SALVE REGINA. Hail! holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope; to thee do we cry, poor banished sons of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O most clement, most pious, and most sweet Virgin Mary, V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. THE BLESSING. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ; the virtue of his sacred passion; the sign of the holy cross; the purity and humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the protection of the angels; and the intercession of all the saints and the elect of God, be with me, and defend me, now, and at the hour of my death, sweet Jesus. Amen. Evening Prayer. In the name of the + Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amer.. Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity, now and for ever. Amen. Place yourself in the presence of God. O almighty and eternal God, whose majesty filleth heaven and earth, I firmly believe that thou art here present; that thy adorable eye is on me; that thou seest and knowest all things; and art most intimately present in the very centre of my soul. *Strictly speaking, Christ alone is our hope or life. It is here used in a relative sense towards the Blessed Virgin Mary, as our chief intercessor with him. I desire to bow down all the powers of my soul to adore thee; I desire to join my voice with all thy blessed angels and saints, to praise thee and glorify thee now and for ever. Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of thy love. Send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. I believe in God, &c. Give thanks. I give thee thanks, from the bottom of my heart, for all thy mercies and blessings bestowed upon me and upon thy whole Church; and particularly for those I have received from thee this day, in thy watching over me, and preserving me from so many evils, and favouring me with so many graces and inspirations, &c. [Here pause, and meditate on God's mercies.] Oh, let me never more be ungrateful unto thee, my God, who art so good and gracious unto me. Ask for light to discover your sins. And now, dear Lord, add this one blessing to the rest that I may clearly discover the sins which I have committed this day, by thought, word, and deed, or by the omission of any part of my duty to thee, to my neighbour, or to myself; that no part of my guilt may be hidden from my own eyes, but that I may see my sins in their true colour, and may detest them as they ought to be detested. DAILY EXAMINATION. How have you performed your prayers, and other spiritual exercises? Have you neglected them, or shortened them, or said them with hurry and indevotion? Have you endeavoured to live as in God's presence this day, and tried in all things to please him? Have you been guilty of murmuring or impatience under the will and appointments of God? Have you diligently performed all your ordinary duties, without sloth, carelessness, or procrastination? Have you been guilty of any act or word contrary to truth, honesty, or purity? Have you given way to any evil temper, pride, passion, vanity, envy, hatred, &c.? Have you spoken evil of any one, or unnecessarily of other persons' faults? Have you striven against your besetting sins? Have you carefully avoided all dangerous occasions of sin ? Are you endeavouring to make advances in the spiritual life, in holiness, love of God, and superiority to the world, and not only abstaining from actual sin? Are you using the necessary means of a holy lifeprayer, meditation, and the reading of good books? [Whenever you find that you have been guilty of any sin, note it in your mind, with its aggravating circumstances, in order to make full confession of it when you next go to confession.] Having carefully examined yourself, and called to mind your faults, recollect the chief sins of your past life also, and make an Act of Contrition for all. Act of Contrition as before, page 15. A RESOLUTION OF AMENDMENT. O almighty God! I firmly resolve, here in thy presence, and before the whole company of heaven, to live more exactly in conformity to thy will, and to the rule of thy commandments hereafter. I resolve to keep a more strict watch over myself; to correct my faults and evil habits; to attend more diligently to my duties; and to avoid more carefully all sin, and all temptations and occasions of sin. But without thy assistance, O Lord, there is nc strength in man. Thou, therefore, who makest me to will that which is good, give me also the power to perform it. Give what thou commandest, and command what thou wilt, that I may live soberly, righteously, and piously in this world, and praise thee for ever with thy saints in the world to come. Despise not, O Lord, my petitions, for thine infinite mercy's sake, but accept this my evening sacrifice, and let it ascend as incense in thy sight. Thou And you, my holy patrons, pray for me. first, O holy Virgin, Mother of my God; thou too, my angel guardian; and ye, my chosen patrons [N. and N.], and all ye heavenly citizens, angels and saints, who praise God unceasingly, even while we sleep; take me under your protection, and commend me to God; that I may be protected from all the snares of our enemies, who are ever ready to hurt us while we sleep. The Litany of the Blessed Virgin. ANTHEM. 300 d. ap. We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God' despise not our prayers in our necessities, but delive us from all dangers, O ever glorious and blesse Virgin. Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of Virgins, Mother of divine grace, Mother inviolate, Mother most amiable, Mother of our Redeemer, Special vessel of devotion, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Pray for us. |