last time before the sacred Mysteries are accomplished. He feels anxious to excite the fervour of the people. Neither does the thought of his own unworthiness leave him; and, before entering the cloud with the Lord, he seeks support in the prayers of his brethren present. He says to them:

Orate, fratres: ut meum ac vestrum sacrificium acceptabile fiat apud Deum Patrem omnipotentem.

Brethren! pray that my Sacrifice, which is yours also, may be acceptable unto God, our Almighty Father.

Scarcely has he uttered the first words, than he turns again to the altar; and you will see his face no more, until our Lord himself shall have come down from Heaven upon that same Altar. Assure the Priest that he has your prayers, and say to him:

Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de manibus tuis, ad laudem et gloriam nominis sui, ad utilitatem quoque nostram totiusque Ecclesiæ suæ sanctæ.

May our Lord accept this Sacrifice at thy hands, to the praise and glory of his name, and for our benefit and that of his holy Church throughout the world.

Here the Priest recites the prayers called the Secrets; in which he presents the petition of the whole Church for God's acceptance of the Sacrifice; and then immediately begins to fulfil that great duty of religion,―Thanksgiving. So far, he has adored God, and has sued for mercy; he has still to give thanks for the blessings bestowed on us by the bounty of our heavenly Father, the chief of which is the having sent us his own Son. The blessing of a new visit from this divine Word is just upon us; and in expectation of it, and in the name of the whole Church, the Priest is about to give expression to the gratitude of all mankind. In order to excite the Faithful to that intensity of gratitude, which is due to God for all his gifts, he interrupts his own and

Let your response be sincere :

B. We have them fixed on B. Habemus ad Domi

Answer him with all the earnestness of your soul:

Coeli cœlorumque Virtutes, ac beata Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admitti jubeas deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes.

before it; the Heavens and the heavenly Virtues, and the blessed Seraphim, with common jubilee, glorify it. Together with whom, we beseech thee that we may be admitted to join our humble voices, saying:

Here unite with the Priest, who, on his part, unites himself with the blessed Spirits, in giving thanks to God for the unspeakable Gift: bow down and say:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus sabaoth! Pleni sunt cœli et terra gloria tua.

Hosanna in excelsis!

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Hosanna in excelsis !

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God

of hosts!

Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Hosanna in the highest! Blessed be the Saviour who is coming to us in the name of the Lord who sends him. Hosanna be to him in the highest!

After these words commences the Canon,—that mysterious prayer, in the midst of which heaven bows down to earth, and God descends unto us. The voice of the Priest is no longer heard; yea, even at the altar, all is silence. It was thus, says the Book of Wisdom, in the quiet of silence, and while the night was in the midst of her course, that the Almighty Word came down from his royal throne. Let a profound respect stay all distractions, and keep our senses in submission to the soul. Let us respectfully fix our eyes on what the Priest does in the Holy Place.

1

THE CANON OF THE MASS.

In this mysterious colloquy with the great God of heaven and earth, the first prayer of the sacrificing Priest is for the Catholic Church, his and our Mother.

1 Wisd. xviii. 14, 15.

Here pray, together with the Priest, for those whose interests should be dearest to you.

Here let us commemorate the Saints: they are that portion of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is called the Church Triumphant.

But the offering of this Sacrifice, O my God, does not unite us with those only of our brethren who are still in

Domini nostri Jesu Christi: this transient life of trial: it

sed et beatorum Apostolorum ac Martyrum tuorum, Petri et Pauli, Andreæ, Jacobi, Joannis, Thomæ, Jacobi, Philippi, Bartholomæi, Matthæi, Simonis et Thaddæi Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti, Cornelii, Cypriani, Laurentii, Chrysogoni, Joannis et Pauli, Cosme et Damiani, et omnium sanctorum tuorum : quorum meritis precibusque concedas, ut in omnibus protectionis tuæ muniamur auxilio. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

brings us closer to those also, who are already in possession of heaven. Therefore it is, that we wish to honour, by it, the memory of the_glorious and ever Virgin Mary, of whom Jesus was born to us; of the Apostles, Confessors, Virgins, and of all the Saints; that they may assist us, by their powerful intercession, to be worthy of this thy visit, and of contemplating thee, as themselves now do, in the mansion of thy glory.

The Priest, who up to this time had been praying with his hands extended, now joins them, and holds them over the Bread and Wine, as the High Priest of the Old Law was wont to do over the figurative victim he thus expresses his intention of bringing these gifts more closely under the notice of the Divine Majesty, and of marking them as the material offering whereby we profess our dependence, and which, in a few instants, is to yield its place to the living Host, upon whom are laid all our iniquities.

Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostræ, sed et cunctæ familiæ tuæ, quæsumus, Domine, ut placatus accipias: diesque nostros in tua pace disponas, atque ab æterna damnatione nos eripi, et in electorum tuorum jubeas grege numerari. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Quam oblationem tu, Deus, in omnibus, quæsumus, benedictam, adscriptam, ra

Vouchsafe, O God, to accept the offering, which this thine assembled family presents to thee as the homage of its most happy servitude. In return, give us peace, save us from thy wrath, and number us among thine elect, through Him who is coming to us,thy Son, our Saviour!

Yea, Lord, this is the moment when this bread is to become his sacred Body, which