Fourth Exercise: The Renewal of the Religious Profession

It may seem at first sight that this Exercise is but a repetition of the preceding, but it will be found that their intention is entirely distinct. The object of the third Exercise was to celebrate the actual anniversary of the day on which the soul gave itself to God in religion by a sacred and irrevocable vow. In this fourth Exercise, an expression is suggested for the feelings with which the soul may at any time renew the act by which it was consecrated to God. It is well known what graces this act of renewal draws down upon the soul, whenever it is made; and St. Gertrude would not leave her spiritual daughters without guidance in an exercise so profitable, and so acceptable to God. To this end she has again had recourse to the sublime ceremonial of the Church in the consecration of Virgins, and has drawn up this Exercise, similar and not inferior in beauty to the third.

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Whensoever you desire to renew in spirit your religious profession, or to follow the prompting of the fervour of your soul, you will offer yourself wholly to God, as a sacrifice of sweet fragrance, giving expression to your glowing desire in these words :

O ALMIGHTY and merciful Father, full of compassion and pity, whose goodness is greater far than the malice of thy creatures, I come to thee this day—I who have not improved the time which has passed away since thou didst plant me and engraft me as a tree in the ground of this holy state of religion—I who have allowed all my whole life to flow away and waste in barrenness—behold, I come, beseeching thee, by thine own irrepressible love, by the love of thy dearest virgin-mother Mary, our glorious patroness, and by the intercession of blessed Benedict, our venerable founder, that thou wouldst deign to look down with the eyes of thy charity and thy mercy on this poor withered branch, that it may be quickened by thee with restored life, and bloom and flourish again in true holiness. O make me to observe with most scrupulous fidelity the rules of holy religion and the duties of the spiritual life; enable me ever to bring forth manifold fruit of virtue and of holiness to thee, who hast conde-

F scended to love me; that when thou shalt come to me to gather them, at the hour of my death, I may appear before thee with much fruit in full maturity, consummate in the perfection of holy religion. Amen.

Implore the blessing of God.

O GOD, who art my sweetest Love, bless me with thy divine almightiness, thy wisdom, and thy goodness; grant me to follow after thee with a ready will, to deny and renounce myself sincerely, and both in heart and spirit evermore to walk with thee in perfectness.

Implore the grace of the Holy Ghost.

O GOD, my sweetest and most tender

Love, send down upon me from heaven thy Holy Ghost, and create within me a new heart and a new spirit. By thy holy unction teach me all things; for thee have I chosen out of thousands,! and I love thee with a love stronger than all other love, stronger than that with which I love my own soul. Sustain in my soul the life, the energy, the vigour, and the beauty, which come of love, and which attract thy love and thy tenderness; for all my desire is unto thee, my whole heart goeth eagerly forth after thee. Iam now to stand in thy presence; make my worsh:p worthy of thee. Amen.

Listen again to the call which the Bishop addressed to you in the name of Christ: Come! and answer yet again :

Yes, my Jesus, I come to thee; to thee whom I have loved, in whom I have believed, to whom I have given my love.

MY Jesus, thou art the source of all my joy, the unceasing song of my heart and my lips. Yes, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. For when once thou shalt have taken my heart as thine own possession, none shall evermore separate me from thee.

At the second invitation of the Bishop, Come !

Yes, my Jesus, I come to thee; to thee whom I have loved, in whom I have believed, to whom I have given my love.

MY Jesus, my well-beloved, I take thee to my heart in the close embrace of divine love. I hold thee fast as mine own with all the love of my heart; and even though thou bless me a thousand times ere thou go, yet never will I let thee go.

At the third invitation : Come, O my daughter !

Yes, my Jesus, I come to thee; to thee whom I have loved, in whom I have believed, to whom I have given my love.

O THOU Son of God, may all the power and the virtue of thy Godhead praise thee on my behalf; may all the love thy sacred Manhood can feel be turned upon thyself to satisfy my debt of love to thee; may all the peerless magnificence of the majesty of the adorable Trinity glorify thee, sing thy praise, honour thy perfections, and utter forth the unutterable praise of that Godhead in which thou sufficest to thyself, and dost supply all the defects and shortcomings of thy creatures, of thine own unfathomable deep of perfection.

When, after the third invitation, the Bishop adds the words : Hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord, say :

O JESUS, O good Shepherd, give me to hear and know thy voice. Carry me in thy arms, let me rest in thy bosom, thy sheep whom the Holy Ghost hath rendered fruitful in holiness. There shalt thou teach me how to fear thee and how to love thee, and tell me what I must do to be permitted to follow thee. Amen.

ANTIPHON. Draw near unto him, and his light shall shine upon thee, and thou shalt not be put to confusion

Behold, I draw near unto thee, my God, thou consuming fire. Consume me, let me be swallowed up, and lost as a grain of dust in the fiery glow of thy love. Cause the light of thy countenance to shine upon me, and my darkness shall become light before thee, even as the sun at noonday. Behold, I come unto thee, thou beatitude of my soul. By that vehement love which draws thee down to us thy creatures, that thou mayest unite us inseparably to thyself, make me one with thee.

Recite the Psalm, Domini est terra.

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: the world, and all they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas: and prepared it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in his holy place ¢ The innocent in hands and clean of heart: who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord: and mercy from God his Saviour. This is the generation of them that seek him: of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your gates, O ye princes; and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the uii of Glory shall enter in.

Who is this King of Glory? The Lord who is strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.

Who is this King of Glory¢ The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory.

Vouchsafe, O sweet Jesus, to write my name and to reckon me amongst those of thy household who know thee, O God of Israel; in the family of those who seek to behold thy face, O God of Jacob; in the family of those who love thee, O God of hosts. Grant that in innocency of life and purity of heart I may receive thy blessing, O my God, and my salvation. Amen.

Here recite the Psalm, Miserere.

Have mercy upon me, O God: according to thy great mercy.

And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies: blot out all mine iniquity.

Wash me yet more from mine iniquity: and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge mine iniquity: and my sin is always before me.

Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight: I confess it; vouchsafe to pardon me, that thou mayest be justified in thy words, and mayest overcome when thou art judged.

For behold, I was conceived in iniquities: and in sin did my mother conceive me.

For behold, thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest unto me.

Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop as a leper, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: and the bones that were humbled shall rejoice.

Turn away thy face from my sins: and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence: and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation: and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would surely have given it: with burnt-offerings thou wilt not be delighted.

The sacrifice of God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not despise,

Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good-will, with Zion: that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations, and whole burnt-offerings: then shall they lay calves on thine altars.

ANTIPHON. Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.

MY Love, plunge me and bury me in the great deep of thy charity. All that thou doest for me is of thine own free and undeserved goodness: but cleanse me from every stain in the streams of thy grace; let me be made anew in thee, O my soul’s true Life. Amen.

Recite the Psalm, Qui habitat.

He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High: shall abide under the protection of the God of heaven.

He shall say unto the Lord, Thou art my upholder and my refuge: my God, in him will I hope.

For he hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.

He shall overshadow thee with his shoulders: and under his wings shalt thou trust.

His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid for the terror of the night.

For the arrow that flieth in the day, for the plague that walketh in the darkness: for the assault of the evil one in the noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee.

But with thine eyes shalt thou behold: and shalt see the reward of the wicked.

For thou, O Lord, art my hope: thou hast set my refuge very high.

There shall no evil approach unto thee: nor shall the scourge come nigh thy dwelling.

For he hath given his angels charge over thee: to keep thee in all thy ways.

In their hands shall they bear thee up: lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: the lion and the dragon shalt thou tread under thy feet.

God will say of thee, Because he hath hoped in me, I will deliver him: I will protect him, because he hath known my name.

He shall cry unto me, and I will hear him: iam with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and glorify him.

With length of days will I fill him: and I will show unto him my salvation.

O THOU who art the defence of my soul and my refuge in the evil day, cover me with thy protection, hide me beneath thy shadow, succour me with the buckler of thy truth. Be thou with me in all my tribulation; defend me from all peril of soul and body, O thou my hope and my defence. And at last, after this long weary exile, show to me thyself, O my much-loved Saviour. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

O HOLY Trinity, One God, grant that my heart may fear thee, love thee, and be conformed unto thee in all things; for thou art my soul’s one true Love.

O holy Mary, thou Paradise of sanctity and lily of purity, be thou my guide, and the shelter and defence of my chastity; for all the beauty of the Truth and the Life shineth forth in thee.

O all ye holy Angels and Archangels, obtain for me that I may ever render, in body and in soul, acceptable service to the great King, whom to serve is to reign; to that great King in whose presence ye stand, doing his will unresting, unwearied, with joy ineffable.

O St. John Baptist, obtain for me that I be ever enlightened by that true Light to whom thou didst come to bear witness.

O Abraham our father, obtain for me that faith and that obedience which raised thee to be called the Friend of the living God.

O Moses, dear to God, obtain for me the spirit of meekness, peace, and charity which made thee worthy to speak face to face with the Lord of majesty.

O David, king and prophet most illustrious, obtain for me that entire fidelity, that docility and humility which made thee a man after God’s own heart, acceptable and precious to the divine King.

O all ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets, obtain for me that my mind and my understanding be opened.

O St. Peter, prince of the Apostles, shatter with thy heavenly might the bonds of my sins.

O St. Paul, thou vessel of election, obtain for me the gift of a true love.

O St. John, who art so dear to me because thou art the disciple whom Jesus loved, obtain for me the piety, the innocency, and the holiness which he looketh for in me, who is the flower and offspring of that fair Lily, of whom thou wast the chosen and faithful guardian.

Oall ye holy Apostles, ye brethren and friends of Jesus my Spouse, obtain for me that I may be united to him by an unchangeable love.

O St. Stephen, chosen to be the first martyr, obtain for me a yearning desire to suffer martyrdom for the love of Jesus, that to me too he may disclose himself, who upheld thee with his consolations when thou wast dying for him.

O St. Laurence, warrior invincible, obtain for me that love stronger than death, which enabled thee to triumph over the fiery torment,

O St. George, thou flower of martyrs, obtain for me an unconquerable courage in the service of my God.

O all ye holy Martyrs, obtain for me a patience mingled with sweetness and gentleness, so that I may be always ready to lay down my body and my life for the love of Jesus.

O St. Gregory, thou apostolic pastor, obtain for me that I may abide firm, unwavering, and ever-watchful in the holy vows of religion unto my life’s end.

O St. Augustin, thou mirror and true image of the Church, obtain for me that I may live entirely and alone for God and his Church.

O St. Benedict, thou august founder of all the whole religious life; O thou friend of God, and my father, obtain for me such energy and constancy in the spiritual life, that I may be admitted with thee to the reward of life everlasting.

O all ye holy Confessors, obtain for me that I be clothed with praise and beauty, so that my whole life and my every action may set forth the mercy which the Lord showeth unto all the works of his hands.

O St. Catherine, who didst receive the wound of divine love, obtain for me that I may despise all the things of earth, and long for Jesus alone.

O St. Agnes, thou who dost follow the Lamb in thy delicate beauty, who dost exult in being a captive in the bonds of his love, in having received the sweet pledge of his faithfulness, and in being brought into his secret chamber, obtain for me that I may be inflamed like thee with love of Jesus my Spouse.

O St. Mary Magdalen, who didst love Jesus

so truly and so well, obtain for me that I may carefully observe ali the obligations of holy religion.

O all ye holy Virgins and Widows, obtain for me such a growth in the holiness which beseems the spiritual life, that I may bring forth fruit a hundredfold.

O all ye Saints and Elect of God, obtain for me so great fidelity to all the duties of holy religion, that I be accounted worthy to reach with you that home of everlasting life, where is unmingled joy, where God is all in all.

O Lord, forgive me all my sins and negligences, and vouchsafe to supply, from the merits of thy most perfect life, all that is faulty in my most miserable life.

Deliver me, O Lord, from all faint-heartedness, from all perturbation of spirit, from all perversity and sensuality of heart, from all blindness and barrenness of soul, from all neglect and lukewarmness in the spiritual life.

By the bowels of thy fatherly compassion, give me understanding; fashion me thyself after ihe true spirit of the religious life, which I now profess in thy presence; for I know well that, apart from thee, I am nothing, I know nothing, nor can do anything.

By thy Mother Mary, I beseech thee lead me in the undefiled way, that I may ever be pleasing to thee in body and in soul.

Behold, I, thine unworthy daughter, who, by my sins and wanderings, have almost lost my right to the name of daughter, now put all my trust, in thy fatherly compassion; I implore thee of thy mercy to look upon me, and to blot out all my iniquities.

O Lord, hear me.

Grant, I humbly beseech thee, that I may bring with me into this state of religion a firm and unwavering resolve, a heart tender with compunction, a decided will, and a body the apt and docile instrument of my soul.

We beseech thee to hear us.

Vouchsafe to pour forth upon me the grace, the attraction, and the love of the spiritual life.

We beseech thee to hear us.

Grant that I may perfectly renounce the world, and cleave to thee with an unlimited devotion of heart.

We beseech thee to hear us.

Enable me faithfully to fulfil all the obligations of holy religion, and grant me to persevere to the end in the resolve I this day form.

We beseech thee to hear us.

Vouchsafe to grant to us all who serve thee in this holy house, oneness of spirit in the bond of charity and of peace; and after this life, do thou bring us to the reward thou hast promised, to the enjoyment of thy glery.

We beseech thee to hear us.

Vouchsafe with the infinite might of thy Godhead to absolve me from all my sins, to strengthen and to confirm me in this my holy resolution, to look favourably upon me in thine infinite goodness, and to hear and grant all these my petitions.

We beseech thee to hear us.

O Jesus, Son of the living God, thou alone knowest the intent and aim of my longing desire; make me after thine own heart.

We beseech thee to hear us.

O Lamb of God, uphold me with thy right hand in the way wherein I walk, that I may not stumble.

O Lamb of God, grant that what I have begun in thy name, I may faithfully perform by the help of thy grace.

O Lamb of God, let not my manifold sins close thine ears to my cry, but let thy mercy hear and answer all these my petitions.

O Christ, hear me; and in the hour of my death be my joy and my salvation.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

O GOD, who in thy wisdom dost implant all virtues in our souls, and in thy faithfulness dost nurture them, make me, I beseech thee, all unworthy as I am, a grain of good seed cast into good ground, that I may spring up vigorous and strong in holy religion, and bring forth a thousandfold the fruit of a perfect life, and may persevere faithfully and courageously in thy holy service, unto my life's end. Amen.

Invoke the divine Wisdom and implore his aid, saying the following response :

R. Send forth wisdom, O Lord, from the throne of thy majesty that it may abide with me; and deign to concur with me in all my undertakings:* that I may always know how to please thee in all things.

Y. Give me, O Lord, that wisdom which directs thine eternal counsels:* that I may always know how to please thee in all things.

Offer to the Lord the register of your profession which you have signed, and say :

O JESUS, most beloved, my eager desire is to follow with thee this rule of love, that my life may be renewed in thee and spent in thee. Put my whole life in the keeping of thy Holy Spirit, that I may at all times be ready to fulfil thy commands. Make my actions conformable to thine; strengthen and stablish me in thy love and in thy peace. Enlighten my understanding with the light of thy charity. Do thou alone teach me, guide me, and form me, in the most secret feelings of my heart. Draw up my whole being into thine with such energy that I may be truly buried in thee; that in this deep union with thee I may be lost even to myself, and thou alone know the place of my rest; that love may be as a seal upon this blessed sepulchre, and bind me therein to thee with a bond which nothing can weaken or break for evermore. Amen.

Turn now towards our Lord, and consider what is the first act of obedience which his love enjoins on you.

M* well-beloved crieth unto me, “ Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death,"'!

Prepare yourself to enter with firm resolve into the way of fair love.

R. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength: * for thou, O Lord, art my strong rock, my refuge, and my Redeemer.

Y. I will praise the Lord and call upon his holy name; so shall I be delivered from mine enemies: * for thou, O Lord, art my strong rock, my refuge, and my Redeemer.

Receive anew the yoke of the holy Rule which was laid upon you.

O HOLY Father, receive me in thy most tender and fatherly love, that, having finished the race which for love of thee I have begun to run, I may receive thee as the everlasting prize of my course.

O most loving Jesus, receive me into thy Sweetest brotherhood; bear with me the burden of the day and the consuming heat; be thou my consolation in toil, my companion and my guide in all my weary wandering.

O Holy Spirit, receive me into thy most merciful love; be thou the master and teacher of my whole life and my soul’s most tender friend.

1 Cant, viii. 6,

Prostrate yourself before the Lord, and say :

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Psalm, Miserere, p. 60.

(ia oan whose love knoweth neither measure nor end, behold me at thy feet. My sins have separated between me and thee; have mercy on me according to thy great mercy. Take away the hedge of my life past, and throw down the wall thereof,! that wall which separateth me from thee. Draw me to thee with force so mighty that I may henceforward and evermore follow thee lovingly and willingly, tavished and borne onwards by the sweetness of thy love. Amen.

O merciful Jesus, I can indeed desire and resolve, but such is the frailty of my human nature, that I find not how to accomplish what is good;? wherefore do thou aid me with thine almighty grace. Turn my whole soul towards thee with the mighty impulse of thy love. Then shall I run in the way of thy commandments, and not be weary; then shall I cleave inseparably to thee; and thou wilt be with me, O my Master, my succour and my strength in the great work I have taken upon me for love of thy love. Amen.

Here receive in spirit the holy habit, saying :

Come unto me, O Jesus, my princely, peerless Love! I am but a dry and a withered root, which thy look alone hath transformed into a lily, which thy right hand hath planted in the lowly valley of holy humility, beside the still waters of thy overflowing love, where flow in rich abundance the streams of thy indulgence and compassion. Come, O thou gracious Sun of dawn, and by the unction of thy Holy Spirit cause this withered stalk, apt image of my utter nothingness and helplessness, to bloom and flower anew. Grant that I may now at length pu: off the old man with his works, and be clothea upon with the new man which is created after God, in justice and holiness and truth. Amen. RY. The world and all the pomps thereof have I despised for Jesus Christ my Lord: *whom I have seen, whom I have loved; in whom I have trusted, to whom I have given my love.

Y. My heart hath uttered a good word: Ispeak my works to the divine King:* whom I have seen, whom I have loved; ia whom I have trusted, to whom I have given my love.

Abandon yourself to the love excited within you by the goodness of the Lord.

What have I henceforth to do with the world, O my Jesus? What is there in heaven that I can desire but thee alone? Thee do I love, thee do I desire; my heart thirsteth after thee, my soul craveth thee alone. When I think upon thee, O my beloved, my well-beloved, my heart faileth within me. Set me in the sevenfold heat of the furnace of thy love. Unite me so closely to thee in this life, that when my soul shall leave the body, I may have already found in thee my supreme and everlasting bliss. My soul loveth thee, my heart yearneth after thee, my whole being hangeth on thy love, my life hath forsaken me to go after thee. O Jesus, most loved of all who are loved, my heart hath said unto thee, and saith evermore, Thou art my dearest, choicest treasure, my true and only joy, my undecaying bliss, my better part, the one only object of my soul's love and desire.

Then go to Holy Communion and cast yourself entirely into God, that you may no longer live but in him alone.

What am I, O my God, thou life of my souls? Alas, what an infinite distance there is between thee and me! I am but a grain of dust, which the wind scattereth. Send down upon me the glowing breath of thy love. May thy Holy Spirit, like a mighty whirlwind, lift me from earth, and cast me upon thy merciful and loving breast, and there do thou deign to receive me. There shall I be truly detached from myself; there shall I die to myself, to live in thee alone.

O my dearest, fairest Love, there shall I lose myself, to find myself no more; so that, even as a grain of dust is borne away and leaves no void, so no trace may evermore be found of me. Transform me so entirely into thine intense love, that all my imperfection may be consumed, and that I may have no life apart from thee. Grant that I may lose myself in thee so completely, that throughout eternity I may be unable to find myself but in thee alone. Amen.

Abandon yourself to your longing desire to be made perfect in the Lord.

What am I, O my God, thou Love of my heart? What mournful unlikeness to thee! I am but an almost imperceptible drop, and thou art the great and shoreless ocean of ineffable and most tendet love. O Love, Love, open to me thy pitying heart. Let the water-floods of thy fatherly goodness overwhelm me; break up the fountains of the great deep of thine infinite goodness, and let it swallow me up, that I may be absorbed and lost in the ocean of thine infinite love. Thy love is impetuous as a mighty flood; may I sink and disappear beneath its waters, even as a feeble spark is lost in the immensity of the sea. Let me die, borne along by the torrent of thy boundless mercy, even as a burning coal is quenched beneath the wild waves of a swollen river. Thy love droppeth down as the fruitful rain; grant that it may penetrate to my inmost soul. Thy love is a potion; let it quickly take my life away; let it accomplish within me the designs of thy merciful wisdom by inflicting upon me a glorious death, even death from excess of love, that love of thee which is the soul’s true life. Let me lose my fleeting life in thine, which is eternal, O my Love, thou God of my life. Amen.

Express your desire to be buried and lost in the bosom of the living God.

What am I, O my God, thou glorious object of my love¢ Alas, alas! I am only the refuse of thy creatures, and still thou art within me the principle and ground of an unbounded trust; for in thee is hidden, in all its infinity of wealth, the treasure wherewith all my losses shall be compensated. O Love, Love, ove, accumulate upon me all the riches of thine indulgent goodness. Overwhelm me beneath the weight of thine infinite clemency and compassion. May my last breath blend and be lost in the breath of thy divine Spirit; may I lay me down to my last sleep beneath the shadow of thy love spread over me as a veil. My only life consists in tasting and seeing how gracious and how sweet thou art; let it be breathed forth in thy bosom; let me go forth from myself and pass sweetly into thee, O thou who art my chosen delight; let me faint and die in thy embrace, and may the mystic kiss of thy love be the seal upon my sepulchre.

In this sepulchre of love, wrap me round with thy priceless redemption as with a windingsheet; embalm me with the fragrant spices of thy precious death; place me in thy pierced and riven heart, as in a tomb of costliest marble. May thy look of love cover me and shelter me as the stone of this blissful tomb; and may I thus remain beneath thine eye throughout eternity. For there, O my wellbeloved, there shall I feel myself blissfully entombed beneath the shadow of thy dear paternal love; there will I rest for ever on the deathless memory of thine unutterable tenderness. O irresistible Love, let this frail flesh sink and fail and die of the ecstasy of thy coming. O Love, who art also Life, let my life be breathed forth in thee. O Love, gentlest, most consuming fire, let my being be consumed in thy glowing heat, and may my soul rest evermore in the ineffable light which streams everlastingly from thy loveliest face. Amen.

Here repeat in thanksgiving the Magnificat:

MY soul doth magnify: the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced: in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden: for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done great things unto me: and holy is his name.

And his mercy is from generation to generation: unto them that fear him.

He hath showed strength with his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath upholden his servant Israel: being mindful of his mercy.

As he spake unto our fathers: to Abraham and his seed for ever.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

Add the following prayer :

O GOD, who art the Author of my being and the principle of life to my soul; thou who art the object of my most tender love, my Father, my Spouse, and my Defence; I offer thee as my only treasure all the love I have, and I pour it into the glowing furnace of thy Holy Spirit, into the refining fire whose flames are fed by thy love. For love of thee, O thou dearer far than the sons of men, for ` thee and for thy love, I choose from henceforward all that is hardest and most repugnant to nature; for thy love is infinitely above whatever charms this life can offer me.

O my well-beloved, thou hast the might of a God, and I lean upon thy goodness; cover me then for the combat with the whole armour of thy Spirit; help me to bring to naught all the devices of the enemy. Consume in the flame of thine inextinguishable charity, consume even the very root of every- thing which is not entirely, absolutely thine; so that, aided by a knowledge of the love wherewith thou condescendest to love me, and drawn by its life-giving sweetness, I may at length begin to love thee in return. O teach me, help me to love thee, thou who art my love and my strength. May I bear with gladness the sweet yoke and the light burden of thy love; may I fulfil, under thy guidance and with thine aid, O my wellbeloved, all the obligations of thy service; and may my days of toil seem short and few for the greatness of my love.

May the genial freshness of the breath of thy divine Spirit assuage for me the heat of the day and lighten its burden. Deign to penetrate and pervade all the actions of my life with the help of thine almighty love, so that my soul may glorify thee by serving thee without weariness as long as I live; that my spirit may exult in thee, my God and my . Salvation; and that all my thoughts and all my works may be acts of praise and thanksgiving to thee. Amen.

Then commend yourself to God by saying, Nunc dimittis: OW dost thou dismiss thy servant, O Lord, in peace: according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen: thy salvation. Which thou hast preoared: before the face of all people. A light to enlighten the gentiles: and the glory of thy people Israel.

And then conclude, as follows :

No: O my Love, my King, and my God ! Now, O my Jesus, take me beneath the protection of thy divine Heart. There thou wilt unite me to thee by thy love, that I may live to thee alone.

Now plunge me into the vast and deep sea of thy mercy; give me into the care of thine immeasurable pity. Cast me into the glowing furnace of thy love, and leave me therein till all my dross be burnt away. At the hour of death give me over to the tender providence of thy fatherly charity. Then, O my Salvation, thou wilt comfort me with the sense of thy ravishing presence; thou wilt gladden me with the one sweetest thought that I have been redeemed and purchased by thee. Call me, then, with thy loving, thrilling voice, and receive me into the embrace of thy indulgent goodness. Draw me to thee with the sweetest breath of thy Holy Spirit, and absorb me into thee. Grant that I may sink into thy divine Essence, in the eternal kiss of a union which can know no end; and grant me then to see thee, to possess thee, to enjoy thee for ever; for thou hast wounded my heart with thy love, O Jesus, fairer, dearer than the sons of men. Amen.