St Claude de la Colombiere was St Margaret Mary’s spiritual director. Here are some excerpts from his sermon on the Eucharist.
“St. Augustine could not, without admiration, think of the Lord’s precept that we should love him. It was already too much, O my God, that you would have allowed us to raise our hearts to you; What an excess of mercy for having wished, as it were, to compel us to do so, as if you had some interest in making us happy in this life! It seems to me, Christians hearers, that the Church in this holy time gives us a mark of her affection, which rejoices enough in this infinite goodness of our God. It does not cost us to present to ourselves the adorable body of Jesus Christ, it commands us to receive it, as if it itself found an advantage in that which it procures for our souls to nourish themselves with this divine body. In whatever situation we may be, she could without injustice forbid us the holy table as unclean men: she forbids us, on the contrary, to remove ourselves from them even out of respect. She is a tender mother, who sees in some of her children a disgust which could cause them death, uses all her power to force them to take a salutary nourishment. She only regards our needs and her tenderness; and while our passions blind us, and prevent us from seeing what necessity it is for us to make use of this mysterious meat, one would say that the zeal Of this tender mother blinds him, and conceals from him the imperfections which render us unworthy of participating in this sacred feast. I dare not believe That there was one among you in the disposition to disobey a command so advantageous and so disinterested.
Can you not see that it is love that speaks here rather than authority? This command, far from imposing upon us an unbearable burden, presents us with a signal benefit; And I have no doubt that during these holy days you would not be eager to open your hearts to a God who offers himself
Even to you. But alas! It is to be feared that all will not have the necessary dispositions to do it with fruit! I venture to say that these holy dispositions were usually found in few Christians; And if you will allow me to propose to you the reasons which I have for making this judgment, you will see that it is only too well founded.
I hope that I will take care to point out the defects which it is important to avoid in such a holy action, and hope that this care will not be useless, especially if the Spirit of God, who is to prepare in your bosom Place the body of Jesus, deign to dispose your minds to receive his holy word. Let us ask for this grace through the intervention of Mary. Ave, Maria.
Everything proves to us, That the Eucharist is a sacrament of faith and love.
A sacrament of faith, since it may be said to contain all the mysteries which exercise our belief the most; It is a sacrament of love, since it renews in our favor all that in all times God has made of the greatest to make himself loved by men. It is, according to the holy books, a mystery of faith, since, in virtue of the words of the Apostle writing to Timothy, it is not only raised above the senses, but even contrary to them; It is a mystery of love, since it is the inheritance of Jesus Christ, and he gave it to his children as a sure pledge of his paternal tenderness. Finally, if we consult the practice of the Church, especially in the first centuries, the Eucharist is a mystery of faith, since it has made it a secret, of which it gave knowledge only to the true Faithful. It is a mystery of love, since to this day it grants its participation only to the friends of God.
This truth, once established, that the sacrament of the altar is a sacrament of faith and love, it is easy to conclude that faith and love are the two essential dispositions to receive it fruitfully. To excite in us that respect and that supernatural hunger, always necessary to render us useful the bread of the Angels; Love, to purify the soul of his crimes, which are like malignant humours that would make us pernicious, this sacred bread. If, therefore, I show you that most of the Christians are approaching the holy table without faith, that they approach it without love, I shall have proved that they approach it without the necessary dispositions. But on what grounds can I put forward two propositions of this nature? “I confess, That it would be difficult to give clear proofs; But I rely on conjectures so strong and convincing, that no reasonable mind can resist them.”