The Book of Perpetual Adoration. H.M. Boudon

us against those enemies who attack us incessantly with so much fury, so much strength and cunning, in the hope of causing our eternal ruin. Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus omnes qui tribulant me.

      It is There that the soul must go for support in her weakness, and find strength to prevent her falling in her combats. If the Lord is with the soul, she has nothing to fear; though she should walk in the Shadow of Death she will be in a Happy Path, sustained by the Right Hand of her Master and God. Jesus in the Divine Eucharist fulfils the office of a kind Father, carefully watching over all our necessities in a way we may well adore, but cannot explain: — Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit. Nothing can be wanting to the soul that has entirely given herself up to Divine Providence; if we do not feel sufficient help, it is because we lean too much on creatures.

      Happy, a thousand times happy, is the soul that has put all her confidence in the Lord of all things; she will find in Him, not only the love of a kind

      The Book of Perpetual Adoration.

      Father, but all the tenderness of a Maternal heart. Yes, says our infinitely loving Lord, though a mother should be unnatural enough to forsake her child, I will never forget thee, O my people ! And He has indeed well proved it, in feeding us with His flesh and giving us His Blood to drink. After such love, what may we not well expect from so merciful a God? Why should we be anxious, or grieve ourselves about our salvation or temporal affairs ? If we will give ourselves up to Him and the attractions of His Love, Paradise is ours ; even in this life we shall succeed in everything, although we are often not aware of it, for we consider mental anxiety, poverty, contempt, and being forsaken by creatures, as misfortune and misery, whilst in reality they conduce to our eternal salvation.

      Jesus, in the Divine Eucharist, fulfils the office of Judge, to hear our complaints ; but it ought to be the sweetest consolation to us that He is, at the same time, our Advocate. Therefore it is to His Sacred Feet that we should often go and expose the difficulties of the great affair that we have before us, which in reality is the only important affair, that of our salvation. Oh, the insensibility of human hearts ! There is nothing people will not do for a worldly, insignificant lawsuit ; they consult the most skilful lawyers, they boast of the favour of judges, they make use of the credit of their friends, but for the affair of Eternity, they will scarcely take one step. If they speak to the Adorable Jesus, it

       The Book of Perpetual Adoration.

      is in such a cold way, that it is very evident how little they are moved ; the reason is, that they do not believe ; how rare is it to meet with one who has faith !

      Jesus, in the Divine Eucharist, fulfils the office of Physician; the Divine Nourishment that He gives in It, is a certain remedy for all our ills. It delivers us from all our languor, It cures all our diseases, It preserves us from all those infirmities into which we are liable to fall.

      Finally, Jesus, in this Divine Sacrament, is like a Sacred Lover, to whom we can tell all our griefs, our affairs, and all our wants, whenever we like and as long as we like. How sweet it is, when we have some trouble on our mind, to do what the humble St. Francis of Assisi did ! He did not waste his time in speaking of it to creatures, but he used to go and throw himself at the Feet of his Saviour, and there pour out the grief of his heart to Him ; then he came away greatly consoled and happy. What makes us so unhappy in our troubles is, that we go and seek for consolation where it is not to be found.

      See, now, what God does for your salvation : He forgets nothing. He places Himself in every kind of condition : He exercises all offices; certainly this ought to make you reflect that salvation is an affair of much greater consequence than you think.