received for us. Remember his death, which thou wast pleased should be the fountain of our life; and for the sake of his sacred passion have mercy on us. Receive, O Holy Father, Almighty and everlasting God, this holy and unspotted victim, which I here offer thee in union with that love with which he offered himself to thee upon the altar of the cross; receive him for the praise and glory of thy name; in thanksgiving for all the benefits bestowed on me, and on all mankind; in satisfaction also for all my sins, and the benefit of thy whole Church and the refreshment and comfort of all thy faithful, living and dead; through the same Lord Jesus Christ thy Son. Amen.

PETITIONS AFTER COMMUNION.

O most merciful Saviour, behold I have presumed to receive thee this day into my house, relying on thy infinite goodness and mercy, and hoping, like Zaccheus, to obtain thy blessing. But, alas! with how little preparation; with how little devotion! From my heart I beg pardon for my great unworthiness, and for my innumerable sins, which I detest for the love of thee, and desire to detest for ever. Oh, wash them all away with thy precious blood; for thou art the Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world; and one drop of this blood, which thou hast shed for us, is more than enough to cancel the sins of ten thousand worlds.

Thou seest, O Searcher of hearts, all my maladies and all the griefs of my soul; thou knowest how prone I am to evil, and how backward and sluggish to good. Thou seest this self love, that tyrannizes over my soul, which is so deeply rooted in my corrupt nature, and branches out into so many vices, so much pride and vanity, so much passion and envy, so much covetousness and worldly solicitude, so much sensuality and concupiscence. Oh! who can heal all these my evils, but thou, the true physician of my soul, who givest me thy body and blood in this blessed sacrament, as a sovereign medicine for all my infirmities, and a sovereign balsam for all my wounds! Dispel, dear Jesus, the darkness of ignorance and error from my understanding by thy heavenly light: drive away the corruption and malice of my will by the fire of divine love and charity; restrain all the motions of concupiscence, and all the irregular sallies of passion, that they may no more prevail over me strengthen my weakness with heavenly fortitude; destroy my excess of self love, with its many evils, or at least weaken its power within me that it may no longer usurp the empire of my soul, which belongs to thee, and which thou hast taken possession of this day weaken its many allurements, and particularly that which annoys me most, and which is my predominant passion; stand by me henceforward in all my temptations, that I may never

more be overcome; remove from me all dangerous occasions, and grant me this one favour, that I may rather die a thousand deaths than live to offend thee mortally.

O, my Jesus, thou art infinitely rich, and all the treasures of divine grace are locked up in thee these treasures thou bringest with thee when thou comest to visit us in this blessed sacrament, and thou takest an infinite pleasure in opening them to us, to enrich our poverty. This gives me the confidence to present me now with my petitions, and to beg of thee those graces and virtues which I very much stand in need of as thou best knowest. Oh, increase and strengthen my belief of thy heavenly truths, and grant that henceforward I may ever live by faith, and be guided by the maxims of thy gospel. Teach me to be poor in spirit, and take off my heart from the love of these transitory things, and fix it upon eternity: teach me, by thy divine example and by thy most efficacious grace, to be meek and humble of heart, and in my patience to possess my soul. Grant that I may ever keep my body and soul chaste and pure from the corruption of lust; that I may ever bewail my past sins, and by a daily mortification restrain all irregular inclinations and passions for the future. Above all things, teach me to be ever recollected in thee, and to walk always in thy presence; teach me to love my friends in thee, and my enemies for thee; grant me to

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persevere to the end in thy love, and so to come one day to that happy place, where I may love and enjoy thee for ever.

Have mercy also on my parents, friends, and benefactors, and all those for whom I am in any way bound to pray, that we may all love thee and faithfully serve thee. Have mercy on thy whole Church, and all the clergy and religious men and women, that all may live up to their calling, and sanctify thy name. Give thy grace and blessing to all princes and magistrates, and to all christian people; convert all unbelievers and sinners, and bring all strayed sheep back to thy fold; particularly have mercy on N. and N, &c.

O blessed Virgin, Mother of my God and Saviour, recommend all these my petitions to your Son. O all ye angels and saints, citizens of heaven, join also your prayers with mine: you ever stand before his throne, and see him face to face, whom I receive here under veils : be ever mindful of me, and obtain from him, and through him, that you and I may bless and love him for ever. Amen.

PIOUS PETITIONS AFTER COMMUNION. First Petition.-For the pardon of all defects committed in this Communion.

Trusting in thy goodness, my loving Saviour, I have approached thy great supper ;-that supper to which I was in no ways entitled, but to

which thy kindness and mercy invited me. Although unworthy, I have ventured to receive thy body and blood; for thou didst say, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, you shall have no life in you." Remember not, therefore, O Jesus! the iniquities with which I have so often stained myself; nor the negligences which I have committed in this reception of thy most sacred body. Alas! ought I not more diligently to have endeavoured to purify my conscience? Ought not my sorrow to have been deeper for the many sins which I have committed? Ought not my devotion to have been greater when I approached this sacrament of thy love? Ought I not to have spent a longer while in preparing myself or in returning thee thanks for thy great goodness?

But if thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, who shall endure it? I will confess my injustice before thee, that thou mayest pardon, as I hope, my impiety. Great is the trust of the sinner to whom is known the mercy of the Redeemer. Pardon, dear Jesus! pardon whatever I have done amiss in this reception of thy holy sacrament, and may thy mercy and thy infinite merits supply for all my defects. Amen.

Second Petition. That henceforth no sin may ever separate us from the Lord.

O Jesus! I wish that I could be so closely bound to thee that nothing in eternity should