mountain of thy glory, to draw near to thy most holy sacrament, and to receive my Legislator, the Lord of heaven and earth? I should certainly not dare to approach, O Lord, did not thy majesty command, and kindly, and with a gentle voice, invite me to draw Since, therefore, thou sayest, Come ye all to me, behold I come to refresh my soul. Thou hast said, Suffer little children to come unto me; here then am I, who, through the merits of thy death, have become like to a little child in humility and innocence.

near.

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ACT OF HUMILITY.

RULY,O Lord, when Ireflect upon my nothingness I am wholly confounded. I am neither an Angel nor an Archangel, but a creature formed of clay and of the slime of the earth, and these blessed spirits tremble and veil their faces before thee. I am not like John the Baptist sanctified in his mother's womb, but one conceived and born in sin, yet he considered himself unworthy even to loose the latchet of thy shoewhat therefore, should I feel? Behold, O Lord, with sincere humility, I am prostrate at the feet of thy majesty, knowing and acknowledging my unworthiness, and confessing that though I should prepare for a thousand years, I should still be infinitely unworthy to approach this divine sacrament. For thou here present art the Lord, I am thy servant; thou art the Creator, I the work of thy hand; thou the All-Holy, I a sinner. Since therefore, thou invitest me, and dost threaten me with death if I eat not of thy flesh; I come to thee, and even because I am miserable and poor, I hasten all the more to the fountain of every good. As the hart pants after the fountains of waters, so does my soul long

after thee, O my God! Come, Lord, my heart is open to thee, unite it to thyself, since it languishes with thy love. Would that I possessed the ardent desires and virtues of all the saints, in order now to receive worthily the Lord of saints. Adorn me, O Jesus, with thy merits and the beauty of thy virtues, and then I shall be worthy even of so great a grace.

ACT OF HOPE.

MY Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth, thou art the hope of my youth, what canst thou deny me who givest me thyself? As thou hast promised, he that eats of this bread shall live for ever, I, relying on thy ineffable promises, hope through thy merits and the virtue of this most efficacious Sacrament, to obtain from thee life, grace, and eternal glory. And why should I not hope in thee? Thou only hast power to bestow everything upon us, and thou art infinite goodness, grant therefore, through thy omnipotent bounty, what I ask of thee. I am sick, be then my physician, and heal me; I am blind, do thou who art the true light, enlighten me; I am a sinner, thou the fount of purity, cleanse me; I am ignorant, thou the Eternal Wisdom, teach me; 1 am tepid, thou a consuming fire, inflame me; save ine, thou who savest all who hope in thee; I have hoped in thee, O Lord, I shall never be confounded.

I

ACT OF LOVE.

SHOULD not satisfy thee, O my Jesus, in this happy Communion hour, were I to offer thee but this salutary fear which has led me to thy sacred feet, and this shame-stricken conscience which makes me tremble in thy holy presence. The visit thou art about to pay me is a visit of love. O Lover of souls,

truly that love of thine must have been infinite, which urged thee to do so much for us, which induced thee the day before thy Passion, to institute this adorable Sacrament of thy love, in which thou remainest for ever in our midst, and unitest us so intimately to thyself. O infinite love, why am I not in return all on fire with love of thee. Ah! sweet Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, and that I greatly desire to love thee still more, and as a proof of this love I come to thee, and unite myself closely to thee. I offer thee all that is mine, my life and my soul, my body and my heart, entreating thee to accept them, and to light up therein the fire of thy love.

Another Preparation.

INVOCATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, THE ANGELS, AND HOLY PATRONS.

THAT

THAT I may worthily receive my Saviour, assist me, O my holy Patrons, and all the saints, thou especially, O holy Virgin Mary, who didst deserve to conceive and bear this man-God in thy most pure womb, implore for me, for the love of thy Son, the grace of the Holy Spirit, that I may receive him worthily into my heart. My holy Angel Guardian, and all you holy Angels, assist me now, and as you see me destitute of virtues and merits, clothe me, I beseech you, with virtues, and adorn me with merits, that I may not appear at the divine feast without a nuptial garment, and thus deserve to be excluded from it. O holy N. whose feast we celebrate to-day, obtain for me from the Lamb of God, that even my hidden sins

may be blotted out, and that, washed in the blood of the Lamb, I may with joy and fruit refresn my soul with his most pure flesh; implore for me that the love of Jesus may light up my lukewarm heart, and inflame it wholly with his love. Amen.

"Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you."-Matt. xi. 28.

THESE are thy words, O Christ the Eternal Truth,

so full of sweetness and love, that they encourage me, but my sins terrify me, and my unclean conscience keeps me back from approaching to so great mysteries. The sweetness of thy words invites me, but the multitude of my offences weigh me down. Thou commandest me to approach thee with confidence, if I would have part with thee; and to receive the food of immortality, if I desire to receive life and glory everlasting. "Come," sayst thou, "to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you." (Matt. xi. 28.) O sweet and amiable word in the ear of a sinner, that thou, O Lord, my God, shouldst invite the poor and needy to the communion of thy most sacred Body! But who am I, Lord, that I should presume to come to thee? Behold, the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; and thou sayst, come you all to me.

What means this most loving condescension, and so friendly an invitation? How shall I dare to

approach, who am conscious to myself of no good in which I can presume? How shall I introduce thee into my house, who have so oftentimes provoked thy indignation? The angels and archangels stand with a reverential awe; the saints and the just are afraid; and thou sayst, come you all to me. Unless thou,

O Lord, didst say it, who could believe it to be true? And unless thou didst command it, who would dare attempt to approach?

Trusting then, O Lord, in thy goodness, and in thy great mercy, I come sick to my Saviour, hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life, needy to the King of heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature to his Creator, and one in desolation to his loving Comforter. But whence is this to me, that thou shouldst come to me? me?

Who am I that thou shouldst give thyself to How dares such a sinner appear before thee? And how dost thou vouchsafe to come to a sinner? Thou knowest me, and thou knowest that I have nothing of good in me, which can entitle me to this favour. I confess, therefore, my unworthiness, I acknowledge thy bounty, I praise thy goodness, and I give thee thanks for thy excessive charity. For it is of thy own mercy thou dost this, not for my merits; that thy goodness may be better known to me; that greater charity may be imparted, and humility more perfectly recommended. Since, therefore, this is what pleaseth thee, and thou hast commanded it should be so, thy merciful condescension pleaseth me also; and I wish that my iniquity may be no obstacle.

It

O Lord, in the simplicity of my heart, with a good and firm faith, and in obedience to thy command, I come to thee with hope and reverence; and I do verily believe that thou art here present, God and man. is then thy will that I should receive thee, and through love unite myself to thee. Wherefore I implore thy mercy and I beg of thee to give me for this a special grace, that I may be wholly melted away in thee, and overflow with thy love, and seek no more any comfort from anything else. For this most