The King and the Blessed Sacrament

Gregory Johnson

Charles II adoring the Sacred Host in El Escorial
Charles II, King of Spain, took a ride in his carriage in Madrid on January 20, 1685, accompanied by many personages of nobility and high rank and followed by a large concourse of the common people.

Perceiving a priest approaching with the Blessed Sacrament, he quickly alighted from the carriage and knelt down to adore his Savior in the Holy Eucharist, after which he begged the priest to take his place in the carriage.

Taking his hat in his left hand and holding, like a coachman, the reins of the horses, he followed on foot with uncovered head to the house of the sick person. There, he again knelt down to adore his Lord and God in the Blessed Sacrament. He served the priest to the best of his power.

Finally, he bestowed a rich present on the family in order that the sick man might die with less solicitude for those he was to leave behind him.

Selected from. Michael Muller, The Blessed Eucharist, Our Greatest Treasure, Rockford: TAN 1994, p. 205

The King and the Blessed Sacrament by Gregory Johnson