sacred head; and shall we murmur at the inconveniences of our situation?

If we wear the livery of a crucified Saviour, shall we shrink from the crosses that occasionally présent themselves to us?

If we are the disciples of him whose head was crowned with thorns, can we expect to walk in an easy and flowery path?

Alas! how different are we from that divine original, who came from heaven to be the model of our life and actions!

How far do we wander from that holy path, which the Son of God has traced for his followers!

Pity, O dear Redeemer! the infirmities of thy children, and strengthen with thy grace our fainting hearts.

Arm us, O glorious conqueror of sin and death! against all the fears and terrors of the world.

Fortify us, by the heavenly virtues of faith, hope and charity, against all the difficulties we may have to contend with;

That we may advance incessantly in the

way of eternal life, generously overcoming every obstacle,

And remembering that, as sinners, we deserve to suffer, as christians, we should imitate thy holy example.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

Ant. He humbled himself for us, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the

cross.

Ant. Turn away thy face from our sins, O Lord! and blot out all our iniquities.

Psalm LXIX.

My God! when I consider what thou hast suffered for our benefit, and what we have done to the injury of ourselves,

I cannot but be astonished at the wonders of thy goodness, and be confounded at the depths of our miseries.

Though sin was the cause of thy cruel death, we still permit it to sway our hearts.

Though it is thy declared enemy, and the worst opponent of man's happiness, we thoughtlessly entertain it in our own bosoms.

How frequent are the transgressions of our life! our consciences are alarmed at the recollection of them.

Though thou hast so often pardoned our offences, we still relapse into sin, and abuse

thy mercy.

But is there any stain of evil so foul, that it cannot be washed away in thy precious blood?

Could our sins be so numerous, as to exceed the multitude of thy tender mercies?

O no, dear Saviour! thy disposition to forgive far surpasses our crime; but thou wilt not forgive unless we renounce our disorders;

Unless we humble ourselves in thy presence, and manifest a sincere desire to be reconciled with thee.

Behold, therefore, we fall down at thy feet, O Lord! and ask pardon for our manifold infidelities.

Looking with heartfelt compassion on thy sacred hands transpierced with iron nails, we beseech thee to forgive our evil deeds.

Approaching with reverence thy bleeding

side, we entreat thee to purify our affections, and fix them on thee alone.

All that we can offer in satisfaction of thy divine justice, is a heart broken with contrition, and a firm determination to pursue a better

course.

O gracious and indulgent Lord, who freely pardonest all that return to thee with sentiments of sincere repentance!

Who givest repentance to all that ask it, and encouragest us to ask by promising to hear our prayers!

Grant us the spirit of true compunction, that we may ever deplore the faults we have committed, and expiate them by the practice of penance;

Strengthen us by thy holy grace, that we may be constantly on the watch against the assaults of temptation, and stand firm against the suggestions of our spiritual enemy. Glory be to the Father, &c.

Ant. Turn away thy face from our sins, O Lord! and blot out all our iniquities.

Our Father, &c.

LESSON 1.-Isaiah, 53.

He shall grow up as a tender plant, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness; and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness that we should be desirous of him: despised and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity; and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows; and we have thought him, as it were, a leper, and as one struck by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities; he was bruised for our sins; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his bruises we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; every one hath turned aside into his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth; he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be mute as a lamb before his shearer. And the