The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-06-10
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deemed, that promise given so solemn
ly was to be kept on the last night of
His life before He passed to the Faith
er. The scene is a memorable one,
His loved Apostles were gathered
around Him in the supper chamber,
and having loved His own who were
in the world, He loved them till the
end. He had washed their feet and
they were seated for the last time at
table with Him, and He said to them;
With desire have l desired to eat this
pasch with you before | suffer" And
taking bread, He gave thanks, and
brake; and gave to them, saying: This
is My Body. This is My Body, the
Body of the Child who thirty-three
years ago shivered in My mothers
arms under the cold wind that blew
over the Bethlehem hills, through the
chinks of the stable, My Body that
was carried in My frightened mothers
arms over the sands of Egypt, away
from the bloodthirsty sword of Herod.
This is My Blood, the Body of the Boy
who toiled in the carpenter shop of
Joseph, My Body that walked on the
lake and on the dry sands of Gene
sareth's shore. This is My Body that
tonight will lie postrate under the olive
trees in Gethsemane's garden, that to-
morrow will be cut and SlaShed when
the whips are laid upon My shoulders,
My Body that at the ninth hour on the
morrow before set of sun shall hang
dead upon the cross"
And taking the chalice, He gave
thanks and gave to them saying:
Drink we all of this, for this is My
Blood of the New Testament which
shall be shed for many unto the re-
mission of SINS" and in the chalice
was His precious Blood the Blood that
Redeemed His lips, and mounted to His
cheeks when Mary, His Mother, kissed
them; the Blood that tonight would
burst from the pores of His sacred
Body, and saturating His garments
would dye red the olive leaves upon
which He knelt in agony. In the chal-
ice was His Blood which on the NOR.
row would be mingled with the dust in
Jerusalem's streets, His Blood for
which the Jews would cry out in anger:
His Blood be upon us and upon our
children" In the chalice was His
Blood that Plate would vainly strive
to wash off from his guilty hands with
water, when there was not water
enough in all earth's great oceans tc
wash those hands white. To be guilt
| less they would have to be washed by
the Blood they were shedding. In the
chalice was His Blood that would flow
out on the morrow from the Five
| Wounds on the cross as He bled His
life away.
Then He said unto them: do this
in commemoratiOn of Me-" This is the
last request that came to the Apostles
and through them to us ere He died
on the morrow on Mt. Calvary. II
there is one petition the human heart
will not refuse, If there is one plea
that it will ever grant, if there is one
request that it will never deny, it is
the request, the plea, the petition of
dying friend. AS we. stand by the
death-bed of our mother, for example,
we will not refuse her dying request.
AS we look into those eyes filming
with the shadow of the grave, as we
see those gaunt, emaciated hands that
blessed us when we were children
growing cold in death, as those parch-
ed lips express desire to us when the
loved one is on the verge of the tomb,
it is not within the power of the hui
man heart to refuse. Now, Christ
loves us with more than the combined
love of ten thousand mothers, not
merely with a human love, but with a
love that is human and divine, and as
He stands on the verge of the grave,
as the anticipated shadows of Calvary
are falling across His soul, as He hears
the echoes of the awful cry of the NOR
row: 'sHis Blood be upon us and upon
our children" through His eyes
streaming with tears He looks down
6296-Bulletin pbt 5
through the yet unborn centuries and
He says to each loving soul, to all man.
kind, do this in commemoration of
Me-" ~Kneel down at the altar and in
commemoration of My death receive
My Body and receive My Blood" Men
hear that cry from the sorrowing
Heart of Christ that will be cleft by
the spear of morrow, and they turn
away and refuse. They will not eat
the Bread of Life and so they starve
in, spirit and die.