and those of thy servants of this Association, whom I particularly recommend to thee. Amen.

ACT OF PETITION.

OST bountiful Heart of Jesus, hypostatically

Mited to the Eternal Word!' ever present in

the Holy Eucharist, receive my homage, and the tribute of prayer which I here offer, prostrate at the throne of thy mercy.

To whom, my God! can I address my petition with equal confidence? Thy care watched over me from all eternity; in time thy indulgence drew me out from my non-existence; thy goodness preserves me every moment of life, and thy munificence supports, feeds, and nourishes me. But still, my Lord and Creator! I am environed with a world of enemies, who continually disturb the quiet and peace of my mind interiorly, and exteriorly assault my weakness with violence. I am tempted to cry out a thousand times in the day: Save us, O Lord! we perish. Open then a sanctuary into which I may retire; a refuge, where I may be covered against the attacks of my enemies; a harbour, where, after escaping from the tempestuous waves, I may repose.

Thou hast granted the Sacred Heart of Jesus unto us, and in it thy servants have found these advantages. The Associates of the Sacred Heart have a particular right and title to this holy and safe retreat; give them then a distinguished place in it. Thou, O Virgin Mother! enforce my petition by thy powerful mediation.

Sweet Jesus! receive this my prayer! May it be acceptable in thy sight from my hands, and those of thy servants of this Association, whom I particularly recommend to thee. Amen.

Act of Consecration

TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.

10 thee, O sacred Heart of Jesus! I devote and

Tther up my life, thoughts, words, actions,

pains, and sufferings. May the least part of my being be no longer employed, save only in loving, serving, honouring, and glorifying thee. Wherefore, O most sacred Heart! be thou the sole object of my love, the protector of my life, the pledge of my salvation, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be thou, most bountiful Heart! my justification at the throne of God, and screen me from his anger, which I have so justly merited. In thee I place all my confidence; and convinced as I am of my own weakness, I rely entirely on thy bounty. Annihilate in me all that is displeasing and offensive to thy pure eye. Imprint thyself like a divine seal on my heart, that I may ever remember my obligations, never to be separated from thee. May my name also, I beseech thee by thy tender bounty, ever be fixed and engraved in thee, O Book of Life! and may I ever be a victim consecrated to thy glory, ever burning with the flames of thy pure love, and entirely penetrated with it for all eternity. In this I place all my happiness, this is all my desire, to live and die in no other quality, but that of thy devoted servant. Amen.

Act of Consecration

TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY.

HOLY Mother of God,

of Heaven and earth! I choose thee this day for my mother,

REPARATION OF HONOUR TO THE HEART OF MARY. 341

my queen, and my advocate at the throne of thy divine Son. I acknowledge thee, after God, as my refuge, my asylum, and my hope; I consecrate myself to thee from this moment and for ever; I place my destiny in thy hands. Accept the offering I make of my heart, mind, will, actions, health, liberty, and life; of all that I am and have in the world. Penetrated with the sentiments which faith and piety inspire towards thee, I desire henceforward to receive every favour through thee; I will ask all graces through thy intercession, offer prayers through thy hands, practise virtue in imitation of thee, and according to the grand model thou hast left us. Obtain for me the abundant graces of which I stand in need; take compassion on my miseries, and be to me a tender mother. It is thy child who claims thy succour; can I seek it in vain? Protect me, holy Virgin, during life; but especially at the hour of death, support me in the anguish of my last combat; and when I shall have yielded my last breath, place my soul in the hands of my Creator, that I may adore, bless, and praise him with thee, for ever in glory.

Ye choirs of Angels! witnesses of this my oblation ! bear me up in the day of judgment, and next to Jesus and Mary, be ye propitious to me, should the enemy of my salvation have any claim upon me. Obtain for me at present a true repentance, and those graces I stand in need of for the gaining of life everlasting. Amen.

M

Reparation of Honour

TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY.

OTHER of God, most worthy! whose sanctity and sublime merit surpass the comprehension

even of the angels themselves, how great is the maternal tenderness of thy heart towards mankind! how great thy favours! how unworthy our acknowledgment, our gratitude, our return. Our souls are penetrated with grief at the consideration of the many injuries thou receivest from infidels and wicked Christians, by the prófanation of the altars dedicated to thy name, by execrable blasphemies vomited out against thy maternal virginity, sanctity, and integrity, but especially from the anguish with which those sinners load thee, who, heaping sin upon sin, against thy divine Son, draw down vengeance and damnation on their own souls; all which bring sorrow on thy tender love and compassion. Thus affected, and upon this consideration, we cast ourselves at thy sacred feet, and, though the greatest of sinners, most unworthy and least corresponding with the graces we have received, we here enter our protest against such ungrateful conduct, and beseech thee, O sacred Virgin, more than martyr, to accept the same as a reparation of honour. Pardon our past offences and indignities; pardon those of mankind. Prostrate in like manner before thee, make us, sinners as we are, sensible of the favours thou hast conferred upon us; and being truly contrite for the past, may we, by thy aid and assistance, break the chains of our former thraldom and slavery, live henceforward in thy favour, and in the happy liberty of the children of God. May this our act and deed, O Saviour of the world, as we can do nothing more agreeable to thee than to show our love and gratitude to thy blessed Mother, may it be approved and confirmed by thy blessing and authority. Amen.

DEVOTIONS TO

The Sacred Passion of our Lord.

"I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and delivered himself up for me."-St. Paul, Gal. ii. 20.

"Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins. And we like sheep have gone astray; every one hath turned aside into his own way; and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all."-Isaias, liii.

"There is nothing which is more efficacious for curing the wounds of our conscience, or enkindling in our hearts the fervent love of Jesus Christ, than continually to meditate on his sorrows and sufferings."-St. Bernard.

HOW

OW fervently did St. Augustine pray for the grace of being devout to the Passion of Jesus Christ! "O sweet Jesus! deign to engrave thy wounds in my heart, that thy sorrows and thy love may be ever present to my thoughts. May the remembrance of thy sufferings inspire me with patience under the trials of life; and may the consideration of thy love excite in my soul a corresponding feeling of devoted undying affection."

St. Paul exhorts us to reflect often on the sufferings of our Blessed Redeemer. "Let us," says the Apostle, "run by patience to the fight proposed unto us: looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who, having joy proposed unto him, underwent the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God. For think diligently upon him who endureth such opposition from sinners against himself, that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds."-Heb. xii. Thus does the inspired Apostle call upon us to think diligently upon the sufferings of Jesus, in order that we may not fail in