The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/A Method of Hearing Mass before Communion
A METHOD OF
Hearing Mass before Communion.
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE MASS TO THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS.
DIVINE Jesus, Mediator of the New Testament, who didst ascend into heaven, to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb . ix. 24), yet daily descendest on our altars to renew that sacrifice by which we were all redeemed, mercifully penetrate my heart with a just sense of the happiness and the advantage of assisting at a sacrifice by which I can abundantly satisfy the justice of God, honour his divine majesty, acknowledge his infinite mercies, and obtain the graces necessary for serving him on earth and enjoying him in heaven. Permit me, O divine Jesus, to ascend this true Calvary with thee, that my whole soul may do homage to the greatness of thy majesty; that my heart, with all its affections, may acknowledge thy infinite love; that my memory may dwell on the admirable mysteries here renewed; and that the sacrifice of my whole being may accompany that which thou art about to offer. Alas! I am unworthy to join with the minister in adoring thee; I can neither realize the extent of thy blessings, nor acknowledge them as I ardently desire to do; but, O Lord, be thou with me, that by thee and with thee I may worthily assist at these tremendous mysteries.
FROM THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS TO THE EPISTLE.
O SAVIOUR of my soul, how sweet is the hope that thou hast absolved me from my transgressions; that thy sacred blood has washed them away; and that thou art about to seal my pardon by the most precious gift thou canst possibly bestow! O divine Lord, let this encouraging hope be realized; say to my soul that thou art her salvation. With the fervent penitent of the Gospel, I cast myself at thy sacred feet; let me hear with her, from thy own adorable lips, the consolatory sentence of peace and mercy; let me experience with her the conviction that thou hast accepted my repentance and granted me pardon. Alas! I well know that I have neither her humility nor her contrition, her fervour nor her love to offer; but, O my God, I venture to say, that my hopes are established on still surer grounds than would be those virtues, were I happy enough to possess them. If many sins were pardoned her because she loved thee much, still greater crimes will be remitted to me, because thou hast infinitely loved me, a wretched creature. O adorable Jesus, in thy love and mercy I firmly trust; deign, then, to do for me what is altogether above my strength and capacity; purify my soul, and prepare it for the reception of thy life-giving sacrament.
AT THE EPISTLE AND GOSPEL.
I BELIEVE, O my God, every article proposed by thy holy Catholic Church to my belief; and through thy grace I am disposed to die rather than relinquish the precious gift of faith, which elevates me to the adoption of the sons of God, and makes me heir and joint-heir with Jesus Christ. (Rom. viii. 15-17.) I believe: O divine Lord, penetrate my heart and soul with the entire import of these short but comprehensive words, and let them produce one of those prodigies of grace and conversion which so often followed from similar confessions. I believe all thou hast revealed, without exception or reserve; for thou hast the words of eternal life, and thou art likewise the way and the truth. (John xiv. 6 ) On thy unerring word I also most firmly believe that thou art really present in the august sacrament of which I am about to participate. Oh, what miracles are contained in this sacred and ever-adorable mystery! Incomprehensible as they are, I believe them all; I adore thy omnipotence, which is a sufficient pledge of their possibility; and thy boundless love proves to me, in an endearing manner, that they are real. Were my faith as animated as I hope it is sincere, my heart would be inflamed at the near approach of its heavenly guest, and every movement of my body, and soul would be a transport of gratitude and ardent love. Come, then, O Lord; thou art the God in whom I firmly believe. Come, for thou art the support and term of my hope, and thou art, by excellence, the adorable object of my most fervent love. Come, enliven and increase in my soul the divine virtues infused therein on my admission into the bosom of thy Church. Come, and purify my baptismal robe, that I may present myself before thee with a nuptial garment, and may not deserve to be excluded from the marriage feast.
AT THE OFFERTORY.
RECEIVE, O Lord, this spotless host, which thy minister offers thee in the name of thy Church. Receive, eternal Majesty, this oblation of bread and wine, which will soon become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, who — to render thee, in the name of weak mortals, the adoration thou meritest — vouchsafed to clothe himself with our miseries; to become susceptible of death: and to immolate himself daily on our altars as the precious victim of our salvation. O Omnipotent Lord, behold me at thy feet, loaded with miseries, and charged with innumerable debts, which would overwhelm me, were I not provided by thyself with a treasure of infinite value to acknowledge thy mercies, to satisfy thy justice, and to obtain for myself and others the graces thou desirest to bestow. Animated with the most lively confidence in the merits of my Redeemer, I offer thee once more his sufferings and death; and I make this offering for the great ends for which he instituted this adorable mystery. I offer thee this sacred Victim to adore thee as my God; to testify my love for thee, my sovereign Benefactor; to thank thee for the blessings thou hast bestowed on all mankind; to implore thy mercy on behalf of all those in the dreadful state of mortal sin; and to obtain the deliverance of the suffering souls in purgatory. To this offering I unite an unreserved oblation of my whole being; and I desire to do so with the most generous and ardent love. I conjure thee, O my God, by the perfect oblation of my divine Saviour on the altar of the cross, to pardon my past ingratitude, and to grant me the inestimable grace of preservation from all mortal sin. But, O my sovereign Benefactor, how shall I thank thee for the precious gift of thy body and blood, which thus enables me to satisfy my obligation V This gift, which the homage of angels and men would be insufficient to acknowledge, can only be repaid by itself. I then offer thee my Redeemer himself, as a sacrifice of praise, and pay my vows to thee ( Psalm cxv. J 8), in union with him in whom from all eternity thou wert well pleased.
AT THE PREFACE.
PERMIT not, O Lord, that my mind should wander from the consideration of the adorable mysteries now celebrating on this altar. Enlighten my understanding— inflame and animate every affection of my heart — that I may be attentive to these miracles of mercy and love. Oh, give me to understand the breadth, and length, and height, and depth ( Eph . iii. 18) of that love which will soon veil thy glories under the humiliating forms of bread and wine! Oh, that my heart were penetrated with ardent love, that I might be Enabled to acknowledge less unworthily thy infinite greatness and boundless mercies! Prostrate in spirit before that throne of glory where the cherubim and seraphim, with all the heavenly host, adore thy awful Majesty, I conjure thee to receive my homage in union with the transports of admiration and love with which they incessantly proclaim that thou art holy, holy, holy, and that the Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction, for ever and ever. ( Apoc . v. 12.)
FROM THE CANON TO THE ELEVATION.
AH, my God ! why do I not sigh for thy coming on this altar, with as much ardour as did the ancient patriarchs and prophets; with as much pure desire as thy blessed Mother, the first and most perfect adorer of thy sacred humanity. I offer thee my heart, soul, mind, strength, desires and affections, in union with the admirable dispositions of thy saints; but particularly in union with the love and devotion of that incomparable Virgin, in whose pure soul, prepared by thy divine spirit, and adorned with the treasures of thy grace, thou didst delight to dwell. 1 offer thee, to atone for my coldness and tepidity, her sacred heart, with all the love with which it ever was, and for all eternity will be animated. I offer thee her heavenly contemplations, her purity, profound humility, and sufferings, at the foot of the cross; beseeching thee, through her intercession, to pardon the iniquities of her unworthy servant.
And, thou, O most sacred Virgin, obtain for me a share in the holy dispositions that adorned thy soul from the moment of thy immaculate conception; since I am also destined for the residence and sanctuary of a God. O assured refuge of sinners, I address thee with the most lively confidence, beseeching thee to obtain that I may be worthily united with him who was born of thee — with him who is the
desire and expectation of all nations. AT THE CONSECRATION.
O JESUS, brightness of eternal light, unspotted mirror of God’s majesty ( Wisd. vii. 26), my sovereign, life and only goo(d! thou art he whom I have so long, so ardently desired; he whom I acknowledge for my Lord and my God, and who alone art worthy of the homage and adoration of men and angels. O Monarch of heaven and earth, mighty in word and work ! ( Luke xxiv. 19.) Verily thou art a hidden God, the God of Israel the Saviour (Isa. xlv. 15); and the veils which conceal thy majesty are those of the teaderest love.
O divine Jesus, thou art now glorified by the homage of numberless angels, who invisibly assist at these sacred mysteries. Oh, how should their adorations and love confound and humble me, since it is not for them, but for me, that thou art hidden and degraded on the altar! O holy angels ! blessed spirits ! love and adore the Almighty for me, and redouble your ardours to supply for my insufficiency.
FROM THE ELEVATION TO THE PATER NOSTER.
O ADORABLE Jesus, the happy moment is fast approaching when that sacred body which was immolated on the cross will abide in my heart, and that precious blood which was shed with so much anguish for my ransom will be really and truly applied as a sovereign remedy to my soul. My God, is it possible that thou, whom the heavens cannot contain, wilt confine thy greatness within the narrow limits of my heart? — that thou, before whom the angels themselves are not pure, wilt unite thyself to a soul, like mine, disfigured and defiled with innumerable crimes? O Lord, with the most sincere conviction of my wretchedness, I protest with the centurion, that I am not worthy thou shouldst enter under my roof. ( Matt . viii. 8.) .Shall I then say 'With St. Peter, Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful creature? (Luke v. 8.) Shall I depart from this sanctuary, which I am Unworthy to enter, and relinquish that happiness for which my soul sighs, but which I shall never merit?
Ah! no, my divine Saviour! I will not leave thee; for to whom should I go but to thee? Hast thou not invited all that labour and are heavy laden to approach thee? (Matt. xi. 28.) Therefore, notwithstanding the miseries of my soul, I come, perfectly convinced that if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (Matt. viii. 2.) I am weak, but thou wilt be my sovereign strength; I am poor, but thou wilt adorn my soul with the riches of thy grace. Thou wilt destroy my pride by the force of thy profound humiliations in the centre of my soul. Thou wilt warm my tepidity by the fire which thou earnest on earth to enkindle. (Luke xii. 49.) Thou wilt communicate to me thy divinity itself, that I may not live, but that thou mayest live in me. Come, then, O my God, the desire of the everlasting hills ( Gen, xlix. 26), the friend of sinners, the comfort of the afflicted, the hope of all the ends of the earth (Psalm lxiv. 6), come into my house, and let salvation enter with thee (Luke xix. 9); come, that my soul, united with thee, may magnify its Lord, and my spirit rejoice in God my Saviour. (Luke i. 46, 47.)
FROM THE PATER NOSTER TO THE AGNUS DEI.
O FATHER of my soul, who residest in the highest heavenS, and yet attendest to the wants of thy children on earth, behold thy prodigal but repentant child, who returns to thee penetrated with regret for ever having sought to shake off that yoke which thou thyself has pronounced to be sweet and light. (Matt. xi. 30.) Pardon me, O my divine Benefactor, for thou knowest the clay of which I am formed; thou rememberest that I am but dust. (Psalm c. 11, 14.) Forget my criminal abuse of thy mercies, for the sake of him in whose name I dare to address thee as my Father, my Friend, and only happiness. Oh, give me thy divine spirit, that spirit of love and adoption, which will cause me to have recourse to thee in all my necessities. Give me a docile, obedient, and submissive heart, that thy supremely just and adorable will may be the rule of all my actions. But above all, O divine Lord, give me the bread of life, the food of immortality — give me him in whom thou wert always well pleased (Matt. iii. 17): that, being instructed by thy wisdom and thy word, I may never deviate from the respect and love due from a child to the best and most indulgent of fathers.
FROM THE AGNUS DEI TO THE COMMUNION.
LAMB of God, who takest away the sins of the world, let me not be excluded from a share in thy universal mercies* Cleanse and purify my soul; adorn it, I entreat thee, with those virtues which will render me less unworthy of participating in the food of angels.
O adorable Jesus, I am, it is true, wretched and unworthy; but hast thou not avowed thyself the die Father of the poor? and shall not that endearing title encourage me to recur to thee, as to my Father, and the best of friends? Yes, my God, I will go to thee, for thou well knowest that had I the heavens and the earth at my disposal, I would sacrifice all, rather than forego the happiness I am now going to enjoy “What have I in heaven? and besides thee what do I desire upon earth? Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever.” (Psalm lxxii. 25, 26.)
O amiable Virgin, thou who art styled by excellence blessed among women, show thyself now my tender mother and powerful advocate; obtain for me the grace to receive with faith, purity, fervour, and humility, the divine object of thy ardent love.
Blessed spirits, you who unceasingly attend, love, and adore the Almighty Being I am about to receive, intercede for me at this awful moment, and supply by your ardent charity for the tender devotion with which I would wish to receive my Redeemer under my roof.
AT THE CONFITEOR.
O DIVINE Redeemer of my soul, into thy sacred heart I cast all my offences; they are not more numerous than thy mercies, nor can they equal the tenderness of that love which invites me to receive thee.
O Jesus, veiled as thou art, I acknowledge thee for my Lord and my God; I adore thee with all the powers of my soul, and I fervently love thee with my whole heart.
FROM THE COMMUNION TO THE END OF MASS.
O DIVINE Lord, thou hast at length satisfied the earnest desires of my heart. I possess thee; I embrace thee: O make me entirely thine!
O Jesus, thou who constitutest the happiness of the blessed, is it possible that thou art at this moment present in my heart? Yes, I firmly believe that I possess thee, with all the treasure of thy merits.
O most sacred Virgin, who so long bore and so fervently loved the God I now possess, praise and magnify his goodness. Offer him for me those joys which filled thy pure soul at the moment of his incarnation in thy sacred womb, and assist me to make some return for his unbounded mercies.
Remember, O divine Lord, that one visit from thee would suffice to sanctify the greatest sinner. Permit not, then, that I should receive thee in vain. Let not thy precious blood fall on my heart without producing therein the fruits of virtue thou hast so long expected. Oh, take me out of life this moment rather than permit me to relapse into sin l
Adorable Lord of heaven and earth, thou beholdest in my heart thy beloved Son: he is all mine; his abundant merits belong to me at this moment. 1 offer them to thee, O my God; and in return I ask for the most ardent love, sincere humility, and, above all, the grace never to offend thee by any mortal sin.