my God! accept this oblation, in union with the sacrifice which Jesus offered thee on the cross, and in union with the early consecration which his blessed Mother made of herself to thee in the Temple.
Second Day.
On the Imitation of Jesus Christ.
First Point. — Consider attentively, that as one of the chief ends for which Jesus gives himself to us in the holy Communion, is to unite us to himself, and to make us one with him, those who communicate are much more strictly bound than all others to endeavour to resemble their Redeemer. St. Thomas says, that in the Holy Eucharist Jesus Christ applies his most sacred body like a seal on the heart of man, to revive that adorable image of the Divinity to which we were created; and to transform his creatures into himself, by imprinting on the soul the image of his adorable perfections, and infusing into the heart abundant graces to imitate his virtues. To become a perfect imitation of Jesus Christ, you should conform your judgment, your opinions, your ideas, your heart, feelings, and all your affections, to those of your divine Lord; thinking and reasoning like Jesus, and judging of all things here below as he judged of them. The thoughts of Jesus were always directed to God, or bent on something relative to the glory of God. How do you act in this respect? Have you ever reflected on the benefit and even necessity of banishing idle or useless thoughts? Are you convinced, that to repress those, and substitute a frequent and respectful recollection of God, would be the best guard you could have against those thoughts of vanity or pride which are so common and so sinful
