Ferdinand Delacroix was a famous French painter. He had an unusual knack of finding the best models for the various characters he wished to represent. He did have difficulty, however, in finding someone who looked like a Roman beggar. He could not find just the face he had in mind.
One day at dinner he had as a guest the great international banker, James de Rothschild. The artist suddenly had an idea which he expressed to the financial wizard: "You would do for my beggar, if you will consent to sit."
"And why not?" answered the multi-millionaire. "It would be an honor to serve as a model for such a painter. Appoint the time for the first sitting and I will be there."
At nine the next morning the banker was at the studio. With a staff in his hand and a ragged tunic about his shoulders, he sat on the steps of a temple background for the sketch.
As the artist was earnestly at work one of his pupils entered. After a quick but observant glance at the model, the student remarked to Delacroix:
"So, you have at last found a model for your beggar. I congratulate you, sir, he has the exact expression."
The master worked on, too busy to explain who the model really was. As the pupil watched, his tender heart went out in pity to the poor model. While the artist turned away for some materials, the student slipped a coin into the hands of the amazed and amused banker. Rothschild accepted the money with a glance of gratitude and dropped it into his pocket.
After the young man left, Rothschild said to Delacroix: "Tell me something about that young fellow."
"There is not much to tell," answered the artist. "He is a fine young man with much talent but little money. I fear his poverty will compel him to seek eork with more money in it."
The banker smiled. A few days later the student received a note:
"Charity, my dear young man, bears interest. You gave a coin to one whom you supposed to be in need, and he now repays you with the interest your generosity merits. You will find the sum of 10,000 francs placed at your disposal at the Rothschild offices, and the model for the beggar in the picture of Ferdinand Delacroix begs leave to hope that you become as great as you are good."During Forty Hours devotion, that story is repeated, in an infinitely more glorious way. Much more powerful and wealthy than the greatest magnate of earth, our Lord comes to us in the Eucharist as a Beggar. Though He owns heaven and earth, He garbs Himself in the white tunic of bread; He takes up His dwelling in the narrow, humble tabernacle; He holds out His hand for some small gift of love, some small gift of thanks, some small gift of adoration, some small gift of sacrifice, yes, and some small material alms for the beauty of His dwelling. Like the poor student of the story, we have very little of these things, but our little we give to Christ in the Eucharist, especially during Forty Hours. We, too, are student artists, student sculptors; we are struggling to paint Christ in our lives, to shape our hearts like His.
But we need His help. We will offer Him the small coin of a few moments or hours of adoration; we will offer Him the small coin of acts of love and thanks and reparation. In return, Christ will reward us more munificently than any Rothschild could ever think of doing.
There are four things we want to do during Forty Hours:
1. We want to adore Christ and worship Christ upon the altar. For three days He will be enthroned, upon His altar, looking down upon us, looking into our very hearts. We will tell Him that He is supreme, that He is above everyone and above everything, that He deserves glory and honor and praise beyond all our possibilities of giving.
2. We want to thank Christ for this greatest of gifts - Himself. We will thank Him for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, for Holy Communion, for Benediction, for His presence in our Church, and especially for the graces of the Forty Hours.
3. We want to ask Him for favors of body and soul: for health and protection, for peace and contentment; for the power to love Him more, to receive Him more frequently and fervently, to attend Mass with thought, to realize what a privilege it is to spend some time with Him these days.
4. Lastly we want to make reparation to Christ in the Eucharist for the many insults, offenses, and sinful neglect shown Him in this Sacrament. We Want to beg His pardon for our disrespect and forgetfulness, for missing Mass, for coming late to Mass, for postponing Holy Communion, for neglecting to attend Benediction, for failing to stop and visit Him not only during Forty Hours, but during the entire year.
We also want to make reparation for the insults and neglect of the whole world.
Forty Hours is not long enough to do all these things, but we should try our best. Even our best is just a little coin, but a coin that will be appreciated by our Eucharistic Lord, a coin He will repay most generously with His graces, blessings and favors. Amen.
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Adapted from Occasional Talks
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1949)
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