g--the same purpose it was which prompted our redemption
and all the gracious dispensations that have followed thereupon--namely,
that God, while achieving His own eternal honor and glory, might
communicate to us a portion of His own ineffable blessedness. We were made
for God, and not for the world, or for creatures, or for ourselves. And
precisely because we are the possession and property of God, He wants us,
soul and body, for Himself; and in this blessed sacrament He calls to us
individually, "Son, give Me thy heart;"(19) "come to Me, all you who are
burdened, and I will refresh you."(20) "come to Me and find rest for your
souls, I will lead you beside the waters of quietness."

But the excesses of our Shepherd's love and care do not stop with the
altar and with the tabernacle. He is not satisfied with being our daily
sacrifice and our abiding friend, not satisfied until He enters into our
very bosom and unites us to Himself. Union with the beloved object and
delight in its presence are characteristic of all true friendship, whether
human or divine. That which we really love we desire to have, to possess,
to be united with; and hence it is that Christ, the lover of our souls,
has not only given His life to purchase us for Himself and Heaven, but has
so extended His loving-kindness as to become Himself our actual food.

It is incomprehensible, in a human way, that the love of a shepherd for
his flock, the love of God for His creatures, should be so extraordinary
as to provide the wondrous benefits which Christ in the Eucharist has
wrought for us. We simply cannot grasp with our feeble minds the
prodigality of such enduring love. But the Saviour knew His purpose with
us, and He knew the needs of our souls. As guests destined for an eternal
banquet, and as heirs to celestial thrones, it is needful for us, amid the
rough ways and perils of life, to be constantly reminded of our royal
destiny and strengthened against our daily foes. This world of ours is an
arena in which each one must contend for his eternal prize; and it is not
possible, considering our natural frailty and the enemies that oppose our
forward march, that we alone, without an added strength, should ever be
able to win the battle of life.

Hence, as the body, to maintain its vigor and perform its work, needs its
material and earthly food, so the soul, to live and be strong, must be
nourished with the bread of Heaven. "The bread that I will give," said ou