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OB, .

DISCOURSES

ON THB

MASS AND OFFICE,

WITH A

PREPARATION AND THANKSGIVING

BEFORE AND AFTER MASS

FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK.

TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN OF

ST. AIiPHONSUS

BY THEi

* /

REV. JAMES^&ON^^

PHILADELPHIA:

PETER F. CUNNINGHAM, Catholic Bookseller,

216 South Third Street.

1861.

We are pleased to know, that Mr. P. F. Cunningham
proposes to republish the small treatises of St. Alphon-
sus de Liguori on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and
the Divine Office, with Prayers and Meditations for
Preparation and Thanksgiving. We give our full and
cordial approbation to the publication.

JAMES F. WOOD,

BISHOP OF PHILADELPHIA.

Exaltation of the Cross, 1861. ,. ,,■. .. . ^.

I ^ '

Y ■•

CONTENTS.

On the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, 6

§. I. Of Preparation before Mass, 11

§. II. Of the rciverence with which Mass ought to

be celebrated, 16

§. III. Of Thanksgiving after Mass, 37

Praeparatio ad Missam, 43

MEDITATIONS AND AFFECTIONS BEFORE MASS.

Meditation I. Sunday, 55

Memento of the living, 59

Memento of the dead, 60

Meditation II. Monday, 60

Meditation III. Tuesday, 66

Meditation IV. Wednesday, 69

Meditation V. Thursday, 72

Meditation VI. Friday, 75

Meditation VII. Saturday, 78

Gratiarum Actio, 83

AFFECTIONS BY WAY OF THANKSGIVINGS AFTER MASS.

Thanksgiving I. Suniay, 100

Thanksgiving II. Monday, 103

Thanksgiving III. Tuesday, 105

Thanksgiving IV. Wednesday, 108

Thatiksgiving V. Thursday, 110

Thanksgiving VI. Friday, , 113

Thanksgiving VII. Saturday,.. 116

Aspirations of love after Mass, collected from the
manuscripts of St. Francis of Sales, 118

IV • CONTENTS.

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

Of devoutly reciting the Divine Office, « 126

Directio Intentionis ante Missam, 151

Jesus, Maria, Joseph, Forma intenlionis ad Mis-
sam celebrandam, 151

Precatiuncnla Sacerdotibus quotidie legenda, ut
in dies Deo ferventius deserviant. Ex Thorn.

a Kempis, De Iraitationi Christi, 153

Alia post Missam ad Beatissimam Yirginem Ma-

rium Preeatio, 164

Ad vulnera Christi oratio, 154

Salutationes ad omnia membra Christi, et sui

ipsius ad earn commendatio, 155

MEDITATIONS ON THE PASSION, BY WAV OF PEEPAEATIOH

FOR MASS.

Meditation I. Sunday, 157

Meditation II. Monday, 159

Meditation III. Tuesday, 16-1

Meditation IV. Wednesday,..* loS

Meditation V. Thursday, 164

Meditation VI. Friday, 166

Meditation VII. Saturday, 168

THANKSGIVINGS.

Thanksgiving I. Sunday, ITO

Thanksgiving II. Monday, .. 171

Thanksgiving III. Tuesday, 173

Thanksgiving IV. AVednesday, 175

Thanksgiving V. Thursday 176

Thanksgiving VI. Friday, 177

Thanksgiving VII. Saturday, 179

• • #•

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ON THE

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.. 179

HOLY SACRIFICE

OF THE MASS.

Unless a Priest esteem the Holy Sacrifice as
it deserves, he can never celebrate it with suit-
able devotion. Assuredly there is no action,
which man can perform, so sublime, so sacred,
as the celebration of Mass. Fateamur, says the
Council of Trent, nullum aliud opus, adeo sanc-
tum ac divinum a Christo jidelihus tractari posse,
quam hoc ipsum tremendum mysterium, ^scss. 22.
Decret, de observ. in eel. etc. God himself could
not enable a man to perform anything greater
than the celebration of Mass.

All the ancient sacrifices, by which God was
so much honored, were but shadows and figures
of our sacrifice of the altar. All the honor that
angels by their adorations, and men by their
good works, austerities, and even martyrdoms,
have ever rendered or will ever render to God,

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

never could, and never will, give him so much
glory as one single Mass ; for, while the honor
of all creatures is only finite, that which accrues
to God from the holy Sacrifice of the Altar is
infinite, inasmuch as the victim which is ofi'ered
is of infinite value. The Mass, therefore, oflfers
to God the greatest honor that can be given him ;
subdues most triumphantly the powers of hell -,
aifords the greatest relief to the suffering souls in
purgatory j appeases most efficaciously the wrath
of God against sinners, r/id brings down the
greatest blessings on mankind.

If, as it is promised, we may confidently hope
to obtain from God whatever we ask in the name
of Jesus : Si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine
meo dabit vobis. Jo. xxiv. how much more con-
fidently may we hope to obtain what we ask for,
when we immolate to the Father, Jesus himself 1
Our loving Redeemer is continually making inter-
cession for us in heaven : Qui etiam inter pellat
pro nobis. Rom. viii. But this he does more
especially in the sacrifice of the Mass, in which,
by the hands of the priest, he presents himself to
his Eternal Father, to obtain graces for us.
Were we assured that all the Saints and the
blessed Mother of Christ were praying for us,
with what great confidence should we expect to
receive all graces necessary for us ? But it is

\ i«]

OF THE MASS.

certain that one prayer of Jesus Christ will avail
infinitely more than all the prayers of the Saints.
Poor wretched sinners, what would become of us,
without this sacrifice to appease the Lord I Hujus
quippe oblatione placaius Dominus, gratiam et
donum pmnitenim concedens, crimina et peccata
etiam ingentia dimittit, says the Council of
Trent. In a word, as ,the passion of Jesus Christ
was sufficient to save the whole world, so is a
single Mass sufficient to save it. Hence, at the
offertory of the chalice the priest says : Offeri-
mus tibi, Domine, calicem salutaris .pto nos-
tra^ et totius mundi salute.

The Mass is the good thing and the beautiful
thing of the Church, according to the prediction
of the prophet : Quid enim bonum ejus est et quid
pulchrum ejus, nisi frumentum electorum et vinum
germinans virgines ? Zacch, ix. 17. In the
Mass, the Word incarnate offers himself in sacri-
fice to his Eternal Father, and gives himself to
us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist,
which is the end and aim of almost all the other
sacraments, as the angelic doctor teaches : Fere
omnia sacramenta in Eucharistia consummantur ,
Hence St. Bonaventure says, that in the Mass
God manifests to us all the love which he has
borne us, and includes in it, as in a compendium,
all his benefits : Est memoriale totius diledionis

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

suoSf et quad compendium quoddam omnium bene-
ficiorum suorum, S. Bonav, de Instit. part, i.
cap, 11. On this account the devil has always
endeavored to abolish the Mass throughout the
world by means of heretics, making them the
precursors of Antichrist, who before all things
will endeavor to abolish, and in fact will, in pun-
ishment of the sins of men, succeed in abolishing
the holy sacrifice of the altar, according to the
prediction of Daniel : Robur autem datum est ei
contra juge sacrificium propter peccatd, Dan,
viii. 12.-

The same St. Bonaventure says, that the Son
of God in every Mass confers a benefit on the
world not less than that which he conferred in
taking upon himself our human nature : JVon
minus videtur facere Deus in hoc, quod quotidie
dignatur descenders super aliare, quam cum natu-
ram humani generis assumpsit. Loco cit. So that,
as the learned teach, if Jesus Christ had never
appeared in the world, a priest, by pronouncing
the words of consecration, would bring him down
from heaven upon the earth, according to that
celebrated sentence of St. Augustine : vene-
randa Sacerdotum digniias, in quorum manibus,
velut in utero Virginis Filius Dei incarnatur,
S, Aug, in Psalm xxvii.

Moreover, as the saprifice of the altar is the

OF THE JIASS.

the

application and renewing of the sacrifice of the
cross, the angelic doctor teaches, that the Mass
procures for man the same benefits and salvation
as the sacrifice of the cross procured for him :
In qualihet Missa invenitur omnisfructus, quern
Christus operatus est in cruce, Quidquid est
effectus Dominica passionis est effectus hujus
Sacrificii, S. Thorn, in cap. 6. Isa. Lect. 6. St.
Chrysostom says the same : Tantum valet celebra"
tio MisscB quantum valet mors Christi in cruce,
Apud DiscipuL Serm, 48. And of this the
Church still further assures us, saying : Qucties
hujus hosticR commemoratio recolitur, toties opus
nostra Redemptionis exercetur. Oral, in Missa
Bom, post Pent, As the same Saviour, who
offered himself for us on the cross, oiFers himself
in sacrifice on the altar by the hands of the priest,
as the Council of Trent teaches : Una enim eadem-
que hostia, idem nunc offerens Sacerdotum minis-
terio, qui seipsum tunc in cruce obtulit, sola
ratione offerendi diversa, Sess, 22, cap, 2 ; so
the sacrifice of the cross is applied to our souls
by the sacrifice of the altar. The passion of Jesus
Christ rendered us capable of redemption ; the
Mass puts us in possession of it, and enables us
to enjoy its merits.

The Mass, then, being the most holy and divine
action in which we can be engaged, it plainly
1*

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

follows, says the Council of Trent, that all dili-
gence ought to be used in order that so great a
sacrifice may be celebrated with the greatest pos-
sible interior purity and exterior devotion : Satis
etiam apparet, omnem operam et diligentiam in eo
ponendum esse, ut quanta maxima fieri potest in-
teriori cordis munditia et puritate, atque exteriori
devotionis, acpietatis specie peragatnr. Sess, 22.
.Deer, de obser. etc. And it says that the male-
diction fulminated by Jeremias against those who
performed negligently their sacred functions, is
especially to be directed against Priests who
celebrate Mass irreverently, which is the greatest
and most sublime action that man can perform
for the honor of his Creator ; adding that such
irreverence cannot well be less than impiety.
The words of the Council are : Qitce ah impietate
vix sejuncta esse potest.

In order, therefore, that the Priest of God may
avoid such irreverence, and with it the maledic-
tion of heaven, let us see what he must do before
he celebrates Mass ; what during the celebration ;
and what after he has celebrated. Before he
celebrates he must prepare himself. During the
celebration he must behave with suitable rever-
ence. After having celebrated he must make a
thanksgiving.

OF THE

SECT

OF PREPARATIO

It has been said by a
the whole life of a Priest ou^uu •§ ul a pre-
paration and thanksgiving for Mass. It is true
that the most holy Eucharist was instituted for
the benefit of all the faithful, but it was espe-
cially bestowed upon Priests. Jfolite, says our
Loi d, speaking to Priests, dare sanctum canibus,
neque mittatis margaritas vestras, ante par cos,
Matth. vii. 6. Mark the words, Margaritas ves-
tras. In Greek the consecrated particles are
called margariicB ; now these are here spoken of
by our Blessed Saviour as belonging particularly
to Priests, margaritas vestras. Hence, accord-
ing to St. Chrysostoni, a Priest leaving the altar
ought to be so inflamed with divine love, as to
be the terror of hell : Tanquam hones igitur
ignem spirantes ab ilia mensa recedamus^ facti
diabolo terribiles. Chrysost, Horn, 6. ad Popul.
Antioch, But do we see this exemplified? On
the contrary, the greater number of Priests
leave the altar even more tepid, more impatient,
proud, jealous, and more attached to their own
interests, to self-esteem, and to worldly plea-
sures. Defectus non in ciT)o est, sed in sumente,

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

says Cardinal Bona. The fault is not in the
food of which they partake at such a table, since
such food, only once eaten, according to St. Mary
Magdalene of Pazzi, is sufficient to make them
saints ; but in the neglect of preparation on the
part of those who celebrate the Holy Sacrifice.

Preparation for Mass is two-fold — remote and
immediate.

The remote consists in a pure and virtuous
life, which a Priest ought always to lead in
order to celebrate worthily. If God required
purity of the Priests of the old law, to qualify
them for the carrying only of the sacred vessels :
Mundamini qui fertis vasa Domini, ha. Hi. 11 ;
how much greater purity must he require of a
Priest for bearing in his hands and in his breast
the Word incarnate'? Quanto mundiores esse
oporiet, qui in manibus et in corpore portant
Christum? says Peter of Blois, Ep, 123. In
order to be thus pure and holy, a Priest should
not only be free from mortal sins, but also from
deliberate venial sins: otherwise, says St. Ber-
nard, Jesus Christ will not allow him to have
part with him : J^emo qucB videntur modica^ con-
temnat ; quoniam, sicut audivit Petrus, nisi lave-
rit ea Chrisius, non habebimus partem cum eo.
All the actions, therefore, of a Priest, all his
words, all his though'ts, ought to be so holy as

OF THE MASS.

to dispoa^ aim remotely for the worthy celebra-
tion of Mass.

The immediate preparation consists first in
mental prayer. How can a Priest celebrate
Mass devoutly, who does not prepare himself
beforehand by meditation? Father Avila says,
that a Priest ought to make an hour and a half's
meditation before celebrating the Holy Sacrifice.
I should be satisfied with half an hour, and, for
the more tepid, with even a quarter of an hour ;
but I cannot help saying that a quarter is too
little. God, how many beautiful books are
there of meditation by way of preparation for
Mass ! but how few make use of them ! Hence
is Mass so frequently celebrated with such
grievous negligence and want of devotion. St.
Thomas says, that our Blessed Redeemer insti-
tuted the most holy sacrament of the altar, in
order to keep alive within us the remembrance
of his love shown to us in his passion, and of
the great benefits obtained for us by the sacrifice
of himself on the altar of the cross ; and hence
the apostle admonishes us that, as often as we
receive the holy communion, we should do so in
remembrance of the death of our Lord : Quo-
tiescumque enim manducabitis partem himc, et
calicem bibetis, mortem Domini annunciabitis.
1 Cor, xi. Now, if all the faithful are required

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

to commemorate the passion of Jesus Christ as
often as they communicate, how much more is a
Priest required to do this, when he celebrates
Mass ; in which he not only receives the most
sacred body and blood of Christ, but also repre-
sents and renews upon the altar, although in
a different manner, the sacrifice itself of the
cross.

Besides making his meditation, a Priest should
also, before he celebrates, recollect himself, at
least for a short time, and reflect on the great-
ness of the action which he is about to perform.
Thus it was ordained by the Council of Milan,
in the time of St. Charles : Antequam celebrent,
se colligant, et orantes mentem m tanti Mysterii
cogitationem defigant. When a Priest enters the
sacristry to say Mass, let him leave behind him
all worldly thoughts, saying to them with St.
Bernard : "Wait here all earthly cares and solici-
tude, until after I have celebrated Mass, which
will require all my attention. St. Francis of
Sales, writes in one of his letters to St. Jane
Frances de Chantal : When I approach the altar
to begin Mass, I banish all temporal affairs from
my mind. Let a Priest, therefore, consider that
he is going to call down from heaven the Word
incarnate, to treat familiarly with him, to offer
him again in sacrifice to his Eternal Father, and

OF THE MASS.

to nourish himself with hi? divine body and
blood ; after the example of the venerable John
of Avila, who was accustomed to excite himself
to devotion by saying : I am going to consecrate,
to call down the body and blood of the Son of
God, I am going to take him into my hands,
to speak to klm, and to treat with him^ and to
receive him into my breast.

Let him also reflect that he is going to the
altar to make intercession for all sinners. Sacer-
dos dum celebrat, says St. Laurence Justinian,
mediatoris gerit officium; propterea delinquen-
Hum omnium debet esse precator, Serm, de Corp,
Christi. So that a Priest at the altar, according
to St. John Chrysostom, stands between God
and his creatures, offers up their, prayers, and
obtains for them the graces of heaven : Medius
sit Sacerdos inter Deum et humanam naturam,
illinc beneficia ad nos deferens, Hom, 6. in 2.
Tim. ii. In the old law the High Priest was
permitted only once in the year to enter into the
Sancta sanctorum, to pray for the people j but
now every Priest is permitted to off'er the Lamb
without spot to the Eternal Father every day, to
obtain for himself and for the whole Church all
necessary graces and favors. Hence, says the
Council of Basil : Si quis principem scbcuH roga-
turus, habitu honesto, gestu decenti, prolatione

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

non prcBcipiti, attenta quoque merit e, seipsum
studet componere; quanto diligentius in sacro
loco rogaturus Deum hcec facere curabit. Cone,
Basil, Sess, 21. Can, Quomodo,

SECTION II.

OF THE REVERENCE WITH WHICH MASS OUGHT
TO BE CELEBRATED.

In the second place, a Priest celebrating
Mass ought to behave with all the reverence
due to so great a sacrifice. To induce him to
do this is the intent, or at least the principal
point of this tract. Let us then see what is
meant by reverence. It means first, a proper
attention to the words of the Mass ; and secondly,
an exact observance of the ceremonies prescribed
by the rubrics. As regards attention to the
words, a Priest sins, by being voluntarily dis-
tracted during Mass ; and as divines say, if it be
during the consecration and elevation, or during
a notable part of the canon, he sins mortally ; so
the Roncaglia teach, cap, 3. q. 2. Reg. 3., Con-
cina Theol, Moral, pag, 516. num, 13., and Tam-
burino, who, although lenient, even too lenient
in bis opinions, yet speaking on this point, says :

OF THE MASS.

Si Sacerdos per notahile tempvs voluntarie dis-
tractus eas Missm partes^ qu(B canonem continent
recitet, peccabit mortaliter. Videtur autem mihi
gravis irreverentia, qua quis dum projitetur Deum
summe venerari, cum illo irreverenter 'per volun-
tariam distractionem se gerat, Meth. ceL Miss,
cap. 3. num. 9. And I am of the same opinion,
whatever certain authors may say to the con-
trary : because, waiving the question, whether
the interior intention is or is not the essence of
prayer, 1 maintain that the holy Sacrifice is not
only an act of prayer, but also a most sublime
act of religious worship, in which a Priest
appears to commit great irreverence, if, while he
actually professes religiously to honor God, he
'is voluntarily distracted with thoughts of other
subjects. Hence this admonition of the rubrics :
Sacerdos maxime curare debet, lit distincte et
apposite proferat, non admodum festinanter, ut
advertere possit quce legit, etc.

As regards the performing of the ceremonies
prescribed by the rubrics for the celebration of
Mass, St. Pius V. in the Bull inserted in the
Missal, commands, district e, et in virtute sanctce
obedientice, Mass to be celebrated according to
the rubrics of the Missal : Juxta ritum, are the
words, modum, et normam in Missali prcescrip^-
tarn. Hence Suarez very properly says, that
2

'^iUff^fto^

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

\3 '

the omission of any ceremony prescribed in the
rubrics, such as a sign of the cross, genuflection,
icclination, &c., cannot be excused of venial sin.
And this is declared by Benedict XIII. in the
Roman Council, (Tit, 15. cap, 1.) which says,
that in the celebration of Mass, Riius in minimis
etiam, sine peccaio negligi, vel mutari hand poS'
sunt, St. Teresa said : / would lay down my
life for only one of the ceremonies of the Church ;
and shall a Priest slight them ? La Croix says
the same, lib, 2. num, 422. with Pasqualigo, if
the said ceremonies are performed in too hurried
a manner, or carelessly, as says F. Concina also
very properly, pag, 409. num, 2., speaking of
those who in saying Mass do not touch the
ground with one knee when they genuflect, or
who, when they should kiss the altar, only make
an appearance of kissing it, or who do not pro-
perly form the crosses at the benedictions as
prescribed in the rubrics; because, as Gavant
(p. 3. in Ruhr, Miss, tit, 2.) says with Ledesma,
it is the same thing as to omit the ceremonies
prescribed, to perform them improperly j accord-
ing to the axiom of jurists : Paria sunt non facere,
et male facere.

Moreover, the learned in general, Wigandt,
tract. 15, num, 75, Roncaglia, de Sacr, Miss,
cap, 3,. qucBst. 4, Concina and La Croix in the

OF THE MASS.

places already cited, say, that if any one omits
a notable part of the ceremonies of the Mass,
although not of the most important, he cannot
be excused from grievous sin. Such omissions,
when repeated in the same Mass, amount to
something grievous ; and therefore are grievously
irreverent to the Holy Sacrifice. We know that
even in the old law, the Lord threatened with
many maledictions those Priests, who were care-
less of the ceremonies of their sacrifices, which
were but figures of ours : Quod si audire nolueris
vocem Domini Dei tui, ut costodias et facias cczre-

monias venient super te omnes maledictiones

istce: Maledictus eris in civitate, meledidus in

agro Maledictus eris ingrediens, etc. Deut,

xxviii. 15, 16, 19.

Hence, seeing the greater part of Priests say
Mass with so much hurry and carelessness in the
performance of the ceremonies, one ought to weep
even with tears of blood. Well might be applied
to such the reproach of Clement of Alexandria
to the Gentile Priests, that they made heaven a
theatrical scene, and God the subject of a comedy :
impietatem ! Scenam c(Blum fecistis, et Deus
factus est actus. Clem, Aletc, de Sac. Gentil.
But why should I say a comedy? Oh, what
attention would not such pay, if they had to
recite a part in a comedy ! And in £j|ying Mass

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

what attention do tbey pay ? Words mutilated,
genuflections half made, acts of mockery rather
than of reverence : crosses formed so as that it
would be impossible to know what they meant :
such movements about the altar, and turnings,
as even to excite ridicule and laughter : handling
the consecrated host and the consecrated chalice
as though they were a piece of bread and a glass
of wine : confouijding the words and ceremonies
together, placing the one before or after the
other, contrary to the order prescribed by the
rubrics ; the whole Mass, in a word, from be-
ginning to end, nothing but a tissue of careles*-
ness, confusion, and irreverence.

And whence comes all this ? It arises partly
from ignorance of the rubrics, which they neither
know nor endeavor to know; and partly from
anxiety to finish Mass in as short a time as pos-
sible. They seem to be saying Mass as though
the Church were going to fall, or the Turks were
coming, and they should not have time to fly
away. Such priests, before saying Mass, will
sometimes be engaged for hours in worldly
affairs, or in useless conversation in a shop, or
in the sacristy, and then hasten to begin Mass,
and attend to nothing but to get through it as
quickly as possible. There should be always
some one at ' hand to say to such, as Father

OP THE MASS.

Avila, approaching the altar, once said to a
Priest wlio was celebrating in this manner:
^ge decenter cum hoc pusro, nam optimos habet
parentes* God admonished the Priests of the
old law to tremble with awe when they ap-
proached the Sanctuary : Pavete ad sanctuarium
meum. Lev, xxvi. 2. And shall the Priests of
the new law celebrating at the altar, in the pre-
sence of Jesus Christ really there, taking him
into their hands, offering him in sacrifice, and
even feeding upon him, dare to behave with
irreverence ?

A Priest at the altar, as St. Cyprian says, and
most truly, represents the person of Jesus Christ
himself: Sacerdos vice Christi vere fungitur,
Epist. 63. ad Cmcilium. And in the person of
Jesus Christ he says : Hoc est corpus .meum. Hie
est calix sanguinis m,ei. But, Oh God! seeing
the irreverent manner in which so many Priests
now celebrate Mass, who could say whether
they were the representatives of Jesus Christ, or
mountebanks earning their livelihood by tricks
of slight-of-hand ? as it is written in the synod
of Spalatto : Plerique celebrantes conantur, non
ut Missam celebrent, sed ut absolvent ; non ut
devotionis exercitium, sed ut victus sustenta-
tionem habeant ; ita ut Missa celebratio, non tan-
qttam Religionis Mysteria, sed ut lucrandi ar5
2* ' "

ON THE HOLY BACRIFICE

qucsdam exerceatur, {Apud Genett. de S, Euchar,)
And what is still more to be wondered at, or
rather, to be lamented, is to see even Keligious,
and some even of reformed orders, say Mass with
so much haste, and with such mutilated cere-
monies as would scandalize even idolaters, and
scandalize them more than if such Keligious had
been the most lax secular Priests.

Hence, let Priests who celebrate in this un-
worthy manner, remember that they not only sin
by the irreverence which they commit against
the Holy Sacrifice, but also by the great scandal
which they give to those who assist at it. In
proportion as a devout Mass excites great devo-
tion and reverence towards the sacred mys-
teries, (St. Peter of Alcantara relates that the
Mass which he said devoutly, produced more
fruit than all the sermons of the preachers of
the province in which he then was ;) so does aij
in devout Mass destroy all devotion and rever-
ence due to so great a Sacrifice. The Council of
Trent says that the ceremonies of the Mass have
been ordained by the Church for no other pur-
pose but to instil into the faithful the reverence
which is due to the Sacrifice of the altar, and to
the sublime mysteries which it embraces: Care-
monias, says the Council, item adhihuit (Ecclesia,)
nt majestas tanti Sacrijicii commendaretur^

OF THE MASS.

et mentes jidelium per hcec visibilia religionis et
pieiaiis signa,ad rerum altissimnrum, qua in hoc
Sacrificio latent , contemplat ionem excitarentur*
Trid, Sess, 22. c. 5. But the cercnionies, Tvhen
irreverently and hastily performed, not ouly do
not excite, but destroy the veneration of the
faithful for so sacred a Mystery. Peter of Blois
says, that the saying of Mass with but little reve-
rence induces the people to make little account
of the most Holy Sacrament : Ex inordinatis et
indisciplinatis Sacerdotibus hodie dafur ostentui
nosircB redemptionis venerabile Sacramentum Petr,
Bless, epist, ad. Richer, And hence the Council
of Turin, in the year 1583, ordained that priests
should be well instructed in the ceremonies of
the Mass. For what end ? JVe populum sibi com-
missum a devotione potius revocent, qunm ad sa-
crorum Mysteriorum venerationem invitent.

How can priests by saying Mass indevoutly
expect to obtain pardon for their sins and favors
from God, if while they are offering it up to him
they are offending him, and insult him rather
than honor him? Cum omne crimen^ says
Pope Julius, Sacrificiis deleatur, quid pro delic-
torum expiatione Domino dabitur, quando in ipsa
Sacrificii oblatione erratur ? Can, Cum omne,
de Consecr, Dist, 2. A priest, by not believing
in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, would offend

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

<:\

God ; but he, who does believe in it, would oflfend
him more, by not treating it with becoming re-
spect ; because he would, by so doing, destroy it
in others who saw him celebrate with such little
reverence. The Jews respected Jesus Christ
at the commencement of his mission ; but when
they saw him despised by the priests, they lost
all reverence for him, and at last unanimously,
with the priests, cried out : Tolle, tolle, crucifige
eum. And thus the laity, when they see priests
celebrate mass with disrespect and negligence,
lose all esteem and veneration for it. As it is
said above, when mass is said with devotion, it
excites devotion ; while, on the contrary, when
it is disrespectfully celebrated, it extinguishes
ail devotion in those who assist at it, and almost
their faith also. A certain religious of great
credit related to me a terrible example on this
point, and we find it also recorded by Seraphin
Maria Loddi, a Dominican, in his Motivi per
celebrare la Messa senza fretta, 8^c. There was
a certain heretic in Rome, who had resolved to
abjure his errors, and had promised the Pope
(Clement XI.) to do so, but having seen mass
celebrated in a certain church in an indevout
manner, was so scandalized, that he went to the
Pope, and told hi,3 holiness that he should not
now abjure his errors, for that he was convinced

OP THE MASS.

that neither priests nor the Pope himself believed
in the truth of the Catholic Church. But the
Pope told him that the indevotion of one priest,
or of many negligent priests, could not prejudice
the truth of the faith taught by the Church.
" Nevertheless," replied the heretic, " if I were
Pope, and knew of a priest saying mass so irre-
verently, I would have him burnt alive : and
seeing as I do, that there are priests who cele-
brate in this manner with impunity, even in
llomCy and in the face of the Pope, I am satisfied
that the Pope himself does not believe." And
so sa3?ing, he departed, and obstinately refused
to renounce his errors. I may add that a certain
layman, (this very morning, while I am writing
this little work), as one of the brethren of our
congregation tells me, hearing a mass of this
kind, said to him : Verily such priests and such
masses make one lose one^s faith.

Hear how the pious Cardinal Bellarmin la-
ments over the grievous scandals arising from
the abuses coumiitted by priests in the celebra-
tion of mass, as referred to by Benedict XIY.
(in bulla Annus qui, torn, 3» Bullar, § 15.)
Miud est etiam lacrymis vberrimis dignum^
quod oh nonnullorum Sacerdotum incuriam, aut
impietutem, sacroscancta Mysteria tarn indigne
iracteniur, ut qui ilia trsctant, videantur non

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

credere Mnjestatem Domini esse prcesenfem. Sic
enim aliqui sine spiritu, sine uffectu, sine timore,
festinatione incredihili Sacrum perjiciunt, quasi
fide Christum non viderent, aut ah eo se videri
non crederent. Woe to such ! A certain priest
dying immediately after Laving said only his
first mass, Father Avila exclaimed, OA, what an
account will he have to give befo7'e God only for
this, his first mass ! And what think" you would
Father Avila say of priests, who, perhaps for
thirty or forty years, have offered up the holy
sacrifice in the scandalous manner which we
have seen above ?

The following terrible example, on this sub-
ject, is narrated in the annals of the Capuchin
Fathers, (Tom. 1. ann, 1552.) There was a
certain rector of a church, who celebrated mass
with much hurry and irreverence. One day,
Father Matthew da Basso, the first general of
the Capuchins, as soon as this priest returned
into the sacristy, after saying mass, hastened to
him, and represented to him, how his mass could
not edify, but must bring destruction upon the
Church; and on this account, besought him
either to celebrate mass with more suitable grav-
ity, or to abstain from saying it at all, in order
to avoid giving more scandal to the people. The
rector was so indignant at receiving this reproof.

OF THE MASS.

that having soon cast off his sacred vestments,
he ran after the religious in order to be revenged
upon him ; but not finding him, retired into his
own house, where it so happened, that, in a few
minutes, the miserable man was attacked by
persons who were his enemies, and was so griev-
ously wounded by them, that within the space
of an hour, he unhappily died ; on which there
arose such a terrific tempest, as to tear up oaks
by the roots, and carry herds of cattle into the
air. An obsessed person of the neighborhood
being exorcised, declared that all the demons of
that country had been engaged together in pre-
venting this priest from being converted before
he died ; and that having succeeded, in testimony
of their triumph, they raised this tempest in the
air.

I know not with what conscience Parish-
Priests and Sacristans can admit Priests, who say
Mass in an irreverent manner, to celebrate in
their churches. Pasqualigo says, that he knows
not how to excuse from grievous sin those who
admit such : Prcelatos etiam Regulares et Rectores
Ecclesiarum^ peccare mortaliter, si permittant
subditos celehrare cum nimia festinatione ; quia
ratione muneris tenentur curare ut cdehratio con-
s^ruo modo se habeat. De SacrJ. nov. Leg. 26.
And there is no doubt but that Bisliops are

t i

ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

i H

strictly bound to prohibit, without exception, all
such Priests from celebrating the sacred mys-
teries, as ordained by the Council of Trent :
Decernit S. Synodus, nt ordinarii locorum Epis-
copi en omnia prohibere, atque e medio tollere

sedulo curent ac teneantur, qucB irreventia :

qiiCB ah impietate vix sejunda esse potest iw-

duxit. Deer, de obser. iii celeb, etc, Mark the
words, prohibere curent ac teneantur : from which
it is evident, that Prelates are obliged to watch
and diligently inform themselves how Mass is
celebrated throughout their dioceses 5 and to
suspend from celebrating those Priests who say
it without due reverence. And this holds good
even with respect to Regulars, inasmuch as
Bishops in their regard are declared by the
Council to be Apostolic Delegates : Ipsi.,.etiam
ut Delegati Sedis ^postolicce prohibeant, man-
dent, corrigant, stntuant, atque ad ea inviolate
servanda censuris Eccl, aliisque pcenis compel-
lant, Trid. loc. cit.

We now come to inquire how much time is
requisite for the saying of Mass in a proper
manner. F. Molina says {Instruct, de Sacr. tract,
3. c. 14.) that an hour ought not to be considered
too long. Nevertheless Cardinal Lambertini,
(J\''otif. 29. n. 30.) agreeably to the general
opinion of other authors, maintains that Mass

OF THE MASS.

ought not to exceed half an hour, nor to be less
than a third of an hour ; because, as he says, it
cannot be celebrated with suitable reverence in
less than a third ; and if prolonged beyond half
an hour, it becomes tedious to those who assist
at it. These are his words : JVb/i hreviorem
triente, nee longiorem dimidia hora debere esse
Missam ; quia breviori spatio non possunt omnia
debito honore peragi ; et longiori, tcedio esstt
adstaniibus. The same is found in the General
Capitulum of Clerk's Regular (p. 1. c. 3. art.
1518.) JYemo Missam longius horce semisse
protrahat, neque triente contrahat. We find the
same again in the Constitutions of the Calced
Carmes ( p. 1. c. 5.) Missa privata per dimidiam
circiter horam, sed non ultra^ extendatur. The
same again in the Rules of the Society of Jesus :
Semihoram in faciendo Sacro nee multum exce-
dat, neque ita brevis sit, ut illam non cxpleat.
Father Gobato {trad. 3 cap, 23. § 3. n. 814.)
speaking of the shortest time required by the
learned for the celebration of Mass, says, it
is generally understood to be about half an hour :
Breviter, id est circa dimidiam horam ; vix enim
breviori spatio possunt omnia in communibus
Mssis peragi cum debito decor e et devotione.
And he adds, that he should have great difficulty,

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

I' ail
4;

l-.t^

ordinarily speaking, in believing that Mass could
be said in a quarter of an hour : JVec acile quis
mihi suadebity se communiter cum sensu pietatis
intra horoB qundrantem finire Sacrum, Loc. cit,
that is, without many faults. Hence Father
lioncaglia (de Sncrif. Miss. cap. 4.) maintains
as certain that a Priest, who says Mass in less
than a quarter of an hour, cannot be ex.cused of
grievous sin : J^emo credat Missam esse prolix-
am^ si mediam hoi'am non excedat, et nimis brevem,
ut saltern tertiam partem hora non compleat ; ut
communiter DD. docent. Quia tamen qui infra
quadrantem Missam absolvit, necesse est valde
indevote celebrare, plura confundere, truncare^
vel saltern syncopare, ideo communiter dicitur
peccare mortaliter. Ex hoc autem oritur in
Episcopis et Pralatis Regularibus obligatio sub
gravi turpem hanc et scandalosam celeritatem
exstirpare. Pasqualigo and others in general
say the same, after Cardinal Lambertini already
cited, as Quarto, Bisso, Clericato, &c. From all
this it must follow, that a Priest who celebrates
any Mass in less than a quarter of an hour (even
a Mass for the dead, or of the B. Y., de Sancta
Maria in Sabato) cannot, without great difficulty,
not to say impossibility, be excused from mortal
sin ; because it is impossible to finish Mass in
less time than a quarter, and not commit great

-^ .

OF THE MASS.

irreverence against the Holy Sacrifice, and give
great scandal to the faithful.

But let us examine the excuses alleged by
Priests who commit such abuses. First, then,
some one may plead : I say a short Mass, but I
omit nothing ; for, thank God, I am naturally
rapid in speech and in all my movements ; and
thus I soon pronounce all the words and perform
all the ceremonies with exactness. But I reply,
this is not sufiicient for the proper celebration
of Mass, merely to pronounce the words, and to
hurry through the ceremonies. They ought to
be performed with appropriate gravity, which is
intrinsically necessary in order to the reverence
which is required j otherwise, if hastily performed,
they do not exhibit nor excite that reverence
which is due to the holy Sacrifice; but, as shown
above, they exhibit great irreverence and cause
great scandal to the faithful. F. Paulo Maria
Quarto says: Certum requiri tantum spatium^
quod possit commode satis esse ad perjiciendas
cccremonias ea gravitate, quce tantum Sacrifi-
cium decet. Quart, in Ruhr. Lit, 16. Dub, 6. Pas-
qualigo also says : Dicendum est sntivs esse
decllnare ad prolixitatem, quam ad accelerationem,
quia ma jest as Saa'ijicii exigit potius ilium mo-
dum, qui congruit gravitati adionis, quam
declinationem ad opposiium. De Sacrif, q, 229.

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

And he gives as the reason, that, in hurrying
through the Mass, there may be not only sin
but scandal also ; which would not follow from
prolonging it, but only at most weari^ivS.i in
those who were present. Qui Missam prcecipi-
tant^ concludes Quarto above cited, valde timen-
dum est ne in Infernum pracipitentur.

Secondly,, it may be said that in the condi-
. tions for properly celebrating Mass, laid down
by divines, brevity is one : ^Ite, breviter, clare^
devote, et ej:acte. But, I ask, why attend solely
to one condition, breviter, and pay no regard to
the other two, devote and exacte ? Besides, the
rubric clearly explains what is meant by breviter,
namely, that Mass should be said non nimis
morose, ne audientes tcedio afficiantur. And the
rubric after these words immediately adds : nee
nimis festinanter. Hence the continuator of
Tourneley very properly says : Brevis intelli"
gitur, mode non destruat devotionem ; unde si
esset infra dimidium hora, non posset did devota,
et consequenter male diceretur. Yet he adds,
that the term brevis is used in opposition to such
an affected length of time in saying Mass as
would weary those who heard it. Finally, the
same Author confirms what Pasqualigo says, to
whom I have before referred : Melius est decli-
nare in longitudinem, quam in brevitatem, quia

^SwitiWtf^

OP THE MASS.

cum longitudine non potest peccari graviter et
scandalum dari sicut in nimis hrevi,

A certain Priest, in excuse for having said a
short Mass, once pleaded that St. Philip Neri
said Mass in half a quarter of an hour. But
with what a want of good sense ! It is true, as
related by the author of his life, that St. Philip,
when he said Mass publicly, was only a short
time in celebrating ; but the writer does not
mean by a short time half a quarter of an hour,
nor a quarter of an hour ; he only meant that the
saint avoided that wearisome tediousness which
the rubrics censure. For in the same life we
read that the saint celebrated Mass, even in
public, with so much devotion that he moved all
who heard him to tears of compunction. By a
Mass of half a quarter of an hour, he would not
have moved others to tears, but to laughter and
ridicule.

Thirdly, it may be said : the people complain
and are impatient when Mass is long. In reply,
I would first ask, whether the want of devotion
in the people is to regulate the degree of rever-
ence to be paid to the Holy Sacrifice ? Second-
ly, I would answer, that if Priests said Mass
with becoming reverence and solemnity, the peo-
ple would be impressed with proper respect for
so holy a sacrifice, and would not complain of
3*

-i

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

half an hour in assisting at it. It is because
Mass is but too generally said hastily and careless-
ly, that it does not excite the people to devotion ;
and, hence, following the example of those who
so celebrate, they assist at it indevoutly, and
with but little faith. If they see a priest doing
wrong for a quarter, or half a quarter of an
hour, they arc disgusted and complain. They
can spend hours at a gaming table, or loitering
in the streets to kill time, but are quite wearied
with a Mass of half an hour. Priests are the
cause of all this evil : *dd vos, Sacerdoies, saith
the Lord, qui despicitis nomen meum et dixistis:
in quo despiximus nomen tuum? In eo quod
dicitis : Mensa Domini despecta est. Malach,
i. 6, 7 ; the meaning of which is, that the little
account which Priests make of the reverence
due to the Mass, is the cause why it is not re-
spected by others.

Wherefore, my dear Priest of God, be care-
ful to say Mass in a proper manner, and heed
not others who blame you. Be satisfied if God
praises you and the angels who assist around the
altar. And if any one, however great a person-
age, requests you to say a short Mass, answer
him as St. Theotine, a Canon Regular, replied
to Tarasia, Queen of Portugal, when, on account
of some pressing affairs, she requested him to

OF THE MASS.

be expeditious in saying Mass. There is a
Queen, said the saint, in heaven, more exalted
than your majesty, in whose honor I am
about to celebrate Mass ; if your majesty cannot
remain, go and attend to your aiFuirs, but I can-
not treat the Holy Sacrifice with irreverence by
shortening the time required for ofiering it.*
Respondit aliam in calo esse Reginam longe
7neliorem, cui solemnia jyjissce peragere disposue~
rat : in potestate ejus esse vel Missam audire,
lel penitm discedere, Bolland, die 18. Febr,
But what happened ? The Queen, entering into
herself, sent for the saint, and humbly casting
herself at his feet, promised with tears to do
penance for her rashness.

Let us, then, endeavor to reform ourselves,
if hitherto we have celebrated this great Sacrifice
with but little reverence and devotion. Let us
consider how great is the action we are about
to perform, when we are going to celebrate
Mass ; and let us consider how great a treasure
of merit we shall acquire by celebrating it de-
voutly. Oh, what a blessing for a Priest is
Mass well celebrated ! The disciple says, (Serm.
48.) Oratio citius exauditur in Ecclesia in
praseniia Sacerdotis celebrantis. And if the
prayer of a secular is more certainly heard by
God when offered up in the presence of a Priest

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

^t'

i ■!

1;:

celebrating Mass, how much more the prayer of
the Priest himself, if he celebrates devoutly ?
He who says Mass every day devoutly, will re-
ceive from God a constant supply of heavenly
light and strength : Jesus Christ will constantly
instruct him more and more, console him, ani-
•mate him, and bestow upon him all the graces
which he desires. Particularly after the conse-
cration, a Priest may be assured he will obtain
from our Lord whatever he asks for. The Ven.
P. D. Antonio de Colellis says : " When I con-
secrate and hold Jesus Christ in my hands, I
obtain whatever I desire."

Lastly, in speaking of the respect which is
due to Jesus Christ offering himself in sacrifice
in the Mass, I would not omit the pre?ept of
Innocent III : Prmcipimus quoque ut Oratoria,
Vasa, Corporalia, et vestimenta, nitida conser-
ventur ; nimis enim videtur ahsurdum in sacris
negligere, qucs decent in profanis. In Can, 1.
Reling. tit, 44. This Pope had but too much
reason for speaking in this manner, for, in truth,
there were those of his day who did not blush to
celebrate, or to cause others to celebrate, with
corporals, mundatories, and chalices, which they
would not not have suffered to be used at their
own tables.

OF THE MASS.

SECTION III.

OF THANKSOIVINO AFTER MASS.

Finally, a Priest, after having celebrated
Mass, must make a thanksgiving. St. John
Chrysostom says, that if men expect us to bo
grateful for every little favor which they do us,
and to recompense them ; how much more grate-
ful ought we to be to God for the great benefits
which he bestows upon us, since without any
view to recompense, but only for our advantage,
he would have us be grateful to him. Si homines
parmim beneficium pr(Bstiterint, expectant a nobis
gratitudinem ; quanta magis id nobis faciendum
in iis qucR a Deo accepimus, qui hoc solum ob nos-
iram utilitatem imlt fieri? Chrysost, Horn. 26. in
cap, 8. Genes, If we, continues the saint, cannot
thank God as he deserves ; at least, let us thank
him as much as wt are able. But what a misery,
what an abuse, to see Priests, as soon as Mass
is finished, af^ r having received from God the
honor of ( er g up in sacrifice to him his own
beloved Soi., and after having partaken of his
most sacred body, scarcely entered into the sa-
cristy, with their lips still purpled with his blood,
but after a short prayer muttered between their
teeth, without devotion, and without attention,

,#.

ON THE HOLY SACltlFICE

immediately begin to talk of useless things, or
of the affairs of the world, and leave the church
to pass through the streets, with Jesus Christ
still present within them in the sacramental
species. It would be well to do with such, what
Father Avila once did. Seeing a Priest leaving
the church immediately after celebrating MasSj
he sent two clerks with lights to accompany
him ; on which the Priest inquiring what Priest
they were going to attend, they answered : We
are accompanying the Blessed Sacrament which
you carry within you. To such might be said
what St. Bernard wrote to the archdeacon Ful-
cone : Heu quomodo Christum tarn cito fastidis !
Epist. 25.

Many are the devout books which inculcate
and enforce thanksgiving after Mass; but how
many Priests are there who make it ? those who
do make it, may be easily distinguished. The
wonder is, that while some are indeed 'diligent in
meditation, and in other devotions, few or none
remain after Mass to commune with Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving after Mass, ought not to terminate
but with the day. Father Avila says, that the
time after Mass ought to be considered as of the
greatest value. The time after Mass is a most
T^recious time, in which we may treat with God
obtain from him treasures of grace. St.

..a

:\w

OF THE MASS.

Teresa says, Let us not lose after Communion,
so fine an opportunity of treating with God ; his
divine majesty is not accustomed to repay those -.
ill with whom he takes up his abode, when they
afford him a suitable entertainment. In another
place she says, that Jesus Christ, after commu-
nion, sits within us as upon the throne of graces,^
and says to each of us, as to th€ blind man
whom he restored to sight, Quid vis ut tihi
faciam ? As though he said 5 I am here, devout
soul, to bestow upon thee my choicest graces :
tell me, what wouldst thou that I should do for
thee? • •

Moreover, it is the opinion of many learned
writers, of Suarez, of Gonet, and of others, that
the more the soul, after communion, during the
time that the sacramental species remain, dis-
poses herself by fervent acts of devotion, the
greater are the fruits which she reaps from it ;
because the Blessed Sacrament is in the nature
of food, and as corporal food, so long as it
remains in the stomach, nourishes the body ; so
with this spiritual and heavenly food, so long as
it remains in the body, so long does it nourish
the soul with divine graces, and the more plen-
tifully in proportion as the soul disposes herself
• to receive them by continued acts of suitable
devotion. Besides, during this time, every pious

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

' -y

^ i 'i

act is of greater value and merit, inasmuch as
the communicant is united to Jesus Christ ac-
cording to his own words : Qui manducat meant
carnem et Mbit meum sanguinem, in me manet, et
ego in illo, Jo, 6. And as St. Chrysostom says,
Jesus Christ makes us then one with himself:
Ipsa re nos suum efficit Corpus. And hence, acts
of piety and devotion are more meritorious then,
than at any other time, because they proceed
from the soul in union with Jesus Christ.

On the contrary, our Lord will not waste his
graces on the ungrateful, as St. Bernard says :
JVwiquid non perit, quod donatur ingratis ?
Father Avila used to spend two hours in prayer
and in communing with Jesus Christ after cele-
brating Mass. Oh, w4th what tenderness and
affection does Jesus Christ speak to the soul
after communion I with what endearing love does
he treat her ! It would not be much for a Priest
to spend an hour with Jesus Christ after Mass.
At least, I beseech every Priest to spend half
an hour ; or at the very least, a quarier : but,
God ! a quarter is too little ! St. Ambrose says :
Verus minister Altaris Deo non sibi naius est.
If, then, a Priest, from the time of his ordina-
tion, belongs no more to himself, nor to the
world, nor to his relatives, but to God alone ;
for whom ought he to spend his whole life, but

J
I

fin t

OP THE MASS.

tor God, and particularly after communion, by
uniting himself with Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, I would say a word, in passing,
on the question, whether it is more pleasing to
God to say Mass, or to abstain from saying it
through humility. To abstain through humility
is good ; but not best. Acts of humility render
to God a limited honor ; but the Mass an infinite
honor, as coming from a divine person. Mark
what Ven. Bede says : Sacerdos non legitime im-
peditus, celebrare omittens, quantum in eo est,
privat S. S, Trinitatem gloria, Angelas Icetitia,
peccatores venia, justos subsidio, in Purgatorio
existentes refrigerio, Ecclesiam beneficio, et seip-
sum medicina. De Miss, Sacrif, The glorious
St. Cajetan, being in Naples, and hearing that a
Cardinal, a friend of his, who had been accus-
tomed to say Mass every day, began to celebrate
less frequently in consequence of the multiplicity
of affairs in which he was engaged, although it
was during the dog-days, could not be persuaded
from going at the risk of his life to Rome, to
entreat his friend to resume his former custom
in this jcspect, and went, and then returned
again to Naples. It is related of Father John
of Avila, (Vita al § 26.) that going on one occa-
sion on his way to say Mass at a distant hermit-
age, he became so overcome with fatigue, that

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

H ■

despairing of being able to reach the place,
which was still at a considerable distance, he
began to think of returning without saying
Mass J on which Jesus Christ appearing to him
as a pilgrim, and opening his bosom and show-
ing him his wounds, particularly that in his
sacred side, said, " When I was thus wounded, I
was much more overcome and exhausted than
thou art ;" and so saying, disappeared. Father
Avila roused himself: went forward and cele-
brated Mass.

1. !

1 M

1 L

« ]
> I

s- V

■'.^'r*'i-r

OF THE MASS.

PR^PARATIO AD MISS AM

PRO OPPOllTUNITATE SACERDOTIS
FACIENDA.

Ana, Ne Reminiscaris * Domine delicta nos-
tra, vel parentum nostrorum : neque vindiotam
sumas de peccatis nostris.

Qua Ana in Festis dupl, tantHm duplicatur,
et temp. Pasch, additur in fine, Alleluia. Deindi
dicuntur sequentes P salmi.

Psalmus 83. .- v '

QuAM dilecta tabernacula tua Domine virtu-
turn : concupiscit, et deficit anima mea in atria
Domini.

Cor meum, et care mea exultaverunt in Deum
vivum. .

Etenim passer invenit sibi domum : et turtur
nidum sibi, ubi ponat pullos suos. /

Altaria tua Domine virtutum : Rex mens, et
Deus mens.

Beati, qui habitant in domo tua Domine :
in saecula sseculorum laudabunt te. Beatus vir,
cujus est auxilium abs te : ascensiones in corde
suo disposuit, in valle lacrymarum in loco quern
posuit.

Etenim benedictionem dabit legislator, ibunt
de virtute in virtutem : videbitur Deus deorum
in Sion.

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

Domine Dens virtutum exaudi orationeui meam :
auribus percipe Deus Jacob.

Protector noster aspice Deus : et respice in
faciem Christi tui :

Quia nielior est dies una in atriis tuis super
mjllia.

Elegi abjectus esse in Domo Dei mei : magis
quam habitare in tabernaculis peccatorum.

Quia misericordiam et veritatem diligit Deus :
gratiam, et gloriam dabit Dominus.

Non privabit bonis eos, qui ambulant in inno-
centia : Domine virtutum, beatus homo, qui
sperat in te. Gloria Patri. , . ,..r) :.iT?*

Psalmus 84. ..

Benedixisti Domine terram tuam : avertisti
captivitatem Jacob.

Bemisist;. iniquitatem plebis tuae : operuisti
omnia peccata eorum.

Mitigasti omnem iram tuam : avertisti ab ira
indignationis tuae.

Converte nos Deus salutaris noster : et averte
iram tuam a nobis. - -

Nu Illiquid in seternum irasceris nobis ? aut
extendes iram tuam a generatione in genera-
tionem? ,. ,

Deus tu conversus vivificabis nos : et plebs
tua laetabitur in te. .,,

OF THE MASS.

Ostende nobis Domine misericordiam tuam :
et salutare tuum da nobis.

Audiam quid loquatur in me Dominus Deus :
quoniam loquetur pacem in plebem suam.

Et super sanctos suos : et in eos qui conver-
tuntur ad cor.

Verumtamen prope timentes eum salutare
ipsius ut inhabitet gloria in terra nostra.

Misericordia, et Veritas obviaverunt sibi : jus-
titia, et pax osculatae sunt. > . . V . -

Veritas de terra orta est : et justitia de coelo
prospexit. ^

Etenim Dominus clabit benignitatem : et terra
nostra dabit fructum suum.

Justitia ante eum ambulabit : et ponet in via
gressus suos.

Gloria Patri.

Psalmus 85.

Inclina Domine aurem tuam, et exaudi me :
quoniam inops, et pauper sum ego.

Custodi animam meam, quoniam sanctus sum :
salvum fac servum tuum, Deus mens, sperantem
in te.

Miserere mci Domine, quoniam ad te clamavi
tota die : laetifica animam servi tui, quoniam ad

te Domine animam meam levavi.

ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

v. W

Quoniam tu Domioe suavis, et mitis : et multac
misericordise omnibus invocantibus te.

Auribus percipe Domine orationem mcam : et
intende vooi deprecationis mesd.

In die tribulationis mesd clamayi ad te : quia
eXi^adisti me. '

Non es^ similis tui in diis Domine : et non est
secundum opera tua.

Omnes gentes quascumque fecisti, venient, et
adorabunt coram te Domine : et glorificabunt
nomen tuum.

Quoniam magnus es tu, et faciens mirabilia :
tu es Deus solus.

Deduc me Domine in via tua, et ingrediar in
veritate tua : lastetur cor meum ut timeat nomen
tuum.

Confitebor tibi Domine Deus mens in toto
corde meo, et glorificabo nomen tuum in aeter-
num :

Quia misericordia tua magna* est super me :
et eruisti animam meam ex inferno inferiori.

Deus, iniqui insurrexerunt super me, et syn-
agoga potentium quaesierunt animam meam : et
non proposuerunt te in conspectu suo.

Et tu Domine Deus misei'ator et misericors,
patiens, et multae misericordiae, et verax.

Eespice in me, et miserere mei, da imperium
tuum puero tuo : et salvum fac filium ancillas tuse.

j'»

i' >•

OF THE MASS.

Fac mecum signum in bonum, ut videant qui
oderunt me, et confundantrr : quoniam tu Do-
mine adjuvisti me, et consolatus es md.

Gloria Patri. ^

- - I Psalmus 115.

Credidi, propter quod locutus sum : ego autem
humiliatus sum nimis.

Ego dixi in excessu meo : Omnis homo men-
dax.

Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus, quae
retribuit mihi?

Calicem salutaris accipiam : et nomen Domini
invocabo. " *

Vota mea Domino reddam coram omni populo
ejus : pertiosa in conspectu Domini mors sanc-
torum ejus.

Domine quia ego servus tuus : ego servus
tuus et filius ancilla tuae.

Dirupisti vincula mea : tibi sacrificabo bostiam
laudis, et nomen Domini invocabo.

Vota mea Domino reddam in conspectu omnis
populi ejus : in atriis domus Domini, in medio
ivLi Jerusalem. .

Gloria Patri.

*/i . Psalmus 129. a y *^

rr»? De profundis clamavi ad te Domine : Domine
exaudi vocem meam :

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

Fiant aures tuae intendentes, in vocera depre-
cationis meae.

Si iuiquitatea observaveris Domine : Domine
quis sustinebit ? ' •

Quia apud te propitiatio est : et propter legem
tuara sustinui te Domine.

Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus : speravit
anima mea in Domino.

A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret
Israel in Domino.

Quia apud Dominum misericordia : et copiosa
apud eum redemptio.

Et ipse redimet Israel, ex omnibus iniquitati-
bus ejus. Gloria Patri.

Deinde repel itur Ana,

Ne reminiscaris Domine delicta nostra, vel
parentum nostrorum : neque vindictam sumas
de peccatis nostris.

Postea Sacerdos dicit :

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie elei-
son. Pater noster. V. Et ne nos inducas
in tentationem. E. Sed libera nos a male.
V. Ego Dixi, Domine miserere mei. R. Sana
animam meam, quia peccavi tibi. V. Conver-
tere Domine aliquantulum. R. Et deprecare
super servos tuos. V. Fiat misericordia tua
Domine super nos. E. Quemadmodum spera-

OF THE MASS.

vimus in tc. V. Sacerdotes tui induantur jus-
titiam. R. Et sancti tui exultent. V. Ab
occultis meis munda me Domine. R. Et ab
alienis parce servo tuo. V. Domine exaudi
orationem meam. R. Et clamor meus ad iv
veniat. V. Dominus vobiscum. R. Et cum
spiritu tuo. ,

. . _ Oremus

AiTRES tus3 pietatis, mitissime Deus, inclina
precibus nostris, et gratia sancti Spiritus illu-
raina cor nostrum : ut tuis mysteriis digne
ministrare, teque geterna charitate diligere
mereamur. i

Deus, cui omne cor patet, et omnis voluntas
loquitur, et quern nullum latet secretum, purifica
per infusionem sancti Spiritus cogitationes cordis
nostri : ut te perfecte diligere, et digne laudare
mereamur.

Ure igne sancti Spiritus renes nostros et cor
nostrum, Domine : ut tibi casto corpore servia-
mus, et mundo corde placeamus.

Mentes nostras, qusesumus Domine, Para-
clitus, qui a te procedit, illuminet : et inducat
in omnem, sicut tuus promisit Filius, veritatem.

Adsit nobis, quaesumus Domine, virtus Spi-
ritus sancti: quas et corda nostra clementer
expurget, et ab omnibus tueatur adversis.

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

i Pi

Deus, qui corda fidclium sancti Spiritus illus-
tratioDe docuisti, da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta
sapere, et de ejus semper consolatione gaudere.

CONSCIENTIAS nostras, qusosumus Domine,
visitando purifica ; ut veniens Dominus noster
Jesus Christus Filius tuus, paratam sibi in nobis
inveniat niansionem. Qui tecum vivit et regnat
in unitate Spiritus sancti Deus, per omnia saecula
sreculorum. Amen.

ORATIONES

dicend^ cum sacerdos induitur saoerdota-
libus paramentis.

Citm lavat manus, dicat.

Da, Domine, virtutem manibus meis ad ab-
stergendam omnem maculam : ut sine poUutione
mentis et corporis valeam tibi servire.

Ad Amid urn, dum ponitur super caput, dicat :

Impone, Domine, capiti meo galeam salutis,
ad expugnandos diabolicos incursus.

Ad Album, cum ed induitur.

Dealba me, Domine, et munda cor meum :
ut in sanguine Agni dealbatus, gaudiis, perfruar
sempiternis.

Ad Cingulum, dum se cingit,
PRiECiNGE me, Domine, cingulo puritatis, et

QF THE MASS.

extiDgue in lumbis meis humorem libidinis : ut
inaneat in me virtus continentiae, ct caatitatis.

M Manipulum, dum imponitur brachio sinisiro.

Merear, Domine, portare manipulum fletus
et doloris: ut cum exultatione recipiam mcr-
cedem laboris.

Jld Stolam dum imponitur collo,

Bedde mihi, Domine, stolam immortalitatis,
quam perdidi in praevaricatione primi parentis :
et quamvis indignus accedo ad tuum sacrum
mysterium, merear tamen gaudium sempiter-

num.

^d Casulam cUm assumitur.

Domine, qui dixisti : Jugum meum suave est,
et onus meum leve : fac ut istud portare sic
valeam, quod consequar tuam gratiam. Amen.

ORATIONES

DIOENDiE AB EPISCOPO QUANDO IN PONTIFICALI-

BUS OELEBRAT.

Ad Caligas,

"Calcea, Domine, pedes meos in prsepara-
tionem Evangelii pacis,. et protege me in vela-
mento alarum tuarum.

c i

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

Cum exuitur Cappa,

ExuE me, Domine, veterem hominem cum
moribus et actibus suis: et indue me novum
hominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est in
justitia, et sanctitate veritatis.

u.. r>

Cum lavat manus.

Da, Domine, virtutem manibus meis ad
abstergendam omnem maculam immundam : ut
sine pollutione mentis et corporis valeam tibi
servire.

I...-

Md Amidum,

:f..s»-

Pone, Domine, galeam salutis in capite meo,
ad expugnandas omnes diabolicas fraudes : iniiui-
corum omnium versutias superando. {

' - * M Alham,

Dealba me, Domine, et a delicto meo
munda me : ut cum his, qui stolas suas deal-
baveruut in sanguine Agni, gaudiis perfruar
sempiternis. it

Ad Cingulum,^

Pr^cinge me, Domine, cingulo fidei, et vir-
tute castitatis lumbos meos, et extingue in eis
humorem libidinis, ut jugiter maneat in me vigor
totius castitatis.

••k

OF THE MASS.

Ctim accipit Crucem pedoralem,

MuNiRE digneris me, Domine Jesu Christe,
ab omnibus insidiis inimicorum omnium, signo
sanctissimse Crucis tuse : ac concedere digneris
mihi indigno servo tuo, ut sicut banc Crucem,
Sanctorum tuorum reliquiis refertam, ante pec-
tus meum teneo, sic semper mente retineam et
memoriam passionis, et sanctorum victorias mar-
tyrum. ;,,

Ad Stolam,

Redde mihi, Domine, obsecro, stolam im-
mortalitatis, qaam perdidi in praevaricatione
primi parentis : et quamvis indignus accedere
praesumo ad tuum sacrum mystenum cum hoc
ornamento, praesta ut in eodem in perpetuum
merear Iselari. ; ti ^ -

Ad Tunicellam,

Tunica jucunditatis, et indumento Isetitise
induat me Dominus. ^ .m-

Ad Dalmaticam,

Indue me, Domine, indumento saluti-:, et ves-
timento Icetitiae, et dalmatica justitiae circumda
me semper. > •

s ;. Ad Chirothecas, , vv.

Circumda, Domine, manus meas munditia
novi bominis, quae de coelo descendit : ut que-

ON THE HOL.Y SACRIFICE

■m

■. ':i

s 1
f

ft!

madmodiim Jacob dilectus tuus, pelliculis hoedo-
rum opertis manibus, paternam benedictionem,
oblato patri cibo potuque gratissimo impetravit,
sic et oblata per manus nostras salutari hostia,
gratiae tuae benedictionem merear. Per Domi-
num nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui
in similitudinem carnis peccati pro nobis obtulit
semetipsum.

Ad Planetam,

DoMiNE, qui dixisti : Jugum meum suave est,
et onus meum leve : praesta ut illud portare sic
valeam, quod possim consequi tuam gratiam.

Ad Mitram*

MiTRAM, Domine, et salutis galeam impone
capiti meo : ut contrr, antiqui hostis, omniumque
inimicorum meorum insidias inoffensus evadam.

Ad Annulum cordis.

Cordis et corporis mei, Domine, igitos vir-
tute decora, et septiformis Spiritus sanctificatione
circumda.

Ad Manipulum,

Merear precor Domine, manipulum portare
mente flebili : ut cum exultatione portionem
accipiam cum justis.

OP THE MASS.

SJtfou Mass.

MEDITATION I.

SUNDAY.

De stercore erigens pauperem, ut collocet eum
cum printipibus^ cum principibus populi sui,
Ps. cxii. 8. Consider, my soul, that God could
not have made thee any thing greater than what
he has *:^ . ^o thee. To what higher degree of
dignity uoaid he have exalted thee, than to
appoint thee to he his minister here below in all
things pertaining to his greater glory? He has
admitted thee to approach his holy altar, and to
offer to him in sacrifice his own beloved Son.
Out of how many has God called thee to his
Priesthood ! From amongst countless numbers
of possible creatures he chose to create thee,
and brought thee into this world. In prefer-
ence to millions of infidels and heretics he
included thee within the pale of his Church,
and made thee a Christian and a Catholic.
And, to crown all, he has chosen thee from
amongst millions of the faithful, and made thee
a Priest.

ON THE UOLY SACRIFICE

Ah ! if God had honored only one man in
the whole world with the Priesthood ; if he had
given power to only one Priest to bring down
from heaven the Word incarnate, and to deliver
souls from hell by absolving them from their
sins, in what estimation would such an indivi-
dual be held! And what return of thanks
would such a Priest make to God ? What would
he not do through love, for having been alone
selected from amongst men, to be honored by
so exalted a dignity ? But remember, my soul,
that the number of other Priests does not in the
least diminish thy dignity and obligations.

Well may God claim every Priest as entirely
his own. A Priest is called in the sacred Scrip-
ture Homo Dei, a man who belongs to no other
but God. The Priests of old laid their hands
upon the victims which they sacrificed, to sig-
nify that they were willing to sacrifice also their
own lives as they sacrificed those of their vic-
tims : and in like manner the Priests of the new
law extend their hands over the Oblata, to sig-
nify that they also ought to offer their whole
selves to God, and even their lives, in union
with that of Jesus Christ, whom they offer in the
Holy Sacrifice.

Behold, thou art now about to approach the
altar, and with a few words to call down the

OF THE MASS,

Word incarnate into thy hands. At thy word
the substance of bread and wine will be changed
into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Thou
art going to the altar as the ambassador of the
who^e human race, to intercede with God for the
Church and for all mankind. Prepare then thy-
self with the following affections.

. AFFECTIONS.

Oh, my Grod! how truly is that sentiment of
holy David verified in me : J)e stercore erigens
pauperem, ut collocet eum cum principibusy cum
principihus populi sui. Behold I, a miserable
sinner, who for my many sins have deserved to
have been long since cast into hell, and trampled
upon by demons, abandoned by all and by thee,
my beloved Lord : behold, I am now about to
celebrate, — to offer to thee in sacrifice thine own
divine Son. Behold, in a few moments, at my
word the Word incarnate will descend upon the
altar, place himself in my hands, and through
them offer himself up to thee, and give me his
most sacred flesh to be my food.

O God of my soul, I a Priest ! I, who have so
often turned my back upon thee ! I, who for a
short apd poisoned pleasure have exchanged thy
friendship and renounced thy favor and love !
Why hast thou chosen me for one of thy Priests
5*

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

in preference to so many innocent and faithful
souls ?

Alas ! enlighten me, Lord, increase my
faith. J^overim 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 ! Par-
don me, 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 Sacra-
ment to be offered by the Priests of the new
law in sacrifice, and to become our food. Con-
fiding 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, Chanty, and Contrition, may be repeated
every day immediately before the celebration of

OF THE MASS.

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 \9ith the same love as so many pious souls
receive thee, who do really love thee.

I offer to thee, Eternal Father, this sacri-
fice 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 per-
severance, thy love, and all those other graces
which Jesus, Mary, and the saints my advocates
intercede for in my behalf. ^

^s regards our neighbors, 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 Pon-
tiflf, all prelates, confessors, preachers, priests ;
grant them, Lord, zeal and strength to pro-
mote 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 faith-

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

ful in thy grace : grant them, Lord, perse-
verance and fervor in thy love.

^. 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 pa-
rents, henefactors, friends, and enemies, arid of
those who on my account are suflfering the pains
of Purgatory.

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

3. The souls of those who have been parti-
cularly devout to the Passion of Jesus Christ,
and to the most blessed Sacrament, and to the
Blessed Virgin ; such souls as are most forgot-
ten ; 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 to recom-
mend all here mentioned.

( i

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 celebrating

OF THE MASS.

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- _ . 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 me-
moria, corpus suum in cibum, et sanguinem^ in
potum fidelibus dereliquit. Opus c, 57. Led, 4.
Hence, the same holy Doctor " calls the Sacra-
ment of the altar Passionis memoriah.

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 man-
ner, the other is offered in an unbloody manner 3
in the one Jesus Christ died really, in the other

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

lit

3 < M

he dies mystically. Una enirriy eademque est

hostia sola offerendi rat tone diver sa. Trid,

Sess. 22. c. 2. When, therefore, thou cele-
bratest 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 nourish-
ing 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 dis-
ciple, celehratio Mi'ssce, quantum mors Christi
in cruce. Thus by means of the Sacrifice of the
altar, are applied to mankind, and more plenti-
fully to Priests who ofi'er it, all the merits of
the passion.

Hence, St. Francis of Assisium, (who, esteem-
ing 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 honored them ; and he
adds, that great indeed is the unhappiness of
tliose Priests, who, having Jesus so immediately

OF THE MASS.

present to them on the altar, are, nevertheless,
attached in affection to some worldly object :
Videte, Sacerdotes, are the saint's words, dignu
totem vestram, et sicut super omnes propter hoc
mysterium honoravit vos Dominus ; ita et vos
diligite eum et honorate, Magna injirmitas,
quando Jesum sic prcesentem habetis, et aliud in
toto mundo curatis, <

AFFECTIONS.

I am unworthy, Lord, to appear before
thee, but relying on thy goodness, by which,
notwithstanding my unworthiness, thou hast
chosen me for one of thy Priests, I come this
morning to offer thee thine only Son. I offer him
to thee ; I offer him as the Lamb without spot,
in satisfaction for my sins, and for those of all
mankind. Ecce Jlgnus Dei, Behold the Lamb
that was once sacrificed for thy glory, and for
our salvation, on the altar of the cross. For
the love of a victim so dear to thee, apply his
merits to my soul, and pardon me all the great
and venial offences that I have hitherto com-
mitted against thee. I am sorry for then! with
my whole heart, because they have offended
thine infinite goodness.

And do thou, my Jesus, come and wash away
all my stains with thy precious blood, before I
receive thee this morning : Domine, nan sum

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

dignns ut intres sub tectum meum ; sed tantu/n
die verbo, et sanabitur anima mea, I am not
worthy to receive thee, but, heavenly physi-
cian, with one word thou canst heal all my
wounds. Come and heal me.

■ Erravi, sicut ovis qucB periit, I am the un-
happy sheep that would wilfully ruin myself by
flying from thee, my Eedeemerj but thou art
that good Pastor who hast given thy life to save
me. Quaere servum tuum, quia mandata tua non
sum oblitus. Seek after me, Jesus, and do
not abandon me. Seek after me, and lay me on
thy shoulders j for I desire to serve and love
thee to the utmost of my power.

Thou hast said : Oves mece vocem menm au-

diunt et non rapiet eas quisquam de mcmu

mea. Thou callest me to thy love ; behold, I
leave all and come to thee, my life. I desire to
obey thee in all things. I renounce all worldly
pleasures, since thou art pleased this morning
to give me thy sacred flesh to be my food.

I love thee, O my Jesus, above every good,
and *I desire to receive thee, that I may love
thee more and more. Thou givest thyself en-
tirely to me ; behold I give myself entirely to
thee. Thou shalt be for ever my all, my only

good, my only love.

Mary, my mother, obtain for me a share

OF THE MASS.

of the humility and fervor with wkich thou didst
receive Jesus in the holy comm anion.

MEDITATION III.

TUESDAY.

Hie estfilius mens diledus, in quo mihi bene
complacui, MattL xvii. 5. In the old law
God was honored by many sacrifices j but in the
new law he is more honored by one single Mass
than by all the ancient sacrifices, which were
but figures and shadows of our sacrifice of the
altar. God is honored by the holy Mass as he
deserves to be honored, because by it is re-
newed the same infinite honor which Jesus Christ
rendered to him by offering himself in sacrifice
on the cross. A single Mass gives more honor
to God than can ever be given to him by all the
prayers and austerities of the saints, all the
labors and fatigues of the apostles, all the tor-
ments of the martyrs, and all the adoiiirii-ns of
the seraphim, and of the Mother of God. My
soul, God desires to receive this honor at thy
hands this morning.

It is also just that God should receive thanks

for the immense benefits which in his goodness

he has bestowed upon us. But how can we,

miserable creatures, make him a return of

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

i!r!

thanks? If the Lord had bnt only once given
us a single token of his affection, he would have
deserved for it an infinite acknowledgment, as
being a favor, a gift from an infinite God. But,
behold he has provided us with the means
by which we may discharge our obligations to
him, and make him a suitable return of thanks-
giving. By what means ? By offering to him
Jesus Christ in the Mass ; for by this will God
be fully requited and satisfied.

This great victim which is offered to him is
his only Son, in whom he is always well pleased.
It is the Sacrifice of the life of a God, who, in
the Consecration and Communion is, by a mys-
tical death, sacrificed to him. Thus did David
return thanks to God for all his favors : Quid
retribuam Domino pro omnibus quoB retribuit
mihi? Calicem salutaris accipiam. Ps, cxv.
12. And thus did Jesus himself give thanks to
his heavenly Father for the benefits bestowed
on all mankind : Et accepto calice gratias egit
et dixit: Accipite et dividete inter vos, Luc.
xxii. 17.

AFFECTIONS.

MY Creator and my God, how couldst thou
ever choose me to honor tliee by the Sacrifice
of thy Son — mo who have hitherto so often
dishonored thee by the offences which I have

OP THE MASS.

committed against thee ? In lieu of punishing
me in hell, thou hast honored me with the Priest-
hood, and made me a minister of thy glory.

Since then thou deignest and art pleased to
receive this great Sacrifice at my hands, I unite
my poor heart with the heart of Jesus Christ,
and in his name I offer him to thee in acknow-
ledgment of thy supreme dominion. I desire to
see thy infinite majesty adored and loved by all
mankind. May the honor which I this morning
offer thee by the sacrifice of thy Son, make
amends for all the dishonor which men have
offered thee, and still offer thee by their sins.

I intend also by this Mass to return thee
thanks for all tHe benefits bestowed upon the
whole world ; and especially upon me, a miserable
sinner, who, by my ingratitude, have deserved
to be abandoned by thee. I have added to my
sins, and thou hiist increased the number of thy
favors upon me. I thank thee, infinite good-
ness ; rather will I say, may Jesus Christ thank
thee for iiie.

Alas, O Lord, through the merits of Jesus
Christ, enlighten me this morning, inflame me
with thy love, and detach me from the earth ;
suffer me not any longer to withstand the many
allurements of thy love. I love thee, my sover-
eign good, with my whole heart. I desire to

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

leave all to please thee, my God, who art worthy
of infinite love. discover to me more and
more the greatness of thy goodness, that I may
love thee more and more, and labor to please
thee in all things without reserve.

Thou hast shown thyself enamored of my soul :
and shall 1 be able to love any other but
thee? No, my Lord, from this day forward
I desire to live only for thee ; I desire to
love only thee, who indeed art worthy of all
my love. Eternal Father, I hope through
the blood of Jesus Christ, that thou wilt give
eflFect to these my desires by thy holy grace.
Thou didst bestow great favors upon me, even
when I fled from thee ; much greater may I now
hope from thee, now that I seek thee, and desire
nothing but to love thee. Mary, my Mother,
thou who didst bear in thy sacred womb the
God whom I am about to receive this morning,
do thou help me to receive him with humility
and love.

OP THE MASS.

MEDITATION IV.

WEDNESDAY.

Ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris, 1
Joan^ 11. 2. Consider that the punishments
due to sin are remitted by the sacrifice of the
altar, and immense mercies obtained in favor of
poor sinners. What would become of us, if we
had not this great sacrifice, by which divine jus-
tice is induced not to inflict upon us the chas-
tisements so justly due to our sins I Assuredly
all the sacrifices of the old law could never have
appeased the anger of God against sin. JVum-
quid placcare potest Dominus in millibus arietum ?
Mich. vi. 7. Although all the lives of men
and angels had been sacrificed, they could not
have made an adequate satisfaction to divine
justice for a single sin committed by a creature
against his Creator. Only Jesus Christ could
satisfy for our sins. Ipse est propiiiatio pro pec-
catis nostris. And, on this account, did th^ Eternal
Father send him into this world, that, becoming
man, and offering his life in sacrifice upon the
cross, divine justice might be appeased for the
sins of men. And this Sacrifice is renewed in
every Mass that is celebrated.

Consider then, my soul, how great is thy
office — that of mediator between God and man.

W ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

that of oflferiDg to him upon the altar the life
and merits of Jesus Christ, in order to move him
to bestow upon sinners light and strength to be
converted, and to obtain the pardon of their sins.
Hujus quippe oblatione olicatus Dominus, gra-
Ham et donum poBJiitent.x concedens, crimina et
peccata etiam ingentia dimittit, Trid. S. 3. 22.
c, 2. How much more powerfully does the voice
of the innocent blood of our Redeemer plead for
mercy in our behalf, than did the blood of Abel
for vengeance against his murderer Cain ! Ac-
cessisHs ad mediatorem Jesvm, et sanguinis as-
persionem melius loqueniem quam Mel, Hebr,
xii. 24. •

AFFECTIONS.

sovereign God, thou art angry against sin-
ners, and thou hast but too great reason for
being so, seeing they repay with ingratitude the
immense love which thou hast shown them. But
if the sins of the world are great, much greater
is the offering, the gift, which I am this morn-
ing about to present to thee. JVbn sicut delictum,
ita et donum, Rom. iii. 15. I am about to
offer thee this morning the Sacrifice of thine own
Son ; that Victim, with which thou art always
well pleased, which ever appeases thee, and
moves thee to take compassion on all poor sin-

■aMa

OP THE MASS.

ners, who either do not know thee, or knowing
thee do not love thee, and are deprived of thy
grace. Give them light and strength to arise
from the raiserable state in which they are
blindly living.

I beseech thee for all, but especially for
myself, who although more favored by thee than
others, have been more ungrateful to thee, and
have offended thee more, and disregarded thee
more. For the love of Jesus Christ, pardon
me, God, all my sins, mortal and venial;
all my impatience, untruths, intemperance, dis-
tractions and negligences in Mass, in the Divine
Office, and at my prayers ; for I am sorry for*
them all, because they have been offensive to
thee, who art infinite goodness and worthy of
infinite love from all, but especially from me, a
Priest. '

I love thee, infinite goodness, I love thee
above all things; and I promise thee rather to
die than again wilfully give thee the least offence.
Ah, my Jesus, thy death and thy blooa are
my hope ! I beseech thee through thy sacred
merits, to grant me, and I hope through them
to obtain the grace of ever being faithful in
loving thee with my whole heart, and in loving
none other but thee. Accompany me, most

' i

11 n.

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

holy Mother, with thy patronage and assistance,
"while I oflfer to God this great Sacrifice.

MEDITATION V.

THURSDAY.

|, H'J

In omnibus divites facti estis in illo. 1 Cor i.
6. Consider, how, hy means of the holy Mass,
God is induced to listen more favorably to the
prayers of the Priesthood. God at all times,
whenever he is besought through the merits of
Jesus Christ, difT'mscs his graces ; but, says
St, John Chrysostom, during the holy Sacrifice
of the Mass he dispenses them more abundantly
through the prayers of the Priesthood ; because
these ascend before him rendered meritorious
and accompanied by the prayers of Jesus Christ,
who is the principal Priest, offering himself in
this Sacrifice in order to obtain graces for us.

Secondly, the Council of Trent says, that
the time of the celebration of Mass is especially
the time in vhich the Lord sits on the throne
of grace, to which the Apostle exhorts us to
go with confidence in order to obtain mercy and
to find grace. Adeamus ergo cum fiducia ad
thronum graticB, ut misericordian^ consequnmur,
et gratiam inveniamus in auxilio opportuno.

OP THE MASS.

luno.

Hebr, iv. 6. St. Chrjsostom (Horn, 3, de In-
compr, Dei) says, that even the angels look for-
ward to the time of Mass, that they may inter-
cede more efficaciously in our hehalf ; and he
iiidds, that what is not obtained during Mass, is,
with great difficulty obtained at any other time.

Oh wh^-t treawures of grace may a Priest
obtain for himself and for others, by praying to
the Lord with confidence, while he is celebrating
at the altar. The Ven. F. Antonio de Colellis,
said : " When I celebrate and hold in my hands
Jesus Christ, I obtain from him whatever I de-
sire."

In a word, St. Paul says, that in Jesus Christ
we obtain all riches, all graces, if through
his merits we ask them of the Father. In om^

nibus divites fadi estis in illo it a ut nihil

vobis desit in ulla gratia, 1 Cor, i. 5. 7. But
this more especially holds good, when the priest
is honoring God, and delighting him by oflPering
to him in sacrifice his own beloved Son. And
if the Father has given to us his own Son in the
most holy Sacrament by means of the Mass,
how can he, after having thus given us his Son,
refuse us any other favor ? Quomodo non etiam
cum illo omnia nobis donavit ? Rom, viii. 32.

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

AFFECTIONS.

HOW miserable have I hitherto been ! How
many graces, my God, have I lost through
my negligence in not seeking for them during
the Masses that T have celebrated ! But since
thou hast been pleased to enlighten me, I "will
no longer be thus negligent. I unite, therefore,
Eternal Father, my prayers with those of
Jesus Christ, and for the love of this thy Son,
whom I am this morning about to offer thee, I
beseech thee first to grant me the pardon of all
my sins, for which I am sorry with my whole
heart. And then grant me the grace to know
how infinitely thou deservest to be loved, and
how great is my obligation to love thee for thy
infinite goodness, and for that great love which
thou hast borne me ; and give me strength to
detach myself from all earthly affections, and to
employ my whole heart in loving thee alone, my
sovereign good, who hast so loved me. I be-
seech thee also to enlighten those who do not
know thee, and who are deprived of thy friend-
ship. Give to all thy grace. Give to all a holy
fear of thee. infinite love of my God, make
thyself known, make thyself loved.

And thou, my dear Saviour, make me before
I die entirely thine, and never permit me to be

or THE MASS.

separated from thee. Ah my Jesus, so long as I
live I am exposed to this danger. I desire never
more to lose thee. Pray to thy Father rather
to take away my life than that I should again
be so unhappy as to turn my back upon thee.
Pray that I may ever be more and more united
to thee by divine love, who hast done so much
to oblige me to love thee. Jesus, thou art my
hope and my love. Grant that as often as I
behold thee on the altar, I may say to thee with
my whole heart with St. Philip Neri when he
beheld the Blessed Sacrament : " Behold my
love, behold my love, behold my whole love."
Most holy Mary, do thou also pray for me. I
am a Priest ; make me by thy holy intercession
what a Priest ought to be, wholly a man of
Christ Jesus.

9^y

be-
not

fiend-
holy

Imake

iefore
ro be

MEDITATION VI.

FRIDAY.

Accipite^ et commedite: hoc est corpus meum,
Matth, xxvi. 26. Consider, how a Priest, by
devoutly celebrating Mass is in a special manner
sanctified ; inasmuch as during the celebration
of Mass he is admitted to an audience with the
divine Majesty, and allowed to treat familiarly
with the Word Incarnate, holding him in his

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

j,iij

*r'l

j I

II'!

hands, and speaking to him with confidcnco face
to face. • •

Besides, he is then permitted to administer
to himself with his own hands the sacred body
and blood of Jesus Christ ; as it was to Priests
in particular that our Blessed Eedeemer said:
Accipite, et commedite : hoc est corpus meum.
To seculars also is given the holy Communion,
but it is not permitted them to take the holy
Sacrament and communicate themselves when
they please ; they must receive it from the
hands of a Priest, and when he pleases j but a
Priest may take Jesus Christ and communicate
himself as often as he desires.

In a word, a Priest holds the keys of all the
divine treasures, to enrich himself as he pleases ;
since, as St. John Chrysostom says, the Blessed
Sacrament contains in itself all the treasures
of God : Dicendo Eucharistiam omnem benigni-
tatis Dei thesaurum aperio. So that a Priest,
in celebrating, becomes, in a certain way, mas-
ter of Jesus present on the altar : Be toto Deo
divis est.

Jesus Christ, then, belongs entirely to Priests ]
but how many Priests belong entirely to Jesus
Christ % Oh God, how do the greater part love
their Saviour who has so loved and exalted
taem? Oh God, how many poor laborers or

Ivl ■

OF THE MASS.

shepherds love Jesus Christ better than many
Priests love him ! Alas ! what will be the anguish
of a Priest lost in hell, when he shall find him-
self for ever at a distance from, and deprived of
Jesus Christ, who on earth has been so near to
him — entirely his!

AFFECTIONS.

MY dear Jesus, thou didst becQme a victim
on the cross, to be offered by me in sacrince upon
the altar, and to inebriate me with thy precious
blood. In a word, by making me a Priest, thou
hast made thyself wholly mine, thou hast given
thyself entirely to me j so that I may receive
thee, and partake of thee as my food, as often
as I desire. . ^

My dear Redeemer, increase my faith, grant
me to know what thou art, when in the Blessed
Sacrament I hold thee in my hands, when thou
art so near to me upon the altar, when I receive
into my mouth thy sacred body, and drink with
my lips thy precious blood. Why am I not
inflamed with love, when I remember that thou
art my God; and that thou art pleased to be
treated by me with so much familiarity, as to be
made my meat and drink ?

Thou wast not satisfied with giving thy life and
thy blood for the love of me upon the cross : but
7

ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

would st also that I should drink this same blood
to become wholly uuited with thee, and one and
the same with thee. Ipsa re nos auum effecit
corpus. S. Jo, Chryst,

Enlighten me, my God, and help me, that
I may no longer be ungrateful for thy intense
love. Detach me from the earth; Grant that I
may no more oppose any impediment in the way
of those abundant graces which thou dispensest
to all who lovingly receive thee in the holy com-
munion. I love thee, Jesus, who didst die
upon the cross for me, and art now about to
become my food. Eternal Father, by the merits
of Jesus Christ, whom I am about to offer thee
this morning, bestow upon me all those graces
which I stand in need of to become entirely
thine. And do thou, most holy Mary, pray to
Jesus for me.

MEDITATION VII.

- i I

it '

tii

SATURDAY.

' Festinans descende, quia hodie in domo tua
oportet me manere. Luc. xix. 5. Imagine to
thyself, my soul, that Jesus Christ addresses
thee this morning with the same words which he
addressed to Zacheus : Make haste, approach
the altar, for I must enter this day into the

or THE MASS.

house of thy soul, to preserve its life, to heal
its wounds, and to inflame it with my love.
Yes, all this will the Blessed Sacrament effect
for thee. It is the hrcad which gives life to the
soul : Pants quern ego dabo, cnro mea est pro
mundi vita, Jo, vi. 52. It is a medicine by
which we are healed and preserved from sin.
Antidotum^ quo liberemur a ciilpis quotidianis et
a peccatis mortalibus prceservemur, Trid, Sess.
13. cap, 2. It is a fire which inflames the soul
with divine love ; so that, according to St.
Chrysostom, if we opposed no impediment in the
way, we should leave the altar, fiammam spi-
rantes, terribles effecti Diabolo, •

But, my God, how comes it that so many
Priests, notwithstanding that they are every
morning nourished with this divine bread, in
lieu of being inflamed with divine love, become
daily more and more attached to the world, and
approach again and again to the altar addicted
to the same deliberate venial sins? All this
arises from celebrating Mass without any view
or desire to become Saints, but from interested
motives, or from habit. And hence are they
ever subject to the same defects ; death finds
them in the same state, and they go to render
an account to Jesus Christ of their priestly lives
spent in tepidity and negligence.

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

My soul, if thou art of their number, take
heed lest if this celestial bread does not make
thee holy, it may render thee more culpable
before the Divine Tribunal. Take heed to thy-
self and amend thy faults: remember, death is
near at hand. Reflect and see what are the
attachments, what the defects which hinder thee
fiom advancing in Divine love, and correct them.
Think that thou art a Priest. Think that God
has chosen thee as his favored one, and cannot
make thee greater than he has made thee.

AFFECTIONS.

God of infinite majesty, thou desirest to
come to me this morning and dwell within my
soul, but thy dwelling-place should be holy.
Domum tuam decet sanctitudo Domine. Ps,
Ixiii. 5. How shall I receive thee, I who am so
imperfect, so full of defects ! Domine, non sum
dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum.

Ah ! if now I were summoned to appear
before thee in judgment, what good account
could I render thee of the many Masses which
I have celebrated, and of the years which I
have spent in the Priesthood? Lord, wait
yet a little and judge me not now in thy wrath.
J^oti intres in judicium cum servo tuo, Ps,
cxlii. 2. Wait for me in thy mercy yet a little

OF THE MASS.

longer . Dimitte ergo me, ut plangam paululum
dolorem meum, antequam vadem et non revertar.
Job, X. 20. Grive me yet a little longer life,
that I may bewail the ingratitude with which I
have hitherto treated thee, my Jesus. Thou
hast made me a Priest: but has my life until
now been the life of a Priest ? With the advan-
tage of so many Masses and Communions I
ought to have become all on fire with thy love,
all pure and holy. On thy part, nothing has
been wanting to me; all has been wanting on
my part, and I have even opposed obstacles in
the way of thy graces. My life, instead of
honoring thee, has dishonored thee in the light
of heaven and of earth. Thou hast separated"
me from the world, and I have loved the world
even more than wordlings love it. God, be
merciful to me ; do not abandon me, I wrll
amend my life. I repent with my whole soul of
all the offences which I have committed against
thee. I will begin now to love thee in earnest ;
I will begin this morning in which I am about to
receive thee.

I love thee, O Grod of my soul, I love thee,
my Saviour, who hast laid down thy life to save
me and to make me a Priest : Domine, non sum
dignus ; ut intres sub tectum meum sed tantum
die verba, et sanabitur anima mea. Pardon me,
7*

ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

Mfi':

Jesus, and save me. Detach me from the
world, and unite me intimately to thyself; grant
that I may live the life of a Priest after thine
own heart. My dear Redeemer thy merits are
my hope. Eternal Father, I am about to offer
thee this morning Jesus Christ, that thou mayest
make me all thine own. Most holy Mary, pray
to Jesus for me. - -

'. i

i"4

OF THE MASS.

the
rant
bine

are
)ffer
yeat
)ray

GRATIARUM ACTIO

POST MISSAM.

^ina, Trium puerorum cantemus hymnum :
quern cantabant sancti in camino ignis, benedi-
centes Dominum.

Quce Ana in Festis Dupl. tantitm duplicatur^
et temp, Pasch. additur in fine, Alleluia.

IT Canticum trium puerorum.

Benedicite omnia opera Domini Domino :
laudate et superexaltate eum in saecula.

Benedicite Angeli Domini Domino: benedi-
cite coeli Domino.

Benedicite aquae omnes, quae super coelos
sunt, Domino : benedicite omnes virtutes Domini
Domino.

Benedicite sol et luna Domino : benedicite
stellae coeli Domino. •

Benedicite omnis imber et ros Domino : bene-
dicite omnes spiritus Dei Domino.

Benedicite ignis et aestus Domino benedicite
frigus et aestus Domino.

Benedicite rores et pruina Domino : benedicite
gelu et frigus Domino.

Benedicite glacies et nives Domino : benedicite
noctes et dies Domino.

Benedicite lux et tenebrae Domino : benedicite
fulgura et nubes Domino.

; 1'^

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

Benedicat terra Dominum : laudet et super-
exaltet eum in saecula.

Benedicite montes et coUes Domino : bene-
dicite uni versa germinantia in terra Domino.

Benedicite fontes Domino : benedicite maria
et flumina Domino.

Benedicite cete, et omnia quae moventur in
aquis Domino : benedicite omnes volucres coeli
Domino.

Benedicite omnes bestiae et pecora Domino;
benedicite filii hominum Domino.

Benedicat Israel Dominum j laudet et super-
exaltet eum in saecula.

Benedicite sacerdotes Domini Domino : bene-
dicite servi Domini Domino.

Benedicite Spiritus et animae justorum Domi-
no . benedicite sancti et humiles corde Domino.

Benedicite Anania, Azaria, Misael Domino:
laudate et superexaltate eum in saecula.

Benedicamus* Patrem et Filium cum sancto
Spiritu : laudemus et superexaltemus eum in
saecula.

Benedictus est Domine in firmamento coeli : et
laudabilis, et gloriosus, et superexaltatus in
ssecula.

Psalmus 150.

Laudate Dominum in Sanctis ejus: laudate
eum in firmamento virtutis ejus.v

OF THE MASS.

et
iu

Laudate eum in virtutibus ejus : laudate eum
secundum multitudinem magnitudinis ejus.

Laudate eum in sono tubs : laudate eum in
psalterio, et cithara.

Laudate eum in tympano, et choro : laudate
eum in chordis et organo.

Laudate eum in cymbalis benesonantibus :
laudate eum in cymbalis jubilationis : omnis
spiritus laudet Dominum.

Gloria Patri, et Filio.

Deind^ repetitur Ana.

Trium puerorum cantemus hymnum, quern
cantabant sancti in camino ignis, benedicentes
Dominum.

Deinde Sacerdos dicit :

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie elei-
son. Pater noster. Y. Et ne nos inducas in
tentationem. R. Sed libera nos a malo. V.
Confiteantur tibi Domine omnia opera tua. R.
Et sancti tui benedicant tibi. V. Exultabunt
sancti in gloria. R; Laetabuntur in cubilibus
suis. V. Non nobis, Domine, non nobis. R.
Sed nomini tuo da gloriara. V. Domine exaudi
orationem meam. R. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat. V, Dominus vobiscum. R. Et cum
spiritu tuo.

( \

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

Oremus.

Deus, qui tribus pueris mitigasti flammas
ignium, concede propitius ; ut nos famulos tuos
non exurat flamma vitiorum.

Action ES nostras, qusesumus Doraine, aspi-
rando praeveni, et adjuvando prosequere : ut
curicb nostra oratio et operatio a te semper in-
cipi ft, et per te coepta finiatur.

L4 nobis, quERSumus Domine, vitiorum nos-
^''orrna flammas extinguere, qui beato Lauren tio
In' ' i^^i torraentorum suorum incendia superare.
Per Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen.

ORATIONES

pro opportunitate sacerdotis ante cele-

brationem et ^ommunionem dicend^.

Dm DOMINICA.

Oratio S, .^mbrosii Episcopi,

SuMME sacerdos, et vere pontifex Jesu Christe,
qui te obtulisti Deo Patri hostiam puram et
immaculatam in ara Crucis pro nobis miseris, et
peccatoribus, et qui dt- iisti nobis carnem tuam
ad manducandum et sanguinem tuum ad hiben-
dum, et posuisti mysterium istud in virtute
Spiritus sancti tui, dicens : Hsec quotiescumque
feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis : rogo per

OF THE MASS.

eumdem sanguinem tuum, magnum salutis nos-
trse pretium : rogo per banc miram et ineftabilem
charitatem, qua nos miseros et Indignos sic
amare dignatus es, ut lavares nos h peccatis
nostris in sanguine tuo : doce me servum tuum
indignura, quem inter cetera dona tua etiam ad
officium sacerdotale Yocare dignatus es, nullis
meis meritis, sed sola dignatione misericordije
tuae : doce me, quaeso per Spiritum sanctum
tuum, tantum tractare mysterium ea reverentia
et honore, ea devotione et timore, quibus oportet
et decet, Fac me per gratiam tuam semper
illud de tanto mysterio credere et intelligere,
sen tire et firmiter tenere, dicere et cogitare,
quod tibi placet, et expedit animse mese. In tret
spiritus tuus bonus in cor meum, qui sonet ibi
sine sono, et sine strepitu verborum loquatur
omnem veritatem. Profunda quippe sunt nimis,
et sacro tecta velamine. Propter magnam cle-
mentiam tuam concede mibi Missarum solemnia
mundo corde et purii mente celebrare. Libera
cor meum ab immundis et nefandis, vanis et
noxiis cogitationibus. Muni me beatorum An-
gelorum pia et fidii custodih, ac tutela. fortissi-
ma, ut bostes omnium bonorum confusi disce-
dant. Per virtuteca tanti mysterii, et per manum
sancti Angeli tui repelle k me, et a cmictis
servis tuis durissimum spiritum sujjerbije et

&m^^

i^'

I:'

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

caenodoxix, invidke, et blasphemiae, foriiicationis
et immunditisp, dubietatis et diffidentiiB. Con-
fundantur qui nos persequuntur : pereant illi qui
DOS perdere festinant. ;> ... - ;. s , .

, ; FERIA II.

U Eex virginum, et amator castitatis et inte-
gritatis, ccelesti roro benedictionis tuae extingue
in corpore meo fomitem ardentis libidinis ut
maneat in me tenor castitatis corporis et animje.
Mortifica in membris meis carnis stimulos, om-
nesque libidinosas commotiones, et da mihi veram
et perpetuam castitatem cum ceteris donis tuisj
quse tibi placent in veritate, ut sacrificium laudis
casto corpore et mundo corde yaleam tibi offerre,
Quanti enim cordis contritione, et lacrymarum
fonte, quanta reverentia et tremore, quanta cor-
poris castitate, et animae puritate istud divinum,
et coeleste sacrificium est celebrandum ubi caro
tua in veritate sumitur, ubi sanguis tuus in
veritate bibitur, ubi ima summis, terrena divinis
junguntur, ubi adest sanctorum Angelorum prae-
sentia, ubi tu es sacrificium, et saoerdos mira-
billter et inefiabiliter constitutus.

FERIA III.

U Quis digne hoc celebrare poterit, nisi tu

OF THE MASS.

Deus omnipotens offerentem feceris dignum?
Scio Doinine, et vere scio, et id ipsum pietati
tute confiteor, quia non sum dignus acccdcre ad
tantum mysterium propter nimia peccata mea et
infinitas negligentias meas. Sed scio, et vera-
citer ex toto corde meo credo, et ore confiteor,
quia tu potes me facere dignum, qui solus potes
facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine,
et de peccatoribus justos et sanctos. Per banc
omnipotentiam tuam te rogo Deus meus, lit con-
cedas mihi peccatori hoc sacrificium celebrare
cum timore et tiemore cum cordis puritate, et
lacrymarum fonte, cum laetitia spiritali, et coe-
lesti gaudio. Sentiat mens mea dulcedinem bea-
tissimse praesentiae tuae, et excubias sanctorum
Angelorum tuorum in circuito meo.

FERIA IV.

IT Ego enim, Domine, memor venerandse pas-
sionis tuae accedo ad altare tuum, licet peccator,
ut offeram tibi sacrificium quod tu instituisti, et
offerri praecepisti in commemorationem tui pro
salute nostra. Suscipe illud quaeso, summe
Deus, pro Ecclesia sancta tua, et pro populo
quem acquisisti Sanguine tuo. Et quoniam me
peccatorem inter te et eumdem populum tuum
medium esse voluisti, licet in me aliquid boni
opens testimonium non agnoscas, officium saltern
%

ON THE HOLY BAORIFIOE

dispensationis creditae non recuses, neo per me
indignum, eorum salutis pereat pretiura, pro
quibus viotima salutaris dignatus es esse redenip-
tio. Profero etiam Domine (si digueris propitins
intueri) tribulationes plebium, pericula populo-
rum, captivorum gemitus, miserias orpbanorum,
necessitates peregrinorum, inopiam debilium, des-
perationes languentium, defectus senum, suspiria
''juvenum, vota virginum, lanienta viduarum.

FERIA V.

IT Tu enim misereris omnium Domine : et nihil
odisti eorum quae fecisti. Memo rare quce sit
nostra substantia : quia tu Pater noster es, quia
tu Deiis noster es ; ne irascaris satis, neque
multitudinem visc^^rum tuorum super nos con-
tineas. Non enim in justificationibus nostris
prosternimus preces ante faciem tuam, sed in
miserationibus tuis multis. Aufer a nobis ini-
quitates nostras: et ignem sancti Spiritus in
nobis clementer accende. Aufer cor lapideum
de carne nostra ; et da nobis cor carneum, quod
te amet, te ailigat, te delectetur, te sequatur,
te perfruatur. Oramus Domine clementiam
tuam, ut sereno vultu familiam tuam, sacri tui
nominis officia prsestolantem, aspicere digneris:
et ut nullius sit irritum votum, nuUius vacua

OP THE MASS.

postulatio, tu nobis preces suggere, quas ipse
propitius audire, et exaudire delecteris.

FERIA VI.

U Rogamus etiam tc, Domine sancte Pater,
et pro spiritibus fidelium defunctorum : ut sit
illis salus, sanitas, gaudium, e' lefrigerium,
boo magnum pietatis sacramci Domine

Deus meus, sit illis hodie roaLu t plenum

convivium de te pane vivo, qui de coelo descen-
disti, et das vitam mundo, de tua carne sancta
et bencdicta, Agni videlicet immaculati, qui tollis
peccata nmndi, quse de sancto et glorioso beatae
virginis Marise utero est assumpta, et de Spiritu
sancto concepta : ac de illo pietatis fonte, qui
per lanceam militis ex tuo sacratissimo latere
emanavit : ut exinde refecti et satiati, refrigerati
et consolati exultent in laude et gloria tua. Peto
clementiam tuam Domine, ut descendat super
panem tibi sacrificandum plenitudo tuae benedic-
tionis, et sanctificatio tuae divinitatis. Descendat
etiam, Domine, ilia sancti Spiritus tui invisibilis
incomprebensibilisque majestas, sicut quondam
in patrum hostias descendebat, qui et oblationes
nostras Corpus et Sanguinem tuum efficiat, et
me indignum sacerdotem doceat tantum tractare
mysterium cum cordis puritate, et lacryraarum
devotione, cum reverentia et tremore, ita ut

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Sdences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

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J ■

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■IP

IP"

ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

placide ac benigne suscipias sacrificium de mani-
bus meis ad salutem omnium tam vivorum quam
defunctorum,

SABBATO.

IT Rogo etiam te, Domine, per ipsum sacro-
sanctum mysterium Corporis et Sanguinis tui,
quo quotidie in Ecclcsia tua pascimur et pota-
mur, abluimur et sanctificamur, atque unius
summse divinitatis participes efficimur, da mihi
virtutes tuas sanctas, quibus repletus, bon^ con-
scientia ad altare tuum accedam, ita ut hsc
coelestia sacramenta efficiantur mihi salus et vita.
Tu enim dixistiore tuo sancto et benedicto :
Panis, qifiem ego dabo, caro mea est pro mundi
vita. Ego sum panis vivus, qui de coelo des-
cendi. Si quis manducaverit ex hoc pane, vivet
in seternum. Panis dulcissime, sana palatum
cordis mei, ut sentiam suavitatem amoris tui.
Sana illud ab omni languore, ut nullam praeter
te sentiam dulcedinem. Panis candidissime,
habens omne saporem, qui nos semper reficis, et
numquam in te deficis: comedat te cor meum,
et dulcedine saporis tui repleantur viscera ani-
mae meae. Menducat te Angelus ore pleno :
manducet te peregrinus homo pro modulo suo, ne
deficere possit in via, tali recreatus Viatico.
Panis sancte, panis vive, panis munde, qui des-

OF THE MASS.

cendisti de coelo, et das vitam mundo, veni in cor
meum, et munda me ab omni iniquinamento
oarnis et spiritus. Intra in animam meam, sana
et munda me interius, et exterius. Esto tuta-
men, et continua salus animse et corporis mei.
Eepelle a me insidiantes mihi hostes : recedant
procul a prsesentia potentis tuse, ut foris et intus
per te munitus, recto tramite ad tuum regnum
pervcniam : ubi non in mysteriis, sicut in hoc
tempore agitur, sed facie ad faciem te videbimus,
cum tradideris regnum Deo et Patri, et eris
Deus omnia in omnibus. Ti.nc enim me de te
satiabis satietate mirifica, ita ut nee esuriam, nee
sitiam in aeternum. Qui cum eodem Deo Patre,
et Spiritu sancto vivis et regnas per omnia saecu-
la sseculorum. Amen.

; ' ', jllia Oratio ante Missam. -

Ad mensam dulcissimi convivii tui, pie Do-
mine Jesu Christe, ego peccator de propriis
meritis nihil praesumens, sed de tua confidens
mis6ricordia et bonitate, accedere yereor et con-
tremisco. Nam cor et corpus habeo multis
criminibus maculatum, mentem et linguam son
caute custoditam. Ergo 6 pia Deitas, o tre-
menda Majestas, ego miser inter angustias de-
prehensus, ad te fontem misericordiae recurro, ad
8*

'f'

ON THi kOLY SACRIFICE

te festino sanandus, sub tuam protectionem fugio :
et quern judi cem sustinere nequeo, salvatorem
habere suspiro. Tibi Domine plagas meas ostendo :
tibi verecundiam meam detego. Scio peccata
mea multa et magna, pro quibup tiiueo. Spero
in misericordias tuas, quarum non est numerus.
Respice ergo in me oculis misericordiae tuse
Domine Jesu Christu, Rex aeterne, Deus et
homo, crucifixus propter hominem. Exaudi me
sperantem in te : miserere mei pleni miseriis
et peccatis, tui qui fontem miserationis nunquam
manare cessabis. Salve salutaris Victima, pro
me et omni humano genere in patibulo Crucis
oblata. Salve nobilis et pretiose Sanguis, de
vulneribus crucifixi Domini mei Jesu Christi
profluens, et peccata totius muudi abluens. Re-
cordare Domine creaturae tuae, quam tuo San-
guine redemisti. Poenitet me peccasse, cupio
emendare quod feci. Aufer ergo t me, cle-
mentissime Pater, omnes iniquit'i" et peccata
mea : ut purificatus mente et corpore, digne de-
gustare merear sancta sanctorum; et concede,
ut sancta praftlibatio Corporis et Sanguinis tui,
quam ego indignus sumere intendo,- sit pec-
catorum meorum remissio, sit delictorum perfec-
ta purgatio, sit turpium cogitationum effugatio,
ac bonorum sensuum regeneratio, operumque
tibi placentium salubris efficacia, anim<E quoque

OF THE MASS.

et corporis contra inimicorum meorum insidias
firmissima tuitio. Amen.

Oratio S, ThoncB Aquinatis,

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, ecce accede
ad sacramentum unigeniti Filii tui Domini nostri
Jesu Christi : accedo tamquam infirmus ad medi-
cum vitse, immundus ad fontem misericordise,
caecus ad lumen claritatis aeternae, pauper et
egenus ad Pominum coeli et terrae. Rogo ergo
inmiensae largitatis tuae abundantiam, quatenus
meam curare digneris infirmitatem lavare foedi-
tatem, illuminare caecitatem, ditare paupertatem,
vestire nuditatem ut panem Angelorum, Regem
regum, Dominum dominantium tant^ suscipiam
reverently et humilitate, tanta contritione et
devotione, tanta puritate et fide, tali proposito
et intentione, sicut expedit saluti animae meae.
Da mihi, quaeso, dominici Corporis et Sanguinis
Hon solum suscipere Sacramentum, sed etiam
rem et virtutem Sacramenti. mitissime Deus,
da mihi Corpus unigeniti Filii tui Domini nostri
Jesu Christi, quod traxit de virgine Maria, sic
suscipere, ut corpori suo mystico merear incor-
porari, et inter ejus membra connumerari.
amantissime Pater, concede mihi dilectum Filium
tunm, quern nunc velatum in via suscipere pro-
pono, revelata tandem facie perpetuo contem-

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

plari. Qui tecum vivit ct regnat in unitate
Spiritus sancti Deus, per omni scecula sseculo-
rum. Amen.

. ., ORATIONES , .

POST CELEBRATIONEM ET COMMUNIONEM

DICENDiE.

Oratio S, ThorruB de Aquino,

Gratias tibi ago, Domine sancte, Pater
omnipotens seterne Deus qui, me peccatorem,
indignum famulum tuum, nuUis meis mentis,
sed sola dignatione misericordiae tuaa satiare
dignatus es pretioso Corpore et Sanguine Eilii
tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Et precor, ut
haec sancta Communio non sit mihi reatus ad
pcenam, sed intercessio salutaris ad veniam. Sit
mihi arpiatura fidei, et secutum bonse voluntatis.
Sit vitiorum meorum evacuatio, concupiscentiae
et libidinis exterminatio, charitatis et patientiae,
humilitatis et obedientiae, omniumque virtutum
augmentatio : contra insidias inimicorum omnium,
tarn visibilium, quam invisibilium firma defensio :
motuum meorum, tam carnalium, quiim spiritu-
alium perfecta quietatio : in te uno ac vero Deo
firma adhaesio: atque finis mei felix consum-
matio. Et precor te, ut ad illud ineffabile con-
yivium me peccatorem perducere digneris: ubji

OF THE MASS.

tu cum filio tuo et Spiritu sancto, Sanctis tuis
es lux vera, satietas plena, gaudium sempiter-
num, jucunditas consummata, et felicitas per-
fecta. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen. <

^lia Oratio S. BonaventurcB,

Transpige, dulcissime Domine Jesu, medul-
las et viscera animae medB suavissimo et salu-
berrimo amoris tui vulnere, vera, serenaque et
apostolical sanctissimsl charitate, ut langueat et
liquefiat anima mea solo semper amore et desi-
derio tui, te concupiscat, et deficiat in atria tua,
oupiat dissolvi, et esse tecum. Da, ut anima
mea te esuriat, panem Angelorum, refectionem
animarum sanctarum, panem nostrum quotidi-
anum, supersubstantialem, habentem omnem dul-
cedinem et saporem, et omne delectamentum
suavitatis : te, in quem desiderant Angeli prospi-
cere, semper esuriat et comedat cor meum, et
dulcedine saporis tui repleantur viscera animae
mese : te semper sitiat fontem vitae, fontem
sapientiae et scientiae, fontem aeterni luminis,
torrentem voluptatis, ubertatem domus Dei: te
semper ambiat, te quaerat, te inveniat, ad te
tendat, ad te perveniat, te meditetur, te loqua-
tur, et omnia, operetur in laudem et gloriam
nominis tui, cum humilitate et discretione, cum

ON THE HOLT SAORIFIOE

dilectione et delectatione^ cum facilitate et
affectu, cum perseverantia usque in finem: et
tu sis solus semper spes mea, tota fiducia mea,
divitisB meae, delectatio mea, jucunditas mea,
gaudium meum, quies et trauquillitas mea, pax
mea, suavitas mea, odor meus, dulcedo mea,
cibus meus, refectio mea, refugium meum, aux-
ilium meum, sapientia mea, portio mea, pos-
sessio mea, thesaurus meus, in quo fixa et firma
et immobiliter semper sit radicata mens mea, et
cor meum. Amen.

RHYTHMUS S. THOM^

AD SAORAM EUOHARISTIAM.

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas,
Quae sub bis figuris verd latitas ;
Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit :
Quia te contemplans totum deficit.

Yisus, tactus, gustus 91 te fallitur,
Sed auditu solo tuto creditur.
Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius,
Nil hoc verbo veritatis verius.

In Cruce latebat sola deitas.
At hie latet simul et humanitas.
Ambo tamen credens atque confitens,
Peto quod petivit latro poenitens.

07 THE MASS.

Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor.
Deum tamen meum te confiteor.
Fao me tibi seAper magis credere,
In te spem habere, te diligere.

memoriale mortis Domini !
Panis vivus, vitam praestans homini :
Praesta mesd menti de te vivere,
Et te illi semper dulce sapere.

Pie pellicane Jesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine :
Cujus una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.

Jesu quern velatum nunc aspicio,
Ora fiat illud, quod tam sitio,
Ut te revelat^ cernens facie,
Yisu sim beatus tu8b glorise.

Amen.

(It

l : 1 .

100 ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

AFFECTIONS,

BY WAT OP

SI)anksgtDiiig after Mass.

THANKSGIVma I.

SUNDAY.

My dear Jesus ! my Bedeemer and my God !
before celebrating I adored thee in heaven,
glorious on thy throne, at the right hand of the
Eternal Father 3 but now I adore thee within
my own breast, concealed under the humble
forms of bread and wine, and become the food
and nourishment of my soul.

Welcome to my soul, Lord 5 I give thee
thanks with my whole soul ; would that I could
thank thee as thou deservest ! But what return
of thanks could a poor countryipan make to his
king, should his king deign to enter his cottage
to pay him a visit ? What could he do but cast
himself at his sovereign's feet in wonder, amaze-
ment, and gratitude for so signal an act of good-
ness and condesoeiision ? Wherefore do I cast
myself at thy feet, my divine King, my Jesus,
and adore thee from the abyss of my own mise-
ries. I unite my adoration with that of the

OF THE MASS.

101

God!

most holy Mary when she received thee into her
sacred womb, and would even love thee as sh^
loved thee.

Ah, my Redeemer! thou hast this morning,
in obedience to my words, descended from
heaven into my hands; and how often have I,
in opposition to thy precepts, ungratefully turned
my back upon thee, and renounced thy grace and
thy love ! Jesus, I hope that thou hast already
pardoned me ; but if, through my own fault, thou
hast not, pardon me this morning, sorrowing with
my whole heart for having ever offended thee,
infinite goodness. '

Oh, my Jesus, would that I had always loved
thee ! At least, from the time when I said my
first Mass, I ought to have been inflamed with
divine love for thee. From amongst millions
didst thou choose me to be thy Priest, thy
favored one; what more couldst thou do to
make me love, thee ? But I thank thee, love
of my soul, that thou now affordest me time
in which to do that which hitherto I have not
done; I will love thee with my whole heart.
No, I will not allow of any affection in my heart
that is not fixed on thee, who hast done so much
to oblige me to love thee.

Detts mem et omnia. What, my God, are
all the riches^ all the honors, all the pleasures

102

ON THE HOLT SAORIFIOE

of the world! Thou art my all; thou alone

4Rhalt ever be my only good, my only love. I

will say to thee with St. Paulinas : Sibi habeant

. divitias suas divites, regna sua Reges ; mihi

Christus gloria et regnum est.

Eternal Father, for the love of thy Son,
whom I have this morning offered in sacrifice
to thee, and received within my breast, grant
me holy perseverance and the gift of thy divine
love. I recommend to thee all relations, friends,
and enemies. I recommend to thee the suffer-
ing souls in Purgatory, and all poor sinners.
(This prayer should he repeated every morning
after Mass,) Most holy Mary, my mother, ob-
tain for me final perseverance and love for Jeaus
Christ.

The following prayer should also he repeated
every morning after Mass ; many indulgences are
attached to it.

Anima Ghristi sanotissima, sanctifica me.

Corpus Christi saoratissimum, oustodi me.

Sanguis Christi pretiosissime, inebria me.

Aqua lateris Christi purissima, lava me.

Passio Christi amarissima, conforta me.

O bone Jesu, exaudi me.

Intra vulnera tua absconde me.

Ne permittas me 8q)arati a te.

.( Thid verse should be thrice fervently Treated. )

OF THE MASS.

108

Ab hoste maligno defende me.

In bora mortis meao voca me ;

£t jube me venire ad te.

Ut cum Sanctis et Angelis tuis collaudem te,

Per infinita saecula sseoulorum. Amen.

THANKSGIVING 11. m

f MONDAY.

infinite goodness ! infinite love ! God
bas given bimself entirely to me, and made bim-
self entirely mine ! My soul, unite all tby affec-
tions, and fix tbem on tby Lord, wbo bas come
to tbee, to be united witb tbee, and to be loved
by tbee.

My beloved Redeemer, I embrace tbee ; my
treasure, my life, I bind myself to tbee ; do not
reject me. Alas, I have bitherto banisbed tbee
from my soul, and have separated myself from
tbee ; but for the future I will lay down my life
a thousand times rather than lose thee, my sov-
ereign good. Forget, Lord, the many offences
I have been guilty of against thee, and forgive
me. I am sorry for them witb my whole soul,
and would willingly die of grief for them.

But, notwithstanding all my offences against
thee, I know that thou commandest me to love

104

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

thee : Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto
corde tuo. Ah, my Lord, who am I, that thou
shouldst so much desire to he loved hy me?
But since thou dost desire it, I long to please
thee. Thou hast died for me, thou hast given
me thyself to he my food j I leave all, I
renounce all, and emhrace thee, my heloved
Saviour. Quis me seperabit a charitate Chris*
ti?

My dear Redeemer, whom shall I love, if I
love not thee, who art infinite heauty, infinite
goodness, and worthy of infinite love ? Quid
mihi est in cceloy et a te quid volui super ter-
ram? Deus cordis mei, et pars mea Beus in
(Bternum. Yes, my God, and what greater good
than thee can I find in heaven, or on earth?
And one that has loved me so much ? Mveniat
regnum tuum. O Jesus, take now possession of
my whole soul ; I give it entirely to thee, make
it wholly thine, and for ever, and expel from it
every a£fection that is not fixied on thee. I
choose thee for my only portion, my only wealth.
Deus cordis met, et pars mea Deus in (sternum.
Grant that I may ever pray and heseech thee
with St. Ignatius of Loyola : Amorem tui solum
cum gratia tua mihi dones, et dims sum satis.
Give me thy love and thy grace, that I may love
thee and he loved hy thee, and I shall he suffi-

OF THE MASS.

105

ciently rich, and shall desire nothing, and ask
for nothing more.

But thou knowest my weakness, thou knowest
how unfaithful I have been to thee ; assist me by
thy grace, and never permit me to be again
separated from thy holy love. JVc permittas me
separari a te. Thus do I now, and will ever,
pray to thee ; and do thou give me grace ever to
repeat : JVe permittas, ne permittas me separari
a te. Most holy Mary, my hope, obtain for me
these two graces, holy perseverance, and divine
love, and I ask for nothing more.

THANKSGIVING HI.

• TUESDAY.

My dear Lord, how could I have so often
offended thee by my sins, knowing that sin was
80 hateful to thee 1 Oh, pardon me through
the merits of thy passion, and unite me wholly
to thee by thy love j let not my sins drive thee
away from me. Grant me to know ever more
and more how great a good thou art, how much
thou deservest to be loved, and how much thou
hast loved me.

I desire, my Jesus, to sacrifice myself
wholly for thee, who hast sacrificed thyself en-
tirely for me. Thou hast drawn me by many
9*

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iiiji

106

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

allurements to love thee and to be united with
thee, never suffer me to be ever again separated
from thee. I love thee, God, and desire to
love thee for ever. And how, having now ex-
perienced thy love, shall I ever be able to live
at a distance from thee and deprived of thy
grace ?

I thank thee for having hitherto spared me
in my sins, and for now giving me time to love
thee. Had I died in my sins, I could never
more have loved thee. But since I can still
love thee, I will love thee, Jesus, with all my
power, and do all to please thee. I love thee,
infinite goodness, I love thee more than my-
self; and because I love thee, I give thee my
body, my soul, and my whole will. Do with
me what thou pleasest, Lord, dispose of me
as thou pleasest, I am ready to embrace and to
conform myself to thy holy will in all things.
Grant me ever to love thee, and I ask for nothing
more. Bestow the goods of this world on whom
thou pleasest; I desire, I seek only persever-
ance in thy grace, and the gift of divine love.

Eternal Father, trusting in thy promise
made to us through thy Son : Amen, amen, dico
vobis : si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo,
dabit vobis, Joan, xvi. 23 ; in the name of Jesus
Christ I ask of thee holy perseverance, and the

OF THE MASS.

107

grace of lo^ ag thee with my whole heart, by
perfectly fulfilling henceforward thy holy will.

Jesus, thou hast offered thyself in sacrifice
for me, and hast given thy whole self to me, that

1 may give my whole self to thee, and sacrifice
my will to thee. Thoii invitest me : Prceibe fill
mi, cor tuum mihu Behold, Lord, behold
my heart, my will, I give and sacrifice all to
thee. But thou knowest how weak I am ; sup-
port me, and never suffer me to alienate my will
from thee and offend thee. No, permit it not ;
grant that I may ever love thee, grant that I
may love thee as a Priest ought to love thee ;
in such manner that I may be able to say with
thy beloved Son on the cross, consummatum est;
grant that I also at my death may be able to
say, that from this day forward I have accom-
plished thy blessed will. Grant that in all temp-
tations, in all dangers of offending thee, I may
never cease to have recourse to thee, and to im-
plore thee, through the merits of Jesus Christ,
to assist me. most holy Mary, obtain for me
this grace ; that in all temptations I may recom-
mend myself to God and to thee, who art all-
powerful with God.

ii]

108 ON THE HOLT SAORIFICE

THANKSGIVING IV.

WEDNESDAY.

MY Jesus, I see how much thou hast done
and suffered to oblige me to love thee ; and how
ungrateful have I been to thee ! How often,
for a trifling gratification or caprice, have I for-
feited thy grace, and slighted thee, the God of
my soul ! I have been grateful towards crea-
tures, to thee only have I been ungrateful. For-
give me, God ; I am grieved, I am sorry with
my whole heart; and I hope for mercy and
pardon from thee, who art infinite in bounty and
goodness. If thou wast not infinite goodness
itself> I should lose all hope, and should not dare
to crave thy pardon.

1 give thee thanks, my beloved Lord, for not
having consigned me to hell, as I have deserved,
and for having borne with me for so long a time.
God, how ought thy patience towards me to
fill me with love towards thee ! Who would
ever hav$ borne with me as thou, the God of
infinite mercy, hast done ? I see that thou hast
given thyself to me now for so long a time, in
order that I may love thee. I will no longer
resist the attractions of thy love ; behold I give
myself entirely to thee. Now have I begun;

OF THE MASS.

109

as much as I have offended thee, so much will
I now love thee. I love thee, my sovereign
good ; I love thee, infinite goodness ; I love
thee, my God, who art worthy of infinite love,
and I would willingly, for time and eternity re-
peat, I love thee, I love thee, I love thee.

O God, how many years have I lost during
which I might have loved thee and gained thy
love still more and more, and I have slighted
and offended thee ! But, Jesus, thy precious
blood is my hope. I trust that I shall never
more cease to love thee. I know not how much
of life may remain to me ] but the years which
shall remain, whether few or many, shall be en-
tirely consecrated to thee. For this hast thou
so long waited for me. fes, my beloved Lordj
I desire to satisfy thee, I desire always to love
thee, and thee only do I desire to love. What
are pleasures ! what are riches ! what are honors !
thou, thou only, God, art and shalt be for
ever, my love, my all.

But I am of myself capable of nothing unless
thou assist me with thy grace. Touch thou my
heart, inflame it with thy holy love, and unite it
entirely to thee ; and unite it so closely, that it
may never more be able to withdraw itself from
thee. Thou hast promised to love those who
love thee : Ego diligenies me diligo, Prov, viii.

110

ON THE HOLT SAORIFIOE

Now I do love thee; do thou also love me,
and never suffer me to give thee any cause to
cease from loving me. Qui non dtligit, manef
%n morte, 1 Joan, iii. 14, Deliver me from the
death of not being able to love thee. Grant
that I may always love thee, that thou mayest
always love me ; and thus our love become eter-
nal, and never to be dissolved between us.
Grant this, Eternal Father, for the love of
Jesus Christ. Grant it, my Jesus, through the
merits of thy passion and death : through them
do I confide that I shall always love thee, and
that thou wilt always love me. Mary, Mother of
God, and my mother also, pray to Jesus for me.

THANKSGIVING V.

THURSDAY.

God, of infinite Majesty, behold at thy feet
a traitor who has very often betrayed thee.
Thou hast many times pardoned me ; and I,
notwithstanding thy grace and thy light, have
again and again offended thee. Others have
sinnod in the darkness of ignorance, but I have
sinned in the midst of light. But listen to thy
divine Son, whom I have this morning offered to
thee in sacrifice, and received within my breast ;

OF THE MASS.

Ill

he pleads for mercy and pardon. Pardon me for
the love of Jesus Christ; I am sorry with my whole
heart for having offended thine infinite goodness.

I know that for the love of Jesus Christ thou
art pleased to he reconciled to sinners. Com--

placuit ,per eum reconciliare omnia in ipsum,

Colos, i. 20. For the love, therefore, of Jesus
Christ, I beseech thee be reconciled to me. JV*e
projicias me a facie tua. Cast me not away from
thy face, as I have deserved; pardon me and
change my heart. Cor mundum crea in me
DeiLs, Grant this my prayer for thine own
honor and glory. Since thou hast made me a
Priest, thy Minister, empowered to offer to thee
in sacrifice thine own beloved Son, grant that I
may live as becometh a Priest after thine own
heart. Consume and destroy within me all
earthly affections by the flames of divine love.
Grant that henceforward I may be grateful to
thee for the many graces which thou hast be-
stowed upon me, and for the great love which
thou hast shown me. If hitherto I have disre-
garded thy friendship, I now esteem it above all
the kingdoms of the world, and prefer thy plea-
sure to all the enjoyments and riches of earth
and of heaven.

my Father, for the love of Jesus Christ

fi.|i

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f

112

ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

separate me from all things here below. Thou
requirest thy Priests to separate themselves in
all things from the world, and to live only for
thee, and to promote thy honor and glory. <S^6-
gregate mihi Saulum et Barnabam in opus, ad
quod assumpsi eos, •^d, xiii. 2 I know that
thou requirest the same of me ; 1 will do it^ but
do thou assist me with thy grace. Draw me
entirely to thyself. Give me patience and resig-
nation in all labors and difficulties. Give me
the spirit of mortification far thy love. Give
me the spirit of true humility, that I may be
pleased with being slighted and contemned.
Doce me facere voluntatem tuam. Teach me to
do thy will, and then will I do whatever thou
requirest. Accept of me, God, and love me,
a sinner, who have hitherto many times offended
thee, but now desire truly to love thee, and to
be entirely thine. Eternal God, I hope to
love thee for all eternity : and hence do I desire
to love thee much here, that I may love thee
much for ever hereafter.

And because I love thee, I would that all
others did know and love thee. And since,
Lord, thou hast been pleased to make me a
Priest, enable me by thy grace to labor for thee,
and to bring souls to thee. I hope all through

OF THE MASS.

113

IS in
yfor

Se-
f, ad

that
J but
7 me
resig-
re me

Give
lay be
mned.
me to
tbon
^e me,
'ended
and to
ope to

desire

e tbee

lat all
since,
e me a
r thee,
hrough

thy merits, Jesus ; and through thy interces-
sion, holy Mother of God.

THANKSGIVING VI.

FRIDAY.

Jesus, how couldst thou, from amongst so
many others, have chosen me to be one of thy
Priests ? me who have so often turned my back
upon thee, and disregarded thy grace as nothing ?
My beloved Lord, I am grieved from the bottom
of my soul for having done so. Dost thou say
to me, " Thy sins are forgiven thee ?" Yes,
I hope that thou pronouncest upon me this
consoling sentence. Yes, thou hast been my
Eedeemer, not only once, but as many times as
thou hast pardoned me. O my Saviour ! would
that I had never offended thee! Let me hear
from thy sacred lips those words which thou
didst address to Magdalene: Remittuntur tibi
peccata tua. Let me know that thou hast again
received me into thy favor, by granting me true
contrition for my sins.

In mantis tuas commendo spiritum meum:
redemisH «»e, Domine Deus veritatis. Ah my
divine Pastor, thou didst descend from heaven
to seek me, the lost sheep, and thou dost now
descend daily upon the altar for my welfare :
10

i. ■■

urn

I-

li i

'111

114

ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

thou hast given thy life for my salvation, do not
now abandon me. Into thy hands I commend
my soul ; in pity receive it, and never suffer it
to be again taken from thee.

Thou hast shed all thy blood for me. Te ergo,
quasumus, tuis famulis subveni, quos pretioso
sanguine redemisti. Thou art as yet my advo-
cate, and not my judge ; obtain for me forgive-
ness from thy Father, obtain for me light and
strength to love thee with my whole soul.
Grant me grace so to spend the remainder of
my days, that when I stand before th3e as my
judge, I shall see thee appeased and merciful.

Eeign by thy love over my whole heart :
grant that I may be entirely thine ; and as thou
art my Saviour, remind me continually of the
love which thou hast borne me, bring to my
mind how much thou hast done for my salva-
tion, and oblige me to love thee. Thou hast
made me a Priest for this very end, that I may
never think of loving any other but thee.

Yes, my Jesus, I do desire to please thee : I
love thee, and desire to love non« other but
thee. Grant me humility, patience under the
labors of this life, meekness under affronts, mor-
tification, renunciation of all earthly pleasures,
and detachment from creatures ] and grant that
I may cast out of my heart every aflFection that

OF THE MASS.

115

le : I

but

the

mor-

ures,

that

is not fix'^d on t'^ee. I ask and hope all from
thee through the merits of thy passion. ISIy
dear Jesus, my beloved Jesus, my good Jesus,
hear me : bone Jesu exaudi me. And do thou,
Mary, my mother and my hope, pray to Jesus
for me.

THANKSGIVING VII.

SATURDAY.

Loquere Domine, quia audit aervus tuus.
- 1. Keg. iii. 9. My dear Jesus, thou hast again
come this morning to visit me; I give thee
thanks with my whole soul. Being come to
me, speak, say what thou requirest, and I will
obey thee. I have not deserved to be any more
spoken to by thee, having been so often deaf to
thy voice, when thou hast called me to thy love,
and having so often forsaken thee. But I have
repented of all my offences against thee ; and
again I repent of them, and .hope that thou hast
pardoned me. Make known to me, therefore,
thy holy will, and I will do all that thou
requirest of me.

Oh that I had always loved thee, my God.

Alas, how many years have I lost! But thy

. precious blood and consoling promises make me

> hope that I shall for the future compensate for

! 'I

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Il

II •'.■

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116

ON THE HOLT 8A0RIFICE

the time past by seeking in all things to lore
and to please thee.

I love thee, my Redeemer, I love thee, my
God, and I desire nothing but to love thee with
my whole heart, and even to die for the love of
thee, who hast died for the love of me. ^more
amoris tui, will I say to thee with St. Francis,
moriar, qui amore amoris mei dignatus es mori.
Thou, my Jesus, hast given all to me, thy blood,
thy life, all thy labors and fatigues, and all thy
merits, so that nothing more remained for thee
to bestow upon me ; behold, I give my whole self
to thee ; I give thee all my enjoyments, all the
pleasures of the earth, my body, my soul, my
will, so that I have not anything more that I
can give thee ; if I had I would give it to thee.
My dear Jesus, thou alone art indeed sufficient
for me.

But, Lord, make me faithful to thee ;
never permit me to be so unfaithful as to divert
my will from thee, and to separate myself from
thee. I hope through the merits of thy pas-
sion, Lord, that this will never happen. Thou
hast said: JYullus speravit in Domino, et con-
fusus est, EccL ii. 11. Even I therefore may
confidently say : In fe, Domine, speravi, non con-
fundar in externum, I hope, and I will always
hope, God of my soul, that I shall never

OF THE MASS.

117

undergo the confusion of seoinja; myself sepa-
rated from thee, and oftensive to thee. Jn /e,
Domine, speravi non cunfundar in aternum.

My God, thou art omnipotent, make me holy^
grant that I may really love thee ; grant that I
may omit nothing that can conduce to thy glory,
and overcome all things in order to please thee.
Happy for me if I lose all and gain thee and
thy love. For this end thou hast given me life ;
grant that 1 may spend it all in thy love and
service. I do not deserve favors, but chastise-
ments : and I will say to thee, chastise me as
thou pleasest, but do not deprive me of thy
love. Thou hast loved me without reserve : I
desire to love thee without reserve, who art the
infinite good, infinite love. O holy will of God,
thou art my love. my Jesus, thou hast died
for me, would that I could die for thee, and by
my death induce all others to love thee. O
infinite goodness, I esteem and love thee as
being infinitely more amiable than all things
else. Mary, draw me entirely to God ; give
me confidence in thee, that I may always have
recourse to thee. By thy powerful interces-
sion thou canst make me holy; pray to Jesus
for me.
10* ■.,..,.. ... ,,.,..:.„.■ ■ /

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118 ON THE HOLT SACRIFICE

Aspirations of €ovt after iHass,

COLLECTED FROM THE MANUSCRIPTS
. OF ST. FRANCIS OF SALES.

EXCESS of love ! sacred Host ! I adore
thee within me. My heart is too small to love
thee, Jesus ; and my tongue too feeble to
praise thy bounty. my Saviour, how great
are my obligations to thee, for having come to
visit so poor a creature ! I oflFer my whole self to
thee in acknowledgment of so great a benefit.

1 no longer desire to live, but that Jesus
may live in me. He is mine, and I am his for
eternity. love, love! and no more sin. I
will never forget the bounty and mercy of Jesus
my Saviour and my Guest. Yes, my God, I
believe without the least doubt, that thou art
now, both* body and soul, within my breast ;
thy divinity resides now within me, and is now
united with me.

God, thou art come to be united with me ;
to apply to me abundantly the merits of thy pas-
sion, and to sanctify me. Accomplish within me
all that for which thou art come. My God, all-
wise and all-powerful, let not thy coming to me
be in vain ! Unite thyself to me, and me to thy-
self by an inseparable union, and by perfect love.

OF THE MA.SS.

119

me;

my Saviour, for the sake of thine infinite
goodness, by which thou didst descend from
heaven upon the earth, I beseech thee to grant
me to experience the effects of thy love, in so
inflaming my soul that, despising all terrestrial
things, I may regard only thee, and think only
of thee ; so that the love which caused thee to
die upon the cross, may make me die in thee,
in order to live for thee for all eternity.

God of my soul, who deservest to be loved
above all creatures, I protest that thou art the
only object of my affections, and that I prefer
thee before all things in the world, and myself
also. I desire to be faithful to thee, and never
more to be separated from thee.

1 resign myself, I abandon myself entirely
into thy hands, by embracing with all affection
and reverence thy blessed will, and thy just
designs in my regard. And I beseech thee,
that whatever thou hast appointed for me in
time and eternity, may be accomplished in me ;
but I hope one day to see thy divine face, and
to behold thine infinite beauty. My God, draw
me to thyself that I may love thee, and so glow
with the fervor of thy love, that I may be wholly
consumed in it.

eternal Father, for the love of thine only
Son, fill my mind with holy thoughts, to remind

jl! !

120

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

me continually of thee and of thy Son. grant
me to know and to do whatever thou requirest
of me. And thou, Holy Spirit, inflame my
will with holy aflfections, that they may pro-
duce all those fruits which proceed from thy
love. Enlighten me with thy divine light, that
I may walk straight forward to thee, and my
will have no other liberty but to become entirely
thine.

Word incarnate, gr?mt that I may love
thee, and none but thee. Kemove from me
all occasions which may divert me from loving
thee. Grant that with my whole heart I may
continually look up to thee and serve thee as
the sovereign love of all hearts. Thou didst
come into the world only to abide in those
hearts which thou liast redeemed with thy
blood : may my heart then be completely thine,
enter into jt and take possession of it, and from
thence seeing all my wants, enlighten me, and
make me ever ready to obey thy will.

O omnipotent Jesus, remove from me all
impediments to the effects of thy infinite power
and goodness. I divest myself of my own
liberty, and consecrate it entirely to the dis-
posal of thy will. Have pity on me, and heal
me of all impurities and want of fidelity j fill
me with thy grace and wisdom. I' abandon

OP THE MASS.

121

myself entirely to thee, my Jesus ; I desire
to be all thine ; I desire to labor fervently in
promoting thy glory, and, at the sight of thy
sufferings, to suffer patiently all tribulations.
Grant that in all things I may do what is best
pleasing to thee.

My God, even were there no punishment for
the wicked, I would not cease to love thee and
to suffer for thee. Grant that I may correspond
with thy designs. Grant that for the future
thou alone ma3'est be my portion for ever.
Word Incarnate, cleanse my heart with thy
blood, and imprint in it, as the pledge of thy
love, thy holy name Jesus.

my Jesus, through that eternal love which
thou hast borne me, grant that I may love thee
for the little time of life that may remain to me
on earth, that so I may love thee for all eternity
in heaven. God of love, grant that I may
live only for thee. When shall I be all thine,
as thou art all mine ? When shall I die to
myself, to live entirely for thy love ? I know
not how to give myself to thee as I ought j do
thou, O God, take possession of me, and make
me all thine own.

ever Blessed Virgin, I rejoice with thee,
that thou didst gain the heart of thy God ;
unite me entirely to thy Son ; speak to him for

122

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

!■•

;ii

lit!

me, and obtain for me grace to do whatever he
may inspire me to do. And do thou teach me
to practise the virtues which thou didst exercise
on earth ; and detach me from every thing which
is not God, that I may love him with my whole
strength.

My God, inflame me entirely witl\ thy holy
love, that I may seek for nothing but to please
thee ; expel from my heart every thing that is
in the least displeasing to thee. Grant that I
may ever be able to say with real affection : My
God, my God, thee only do I desire, and nothing
more. My Jesus, grant me a great affection for
thy most sacred Passion, that I may ever have
before my eyes thy sufferings and death, to
inflame me with love for thee, and ever to urge
me to make thee some return of gratitude for
the immensity of thy love. Grant me also a
great affection for the mofet holy Sacrament of
the Altar, in which thou hast displayed the ten-
derness of thy love towards us. I bqseech thee
also to grant me a tender devotion to thy most
holy Mother ; give me grace always to love her
and to serve her by having recourse to her inter-
cession, and to ornament her altars, and to confide
in her patronage ; and ever grant to me and to
all a great confidence in the merits of thy pas-
sion, and in the intercession of Mary.

OF THE MASS.

123

I beseech thee to grant me a holy death.
Grant that I may then receive with great love
the most holy Viaticum; that embracing thee,
burning with divine love and with an ardent
desire of seeing thee, I may depart this life, to
embrace thy feet as soon as I behold thee.

my king, come and reign alone in my soul ;
do thou take full possession of it, that it may
serve and obey only thy love.

that I could, my Jesus, be wholly con-
sumed for thee, who didst ci "sume thy whole
life for me !

Lamb of God, sacrificed upon the cross, re-
member that I am one of those souls whom thou
didst redeem with so many labors and sufferings.
Grant that I may never lose thee* Thou hast
given thyself wholly to me ; grant that I may be
wholly thine, and have no other end in view but
to please thee. I love thee, immense and
sovereign good, in order to please thee : I love
thee because thou art infinitely worthy of love.
My greatest afiliction is to have lived so long
without loving thee.

My beloved Kedeemer, grant me to share in
that grief for my sins which overwhelmed thee
in the garden of Gethsemani. my Jesus, that
I had died rather than have ever offended thee !

its

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124

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE

love of my Jesus, thou art my love and my
hope. I desire to lose my life a thousand times
rather than lose thy grace.

My God, had I died in the state of sin, I
could not now have loved thee any more. 1
thank thee for affording me time and calling me
to love thee. Now that I am able, I will love
thee with my whole soul. Thou hast preserved
me until now in order that I may love thee ; and

1 will love thee. for the sake of thy precious
blood which thou didst shed for me, never suffer
me again to forsake thee : In te, Domine^ spera-
vi, non confundar in ceternum. What is the
world ! what are riches, pleasures, honors ! God,
and God only do I desire. My God, thou alone
art sufficient for me, for thou art the sovereign,
infinite good.

O my Jesus, bind me wholly to thy love, and
draw to thyself all my affections, so that I may
not be able to love any other but thee. Grant
that before death I may be indeed wholly thine.

Ah, my God, so long as I live I am in danger
of offending thee ! Alas, when shall that day
come when I shall be able to say : my Jesus, I
now can never lose thee !

Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ
do not despise me j accept of me to love thee,

OF THE MASS.

125

and give me divine love. I desire to love thee
as much as I am able in this world, that I may
love thee for ever in the next.

infinite good, I love thee ; but enable me
to know how great a good I love, and to love
thee as thou desirest. Grant that I may over-
come all in order to please thee.

Mary, who so much desirest to see thy dear
Son loved, this do I entreat of thee, that thou
wilt obtain for me to love him during the whole
remainder of my life, and nothing more do I
wish for. Most blessed Lady, my Mother, in
thee do I confide : thou dost obtain whatever
thou askest of God ; thou prayest for all who are
devout to thee, pray also for me.

126

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

OF DEVOUTLY RECITING THE DIVINE OFFICE. >

To those who are deputed by the Church to
recite the Canonical Hours, two very great and
important offices are entrusted — that of praising
and glorifying God, and that of imploring the
divine mercies upon all Christian people. In
the first place, then, the supreme majesty of God
is to be honored by the reciting of the Office.
Sacrificium laudis honorificahit me : et illic iter^
quo ostendam illi salutare Dei, Ps, xlix. 23.
I declare myself honored, saith the Lord, by
him who offers me a sacrifice of praise ; and there-
by he shall find the way of obtaining eternal
salvation. St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, when
she heard the bell for Office, was filled with con-
solation, and hastened immediately to the choir,
delighted with the thought that she was going
to be engaged in the employment of the angels,
whose constant occupation it is to praise God.
And it is for this end that the Church has ap-
pointed her ministers to sing the Divine Office,
that men on earth may join with the blessed in
heaven in honoring their common Creator.

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

127

Sed ilia sedes ccelitum

Semper exultat laudibus ;

Illi canentes jungimur

AlmcB Sionis (nmuli.
St. Gregory Nazianzen says, that the chanting
of the Psalms is a prelude of the praises with
which the Saints honor God in heaven : Psnlmo-
rum cantus illius (coelestis) hymnodice prceludium
est, S. Greg, J^az, Or, 40, in fin. Thus, ac-
cording to TertuUian, when we recite the Cano-
nical Hours, we, as it were, take possession of
heaven, inasmuch as we discharge the same duty
as the inhabitants of that blessed country.
Hence, St. Catharine of Bologna took so much
delight in reciting the Divine Office, that she
wished her death might take place while she was
so engaged.

In the second place, by the office God is to be
thanked for all the graces and favors which he is
continually bestowing on mankind, and his divine
mercy is to be obtained for poor sinners. It is
the duty of the faithful in general to thank God
for all his benefits : and as all stand in need
here below of the divine assistance, in order to
resist their spiritual enemies, and to obtain eter-
nal salvation, so all are likewise bound to implore
by prayer the succor of his mercies ; but as
seculars are constantly distracted with the affairs

W'l

i •

128

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

of the world, the holy Church has appointed
her ministers to implore for themselves and for
all the people of Christ the assistance of his
divine majesty through the different hours of the
day. For this end is the Office divided into
seven Canonical Hours, that there may be al-
ways some praying for all, and in the best form
of prayer ; inasmuch as the Divine Office is no-
thing less than a memorial drawn up for us by
God himself, through which he may more readily
hear our prayers and succor us in our necessities,
as he declares to us by the prophet Isaias : Fer-
ba mea qucR posui in ore tuo, ha. lix. 21. In
this our good God acts as a prince who, wishing
to relieve the miseries of his vassals, draws up
for them himself a form of supplication suitable
to his dignity and their own wants, that he may
be the better able to console them. Many pri-
vate prayers do not iequal in value only one
prayer of the Divine Office, as being offered to
God in the name of the whole Church and in his
own appointed words. Hence St. Mary Magda-
len of Pazzi says that, in comparison with the
Divine Office, all other prayers and devotions are
but of little merit and efficacy with God. Let
us be convinced, then, that after the holy Sacri-
fice of the Mass, the Church possesses no source,
no treasure, so abundant as the Office, from

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

129

which we may draw such daily streams of
grace.

But St. Gregory says that true prayer con-
sists not only in the pronunciation of the words,
but also in the attention of the heart ; inasmuch
as our good desires prevail much more with God
in obtaining his divine mercies, than simply our
voices : Vera postulatio non est in vocibus, sed
in cogitationibus cordis; valentiores namque
voces npud aures Dei non faciunt verba nostra,
sed desideria, S, Greg. Mor, lib, 22. cap, 13.
It is, therefore, necessary, if we would please
God, to pray not only with the voice, but with
the spirit and the mind, after the example of the
apostle : Psdllam spiritu, psallam et menfe, 1
Cor, xiv. 15.

K Priests and Religious did all recite the
Oflfice as it ought to be recited, the Church
would not behold herself in the miserable state
to which she is reduced. How inany sinners
would be delivered from the slavery of the devil,
and how many souls would love God with much
greater fervor ! And how would Priests them-
selves not find themselves ever the same, im-
perfect, irritable, jealous, attached to their own
interests, and led away by vanities ! Our Lord
has promised to hear every one who prays to
him : Omnis enim qui petit^ accipit, Luc, xi. 10.
11*

I'll

130

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

r ■ ;i:
,1 ■'■■

And how comes it that a Priest offering up so
many prayers in a day, were it only in the Office
which he recites, is yet never heard? He is
always the same, as weak and prone as ever
to fall not only into slight sins (to which he is
habituated, and takes neither pains nor care to
correct himself of them,) but into grievous sins
against charity, justice, or chastity ; hence when
he recites the Office, he pronounces sentence of
condemnation against himself, in these words :
Maledidi qui declinant a mandatis tuis. And
what is still worse, he feels little remorse, ex-
cusing himself as being of the same flesh and
blood as other men, and not able to restrain
himself. But if he said the Office with fewer
distractions and less negligence, accoi .panying
with his heart the many prayers which he offers
to God in reciting it, he certainly would not be
so weak, but would acquire fortitude and strength
to resist all temptations, and to lead a holy life,
such as becometh a Priest of God. '

But, how, says St. Gregory, can God regard
the prayers of him who knows not what he is
asking, nor at all times desires to be heard 1
Illam orationem non audit Deus, cui qui orat
non intendit •^ss, S. Thorn. 2. 2. qui. 83. art.
12. The apostle 'tells us that the prayer of
only the lips is fruitless : Si or em lingua mens

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

131

autem mm sinefructu est, 1 Cor, xiv. 14. As
prayer offered with attention and devotion is a
sweet-smelling incense, which is most pleasing to
God", and brings down for us treasures of grace ;
so, on the contrary, prayer offered with dis^:rac-
tions and indevotion, is an abomination in his
eyes, which excites his indignation, and brings
upon us his wrath.

The Almighty one day complained of this to
St. Brigit, saying, that Priests lost much time
every day, in entertaining themselves with their
friends on worldly topics ; but that when they
came to speak with him in the Divine Office,
they were in such haste, that instead of honoring
they dishonored him. Hence St. Augustine
said, that the barking of a dog was more pleas-
ing to God than tlie chanting of such Priests.
God, how indignant would an earthly prince
be, were one of liis vassals, while in the act of
petitioning him for some favor, to be so dis-
tracted and ^ iken up with other things as not to
know wl i was saying ! Hence the Angelic
Doctor Wl .OS, that no one can be excused of sin,
who at prayer, although not of obligation, is
voluntarily distracted, because he thereby slights
God, as one would do, who, speaking to an-
other, paid no attention to what he was saying :
JVon est absque peccato, quod aliquis orando eva-

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'1'

132

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

gationem mentis patiatur : videtur enim contem-
nere Deum, sicufi si alicui homini loqueretur, et
non attenderet ad ea, qum ipse profert. 2. 2. q.
83, art, 12.

Alas! of how many Priests will the Lord
complain, as he complained of old of the Jews !
Populus hie lahiis me honorat : cor autem eorum
longe est a me. Matt, xv. 8. And of how many
might be said what Peter of Blois writes ? Libia
sunt in canticis, et animus in patinis, Serm.
59. ad Sacred, While their lips pronounce the
Psalms and Canticles, their minds are in the
pleasures of the table ; thinking how they may
best gratify their appetites or their vanity, their
thirst for riches or similar wordly desires. The
Cou jcil of Treves says : Quid est voce psallere,
mente autem domUm, aut forum circuire, nisi
homines fallere et Deum irridere ? Cone, Trevier,
cap, 6 de Hor, Canon, What else is it to chant
the psalms with the voice, and in mind to be
going through the streets and squares, but to
deceive men, by making them believe that you
are praising God, when in reality you are mock-
ing him, speaking to him indeed with your lips,
but giving 3/our minds and hearts to anything
rather than to praising him and praying to him ?
Hence St. Basil justly concludes, that as, in
order to obtain favors, it is necessary to pray for

' ^^fi\

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

133

tuTy et
2. q.

Lord
Jews !
eorum
' many
Libia
Serm.
ice the
in the
3y may
, their
The
mllere,
nisi
revier,
chant
to be
but to
lat you
mock-
ir lips,
ything
him?
las, in
:ay for

them with attention and fervor, so he who prays
with a mind wandering upon distracting objects,
will not obtain the favors which he asks, but
will provoke the Lord to indignation : Divinum
auxilium est implorandum non remisse, nee
mente hue vel illuc evagante ; eo quod talis non
solum non impetrabit sed magis Dominum irri'
tabit, S. Bas. Serm. de orando Deo,

Our Lord has said by his prophet Malachy,
that he curses the praises of those Priests who
bless him only with their lips, while their hearts
are engaged upon everything else but his honor
and glory : Et nunc ad vos mandatum hoc,
Sacerdofes. Si nolueritis super cor, ut detis

gloriam nomini meo, ait Dominus exercitrium

maledicam benedictionibus vestris. MaL xi. 1, 2.
Hence may be said of that unhappy Priest, who
says his Office in this careless manner, what is
written in the 108th Psalm, 6, 7, Diabolus stet
a dfixtris ejus. Cum judicatur eaeat condemna-
tus, et or alio ejus fiat in peccatum.

While he is reciting the divine praises with
his lips only, sometimes only half pronouncing
the words, at other times conversing or amusing
himself with others, his mind dissipated and dis-
tracted with the affairs or pleasures of the world,
the devil stands by his side, and his reward for
such Office will be eternal damnation, since his

: ' H

134

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

very prayer itself will be imputed to him as a
sin, on account of the unworthy manner in which
he offers it ; which is the signification of those
words : et oratio ejus fiat in peccatum.

And hence is the devil so busy in putting into
the mind, while we are reciting the Office, so
many of the affairs, desires and pleasures of the
worJd, that engaging our thoughts with such
things, he may rob us of all the fruit we might
otherwise reap from the Office, and render us
culpable in the sight of God, by causing us to
treat him with such little respect. On this ac-
count we ought to take the greatest care to
recite the divine praises with proper attention.
A good Religious once said, that when pressed
for time, we had better shorten our mental
prayer, in order to have sufficient leisure to
recite the Office with proper devotion. Agree-
ably with this, we find in the rules of the Car-
thusians : Spiritus Sandus gratum non recipit
quidquid aliud, qua/n quod debes, obtulerisj neg-
lecto eo quod debes. Carth, part, 3 God is not
pleased with any act of devotion which we per-
form, if by performing it, we neglect that to
which duty obliges us.

But omitting jther reflections, let us come
to the manner in which we are practicdiy to
recite the Office with becoming attention and

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

135

,m as a
L which
f those

ng into
Bee, so
of the
h • such
e might
ider us
g us to
this ac-
care to
itention.
pressed
mental
sure to
Agree-
the Car-
i recipit
is, neg-
)d is not
we per-
that to

IS come
icdly to
ion and

devotion. Before every thing else, says St.
John Chrysostom, when we enter the Church,
or take the Breviary in our hands, to discharge
our obligation of reciting the Divine Office,
let us leave outside the door, and expel from
our minds all worldly thoughts. JVe quis ingrC'
diatur templum curis onvstus mundanis ; hcec
ante ostium deponamus. Chyrs, Horn, 2. c. 6.
To this does the Holy Spirit exhort us when
he says: Ante orationem prcspara mentem.
Eccl. xviii. 23. Consider, that then the Church
charges you as her Minister to go and praise
the Lord, and to implore his divine mercies
for all mankind. Imagine to yourself that the
angels stand by you, as they were once seen
by Blessed Ermando, with thuribles in their
hands, ready to offer up your prayers to God
as sweet-smelling incense of holy love, as the
Psalmist says : Dirigatur^ Domine, oratio mea,
sicut incensum in conspedu tuo, cxl. Thus the
Apostle St. John describes the Angels as hahen^

tes .phialas aureas plehas adoramentorum, qua

sunt orationes Sanctorum, Apoc. v. 8. In a
word, think that you are going to speak with
God, and to treat with him of your own welfare,
and of that of the whole Church; and reflect
that he then regards you with greater love, and
listens more propitiously to your petitions.

136

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

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In the beginning, then, offer to him the
praises which you are about to pour forth in
his honor, and beseech him to free you from dis-
tractions, and to give you light and help to
praise him and to pray to him as he deserves ;
and for this end recite attentively the usual
prayer : •^peri Domine os meum ad henediceiu
dum, etc. When you begin the Office, do not
hurry yourself in order to get through it as soon
as possible, as some do, and v^ould to Grod they
were not the greater number. my God ! the
Office is to be said, and at once we are weary.
And shall we, in order to spare ourselves the
little more time required to recite it devoutly,
displease God, and deprive ourselves of the
graces and merits which we might otherwise gain
by reciting it with proper attention ?

We should then place ourselves in a modest
and becoming posture. If we do not intend to
say it kneeling or standing, but sitting down,
let us at least carefully avoid any negligent
attitude. It is related of two Keligious, that
while they were reciting Matins together re-
clined as on a couch, the devil appeared to
them, bringing with him an intolerable stench,
and scornfully said to them: such prayer de-
serves such incense. M talem orationem tale
debetur incensum, Jordan, de Saxon, in Vit.

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

137

in the
rth in
»m dis-
sip to
serves ;
usual
ediceiu
do not
Eis soon
)d they
>d! the
weary.
^es the
jvoutly,
of the
se gain

modest
[tend to

down,
3gligent
IS, that
)her re-
ared to

stench,
jrer de-
6771 talB
in Vit.

Erem, lib, 2. cap. 15. It would greatly contri-
bute to our devotion to recite the Office before a
crucifix and a figure of the Blessed Virgin, that,
casting a look now and then upon them, we may
be enabled to renew our intentions and devout *
affections.

Endeavor, therefore, while you recite the
Psalms, if you would derive great advantage
from them, to renew from time to time your
attention and devout affections : JVe quod tepes-
cere ccBperat, says St. Augustine, omnino friges-
cat, et penitus extinguatur, nisi crebrius inflam-
metur, Ep, 130. ad Probam, c. 9. Attention
during the recital of the Divine Office is of
three kinds ; and I speak here of internal atten-
tion ; because as regards external attention it
is quite necessary that we should abstain from
every thing incompatible with internal' attention,
as writing, conversation with others, or listening
to others speaking, and such like things, which
require considerable application of mind. And
it will be well here to note, what the learned
remark, that such as recite their Office in the
squares, streets, and other such places where they
are much exposed to distractions, are in great
danger of not satisfying their obligation. But
to return to internal attention — it regards the
words, the sense, and God, as divines in general
12

138

ON THE DIVINE OmCE.

'Ai,'.

teach, with St. Thomas, who says : Triplex est
attentio, qu<2 orationi vocali potest adhiheri : una
quidem, qua attenditur ad verba, ne aliquis in
eis erret : secunda, qua attenditur ad sensum ver-
"' borum: tertia qua attenditur adjinem orationis,
scilicet ad Deum, et ad rem pro qua oratur, 2. 2.
q, 83. art, 3.

The first kind of attention is to the words,
by which a person is careful in pronouncing
them entirely and distinctly. The second is to
the sense, by attending to the signification of the
words, in order that the heart may accompany
them with appropriate affections. The third and
the best, is to God, by directing the mind to him
during prayer, by adoring him, by thanking or
loving him, or by imploring his graces. The
first kind of attention, whenever there has been
from the commencement an intention of praying,
is sufficient to satisfy the obligation, the Church
requiring no more, as St. Thomas teaches in
another place : Prima est attentio ad verba,
quibus petimus : deinde ad petitionem ipsam : et
qacBCUmque earum attentionum adsit, non est re-
putanda inattenta oratio. In 4, dist. 15, qu. 1,
Salut, 5. But he who says the Office with
this kind of attention only, without either of
the otbar two, will never say it with devotion,
nar without many defects, nor with much fruit.

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

139

And what benefit can a Priest expect to derive
from his OflBce, if he says it merely with his
lips, endeavoring all the time to dispatch it as
quickly as possible, in order to free himself of a
burden pressing heavily upon his shoulders? or
as though he were swallowing a nauseous medi-
cine ? What benefit can he expect, if, worse than
this, while he is reciting his Office, he allows his
mind to be dissipated, now looking about him
at distracting objects, and now, sometimes even
intermixing with what he is repeating irrelevant
words and phrases? St. Bonaventure {Spec,
Disc, part 1, c, 16.) relates, that, in Paris a
good Priest being asked a questicm by a ccrtaija
Prelate on some afi*air while he was saying his
Office, replied : that he was speaking with a
person of higher dignity, and that therefore he
.could not attend to the question, and bowing
his head continued his Office. On the other
hand, the ?s.me saint relates of another eccle-
siastic, that he was condemned to very severe
punishments in purgatory on account of the
many interruptions which he had allowed of in
his Office. ■' '

It is not, however, meant that we should
disquiet or afflict ourselves on account of the
involuntary distractions which molest us in our
Office. So long as they are not voluntary, they

140

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

-!.

are not sinful. Our Lord has compassion on
our infirmity, through which distracting thoughts
come into our minds without our seeking them,
and hence will not hinder the fruit of the prayers
which we recite. In spiritu et in veritate orat,
5'ys St. Thomas, qui ex instinctu Spiritus ad
orandum accedit, etiamsi ex infirmitate aliqua
mens postmodum evagetur. 2, 2, q. 83, o. 4, ad. 1.
And he adds, that it happens even to souls who
are raised to the exercise of contemplation, that
they cannot remain long in the exercise of this
high gift, without being pressed down by the
weight of human misery interrupting them with
involuntary distraction : Mens humana diu stare
in alto non potest; pondere enim infirmitatis
humanoB deprimitur ad inferiora, Et ideo con-
tigit, quod cum mens orantis ascendit in Deum
per contemplaiionem, subito evagetur. Loco cit,
ad. 2.

On the other hand, the holy doctor says, that
he who is voluntarily and purposely distracted
in prayer, cannot derive any benefit from it, nor
be excused from sin : Si quis ex proposito in
oratione mente evagatur, hoc peccatum est, et im-
pedit orationis fructum. Ibid, ad, 3. Hy pur-
posely is meant, as the learned in general say,
when a person perceiving hie distractions, wil-
fully entertains them. Against such St. Cyprian

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

141

exclaims, that it is an insupportable irreverence
in the eyes of God, for a person Tivhile he is pray-
ing to him to think of other things as though of
more importance than his speaking with God in
order to implore his divine graces : Qucr segnitia
est alienarif cum Domninum pretaris, quasi sit
aliud quod debeas magis cogitare^ quam cum Deo
loquaris? S, Cypr. de Orat, Dom. Hence St.
Bernard says : Voluntas neglecta facit cogita-
tiones indignas Deo; pia efficaces ad fructum
spiritus. As our will renders our thoughts effi-
cacious in obtaining the fruits of the spirit, so
our will, if neglected, renders them unworthy of
God, and thus deserving chastisements instead
of favors.

St. Bernard had a celebrated vision on this
subject, which is related in the chronicles of the
Cistercians. As he was one night chanting the
Office in choir with his monks, he saw an angel
writing at the side of each of them. Some of
the angels were -writing with gold, others with
silver, others with ink, others with water, and
others stood with their pens in their hands with-
out writing any thing. Our Lord made known
to the saint that the gold signified the fervor of
charity with which their prayers were recited ;
the silver, devotion, but less fervor ; the ink, dili-
gence in pronouncing all the words, but without
12*

f, .

1
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142

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

devotion; the water, negligence, and but little
attention to what was said ; and that the angels
who wrote nothing signified, that those who were
voluntarily distracted were guilty of great irre-
verence to God. On the contrary, St. Robert,
Abbot, being also in choir, had a diiferent vision.
He saw the devil going round, and finding one
drowsy, laughed at him ; and another distracted,
was greatly delighted, and showed that he was
very much pleased with him.

When then, Priest of God, you take in
hand your Breviary, figure to yourself an angel
on one side noting down your merits in the book
of life, if you say the Ofiice with devotion ; and
on the other side the devil writing down your
faults in the book of death, if you say it with
wilful distractions. By such thoughts endeavor
to excite yourself to recite it with all the devo-
tion in your power. For this end not only begin
the Ofl&ce with attention, but renew your atten-
tion at the commencement of every psalm, that
you may be able to accompany in heart all the
sentiments which you utter. Cum oratis Deunij
writes Cassian, hoc versetur in corde, quod pro-
fertur in ore. Collat. 25. cap. 7. Hence St. Au-
gustin says : Si Psalmus orat, orate : si gemit,
gemite : sisperat, sperate. in Ps. 80. St. Thomas
observes, that words pronounced devoutly with

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

143

the lips excite devotion in the mind : Verba sig'
nificantia aliqiiid ad devotionem pertinensn exci-
tant mentes, 2. 2. q, 83. art, 12. ad, 2. And on
this account he says our Lord has taught us to
pray with the voice, that thereby in reciting our
prayers we may apply the mind to suing for what
we ask. And this is what we read in the cele-
brated Canon of the Fifth Council of Latcran,
beginning with Dolentes, namely, that the Office
be recited Studiose et devote, quantum Deus
dederit : Studiote, by pronouncing all the words :
Devote, by exercising the heart in the sentiments
which are uttered. We should be thoroughly
persuad(»d of what St. Augustine says, that the
graces which we desire and beseech for ourselves
and for others, are obtained more by the effu-
sions of the heart than by the sounds of the voice.
Hoc negotium plus gemitibus, quam sermonibus
agitur, S, Aug, ad Probam, Ep, 122. c. 10.

Cassian relates that the monks of Egypt held
that it was better to sing ten verses deliberately
and devoutly, than an entire psalm with dis-
traction of mind : Utilius habent decern versus
cum rationabili assignatione cantari, quam totum
Psalmum cum confusione mentis effundi, Cass,
Instit. lib, 2. cap, 11. Oh how many lights and
graces are received through the psalms when re-
cited with deliberation and reflection ! St. Epi-

144

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

' '1

pbanius says : Psalmus menies illuminate in ccelum
reducit^ homines famiiiores Deo reddity animam
latificat, S. Epiph. tom, 1. pag, 54. The Psalms
enlighten the mind, rejoice the soul, direct it to
heaven, and render it familiar with God.

It is true that many pi^ssages of the psalms
are obscure and difl&cult to be understood with-
out explanation ; but there are many others easy
and clear, which serve to reanimate our faith,
our confidence in God, our love for him, and
our good desires. They reanimate our faith, by
placing before our eyes the eternal truths of the
existence of God, of the creation of the world,
of the last things, and of the immortality of the
soul. How especially do they invigorate our
faith by the many prophecies which they contain
of the great work of our Redemption, delivered
so many ages before the event took place I Holy
David predicted in many places the coming of
our Redeemer : Redemisti me, Domine Deus veri-
talis, Ps. XXX. Redemptionem misit populo suo.
Ps, ex. Copiosa apud eum redemptio. Ps. cxxix.
He predicted in particular many things regard-
ing the passion. He predicted the council of
the chief Priests and elders, when they would
assemble to bring about the death of Jesus
Christ. Principes convenerunt in unum adversus
Dominum et adversus Christum ejus. Ps. 11. He

ON TEE DIVINE OFFICE.

145

ccelum
nimam

)t it to

psalms

1 with-

rs easy

faith,

iiy and

ith, by

of the

world,

of the

te our

contain

livered

Holy

ling of

IS veri-

lo sua.

cxxix.

egard-

icil of

would

Jesus

t versus

1. He

predicted the crucifixion : Foderunt munus mens
et pedes meos : dinumernverunt omnia ossa men*
Ps, xxi. He foretold how the executioners
would divide his garments, and for his inner
garment cast lots : Diviserunt sibi vestimenta
mea, et super vestem menm naserunt sort*tm, Eod,
Ps. xxi. He predicted the thirst of Jesus Christ,
and the gall mixed with vinegar which they
would give him to drink upon the cross. Et de-
derunt in escam meam fel : et in siti mea potave-
runt me aceto, Ps. Ixviii. He predicted also
the conversion of the Gentiles : Convertentur ad
Dominum universi fines terrce, et adorobu7it in
compectu ejus universce famiiicB gentium. Ps,
xxi.

How many beautiful sentiments of confidence
in God do the Psalms contain ! In te Domine^
speravif non confundar in ceternum. Ps. xxx.
In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum. Ibid,
Quoniam in me speravit, liber abo eum, Ps. xc.
Laudans invocnbo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis
salvus ero. Ps. xvii. Protector est omnium
sperantium in se. lb, Dominus firmamentum
meum et refugium meum et liberator meus. lb.
Vivet anima mea et laudabit te. Ps. cxviii.
Misericordias Domini in ceternum cant abo. Ps»
Ixxxviii. Spiritus tuus bonus deducet me in ter^
ram rectam. Ps. cxlii. Dominus illuminatio

146

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

mea et salun mea ; quein timebo ? Ps, xxvi.
Sperantem autem in Domino misericordia cir-
cumdabit, Ps, xxxi. Fiat misericordia tua, Do-
mine, super nos quemadmodum speravimus in te.
Ps. xxxii.

How maDj acts of love ! Diligam te, Domine,
fortituao mea, Ps, xvii. Quid mihi est in ccelo ?
Et a te quid volui super teirram ? Deus cordis
met et pars mea in ceternum, Ps, Ixxii. Sitivit
in te anima mea, quam multipliciter tibi caro
mea ? Ps. Ixii. Satiabor, cum apparuerit gloria
tua, Ps, XV. Confiteantur tibi populi, Deus,
confiteantur tibi populi omnes. Ps, Ixvi. Mag-
nijicate Dominum mecum, et exaltemus nomen
ejus in idipsum, Ps, xxxiii. Memorfui Dei, et
delectatus sum. Ps, Ixxvi. Paratum cor meum,
Deus, paratum cor meum, Ps, Ivi. Quemadmo-
dum desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum, ita de~
siderat anima mea ad te Deus, Ps. xli. Quando
veniam, et apparebo ante faciem Dei ? Ibid,

How many acts of thanksgiving! Quid re-
tribuam Domino pro omnibus, qum retribuit mihi ?
Ps, cxv. Venite, audite, et narrabo, omnes qui
timetis Deum, quanta fecit anima me<B, Ps. Ixv.
How many acts of humility ! JSTisi quia Domi-
nus adjuvit Tne, paulominus habitasset in inferno
anima mea, Ps, Ixxxiii. Eruisti animam meam
, ex inferno infer iori. Ibid, Et non intres in

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

147

XXVI.

I cir-
I, Do-
in te.

omine,

, cado ?
cordis

Sitivit

bi caro

f gloria
Deusy
Mag-
nomen
Dei, et
meuMy

madmo-
ita de-

Quando

id,

\uid re-
it mihi ?
nes qui
s, Ixv.
Domi'
inferno
meam
itres in

judicium cum servo tuo^ quia non justijicabitur
in conspectu tuo, omnis vivens, Ps, cxlii. Ego
autem sum vermis, et non homo, opprobrium ho-
minum, et abjectio plebis, Ps. xxi. Erravi sicut
ovis qu(B periit, quare servum tuum. Ps, cxviii.
How many acts of contrition ! Iniquitatem odio
kabui, et abominatus sum. Ps, exviii. Exitus
aquarum deduxerunt oculi met, quia non custo-
dierunt legem tuam. lb, Fuerunt mihi lacryma
mem panes die ac nocte^ dum dicitur mihi quo-
tidie uhi est Deus tuus ? Ps, xli. How many
good purposes ! Et custodiam legem tuam sem-
per, Ps, cxviii. In aternum non obliviscar juS"
tijicationes tuas. Ibid, Juravi it statui custodire
judicia justitice tuce. Ibid, Ab omni via mala
prohibui pedes meos, ut custodiam verba tua. Ibid,
Legem tuam in medio cordis met, Ps, xxxiz.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas, Ps, 1.

Again how do the Psalms abound in holy
thoughts! In the fiftieth Psalm alone how
many beautiful prayers ! Miserere met Deus,
secundum magnam misericordiam tuam, Jlverte
faciem tuam a peccatis meis. Car mundum crea
in me Deus, JVe projicias me a facie tua, Spi-
ritu principali confirma me. How many other
prayers, in the 118th Psalm, which is recited
every morning in the little Hours ! Doce me
justijicationes tuas, Revela oculos meos, Viam

■ 'm

f."ii

Vf.-]

148

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

iniquitatis amove a me. Averte oculos meos, ne
videant vanitatem. Da mihi intellectum, ut dis-
cam Tiiandata tua. Fiat misericordia iua, ut
consoletur me, J^on confundas me ab expeda'
tione mea. Adjuva wie, et salvus ero. Suscipe
servum tuum in bonum. Aspice in me^ et mise-
rere mei, Intellectum da mihi, et vivam,. Gressus
meos dirige secundum eloquium tuum, Clamavi
ad te ; salvum me fac, ut costodiam mandata
tua. Vide humilifatem meam, et eripe me. In-
tret postulatio m^a in conspectu tuo. Thus sum
ego J salvum me fac. Fiat manus tua, ut salvet
me, Doce me Jacere voluntatem tuam, Ps, xlii.
As regards other passages which are obscure, I
do not say that there is an obligation of studying
interpreters J but at the same time I say that
such a study would be certainly one of the best
and most useful to which a Priest could apply
himself, is the Council of Milan advises . Inter-
pretationem studio adsequaiur, nnde mens ani-
musque ad ali quern salutarem ajjectum incenda-
tur, Syn, MedioL V, part 3. For this purpose
it would be well to read Cardinal Bellarmine on
the Psalms.

The petitions most pleasing to God are those
which are contained in the Pater noster, which
is the most excellent of all prayers, taught us
from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself; and

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

149

s, ne
I dis~
a, ut
peda-
uscipe
mise^
ressus
amavi
indata
. In-
IS sum
salvet
's. xlii.
cure, I
udying
ly that
le best

1 apply

Inter-

IS anU

%cenda'

urpose

line on

\q those

I, which

ight us

aixd

therefore does the Church require us to repeat it
so often in the Divine Office. How especially
beautiful are the three first petitions ! three most
perfect acts of love ! SancHJicetur nomen tuum :
Mveniat regnum tuum : Fiat voluntas tua sicut
in ccelo et in terra ! In the first, Sandificetur
nomen tuum, we beg that God would make him-
self known and loved by all mankind. In the
second, Mveniat regnum. tuum, we beg of him
to take entire possession of our hearts, that he
may reign in them by his grace in this life, and
by his glory in the next. In the third, Fiat
vol-.'ir>.:' tua, etc, we ask of him the gift of per-
fect ouaformity ; so that we may do his will on
earth as the blessed do in heaven. In repeating
so frequently the Gloria Patri, how many devout
acts of faith may we make, of praise, of thanks-
giving, of delight in the happiness and perfec-
tions of God ! St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi,
whenever she repeated the Gloria Patri, bow-
ing her head imagined to herself that she was
offering it to the executioner in honor of the
Faith. Moreover, the Church requires us at the
beginning of all the Hours of the Office to salute
and have recourse to Mary the Mother of God ;
by means of whom we may obtain so many graces,
she being the treasurer and dispenser of all the
divine graces.
13

%!:

♦

I:.''!-'

150

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

Let US conclude. Many Priests think and
speak of the obligation of saying Office as of a
great burden ; and I say, that those who say it
negligently without devotion, and endeavor to
get through it as quickly as possible, have great
reason so to speak of it j because they have to
labor, for at least an hour, to recite it, and that
without any relish, but with much irksomeness.
But to those who say it with devotion, entering
with their minds into the many devout seiitiments
which are expressed in it, and accompanying
with their hearts the holy affections which it
pours forth to God, the Office is not a load, but
a relief and delight to the soul, as all good
Priests find it : and if it must ever be called a
load, it is a winged load, which elevates us and
unites us with God.

' I'':

\f'

if¥

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

151

Directio ilntentioms ante lllissam.

Gregorius XIII. Pontifex Maximns concessit

cuilibet sacerdoti dicenti seqventem Oratio-

nem 50 annorum Indulgentiam,

Ego volo Missam celebrare, et conficcre Cor-
pus et Sanguinem Domini nostri Jesu Cliristi,
juxta ritum Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, ad laudem
omnipotentis Dei, totiusque CurisE) triumphantis,
ad utilitatem meam, totiusque Curiae militantis,
pro omnibus qui se commendaverunt orationibus
meis in genere et in specie et pro felici statu
Sanctce Romance Ecclesiae. Amen.

Graudium cum pace, emendationem vitae, spa-
tium verse poenitentiae, gratiam et consolationem
Sancti Spiritus, perseverantiam in bonis operibus,
cor contritum et humiliatum, atque felicem vitae
meae consummationem, tribuat mihi omnipotens
et misericors Dominus. Amen.

Jestt0, iWaria, loscpl).

, Forma intentionis ad Missam celehrandam.

Ad laudem et gloriam Sanctissiraae Trinitatis,
in memoriara benedicti Salvatoris nostri Jesu
Christi, Vitae, Passionis, Mortis et Resurrectionis ;.

I I

152

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

ac in operuui, et meritorum suorum, onmi-
umque Sanctorum unionem ; ad laudem quoque
et exultationem Beatissimap semper Virginis ejus
Matris Marise, Coelestium Angelorum, Sancto-
rum, atque Sanctarum et signanter N. N. et
aliorum Devotorum meorum, offero etiam cum
ipsorum Beatorum Spirituum laudibus, Sancto-
rum omnium precibua et meritis nunc et semper
hoc et alia Sacrif^.cia, Officia, Orationes et bona
opera totius mundi, pro meis praesentibus, et fu-
turis animge et corporis necessitatibus ; in auxili-
um et consolationem meam et in remissionem
omnium peccatorum meorum, quorum verum con-
tritionem semper habeo et habere intendo, conor
et cupio, omniumque vivorum et defunctorum
meorum, parentum, fratrum, sororum,* consan-
guineorum, amicorum, inimicorum, benefactorum,
in spiritualibus et temporalibus, superiorum,
subditorum, ac illorum, quibus fui gravamen,
scandalum et occasio peccandi ; pro omni gradu
Sanctae Catholicae Ecclesiae, ac illius conserva-
tione, augmento, et exaltatione : Christianorum
Principum unione et concordia, haeresum extir-
patione, Summi Pontificis salute et animarum
in purgatorio existentium liberatione ; pro con-
servatione et augmento omnium observantium
Religionum, pro conversione omnium Infidelium
natioimm, pro mihi commissis et commendatis.

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

. 153

Denique pro illis omnibus vivis atque defunctis,
pro quibus Dominus noster Jesus Christus et
ejus Beatissima Mater et Virgo Maria sciunt et
volunt me debere orare, obsecrare, consecrare et
sacrificare intendo et propono, ac juxta inten-
tionem Sanctse Catholicje Ecclesiae et meorum
superiorum pro debito voluntatem.

Ego N. Minister, licet indignus ; In nomine
Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, Amen ; cum
intentione lucrandi, et acquirendi omnes quas-
cumque possum Indulgentias.

PRETIUNCULA

Sacerdotibus quotidie legendc * in dies
Deo ferveniius deserviuiu.

Ex Thom. a Kempis, De Imitatione Christi.

Adjuva nos gratia tua, omnipotens Deus, ut
qui officium Sacerdotale suscepimus, digne ac
devote tibi omni puritate et in conscientia bona
famulari valeamus.

Et si non possumus in tanta innocentia vita3
conversari ut debemus, concede nobis tamen,
digne flere mala, quae gessimus, ut in spiritu
humilitatis ac bonae voluntatis proposito tibi fer-
veutius deservire valeaAus. - r

13*

>i w.

'I ' "

.r>

I'h*' ' ;; i

5- ■ , '

154

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

•^lia post Missam ad Bentissimam Virginem
Mariam precatio,

Serenissima et inclyta Virgo Maria, Mater
Domini nostri Jesu Christi, Regina coeli et terraD,
quae eundem Creatorem omDium creaturarum in
tuo sancto utero digna fuisti portare ; cujus idem
veracissimum Corpus et Sanguinem ego indignus
sumere praesumpsi : rogo te per virginalem humi-
litatem tuara et per passionera et mortem ejus-
dem Filii tui, ut apud ipsum pro me misero pec-
catore intercedere digneris : ut quidquid in hoc
sacrosancto Sacrificio irreverenter, ignoranter,
negligenter,'vel incaute commisi, aut etiam omisi,
tuis sanctissimis precibus mihi dignetur indul-
gere. Amen.

M vulnera Christi oratio,

Rogo te, Domine Jesu, per ilia salutifera
vulnera tua, quae passus es in cruce pro salute
nostra, ex quibus emanavit ille pretiosus Sanguis,
quo sumus redempti, vulnera banc animam meam
peccatricem, pro qua etiam mori dignatus es 5
vulnera eam igneo et potentissimo telo tuae
nimias cbaritatis. Confige cor meum jaculo tui
amoris, ut dicat tibi anima mea : Charitate tua
vulnerata sum : ita ut ex ipso vulnere amoris tui
uberrimae fluant lacrymse die ac nocte. Per-

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

155

cute, Domine, percute, obsecro, banc durissimam
mentem meam pia et valida cuspide dilectionis
tuas, et altius ad intima penetra potent! virtute.
Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate
Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula sseculo-
rum. Amen.

Salutationes ad omnia membra Christi et sui
ipsius ad eum commendatio.

Salve tremendum cunctis potestatibus caput
Domini nostri Jesu Christi Salvatoris nostri,
pro nobis coronatum et arundine percussum.
Salve, pretioricsoima Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi
facies, pro nobis sputis et alapis caesa. Sal-
vete benignissimi Domini Jesu Christi Salvatoris
nostri oculi, pro nobis lacrymis perfusi. Salve,
mellifluum os, gutterque suavissimum Domini
nostri Jesu Christi, pro nobis felle et aceto
potatum. Salvete, aures nobilissimae Domini
Jesu Christi Salvatoris nostri, pro nobis con-
tumeliis et opprobriis aflfectae. Salve, collum
humile Jesu Christi, pro nobis colaphizatum,
dorsumque sanctissimum pro nobis flagellatum.
Salvete, venerabiles Domini nostri Jesu Christi
manus et brachia, pro nobis in cruce extensa.
Salve, pectus mitissimum Domini nostri Jesu
Christi Salvatoris nostri, pro nobis in passione
conturbatum. Salve, latus gloriosum Domini

f'l^,

'lv-:i

1 ,

156

ON THE DIVINE OFFICE.

nostri Jesu Christi, pro nobis lancea militis per-
foratum. Salvete, Domini Jesu Christi Salvatoris
nostri sacra misericordiae genua, pro nobis in
orationibus flexa. Salvete, Domini Jesu Christi
Salvatoris nostri pedes adorandi, pro nobis clavis
affixi. Salve, totum corpus, Jesu Christi, pro
nobis in cruce suspensum, vulneratum, mortuum
ot sepultum. Salve, Sanguis pretiosissime, de
corpore Jesu Christi Salvatoris nostri pro nobis
effusus. Salve, sanctissima Domini nostri Jesu
Christi anima, in cruce pro nobis in manus
Patris commendata. In eadem commendatione
tibi commendo hodie et quotidie animam meam,
vitam meam, cor et corpus meum, omnes sensus
et actus meos, omnes amicos, benefactores et
consanguineos meos, animas parentum, fratrum,
sororum, et omnium amicorum, ac inimicorum
meorum : ut nos protegere, liberare et defenders
digneris ab omnibus insidiis inimicorum nostro-
rum visibilium et invisibilium, nunc et in per-
petuum. Amen.

\.%

■v./ ,'

■1^

'"■;.•: f-li?

I I

MEDITATIONS.

157

fllebitationa

ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, BY
WAY OF PREPARATION FOR MASS, FOR EVERY
DAY IN THE WEEK.

MEDITATION I.

SUNDAY.

Jesus goes to meet his Enemies, is bound and

apprehended,

Jesus rising from the ground in the garden
of Gethsemani, knowing that Judas and the
soldiers were already at hand, to apprehend
him and put him to death, waited not till
they arrived, but went of himself to meet
them, and to deliver himself into their hands.
Although our loving Redeemer was still be-
dewed with the bloody sweat of the agony
which he had suffered in the garden, yet did
his heart glow with love and desire to suffer
for us ; and hence, awaking his sleeping dis-
ciples, he said: Surgite, eamus; ecce qui me
tr&det prope est. Marc, xiv. 32.

Was then, my Saviour, thy desire to suffer
for us so vehement, that thou must of thyself
go to meet death ? Ah, my Jesus I behold I am

158

MEDITATIONS.

:.), . .

:;-

V J ■

now about to approach the altar to renew tho
same sacrifice of the cross which thou didst
consummate upon Mount Calvary. IIow do I
lament that I should ever have displeased thee,
who hast so loved me as to appoint me to be one
of thy Priests! Hitherto I have forsaken thee,
but now I desire only to be united with thee.
Pardon me, I beseech thee, before thou enterest,
this morning, into my breast ; forgive me all tho
anguish which I have ever occasioned thee, for
I detest all sin above every other evil. Never
permit me, my beloved Redeemer, ygain to dis-
please thee. I love thee, Jesus, dead upon
the cross for my sake; I love thee, my God,
infinitely worthy of love ; 1 love thee, my only
good, and renounce every thing for thy love.
Deus mens et omnia. Thou alone art sufficient
for me.

I offer thee, Eternal Father, this sacrifice,
in thanksgiving for all thy gifts bestowed on
Jesus as man, on the Blessed Virgin, and on all
thy saints my advocates. I recommend to thee
the Sovereign Pontiff, my relations, benefactors,
friends, and enemies. I likewise recommend to
thee all infidels, heretics, and all sinners who
are living in thy displeasure ; give them light
and strength to arise from their miserable state ;
and since, as I hope, thou hast restor.ed me to

Is- V

MEDITATIONS.

169

thy grace, grant mo perseveraw^w And do thou,
Mary, mother of holy persev ^ance, never ccaac
to intercede with Jesus for me.

MEDITATION II.

MONDAY.

Jesns is brought before Caiphas and condemned

to Death.

The iniquitous High Priest, finding that there
was no evidence against the innocent Jesus upon
which to condemn him, sought to ensnare him i;i
his speech, so that he might be able from his
own testimony to pronounce him guilty ^f death.
Accordingly, he insidiously demanded of him in
the name of God, Adjuro te per Deum vivum,
ut dicas nobis si tu es Christus filins Dei,
Matt. xxvi. 63. And Jesus hearing himself
thus solemnly called upon in the name of God,
immediately declared the truth: £(;'.' mm; et
videbitis Filium hominis sedentem a dextris vir-
tutis Dei et venientem cum nubibus cceli. Marc.
xiv. 62. Caiphas hearing this, rent his gar-
ments, and cried out : What need have we of
further evidence? You have yourselves heard
him blaspheme : Tunc princeps sacerdotum scidit
vestimenta sua dicens: Blasphemavit ; quid adhuc

160

MEDITATIONS.

egemus testibus? Matt, xxvi. 65. Then said he
to the other priests : Quid vobis videtur ? And
they answered : Reus est mortis. But this same
sentence had already been decreed by his Eter-
nal Father, when Jesus offered himself to suffer
the punishment due to our sins. my Jesus,
I give thee thanks, I love thee.

No sooner was this unjust sentence pro-
nounced, than they began and continued to
torment him throughout the night, until they
were wearied ; some casting their filthy spittle
in his face, others striking him, and others
buffeting him and deriding him as a false
prophet : Tunc expuerunt in faciem ejus, et
colaphis eum ceciderunt ; alii autem palmas in
faciem ejus dederunt dicentes : Prophetiza nobis,
Christ e, quis est qui te percussit. Matt, xxvi.
67, 68. And, as St. Mark adds, they blind-
folded him with a scailet rag, and then by turns
struck him.

Ah ! my Jesus, how many injuries hast
thou endured for me, to ^satisfy for the inju-
ries which I have offered thee! I love thee,

infinite goodness ; I am exceedingly sorry
for having offended thee. Pardon me, and
give me the grace of becoming wholly thine.

1 desire to be wholly thine, vouchsafe to
make me such. Mary, my advocate and my

MEDITATIONS.

161

hope, obtain this for me by thy holy inter-
cession.

MEDITATION III.

TUESDAY.

Jesus is derided by Herod,

As soon as morning came, the Jews con-
ducted Jesus before the tribunal of Pilate, in
order to be again condemned by the governor,
and then put to death. Pilate having weighed
all the accusations which they brought against
our innocent Lord, declared that he could dis-
cover no reason for condemning him : Ego nul*
lam invenio in eo causam, Jo, xviii. 38. And
to free himself from the insults of the Priests,
who persisted in requiring him to put Jesus to
death, knowing that he came from Galilee, and
was a subject of Herod's, Pilate sent him to
Herod. Herod had long desired to see Jesus, in
the hope of witnessing one of the many miracles
which he had heard were frequently wrought
by our Blessed Saviour. Accordingly, when
Jesus was brought before him, he put many
questions to him, but received no reply : Jesus
was silent. Herod and his court being incensed
at this, treated him as a fool, clothed him with a
white garment, and sent him back to Pilate:
14

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162

MEDITATIONS.

^^:

Sprevit autem ilium Herodes cum exercitu suo,
et illusit indutum veste alba et remisit ad Pi-
latum. Luc, xxiii. 11. my Jesus, truly indeed
had the prophet Isaias foretold of thee, that
thou wouldst be treated as the last and vilest
of men upon earth : novissimum virorum. But
since thou, my Redeemer and my God, hast
been pleased to be despised for my sake, I will
accept and embrace all the contempt that may
be cast upon me by men, and will not resent
it, as I hitherto have done, to thy great dis-
pleasure.

Unhappy Herod ! By his iniquity he had ren-
dered himself unworthy to be spoken to by Jesus.
my Saviour, how often have I rendered myself
unworthy that thou shouldst speak to me, and
deserve to be abandoned by thee! but for thy
mercy's sake, speak unto me. Loquere, Domine,
quia audit serms tuus. Hitherto I have not
listened to thee ; but now, as I love thee, I will
obey thee in all things : say what thou wiliest of
me, for I desire to please thee in all things. Ah,
Lord, when shall I become wholly thine, and
no longer devoted to myself? No, I will no
longer resist thy loving calls. O Mary, thy
prayers are all-powerful ; beseech thy Son to
make me such as he would have me to be.

MEDITATIONS.

163

MEDITATION IV.

WEDNESDAY.

Jesus is Scourged at a Pillar^ and Crowned
" ' with Thorns,

Pilate knowing that Jesus was innocent,
but wishing to satisfy the Jews, condemned him
to be scourged, hoping thus to deliver him at
least from death. Our Blessed Redeemer sub-
mitted to this most grievous torment, in order to
make satisfaction for all sins committed by our
senses ; according to the prediction of the pro-
phet : Ipse autem vulneratus est propter iniqui-
tates nostras, attritus est propter scelera nostra,
Isa, liii. 5. It was then, my Saviour, my sins,
and not the scourges which rent and tore thy
sacred flesh ; had I committed fewer sins, thou
wouldst have been less cruelly tortured. I love
thee, my sovereign good, and I am sorry with my
whole heart for having so often offended thee.

The Jews, still not satisfied, instigated the
soldiers to crown him with thorns, and to treat
him as a mock king. They stript him, there-
fore, again of his garments, clothed him in a
purple robe, placed a reed in his hand, and
pressed a crown of thorns upon his head. My
beloved Redeemer, my consent to many sins and

i 1

164

MEDITATIONS.

- 3

my wicked desires were the cruel thorns which
pierced thee with so much torture. I now hate
and detest them above every evil. Then did
they mock him, salut'^g him as king of the
Jews, and buffeted hiia, Uludebant e?', dicentes:
are, rex JudiBorum, ^fatt, xxvii. 29. St. John
adds : Et dabant ei alapas, Jo. xix. 3. Ah ! my
Jesus, thou art now the king*of scorn and suf-
fering: but I recognize thee as my true king
and I^rd, and I thank thee and love thee above
all things. I love thee, Jesus, scourged and
crowned with thorns for my sake. grant me
to renounce all things else, that I may love
nothing but thee. Mary, Mother of God,
pray to Jesus for me.

MEDITATION V.

THURSDAY.

Pilate presents Jesus to the People, exclaiming,

Ecce Homo,

Jesus having been again brought before
Pilate, and Pilate seeing him so dreadfully torn
and mangled, persuaded himself that, if he pre-
sented him in such a state before the Jews, they
would relent and be appeased. Accordingly he
went forth upon an open gallery, leading our
afflicted ^Saviour, and said to the people, Ecce

MEDITATIONS.

165

homo. There was Jesus, with a crown of thorns
upon his head, and clothed in a purple gar-
ment : Exivit ergo Jesus portans coronam spineam
et purpureum vestimentum, Jo. xix. 5. Behold
thou also, my soul, thy Redeemer, and reflect to
what thy loving shepherd has heen reduced to
save thee, his lost sheep. my Jesus, I thank
thee. Misericordias tuus, Domine^ in (Bternum
cantabo.

But the Jews, when they saw him, instead
of relenting, cried out, Crucifige, crucijige eum,
Pilate nevertheless sought to set him at liberty,
knowing that he was innocent j but they con-
tinued to cry out, Tolle, tolle^ crucijige eum. Ah
my Jesus, and I also, in some measure, have
cried out thus for thy death, by expelling thee
from my soul : and thou hast nevertheless sacri-
ficed thy life upon the cross in order to save me.
My dear Redeemer, I am conscious of the wrong
which I have done thee, and would willingly die
of sorrow for it. I am sorry with my whole
soul, infinite goodness, for having hitherto
thus contemned thee ; but now I love thee above
all things, and value thy grace above all the
goods of earth and of heaven : for without thy
grace, what would the whole world avail me?
Thou hast loved me even unto death, and I
desire to love thee in like manner. Do thou
14*

Si;

166

MEDITATIONS.

!f'

li
m

grant me perseverance, give me thy holy love,
grant that for the time to come I may never
more displease thee, and think of nothing but
how to love thee.

blood of Jesus, inebriate me with thy holy
love : death of Jesus, induce me to die to aii
earthly afifections. My beloved Saviour, deliver
me from hell which I have so often deserved ; in
hell I could BO longer love thee, but mvst curse
thy sacred blood, thy death, and ail thy other
graces. No, my Jesus, I desire to love thee,
and to love only tLee. Grant me the grace to
love thee, and dispose of me as thou pleasest.
Mary, refuge of sinners, help me, a sinner,
who desires to love God and has recourse to
thee. Thou listenest to all who pray to thee:
hear me then for the love of Jesus Christ whom
thou lovest so tenderly. ^

, *

MEDITATION VL

FRIDAY.

Jesus is condemned by Pilate, and carries his

Cross to Calvary.

Behold Pilate ascends the tribunal and con-
demns Jesus to die upon the cross. The unjust
sentence is read aloud as passed by Pilate ; but
had been first decreed by the Eternal Father,

\._-

MEDITATIONS.

167

when he willed that his Son should die for our
salvation. Jesus receives it with perfect resigna-
tion to the divine will, and humbly submits to it
in order by his death to free us from the eternal
death which we had deserved. Humiliavit seme-
iipsum f actus obediens usque ad mortem, mortem
autem cruets. Philip, ii. 8. My beloved Re-
deemer, thou acceptest of death in order to give
me eternal life ; if thou hadst not died for me, I
should have been lost for ever. I give thee
thanks, love of my soul, thy death is my hope.
And since thou, my God, didst accept of death
for the love of me, I accept of death for the love
of thee, both as to the time and the place which
ihou shalt appoint, with all the pains that will
accompany it. I beseech thee to give me the
grace to die with the desire of pleasing thee, and
of doing thy will.

Behold, Jesus goes forth from Pilate's hall,
Ibearing the cross on his shoulders, on his way to
Calvary, the place of execution. Behold the
grand spectacle now exhibited to the world —
God, the Creator of all things, going to die for
his creatures ! Ah ! my Saviour, Jesus, love
of my soul, thou art about to die for me, I desire
not to leave thee, but to go and to die with thee.
How miserable have I hitherto been, in disregard-
ing thee, and turning my back upon thee; but

'■'■:

I -'

168

MEDITATIONS.

now I love thee above every good, and am sorry
with my whole heart for having offended thee,
and will never more forsake thee even until death.
I embrace thee with all the affection of my soul,
and desire to live and die in thy embraces. O
do not abandon ae, withdraw not thy grace from
me. Nor do thou, my advocate and protectress,
Mary, abandon me, cease not to intercede for me.

MEDITATION VII.

SATURDAY.

Jesus dies upon the Cross in the presence of
his afflicted Mother.

As soon as Jesus arrived on Mount Calvary,
the appointed executioners strip him again of his
garments and throw him down upon the cross.
Jesus stretcheth forth his hands and offers to his
Eternal Father the great sacrifice of himself for
the salvation of men.

Behold, they seize their hammers, and driving
large nails through his sacred hands and feet,
fasten hun to the cross, aad leave him there to
die. man, man ! how canst thou behold thy
God upon such an infamous gibbet, dying for the
love of thee, and yet not love him ?

Jesus hanging on the cross! See the last
appearance of the Lord of the universe on the

MEDITATIONS.

169

last
the

earth! Behold the proof of God's love for
us I St. Francis of Paula, contemplating Jesus
on the cross, was accustomed to exclaim ; " O
God of love ! God of love ! God of love !"
Never will any one be able to explain or under-
stand the greatness of the love shown to us by
God in being pleased to die for us his miserable
and ungrateful creatures.

And. yet, knowing this, I have disregarded thy
love and have renounced thy grace. But thy
blood is my hope. I am sorry above every evil,
my beloved Jesus, for having turned my back
upon thee ; I love thee with my whole soul, I love
thee above all things ; and I promise thee that
from this day forward I will love no other but thee.

Approach, my soul, humbled and softened,
approach the cross, on which thy dying Lord is
hanging. Kiss that altar on which he is pleased
to die in sacrifice for thee, spent with torture,
thy very Creator himself. Bathe thyself in the
blood which flows from his sacred feet ; wash out
with it all thy sins, and hope from it all good.
My dear Jesus, I desire to be no longer my own,
but thine, and wholly thine. Say to me what
thou desirest of me, and I will indeed accomplish
it. I hope all from thy bounty. And from thy
protection also, O Mary, my mother, do I hope
for all good things.

:« 'si

170

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

. I r.

it''

2ll)ank0giDing0 after iHass,

FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK.

THANKSGIVING I.

SUNDAY.

My beloved Jesus, I adore thee now present
within my breast under the humble appearances
of bread and wine, and I cast myself at thy
sacred feet, to pour forth to thee my thanks for
thy great bounty in having been pleased to come
to visit me, a wretched sinner, who have so often
expelled thee from my soul.

When, my Eedeemer, I reflect on the sins of
my past life, I would willingly die of sorrow for
them. I give thee thanks for having aiforded
me the opportunity of making amends for the evil
which I have done. Hitherto I have disregarded
thy love ; but now I love none but thee, nor seek
to please any other but thee. Deus mens et
omnia. Henceforth thou alone shalt be my only
good, the only object of my love. love of
my soul, I desire to give myself entirely to thee ;
and if I am not able to do this as I ought, do

thou draw me to thyself. Trahe me post te

in odorem ungentorum tuorum. Word incar-
nate, God of love for man, by thy sweet and

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

171

powerful attractions detach me from all wordly
aifecticms, and draw me wholly to thy holy love I
Grant that I may be able truly to say ; Quid
mihi est in ccbIo ? et a te quid volui super ter-
ram? Deus cordis mei et pars mea Deus in
(sternum, my Jesus, be thou the sole master
of my whole heart, of my whole will ; o that I
may will nothing but what thou wiliest, seek no-
thing but what is agreeable to thee, and be pleased
with nothing but what is well pleasing to thee.
Deus cordis mei et pars mea Deus in (sternum.
Let others choose what they will in this world,
thou alone shalt be for ever my only portion.

Of myself I can do nothing, but by thy grace
I shall be able to do all tilings : Omnia possum
in eo qui me confortat. Thou hast promised to
listen to those who pray to thee : Petite et acci-
pietis. Behold the graces which I now ask of
thee: grant me holy perseverance, give me thy
love, and I ask for nothing more. O my Jesus,
through the merits of thy bitter passion, I be-
seech thee to hear me. Mary, thy prayers can
effect every thing, pray to Jesus for me. my
Mother, for the love of thy Son hear me.

THANKSGIVING II.

' ' ' MONDAY. "

my divine Shepherd, thou hast descended

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172

THANKSaiVINQ AFTER MASS.

.'!»

F »'

from heaven to save me, the lost sheep, and i
have again turned away from thee to my own
perdition. Erravi sicut ovis quce periit ; qucBre
servum tuum, Ps, cxviii. 176. I hope, my
Jesus, that thou hast pardoned me my many
offences against thee ; but if as yet thou hast not
forgiven me, forgive me now that thou art come
into my soul. I am sorry with my whole hca^^t
for having hitherto so often disregarded thy
grace j I now esteem it above every good, and
rather than lose it, I would sacrifice my life a
thousand times. What can it avail me to live in
this world devoid of thy grace.

My beloved Redeemer, thou hast died for all
in order that none shall live for themselves, but
only for thee who hast given thy life for them :
Pro omnibus mortuus est Christ us ^ ut et qui
vivunt jam non sibi vivant, sed ei qui pro ipsis
mortuus est, 2 Cor, v. 15. I have hitherto lived
for myself, forgetful of thee ; henceforth I will live
only for thee, who hast died for me : I will forget
all things else that I may think only of thee, and
love only thee who hast so loved me. That I
may do this, help me by thy grace, which I confi-
dently hope to obtain according to thy promise :
Si quid petieritis in nomine meo, dabo vobis, Jo,
xiv. 14. Through the merits therefore of thy
bitter passion, I ask for it and hope to obtain it.

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

173

Adveniat regnum tuum, Bcign, reign, my
Jesus, over my whole soul, and never suffer it
again to rebel against thee. I love thee, in-
finite goodness, and I beseech thee : JVe permit-
tns me separari a te. Grant that I may rather die
than be ever again deprived of thy friendship.
In te Domine, speravi, non confundar in (Bter^
num, Mary, powerful advocate of those
who confide in thy intercession, in thee do I hope
for eternal life. I say to thee, with St. Bona-
venture, full of joy, In te Domine^ speravi^ non
confundar in ceternum.

THANKSGIVING III.

TUESDAY.

My Jesus, and my God, grant me ever to
know the infinite good which thou art in thyself,
and the immense love which thou hast shown me,
in having been pleased to suffer through the
whole course of thy life, and to die for the love
of me, and moreover to give thyself so frequent-
ly to me in the holy communion. St. John
Chrysostom writes, homil, 51 : Semetipsum nobis
immiscuity ut unum quid simus ; ardenter enim
amantium hoc est. In a word, my Saviour,
thou hast debased thyself, through the ardor of
thy love for me, so far as to become my food,
that I may become one with thee.
15

174

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

Hi,

-I

,8
i.

Come, then, come, God of my soul, and
make me entirely thine. Come and expel from
within me all earthly aflfeetions, that I may love
thee alone, think only of thee, speak only of thee,
seek and desire only thee. And what shall I
love, if I love not thee, who art infinite good-
ness, and who hast so loved me as to die for me ?
Ah, my Jesus, how couldst thou, from amongst
so many of thy faithful servants, have chosen me
to be one of thy Priests ? I have so often turned
my back upon thee, and dost thou deign every
morning to come into my hands and descend into
my breast ? Woe to me, if, after so many favors
bestowed upon me, I should forfeit thy grace.
Lord, I now love thee with my whole soul, and I
am grieved from, the bottom of my heart for hav-
ing ever disregarded thee : I will never more offend
thee, but love thee with all my powers. Assist
me, and do not forsake me. Vulnera tua, meri-
ta mea. S, Bern. Thy wounds, thy blood, thy
death, and my hope. Grant me holy persever-
ance ; grant that in all temptations I may have
recourse to thee ; increase thy sacred love within
me, and do with me what thou pleasest. Mary,
my Queen, obtain for me grace to recommend
myself always to thee : he who ever flies to thee
is never overcome by the enemy.

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

175

THANKSGIVING IV.

WEDNESDAY.

What greater proofs, Word incarnate,
couldst thou give of thy immense love for us
miserable and guilty worms ! What more re-
mains for thee to devise in order to oblige us to
love thee ! Woe to him who is devoid of thy
love ! and woe to me, who hitherto have not only
not loved thee, but abused thy patience by the
many offences which I have committed against
thee ! How many times, God of my soul,
have I forfeited thy grace for a wretched gratifi-
cation, and thus declared that I would not serve
thee ! God of my soul, I am sorry for it with
my whole heart. I hope for pardon from thee
through the merits of thy death, and I hope to
persevere in loving thee. For this end, during
how many years hast thou given thyself to me !
I will no longer resist ; and what ? shall I wait
until thou in justice consignest me to hell ? I
love thee, infinite goodness ; I love thee, my
God, worthy of infinite love ; I love thee, and
desire ever to repeat in this world and in the
next : I love thee, I love thee, I love thee.

In mantis tuas commendo spiritum meum; re-
demisti me, Domine, Deus veritatis. My Jesus,
do not forsake me. Thou descendest from heaven

176

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

■A - V

every day to unite me with thyself, and feed me
with thine own body. grant that I may never
once again be separated from thee. Jesus, my
love and my hope, I now desire nothing but to
be thine, and wholly thine, without the least re-
serve. My Redeemer, enable me to become so.
O bone Jem exaudi me, Mary, my mother, if
thou prayest for me, I shall assuredly obtain
grace. Maria, exaudi me.

THANKSGIVma V. ,

THURSDAY.

^n nescitis quoniam non estis vestri ? Empti
enim estis pretio magno. Thus does the apostle
admonish us. And so it is, my Jesus ; yet, often
forgetful of thee, have I for something worse
than nothing, exchanged thy friendship and thy
love. All this is true ; but it is also true that I
am one of those sinners who have been purchased
with thy blood. Te ergo qucBsumus, tuis famu-
lis subveni, quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.
I love thee, my Jesus, above every good, and
because I love thee, 1 am sorry with my whole
heart for having offended thee.

Alas ! how many years have I lost, during
which I might have served thee and become a
saint I Instead of which, I have spent them in

THANKSQIVINO AFTER MASS.

177

displeasing thee, and in ruining my soul. But
thy goodness affords me hopes that for the future
I shall recompense for the years past, by redoub-
ling the love which I owe thee. My Jesus, thou
hast given thyself to me upon the cross and in
the most Holy Sacrament. Miserable creature
as I am, what shall I give thee ? I give thee all
my earthly gratifications ; I give thee my body,
my soul, my liberty, my will. If thou seest that
I shall ever again withdraw my will to offend
thee, I beseech thee, let me now die, while I am,
as I hope, in thy grace. Eternal Father, thou
grandest all graces which are asked for in the
name of Jesus Christ. In the name, then, of
Jesus Christ, I beseech thee, grant me holy per-
severance, grant me thy holy love. Mary,
thou art the mother of perseverance : thou hear-^
est those who pray to thee ; to thee d^ I fly, and
from thee do I hope for this holy perseverance.

THANKSGIVma VI.

FRIDAY.

Christus dihscit nos et tradidit semefipsum pro
nobis. Ephes. v. 2. Has then Jesus Christ, tiie
Son of G-od, so loved us as to die in toriiients
upon a cross for us ? Who could ever have

178

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

imagined tliis, had not our Blessed Redeemer
chosen really to die thus for us ? Ego pono ani^
mam meam (are his own words,) nemo tollit earn
a me, sed ego ponam earn, Jo. x. 17, 18. O
my soul, were it possible to doubt of thy Sa-
viour's love for thee, look on him dead upon the
cross for thy sake. What greater proof of his
love could he afford thee, than to have given his
life to save thee? In hoc cognovimit^ charita-
tern Dei, quoniam ille animam suam pro nobis
posuit. 1 Jo, iii. 16.

my Jesus, thou hast laid down thy life to
save me, and have I forfeited thy friendship for
a mere nothing, a fume, a wretched gratification?
I am sorry for it above every evil, and would
willingly die of grief for having done so.
Through the merits of thy death forgive me, and
as a pledge of thy forgiveness, grant me a true
sorrow for my sins, and a true love for thee. I
perceive within me, through thy grace, an ardent
desire to love thee, and I am resolved to be
wholly thine. But I know my weakness, and I
know the treasons which I have committed
against thee ; thou alone canst make me strong
and faithful. Assist me, therefore, and grant
that I may love thee. I ask for nothing more.

In hoc,...,.Christus mortvvs est et resurrexit
ut mortuorum et vivorum domineiur. Ro?n. xiv. 9.

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

179

Thus, Lord, thou didst die in order to become
master of our hearts. Yes, my Jesus, I desire
that this heart of mine which has so often re-
belled against thee, should now become entirely
thine : do thou henceforward reign over it, and
it shell be obedient to all thy wishes. Make
known to me what thou requirest of me, for by
thy grace I will accomplish it. Mary, pray to
Jesus for me : thou canst make me faithful to
my God,

THANKSaiVINa VII.

SATURDAY, ;

Jlnimam meam pono pro ovibus meis, Jo. x.
15. divine Shepherd, who for the love of thy
sheep wast pleased to die in torments upon a
disgraceful gibbet, do not abandon me, as I have
deserved by my many offences against thee. I
have sinned against thee, but I .will sin now no
more ; ray dear eTesus, I love thee above all
things, and I have no greater affliction than the
remembrance of having for so many years disre-
garded thee. I givQ thee thanks for not having
plunged me into hell, and for having waited for
me with so much patience. Ah ! my true lover,
instead of abandoning me, thou hast approached
me, and hast so knocked at tha door of my heart,

180

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS.

and solicited me by thy sweet and loving calls,
as at length to induce me to love thee. I give
thee thanks, my Jesus, but beseech thee to com-
plete the work which thou hast begun in me.
Grant me light and strength to detach myself
from every thing which conduces not to thy love.
Thou hast said that thou lovest those who love
thee : Ego diligentes me diligo. Hitherto I have
turned my back upon thee, and thus justly
merited thy'hatred ; but now that I love thee, O
God, hate me no longer, but love me. I esteem
it mere to 'be loved by thee than to be loved by
th«^' wj ole world : let all others abhor me, pro-
vided only that thou regardest me with love : so
long as I lose not thy love I am content to suffer
the loss of all other things. Bind and unite me
so closely with thyself, that I may never again
be separated from thee. Jesu dulcissime, ne
p ermittas me separari a te. Mary, most holy Vir-
gin, thou canst obtain this grace for me, never
to be separated from the love of my God.

Cans T3co,