made the target of so many fierce temptations; and by thy power, put to flight the infernal enemy. In these tremendous assaults, O most pitiful Mother, I come to take refuge in thy Immaculate Heart; and do thou, O most merciful Queen of Virgins, preserve my Lily pure and present it thyself to Jesus.

My most tender Mother, I expect thee at the hour of my death; and until that hour I shall thank thee and implore thee to watch over me that I may please Jesus in all things. Grazie, O Maria!”

++ References ++

A list of some the works quoted in this article:

• ‘True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin,’ by St. Louis de Montfort
• ‘The Life of Sister Jeanne Benigne Gojos: Lay–Sister of the Visitation of Holy Mary,’ by Mother Marie Geltrude Provane de Leyni
• ‘The Three Ages of the Interior Life,’ by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, TAN Books
• ‘The Revelations of St. Birgitta of Sweden’
• ‘The Revelations of St. Elizabeth’
• ‘The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ,’ Federico Suárez
• ‘Vademecum Proposed to Religious Souls,’ by “A Pious Author” (i.e. Our Lord)
• ‘The Life of Ven. Maria Crescentia Hoess,’ New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis: Benziger Brothers
• ‘Divine Communications (vol. I and II),’ by Rev. Auguste Saudreau
• ‘Wife, Mother and Mystic,’ TAN Books
• ‘Conchita: A Mother’s Spiritual Diary,’ by Marie-Michel Philipon
• ‘The Glories of Mary,’ by St. Alphonsus Liguori
• ‘The Way of Divine Love,’ TAN Books
• ‘The Agony and The Glory,’ TAN Books
• ‘The Autobiography of St. Margaret Mary,’ TAN Books
• ‘Père Lamy,’ by Biver

“You love to call me Mamma, but I love to call thee child.”

– Our Lady to St. Gemma Galgani (‘Blessed Gemma Galgani,’ by Father Amedeo, C.P.)

10 Inspiring Sayings from the Saints

“I would a thousand times rather die than consent to anything which might displease Thee.”
– St. Veronica Giuliani [pictured] (d. 1727)

“O Lord, perfection or death.”
– Bl. Elizabeth Canori–Mora (d. 1825)

“I would not for the sake of all creation, or for the purpose of saving my life, consider committing a single venial sin.”
– St. Ignatius of Loyola (d. 1556)

“Love has chosen me; Love has called me, I give myself in love to Love.”
– Soeur Gertrude–Marie (d. 1908)

“… O Jesus, either to co–operate with Thy grace, or to die.”
– Soeur Jeanne-Bénigne Gojoz (d. 1692)

“God’s Will is my will.”
– St. Maria Crescentia Hoss (d. 1744)

“I would rather lift a straw from the ground by the will of God, than raise a hundred dead men to life by my own will.”
– St. Maria Crescentia Hoss (d. 1744)

“No pleasure save the good pleasure of Almighty God.”
– Soeur Marie–Catherine Putigny (d. 1885)

“I will have nothing but Thyself and Thy Divine Will.”
– Sr. Mary Cherubina

“TO SERVE GOD IS TO REIGN.”
– Bl. Aimo Taparelli

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#7)

“Look, My child, how they have treated Me. No, all these torments would be nothing to Me if men would only correspond to all the good inspirations I send them; but what pierces My heart is that, when I have merited for them so many good thoughts and holy feelings by the abundant shedding of My Blood, and I desire to fill their hearts most generously with these, they will not let Me.”

– Jesus to Madeleine Vigneron

When Our Lord addressed these words to Madeline Vigneron, His expression, she said, was full of tenderness and compassion for sinners. Soon after, Jesus’ expression appeared to be full of wrath, and He seemed ready to strike down all sinners. But His serene countenance was restored.  “My child,” He said, “you could do nothing more pleasing to Me than to work for these unhappy men.” 

Strictly speaking, God does not get “angry”; this is anthropomorphic language. The Divine Nature, writes St. John Chrysostom, is passionless. God’s anger is nothing other than an infinite hatred of sin. If His hatred of sin were not so great, this would be a sign of imperfection, not goodness.

When God punishes, He does so because He must. God’s punishments are intended to be medicinal. “Benigna must let Me correct her,” said Jesus to Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos, “because I love her and I am severe with My dearest spouses as long as they live.” (God’s corrections are evidence of His love for us; all the Saints experienced these loving reproofs).

33 Safe-to-Read Mystics

Below is an incomplete list of mystics whose writings have, at the very least, received the imprimatur.

1. Sr. Josefa Menendez
2. St. Faustina
3. Sr. Benigna Consolata
4. Ven. Concepcion Cabrera de Armida
5. Ven. Louise Margaret **
6. Bl. Alexandrina da Costa
7. Ven. Mary of Agreda
8. Mother Yvonne-Aimée of Jesus **
9. St. Teresa of Avila
10. St. Catherine of Siena
11. St. Hildegard von Bingen
12. St. Bridget of Sweden
13. St. Margaret of Cortona
14. St. Gertrude
15. St. Mechtilde
16. Bl. Angela of Foligno
17. Sr. Consolata Betrone
18. Sr. Mary of the Holy Trinity
19. St. Gemma Galgani
20. Bl. Dina Belanger
21. Sr. Marie-Catherine Putigny
22. St. Crescentia
23. St. Veronica Giuliani
24. Bl. Battista Varani
25. Mechtilde of Magdeburg
26. St. Catherine of Genoa
27. Bl. Elena Aiello
28. Bl. Anna Maria Taigi
29. Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora
30. Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos
31. Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich
32. St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi
33. St. Elizabeth of Hungary

In the majority of cases, the mystics’ revelations can be found on archive.org

“Nigna, little Secretary of My love for My creatures, thou shalt write, others shall publish thy writings. Thine it is to taste the Gift of God in silence; others shall propagate these pages for the glory of God…”
– Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata

How to Best Please God

“My child,” said Our Lord to St. Gertrude, “you canst do nothing more gratifying to Me than to submit patiently to all the tribulations that befall you.”

‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ (Mt. 16:24)

“Fear nothing. I Myself will supply whatever is lacking in you.” (Jesus to St. Lutgarde)

“I know very well that they can do nothing without My grace; but let them begin the task courageously, full of trust in My help, and I will deliver them from all difficulty and trouble. Let them come to Me who await them with open arms on the Cross.“ (Jesus to St. Catherine de Ricci)

Our sinfulness and weakness is no obstacle to God’s goodness. “…God is nothing other than power itself, wisdom itself, goodness itself…” (Jesus to St. Bridget, Bk 2, Ch 26). “The soul that most annihilates itself,” said the Heavenly Father to Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos, “is best absorbed in Me. THE BEST MEANS OF HOLDING FAST TO ME IS TO REALISE MY IMMENSE GOODNESS.”

“Am I not able,” said Jesus to Mother Mary of the Divine Heart, “to kindle fire with dead wood? The greater your wretchedness, the more glory there is for Me in lovingly stooping and lowering Myself towards you.” 

A Defence of God’s Justice (A Catholic Perspective)

This article consists of a fairly lengthy response I made to someone on Catholic Answers, concerning the justice of God. I am responding to a number of assertions, such as that God cannot be good or powerful if, desiring the salvation of all, all are not saved.

Response:

1. “God antecedently wills every man to be saved [hence the provision of the graces necessary for each man’s salvation], but He consequently wills some to be damned; in consequence, that is, of the exigencies of His justice [e.g. that those who die in mortal sin must be punished].” (Aquinas)

2. God created no one for damnation. All can, in principle, be saved. “If all sinners wished to return to God with contrite and humble hearts, all would be saved.” (St. Leonard). If God revealed to us (hypothetically) that most men would starve themselves to death, despite an abundance of food, I wouldn’t blame Him, even though He necessarily foresaw this and decided to create these men anyway. The fact is, it would be their decision to do so; they could easily have eaten. “Woe to him,” said Our Lord to St. Bridget (speaking of a presumptuous sinner), “if he does not quickly change his ways, for no one is rejected due to My foreknowledge.”

3. Suppose that all were saved but one. Suppose also that this person was “Adam.” Would it be just if God removed Adam from existence, if He knew that, by removing him, his descendants would likewise be removed? There are a number of responses to a hypothetical scenario such as this one, but ultimately they rely on assumptions: we do not know what the just or morally better alternatives are. Reason alone cannot provide the answer.

4. Many can’t get past the fact that God created a universe that He knew would contain evil, but can we logically demonstrate how much evil can be permitted by a God Who is infinitely wise and good? If not, how can we say that a particular degree of evil cannot be permitted by a good God? (This point has to be conceded for the sake of the argument; I am not attempting to demonstrate its truth). Catholic theology says that God permits evil so that He may draw a greater good out of it. I, for one, am in awe of how God is so good, wise and powerful that He can draw a greater good out of unspeakable evil. The sufferings and death of Our Lord, for example, became for us an infinite source of grace. By His sufferings, He has redeemed ours; unlike the angels, we are able to suffer for God; we can procure an increase in (accidental) glory for Him; we can empathise with Him; we can “earn” an abundance of merits that will receive an eternal reward, which, according to the Saints and mystics, is beyond our comprehension! A Visitation nun who had died, allegedly appeared to Sr. Marie–Catherine Putigny, saying: “What are all the sorrows of earth compared with the happiness of seeing God for even one instant!”

5. Hell is a fitting punishment. God is offended by sin; God is infinite; therefore sin is of infinite malice. A holy soul once said to Our Lord: “Lord, I submit to Thy judgements, but do not push the rigours of Thy justice so far.” Our Lord replied: “Do you understand what sin is? …” “I understand, Lord, that sin is an outrage to Thy Majesty.” “Well, measure, if you can, the greatness of this outrage.” “Lord, this outrage is infinite, since it attacks infinite Majesty.” “Must it not, then, be punished by an infinite chastisement? Now, as the punishment could not be infinite in its intensity, justice demands that it be so at least in its duration.” St. Catherine of Genoa and other Saints and theologians say that the pains of Hell are actually much less than they could justly be. God shows mercy even to the damned. We must also remember that the pains of the damned are proportionate to their sins. The fires of Hell, says St. John Chrysostom, discriminate between sinners.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   6. According to St. Thomas, God cannot suffer at the loss of souls, in so far as He is Divine; but this does not mean that God is unloving, cold or apathetic. We often equate emotion with the heart, but the fact is that the Word (Jesus), had as much love for souls prior to the Incarnation (even though He could not then suffer at their loss), as He did at the moment of, and subsequent to, the Incarnation. (I say “at the moment of” because some mystics believe that Jesus suffered from birth.) We know that Jesus suffered intensely at the loss of souls. Consider that Jesus wept; consider His sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. Furthermore, many holy souls (e.g. St. Faustina, St. Catherine of Racconigi, Ven. Anne of St. Bartholomew) say that Our Lord suffered inexpressibly at the loss of souls. Others (e.g. St. Bridget, Bl. Battista Varani) add that Our Lord would willingly, if it were possible (i.e. in accordance with His justice) suffer again everything that He suffered to save evenone of the damned! What love! These are great mysteries, indeed, but they are mysteries that should fill us with confidence rather than doubt.

7. It is impossible, in principle, for us to consent to our creation; we must first exist in order to give consent. I believe, however, that you already know this and that you were merely saying something like: ‘Why doesn’t God give us a chance to choose to continue existing?’ I would say this: God created us for union with Him, the Sovereign Good, Who, as the Source of all perfection, is alone capable of satisfying the desires of our intellects, our wills and our hearts. In a word, God “alone can fill the heart of man” (as He said to St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi). Subsequently, our creation isintrinsically good; whether or not we acknowledge the objective Good for which (of for Whom) we have been created is another issue. Our Lord reputedly said the following to Bl. Alexandrina, who suffered from the stigmata and endured terrible sufferings for the conversion of sinners: “I have died for them, and they say they did not ask me to do so… In order to save them, I select certain souls and lay the cross on their shoulders. Happy the soul who understands the value of suffering! My cross is sweet if carried for love of me.” I certainly won’t argue with my existence. I try to follow St. Crescentia, who, when confronted with the thought of predestination, reasoned thus: “God is infinitely good; He is never the first to depart. It is His peculiar property to be ever merciful and to spare. Yes, He is my hope and my salvation.”

8. If Jesus is God, then any mystery pertaining to our salvation should be seen in the light of revealed truth. Scripture says, for example: ‘Thou art just, O Lord: and thy judgement is right.’ (Ps. 119: 137). We may doubt this if we wish, preferring to trust in our own intellect, but ultimately we have no good reason to do so – especially considering that our reason is only a reliable source if God, Who created our intellects, is true.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     9. In relation to the small number of the Elect, we must remember that this is not dogma. While it seems very likely that a relatively small number are saved (out of the total of mankind), this does not tell us how many are damned. The large number of unbaptized children, for example, who die every day are not included in the number of those who are damned, properly speaking. The Council of Florence says that unbaptized infants go to Hell, but – and this cannot be emphasised enough – the Church is here referring to the loss of the Beatific Vision; for the Church elsewhere teaches that only those who die in mortal sin go to the Hell of the damned. (I do not wish to discuss the exact or ultimate fate of these souls. Ultimately, God is all-good either way; at the very least, these souls will experience a state of natural happiness, as St. Thomas, St. Alphonsus and many others have explained).

Some final quotes (revelations):

Our Lady to St. Bridget: “It would be great audacity to ask why God made his people suffer so much or why there can be eternal punishment, given that a life in sin cannot last forever. It would be as great audacity as to try to reason out and comprehend the eternity of God. God is eternal and incomprehensible. His justice and recompensation is eternal; his mercy is beyond understanding.” (Book 3, Ch 30)

St. Mechtilde: ‘O my sole Beloved, what do you desire that men should know of you?’
Jesus: ‘My goodness and My justice: My goodness which makes Me wait for man so mercifully until he is converted, to which I continually attract him by My grace; but, if he absolutely refuses to be converted, My justice demands his damnation.’

Jesus to Sr. Consolata: “If only you knew how I suffer when I must dispense justice. You see, My Heart needs to be comforted; It wishes to dispense mercy, not justice!”

Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata: “To exercise Justice is for Me to go against the current; it does violence to Me… The door of My justice, on the contrary, is shut and locked; and I open it only to him who compels Me to do so; but I never open it spontaneously.”

Jesus to Bl. Alexandrina (October 1, 1954):

“I want you to set fire to the world with this love of my Divine Heart, today extinguished in men’s hearts. Set fire! Set fire!

I want to give my love to all men. I want to be loved by all.

They do not accept it and do not love me.”

A Beautiful Revelation for Every Christian (Pt. 3)

Jesus to Sr. Gertrude Mary:

“In return for the signal favours with which I fill your soul, I ask you to console My Heart. This is the part you have to play, My privileged spouse.

You rejoice My Heart every time that you show Me gratitude for the trials which I send you.**

Let Me do what I will with you. Be faithful to all that I ask of you.

You shall be the beloved disciple of My Heart, and I will take the entire charge of your soul.”

** Our Lord said to St. Gertrude that we should thank Him for sufferings and trials. Why? Because they are sent or permitted for our eternal welfare, and for the benefit of others.  They are sent by God’s love as a means of purifying our souls; uniting us more intimately to God; increasing our merits; and to “snatch many souls from perdition” (Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez).

Ponder these truths, and next time you suffer, call to mind Our Crucified Saviour, the Lamb without spot.

Jesus Asks His Spouses to Pray for Priests

[Note: As of this article, visitors are now able to leave comments. To do so, simply click on the title or the text box/speech bubble beside it. If you have any comments, questions or quandaries, I encourage you to share. I will do my best to respond. God bless.]

Priests have a sublime vocation. They are called to be “other Christs” in a very special way. Without them, there would be no Sacraments, which are for the faithful, a perpetual source of grace, hope and sanctity.

No priest = no Mass; and the Mass is the greatest gift that we can offer to Almighty God!

“All the praise, the love, the veneration, the worship, the thanksgiving, which Christ presents to the ever-blessed Trinity in every Mass far transcends all the praise of the angels, the adoration of the saints, so far, indeed, that were all the penances, the prayers, the good works of apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all saints offered to the Holy Trinity they would be less pleasing to the Divine Majesty than one single Mass.”

– Ven. Rev. Martin von Cochem

(What incredible words! This single quotation alone should be reason enough to become Catholic!)

Today, perhaps more than ever, priests need our prayers. Many churches are close to empty; priests are mocked and ridiculed by the media and by countless individuals; many Catholics dissent from the Church’s teaching; and there is a tidal wave of liberal theology and modernism that has infiltrated our seminaries. These are just some of the difficulties facing priests today.

St. Thomas, along with St. Alphonsus and many others, teaches that a religious is bound to strive for perfection, under pain of mortal sin. It is especially incumbent upon us, then, to pray for priests, that they might fulfil their priestly duties.

“Very well, if you want to save souls, there is only one and powerful means: holy priests.”

– Jesus to Ven. Concepcion Cabrera de Armida

‘Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Mt 9:38)

By praying and offering sacrifices to God that He might give us holy priests, we are exercising the virtues of faith, hope and love; we are demonstrating mercy, which will attract many graces from God, both now and at the final judgement; we are contributing towards the salvation of our own soul, as well as the souls of our brothers and sisters; we are making God better known and better loved; and we are fulfilling one of our many grave duties as children of the Most High.

Know for certain that those who disrespect priests, disrespect Christ; and those who love priests, love Christ.

“I will men to respect them [priests], not for themselves but for Me, because of the authority I have given them and the dignity with which they are clothed. I do not want this respect to decrease even if their virtue decreases… I have given them to you that they may be angels of the world and your light. If they are not all this, you ought to pray for them and not judge them, but let Me judge them Myself. I desire to be able to show them mercy through your prayers.’

– God to St. Catherine of Siena

 ‘People do not pray enough for priests. I have graces reserved for them which I will give them if people ask for them… These are not graces indispensable to their ministry; nevertheless if they possessed these graces they would do more good and souls would benefit greatly thereby.’ 

– Jesus to Sr. Gertrude Mary

The Eucharist (part 2): The Eucharist in the Lives of 101 Mystics!

“Holy Communion is the kiss Jesus has for His child; it is His morning kiss. The purer the soul, the better the kiss is imprinted upon her.” – Jesus to Sr. Gertrude Mary

This article will take a look at the Eucharist in relation to Catholic mystics – many of whom were Saints – as they often had profound experiences of Our Eucharistic Lord, and their lives were (and are) a powerful testimony to the Real Presence.

Below is a list (which is by no means exhaustive) of Saints (St.), Blesseds (Bl.), Venerables (Ven.), Servants of God, and other mystics who have had what can be called “mystical” experiences involving the Adorable Eucharist. One mystical experience has been listed for each individual (such as a revelation, a vision etc.).

The list consists of 56 canonized Saints, 20 Blesseds, 3 Venerables, 8 Servants of God, and 14 other Mystics, some of whom might be Servants of God or otherwise; though I cannot say with certainty. That makes for a total of 101 mystics (the number is unintentional).

Before reading further, a prayer (taken from a prayer attributed to Pope Clement XI):

Lord, enlighten my understanding,
Strengthen my will,
Purify my heart,
and make me holy.

Saints:

1. St. Secondo (d. 119): Before dying, he received Communion from a dove.

2. St. Basil (d. 379): He witnessed angels in the form of humans, adoring Our Lord at Mass. (St. Basil is related to St. Macrina the Elder, St. Macrina, St. Basil the Elder, St. Basil, St. Emmelia, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Peter of Sebaste and St. Theosebia!)

3. St. John Chrysostom (d. 407): He also witnessed angels in the form of humans, adoring Our Lord at Mass.

4. St. Jerome (d. 420): As death approached, he confessed his sins and received the Eucharist with great fervour. After throwing himself on the ground, singing “Nunc dimittis servum tuum” (“Now lettest thy servant depart” – Luke 2:29–32), an ethereal light flooded the room. Some saw a number of angels; others heard a voice, which promised Jerome the eternal reward prepared for him in Heaven. He then uttered his final words: “Behold, I come to thee, merciful Jesus! Receive me whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood.”

5. St. Ita (d. 570): On one occasion she prayed that she might receive the Holy Eucharist from a worthy priest. She was then transported miraculously by an angel to a certain location in which a holy priest gave her the Sacred Host.

6. St. Gregory the Great, Pope (d. 604): One day, while he was distributing Holy Communion, he witnessed a woman laughing. He questioned her as to why she was acting so inappropriately, and she confessed that she could not possibly believe that the bread she brought to be consecrated (an ancient practice) could become the Body and Blood of Our Lord. After praying to Almighty God that the woman might be illuminated, St. Gregory observed that part of the “bread” became Flesh and Blood. The woman, who had now fallen to her knees, began to cry tears of repentance.

7. St. Egidio (d. c. 710): During Mass, an angel appeared to him. The angel was holding a book in which was written the sin of a man who wished at that time to be absolved of his sins. His wish was fulfilled by virtue of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

8. St. Ignatius, Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 877): “How amazed were all who were hearing his Mass to see the bread glowing with celestial effulgence, a sure sign of the presence and operation of the Holy Ghost! For the Holy Ghost is a burning fire, and as such He appeared to the disciples on the day of Pentecost, to indicate that He is the ardent charity that unites the Father and the Son.” (Ven. Martin von Cochem)

9. St. Conrad, Bishop of Constance (d. 975): “During the night preceding the day appointed for the ceremony [to consecrate the Chapel of St. Meinrad], Conrad, going into the church to pray, heard the voices of the angelic choirs chanting the antiphons and responsories of the ritual for the dedication of churches… he beheld Christ the Lord in person, clad in sacerdotal vestments, attended by multitudes of saints and angels, performing the ceremony of dedicating the chapel… he heard and saw distinctly all that went on, and observed that Christ made use of exactly the same formulas and ceremonies which are appointed to be employed by bishops in the consecration of a church, while some of the saints acted as acolytes. The blessed Mother of God, in whose honor the altar and the chapel were consecrated, appeared above the altar… The dedication ended, Our Lord Himself offered the holy sacrifice… The next morning the clergy and people assembled, awaiting the commencement of the ceremony. But the bishop declared he could not dedicate the church, as this had already been done by the denizens of heaven. As, however, every one thought he was laboring under a delusion, he was compelled to begin to perform the ceremony, when he was arrested by a voice from on high, which said three times, in the hearing of all present: ‘Cease, brother, the chapel has been divinely consecrated!’ Thereupon St. Conrad desisted from his purpose, and sent a report of the miraculous occurrence to Rome.” (Ven. Martin von Cochem)

10. St. Oswald, Bishop (d. 992): “… an Angel would assist him at Mass, and make all the necessary answers.” (Fr. Mueller)

11. St. Isidore the Farmer (d. 1130): “… every morning he heard Mass in more than one church, and spent some hours in prayer. His piety was so pleasing to God that an angel was sent to help him in his work on the farm lest anything should suffer through his absence.” (Ven. Martin von Cochem)

12. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153): He exorcised a possessed woman with the Blessed Sacrament.

13. St. Hildegard von Bingen (d. 1179): “On one occasion when the priest, vested, went up to the altar I saw a brilliant light, coming from heaven, irradiate the whole altar. This light was not withdrawn until the celebrant left the sanctuary at the conclusion of the Mass. I noticed that when the priest got to the Sanctus and began the canon a flame of extraordinary brightness shot down from above upon the bread and wine, illuminating them with its light as the rays of the sun make glass to shine. Upon this stream of light the sacred elements rose to Heaven, and when they descended they were transformed into true flesh and blood, though to the eye of man they yet appeared to be bread and wine. As I gazed upon this Flesh and Blood I saw the signs of the incarnation, the birth, the passion, of Our Saviour reflected in them as in a mirror, and just as we know these events to have been accomplished when the Son of God was on earth.” (St. Hildegard; cf. Leviticus 9:23–24; 2 Chronicles 7:3)

14. St. Anthony of Padua (d. 1231): “… St. Anthony of Padua once proved to an unbeliever the Real Presence by showing him a hungry mule kneeling before a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament, in preference to devouring the basket of oats placed beside the monstrance.” (Fr. Stephano Manelli, ‘The Most Blessed Sacrament’)

15. St. Lutgarde of Aywieres (d. 1246): She lived on nothing but bread and weak beer (the usual drink at her convent, perhaps due to poor water quality) for the period of three seven–year fasts – two of which were instigated by Jesus.

16. St. Juliana of Cornillon (d. 1260): “At the age of 16, she had a vision of the Church under the full moon with a dark spot on it. She was given to understand that the spot signified the absence of a special feast in honour of the Blessed Sacrament.
In a later vision, Our Lord explained that he desired a separate feast in honour of the Eucharist, since at that time the only celebration was on Holy Thursday, when the Church considered more his sufferings. He told her he wanted the feast for three reasons: to confirm people’s faith in the Real Presence, to strengthen them in virtue by their love and adoration for the Eucharist, and to make reparation for the lack of respect shown to the Blessed Sacrament.” (Fr. Flader)

17. St. Bonaventure (d. 1274): He received Communion from the hand of an angel.

18. St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274): “The university referred to him a question on which the older theologians were themselves divided, namely, whether, in the Sacrament of the altar, the accidents remained in reality in the consecrated Host, or only in appearance. After much fervent prayer, Thomas wrote his answer in the form of a treatise, still preserved, and laid it on the altar before offering it to the public. His decision was accepted by the university and afterwards by the whole Church. On this occasion we first hear of his receiving the Lord’s approval of what he had written. Appearing in a vision, the Saviour said to him, ‘Thou hast written well of the Sacrament of My body,’ whereupon, it is reported, Thomas passed into an ecstasy and remained so long raised in the air that there was time to summon many of the brothers to behold the spectacle.” (‘Lives of Saints,’ Published by John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.)

19. St. Mechtilde (d. 1298): “To everyone who attends Mass with zeal and devoutness, I will send at his last hour as many noble personages from among My saints to console and defend his soul and make an honourable escort for it, as he has heard Masses on earth.” (Jesus to St. Mechtilde)

20. St. Gertrude the Great (d. 1302): “In order to console St. Gertrude, who was sighing for Heaven, Our Lord pointed out to her that, while she was awaiting her deliverance, He lavished embraces and kisses upon her. ‘What then can you find in me, vile offscouring of the world (1 Cor. 4:13),’ asked the saint, ‘that You speak of kisses and caresses?’ The Lord replied: ‘I mean by that, that Communion of Myself which I so often make to you in the Sacrament of the Altar. It has for Me more charms than men find in all the embraces and all the kisses in the world. For the pleasure which they find in these passes very quickly, whereas the charm to be found in the union that is consummated between us in Communion does not pass away and never grows weaker. The oftener it is renewed, the stronger and more efficacious it is.’” (Rev. Auguste Saudreau)

21. St. Clare Montefalco (d. 1308): “… one day Clare came up to Holy Communion without her mantle. Sister Giovanna rebuked her harshly, saying to her, ‘Go away – I don’t want you to receive Holy Communion.’ Hearing these words, Clare realized that she was without her mantle and felt such bitter regret that after she returned to her cell, she wept bitterly. And while she was praying, amid her tears, Christ appeared to her, and embracing her, gave her Holy Communion, leaving her deeply consoled.” (Words of her biographer, quoted in ‘Mysteries, Marvels, Miracles’ by Joan Carroll Cruz)

22. St. Agnes Segni (d. 1317): She received Communion from an angel on a number of occasions.

23. St. Juliana Falconieri (d. 1341): Before her death, she asked that the Blessed Sacrament be placed on her chest (near her heart). As she began to pray, the Sacred Host disappeared and left a violet–coloured mark on her chest.

24. St. Bridget of Sweden (d. 1373): “When St. Bridget was hearing Mass one day in a private chapel, the Lord said to her: ‘Although few people assist at this Mass, nevertheless all Heaven rejoices thereat and all the souls in Purgatory find some relief therein.’” (Rev. Auguste Saudreau)

25. St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380): As she beheld the Sacred Host in the hands of a priest, she no longer saw the Eucharistic accidents but the Infant Jesus.

26. St. Lydwine of Schiedam (d. 1433): A priest, in order to test St. Lydwine (who had many mystical gifts), gave her an unconsecrated host, but she immediately perceived that it was merely bread. “Your Reverence will please give me another host,” she said, “for that which you hold in your hand is not Jesus Christ.”

27. St. Frances of Rome (d. 1440): She beheld a magnificent light radiating from the Monstrance in which the Blessed Sacrament was reserved.

28. St. Colette (d. 1447): “Look upon this body of flesh, in which I hung upon the cross, in which I suffered for mankind. Look upon My wounds, look upon the blood that I shed, consider My sufferings. Consider My death. All this I endured to save sinners. Now, if Thou dost consign them to perdition on account of their iniquities, and deliver them over to the devil, what compensation shall I have for My bitter passion, for My cruel death? The reprobate sinners will render Me no thanks; on the contrary, they will curse Me to all eternity. But if they were saved they would praise and magnify Me forever in gratitude for My sufferings.” (Words of Our Lord to the Eternal Father, revealed to St. Colette in a vision during Holy Mass)

29. St. Rita of Cascia (d. 1456): For the last four years of her life, she subsisted almost entirely on the Eucharist.

30. St. John of San Facundo (d. 1479): “He was… so slow in celebrating [Mass] that the server used to go away and leave him at the altar, and at last no one could be got to serve his Mass. The saint then went to the prior, and entreated him to order the brothers to do so. But the prior spoke sharply to him, saying, ‘Why do you give the brothers so much trouble by being so long over your Mass? I shall rather enjoin upon you henceforth to say Mass like other priests.’ John did as he was commanded, but obedience cost him so much that he went again to the prior, and, throwing himself at his feet, begged him to withdraw his command. The prior would not consent to do this until John had confided to him, in confession, the reasons which made it impossible for him to say Mass more quickly. Having heard them, he no longer hesitated to tell the brothers that they must serve Father John’s Mass, even though their patience was somewhat taxed. Furthermore, the prior, having obtained permission from the saint, communicated his secret to another father, to whom he said: ‘You may believe me when I say that the reason why our Father John says Mass so slowly is because God reveals to him the profound mysteries that are accomplished in the Mass – mysteries so sublime that no human intelligence is capable of grasping them. The secrets he disclosed to me concerning them were of so tremendous a nature that I was overwhelmed with awe, and almost swooned. It is certain that Christ frequently manifests Himself visibly to this father, speaking with him as one speaks to a friend, and showing him His five sacred wounds, whence proceeds a light of exceeding brightness, which, shed upon the saint, quickens both body and soul, so that he experiences no need of earthly nourishment. He also beholds the body of Christ shining like the sun at noonday, and perceives its infinite beauty and glory. Such are the lofty and divine things he is privileged to know, mysteries which it is not given to man to fathom, much less to utter. Since I have thus been made aware of the immense benefits accruing to mankind by the celebrating or assisting at Mass I have made a firm resolution never to omit saying or hearing Mass, and to do my utmost to induce others to do the same.’” (Ven. Martin von Cochem)

31. St. Nicholas von Flue (d. 1487): He lived on the Eucharist alone for 20yrs, until his death.

32. St. Columba of Rieti (d. 1501): She fell into great weaknesses when she did not receive the Eucharist, as if to indicate her total dependence on Jesus Christ, the Life of her soul.

33. St. Catherine of Genoa (d. 1510): Throughout Advent and Lent, she lived on the Eucharist alone.

34. St. Peter of Alacantara (d. 1562): He was a confidante of the great St. Teresa of Avila. It was quite common for him to eat only once every three days. Furthermore, he sometimes went a week without food, drawing, as it were, all his strength from the Holy Eucharist. Subsequently, he had little need for sleep; he slept for about one and a half hours every night for forty years.

35. St. Stanislaus Kostka (d. 1568): “… St. Stanislaus Kostka was sick in the house of a Protestant relative, and debarred of every opportunity of receiving his beloved Lord; he made his appeal to the Queen of heaven, and obtained, through her intercession, the grace to receive the Blessed Sacrament at [/from] the hands of St. Barbara.” (Fr. Mueller)

36. St. Francis Borgia (d. 1572): “… on entering a church, he always walked straight to the spot where the Blessed Sacrament was kept, even when no external sign indicated its presence.” (Fr. Mueller)

37. St. Teresa of Avila (d. 1582): “[St. Teresa] saw Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in the Host so distinctly with the eyes of her spirit, that she said she did not begrudge the happy lot of the Blessed who behold the Lord face to face in Heaven.” (Pope Gregory XV)

38. St. Felix of Cantalice (d. 1587): Angels took his place working in the fields when he attended Mass.

39. St. Germaine Cousin (d. 1589): She was once prevented from attending Mass, due to heavy rain that had made a particular stream too violent to cross. But this did not stop her. She prayed, making the sign of the Cross, and the stream parted, thus allowing her to attend Mass. The same miracle was repeated on her way home.

40. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi (d. 1607): “Scrupulous people for the smallest peccadillo deprive themselves of the Body and Blood of My Word; and, imagining they are avoiding an evil, they lose an infinite good.” (The Eternal Father to St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi)

41. St. Rose of Lima (d. 1617): “… on the mornings when she went to Communion she could often barely manage to get to church, and nearly fainted on her way to the altar. It was this state of exhaustion that became a public proof of the marvellous effect experienced by her pure soul from the Holy Eucharist, for her friends and the general congregation in the churches where she communicated were many times witnesses of the entire change wrought in her by the Bread of Life. After receiving it, the weak, half-fainting girl, who had perhaps been helped to the altar by her mother or a fellow Tertiary, would rise and walk back to her place with firm, brisk tread and glowing face in every way a new creature. Sometimes, even, rays seemed to come from her countenance, so as to inspire positive awe in the priest as he communicated her; and she acknowledged, to those of her confessors at different times who obliged her to tell them, that the inward effect of the Blessed Sacrament on her was not only a spiritual joy and a kind of transportation into God, absolutely impossible to express, but a bodily satiety and vigour which made her walk home after Communion, and remain for many hours, just as if she had not fasted at all.” (F. M. Capes, ‘St. Rose of Lima: The Flower of the New World’)

42. St. Joseph of Cupertino (d. 1663): “He told [/prophesied to] his companions that the first day on which he failed to receive Communion would be the day on which he would die. And so it came about.” (Fr. Albian Goodier, ‘Saints for Sinners’)

43. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (d. 1690): “I ardently thirst for men to honour Me in the Blessed Sacrament, and I can find hardly anyone willing to make an effort to make Me some return by refreshing Me as I desire.” (Jesus to St. Margaret Mary)

44. St. Veronica Giuliani (d. 1727): “St. Veronica Giuliani experienced a violent thirst for Holy Communion. Then the Lord said to her: ‘You seek Me in Heaven and I am here with you wholly united to you, you desire to receive Me in order to unite yourself with Me, and for My part I am wholly desirous that you should be united with Me.’” (Rev. Auguste Saudreau)

45. St. Thomas of Cori (d. 1729): On a number of occasions, during Mass, he had apparitions of the Child Jesus.

46. St. Lucia Filippini (d. 1732): In response to her ardent desire to receive the Adorable Eucharist, Our Lord ordained that a fragment of the Host would leave the Priest’s hands one day during Mass, and fly to the saint, where It rested on her tongue.

47. St. Benedict Joseph Labre (d. 1738): After receiving Holy Communion, he was known to levitate. (With regard to levitation, the Eternal Father, speaking of very holy souls, revealed this to St. Catherine of Siena: “Even in her mortal life she tastes the delights of immortality, and in spite of her mortal body she becomes as light as spirit… it is a greater miracle for the soul not to leave the body in this union that it is for several dead bodies to be raised to life.”)

48. St. Crescentia Hoess (d. 1744): “… she was obliged, in attending to her work, frequently to pass by the Blessed Sacrament, without being able to tarry. She could only, as she passed, frequently direct this ejaculation to her Redeemer: ‘My God, for love of Thee, and in obedience!’ When she passed the altar for the last time, she noticed several flames hovering above it; she was confounded, and asked the Lord what it meant. The Lord answered: ‘These are the aspirations of love you sent up to Me when passing.’” (Fr. Ignatius Jeiler, ‘Life of the Ven. Mary Crescentia Hoss’)

49. St. Gerard Majella (d. 1755): Inflamed with love for Our Lord, little Gerard, aged 8, longed to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Unable to do so, due to the custom that prevailed at the time, he was greatly afflicted. But God heard his loving lamentations and sent St. Michael the Archangel to him with the Holy Eucharist, which the angel placed on his tongue, to Gerard’s astonishment and delight.

50. St. Alphonsus Liguori (d. 1787): “Once, on Good Friday, being unable to receive Holy Communion, his affliction was so great that a violent fever came on him; his life was even in danger. The doctor came and bled him, but there was no improvement until the next day, when the saint learned that he could again receive his Saviour. On receiving these joyful tidings, the fever immediately left him.” (Fr. Mueller)

51. St. Maria Francesco of the Five Wounds (d. 1791): She received Holy Communion from her guardian angel on several occasions.

52. St. Anthony Mary Claret (d. 1870): Our Lord truly abided in Him; he retained the Eucharist in his breast.

53. St. John Bosco (d. 1888): In a dream/vision, he saw – amongst other things – the Holy Eucharist, beneath which appeared the words: “Salvation of believers.”

54. St. Gemma Galgani (d. 1903): She ate nothing, save for the Blessed Sacrament, between the period of June, 1902, and her death on April 11, 1903.

55. St. Faustina (d. 1938): “Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy.” (Jesus to St. Faustina).

56. St. Padre Pio (d. 1968): St. Padre often experienced ecstasies and visions during Holy Mass. “With what care,” he said, “she [Our Lady] accompanied me to the altar this morning! It seemed to me as though she had nothing to think about other than me filling my heart completely with saintly affections. I felt a mysterious fire from my heart which I couldn’t understand. I felt the need to put ice on it to extinguish this fire which was consuming me! I should like to have a voice strong enough to invite the sinners of the whole world to love our Lady!”

Blesseds:

57. Bl. Alpais (d. 1211): She was a poor peasant girl who was nourished by the Eucharist alone for 10 years.

58. Bl. Mary of Oignies (d. 1213): “On one occasion she went for as long as thirty–five days without any sort of food, passing all the time in a tranquil and happy silence… She would say nothing for many days but “Give me the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and as soon as her request was granted she returned to her former silent converse with her Saviour… At length, after five weeks, returning to herself… she began to speak and take food.” (Cardinal Jacques de Vitry, quoted in ‘Mysteries, Marvels, Miracles in the Lives of the Saints’ by Joan Carroll Cruz)

59. Bl. James of Montieri (d. 1289): Jesus Himself brought him the Holy Eucharist on a number of occasions.

60. Bl. Angela of Foligno (d. 1309): She lived on the Eucharist alone for 12 years.

61. Bl. Emilia Bicchieri (d. 1314): One day, while she was busy looking after a fellow sister in religion, she accidentally missed the majority of the Mass. She arrived after Holy Communion and was very upset at being deprived of this precious Gift. In His immense kindness, Almighty God allowed her to receive the Holy Eucharist from an angel.

62. Bl. Imelda Lambertini (d. 1333): From a young age, Imelda had a great desire to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, but she was all too aware that, due to the custom at the time, she could not do so until she was 14 years old. “Tell me,” she said; “can anyone receive Jesus into his heart and not die?” These words were to be prophetic.
On May 12, 1333, Imelda, aged 11, approached the priest for Holy Communion, hoping that she might receive the Love of her heart. The priest ignored her until he saw a Host, radiant with light, ascend into the air and stop right in front of Imelda. Taking this a sign from God, the priest gave her Holy Communion, after which she experienced a state of ecstasy so profound that she died of joy. Her body, like that of so many other Saints, remains incorrupt to this day.

63. Bl. Henry Suso (d. 1366): “The Blessed Henry Suso made an agreement with one of his brethren in religion that as soon as one of them died the survivor should say two Masses every week, for one year, for the repose of his soul. It came to pass that the religious with whom Henry had made this contract died first. Henry prayed every day for his deliverance from purgatory, but forgot to say the Masses which he had promised. The deceased appeared to him with a sad countenance, and sharply rebuked him for his unfaithfulness to his engagement. Henry excused himself by saying that he had often prayed for him with great fervor, and had even offered up penitential works for him. ‘O, my brother,’ exclaimed the soul, ‘blood, blood is necessary to give me some relief and refreshment in my excruciating torments. Thy penitential works, severe as they are, cannot deliver me. There is nothing that can do this but the Blood of Jesus Christ, which is offered up in the sacrifice of the Mass. Masses, Masses, these are what I need.’” (Ven. Martin von Cochem)

64. Bl. Elizabeth the Good (d. 1420): She lived on the Eucharist alone for 3 years.

65. Bl. Alan de la Roche (d. 1475): “After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary.” (Our Lady to Bl. Alan de la Roche)

66. Bl. Catherine of Racconigi (d. 1547): She was a stigmatist who lived on the Eucharist alone for 10yrs.

67. Bl. Mary Anne De Paredes (d. 1645): She was known to have scarcely taken an ounce of bread every 8 – 10 days. Her only food intake was Holy Communion each morning.

68. Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824): She lived on the Eucharist alone for 12yrs.

69. Bl. Elizabeth Canori Mora (d. 1825): “In her humility she dreaded to present herself at this august banquet; but Our Lord called her and gave her with His own Hands the Divine Eucharist.” (Lady Herbert, ‘Life of the venerable Elizabeth Canori Mora’)

70. Bl. Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837): She often went into ecstasy after Communion. One day Our Lord said to her: “It may indeed occur that a man will go often to Communion and practise mortifications, and yet make little or no progress because he remains attached to his own will; but if he gives it up so as only to will what God wills, he will infallibly profit.”

71. Bl. Mary of the Divine Heart (d. 1899): After receiving Holy Communion, Our Lord said to her: “The Holy Sacrament is the life of your life. I give Myself to you every day with My Body and Blood, while awaiting the hour of your death when I shall give Myself to you with the abundance of My love for all eternity.”

72. Bl. Mary of the Passion (d. 1912): Like St. Benedict and others, she levitated after receiving Holy Communion.

73. Bl. Dina Belanger (d. 1929): “My Heart overflows with graces for souls. Lead them to my Eucharist Heart.” (Jesus to Bl. Dina)

74. Bl. Mother Maria Pierina de Micheli (d. 1945): “All who shall wear a Scapular like this and make, if possible, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament every Tuesday in reparation for the outrages that the Holy Face of my Son Jesus received during His Passion and is still receiving in the Holy Eucharist every day, will be strengthened in the Faith, and will be made ready to defend it, will overcome all difficulties, internal and external, and they will have a peaceful death under the loving gaze of my Divine Son.” (Our Lady to Bl. Mother Maria Pierina)

75. Bl. Alexandrina da Costa (d. 1955): Alexandrina, who lived on the Eucharist alone for 3 years, and who experienced the stigmata, was told by Our Lord: “You are living by the Eucharist alone because I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and the power of my life in souls.”

76. Bl. Elena Aiello (d. 1961): “The dictators of the earth, specimens infernal, will demolish the churches and desecrate the Holy Eucharist, and will destroy things most dear.” (Our Lady to Bl. Elena)

Venerables:

77. Ven. Margaret of the Blessed Sacrament (d. 1648): “[She] was one day suffering great pain. Her sisters, wishing to ascertain whether she would really find relief in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, to which she had a singular devotion, carried her at first to various places in which the Holy Eucharist was not kept, and exhorted her to pray to Jesus Christ; but she answered in a plaintive voice: ‘I do not find my Saviour here,’ and addressing herself to Him, she said: ‘My Lord, I do not find here Thy Divine Truth,’ after which she besought her sisters to carry her into the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.” (Fr. Mueller)

78. Ven. Mary of Agreda (d. 1665): “The devout will [in Heaven] bear on their breast, where they have so often harbored the Holy Eucharist, most beautiful and resplendent inscriptions, showing that they were most worthy tabernacles of the Holy Sacrament.” (Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda)

79. Ven. Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (d. 1937): “I want souls who are dedicated with fervour, with determination and without looking for rest, to plead day and night [before the Blessed Sacrament] for my priests.” (Jesus to Venerable Concepcion Cabrera de Armida)

Servants of God:

80. Servant of God, Domenica Lazerri (d. 1848): She lived on the Eucharist alone for 12 yrs.

81. Servant of God, Anne-Louise Lateau (d. 1883): She lived on the Eucharist alone for 12 yrs.

82. Servant of God, Fr. Paul of Moll (d. 1896): “When I distribute Holy Communion, it is the Infant Jesus in person that I see in the Host.” (Fr. Paul of Moll)

83. Servant of God, Sr. Josefa Menendez (d. 1923): “The Holy Eucharist is the invention of Love, but how few souls correspond to that love which spends and consumes itself for them!” (Our Lord to Sr. Josefa)

84. Servant of God, Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero (d. 1916): “My most tender, most sweet and most lovable Spouse Jesus, Lily of the valleys, Brightness of Eternal Light, Mirror without spot, Thou, the God of infinite sanctity within me? O my God, God of my heart, Heart of my God, how annihilated I feel before Thee who art the All, yet how I trust in Thy tender Goodness!” (An excerpt from ‘A Prayer of Thanksgiving After Holy Communion’ dictated by Our Lord to Sr. Benigna)

85. Servant of God, Edvige Carboni (d. 1952): She received Holy Communion from Our Lord Himself, as well as from several Saints, including St. John Bosco and his humble student, St. Dominic Savio.

86. Servant of God, Teresa Neumann (Servant of God, d. 1962): She received Holy Communion from Jesus.

87. Servant of God, Marthe Robin (d. 1981): She lived on the Eucharist alone for 53yrs. She was instrumental in founding the ‘Foyers of Charity,’ which are spread throughout the world.

Other Mystics:

88. Esprite of Jesus (d. 1658): “Am I not greater than all My gifts? And when you receive Me in the holy Eucharist, do you not receive all good things?” (Jesus to Esprite of Jesus)

89. Mother Jeanne Deleloë (d. 1660): “What more can you desire than to have within you the true source of all good, My Divine Heart?” (Jesus to Mother Deleloë)

90. Mother Anne Margaret Clement (d. 1661): After receiving Communion, Our Lord said to her: “This [your soul] is My second Nazareth, this is My pleasure–garden which I shall make fertile, for I wish to make of you My dwelling–place of delight.”

91. Madeleine Vigneron (d. 1667): “When I was in church praying before the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lord made known to me that he finds our rejection of His graces unendurable, as He is in the Blessed Sacrament solely to bestow them. When He finds no one on whom to pour out His love this love becomes like a hidden fire which would utterly consume Him if this were possible, and which would cause Him far greater sufferings than His Father sent Him on the Cross.’ (Madeleine Vigneron)

92. Mother Frances of the Mother of God (d. 1671): “Since I delivered Myself up to the Jews to be tormented, wonder not that I should choose to deliver Myself up to you to be loved.” (Jesus to Frances of the Mother of God)

93. Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (d. 1692): “At every Communion that thou hast received, for fifteen years, My merciful grace has granted to thy prayers the conversion of a heretic, especially of the most obstinate.” (Jesus to Sr. Jeanne Benigne)

94. Mary Josepha Kumi (d. 1817): “Our Lord entrusted Mary Josepha Kumi with this message for two people: ‘Tell them to prepare more fervently for Holy Communion.’” (Rev. Auguste Saudreau)

95. Sr. Mary of St. Peter (d. 1848): “May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified, in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.” (The ‘Golden Arrow’ prayer – a prayer of reparation – dictated by Jesus to Sr. Mary of St. Peter)

96. Maria Von Morl (d. 1868): She had mystical knowledge of the presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist; she knew when her divine Spouse was nearby.

97. Mother Marie Dominique Claire Moes (d. 1895): After receiving the Adorable Eucharist, Jesus said to her: “My beloved daughter, learn of Me that I am meek and humble of heart. If you would become like to My Heart, you must try to fulfil the meaning of those words. Be very humble and you will be very obedient; be very meek and you will be all love. If you are all love, this will make you ready for sacrifice; nothing will be too costly for you; everything will seem to you sweet and easy; you will make the biggest sacrifices with the greatest alacrity. Love produces this effect: that the soul no longer considers anything a sacrifice, because all difficulties and all fatigues are sweetened by the joy she finds in them.”

98. Little Nellie of Holy God (d. 1908): She was only a small child, yet she had a great thirst for the Holy Eucharist, and she sensed the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

99. Sr. Gertrude Mary (d. 1909): On one particular occasion, as she was sighing with love for the Holy Eucharist, Jesus said to her: “I desire for you with a still greater desire at the moment of Communion. There are special graces attached to the Sacrament of My love. It is the moment for a new and most abundant outpouring of grace into your soul.”

100. Rosalie Put (d. 1919): Although she was bedridden for 25 years, and therefore unable to attend Holy Mass, she was brought the Holy Eucharist every night by an Archangel.

101. Fr. John Edward Lamy (d. 1931): “I generally see the Sacred Species surrounded with light. You feel a sweetness, a gentleness out of the ordinary. Yes, at such moments, you think no more of the earth; you feel something so heavenly. It is the effect of the presence of Our Lord. I also feel the presence of the holy angels who help me at Mass, but not every time.”

St. Tarsicius, St. Nicolas Pieck, and St. Peter Maldonado, “martyrs of the Eucharist”, pray for us, that we might offer our lives to Love and for Love.
Our Lady, Tabernacle of the Most High, pray for us, that we might become living tabernacles of the Most Blessed Trinity.

“Oh, gentle Mother, make me love him. Fill my heart with the love that burned in thine. . . Purify my heart that I may know how to love my God and thy God! Purify my spirit that I may adore Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)! Purify my body that it may become for him a living tabernacle!” (St. Padre Pio)

Some Excellent Resources on the Holy Eucharist:

1. ‘The Early Christians Believed in the Real Presence’: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/father/a5.html

2. ‘Transubstantiation’ (Some Philosophical Answers to Common Objections)
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/realpres/transubstantiation.htm

3. ‘The Eucharistic Miracles of the World’: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/engl_mir.htm

4. ‘Eucharist and Mass’ (Ch. 18 of ‘Theology for Beginners’ by Frank J. Sheed):
http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/SHEEDEUC.htm

5. ‘Transubstantiation’ (Ch. 18 of ‘Theology for Beginners’ by Frank J. Sheed):
http://www.ewtn.com.au/faith/teachings/eucha4.htm

6. ‘Holy Communion’ (Ch. 32 of ‘The Three Ages of the Interior Life’ by Garrigou–Lagrange):
http://www.christianperfection.info/tta44.php

7. ‘Quotes on the Blessed Sacrament’:
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/tes/a7.html

8. ‘The Holy Eucharist’ by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
https://archive.org/stream/alphonsusworks06alfouoft#page/n3/mode/2up

9. ‘Cochem’s Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass’ by Ven. Martin von Cochem (reprinted under the title, ‘The Incredible Catholic Mass):
https://archive.org/stream/cochemsexplanat02martgoog#page/n18/mode/2up

10. ‘The Blessed Eucharist, Our Greatest Treasure’ by Fr. Michael Muller:
https://archive.org/stream/theblessedeuchar00meuluoft#page/n5/mode/2up

11. Chapter 14 of ‘The Blessed Eucharist, Our Greatest Treasure’ by Fr. Michael Muller (Some Stories that Testify to the Real Presence):
https://archive.org/stream/theblessedeuchar00meuluoft#page/n225/mode/2up

12. ‘The Holy Mass: The Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead’ by Fr. Michael Muller:
https://archive.org/stream/holymasssacrific00ml#page/n15/mode/2up

13. ‘The Blessed Sacrament, or, the Works and Ways of God’ by Fr. Faber:
https://archive.org/stream/theblessedsacram00fabeuoft#page/n5/mode/2up