Prayer At The Canon Of The Mass.
O King of glory! when shall I leave this earthly prison, this miserable Babylon, and be admitted into thy lovely tabernacles? O ocean of sweetness, and fountain of divine love, when shall I contemplate thee face to face in thy happy kingdom? My sins are a terror to my soul, but having so plentiful a redemption, I never will despair. Thy wounds cry out for mercy. Mercy, then, O God of goodness! have mercy on me. O Jesus, be a Jesus to my soul, and save me. I am thy purchase, snatched from the jaws of hell by the merits of thy sacred passion; accept me, therefore, an unworthy sinner. Purify me in those sacred streams that flowed from thy bleeding wounds, and present me to thy eternal Father, that through thee I may obtain his blessing and favour, which of myself I do not deserve. Extinguish in me all ambition, pride, and vanity, the love of the world, and every degree of vicious self-love. Grant me true humility, perfect patience, unfeigned charity, and sincere devotion. Give me only grace to practise what thou commandest, and command what thou pleasest. Increase true religion; plant thy faith in our hearts; give peace and unity to thy church; repentance and pardon to all sinners. Grant comfort to the sick and afflicted; relief to the distressed; mercy, grace, and salvation to all those for whom thou hast shed thy blood, and whom I am bound to pray for, particularly N. We render thee thanks for admitting us to have a part in this great sacrifice, which thy Catholic Church offers to thy holy name, by the hands of the priest, for thy people. Accept it now, we beseech thee, O Lord, to thy glory, in satisfaction for all our offences and ingratitude, and in union with that divine intention with which our blessed Saviour offered it up, when he instituted it at his last supper, and consummated it upon the altar of the cross.
Prayer At The Elevation Of The
Consecrated Host And Chalice.
Hail, O King of glory, Prince of peace, and Saviour of the world! Hail, O immaculate Host! offered for me and all mankind on the cross! I adore, bless, and glorify thee, O loving Jesus, with all the faculties of my soul and body. May all thy creatures sound forth thy praises. O sacrament of piety! O sign of unity! O bond of charity! O the goodness of my God! O how wonderful are the ways of divine love! How incomprehensible are the riches of the divine bounty!
O my bleeding Jesus, I bow down to the ground to adore thee! Hail! most precious blood, shed for me and the sins of the whole world! Hear, O eternal Father, the voice of thy Son's blood, that cries out loudly to heaven, not for vengeance, but for mercy: let it now speak in my behalf, and plead my pardon; let it blot out my iniquities, and cleanse my soul from all the foul stains of sin. I beg it most humbly for the sake of Jesus, who died upon the cross for my redemption.
Prayer After The Elevation.
Behold, O almighty and all-gracious God, thy Son, Jesus, in whom thou art well pleased. Look upon the face of thy Christ and my Saviour, here present. Look upon this spotless lamb, this adorable victim, this pure holocaust of obedience, humbled to the very death of the cross. Behold in him what may move thee to look down upon us with an eye of mercy, and to forgive us our sins. He is our High Priest, sprinkled with his own blood. Receive the sacrifice he has offered for us, in consideration of all the honours and homages that are due to thy sovereign goodness from me and all creatures. Extend, O compassionate Creator, the virtue of it unto the souls in the church suffering, and grant to the faithful departed rest and life everlasting, particularly to N.; mitigate their punishment, and translate them to that state of glory for which thou hast designed them. Thou hast formerly promised, that looking on thy rainbow thou wouldst remember the covenant made between thee and the patriarch Noah, (Genes, ix.); canst thou then look down on the blood of thy beloved Son Jesus, offered here to thee in sacrifice, and not remember the great covenant of the new law, sealed and confirmed with the effusion of his sacred blood?
O dear Jesus! that I could love thee as thy goodness deserves. The more thou hast humbled thyself for my sake, the more I am bound to love thee. Remember thou hast bought me at a dear rate. O let not thy blood be lost or spilt in vain for me; but receive me into the number of the elect. I detest my sins, which were the cause of thy sufferings, and thy most cruel executioners. My crimes, alas! were the nails that bored thy hands and feet, and fastened thee to an ignominious cross. O who will give sorrow to my heart, and a fountain of tears to my eyes, that I may bewail them in the bitterness of my soul all the days of my life, and that at the hour of my departure I may, by means of a true conversion, be entitled to hear those comfortable words which thou saidst to the penitent thief on the cross: This day shalt thou be with me in paradise. I acknowledge my unworthiness, I do not deserve to be ranked among the number of thy children, yet I will presume to say that heavenly prayer which thou hast taught me: "Our Father, who art in heaven," &c.