God the Teacher of Mankind

During the three years and a half in which our Lord Jesus Christ manifested himself as the Saviour and Teacher of mankind, he drew all hearts after him-the hearts of children, the hearts of the just, and even the hearts of sinners. This wondrous power came from the effect of our Lord's appearance upon those around him. A majestic sweetness shone forth in his every look, word, and gesture. He chose for his emblem the lamb, the gentlest of all creatures; and so brightly did this gentleness beam forth from his divine countenance that as soon as the holy Baptist beheld him, he cried out: "Behold the Lamb of God!" A certain nun, having reflected on this lovely sweetness of our Lord, said to St. Teresa: "I wish that I had lived at the time when Jesus Christ lived on earth. What a joy to see our Lord's blessed countenance, to be near him, to witness his miracles, to hear from his lips the words of eternal life, to follow him from place to place, to be able to receive him into our houses, and to assist him in his temporal wants! Surely then would I become a saint." St. Teresa, on hearing this, laughed outright. "What!" said she, "do you not know, dear sister, that the same Jesus Christ is still with us on earth, that he lives quite near us, in our churches, on our altars, in the Holy Eucharist"