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is our food; and this wine is to be changed into his Blood, which is our drink. Ah! delay no longer, but bring us into the presence of this divine Son, our Saviour!

tam, rationabilem, acceptabilemque facere digneris: ut nobis Corpus et Sanguis fiat dilectissimi Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi.

And here the Priest ceases to act as man; he now becomes more than a mere minister of the Church. His word becomes that of Jesus Christ, with its power and efficacy. Prostrate yourself in profound adoration, for the Emmanuel, that is, God with us, is coming upon our altar.

What, O God of heaven and earth, my Jesus, the long expected Messias! what else can I do, at this solemn moment, but adore thee in silence, as my sovereign Master, and open to thee my whole heart, as to its dearest King? Come, then, O Lord Jesus, come!

Qui pridie quam pateretur, accepit panem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas et elevatis oculis in cœlum, ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias agens, benedixit, fregit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite, et manducate ex hoc omnes. Hoc EST ENIM CORPUS

MEUM.

The Divine Lamb is now lying on our Altar! Glory and love be to him for ever! But, he is come that he may be immolated. Hence the Priest, who is the minister of the designs of the Most High, immediately pronounces, over the Chalice, the sacred words which follow, which will produce the great mystical immolation, by the separation of the Victim's Body and Blood. After those words, the substances of both bread and wine have ceased to exist; the species alone are left, veiling, as it were the Body and Blood of our Redeemer, lest fear should keep us from a mystery, which God gives us for the very purpose of infusing confidence into our hearts. Whilst the Priest is pronouncing those words, let us associate

ourselves to the Angels, who tremblingly gaze upon this deepest wonder.

Simili modo postquam conatum est, accipiens et hunc præclarum Calicem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas item tibi gratias agens, benedixit, deditque discipulis suis dicens: Accipite et bibite ex eo omnes. HIC EST ENIM CALIX SANGUINIS MEI, NOVI ET ÆTERNI TESTAMENTI: MYSTERIUM FIDEI: QUI PRO VOBIS ET PRO MULTIS EFFUNDETUR IN REMISSIONEM PECCATORUM.

Hæc quotiescumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis.

O Precious Blood! thou price of my salvation! I adore thee! Wash away my sins, and make me whiter than snow. O Lamb ever slain, yet ever living, thou comest to take away the sins of the world! Come, also, and reign in me by thy power, and by thy love.

The Priest is now face to face with God. He again raises his hands towards heaven, and tells our heavenly Father, that the oblation, now on the altar, is no longer an earthly material offering, but the Body and Blood, the whole Person, of his divine Son.

Unde et memores, Domine, nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta, ejusdem Christi filii tui Domini nostri tam beatæ Passionis, necnon et ab inferis Resurrectionis, sed et in cœlos gloriosa Ascensionis: offerimus præclaræ Majestati tuæ de tuis donis ac datis, Hostiam puram, Hostiam sanctam, Hostiam immaculatam: Panem sanctum vitæ æternæ, et Calicem salutis perpetuæ.

Supra quæ propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digne

Father of infinite holiness! the Host so long expected is here before thee. Behold this thine eternal Son, who suffered a bitter Passion, rose again with glory from the grave, and ascended triumphantly into heaven. He is thy Son; but he is also our Host, Host pure and spotless, our Meat and Drink of everlasting life.

Heretofore, thou acceptedst the sacrifice of the innocent

lambs offered unto thee by Abel; and the sacrifice which Abraham made thee of his son Isaac, who, though immolated, yet lived; and, lastly, the sacrifice, which Melchisedech presented to thee, of bread and wine. Receive our Sacrifice, which surpasses all those others it is the Lamb, of whom all others could be but figures; it is the undying Victim; it is the Body of thy Son, who is the Bread of Life, and his Blood, which, whilst a drink of immortality for us, is a tribute adequate to thy glory.

ris: et accepta habere, sicuti accepta habere dignatus es munera pueri tui justi Abel, et sacrificium Patriarchæ nostri Abrahæ, et quod tibi obtulit summus Sacerdos tuus Melchisedech, sanctum sacrificium, immaculatam hostiam.

The Priest bows down to the altar, and kisses it as the throne of love, on which is throned the Saviour of men.

But, O God of infinite power! these sacred gifts are not only on this altar here below; they are, also, on that sublime Altar in heaven, which is before the throne of thy divine Majesty. These two Altars are one and the same, on which is accomplished the great mystery of thy glory and our salvation. Vouchsafe to make us partakers of the Body and Blood of the august Victim, from whom flow every grace and blessing.

Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus, jube hæc perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime Altare tuum, in conspectu divinæ Majestatis tuæ: ut quotquot ex hac altaris participatione, sacrosanctum Filii tui Corpus et Sanguinem sumpserimus, omni benedictione cœlesti et gratia repleamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Nor is the moment less favourable for our making supplication for the Church Suffering. Let us, therefore, ask the divine Liberator, who has come down among us, that he mercifully visit, by a ray of his consoling light, the dark abode of Purgatory; and permit his Blood to flow, as a stream of mercy's dew,

from this our altar, and refresh the panting captives there. Let us pray expressly for those among them, who have a claim upon our suffrages.

Memento etiam, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum N. et N., qui nos præcesserunt cum signo fidei, et dormiunt in somno pacis. Ipsis, Domine, et omnibus in Christo quiescentibus, locum refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas, deprecamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Dear Jesus! let the happiness of this thy visit extend to every portion of thy Church. Thy face gladdens the elect, in the holy City; even our mortal eyes can see thee beneath the veil of our delighted faith; ah! hide not thyself from those brethren of ours, who are imprisoned in the abode of expiation. Be thou refreshment to them in their flames, light in their darkness, and peace in their agonies of tor

ment.

This duty of charity fulfilled, let us pray for ourselves, sinners, alas! and who profit so little by the visit which our Saviour pays us. Let us, together with the Priest, strike our breast, saying:

Nobis quoque peccatoribus famulis tuis, de multitudine miserationum tuarum sperantibus, partem aliquam et societatem donare digneris cum tuis sanctis Apostolis et Martyribus; cum Joanne, Stephano, Matthia, Barnaba, Ignatio, Alexandro, Marcellino, Petro, Felicitate, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucia, Agnete, Cæcilia, Anastasia, et omnibus Sanctis tuis; intra quorum nos consortium, non æstimator meriti, sed veniæ, quæsumus, largitor admitte: per Christum Dominum nostrum. Per quem hæc omnia, Domine, semper

Alas! we are poor sinners, O God of all sanctity! yet do we hope that thine infinite mercy will grant us to share thy kingdom; not, indeed, by reason of our works, which deserve little else than punishment, but because of the merits of this Sacrifice, which we are offering unto thee. Remember, too, the merits of thy holy Apostles, of thy holy Martyrs, of thy holy Virgins, and of all thy Saints. Grant us, by their intercession, grace in this world, and glory eternal in the next: which we ask of thee, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. It is by him thou bestowest

upon us thy blessings of life and sanctification; and, by him also, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, may honour and glory be to thee!

bona creas, sanctificas, vivificas, benedicis, et præstas nobis; per ipsum, et cum ipso et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti, in unitate Spiritus Sancti, omnis honor et gloria.

Whilst saying the last of these words, the Priest has taken up the sacred Host, which was upon the altar; he has held it over the chalice: thus re-uniting the Body and Blood of the divine Victim, in order to show that he is now immortal. Then raising up both Chalice and Host, he offers to God the noblest and most perfect homage which the divine Majesty could receive.

The

This sublime and mysterious rite ends the Canon. The silence of the Mysteries is interrupted. Priest concludes his long prayers, by saying aloud, and so giving the Faithful the opportunity of expressing their desire that his supplications be granted:

For ever and ever!

Per omnia sæcula sæculo

rum.

Answer him with faith, and in a sentiment of union with your holy Mother, the Church :

Amen! I believe the mystery which has just been accomplished. I unite myself to the offering, which has been made, and to the petitions of the Church.

Amen.

It is time now to recite the Prayer, taught us by our Saviour himself. Let it ascend up to heaven together with the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. How could it be otherwise than heard, when he himself who drew it up for us, is in our very hands now whilst we say it? As this

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