The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-10

plore the divine mercy, because they
stand in need of it. Certainly nothing
can be more affecting, than this hum
BILE acknowledgment in the begin
ming of Mass. oh, how acceptable,
how propitiating would it be, if we
entered into the true spirit of COM
junction and sorrow, which it is the
intention of the Church to inspire by
these words! 1t is now we should
consider ourselves in the situation of
the poor publican-retired at dis
lance from the altar-with eyes cast
down as if unworthy to look up to
heaven-striking our breasts in testi-
mony of broken heart, and weeping
over our sins, which have rendered
us unworthy of any of the divine
favors. If we repeated the Conf1teor
with such sentiments, and presented
ourselves at the foot of the altar in
these dispositions, instead of saying
it, as we frequently do, from mere
habit, without feeling anything at all,
we might go to the celebration of the
Mass with becoming confidence, and
like the poor publican descend from
the temple justified. Compunction and
humility are the two most necessary
virtues, by which we can approach
to God You may learn the Importance
of them by the great care which the
Church takes to renew these senti-
ments over and over again as we pro-
coed with the Mass. Let us en-
deavor to cultivate them in our
breasts, and we may confidently hope
that the Almighty will give us par
don, dissolution, and remission of all
our sins, and bring us to everlasting
life. The devotion, about which you
ought to be occupied while the priest
remains at the foot of the altar, is
chiefly in exciting sorrow for the sins
which render you unworthy to be pres
ent at the sacrifice, and earnestly be-
seeching the Almighty to remove this
cause of your unworthiness. How
easy would it be for the simplest
people, who can neither read nor say
these prayers by heart, to remember
this, and join in these sentiments at
the time!
The priest now ascends the altar,
and as he goes up the steps, having
his own sins as we'll as those of the
people still present to his mind, says
this excellent prayer, Take away
from us, o Lord, our iniquities, that
we may enter with pure minds into
the Holy Of Hottest" The altar, on
oh xTiaf ic off ic
with reason called the Holy of Holes;
and purity of mind is the most re-
quisite disposition for making us
worthy to enter in! Woe to that man
who shall encompass the altar of the
Lord and be present at the sacrifice
without feeling regret for his sins. or
desire to be freed from them! How
insensible must that heart be, which
remains unmoved while such lively ex-
pressions of conjunction are used by
the priest as well as the people! For,
as if he never could do too much to
assembled the altar, he bows down
again in the posture of humiliation
and kisses it, still begging that God
would grant him the forgiveness of
his sins, through the merits of all His
saints, but particularly of those whose
relics may be present there. These
two last prayers he says in silence
to himself, but while he is thus occu-
pied, the signs of the faithful are not
| interrupted, they continue to be filled
with those feelings of regret which
they had conceived at the foot of the
altar. may call this part of the
Mass which / have now explained to
you, the first preparation.
You see that every word of it is
calculated for the same purpose OF
removing our iniquities, which alone
can make us unworthy of being pres
ent in the Holy of Holes. What
must we then think of those, who,
by coming too late, lose all the ad.
vantage of these most fervent pray
ers-or of those who are present in
body, but in mind are as absent as
If they were not there-who never
attend to the meaning of these strik-
ing ceremonies, and never think OF
what the priest is doing, or of what
they ought to be saying? 1t is no
wonder that those who make so bad
a beginning, should continue to the
end in the same careless way, and OF
course derive no profit from this holy
sacrifice. May the Almighty, dear
Christians, grant you never more
neglect such excellent prayers as
these are. Amen.