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since, in the Sacrament of Penance, hast thou not purified my soul from its deliberate and voluntary faults!

For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wis lom thou hast made manifest to me.

O God, thou lovest truth, hear me then whilst I bear witness against my own ingratitude. Who ever had stronger motives for fidelity than I? Thou hast been pleased to pour thy graces and lights into my soul, thou hast manifested to me secrets and mysteries hidden from the lovers of the world: I am then more guilty than they.

Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

"For if the blood of goats and oxen, and the ashes of a heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who by the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God!" (Heb. ix. 13, 14.) O my God, my Jesus! it is thou alone who canst restore innocence to my soul which thou prizest so much. Thou wilt wash me in thy blood, a single drop of which would suffice to purify the entire world, and I shall become whiter than snow. To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness; and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.

It is then, O my God, that thou wilt make my soul hear words of joy and gladness; thou wilt assure her that whatever may be her trials in this life all is well since she is thy friend; that thou wilt never withdraw thy eyes from her; that her name is written in thy heart; and then, all her powers which had been humbled and cast down by the sight of he miseries and offences shall exult with a holy joy.

Turn away thy face from my sins; and blot out all my iniquities.

A single glance from thy merciful eyes, O my Saviour, is so powerful, that it would suffice to raise us after the most grievous fall; look upon me then, blot out my iniquities, and at the same time turn away thy face from my sins. And dost thou not ever act thus, O my God, seeming to forget the claims of thy justice, to follow the dictates of thy mercy; but the more thou dost mercifully seem to forget my offences, the more deeply does regret imprint them on my heart.

Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Álas! my God, to thee must I fly, since thou alone canst afford a remedy to my evils. In vain hast thou pardoned and purified me, if thou dost still leave me this corrupt, hard heart, this heart inclined to every evil, this heart by which I have offended thee. Give me, then, another heart, create in me a pure heart, give me thy own heart, with which to love thee; renew in me the spirit of justice that I may avoid evil and do good; and may the Holy Ghost, who is the bond between the Father and the Son, ever unite my soul with its God.

Cast me not away from thy face, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

O Lord, cast me not away from thy face, which, while it constitutes the felicity of the blessed in Heaven, is also my joy here upon earth, though as yet I see thee only in a dark manner, through the veils of faith. If thou reject me, where shall I go, poor wanderer, far from thee? Where can I find repose here below? Allow me then to rest in thy presence, and to be as intimately united to thy divine

majesty as is possible for a creature in this life. Never withdraw from me thy Holy Spirit, the guide of my voyage towards that eternal home, where I shall at length see thee face to face.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

Restore to me that joy and that assistance which thou grantest to the faithful soul, who feels herself supported and encompassed in all her ways by thy protection and thy presence, and strengthen me in thy spirit.

I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.

Then will I teach sinners the admirable ways by which thou hast triumphed over my ingratitude, and the example of thy mercy towards me will encourage them to have recourse to thee, notwithstanding all their disorders and miseries, and thus shall the wicked be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

If I am guiltless of the blood of my fellow men, there is an infinitely more precious blood which has been shed for my sins. It is, therefore, fitting that I should pray; deliver me from blood, O Lord; forgive me those offences for which the Author of life has suffered death, and my tongue shall extol thy mercy with thy justice.

Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

O Lord! of myself, I cannot utter a good word. I can neither praise thee nor excite others to praise thee; when left to myself nothing moves nothing touches my heart; do thou then open my

me;

lips, move and soften my heart, and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt-offerings thou wilt not be delighted.

If thou hadst desired a sacrifice of expiation, I would have offered it; but holocausts in which the heart has no share are not pleasing to thy divine majesty.

A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit; a contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The sacrifice which is agreeable to thee, and which disarms thy justice, is that of a soul pierced with sorrow. A contrite and humble heart never fails to find favour in thy sight, whatever may have been its wanderings, whatever their malice or duration, for thy justice is not like that of earth, thou searchest hearts, and if among their most secret movements thou canst discover them repentant turning towards thee, thou dost immediately offer them pardon, and forget all their offences.

Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy goodness with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.

Forgiveness for the past is not sufficient, O Lord, alas! my soul is in ruins, it lies open, exposed to fresh attacks from those enemies from whom thou hast freed it; sadly weakened from frequent defeats, thou must thyself undertake its defence. Come then in thy mercy to the assistance of Sion, teach her to rebuild that interior city, that new Jerusalem, in which thou desirest to be adored, served, and loved. Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations, and whole burnt-offerings; then shall they offer victims upon thy altar.

Then wilt thou accept the sacrifices, offerings, and

holocausts which I will offer thee upon the altar of my heart. Then, excited by the continual remembrance of thy mercies and thy love, I will generously immolate to thee all my inclinations, all my passions. Amen.

Holy Communion.

INSTRUCTION.

(Taken from the writings of St. Alphonsus Liguori.)

"O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us."-The Church.

Of all the holy sacraments, the Sacrament of the

Altar is the holiest, the most excellent, and the greatest. The other sacraments contain the graces and gifts of God, but the Sacrament of the Altar contains God himself. Hence the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, says: "The other sacraments are established by Jesus Christ, in order to render men fit either for receiving or administering this most holy Sacrament, which is the complement of spiritual life, since the whole perfection of our soul proceeds from this same Sacrament. For, indeed, the whole perfection of man consists in his union with God; but there is no more powerful means of uniting us with God, than Holy Communion, through which the soul becomes one, as it were, with Jesus, as he himself declared when he said, 'He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him.' (John vi. 57.)

The principal effect of this most holy Sacrament is, to preserve in man the life of grace. For this

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