Untitled - Saints' Books

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228 Material for Instructions. [PART n.
torn, the soul is then made one thing with Jesus Christ.
Hence, good acts are then more meritorious, because
they are performed by the soul while she is united with
Jesus Christ.
But, on the other hand, St. Bernard tells us that the
Lord will not lose his graces by giving them to the un
grateful. 2
Let us then remain, at least for half an hour,
with Jesus Christ after Mass
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or at least for a quarter.
But, O God a !
quarter of an hour is too little. We
should remember that from the day of his ordination
the priest belongs no longer to himself, but to God, says
St. Ambrose. 3 And before him God himself said the
same: They offer the burnt-offering of
bread of their God, and therefore they shall be holy,
the Lord, and the
V.
The Priest who Abstains from saying Mass.
Some abstain
through humility from the celebration
of Mass. A word on this subject. To abstain from say
ing Mass through humility
is a good act, but it is not
the most perfect: acts of humility give God a finite
honor, but the Mass gives him infinite honor, because
this honor is offered by a divine person. Attend to the
words of Venerable Bede. priest who without an
important reason omits to say Mass robs the Blessed
Trinity of glory, the angels of joy, sinners of pardon,
the just of divine assistance, the souls in purgatory of
refreshment, the Church of a benefit, and himself of a
medicine." St. Cajetan, while in Naples, heard that a
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Ipsa re nos suum efficit corpus."
Ad pop. Ant. hom. 60.
Numquid non perit, quod donatur ingrato?" /;/ Cant. s. 51.
Verus minister altaris, Deo, non sibi, natus est." In Ps. 118, s. 8.
Incensum enim Domini et panes Dei sui offerunt, et ideo sancti
erunt." Lev. xxi. 6.
Cum Sacerdos, non habens legitimum impedimentum, celebrare
omittit, quantum in se est, privat Trinitatem gloria, Angelos laetitia,