with sorrow for my sins in the Garden of Olives! give me the grace of sincere contrition and perfect conformity to thy holy will;-teach me, by thy wonderful patience in the midst of the most cruel insults, the virtue of meekness -let thy profound humiliations, when thou wert crow.u with thorns, and clothed with a purple garment, animate me to conquer my pride, and despise sincerely the opinion of the world; associate me to the happy few who followed thee to Mount Cavalry, and beheld thee crucified. Thou didst end thy life, O merciful Jesus! in torments and humiliations, deprived of every thing this world calls pleasure or consolation; thou art my model. I know that thou art the way, the truth, and the life; that all who would be saved must walk after thee, and all who would reign with thee in heaven, must on earth take up their cross and follow thee. I believe these truths, and conjure thee, through thy sufferings from the moment of thy birth unto thy death, to strengthen me to bear whatever cross thou mayst send me. Thou hast not yet, it is true, honoured me with a great share in thy sufferings; thou hast spared the weakness of my age and virtue; but I know that if thou lovest me, I shall not pass through this life without sufferings. I am convinced that thou knowest what is best for me, therefore I now accept from thy hand, with resignation to thy holy will, all the trials and sufferings of my future life. I unite them beforehand to thy cross, and beg of thee to strengthen me now so powerfully by the graces thou hast purchased for me through thy death and passion, that I may never expose myself to eternal sufferings hereafter.

Aspiration.-I adore thee and bless thee, O Christ, because by thy cross thou hast redeemed the world. Exercise for SATURDAY.-Devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

DEVOTION to the ever-glorious Virgin Mary is, in the opinion of some of the greatest Saints and Doc

tors, one of the most certain marks of a soul being likely to gain eternal happiness. The reason of this is, that a particular devotion to the mother of God, when rightly understood and reasonably practised, leads to the most perfect service of her divine Son, and at the same time renders the practice of virtue easy, by securing the peculiar protection and special intercession of the Blessed Virgin. She is the Mo*her, the Advocate, the Refuge, and the Hope of all Christians; but to those whom she discerns to be her sincerely devoted children, she is so peculiarly favourable, that her particular clients, such as St Bernard, St. Dominic, St. Aloysius, St. Stanislaus, have been distinguished even among the saints by the most sublime gifts of grace.

It should scarce be necessary to recommend to you a tender and ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin. She who is the most perfect and most favoured of all creatures, the glory and model of your sex, the tender Mother of youth, and their powerful Advocate before God, should naturally attract your respect, love, confidence, and veneration. But as nothing is more common than a false idea of devotion to the Blessed Virgin, (particularly among young persons, who often think all consists in stated prayers in her honour, and a certain confidence in her intercession,) you should form a just and correct notion of this devotion, that you may not resemble those who honour the Blessed Virgin with their lips, but whose hearts and conduct are far from entitling them to call her their Mother.

To be truly devoted to the Blessed Virgin, you must first honour her with that respectful homage, which, though widely different from the honour paid to God, and infinitely inferior thereto, is nevertheless due to Mary, as the blessed Mother of your Redeemer, and the most perfect of God's creatures.

Secondly, you should confide in her, because she was given you by Jesus Christ for your Mother;because she loves you with that pure and tender

charity, which a thousand degrees surpasses all the tenderness of your own parents-and also because she is as able as she is willing to assist you in all circumstances, since no one could have so much interest in heaven, and influence over the heart of Jesus, as his dear and blessed Mother.

Thirdly, your devotion must consist in imitating her virtues. This is the real test of true devotion to Mary it is so essential, that without it all the other means you may adopt for honouring the Mother of God will be vain. Dwell on this point, and consider how necessary it is for you in particular to imitate her, who is the model of your sex, and whose virtues you are obliged to practise, if you wish to save your soul. Consider also, how easy it is for you to imitate the Blessed Virgin, since her life was spent in the discharge of those very duties you have or will have to perform. She never worked a miracle; no extraordinary action is recorded of her-the Gospel mentions but one verbal lesson that she ever gave to man —all her sanctity consisted in discharging the duties of her state, and performing ordinary actions with more pure intention, more ardent love, more fervour, and altogether more eminent perfection than any creature who ever existed. Fix your eyes on her then, whom Jesus Christ himself gave you for your Mother and Model. For the present, you should dwell with particular attention on the lessons she teaches you in the early sacrifice she offered of her heart to God in her Presentation in the Temple. That festival was chosen as a day of special devotion for you, because it was then that the Blessed Virgin Mary became the Model of your present tender age; inviting you by her example, to make an early sacrifice of your heart to God, and to serve and love him from your earliest youth. It was during those years of seclusion from the world, that the glorious Virgin prepared herself, by the most fervent practice of all the virtues of her age and situation, for executing the great designs

which the Almighty had formed in her regard. Fol low her example, imitate the purity of life, innocence, humility, docility, and obedience, which sanctified the Blessed Virgin in the Temple. You are now separated from the world, as she was, and shielded from all its dangers ;-you have time and opportunity for acquiring the habits of virtue, which your future cir cumstances may render necessary.

Hereafter the retired life of the Blessed Virgin in Nazareth, her silence, her love of labour, her charity, obedience, and cheerfuí submission to the hardships and inconveniences of her condition in life, will animate you to a faithful and cheerful discharge of the domestic duties you may have to fulfil; and in all the crosses and afflictions which must be expected in this life, the heroic constancy of your blessed Model at the foot of the cross will encourage and strengthen you How happy will you be, if you early adopt, and steadily persevere in this perfect method of honouring her, who, after God, deserves most the honour, veneration, respect, and gratitude of all creatures! How confidently may you then call her your Mother, and confide in her as such during your whole life! But more especially, what strong claims will this devotion to Mary give you to her powerful protection at the dreadful hour of death.

As real devotion to the Blessed Virgin is one of the most precious graces you could receive from God, and one that will require many sacrifices, and constant efforts to overcome your faults, you should frequently and earnestly beg of Jesus Christ to inflame your heart with an ardent love for her whom he so much loved, and to give you grace to imitate her heroic virtues. Offer for this intention, as well as in thanksgiving for all the favours bestowed upon Mary, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and all your thoughts, words, and actions on Saturdays. Let it he a day of particular fervour, and above all, be careful to avoid every deliberate fault on this day;

since you would grieve and offend the Blessed Virgin more by one wilful offence of her divine Son, than you could honour her by all your practices of devotion.

Prayer.

O ever-glorious Virgin Mary! most perfect and amiable of all creatures! I humbly cast myself at thy feet, and beseech thee to accept the sincere protestations of respect and veneration, which I now fervently present to thee. I reverence thee, O sacred Virgin! as the Mother of my Redeemer, and I fervently offer thee all the homage which is due to thee in that august quality. I confide in thee, I love thee, as the merciful advocate and tender Mother of all Christians; most earnestly desiring that I could collect in my heart alone, all the tender and respectful sentiments which ever animated thy most devoted servants. But to supply for my deficiencies I offer thee the filial tenderness with which Jesus Christ loved thee, and the respect and obedience with which, ich, as thy dear Son, he deigned to honour thee. O Mother of Mercy! who wert never known to reject any one that had recourse to thee, receive me as thy child, for the sake of Him who confided me to thy care in his agony on the cross. Permit me to choose thee for my glorious Patroness, my dear Mother, and the object, next to God, of my respect, gratitude, and love. Ah! do not refuse to receive me under thy materral care, and to grant me a place in thy amiable heart. Let me have the honour and happiness of being ranked from my youth among thy most devoted children; that by loving and serving thee, I may learn to serve and love God perfectly: and by endeavouring to imitate thee, I may imitate Jesus Christ, whose most perfect image thou art. Accept then the oblation I now make to thee of iny heart, that thou mayest present it to Jesus Christ, in union with the early sacrifice thou didst make of thy