[begin page 271]

It was a lovely Sunday, calm and peaceful and holy,Ⓐ and bright with sunshine. It seemed strange that there could be jarrings and enmities in so beautiful a world. As the forenoon advancedⒶ the household began to appear, one after another, and all in their best; the women in their comeliest gowns, the men in velvetsⒶ and laces, with snug-fitting hose that gave the tendons and muscles of their legs a chance to show their quality. The master and his sister were brought to the chapel on couches,Ⓐ that they might have the benefit of the prayers—Ⓐhe pale and drowsing and not yet really at himself; then the rest of us (except 44 and the magician)Ⓐ followed and took our places. It was not a proper place for sorcerers and their tools. The villagers had come over, and the seats were full.Ⓐ

The chapel was fine and sumptuous in its new paint and gilding; and there was the organ, in full view,Ⓐ an invention of recent date, and hardly any in the congregation had ever seen one before. Presently it began to softly rumble and moanⒶ, and the people held their breath for wonder at the adorable sounds, and their faces were alight with ecstasy. And I—I had never heard anything so plaintive, so sweet, so charged with the deep and consoling spirit of religion. And oh, so dreamily it moanedⒶ, and wept, and sighed and sang, on and on, gently rising, gently falling, fading and fainting, retreating to dim distances and reviving and returning,Ⓐ healing our hurts, soothing our griefs, steeping us deeper and deeper in its unutterable peace—then suddenly it burst into breath-taking rich thundersⒶ of triumph and rejoicing, and the consecrated ones came filing in! You will believe that all worldly thoughts, all ungentle thoughts, were gone from that place, now; you will believe that these uplifted and yearning souls were as a garden thirsting for the fructifying dew of truth, and prepared to receive it and hold it precious and give it husbandry.

Father Peter's face seemed to deliver hope and blessing and grace upon us just by the benignity and love that was in it and beamingⒶ from it. It was good to look at him, that true man. He described to

[begin page 272]

us the origin of the Perpetual Adoration, which was a seed planted in the heart of the Blessed Margaret Alacoque by Our Lord himself, what time he complained to her of the neglect of his worship by the people, after all he had done for men. And Father Peter said,

“The aim of the Perpetual Adoration is to give joy to Our Lord, and to make at least some compensation by its atonement for the ingratitude of mankind. It keeps guard day and night before the Most Holy, to render to the forgotten and unknown Eucharistic God acts of praise and thanksgiving, of adoration and reparation. It is not deterred by the summer's heat nor the winter's cold. It knows no rest, no ceasing, night or day. What a sublime vocation! After the sacerdotal dignity, one more sublime can hardly be imagined. A priestly virgin should the adorer be, who raises her spotless hands and pure heart in supplication toward heaven imploring mercy, who continually prays for the welfare of her fellow creatures, and in particular for those who have recommended themselves to her prayers.”

Father Peter spoke of the blessings both material and spiritual that would descend upon all who gave of their substance toward the repairing of the convent of the Sisters of the Adoration and its new chapel, and said,

“In our new chapel the Blessed Sacrament will be solemnly exposed for adoration during the greater part of the year. It is our hearts' desire to erect for Our LordⒶ and Savior a beautiful altar, to place Him on a magnificent throne, to surround Him with splendor and a sea of light; for,” continued he, “OurⒶ Lord said again to his servant Margaret Alacoque: 'I have a burning thirst to be honored by men, in the Blessed Sacrament—I wish to be treatedⒶ as king in a royal palace.' You have therefore HisⒶ own warrant and word: it is Our Lord's desire to dwell in a royal palace and to be treated as a king.”

Many among us, recognizing the reasonableness of this ambition, rose and went forward and contributed money, and I would have done likewise, and gladly, but I had already given all I possessed. Continuing, Father Peter said, referring to testimonies of the supernatural origin and manifold endorsements of the Adoration,Ⓐ

[begin page 273]

“Miracles not contained in Holy Scripture are not articles of faith, and are only to be believed when proved by trustworthy witnesses.”

“But,” he added,Ⓐ “God permits such miracles from time to time, in order to strengthen our faith or to convert sinners.” Then most earnestlyⒶ he warned us to be on our guard against accepting miracles, or what seemed to be miracles, upon our own judgment and without the educated and penetrating help of a priest or a bishop. He said that an occurrenceⒶ could be extraordinary without necessarilyⒶ being miraculous; that indeed a true miracle was usually not merely extraordinary, it was also a thingⒶ likely to happen. Likely, for the reason that it happened in circumstances where it manifestly had a service to perform—circumstances which showed that it was not idly sent, but for a solemn and sufficient purpose. He illustrated this with several most interesting instances where both the likelihood of the events and their unusual nature were strikingly perceptible; and notⒶ to cultured perceptions alone perhaps, but possibly to even untrained intelligences. One of these he called “The miracle of Turin,” and this he told in these words:

“In the yearⒶ 1453 a church in Isiglo was robbed and among other things a preciousⒶ monstrance was stolen which still contained the Sacred Host. The monstrance was put in a large sack and a beast of burden carried the booty of the robbers. On the 6th of June the thieves were passing through the streets of Turin with their spoil, when suddenly the animal became furious and no matter how much it was beaten could not be forced from the spot. At once the cords with which the burden was fastened to the ass'sⒶ back broke, the sack opened of itself, the monstrance appeared, rose on high, and miraculously remained standing in the air to the astonishment of the many spectators. The news of this wonderful event was quickly spread through the city. Bishop Louis appeared with the chapter of his cathedral and the clergy of the city. But behold, a new prodigy! The Sacred Host leaves the case in which it was enclosed, the monstrance lowers itself to the ground, but the Sacred Host remains immovable and majestic in the air, shining like the sun and sending forth in all directions rays of dazzling splendor.

[begin page 274]

The astonished multitude loudly expressed its joy and admiration, and prostrated itself weeping and adoring before the divine SaviorⒶ, who displayed His glory here in such a visible manner. The bishop too on his knees implored our Lord to descend into the chalice which he raised up to Him. Thereupon the Sacred Host slowly descended and was carried to the church of St. John amid the inexpressible exultation of the people. The city of Turin had a grand basilicaⒶ built on the spot where the miracle took place.”

He observed that here we had two unchallengeable testimonies to the genuineness of the miracle: that of the bishop, who would not deceive, and that of the assⒶ, who could not. Many in the congregationⒶ who had thitherto been able to restrain themselves, now went forward and contributed. Continuing, Father Peter said,

“But now let us hear how our dear Lord, in order to call His people to repentance, once showed something of His majesty in the city of Marseilles, in France. It was a.d. 1218Ⓐ that the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for adoration in the convent church of the Cordeliers for the forty hours devotion. Many devout persons were assisting at the divine service, when suddenly the sacramental speciesⒶ disappeared and the people beheld the King of GloryⒶ in person. His countenance shone with brightness, His look was at once severe and mild, so that no one could bear His gaze. The faithful were motionless with fear, for they soon comprehended what this augustⒶ apparition meant. Bishop Belsune had more than sixty persons witness to this fact, upon oath.”

Yet notwithstanding this the people continued in sin, and had to be again admonished. As Father Peter pointed out:

“At the same time it was revealed to two saintly persons that our Lord would soon visit the city with a terrible punishment if it would not be converted. After two years a pestilence really came and carried off a great part of the inhabitants.”

Father Peter told how, two centuries before, in France, Beelzebub and another devil had occupied a woman, and refused to come forth at the command of the bishop, but fled from her, blaspheming, when the Sacred Host was exposed, “this being witnessed by more than 150,000 persons;”Ⓐ he also told how a picture of the

[begin page 275]

Sacred Host,Ⓐ being painted in the great window of a church that was habituallyⒶ being struck by lightning, protected it afterward; then he used that opportunity to explain that churches are not struck by lightning by accident, but for a worthy and intelligent purpose:

“Four times our chapel has been struck by lightning. Now some might ask: why did GodⒶ not turn away the lightning? God has in all things his most wise design, and we are not permitted to search into it. But certain it is, that if our chapel had not been visited in this way, we would not have called on the kindness and charity of the devout lovers of the Holy Eucharist. We would have remained hidden and would have been happy in our obscurity. Perhaps just this was His loving design.”Ⓐ

Some who had never contributed since the chapel was first struck,Ⓐ on account of not understanding the idea of it before,Ⓐ went forward cheerfully, now, and gave money; but others, like the brewer Hummel, ever hard-headed and without sentiment, said it was an extravagant way to advertise, and God the FatherⒶ would do well to leave such things to persons in the businessⒶ, practical persons who had had experience; so Hummel and his like gave nothing. Father Peter told one more miracle,Ⓐ and all were sorry it was the last, for we could have listened hours, with profitⒶ, to these moving and convincing wonders:Ⓐ

“On the afternoon of February 3d, 1322Ⓐ, the following incident took place in the Loretto Chapel at Bordeaux. The learned priest, Dr. Delort, professor of theology in Bordeaux, exposed the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. After the Pange lingua had been chanted the sacristan suddenly arises, taps the priest on the shoulder and says: ‘God appears in the Sacred Host.’Ⓐ Dr. Delort raises his eyes, looks at the Sacred Host and perceives the apparition. Thinking it might be a mere effect of the light he changes his position in order to be able to see better. He now sees that the Sacred Host had, so to say, separated into two parts, in order to make room in the middle for the form of a young man of wondrous beauty. The breast of Jesus projected beyond the circle of the monstrance, and He graciously moved His head whilst with His right hand He blessed the assembly.

[begin page 276]

His left hand rested on His heart. The sacristan, several children, and many adults saw the apparition, which lasted during the entire time of the exposition. With superhuman strength the priest then took the monstrance—and constantly gazing at the divine countenance—he gave the final benediction. The commemoration of this apparition is celebrated every year in this convent.”

There was not a dry eye in the house.

At this moment the lightning struck the chapel once moreⒶ and emptied it in a moment, everybody fleeing from it in a frenzy of terror.

This was clearly another miracle, for there was not a cloud in the sky. Proof being afterward collected and avouched by Father Peter, it was accepted and consecrated at Rome, and our chapel became celebrated by reasonⒶ of it, and a resort for pilgrims.