Reflections after Communion.
Jesus Christ considered as our Father.
CONSIDER God as, thy Father, and thyself as his most ungrateful and rebellious child; say with a heart penetrated with compunction, “I will arise, and will go to my father.” (Luke xv. 18.)
With affectionate solicitude, attend, O my Father, to what thy compassionate heart shall suggest to thee in behalf of thy unhappy erring child who so basely abandoned thee. O most tender and most loving of all Fathers! thou art then willing to receive this prodigal child, who has so justly incurred thy heaviest displeasure; to change her affliction into joy, her poverty into wealth, and her misery into happiness. Who can sufficiently admire such an excess of goodness! I detest from my soul my past disorders. I am heartily sorry for them, and beg thy merciful forgiveness. I resolve, with thy grace, rather to die than ever again wilfully offend thee. I shall endeavour by my love, respect, and submission, to atone for my ingratitude and rebellion. Sincerely do I desire to return to thee my Father: all my thoughts, affections, desires, and actions, shall serve this day as so many steps towards my return to thee, by means of the zeal and love with which I purpose to perform them. Not only dost thou receive me, O merciful Father, but thou makest a banquet for my entertainment. O signal mark of thy goodness! But clothe me first, I beseech thee, like the prodigal child, with the robe of charity; give me the ring of faith, and the sandals of hope, that I may worthily partake of this heavenly food, no other than thy own precious body and blood, exhibited in a state of
