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"Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." —Matthew 28:20
"My delights were to be with the children of men." —Proverbs 8:30
"The Lord is there." —Ezechiel 48:35
O Godhead hid, devoutly I adore Thee, Who truly art within the forms before me, To Thee my heart I bow with bended knee As failing quite in contemplating Thee. - ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

CONTENTS

1. Our Emmanuel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. The Mystery of Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. Proofs of Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4. Characteristics of the Love of Our Lord in The Eucharist. . 25
5. The Center of Catholic Worship . . . . . 31
6. Proper Homage to the Blessed Sacrament . . . . . . . . . .. 41
7. The Hope and Salvation of Our Times . 47
8. God So Near. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
9. Heaven upon Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Prayers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Chapter 1
Our Emmanuel

The thirty-three years of His earthly life seemed all too short to our Divine Saviour, whose "delights were to be with the children of men." (Prov. 8:31). To be born for us, to live a toilsome life and to suffer and sacrifice Himself for us by a most painful death did not exhaust the love of the Incarnate Son of God. He wished to remain among us even after His ascension into Heaven and, by a perpetual miracle, to continue in a mystical manner the mysteries of His earthly life and of His sacred Passion and death. This He accomplished by instituting the Most Blessed Sacrament. Oh, wondrous love, which compels the Son of God to remain continually with us on our altars! Truly, the mercy of our Redeemer has reached even to the depths of Divine love in order to give us this adorable Sacrament.

The infinite omnipotence of God could present us with nothing greater; His infinite wisdom knew of nothing better; His infinite love could bestow on us nothing more holy than the adorable Sacrament of the Altar. Let us admire and adore the amazing abasement of the Lord of the universe, the Son of the Most High, in so humbling Himself for our salvation as to conceal Himself under the lowly species of bread.

What food is this that imparts so much strength to the heart, inflames the will with so burning a fire, enlightens the understanding with so brilliant a light and imparts such purity to the soul! What a heavenly banquet is here spread before us! What goodness, what love! Without doubt, this is the greatest gift God has deigned to bestow upon us; it is the most magnificent work of His goodness, the clearest proof and the most manifest testimony of His love.

Let us, therefore, hasten to the Most Blessed Sacrament; let us hasten to our God ever abiding in our midst on the altar. There we will supplicate for graces, there make atonement for the countless sins and crimes committed against Him, there praise His goodness, there glorify Him. This is our great and holy vocation as Catholics. Our God is there present under the appearance of bread; He is there really and substantially. Him whom we hope once to behold in glory, face to face, we now behold in His silent, mysterious majesty and tranquility. He is enthroned in His Tabernacle, in the midst of the Church Militant. He looks upon us as we struggle and suffer; He is ever at our side to aid and refresh us in all our tribulations. He helps us to fight and conquer the world with its temptations, its vanities and its miseries; and when, weary from the strife, we at length depart from this life, He will raise us up to His Heavenly Father and will give us the crown of victory.

What fathomless depths of the riches of God’s mercy are made manifest to us in the Most Blessed Sacrament! Come, come, therefore, kneel down and glorify in fervent prayers and sacred hymns of praise, thanksgiving and jubilation, our Emmanuel, our God with us.

Chapter 2
The Mystery of Love

We are the children of the Heavenly Father. No father has ever loved his children as much as our Father in Heaven loves us. To prove His love, He gave us a gift so great and so sublime that He could not have given a greater: He gave us His only-begotten Son. And the only-begotten Son of the Father loved us so much that He not only sacrificed Himself for us on the Cross, but gave Himself to us wholly and for all times in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

God is love, and the entire strength of Divine love reveals itself in this mystery of love. Even the Angels of Heaven could never have thought that a God could so love men as to give Himself to them as their food, to enter into their hearts in order to enkindle in them a return of love. Who can doubt the love of God when he contemplates the Sacred Host? Is it not a perfect expression of the greatness of the love of God for the children of men? There, from the Tabernacle, He addresses to us those words of infinite love and invincible patience: "Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you." (Matt. 11:28).

In no other Sacrament does our Divine Lord show the excess of His love in so touching and wonderful a manner as in the Most Holy Eucharist. From the other Sacraments, too, flow countless and invaluable graces, all of which betoken God's immeasurable love for men; but the adorable Sacrament of the Altar contains the source of all graces, the treasury of Divine riches, yes, Eternal Love Itself. "God is love," says St. John, and this God of love, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, is really and substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament.

The Saints cherished the adorable Sacrament of the Altar as the Sacrament of Love. St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, called It the "Sacrament of Love, the pledge of love." St. Bernard, all aglow with fervor, cried out, "It was love that urged Him to dwell in the Blessed Sacrament; love invented It, love gave It, love replenishes It with the riches of His love. Verily, there we may read the Love of all love!" St. Philip Neri, when dying, seeing the priest bringing the Holy Viaticum, exclaimed: "O my Love! Give me my Love!"

Animated with a like faith, and inflamed with the love of these Saints, let us approach the Sacred Host and look deeply into the Fount of Love. Let us meditate upon Its greatness and Its depth, that our cold hearts may be warmed by the wonderful force of Its attraction.

1. Jesus offers Himself as a Victim of sacrifice for us in the Holy Eucharist. Daily He renews on our altars in an unbloody manner His bloody sacrifice of Calvary. As on the Cross He offered to the Eternal Father His Body, His Blood, His Heart, so in every Holy Mass He offers Himself anew, entirely and unreservedly.

Holy Mass is the most worthy sacrifice of praise that can be offered to God. The praise and adoration which is given to God by all men, angels and saints cannot be compared with the glory that is given Him by one Holy Mass. For there His only-begotten Son, who is one with Him in essence, equal to Him in all things, "the unspotted mirror of God's majesty" (Wis. 7:26), offers Himself to Him.

The Sacrifice of the Mass is likewise the most sublime sacrifice of thanksgiving, infinitely more pleasing to God than all the sacrifices of thanksgiving which the Old Law in the course of centuries had offered to Him; it is the most effectual sacrifice of supplication, because in the Sacrifice of the Mass the Son of God Himself is our Mediator with the Heavenly Father; and finally, it is the most efficacious sacrifice of atonement that can be offered for the living and the dead, for in Holy Mass the Precious Blood of Christ is shed anew in a mystical manner. Numberless sinners have obtained the grace of true conversion and perseverance through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Daily a rich stream of graces flows from the altar into Purgatory to alleviate the sufferings of the Poor Souls and to make satisfaction for their sins.

2. Jesus offers Himself to us as our Food in Holy Communion. He desires to be for us the manna that nourishes and strengthens us on our pilgrimage to the land of promise, to our heavenly home. In Holy Communion He gives us light to dispel the darkness of our spirit; He gives us consolation to support us in sufferings; peace and rest to pacify our heart; courage to make us strong in our trials and temptations. What incomprehensible love on the part of Jesus! What inestimable happiness for us poor, weak creatures of earth.

And oh, how wonderful! In a thousand Hosts He is as in one; His Presence is in each place where there is a consecrated Host, and each communicant receives Him whole and entire, though a hundred thousand should receive Him. Hundreds of thousands receive Him and He rests in hundreds of thousands of places at the same time. Such a miracle only an omnipotent God can accomplish.

3. Jesus dwells continually in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament. Day and night He abides among us under the lowly species of bread, in the narrow Tabernacles of our churches. Here He is not only our infinitely great God, but also our merciful Saviour and our most faithful friend. The same miracles He wrought for the corporally sick during His earthly life, He performs in our days from the Tabernacle for those spiritually ill. He gives sight to the "blind" by granting them light to see the evil of sin, the value of things eternal, the value of Crosses and sufferings, the value of resignation to the will of God. He gives power of movement to the "lame" by prompting their sluggish will to resolve and act for His love alone. He raises the "dead" to life by calling souls from the death of sin to the life of grace.

For every spiritual ailment His love holds a remedy in readiness. Are you abandoned and sorrowful? On the altar you will find the heavenly Comforter. Are you poor in virtue? In the Tabernacle He who is infinitely rich is waiting to share His treasures with you. Are you troubled on account of your sins, and do you sigh for pardon? Go to the altar! Jesus, the all-merciful God, will receive you with open arms. He will help you to do everything necessary for true repentance. With His own Heart's Blood He will purify your soul and impart to you a strength which will sustain you until you have reached the "Mountain of God," the celestial paradise.

In your temporal needs and your physical ailments, Jesus in the Tabernacle will also be your Friend, your Father and your Physician. Countless is the number of those who, burdened with anxiety and care, have found help and relief before the Tabernacle. Many, too, are the bodily cures wrought through the Blessed Sacrament. At the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, where countless miracles are wrought each year, it is usually at the time the sick are blessed with the Most Blessed Sacrament that the miraculous cures are effected.

Taken from The Blessed Sacrament - God With Us by TAN Books & Publishers, Inc.

Other pages discussing Catholic doctrine and history:

• Our Lord Jesus Christ
• The Sacred Heart of Jesus - Learn all about this beautiful devotion to Our Lord.
• The Shroud of Our Lord - Discusses the convroversy over the Shroud of Turin - is it real or a forgery? Evidence points to its authenticity.
• Infinite Mercy of Jesus - Learn how the Heart of Jesus has a strong desire to love and pardon sinners who sincerely return to Him.
• The Blessed Virgin Mary
• The Blessed Virgin Mary - Immaculate, pure, and our most powerful intercessor after Our Lord
• The Holy Slavery - To Jesus, through Mary -- the same way Jesus came to us (through His Mother)
• Edifying and Beautiful - Learn about God's Providence in regard to the Blessed Virgin Mary, her graces and merits, the details of her life!
• Our Lady of Fatima - Her predictions and warning for the future.
• Saints who Saw Mary - Tells the story of 17 great Saints who saw and heard the Blessed Mother, whom they were so devoted to!
• History and Culture
• Wearing Pants Incites Men to Lust - Learn how women's fashions have corrupted, how evil forces are behind most modern fashions, and much more! Includes practical advice.
• How to Run a Catholic Family - Discusses how to bring the Catholic Faith into family life! How the family can best celebrate feast days, and make use of good Catholic customs.
• A TRUE History Book - This premise of this history book: The coming of Jesus Christ was the most important event in history.
• Catholic History Workbook - Fascinating; hard to put down! It makes more sense of History than secular books which explain things in a disjointed manner.
• Homeschooling Workbook - With questions for every chapter of Christ in the Americas - multiple choice, fill in the blank, true/false, and more!
• Crisis in the Church
• Read about St. Athanasius - faithful and courageous, known as the "champion of orthodoxy". One of the 33 Doctors of the Church!
• St. Athanasius - The great defender of the Catholic Faith against Arianism
• Crisis in the Church - How the enemies of God plot to overthrow the Church from within.
• Revolution in the Church - How Vatican II and its aftermath caused a crisis in the Catholic Church.
• Freemasonry - Pope Leo XIII unmasks this evil society, and forbids all Catholics to join.
• Combination of ALL Heresies - Pope St. Pius X unmasks the Modernists, giving us their doctrine and methods!
• Vatican II - Impartially discusses what happened at Vatican II -- mostly quotes from the men that were there!
• Fascinating if true - A man's deathbed confession.
• St. Therese, the Little Flower
• St. Therese the Little Flower - Under obedience, she tells the story of her childhood, religious life, etc.
• Mother of St. Therese - Learn about the woman who raised 5 saintly daughters, all of which entered the religious life!
• Father of St. Therese - Learn about the man who let the holy family of Lisieux so well, that his 5 daughters entered a convent!
• From the Sister of St. Therese - In her biography, she writes many things not found in Story of a Soul.
• Lives of the Saints
• Learned Mystic and Theologian - St. John of the Cross suffered greatly, even prison, for the Carmelite Reform. Father of the Discalced Carmelites.
• Beautiful story of a young girl - Anne de Guigne was clever and passionate, yet practiced humility and all the other virtues -- and she died at the age of 10.
• Refuge for Billions of Catholics - Catholics have always prayed to these saints in their necessities. St. Blaise, St. Christopher, etc. Includes countless novenas!
• St. Anne - Grandmother of Our Lord - According to Ven. Mary of Agreda, she possessed all the virtues, especially purity. Learn more about her!
• Young Italian Maiden - Who suffered the Stigmata every Friday, and was pious from her youth. St. Gemma Galgani, called the "Gem of Christ"
• Heroic Chastity - Read how St. Maria Goretti had to give up her life to preserve her purity! She is called the patroness of youth.
• All Glory to Almighty God - Well documented cases of the miraculous taken from the lives of the Saints. Fascinating!
• Defeated Persian Sorcerers - The glorious life of St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostle and cousin of Our Lord, as taken from ancient Catholic traditions.
• Angels and Devils - Learn all that Scripture and Tradition teaches us about the pure spirits God created. Fascinating and enlightening!
• Life of Mary Magdalen - Learn fascinating details of her life that you didn't know before! From the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich.
• The Angel of the Judgment - At a critical point in Church history, his preaching and miracles served as a warning of impending chastisement.
• Miracles All His Life - The miraculous was very common in the life of St Gerard Majella, great saint and Patron of Expectant Mothers.
• Eyewitness to Gospel events - Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich saw so many biblical events in her visions. Be inspired and edified by her virtuous life!
• United with Jesus Christ - She suffered for souls and for the Church, and received countless visions all her life. One man wrote down her visions for YOUR sake!
• Never a Moment Wasted - this zealous missionary and client of Our Lady is a model for all Catholics. Read about his saintly life.
• She saw her Guardian Angel - this innocent girl tells us the story of her saintly life -- beautiful, inspiring!
• Servants of Satan Establish Paganism - Astrology, witchcraft, and countless systems of idolatry set up after the Confusion of Tongues.
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• Those Who Met St. Padre Pio - Stories of conversions, miracles, etc. from those who met this living Crucifix. Recently canonized.
• Beat Up by the Devil - This great Saint had prophetic visions in the form of dreams, and often physically struggled with the devil.
• Life of St Gertrude - Our Lord appeared to her many times, and she was much loved by Him because of her purity.
• Jesus Dearly Loved Her - Because of her love and confidence in him, her heart was His favorite place to dwell, after the Blessed Sacrament.
• The Dolorous Passion - Giving never before seen details of Our Lord's Passion! From the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich.
• Braving the English Torture - St. Margaret Clitherow was a wife and mother - and she kept the Faith even to martyrdom!
• Details of The Good Thief - Learn about his life with a gang of brigands, how he helped the Holy Family, and much more.
• Classic Catholic Sermons - You won't fall asleep here! Sermons by a Doctor of the Church, filled with energy and the spirit of Faith.
• Miracles Taking Place Today - St. Philomena is famous for the number of miracles surrounding her shrine - here are some of them.
• Isabella of Spain - A holy Catholic queen, and a valiant defender of Christ's kingdom.
• St Anthony - the Wonder Worker - His life was filled with proofs that God was with him.
• St Vincent de Paul - famous for his charities, this great Saint was canonized only 77 years after his death!
• The Cure of Ars - Three of him could destroy the devil's kingdom! Read about his physical struggles with Satan.
• St. Rita - Nothing is impossible with God! Her life is an example for us all, especially to mothers.
• Sermons of St. Francis de Sales - Here he speaks all about the kinds of prayer. Learn what (and what not) to do!
• St. Teresa of Avila - She founded many convents, which were to adhere to the strict observance of the Carmelite Rule.
• St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Known for her generosity to the poor
• Alexandrina - A victim soul who suffered the Passion on Fridays
• The Spiritual Life
• Jesus, Prisoner of Love - Meditations on the most beautiful doctrine of the Catholic Faith - the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist
• Spiritual Exercises - Written by a great saint, these meditations have converted millions of souls.
• Manual of the Spiritual Life - Your duties as a penitent toward your confessor/spiritual director.
• Lessons from Calvary - 31 meditations on Our Lord's Passion that will help you to easily avoid sin.
• Finding Peace of Heart - Only by knowing how to follow God's will, can a person be truly happy.
• Strategy for Getting to Heaven - We must learn how the devil works on us, how to avoid his snares, to win the "War for our Souls".
• How to Fight the Deadly Sins - Timeless advice on how to combat each of the Capital sins.
• A Manual for Confession - How to benefit from the Sacrament of Penance: common pitfalls, scruples, how to make a good exam of conscience, and much more.
• Seven Deadly Sins - Learn about the different forms of pride, avarice, lust, anger, envy, gluttony and sloth.
• How to Pray Well - How we should pray to God - with confidence, perseverance, simplicity. Advice from St. Alphonsus Liguori!
• Marriage & Family
• How to Raise Good Catholic Children - With examples from the saints and wise and thoughtful commentary - a must-read for every parent!
  
• Haunted by Children She Aborted - Testimony from her own mouth: how she had 7 abortions, and how her life changed afterward.
  
• Catholic Doctrine on Marriage - Common sources of marital strife and how to avoid them, the differences between the sexes, periodic abstinence, and more.
• Your Labor of Love - The author talks about isolation, sufferings, the modern culture, and more.
• Spiritual Growth during Pregnancy - How expecting a child can bring a woman closer to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Includes much practical advice.
• St. Joseph
• St. Joseph - After Our Lady, the holiest mere man who ever lived
• Privileges of St. Joseph - Why St. Joseph receives so much honor in the Church
• Novenas to St. Joseph - Universal Patron - Pray to St. Joseph for all of your needs - Jesus, now in Heaven, still listens to him as a father!
• The Last Things/Afterlife
• Death, Judgment, Hell, Heaven - The Saints always thought about their last end, and so should we. Brings the reality of eternity before your eyes!
• Life Everlasting - Discusses death, judgment, heaven and hell; also the vices and virtues
• Beyond the Grave - What we know about Purgatory from sacred history and the lives of the saints.
• Peaceful Rest or Almost Like Hell? - Discusses the two opposing Catholic viewpoints on the subject of Purgatory.
• Purgatory - Learn what the Catholic Church has always taught on this subject.
• What Will Hell be Like? - Discusses the sufferings of Hell in detail.
• Eternity of Hell - Including a story from a soul who was sent there!
• Catholic Doctrine and Dogma
• What is Sanctifying Grace? - Learn all about the nature of Grace, what it does for us, how to increase it in our souls, and its importance.
• Catholic Dogma of Grace - God's grace vs. man's ability to merit for his actions.
• Sin and Forgiveness - True Catholic doctrine with quotes from Scripture and the Fathers.
• The Intellect of the Angels - What Catholic theology says about the angels.
  
• Simple Easy-to-Understand Catechism - For Catholics to better learn their faith, or to give to possible converts.
• Sodomy Condemned - The Catholic Church has always condemned this unnatural vice - see proofs from the Magisterium, Church laws, Scripture, canons, and more!
• The Mass Keeps the World in Existence - and other lofty considerations; helps Catholics appreciate the real value of the Mass.
• The Catholic Mass - Why it is so priceless; relates actual events which prove it!
• The Catholic Faith - Easy to read and follow, using the most solid Catholic doctrine. Very thorough.
• What Does The Bible Say About Marriage? - Find all Bible quotes about "Anger", for example, gathered into one page.
• Defending the Faith/Apologetics
• The REAL Luther - From the pens of Protestant historians, and Luther's own (foul) mouth - learn about the real man.
• The Faith of our Fathers - A topic-by-topic explanation of what the Catholic Faith teaches. Great for apologetics!
• The Bible Explained - Why were all those various stories placed in the Bible for us to read? Here is why!
• How Christ Changed Society - Compare the ancient world with the world influenced by Christ.
• Scripture Alone for Salvation? - Even the Bible itself denies this! Read 21 compelling reasons why Tradition is also necessary.
• The Bible is a Catholic book - Convincing arguments show clearly that criticism of the Catholic Church has no truthful basis! Excellent apologetics based on history.
• Defend Catholic Dogmas - Find rational arguments for what Catholics believe.
• Theory of Evolution
• Evolution Hoax Debunked - A learned scientist discovers that there is no evidence FOR Evolution, but plenty AGAINST it!
• Proofs against Evolution - Plenty of evidence against Evolution is out there, but it is often ignored by the media. Fascinating!
• Evolution is a Fraud - So say countless biologists and scientists! Read more...
• Novels
• King of Jerusalem - Balwin IV of Jerusalem leads the Crusaders in this exciting novel.
• Exciting Adventures - Tom Playfair and his friends at a Jesuit boarding school. Exciting, Catholic, fun!
• More Catholic Adventures - written by Fr. Finn - Percy Wynn meets Tom Playfair and friends, and enters the boarding school (St. Maure's).
• Perpetual Motion Boy - The Fr. Finn boarding school universe expands with Claude Lightfoot and other interesting characters.
• That Football Game - written by Fr. Finn - Which is more important? English class, a math competition, or an upcoming football game?

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