VII

THE ARCHI CONFRATERNITY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT, OR THE PEOPLE'S EUCHARISTIC LEAGUE, AND THE WORK OF THE EUCHARISTIC WEEKS

B

ETWEEN the child of the poor workman doomed before his time to labor far above his strength, and the Servant of God who, by his noble character, his learning, and his virtue, is found in the first ranks of society, there are innumerable Christians among whom are many faithful souls filled with zeal and courage for Jesus Christ and His Church. Père Eymard understood that the Eucharistic reign of King Jesus could not be firmly established unless the Christian life was penetrated with the idea of the Blessed. Sacrament Itself, as well as of Jesus' love in His Sacrament of the Altar. This could be effected only by giving to the Blessed Sacrament the place of honor that belongs to It. Now this is the end of the Guard of Honor of the Blessed Sacrament. Its obligations may be summed up in two words: Every member engages to make once a month an hour of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament exposed or enclosed in the tabernacle. This is the personal service. To it he adds in order to keep alive his ardor, a zealous coöperation in all works that more especially relate to the Blessed Sacrament.

The Tabernacle Society, the providing for the lamps of poor churches, find in him an active member, happy to contribute to the splendor of Eucharistic devotion.

But above all is he obliged to prepare a worthy reception for Jesus when the priest bears Him to the sick whither he accompanies him thereby rendering to Jesus the homage of his faith and love.

When possible, he is found at Benediction, for there he receives magnificent graces along with the blessing of his King. In fine, the members of the Eucharistic League aim at being present whenever and wherever they can do homage to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, for they look upon Him as their King and on themselves as His special courtiers. This one word explains all the King and His courtiers.

Père Eymard had the consolation of beholding around Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament groups of chosen souls banded together in the association known as "The Eucharistic Weeks." The members concur in honoring the King personally by their generous offerings for the adornment of His royal throne. They take alternate weeks of Eucharistic service and, should other duties at any time prevent a member from taking this hour of Adoration, he offers a wax candle to burn before his King and tell Him of his love and devotedness.

But all this is not enough. They desire to see their Lord's throne surrounded by the most beautiful flowers, the offering of inanimate nature which on its side must also sing, "Hosanna! to the God of Love." Their beauty and profusion at all seasons of the year proclaim to those that enter the sacred precincts the faith that understands and the love that knows how to make little sacrifices for the Eucharistic King. There were not wanting descendants of the Pharisees to complain of this extravagance, to deplore

the waste, as they termed it, of what might, according to their stupid ideas, be applied to better service.

To such objections Père Eymard replied: "Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is King. He is there a living King. Give Him then a royal worship. A king traverses the streets of a city, but no one acclaims him, no one salutes him. 'Is he indeed a king?' the people ask. 'No,' they reply, 'it is some stranger.' But here is Our Lord, Our King! Where is the external and public homage due to His Divine Majesty?" ... Then, casting a glance over the world, he continued: "Gifts to churches measure the faith of a people. Faith lives in Italy, in Spain. In France it has been frozen by Jansenism, but it will revive. That faith which wishes to lie hidden, which looks upon what is given to the Lord as useless, is a leaven of Protestantism. True, we are bound to give to the poor; but Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is our special Poor One, and His suffering members will receive so much the more as His share is the greater." With such words as these the Servant of God silenced the ignorant.

But to noble, generous souls, he spoke in a different strain. They believe and love. To them he used to say: "To give to Jesus is an honor, a consolation, a need of the loving heart! According to the conventional order of things, it does not belong to every one to make gifts to royalty. Would we dare present to a person, though only a little above us, a bouquet of flowers on his feast day, much less treat familiarly with him? But Jesus receives the homage of all, the farthing of the widow, as well as the rich man's gift. And what a consolation for the loving soul to be able

to say: 'I give straight to God something out of my savings, some of my daily bread, some of the fruits of my labor. I can share with Jesus!' . . . And, in fact, without your offerings, without these brilliant decorations, Jesus could not be exposed solemnly. You surround Him according to His regal dignity. Say to Him freely: "Thou art reigning on a brilliant throne. which our hearts have erected for Thee!' Oh! may you often have the happiness of being able to say: 'I have given to the Lord!'"

"To serve and adore Our Lord is the double duty of the Eucharistic League. By the Eucharistic service, the Holy Father, Pope Pius IX, understood that we enter upon it in order to arrive at forgetfulness of self and the sole desire of pleasing Our Lord. By so doing, adorers have in the accomplishment of their duties a real and ever-present end. Jesus reigns over their life while they are laboring for Him and with Him."

Let us turn again to the Venerable Père Eymard and hearken to his fuller explanation of this point. "The members of the Eucharistic League," he says, "may think themselves again in those blessed days of yearly Retreat when they assembled in large numbers to hear the instructions. Life is in accordance with what we love. Trahit sua quemque voluptas. Selflove renders it egotistical; the love of the world, vicious; but the love of God makes it good and happy.

"But as all love must have a beginning, a centre, and an end, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament will be the beginning, the centre, and the end of the adorer. Without doubt, one may arrive at perfection by struggle against self, by a hard and difficult life,

which is constantly obliged to calculate the problem of loss and gain. In such an existence, both liberty and pleasure are wanting, since one lives in the continual sacrifice imposed by the different virtues.

"And yet Jesus never said: 'Live in humility, in penitence, or in any other virtue.' No, they are not a centre. In them the soul would be, as it were, in prison, and besides, penitence and humility in themselves are not lovable. But Jesus has said: 'Abide in My Love,' and thence proceed to the observance of My Commandments, as 'I Myself live in the love of My Father and observe His Commandments.'" (John XV, 9, 10.)

Live by love! These words almost intimidate, for are they not addressed to perfect souls, separated from the world and dead to self?

"Live by Love!" responds the Venerable Servant of God, "this is the part of all, of beginners, as well as of those that are already on the path of perfection, or who have almost reached the end of their journey. To live by love belongs to man both as a man and a Christian." Oh, what influence, what effect has love. upon man! It guides him, it governs him.

"God is infinite love. Man created to the image of God is also love, but a weakened love, vitiated by sin, nevertheless capable of returning to its origin. God comes to man by love, and love will be the return of man to God."

The Servant of God insists on this point: "Man is incapable of attaching himself in God to any other thing than to His love and goodness. He fears His power, and His divine sanctity overwhelms the sinner with shame and confusion. But the divine