TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.
(Upon placing the Elements upon the Altar.)
Vouchsafe to receive these Thy creatures from the hands of us sinners, O Thou self-sufficient God!
(Immediately after the Consecration.)
We offer unto Thee, our King and our God, this bread and this cup. We give Thee thanks for these and for all Thy mercies; beseeching Thee to send down Thy Holy Spirit upon this sacrifice, that He may make this bread the body of Thy Christ, and this cup the blood of Thy Christ; and that all we, who are partakers thereof, may thereby obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of His passion.
And, together with us, remember, O God, for good, the whole mystical body of Thy Son; that such as are yet alive may finish their course with joy; and that we, with all such as are dead in the Lord, may rest in hope and rise in glory, for Thy Son's sake, whose death we now commemorate. Amen.
May I adore Thee, O God, by offering to Thee the pure and unbloody sacrifice, which Thou hast ordained by Jesus Christ. Amen.
But how should I dare to offer Thee this sacrifice, if I had not first offered myself a sacrifice to Thee, my God? May I never offer the prayers of the faithful with polluted lips, nor distribute the bread of life with unclean hands.
I acknowledge and receive Thee, O Jesus, as sent of God, a Prophet, to make His will known to us, and His merciful purpose to save us; as our Priest, who offered Himself an acceptable sacrifice for us, to satisfy the Divine Justice, and to make intercession for us; and as our King, to rule, and defend us against all our enemies.
May I always receive the Holy Sacrament in the same meaning, intention, and blessed effect, with which Jesus Christ administered it to His Apostles in His last Supper.
Concerning Confirmation.
By faith we receive the Spirit, which is of God. "I will put My Spirit within you, saith God."
We are truly Christians by receiving the Spirit of Christ.
This is the great blessing of the Gospel, the fellowship of the
