light and whose almighty power reunited Thy Soul and Body for a glorious Resurrection. I most profoundly adore Thy omnipotence, which is now united to my poor nature. No, my Almighty Father! Thou shalt find no resistance here; Thou art my Sovereign Lord, and I delightedly confess it. Thou hast come down from heaven to this lowly dwelling of my misery, my nothingness, in order to receive my adoration; Thou shalt have it, dear Lord! the humblest and best I can give; for my soul is overpowered by the wondrous honour Thou art now conferring upon me! Thou art the Infinite Being, the Creator and Preserver of all things! I adore Thee as my King and Lord and Master: my happiness and glory is in my total dependence upon Thee; the one ambition of my heart is to serve Thee.

ACT OF THANKSGIVING.

O my Jesus! would that I had power to acknowledge, as it deserves, the favour of this Thy visit. Thou art come to me, in order to give me a share in Thine own life. I am weak: the mere remembrance of Thy Resurrection would not suffice to give me perseverance in the new life it has merited for me: I needed Thee, and Thou hast graciously come to me, silently and humbly, and yet with all Thy omnipotence and glory. When Thou didst visit Thine Apostles on the day of Thy Resurrection, Thou saidst to them: 'It is I; fear not!' So, too, Thou speakest to my soul: Thou biddest me fear not at the sight of Thy Majesty and mine own misery and unworthiness. The sweet greeting given to them is now given to me: 'Peace be with thee!' Most gratefully do I receive it. Blessed be Thou, my Jesus, for the provident and tender love wherewith Thou hast visited me, broken the chains of my captivity, made me a partaker in Thy triumph, fortified me against my enemies; and all this by putting within me Thine own immortal life by the Communion I have just received! I will say, then, with the Royal Prophet: Bless the Lord, O my soul! and let all that is within me bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul! and never forget all He hath done for thee! He hath redeemed thy life from destruction: He hath renewed Thy youth as that of the eagle.'

ACT OF LOVE.

O Jesus! laden thus with Thy choicest favours, I must

repay Thy love by all the love this heart of mine can give. When Magdalene was at Thy tomb, and heard the sound of Thy voice, her soul melted within her; throwing herself at Thy feet, she could say nothing, but call TheeMaster!' And I, dear Jesus, my Master! I who not only hear Thy words, but feel Thee within me, what must I say to Thee, that will tell Thee my love for Thee? The disciples of Emmaus had but a conversation with Thee, and they said to each other: 'Was not our heart burning within us whilst He spoke in the way?' What must I say, who have Thee now resting on my heart? I must take courage, and tell Thee that I love Thee, my risen Jesus! Thou didst take Magdalene's love, Thou didst encourage that of Thy disciples; deign also to receive mine. If it be weak, Thou canst add to its ardour. I am firmly resolved by the aid of Thy grace, never to admit anything that could lessen my love of Thee; I will do all in my power to give it increase; and, for this end, I will frequently approach this adorable Sacrament, for it is indeed the Sacrament of Love.

ACT OF OBLATION.

O Jesus! I belonged to Thee, because I was redeemed by Thee: I am Thine now, because Thou hast restored life to me by Thy Resurrection, and because, by this happy Communion, Thou hast made me a partaker in all the glory of Thy victory over death. Henceforth, Thy lot and mine are one; like Thee, I am dead to sin and alive unto God. Take me, then, my dearest Jesus! I offer and give myself to Thee, nor will I ever again leave Thee. Do with me what Thou willest; I am Thy redeemed, and the companion of Thy glory; my present, my future, my eternity, all are in Thy bands. Therefore do I renounce myself, that I may be guided by Thee; I renounce the world and its maxims, for they are enemies to the new life I am resolved to lead. But that I may be faithful. I have need of a powerful and never-failing aid. This aid, my Jesus! is Thy Holy Spirit. Thou hast promised Him to us. Our Easter joy will not be perfect until He come and dwell within us. Send Him, then, I beseech Thee, to me. Thou art to ascend into heaven: leave me not an orphan. I know that I have Thee in this adorable Sacrament; but I cannot receive it as often as I wish, and my necessities are of every hour recurrence. Vouchsafe, then, to renew within me the presence of this

Holy Spirit, who will preserve and give efficacy to the graces Thou hast bestowed upon me by this Communion.

O Mary! by the joy that filled Thy maternal heart at the Resurrection of thy Jesus, I beseech Thee to intercede for me with Him, that I may never lose the grace of the visit He has this day granted me. Ye holy Angels of God, who adore Him now dwelling within me, be solicitous for the holiness and purity of my soul and body! All ye Saints of God, pray for me, that I may ever be faithful to Him, whom ye loved on earth, and now possess as your infinite Good, and your eternal happiness! Amen.

CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.

OF THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING PASCHAL TIME.

THE Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following Psalms. According to our custom, we preface each Psalm with a short explanation, in order to draw the attention to what is most in harmony with the spirit of the Easter mysteries.

After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication:

. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia.

ANT. Alleluia.

V. Incline unto my aid, O God.

B. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.

ANT. Alleluia.

Under this single Antiphon, all the Psalms are sung, if the Vespers are of the Sunday; but on Feasts the Antiphons are proper, and will be given on their respective days.

The first Psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. It celebrates His Eternal Generation, His being equal with the Father, His Kingship and Priesthood. He was humbled for a while, even so as

to drink of the torrent: but, now He has triumphed over His enemies, and will come in glory, at the end of the world, to judge them.

PSALM 109.

Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis.

Donec ponam inimicos tuos: scabellum pedum

tuorum.

Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum

tuorum.

Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te.

*

*

Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum : Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech.

Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges.

Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum.

De torrente in via bibet: * propterea exaltabit caput.

The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me.

Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool.

O Christ! the Lord thy Father, will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: from thence rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.

With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints: For the Father hath said to thee: From the womb before the day-star I begot thee.

The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: he hath said, speaking of thee, the GodMan: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech.

Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son, is at thy right hand he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.

He shall also judge among nations in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many.

He shall drink, in the way, of the torrent of sufferings: therefore shall he lift up the head on the day of his triumph over death.

The following Psalm commemorates the mercies