Writings of St. Peter Julian Eymard

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	Year Written
Holy Communion (Continued).pdf The Eucharist, my Sisters, is not given only to strengthen us against temptations and passions, it is the remedy, and only true remedy, to all evils. It is the salutary balm which heals the wounds of our soul made by mortal sin which, even though pardoned, leaves a deep scar on the soul that takes long to heal. The sacrament of penance, it is true, pardons us, purifies us, remits the pain of sin; but this wound remains always in our soul, and we must apply a balm which heals it completely. Th Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
Holy Communion.pdf From where can we draw that strength, take the medicine for our infirmities? In Holy Communion, my Sisters, that is the remedy, I dare say, the only one, the sole remedy to all our pain. Humans are the weakest of creatures. When God created the world, he hurled the sun, a luminous star, into space and said: Go, give light, warmth and make the earth fruitful. The sun, renewing itself every day, always gives us the same light, the same warmth, without ever weakening, because God has put int Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
How Poorly Jesus Christ Is Loved.pdf God wants to be the goal of human beings and loved absolutely by them. […] To draw them to his love he gives them goods in this world and paradise hereafter. God cannot have another goal. […] The Holy Spirit said: You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. (cf. Lk 10:27) This is what it means to be human. St. Augustine draws this conclusion: One who does not love God is not human. Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
How to Acquire Virtues.pdf First of all, how can one acquire virtues? My Sisters, virtue can be divided into three things, or three states: first, its act, then its habit, and the spirit of a virtue. We must aim at acquiring the spirit of a virtue – this requires some work, and a certain knowledge. Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
Humility_ The Characteristic Virtue of an Adorer.pdf My Sisters, as adorers, what must be your special virtue? It is the humility of love of our Lord. It is only by that virtue that you will please the Good Master. It is only in this way that you will be true adorers; and that alone will make you happy. Of course! It is only the virtue of humility that will make you true disciples of our Lord, and that will make you enter into the love of our Lord. Our Lord reveals himself only to those who are humble and simple. In order for our Lord to be Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
Interior Recollection.pdf Anyone who does not live an interior life, who does not yet have a feeling for this interior life is not yet perfect. Such a one may be on the way, but has not yet reached perfection. That’s the main point. That’s how we can judge the perfection of a person in her interior life. If one is interior and recollected before God, that’s the essence. Other things are signs of strength, but the interior life is the criterion. A soul that does not pray is elusive. Such a one is impossible t Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1859
Internal Silence.pdf We have spoken about external silence as the soul of religious life. Now, we will speak about internal silence as the soul of recollection, of union with God. Silence that is exterior would be useless without interior silence. Through our imagination we can recall objects as though they were present: the world, pleasures, sorrows – all can come back to us through our imagination. We must control it, so that we can be its master. Memory is similar: it recalls the past and brings it befor Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
It Is Necessary for Us to Love Our Lord.pdf Let us place ourselves in the presence of our Lord by an act of faith, etc. […]. My Daughters, we are in the middle of the retreat. In the first part, we spent much time on what God has done for us. He showed us his graces – we had time to see what he has given us: he created us out of love; he placed us in the best situation for our salvation. God could not have done more to show us his love. Now what shall we do for him? That is the question. We must love him – that’s why Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
Jesus Hostia (Jesus in the Sacred Host).pdf In his sacramental state, Jesus chose the role of victim, as that which corresponds best to his love for his Father and for us. Jesus Hostia: the model of a sister who adores. 1. Jesus, immolated Victim, is always in the state of victim before the throne of God, his Father. St. John says, I saw a Lamb standing on the throne, in a perpetual state of immolation (cf. Rev 5:6). In this state of victim, Jesus offers without end his sufferings on Calvary to his Father. He shows him his open woun Click below to view the whole content continue reading	No D
Jesus. Our Strenght and Our Happiness.pdf So that you can live this life of sacrifice about which we have spoken, strength is needed. We cannot find it in ourselves who are but weakness and misery, but we will find it in the Eucharist. So that the Eucharist can be our strength, it must become the dominant attraction of our lives, the intention of all our actions; in a word, we do nothing but by it and for it. If a soul is courageous, for an attraction to become its dominant virtue, only one or two weeks are needed. Yes, my Sisters, Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
Joy and Graciousness.pdf I would like to see you very happy, the happiest in the world. In religious life, your graces are so great that you certainly must be happy. The rich are happy when they receive news of some new inheritance; you should have the same happiness. What do you lack, what can you not find in the Eucharist? Other religious don’t have what you have. I would say to any sister who is not happy, You are mistaken; go elsewhere; the king does not need alms; he feeds his own. I would like to see you h Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
Joy and Love(Continuation).pdf In your vocation you should live in joy, not always in a joy of feelings, but in a joy of good will. That joy is love; one who loves lives in joy. The joy of feelings is temporary, sometimes God gives it as a preparation for sacrifice, but there is a joy that should always be in our heart, the joy of a child for its mother. Nothing is hard for this child who wants to please its mother. I’m not saying that you should never feel sorrow and sadness in your heart; that doesn’t depend on you Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
Joy and Love.pdf Live in joy because joy is the fruit of love and love is the grace of your vocation. In the beginning of the spiritual life, some people go to God out of fear of hell. That fear is not bad in itself, but it’s not sufficient. Sorrow for sin must include the beginning of love in order to be forgiven. Do not remain in fear; for that would be a loss of time, but rather apply yourself to know Jesus Christ, and you will love him. The knowledge of his kindness produces love, as knowledge of beau Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
Joy in the Service of God.pdf The Holy Spirit says, sadness kills the soul (Prv 17:22). This does not mean that the soul actually dies, but that sadness kills the strength and courage of the soul, placing it in the state of death. It is commonly said that someone who is discouraged feels defeated. Sadness in the service of God is a most dangerous temptation, because under the weight of sadness one tends to look for consolations. If these are not found in the service of God – perceived as looking for chains and a state Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
Joy the Gift of the Spirit.pdf My dear Daughters, here is the virtue that should distinguish you in the service of God, in the words you pray every morning in the second Psalm of Lauds: Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands. And what more? Servite Domino in lætitia – [Serve the Lord with gladness] (Ps 99:2). Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands, sing joyfully because the Lord is your God. The character of your life is joy; sing joyfully in his presence. Why? As the prophet David says, because the Lord is your Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1864
Joy.pdf My Sisters, last time we talked about the first action of the day, the need to sanctify it and one’s rising. The interval from this point to the second action, which is the Divine Office, is dangerous, especially if the mind is not under control and is left open to all impressions. These first impressions can be bad because they make the soul feverish. After resting all night, the mind is very active, and can upset the whole day. Then it is difficult to return to normal. Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
Let Us Live of the Love and Mercy of Our Lord.pdf The prophet composed a song, the most beautiful of all the songs inspired by his heart, the song of God’s mercy. More than fifty times in the psalm Benedictus he says: Sing the mercy of God. (cf. Ps 135)2. The prophet repeats God’s titles, his grace, ending every verse with the words: his love is everlasting. My Sisters, the prophet David was right to bless that mercy, that ocean of mercy, and to praise him, because he had sinned against the Good Lord. Yet, in spite of his penance, he w Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
Liturgy. Union with God through Graces of Feeling and Light and through Mystery.pdf Remember that the value of your personal prayers lies in your fervor; personal prayers have a personal value. When you use the prayers of the Church, they have the value of the Church’s prayer. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit; they are the prayers of the entire Church. These are liturgical prayers. You can see why we are so strict in the choice of our prayers. It is not a question of personal prayer; but in choosing public prayers or those of the community, we accept only liturgical Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
Love of the Cross.pdf In our last meeting, I spoke to you about Christian mortification; we will continue this topic and complete it. From the pulpit you hear, and from books you read that you must love the cross. It is already admirable to suffer with patience, but the truth is that we must love the cross. Whoever does not yet love the cross is not a true disciple, a follower of Jesus crucified. You ask: How can you love something that makes you suffer? Corporal penance makes us suffer, mortification of the hea Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1861
Mary Mother of Adorer.pdf Notice the character of Mary’s adoration. She adored her divine Son as he was, and his state became the character of her adoration. Therefore, she never had the same adoration. She adores him in her womb, then in the poverty of Bethlehem, working in the poverty of Nazareth, preaching, converting sinners, and on Calvary. She followed all the sentiments of her divine Son, because she knew them, and her heart kept her always in touch with him. My Daughters, you are often told to have only on Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1864
Mary. My Mother.pdf My vocation is beautiful, the most beautiful of all vocations since it attaches and binds me forever to the service of the adorable person of Jesus Christ in his divine Sacrament. It is a privileged vocation because it gives me the right to go directly to his divine person without mediator or intercessor. It is great and sublime, because I share the function of angels at the service of Jesus and the most Blessed Virgin, if I dare say so. However, such a divine vocation requires special quali Click below to view the whole content continue reading	No D
Mary.pdf As you need a tutor, let it be the Blessed Virgin. Take this good mother as your model for service. Who served Jesus Christ better than the Blessed Virgin? She was a servant and a perfect adorer. Mary adored perfectly, even surpassing the angels with a purity so great that our Lord found his delight in her. At Bethlehem and during her entire life, Mary was with him, following him. Mary was the first adorer of the Blessed Sacrament, watching over him constantly. Now she is your teacher. J Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1859
Means to Recollect the Imagination.pdf How can we recollect ourselves? When we are very distracted and preoccupied, when our senses are scattered, what must we do to recollect ourselves? We will examine this problem, which is an everyday occurrence. Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1861
Method for Examination and Communion.pdf You must have method in your service of God. Method is very helpful and often necessary. It is to the Christian soul what military regulations are for an army. Strategic regulations certainly double the strength of soldiers; the weak ones are sustained by the strong; the ignorant guided by the wise. If an army in combat allowed each soldier to fight in his own way, it would become a combat of individuals that would come to nothing. However, when a ruling command gives an order, there is con Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
Method of Adoration.pdf […] I promised you, my Sisters, to speak about the way to make adoration. You know that the method of prayer, of adoration, accepted by our Society is the method of the Church, that of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, namely, the four ends of the sacrifice. And since the sacrifice requires these four parts, we divide adoration in the same way. At the same time, we use this method for prayer, as preparation for examen, and also for thanksgiving – it is adaptable to all, because it is na Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
Mistrust of Self_ Confidence and Rest in the God Alone.pdf Your heart should always be pleased with God, my Sisters, since he has been so good to you by granting you precious graces during this retreat. He has shown you not only the truth about holiness, but also the truth of his love for you. It’s a great thing to know God and his grace, and to know the love of the angels. To know his love for you is wonderful. You know that God loves you and you have said: I will love him greatly; his love will be my life: he will be my law; he will be my norm Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
My Daughters. What Name Shall I Give You.pdf Shall we call you Ladies of the Blessed Sacrament? No. We don’t want anything that speaks of worldly nobility. Religious of the Blessed Sacrament? Again, no. There are, however, some who are called Sacramentine Religious in Rome, and others Reparatory. There are many houses where our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is adored; like the Benedictines, etc. But none of them have the adorable Eucharist as unique goal. The name that I have saved for you is great; it expresses your purpose â Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
New Years Wishes. To Rejoice in Our Lord.pdf [...]You no longer have anything to fear from the world. The world belongs to the devil (cf. Jn 12:31). If our Lord is in command of the head, he will also be in command of the members. Our Lord is here to prevent evil. If our Lord should want a storm around you, what do you care, since he is with you. Even if you cannot defend yourselves, you will not need to, and you will need no other protectors; that would be an insult to the master. What must you do? Remain close to the master. Itâ Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
Obedience To the Law.pdf Our Lord said: I accomplished the will of my Father (cf. Jn 17:4), and not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will be left unaccomplished by me (cf. Mt 5:18). And our Lord fulfilled all these words, and that consisted obedience: the service of his Father through the law. He obeyed all those who would take the place of his Father, authority is the guardian of the law. How did he do this? You already know, he served his Father by a complete and punctual obedience. With th Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
Obedience.That.Is.Internal.External.Extraordinary.and.Joyful.pdf Jesus Christ humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. (cf. Phil 2:8). When St. Paul spoke about our Lord, he did not speak about his penances, his miracles, and all his virtues. Instead, he simply said he became obedient; with that he has said everything. In fact, our Lord never spoke one word or did any act of his own volition. He depended entirely on his heavenly Father. Listen also to what our Lord said: The Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he s Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1859
On Interior Formation.pdf Interior formation for adoration consists in learning to think, to speak, and converse with our Lord. All formation consists in this, to teach children to think rightly, and to speak properly. They must choose their words with a certain tact, and then they must learn to converse and be able to follow a conversation. Children finish conversations quickly, because after a few words they say: I don’t know any more. Ah! How delightful! Poor children, they don’t know any more; they’ve sai Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
On Mortification.pdf We have spoken about two important religious virtues: holy poverty and obedience – virtues that are difficult for human nature. Yet, without the following virtue, a religious could never reach the perfection of her vocation; that virtue, my Sisters, is mortification. To be detached from the things of this world, and to have renounced your will in order to submit to religious obedience will not be worth much if we are not mortified. Mortification is the virtue that makes saints, and you c Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
On Patience.pdf Our Lord had two states: one state of glory – a divine state by means of his divine nature; and a humble and humiliated state by means of his human nature. In so far as he remained here on earth in a mortal state, he maintained his humiliated state, although he had all the virtues[…]. The same thing happens to us, although in a finite order, with an aspect that is great, beautiful, supernatural and divine, but which is not visible, and should not be so. Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
On Propitiation.pdf Reparation has two parts: to make reparation for the injury done to our Lord. We already dealt with this. There remains the second part: namely, to ask for the grace that sinners need. This is what we properly call propitiation. To make reparation for the injury of sins committed against our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, is one of your greatest missions on earth at the feet of the Blessed Sacrament, because it is the mission of pure love. When we love someone, we are more affe Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
On Reparation. Other Motives. Reparation of Justice.pdf Our Lord Jesus Christ came to satisfy the glory of his Father, and to redeem us. There’s no doubt that his reparation was complete, but one thought remains. Our Lord was our mediator with the Father, but who will be mediator now with him? It is clear that up to his passion and death, in the Garden of Olives and on the cross, he was asking mercy for us from his Father. Our Lord was not seeking for himself. That idea is very simple and natural. After his death, now that he is in the Bles Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
On Reparation.pdf We spoke of adoration and thanksgiving; that leaves reparation. Let’s talk about it today. […] When we adore we make an act of homage: we adore our Lord on his throne, our Lord to whom all honor is due. When we express gratitude, we should be always doing that, since the angels and the saints2 do nothing else. But reparation is much more: we give. What do we give? We give ourselves to the Lord: we offer ourselves as victim, as holocaust with him on the same altar. This grace of rep Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
On Thanksgiving.pdf What is thanksgiving? It is the contemplation of the goodness of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, his goodness in itself first of all, then in its expansion towards humanity. It centers on how he gives, what sacrifices he makes in order to come to us with such tenderness, the road he traveled to come to us from heaven in order to visit us. Gratitude responds to the influence of love and goodness. It experiences joy, like a poor beggar who is showered with gifts and who is at a loss for wor Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
Openness of Heart.pdf This conference will dwell on openness of heart. The principle of perfection for each of us depends on our fidelity to grace. This is all-important. God calls each one to a particular perfection, to follow counsels of perfection. On the other hand, all perfection is based on obedience. […] Obedience is faith in practice, humility in action. Because our Lord based perfection upon abnegation and abnegation is the sacrifice of the whole person, the practice of obedience must be made to a pe Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.pdf My Sisters, take note that no one2 has yet honored Mary with the title of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. She is honored with the name of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, of Nazareth, of the Presentation, etc. But, in spite of the fact that the Blessed Virgin spent much of her life3 in the Cenacle, no one has yet thought of honoring her as adorer. Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
Our Lord God Savior and King. To Adore Praise Bless and Love.pdf Now, to vary the work of adoration, here are three practical thoughts. You adore God as creator; you adore him as all powerful. He created everything, the almighty, perfect, and eternal creator, as the source of your being and of all other beings. You adore this sun of life who communicates life to all creatures. By this homage, you adore our Lord for all his creatures that have no reason and love. You adore our Lord for the millions of beings that cannot adore him, and that don’t prais Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
Our Lord must be happy with us.pdf I wish that the Good Lord may always be happy with you, and that you may always be happy with the Good Lord. These are the two ideas that we will develop. First, I want our Lord to be pleased with you, so happy that he will remain with you willingly. Our Lord can be forced to stay with people even if he’s not happy. Certainly. In the Blessed Sacrament, our Lord belongs to mankind. He can be forced to stay there, although not happy because he is despised, blasphemed, and crucified. M Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1866
Our Lord Wants You Completely for Himself.pdf Our Lord wants you completely for himself. In the Church, there are many vocations, many orders, and many graces. Each one has its work, and its mission. Most Christian vocations are mixed, that is, partly for our Lord and partly for the neighbor. There are very few that are purely contemplative, completely at the service of God. Some few communities, however, are purely contemplative, like the Carthusians, men and women, the Capuchins, the Carmelites. They practice their charity towards t Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1861
Poverty.pdf To become a true Servant of the Blessed Sacrament, a sister must love poverty, honor it by the way she dresses, by what she eats, by her room, by her entire life. It must be like the royal virtue of Jesus Christ, her master. The vow of poverty is necessary in the religious life in order to live this life perfectly. Human nature finds poverty difficult, because the heart can easily become attached. We see this in religious, men or women, who have left everything, all the pleasures of the wo Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1858
Preserving Grace and Making It Bear Fruit. Recollection.pdf It is good and right to receive graces, but that’s not enough; we must care for them. And there’s still more: we must let them bear fruit. You have received many graces, and you will receive them every day. In his goodness, God wants to honor you among the daughters of Israel. Your gratitude should also be very great, because his goodness is infinite. Sometimes you tell me: I don’t know what to say. You know how to say thank you; say thank you like poor people do. You don’t need m Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
Recollection in Our Lord Through a Spirit of Love.pdf The month of Mary is moving on, my good Sisters; we must do something [special]. Be careful to keep silence. In your work, if you must speak, speak softly and only when necessary. Silence is the soul of recollection, the soul of the presence of God. It is hard to keep it when we are bearing some suffering and when we are distracted. Take a good resolution. Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1860
Recollection of Contemplation. Recollection of Union..pdf Let us continue the subject of our last meeting. I spoke only about going out of self; now I will speak about the rest. To go out of yourself is both difficult and easy. Why? Because we know ourselves, we feel ourselves, and we can grasp ourselves. It is difficult because we must divest ourselves of the self, even though we still hold on to something. There is a satisfaction there, even in suffering, in spiritual death. What is difficult is to go towards our Lord. We see nothing, feel no Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
Recollection of Silence.pdf Recollection is absolutely necessary. The devil will try to preoccupy us with external things – even good and excellent ones – in order to draw us away when our soul is taken up with God. Satan does not want to lose us. Like a kidnapper who draws a person out of her house, away from the presence of her mother, to the countryside to make her his slave, the devil tries to take us out of ourselves, away from the presence of our Lord, in order to daze us and remove us from our center. Then o Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1869
Recollection our Life in God.pdf Today, we will meditate on the life of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. It would be useless, my good Sisters, to prepare a beautiful dinner, if you did not eat anything, if you could not digest it well. It would be useless for you to hear spiritual words, if you don’t digest them. What do we mean by digestion? This is recollection. Digestion takes place when internal heat produces the transformation of food. It follows that recollection, the interior grace of our Lord, produces this tr Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1862
Recollection. Definition.pdf You have the mission from God to live from him and for him. For this, you need recollection. This is the principal science that you must learn. It is a grace, and also a virtue. Acquire this science – we will teach you – and, with the help of grace, you will do it on your own. To recollect oneself means to draw from the outside to the inside, to offer oneself to our Lord within us, as in a tabernacle where he receives the homage of heart, mind, will, and senses. This is how to continue Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1859
Recollection. Different ways of Placing Ourselves in the Presence of God.pdf We said that recollection is loving attention to God within us. We must be recollected within ourselves. There are several ways of placing ourselves in the presence of God within us, according to these words of our Lord: Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him (Jn 14:23). Our Lord says that the Father and the Holy Spirit come to us. They do not come in order to leave, but to make their dwelling there. That’s h Click below to view the whole content continue reading	1859

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