17th Century Saints

Quotes On The Importance Of Eucharistic Adoration

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S.D. Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament (1614 to 1698)
French nun and the founder of the order of Benedictine Nuns Of Perpetual Adoration Of The Blessed Sacrament
"Remain faithfully in the presence of God and do not regret that you cannot do anything. It is Jesus Christ who lives in us; we must only cling to Him with humility and simplicity of heart and spirit ( . . .) Do not resist being in the presence of God without doing anything. He wants you silent and humble. You do so much already if you leave and surrender yourself to His might. Just be faithful! Do not be concerned too much about your distractions; let them pass by, and remain humbly at Jesus' feet, and count yourself unworthy to receive His graces."
(Source: Vultus Christi website - www.vultuschristi.org)

"Our principal application in prayer must be to hold ourselves before the greatness and supreme majesty of God in the Most Holy Sacrament, with the most profound respect, with total confidence and abandonment, with submission, accepting simply all the dispositions of Divine Providence, each one according to her degree of grace, either by making acts [of prayer] or in some other way. (M. Mectilde du Saint-Sacrement)."
(Source: Vultus Christi website - www.vultuschristi.org)

"They speak to me often of prayer, but I never hear anyone speak of the Most Holy Sacrament. Is there perhaps another mean to attain to God other than the Holy Eucharist? Is not the Holy Eucharist God Himself?"
(Source: Vultus Christi website - www.vultuschristi.org)

"We must never lose sight of our holy tabernacles: it is there that we find our strength and our virtue. If human infirmity and affairs allowed, we should pass our whole life at the feet of our divine Master; at least let us go there as often as possible, and quit so many futile occupations that rob us of precious time claimed for what we owe the love of a God."
(Source: I Thirst For Your Love! blog - https://mseagrif.com)

"Do not fail to adore the Most Holy Eucharist, which is the principal and the greatest devotion, and the one that all Catholics ought to have…Perform your adoration, therefore, with more care and fidelity than ever, with a new fervor, ardor, and love for Jesus Christ in this precious mystery."
(Source: I Thirst For Your Love! blog - https://mseagrif.com)


Cardinal Philip Thomas Howard (1629 to 1694)
Cardinal-priest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy
"You can and ought to visit and adore your Lord and your God, as often as you can, in the churches or chapels where He is reserved... This is a practice of piety, which I earnestly recommend to you, and which I desire you to perform with all possible reverence, devotion, and frequency. For by this means you will draw down upon yourselves and your country abundant blessings from heaven, you will increase your faith, your hope, your charity, you will inflame your hearts with the love of God, you will obtain the pardon of your sins, the grace of perseverance, the assistance of the Holy Ghost, the protection of the angels, the intercession of the saints, the communion of the whole Church, the peace of your conscience, the joy of your soul, the happiness of your life, the crown of your glory."
(Source: Cardinal Philip Thomas Howard 1686 pastoral Exhortation to the English Catholics (According to Bing AI) )


Blessed Nicholas Steno (1638 to 1686)
Italian Priest and father of the field of Geology
Our faithful attendance and reverence towards Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration is a source for conversions and vocations. Such was the case with Blessed Nicholas when, in one Eucharistic procession, he witnessed such reverence towards the Blessed Sacrament that he not only converted to Catholicism but also became a Priest.


St. Claude La Colombiere (1641 to 1682)
Religous, Priest, and Confessor
After being assigned spiritual director of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Claude was inspired during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to promulgate the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He spent many Holy Hours in Eucharistic Adoration.


St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656 to 1680)
Native American Agonquin-Mohawk Indian known for her virtue of Chastity
Do we love the Eucharistic Lord? The only way to grow in the love of our Eucharistic Jesus is to spend time with Him in adoration. Blessed Kateri new this as she would spend as much time as her duties allowed in Church adoring the Blessed Sacrament. Even a bad snowstorm wouldn't stop her as she would tread thru knee deep snow to spend more time with our beloved Lord.


St. John Eudes (1601 to 1680)
Priest and founder of the Congregation Of Jesus And Mary (Eudists)
"Your most loving Heart, O Jesus, dwells in this Sacrament burning with love for us. It is there continually performing thousands of good deeds towards us. It is there that you nourish us with your divine life, that you heal our wounds, that you forgive our sins, that you strengthen us in our weakness, that you comfort us in our sorrows, and that you prepare us for eternal life."
(Source: St. John Eudes's book "The Glories of the Sacred Heart of Jesus")


Cardinal Giovanni Bona (1609 to 1674)
Cisterian Cardinal, liturgist and devotional author
"I should never cease to express my sorrow for the neglect and coldness which is shown to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. How great must be His love for us, since He does not become disgusted with so much ingratitude. People go to the trouble to see various objects of beauty, curiosity, or entertainment. Yet, here upon the altar is the grandest, greatest, most magnificent of all beings. How dull can the human mind be! How hard can the human heart become! This is our all-loving Savior, our God! In Him we live, and move, and exist. Truly, without Him we are nothing. In Him alone shall I find perfect peace and all-satisfying happiness."
(Source: "The Sacrifice Of The Mass" by Cardinal Bona)


St. Marie of the Incarnation (1599 to 1672)
French Ursiline Nun
"I beg you...to go often to visit the Blessed Sacrament, where you will find the source of all grace and consolation. There you will converse with the Divine Spouse of your soul, who loves you infinitely and who desires to make you happy in this life and in the next. There you will learn the secrets of his love and the mysteries of his incarnation and redemption. There you will receive the strength to resist temptations and to overcome difficulties."
(Source: Sr. Marie of the Incarnation's letter to Dom Claude Martin, 1654 (According to Bing AI) )

"I spend most of my time in the chapel, where I find my delight and my repose. There I adore my God, who is always present in the Blessed Sacrament, and I offer him all the actions and sufferings of his Son, for the glory of his holy name and for the salvation of souls. I unite myself to the prayers and sacrifices of the whole Church, and I beg him to have mercy on the world, to enlighten the infidels, to convert the sinners, to sanctify the just, to comfort the afflicted, to assist the dying, and to grant eternal rest to the souls in purgatory."
(Source: Sr. Marie of the Incarnation"s letter to Dom Claude Martin, 1661 (According to Bing AI) )


Bl. Antonio Grassi (1592 to 1671)
Italian Priest
"He who loves Our Lord Jesus Christ must desire to be with Him…the more we conform ourselves to His example the more perfect will be our lives."
(Source: The Deeper Truth blog - https://www.deepertruthcatholics.com/)


Bl. Catherine of St. Augustine, O.S.A. (1632 to 1668)
Canoness Regular and missionary
"My God, I adore Your divine perfections; I adore Your divine Justice; I abandon myself to it with my whole heart."
(Source: "La vie de la mere Catherine de Saint Augustin" by Fr. Paul Ragueneau, S.J)


Ven. Mary of Jesus of Ágreda (1602 to 1665)
Franciscan Abbess, spiritual writer and mystic
"The most holy Mary, who was the first and the most perfect adorer of the most blessed Sacrament, and who knew better than all the angels and men the value and the excellence of this divine mystery, was also the most fervent and frequent in visiting it. She often went to the places where it was reserved, especially after the Ascension of her Son, when She remained as the Mother and the Teacher of the Church. There She prostrated Herself in profoundest humility, and adored her Lord and her God hidden under the sacramental species. There She also offered to Him the homage and the tribute of her love, her praise, her thanksgiving, and her petitions for the needs of the Church and of the whole world."
(Source: " The Mystical City of God" by Ven. Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, transl. Fiscar Marison, 1914, p. 594, pub. Theopolitan Company, Chicago, IL. (According to Bing AI) )


St. Louise de Marillac (1591 to 1660)
Wife, Mother, Widow, Foundress, Social Service Worker, Religious
"Give Yourself wholly to me please, O my God . . . that I adore in this most Holy Sacrament, take entire possession of me. O sweet Jesus! O good Jesus! my God and my all, have mercy on all the souls redeemed by Your precious Blood."
(Source: St. Louise's 1656 "Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament")

"As we passed before the churches we made acts of adoration to the Most Holy Sacrament and greeted the patron saints as well."
(Source: Vincentians website - https://vincentians.com/en/quotes-collection/louise-marillac-quotes/?quotes_page=4)


St. Vincent Depaul (1581 to 1660)
Founder of the Congregation Of The Mission he served the poor
St. Vincent de Paul would make a Holy Hour asking the Lord blessings on important business transactions and, afterwards, returned to thank the Lord.


Bl. Alain de Solminihac (1593 to 1659)
Bishop of Cahors, France and belonged to the Order of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine of Chancelade in Périgueux
Blessed Alain was Abbot, Reformer, Marian devotee most especially to Our Lady of Rocamadour, Apostle of the Holy Eucharist especially by his promotion of Adoration, he was also a member of the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement (Company of the Blessed Sacrament)...His great devotion to the Holy Eucharist prompted him to promote Eucharistic Adoration as well as restoring a many pastoral devotions within his Diocese.
(Source: AnaStpaul blog - https://anastpaul.com)


Venerable Jean Jacque Olier (1608 to 1657)
Founder of the Sulpicians, he worked with St. Vincent Depaul
"When there are two routes to get me to a certain place, I take the one on which I meet more churches, in order to be nearer the Blessed Sacrament. When I see a place where my Jesus is, I am so happy, and I say, 'You are here, my God and my All'."
(Source: Catholic Tradition website - http://www.catholictradition.org/)


Bl. Zofia Czeska-Maciejowska (1584 to 1650)
Polish Nun and and the founder of the Sisters of the Presentation
"The visit to the Blessed Sacrament is a precious opportunity to encounter Jesus in a personal and intimate way. It is a time to adore Him, to thank Him, to ask Him for His grace, and to listen to His voice. It is a time to rest in His arms, to gaze at His face, to feel His heart."
(Source: "Zofia Czeska-Maciejowska: A Woman of Faith and Charity" by Sister Maria Teresa Słomka, 2003, page 105, pub. Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation (according to Bing AI))

"The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a powerful means of sanctification. It transforms us into the image of Christ, who is present in the Eucharist. It inflames our love for Him and for our brothers and sisters. It increases our faith, hope, and charity. It makes us more attentive to His will and more obedient to His commands."
(Source: "Zofia Czeska-Maciejowska: A Woman of Faith and Charity" by Sister Maria Teresa Słomka, 2003, page 108, pub. Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation (according to Bing AI))


St. Isaac Jogues (1607 to 1646)
Martyr, Jesuit Priest, and North American missionary
From the strength he received through Eucharistic Adoration St. Jogues endured the difficulties of missionary life.


St. Jane Frances de Chantal (1572 to 1641)
Foundress of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
St. Jane, once fancying the idea that she could pray with more recollection in the quiet of her own chamber than in the church, was told by her director to put away such a thought as being a temptation, as assistance at holy Mass and public prayers before the Blessed Sacrament were of far greater profit (even when accompanied by constant warfare against distractions and dryness of spirit) than the most fervent private devotions.
(Source: Visits To Jesus In The Tabernacle book, by  Fr. F.X. Lasance)


St. John Francis Regis (1597 to 1640)
French Priest who established the Confraternities Of The Blessed Sacrament
St. John found strength for his apostolate thru his nights spent in adoration of our beloved Lord in the most Blessed Sacrament. Many conversions came about in France because his apostolate of tireless preaching.


St. Martin de Porres (1579 to 1639)
Dominican Brother and Doctor
Like most of the Saints St. Martin was inspired to love and serve others by his great desire to be in adoration before the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, as often as possible, where he was granted great gifts including healing, wisdom, and counsel.


Bl. Tommaso da Olera (1563 to 1631)
Italian Capuchin Friar and spirual adviser to many
"How can you not be moved by the sight of this most loving Lord, who humbles himself so much for your sake, who hides himself under the appearances of bread and wine, who remains with you day and night, who waits for you with such patience and kindness, who invites you with such sweetness and gentleness, who offers you with such generosity and liberality, who gives you with such abundance and magnificence, who enriches you with such grace and glory? O my soul, do not be negligent, do not be ungrateful, do not be lukewarm in visiting this divine sacrament,..."
(Source: "Scala di perfezione (Ladder of Perfection)" bk. by Bl. Tommaso da Olera, edited by Alberto Sana, 2010, p. 199, pub. Morcelliana in Brescia, Italy (transl. by Bing AI 2023) )

"O my soul, if you knew the treasure that is hidden in this sacrament, you would sell everything to buy it, you would leave everything to possess it, you would renounce everything to enjoy it. You would prefer to spend all your time in the presence of this most loving Lord, rather than in any other place or occupation."
(Source: "Scala di perfezione (Ladder of Perfection)" bk. by Bl. Tommaso da Olera, edited by Alberto Sana, 2010, p. 199, pub. Morcelliana in Brescia, Italy (transl. by Bing AI 2023) )


St. Francis De Sales (1567 to 1622)
Doctor Of The Church and Bishop of Geneva Switzerland
"We must visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament a hundred thousand times a day."
(Source: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Twitter page - https://twitter.com/usccb)

"As mountain hares become white in winter because they neither see nor eat anything but snow, so by adoring and feeding on beauty, purity and goodness itself in the Eucharist you will become altogether beautiful, pure, and good."
(Source: Crossed The Tiber blog - Click Here)

"Nowhere do we find our Savior more tender or more loving than here (in adoration) where He, so to speak, annihilates Himself and reduces Himself to food in order to penetrate our souls and to unite Himself to the hearts of His friends."
(Source: Janine Zaio, Ambassadors for Christ's Real Presence Facebook page - click Here)

"By adoring and partaking of His beauty, His Goodness and His purity in this Divine Sacrament, you will become all beautiful, good and pure."
(Source: Devotion to Our Lady website - http://devotiontoourlady.com/index.html)

"I will adore your majesty in the Holy Sacrament…. For your words will teach me that in this Sacrament you are God made Man, really and truly, and that your presence is no more impossible for your will, although incomprehensible to our weak minds, than the rest of your admirable works."
(Source: Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament - http://www.acfp2000.com)

"...this Sacrament, in as much as it contains our Lord, is worthy of adoration and ... we must adore him.  For truly, since it is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is God, who will not adore him, I beg you, as well there as in heaven, since it is written 'I will worship the Lord God and only him will I serve' (Matthew 4:10).  For our Lord wants to be adored wherever he is.  Thus he was adored on the cross by the thief (Luke 23:42), walking in Jerusalem among the people who cried out, 'Hosanna' (Matthew 21:9 and in the crib by the three kings (Matthew 2:11).  He is hidden in the Eucharist, but that does not prevent him from being adored, for thus the kings adored him, hidden and wrapped in swaddling clothes."
(Source: "Sermons on the Eucharist" by St. Francis De Sales)

"I often speak with my teacher, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, because I learn from Him.  Jesus is the teacher of the science of holiness.  I go to Him because I would like to learn from Him how to become a Saint.  Of what use to me is all knowledge and education, if I do not become holy?"
(Source: St. Francis De Sales Oratory Facebook page  - Click Here)

"If the heart wanders or is distracted (during a Holy Hour) bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master’s presence. And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in Our Lord’s presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed."
(Source: I Thirst For Your Love! blog  - https://mseagrif.com)


Ven. Ana de Jesus (1545 to 1621)
Spanish Discalced Carmelite Nun and a mystic
"I felt myself drawn with such force to the Most Holy Sacrament that I could not resist. I went to the church, and there I remained a long time prostrate before the Blessed Sacrament. I felt an interior communication so strong, so sweet, and so powerful, that I was beside myself and almost outside myself. I did not know where I was; I thought I was entirely transformed into God."
(Source: "Ana de Jesús Autobiography", editor Joaquín de Santa Teresa, transl. Jennifer Snow, 2017, p. 49, pub. Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies (According to Bing AI) )


St. Robert Bellarmine (1542 to 1621)
Doctor Of The Church, Cardinal, and Archbishop of Capua Italy
During his youth, on his way back and forth to school, he would stop and pay a visit to Jesus four times a day.


St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559 to 1619)
Doctor Of The Church and Priest
"My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you, Christ’s infinite charity towards us in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist.  In order that our love be a spiritual love, He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us.  It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one, that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love, a supreme and most ardent love, by way of pure grace and charity.  Ah!  One needs to love Him back with one’s whole, whole, whole, living, living, living and true, true, true heart!!"
(Source: AnaStpaul blog -https://anastpaul.com/)


Cardinal Jacques Davy Duperron (1556 to 1618)
Archbishop of Sens, France and Cardinal-Priest of Sant’Agnese in Agone, Rome, Italy
"We must not content ourselves with receiving this sacrament in the holy communion, but we must also honor it and adore it in the churches where it is reserved, and visit it often with devotion and respect. This is a practice that the Catholic Church has always maintained and that she recommends to all her children, as a means of increasing their faith, inflaming their charity, and obtaining the graces and favors that they need."
(Source: "Traité du sacrement de l’Eucharistie" (Treatise on the sacrament of the Eucharist) by Cardinal Jacques Davy Duperron, edited by Jean Davy Duperron, 1622 (Transl. by Bing AI 2023) )


St. Rose Of Lima (1586 to 1617)
First Saint and Patroness of the Americas
During the celebration of a Forty Hours Devotion St. Rose spent hours, from morning until night, before the Blessed Sacrament without partaking of food or drink.  She had such a great love for the Blessed Sacrament that she started Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in every parish in the village she lived in.


St. Alphonsus Rodríguez (1532 to 1617)
Confessor and Door Keeper
His duties often took him by the chapel door; and then he would never fail to at least look in to give Our Lord a loving glance. When he left the house and when he returned, he always visited Jesus to ask His blessing.
(Source: Catholic Tradition website - http://www.catholictradition.org/)


St. Francis Caracciolo (1563 to 1608)
Italian Priest, Confessor
As a youth St. Francis had such a love for the Blessed Sacrament that he would forgo most childhood activities to make frequent visits to the Eucharist. He would visit many churches adoring the Blessed Sacrament making up for, what he considered, the lack of attendance before our beloved Lord. He later cofounded the Congregation of the Minor Clerics Regular, which, among other duties, had Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.


St. Mary Magdalene Of Pazzi (1566 to 1607)
16th Century Mystic and Carmelite Nun
"A friend will visit his friend in the morning to wish him a good day; in the evening, a good night; taking also an opportunity to converse with him during the day.  In like manner make visits to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, if your duties permit it.  It is especially at the foot of the altar that one prays well.  In all your visits to Our Saviour, frequently offer His precious blood to the Eternal Father.  You will find these visits very conducive to your growth in the knowledge and love of Our Lord.”
Source: Totus Tuus Maria blog - https://catholicsoul.tumblr.com/)

"Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is more powerful than in any other place because here is the Real Presence of God, just as He is in heaven."
(Source: Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament - http://www.acfp2000.com)


St. César de Bus (1544 to 1607)
French Priest and founder of both the Christian Doctrine Fathers and the Ursilines
"What happiness do we not feel in the presence of God, when we find ourselves alone at his feet, before the holy tabernacle! … 'Come, my soul, redouble your ardor! You are here alone to adore your God! His look rests on you alone!' Ah! if we only had the angels' eyes!"
(Source: "The Life of the Blessed César de Bus" bk. by Father Jean de Beauvais, published in Paris in 1645 (According to Bing AI) )


Pope Clement VIII (1592 to 1605)
He started Forty-Hours devotion in Rome
On November 25, 1592 he issued a historic document that promoted Eucharistic Adoration. It was called “Graves et diuturnae”. Issued for Rome, it formally recognized the "Forty Hours" devotion (40 hours continuous hours of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament (exposed)) ordering that it be practiced in Rome.  While this document was mainly for the churches in Rome other dioceses later followed suit in setting up this devotion which eventually spread worlwide.


Bl. John Juvenal Ancina (1545 to 1604)
Bishop of Saluzzo, Italy
He promoted the Forty Hours devotion (40 hours of continuous Eucharistic Adoration with the Blessed Sacrament exposed) in his Diocese writing elaborate instructions to carry out the devotion with great solemnity.  Blessed Acina would himself spend many hours in adoration, sometimes estatic adoration unaware of those around him.


St. Germaine Cousin (1579 to 1601)
Patron Saint of many causes
Many of the saints went out of their way to visit the Blessed Sacrament. During her 21 year life span, as she grew older, St. Germaine would go every day to adore the Most Blessed Sacrament.


Ven. Ana a Cruz de Ponce de Leon (1527 to 1601)
Spanish Franciscan Nun, Countess of Feria, Spain and disciple of St. John of Avila
Called the spouse of the Most Holy Sacrament because of her long and frequent visits to it, when asked what she did during the many hours that she remained before the Venerable Sacrament, responded: "I could remain there for all eternity. And is not the essence of God there, who will be the food of the blessed? Good God! What does one do before him? What does one not do? One loves, one praises, one gives thanks, one asks. What does a poor person do before a rich man? What does a sick person do before a doctor? What does a thirsty person do before a clear fountain? What does a starving person do before a sumptuous table?"
(Source: St. Alphonus's "Visit 1" to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - Click Here)