cleanse what is defiled, and plant the flowers of virtue beside the paths. I offer to Thee, O Lord, all my actions, my thoughts, my desires, my sufferings, towards my preparation for receiving this great mystery. Oh, what will be my happiness when I shall lodge the Lord of the whole universe in my poor bosom! Come, then, desire of my heart, object of all my wishes, of all my ambition; come, my glory, my treasure, my delight!

Expand thyself, O my soul; excite thyself to confidence and love, that thou mayest receive worthily thy divine Saviour, who comes to-day to heap His good things upon thee. All He demands is a heart open and ready to contain Him; empty thine of all creatures, that it may be fitted to receive the effusion of His Holy Spirit.

As Thou didst institute this great Sacrament, O my adorable Saviour, to be a memorial of Thy sacred Passion, I ought never to approach it without recalling to my recollection all that Thou hast endured for my love. What an excess of charity was Thine, my divine Redeemer, which induced Thee to endure for the salvation of so vile a creature the cruel agony which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Olives, where Thy whole body was covered with a profuse sweat of blood, which flowed down to the earth! Oh, the shame which Thou didst undergo, when the barbarous Jews dragged Thee from tribunal to tribunal, that Thou mightest be condemned to a most cruel and infamous death! Oh, the insult to which Thou wast exposed, when Thy adorable body was stripped and torn by blows and scourges, and Thy sacred head encircled with a crown of thorns, which pierced even to the skull! Oh, the contempt which Thou didst receive when, after a mockery of worship, they covered Thee with blows, and Thy sacred face they defiled with spittle, and at length condemned Thee to a cruel death upon a cross, between two thieves! Blessed for ever be the ineffable love which induced Thee to suffer so much for my salvation. I give Thee a thousand thanks, with all the gratitude which my heart is able to contain; I humbly ask pardon for my sins, which were the cause of Thy sufferings and Thy death; I entreat of Thee, by the same love through which Thou didst undergo them, to apply to me the merit of this divine Sacrament, that I

may

grace.

die to sin and injustice, and live only to justice and

Dost Thou, my God, vouchsafe to come to me? the King and Lord of the highest majesty to the lowest slave? God to man? the Creator to His creature? Whence is this to me, that Thou, O Lord, shouldst come to me, from whom Thou mightest justly depart, for I am a sinful man? Lord, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that Thou so regardest him? Knowest Thou not who I am? dust and ashes, a vessel of uncleanness, the food of worms? And dost Thou come down from heaven to such a one? O Lord our God, how wonderful is Thy name in all the world!

§ 2. Thanksgiving.

What reward shall I give unto the Lord for all the benefits that He has done unto me? Magnify the Lord, O my soul, who art enriched by His many and great benefits, and let my spirit rejoice in God my Saviour, for He has regarded the lowliness of His servant; He that is mighty has magnified me-- He hath filled the hungry with good things! Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise His holy name! Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgiveth all thy sins, who healeth, by the virtue of this Sacrament, all thine infirmities!

Though I behold no sign of Thy greatness, O God of all majesty, and though Thy infinite charity for me has reduced Thee to the most profound annihilation which it is possible to conceive, in order that Thou mightest condescend to my weakness, which would have been overpowered if all the brightness of Thy glory had been exposed to my view, I acknowledge Thee for my King and my God; I adore Thee as the Sovereign Lord of all things, as the God of all nature, and the Creator of the universe. Enable me to pay Thee all the respect that it is in the power of a simple creature to render to Thee. I offer Thee my being, my life, all that I am, and all that I possess,—all which I acknowledge to have received from Thy most liberal hand. I regard the whole universe,

and all which it contains, as less than an atom in Thy sight; and finding myself quite unable to pay Thee the infinite honour Thou dost deserve, I unite myself to all Thy saints, to all the angels of heaven, and to all the just upon earth, and more especially to Thy most holy humanity subsisting in the divine Word, and to the holy Virgin Thy divine Mother, to honour Thee by them and with them, and to offer Thee all the honour and all the glory which they shall pay Thee for all eternity. I offer Thee also all the glory which Thou dost possess in Thy divine essence, or derive from Thy infinite perfections. I unite in all this, as far as a weak creature is permitted; and I offer them to Thee in the spirit of adoration and homage.

I am sorry, O Lord, for having offended Thee; I grieve over my past disorders; I detest my sins; my heart is pierced with grief, because I have so much and so grievously offended Thee. I am sorry for them from the bottom of my heart, because I love Thee; and I pray Thee to grant me pardon; and I promise to Thee that, by the help of Thy divine grace, I will never offend Thee more, but will serve Thee henceforth with the most perfect fidelity. Oh, how wretched I am to have offended a God so full of goodness, who has all my life crowned me with blessings; who gave me existence when as yet I was not; who has adopted me for His child, and constituted me His heir, after having given me life; who has always protected and favoured me, and heaped good things upon me; and to whom, in short, I owe all that I am! Was there ever ingratitude and malice equal to mine? Weep, my eyes; pour down abundant tears, which may wash out the black stains with which I am covered; and Thou Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, efface mine by the virtue of Thy precious blood; wash me, purify me, sanctify me; invest me in the white robe of innocence and charity, that I may be found worthy of being united for ever with Thee in the kingdom of Thy glory. Amen.

O my adorable Saviour, if my heart were as savage as that of a tiger, could I avoid loving Thee, not only because Thou art infinitely deserving of love by the as

semblage of all the excellences and perfections which are united within Thy divine person as in their centre, but also because Thou hast always loved me, and dost continue to do so with extraordinary tenderness, notwithstanding my baseness, and the crimes which I am daily committing against Thee! Thou hast heaped benefits upon me during my whole life, though I have rendered myself unworthy of them by my continual ingratitude and rebellion; and now Thou hast come today to give me Thy precious body and blood to be the food of my soul, the remedy against all my infirmities, and the certain pledge of the happiness which Thou hast prepared for me in heaven. How, then, can I refuse Thee my whole heart? I give it to Thee, my Jesus; I consecrate it to Thee entirely. I offer Thee all the love, the affections, and desires of my heart. I love Thee with all the strength and all the ardour, with all the sincerity and all the tenderness, of which I am capable. I tear myself from all creatures, and renounce all their deceitful affections, that I may love only Thee. My sole regret is that I have not a heart large or warm enough to love Thee in a manner worthy of Thee. To supply this defect, I fly to the heart of thy divine Mother, and to Thy holy angels and saints, and to Thine own adorable heart. I unite myself to them, that by them and with them I may love Thee with all their love in time and in eternity.

Eternal Father! Thou hast given me to-day Thy only Son, and I return Him to Thee as a victim to satisfy all the debts I owe to Thee. Behold, O great God! behold the holocaust I offer to Thy infinite Majesty. Receive this Victim of expiation as a satisfaction for all my sins; receive this peaceful Host, that it may obtain for me all the graces which are necessary for my salvation and my perseverance. I offer Thee its love to atone for my coldness and indifference, its humility for my vanity and pride, its meekness for my violence and passion, its patience for my anger and impatience, its purity for my uncleanness and filthiness, its obedience for my rebellion and disobedience, its poverty and detachment from creatures as reparation for my love of the vanities of this world; in short, I offer

all its virtues and perfections in atonement for all my vices and defects; and I pray Thee to grant me, through His merits, all the graces which I need. I offer this Divine

Victim, not only for myself, but for Thy holy Church upon earth, that Thou wilt be pleased to guide it by Thy Divine Spirit, fill it with light, and love, and strength, preserve it amidst the dangers to which it is exposed, and multiply and spread it over the whole earth. I offer it for the Church suffering, that it may please Thee to deliver from purgatory those souls which are there expiating their sins, and give them entrance into heaven.

I offer and consecrate myself to Thee also, my divine Jesus, to be in my turn Thy victim. I devote to Thee my body, my soul, my life, my thoughts, my desires, my actions, and all that belongs to me, to be employed solely in Thy service, Dispose of me as Thou wilt; Thou art absolute Master of all I am. I place myself in Thy hands; accomplish Thy work in me; complete the designs of Thy providence in me; and work in all things Thy own most adorable will.

SECTION II.

Monday.

§1. Preparation.

Jesus our King.

1. Who comes? Jesus Christ, the immortal King of glory, the Master of all creation, the Ruler of heaven and earth, and Lord of lords. Yes; behold thy King cometh to thee thy merciful and clement Lord, He to whom belong counsel and equity, prudence and strength; He in whom are found riches, and glory, and justice; He whom all creatures obey. Ah, weigh well the majesty of this great King who comes to thee! Be amazed that thy Lord, and so great a Lord, should condescend to visit thee in person! Summon all the powers of thy soul to meet this thy sovereign Lord; remember that thou art to prepare a place, not for men, but for the King of heaven; and exclaim with a holy impatience, "O Thou who art our King and our Lawgiver, come to save us!"

2. To whom does He come? To a faithless and un