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for one of thy Priests in preference to so many innocent and faithful souls?

Alas! enlighten me, O Lord, increase my faith. Noverim me, noverim te. Grant me to know what thou art, who this morning wilt give thyself to me; grant me to know what I am, who am about to receive thee. Oh, through the merits of thy precious blood, wash my soul from all its stains before I approach the altar! Pardon me, O Jesus, before thou placest thyself in my hands, and descendest into my breast. I have indeed offended and disgusted thee, my sovereign good; but I am sorry with my whole soul for having done so.

I believe, my Redeemer, that thou art the Son of God, that thou didst die for me, and didst leave thyself in the most blessed Sacrament to be offered by the Priests of the new law in sacrifice, and to become our food. Confiding in thy sufferings and promises, I hope ever to love thee for the future, and to possess thee for all eternity. I love thee, my dear Redeemer, I love thee more than I love myself; and because I love thee, I am sorry with my whole heart for all my offences against thine infinite goodness. (These four acts of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Contrition, may be repeated every day immediately before the celebration of Mass; and this, although

meditation has been made.) I love thee, my God, but I love thee not enough; I desire to love thee as much as a Priest ought to love thee: I desire to receive thee with the same love as so many pious souls receive thee, who do really love thee,

I offer to thee, O Eternal Father, this sacrifice in thanksgiving for all the benefits bestowed upon mankind, more especially upon the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ, upon the Blessed Virgin, upon my Angel guardian, and upon all the saints my advocates; and through the merits of thy Son I beseech thee to grant me final perseverance, thy love, and all those other graces which Jesus, Mary, and the saints my advocates intercede for in my behalf.

As regards our neighbours, it will be well to recommend them in the Mass as mentioned in the following Mementos.

MEMENTO OF THE LIVING.

1. I recommend to thee the Sovereign Pontiff, all prelates, confessors, preachers, priests; grant them, O Lord, zeal and strength to promote the salvation of souls.

2. My parents, relations, friends, and enemies; those who are on their death-bed and are near their end: the souls in Purgatory:

all the faithful in thy grace: grant them, ( Lord, perseverance and fervour in thy love.

3. Infidels, heretics, and sinners; grant them light and strength, that all may know and love thee.

MEMENTO OF THE DEAD.

1. I recommend to thee the souls of my parents, benefactors, friends, and enemies, and of those who on my account are suffering the pains of Purgatory.

2. The souls of Priests, particularly of such as have been missionaries.

3. The souls of those who have been particularly devout to the Passion of Jesus Christ, and to the most Blessed Sacrament, and to the Blessed Virgin; such souls as are most forgotten; those who suffer the most, and those who are nearest entering into heaven.

These Mementos should be repeated on the other days of the week, at least by intending ta recommend all here mentioned.

MEDITATION II,

MONDAY.

Hoc facite in meam commemorationem. Luc. xxii. 19. The first divines hold that, according to this text, a Priest is obliged in celebra

ting Mass to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. And they deduce the same from that which the apostle requires from all who receive the holy communion: Quotiescumque manducabitis panem hunc et calicem bibetis: mortem Domini annuntiabitis. 1 Cor. xi. St. Thomas says that our Blessed Redeemer bequeathed to us the most holy Sacrament for this purpose, to keep up in us a continual remembrance of all the good he has done for us, and of the love which he has shown us by dying for us: Ut autem tanti beneficii jugis in nobis maneret memoria, corpus suum in cibum, et sanguinem, in potum fidelibus dereliquit Opus. c. 57. Lect. 4. Hence, the same holy Doctor calls the Sacrament of the altar Passionis memoriale.

Consider then, my soul, that the most sacred Victim whom thou art about to sacrifice, is the same Lord who shed his blood and laid down his life for thee.

But the Mass is not only a commemoration of the Sacrifice of the cross, it is the self-same Sacrifice, inasmuch as He who offers it is the same, and the Victim is the same-the Word incarnate; they differ only in the manner of offering; the one was offered in a bloody manner, the other is offered in an unbloody manner; in the one Jesus Christ died really, in the other he dies mys

tically.

Una enim, eademque est hostia... sola offerendi ratione diversa. Trid. Sess. 22. c. 2. When, therefore, thou celebratest Mass, imagine thyself to be on mount Calvary, offering to God the blood and life of His only Son. And when thou receivest the holy Communion, imagine that thou art nourishing thyself with the precious blood which flows from the wounds of thy agonizing Saviour.

Consider, moreover, that in every Mass is renewed the work of redemption, so that if Jesus had never died on the cross, the celebration of a single Mass would obtain for the world the same benefits as were obtained by the death of our Redeemer. Tantum valet, writes the disciple, celebratio Missæ, quantum mors Christi in cruce. Thus by means of the Sacrifice of the altar, are applied to mankind, and more plentifully to Priests who offer it, all the merits of the passion.

Hence, St. Francis of Assisium, (who, esteeming himself unworthy of being raised to the Priesthood, was only a Deacon,) admonishes Priests to detach themselves from all worldly things, and to seek only to know and love God, who has so loved and honoured them; and he adds, that great indeed is the unhappiness of those Priests, who, having Jesus so immediately present

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