is the church, in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament."
"Not a few pious persons," says Father Girardey in his "Popular Instructions on Prayer," "before setting out for their daily occupations, go to Mass in the early hours of the morning, make their meditation during the Holy Sacrifice, and thus draw on themselves the divine blessing for the whole day.
"As regards the time of meditation, it would be well if we were to make a meditation both in the morning and in the evening. If this is not feasible, we should, if convenient, prefer the morning to any other part of the day. The reason is because in the morning we are fresh in mind and have as yet hardly any cause for distractions, while later in the day we are apt to be* more or less absorbed by our occupations and other worldly matters. Moreover, by a good meditation in the morning we begin the day well, drawing down God's blessing on us, and deriving grace and strength to avoid sin and fulfil our obligations. When we make our meditation in the morning, we ought to prepare its subject on the previous night before retiring to rest, and make thereon some brief reflections before falling asleep, and also after rising in the morning. We ought, moreover, to recall our meditation to mind from time to time during the day, recommending our resolution to the Blessed Virgin by a Hail Mary.
"We should endeavor to spend at least a quarter of an hour daily in mental prayer. The saints used daily to spend many hours therein; and when they had much to do they would subtract some hours from the time allotted to their sleep, in order to devote them to this holy exer-
