An Universal Prayer for all things necessary to salvation.

O my God, I believe in thee; do thou strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in thee; do thou secure them. I love thee; teach me to love thee daily more and more. I am sorry that I have offended thee; do thou increase my sorrow.

I adore thee as my first beginning; I aspire after thee as my last end. I give thee thanks as my constant benefactor; I call upon thee as my sovereign protector.

Vouchsafe, O my God, to conduct me by thy wisdom, to restrain me by thy justice, to comfort me by thy mercy, to defend me by thy power.

To thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings; that henceforward I may think of thee, speak of thee, refer all my actions to thy greater glory, and suffer willingly whatever thou shalt appoint.

Lord, I desire that in all things thy will may be done, because it is thy will, and in the manner that thou willest.

I beg of thee to enlighten my understanding, to inflame my will, to purify my body, and to sanctify my soul.

Give me strength, O my God, to expiate my offences, to overcome my temptations, to subdue my passions, and to acquire the virtues proper for my state.

Fill my heart with tender affection for thy goodness, hatred of my faults, love of my neighbour, and contempt of the world.

Let me always remember to be submissive to my superiors, condescending to my inferiors, faithful to my friends, and charitable to my enemies.

Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, avarice by alms-deeds, anger by meekness, and tepidity by devotion.

O my God, make me prudent in my undertakings,

courageous in dangers, patient in affliction, and humble in prosperity.

Grant that I may be ever attentive at my prayers, temperate at my meals, diligent in my employments, and constant in my resolutions.

Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my exterior modest, my conversation edifying, and my comportment regular.

Assist me, that I may continually labour to overcome nature, to correspond with thy grace, to keep thy commandments, and to work out my salvation.

Discover to me, O my God, the nothingness of this world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, and the length of eternity.

Grant that I may prepare for death; that I may fear thy judgments, that may escape hell, and in the end obtain heaven; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

ACTS OF FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY, AND CONTRITION.

Preparatory Prayer.

O almighty and eternal God, grant to us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may deserve to obtain what thou dost promise, make us to love what thou commandest; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

An Act of Faith.

I firmly believe there is one God; and that in this one God there are three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; that the Son took to himself the nature of man from the womb of the Virgin Mary, by the operation of the power of the Holy Ghost; and that, in this our human nature, he was crucified, and died for us; that afterwards he rose again, and ascended into heaven, from whence he shall come to repay the just everlasting glory, and the wicked everlasting punishment. Moreover, I believe whatsoever else the Catholic

Church proposes to be believed, and this because God, who is the Sovereign Truth, and can neither deceive nor be deceived, has revealed all these things to this his Church.

An Act of Hope.

O my God, relying on thy almighty power, and thy infinite mercy and goodness, and because thou art faithful to thy promises, I trust in thee that thou wilt grant me the forgiveness of my sins, through the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son; and that thou wilt give me the assistance of thy grace, with which I may labour to continue to the end in the diligent exercise of all good works, and may deserve to obtain in heaven the glory which thou hast promised.

An Act of Charity.

O Lord my God, I love thee with my whole heart, and above all things, because thou, O God, art the Sovereign Good, and, for thy own infinite perfections, art most worthy of all love; and, for thy sake, I also love my neighbour as myself.

An Act of Contrition.

O my God, for the sake of thy sovereign goodness and infinite perfection, which I love above all things, I am exceedingly sorry from the bottom of my heart, and am grieved for having offended by my sins this thy infinite goodness; and I firmly resolve, by the assistance of thy grace, never more to offend thee for the time to come, and carefully to avoid all occasions of sin.

A PRAYER IN SICKNESS OR AFFLICTION.

O Lord Jesus Christ, I receive this sickness [or this affliction], with which thou art pleased to visit me, as coming from thy fatherly hand. It is thy will, and

therefore I submit ;-" not my will, but thine be done." May it be to the honour of thy holy name, and for the good of my soul. I here offer myself with an entire submission to all thine appointments; to suffer whatever thou pleasest, as long as thou pleasest, and in what manner thou pleasest: for I am a creature, O Lord, who hast often and most ungratefully offended thee, and whom thou mightst justly have visited with thy severest punishments. Oh, let thy justice be tempered with mercy, and let thy heavenly grace come to my assistance, to support me under this affliction! Confirm my soul with strength from above, that I may bear with true Christian patience all the uneasiness, pains, disquiets, and troubles under which I labour; preserve me from all temptations and murmuring thoughts, that in this time of affliction I may in no way offend thee; and grant that this and all other earthly trials may be the means of preparing my soul for its passage into eternity, that, being purified from all my sins, I may believe in thee, hope in thee, love thee above all things, and finally, through thy infinite merits, be admitted into the company of the blessed in heaven, there to praise thee for ever and ever. Amen.

O God, who hast doomed all men to die, but hast concealed from all the hour of their death, grant that I may pass my days in the practice of holiness and justice, and that I may deserve to quit this world in the peace of a good conscience, and in the embrace of thy love, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

E

Ordinary of the Mass.1

THE ASPERGES.

Ant. Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.

Ps. Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

V. Gloria Patri, &c.

Ant. Asperges me.

Ant. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, O Lord, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

Ps. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.

Y. Glory be, &c.

Ant. Thou shalt sprinkle me.

The Priest, being returned to the foot of the Altar, says:

V. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam.

R. Et salutare tuum da nobis.

V. Domine, exaudi oratio

nem meam.

R. Et clamor meus ad te ve niat.

V. Dominus vobiscum.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

. Shew us, O Lord, thy

mercy.

R. And grant us thy salvation.

. O Lord, hear my prayer.

R. And let my cry come unto thee.

V. The Lord be with you.
Ry. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Exaudi nos, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus; et mittere digneris sanctum angelum tuum de cœlis, qui

Hear us, O holy Lord, al mighty Father, eternal God; and vouchsafe to send thy holy angel from heaven, to guard,

For an explanation of ceremonies, see Mr. Oakeley's Ceremonies of the Mass explained.