and himself let down by a rope as he lay in bed, that he might see Our Lord, from whom he was kept by the crowd. And we let that Lord in by the back door, so to speak, when we are sick, that no one may notice that He is visiting us! Faith, I say again, where art thou? I grow heart-sick when I think of this folly. Behold, O dear Lord, how we treat Thee! How we are ashamed of Thee! This is the return we make for the unheard-of love that Thou showest us in the Adorable Sacrament! Thou art so willing, especially in time of sickness, to be our Physician, Comforter, and Helper, for Thou knowest how necessary Thy presence is to us then, and we do not wish to receive Thy visit, unless compelled thereto by extreme necessity! Or else we admit Thee in a furtive manner, as if it were a disgrace for us to allow Thee into our houses!
Conclusion and exhortation to receive Our Lord timely in holy Viaticum.
Christians, either let us give up our faith or else show due honor and respect to the great God who has concealed Himself under the appearance of bread. O God of goodness! is it then true? Shall I really have that great honor and favor when I am lying sick? Wilt Thou show that mercy to me, poor, unworthy mortal that I am, and visit me and refresh me with Thy sacred body and blood? Ah, grant me that grace, I beseech Thee, prostrate at Thy feet, a grace that I will pray for heartily all the time of my life! I am indeed always in need of Thy help and consolation; but never are they more necessary to me than when I am about to journey into eternity. Come, then, dearest Saviour, and do not forget me! I will open my door wide for Thee, and willingly allow all the people in the world to enter with Thee, if possible, as witnesses that Thou, the great Monarch of heaven and earth, deignest to show a poor mortal the favor of visiting him in Thy own person! If in my illness I should be unable to prepare for Thee properly, on account of headache or weakness, or to receive Thy precious body and blood with be coming fervor, I will now, while I am in good health (dear Christians! mark this well, and unite with me in this holy practice)—I will now, as often as I approach Thy holy Table, receive Thee as my Viaticum, as if I were about to die; and I will excite in myself the same desires and practise the same virtues that I would wish to have in my dying moments, when receiving this holy Sacrament. Thus 1 will now so accustom myself to these virtues that I will have no difficulty in practising them when the last hour comes. Or if Thou art pleased,, in Thy inscrutable