E.-A. ARCH. DE QUÉBEC
Par Monseigneur, H. Terv, D.
Sous-Secrétaire.
Pastoral Letter (No. 16) of His Grace E.-A. Taschereau, Archbishop of Quebec, for the establishing of the perpetual exposition of the Blessed Sucrament.
ELZEAR-ALEXANDRE TASCHEREAU,
By the grace of God and of the Apostolic See, Archbishop of Quebec.
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To the Clergy, Secular and Regular, to the Religious Communities and lo all the Faithful of the Archdiocese of Quebec, Greeling and Benediction in Our Lord.
The devotion to, and confidence in Our Saviour Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, which prevail amongst you, Our Dearly Beloved Brethren, give us reason to believe that you will accept with joy the good and happy tidings which we willingly announce to you to-day.
We read in the sacred scriptures that Our divine Saviour went through the cities and villages of Judea, preaching every where the gospel, and confirming his teachings by miracles without number. Blessed the eyes which have beheld the Redeemer promised and expected since the beginning of the world ! Blessed the ears which have heard the words of truth spoken by the lips of the Divine Word made flesh ! Blessed, a thousand times blessed, the people in whose midst God was seen upon earth, conversing with men (Baruch, 5. 38.).
That happiness, O.-D.-B.-B, you are about to enjoy : Our Lord is in your midst in the Holy Eucharist, and he is about to show Himself to you successively in all the parishes of this diocese, during the beautiful and salutary devotion of the Forry Hours for the perpetual adoration, which we establish by this our present pastoral letter.
Amid the calamities which afflict the earth, “our “ consolation and our hope should be, as Pope Clement & VIII expresses it, in prayer which obtains for us all “ kinds of blessings, penetrates the heavens, appeases
“ God’s wrath, averts plagues, and gives us a share in “ the abundance of His mercy.” (Bull of the 254h Nov. 1592 for the eslablishing of the 40 h. in Kome.)
It is true, this Divine Saviour will not be seen by the eyes of your body, but the infallible light of faith shall show Him to you really present beneath the eucharistic veil. His divine word will not resound in your ears in a sensible manner, but He shall speak to you a language which, coming forth from His adorable heart, will go strait to your heart to console it, to nourish, to fortify, to enlighten it. That you may the better hear His divine voice, a profound, a solemn silence should reign in the church where He is exposed.
According to the catholic dogma, the Eucharist contains truly, really and substantially, under the appearance of bread and wine, the body, the blood, the soul and the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has Himself instituted it to be the food of our souls. The substance of the bread and of the wine is changed into the body and into the blood of Jesus Christ, 80 thai after consecration, there remain of the one and of the other but the kinds, or appearances, which strike our senses as before the celebration of the holy mysteries.
This adorable sacrament is in the catholie church like the centre and the heart from which springs forth the grace that animates this mystical body. By an admirable disposition of the divine wisdom, all the other sacraments are related to this one ; some prepare us to receive it, the others help us to preserve and to increase its grace. From the Holy Eucharist spring the bless-
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It is also a true sacrifice, that is, an offering made to God as a sign of our dependance and of our submission. From this sacrifice the sacrifices of the old law derived all their virtue: they have all disappeared to make room for this clean oblalion which, as a prophet foretold it, as to be offered from the risinq of the sun even to the going down of the same, to show every where how great is the name of the Lord (Malachias, I. 11.). In effect, nothing shows so clearly his power, his goodness, his charity, his infinite wisdom. It is as {he abridgement of all the wonderful operations by which the redemption of the human race has been consummated.
“ What bread and wine effect in our body, the Eu- “ charist produces, in an infinitely more perfect manner, “ for the good ard salvation of our soul. It is’not the “ sacrament which is changed into our own substance, ‘“ as bread and wine are changed into the substance of “our body, it is ourselves, on-the contrary, who are “ changed into the nature of the sacrament.” (Cutechism of the Council of Trent.)
Such is, O.-D.-B.-B. the catholie dogma on this divine mystery. Prefigured by the sacrifices of the old law, foretold by the prophets, promised and afterwards instituted by Jesus Christ, the Holy Eucharist has been handed down by the teaching of the Apostles and of the Fathers, and perpetuated by the general and constant belief of the Universal Church. Heaven and earth shall pass away (Mat. 24, 35.) but this belief shall not
pass away, for it is grounded upon the clear and infallible word of the Almighty.
Listen to St. Cyril : “ Since Christ Himself declares “of the bread : “ This is my body,” who shall dare to “ doubt it; since He declares, “ This is my blood,” who “shall presume to doubt its being really His blood ? ”
Let heresy enjoy the sad privilege to ask after the unbelieving Jews (S. John, 6, 538.) : How can this man give us his flesh'to eat ? Fourteen hundred years ago St. Ambrose gave this unanswerable reply : “In God, to “ will, to speak and to act are one and the same thing, “ one and the same infinite power. The sacrament “which you receive is called forth by God’s own words. “ You have read of the works of creation : He spoke, “and dt was done. He commanded and the whole word ‘immediately existed. Now the words of Christ which “ made of nothing that which was not, are they unable “to transform that which already ts, into that which “at was not ! It is no less a work of omnipotence to “ call new things into existence than to change the “ substance of those already existing.”
As for us, O.-D..B.-B., we shall say with the well. beloved apostle : We have known, and have believed the charity, which God hath to us (I. John, 4, 16.) ; with the prince of the apostles : Lord, thou hast the words of elernal life, we have believed and we have known that thou ar the Christ, the son of God (St. John, 6, 69, 7 0.) ; with the royal prophet (Ps, 91, 6.) ; O Lord, How greal are thy works ! thy thoughts are exceeding deep !
Jesus Christ, really present in the Holy Eucharist, communicates Himself to us in various ways. Onthe
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In the holy sacrifice of the mass, He immolates Himself in our presence mysteriously, but truly. Jesus Christ is there both the pontiff and the victim: His all powerful word is the sword of which He makes use ; His love for us is the fire which consumes Him. On the cross, He has offered up His own blood £o obtain to us eternal redemption, and by the sacrifice of Himself He hath exhausted the sins of many (Heb. 9, 12, 28.).
On the altar, He renews, ever and every where, this one sacrifice, to give us all at once a glowing mark of His love, a means to render to God an homage worthy of His infinite majesty, and an inexhaustible source of graces by which may be applied to us, in the holy communion, the fruits of the redemption consummated upon Calvary.
The presence of Our Lord in our midst does not end with the sacrifice. His delights are to be with the children of men (Prov. 8. 31.). He vouchsafes to be with us all days, even lo the consummation of the world (Mat. 28. 20.). The holy Catholic Church is {hat new Jerusalem shining with the splendors of Her divine spouse ; from the throne of God is heard a great voice, saying : Behold the tabernacle of God with men. His children are God’s people and God Himself is with them (Apoc. 21. 8.). In the poorest chapel, as well as in the most gorgeous basilica, Jesus Christ is really present to receive there both the poor and the rich, the ignorant and the learned, the
sinner and the just man. All are His children and have a share in His love.
On certains days He comes out of His tabernacle and remains exposed to our homage. “ Then, says the holy “ Council of Trent (Sess. 13, ch. 5.), although instituted “ to be the spiritual food of the faithful, the Holy Eu- “ charist does not less deserve our adorations, for we “ believe to be present there the same God, of whom the “ Eternal Father has said, when introducing Him into “ the world : Let all the Angels of God adore Him. It “is the same whom the Magi, falling down, have ador- “ed ; the same in fine who, according to holy scripture, “ bas been adored by the apostles in Galilee… It is just ‘that festival days be established, that «ll christians “may, by some particular demonstration, show their
“ gratitude for the benefit altogether divine of the red- “ emption.”
You thus see, O.-D.-B.-B. that the hearing of mass, the holÿ Communion, the visits to the Blessed Sacrament, especially when it is publicly exposed, are 80 many means by which we may receive the ineffable treasures which Jesus-Christ vouchsafes to shower down upon us. less the Lord, O my soul, ought we to say with the prophet, and never forget all He hath done for thee ! He forgiveth all thy iniquities, redeemeth thy life from destruction, crowneth thee with Mercy and compassion, salisfieth thy desire with good things. According to the height of the heaven above the earth, He hath strengthened His mercy towards them that Jear Him... As a
father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on us. (Ps. 102.)
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Gratitude, O.-D.-B.-B., is not our only duty towards Our Lord, for the immense benefit of the Holy Eucharist. You are not ignorant of the outrages to which He has exposed Himself for your sake, not only during His passion, but during all ages in the sacrament of His love. To the blasphemies of impiety and heresy have been superadded the horrible sacrilege of unworthy communions and the indifference, alas! too frequent among the christians of our age.
You will therefore come, O.-D.-B.-B., during the solemn exposition, you will come and repair by your acts Of faith and of piety, of love and of gratitude, all these outrages offered to your God. Let each parish, each family, each faithful endeavor to console the adorable heart which has loved men so much. You will for a time interrupt your Labor to come and give yourselves up to Him and enjoy the ineffable sweetness of His presence. Elis mercy keeps Him captive in your midst, you Will not abandon Him to a solitude which would prove your want of faith and condemn your lukewarmness.
You will vie with one another in zeal for the adorning of your church. God undoubtedly does not ask of you a richness which you cannot afford to give ; heaven and earth, with all their treasures, are His, but He requests above all you heart, and He values much more the mite offered with great good will, than the gorgeous decorations presented with coldness and indifference.
And do believe, O.-D.-B.-B., that this divine Saviour, who 18 rich in mercey (Eph. 2. 4.), will not allow himself to be overcome in generosity. In the Blessed Sacre-
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ment, as in heaven, He his always living to make inter. cession for us (Heb. 7. 25). From His throne, He shall cast looks of beneficence upon each one of you : His hand shall not cease to bless you ; His inexhaustible treasures shall be opened unto you. Æy people, He said to Jeremiah (31. 12.), shall come and shall give praise in Mount Sion : and they shall flow together to the good things of the Lord... I will turn their mourning into Joy, and will comfort them, and make them joyful after their sorrow.
You will therefore #il come and adore Our Lord during the soleran exposition. Let all, in each family, who can repair to the church, make it a duty to come and present their homage to Him Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of the son of His love, in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the renrission of sins ; Who 18 the image of the invisible God...through Whom all things have been reconciled unto God, {Colos : 1. 10.)
You will come, old men already hanging over your grave, and adore in His temple Him who shall s0or. console your agony in the holy viaticum, before appearing to you in the majesty of the supreme judge.
You will come, christian parents, who desire to draw down upon you and upon your family, the blessings of God. Yon will bring with you all your children,who are your 307 and your crown (Philip. 4. 1.), that the look of the Divine Saviour resting upon them, may for ever confirm in their tender hearts, the lessons anc examples of faith and of piety which you give them.
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You will come, just and faithful souls, and pour out your heart before Him Whom you love, for Whom you labor and sustain so many combats ; at the feet of Jesus the divine oracle shall be verified ; Æe that is just, let him be justified still: and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still (Apoc. 22. 11.).
You will come also, pour sinners, who drag along sighing the chain of your iniquities. Approach with confidence: We have a great high-priest that haik passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God : who has compassion on our infirmities, for He has been tempted in all things like as we are, without sin : lel us go ikerefore with confidence to the throne of grace : that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid (Heb : 4. 14). Your soul has been s0 dear to Him that He has shed for its sake even the last drop of His blood, why would you dread coming in His presence to ask Him the strength you need to obtain eternal happiness ?
And you, poor sick and infirm, who cannot come out of your dwellings, be consoled. Turn your looks towards the Church ; transport yourselves in heart to the feet of Jesus to adore Him, to love Him and to beseech Him as you would before His al‘ar; and Jesus will bless your heart, hear your prayer, give you His grace, His strength, His light to guide you, His patience to bear your infirmities, and you will thus have no reason to envy those who shall have gone to the Church.
You will not confine vourselves, O.-D.-B.-B., only to this visit to the Blessed Sacrement exposed ; you will also approach the tribunal of penance with a sincere contrition and the holy communion with a heart burning with love and gratitude, It is the desire of Our
Lord Himself Who has given His body and His blood under the eucharistic kinds, to be united to you as intimately as possible. Your happiness will then be complete because you shall have refused nothing to this God of love.
The exposition of the Blessed Sacrement will continue a sufficient time for all the parishioners to come to the Church and offer up their adorations. And thus shall be exactly verified that saying of a prophet, who, after having enumerated all the gates through which the various tribes of Israël might enter into the new Jerusalem, announces that {he name of the city from that day was : The Lord is there : et nomen Civilalis : Dominus ibidem (Ezech : 48. 35.).
Happy the parish of which it may be said, Dominus ‘bidem, The Lord is there to visit, to sanctifiy, to bless it !
Happy the family which, after having adored Jesus, shall take back to its dwelling, however poor and humble it may be, the grace, the love, the blessing of the Saviour of the world ! As at Bethleem, the angels shall sing over that house, the canticle of Glory be to God in the highest ; and on earth peace io men of good will (Luk. 2. 14). The Lord is there ; Dominus ibidem.
Happy every one of the parishioners who shall have fulfilled with faith and piety this duty of gratitude, of reparation and of love ; it will be said also of his heart that it has become the Sanctuary of Jesus. Dominus ibidem !
You will not be content, O.-D.-B.-B,. with praying for yourselves and your families. The Holy Catholic Church, our mother, is passing at this moment, througli
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one of the most agitated epochs of her long and laborious career ; the Supreme Pontiff, our father, is exposed to persecution : the sanctuaries of the holy city are in the power of the enemies of our religion ; the œcumenical council of the Vatican is suspended ; Europe is at every moment threatened with frightful catastrophes ; secret societies are being every where organised to conspire in darkness ; one would almost think that humanity is writhing in a last and painful agony.
Our own dear country, although comparatively more calm and happy, is not secure from all commotions, and from one moment to the other the counter-blow of the evils which afflict other countries may fail upon our own.
Charity, which should unite us to all our fellow beings and more particularly to the children of the Holy Church, does not permit us to remain unconcerned in presence of so many evils. You will therefore pray Our Lord; you will say, like the apostles terrified by the tempest which threatened to ingulph them ; Lord, save us, we perish (Mat. 8. 25.), Lord, save all we hold most dear in this world ; protect the Church, the Sovereign Pontiff, the sanctuaries of the Holy City ; restore peace to the agitated world; give to our dear country the peace, union and concord which alone can secure her welfare and her happiness.
Thus, O.-D.-B.-B. if you acquit yourselves well of your duties towards Our Lord, no crime will remain without expiation, no outrage without reparation, no sacrilege without amends, no publie or private evil without a cry uttered towards the throne of the divine majesty which is also the throne of the divine mercy.
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Wherefore, having invoked the holy name of God,
we ordain as follows :
1st. The solemn exposition of the Blessed Sacrement in the Forty Hours devotion, is established in this diocese and shall take place successively and without interruption in all the parishes, missions, chapels of communities, where it will be possible, that, from one end of the year to the other, the incense of prayer offered up to Jesus-Christ really and substantially present, may ascend to the throne of the divine grace and goodness,
2nd. That exposition shall begin on the frst sunday in advent of the present year, in the cathedral of Quebec, where it shall always take place at the same epoch, that this sunday, which is the beginning of the ecclesiastical Year, may also be the beginning of a devotion which shall be perpetuated in this diocese even to the consummation of ages, for the greater glory of Jesus, Saviour of our souls.
8rd. It shall be held in the other churches, on the days appointed in a table prepared every year by our order.
Ath. The prescriptions which we shall give in a particular instruction on the subject, shall be exactly observed.
This our present pastoral letter shall be read at the prone of all churches where public service is performed, and in chapter in all religious communities, on the first sunday after its reception, and also each year on the sunday before the opening of the Forty Hours’ devotion, in the church where it shall take place.
Given at Quebec under our signature, the seal of the Archdiocese, and the countersign of our under. secretary,
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on the feast of St. Joseph, Patron of the Catholic Church, nineteenth March, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
