Prayers before Communion.
ACT OF FAITH.
“Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains.”— Cant. ii. 8.
AH! my dearest Saviour, what wonderful and almost insurmountable difficulties thou hadst to break through, in order that thou mightest come and unite thyself to me in this holy Sacrament! Being God, it was necessary to become a man; being infinite, to become an infant; being Lord of all, to become a slave; from the bosom of thy eternal Father, thou must pass into the womb of a virgin, from heaven into a stable, and from thy throne of glory to an infamous gibbet. And this morning again from thy heavenly home thou dost come to dwell in my heart.
“Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices.”— Cant. ii. 9.
O my soul, behold thy dear Jesus all burning with that same love which he bore thee, when he died for thee on the cross ! Behold him now under the sacramental species ! Like an ardent lover he gazes upon thee from the consecrated Host, and desires to have thee answer to his love. From there, although himself unseen, he sees thee; he watches thee closely, thou that goest this morning to feed on his sacred flesh, that he may discover what thy thoughts are, what thou lovest best, what thou desirest, what thou wouldst have from him, and what offering thou hast to present him in return.
Courage, O my soul, and prepare thyself to receive Jesus, first, by faith, saying: It is then true, O my beloved Redeemer, that in a few moments thou wilt: come into my heart ? O my God, hidden and unrecognised by the most of men, I believe that thou
