EXHORTATION BEFORE COMMUNION OF

THE SICK.

THE HE duty which you are now going to perform, claims all your attention and devotion. He who has reduced you to this state of infirmity, is come to strengthen you in your sufferings, and enable you to bear them with such dispositions as will render them highly conducive to your eternal welfare. He who is the author of life and death, condescends to visit you in your sickness, and to furnish you with those celestial remedies, which will invigorate your soul and fill you with joy under the most trying evils you may have to experience. What a source of consolation for the christian to receive from the Son of God this pledge of his goodness and love! It is true, he is a God of infinite justice who will render to every one according to his deeds, a God of infinite perfection, who views with horror the least stain of sin; but his mercies are above all his works, and he assures us that whatever burthen may oppress us, we will always find relief and refreshment in his boundless charity. "Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you." "I am the living bread, that came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Welcome him therefore to your bosom with those sentiments of faith, humility, confidence and love, which will prepare your soul for the abundant reception of his graces. You will receive that same Divine Saviour who was crucified on Mount Calvary for the sins of the world, who ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God. Humble yourself in the presence of his incomprehensible majesty, exclaiming in the words of the Psalmist, "What is

...

man, O Lord! that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of man that thou visitest him." While you acknowledge your unworthiness that he should enter under your roof, let your heart expand at the contemplation of his goodness, ardently desiring to be united to him, and to make him the only object of your affections for time and eternity.

E

AFTER COMMUNION.

INDEAVOR, my dear friend, to set to profit the precious moments, during which the Lord of heaven and earth will deign to abide corporally within you. You possess him who created you, who redeemed you, and who has destined you to a glorious immortality. What blessings may you not expect to receive from him after this signal testimony of his incomprehensible love? Give vent therefore to the liveliest emotions of gratitude for the incomparable favor which he has bestowed upon you, and while you invite all creatures to join you in praise and thanksgiving, entreat him to remain with you for ever, to protect you against all your spiritual enemies, to grant you those sentiments of resignation to his holy will, that spirit of penance and disengagement from the things of this life, which will render your sufferings meritorious, and inspire you with confidence at any moment he may call upon you to leave this world. What have you to fear with this heavenly protector at your side? Under his guidance, you may truly say in the words of the royal Prophet, "though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me.' 99 Let this be the subject of your reflections, and it will prove a source of great consolation during life as well as at the hour of death.

EXHORTATION BEFORE EXTREME

UNCTION.

UR Divine Saviour has been pleased in his infinite goodness to institute, besides the holy communion, another sacrament for the spiritual and corporal benefit of those who are dangerously ill. It is that of Extreme Unction, which is clearly pointed out in those words of St. James: "Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil, in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man; and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him." To receive the graces prepared for you in this heavenly institution, be sorry from your heart for having offended God who has provided you with so great a comfort in your present state of infirmity. Every portion of your being calls for support at this moment. Your body and soul are equally in need of the heavenly physician; the one is reduced to an extreme weakness by the violence of disease, the other has become languid and depressed; and in this state of dejection you are more than ever exposed to the assaults of your spiritual enemy. To supply these urgent wants is the object of Extreme Unction. It will banish from you the enemy of salvation, and afford you an easy triumph over his wicked suggestions; if it be expedient for your spiritual welfare, it will diminish your pains and restore you to health; it will obtain for you the remission of your sins; in a word, it will enable you to persevere to the end, and secure to you the happiness of a good death. Cast your eyes then upon the Cross, (here shew the Crucifix.) the image of your crucified Redeemer; enter into the sentiments with which he suffered for the sins of the world; endure your illness with patience and resignation to the will of God, as a penance justly due to your offences; and while I apply this sacred

unction to your eyes, your ears and your other senses, implore with a contrite and humble heart the forgiveness of all those sins, which through any of these avenues may have made their way into your soul.

TO THOSE WHO ARE PRESENT.

U, my dear brethren, who are to witness this YOU solema ceremony, let your presence be of some avail to our suffering friend. Unite your prayers with those which the Church offers up in his behalf, and do for him what you would rejoice to have done for yourselves, were you in a similar situation. For this purpose you may recite the Litany of the Saints, or other prayers according to your devotion.

AFTER EXTREME UNCTION.

TOW that you have been fortified by this sacred rite, return thanks to God for the spiritual helps which he has afforded you in your sickness. Let your thoughts be fixed on his infinite mercy and your eternal welfare. Considering yourself entirely disengaged from the world, look forward with a tranquil mind to the result of your illness. Raise your heart frequently to God, and whatever may be his holy will in your regard, be prepared to submit to it with sentiments of perfect resignation. Should your mind be disturbed by the thought of death, remember that God is not only your judge, but a tender father whose love for you is infinite, and should awaken the most lively confidence in his mercy. To obtain the gift of final perseverance, set to profit every moment that is left you, and make frequent acts of faith, hope, love and

contrition for your sins, pronouncing occasionally the holy names of Jesus, and Mary, and imploring her intercession with that of all the Saints and Angels. Adore the dispensations of Providence, and with the same conformity to its wise decrees that our Saviour manifested in the garden of Olives, say in union with him: "Father, not my will, but thine be done," or with the Psalmist: "Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it! and thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, unto length of days."

BY

EXHORTATION

BEFORE THE LAST BLESSING in articulo mortis.

Y the goodness of God, my dear friend, you have already received the Sacraments, which were intended to strengthen your soul, and arm you in your last conflict in your journey to eternity. However, that nothing may be wanting to animate your confidence, I will now impart to you, by virtue of the faculty which I have received from the Holy See, the Apostolical benediction of his Holiness, with a plenary indulgence, for the full discharge of whatever debts of sin may yet stand against you, and retard your entrance into heaven. Raise your heart to God by a lively faith in the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ who died for your salvation, and with an entire confidence in his mercy and goodness. Offer yourself to him without reserve, to love him for all eternity; beg of him by an act of sincere contrition to pardon all your sins; accept the penance of death as a punishment due to your offences, and trust in his divine