and to inflame my heart, that I may know my sins, and conceive a lively sorrow and purpose of amendment.

Here examine diligently what sins you have committed during the day by thought, word, deed, or omission. Afterwards say:

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary ever Virgin, the blessed Michael the Archangel, the blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

An Act of Contrition.

O Eternal God, my most loving and merciful Father! I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and am no more worthy to be called Thy servant, much less to be accounted Thy child, having repaid Thy bounty with contempt, and Thy benefits with ingratitude. Oh, how could I, who am the work of Thy hands, and who was purchased by the blood of Thy Divine Son, expiring on the Cross for my salvation; how could I dare rebel against Thee, and offend Thy infinite Majesty! Alas, it is dreadful to provoke the wrath of the living God! But what chiefly grieves my heart is, that I have offended against a God of infinite goodness, who is worthy of all my love. How shall I, O Lord, express my detestation of all the crimes I have committed? Have pity on me, O merciful Lord, and spare me for the sake of Thy beloved Son. Turn away Thy face from my sins, and blot out my iniquities. Forgive, Almighty Love!-forgive, and bear not the sins of my past life in remembrance. Look upon me, O my God! not in Thine anger, but according to the tender bowels of Thine infinite mercy; for Thou art our Father, and we are Thy children; Thou art our Maker, and we are all as clay in Thy hands. Thou canst cleanse all our defilement with those waters which flow from the

fountains of Thy beloved Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; and with one drop of His blood Thou canst mould us again into vessels of honour. From Thee, O merciful Father, I beg and hope for pardon; upon Thee I call, and upon Thee I trust for help, whereby I may hereafter constantly serve Thee with a true and faithful obedience, and be inseparably united to Thee with a pure and perfect love for ever. Amen.

An Act of Purpose of Amendment.

O Almighty and Eternal God, I would from the bottom of my heart that I had never sinned against Thee; but since I have been so unhappy as to sin against Thy Infinite Majesty, O grant me now Thy grace, that I may never do so again. Thou hast said, "I will not the death of a sinner, but rather that he be converted and live;" convert me, then, and save my soul. "Have mercy on me, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my iniquities." I abhor and detest all my sins, and firmly purpose to walk henceforth in the path of holiness and justice. Accept, O Lord, of this my resolution, and grant that by the help of Thy holy grace, and through the infinite merits of Thine only Son our Lord Jesus Christ, I may keep it faithfully during the whole course of my life.

O most gracious and bountiful Lord, Thou hast ordained the day for labour and the night for us to take our rest, I praise Thee for the blessing of this day past, and I beseech Thee to protect me during this night. Look upon me with a merciful eye, and let Thy holy angels keep their watch over me, that, being safely delivered from all dangers, I may be enabled to perform so faithfully the duties of my state, that, having passed my days in Thy holy service and love, I may end them in Thy favour, and reign with Thee for ever in Thy heavenly kingdom, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth ever one God, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer to our Blessed Lady.

Hail, O most holy and blessed Virgin Mary, full of

celestial grace, and replenished with beauty and loveliness, of whom our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the King of heaven, the brightness of His Father's glory, was pleased to be born and nourished; obtain for me, O blessed Lady, of your only-begotten Son, whatsoever you know to be necessary for the salvation of my soul. O holy Mother of God, help my frailty and weakness; assist me by your powerful intercession at all times, but especially at the hour of my death, that I may overcome the devil, and reach safely the port of eternal life.

Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope; to you do we cry, poor banished sons of Eve; to you do we send our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile ended, shew unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus, O most clement, most pious, and most sweet Virgin Mary.

To the Angel Guardian.

O Angel of God, to whose holy care I am committed by the mercy of our heavenly Father, enlighten, govern, and defend me this night from all sins and dangers.

A Prayer for the Dead.

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, who shall stand it? For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness; and by reason of Thy law I have waited for Thee, O Lord. My soul has relied on Thy word; my soul has hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch even until night, let Israel trust in the Lord. Because with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him plentiful redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Give them, O Lord, eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Let us pray.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give unto the souls of Thy servants departed the remission

of all their sins; that by pious supplications they may obtain the pardon that they have ever desired: who liveth and reigneth, world without end. Amen.

y. Give them, O Lord, eternal rest.

Ry. And let perpetual light shine y. May they rest in peace.

R. Amen.

The Blessing.

upon them.

God the Father bless me, Jesus Christ defend and keep me, the virtue of the Holy Ghost enlighten and sanctify me, this night and for ever.

Amen.

E must acknowledge, in the words of the holy Council of Trent in its twenty-second Session, that there is no work in which Christians can

be engaged on earth so holy and so divine as this tremendous mystery, wherein is daily immolated on our altars, by the hands of the priest, that life-giving Host and Victim, by whom we are reconciled with our Heavenly Father.

Such is the excellence and sublime dignity of this divine Sacrifice, that, even in heaven itself, there is no more exalted act of worship. In this the Church on earth vies with the heavenly Jerusalem; in this the very angels of God, envying as it were the blessedness of man, come down from heaven to assist at the divine ministry of the priests of God on earth. Herein the most ecstatic devotion is satisfied to more than fulness.

For what is wanting here of all that is great and holy, most abundant in grace and mercy, and most tender in love? What longings can we feel for the venerable,