Prayer for Perseverance. I am thine, O Lord; I resolve from henceforth to commence a new life; give me grace to keep the good resolution with which thou hast inspired me. I belong to thee, O my God, and in thy holy custody I will never more forget thy law. I will fly from sin, as I would from a deadly snare; I will avoid the occasion, and abstain even from the appearance of evil; I will live for thee, and, inflamed with a lively gratitude and by the inspirations of thy love, I will avoid all that displeases thee, and seek and embrace that which is agreeable to thy holy will. O my God, assist me to keep these holy resolutions, conduct my steps in the way of thy commandments, and suffer not that any sin or iniquity should have dominion over me. I have fallen away when I relied on myself; I can do nothing of myself; I place all my confidence in thee. Grant that I may not receive thy grace in vain; complete thy work, and bestow upon me, all the days of my life, that sorrow which is according to thee, and which, leading to sincere repentance, conducts to eternal salvation. Amen. SATISFACTION is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance, we must therefore be most careful to perform the penance given us by our confessor. It is best always to do so before we leave the church. THE SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST. In approaching the Holy Eucharist, we must prepare ourselves; I., if necessary, by a good confession; II, by fasting from all food from the previous midnight; III., by devout prayer both on the eve before and on the day of our Communion. DEVOTIONS FOR COMMUNION. Direct your Intention. I Lord Jesus, King of everlasting glory, behold I desire to come to thee this day, and to receive thy body and blood in this heavenly sacrament, for thy honour and glory, and the good of my soul. I desire to receive thee, because it is thy desire, and thou hast so ordained: blessed be thy name for ever. desire to come to thee like Magdalene, that I may be delivered from all my evils, and embrace thee, my only good. I desire to come to thee, that I may be happily united to thee, that I may henceforth abide in thee, and thou in me; and that nothing in life or death may ever separate me from thee. Commemorate the Passion of Christ. I desire, in these holy mysteries, to com memorate, as thou hast commanded, all thy sufferings: thy agony and bloody sweat; thy being betrayed and apprehended; all the reproaches and calumnies, all the scoffs and affronts, all the blows and buffets, thou hast endured for me; thy being scourged, crowned with thorns, and loaded with a heavy cross for my sins, and for those of the whole world; thy crucifixion and death, together with thy glorious resurrection and triumphant ascension. I adore thee, and give thee thanks for all that thou hast done and suffered for us; and for giving us, in the most Blessed Sacrament, this pledge of our redemption, this victim of our ransom, this body and blood which was offered for us. Make an Act of Faith. I most firmly believe, O Jesus, that in this holy sacrament thou art present verily and indeed; that here is thy body and blood, thy soul and thy divinity. I believe that thou, my Saviour, true God and true Man, art really here, with all thy treasures; that here thou communicatest thyself to us, makest us partakers of the fruit of thy passion, and givest us a pledge of eternal life. I believe there cannot be a greater happiness than to receive thee worthily, nor a greater misery than to receive thee unworthily. All this I most steadfastly believe, because it is what thou hast taught us by thy church. Make an Act of Contrition. O Lord, I detest, with my whole heart, all the sins by which I have offended thy divine Majesty, from the first moment that I was capable of sinning to this very hour. I desire to lay them all at thy feet, to be cancelled by thy precious blood. Hear me, O Lord, by that infinite love by which thou hast shed thy blood for me. Oh, let not that blood be shed in vain! I detest my sins, because they have offended thy infinite goodness. By thy grace I will never commit them any more: I am sorry for them, and will be sorry for them as long as I live; and according to the best of my power, will do penance for them. Forgive me, dear Lord, for thy mercy's sake; pardon me all that is past; and be thou my keeper for the time to come, that I may never more offend thee. Make an Act of Divine Love. O Lord Jesus, the God of my heart and the life of my soul, as the hart pants after the fountains of water, so does my soul pant after thee, the fountain of life, and the ocean of all good. I am overjoyed at hearing the happy tidings, that I am to go into the house of the Lord; or rather, that our Lord is to come into my house, and take up his abode with me. Oh, happy moments, when I shall be admitted to the embraces of the living God, for whom my soul languishes with love! Come, Lord Jesus, and take full possession of my heart for ever! I offer it to thee without reserve; I desire to consecrate it eternally to thee. I love thee with my whole soul above all things; at least, I desire so to love thee. It is nothing less than infinite love that brings thee to me; oh, teach me to make a suitable return of love! Humbly beg God's Grace. But, oh, my God, thou knowest my great poverty and misery, and that of myself I can do nothing thou knowest how unworthy I am of this infinite favour, and thou alone canst make me worthy. Since thou art so good as to invite me thus to thyself, add this one bounty more to all the rest; to prepare me for thyself. Cleanse my soul from its stains; clothe it with the nuptial garment of charity; adorn it with all virtues, and make it a fit abode for thee. Drive sin and the devil far from this dwelling, which thou art here pleased to choose for thyself, and make |