Prayers for the Priest before Celebrating. A prayer of preparation to be faid by the Prieft. mercifully grant that at this altar, to which I, an unworthy finner, draw nigh, I may present offerings acceptable to thy loving-kindnefs, for my fins and offences, and numberlefs daily tranfgreffions; for all there prefent; for those who may oppose or perfecute me with any manner of hatred, no less than for all who are united to me by kinship or acquaintance; and for all faithful Chriftians living and departed. O may my prayer and facrifice be acceptable unto Thee, God the Father, through Him who offered Himself unto Thee, a facrifice for us, Jefus Christ, thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. Another Prayer.b O Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof, but, trusting in thy loving-kindness, I draw nigh unto thy altar as a fick man to the Physician of Life. I draw nigh as one impure to the Fountain of mercy, as blind to the Light of Eternal Brightness, poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth, naked to the King of Glory, a sheep to the Shepherd, a thing formed to Him that formed it, defolate to a loving Comforter, imploring the abundance of thy boundless mercy to the intent Thou wouldest vouchsafe to heal my infirmities, to wash away my defilement, to enlighten my blindness, to enrich my poverty, to clothe my nakedness, to lead back the wanderer, to comfort the forfaken, to reconcile the guilty, that I may receive Thee, the Bread of angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with fuch chastity of body and purity of mind, fuch contrition and tears, fuch spiritual joy and heavenly gladness, such fear and trembling, fuch reverence and honour, such faith and humility, fuch purpose and love, fuch devotion and thankfulness as I ought and as is meet, that it may avail for my salvation and for the remiffion of all my fins. Amen. a The greater part of this prayer is in the Miffal of A.D. 1515, and also of 1526; all of it is found in one or the other. The chief portion of a prayer in the Missal of A.D. 1526. B Another Prayer. O most loving Lord Jefu Chrift, by the merits of the most blessed Virgin Mary thy mother, and all the faints, I entreat Thee to teach me; and permit me to approach the very marvellous Sacrament of thy Body and Blood with such a pure heart and clean mind and with such devotion and reverence as is meet, that it may benefit my foul. O moft gracious Lord Jefu Chrift, let my heart feel the sweetness of thy bleffed Prefence, cleansing me from all spiritual floth, washing away all mine offences, fhielding me from the numberlefs perils of this world. Let my foul now taste how fweet Thou art, O Lord, that through the sweetness of this favour all carnal pleasure may be put to flight. O Bread of delight, life-giving refreshment, O Food to be defired, O Banquet of exceeding sweetness, refreshing all things and never failing, angels and the spirits of the just feed on Thee fully, and be pleased to grant that my sinful foul may now in her pilgrimage so faithfully feed on Thee, O Lord, that from Thee receiving the Virtue of the Sacrament, she may finish her course even unto Thee, freed from the wiles of Satan. Mortify in my members and in my heart all the lufts of the flesh and hurtful emotions, that Thou, the King of virgins and Lover of chastity, mayeft have a quiet abiding place in this my tabernacle. Thou knowest, O Lord, with how many and how great difquietudes my foul is vexed, but do Thou come and heal me, O Lord, who art the great Physician, to Whom is committed all power and dominion for ever and for ever, world without end. Amen. The Form for the Blessing of Water. UR help is in the Name of the Lord. R. Who hath made heaven and earth. Then let the Prieft exorcife the falt. I exorcife thee, O creature of falt, by the Living God, the True God, the Holy God, by God who commanded thee to be cast by the Prophet Elisha into the water to heal the barrenness thereof, that thou mayeft become falt exorcifed for the prefervation of them that believe: be thou to all them that take of thee health of foul and body, and let all vain imaginations, and craft or fubtlety of the wiles of the devil, and every unclean fpirit, be utterly put to flight in any place where thou fhalt be sprinkled, adjured by the Name of Him who cometh to judge the quick and the dead, and the world by fire. Amen. c From the Miffal printed in A.D. 1513. Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, we humbly befeech Thee of thy great goodness that Thou wouldest be pleased to blefs and fanctify this creature of falt which Thou haft given for the fervice of men; let it be to all them that take of it health of mind and body, and grant that whatsoever is touched or fprinkled therewith may be freed from all uncleannefs, and from all affaults of fpiritual wickednefs; through Jefus Chrift, thy Son, our Lord, who with Thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. Then let the Prieft exorcife the water. I exorcife thee, O creature of water, in the Name of God the Father almighty, in the Name of Jesus Christ his Son our Lord, and in the power of the Holy Ghost, that thou mayest become water exorcised for the putting to flight all the power of the enemy, and do thou avail to caft out, and fend hence the enemy himself with his apoftate angels by the power of the fame our Lord Jefus Chrift, who cometh to judge the quick and the dead and the world by fire. Amen. Let us pray. O God, who for the falvation of mankind haft ordained that water should be the matter of one of thy chiefest sacraments, mercifully hear our prayers, and pour upon this water the might of thy bleffing, that as it, thy creature, ferves Thee in thy mysteries, it may here receive the effect of thy grace for the cafting out of devils and putting fickness to flight, fo that whatsoever in the houses or places of thy faithful people fhall be fprinkled therewith, may be freed from all uncleanness and delivered from hurt. Let no spirit of peftilence abide there, nor the destroying blast; thence let all the wiles of the hidden enemy depart, and if there be aught that layeth fnares against the fafety or peace of thy people, let it fly before the fprinkling of this water, and fo let the place gain health by the invocation of thy holy Name, and be defended from all affaults. Through Jefus Chrift, thy Son, our Lord, who with Thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. Here let the Priest caft the falt into the water in the form of a Cross, Saying: Be this mixture of falt and water made, in the Name of the Father ☀, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. |