Aour- lyvn'^K

An Hour

with Christ

Holy Horn Booklet

• I BELIEVE



LimARIES

Yale University Archives





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Osaefdinec’



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DEDICATED TO

MY FATHER AND MOTHER

WHO

EXEMPLIFIED AND TAUGHT

THEIR CHILDREN

AN INTENSE LOVE FOR

OUR EUCHARISTIC KING

O

The Nativity of Our Blessed Mother, 1941



NIHIL OBSTAT:
Fr. M. Albericus Wulf. O.C.S.O.

Fr. M. Mauritius Malloy, O.C.S.O.

Censeres

IMPRIMI POTEST:
Fredericus M. Dunne, O.C.S.O.

Abbas Manasterii B, M. de Gethsemani

Festo Epiphaniae, 1H2

IMPRIMATUR:

^ Joannes A. Floersh, D.D.
Archiep. Ludovicopolita/nus

Die 22y JanuaHiy 1H2

1st printing, 10,000

2nd printing, 20,000

COPYRIGHT 1942

by the

ABBEY OF GETHSEMANI, INC.



An Hour with Christ
o

Just a word . .

.

My faith—^that golden key which un-
locks to me the immense wealth and

treasures of divine truth—teaches me
that God really and truly dwells in our

tabernacles
;

that the Body and Blood,

soul and divinity of Jesus is hidden

under the sacramental veils. And the

act of faith by which my intelligence

assents or adheres to this truth is the

highest possible act of adoration. Thus

with a lively faith let us enter into this

Holy Hour and adore our Eucharistic

King. God is really and actually present

on our altars! Let that thought, that

truth, penetrate your whole being. It

is the greatest reality of life. Approach

your God and offer Him that homage

which is His due and then open your

heart to Him. He is there for you and

me—He invites us to come: “Come to
Me, all you that labor and are burdened

and I will refresh you.” (Matt. 11 :28)

He is there as a Friend, a Confidant, a

Father. Treat with Him as such. Go

up close to Him and talk to Him. His is

a standing invitation. Drop in often to



4 An Hour with Christ

see Him, even if only for a moment. It

will refresh you, strengthen you and en-

courage you in life’s trials. And, too,

you will console the Heart that loves

man so much.

The devotion of the Holy Hour is in

answer to a request made by Our Lord

Himself to Saint Margaret Mary. This

was in 1673. He complained of the cold-

ness of men toward Him and requested

her to spend one hour each week during

the night between Thursday and Friday

in atonement for their base ingratitude.

The devotion spread rapidly and de-

veloped until it took the form we know

today. To console the Heart of our lov-

ing Savior, then, should be our first

motive in spending this Holy Hour. But

let us add to this the four ends of prayer

and thus we shall have a perfect hour of

prayer: Adoration, thanksgiving, repa-

ration and petition. I adore because I

am man and He is God. I must thank

Him because He is the Giver of all good

gifts. Because I am a sinner I must

beg mercy. And finally, in my great

needs, to whom can I go but to Him ?

Venite adoremus: come let as adore Him!



An Hour with Christ 5

EXPOSITION

O salutaris Hostia

Quae coeli pandis ostium:

Bella premunt hostilia,

Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino

Sit sempiterna gloria!

Qui vitam sine termino

Nobis donet in patria.

Amen.

O saving Victim, opening wide
The gate of Heaven to man below

!

Our foes press on from every side:

Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.

To Thy great name be endless praise.

Immortal Godhead, one in three.

O grant us endless length of days

In our true native land with Thee.

Amen.

Hi

Thank You, Blessed Savior, for the

privilege of being here. Please help me

to spend this hour thoughtfully and

worthily for Your greater honor and

glory and for the salvation of souls.

* *

In the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.



6 An Hour with Christ

Dear Lord, here I am. There are so

many things I want to say to You and

so many things I should say to You, but

my mind is a riot of thoughts—business,
politics, domestic and business affairs,

hobbies, and everyone and everything

but You. Please help me to think and

pray this Holy Hour. Coming into Your

presence as I do from a turbulent, un-

easy and restless world, I just don’t

seem to be able to concentrate on the

immense mysteries before me. My mind

wanders and my imagination is kalei-

doscopic. Any number of distractions

would take me away from You. Please

give me the proper dispositions and

quiet me. It is so calm, peaceful and

prayerful here and so refreshing in

contrast to the gloomy atmosphere of

sin, the stuffiness of materialism and

the passionate restlessness that per-

vades the world. How truly did Saint

Augustine say, “Thou hast made us for

Thyself, 0 Lord, and our hearts can

find no rest until they rest in Thee.”

And not only did You empty Your-

self by coming into our poor world as a

Man but You even hide that humanity

in this Most Blessed Sacrament of the



An Hour with Christ 7

altar in order “to encourage us to ap-

proach Your divine Heart with greater

confidence,” as says Saint Teresa of

Avila. I draw near to You, then Jesus,

with confidence and affection in order to

adore You as my God, to thank You for

everything, to tell You that I am sorry

for my sins and for all the sins com-

mitted against You, and to beg. Yes,

dear Lord, to beg. I need You so much

in the battles and trials of my daily

life, and the world needs You now as it

never needed You before. Oh, Jesus,

help us

!

(Stop for a moment, if you wish, and ex-

pose your needs—^have a little talk with your
best Friend.)

‘T believe in God the Father ...”

Upon entering the church and just

now before beginning this exercise I

made the sign of the cross and thus pro-

claimed myself a Christian. If I would

only stop to think about it, there is a

world of truth and reality contained in

that sign. It means that I believe in

Christ and in the Redemption, for the

cross is the banner of Christ and the in-

strument of our redemption
; it means



8 An Hour with Christ

that I believe in the Holy Trinity,

Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and it

means that I am a Christian, and to be
a Christian is to be another Christ, says

Tertullian. Teach me, Master, to know

these truths; teach me, for You have

the words of eternal life . .

.

When I was baptized I gave my as-

sent, either personally or through my

sponsors, to the Apostles Creed which

is really an epitome, a summary of

Your whole doctrine. I have recited it

many times since without really think-

ing of what I was saying. It begins

with my belief in God the Father. We
cannot and do not doubt the existence of

God—^the amazing truth is that the Al-
mighty God, the Creator of all things, is

not only Your Father but He is also my

Father. I—a son of God ! The thought
is bewildering. I, a poor sinner, can

claim God for my Father! Conscious

of my unworthiness and of my natural

limitations, how could I even dream of

or think of—^much less aspire to—such
an exalted dignity? Divine sonship!

and yet we have Your words for it and

the assurance of the inspired writers.

For on one occasion when the Apostles



An Hour vnth Christ 9

asked You to teach them to pray, You

began: “Our Father ...” I am to ad-

dress God as my Father! And Saint

John, whose immense privilege it was

to lay his head on Your bosom at the

Last Supper, exclaims: ‘Behold what

manner of Charity the Father hath be-

stowed upon us, that we should he

called and should he the sons of God.”

(I John 3:1) To this the Apostle of the

Gentiles, Saint Paul, adds his testimony.

He writes to the Romans : “For whoso-

ever are led by the Spirit of God, they

are the sons of God. For you have not

received the spirit of bondage again in

fear
;
but you have received the spirit of

adoption of sons, whereby we cry : Abba

(Father) . For the Spirit himself giveth

testimony to our spirit that we are the

sons of God. And if sons, heirs also;

heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with

Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him,

that we may also be glorified with him.”

(Rom. 8:14-17).

And Jesus it is through Baptism that

we enter into this divine sonship, that

we are re-born and become Christians,

children of God and heirs of heaven. It

is in the sacrament of regeneration that



10 An Hour with Christ

we become of God’s race and co-heirs

with You, His only begotten Son. To be

adopted children of God is our glorious

privilege ! We were raised to the royal
rank by our adoption—we were trans-
formed, re-born, re-created. Saint Peter

does not hesitate to say that we become

sharers of the divine nature through

the infusion of sanctifsdng grace into

our souls. To use a metaphor, the blood

of God begins to flow in our veins when

we are regenerated in the waters of

Baptism and more perfectly when we

receive You in the Holy Eucharist. What

a stimulus there is here to the cultiva-

tion of lofty ideals and noble conduct

if we would only reflect on the glory and

greatness implied in the titles we right-

fully bear as Christians: children of

God, co-heirs with You! And how

empty and cheap are the honors, riches

and titles of the world in the light of the

incomparable dignity of adopted chil-

dren of the Most High with a right to

the divine inheritance! And when we

look around today and see the sad state

of the world, the crimes being com-

mitted, the godlessness of it all and our

own native frailty and miserableness, we



An Hour with Christ 11

are tempted to become discouraged; but

oh, let the thought of our divine adop-

tion serve as a stimulus, an inspiration,

to carry on and live our lives as true

and sincere Christians should. Can I

fail to have confidence in a Father who

clothes the lilies of the field with such

beauty, who cares for the sparrows and

who even knows when a hair falls from

my head? in a Father who loves me to

the extent of making me His own son?

To be a Christian, then, means not

only that I believe all that You have re-

vealed and taught but also that I am a

child of God, an heir of heaven. Your

little brother, and a member of Your

Mystical Body for, says Saint Paul,

“You are the body of Christ and sever-

ally His members.” (I Cor. 12 :27) And

when in Baptism I received the life of

grace, God took up His dwelling in my
soul—I became a ciborium, a taber-
nable, a temple, a little heaven where

God chooses to dwell. And He will con-

tinue to dwell there as long as I am in

the state of grace ! What a tremendous

truth! God dwells within me! He is

actually there, guiding, consoling, en-

lightening, strengthening and encourag-



12 An Hour with Christ

ing me in life’s battles. Again, dear

Lord, we have Your word to assure us,

for on one occasion You said : “If any

man love Me, my Father will love him

and we will come to him and take up our

abode with him.” 0 dear Lord, help me

to grasp these truths. They are real;

the only realities in life, and in my chase
after the phantoms of this world I pass

them by. And it is because I am a Chris-

tian that I enter into this immense cycle

of truths and realities.

But—noblesse oblige—not only does
divine sonship imply dignities and privi-

leges—it also imposes the responsibility
of living up to my high calling. It im-

plies that I must be ever careful to walk

worthy of the vocation in which I am

called (Fphes. 4:1). Would I be per-

fect as my Heavenly Father is perfect,

I must take up my cross and follow You.

Yes, Lord, it is only when I follow You

and model my conduct on Yours that I

can hope to please our Father and reach

perfection. Would I please Him, I must

live and suffer like You for it is only

sufferings that will purify my mind and

detach me from myself and from the



An Hour with Christ 13

things of this world. Oh, if I could only

realize that I am a son of God, that this

world is a place of exile and that one

day I am destined to go to my Father’s
home! How differently I would act!

0 Jesus, give me some of Your love for

the Father, some of Your burning zeal

for His glory and Your spirit of perfect

filial love and obedience and submission

to his holy Will and to the dispositions

of His divine providence. Help me to

live what I believe I am : a son of God

!

0 Heavenly Father, I am deeply grate-

ful to You for having adopted me as

Your child. It is such an exalted dignity

that I can hardly believe it. I am Your

son ! and I am destined to be happy with

You forever in Your heavenly kingdom

where Jesus, Your Beloved Son, has

gone to prepare a place for us. Oh truly,

no one ever had a more loving or for-

giving Father. We fail You and offend

You so many times, and yet You are al-

ways ready and anxious to clothe us

in the best robe and lead us to the ban-

quet table. 0 my Father, help me to be

a worthy son. And, while adoring You

as my God, I approach You with child-



14 An Hour with Christ

like confidence, sure that You who out

of an act of love made me Your son will

continue to care for all my needs and
bring me home safely to You.

“ and in Jesus Christ, His only Son,

Our Lord ...”

And, Jesus, all these treasures reach

us, all these wonderful things happen to

us through You, for “when the fullness

of the time was come God sent His Son,

made of a woman, made under the law:

that he might redeem them who were

under the law : that we might receive

the adoption of sons.” (Gal. 4:4,5) 0

Jesus, how You must love man—love
me! Emptying Yourself of all Your

glory and becoming a servant. You

underwent untold sufferings and finally

died to save me ! to make me a son of

God ! 0 Jesus, “how can I love Thee as

I ought?”



An Hour with Christ 15

Hymn:

JESUS MY LORD MY GOD MY ALL

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all!
How can I love Thee as I ought?

And how revere this wondrous gift.

So far surpassing hope or thought?

Chorus

:

Sweet Sacrament! we Thee adore,

0 make us love Thee more and more,

O make us love Thee more and more.

Had I but Mary’s sinless heart

To love Thee with, my dearest King,
O with what bursts of fervent praise

Thy goodness, Jesus would I sing!

Chorus

:

Sweet Sacrament! etc.

0 Sacred Heart, Your love knows no

bounds, and it seems that the more sin-

ful and miserable we are the more lavish

and prodigal You are with Your love.

Just glancing back over the history of

mankind I can see nothing but sin on

the part of man and only merciful for-

giveness on Your part. At the moment

of his creation. You endowed man with

every conceivable good and immunity

from evil and You destined him for an

eternity of happiness with You. And

how did man requite this love and good-

ness? The tragedy of Paradise was



16 An Hour with Christ

the answer to Your overflow of love.

Man proved recreant to his trust. Choos-

ing rather to listen to the evil one than

to You and pridefully desirous of be-

coming as gods, our first parents did

eat of the forbidden fruit . . . Every-

thing seemed to crash around them and

Adam and Eve found themselves

smothered under the wreckage their sin

had wrought. Gone was the freedom of

children of God—^they were now slaves
of the infernal tyrant. Gone was the

peace and tranquillity of innocence and

in their stead the rebellion of passions

and nature. Henceforth they are to suf-

fer and die, they are to earn their bread

in the sweat of their brow and in recom-

pense for their labors the earth will

bring forth thorns and thistles. And

instead of being givers of life to their

offspring as You had planned, they are

rather givers of death, for every child

born of Adam comes into the world a

child of death—^a servant of sin. The
outlook was dreary, despairing: slaves

of Satan, suffering, pain, death . . . The

wages of one sin. .

.

Could man hope for a better fate



An Hour with Christ 17

than that of the angels ? Could he hope

to escape the everlasting pit into which

You had plunged the angelic rebels for

a like sin of pride? With fear and

trembling man awaits his jud^ent

And turning to the serpent You cursed

him, and then : “I will put enmities be-

tween thee and the woman, and thy seed

and her seed : she shall crush thy head

and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”

(Genes. 3:15) 0 Lord, is that the way

You punish our crimes? Is this the way

You repay our infidelity? Hardly have

we committed our sin when You offer

to redeem us. Oh, what boundless love

and mercy! 0 Jesus, why do we love

You so little? Is it because we do not

stop to think of the awfulness of sin and

the great price You paid to redeem

us? Is it maybe because we do not

think of You and Your infinite mercy at

all and commit sin without a thought

—

even indifferently? I have reviewed

Your Passion many times. Blessed Sav-

ior, and I have made the Stations of the

Cross often, but how little was I im-

pressed by all that You did and suffered.

I’m ashamed of myself. To think that



18 An Hour with Christ

it was all for me, and with what a mat-

ter-of-course attitude I take it all for

granted! As if You had to redeem me!

0 Sacred Heart, I am sorry for the in-

gratitude and coldness I have shown in

the past. Hear my cries, my pleadings,

and through that Sacred Heart which I

so often pierced with the lance of sin,

have mercy

!

LITANY OF THE SACKED HEART

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on"

us,

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

God the Holy Ghost,

Holy Trinity, one God,

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Ghost

in the Womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to

the Word of God,

Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty.

Heart of Jesus, sacred temple of God,

Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the

Most High,

Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate

of heaven.

Heart of Jesus, burning furnace

of charity.

Have

mercy

on

us



An Hour with Christ 19

Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love,''

Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love.

Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,

Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise.

Heart of Jesus, King and center

of all hearts.

Heart of Jesus, in which are all the

treasures of wisdom and knowledge,

Heart of Jesus in which the Father was

well pleased.

Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we

have all received.

Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting

hills,

Heart of Jesus, patient and most

merciful.

Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke

Thee,

Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and r

holiness.

Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins.

Heart of Jesus, loaded down with

opprobrium.

Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offences,

Heart of Jesus, obedient unto death.

Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance.

Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation.

Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection.

Heart of Jesus, our peace and

reconciliation.

Heart of Jesus, victim for sin.

Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who
trust in Thee,

Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die
in Thee,

Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints,

Have

mercy

on

us



20 An Hour with Christ

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of
the world, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of
the world. Graciously hear us, 0 Lord,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of
the world, Have mercy on us.

V. Jesus meek and humble of heart,

R. Make our hearts like unto Thine.

Let us pray. 0 Almighty and eternal God,
look upon the Heart of Thy dearly beloved

Son and upon the praise and satisfaction He
oifers in the name of sinners and for those

who seek Thy mercy. Be Thou appeased, and

grant us pardon in the name of the same Jesus

Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with

Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world

without end. Amen.

(300 days indulgence once a day)

Yes, Heavenly Father, look upon the

Heart of Thy Beloved Son and grant

us pardon in His name, for it is only

through Jesus that we can look for for-

giveness, for a return to Your friend-

ship. What would have happened to us.

Blessed Savior, if You had not elected

to suffer and die for us? What if the

Cross were not a Crucifix? 0 Jesus, we

owe everything to You—life, peace, hap-
piness. And in this Your Most Blessed

Sacrament You give us the Pledge of

eternal life itself. Just suppose You

had not come! The thought is breath-



An Hour with Christ 21

taking. And suppose we were born into

a Christ-less world ! Alas, it is true that

even in our own day many reject You

and Your teachings, but what would so-

ciety be like without even those marks,

those goods of Christianity it still re-

tains? without the influence of Your

Church, which is the only moral force

battling unconditionally the paganistic

trends of our civilization? Yes, Jesus,

what would our world be without You?

We need You, Jesus, I dare say even

more than the pagan world You found

upon Your entry into creation as a

Babe! Show forth, then, 0 Lord, Your

power by sparing and having mercy on

us, on our sinful world. Remove from us

this horrible scourge of wars and

“isms” which threaten to destroy society

and which are a punishment for our

past infidelities. Under the Old Law,

dear Lord, You forgave Your fickle

chosen people and removed the penal

scourges You had inflicted upon them at

the least sign of repentance. Grant,

then, to Your people in today’s world

the grace to turn towards You, to re-

pent. And, oh, how ready You are to

forgive and draw the prodigal world to



22 An Hour with Christ

Your bosom and lavish on it new and

even greater blessings

!

O Sacred Heart, if we only knew the

depths of Your love and mercy for us!

If we only realized that You desire not

the death of the sinner but that he re-

pent and be saved. Just an indication

of sorrow on his part and You are there

with untold blessings of peace and hap-

piness. “Thy sins are forgiven thee!”

0 Savior, how many times did these

words not fall from Your lips not only

restoring life to paralyzed limbs and

health to broken bodies but much more

—life to souls dead in sin. And Your
parables of the prodigal son and the

good shepherd—are they not sources of

consolation, comfort and confidence for

us poor sinners? And today, as in the

days of Your earthly existence, we can

present ourselves to You in the person

of Your priests and hear those divine

words: “Thy sins are forgiven thee.”

Sin forgiven ! It almost seems a contra-

diction, a paradox, and no matter how

many or how heinous they are. You are

ready to forgive. No matter that I

have trampled on Your Sacred Heart:

You are anxious, waiting, to forgive and



An Hour with Christ 23

take me into Your embrace if only I

turn to You and say that I am sorry.

Oh, how can I sin any more? How can

I continue to be cold and ungrateful to

a Heart that loves me so much ! Make

me love You, dear Lord, for it is only

in loving and serving You that I will

find happiness in this life and bliss in

the next.

I know. Lord, that it is easy to say

that I love You, but You have warned

me that “Not every one that saith to

Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the

kingdom of Heaven: but he that doth

the will of my Father who is in heaven,

he shall enter into the kingdom of

heaven.” My love, then, must be one of
the intellect and of the will

;
one that is

willing to sacrifice for You; one that is

willing to serve You at any cost—

a

love that forgets self in the interest of

the beloved. It must be an unselfish

love that means to be had and not to

have—a complete giving of myself to
You and Your service in the round of

my daily life. Everything I do then,
dear Lord, I will offer up to You as an

act of love and reparation. As the Apos-

tle says : “Therefore, whether you eat or



24 An Hour with Christ

drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all

to the glory of God.” (I Cor, 10:31)

In this way, by trying to fulfill perfectly

the duties of my state in life—whether
it be in factory or office, store or ware-

house—and by offering it all up to You,
I can offer You some return for Your

great love for me and make amends for

my sins and negligences of the past and

at the same time lay up for myself treas-

ures in heaven. Please help me, then, to

love and serve You as I ought. “Had I

but Mary’s sinless heart to love Thee

with, my dearest King! . . .”,

“
. .

.

conceived by the Holy Ghost, born

of the Virgin Mary ...”

And after long centuries of hope and

expectation You finally came to liberate

us from our bondage. Conceived by the

Holy Ghost, You were born of the most

pure and holy Virgin, the new Eve in

the economy of the Kedemption. Eve

had given us the poisoned fruit of

death; Mary now gives us the Fruit,

the Bread of life. At Bethlehem Mary

gave You to us and on Calvary You

gave her to us to be our real and true



An Hour with Christ 25

mother. Next to Yourself, could You

have given us a more precious Gift? a

greater testimony of Your immense love

and solicitude for poor sinners ? Thank

You, Jesus, for Your and my Mother!

and. Mother, please intercede for your

poor, needy children.

Hymn

:

MOTHER DEAR, 0 PRAY FOR ME

Mother dear, 0 pray for me!

Whilst far from Heaven and thee

I wander in a fragile bark

O’er life’s tempestuous sea,

0 Virgin Mother, from thy throne.

So bright in bliss above.

Protect thy child and cheer my path
With thy sweet smile of love.

Chorus

:

Mother dear, remember me,

And never cease thy care,
Till in heaven eternally.

Thy love and bliss I share.

Mother dear, O pray for me!
Should pleasure’s siren lay

E’er tempt thy child to wander far

From Virtue’s path away.

When thorns beset life’s devious way,
And darkling waters flow,
Then Mary aid thy weeping child.

Thyself a mother show.

Chorus:

Mother dear, etc. ..

.



26 An Hour with Christ

Dear Mother, when confronted with

your loveliness, your beauty and great-

ness I am at a loss for words. But then

I remember that you are my mother

and with child-like confidence I hasten

to you. Saint Bernard tells us that it

was never heard that anyone who fled

to you was left unaided . . . and I need

your help so very much. But before

begging from you let me tell you how

beautiful you are and how happy I am

to have you for a mother.

Mother of God—what an incompar-
able dignity ! and in keeping with God’s

ways. He endowed you with all the

beauties and graces necessary to fit you

for that sublime office. To what can

we compare you, dear Mother, for after

Jesus, there never was and never will

be a more lovely creature formed by

divine Wisdom. Saint John sees you as

a brilliant vision clothed with the sun

and having the moon at your feet and

a crown of twelve stars. But how pale

these must be when compared to you.

Mother, who are the brightest star in

God’s heavens. Poets and painters have

tried to capture your beauty and fix it



An Hour with Christ 2.1

in verse or on canvas ; while troubadors

in all ages have sung their lays to your

beauty. But all alike fail, for who can

describe your beauty, the fresh loveli-

ness of your virginity and your mother-

ly tenderness when you call forth from

God Himself the exclamation; “Behold

thou art fair, my love?”

But lest all this regal splendor and in-

comparable beauty keep me at a dis-

tance, I will hasten over to Nazareth and

call upon you in your modest little home.

What a thrill and happiness to knock

at the door and to be received by the

Mother of God herself ! Such humility

!

and it is this humility which at the

same time brings God down from His

heavens and clothes over your majestic

splendor. To the natives of the town

you are just another young mother go-

ing about the ordinary duties of caring

for your child and your modest house-

hold. But what a Mother! and what a

Child! and such humility! That little

Child who is running about and Who,

seeing you approach, runs eagerly and

climbs into your loving Motherly em-

brace is the very Son of God. And how

you mother Him ! How you clothe, feed



28 An Hour with Christ

and care for His little needs! Surely,

no child ever had a more tender, a

more loving mother.

But Nazareth and its mixed joys and

sorrows are gone. We are now standing
on Calvary. The Sacrifice is almost

complete—the divine Victim, your Son,
Mary, hangs upon the Cross. But be-

fore giving up His soul into the hands of

His Heavenly Father, He has a final be-

quest to make . . . And then, Jesus, see-

ing Your mother standing there with

John, Your beloved disciple. You said:

“Woman, behold thy son.” And after

that to the disciple : “Behold thy Mother

. .

.”
and from that hour John took her

to his own.

Your Mother, Jesus, is mine! That

most lovely of all creatures, I can call

mother! Yes, just as God is my Father,

so too, is Mary my mother. We have

Your word for it, Jesus, and You are

Truth itself. Why do we always doubt

Your word? Is it because these truths

are so stupendous, these Gifts so royal,

that I can’t believe my own ears? I am

a son of God and a son of Mary in the

strictest sense of the term because You

tell me so. Please help my unbelief.



An Hour with Christ 29

O Mother, Saint John took you to his

own, for he took Jesus at His word. I

resolve henceforth to do likewise, to

take you into my heart, to treat you as

my own dear mother, to confide in you

and like Jesus, to fly to you in all my

joys and sorrows. I’m so happy dear

Mother, to think that you—even though

reigning gloriously in heaven—are so
close to me, that your mantle of love en-

folds and protects me and that I am the

object of your maternal solicitude just

as Jesus was in the little home in Naza-

reth. Yes, mother, I promise to be a

real son to you from now on. I promise

to love you by serving you and never

displease you by offending your divine

Son.

LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have

mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.



30 An Hour with Christ

Holy Mother of God, pray for us.

Holy Virgin of virgins,

Mother of Christ,

Mother of divine grace.

Mother most pure.

Mother most chaste.

Mother inviolate.

Mother undefiled.

Mother most amiable,

Mother most admirable.

Mother of Good Counsel,

Mother of our Creator,

Mother of our Savior,

Virgin most prudent.

Virgin most venerable.

Virgin most renowned.

Virgin most powerful.

Virgin most merciful, r

Virgin most faithful.

Mirror of justice.

Seat of wisdom.

Cause of our joy,

Spiritual vessel.

Vessel of honor,

Singualr vessel of devotion,

Mystical rose.

Tower of David,

Tower of ivory.

House of gold.

Ark of the covenant.

Gate of heaven.

Morning star.

Health of the sick,

Eefuge of sinners.

Pray

for

us



An Hour with Christ 31

Comforter of the afflicted,

Help of Christians,

Queen of Angels,

Queen of Patriarchs,

Queen of Prophets,

Queen of Apostles,

Queen of Martyrs,

Queen of Confessors,

Queen of Virgins,

Queen of all Saints,

Queen conceived without original

Queen of the most holy Rosary,

Queen of Peace,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, Spare us, O Lord,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, Graciously hear us, 0 Lord,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, Have mercy on us,

V. Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the

promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Grant, O Lord God, we beseech

Thee, that we Thy servants may rejoice in

continual health of mind and body, and

through the glorious intercession of Blessed

Mary ever Virgin, be freed from present sor-

row and enjoy eternal gladness. Through

Christ Our Lord. Amen.

sin.

o

d
m



32 An Hour with Christ

Title upon title has ben added to the

list but, dear Mother, we cannot ex-

haust your beauties, your wonders, your

graces. Each day you manifest some

new beauty to the eyes of your children.

Just as our earthly mothers increase in

beauty each day to the eyes of their lov-

ing and devoted sons, so do you too.

Mother Mary. But there is one title

that is dearer to me than all of them

and that is—^mother. You are my
mother! No one was dearer to Jesus

than you, dear Mary. He loved you

with all the tenderness of His great

Sacred Heart, and in this—as in all else
—He is the Model for us. As a child.
He, the Amighty God, obeyed your

wishes and requests and as He grew up

He was always on the alert to please and

to serve His lovely Mother. And after

Saint Joseph died. He worked hard to

support you—always being solicitous
for your needs and comfort. Yes, Jesus,

You were the Model for us in filial devo-

tion to our Mother. Give us the grace,

please, to love and treat her as she de-

serves—^to be loving sons to her. The
Cure d’Ars was ravished, dear Mother,

by your solicitude for your children left



An Hour with Christ 33

behind on earth. He goes on to say that

you never rest and never will rest until

the end of time when you see all your

children safely in heaven. What a lovely

picture—to see you busily going about
from one child to another, caring for

the needs of each and obtaining for each

the much-needed graces from the

Father. And what have we, Mother,

that we have not received through your

hands? for in the present economy, in

the order established by God, all graces

come to us through you. You are the

dispensatrix of the riches of the Holy

Trinity. I come, then, with confidence

to you, dearest Mother and munificent

queen. Please do not turn away the

poor beggar standing at your gate, for

he is your own poor child.

(Why not pause here and have a talk with

your mother?—a real filial talk and ask her
confidentially for the things you need.)

“
. .

.

I believe in the Holy Ghost ...”

Dearest Jesus, how solicitous you al-

ways were and are for our welfare!

You gave us Your own dear Mother on

Calvary’s hill but Your concern did not



34 An Hour with Christ

rest there. Determined that we should

not be left orphans till the end of time,

You promised to ask the Father to send

the Holy Ghost : “I will ask the Father

and he shall give you another Paraclete,

that he may abide with you for ever.

The spirit of truth, whom the world

cannot receive because it seeth him not,

nor knoweth him : but you shall know

him; because he shall abide with you

and shall be in you.” (John 14:16,17)

We hasten, then, over to the Cenacle and

there in company with Mary and the

Apostles and the other disciples, we

await the coming of the Holy Spirit,

the Gift of God Most High.

Hymn

:

COME, HOLY GHOST, CEEATOR BLEST

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest.

And in our hearts take up Thy rest

;

Come with Thy grace and heav’nly aid.

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry.

Thou heav’nly Gift of God Most High;

Thou fount of life and fire of love.

And sweet anointing from above.

And sweet anointing from above.



An Hour with Christ 3S

0 Holy Ghost through Thee alone,

Know we the Father and the Son,

Be this our never changing creed,

That Thou dost from them both proceed.

That Thou dost from them both proceed.

Praise we tl e Father and the Son,

And Holy Spirit with them One;

And may the Son on us bestow

The gifts that from the Spirit flow.

The gifts that from the Spirit flow.

During the ceremony of our Bap-

tism, the priest, exercising his powers

of exorcist, commanded the evil spirit

in whose bondage we were born, to de-

part and to give place to the Holy Spirit.

And at the actual moment of Baptism,

our souls, which were dead in sin, re-

ceived life and we became temples of the

Holy Ghost. Until then we were dead

as far as heaven and the supernatural

life was concerned. Like the stillborn

babe physically perfect at birth, our

souls were equipped with all the facul-

ties needed to lead our rational life but

they were dead. It is thanks to this in-

fusion of the Holy Ghost at Baptism

that we receive life. Our souls are, as it

were, given a soul—given a principle of
life which will enable them to live and



36 An Hour with Christ

act supernaturally. It is this re-birth

of which Christ spoke when He said that

we must be reborn of water and the

Holy Ghost. Our natural birth made us

members of the human race and mem-

bers of our particular families. The

supernatural birth effected by Baptism

and the infusion of the Holy Ghost

makes us members of a divine race and

sons of God, brothers of Jesus. And just

as the Holy Spirit formed our divine

Model, Jesus, so too will He form us

into worthy sons of God—if we let
Him work!

0 Jesus, send forth Thy spirit abun-

dantly into our souls that we may be-

come genuine Christians, real sons of

God and other Christs.

This presence of the Holy Spirit in

our souls which accompanies and is the

effect of Grace is generally known as the

state of grace. It is a condition of soul

wherein we are not only free from mor-

tal sin but we are actually in possession

of God, sharers of divine life, as says

Saint Peter, and children of God. Please,

Lord, help me to grasp these truths and

to realize what a treasure I carry in my



An Hour with Christ 37

soul. Help me to guard carefully this

treasure which I carry around in such

a fragile vessel. Give me such an appre-

ciation of Grace and the state of Grace

that I would rather die than lose it
;
for

to lose Grace means that You leave my

soul
;
and living without You here means

that I will have to live without You in

the next life! Help me to realize that

when I sin mortally I reverse the words

of the priest at Baptism. Although not

actually, I say practically : depart from

me, God, and give place to the evil

spirit ! What an exchange ! to barter the

priceless treasure of Your grace for the

toy of some passing pleasure, to trade

eternity for time, peace for remorse, and

the freedom of a child of God for the

terrible slavery of sin!

And not only does the Holy Spirit

give life to the soul but He also perfects,

develops and sanctifies it—if we let
Him ! Most of us are disappointments

to God. With all the potentialities in

our souls for greatness we end up very

mediocre. What is wrong, Jesus? Is it

perversity of will that obstructs the di-

vine action in us? Is it our own self-

seeking that shrinks up our souls with



38 An Hour with Christ

selfishness? Or is it because we fail to

grasp the purpose of life? We have

Your Holy Mass, we have the Sacra-

ments channelling to us the merits of

Your life and death, we have all the

means at our disposal to make us spir-

itual giants—and we fail. The Spirit of

God, the Finger of God, who formed

You, Jesus, into the GREAT ONE, is at
work in our souls to form us after You

;

and what are we ? Is it that our hearts,

our minds, our feet, are stuck so fast

in the mucky clay of this world that they

cannot be lifted to You? Is it that we

allow our minds to become so filled with

creatures that there is very little or no

space left for the Creator?

0 Holy Ghost, we are sorry that we

have grieved You till now. Make us

more amenable, more responsive to

Your grace, more submissive to Your

divine action, so that Christ may be

formed in us. Teach us that the things

of this world are only to be used as

means to bring us to You and not as

ends in themselves. Teach us that we

are pilgrims here and that the earth is

not our home. Teach us that unless we



An Hour with Christ 39

accept and use the grace You are pleased

to send us, we shall stumble and fall on

the way—and suppose we do not rise
again ! Please give us the strength, the

courage, to live our faith in the face of

and in spite of every obstacle, so that

persevering we may be saved. Give us

an abundance of Your Gifts which

make us apt and capable of living and

acting supernaturally. Infuse into our

souls a lively faith, that we may not

only believe, but live what we believe;

a firm hope and confidence in Your

goodness and promises; and an ardent

love and burning charity for God and

the things of God, and for our neigh-

bors. In a word, 0 Holy Spirit, make

us like unto Jesus.

And so, dear Lord, we approach the

end of our visit. It has passed by so

quickly, peacefully and pleasantly. You

have brought home to me so many

truths which I have always believed,

but the import of which I never realized

because I never stopped to think about

them—^truths which, if realized and
lived, would make my life fuller, richer



40 An Hour with Christ

and happier. I promise to take the

time to think and read, and even, if

necessary, to consult the pastor You

have placed over us about the richness

of our Faith. Surely, if I fully realized

what it means to be a son of God, a

brother of You, Jesus, a temple of the

Holy Ghost and a child of Mary, I would

lead a genuinely Christian life and

would not allow myself to become taint-

ed with the materialism, modernism and

hundred other “isms” of our twentieth

century world. And did I but often call

to mind the promises I made at Baptism

to renounce Satan and all his works

—

promises too little valued and too easily

broken—I would not be so likely to be-
tray my God and expel Him from my

life. And finally, did I but realize the

priceless pearl that is mine in the gift

of Faith! It opens up to me the vast

realms of the Father’s kingdom and en-

ables me to say the “I believe” which is

the password to eternal life.

Thank you, dear Lord, for every-

thing. I am going back into the busy,

care-filled world, but I do not go alone

—

I am taking You with me as the treas-



An Hour with Christ 41

ured Guest of my soul. I need You at

every turn of the road. May You always

be to me “the way, the truth and the

life.”

I promise to call again very soon.

*

Venite adoremus: come let us adore Himt

BENEDICTION

Tantum ergo Sacramentum

Veneremur cernui:

Et antiquum documentum

Novo cedat ritui:

Praestet fides supplementum

Sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque

Laus et jubilatio:

Salus, honor, virtus quoque

Sit et benedictio:

Procedenti ab utroque

Compar sit laudatio. Amen.

Down in adoration falling,

Lo ! the sacred Host we hail

!

Lo ! o’er ancient forms departing.

Newer rites of grace prevail;

Faith for all defects supplying

Where the feeble senses fail.



42 An Hour with Christ

To the Everlasting Father,

And the Son who reigns on high,

With the Holy Ghost proceeding

Forth from each eternally.

Be salvation, honor, blessing.

Might and endless majesty. Amen.

y. Panem de coelo praestitisti eis.

B. Omne delectamentum in se habentem.

V. Thou gavest them bread from heaven.

R. Having in it the sweetness of every taste.

OREMUS

Deus, qui nobis sub Sacramento mirabili pas-

sionis tuae memoriam reliquisti; tribue, quae-

sumus, ita nos corporis et sanguinis tui sacra

mysteria venerari; ut redemptionis tuae fruc-

tum in nobis jugiter sentiamus. Qui vivis et

regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

LET US PRAY

O God, who, under a wonderful Sacrament

hast left us a memorial of Thy passion
:
grant

us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred

mysteries of Thy Body and Blood that we may

ever feel within ourselves the fruit of Thy Re-

demption. Who livest and reignest, world with-

^out end. Amen.



An Hour with Christ 43

THE DIVINE PRAISES

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true

man.

Blessed be the Name of Jesus.

Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament

of the Altar.

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary

most holy.

Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Concep-

tion.

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and

Mother.

Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste

Spouse.

Blessed be God in His Angels and and in

His Saints.

(Indulgence of two years—Leo XIII, Feb 2,
1897.)

Psalm 116

Laudate Dominum omnes Gentes: * laudate
eum, omnes populi.

Quoniam confirmata est super nos misericor-

dia ejus: * et veritas Domini manet in aeter-

num.

Gloria Patri, etc.

0 praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise
Him, all ye people.

For His mercy is confirmed upon us: and

the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.

Glory be to the Father, etc.



44 An Hour with Christ

HOLY GOD WE PRAISE THY NAME

Holy God, we praise Thy name;

Lord of all, we bow before Thee;

All on earth Thy septre claim,

All in heaven above adore Thee.

Infinite Thy vast domain,

Everlasting is Thy reign.

Infinite Thy vast domain,

Everlasting is Thy reign.

Hark the loud celestial hymn,

Angel Choirs above are raising;

Cherubim and Seraphim,

In unceasing chorus praising.

Fill the heavens with sweet accord,

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord.

Fill the heavens with sweet accord.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord.

O



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