devil sleeps not; fresh temptations assail me. Protect me then, my sovereign mistress! help me against the assaults of hell. Never, never let me sin again and offend Jesus, thy Son. No, never, never more suffer me to risk my soul, heaven, and my God, by sin. For this one grace I ask thee, Mary; this I desire; this may thy prayers obtain for me. Such is my hope. Amen.
Hail Mary, three times.
TUESDAY.
Consecrated to the Holy Angels. [1]
Excellent Manner of Hearing Mass.
In order to hear Mass with devotion, we should remember that the sacrifice of the altar is the same as that which was accomplished on Calvary; except that there the blood of Jesus Christ was really shed, while on the altar it is shed only mystically. Had you been present at Calvary at that solemn moment, with what tender devotion would you not have followed the course of that great sacrifice! With lively faith, then, behold what took place once on Calvary and is now taking place on the altar; and call to mind also that this divine sacrifice is not offered only by the Priest, but also by all those present. Thus, by being present at Mass, all the faithful in a manner perform the office of Priest, and thereby the merits of the Passion of Jesus are applied to each one in particular.
We should also call to mind that the sacrifice of the Mass was instituted for four ends, namely: i. To honor God; 2. To satisfy for our sins; 3. To thank God for the benefits bestowed on us by Him; 4. To obtain His grace.
Whence arise the following considerations, which will enable us to hear Mass with great fruit:
1. At Mass, by offering to the Eternal Father the person of Jesus Christ, Man and God, we render God an infinitely greater homage than if we offered Him the lives of all men and all angels.
2. By this offering of Jesus Christ, which is made at Mass, we offer to God complete satisfaction for all the sins of men, specially of those present at the Sacrifice, to whom is applied the same divine Blood as was shed on Calvary for the redemption of the human race. Thus, by a Mass, we make more satisfaction to divine justice for our faults than by any other expiatory work. It is, however, true that, although Mass be of infinite value, God only accepts of it in a finite manner according to the dispositions of each one present at it; and this is why it is useful to hear several Masses.
3. Mass is a means for us of thanking God worthily for all the benefits we have received from Him.
- ↑ See Devotion to the Holy Angels, Part IV., Art. 6.
