30th Visit to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary
4 min • Digitized on April 30, 2023
From Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament, by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, page 110
By St. Alphonsus de Liguori
Thirtieth visit.
“Why hidest thou thy face?” Job xiii. 24.
Job was seized with fear when God veiled his face. But, by concealing his majesty in the holy sacrament, Jesus inspires us not with terror, but with love and confidence; for he remains hidden on our altars for the express purpose of increasing our confidence and of manifesting his love.
“While God,” says Novarino, “hides his face in this sacrament, he proclaims his love.” And if the King of heaven displayed on the altar the splendor of his glory, who would dare to approach him, or lay before him his affections and desires?
Ah, my Jesus, what a loving invention is this sacrament, in which thou veilest thy divinity under the appearance of bread, to induce us to love thee, and to give all who desire it an opportunity of finding thee on earth. The prophet had reason to call on us to proclaim to the world the inventions of the love of our great God. “Make his works known among the people.” Is. xii. 4.
O most loving heart of my Jesus, worthy of possessing the hearts of all creatures! O heart, always full of flames of the most pure love! O consuming fire, consume my entire being, and give me a new life of love and grace!
Unite me to thyself, so that I may never be separated from thee. O heart, opened to be the refuge of souls, receive me. O heart so sorrowful on the cross for the sins of the world, give me a true sorrow for my sins.
I know that thou dost now entertain for me the same sentiments of love which thou hadst for me when thou didst expire on Calvary; and, therefore, thou dost ardently wish me to be united to thee. And can I any longer refuse to yield myself up entirely to thy love, to thy desire? Ah, my beloved Jesus, I entreat thee, through thy own merits, to wound my soul with thy love, and to bind and unite me entirely to thy heart.
I resolve this day, with the assistance of thy grace, to do all in my power to please thee, and, for thy sake, to trample under foot all human respect, all inclinations and repugnances, all pleasures and conveniences, which may be an obstacle to the perfect accomplishment of thy will.
Grant, O Lord, that I may fulfil this purpose, so that henceforth all my actions, and all my sentiments and affections, may be in all things conformable to thy will.
O love of God, banish from my heart all other love. O Mary, my hope, thou art all powerful before God, obtain for me the grace to be, till death, the faithful servant of the pure love of Jesus. Amen, amen. Such my hope and desire for time and eternity.
Prayer: “Who shall separate me from the charity of Christ?”
The Spiritual Communion.
Thirtieth visit to the Blessed Virgin.
O Mary, we are taught by thy servant St. Bonaventure to regard thee as the Mother of orphans. Those unfortunate sinners, who have lost God, their Father, are orphans indeed.
I fly then, to thee, O merciful Mother: I have by my sins lost my Father; all my hope rests in thee, who still remainest as my Mother.
I feel fresh confidence arise within me when I hear a holy bishop ask, who has ever called on Mary without being heard? Who was ever lost, that had sincere recourse to her?
I fly, therefore, to thy holy protection; have compassion on me; help me, and do not forsake me.
Prayer: O Mother of my God, augment daily my confidence in thee.