beg the graces the Holy Spirit will inspire you to ask, for yourself, the Church, your friends, and others. At least a quarter of an hour should be spent in thanksgiving. To aid those who cannot think for so long together, we give the following prayers of thanksgiving.]

PRAYERS AFTER COMMUNION.

I return thee thanks, O eternal Father, for having, out of thy pure mercy, without any desert of mine, been pleased to feed my soul with the body and blood of thy only Son; and beseech thee, that this holy communion may not be to my condemnation, but available to the effectual remission of all my sins. May it strengthen my faith, encourage me in the practice of good works, deliver me from my vicious customs; remove from me all concupiscence; perfect me in charity, patience, humility, obedience, and all other virtues. May it secure me against all the snares of my enemies, visible and invisible; moderate my inclinations, both carnal and spiritual; closely unite me to thee, the only true God; and finally settle me in unchangeable bliss, by admitting me, though an unworthy sinner, to be a guest at that divine banquet, where thou, with the Son and the Holy Ghost, art the true light, eternal fulness, everlasting joy, and perfect happiness of all the saints: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

AN ACT OF PRAISE AND ADORATION.

I praise and glorify thy blessed name, O my God, for the many favours thou hast now bestowed on me, and for all the blessings wherewith thou hast enriched my soul, after the many miseries and wants I have suffered, when, by my pleasures and passions, I had departed from thee! Alas! was not I most miserably blind, to expect content and happiness, when by my folly, neglect, and indevotion, I removed

myself at a distance from thee? But such was thy goodness as to withdraw me from the precipice whither I was running; enlightening me by the inspirations of thy grace, and inviting me to return. Thou hast pardoned all my sins; and to crown all these favours thou hast now come to visit me, that thou mightest for ever abide in me, and I in thee. O my God, be thou for ever blessed for all these infinite mercies. Bless the Lord, my soul, and let all that is within me praise and magnify his holy name. Bless the Lord, and see that thou dost not forget the favours he has done thee. He has pardoned thee all thy offences, and cured thy infirmities. He has preserved thee from death, and crowned thee with the effects of his bounty. He has satisfied thy hunger with good things, and replenished thee with all the blessings thou couldst desire. And oughtest thou not to resolve on a change of life, and, renewing thy forces, to grow young like the eagle in his service? Let thy grace, then, O Lord, be ever at hand to assist me; for the experience of my weakness makes me fearful: and, if thou support me not, I most certainly shall fall again. Be thou, therefore, my shield and defence. Grant me a firm and constant faith; and strengthen it, not only with respect to this mystery, but all other Christian truths and principles of eternal life; that by the help thereof, I may overcome all such difficulties as I may have to encounter in my journey to that state of bliss for which I was created; as it is by such a faith, those who for my example have gone before me have triumphed over their enemies, done justice, and obtained thy promises.

AN ACT OF HOPE.

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I adore thy infinite greatness, O Divine Majesty, who fillest both Heaven and Earth, and art adored by

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all the blessed spirits, angels, and saints, who, without ceasing, praise and cry out before thee, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth!" Is it possible thou shouldst condescend to visit the most unworthy of all thy servants, and desire to dwell within him? If the heavens-nay, the heaven of heavens-cannot contain thee, how much less this habitation which I have prepared for thy reception? But thy goodness, O great God, knows well how to humble itself, when it is for our good. Thou knowest how to conceal the dazzling splendour of thy glory, and condescend to weak capacity, that so thou mayst communicate thyself to us the more freely. This thou didst, not only at the time of thy adorable incarnation, when thou didst make thyself like to us, the more forcibly to attract our love to thee; but also when thou didst institute this mystery, wherein thou gavest thyself to us for the food and nourishment of our souls, the more closely to unite us to thyself, and make us aspire to that celestial banquet thou hast prepared for the blessed in heaven. O God, grant me the grace so eagerly to long after this eternal banquet, that the desire of hereafter enjoying it may make me despise all the goods and treasures of this life, and labour incessantly to prepare myself, till I am happily admitted amongst thy guests. There is one resolution which I here make in thy presence, viz., to renounce whatsoever my irregular and corrupt affections incline me to; for they often press me to forsake the way of thy commandments, and put me in danger of forfeiting my title to eternal happiness; but, behold, I now desire to wean my heart from them entirely, that I may place my whole love and confidence in thee alone. For this end, I am firmly resolved to watch over all my actions, to flee from sin, and to avoid whatever may be displeasing to thee. I will labour to work out my salvation by observing thy precepts; and as

I have resolved, so I hope to be faithful to thee; but this resolution I acknowledge myself unable to keep, without the help of thy grace, which I most humbly implore. O Jesus, save me; conduct me through the ways of thy commandments, in which I now begin to walk with courage and perseverance; incline my heart to love thy divine truths; divert my eyes from beholding vain objects; enliven and strengthen me in the paths of virtue and good works, and attract me so powerfully to thyself, that I may follow thee to heaven, where thou livest and reignest for all eternity.

AN ACT OF LOVE.

O my God, what return can I make for so signal a favour, or what shall I do to acknowledge it as much as it deserves? Is it possible I should not continually love thee, after such manifest proofs of thy love? Thou hast loved me to such an excess as to lay down thy life for my sake, and shall I not make so small a return to such boundless love, as to live only for thee? Thou hast communicated thyself at present entirely to me; and shall not I henceforth remain wholly thine? Permit me not, O God, to be ungrateful, or insensible of thy love and my own salvation: I protest, therefore, in thy presence, that I will for the future be faithful to thee, and never depart from thee by the least disobedience to thy law. I will never forget thy bounty, nor the favour thou hast done me in admitting me to partake of thy mercy. I will love thee with my whole heart, for thou, O Lord, art my strength, my support, my refuge, and deliverer-nay, my God and my all. What is there in heaven or on earth I should love in preference to thee, the God of my heart, the inheritance and only happiness I pretend to? Of thee I have made choice, and nothing shall prevail on me to change.

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Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The object of this devotion is the human Heart of Jesus, the Son of God. The heart speaks especially of love; so, too, does the Sacred human Heart of Jesus. The particular intention of this devotion is to repair the outrages committed against our Lord, particularly in the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar. Hence we give the following

ACT OF REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF

JESUS.

O divine Jesus, God of infinite Majesty, with most profound reverence, in union with all the powers of Heaven, we adore thee here really present under the appearance of Bread. But how is this? The God of Heaven and Earth lies hidden here! O wonderful mystery! And why art thou here, O my God? Couldst thou gain anything by this annihilation? Nothing, surely, thou who possessest all things, O God, immense, omnipotent, infinite! And why livest thou day and night in this most humble dwelling, in this nothingness? Can it be that, because thou lovest us, thou art here? Yes, this is true. O wonderful mystery which our faith reveals! Blessed be God, blessed be the Son of God, for this miracle of love, of all miracles the most stupendous. O how can we thank thee, O good Jesus? No; tongue cannot praise thee as thou deservest; then, let us enlist all tongues to proclaim our gratitude. O yes, let all tongues praise thee; let all tongues magnify thee, O Son of God, splendour of God's substance, infinitely to be loved.