401 part ii: meditations for more solemn feasts the Virgin, the most eminent of all creatures. And afterwards so that He might possess her, He was forgetful of His divinity, uniting it to our humanity. Oh, you would call truly blessed this womb, from which came that Virgin in whose womb reposed Blessedness itself. Indeed, more fertile than Arabia Felix188 was this field, in the middle of which the vein of purest gold was found, so precious, so priceless and so dear to God. Therefore, prepare your field for receiving the heavenly [f.128r] treasure by which you shall become richer if, on approaching the sacred table, you will have fewer of the riches of the world, that is, worldly thoughts. 3. “Sells all” (Mt 13:44). Similar to those who eagerly desire to possess the treasures hidden in the field, and who, for the sake of obtaining this field, forgo and give up many things and sometimes exchange a better field for the one more richly endowed. Thus, my soul, if you would like to acquire the treasures concealed in the field of the Most Holy Eucharist, you ought to sell all that you have, as the holy Doctor orders: “Forsake all things, and you will find all things.”189 Therefore, you have to deprive yourself of self-love if you want to be inflamed with the divine love; you have to renounce your own will if you want to live in conformity with the divine will. Lastly, it is necessary that you wholly deny yourself if you desire to possess the whole Christ, the priceless treasure of Heaven.190 After Holy Communion 1. “When he had found one pearl of great price” (Mt 13:46). Examine yourself to see which jewels you have taken away from this treasury that God opened for you today at the sacred table. Have you acquired a virtue, perhaps, of devotion, resignation, or humility? These are certainly the jewels with which Jesus adorns the souls of those who receive Him devotedly. 188 Arabia was divided by the ancients into Petraea, Deserta, and Felix. Arabia Felix was the fertile portion of Arabia, as opposed to Arabia Deserta and Petraea. Cf. M. Rościszewski, WEP, vol. 1, PWN, Warszawa 1962, p. 325 (s.v. Arabia Felix). 189 Cf. IC, Bk. III, Ch. 32, § 1. 190 Ibid., Bk. III, Ch. 32, §§ 1-3; Bk. II, Ch. 7, §§ 1-3.
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