powerful, most wise, most good, most holy, and of infinite perfection; the Creator of heaven and earth, the first beginning and last end of all things; and that by thy supreme providence thou rulest and governest all things. For all this I rejoice, and give thee praise. 2. And therefore, with great joy, and with my whole heart, I praise, extol, magnify, and worship thee. Oh, that I could praise thee without ceasing; always, and in all places, as much as all creatures, and all who have ever been, are, or shall be ever, extol, magnify, and honour thee; or ever have, or shall be able to honour thee. 3. Nay, further, I desire to offer thee, at the same time, all those praises which could have been, are, or shall be offered thee by the blessed Virgin, by the most sacred humanity of Christ, and which innumerable worlds, and an infinity of creatures, as well visible as invisible, which thy omnipotent hand can create, are able to bring to thee. And I desire to render thee such praises and such honours as thou knowest us to be able to render thee, and are thy due. But since I fail in the power to do this, I wish at least to bring thee all those honours and praises which thy grace enables me to offer thee, with all the force of the love with which thou lovest thyself; to which I now add, be it what it may, my small additional meed of praise. 4. I congratulate thee, O my God, I rejoice, and am glad with thee, because thou art so great and glorious, that there is no creature in heaven or in earth whose powers are sufficient to praise and magnify thee worthily. But meantime I rejoice, O Lord of all praise, that thou thyself abundantly suppliest all that is wanting to their praises. VII. Act of Thanksgiving. In all things give thanks.' Thanksgiving is the open acknowledgment of a benefit received, directed to the benefactor, as a mark of requital. 1. O my most bountiful God, I now acknowledge thee to be most almighty, most merciful, the source of all good. And I confess that, from the moment of my conception to the present day, I 11 Thess. v. 18. F have received from thee innumerable benefits, and most extraordinary gifts; my creation, redemption, vocation, the gift of the Holy Ghost, preservation, with infinite others, produced by or contained in them, of which I am most unworthy. Most especially I thank thee for this benefit, N. N. For this, and for all others, I now return thee infinite thanks, with all my heart and strength, in proportion to the infinitude of thy love and goodness, which have prompted thee to give me them. 2. Acknowledging, then, my infinite obligations to thee, O infinite goodness, and being ignorant and incapable of returning thee the thanks I ought, and would desire, I call upon Jesus Christ, the blessed Virgin, and all creatures, both seen and unseen, to return thee thanks in my behalf. And I now offer thee, for myself, all the thanks, of every kind, which they themselves render thee, in whatever way, or have rendered, or will render thee ever. And I return thee thanks in union with them, with the same love, gratitude, and thanksgiving as theirs. 3. This I do, not as if those blessings were mine, but because they are thine. For I am ready and prepared to be deprived of them as often as it pleases thee to require them of me again. And I pray thee to take them from me, as often as thou judgest it to be conducive to thy greater glory. 4. I return thanks also to thy divine majesty, because THOU ART WHO ART, and for all the good thou possessest. In thanksgiving and gratitude besides for all the gifts and blessings given, or to be given, to me and to all other thy creatures, that are, or have been, or shall be; especially for those which thou hast hitherto most bountifully bestowed upon holy angels and men, on the most blessed Virgin, on the most sacred humanity of thy Son our Lord, in the manner and form which pleases thee best, I offer thee, O my God, thyself, who art the fulness and perfection of all things. 5. And not content with this, from this moment I give, deliver, and dedicate myself to thee, in token of gratitude; with the desire and wish to serve thee faithfully, and to love thee eternally with all my heart; most humbly praying that thou wouldst vouchsafe to accept this poor offering, whatever its value, unworthy as it is of thy majesty, and already thine by a thousand titles. Amen. VIII. Act of Oblation. Offer to the Lord the sacrifice of sanctification.1 1. O most honoured Lord, my God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! I confess myself entirely thine, as well because thou hast created me, as because thou hast redeemed me; not to speak of innumerable other blessings bestowed on me, for which, though I offered myself to thee a thousand times every hour, I should remain a debtor to thee notwithstanding to an infinite amount. Such as I am, then, to the best of my ability, I freely consecrate, offer, and give myself wholly to thee, to be a perfect holocaust both of soul and body, with all that I have, or ever am able to acquire. This I wish to do in the manner thou desirest, and is most becoming for me to offer and consecrate myself to thee. And I therefore most willingly and freely submit myself for ever to thy most holy precepts and command ments. And because I am now entirely thine, I beseech thee so to take possession of me, that I may never again become my own; but that every wish, word, and deed of mine may henceforth be nothing else than what thy most holy and just will would have me wish, say, and do and that what is not my wish, word, and deed, may, in the same way, be what is not thy wish, word, and deed. And that I may do only when, how, and as much as pleases thee, whatever thou, most honoured Lord, art pleased that I should do, and not otherwise. 2. I offer thee, besides, all the riches and spiritual graces, as well of all the things thou hast created, as of those which thou holdest still in the treasures of thy almighty power; so that, if all were mine, would most willingly yield them to thee, or at least employ them only for thy love and honour. 3. I offer to thee all the spiritual graces, the thoughts, the words, and good works, which all men who are, have been, or ever shall be in this world, have done, are doing, or shall do; nay, all the thoughts, words, and good works which could belong to the infinite number of men which thy almighty power could create. So that, for thy love, if I were able, I would do the same as they, as perfectly as thou knowest to be possible, and in the way most pleasing to thy majesty. Ecclus. vii. 35. 4. I offer to thee also all the pains, sorrows, martyrdoms, and all the penal sufferings of mind and body which all men have, do, or shall suffer, in this world, in purgatory, or in hell, to satisfy thy justice and increase thy glory; with all things which thou knowest to be possible for each and all to endure, not in this world only, but in a hundred thousand, or an infinite number of worlds, purgatories, and hells. So that, if it so pleased thee, I would, with the assistance of thy grace, willingly suffer them all for thy love, and my own and my neighbour's salvation. 5. But chiefly I offer thee the precious blood and infinite merits of my Lord Jesus Christ, with the merits of the blessed Virgin, and all the saints, and, together with them, all that has been already mentioned; as well as all my thoughts, words, deeds, desires, occupations, and actions of this day, and of my whole life. Lastly, I desire to make this oblation with all the burning affection of heart which thou knowest to be possible; and, as often as I draw my breath, to be entirely thine, and dedicated to thee for ever. Amen. IX. Act of Resignation towards God. Casting all your care upon him, for he hath care of you. 1. My most loving Lord, I renounce in all things every affection of my heart, to resign myself entirely to thee, and that with the greatest desire which thou knowest to be possible. And as much as I am able, I desire most perfectly to make over my will to thy divine will, in which alone, and in nothing else, I wish to have pleasure and repose. I pray thee, therefore, to dispose of me, and all that I have, in the manner and to the extent that thou pleasest, and judgest to tend most to thy greater glory. Thus, then, with entire resignation to thee, I offer myself as prepared to receive from thy most powerful hand whatever happens to me in this life, whether of prosperity or adversity. If 2. If, then, thou wilt have me live, I thankfully accept life; if thou wilt have me die, I refuse not death. thou wilt have me well, I accept health; if ill, sickness; if rich, riches; if poor, 11 Pet. v. 7. to me; and to give, resign, and make over to thy most holy will, all my thoughts, words, and deeds, both interior and exterior; with all that I do or may possess, and which thou, of thy grace, hast vouchsafed to bestow on me. For I have already given thee my will; and I now give it thee irrevocably, and for poverty; if honourable, I am to put away all that belongs pleased with honour; if dishonoured, I do not shun disgrace. Wilt thou have me enjoy consolation?-my will is the same. Desolation? it alarms me not. If thou wilt have me be in favour with men, I will it too; if thou wilt have me be hated, I will pray for my enemies, and in my persecutions I will praise thee. 3. Therefore, I would not have eyes, but to see thee; nor ears, but to hear thee; nor a tongue, but to speak to thee; nor a heart, but to love thee; nor memory, but for the recollection of thy sweetness; nor understanding, but to acknowledge thy majesty; nor hands, but to serve thee; nor feet, but to obey thee; nor a body, but for a victim; nor life, but for a sacrifice to thee. 4. In sum, I desire so to be thine, without any reserve, as to despoil myself; X. ever. Nor do I wish to desire, or not to desire, any thing but as, when, and as much as thou desirest it or not; so that thy will may be my first and last desire, happiness, and consolation, at all times and in all circumstances. Assist me, therefore, O most loving Lord, with thy most holy grace (without which I know that I can do nothing), that all things may tend to thy honour and glory, and that thy most holy will may be most perfectly fulfilled. Amen. Art of Delight in God. Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.1 True joy is the delight produced by the things that belong to God. For in God, and in his excellence, lie the true grounds of all joy. 1. Oh, how great cause have I, Ó most sweet Lord, to rejoice and be glad! For thou art the God who is of infinite power, wisdom, good ness, beauty, mercy, justice, faithfulness, and innumerable other attributes which belong to thee as the beginning and 1 Psal. xxxvi. 4. |