We offer it to move thee to compassion for our spiritual miseries, that thou mayest grant us the gift of compunction and the pardon of our sins.
We offer it for the propagation of the Catholic Faith, that all may be brought into the one fold under the one shepherd; for our most holy Father the Pope, that the spirit of wisdom, and fortitude, and piety, may rest upon him; for our Prelate, and for all the Pastors and Clergy of thy holy Church, that they may direct the faithful in the way of salvation; for the Queen, and for all who are in high station, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life; for concord and good will among all states and people; for the necessities of mankind; for the inhabitants of this parish, particularly for the congregation here present; and to obtain all the blessings that we stand in need of in this life, the happiness of heaven in the next, and eternal rest to the faithful departed.
And as Jesus Christ so ordained, when he instituted at his last supper this wonderful mystery of his power, wisdom, and goodness, we offer the Mass in grateful remembrance of all that he has done and suffered for the love of us, making special commemoration of his bitter passion and death, and of his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven. Vouchsafe, O almighty and eternal God, to whom alone the supreme worship of sacrifice is due, graciously to accept it for these and all other purposes agreeable to thy holy will. We offer it, not confiding in any merits of our own— we offer it through the merits of the same Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, our High Priest and Victim, and in the name of the most holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost; to whom be honour, praise, and glory, for ever and ever.
O all ye Angels and Saints who stand before the throne of God, vouchsafe to join in our humble supplications; and thou, above all, O ever blessed Virgin, immaculate mother of God our Saviour, assist us with thy prayers. We know that thou art near to that most loving Son, through whom only we can find access to the throne of grace, and who will refuse thee nothing, that through his infinite merits thou wilt deign to solicit for us. At thy suggestion he wrought the stupendous miracle of changing water into wine. Oh then, beseech him, by all that he has suffered for our salvation, that the still more wondrous prodigy which he is about to perform on our altar, may not, through our unworthiness, be unprofitable to us; that he may move us to assist at it with the deepest awe, the firmest confidence, and the most ardent love; that it may thus ascend in the odour of sweetness to the throne of mercy in our behalf, to be to us an unfailing source of grace here, and a pledge of eternal life hereafter. Amen.
Prayers At Mass. [Footnote 2]
[Footnote 2: For an explanation of the Latin liturgy, and of the sacrifice and sacred ceremonies of the Mass, the reader is referred to the commencement of the Supplement, where also will be found the Ordinary of the Mass, (in English,) as read by the priest at the altar.]
The Beginning Of The Mass.
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