strength to resist temptations, and therefore she easily falls into sin. The most holy sacrament is called heavenly bread; because as earthly bread supports the life of the body, so this heavenly bread preserves the life of the soul. “ Hence,” the saint adds, “let every Christian communicate at least every eight days.”
It is known that the first Christians, as St. Luke declares, went daily to the table of the Lord. “ They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and broke bread from house to house.” (Acts ii. 46.) It is also known that the greatest saints made use often of Holy Communion as the most effectual means of advancing in piety and virtue.
What shall we say, then, of those Christians who do not conform to the wishes of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Catholic Church, and who will not imitate the example of all holy souls? Alas ! I know that they excuse themselves with the wretched pretext: we are not worthy to go so often to the table of the Lord.
O my God! if worthiness were to be considered, who would be found truly worthy to receive communion? No one but Jesus Christ would be so, because God alone is worthy to receive God. But I assure you, my dear Christian, that the longer you are absent from communion, all the more unworthy will you be to receive it; the more rarely you go to the table of the Lord, so much the more numerous will be your faults, because you are thus deprived of the principal means of freeing yourself from sin and amending your life, namely, the Holy Communion.
"What will people say,” you answer, “ when they see me going so often to communion? They will either look upon it as a profanation, and blame it, or ridicule me, and make a laughing-stock of me.” To
