examination of the heart 380 6) If every divine work is to be approached with great deliberation and preparation of soul, therefore it is more applicable to the consumption of the Divine Body. Thus, do not approach the sacred table thoughtlessly. Consider Who is the One Whom you are going to consume, and why you are going to consume this Food. 3. “Take and eat” (cf. 1 Cor 11:24) [DRB]. O love! O affection! O generosity with which you, Jesus, dispense Your Body to us! You invite us, lest we, wretched men, aware of our worthlessness, fear to be partakers of Your divinity. You encourage us, lest we, men with defiled lips, fear to taste the Most Holy Banquet. You say: “Take and eat,” lest we hesitate to eat the bread of angels, deterred by Your majesty. As a yet greater proof of love and generosity is the fact that You do not exclude anybody from Your Sacred Table, You say to all: “Take.” Therefore, overcome by the great benevolence and affection of the One who invites, [f.120v] although a man of unclean lips (cf. Is 6:5), I open nevertheless to You, God of all goodness, my mouth and heart; let it be done to me according to Your word (cf. Lk 1:38). After Holy Communion 1. “[M]y flesh is food indeed, and [M]y blood is drink indeed” (Jn 6:56). The Savior affirms justly that His Body is a real food and that His Blood a real drink. Just as bodily foods nourish the body, which becomes weak if they are withdrawn from it, thus the flesh of Jesus Christ nourishes our souls; and, if not fortified by it quite often, they become languid, ailing, and weakened. Oh, this truly is real food of the soul! The food that vivifies, sustains, and preserves it from death! This is truly a real drink, which has the power not only to extinguish the thirst for evil things, but also to wash away stains; if some have adhered by forgetfulness or negligence to the soul that departs from the sacred tribunal of confession.
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