offended thy divine Majesty, from the first moment that I was capable of sinning, to this very hour. I desire to lay them all down here at thy feet, to be cancelled by thy precious blood. What can I do for them, but humbly confess and lament them all my lifetime! and this I heartily desire to do, and from this moment continually to cry to thee for mercy. Hear me, O Lord, by that infinite love by which thou hast shed thy blood for me: Oh! let not that blood be shed in vain. All my sins displease me now exceedingly, because they have offended thy infinite goodness. By thy grace I will never commit them any more: I am sorry for them, and will be sorry for them as long as I live; and according to the best of my power will do penance for them. Forgive me, dear Lord, for thy mercy's sake; pardon me for all that is past; and be thou my helper for the time to come, that I may never more offend thee.

6. Make an Act of Divine love.-O sweet Jesus, the God of my heart, and the life of my soul, as the hart pants after the fountains of water, so does my soul pant after thee, the fountain of life, and the ocean of all good: I am overjoyed at the hearing of these happy tidings, that I may go to the house of our Lord; or rather, that our Lord is to come into my house, and take up his abode with me. Oh! happy moments, when I shall be admitted to the embraces of the living God, for whom my poor soul languishes with love! O come, dear Jesus, and take full possession of my heart for ever! I offer it to thee without reserve; I desire to consecrate it eternally to thee. I love thee with my whole soul above all things: at least, I desire so to love thee: it is nothing less than infinite love that brings thee to me. Oh! teach me to make a suitable return of love.

N

7. Humbly beg God's grace.—But, O my God, thou knowest my great poverty and misery, and that of myself I can do nothing; thou knowest how unworthy I am of this infinite favour, and thou alone canst make me worthy. Oh! since thou art so good as to invite me thus to thyself, add this one bounty more to all the rest, to prepare me for thyself. Cleanse my soul from its stains, clothe it with the nuptial garment of charity, adorn it with all virtues, and make it a fit abode for thee. Drive sin and the devil far from this dwelling, which thou art here pleased to choose for thyself, and make me one according to thy own heart, that this heavenly visit which thou designest for my salvation, may not, by my unworthiness, be perverted to my damnation. Oh! let me never be guilty of thy body and blood, by an unworthy communion. For the sake of this same precious blood, which thou hast shed for me, deliver me from so great an evil. O rather let me die ten thousand deaths, than thus presume to crucify thee again.

8. Implore the prayers of the Blessed Virgin and of the Saints. O all ye blessed angels and saints of God, who see, face to face, him whom I shall receive under these humble veils; and thou most especially, ever Blessed Virgin, Mother of the same God and Saviour, in whose sacred womb he was conceived and borne for nine months; I most humbly beg the assistance of your prayers and intercession, that I may in such manner receive him here in this place of banishment, as to be brought one day to enjoy him with you in our true country, and there to praise him and love him for ever.

Pravers before Communion.

ACT OF FAITH.

"Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains."-Cant. ii. 8. H! my dearest Saviour, what wonderful and

break through, in order that thou mightest come and unite thyself to me in this holy Sacrament! Being God, it was necessary to become a man; being infinite, to become an infant; being Lord of all, to become a slave; from the bosom of thy eternal Father, thou must pass into the womb of a virgin, from heaven into a stable, and from thy throne of glory to an infamous gibbet. And this morning again from thy heavenly home thou dost come to dwell in my heart.

"Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices."- Cant. ii. 9.

O my soul, behold thy dear Jesus all burning with that same love which he bore thee, when he died for thee on the cross! Behold him now under the sacramental species! Like an ardent lover he gazes upon thee from the consecrated Host, and desires to have thee answer to his love. From there, although himself unseen, he sees thee; he watches thee closely, thou that goest this morning to feed on his sacred flesh, that he may discover what thy thoughts are, what thou lovest best, what thou desirest, what thou wouldst have from him, and what offering thou hast to present him in return.

Courage, O my soul, and prepare thyself to receive Jesus, first, by faith, saying: It is then true, O my beloved Redeemer, that in a few moments thou wilt come into my heart? O my God, hidden and unrecognised by the most of men, I believe that thou

art really present in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar. I confess thee with my whole heart, and adore thee in this Sacrament, as my Lord and Saviour, and to confess this truth I would gladly give my life. Thou dost come to enrich me with thy graces, and to unite me wholly to thyself: how great then should be my confidence in a visit so loving as this!

ACT OF CONFIDENCE.

MY heart, open wide to receive him! Thy Jesus can enrich thee with all good, he loved thee so much; hope, then, for great favours from thy Saviour, who comes to thee so full of tenderness and love. Yes, dearest Jesus, thou art my hope. This is what I look for from thy love-that since thou givest thyself entirely to me this day, thou wilt enkindle in my heart a beautiful flame of pure love, and excite in me a sincere desire to please thee, that for the time to come my only wish may be to do what is pleasing to thee.

ACT OF LOVE.

MY God, my God, thou alone art the true

friend of my soul. Couldst thou do more to win my love than thou hast done for me? Thou hast not only been willing to die for me, my Divine Saviour, but thou hast even been pleased to institute this holy Sacrament, in order to give me thyself altogether, and thus unite thyself intimately with so mean and ungrateful a creature as I am. But this is not all thou dost invite me thyself to receive thee, and this is thine ardent desire. O infinite, O incomprehensible love! a God desires to give himself wholly to me! O my soul, dost thou believe this? What art thou doing then? Hast thou nothing to say? yes, my God! infinite God! worthy of all

love, thou alone dost deserve the love of all thy creatures. I love thee with my whole heart. I love thee above all things; I love thee more than my life. O! why can I not see thee loved by all, cherished by all hearts as thou deservest? I love thee, O my God! and in the fervour of my love, I unite my poor heart with the hearts of all the Seraphim and with the heart of Mary, and wish that I might have the same love for thee which all the Saints bear thee, the same with which thy holy Mother is inflamed. I love only thee, for thou alone deservest all my love. O blessed Mary, mother of holy love, help me to love my God as thou desirest to see him loved.

St

ACT OF HUMILITY.

O then, my soul, in a few moments thou art going to nourish thyself with the sacred flesh of Jesus Christ. Art thou then worthy to receive it? O my God, who am I, and who art thou? Indeed, I know well who thou art, thou that givest thyself to me; but thou, Lord, knowest thou who I am-I that am to receive thee?

Is it possible, O my Jesus, that thou, who art purity itself, art so desirous to come and dwell in this soul, which has so often been the dwelling of thine enemy, and loaded with so many sins? I acknowledge, O Lord, all thy majesty and my own deep misery. I blush and am ashamed to appear before thee; I would in reverence withdraw from thee, but if I leave thee, my life, whither shall I turn? Where should I seek help? what will become of me? No, no! I will not leave thee. I will rather draw nearer and nearer to thee every day. Thou lovest to have me receive thee for my food, and ever invitest me. Well, then, I come, O my dearest Saviour! Yes! ashamed and