108
On the Timely Reception of the Viaticum.
But in a Catholic country, in a holy city, a glorious title that ours boasts of, where all should consider it the greatest honor to show all possible respect to the hidden God; here, I say, to admit Him secretly and without the public honor due to Him—who could approve of or excuse such conduct?
What a shameful thing for Catholic Christians!
It would make too much talk amongst the people, they say like the others. O great God! art Thou then so low and abject that we must be ashamed to be publicly visited by Thee? Tell me this, whoever you are: if your prince were to send word to you that he intends going to see you; would you wish him to come in the night and incognito, lest people should talk? But the greater the pomp and ceremony with which he visits you the greater the honor and favor done you in the sight of the whole city. And see, the King of kings, the great God, wishes to come to you and honor you with His presence; but you want Him to do so in a secret, furtive manner, because you are ashamed on account of the people! What are you thinking of, poor mortals? You are not worthy to loose the shoe-latchet of that great Lord, nay, not even to raise your eyes to Him; and you are ashamed to receive Him publicly when He desires to do you the greatest honor! What will people say! What will they say if you die after having thus secretly received holy Communion? Neighbor so-and-so is dead, they will say; but we did not see the Blessed Sacrament brought to him. Or else: that man is now so many months sick and has not been to Communion yet. Again a nice reputation to leave behind you! But when the Blessed Sacrament is brought publicly, so many people follow it, and I do not like that. Well, let them follow; let the whole town go with them; it would be only right and just. A Monarch so worthy of honor and love certainly deserves that all, great and small, young and old, rich and poor, should go at the sound of the bell, and humbly accompany Him, to increase, as much as possible, the splendor of His escort, as I have explained on a former occasion. And wo to him who is ashamed thus publicly to accompany his Lord and Saviour! For that same Lord will, as He has threatened, one day be ashamed of him before His Father in heaven. The more people come together when Jesus visits you the better it is for the honor and glory of God, and the more there are to pray for you, that you may get health of soul and body. Alas! where is our faith? The paralytic man in the Gospel had the roof of the house removed,