187 part i: sunday meditations for the entire year utmost holy determination. They are not concerned with what the Lord owes them, but with what they owe Him. They never tire of striving on the road of perfection, of practicing charity or doing their daily toil. Such servants will be praised in the end, such soldiers of Christ will be honored, and such religious will obtain an everlasting reward. You should desire to be among their number, and you should ask the Lord, dwelling in the Most Holy Eucharist, to make you fit not for seeking consolations, but for bearing crosses and for enduring countless labors. After Holy Communion 1. “what are they among so many?” (Jn 6:9). Just as St. Andrew exclaimed, looking at the multitude and not knowing the omnipotence of Christ, that those five loaves would not be sufficient for such a great gathering of people, thus also you would most rightly exclaim, on account of your mind, distracted and distant from all feeling of devotion: “What are they among so many?” What are the divinity and humanity of my Lord accomplishing among so many and so various idle, useless, even sinful thoughts? What kind of connection, association, or dealings does this great mass of worldly thoughts have with the great Lord, dwelling most lovingly in my heart today? Go, go away passions of no advantage to my salvation! Disappear from here all harmful affections; flee before the eternal Sun and scatter at His light like a cloud, chased away by the sun’s rays. What do these trifles have to do with the Sovereign of infinite majesty? What do the clouds have in common with the unreachable Light? What do you, fleeting and unstable handmaids, have to do with the immortal King? Therefore, go away from here and completely vacate the space of my heart, leaving it to the truly serene, majestic, and gracious heavenly Host. 2. “And when they had eaten their fill” (Jn 6:12). The Lord showed there such a great concern about food for the body; He sought the food for the accompanying crowds with
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