y admirable works; I
will rejoice in Thee, and bless Thy holy name" (_Ps._ ix. 2, 3). In this
faith, and with this acknowledgment, I presume to approach this adorable
banquet, wherein Thou bestowest on me the divine food of Thy body and
blood to nourish my soul. Grant, O Jesus, that I may approach Thee with
such a sense of reverence and humility as is due to Thy divine Majesty.
Who am I, O God, that Thou shouldst work such wonders for my sake?
Grant, O Lord, that I be not altogether unworthy of them, and that I may
now receive Thee with a pure heart, a clean conscience, and a sincere
and lively faith. Pardon my sins, which have rendered me most unworthy
to approach Thee. I detest them from the bottom of my heart, because
they are displeasing to Thee, my God. I renounce them for ever, and
promise to be faithful to Thee.
An Act of Hope
IN THEE, sweet Jesus, I place all my hope, because Thou alone art my
salvation, my strength, my refuge, and the foundation of all my
happiness. Were it not for the confidence I place in Thy merits, and in
the precious blood Thou didst shed for my redemption, I would not
presume to partake of this banquet. Encouraged, therefore, by Thy
goodness, I come to Thee as one sick to his physician, as a condemned
criminal to his powerful intercessor. Heal me as my physician, and as my
powerful advocate deliver me from the sentence of sin and death. It is
in Thy mercy that I put all my trust. Have pity, therefore, O Jesus, on
me, and save me, for Thou forsakest none that place their hope in Thee.
An Act of Love
O DIVINE Redeemer, how strong was the force of Thy love, that, being
about to depart from this world to Thy eternal Father, Thou didst
provide for us this divine banquet, enriched with all heavenly
sweetness! It was through an excess of Thy love that Thou hast left us
Thy body and blood for the food and nourishment of our souls; that, as
Thou didst unite Thyself to our humanity, so we might be partakers of
Thy divinity. I desire to love Thee, my Jesus, who art my only comfort
in this place of banishment, the only hope of my infirm soul, my
happiness above all I can enjoy in this life. I love Thee, my God, with
my whole heart, with my whole soul, and with all my mind and strength. I
wish that, as every moment is an increase of my life, so it may also be
of my love toward Thee. I desire, with all the affections and powers of
my soul, that, as the inmost thanks are due to Thee, so they
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