nor life, but for Thee; teach me to love Thee, and to make Thee loved; let me not rest satisfied with loving Thee myself, but endeavour to draw all hearts to Thee, and make Thee loved by all. O my God, I offer and consecrate to Thee all that I am and all that I have,all my thoughts and affections, my feelings, my liberty, and my whole being. In Thy hands I place my soul, my body, my life; dispose of them as Thou wilt, they are Thine own. Ah, my Jesus, Thou hast given me all things in so tender a manner, that it is only just that I should keep back nothing from Thee. I only give Thee Thy gifts to me. Thou art a great God, and I am a wretched creature; yet such is Thy bounty, O my Jesus, that Thou didst vouchsafe to receive the little offering of the poor widow in the temple, because with a willing heart she gave all she could; be pleased, therefore, to accept the entire offering which I make Thee, and of Thy goodness sanctify it and make it more worthy of Thee.

Yes, divine Redeemer, complete all the designs of Thy mercy, for which Thou didst descend from the highest throne of Thy glory, and deign to visit my poor heart. Most sweet Jesus, it is not enough that Thou hast given me Thy whole self, grant me also all the treasures of Thy grace which accompany Thee. Thou seest my wants; be pleased to supply them. Thou art the same Lord who, during the course of Thy earthly life, didst give sight to the blind, didst cleanse the lepers, heal the sick, and sanctify sinners; for Thy power was always exerted to benefit those who resorted to Thee in faith. Behold, then, today, O my God, at Thy feet, full of faith in Thy goodness, a poor blind man,-give him sight; behold a leper, defiled with the leprosy of sin,-cleanse him; behold one sick of all sorts of maladies,-heal him; behold one of the most wretched of sinners,-sanctify him. To the immensity of Thy power nothing is hard, and from the infinity of Thy charity I hope all things. What I earnestly pray of Thee, and what alone I entreat, is, grace to weep for my sins, grace to fulfil the duties of my state, and to endure with peace and resignation all the troubles of life; I desire, in short, to love Thee and to do all things to increase my love, so that my last sigh may be of love, one bring

U

ing me to love Thee perfectly in heaven. Too late have I known Thee, O eternal truth; too late did I begin to love Thee, O infinite goodness; but give me the grace that I may love Thee for all the time which I lost before I loved Thee; that I may love Thee as much as I have hitherto offended Thee, and I shall always rejoice that I have at length begun to love Thee. I trust to continue to do so for endless ages in paradise, which, by the power of this Sacrament, and by the merits of Thy immaculate blood, I hope and faithfully expect to attain

to.

O holy Virgin, O ye angels of God, and ye blessed in heaven, I thank you for your assistance, and the help you have rendered me towards approaching my Lord, and for the inestimable benefits which He has vouchsafed to my soul; obtain for me that I may always rejoice, and that I may so live, that at my death I may receive the favour of a similar visit, which may admit me to enter with you into His eternal kingdom in paradise.

ESUS CHRIST, in His boundless and infinite love, instituted the most adorable Sacrament of the Eucharist, in order that He might abide for ever with the children of men; amongst whom, as He declares, it is His greatest delight to be. 'The Spouse,' says St. Peter of Alcantara, was anxious to leave some companion for His beloved during His long absence from her, that she might not languish alone in this vale of tears; and hence He instituted this most holy Sacrament of His own most precious body and blood, that He Himself might become her familiar friend and constant companion.' Ah, who could ever have imagined that the love even of a God could have gone so far, as to move Him to invent such a stupendous mystery of charity!

Picture to your imagination for a moment, O Christian soul, your most sweet and loving Redeemer, seated upon the well of Jacob, wearied and exhausted with His

labours of charity, awaiting with tender solicitude the approach of the woman of Samaria, and burning with an eager desire to enlighten her mind with the light of truth, and to lead her into the path of salvation. Ah, what tender love, what ardent charity, for this abandoned soul, for this sinful creature! But oh, how far more generous, how far more tender is the mercy and love which this same Divine Jesus shews to us in this holy mystery, whereon He abides continually with us in our sacred tabernacles, in order to impart to us His heavenly treasures! Yes, each consecrated altar is as it were a throne of love, whereon our loving Spouse is humbly seated, awaiting the moment when we can visit Him; and from whence He sweetly invites us to approach Him, that we may be inebriated with the sweet streams of His holy grace, and drink of that water which springeth up to eternal life. Enclosed in our humble tabernacles, as in so many prisons of love, He remains day and night in our churches, and though deserted and almost forgotten by us, He incessantly pleads our cause before the throne of His heavenly Father, and offers Himself up as a victim of propitiation for our multiplied sins. The holy Scripture mentions it as a mark of God's peculiar love and affection for the patriarch Joseph, that He sent down His Holy Spirit to console him in his prison, and to deliver him from his bonds. But infinitely more blessed is our lot who have for ever in the midst of us the Delight of Paradise, the Only-begotten of the Father, the Man-God, Jesus Christ, our most loving Redeemer, who continually invites us to run to Him in all our troubles, with the same trusting love with which a child flies to the arms of his tender parent, with the same confidence with which a sick man gives himself up into the hands of a skilful physician, or that a

man relies upon the support of his bosom friend. How great the joy of a poor prisoner when some kind and generous friend condescends to visit him in his solitary dungeon, and with words of pity and commiseration, consoles him in his sorrows, or endeavours to free him from his galling chains! But oh, how much greater should be our joy and consolation under the various trials of this our earthly pilgrimage, to know that we have a true and sincere friend always in the midst of us, resting in our sacred tabernacles, ever intent on our happiness, ever ready to relieve us in our sorrows, to console us in our afflictions! 'Behold!' exclaims our Redeemer continually from the sacred tabernacle, 'behold, ye children of men, I have come down from heaven, and fixed My abode in the midst of you, that I may encourage, console, and support you under every trial. Behold, I am here wholly and entirely yours. Approach me, then, with confidence, throw yourselves without reserve into My arms, unite yourselves to Me, and you shall no longer feel the pressure of your sorrows, but shall enjoy a foretaste of Paradise upon earth.'

"where our treasure Now where shall we

It is said in holy Scripture, that is, there our heart will be also." look for our true and real treasure in this vale of tears? Where can we find that pearl of inestimable value which will fully repay all our labours, and completely satisfy all our desires? Where shall we seek for that hidden treasure, the possession of which will make us truly rich and supremely happy? Ah, turn your eyes, O Christian soul, to yonder sacred altar, and behold in that silent, that humble tabernacle, the richest treasure that earth pos

sesses.

Draw near to that sacred, that holy spot, and you