An Hours Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament

 

An Hours Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament,

FOR THE FORTY HOURS, HOLY THURSDAY, OR OTHER FEASTS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

ACTS TO BE MADE BEFORE EACH VISIT TO THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT.


Lord Jesus Christ, Who, through the love which Thou bearest to men, dost remain with them, day and night, in this sacrament, full of mercy and of love, expecting, inviting, and receiving all who come to visit Thee: I believe that Thou art present in the Sacrament of the Altar. From the abyss of my nothingness, I adore Thee, and I thank Thee for all the favors which Thou hast bestowed upon me, particularly for having given me Thyself in this sacrament, for having given me for my advocate Thy most holy Mother Mary, and for having called me to visit Thee in this church.

I, this day, salute Thy most loving heart, and I wish to salute it for three ends : first, in thanksgiving for this great gift ; secondly, in compensation for all the injuries Thou hast received from Thy enemies in this sacrament; thirdly, I wish, by this visit, to adore Thee in all places in which Thou art least honored and most abandoned in the Holy Sacrament. My Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart. I am sorry for having hitherto offended Thy infinite goodness. I purpose, with the assistance of Thy grace, nevermore to offend Thee; and, at this moment, miserable as I am, I consecrate my whole being to Thee. I give Thee my entire will, all my affections and desires, and all that I have. From this day forward, do what Thou wilt with me, and with whatever belongs to me. I ask and desire only Thy holy love, the gift of final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Thy will. I recommend to Thee the souls in purgatory, particularly those who were most devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and to most holy Mary; and I also recommend to Thee all poor sinners. Finally, my dear Savior, I unite all my affections with the affections of Thy most loving heart; and, thus united, I offer them to Thy Eternal Father, and I entreat Him, in Thy name, and for Thy sake, to accept them.

THE FIRST QUARTER OF AN HOUR.

Five Minutes.

Place yourself in the presence of Jesus, the good God, the Almighty Lord of heaven and earth, Who is there awaiting your meed of adoration, and respect, and love, and reparation. O my Lord Jesus, Son of God, Son of Mary, I believe that Thou art here present, I know it, I feel it in my soul that Thou art here before me. And if I did not feel this, and didst Thou hide Thyself from my soul as well as from my eyes, still would I believe, because Thou hast said it, O God of truth, Who canst not deceive. I adore Thee, I prostrate myself before Thee in the most profound respect and adoration.

Recite a decade of the Rosary in a spirit of adoration.

Five Minutes.

Think what happiness is yours to be admitted thus to the presence of Jesus. How many sick people sigh for Him and cannot come to Him. How many mothers long to come and speak to Him of their children and all their cares, and cannot leave home to visit Him. How many in distant lands where churches are few, or in the lonely part of the country, long with an exile s longing to kneel before the lighted altar of adoration as you do.

Oh, thank Jesus from your heart for the great privilege you enjoy.

Recite a decade of the Rosary from a spirit of thanksgiving.

Five Minutes.

Think how Jesus with a boundless liberality opens to-day the infinite treasures of His heart. You are poor; come and be made rich. You are ill; He will cure you. Come, if your heart is troubled and anxious; He can calm it. Come, trembling, guilty soul; come and be pardoned. Oh, how happy I am, my God, how happy I am! I have come to spend this blessed hour with Thee, and Thou canst send me forth a saint. My heart is open; O Jesus, fill it with Thy grace, that it may become pleasing to Thee.

O Mother Mary, help me to keep all the gifts my good Master gives to me.

Recite one decade of the Rosary to obtain confidence and fervor.

SECOND QUARTER OF AN HOUR

Five Minutes.

Speak to Jesus in the Eucharist; compassionate the sufferings of His passion, and His sufferings in the tabernacle where men neglect Him. I suffer for you, My child, He says from the tabernacle. Your sins have merited punishment, and that punishment I have taken upon Me. If the hand of God has not lain heavily upon you, if you are happy, if your parents, your health, are spared to you, all is due to My love for you. What afflicts Thee in the tabernacle, dear Jesus? The neglect of souls who leave Me alone, or grow quickly weary of praying to Me; the sacrileges of some; the blasphemies of many who join My enemies against Me. 

O My child, make reparation to Me for these! Recite a decade of the Rosary in union with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 

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The best means to make reparation to Jesus is to become yourself holy and pleasing to Him. Tell God that you desire this, and desire it sincerely. My Jesus! I desire that from this moment henceforth my heart should be Thine only. Hitherto each day has seemed only to strengthen and increase my faults and bad habits, so making Thee suffer more and more; but now, my God, I wish only to please Thee. I will no longer be amongst those who neglect Thee and cause Thee pain. Inspire me, my God, tell me what Thou wishest me to do. O Mary, help me to amend my life! 

Recite a decade of the Rosary for this intention. 

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Tell Jesus some of the means you intend to take in order to carry out your duties perfectly; how you mean to be a saint; you will fly occasions of sin, you will listen to all holy thoughts and warnings of conscience that pass across your heart, you will pray with recollection, you will frequent the sacraments.

Recite a decade of the Rosary to beg your Mother Mary to take your resolutions under her protection and to help you to keep them.

THIRD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.

Five Minutes.

Listen to Jesus: " My child, since you wish to comfort Me, to amend your life, to become a saint, commence to-day by accepting, in atonement for your faults and in reparation for the outrages I suffer from men, all the troubles which I shall send you. Do not complain, do not murmur; say with Me, if they seem hard to bear: ‘O Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass away; but always add with Me: Yet not My will, but Thine be done. Then submit and adore and bless My will, knowing that all I permit is for your salvation.

Say a decade of the Rosary in a spirit of resignation to God s holy will.

Five Minutes.

Again listen to Jesus: "In order to expiate your own faults and in reparation for the outrages done Me, you must become filled with a lively faith and a profound respect towards My majesty hidden in the tabernacle. Everything around the altar should speak to your soul of this. The lamp, which ever burns before Me, tells you that I am present. The sanctuary, enclosed and silent, reminds you of My sanctity and union with God. The tabernacle tells of My love for a hidden life. The purity of the sacred vessels warns you of the purity I look for in your soul." 

Say a decade of the Rosary to obtain the gift of faith. 

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Once more listen to Jesus: " Since you wish to expiate your faults, and to atone to Me for the outrages done Me, try to gain souls to My service. There are souls dear to Me at this moment blaspheming Me, and dying, only to be buried in hell. My child, My child, you can win them back to Me. Pray, suffer, atone, and ask pardon for them."

Say a decade of the Rosary for souls on the point of death.

FOURTH QUARTER OF AN HOUR

Five Minutes.

My God, I desire to do all that Thou hast asked of me; permit me, prostrate at Thy feet, to declare my devotion to Thy service. Too long, Lord, have I served the devil and the world! I will now, in Thy presence, renew with true sincerity the promises I made at baptism:  I renounce the devil with all his works, the world with all its pomp’s, the flesh with all its temptations, and I will cling to Jesus alone forever and ever." 

Repeat this several times, and say a decade of the Rosary to obtain strength to keep your good resolutions.

Five Minutes.

My God, there are two graces which I beg of Thee to give me, that I may keep all my good resolutions. The first is a great devotion to holy communion, that I may love it as St. Teresa did when she braved tempest and storm, and the risk of serious illness, that she might communicate, saying to those who bade her take care of herself: " Let me, let me communicate! I cannot live longer without Jesus." That I may love it like St. Francis de Sales, the loud beating of whose heart told when the tabernacle was opened. That I may love it as a holy child whose whole life was spent in preparation for communion. "This act of self-denial," she would say, " is to ornament the chamber of my heart for Jesus. This duty will yield a sweet perfume there. Each act of silence will spread flowers for His feet." Happy child I whilst living for Jesus alone, she reaped the reward of her goodness even on earth in the love of all around her.

Recite a decade of the Rosary to obtain devotion to the Holy Eucharist.

Five Minutes.

The second grace I ask of Thee is devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Mary and the Eucharist cannot be divided. You can not love the Eucharist without loving the Mother of Jesus; you cannot be devout to Mary without feeling drawn to frequent communion. Jesus, let me love Mary as Thou didst love her! Let me strive to please her as Thou didst. O Jesus, make me docile to all her words, her commands, her inspirations, as Thou wert obedient to them. She is my Mother, for Thou gavest her to me. O Jesus, before I leave Thy feet to-day say once more to Mary as Thou didst on Calvary, " Mother, behold thy child." 

Recite a decade of the Rosary to thank Mary for having adopted you as her child. Recommend to Jesus the Church, the intentions of the Pope, and your parents; ask His blessing, and leave the church quietly.

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