deeply humbled by my sins, but full of confidence in thy mercy and thy love for me, I come to receive thee into my heart this day.

ACT OF SORROW.

grieves me deeply, O God of my soul, that hitherto I have not loved thee, that, instead of loving thee, I have frequently even offended and displeased thy infinite goodness in order to satisfy my wicked inclinations. I have abandoned thee, in contempt of thy grace and of thy friendship: in a word, I have lost thee, O my God, and that wilfully. I am sorry for it; yes, Lord, my whole soul is full of grief. I hate and detest all the sins that I have committed, both mortal and venial; I detest them more than any other evil, because they have offended thee, who art infinitely good. I hope that thou hast already forgiven me, but if it be not so, O forgive me before I receive thee: cleanse, O my God, with thy precious blood, this soul into which thou art coming soon to dwell.

H

AVE

ACT OF DESIRE.

courage, my soul. See! the happy moment has arrived, and thy Jesus is coming to dwell in thy heart. Behold the Lord of heaven and of earth, thy Saviour and thy God, who is drawing nigh to thee, who intends to visit thee. Prepare thyself then to receive him lovingly, invite him with your desires, and say to him: Come, O Jesus, come into this heart that longs for thee; but before thou givest thyself to me, I will first give myself to thee; see! I give up to thee this poor heart, receive it, and hasten to take possession of it.

Come, O my God,come promptly and without delay! My only and infinite good, my treasure, my life, my

paradise, my love, my all! Ọ that I could receive thee with that same love wherewith all the holiest and most ardent souls have received thee until now, and with which the most holy Virgin Mary received thee. I unite this communion of mine with theirs.

O most holy Virgin Mary, my mother, see! I am now going to receive thy divine Son. I wish I might have thy heart in this moment, and that love with which thou didst receive him. Give thy Jesus this morning to me, as thou didst give him to the shepherds and the three holy kings. I desire to receive him from thy pure hands. Tell him that I am thy devoted servant; then he will love me more, and unite me more closely in this happy moment to himself.

When the Priest elevates the most Sacred Host, repeat with him three times the following words:

LORD, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof, but say only the word, and my soul shall be healed.

Then, with your eyes modestly cast down, but your head erect, open your mouth, and advance your tongue a little and thus receive the Holy Sacrament. Be sure not to make any hasty movement with your mouth, but let the Priest himself lay it upon your tongue. Endeavour to swallow the holy Host by means of the moisture on your tongue without touching it with your teeth, and least of all with your finger. If other communicants.are still coming, and need to occupy your place, then, shortly after receiving, but not immediately, retire and make room for them; otherwise, especially when the Communion is given out of Mass, you may remain until the Priest gives his benediction.

Other Prayers before Communion.

PRAYER OF ST. AMBROSE.

COMPASSIONATE Lord Jesus Christ, I, a

0 sinner, nothing presuming on my own merits, but

trusting in thy mercy and goodness, draw near with

now

awe and trembling to the table of thy sweetest banquet. For my heart and my body are stained with many sins, my mind and my tongue have not been kept with fitting diligence and circumspection. Wherefore, O compassionate Godhead, O dread and awful Majesty, I, thy wretched creature, who am fallen into a great strait, betake myself to thee, the Fountain of mercy; to thee I hasten that I may be healed; beneath thy protection I take my refuge; I long to have thee for my Saviour, before whom as my judge I can in nowise stand. To thee, O Lord, show my wounds; before thee I lay bare all this my shame. I know my sins, so many and so great, by reason of which I am afraid. I hope in thy mercies, which are past numbering. Look on me with the eyes of thy mercy, O Lord Jesus Christ, everlasting king, God and man, who wert crucified for man. Graciously hear me who hope in thee; have mercy on me who am full of miseries and of sins, O thou full and overflowing Fountain of pity and of mercy. Hail, thou saving Victim, offered for me and all mankind upon the tree of the Cross. Hail, thou noble and precious Blood, which dost ever flow forth from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ, to wash away the sins of the whole world. Remember thy creature, O Lord, whom thou hast redeemed with thine own Blood. I grieve that I have sinned; I do earnestly desire to amend what I have done amiss. Wherefore, O merciful Father, take away from me all my iniquities and my sins, that, being cleansed in soul and body, I may worthily receive the holy Food of the holy; and grant that the sacred taste of thy Body and Blood which I, unworthy, am about to receive, may be to me the remission of my sins, the perfect expiation and

cleansing of all my faults, the putting to flight of evil thoughts, the quickening and renewal of all good feelings, the healthful energy of all good works, the most assured protection of my body and soul from all the snares of my enemies. Amen.

04

PRAYER OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS.

ALMIGHTY everlasting God, behold I draw near to the Sacrament of thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; I draw near, as one sick to the Physician of life, as one defiled to the Fountain of mercy, as one blind to the light of eternal splendour, as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Wherefore, I implore the fulness of thine infinite bounty, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal all my sickness, to wash away my defilements, to give light to my blindness, to enrich my poverty and to clothe my nakedness, so that I may receive the Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, with such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith, such purpose and intention, as may avail to the welfare and salvation of my soul. Grant me, I beseech thee, to receive not only the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of my Lord, but also the very Reality and Substance of the Sacrament. O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the Body of thine onlybegotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ, that very Body which he took of the Virgin Mary, that I may be truly incorporated into his mystical Body, and so numbered amongst its members. O most loving Father, grant me at last to behold unveiled, and for evermore, the same thy beloved Son whom I purpose to receive now in my pilgrimage, beneath the veils of the Sacrament; who liveth and reigneth, God through everlasting ages. Amen.

ACT OF FAITH.

JESUS! the truth and the life, with firm faith, I believe that this admirable Sacrament contains in very deed thy divinity with all thy power, wisdom, and infinite goodness, thy most sacred humanity with all its perfections and sanctity, thy soul with all its powers, thy true and loving body, entire and glorious. I believe thy whole self to be contained in each Host, and in the smallest portion thereof. I believe all this because thou, who art the sovereign and supreme truth, hast said: "This is my Body." I believe in this mystery, O my Saviour! with humility and simplicity since thou hast revealed it to us, and by thy Church hast proposed it to our belief. I hold that faith which the holy Fathers and Doctors of thy Church have held and taught for more than eighteen hundred years. Therefore, though the testimony of my senses is wanting, though heretics deny thy clear and express teaching, I nevertheless believe in the infallible words, O Jesus! which thou hast spoken, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived, since thou art the eternal wisdom of the Father, and the fountain of all truth.

"I believe all the Son of God has spoken,

Than Truth's own word there is no truer token.”

ACT OF REVERENCE.

F I consider thy majesty and omnipotence, O

suddenly struck dead for touching the Ark of the Covenant, which was but a figure of the Holy Eucharist, and shall I dare to touch with my impure lips thy sacred Body, the living and all-holy ark? The Israelites, struck with terror, dared not approach the smoking mountain of Sinai to obtain the Law, and shall I, a sinner, presume to ascend to the