premely good, perfect, bountiful, so loving to us, &c. O most sweet Saviour, Christ Jesus! how great was the force of thy love, which drew thee from the bosom of the Father into this vale of tears; to take man's flesh, and endure infinite miseries, injuries, nay, the Cross, and death itself; and this solely for us miserable men, and for our salvation.

Oh, how great love! thou mightst have condemned, and thou hast preferred to save us; we were guilty, and thou who wert innocent, to free the guilty, didst undergo their punishment.

Out of love, therefore, thou camest to us, into our flesh; and when at length thou wert to leave this world to go to the Father, thou didst leave us this Sacrament for a pledge of thy love; that in a new and wonderful manner, thou mightst always remain with us, for thy delight is to be

with the sons of men.

O Lord, how worthy art thou to be loved, who dost so great things for the love of us! Therefore I will love

thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my stay, my refuge, and my deliverer.

O God, who art charity! behold, he who abides in charity abides in thee. I desire to receive thee in this Sacrament, that I may be more strongly united to thee in the bond of love. Who shall se

parate me from the love of Christ my Saviour! Oh, that neither life nor death, nor any accident of fortune, nor any creature, may ever be able!

IV. HUMILITY IS TO BE
EXERCISED,

And reverence, by reflecting that God is of supreme majesty, and yet comes from the throne of his glory, to thee, the meanest worm of earth, &c.

O Lord our God, how admirable is thy Name in the whole earth! Thou art the King of heaven and earth, whom Angels praise, Dominations adore, Powers dread.

But what is man, that thou art mindful of him, by giving him a memorial of thy wonderful works? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him, by coming to him in this Sacrament? Lord, I am not wor

thy that thou shouldst enter under my roof; but only say the word, and thy servant shall be healed!

V. HUNGER IS TO BE EX-
CITED,

And desire, by considering, first, the manifold fruits and graces of this Sacrament; and secondly, thy own miseries and necessities.

O holy Bread! Bread that strengthenest man's heart, of which he who eats shall live for ever; he who eats not,

shall not have life! How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts; my soul longs and faints for thy courts, O Lord, where thou dispensest that Bread, and givest meat to them that fear thee.

Incline thine ear to me, and hear me, for I am poor and needy. Refresh my hungry soul, that in the strength of this food I may walk through the desert of this world, even to the mount of God, until I eat of thee to the full, face to face, in thy kingdom, and am satisfied with the plenty of thy house.

VI. Finally, an exercise or meditation on the Lord's Passion is most efficacious for exciting devotion of the heart, &c.

III. POINT.

PETITION FOR GRACE, Because all our diligence and all our preparation is less than can be sufficient for mysteries so great, it will be well for us to petition God for grace, the blessed Virgin, our guardian Angel, our holy Patrons, and all the denizens of heaven, for aid and assistance. I. Therefore pray God, by the merits of his Son, and of all the Saints, to give thee grace to receive this Sacrament worthily.

O sovereign Father of mercies! look upon the face of thy Christ, who, with the

most perfect love, was made obedient to thee, even to the death of the Cross; and by the power of his merits, and also of his most sweet Mother the Virgin Mary, the holy Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, and of all the Saints, especially my Patrons, N. N., give me grace to render thee acceptable service; grant, I beseech thee, that I may obtain by the prayers and merits of them that please thee what I cannot by my own.

II. Having represented to Christ thy sins, imperfections, and all thy necessities, ask pardon and grace to communicate well, through the merits of his Passion and Blood.

O Jesus, Saviour of the world! who camest to save sinners, and hast said: Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you; behold I, a sinner, presume to come to thee, because with thee there is plentiful redemption.

To thee I come, because, by departing from thee, I have wandered like a sheep that is lost. shepherd, who hast laid down But, O good thy life for thy sheep, who

hast come to seek and to save that which was lost; seek again thy servant, O Lord, for I have not forgotten thy commandments.

I come to thee disabled

with many wounds, heavily borne down by so many evil passions; but thou, O Lord, art able to heal me, if thou wilt. Thou knowest that they that are in are they who need a physician.

And thou art that Samaritan, the true physician of our souls, who hast borne our infirmities. It is thou who hast given the Sacrament of thy precious Body, to be the medicine of my soul.

Therefore have mercy on me, O Lord, and heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. A sacrifice to thee, O Lord, is an afflicted spirit; a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. This I offer to thee first, that I may the more safely offer thee the Sacrifice of thy precious Body and Blood.

Break thou, therefore, the bonds of my sins. So will I worthily sacrifice to thee the Sacrifice of praise, and will call upon the name of the Lord, &c.

III. Humbly pray to the Holy Ghost to prepare in thee, by his gifts, a habitation worthy of Christ Jesus, as he did in the Virgin Mother of God.

What is marked thus [] is for

priests only.

O most merciful God, without thy divine power there is nothing in man, for from thee is all our sufficiency. Without thee we can do no

good thing, nor worthily fulfil the duties of our state or vocation. Keep my soul, for I am holy; save thy servant, O my God, that trusts in thee. I am holy by the gift of faith and grace, with which thou hast sanctified me in baptism

[I am holy also by the office of the priesthood, which thou hast willed me to perform, for it is holy. That I may worthily correspond to it, I should be holy, that is, separated from earthly things; pure, chaste, conspicuous for my many endowments of grace and virtues. They were to be holy who bore only the figure and shadow of this Sacrament; how much more I, who handle the very substance and truth!]

But who can make him holy and clean that is conceived of unclean seed? Surely, thou, O God, the Sanctifier! who art the Holy of Holies, from whom is all our sanctification, &c.

IV. Implore the help of the

Saints; that they may obtain for you from the Lord the grace of a holy Communion.

O all ye Saints of God, 1 implore you by him whom you see face to face, but we see here only as through a glass in a dark manner, and veiled in this Sacrament; aid me, I beseech you, by your prayers to God, that I may

so receive him now in this Sacrament, as to merit with you one day to see him as he is. Especially thou, O most holy Virgin Mother, who, being full of grace, didst, by the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, merit to conceive and bear in thy most pure womb God and man, obtain for me, I beseech thee, by the love of thy Son, the grace of the Holy Ghost, that I too may be able to receive and bear him worthily in this holy Sacrament.

Be present, O my Angel guardian, and with thy holy guidance direct thy client, that I may becomingly receive that Bread of angels, the Lord of heaven and earth.

O my patrons, N. N., denizens of God's court, assist me, and adorn suitably for your Lord the resting-place of my heart, &c.

V. Lastly, if, after performing the foregoing exercises, thou dost not yet feel that affection, fervour, and love, which thou desirest, and the dignity of this Sacrament requires in its reception, be not dispirited, but humbly pray God to accept at least the desire of thy heart, and the affection of thy good will.

O God, searcher of my heart! I desire to, and oh, that I could in reality, receive this wonderful and heavenly Sacrament with that piety and devotion, with all the affec

Observe that this and the following exercises are So constructed, that, with a very few omissions or changes, they may serve as well for priests who celebrate Mass as for lay communicants.

Those also who hear Mass may use them for spiritual Communion, that so the intention of one who hears Mass may be more conformed to the intention of the celebrant; and this is the most profitable way of hearing Mass.

Moreover, we here give various exercises, some longer, others shorter, like different dishes on the same table; in order that variety may preclude the distaste which is apt to arise from the too frequent repetition of one and the same thing. The different tastes of different persons require likewise a difference of food.

ASPIRATIONS.

At the time of Communion.

The visit of so great a

guest is to be received with a great feeling of reverence and inward devotion. Thou wilt make, therefore, frequent acts of lively faith, hope, and charity. Thou wilt acknowledge and proclaim the majesty, goodness, and mercy of God; thou wilt confess thy own misery and frailty. Hence thou wilt converse with Christ, who is now present with thee, in the innermost desires and affections of thy soul. For this may be used short but burning aspirations, of which there are many such in the Psalms and Gospels; but are to be uttered in the heart, rather than with the lips, until, after retiring from the altar, there may be opportunity for enlarging upon them undisturbed. We will here suggest a few, which may serve for the occasion of holy Communion, and for others as well.

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my stay, my refuge, and my deliverer.

What is man that thou art mindful of him; or the son of man that thou visitest him?

How good is God to Israel, to them that are of a right heart!

Praise the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever.

Oh, praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise him, all ye people.

For his mercy is confirmed

upon us; and the truth of the Lord remains for ever.

As the hart pants after the fountains of water, so my soul pants after thee, O God, &c.

It is good for me to adhere to my God, and to put my hope in the Lord God.

For beside thee what have I in heaven, and what do I desire upon earth?

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, &c.

Blessed is the womb that bore thee, &c.

Whence is this to me, that my Lord should come to me?

Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord. Lord, I am not worthy, &c.

Each person's reflections, or rather the unction of the Spirit, will readily suggest similar aspirations.

Proper also to this act are the following breathings of

love.

Who art thou, O Lord, and who am I?

Come thou to me, my sovereign King, to the meanest of thy servants!

Wilt thou, who camest from the bosom of thy Father into the Virgin's most pure womb, enter into this unclean vessel, this stable of filth?

I know that thou wilt, O Lord; it is love that prompts thee, and it will prevail. Come, then, O Lord, and delay not. But bring with thee, I beseech thee, that most de