How many at the foot of the Cross in Calvary! How many before the Holy Presence of the Blessed Sacrament on our altars!
St. Peter Chrysologus says that our Redeemer took many various forms to attract the love of man: "For our sake He showed Himself under different forms, Who remains in the one form of His majesty." That God, Who is unchangeable, would appear now as a Child in a stable, now as a boy in a workshop, now as a criminal on a scaffold, and now as bread upon the altar. In these varying guises Jesus chose to exhibit Himself to us; but whatever character He assumed, it was always the character of a lover. Ah, my Lord, tell me, is there anything else left for Thee to devise in order to make Thyself loved? Make known His inventions, cried out Isaias. [12:4] Go, O redeemed souls, said the prophet, go and publish everywhere the loving devices of this loving God, which He has thought out and executed to make Himself loved by man; for after lavishing so many of His gifts upon them, He was pleased to bestow Himself, and to bestow Himself in so many ways: "If thou desirest a cure for thy wound" (says St. Ambrose), "He is a Physician;" if thou art infirm and wouldst be healed, behold Jesus, Who heals thee by His Blood: "If thou be parched up with fever, He is a fountain;" if the impure flames of worldly affections trouble thee, behold the fountain to fresh thee with His consolations. "Dost thou fear death, He is life; dost thou long for Heaven, He is the way; in fine, if thou dost not wish to die, He is the life; if thou wishest Heaven, He is the way."
