First Meditation Of Our Savior's Passion ~ Lucy Herbert

BLOEMAERT, Abraham 

The Last Supper (detail) 

1635

I. Meditation. 

CONSIDER that the Son of God, the evening before he suffered and died, in token of his infinite love, and to perpetuate the memory of his death and passion, left his body and blood, with his whole divinity, to be received by us in the Holy Eucharist. How does the greatness of his love, and his desire of being continually remembered by us, appear in this mystery? When lovers part, they give each other some tokens to refresh the memory; so our Savior instituted this Divine Sacrament, that in his absence it might be a remembrance of his Holy Passion and Sacred Person; therefore when he instituted it he said. Every time you do this, do it in remembrance of me, that is, to remember how much I loved you; how much I valued you; and how much I suffered for you. 

Thus his motive, in establishing this Holy Table, was purely, that by this stupendous food, and daily unbloody sacrifice, he might continually renew the memory of his precious death.

Lucy Herbert