Confession.
Before Confession.
A Prayer For Sincere Contrition.
I have now, O my God! aided by Thy grace, endeavored to discover the
number of my transgressions, and have examined, to the best of my power,
the state of my conscience. But, alas! O Judge of the living and the dead!
how far different is my judgment from Thine! How many offences are still
perhaps hidden from my view, though perfectly known to Thee! But, my God!
as I am persuaded it is not so much a knowledge of their number, as sorrow
for their deformity, that Thou requirest, I now earnestly implore of Thee
to give me that lively, sincere, efficacious contrition, which I know is a
necessary condition of my pardon. My heart was formed by Thee, Thou alone
canst change it; it is in Thy hands, and though most ungrateful, most
insensible, it is not too obdurate for Thee to penetrate and soften. One
drop of Thy adorable blood, one of those precious tears which my offences
drew from Thy eyes, would suffice to produce in my soul the most lively
contrition. Ah! look on me, eternal Light! and my understanding will be
enlightened to conceive the enormity of sin; touch my heart, and it will
be broken with sorrow for having ever offended Thee. Convert me, and I
shall be converted; for my destruction, my misery, and my misfortune, is
from myself, but my salvation must come from Thee, O my most merciful
Father! from Thee, Whom I have so ungratefully abandoned, and so
grievously offended.
Act of Contrition For Those Who Are Guilty of Mortal Sin.
O infinite majesty of my God! I am so full of shame at the sight of the
ingratitude and malice of which I find myself guilty before Thee, that I
dare not raise my eyes to heaven. I confess, O most gracious and merciful
Lord, that by the multitude and enormity of my sins I have deserved to be
abandoned by Thee, and condemned to eternal torments. Ah, unhappy being
that I am, how can I have dared to offend Thee! Can it be, O my Saviour,
that I have trampled under foot Thy blood, by which I was redeemed; and
that I have thus renewed the pains of Thy Passion and of Thy death! Ah,
why, why did I not die at once, rather than displease Thee! How could I
dare to offend against Thee, Who art infinite goodness, wisdom, and
beauty!... Thee, Who art perfection itself!... Thee, Who art my God, my
Creator, my beginning, my end, my happiness, my all!... Thee, from Whom I
have received my being, my life, and all that I am!... Thee, Who hast
guided and protected me with the tenderest love under the shadow of Thy
wings!... Thee, Who hast adopted me for Thy child, and made me heir to Thy
eternal kingdom!... Thee, Who hast redeemed me by Thy most precious blood,
and hast so often nourished me with Thy most sacred body and blood in the
Sacrament of the Eucharist! And yet, notwithstanding these, Thy great and
manifold blessings, I have offended Thee, O my God! I have abandoned Thee,
to league with Thy enemies against Thee. I have preferred a vile
gratification to Thy love. Oh, ingratitude! Oh, delusion! Oh, madness! Ah,
when shall I detest my sins as much as they deserve! O my sweet and
merciful Lord Jesus, of Whose goodness there is no end, and of Whose mercy
the treasure is infinite, have pity on me, and save my soul! Pardon me, O
most bountiful Lord, pardon me, I entreat Thee, by the merit of Thy bitter
Passion and death! Remember not my iniquities, but regard Thy infinite
mercy. I promise that, by the help of Thy grace, I will never fall into
them again. From this very moment I break all the ties that bind me to the
world, to the flesh, to the devil, and to sin. I am from this moment
firmly resolved to trample under foot all worldly vanities, and to
consecrate myself entirely to Thy holy love. Oh, never allow me to fall
back into my old habits of sin! Never permit that honors, or interest, or
pleasure, or pride, or the love of life, or the fear of death, or any
other motive, shall cause me to swerve from Thy divine commands. Grant
that I may keep them with my whole heart, though it should cost me the
sacrifice of my life, and of all I hold dearest in the world.
Ah, what has been my folly and my wickedness in having so often and so
grievously offended my God, my heavenly Father, my gracious and loving
Redeemer! What ingratitude, what an excess of malice! At the very moment I
was receiving with one hand the greatest favors and graces from this my
most tender and merciful Lord, with the other I was plunging a dagger into
His bosom—I was crucifying Him again within my soul! I have sold myself to
the devil for a worthless pleasure; I have renounced the kingdom of heaven
and all the joys of paradise for a trifling enjoyment; I have signed the
decree for my eternal damnation to gratify my pride; I have condemned
myself to suffer an eternity of torments and all the agonies of hell, to
indulge an unworthy passion! Ah, who will give to my eyes a fountain of
tears, that I may weep and lament over my sins!
O my divine Redeemer, Whose love I have unhappily despised, Whose blood I
have trodden under foot, Whose wounds I have reopened, and Whose death I
have renewed by my sins! How can I present myself before Thee after so
great an excess of ingratitude and malice! O my gracious Saviour, what
hadst Thou done to me that I should treat Thee so cruelly! Thou hast
reconciled me to Thy Father by Thy death, and I have again drawn down upon
myself His indignation by repeated sins. Thou hast snatched me from the
slavery of the devil, and I have again entangled myself in his snares.
Thou hast healed my wounds, and I have inflicted fresh ones on myself.
Thou hast delivered me from the eternal flames of hell, to which I was
condemned by my sins, and I have cast myself into them again. Thou hast
obtained heaven for me, and I have sold the right which Thou didst
purchase at the price of Thy blood, for a trifling pleasure, for a
corruptible crown. Is it possible to conceive folly, stupidity, malice,
equal to mine! I confess it here before Thee, O Lord; I detest it from the
depths of my soul; and resolve to die a thousand times rather than fall
again into it. Ah, wilt Thou reject a contrite and humble sinner, when
Thou didst come down from heaven to call sinners to repentance? Wilt Thou
refuse to receive this strayed sheep which returns from his wanderings,
after Thou hast sought him so long, to bring him back to the fold? Wilt
Thou reject this prodigal child, who comes to throw himself at Thy feet,
after Thou hast so much grieved over his loss? Wilt Thou leave me forever
to groan under the insupportable weight of sin, when Thou didst invite all
those who are burdened to cast their load at Thy feet? Thou didst absolve
the sinful woman when, kneeling before Thee, she implored Thy mercy; Thou
didst remit the sins of the publican when he humbled himself in Thy
Temple; Thou didst pardon the good thief when he acknowledged Thy power on
the cross; and shall I be the only one to whom Thou wilt refuse grace? No,
my adorable Saviour, not so. I trust that, however unworthy I have made
myself of pardon, yet Thou wilt grant it to me, and that Thy precious
blood will appease Thy Father’s wrath against me, and wash away the stain
of my sins. Offer it, then, to Him for me, O Lord, and apply it so
effectually to me that I may be entirely cleansed, and may be judged
worthy to enter into the blessed mansions, where nothing defiled can be
admitted. Amen.
Act Of Contrition For Venial Sin.
Prostrate at Thy feet, O Lord, I ask Thy pardon for all the failings and
negligences which my frailty, my ignorance, and my malice have caused me
to commit against Thy infinite majesty, especially for all those which I
have perpetrated since my last confession. I am confounded, Lord, when I
remember their number, and how much I have displeased and offended Thee by
them. Ah, how little do I love Thee! how little do I love my neighbor!
With what coldness, with what cowardice have I attended to Thy service!
How much on the contrary have I yielded to self‐love, and how much I still
retain of affection for creatures! Oh, how rarely do I enter into myself,
and think seriously of Thee! How filled with distractions are my prayers,
my meditations, and all my exercises of devotion! How much vanity enters
into all my actions! how much attachment to my own will, my own ease, and
my own convenience! Ah, Lord, draw me, I entreat Thee, out of the abyss of
my misery, and purify me from the multitude of my sins. Art thou not
overwhelmed with shame, O my soul, at the sight of the many offences which
thou hast committed against thy sovereign Lord? Is it thus that thou
servest a God of infinite majesty? Is this what thou hast promised Him so
often, and to which thou art engaged by the holiness of thy vocation?
Knowest thou not that the least sin is an offence to the infinite majesty
of God, that it contains an infinite malice, that it is an evil which
insults and offends thy most loving Father, thy most bountiful Saviour,
thy most sweet and merciful Lord? Ah, if thou didst but know what venial
sin really is; if thou didst but comprehend the stain which it produces
upon thee, the deformity, the wounds it occasions in the eyes of God; the
torment which it draws upon it in the other life, the danger to which it
exposes thy salvation, thou wouldst give a thousand lives, if thou hadst
them, rather than sully thy conscience with it. Thou feelest a difficulty
in conceiving a bitter sorrow for thy ordinary faults, because they are
venial; but this arises from thy want of light. The saints, to whom God
communicated in abundance His supernatural inspirations, wept day and
night bitterly over their faults, which were slighter than those thou dost
commit daily.
It is enough, O my God, that slight as these sins appear, they have
displeased and offended Thee, to induce me to conceive an extreme horror
for them, and to make me employ all my efforts to correct them. I love
Thee, O God of love; I praise and glorify Thee, O infinite majesty! O
purity of heart, which cannot endure any attachment or affection to the
slightest sin, how lovely art thou! How happy is he who is possessed of
thee, for thou renderest us favorites of God, thou makest our souls
temples of the Holy Ghost, and dost draw down upon us all the graces and
blessings of heaven! I will omit no pains that I may obtain thee in
future. But it is from Thee alone, O Lord, that I may hope for this
happiness: I am too weak to aspire after it by my own efforts. Thou alone
canst enrich me with a gift so precious; grant it to me, I pray Thee, O my
God. Amen.
Good Resolutions.
Since I have had the misfortune to offend Thee, O my God, and that I
cannot recall the past, I resolve at least, with the assistance of Thy
grace, to repair it by henceforth carefully avoiding all that displeases
Thee. I will shun sin, with its sources and occasions, particularly those
sins into which my natural frailty most frequently leads me. I will adopt
the means suggested by Thy minister for the correction of my faults,
listening to his words as if spoken by Thyself. I know, O my God, what I
should have to apprehend from the severity of Thy justice, if Thy anger
had not been appeased by the merits of Jesus Christ. I feel that Thou wilt
not reject the prayer of Thine innocent Son, Whose blood pleads for me,
His guilty creature. In this hope, O God of goodness! I present myself at
Thy tribunal, there to accuse myself of my sins, entirely, sincerely, and
humbly, with full confidence that Thou wilt ratify in heaven the
absolution pronounced on earth. Holy Virgin! Mother of grace and mercy!
Refuge of sinners! intercede for me, that in this confession I may receive
full pardon for the past, and grace to avoid sin in future. My good angel!
who hast been the witness of my transgressions, help me to rise from my
evil habits, and obtain for me strength against future relapses. Amen.
After Confession.
Prayer After Confession.
Can I persuade myself, O Lord! that, criminal as I was a few moments
since, I am now, by the grace of the sacrament, purified from my sins! God
of mercy! Who, by the absolution pronounced by Thy minister, hast cleansed
me from my iniquities, and restored me to Thy favor, shedding on me Thy
precious blood, and applying to my soul the virtue of Thy sacred wounds,
how shall I acknowledge the wonders of Thy love! Truly, O Lord, are Thy
mercies above all Thy works! How shall I prove my gratitude to Thee, O
divine Benefactor of my soul! I will offer Thee this day, and all the days
of my life, a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and incessantly extol Thy divine
munificence. I will consecrate my whole existence to Thee, shunning sin,
and loving Thee with my whole heart. Oh, permit not that I should again
trample on the blood which saved me, and grieve the Heart which was broken
for me. Give efficacy to my desire nevermore to offend Thee: fortify my
weakness; preserve me from occasions of sin; grant me the grace of steady
perseverance in my good resolutions. O Strength of the weak! in proportion
as I distrust myself, so do I firmly hope in Thee; grant me, then, Thy
all‐powerful assistance, on which alone I rely. Prostrate at Thy feet, O
my Saviour! with the penitent Magdalen, I implore this, as the greatest of
all favors. O Father of mercies! I know that Thou art reluctant to destroy
the vessel of clay Thy hands have formed; strengthen me, then, against
future relapses. Holy Virgin, support me by thy powerful protection; all
ye angels and saints, intercede for my conversion and sanctification.
Offering of the Penance Enjoined at Confession.
Before leaving the chapel offer your penance, or such portion as
you can, prefacing it with the following or some appropriate
prayer.
O God of sanctity! of myself I have no means of satisfying Thy rigorous
justice, but I offer Thee an abundant satisfaction in the infinite merits
of a God‐man. I present Thee, O my God! the Sacred Heart of Thy Son,
filled with sadness and pierced with wounds for me, that Thy justice may
thus be appeased. I unite my sufferings to the bitter pangs of my dying
Saviour. May the abundance of His merits, and the immense charity of His
Heart, supply for the imperfection and insufficiency of my works. O Lord!
Who hast severed my chains, strengthen me with Thy grace, that I may never
resume them; that I may conquer the bad habits which have been so long
opposed to Thy spirit, and courageously resist the temptations to which I
have hitherto so easily yielded. Amen.
Aspirations, Some Of Which May Be Used Advantageously Before Or After
Confession.
My Lord and my God, I sincerely acknowledge myself a vile and wretched
sinner, unworthy to appear in Thy presence; but do Thou have mercy on me,
and save me.
Most loving Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before Thee, and am
unworthy to be called Thy child; make me as one of Thy servants, and may I
for the future be ever faithful to Thee.
It truly grieves me, O my God, to have sinned, and so many times
transgressed Thy law; but wash me now from my iniquity, and cleanse me
from my sin.
I detest my sins, O Lord: I abhor my wickedness: I confess my ingratitude,
and seek refuge in Thy mercy.
From this moment I purpose nevermore to offend Thee: oh, let me suffer all
kinds of pain and infamy, nay, even death itself, rather than return to my
former course of life, and live Thy enemy.
O loving Father, assist me by Thy grace, that I may bring forth worthy
fruits of penance, and not suffer my sins to go unpunished.
Now, O Lord, I begin to live, not trusting in my own strength, or in the
resolutions I make, but in the multitude of Thy mercies. Perfect, O God,
the work which Thou hast begun in me. Thou hast given me peace and
understanding; but, wretched sinner that I am, how ungratefully have I
abused all Thy gifts! And yet now, with all the tenderness of a loving
Father, Thou recallest me from sin, and rescuest me from hell and
everlasting damnation.
Alas! my soul is full of anguish and confusion at the recollection of the
many sins whereby I have offended Thee, my merciful Redeemer, made myself
a slave to the devil, and provoked Thy anger.
Oh, that I had never transgressed Thy commandments, nor fallen into such
an abyss of misery and calamity! Oh, that I had never sinned! Happy those
souls who have preserved their innocence: oh, that I had been so happy!
But now I am resolved, with the help of Thy grace, to be more watchful
over myself, to amend my failings, and fulfil Thy law. Look down on me
with the eyes of mercy, O God, and blot out my sins.
Forgive me what is past, and, through Thine infinite goodness, secure me,
by Thy grace, against all my wonted failings for the time to come.
My sins surpass in number the sands of the sea, and I confess myself, O
Lord, unworthy of Thy mercy; but Thy goodness is above all my offences.
Thou hast declared, O Lord, that there is joy in heaven for the conversion
of a sinner; grant me, then, the grace of true repentance, and let heaven
rejoice at my amendment.
Thou willest not the death of a sinner, but that he be converted and live.
Grant me, then, that spiritual life which I need; for behold, O Lord, I
sincerely desire to live to Thee.
Thou didst come, O dear Redeemer, not to call the just, but sinners, to
repentance; behold a miserable sinner here before Thee: oh, draw me
powerfully to Thyself.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and, according to
the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my iniquities. Sprinkle me
with Thy precious blood, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let not Thy precious blood, my dear Saviour, be shed for me in vain; but
may it now bring forth in me the fruit of sincere repentance, and open to
me the way to life everlasting.
How great is Thy goodness, O Lord, in having so long spared such a
worthless servant, and waited with so much patience for his amendment!
What return shall I make for Thy infinite mercies? Oh, let this mercy be
added to the rest, that I may nevermore offend Thee: this single favor I
earnestly beg of Thee, O Lord, viz., that I may for the future _renounce
my own way to follow Thine_.
Help me, O Lord my God, and have compassion on my sinful soul. Amen.
Communion.
Before Communion.
A Prayer Which May Be Said Some Days Before Communion.
O Lord Jesus Christ! Whom I aspire to receive in a few days within the
temple of my soul, I come to implore that Thou wilt Thyself prepare Thy
destined abode, cleansing it from every stain, and enriching it with
ornaments worthy of Thy presence. Grant me an increase of faith, hope, and
charity; grant me true contrition, and profound humility; grant me to sigh
with holy Simeon for Thy coming, and, like him, to centre in Thee alone
the ardent affections and fervent desires of my heart. O Lord! Whose
throne is surrounded by cherubim and seraphim! Whose presence is felt by
all creation, Whose spotless sanctity the angels themselves contemplate
with awe, I acknowledge my extreme unworthiness to receive Thee; but
animated with lively confidence in Thy paternal goodness, I conjure Thee
to prepare me Thyself, and to supply from the treasury of Thy abundant
mercies for all my deficiencies. O Thou Who hast come on earth to save me,
and Who by Thy sufferings hast opened heaven to receive me, grant me grace
to profit by all Thou hast done and endured for my salvation!
Aspirations Which Should Be Used The Days Preceding Communion.
As the wearied hart pines for the refreshing water, so does my soul thirst
for Thee, O Lord!
My soul sighs for the possession of God; when shall I come and appear
before Him? Lord, I come to Thee; but how shall I prepare the way for
Thee? I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; say but the
word, and my soul shall be healed.
How can I receive Thee into a heart so full of iniquities, and yet how can
I abstain from the living Bread come down from heaven to give life to the
world?
Have pity, I beseech Thee, on me, a sinner; and deign to prepare Thyself a
dwelling in my heart; grant that from Thy adorable body may proceed a
virtue to give strength and life to my soul.
Prepare me for Thyself, O Jesus! and render me worthy of Thy visit; look
on me, O Lord! and inflame me with Thy love; that I may run after the odor
of Thy perfumes.
Grant me humility of spirit, and pure charity, to render me worthy of
participating in the blessed food of heaven.
I wish to attract Thee by my love, and to enjoy Thy presence in the centre
of my soul. O my God! my life! my all! I beseech Thee to come into my
heart, and to unite me to Thyself forever.
Act Of Faith.
“Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the
hills.”—Cant. ii. 8. Ah, my most amiable Saviour, over how many, what
rough and craggy mountains, hast Thou had to pass in order to come and
unite Thyself to me by the means of this Most Holy Sacrament! Thou, from
being God, hadst to become man; from being immense, to become a babe; from
being Lord, to become a servant. Thou hadst to pass from the bosom of Thy
eternal Father to the womb of a Virgin; from heaven into a stable; from
the throne of glory to the gibbet of a criminal. And on this very morning
Thou wilt come from Thy seat in heaven to dwell in my bosom.
“Behold He standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking
through the lattices,” Cant. ii. 9. Behold, O my soul, thy loving Jesus,
burning with the same love with which He loved thee when dying for thee on
the cross, is now concealed in the Most Blessed Sacrament under the sacred
species: and what doing? “Looking through the lattices.” As an ardent
lover, desirous to see his love corresponded with, from the Host, as from
within closed lattices, whence He sees without being seen, He is looking
at you, who are this morning about to feed upon His divine flesh. He
observes your thoughts, what it is that you love, what you desire, what
you seek for, and what offerings you are about to make Him.
Awake, then, my soul, and prepare to meet thy Jesus; and, in the first
place, by faith say to Him: So, then, my beloved Redeemer, in a few
moments Thou art coming to me? O hidden God, unknown to the greater part
of men, I believe, I confess, I adore Thee in the Most Holy Sacrament as
my Lord and Saviour! And in acknowledgment of this truth I would willingly
lay down my life. Thou comest to enrich me with Thy graces, and to unite
Thyself all to me; how great, then, should be my confidence in this Thy so
loving visit!
Act Of Confidence.
My soul, expand thy heart. Thy Jesus can do thee every good, and, indeed,
loves thee. Hope thou for great things from this thy Lord, Who, urged by
love, comes all love to thee. Yes, my dear Jesus, my hope, I trust in Thy
goodness, that, in giving Thyself to me this morning, Thou wilt enkindle
in my poor heart the beautiful flame of Thy pure love, and a real desire
to please Thee; so that, from this day forward, I may never will anything
but what Thou willest.
Act Of Love.
Ah, my God, my God, true and only love of my soul, and what more couldst
Thou have done to be loved by me? To die for me was not enough for Thee,
my Lord; Thou wast pleased to institute this great Sacrament in order to
give Thyself all to me, and thus bind and unite Thyself heart to heart
with so loathsome and ungrateful a creature as I am. And what is more,
Thou Thyself invitest me to receive Thee, and desirest so much that I
should do so! O boundless love! incomprehensible love! infinite love! a
God would give Himself all to me!
My soul, believest thou this? And what doest thou? what sayest thou? O
God, O God, O infinite amiability, only worthy object of all loves, I love
Thee with my whole heart, I love Thee above all things, I love Thee more
than myself, more than my life! Oh, could I but see Thee loved by all! Oh,
could I but cause Thee to be loved by all hearts as much as Thou
deservest! I love Thee, O most amiable God, and I unite my miserable heart
in loving Thee, to the hearts of the seraphim, to the heart of the most
blessed Virgin Mary, to the Heart of Jesus, Thy most loving and beloved
Son. So that, O infinite good, I love Thee with the love with which the
saints, with which Mary, with which Jesus love Thee. And I love Thee only
because Thou art worthy of it, and to give Thee pleasure. Depart, all
earthly affections, which are not for God, depart, from my heart. Mother
of fair love, most holy Virgin Mary, help me to love that God Whom thou
dost so ardently desire to see loved!
Act Of Humility.
Then, my soul, thou art even now about to feed on the most sacred flesh of
Jesus! And art thou worthy? My God, and who am I, and Who art Thou? I
indeed know and confess Whom Thou art Who givest Thyself to me; but dost
Thou know what I am who am about to receive Thee?
And is it possible, O my Jesus, that Thou Who art infinite purity desirest
to come and reside in this soul of mine, which has been so many times the
dwelling of Thy enemy, and soiled with so many sins? I know, O my Lord,
Thy great majesty and my misery; I am ashamed to appear before Thee.
Reverence would induce me to keep at a distance from Thee; but if I depart
from Thee, O my life, whither shall I go? to whom shall I have recourse?
and what will become of me? No, never will I depart from Thee; nay, even I
will ever draw nearer and nearer to Thee. Thou art satisfied that I should
receive Thee as food, Thou even invitest me to this. I come then, O my
amiable Saviour, I come to receive Thee this morning, all humbled and
confused at the sight of my defects; but full of confidence in Thy tender
mercy, and in the love which Thou bearest me.
Act Of Contrition.
I am indeed grieved, O God of my soul, for not having loved Thee during
the time past; still worse, so far from loving Thee, and to gratify my own
inclinations, I have greatly offended and outraged Thy infinite goodness:
I have turned my back against Thee, I have despised Thy grace and
friendship; in fine, O my God, I was deliberately in the will to lose
Thee. Lord, I am sorry, and grieve for it with my whole heart. I detest
the sins which I have committed, be they great or small, as the greatest
of all my misfortunes, because I have thereby offended Thee, O infinite
goodness. I trust that Thou hast already forgiven me; but if Thou has not
yet pardoned me, oh, do so before I receive Thee: wash with Thy blood this
soul of mine, in which Thou art so soon about to dwell.
Act Of Desire.
And now, my soul, the blessed hour is arrived in which Jesus will come and
take up His dwelling in thy poor heart. Behold the King of heaven, behold
thy Redeemer and God, Who is even now coming; prepare thyself to receive
Him with love, invite Him with the ardor of thy desire; come, O my Jesus,
come to my soul, which desires Thee. Before Thou givest Thyself to me, I
desire to give Thee, and I now give Thee, my miserable heart; do Thou
accept it, and come quickly to take possession of it.
Come, my God! hasten; delay no longer. My only and infinite good, my
treasure, my life, my paradise, my love, my all, my wish is to receive
Thee with the love with which the most holy and loving souls have received
Thee; with that with which the most blessed Virgin Mary received Thee;
with their communions I unite this one of mine.
Most holy Virgin and my Mother Mary, behold, I already approach to receive
thy Son. Would that I had the heart and love with which thou didst
communicate! Give me this morning thy Jesus, as thou didst give Him to the
shepherds and to the kings. I intend to receive Him from thy most pure
hands. Tell Him that I am thy servant and thy client; for He will thus
look upon me with a more loving eye, and now that He is coming, will press
me more closely to Himself.
After Communion.
Act Of Welcome.
Ah, my Jesus, my love, my infinite good, my all, be ever welcome in the
poor dwelling of my soul! Ah, my Lord, where art Thou! to what a place art
Thou come! Thou hast entered my heart, which is far worse than the stable
in which Thou wast born; it is full of earthly affections, of self‐love,
and of inordinate desires. And how couldst Thou come to dwell there? I
would address Thee with St. Peter: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful
man.”—St. Luke v. 8. Yes, depart from me, O Lord, for I am indeed unworthy
to receive a God of infinite goodness; go and find repose in those pure
souls who serve Thee with so much love. But no, my Redeemer; what do I
say? Leave me not; for if Thou departest, I am lost. I embrace Thee, my
life; I cling to Thee. Mad indeed have I been in having separated myself
from Thee for the love of creatures; and in my ingratitude I drove Thee
from me. But now I will never more separate myself from Thee, my treasure;
I desire to live and die united to Thee. Most blessed Virgin Mary,
seraphim, and all souls, do you who love God with pure love lend me your
affections, that I may worthily attend on my beloved Lord.
Loving Aspirations To Jesus In The Blessed Sacrament.
They can be used either before or after communion, or in visiting
the Blessed Sacrament.
1. “Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see King Solomon in the diadem
wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals.”—Cant. iii.
11. O daughters of grace, O ye souls who love God, quit the darkness of
earth, and behold Jesus, your King, crowned with a crown of thorns; the
crown of contempt and suffering with which the impious synagogue, His
mother, crowned Him on the day of His espousals,—that is to say, on the
day of His death, by the means of which He espoused Himself on the cross
to our souls. Go forth again, my soul, and behold Him all full of
compassion and love, now that He comes to unite Himself to Thee in this
Sacrament of love.
Has it indeed, then, cost Thee so much, my beloved Jesus, before Thou
couldst come and unite Thyself to souls in this Most Sweet Sacrament? Wast
Thou indeed obliged to suffer so bitter and ignominious a death? Oh, come,
then, without delay and unite Thyself to my soul also. It was at one time
Thy enemy by sin; but now Thou desirest to espouse it by Thy grace. Come,
O Jesus, my Spouse, for nevermore will I betray Thee; I am determined to
be ever faithful to Thee. As a loving spouse, my whole thought shall be to
find out Thy pleasure. I am determined to love Thee without reserve; I
desire to be all Thine, my Jesus—all, all, all.
2. “A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved to me; He shall abide between my
breasts.”—Cant. i. 12. The myrrh plant when pricked sends forth tears, and
a healthful liquor from the wounds. Before His Passion, our Jesus
determined to pour forth His divine blood from His wounds in so painful a
way, to give it afterwards all to us for our salvation in this bread of
life. Come, then, O my beloved bundle of myrrh, O my enamored Jesus; Thou
art indeed a subject of grief and pity to me, when I consider Thee all
wounded for me on the cross; but then, when I receive Thee in this Most
Sweet Sacrament, Thou becomest, indeed, to me more sweet and delicious
than a bunch of the choicest grapes can be to one who is parched with
thirst: “A cluster of cypress my love is to me, in the vineyards of
Engaddi.”—Cant. i. 13. Come, then, to my soul, and revive and satiate me
with Thy holy love. Ah, what sweetness do I feel in my soul at the
thought, that I have to receive within myself that same Saviour of mine
Who for my salvation was pleased to be drained of all His blood, and
sacrificed on a cross! “He shall abide between my breasts.” No, my Jesus,
nevermore will I drive Thee hence; and Thou shalt nevermore have to leave
me. I am determined ever to love Thee, and to be always united to and
closely bound up with Thee. I will always belong to Jesus, and Jesus will
be always mine; forever, forever, forever “He shall abide between my
breasts.”
Act Of Thanksgiving.
My God and Lord, I thank Thee for the grace which Thou hast this morning
bestowed upon me, of coming to dwell in my soul; but I would wish to thank
Thee in a manner worthy of Thee and of the great favor which Thou hast
done me. But what do I say? how can such a miserable creature as I am ever
worthily thank Thee?
Father Segneri says that the feeling most becoming a soul who communicates
is that of wondering astonishment at the thought, and to repeat, “A God is
united to me; a God is mine!” David said, “What shall I render to the Lord
for all the things that He hath rendered to me?”—Ps. cxv. 12. But I! what
return shall I make to Thee, my Jesus, Who, after having given me so many
of Thy good things, hast this morning, moreover, given me Thyself? My
soul, bless, then, and thank thy God as best thou canst. And thou, my
Mother Mary, my holy advocates, my guardian angel, and all ye souls who
love God, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what
great things He hath done for my soul.”—Ps. lxv. 16. Come and bless and
thank my God for me, admiring and praising the truly great graces which He
has granted me.
Act Of Oblation.
“My Beloved to me, and I to Him.”—Cant. ii. 16. Should a king go to visit
a poor shepherd in his hut, what can the shepherd offer him other than his
whole hut, such as it is? Since, then, O Jesus, my divine King, Thou hast
come to visit the poor house of my soul, I offer and give Thee this house
and my entire self, together with my liberty and will: “My Beloved to me,
and I to Him.” Thou hast given Thyself all to me; I give myself all to
Thee. My Jesus, from this day forward I will be no longer mine; I will be
Thine, and all Thine. May my senses be Thine, that they may only serve me
to please Thee. And what greater pleasure, says St. Peter of Alcantara,
can be found than that of pleasing Thee, most amiable, most loving, most
gracious God? I at the same time give Thee all the powers of my soul, and
I will that they shall be all Thine; my memory I will only use to recall
to mind Thy benefits and Thy love; my understanding I will only use to
think of Thee, Who always thinkest of my good; my will I will only use to
love Thee, my God, my all, and to will only that which Thou willest. My
most sweet Lord, I offer, then, and consecrate to Thee this morning all
that I am and have,—my senses, my thoughts, my affections, my desires, my
pleasures, my inclinations, my liberty, in a word, I place my whole body
and soul in Thy hands.
Accept, O infinite majesty, the sacrifice of the hitherto most ungrateful
sinner Thou hast ever had on earth; but who now offers and gives himself
all to Thee. Do with me and dispose of me, O Lord, as Thou pleasest.
Come, O consuming fire, O divine love! and consume in me all which is
mine, and which is displeasing in Thy most pure eyes, so that from
henceforward I may be all Thine, and may live only to execute, not Thy
commands and counsels alone, but all Thy holy desires and good pleasure
also. Amen.
O most holy Mary, do thou present this offering of mine to the most
Blessed Trinity with thine own hands; and do thou obtain their acceptance
of it, and that they may grant me the grace to be faithful unto death.
Amen, amen, amen.
Act Of Petition.
O my soul, what art thou doing? The present is no time to be lost: it is a
precious time, in which thou canst receive all the graces which thou
askest. Seest thou not the eternal Father, Who is lovingly beholding thee?
for within thee He sees His beloved Son, the dearest object of His love.
Drive, then, far from thee all other thoughts; rekindle thy faith, enlarge
thy heart, and ask for whatever thou willest.
Hearest thou not Jesus Himself Who thus addresses thee: “What wilt thou
that I should do to thee?”—St. Mark x. 51. O soul, tell me what dost thou
desire of Me? I am come for the express purpose of enriching and
gratifying thee; ask with confidence, and thou wilt receive all.
Ah! my most sweet Saviour, since Thou hast come into my heart in order to
grant me graces, and desirest that I should ask Thee for them, I ask Thee
not for the goods of the earth—riches, honors, or pleasures; but grant me,
I beseech Thee, intense sorrow for the displeasures I have caused Thee;
impart to me so clear a light, that I may know the vanity of this world,
and how deserving Thou art of love. Change this heart of mine, detach it
from all earthly affections; give me a heart conformable in all things to
Thy holy will, that it may seek only for that which is more pleasing to
Thee, and have no other desire than Thy holy love: “Create a clean heart
in me, O God.”—Ps. l. 12.
I deserve not this; but Thou, my Jesus, deservest it, since Thou art come
to dwell in my soul: I ask it of Thee through Thy merits, and those of Thy
most holy Mother, and by the love which Thou bearest to Thy eternal
Father.
Here pause, to ask Jesus for some other particular grace for
yourself and for your neighbors. Do not forget poor sinners, or
the souls in purgatory.
Eternal Father, Jesus Christ Himself, Thy Son, has said: “Amen, amen, I
say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it
you.” For the love, then, of this Son, Whom I now hold within my breast,
do Thou graciously hear me and grant my petition.
My most sweet loves, Jesus and Mary, may I suffer for you, may I die for
you; may I be all yours, and in nothing my own! May the Most Blessed
Sacrament ever be thanked and praised! Blessed be the holy and immaculate
conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary!
Acts Of The Love Of God.