I

endured, far from weakening my faith, do but strengthen it the more, since thy divine Spouse foretold them. vow inviolable attachment to thee. Lord, draw close the bonds that bind me to thy holy Church; put into my heart a spirit of perfect obedience to its lawful pastors. In its bosom I became thy child, and in its bosom I wish to live and die. Amen.

At the Offertory.

O Jesus, we draw near with confidence to thy Sacred Heart; cast upon us, we beseech thee, a look of pity, and make our hearts a perpetual offering consecrated to thy glory.

us!

From the Offertory to the Preface.

Sin hath made us the enemies of our God, but Jesus Christ, by his death, hath reconciled us with his divine Father. It is in the Sacred Heart that this reconciliation is accomplished. O my soul, how Jesus Christ hath loved At what a price he hath redeemed us! Not with gold, nor with riches; but by the voluntary shedding of his blood. He hath sacrificed himself for us: let us then live only for him, let us sacrifice ourselves together with him.

Thou willest, O Jesus, that I should be a victim of love, wholly consecrated to thy Divine Heart: it is my most ardent desire. Thy benefits are numberless; thou hast broken the bonds of my servitude; thou hast adopted me for thy child; thou hast admitted me to thy table; thou hast given me a place in thy Divine Heart; and even yet, for all my continual prevarications, thou preparest me an everlasting blessedness: how could I ever forget so many benefits! I will publish thy mercies, and will never cease to love thee with all the fervour of my heart. But, O my God, my heart is not full enough of love and fervour to be an offering worthy of thee. What, then, shall I give thee? I will give thee thy Son. That Son, the most worthy object of thy complacency, will supply my inability. O Lord, look not on me, but on this divine offering.

At the Preface.

Lift up, O Lord, do thou thyself lift up my heart to thee. Take from it all unholy thoughts, all earthly affections. Lift it wholly up to heaven, where thy Heart is worthily adored, and to the altar, where it is about to manifest itself to me. My life is but one continual succession of thy mercies, let it be one continual succession of thanksgivings; and as thou art now about to renew the greatest of all sacrifices, is it not meet that I should burst forth in expressions of heartfelt gratitude? Suffer me, then, to join my feeble voice with the voices of all the heavenly spirits, and in union with them to say, in a transport of joy and admiration: Holy, holy, holy is the Heart of Jesus, the worthy object of the Divine complacency, and of the homage of heaven and earth. The whole earth is full of its glory and its mercy; let my heart be full also of its love.

At the commencement of the Canon.

O God, infinitely holy, if my sins provoke thee, and make me abominable in thy sight, look upon the Lamb without spot, who is going to immolate himself to take away the sins of the world, and, beholding his merits, remember not my ingratitude. Remember only that I have been graciously admitted into the Heart of thy divine Son, and am intimately united to it. This Heart, infinitely merciful, prayed for me on Calvary, and soon will it renew the sacrifice of itself for me.

O my God, would that I had all the sorrow which filled the Heart of Jesus, the man of sorrows, when, weighed down under the heavy burden of my sins, and ready to expiate them by cruel torments, he wept grievously in the garden of Olives, and, all covered with a bloody sweat, made for me an act of reparation to thy outraged majesty, imploring thy mercy with deep sighs and groans! I earnestly desire this perfect sorrow; I ask it of thee with all my heart; I confess that I have sinned exceedingly in offending thee, and repaying thy benefits only with outrages and insults. There is nothing I would not do

to expiate my innumerable sins, and I would willingly shed my blood to satisfy thy justice.

But what do I behold upon the altar? Is it not that holy victim which shall reconcile me to my God? O my soul, this bread will become the Body of the Son of God, and this wine his Blood, and this most marvellous change will be wrought by one only word. There needed but one word to create this vast universe; that same word will this day work the greatest of all wonders, and will renew it even to the end of the world. Mary, Mother of God, and all ye blessed spirits who surround the throne of the Most High, holy men and women, saints of God, come ye and witness this miracle of love, which is the pledge of my salvation.

O my soul, enter into thyself; believe that Jesus Christ is really present in the holy Eucharist. Yes, my God, this is thy Body, this is thy Blood: thou sayest it; I am silent before thee, I believe, I adore.

From the Consecration to the Pater.

O Jesus, victim of thy love for me, touch my heart; communicate to me at this moment all the ardent affections of the saints who have loved thee with the deepest tenderness, and all the burning adorations of the seraphim, whose blessed privilege it is always to behold thee. Kindle in my heart the devouring fire that consumes thine own, that, animated with thy spirit, I may live a life altogether new. O my Saviour, thou standest ever before thy Father, thou shewest him the marks of thy wounds and the opening in thy heart, thou ever livest to make intercession for us. And dost thou not perform the same ministry upon this altar? Occupied wholly with my needs, thou layest them before thy Father, thou presentest thy heart to him, to appease his anger and obtain his grace for me. O divine Intercessor, I lay all my petitions at thy feet; vouchsafe to present them to thy Father. I pray for the conversion of sinners, the perseverance of the just, and the triumph of our holy religion. O Jesus, who didst die for all men, bring back to the fold of thy Church those who are separated from

it. Enlighten all infidels and heretics, bless the efforts of those who labour to convert them. Have pity on the souls of the faithful departed; remit to them their debts, and grant them a place of refreshment, light, and peace. I beseech thee particularly to have compassion on N...

At the Pater.

O my Father, if it be permitted a guilty child to call by so tender a name a God whom he hath so often offended, grant that I may ever labour for the glory of thy holy name, that in all things I may do thy will, and sigh unceasingly for thy heavenly kingdom. Feed me with the bread of heaven, with which thou feedest the beloved children of thy Heart. Let the forgiveness which thou grantedst to thy murderers be my model in forgiving those who have injured me; give me superiors, both spiritual and temporal, that love thee, and friends that serve thee faithfully; and if ever I expose myself to sin, do thou deliver me from the danger, that I may never outrage thy Divine Heart.

At the Agnus Dei.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on me. Give me the peace which the world cannot give; peace with thee, by a true reconciliation and a perfect submission to thy will; peace with myself, by the subjection of my passions; peace with my neighbour, by the union of a sincere charity with all the children of men. Give peace to the world, by the extinction of wars and divisions.

At Communion.

(If you are intending to receive, say :)

Is there any love to be compared with thine, my Saviour! It was on the cross that thou offeredst thy sacrifice, and it is in my heart that thou desirest to consummate it. O my God, is it possible that thou choosest for thy sepulchre a heart so wretched! Alas, I am nothing but a sinner! Whence is it, Lord, that, for all my

unworthiness, thou desirest me to sit down at thy table? Since thus it is, speak but the word, and my soul shall be healed; say to me, as thou saidst to the woman that was a sinner, Thy sins are forgiven." Make me to hear the words which thou spokest to Zaccheus, "Make haste; for this day I must abide in thy house."

66

(If you are not intending to communicate.)

O my most loving Saviour, since I cannot have the happiness of receiving thee this day, suffer me to gather up the precious crumbs that fall from thy table, and to unite myself to thy Divine Heart by faith, hope, and charity. I confess I do not deserve the children's bread; but I venture humbly to declare that, away from thee, my soul is dried up with thirst, and my heart cast down with faintness. Come, then, into me, O my divine Jesus! come into my mind, to illuminate it with thy light; come into my heart, to enkindle in it the fire of thy love, and to unite it so intimately with thy own, that it may be no more I that live, but thou that livest in me, and reignest in me for ever.

Whilst the Priest is reading the Communion.

Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls: my yoke is sweet, and my burden light.

During the Post-Communion.

Lord, we have had the happiness of being admitted into the sanctuary of thy Divine Heart, give us grace that we may abide therein for ever; so that we may obtain the happiness which thou hast prepared for thy elect; through thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

me.

At the Priest's Benediction.

Amen.

O Heart of Jesus, I will not depart till thou hast blessed Bless me in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and let thy blessing descend upon all those for whom I ought to pray.