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THE GLOMES 
 
 OP 
 
 THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM TILE FRENCH 
 
 OP THE 
 
 VENERABLE H. M. BOUDON,yV 
 
 ARCHDEACON OF EYREUX. 
 
 “ Angelis suis mandavit de.it; id custodiant It in omnibus 
 t His tuis.” 
 
 “ He hath given hi8 Angels charge over thee; to keep 
 thee in all thy ways.”—Ps. 90. v. 11. 
 
 “ Covfirmate amicitiam cum sanctis Angelis.” 
 
 “ Make friends for yourself of the holy Angels.”—S t. Leo. 
 
 jfrotrt &f)tr& ©uiilm Hc&tttou, 
 
 CONSIDERABLY enbarged and improved. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 HENRY McGRATn, 
 
 BosTON^^^nv 
 
 CHStiT^UT HILL, . 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Dedicatory Epistle to our Blessed Lady of 
 Angels, . . . . . 7 
 
 To my good Angel Guardian, . . .7 
 
 An Exhortation to the love and honour of the 
 Holy A ngels, . . . . .8 
 
 DEVOTION TO THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 FIRST PART. 
 
 Motives to love and honour the Holy Angels. 
 
 Motive I.—The admirable perfections of these 
 
 Blessed Spirits, . . .16 
 
 II.—The incomparable goodness of the 
 
 Angels, . . . .21 
 
 III. —All the Angels are employed in the 
 
 service of Man, . . .24 
 
 IV. —All Men aro assisted by the Angels, 27 
 
 V.—The Angels render Men innumer¬ 
 able services, . . .30 
 
 VI.—The Angels help us in temporal 
 
 things, . . . .34 
 
 VII.—The Angels assist us in spiritual 
 
 things, . . . 37 
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
4 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAQX 
 
 VIII.—The Protection afforded to us by 
 the Angels against the enemies 
 of our Salvation, . . .42 
 
 IX.—The great helps of the holy Angels 
 
 afford us at the hour of death, . 50 
 
 X.—Devct.on to the Holy Angels is a 
 sign of predestination to singular 
 glory in Heaven, . . 53 
 
 XI.—The Blessed Virgin is glorified by 
 
 our devotion to the Angels, . 56 
 
 XII.—The honour of God alone is con¬ 
 nected -with the devotion to the 
 holy Angels, . . .50 
 
 SECOND PART. 
 
 Practices by which ice may honour the Angels. 
 
 Practice I.—To have a singular devotion to the 
 holy Spirits of the first Choir— 
 the Angels, Archangels and 
 Principalities, . . .64 
 
 II.—To honour specially the powers, 
 
 Virtues and Dominations, . 68 
 
 III. —To entertain a profound respect 
 
 and extraordinary love for the 
 Thrones, the Cherubim and 
 Seraphim, . . .71 
 
 IV. —To have a great devotion to the . 
 
 Seven Spirits who are before 
 the Throne, . . . .74 
 
 V.—To converse interiorly with the 
 
 Angels, . . . .77 
 
 VI.—To make Novenas in honour of 
 the Holy Angels—to take cer¬ 
 tain days to honour them—and 
 to celebrate their Feasts with 
 particular devotion, . . 82 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 5 
 
 PAGE 
 
 VII.—To have a great confidence in the 
 Angels, and recur to them in all 
 necessities, . . .87 
 
 VIII.—To labour for the conversion of 
 Sinners and the release of souls 
 from Purgatory—and to practice 
 virtue, &c., in honour of the 
 Angels, . . . .89 
 
 IX.—To endeavour to extend the De¬ 
 votion to the Angels, . . 93 
 
 A Plan of an Association for the continued Ve¬ 
 neration of the Holy Angels, . . .94 
 
 The Month of October, dedicated to the Holy 
 Angels, by a series of pious practices, . 97 
 
 A Memorare to the Angels, . . .98 
 
 A Prayer to our Angel Guardian, . . 128 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 To the Month of the Holy Angels. 
 
 The Little Office of the Holy Angels, . . 133 
 
 Te Deurn Laudamus, .... 139 
 
 Ave Regina Ccelorum, .... 141 
 
 Benedicite; or Canticle of the Hebrew Child¬ 
 ren, ...... 141 
 
 Gloria in Excelsis, .... 143 
 
 Anthem to the Blessed Virgin, “ Alma Redemp- 
 toris,” ..... 144 
 
 Hymn of the Angels, .... 144 
 
 He who dwells in the help of the Most High, 
 
 &c. Psalm 90, ... 145 
 
 Litany of the Saints specially favoured by the 
 Angels, ..... 147 
 
 Beads of the Holy Angels, . . . 149 
 
 Litany of the Holy Angels, . . . 149 
 
 Litany of the Angel Guardian, . . 152 
 
6 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PA68 
 
 Hymn to the Glorious Virgin, hy Blosius, . 153 
 Prayer to the Holy Virgin, . . . 155 
 
 A Novena, or nine days’ devotion, for the feast 
 of the Angel Guardians, . . . 156 
 
 Good Thoughts for every day in the week, . 157 
 
 A Prayer to obtain the grace of dying well, . 159 
 
 The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception 
 of the ever glorious and blessed Virgin Mary, 159 
 Litany of the holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. 
 
 Gabriel, and St. Raphael, . . .170 
 
 Prayer to St. Michael, . . . .171 
 
 -to St. Gabriel, . • . . . 172 
 
 -to St. Raphael, .... 172 
 
 Litany of Saints Peter and Paul, . . 173 
 
 Litany of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, . . 175 
 
 An exquisite Effusion of a celebrated French 
 Poet, to a Lamp suspended before the Holy 
 Tabernacle, ..... 177 
 Litany of St. Catherine of Sienna, . . 178 
 
 An improved Litany of St. Bridget, Patroness 
 of Ireland, ..... 180 
 Litany of the Irish Saints, to implore their pro¬ 
 tection in all our wants, but particularly for 
 the existing necessities of the Church in 
 Ireland, . . . . .181 
 
 Litany of St. Mary Magdalen, . . . 1S4 
 
 Litany of Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez, . 185 
 
 For Christmas—Jesus in his Incarnation and 
 Nativity, . . . . .188 
 
 Hymns, .... . 190 
 
 Rules of a Christian Life.—On the means of 
 continuing in the grace of God. . . 206 
 
DEDICATORY EPISTLE 
 
 TO OUR BLESSED LADY OF ANGELS. 
 
 Great Queen of Paradise! Sovereign of those 
 holy spirits who are confirmed in grace and glory! 
 prostrate at your feet, where the greatest sinners ob¬ 
 tain pardon—the weak, strength—the tepid, for- 
 vour—and the just, sanctity—I offer and present to 
 you this little work, designed to promote the know¬ 
 ledge and love of the Holy Angels, your faithful 
 subjects, and the illustrious Princes of your celestial 
 Court. To whom could I more justly dedicate it, 
 since, as the mistress of these glorious Spirits, you 
 must be of all others most interested for their glory. 
 Besides, blessed mother! you know (and it is grati¬ 
 fying to me to repeat it) that I have nothing which 
 is not yours—for I consider it a greater happiness 
 to be your slave, than to enjoy all the honours the 
 world could bestow. Bless, then, 0 holy Virgin ! 
 this little work; diffuse upon it your choicest bene¬ 
 dictions; make it evident that it is all yours, by the 
 unction which will be found in every page—that 
 through the adorable merits of Jesus, your beloved 
 Son, it may establish among men a true and fervent 
 devotion to the Holy Angels, to the honour of God 
 alone, our beginning, our last end, our only all in 
 all things—God alone ! God alone ! God alone ! 
 
 TO MY GOOD ANGEL GUARDIAN. 
 
 Most faithful Guardian of all that I am ! when I 
 
 G) 
 
8 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 reflect on my ingratitude and your unceasing cares, 
 my mind is bewildered, and I know not what to 
 say, but that you are a heavenly Intelligence, a 
 Spirit of Light and Love, and a Prince of the celes¬ 
 tial realms—while I am but dust and ashes, a 
 miserable sinner, and the last of men. Great Prince ! 
 why do you love me so tenderly ? why is there not 
 one moment of my life undistinguished by your 
 favours ? What shall I render you in return for 
 them ? I have nothing to offer, dear Guardian of 
 my heart, except the firm resolution of loving you 
 henceforward with your blessed companions in 
 glory. Present my resolution, together with this 
 little work, to those holy choirs; it will be better 
 received from you ; and tell them, in your angelic 
 manner, how sorry I am for not having always lpved 
 them. Tell them how much I wish to see their de¬ 
 votion extended, and that all men should know 7 and 
 love the Holy Angels, for the glory of God alone. 
 It is this God alone, most amiable of friends ! that I 
 desire in all things. Amen—Amen—God alone ! 
 God alone ! God alone ! the end of all devotion to 
 the glorious Virgin, the Angels and Saints. Amen. 
 
 AN EXHORTATION TO THE LOVE AND 
 HONOUR OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 The scionce of the sage, says the Holy Ghost, is 
 like in its abundance to an inundation of waters : 
 for, as the land is sometimes overspread by the 
 swelling of the sea over its boundaries—so the mind 
 of a Christian is sometimes so penetrated with the 
 lights of faith, that it is absorbed in wonder and 
 amazement. This assertion is fully verified in the 
 knowledge which revelation gives of the Holy 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS 
 
 9 
 
 ingels. However slightly we consider what it 
 teaches of them, we discover so many and such 
 powerful reasons to love these blessed Spirits, that 
 we cannot refuse to do so. We may desire to declare 
 our sentiments on this matter, but we are not able. 
 It is the property of great things to baffle descrip¬ 
 tion. and the motives which challenge our love for 
 the Holy Angels are inexpressible; but love being 
 inflexible and “strong as death,” it must appear in 
 some way. So if it be difficult to speak of these 
 holy Spirits, it would be much more so to be “ silent 
 in their praise.” 
 
 All possible motives concur in pressing you to 
 love these Spirits of love. If you regard God, you 
 must love his Angels; if you regard yourself, you 
 must love the Angels. Pure love commands it— 
 interested love requires it—God alone wishes it— 
 the holy Virgin and all the Saints desire it. 
 
 If you live to God alone, you must be devout to 
 the Angels; even though you still live to natrue, 
 you must love these blessed Spirits. We are differ¬ 
 ently affected—some are attracted by honours, somo 
 by riches, and others by pleasure. If pleasure at¬ 
 tract you, these blessed Spirits can procure it for 
 you, for they are placed at tho source of eternal 
 joy. If you wish to have the interest of the mighty, 
 ihere is nothing in created being more powerful 
 •.ban the angelic nature. If you sigh after great¬ 
 ness, know that these peers of the celestial realms 
 procure for their clients the sceptre of immortal 
 ionour and the diadem of unfading glory. Ah! 
 how different are the dispositions of the Angels, 
 compared with those of the great ones of this earth! 
 These wish to reign alone, whereas the highest am¬ 
 bition of those princes of love is to share their 
 thrones with us, that wo may partake in their fe¬ 
 licity. If you are captivated by beauty, learn that 
 the Angels are beautiful beyond description, and 
 
10 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 that their beauty is not subject to decay. Besides, 
 the love and constancy of these amiable friends are 
 incomparable ; the former includes every species of 
 love—the latter is so great that whatever ingrati- 
 tude wo evince towards them, they seem to over¬ 
 look it, incessantly watching over all that concerns 
 us, defending us against our enemies, and render¬ 
 ing us every service. If you are of those souls who 
 act by the movements of grace, and live to God 
 alone, you must love the Angels. If the motive of 
 the will of God influence you, you must be devout 
 to them, since these blessed Spirits are the objects of 
 his complacency and the master-pieces of his love. 
 Wo often err in the choice of friends, but we cannot 
 be deceived in loving those whom God wishes us to 
 love; and in the case before us, he himself sets the 
 example Here it is, 0 heart of man ! that you 
 must cease to be a heart, or love the Angels—for 
 where will you go to defend yourself from the ar¬ 
 rows of their charity ? If you ascend to Heaven 
 you will be enraptured with the transcendent beauty 
 of these Holy Spirits—if you traverse the earth, its 
 elements, tiro, air, earth and water, recount their 
 love. The sun, by his vivifying influence on this 
 nether globe, announces this truth from day to day; 
 the aurora which precedes the dawn, proclaims the 
 loving cares of these spiritual stars of the morning 
 of the world; the most obscure nights are not so 
 gloomy as to conceal their bounties—their lights 
 never diminish. These sentinels, planted on the 
 watch towers of Israel, defend its gates night and 
 day. If we descend to Purgatory, we shall see the 
 love of those blessed Spirits burn with more inten¬ 
 sity for the poor prisoners than the flames which 
 purify them. Nor are infidel kingdoms nor remote 
 nations abandoned by them. They help sinners as 
 well as the just ; no barbarian—no creature, how 
 wicked soever, is deemed unworthy of their cares. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 11 
 
 Now, are not these powerful motives to lore the 
 Angels ?—and if our hearts were not dull and heavy 
 indeed, would we be insensible to them? 0! let 
 us here shed floods of tears over our blindness and 
 insensibility—for, after all, these blessed spirits are 
 little loved. It is truo that some persons honour the 
 Angels Guardians: but how many honour the 
 Cherubim, the Seraphim, or the other choirs? I 
 know that this arises from their not being interior— 
 for alas ! men are so absorbed in earthly cares, so 
 besotted with the pleasures of sense, that they aro 
 little affected by spiritual things. There are indeed, 
 a few, whose detachment from earth renders them 
 susceptible of the purest elevations of grace—yet 
 even many of these do not extend their devotion be¬ 
 yond the Angels Guardians; they are quite unmind¬ 
 ful of the higher choirs. And why ? when the more 
 elevated they are, the greater is their power and 
 love, and the more there is of God in them—which 
 is, ..ii,u those that love purely, the motive of mo¬ 
 tives. If the kings of the earth were willing to re¬ 
 ceive you into their friendship, surely you would 
 not refuse it. Now, consider that it depends on 
 yourself to form an eternal alliance with the hea¬ 
 venly Princes, and by their influence to be one day 
 crowned with them in the celestial empire. 
 
 Here I must confess, I would wish to do all in my 
 power to awaken and diffuse among men a little de¬ 
 votion to the Angels. This it is that induces me to 
 give this little book to the public, of which I have 
 been thinking for many years. I have so much 
 reason to believe that God requires it from me, that 
 it would be a great infidelity to refuse it; after our 
 little tracts on “God alone;” on “the Love of 
 Jesus in iho adorable Sacrament;” on “ the admira¬ 
 ble Mother of God,” <fcc.—it is but just that I should 
 write something for the Holy Angels. It may, per¬ 
 haps, be said, that books of devotion are already 
 
12 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 numerous enough; hut the glorious Saint Francis 
 tie Sales has long since replied to that objection. 
 Alas ! why not complain that persons are almost 
 always speaking of the world: their whole occupa¬ 
 tion is with whatever strikes the senses. How few 
 in a whole city entertain themselves with God, or 
 the dear ways which lead to him! How many let¬ 
 ters are every day written throughout the world, 
 and how few of them regard the interest of God ! 
 Some are about lands, or money, or goods ; others 
 are to gain or to preserve the friendship and esteem 
 of creatures. 0 blindness of the human mind ! 0 
 
 obduracy of the human heart! Truly it demands 
 tears of blood, to say after this, that there is too 
 much written for the love arid interest of God. 
 Abominable world ! I shall ever hold you in detesta¬ 
 tion. I care little for what you say—God alone ! 
 God alone! God alone! is sufficient for me : jmur 
 esteem merits not a single thought. If it ..id, 
 that our style is low, we are quite satisfied : it is this 
 which gives us greater reason to expect upon it the 
 divine benediction ; because, where there is least 
 of the creature, there is most of God. My nothing¬ 
 ness supports me in this little work, since it is from 
 nothing God has drawn his most stupendous works. 
 Confiding in the protection of Jesus and Mary, and 
 in the help of the Holy Angels, I undertake it. I 
 could wish to go from city to city—from kingdom 
 to kingdom—to proclaim the perfections of these 
 holy Spirits, and the motives we have to love them. 
 I could wish to cry aloud in the streets and publio 
 places—0 men ! love and honour the Angels ! St. 
 John Chrysostom wished that these words of Eccle¬ 
 siastes—“ Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity,” woro 
 written on the doors of all public and private build¬ 
 ings, that men might ever have in view the empti¬ 
 ness of human things; and, for my part, I would 
 desire the same, for these words of St. Leo—“ 0 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 13 
 
 men ! make yourselves friends of the Angels.” I 
 ■would wish that sermons were preached to manifest 
 their greatness, and that their excellencies were 
 made the subject of private conversations. 
 
 After all, we can never worthily acquit ourselves 
 of our obligations to these amiable Spirits. Hence 
 the holy Fathers use every argument to induce us to 
 love them, and point out to us a variety of ways 
 whereby to testify our devotion towards them. 
 Among the rest, St. Denis, a contemporary of the 
 Apostles, and filled with their spirit, tvrote admira¬ 
 ble things of these holy Spirits, and delighted in 
 taking the name “ Philange,” which means “ Friend 
 of the Angels.” 
 
 0 amiable Spirits! my greatest ambition is to bo 
 honoured with your friendship, I love you—obtain 
 that I may love you more. I have nothing more 
 valuable than my heart—I place it in your hands, 
 that it may love but what you love, God alone. I 
 possess nothing more precious than my life—I con¬ 
 secrate it entirely to your houour. 0 ! that I could 
 build churches and erect oratories to you—that I 
 could establish sodalities, whose end would be, to 
 espouse your interest and make known your glories. 
 But, since this is impracticable, I shall say in these 
 few linos, that you are amiable and loving, yet very 
 little loved. I shall say, 0 men ! love the Angels— 
 they are faithful friends, powerful protectors, wise 
 masters, tender parents, affectionate brothers. Love 
 the Angels, apostolic men ! for they are the mis¬ 
 sionaries of paradise. Love the Angels, preachers 
 of the world 1 they are profoundly skilled in the 
 science of eternity. Love the Angels, priests! for 
 it is by their ministry the divine oblation is made. 
 Love the Angels, religious ! those admirable spirits 
 are always retired in God. Love the Angels, secu¬ 
 lars ! those good intelligences pity you in the dan¬ 
 gers to which you are continually exposed. Love 
 
14 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 the Angels, married persons! the succour afforded 
 Tobias by the Archangel Raphaol, evinces the care of 
 your state. Love the Angels, widows and orphans! 
 they are indefatigable in providing for persons in 
 distress. Love the Angels, virgins; again I say to 
 you, love the Angels ! they are great friends of vir¬ 
 ginity, being charmed to see frail mortals live on 
 earth as they live in heaven. Love the Angels, just 
 souls ! they are infallible guides in the way to God 
 Love the Angels, sinners ! they will obtain your 
 pardon. Love the Angels, afflicted souls! they are 
 the consolation of the miserable, and the help of tha 
 distressed. Love the Angels, ye rich and great! 
 they will teach you that nothing is worth regarding 
 but eternity. 
 
 Love the Seraphim, 0 men! they are the princes 
 of puro lovo. Love the Cherubim, they are skilled 
 in the scienco of the saints. Love the Thrones, 
 they patronize peace of heart and tranquillity of 
 soul. Lovo the Dominations, they will teach you 
 the art of self-government. Love the Virtues, they 
 are masters in the school of perfection. Love the 
 Powers, they are your defence. Love the Princi¬ 
 palities, they preside over states and kingdoms. 
 Love the Archangels, they are zealous for your well¬ 
 being, and obtain for you a thousand benedictions. 
 Lovo the Angels, they are celestial stars, whose 
 influence we oftener feel, because placed nearer to 
 this nether sphere. Henceforward be all love for 
 those blessod spirits, who so ardently love you. 
 
 Bless them, my God! those who are devout to 
 your Angels. Bless those who on reading this poor 
 little work will give themselves to this devotion. 
 Bless them with the benedictions of the just, making 
 them walk in your ways. Bless them with the 
 benediction of ^braham, the spirit of sacrifice—with 
 the benediction of Isaac, the spirit of conformity— 
 with the spirit of Jacob, the spirit of livoly faith. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 15 
 
 Bless them -with the benediction of the elect. 
 Bless them with tho benediction of the Angels, 
 making them sharers in your never-ending joys ! 
 Great and august Queen of Paradise, bless them with 
 your protection—that, being all united in seeking 
 the interest of God alone, God alone may reign in 
 their hearts for ever. Amen. 
 
16 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 DEVOTION TO THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 jftrst art. 
 
 MOTIVE THE FIRST. 
 
 The admirable perfections of these Blessed Spirits. 
 
 We have already said, and again repeat, 
 that the perfection of the Angels is like to 
 an immense sea without shore or bottom. 
 Enlightened souls feel that all they can 
 say of them is nothing, their greatness be¬ 
 ing above the reach of human thought. 
 The angelic nature contains in itself a world 
 of perfections : but if we add to it the con¬ 
 sideration of their grace and glory, it is 
 truly admirable. However perfect human 
 nature may become, it is still, as faith 
 teaches, very inferior to the angelic nature. 
 A certain theologian has asserted, (although 
 indeed it be not the common opiuion,) that 
 the least of the Angels exceeds in glory the 
 greatest of the saints—and he grounded hia 
 opinion on this text of the Holy Scripture, 
 u He who is least in the kingdom of hea¬ 
 ven is greater than John the Baptist.” 
 
 The Angels are spiritual beings, incor¬ 
 ruptible in their nature, perfectly disei* 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 17 
 
 gaged from matter, and quite free from the 
 miseries to which we are incident. They 
 possess wonderful intelligence; what the 
 greatest geniuses have not been ab-le to 
 comprehend, is perfectly understood by 
 them. They know many things in one and 
 the same moment, and without the least 
 difficulty. Their manner of understanding 
 is not like ours; at the first sight which 
 they have of a thing, they know its whole 
 import, and all its consequences—hence 
 they are called by excellence “ Intelli¬ 
 gences. ” The Scripture, to declare to us 
 this admirable faculty of theirs, says that 
 they are clothed in burning fire. In the 
 Apocalypse they are represented in the ha¬ 
 bits of the ancient pontiffs, to give us to 
 understand, that to these holy spirits the 
 most sacred mysteries of religion are re¬ 
 vealed, and as if enveloped in clouds, their 
 lights being too brilliant for our weak vi¬ 
 sion. The most learned men are ignorant, 
 if compared with these pure intelligences. 
 
 The power of the Angels is incredible— 
 one alone of these blessed spirits being 
 able to defeat millions of armed men—nay, 
 the whole world put together. [We are 
 told in the Book of Kings, that an Angel 
 slew in one night 85,000 of the Assyrians, 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 the enemies of the people of God.] They 
 can make the winds blow, the rain fall, the 
 thunder roar: they can raise tempests, 
 cause earthquakes, give abundance and fa¬ 
 mine, cure and inflict all sorts of maladies, 
 and operate many other things, almost in a 
 moment. It is to mark their celerity that 
 they are painted with wings; it surpasses 
 that of the wind : in an instant, they can 
 pass from one end of the world to the other 
 —being thus, in some sense, everywhere, 
 as Tertullian says. 
 
 But their beauty is enrapturing: the 
 greatest beauty on earth is deformity in 
 comparison with them, and the least beau¬ 
 tiful among the Angels possesses more 
 charms than all earthly beauties together. 
 Here the mind is lost in the contemplation 
 of an infinity of beauties, which are to be 
 found among the angelic choirs; for if the 
 least of the Angels be so charming, and if 
 they be so numerous, my God! what 
 beauty is to be seen in the holy Sion ! To 
 give us some idea of this truth, St. Anselm 
 says, that if God put an Angel in the 
 sun’s orbit, and environed him with as 
 many suns as there are stars, and permit¬ 
 ted the blessed spirit to emit in a borrowed 
 form a single ray of his glory, it would at 
 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 19 
 
 once eclipse all the splendour of the suns, 
 and render them invisible. All is wonder¬ 
 ful in these holy spirits. An Angel, to 
 recreate St. Francis, touched a lute so 
 melodiously, that the saint thought he 
 would have died of joy. That miraculous 
 bird, whose notes so charmed a religious 
 servant of God, that he passed many years 
 listening to them, without feeling the time 
 longer than a quarter of an hour, was 
 doubtless an Angel. Some might question 
 the truth of this story; but Father Cor¬ 
 neille de la Pierre testifies, that having 
 visited the monastery wherein this person 
 lived, he found the fact proved beyond the 
 possibility of doubt. Lt was reasonable 
 that these holy spirits should be created in 
 heaven, as being the abode of all happiness. 
 The precious stones formerly shown the 
 prophet Ezechiel in a vision, figure the dif¬ 
 ferent perfections of the Angels. The holy 
 Fathers surpass themselves when there is 
 question of them. We can indeed say, that 
 if the beauty of the Creator is anywhere to 
 be seen, it is in the Angels, their excel¬ 
 lence being without imperfection ! Alas ! 
 how unlike our perfection, in which there 
 is always mingled an infinity of defects. 
 The greatness of these blessed spirits is 
 
20 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 without baseness—their science without 
 ignorance—their light without darkness— 
 their power without weakness—their beauty 
 without defect—their love without incon¬ 
 stancy—their peace without trouble—their 
 action continual, yet without fatigue— 
 their happiness without alloy—their felicity 
 complete, and without admixture of any 
 evil. 
 
 When Manue, as is related in the Book 
 of Judges, demanded the name of the An¬ 
 gel who appeared to him, he told him it 
 was “ Admirable/’ because he represented 
 God in a wonderful manner: and Jacob 
 having had a vision of an Angel says, that 
 he had seen the Lord face to face. Will 
 not the consideration of all these perfec¬ 
 tions of the Angels excite you to love them ? 
 You who are so prone to love whatever is 
 beautiful, and noble, and perfect? This 
 truth merits deep consideration, the glory 
 of God, the author of all these excellencies 
 and perfections being concerned in it. 
 
 j 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 21 
 
 MOTIVE SECOND. 
 
 The incomparable goodness of the Angels. 
 
 “ Nothing, ” says the holy Bishop of 
 Geneva, St. Francis de Sales, “ nothing 
 more affects a good heart than to see itself 
 loved; but if the lover be of superior rank, 
 it greatly enhances the motive of reciprocal 
 love.” If this be true, we must either love 
 the Angels, or renounce love altogether. 
 These great princes, of whom we have said 
 such wonderful things in the preceding 
 chapter, not only love us, but also in such 
 a manner that it would seem they are de¬ 
 termined to bear away the prize of love. 
 
 They manifest towards us every species 
 of affection ; they love us with the love of 
 a father—always seeking our interest, al¬ 
 ways promoting our welfare, and never 
 omitting any occasion of procuring us that 
 celestial inheritance which has been pur¬ 
 chased for us by the merits of the adorable 
 Jesus. They love us with a maternal love 
 —for it is written, that “ they bear us up 
 in their handsthey take care of our 
 souls and bodies ; they have their eyes ever 
 fixed on us, and caress us continually with 
 all the tenderness that love can inspire. 
 They love us with the love of a brother, 
 
22 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 regarding us as the younger members of 
 the family; and, what is more wonderful, 
 and more worthy of heaven than of earth, 
 they are not sorry to see us their equals in 
 glory; nay, our Angel Guardians do all 
 they can to render us more glorious in 
 paradise than they are themselves. They 
 love us with the love of impassioned lovers 
 —incessantly seeking our friendship, con¬ 
 tinually thinking of us, and even quitting 
 the blissful regions of immortality to abide 
 with us here on earth. They love us .as 
 good pastors—for is it not of them we can 
 say, that “ they neither slumber nor sleep 
 who keep Israel.” They love us as physi¬ 
 cians, healing our wounds, curing our ma¬ 
 ladies, and restoring us to health; they 
 love us as advocates, negotiating all our 
 affairs, in heaven and on earth; as faithful 
 guides, conducting us in the true way to 
 perfection; as good masters, abundantly 
 rewarding the little services we render 
 them; as bountiful kings, defending us 
 from our enemies, and causing us to live 
 in peace and security. 
 
 0 my God ! are we not then overpowered 
 with motives to love your Angels! But 
 when did they begin to love us ? The mo¬ 
 ment we began to live—nor have they 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 23 
 
 since, nor will they to the last moment of 
 our existence, cease to love us. They love 
 us in all times and places—in Heaven, on 
 Earth, in Purgatory—eveu in our moments 
 of ingratitude they are immutable in our 
 love! It is theu certain that these blessed 
 spirits are our best friends; that their love 
 is the most faithful, constant, amiable, pa¬ 
 tient, universal, which can possibly be. 
 All in it is great—all in it is charming— 
 all in it is admirable—all in it is disinte¬ 
 rested—for what do they receive for this 
 wonderful kindness ? Injuries, ingratitude, 
 forgetfulness. Infidels know them not— 
 heretics refuse to honour them—nor are 
 Catholics even mindful of them. Ah! who 
 can comprehend this monstrous return for 
 so much love ! Such an impression does this 
 consideration make upefn me, that I would 
 wish to go through the world bewailing the 
 obduracy of the human heart. Here it is 
 indeed, that the obduracy of the human heart 
 is in its last excess. 0 men ! 0 men ! de¬ 
 liver yourselves now at least to these at¬ 
 tractions—return from your unhappy state 
 *—love the Angels—agaiu I say, love the 
 Angels, and love the God of the Angels, 
 for it is in him alone all that is good and 
 amiable deserves to be loved. 
 
24 
 
 y 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 MOTIVE THIRD. 
 
 All the Angels are employed in the service of Man. 
 
 I confess that continuing to write of the 
 Angels, my heart is insensibly touched 
 with their love; and no wonder if it all 
 were liquefied before these blessed spirits, 
 who are, as the Psalmist says, “ a devour¬ 
 ing fire.” 0 amiable Spirits ! here permit 
 my poor soul to sigh for love. Either 
 suffer me to die, or to live as you wish. 
 May I love you with a love according to 
 the heart of Jesus, the King of love, and 
 of Mary, the Queen of holy love. We 
 should cease to live, or breathe only the 
 purity of this love. To resume—Are not 
 the foregoing motives sufficiently powerful 
 to engage us to love the Angels ? But we 
 can furnish many others. It is not one, 
 nor a certain number, of these celestial 
 spirits that are employed in our service. 
 St. Paul says, that they are all deputed 
 for our salvation. All the Angels, says 
 St. Augustine, are employed in our de¬ 
 fence, since they and we make but one 
 same city of God. It is not alone the 
 Angels of the last choir, says St. Chrysos¬ 
 tom, that watch for the safety of men; the 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 25 
 
 higher choirs are also deputed to defend 
 them. Some question if the higher Angels 
 descend upon earth to assist man; but 
 how will these explain the testimonies 
 which the holy Scripture gives us to this 
 effect? St. Raphael, who guided Tobias 
 when going to Rages, said of himself, that 
 he was one of the seven spirits who stand 
 before the throne. They were the Cheru¬ 
 bim who appeared to Ezechiel. It was to 
 a Cherub that God committed the care 
 of the terrestrial Paradise—and it was a 
 Seraph who purified the lips of Isaiah. 
 Ecclesiastical History, too, teaches the 
 same truth: It was one of the highest 
 Angels who imprinted the sacred stigmas 
 of our Lord’s passion on the body of St. 
 Francis, and another who wounded, with a 
 golden dart, the heart of St. Teresa. But 
 this is not the essential point : it is quite 
 enough for us to know, that in some man¬ 
 ner or another, all the Angels are in our 
 service. And what a host of defenders for 
 us ! Holy Job says, that their number is 
 without number. Some writers affirm, 
 that it surpasses that of the stars of Hea¬ 
 ven, of the birds of the air, of the drops 
 of water in the ocean, and of all visible 
 creatures. St. Gregory of Nyssa says, 
 
2(5 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 that there is an infinity of millions of 
 Angels: and St. Dionysius the Areopa- 
 gite, that God alone knows the number of 
 these holy Spirits. 
 
 What movements of love—what senti¬ 
 ments of consolation do not these truths, 
 if well penetrated, impart to our poor 
 hearts! If it were said to you who read 
 these lines, that the King had deputed 
 to your service one of his principal cour¬ 
 tiers, with strict orders to render to you 
 all the manner of favours and services, 
 what would be your gratitude, your amaze¬ 
 ment, your joy ! But history furnishes no 
 such instance of kindness; it is only the 
 King of kings who operates such a prodigy 
 of love. 0 my soul ! my soul! have you 
 ever seriously considered, that not only one 
 "but all the princes of the God of Paradise 
 watch over you with ineffable care and 
 tenderness—that u all minister to those 
 who are to receive the inheritance of salva¬ 
 tion.” ’0 the love of that God who has 
 sent them ! 0 the love of those Spirits 
 whom he has sent ! What consolation for 
 us! Why, after this, should we be sad 
 or troubled ? One alone of these blessed 
 princes is more than sufficient to defend 
 us, and behold millions of millions—nay, 
 
c ;- r C THE HOLY ANGELS* 27 
 
 an infinity of millions of them watching for 
 our safety ! But remember, if such power¬ 
 ful protection places you in security, that 
 the friendship of these illustrious princes 
 should serve you for occupation. It» is 
 better to form acquaintance with these 
 pure spirits than to amuse one’s self with 
 creatures. Their friendship is so much the 
 more holy and advantageous, as there is 
 nothing in them but God alone. 
 
 MOTIVE FOURTH. 
 
 All Men are assisted ly the Angels. 
 
 It is unnecessary to seek any other 
 motive to love God than love itself—as our 
 Lord revealed to Mother Magdalen of St. 
 Joseph, a Carmelite religious. But why 
 does God love men so much ? Let it be 
 published among the nations, says St. 
 Bernard, and let them confess that the 
 Lord has determined to treat them mag¬ 
 nificently. 0 my God ! what is man, that 
 you condescend to give him your only 
 Son, to send him your Holy Spirit, and de¬ 
 pute your Angels to guard and defend 
 him ! ' Behold then an Angel, who is as a 
 
28 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 great king, endowed with all imaginable 
 glory and perfection, in the service of man 
 —a being compounded of misery and im¬ 
 perfection—a worm of the earth—dust and 
 ashes ! But that man, when in the state 
 of sin, should still be protected by the 
 Angels, is far more wonderful. If we say 
 we have no sin, we deceive ourselves: the 
 greatest saints have fallen, through weak¬ 
 ness or inadvertence, into venial faults— 
 and would to God that there were no 
 greater committed—Hell itself being less 
 terrible than a single offence against the 
 Divine Majesty; but, alas ! men in gene¬ 
 ral have little horror of mortal sin, and 
 easily fall into it. The Angels, though 
 struck with amazement at these diabolical 
 excesses, are nevertheless not deterred from 
 assisting these unhappy beings. 
 
 0 soul! who readest these truths, is it 
 not wonderful that the blessed Spirits 
 should lend their aid to those who offend 
 God, considering the knowledge they pos¬ 
 sess of his unspeakable greatness ? Is it 
 not amazing that they are content to re¬ 
 main with those who every day trample on 
 the blood of their God, “ and make void 
 the sufferings by which they have been 
 redeemed V’ Let us go further :—Here- 
 
TIIE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 29 
 
 tics and Infidels have Angels who guard 
 them, though their sin be so incompre¬ 
 hensible, that we can never in this world 
 attain anything like a notion of it. The 
 Turks, the professed enemies of the Chris¬ 
 tian name, have their Angels—nay, Anti¬ 
 christ himself will have an Angel Guardian, 
 says St. Thomas, who will hinder him 
 from committing several evils. The Angels 
 serve all these people as their masters, 
 though they know them to be slaves of the 
 devil and victims of hell. Where is the 
 gardener who would water a tree, if he 
 knew it would never produce fruit! Where 
 is the friend who would continue to de¬ 
 monstrate his friendship, after repeated 
 insults and affronts ? Yet all the injuries, 
 revolts, contempt and ingratitude of men 
 diminish not in the least degree the 
 charity of these blessed Spirits. They go 
 to seek them in the forests of Canada, in 
 the remotest deserts, in the most gloomy 
 caverns, at the extremities of the earth. 
 You would say that they are beside them¬ 
 selves with love for men, who have nothing 
 of man but the shape and appearance, 
 their lives being wholly earthly and sen¬ 
 sual. These celestial beauties give their 
 affections to deformity itself, and yet meet 
 
30 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 with no other return than ingratitude and 
 contempt How shocking—how deplora¬ 
 ble ! 
 
 MOTIVE FIFTH. 
 
 The Angels render Men innumerable services. 
 
 A pious woman having one night re¬ 
 ceived information that a poor person in 
 the suburbs was lying in extreme neces¬ 
 sity, and none of her domestics being with¬ 
 in, sent her son with something for her re¬ 
 lief. The boy being very young, was 
 greatly afraid, going, by himself to such a 
 lonely place, until a page appeared, bearing 
 a flambeau, and conducted him safely to 
 his destination. His mother doubted not 
 that it might be his good Angel who had 
 rendered him the charitable office. These 
 blessed Spirits have often appeared visibly 
 to man. The learned interpreter of the 
 Holy Scripture, Cornelius a Lapide, sup¬ 
 poses, that after the resurrection, they will 
 sometimes assume bodies of exquisite 
 beauty to recreate us. It is amazing to 
 see them take every form to render services 
 to us. They have appeared in various 
 shapes, as pilgrims, &c., to serve and benefit 
 
TIIE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 31 
 
 man, who docs almost nothing to testify his 
 gratitude. 
 
 If it were only at certain times they 
 rendered us assistance, it would not be so 
 wonderful; but to be conferring favours 
 on us every moment we exist, is incon¬ 
 ceivable—and it is this our good Angel 
 does for us. If a prince of the royal 
 blood came and spent some time in waiting 
 on an humble peasant, in a poor cabin, every 
 one would be amazed; but if this peasant 
 was his enemy, one from whom he could ex¬ 
 pect nothing like gratitude—if, moreover, 
 he not only passed some months with him, 
 but even resolved on remaining in his 
 service as long as he lived, notwithstanding 
 all the vicious propensities and vile habits 
 which he discovered in him, the wonder 
 would be infinitely greater. Yet it is in 
 this manner, 0 my soul! thy good Angel 
 guards thee. It is thus, 0 ye whom I ad¬ 
 dress ! that the holy Spirit appointed to be 
 your guardian executes his commission. 
 This amiable prince never quits us in this 
 valley of tears. The Angels, says St. 
 Augustine, enter and go forth with us—• 
 they have their eyes ever fixed on us, and on 
 what we do. If we remain at home, they 
 stay with us; if we walk out, they accom- 
 
 t 
 
DEVOTION TO 
 
 oo 
 
 oZ 
 
 pany us; let us go where we will, on land 
 or at sea, they are always with us; they 
 are no less present with the merchant in 
 his counting-house, or the matron in the 
 cares of her household, than with the re¬ 
 cluse in his desert, or the religious in his 
 cell. 0 excessive bounty !—even while we 
 sleep, they watch over us—they are always 
 at our side—though we are sinners, and 
 consequently their enemies—though our 
 interior deformity is so great, that if we 
 saw it we could not support the sight— 
 though we spend our lives in sin, or in 
 such frivolous occupations as certainly ex¬ 
 cite the pity of these blessed spirits—though 
 we corrupt our best actions by numberless 
 defects, they are never weary of our com¬ 
 pany. Even after death, they visit us in 
 Purgatory, and render us in its flames very 
 great consolations. Is not this to be our 
 slaves ? Where would we be able to find 
 persons who would sacrifice their liberty 
 so perfectly in the service of kings ? 0 
 
 bounty of our God ! the Princes of Para¬ 
 dise our slaves and servants! Well, in¬ 
 deed, did the holy Vincent of CarafFe say, 
 that the life of a Christian was a life of 
 astonishment. But the Angels not only 
 protect man, they also give their cares to 
 
THE 1I0LY ANGELS. 
 
 33 
 
 everything that is destined for his service. 
 According to St. Augustine, these blessed 
 Spirits preside over every animate and in¬ 
 animate thing in this visible world. The stars 
 and the firmament have their Angels—the 
 fire, the air, the water, have their Angels— 
 kingdoms have their Angels, as is seen in 
 the Scriptures—provinces have theirAngels, 
 for the Angels who appeared to Jacob, 
 says Genesis, were the guardians of the 
 provinces through which he passed—towns 
 and cities have their Angels—altars, 
 churches, nay, even particular families, 
 have their Angels. 
 
 Thus the world is full of Angels, and it 
 seems that the sweetness of Divine Pro¬ 
 vidence renders it necessary; for if, as 
 some say, there be in the air so great a 
 number of evil spirits, that if they were 
 permitted to assume bodies, they would ob¬ 
 scure the light of the sun, how could men 
 be safe from their malicious arts, unless 
 protected by the Angels ? It is not for 
 nothing that these blessed Spirits are sent 
 on earth. As each star has its peculiar 
 influence, so each of the Angels produces 
 some particular good. We must be oP- 
 durate indeed, if we are not touched by 
 their services. It is a great pity, that we 
 
34 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 seldom think but of sensible objects. In 
 vain are we spoken to of spiritual things; 
 we either understand them not, or forget 
 them with facility. Whatever Eliseus 
 might say to his servant of the protection 
 of these blessed Spirits, the poor man 
 could not believe it, until God miraculously 
 opened his eyes, and manifested them to 
 him under visible forms. If the samo 
 favour is not given to us, still have we not 
 faith ? and can we not behold with our 
 interior eyes these amiable spirits, and ac¬ 
 knowledge them as our greatest benefac¬ 
 tors, and the faithful ministers of God 
 alone, whom we adore, who is admirable 
 
 in all his works, and deserves for them 
 
 * 
 
 eternal, everlasting praise ? 
 
 MOTIVE SIXTH. 
 
 The Angels help t(8 in temporal things. 
 
 After having spoken in a general way 
 of the benefits accruing to us from the 
 Angels, let us descend to particulars, that 
 the hearts of men may be inexcusable, and 
 be obliged to love these amiable spirits. 
 If favours be to love, what wood is to fire, 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 35 
 
 with what ardour should we not burn for 
 the holy Angels, overwhelmed as we are 
 with their kindnesses and benefactions, even 
 in temporal things. 
 
 They provide for our education—They 
 were these glorious spirits who trained up 
 the little Baptist in the desert, after the 
 death of his holy mother, which took place 
 forty days after she had fled with him from 
 the persecution of Herod. They provide 
 for our bodily nourishment—as in the case 
 of the holy martyrs Firminian and Bus- 
 ticus, and the prophets Elias and Daniel. 
 They procure for us honours: a great 
 number of Angels attended at the death of 
 St. Agatha, and composed her epitaph. 
 They recreate our senses :—for six months 
 preceding the death of St. Nicholas of To- 
 lentine, they played for him on musical in¬ 
 struments. And during the three days 
 that intervened between the death of the 
 Holy Virgin and her Assumption into 
 Heaven, they made most melodious con¬ 
 certs near her sacred remains, for the con¬ 
 solation of those who approached them. 
 They accompany us in our journeys—as is 
 evident from the case of Tobias. They visit 
 and console us—as the lives of the Fathers 
 of the desert, and those of St. Lidwine and 
 
36 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 St. Francis testify, as well as the acts of 
 the martyrs. And think not, says Abbe 
 Kupert, that they never visited these ser¬ 
 vants of God, but when they visibly ap¬ 
 peared; they have often been invisibly 
 present, supporting them in their trials, 
 consoling them in their sorrows, and as 
 suaging their torments. 
 
 If they procure us benefits, they also de¬ 
 liver us from evils. They freed St. Peter 
 from his chains, delivered Daniel from the 
 lions, and Isaac from the sacrificing knife. 
 In the Book of Machabees, we have pro¬ 
 digious examples of the zeal with which 
 they espouse the cause-of man, often openly 
 combating for him against his enemies. 
 In fine, there is no want, natural, moral, 
 or physical, in which the holy Angels do 
 oot assist us. If Divine Providence has 
 given us saints to be our deliverers from 
 certain evils, as St. Sebastian and St. 
 Koch, from pestilence—St. Laurence, from 
 toothache—St. Lucy, from pains in the 
 eyes or defective vision—it has given us 
 the Angels as assured helpers in all our 
 misfortunes. Let us here consider and ad¬ 
 mire the protection afforded by the Angels 
 to the Hebrew people. It was an Angel 
 who,conducted them in the wilderness for 
 
THE IIOLY ANGELS. 
 
 37 
 
 the space of forty years, by means of a 
 cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire 
 by night—and by the movement given to 
 it by him, they were sheltered from the 
 scorching rays of the sun, and preserved 
 from the hands of Pharaoh and his Egyp¬ 
 tians. I leave it to the piety of those who 
 read these truths, to reflect at leisure on 
 this admirable conduct. However slightly 
 they are considered, it is impossible not to 
 be convinced that the services rendered to 
 man by the Angels are incomparable—and 
 that the name of the Lord should be mag¬ 
 nified, who operates these wonders by the 
 agency of the ministers of his celestial 
 court. 
 
 MOTIVE SEVENTH. 
 
 The Angels assist us in spiritual things. 
 
 Properly speaking, man has but one 
 affair—that of eternity. All that tends 
 not to this great end is not worth a single 
 thought. 0 ! how wretched and contemp¬ 
 tible are all things which the world culls 
 great ! how unworthy the occupation of a 
 Christian soul are its honours and plea* 
 sures ! It were well that this truth, “ the 
 
38 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 world and its concupiscence passes away,” 
 never departed from our minds: eternity 
 would then occupy us, and the means of 
 acquiring a happy one, among which the 
 patronage of the Angels is not the least, 
 would be more fully appreciated. 
 
 It is indeed true, that these blessed 
 Angels do all that they can to procure for 
 us a glorious immortality. They have 
 been known to press apostolic men, as St. 
 Paul and St. Francis Xavier, to announce 
 the Gospel to those u who sat in the shades 
 of death.” They have often assisted evan- - 
 gelical labourers. How many children 
 receive baptism by their means, who would 
 otherwise perish in original sin ! Behold 
 a wonderful example : In January, 1634, 
 in the city of Vienna, three souls, freed 
 from Purgatory, appeared, says Father Lo- 
 ret, of the Society of Jesus, to one of our 
 religious, to thank him, for having by his 
 prayers and mortifications, procured their 
 release. On the day of your birth, said 
 they, our good angels revealed to us, that 
 you would one day be our liberator; and 
 know that you are greatly indebted to your 
 Angel Guardian, for without his care you 
 would have been suffocated, through the 
 carelessness of the attendant, before you 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 89 
 
 received baptism. After procuring for us 
 the life of grace, the Angels endeavour to 
 conserve us therein; and hence they 
 prompt us to receive often the adorable 
 Eucharist, which is the life of lives. They 
 have often carried this vivifying sacrament 
 to solitaries and recluses—St. Stanislas 
 Kotska, S. J., received this favour. Nor 
 do they forget the other means of our sal¬ 
 vation. Prayer is one of the most power¬ 
 ful ; and it is by the Angels our petitions 
 are carried before the throne of God : there 
 is no exercise in which they are more pre¬ 
 sent with us than this. Mortification is 
 the sister of prayer—and what have not 
 the Angels done to engage us to practise 
 it? They have often visibly given theii 
 clients instructions thereon, suitable to 
 their great lights, and convinced them of 
 the absolute necessity of this virtue in all 
 true Christians. 
 
 They are most anxious to inspire us with 
 a love for that virtue which assimilates us 
 to them, virginal purity.—What have they 
 not done in its defence ? They have some¬ 
 times combated and destroyed those who 
 attacked it—they have rendered invisible 
 those who possessed it, to preserve them 
 from danger—they, in fine, have sometimes 
 
40 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 procured from their Creator a temporary 
 suspension of nature’s laws, to preserve a 
 virtue, which, raising man above himself, 
 causes him to live in a mortal body a life 
 wholly divine. 
 
 But their great object is to inspire us 
 with love for Jesus and his amiable Mo¬ 
 ther, knowing that the love of these sacred 
 persons is the source of all good to our 
 souls. St. Dominic, being one of the most 
 fervent lovers of Jesus and Mary that ever 
 existed, was in consequence the great fa¬ 
 vourite of the Angels. He received from 
 them all sorts of assistance, during the long 
 nights that love chained him to the altar 
 steps, whilst pouring out his soul in the 
 presence of his good Master, and invoking 
 the patronage of his glorious Mistress. 
 They were once seen, when the Saint hap¬ 
 pened to lodge in the house of the Bishop, 
 lighting him with flambeaux from his 
 chamber to and from the church, the doors 
 of which they opened for him. 
 
 But this is not all. As for the practice 
 of virtue, it is necessary that the will should 
 be moved and the understanding enlight¬ 
 ened, they often effect both. Thus they 
 reveal the sublimest mysteries. It was an 
 Angel who gave the law to Moses—an An- 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS 
 
 41 
 
 gel who announced to the glorious Virgin 
 the incarnation of the 11 Word’ 7 —to the 
 Marys his resurrection, and to the apostles 
 his last coming. They’endeavour to pre¬ 
 serve us from sin, or to free us from it, af¬ 
 ter having fallen into it.—Those lights 
 which sometimes beam suddenly on the 
 soul a clear knowledge of holy truths— 
 those unforeseen movements which surprise 
 us when we least expect them, and which 
 move us so efficaciously to good, come to 
 us by the agency of these blessed spirits. 
 In those happy moments, wherein we find 
 ourselves strangely pressed to give our¬ 
 selves to God, without knowing why, let 
 us recognise the exertions of the Angels. 
 They obtain for us a victory over our pas¬ 
 sions, the conquest of our bad inclinations, 
 a knowledge of our faults and imperfec¬ 
 tions, and of our most hidden oppositions 
 to grace—they invite us to penance, solicit 
 us to make a good confession, and fully 
 satisfy the divine justice. Iu fine, they 
 support us in the way of virtue, console us 
 in sufferings, quiet our fears, remove our 
 scruples, and impart to us that holy joy 
 and “ divine peace, which surpasses all un¬ 
 derstanding. 77 When Raphael met Tobias, 
 he wished him continual joy, and in leav. 
 
42 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 ing him, everlasting peace.- Let us disen¬ 
 gage ourselves from all created things, and 
 the wishes of these holy Spirits for our 
 happiness will be accomplished. To enjoy 
 true and continual peace, it is necessary to 
 live to God alone. 
 
 MOTIVE EIGHTH. 
 
 The Protection afforded to us by the Angels against 
 the enemies of our Salvation. 
 
 The life of man is a warfare; he has to 
 fight against temptations within and temp¬ 
 tations without—temptations from the 
 world, and temptations from himself. It is 
 a strange thing, that we ourselves are our 
 most dangerous enemies, and that it would 
 give us quite enough to do to wage war 
 against ourselves. Yet this is not all; we 
 have other combats to sustain. We must 
 combat against the devils, powerful in 
 might, cruel in rage, countless in number, 
 indefatigable in pursuit.—Being spiritual 
 beings, they strike invisibly—enter all 
 places—see all things—leave no art, no 
 wile, untried, to effect our ruin, and tri¬ 
 umph in our defeat. 0 ! you who read 
 these lines ! do you not tremble at the idea 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 43 
 
 of such combats? On your victory de¬ 
 pends your e.ternal fate. Consider what it 
 is to be damned for ever, and the danger in 
 which you are of being so, by the malice 
 of the devils—and then you will be con¬ 
 vinced of the necessity of being devout to 
 their powerful adversaries, the holy An- 
 gels. 
 
 The devils are cruel in their rage; the 
 destruction of our corporeal existence would 
 not suffice to glut their malice: they un¬ 
 ceasingly seek to take away the life of our 
 souls, and “ go about” continually “ seek¬ 
 ing whom they may devour.” This infu¬ 
 riate malice is accompanied by such power, 
 that, as we learn from the Book of Job, no 
 force on earth can be compared to it: mil¬ 
 lions of armed men could do nothing against 
 the efforts of a single evil spirit. The 
 Scripture calls them the powers and princes 
 of this world and of darkness—the greater 
 part of mankind being subject to their de¬ 
 testable tyranny. 
 
 These abominable spirits are exceedingly 
 clever in deceiving; they often form puns 
 and lay snares which entrap the most en¬ 
 lightened. Having deceived the first wo¬ 
 man by his wiles, Satan still adopts the 
 same means to undo her unthinking pos- 
 
44 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 terity—time has only rendered him more 
 subtle and insinuating. “ How do you 
 know so well, what is to happen my Re¬ 
 ligious?” said St. Pacliomius one day; 
 “ surely, God alone can foresee what is 
 to come.” u True,” replied the tempter, 
 “ I know it not—but my great experience 
 enables me to form conjectures which 
 amount to certainty.” This wicked enemy 
 lays snares in all places for our destruction. 
 In cities and deserts, in solitude and in 
 company, we equally feel his assaults. .He 
 studies our humour and inclination, and 
 erects his batteries against that part of our 
 soul which he finds weakest. If he fears 
 we shall overcome one temptation, he at¬ 
 tacks us by several, and at a time in which 
 he sees us less able to resist—as when a 
 person has been some time without ap¬ 
 proaching the sacraments, or making medi¬ 
 tation, or the like. Sometimes he retires 
 for a time, that he may surprise us, and, 
 when we least expect it, find ourselves un¬ 
 done. 
 
 These wicked spirits study the designs 
 of God on a soul, in order to hinder it 
 from corresponding with them. They of¬ 
 ten divert persons from following their vo¬ 
 cation—induce others to embrace states to 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 45 
 
 which they are not called—they tempt pa¬ 
 rents to oppose the vocation of their child¬ 
 ren—in line, through the artifices of these 
 subtle enemies, the greater number of per¬ 
 sons do anything but what they should do. 
 
 If they cannot turn us from the ways of 
 grace, they try to mingle in them ; prompt¬ 
 ing us to pray, when God will have us la¬ 
 bour for him; to be angry and impatient 
 when hindered from a good work; to be dis¬ 
 quieted at our faults; to confess and com¬ 
 municate through imperfect motives; to 
 irritate ourselves with an unquiet zeal at the 
 faults of others, and to forget our own. As 
 they are without peace or order among them¬ 
 selves, they labour all they can to render 
 us so too—often exciting scruples, doubts, 
 anxieties—inspiring us with fears as to the 
 validity of our past confessions—prompt¬ 
 ing us to make them all anew, and still to 
 be dissatisfied. They give false ideas of 
 piety—and if they see true devotion gain 
 ground in any place, by means of prayer 
 and frequent communion, they will cause 
 some of those who use these means to fall 
 into great faults, to furnish others with a 
 pretext for declaiming against them. 
 
 They often amuse those who live in vice 
 or error with a false peace, inspiring them 
 
46 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 to perform acts of mortification, to give 
 alms, to pray, and the like—and thus lull 
 them into a dangerous security, so that 
 they never perceive the hazard they run. 
 
 They use great efforts to make us anti¬ 
 cipate or be wanting to grace—thus causing 
 us to counteract the designs of God. If it 
 be necessary to do that good which God re¬ 
 quires, it is equally so to do it in the manner 
 and at the time he wishes. St. Philip Neri 
 was assuredly called to the ecclesiastical 
 state; but feeling that he should not. em¬ 
 brace it until he was rather advanced in 
 years, he could not be prevailed on by his 
 friends to anticipate the time of God. 
 
 The Lord wishes we should go to confes¬ 
 sion—but the devils inspire us to approach 
 the sacrament through self-love, rather to 
 be delivered from the humiliation of sin, 
 because it is annoying to our vanity, than 
 from any love of God. He wishes that we 
 approach the holy table : the devils prevent 
 some, by various false pretexts, who would 
 derive considerable profit, and inspire others 
 to go, who have not the necessary disposi¬ 
 tions. 
 
 0 my God ! to how many delusions are 
 we not liable—to how many miseries are 
 we not subjected by the wij^s of these min- 
 
THE IIOLY ANGELS. 
 
 47 
 
 isfers of hell! St. John of the Cross, an 
 eminent master of the spiritual life, says, 
 that even those who tend to perfection are 
 subject to many defects—as a secret satis¬ 
 faction in their good works, and a wish to 
 appear skilled in holy things. Sometimes 
 they manifest their devotion by external 
 signs, as loud praying, sighing, and the 
 like; at other times they speak of their vir¬ 
 tues ; though in the confessional, they can 
 scarcely command humility enough to de¬ 
 clare their sins—at one time they make no 
 account of their faults, and at another they 
 are afflicted at them even to excess. They 
 are never content with the means they are 
 furnished with to be perfect, but are con¬ 
 tinually seeking for new ones. When de¬ 
 prived of sensible devotion, they are irri¬ 
 tated against themselves and others; they 
 wish to be saints in a day, and without any 
 trouble. They often contest with their 
 confessor, to induce him to be of their opin¬ 
 ion. When withdrawn from any exercise 
 of piety to which they are addicted, they 
 fear all is lost, and suppose that he does 
 not understand the way by which they 
 are led. • 
 
 These wicked spirits, as we have already 
 said, often represent things to us Quite dif- 
 
DEVOTION TO 
 
 4S 
 
 ferently from what they are. They per¬ 
 suade persons in the world, that devotion 
 is only for those who live in monasteries, 
 and quite incompatible with their state. 
 Often they set before them the real or ima¬ 
 ginary faults of such as profess piety, in 
 order to prevent them from embracing it. 
 
 When they foresee special graces and 
 great helps for a diocess, or a city, by 
 means of some servant of God, they omit 
 nothing in order to lower him in the public 
 estimation : and they not only persecute 
 those who are employed actively in gain¬ 
 ing souls to God, but those also who live 
 in solitude, when possessed of extraordinary 
 virtue, knowing that, by their prayers, and 
 constant union with God, they will help to 
 save and sanctify many other persons. 
 
 The devils excite persons to exclaim 
 against the abuse of frequent communion; 
 but, as F. Lewis of Granada says, this is 
 often a great abuse—because many persons, 
 who would reap considerable advantage by 
 approaching, are thereby hindered from it. 
 Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude, that 
 those who hindered frequent communion 
 deprived him of his great delight. I ad¬ 
 mit that it is necessary to know well the 
 dispositions of those who often communi- 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 49 
 
 cate—bat to disprove of so holy a practice, 
 is an effect of the hatred of the devils for 
 this sacred mystery. 
 
 Before we conclude, let us remark an* 
 other of their most common and most dan- . 
 gerous temptations, which renders most of 
 our actions either useless or imperfect. It 
 is to occupy ourselves with anything save 
 that which we do. While at prayer, they 
 afterwards have to do—and when engaged 
 in this exercise, they occupy us with some¬ 
 thing else; thus we perform neither as we 
 ought. Each moment has its particular 
 benediction; let us do well what we are 
 actually engaged in, and God will provide 
 for the future. 
 
 Are you not now convinced of vour want 
 of superior force against such enemies, in 
 order to be victorious ? Having seen so 
 many wiles laid for your destruction, are 
 you not resolved to make use of that suc¬ 
 cour which our good God has provided for 
 you in his holy Angels? Every time that 
 you feel pressed by temptation, go to your 
 Angel and say to him, as St. Bernard ex¬ 
 horts you, “Lord! save me, or I perish I 
 God has given my soul in charge to you— 
 bear it up in your hands—make it trample 
 on the lion and the dragon ,” and, as kings 
 
 4 
 
50 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 put thieves and outlaws to death, in order 
 to preserve the lives and properties of their 
 subjects—the blessed spirits will destroy 
 the schemes of their apostate brethren for 
 our eternal ruin ; and with them we shall 
 sing a canticle of joy and a psalm of jubi¬ 
 lation, because we shall have obtained the 
 victory. 
 
 MOTIVE NINTH. 
 
 The great helps the Holy Angels afford us at the 
 Hour of Heath. 
 
 If to a pagan philosopher death appeared 
 of all terrible things the most terrible, in 
 what light should it be viewed by a Chris¬ 
 tian, to whom God has revealed its conse¬ 
 quences ? When a person thinks seriously, 
 that on the moment of death depends a 
 happy or miserable eternity, his heart must 
 be obdurate indeed, if he be not struck 
 with fear; for “if the just be scarcely 
 saved, where will the sinner appear ?” 0 
 
 Lord ! “ enter not into judgment with thy 
 servant, for no one living can be justified 
 in thy sight!” The holy abbot Agatho, be¬ 
 ing seized with trembling at his last hour, 
 and his religious having asked him the 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 51 
 
 cause—he replied, that though by the great 
 mercy of God, his conscience did not re¬ 
 proach him with anything, yet that tlie 
 divine judgments being very different from 
 those of men, he was in great alarm. No 
 wonder he should have felt so—all our good 
 works being imperfect in the sight of the 
 Divine Majesty. If the Angels succour us 
 in this dread moment, do they not prove 
 themselves our true friends ? It is in the 
 time of affliction a person knows a sincere 
 friend; and behold in the hour of death, 
 when all abandon us to our fate, when our 
 body is consigned to the solitary tomb, 
 and our soul “ goes to the house of its eter¬ 
 nity/' the Angels, faithful to their charge, 
 never depart from us.—Our Lord once re¬ 
 vealed, that souls devoted to the Angels 
 duriug life shall receive extraordinary helps 
 from them at the hour of death. And it 
 is most just that the King of kings should 
 thus evince his sense of the honours paid 
 to his courtiers. Oh ! blessed are those 
 who by their love for and devotion to the 
 Angels, and submission to the holy lessons 
 which they have inspired, find themselves 
 encompassed with their protection at the 
 last hour, as with “a tower of defence/' 
 but wo to those, who have seldom thought 
 
50 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 put thieves and outlaws to death, in order 
 to preserve the lives and properties of their 
 subjects—the blessed spirits will destroy 
 the schemes of their apostate brethren for 
 our eternal ruin ; and with them we shall 
 sing a canticle of joy and a psalm of jubi¬ 
 lation, because we shall have obtained the 
 victory. 
 
 MOTIVE NINTH. 
 
 The great helps the Holy Angels afford us at the 
 Hour of Heath. 
 
 If to a pagan philosopher death appeared 
 of all terrible things the most terrible, in 
 what light should it be viewed by a Chris¬ 
 tian, to whom God has revealed its conse¬ 
 quences ? When a person thinks seriously, 
 that on the moment of death depends a 
 happy or miserable eternity, his heart must 
 be obdurate indeed, if he be not struck 
 with fear; for “if the just be scarcely 
 saved, where will the sinner appear ?” 0 
 
 Lord ! “ enter not into judgment with thy 
 servant, for no one living can be justified 
 in thy sight!” The holy abbot Agatho, be¬ 
 ing seized with trembling at his last hour, 
 and his religious having asked him the 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 51 
 
 cause—he replied, that though by the great 
 mercy of God, his conscience did not re¬ 
 proach him with anything, yet that the 
 divine judgments being very different from 
 those of men, he was in great alarm. No 
 wonder he should have felt so—all our good 
 works being imperfect in the sight of the 
 Divine Majesty. If the Angels succour us 
 in this dread moment, do they not prove 
 themselves our true friends ? It is in the 
 time of affliction a person knows a sincere 
 friend; and behold in the hour of death, 
 when all abandon us to our fate, when our 
 body is consigned to the solitary tomb, 
 and our soul “ goes to the house of its eter¬ 
 nity/ 7 the Angels, faithful to their charge, 
 never depart from us.—Our Lord once re¬ 
 vealed, that souls devoted to the Angels 
 during life shall receive extraordinary helps 
 from them at the hour of death. And it 
 is most just that the King of kings should 
 thus evince his sense of the honours paid 
 to his courtiers. Oh! blessed are those 
 who by their love for and devotion to the 
 Angels, and submission to the holy lessons 
 which they have inspired, find themselves 
 encompassed with their protection at the 
 last hour, as with “a tower of defence/ 7 
 but wo to those, who have seldom thought 
 
54 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 Heaven ! How many say, that they care 
 not, provided they may be in Heaven at 
 all, what place they hold there. No doubt, 
 the last place there is too high for persons 
 who once deserved an everlasting hell; 
 but since our merciful God calls us to 
 aspire after the highest, it would betray 
 great baseness of soul to be indifferent 
 about it. “ Be ambitious of the better 
 gifts/ 7 says the Holy Ghost. St. Teresa 
 and St. Francis Borgia declared, that for 
 one sole degree of increased glory in- hea¬ 
 ven, they would consent to burn in the 
 flames of Purgatory till the day of judg¬ 
 ment. These enlightened souls well knew 
 its excellence—whereas we are incapable 
 of discerning it, our sight being obscured 
 by the vapours of flesh and blood. If it 
 be asked, are not all the blessed perfectly 
 content ?—we reply, they are—but their 
 joy is not equal. u As one star differs 
 from another in brightness, so the resurrec¬ 
 tion of the dead. 77 The great spiritualist, 
 Thaulerus, says, that there is more differ¬ 
 ence between one of the blessed who holds 
 the first rank in the celestial empire, and 
 another in an inferior degree, than between 
 a mighty sovereign and an abject peasant. 
 This should excite us to great and noble 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 55 
 
 exertions, although there were no other 
 motive than that by our greater glory and 
 happiness God will be more glorified eter¬ 
 nally. One sole degree of the glory of 
 God would cause a soul who truly loves 
 him to endure ten thousand deaths; and 
 here it is not only one degree there is ques¬ 
 tion of, but as many as there are moments in 
 that eternity which is to be the term of our 
 happiness. Devotion to the Angels con¬ 
 tributes wonderfully to the perfection of 
 divine love, and consequently to the in¬ 
 crease of glory in Heaven. These holy 
 Spirits are all fire, and it is impossible‘to 
 approach them often, without catching fire 
 and participating in their ardours. If, 
 with the Saiuts, we become sanctified— 
 with the Angels, we are rendered celestial. 
 It is the property of love to make lovers 
 equal; therefore our love for, and union 
 with the Angels, will give us some resem¬ 
 blance to them. Moreover, they are, as 
 we before said, most* anxious to render us 
 holy and perfect. What profit should we 
 not reap, if we were more docile “ to the 
 voice of their orders”—if we loved to fre¬ 
 quent their school and hearken to their in¬ 
 structions? When St. Teresa was about 
 to enter a more perfect life, a celestial 
 
56 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 
 voice said to her, that she should no longer 
 hold converse with men, but with Angels. 
 If intercourse with men be an obstacle to 
 sanctity, familiarity with the Angels helps 
 to our progress in it. Thus the greatest 
 Saints have been the most devoted to the 
 Angels. Let us endeavour to become so 
 too, and we shall speedily advance in the 
 ways of true sanctity, and enjoy in Heaven 
 an eminent degree of glory. 
 
 MOTIVE ELEVENTH. 
 
 The Blessed Virgin is glorified by our Devotion to 
 
 the Angels. 
 
 The increase of the glory of the admira¬ 
 ble Mother of God is a motive not a little 
 powerful with those who love her. We 
 read that many persons, vicious in other 
 respects, have been so touched with the 
 honour of this blessed Mother, as to pro¬ 
 test that they would willingly sacrifice their 
 lives for it. Now, if rebellious souls were 
 so zealous for the honour of this august 
 Queen of the sweets of Paradise, with 
 much more reason should pious souls be 
 induced to labour in so holy a cause. We 
 can never sufficiently honour her. Ac- 
 
TIIE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 57 
 
 cording to the testimony of the great Saint 
 Bridget of Hungary, the Angels, from the 
 commencement of the world, conceived so 
 warm a love and so pure a -zeal for the 
 interests of Mary, that they were more 
 pleased that she should receive existence 
 than that they themselves had been created. 
 How many persons, in imitation of these 
 blessed Spirits, and by their powerful suc¬ 
 cour, have since preferred the interest of 
 this blessed Virgin to their own interest— 
 her honour to their own honour ! I have 
 known several who were willing to sacrifice 
 their life a thousand times for her honour, 
 and who would remain amid the fire and 
 flames of Purgatory till the day of judg¬ 
 ment, to preserve her the least degree of 
 glory. There is nothing which a good 
 heart would not be willing to do and suffer 
 for this Holy Virgin; all would appear 
 little to it when done for her who deserved 
 to be the Mother of God. This it is which 
 persuades me that the motive of her glory 
 will induce men to be devout to the Angels. 
 Being mistress general of the celestial 
 host, the Angels are the soldiers of her 
 who alone “is terrible as an enemy set in 
 battle array .” They have vigorously com¬ 
 batted for her glory from the beginning, 
 
58 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 opposing themselves against Lucifer and 
 his adherents, who refused to submit to her 
 dominion, when God had revealed to them 
 that she would one day become their 
 Queen. Being the august Empress of 
 Paradise, the Angels are her subjects, and 
 consider it a great honour to be obedient 
 to her laws. As lady or mistress of the 
 Angels, these pure spirits are her servants, 
 and so faithful that they fly at the least in¬ 
 timation of her will. According to the 
 opinion of Theologians, Mary is mother of 
 the Angels, and the friend of these holy 
 Spirits—for the Spouse in the Canticles 
 says to her, “ speak, my beloved, for the 
 friends hear m ” and these friends are the 
 Angels. 
 
 Now, do not all these titles, which con¬ 
 nect Mary with the Angels, show that her 
 glory is concerned in their veneration ? 
 The servants, subjects, and soldiers of so 
 great a Queen, have all manner of claims 
 on our homage and devotion. Let us then 
 praise and bless the holy Angels, because 
 this most pure Virgin, our amiable Mother, 
 is praised and blessed in them and by 
 them ) but let us, above all, praise that 
 Lord, who has operated all that is good or 
 great in our Lady of the Angels and the 
 
 V 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 59 
 
 Angels themselves—God alone! God alone! 
 God alone! 
 
 MOTIVE TWELFTH. 
 
 The Honour of God alone in connected icith the De¬ 
 votion to the Holy Angels. 
 
 When a person has said “ God,” he has 
 said all. A true lover of this Divine 
 Being can say nothing more, since he 
 knows nothing more. “ What have I 
 in heaven, or on earth,” exclaims such a 
 one, “ but thee, my God ! I care not for 
 honours, or riches, or pleasures; in Hea¬ 
 ven itself, I regard but God alone—He is 
 my only all in all things.” Such was St. 
 Catherine of Genoa; she could not bear 
 the word “ mine;” that is, she could not 
 bear to regard self-interest, even in good 
 things.” “ 0 my God, and my all !” used 
 the humble St. Francis to exclaim; and in 
 repeating these words of love, he fre¬ 
 quently passed the days and nights. Pure 
 love can see but God alone—it can attach 
 itself only to God alone. None but the 
 interests of God alone can possibly affect 
 it; all its joy is to see them established— 
 all its regret to see them neglected. A 
 soul who loves in this manner, cares little 
 
60 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 for the esteem or contempt of creatures, 
 however holy they may be. The contra¬ 
 dictions it meets from the servants of God, 
 and the censure heaped on such actions as 
 grace inspires it to perform, give it no 
 concern; on the contrary, as its abandon¬ 
 ments increase, its joy becomes more great— 
 its repose more calm—its peace more pro¬ 
 found—for its greatest felicity is to be 
 freed from the creature, in order to be 
 wholly occupied with the Creator. 
 
 This increated Being, God alone, makes 
 all the occupation of the blessed in hea¬ 
 ven—and it were but just that he made 
 that of men on earth ; but alas ! they seek 
 their treasure, their delight, elsewhere. 
 Even those who are freed from grosser at¬ 
 tachments are not without their petty de¬ 
 sires and little interests. A holy soul one 
 day saw in spirit, that, among a thousand, 
 scarcely*one hundred love God—and of 
 this number not one almost who loved him 
 purely for his own sake. The angelic na¬ 
 ture is most admirable; but it is in and 
 from God alone that it possesses all its 
 excellencies. It is then for God alone that 
 we should honour the blessed Spirits. 
 Holy souls, observing nothing in them but 
 this infinite Majesty, exclaim, transported 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 61 
 
 with joy at the happy discovery, u 0 ce¬ 
 lestial Spirits! how amiable is your beauty, 
 since it is a reflection of the increated 
 beauty of the Divinity ! We indeed should 
 love you, since we see in you but God 
 alone—since you have been always filled 
 with God alone. How could we refuse to 
 love you, since you have always loved and 
 been always loved by love itself! 0 my 
 
 soul ! God wills and ordains that we love 
 his Angels. Let us then regulate our in¬ 
 clinations by his, and make these glorious 
 princes the objects of our love, for God 
 alone ! God alone ! God alone ! 
 
 DEVOTION TO THE NINE CHOIRS 
 OE ANGELS. . 
 
 Strong ^3 art. 
 
 PRACTICE FIRST. 
 
 To have a singular Devotion to the holy Spirits of 
 the Jirst Choir—the Angela, Archangels, and Prin¬ 
 cipalities. 
 
 The third or last Hierarchy of the Holy 
 Angels is formed of three Choirs—Angels, 
 Archangels, and Principalities. They are 
 
62 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 particularly applied to the affairs of king¬ 
 doms and provinces, and in general to all 
 that regards the happiness of man. Their 
 goodness and kindness is so great, that we 
 can never make them a suitable return. 
 The principalities are so called, says St. 
 Gregory, because they are the princes of 
 the other two choirs, and communicate to 
 them those lights and intelligences which 
 they receive from the higher Hierarchies. 
 The Archangels watch over kingdoms and 
 provinces—and the Angels are appointed 
 the guardians of men. Let us have a great 
 devotion to this blessed choir, honouring 
 not only our own Angels but also those of 
 others. Let us honour the Angels of Infi¬ 
 dels, and often go in spirit to the countries 
 they inhabit, to pay our respects to them. 
 These poor blind people know not even 
 that there'are Angels, and behold the un¬ 
 wearied patience and love of these blessed 
 Spirits in guarding and defending them. 
 Do make atonement to them ) communi¬ 
 cate sometimes, give alms, hear mass, for 
 this intention—and let your heart often 
 salute these holy Angels. The more they 
 are slighted, the more they will love and 
 acknowledge your services. If a great 
 king, in the revolt of his subjects, received 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 63 
 
 considerable services from foreigners, be 
 would not fail to acknowledge them grate¬ 
 fully, when reinstated in his dominions : 
 hence judge what you may expect from 
 the princes of the celestial realm. Do the 
 same for the Angels of Heretics—for those 
 of uninstructed Catholics, the greater num¬ 
 ber of whom know as little about these 
 holy Spirits, as Pagans and Infidels. Pray 
 for their conversion, that knowing the 
 adorable Jesus, whom God has sent, and 
 Mary his amiable mother, they may also 
 know and honour the Angels. 
 
 Be devout to the Angels of your friends; 
 these often render you services, which you 
 would not receive from your own guardian. 
 As, in the number of your friends, your 
 confessor holds the first place, honour par¬ 
 ticularly his Angel, and pray him to bear 
 on his mind a perfect knowledge of the 
 designs of God on those whom he directs. 
 Honour the Angels of your parents, rela¬ 
 tions, benefactors, and- of all with whom 
 you have to do; they have more part than 
 you think in the favours you receive by 
 means of those persons. Be devout to the 
 Angels of your enemies—it is the true way 
 to gain them—or, if God wills that you 
 should suffer the effects of their hatred, it 
 
64 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 is the best means of obtaining grace to 
 love them cordially and make a good use 
 of your sufferings. In fine, revere tbe 
 Angels of the Sovereign Pontiff, the 
 Bishops, the Clergy, and all persons in 
 authority—that they may fitly discharge 
 their obligations. 
 
 From the Angels, let us ascend to the 
 Archangels, who watch over empires, &c. 
 Let us not only honour those among them 
 who guard our own city or kingdom, but 
 also those of the places through which we 
 pass—as Father le Fevre, the first com¬ 
 panion of St. Ignatius, used to do. The 
 Angelic Doctor teaches, that God generally 
 makes use of the ministry of the Angels 
 for all that he does on earth : let us invoke 
 them in time of plague, famine, war, and 
 other public calamities, and we shall soon 
 perceive the effects of their charitable 
 cares. 
 
 Our churches and altars have Angels, 
 not only to render homage to the Divine 
 Sovereign who resides in them in his Sacra¬ 
 ment, but also to guard and defend them. 
 A holy solitary once learned from the 
 mouth of an Angel, that he had been ap¬ 
 pointed to watch over an altar, and had 
 never departed from it since the moment 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 G5 • 
 
 of its consecration. It is to these Angels 
 we should recur to supply our negligences 
 and tepidities—to atone for our irreve¬ 
 rences and disrespects before, the Divine 
 Sacrament. It is well to unite in the love 
 and homage which they continually render 
 to it, and like the Psalmist, to “ sing can¬ 
 ticles of praise to our God in the presence 
 of his Angels.” 
 
 0 my Lord and my God! here permit 
 me to bewail, in the presence of your Di¬ 
 vine Majesty, the deplorable blindness of 
 Christians, who are the children of light, 
 regarding your holy Sacrament. Is it 
 then true, that they still believe you to be 
 really present in this adorable mystery, 
 and behave as they do ? We are seized 
 with horror when we reflect 04 the irreve¬ 
 rences committed against you by Heretics 
 and Infidels ) but those offered to you by 
 Christians, who profess themselves ready 
 to sacrifice their lives in defence of this 
 adorable truth, are inconceivable. We 
 have seen, with astonishment, tabernacles 
 full of dust and cobwebs—chalices, from 
 which the precious blood of God is re¬ 
 ceived, most mean and despicable—and 
 these covered with such tattered linen as 
 to excite disgust. If we enter our churches, 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 we find them either totally deserted, or 
 crowded with persons whose sentiments 
 and conduct ill befit the sanctity of the 
 place. This is not all—the sufferings 
 which love has imposed on our Sovereign 
 stop not here. Many, by a malice which 
 should cause the pillars of Heaven to 
 tremble, receive the body of the God of 
 Heaven and Earth in the state of mortal 
 sin, either because they conceal them .in 
 confession, or had not a true sorrow for 
 them, or a firm purpose to avoid those oc¬ 
 casions which would lead them anew to 
 their commission. We weep over the 
 passion of the Son of God—we loudly con¬ 
 demn Judas who betrayed him to the 
 Jews—but the sin of the unworthy com¬ 
 municant is*much greater, since he delivers 
 him up to the Devil! 0 ! Angels of Para¬ 
 
 dise ! I address myself to you—knowing 
 the obduracy of men, inspire them with 
 all that respect for the adorable body of 
 your Sovereign, which they are capable of 
 conceiving—give them a knowledge of 
 the dispositions with which it should be 
 received:—that this abominable crime, this 
 sin more hellish than human, may be no 
 more committed. Inspire the rich to pro¬ 
 vide phurcbes and altars, with suitable de- 
 
TIIE nOLY ANGELS. 
 
 67 
 
 corations—and repair, by your unceasing 
 homage, the insults which have been 
 offered to this mystery of inconceivable 
 love. 
 
 These holy Spirits, knowing so perfectly 
 the divine excellence of that Lamb without 
 spot whom love, incomprehensible love, 
 has caused to take up his abode among us, 
 have great zeal for the decoration of his 
 altars. It is giving them as great joy to 
 make presents which contribute thereto, as 
 it inspires them with regret to see them so 
 much neglected. They cannot comprehend 
 how Christians, enlightened by faith, can be 
 so anxious about the decoration of their 
 houses and persons, and so utterly indiffe¬ 
 rent to the ornamenting of the house of 
 God. 
 
 Confraternities and Sodalities, also, have 
 their Angels. It is related by F. Barri, 
 of the Society of Jesus, that a young stu¬ 
 dent, a member of the confraternity of the 
 Holy Virgin, established in the colleges of 
 the Society, was favoured with the pre¬ 
 sence of the tutelary of this association for 
 three days before his death, because, as the 
 Angel said, he had been observant of its 
 rules. 
 
 Let us also be devout to the Principali- 
 
68 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 ties. Man is in himself a little world; he 
 should rule over his passions and appetites, 
 as a king over his subjects; but, as his 
 empire is so weakened by sin, he stands in 
 need of support and assistance. The Prin¬ 
 cipalities, so called because of their do¬ 
 minion over the inferior choirs, will render 
 *“im their aid, provided he do not render 
 himself unworthy of it by neglecting de¬ 
 votion to them. 
 
 PRACTICE SECOND. 
 
 •Vo honour specially the Powers, Virtues, and 
 Dominations. 
 
 The Second Hierarchy of Angels is 
 composed of the Powers, Virtues, and 
 Dominations. The Dominations, as the 
 principal Choir, give or dispense the orders 
 which they receive from the higher Angels 
 —the virtues enable us to execute them— 
 and the Powers to surmount the obstacles 
 which the Devils oppose thereto. We 
 have elsewhere demonstrated the malicious 
 arts of these wicked spirits; it is to the 
 Powers that God has given the special 
 grace to defeat them. Hence it is of the 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 69 
 
 greatest importance in the spiritual life to 
 honour these blessed spirits. We cannot de¬ 
 tail the happy effects which proceed from it. 
 When we see storms raised in the Church, 
 or opposition excited against those who 
 labour for the increase of divine glory— 
 if we recur to the holy Powers, we shall 
 soon perceive how^owerful they are in 
 overturning; and defeating the machinations 
 of hell. 
 
 With all our good desires, w T e do very 
 little; our tongues are longer thau our 
 arms. It seems as if nothing could arrest 
 our course—and when we make a few 
 steps, we grow tired and think of reposing. 
 Poor, weak creatures! Our senses and 
 inclinations overcome us; we yield to them 
 for a trifle, and yet we are still weaker 
 than we think. Let devotion to the Vir¬ 
 tues be then our resource. St. Gregory 
 supposes that it is by them God generally 
 operates the greater number of miracles. 
 Let us invoke them in our weaknesses, and 
 counsel those who often fail, notwithstand¬ 
 ing their good desires, to do so too. Let 
 us call on them in the hour of temptation, 
 and praise and thank them when we have 
 gained the victory. 
 
 If the Dominations dispense the orders 
 
70 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 of God to the other Angels, they manifest 
 his holy will to man. 0! how happy 
 should we be, if we always discerned this 
 blessed will! But alas ! we often mistake 
 for it the will of the creature, and still 
 oftener, when we know it, we find it diffi¬ 
 cult to submit to it. We wish that the 
 will of God may be done, but in such a 
 manner as we wish. r lPhis is not true con¬ 
 formity. A soul touched with the love of 
 God would fly to the remotest corner of the 
 earth at his nod; she wishes that God may 
 be absolute in her and in all creatures— 
 that his will may be done as he pleases, 
 and because he pleases. If at any time she 
 is ignorant of this will, and prays to the 
 Dominations, they will not fail to manifest 
 it to her, being Secretaries of State to the 
 great King Jesus. 0 my God ! how just 
 it appears, that all should serve and be 
 subject to you ! “ All the nations are be¬ 
 
 fore you as a drop of dew.” He who 
 knows your will, and does it not, deserves 
 punishment indeed. 0 ! may it be done 
 in all things—and may we seek our peace 
 only in its accomplishment. Amen. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 71 
 
 PRACTICE THIRD. 
 
 To entertain a profound respect and extraordinary 
 love for the Thrones, the Cherubim and Seraphim . 
 
 The first Hierarchy of the Angels is 
 composed of the Thrones, the Cherubim 
 and Seraphim. The latter excel in love— 
 hence their name, Seraphim, which signi¬ 
 fies ardour. Though all the Angels love 
 fervently, the love of the Seraphim exceeds 
 by many degrees the love of the other in¬ 
 ferior choirs. The great St. Denis distin¬ 
 guishes in it all the properties of fire. 
 This element is always in motion : the Se¬ 
 raphim continually tend to God. Fire al¬ 
 ways acts while it has matter; the Se¬ 
 raphim continually feed on God alone. 
 Fire is inflexible; the love of the Seraphim 
 is immutable. Fire possesses great warmth: 
 the Seraphim are all flame. Fire never 
 loses its light; the ardour of the Seraphim 
 is never lessened. Fire penetrates the mat¬ 
 ter on which it acts; the Seraphim enjoy 
 the most perfect union with the Divinity. 
 In fine—fire warms and purifies; the Se¬ 
 raphim convey, from their divine centre, 
 love and light to all the inferior Angels. 
 
 Science is attributed to the Cherubim, as 
 
72 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 love is to the Seraphim. They have, says 
 St. Gregory, all the plenitude of the divine 
 light, and their sacred brightness irradiates 
 the other Hierarchies. Ezechiel saw them 
 in a vision, all full of eyes, to designate 
 their vast intelligence. 
 
 The thrones are so called, because God 
 is said to be seated on them ; but if mate¬ 
 rial thrones give repose to the Sovereigns 
 who sit upon them, the celestial Thrones 
 receive their repose from the Eternal King. 
 They enjoy an incomprehensible peace— 
 for wherever God abides, he communicates 
 his divine peace and tranquillity. This 
 peace of God is very different from that of 
 men. “ I come,” said our divine Master, 
 “ not to send peace, but the sword.” To 
 obtain this so desirable peace, it is necessary 
 not to fear or hope for anything from crea¬ 
 tures—to live by faith—to make no more 
 account of created things, than if they were 
 not—to desire no share in the friendship or 
 esteem of men—to lose, in fine, all our de¬ 
 sires in an entire acquiescence in the divine 
 pleasure. Be devout to the Thrones, and 
 they will exert themselves in obtaining for 
 you this greatest of all blessings. 
 
 In like manner with the Cherubim. It 
 is said, that in the way of virtue we know 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 73 
 
 more than we do ) but it is certain that 
 perfect knowledge is rare. We speak of 
 that of the saints. Few persons are prac¬ 
 tically convinced of the excellence of po¬ 
 verty and humiliation—of the advantages 
 of the hidden and suffering life. It is in 
 the school of a God, and at the feet of the 
 crucifix, that this divine lesson is to be 
 learned. Let us frequent it under the 
 auspices of the Cherubim, the spirits of 
 light, and we shall soon be illumined, and 
 walk in the brightness of the children of 
 God. 
 
 If the Cherubim be the ministers of the 
 lights of God, the Seraphim are those of 
 his love. Whoever aspires to this most 
 sublime virtue, should be particularly de¬ 
 vout to them. The Saints most remark¬ 
 able for their love of God have been most 
 devout to these divine spirits—witness a 
 St. Francis and a St. Teresa. The glory 
 reserved for such souls in Heaven is to be 
 elevated to and ranked in this blessed choir. 
 How good is our God, to associate his poor 
 servants among such super-eminent beings 
 as the holy Seraphim ! 
 
74 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 PRACTICE FOURTH. 
 
 To have a great Devotion to the Seven Spirits who 
 are before the Throne. 
 
 The Holy Scriptures assure us, that 
 there are seven of the holy Angels spe¬ 
 cially appointed to assist before the Throne, 
 and stand continually in the presence of the 
 Most High. In the 1st chapter of the 
 Apocalypse, grace and peace are given in 
 the name of these sublime Spirits. We 
 only know the names of three of them—St. 
 Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael. Some 
 say that the fourth is called Uriel, of whom 
 there is mention made in the Book of Es- 
 dras. E. Barri relates, that in the city of 
 Palermo, in Sicily, and in that of Rome, a 
 church was dedicated to God in honour of 
 these seven Angels, and that they were ex¬ 
 cellently portrayed there with their appro¬ 
 priate symbols. Saint Michael was repre¬ 
 sented as triumphing over Lucifer, bearing 
 in his left hand a verdant palm, and a lance 
 in his right, at the top of which was a 
 standard as white as snow, with a cross in 
 the middle: St. Gabriel appeared with a 
 flambeau shut up in a lantern in one hand, 
 and a mirror in the other, variegated with 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 75 
 
 spots of different colours; St. Raphael was 
 painted with a fish in his mouth, and a box 
 in his hand, guiding Tobias. Uriel, or the 
 fourth Angel, held in his right hand a 
 naked sword, while his left hung enveloped 
 in flames. The fifth was in the attitude 
 of a suppliant, with his eyes modestly bent; 
 the sixth had a crown of gold in his right 
 hand, and a whip of three black cords in 
 the left; and the seventh bore enwrapped 
 in the end of a mantle, wherewith he was 
 clothed, a quantity of white roses. We 
 are induced to be minute in describing this 
 picture, in the hope that some person may 
 paint such a one, knowing from experience, 
 that even a view of the tablets or images 
 of the Angels is of great profit and advan¬ 
 tage. But to say something of each in 
 particular: 
 
 St. Michael, the first of these blessed 
 princes, defended the honour of the Word 
 incarnate against Lucifer. It is supposed 
 he was the first who adored him in the 
 manger. He is the tutelary of the holy 
 Church, and is in a particular manner the 
 protector of France. At Avranches there 
 is a church dedicated to him, vulgarly 
 called Mount St. Michael. He is the guar¬ 
 dian of the dying, according to Saints Au- 
 
76 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 gustine and Bonaventure. This latter af¬ 
 firms, that he receives orders from the 
 Mother of God, to assist more specially 
 those who are devout to her. St. Michael 
 is the highest among the Seraphim, and 
 the chief of the celestial host. If we love 
 the Church—if we love ourselves—if we are 
 desirous to overcome our self-love, and so¬ 
 licitous to provide against our last hour, 
 we must be devout to him. 
 
 St. Gabriel is also one of the Seraphim, 
 though, like St. Michael, denominated an 
 archangel., But this title is common to the 
 most glorious of the blessed Spirits, as that 
 of Angel is to them all, of whatever order 
 they may be. It was this holy spirit that 
 was deputed by God to announce the incar¬ 
 nation of his Son to Mary. It is supposed 
 that he was the Guardian Angel of this 
 blessed Virgin. Hence judge of his supe¬ 
 rior sanctity and excellence, and learn to 
 honour him as he deserves. 
 
 We need only to peruse the history of 
 Tobias, to be devout to St. Raphael, the 
 third Angel—for he rendered this young 
 man most important services, conducting 
 him safely in his journey, and teaching 
 him how to avoid the snares which Satan 
 had so effectually employed to destroy the 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 77 
 
 former husbands of tho wife whom he had 
 espoused. Pilgrims and travellers ought 
 to invoke him, and indeed all Christians, as 
 we are all pilgrims and sojourners on earth. 
 
 Let us honour all these blessed Seven— 
 let us be but truly devout to them—let us 
 beg their prayers, in order that we may 
 avoid the seven capital sins, and obtain the 
 seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 PRACTICE FIFTH. 
 
 I To converse interiorly with the Angels. 
 
 Render familiar to yourselves the con¬ 
 verse of the holy Angels, says St. Bernard 
 to his religious, and often call them to 
 mind. We willingly converse with men— 
 and behold the world is full of Angels, and 
 these most amiable and excellent in every 
 point of view, and yet scarcely can there be 
 found a few who think of them. Is it that 
 we doubt of their presence, because we do 
 not behold them with our bodily eyes ? 
 Have we not faith ? Yes—but alas ! it is 
 greatly weakened by our attachment to 
 earthly things. The holy solitaries being 
 disengaged from all, loved the company of 
 
 
78 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 the Angels, and spent whole days in com¬ 
 muning with them; while we find an houi 
 much too long to converse with these blessed 
 Spirits. Poor blind creatures ! our life is 
 wholly sensual. A certain holy person be¬ 
 ing one day standing near a window which 
 opened on a populous street, was suddenly 
 favoured with a ray of divine light, by 
 which she saw that men lived in an almost 
 total forgetfulness of spiritual things. Be¬ 
 ing thus penetrated, she listened to‘what 
 those who were passing by said, and re¬ 
 marked that not one spoke of God, or of 
 the Angels. Some spoke of houses or 
 farms — others of clothes — these of the 
 weather—those of health and the like. 
 0! how many Angels pass by with these 
 poor people, said she, and yet no one thinks 
 of them. Greatly affected at this conside¬ 
 ration, she went to a fair which was then 
 being held in the vicinity, to pay her re¬ 
 spects interiorly to the Angels whom she 
 knew to be there in great numbers, in the 
 company of those of whom they had care, 
 and who were quite unmindful of them. 
 Behold a practice worthy of imitation! 
 When you walk through town, salute inte¬ 
 riorly the Angels of those whom you meet. 
 When you go to the country, pay homage to 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 79 
 
 the blessed Spirits who are there even more 
 neglected, because of the ignorance of the 
 poor peasantry. When you enter into a 
 church, or a public assembly, let holy faith 
 manifest to you the presence of the Angels. 
 When you make a journey, entertain your¬ 
 self with the Angels of those who travel 
 with you. When among your friends, say 
 from time to time a little word to their 
 Angels—and when alone with yourself, 
 speak to and entertain these blessed Spirits. 
 
 If we exhort you to be familiar with 
 and devout to all the Angels, we are still 
 more pressing in inviting you to honour 
 that holy Spirit to whose care God com¬ 
 mitted you at the moment of your birth. 
 He thiuks continually of you; never lose 
 sight of him. A little prayer, said morn¬ 
 ing and night, is too slight a testimony of 
 your gratitude towards him. If a prince 
 of the eafth came to reside with you, 
 would you think it enough to pay your re¬ 
 spects to him once or twice a day, and 
 leave him alone the rest of the time—par¬ 
 ticularly if his object was to load you w r ith 
 benefits and favours, of which you were 
 * utterly unworthy ? Surely you would not. 
 Alas ! it is only to spiritual things that 
 we are indifferent and insensible. Take 
 
80 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 then, a quarter or half an hour sometimes 
 to pay this good Angel your homage. 
 Prostrate yourself before him; crave par¬ 
 don for your past ingratitude; ask his 
 blessing : tell him all you would wish to say 
 to a most faithful friend.: Now speak to him 
 of your weaknesses, miseries, temptations— 
 and then of the obligations you have to 
 him, of his beauty, his perfections, his ad¬ 
 mirable qualifications. Converse with him 
 as with a good father, a tender mother, 
 an incomparable friend, a vigilant pastor, 
 a charitable guide, a skilful physician, a 
 powerful protector. Entertain your good 
 Angel at different intervals in one of these 
 characters—and be assured that the time 
 will pass much more agreeably and profit¬ 
 ably than in the company of creatures. 
 Sometimes you are at a loss for a com¬ 
 panion—behold your good Angel always 
 ready to converse with you. When a 
 certain religious woman, who had no rela¬ 
 tions or friends that might visit her, was 
 asked if she felt not mortified when she 
 saw the other sisters visited—“No,” re¬ 
 plied she—“for I have a very amiable 
 person to cctnverse with—and when I learn* 
 that one of the community is called to the 
 parlour, I immediately go and pay him a 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 81 
 
 visit. As they did not understand what 
 she meant, she led them to an image of an 
 Angel, which was in the monastery, and 
 said, “ behold my father, and mother, and 
 friend and acquaintance ! I assure you I 
 leave his company more content thau our 
 sisters leave the parlour.” We ought also 
 often visit in spirit heretical and infidel 
 kingdoms, to converse with the Angels of 
 these poor people, and treat with them 
 about their conversion. One day we can 
 honour the Angels of one kingdom—and 
 another, the Angels of some other. Some¬ 
 times those of Canada or China—at others, 
 those of Mexico or Japan. It would bo 
 advisable to visit, in spirit, the Angels of 
 Christian and Catholic countries also, who 
 (as we before said) are but too much for¬ 
 gotten. Another very delightful practice 
 is, to traverse, in spirit, the Heavenly Je¬ 
 rusalem—now saluting the Cherubim, then 
 the Seraphim, and so the other Choirs. It 
 is also very laudable to salute the Angels 
 our acquaintances when we meet them. 
 This is easier than some may imagine; it 
 is only necessary to make a little compact 
 with yourself, which you will renew at 
 least every month, that, as often as you 
 salute any person, you will also salute his 
 
 6 
 
 i 
 
 
82 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 Angel Guardian. On these occasions, 
 when you remember it, say interiorly to 
 these holy Angels, that you salute them. 
 By this means, the recollection of these 
 blessed Spirits will be gradually facilitated. 
 Some, when writing to friends, salute their 
 Angel Guardians. I know it will be said, 
 that these practices are rare. I admit that 
 they are so—but maintain that they ought 
 to be general. It is an extraordinary 
 thing to see a real Saint: but as this de¬ 
 plorable truth should not hinder us from 
 aspiring to sanctity—so, that want of de¬ 
 votion to the Angels, which is so general, 
 cannot warrant us to refuse them our love 
 and veneration. 
 
 PRACTICE SIXTH. 
 
 To make Novenas in honour of the holy Angela— 
 to take certain days to honour them—and to cele¬ 
 brate their Feasts with particular devotion. 
 
 The Catholic Church teaches, that we 
 should not superstitiously attach ourselves 
 to certain numbers; but there are some 
 mysterious ones, consecrated by the piety 
 of the faithful, which she sanctions and 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 83 
 
 authorizes—as that of three , which is the 
 number of the holy Trinity; that of forty, 
 which is the number of days our Lord 
 spent in the wilderness; that of nine, 
 which corresponds with the number of the 
 angelic Choirs. Any devotion practised 
 for nine days is termed a • Novena. St. 
 Teresa was very partial to this practice, as 
 she herself tells us. It is most useful to 
 perform such a one in honour of the An¬ 
 gels; we ourselves have seen miraculous 
 things effected by it. It may be as fol¬ 
 lows : the first day, honour the Angels of 
 the last Choir by some prayer — nine 
 Gloria Patris, for example—and ask them 
 for the grace or favour you want; and 
 thus ascend to all the choirs successively. 
 If your object be the graces peculiar to 
 each Choir, you can on the first day, ask 
 the Angels to obtain for you a lively faith; 
 on the second, beg of the Archangels holy 
 zeal; on the third, honour the Principali¬ 
 ties, and beg the extinction of the reign 
 of sin; on the fourth, the Powers, for 
 their support against the malicious efforts 
 of hell; on the fifth, the Virtues, that 
 they may facilitate the practice of that,, 
 perfection to which all Christians are by 
 their baptismal engagement bound to as- 
 
84 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 pire; on the sixth, honour the Dominations, 
 that you may know the divine will; on the 
 seventh, the Thrones, that, by a perfect 
 subjection to this blessed will, you may 
 obtain u that peace which surpasses all 
 understanding;” on the eighth, honour 
 the Cherubing that, taught from on high, 
 you may renounce in practice the maxims 
 and doctrine of the world ; and, finally, on 
 the ninth, honour the Seraphim, for the 
 establishment of the reign of the love of 
 God in the hearts of all. This devotion 
 of Novenas is also a useful preparation for 
 the feasts . of our Lord and his blessed 
 Mother, as well as of the Angels. It may 
 consist of any pious practice, as of nine 
 acts of mortification, nine genuflections, 
 nine visits to the Holy Sacrament, or nine 
 Ave Marias, a devotion which our Lord re¬ 
 vealed to St. Mechtilde. It is well to com¬ 
 mence by receiving the Holy Sacraments, 
 that our souls being cleansed from sin, 
 God may be more ready to hear and gran^ 
 our requests. Thus much for the devotion 
 of the Novena. 
 
 Tuesday in each week (since there is no 
 day or week in which we do not experience 
 the protection of the angels) should be sa¬ 
 cred to the angelic devotion—as also the 
 
 i 
 
TI1E HOLY ANGELS 
 
 85 
 
 29th of September and the 8th of May, 
 the feasts of St. Michael. In Normandy, 
 they devote the 16th of October to honour 
 the apparition of this glorious Archangel 
 on the Mount of Tornbe, commonly called 
 Mount St. Michael. The church built 
 there in his honour is frequented by crowds 
 of pilgrims on this day, and numberless 
 miracles are operated by his intercession. 
 The 18th of March is the feast of St. 
 Gabriel; the 24th of October, that of St. 
 Itaphaelj and the 2d of the same month 
 is consecrated to the Angels Guardians. 
 All these days should be solemn feasts with 
 the devotees of the holy Angels. They 
 would do well to prepare for them by some 
 act of mortification, (St. Francis fasted 
 forty days to prepare for the feast of Sf. 
 Michael,) or by the Novena, and to cele¬ 
 brate the feast itself by approaching the 
 Sacraments, reciting the Office of and 
 Litany and Beads of these blessed Spirits, 
 each one according to his time and devo¬ 
 tion. 
 
 Behold another way of honouring the 
 Angels : when about to celebrate the fes¬ 
 tival of a Saint, form the intention of 
 honouring his or her guardian; thus you 
 will keep a perpetual holiday in honour 
 
/ 
 
 86 DEVOTION TO 
 
 ' 
 
 of the Angels. Love to visit churches and 
 altars dedicated to them; you will thereby 
 obtain, through their intercession, the 
 most precious gifts and graces. 
 
 The Emperor Otho the Third made a 
 pilgrimage barefooted to the Church of St. 
 Michael, on Mount Gargan, in Home. A 
 few years since, it pleased our Lord to ex¬ 
 cite a great devotion to these blessed Spirits 
 in the city of Rouen, the capital of Nor¬ 
 mandy. The occurrence was as follows: 
 Some persons being on their way to visit 
 the Church of our Lady of Good Succour, 
 and feeling inspired to say a few prayers 
 at the Church of St. Michael, which was 
 nigh, felt quite sorry to find it almost 
 abandoned, and no traces left of that devo¬ 
 tion which was formerly exhibited there. 
 This induced them to form at once the re¬ 
 solution of visiting it occasionally, in which 
 they were joined by many others. In a 
 short time, the number so increased, that 
 for want of room in the Church, the ser¬ 
 mon which they had every month in hon¬ 
 our of the Angels, was obliged to be 
 preached in the open) air. Many were the 
 advantages derived to those who assisted 
 at it. 
 
THE HOLT: ANGELS 
 
 87 
 
 PRACTICE SEVENTH. 
 
 To have a great Confidence in the Angels , and recur 
 to them in all necessities. 
 
 “They who trust in the Lord are as 
 mount Sion; God encompasses them with 
 his holy mountains.” These mountains, 
 spoken of by the Psalmist, are the Holy 
 Angels. 0 ! how happy is that soul, whose 
 humble confidence merits such protection ! 
 She shall not foar the arrow flying in the 
 dark, nor the noon-day devil. 
 
 After all we have said, it would seem 
 that you should not want a great confidence 
 in the Ang » “ Why would you fear,” 
 
 says St. H^nard, “having such faithful, 
 wise, and potent friends as the Angels?” 
 “ May joy be always with you,” said Ra¬ 
 phael to Tobias; “I shall conduct you 
 thither, and reconduct you hither.” The 
 Angels are incessantly watching over us; 
 wherever we go, we are surrounded by 
 these blessed Spirits. Why, then, do we 
 fear? While asleep, there are more eyes 
 open to guard us than there are stars in 
 the heavens; when awake, and in the midst 
 of danger, there are more angels armed in 
 our defence than there are rays in the sun 
 
88 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 or atoms in the air. But, unhappy crea¬ 
 tures !—nothing moves us but what strikes 
 our senses. Here I must confess my utter 
 astonishment at the little confidence of men 
 in the protection of Heaven. 0 ! the ava¬ 
 riciousness of the human heart! said our 
 Lord once to St. Teresa. It seems to it 
 that the whole world cannot supply its 
 wants; it feels nothing but inquietude, 
 both for temporal and spiritual thi-ngs. 
 Although there were no Providence, we 
 could not place more reliance on human 
 means. What a pity to see even spiritual 
 persons counting so much on their own in¬ 
 dustry, and so much occupied with what 
 concerns them. Let us place all our hope 
 in the Lord, and all our confidence in his 
 Providence. Let us beg of him to open 
 our eyes to the protection of the Angels, 
 as he did those of the servant of Elias. 
 Then seeing that “ there is more for us than 
 against us/’ we cannot help confiding in 
 such powerful patronage, nor fail to lift our 
 hands, in our spiritual and corporeal dan¬ 
 gers, to those holy mountains which the Lord 
 has set for our defence, and appointed for 
 our protection, through a marvellous ex¬ 
 cess of incomprehensible love. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 89 
 
 i 
 
 PRACTICE EIGHTH. 
 
 To labour for the Conversion of Sinners and the 
 
 release of Souls from Purgatory—and to practise 
 
 Virtue, &c.y in honour of the Angels. 
 
 Wiiat can we do more agreeable to the 
 Angels than to labour with them for the 
 glory of our common Master? It is his 
 glory which causes this almost infinite num¬ 
 ber of blessed Spirits to watch so indefati- 
 gably over us poor sinners ; and what won¬ 
 der, when even the shadow of the interests 
 of this divine being should be upheld at 
 the risk of the annihilation of all creatures. 
 O my God ! why are you not known by us ! 
 This world is indeed a land of forgetfulness 
 in your regard. A God-man having sacri¬ 
 ficed his life, in the midst of an infinity of 
 sufferings, for your divine interest, we 
 should either renounce Christianity, or en¬ 
 deavour to advance it by every possible 
 means. Here it is we should pour out 
 floods of tears over the insensibility and 
 blindness of men. Great expenses are in¬ 
 curred for decorating and pampering a body 
 which will in a few days become the food 
 of worms—and nothing, or less than no¬ 
 thing, is done for the soul! Immense re- 
 
£0 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 venues are expended for the support of 
 vanity and ambition, and scarcely will a 
 pound be given to advance the glory of 
 God! The greatest ignorance prevails 
 among the peasantry—whole villages are 
 desolated by the reign of sin—the establish¬ 
 ment of schools would be the grand remedy 
 —but, alas ! few or none care to contribute 
 towards it. They can find money enough 
 to purchase rich plate and precious furni¬ 
 ture !—it is only for the interest of God 
 that they have none. 0 horror of horrors! 
 I plainly see, my God! the truth of your 
 divine words — that though “many are 
 called, few are chosen.” 
 
 The example of the blessed Spirits should 
 animate us to do and suffer all, in order to 
 save our souls : it should also encourage us 
 to labour for the salvation of others. Let 
 us act in concert with these blessed Spirits 
 for this end. Their example should ani¬ 
 mate us, though we meet little success. St. 
 Ignatius proposed it as a stimulus to his 
 children. The holy Angels faithfully con¬ 
 tinue their labours, and cares for us during 
 40, or 60, or 80 years, or whatever be the 
 term of our lives, though they are sure the 
 object of them will reap no fruit or advan¬ 
 tage, through his own malice. Hence, con- 
 

 THE HOLY ANGELS. 91 
 
 fessors, preachers, and all who labour in 
 any shape for the extension of the reign of 
 God, should be singularly devout to these 
 holy Spirits. The charity of these blessed 
 Spirits extends beyond the grave. It is 
 doing them a great favour to pray for the 
 poor souls in Purgatory. Let us succour 
 them as much as we can, by the holy mass, 
 alms, indulgences, &c. They are truly de¬ 
 serving of our compassion, and the Angels 
 will not fail, as being interested for them, 
 to reward our charity with the most pre¬ 
 cious graces. 
 
 The practice of chastity is absolutely ne¬ 
 cessary to gain the friendship of the An¬ 
 gels. Virginity is their favourite virtue, 
 as it has been of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and 
 the two St. Johns. 0 Virgins! whoever 
 you may be, remember you possess a trea¬ 
 sure of inestimable price—one which as¬ 
 similates you to the Angels. But, as in 
 proportion to its excellence, you should 
 have a more lively apprehension of its loss, 
 so adopt more earnestly the necessary means 
 in order to its preservation. These are 
 mortification, guard of the senses, flight of 
 the world, and true and sincere humility. 
 This virtue of humility is one which the 
 Angels require in those devoted to them; 
 
92 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 they cannot bear the proud. The practice 
 of recollection and prayer is also most pleas¬ 
 ing to them; they have been visibly seen 
 assisting persons in this holy exercise. St. 
 Bernard saw them noting the manner in 
 which his religious made their prayer. 
 
 But if we would be truly devout to the 
 Angels, we should once for all take the re¬ 
 solution of avoiding deliberate faults and 
 imperfections, of searching out and over¬ 
 coming our predominant passion, the source 
 of our most frequent irregularities. En¬ 
 deavour every day to sacrifice some inclina¬ 
 tion of yours in honour of the Angels. If 
 we remembered that our Angel witnesses 
 all our actions, and that he abhors sin, it 
 would be some restraint on us, as even pa¬ 
 gan philosophers, who believed that an in¬ 
 visible guide presided over their thoughts 
 and action, acknowledged. “ Dispose and 
 regulate all your thoughts and actions,” 
 says one of them, quoted by F. Drexelius, 
 in his book on the Angels Guardians, u for 
 nothing internal or external is hidden from 
 the invisible witness or guardian who 
 watches over you.” If this was the senti¬ 
 ment of a pagan, what ought to be that of 
 a Christian ? 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 93 
 
 PRACTICE NINTH. 
 
 To endeavour to extend the devotion to the Angels. 
 
 If the Angels do all they can for the 
 service of man, man is obliged in justice 
 and gratitude to spare no pains in the ser¬ 
 vice of the Angels. We should neglect no 
 means in the order of God for the increase 
 of their glory. One method of honouring 
 them seems to be, to distribute images and 
 pictures of these glorious Spirits, particu¬ 
 larly among the peasantry, and the poor 
 and ignorant of the city. It would be well 
 to recommend our friends to set up such 
 pictures in their chambers or oratories—as 
 also to make presents of them to some 
 Chapel or Altar. Constantine the Great 
 caused four images of the Angels to be 
 wrought, and in the most exquisite man¬ 
 ner. Another and a more laudable means 
 is to lend and distribute books which treat 
 of their excellencies. Among others those 
 of F. Barri, F. Nouet, Drexelius, andCoret 
 —all of the Society of Jesus. These in¬ 
 spire such devotion to the Angels, as would, 
 be likely to last during the rest of our 
 lives. 
 
94 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 Preachers could greatly serve this devo¬ 
 tion, by instructing their auditors in it from 
 time to time—Seculars, by explaining it 
 to their friends—a Master, in his house— 
 a Father or Mother to their Children—a 
 person in the country, to the peasants—a 
 teacher, to his pupils—a friend, to his 
 friend. 
 
 But the best way to honour the Angels 
 is to procure the establishment of some 
 little sodality in their honour. We j^hall 
 conclude this work by giving the plan of 
 one.* If adopted, it will be to us a source 
 of grace, and will most certainly secure for 
 ' us the protection of the holy Angels. 
 
 PLAN OF AN ASSOCIATION 
 
 FOR THE CONTINUAL VENERATION OF THE HOLY 
 
 ANGELS. 
 
 The numberless benefits derived to us from the 
 holy Angels, and their ever glorious Queen, demand 
 continual testimonies of love and gratitude ; but, as 
 
 * Instead of the plan of Association given by the 
 Venerable Boudon, which would not be practicable 
 in th*is country, we substitute that in honour of the 
 Queen and Nine Choirs of Angels, canonically es¬ 
 tablished at Bordeaux, the Octave of the Nativity 
 of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1815. 
 
TIIE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 95 
 
 the duties of our state preclude this unceasing de¬ 
 votion, it was proposed to form an Association for 
 this purpose, each member of which would succes¬ 
 sively honour the Angels in the name of the rest— 
 and thus a continual homage would be rendered to 
 these blessed Spirits. 
 
 This Association was at first formed of a few 
 pious persons; but his Eminence, Cardinal de Soma- 
 glia, to whom the plan was submitted, judging it 
 would be to the faithful a new means of sanctity, 
 begged it might be publicly proposed, with a pro¬ 
 mise (subsequently fulfilled) of procuring from 
 the Sovereign Pontiff indulgences in favour of 
 the Associates. From the diocess of Metz, where 
 it had its origin, it spread and was canonically 
 established at Nancy, Amiens, Grenoble, La Ro¬ 
 chelle, <fcc., but in no city was it more generally 
 adopted than at Bordeaux—for, in less than two 
 months, more than six thousand billets of associa¬ 
 tion wcro distributed. The Duchess of Angoulemo 
 even patronized it. It was since established in 
 America—zealous Missionaries disposed the inhabi¬ 
 tants of the new world to embrace it. The plan is 
 based on the days of the month. Nine persons, to 
 correspond with the number of Choirs, having as¬ 
 sociated to honour perpetually the Angels and their 
 Queen, nine cards, or billets, are prepared, on one 
 side of which is to be written the names of the nine 
 choirs in succession, and on the other the date of 
 establishment, and number 1 or 2, or 3, <fcc. Each 
 person then draws one. He who draws number one 
 will, on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of tho month, say, in 
 the name of the rest, the Little Office of the Angels, 
 in honour of the First Choir—No. 2 will recite the 
 same on the 2d, 12th and 22d of the month, in 
 honour of the Second Choir, tho Archangels—No. 3 
 will do the same on the 3d, 13th, and 23d, in ho¬ 
 nour of the Third Choir, tho Principalities—No 4 
 
96 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 on the 4th 14th, and 25th, will honour the Powers— 
 No. 5 on the 5th, 15th, and 25th, the Fifth Choir, 
 the Virtues—No. 6, on the 6th, 16th, and 26th, the 
 Dominations—No. 7, on the 7th, 17th, and 27th, 
 will honour the Thrones—No. 8, on the 8th, 18th, 
 and 28th, will honour the Cherubim—and finally, 
 No. 9, on the 9th, 19th, and 29th, will in the sama 
 manner testify their devotion to the Ninth Choir, 
 the Seraphim. Of the whole month, there will then 
 remain unoccupied but three days—the 10th, 20th, 
 and 30th, and these are to be sacred to the Blessed 
 Virgin, as the Queen of Angels. All the members 
 will then, on each of these days, recite the Office of 
 her Immaculate Conception, in union with that 
 Choir whom he or she is honouring for the month.® 
 If the month has thirty-one days, the last day 
 is dedicated to St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. 
 Raphael, by reciting the Litany of the Angels in 
 their honour. 
 
 To afford each member an opportunity of honour¬ 
 ing all the Angels in succession. No. 1 will, dur¬ 
 ing the 2d month, take the 2d choir, next month the 
 3d choir, after that the 4th choir, and so on. No. 2 
 will, in like manner, during the 2d month honour the 
 3d choir, after that month the 4th choir, and so with 
 the others. 
 
 Such as cannot read will say Nine Paters and 
 Aves in lieu of the Office. 
 
 If an Associate forget to perform the devotion on 
 the days indicated by the card, which never change, 
 he will repair the omission as soon as possible, that 
 no interruption be given to that tribute of perpetual 
 praise which it is the object of the Association to 
 pay the holy Angels. When an Associate dies, the 
 surviving members will provide another, to whom 
 they will transfer the card of such Associate, that 
 
 * For this office, see page 157. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 97 
 
 Nine, the number of the Association, may be still 
 complete. 
 
 It is hoped that many may thus unite to honour 
 the Angels. It would bo a certain means of obtain¬ 
 ing their protection in life, and at the hour of 
 death. 
 
 Principal Feasts of the Angelical Association, and 
 Pays of Indulgence where it is canonically estab- 
 l is hcd* 
 
 The Immediate Conception of the B. V. M. 8th Dec. 
 St. Michael and all the Angels - - 29th Sept. 
 
 St. Gabriel - 18th March. 
 
 St. Raphael - 24th Oct. 
 
 Apparition of Saint Michael - 8th May. 
 
 THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 
 
 DEDICATED TO THE HOLY ANGELS, 
 
 BY A SERIES OP PIOUS PRACTICES. 
 
 Some persons, devout to t'he holy Angels, 
 not satisfied with entering into the forego¬ 
 ing Association, wished to dedicate to these 
 holy Spirits a whole month—that of Octo¬ 
 ber. They, during that period, perform 
 the following practices—the foregoing ones, 
 of the Association, being laid aside. It 
 commences the evening of St. Michael’s 
 Day, by the following otfering:— 
 
 0 all ye holy Angels ! who contemplate 
 without ceasing the increated beauty of the 
 
 7 
 
98 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 Divinity, in company with your ever 
 glorious Queen—I, your unworthy servant, 
 present and offer to you all the practices 
 of this month of October, consecrated to 
 your glory, not only as a means of obtain¬ 
 ing (here specify your request ,) but also as 
 a reparation for my past ingratitude, and 
 that of all men. Deign to accept it, 0 
 amiable Spirits! in union with the love 
 and devotion of such Saints as were 
 specially devout to you—and obtain for me 
 to spend this time so fervently, that it may 
 be the commencement of that angelical 
 life which I hope to live for ever with you 
 in Heaven. Amen. 
 
 A Memorare to the Angela. 
 
 Demember, 0 holy Angels! that Jesus, 
 the eternal Truth, assures us that you 
 “ rejoice more at the conversion of one sin¬ 
 ner, than at the perseverance of many 
 just.” Encouraged thereby, I, the last of 
 creatures, humbly entreat you to receive 
 me as your servant, and make me unto 
 you a cause of true joy. Do not, 0 
 blessed Spirits! reject my petition; but 
 graciously hear and grant it. Amen. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 99 
 
 OCTOBER FIRST. 
 
 The Creation of the Angels. 
 
 Anticipate all time—penetrate the 
 eternal years—and contemplate in wonder 
 and amazement that eventful moment in 
 which the Deity, coming forth from that 
 inaccessible light in which he dwelt, gave 
 command to nothing, and created the 
 Angels. Admirable Spirits ! their perfec¬ 
 tions are like a profound sea, which cannot 
 be fathomed. Beings incomprehensible— 
 they announce in their celestial endow¬ 
 ments the omnipotence, love, and wisdom 
 of their Almighty Maker. They are in¬ 
 corruptible in their nature—illumined with 
 the most brilliant irradiations—endowed 
 with wonderful science—clothed with di¬ 
 vine purity—consumed with celestial love. 
 Their power is amazing—their charms so 
 ravishing, that St. Bridget says, the ap¬ 
 pearance of one alone of them to mortal 
 man would occasion immediate death. 
 Their sanctity exceeds that of all the 
 Saints, since they have been replenished 
 with the divine unction, and have never 
 contracted actual stain. Their charity is 
 exceeding great, since they have received 
 
100 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 more of that sacred fire, which,According 
 to St. John, is the essence of the Godhead, 
 than all other creatures. This is saying 
 much; and yet it conveys but a faint idea 
 of the perfection of these celestial Spirits. 
 Let us, while we confess their greatness, 
 bless the hand of Him who made them, 
 and commence this holy month as they be¬ 
 gan their angelic course, saying, 
 
 Practice —The Te Deum. [For this and 
 the other prayers appointed as practices, 
 see Appendix, page M7.] 
 
 Aspiration for the Day. —Holy, Holy, 
 Holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth ! the Hea¬ 
 vens and the Earth are full of thy glory I 
 Glory be to the Father !—Glory be to the 
 Son !—Glory be to the Holy Ghost! 
 
 Lecture —1st Motive, 1st part of Bou- 
 don’s Holy Angels, the preceding work, 
 whence all the lectures are taken. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 101 
 
 OCTOBER SECOND, OR ROSARY SUNDAY.* 
 
 The Angela as Servants and Subjects of the Blessed 
 Virgin Mary. 
 
 Scarcely was it announced to the hea¬ 
 venly Spirits, that a Queen was “ born to 
 them,” than they descend in myriads, and 
 hover round her cradle with wonder and 
 delight. They guard her infant steps; 
 they convey her to the temple; they un¬ 
 ceasingly continue their celestial cares, 
 until, by means of the Incarnation, she 
 becomes the temple of the Word, when 
 their visits are so frequent, that her little 
 cottage becomes a species of Paradise. At 
 Bethlehem, in Egypt, and at the Holy Se¬ 
 pulchre, they continue to wait on their 
 blessed Queen, until expiring under the 
 wounds of holy love, they conduct her 
 with celestial song through realms of light, 
 and presenting her to the Lamb, cast their 
 crowns before her throne, vowing her eter¬ 
 nal love, obedience and fidelity. If we 
 love our blessed Mother, we cannot refuse 
 
 * If Rosary Sunday be later than the Second 
 Day of October, leave this for that Feast, and pass 
 to the next. 
 
102 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 to honour those by whom she is so much 
 honoured. 
 
 Practice .—In honour of the Blessed 
 Virgin and the Angels, say three times the 
 Anthem Ave Regina Ccdorum , <Scc. See 
 Appendix, page 139. ^ t 
 
 Aspiration —0 Mary ! Mistress of the 
 Angels and Queen of the holy Bosary, in¬ 
 tercede for us! 
 
 Lecture —11th Motive, 1st part of the 
 preceding work. 
 
 OCTOBER THIRD. 
 
 Sacred to the Angels of the First Choir . 
 
 Though all the blessed Spirits are com¬ 
 monly styled Angels, it is to those of the 
 First Choir that the appellation strictly 
 belongs. These are they who are charged 
 with the execution of the divine ordinances, 
 and who are appointed the guardians of 
 men. Humility is the virtue particularly 
 ascribed to them—for, though the last in 
 order among the Choirs, they see without 
 desiring them the greater and more excel¬ 
 lent endowments of their celestial com¬ 
 panions. Let us, like them, love to occupy 
 the lowest place, especially when placed 
 
TIIE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 103 
 
 therein by Divine Providence, and to be¬ 
 hold with joy the preference given to 
 others. 
 
 Practice —Three Acts of Humility, in¬ 
 terior, or exterior. 
 
 Asp .—“ Who is like God V’ 
 
 Lecture —1th Motive, 1st part of the 
 preceding work. 
 
 OCTOBER FOURTH. 
 
 To the Archangels—Second Choir. 
 
 The Archangels are distinguished from 
 the Angels by the greater importance of 
 their functions. They- are supposed to be 
 the guardians of the Pope, of the Bishops, 
 and of all invested with authority, in 
 Church and State—and are remarkable for 
 love and care of men. Let us imitate 
 them, doing our neighbour all the good we 
 can, and invoking in his behalf these blessed 
 Spirits. 
 
 Practice —Two Acts of Charity, with 
 great affection. 
 
 Asp .—Holy Archangels ! pray for us. 
 
 Lecture —2d Motive, 1st part of pre¬ 
 ceding work. * 
 
104 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 OCTOBER FIFTH 
 
 To the Principalities. 
 
 The Principalities, who form the Third 
 Choir, are charged to watch over empires, 
 provinces, diocesses, religious communities, 
 &c., and avert from them the effects of the 
 divine wrath. They are also appointed to 
 transmit to the Angels of the last two 
 Choirs the orders of the Most High. 
 Purity of intention is the virtue ascribed 
 to them, for in their high functions they 
 never seek but the honour and interest of 
 Cod alone. Let us imitate them. It is 
 the intention which stamps the action with 
 merit or demerit. 
 
 Practice —In all you do and say, seek 
 the greater glory of God. Refer all to 
 this end. 
 
 Asp .—0 holy Spirits! may we, like 
 you, seek God, for God alone. 
 
 Lecture —12th Motive, 1st part of pre¬ 
 ceding work. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 105 
 
 OCTOBER SIXTH. 
 
 To the Powers—the Fourth Choir. 
 
 TnE Angels of this Choir have received 
 from God unlimited sway over the wicked 
 Spirits; they are endowed with great in¬ 
 telligence, so as to be able to discover their 
 schemes and plans for our destruction. 
 Their power is so amazing, that one only 
 of them would be able to destroy all the 
 infernal host. It is well to invoke them 
 in temptation : but to merit their assist¬ 
 ance, we must take care to avoid the occa¬ 
 sions of sin. 
 
 Practice —Resist the attacks of vice and 
 passion j frequently make acts of diffidence 
 in self and confidence in God; combat 
 your evil inclinations. 
 
 Asp .—Lord ! send thy Angels to assist 
 us. 
 
 Lecture —Half 8th Motive, 1st part of 
 Boudon, (preceding.) 
 
 OCTOBER SEVENTH. 
 
 To the Virtues—the Fifth Choir. 
 
 Energy and strength are attributed to 
 
 I 
 
106 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 the Virtues. They have dominion over 
 the elements: all nature is subjected to their 
 control. Hence they can raise or appease 
 storms and tempests, emit vivid lightning, 
 form burning thunder. We may profita¬ 
 bly invoke them in unforeseen accidents, 
 sickness, &c. We may also recur to them 
 for that strength necessary to lead a peni¬ 
 tential life, and root out the inclinations of 
 depraved nature. 
 
 Practice —Visit the Holy Sacrament to 
 obtain grace to overcome your evil inclina¬ 
 tions, &c. 
 
 Asp .—Holy Virtues ! strengthen and 
 fortify us. 
 
 Lecture —Finish the reading of 8th 
 Motive, referred to yesterday. 
 
 OCTOBER EIGHTH. 
 
 The Dominations—the Sixth Choir. 
 
 Zeal for the divine glory distinguishes 
 the Dominations. They are devoured. by 
 their concern for the interests of God— 
 their principal office is to manifest his 
 will. We, too, ought to be interested for 
 all that involves the honour of this ever- 
 adorable Being, as the conversion of sin- 
 
THE nOLY ANGELS. 
 
 107 
 
 ners, the perfection of the just, the decora¬ 
 tion of altars. We should also beg of God 
 to manifest his will to us bj these blessed 
 Intelligences—and then take care to fulfil 
 it scrupulously, as being the shortest way 
 to perfection and sanctity. 
 
 Practice —Give practical proof of your 
 zeal for the glory of God; do something 
 for his reign in souls, as instructing the 
 ignorant, &c. 
 
 Asp.—Holy Dominations ! animate us 
 with your zeal. 
 
 Lecture —Half 7th Motive, 1st part of 
 Boudon, (preceding.) 
 
 OCTOBER NINTH. 
 
 The Thrones—the Seventh Choir. 
 
 The Scripture says of the Lord, that 
 He is seated on Thrones. Hence, then, 
 blessed Spirits are called Angels of Peace 
 —beings calm, tranquil, immovable. Ad¬ 
 dress yourselves to them for that peace of 
 soul which Is the fruit of a good conscience. 
 Invoke them for such as are prone to 
 hatred, passion, and impatience; and, after 
 their example, be you yourself meek, calm, 
 peaceful with all. 
 
108 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 Practice —In the morning, dispose your¬ 
 self to great sweetness and patience—and 
 every hour make an act thereof. 
 
 Asp .—0 Holy Thrones! obtain that 
 “ that divine peace, which surpasses all 
 understanding, may keep our hearts and 
 minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” 
 
 Lecture —Conclude 7th Motive in pre¬ 
 ceding work, commenced yesterday. 
 
 OCTOBER TENTH. 
 
 The Cherubim—the Eighth Choir. 
 
 These blessed Spirits are so many sa^ 
 cred flambeaux, communicating the divine 
 light to the other Choirs. They are em¬ 
 ployed continually in contemplating the 
 beauty and other perfections of their great 
 Creator, and will share with us their ad¬ 
 mirable lights, if we but ask them, and 
 show ourselves in earnest, by the practice 
 of recollection and prayer, the channel of 
 the divine communications. 
 
 Practice —Spend this day in great silence 
 and recollection; be occupied with the 
 consideration of the Divine perfections j 
 endeavour to “ know G-od, and him whom 
 he has sent, Jesus Christ.” 
 

 THE HOLY ANGELS. 109 
 
 Asp .—Ah ! blessed Cherubim ! teach us 
 to pray. 
 
 Read 3d Practice, 2d part of Boudon, 
 (preceding work.) 
 
 OCTOBER ELEVENTH. 
 
 The Seraphim—the Ninth Choir. 
 
 The Seraphim hold the first place 
 among the Celestial Hierarchies. Their 
 characteristic is great and ardent love. In¬ 
 toxicated with that torrent of delights 
 u which runs with a strong stream from 
 the throne of the Divinity, these blessed 
 Spirits are always ecstasied—always in a 
 species of rapture. We should often form 
 acts of divine love, and beg of Jesus, the 
 King of love, through Mary, the mother 
 of holy love, and the blessed Seraphim, 
 the Spirits of love, never to let the sacred 
 fire be extinguished in our souls. 
 
 Practice —Try to become a Seraph in 
 love; let this be your habitual disposition. 
 “ Love, and do what you will.” Ask this 
 great gift fervently. 
 
 Asp .—Ah ! blessed Seraphim! make us 
 love. 
 
110 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 Lecture —7th Practice, 2d part of the 
 preceding work of Boudon. 
 
 OCTOBER TWELFTH. 
 
 The Angela of the Ancient People of God. 
 
 Let us this day venerate the Angels 
 who guarded the ancient people of God. 
 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, were often 
 favoured with their visits. It was one of 
 these blessed Spirits who gave the law on 
 Mount Sinai, and conducted the Israelites 
 through the desert, in the pillar of a'cloud. 
 The Saints of those times were so con¬ 
 vinced of their continual protection, that 
 even when they gave no sensible proof of 
 their presence, they attributed to them the 
 success of their affairs. “ It is the Angel 
 of the Lord/' said they, “ who hath done 
 this.” 
 
 Practice —The “ Benedicite ,” in thanks¬ 
 giving for this protection of the Angels. 
 See Appendix, page 139. 
 
 Asp .—Holy Angels ! “ leaders of the 
 house of Israel,” intercede for us. 
 
 Lecture —Divide the exhortation before 
 the preceding work between this day and 
 the two following. See page 8. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 Ill 
 
 OCTOBER THIRTEENTH. 
 
 The Anejela who adored Jesus at the moment of his 
 Incarnation and Nativity. 
 
 Let us this day venerate the Angels 
 who adored Jesus at the moment of his In¬ 
 carnation, and when he appeared in the 
 flesh. No sooner did he assume our nature, 
 at Mary’s Jiat, than her chamber is filled 
 with troops innumerable of these blessed 
 Spirits, all vying with each other in ador¬ 
 ing the Son, and in greeting the Mother; 
 and on that ever blessed night, when he 
 appeared wrapped in swaddling clothes, 
 and laid in a manger, they again de¬ 
 scend and rend the air with “ Glory be to 
 God on high, and peace on earth to men 
 of good will \” 
 
 Practice —In honour of these Angels 
 the “ Gloria in excelsis,” and hymn a Alma 
 Redemptoris.” Se6 Appendix, page 141, 
 142. 
 
 Asp.—Glory be to God—honour to the 
 Angels, and peace to men of good will! 
 
 Lecture —A portion of same exhortation. 
 
112 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 / 
 
 OCTOBER FOURTEENTH. 
 
 Let us this day venerate the Angels who ministered 
 to Jesus Christ after his fast in the desert. 
 
 The time being come in which the Sa¬ 
 viour of men was to manifest himself to 
 Israel—having prepared for his mission by 
 “ a fast of forty days and forty nights, he 
 was,” says the Evangelist, “ afterwards 
 hungry, and Angels came and ministered 
 to him.” Happy—thrice happy Spirits! 
 whom the Lord of Heaven and Earth— 
 “ he who gives food to the raven, when her 
 young ones cry for meat—who opens his 
 hand, and fills every living creature,” per¬ 
 mitted to minister to him in his necessities. 
 It rests with us to be sharers in their hap¬ 
 piness, for Jesus is still upon earth, in the 
 persons of his poor—and what we do for 
 them, he considers as done for himself. 
 
 Practice —Give some alms in the spirit 
 of these Angels ministering to our Lord. 
 
 Asp .—Holy Angels, ministering spirits 
 to Jesus Christ, intercede for us. 
 
 Lecture —Conclude the exhortation di¬ 
 rected yesterday, and the day before. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 113 
 
 OCTOBER FIFTEENTH. 
 
 Let us devote thin day to the veneration of the Angels 
 toho appeared at the Sepulchre of Jesus. 
 
 We may piously imagine, that after the 
 body of our crucified King was laid in the 
 tomb, the holy Angels stood and guarded 
 the sacred deposit, quite motionless at this 
 his prodigious annihilation, until u the 
 morning of the Sabbath, when the Maries, 
 on coming to the door of the monument, 
 found the stone rolled away, and an Angel 
 sitting thereon, whose countenance was as 
 lightning, and his garments like snow.” 
 This conduct of the Angels should make 
 us like the great saint of this day, St. 
 Teresa, most assiduous in visiting Jesus in 
 
 7 O 
 
 his holy Sacrament, the tomb of his love. 
 He is there night and day, suffering with 
 infinite patience the irreverences of some, 
 and the total forgetfulness of almost all. 
 
 Practice —A visit to the Holy Sacra¬ 
 ment, to beg a great devotion towards it, 
 and the Angels. 
 
 Asp .—Ah ! blessed Angels ! teach us to 
 honour Jesus in the Sacrament of his love. 
 
 Lecture —1st Practice, 2d part of Bou- 
 don. 
 
 
 8 
 
114 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 OCTOBER SIXTEENTH. 
 
 Let us this day honour the Angels who appeared at 
 the Ascension of Jesus Chr ist. 
 
 The time being come in which Jesus 
 was to pass out of the world, and ascend 
 to his Father, he led his disciples to Olivet, 
 and having given them his last instruc¬ 
 tions, he was taken up into heaven, and a 
 cloud took him out of their sight. And 
 as they continued to look after him, two 
 men stood by them clothed in white, who 
 said. u You men of Galilee, why stand 
 you looking up to heaven ? This Jesus, 
 whom you have seen ascend there, will one 
 day return.” It is not by a devotion 
 merely speculative, as those Angels insin¬ 
 uated, we are to prepare for this coming. 
 We must pray, act, suffer, lest we be found 
 with our hands empty when the Lord will 
 descend to judge us. 
 
 Practice —Examine for five minutes if 
 your devotion be in accordance with the 
 Spirit of God—whether it show itself by 
 the subjection of the passions, &c., or in 
 mere external forms only. 
 
 Asp .—0 ! blessed Spirits ! render us 
 adorers in spirit and truth. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 116 
 
 Lecture —10th Motive, 1st part of Bou- 
 don. 
 
 OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 This day is dedicated to our good Angel. 
 
 Blessed for ever be that infinite good¬ 
 ness, which, not content with all that it has 
 done for us, has deputed an Angel for our 
 guide—and wo be to us if insensible to the 
 favour. It is indeed true that “God has 
 given his Angels charge of us that they 
 are always at our side ) that they “ bear us 
 up in their hands/’ and lose not sight of 
 us day or night. Let us be grateful to 
 these blessed Guardians, and, as St. Ber¬ 
 nard recommends, demonstrate respect for 
 their presence, affection for their services, 
 confidence in their guardianship. Let each 
 of us often say to his Guardian Angel, with 
 sincere regret for past indevotion—too late 
 have I loved you, 0, good Angel! 
 
 Practice —The Litany of the Angel Guar¬ 
 dian. See Appendix, page 150, and Prayer. 
 
 Asp. —0 Blessed Angel! I love you, 
 and I wish to love you more. 
 
 Lecture —Half 5th Motive, 1st part of 
 Boudon, or see Butler on the Angel Guar¬ 
 dian, 2d October. 
 
116 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 The Angel of our Patron Saint. 
 
 Let us this day honour the Angel Guar¬ 
 dian of our Patron, as this blessed Intelli¬ 
 gence has done so much for his or her sanc¬ 
 tification. It is gratifying to them that we 
 may pay them our respects; they will not 
 fail to acknowledge it. 
 
 Practice —Visit the Angel of your Pa¬ 
 tron, to thank him, and beg his interces¬ 
 sion. 
 
 Asp .—Holy Angel of my Patron; I 
 venerate you. 
 
 Lecture —Finish yesterday’s Motive in 
 preceding work. 
 
 OCTOBER NINETEENTH. 
 
 The Angels of our Family and Relations. 
 
 Honour the Angels of your family and 
 relations; they often render services which 
 yon would not receive from your own An¬ 
 gels, perhaps because of some advantage 
 which is derived from some good which 
 you do for those of whom they have charge. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 117 
 
 Practice —A communion in honour of 
 these Angels. 
 
 Asp .—Holy Angels ! I revere you. 
 Lecture —Half 5th Practice, 2d part of 
 the preceding work. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTIETH. 
 
 j 
 
 The Angels of our Friends and Benefactors. 
 
 Pay particular respect to those holy Spi¬ 
 rits who are entrusted with the guardian¬ 
 ship of your friends and benefactors, know¬ 
 ing that the services which they render to 
 you are often prompted by these blessed 
 Angels. Your Confessor being your best 
 friend, his Angel deserves special devotion 
 and affection. 
 
 Practice —Pay a visit to these Angels : 
 read 3d Motive, 1st part of the preceding 
 work. 
 
 Asp .—Lord ! charge thy Angels to keep 
 us in all our ways 1 
 
118 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 The Angels of our City and Kingdom . 
 
 That God has appointed certain Angels, 
 to watch over and defend kingdoms and 
 provinces, we are assured of in the Book of 
 Genesis. Towns and cities too have their 
 respective Angels. We ouglvt often and 
 earnestly recommend these places to their 
 guardian care, and beg, while we thank 
 them for past protection, so that they would 
 arrest by their prayers the torrent of vice 
 and immorality, which so loudly demands 
 vengeance. 
 
 Practice —Say the Office of the Angels 
 as in Appendix, page I&l./J- 
 
 Asp .—In sight of thy Angels, 0 Lord! 
 will I sanctify thy name. 
 
 Lecture —Bead 6th Practice, 2d part of 
 preceding work. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 The Angels of our Parish. 
 
 Invoke the Angels of your parish, that 
 they may avert from it the wrath of the 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS 119 
 
 I I 
 
 Most High, excited by the continual of¬ 
 fences committed against him. Father le 
 Fevre, first companion of St. Ignatius, used 
 to invoke the Angels of the different places 
 in which he preached, that they might dis¬ 
 pose the people to profit by his sermons, 
 &c., &c. 
 
 Practice —Say the Litany of the Angels, 
 for the reign of God in ydur parish. See 
 Appendix, page 147. 7 
 
 Asp .—0 Holy Angels ! preserve us from 
 all evil, especially that of sin. 
 
 Lecture —Finish 5th Practice, 2d part 
 of the preceding work. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD. 
 The Angels of Heretics and Infidels. 
 
 Spend this day in making reparation to 
 the Angels for the ill return made for all 
 their cares by Heretics and Infidels. The 
 former blaspheme against them, whilst the 
 latter are in total ignorance or disbelief of 
 them. 
 
 Practice —Interiorly salute the Angels 
 of all whom you meet. 
 
120 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 Asp .—May every creature praise the 
 Angels! 
 
 Lecture —4th Motive, 1st part of Bour¬ 
 don. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 % 
 
 St. Raphael. 
 
 The name of this blessed Angel whom 
 we have particular reason to honour to-day, 
 as being appointed by the Church for his 
 festival, signifies cure of God. He is, ac¬ 
 cording to his own testimony to Tobias, 
 one of the seven Spirits who stand before 
 the Throne of God. From having so safely 
 conducted that good man in his journey to 
 Bages, and the many helps afforded by him 
 during his stay in that city, he should be 
 invoked by travellers and voyagers, per¬ 
 sons about to contract the sacred matrimo¬ 
 nial engagement, as well as those engaged 
 in trade and commerce. Indeed all should 
 beg his assistance, all being strangers and 
 pilgrims upon earth, and standing in greater 
 or lesser need of it. 
 
 Practice —Consult St. Raphael on all 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 121 
 
 your affairs, and say the 90th Psalm. See 
 Appendix, page 143. 
 
 Asp .—0 Angel of God, illumine, defend 
 and preserve me this day, and for ever. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 St. Gabriel. 
 
 This blessed Spirit was the ambassador 
 of the Most High when about to operate 
 the greatest of all his mysteries, the Incar¬ 
 nation of his Son; and he it was that re¬ 
 vealed it to Daniel many ages before. 
 He is supposed to have been the tutelary 
 of the holy family—the Angel who in¬ 
 vited the shepherds to the manger—who 
 warned St. Joseph to flee into Egypt—and, 
 in fine, he who consoled Jesus in his agony. 
 His name, Gabriel, signifies “ power of 
 God.” His peculiar grace is to imprint in 
 hearts the knowledge and love of Jesus and 
 Mary. Let us be devout to him, and he 
 will render us this service so desirable. 
 
 Practice —Say in honour of this blessed 
 Angel seven times in his own words to the 
 Blessed Virgin—Hail Mary ! &c. 
 
 Asp .—0 u Angel .of the Lord!” extend 
 in all hearts the empire of Jesus and Mary. 
 
122 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 St. 3fichciel. 
 
 "When Lucifer raised his rebellious head, 
 and sought to be like to the Most High, 
 Michael, the prince of the Seraphim, and 
 the first of “ the Seven Spirits who stand 
 before the Throne,” opposed his haughty 
 pretensions and overthrew him in the con 
 test. Saint Thomas supposes this blessed 
 Spirit to be the breath of the Saviour, 
 which will destroy Antichrist. He is the 
 patron of the Church—the protector of the 
 dying—he, in fine, who on the lafet day 
 will seize the trumpet, and with a Surgite 
 Mortui, “ Arise, ye dead !” will arraign 
 all men before the Judge of the Living and 
 the Dead. He is then entitled to singular 
 love and veneration. 
 
 Practice —Nine Gloria Patria, in hon¬ 
 our of St. Michael, as chief of the Nine 
 Choirs. 
 
 Asp .—0 holy Michael the Archangel! 
 defend us in the combat, lest we perish in 
 the Day of Judgment. 
 
 Lecture —For this and the days follow¬ 
 ing, read 4th Practice, 2d part of the pre¬ 
 ceding work, and the Litany of the Holy 
 Archangels, page 168. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 123 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 The Angels of bad and ignorant Catholics. 
 
 That there are numbers who belong to 
 the one fold of Jesus Christ, unmindful of 
 their duty to those holy Angels, whom the^ 
 know to be their guardians and protectors, 
 and many more altogether ignorant of this 
 consoling truth—is as undeniable as it is 
 afflicting. Let us this day supply their de¬ 
 ficiency by our homage and respect. 
 
 Practice .—Assist at Mass in honour of 
 these Angels. 
 
 Asp .—For all who despise or forget you, 
 I love and venerate you, holy Angels. 
 
 Lecture —ldead 2d Practice, 2d part of 
 Boudon. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 The Angels who visit and console the souls in 
 Purgatory. 
 
 The charity of the Angels does not end 
 with our existence here; if condemned af¬ 
 ter death to the purifying flames of Purga¬ 
 tory—they visit and console us in a man¬ 
 ner which considerably diminishes the 
 sense of suffering. They have often ap- 
 
124 
 
 DEVOTION TO' 
 
 peared to persons on earth, to incite them 
 to relieve by prayers and good works, the 
 souls detained in Purgatory. 
 
 Practice —Sacrifice something at meals 
 in honour of these Angels. 
 
 Asp .—Holy Angels, I thank you. 
 Lecture —Read 8th Practice, 2d part of 
 the preceding work. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 The Angels who favoured particular Saints. 
 
 Let us consecrate this day to ‘ those 
 blessed Spirits who specially favoured some 
 of the Saints; as the Angels who released 
 St. Peter from his prison, and revealed to 
 . St. John the secrets of futurity ; those who 
 gave the monastic rule to St. Pachomius: 
 who imprinted the holy stigmas in the 
 body of St. Francis; wounded the heart 
 of St. Teresa; and those who gave the 
 holy communion to St. Stanislas Kotska; 
 who conversed with St. Rose, and conferred 
 on St. Thomas the gift of perfect chastity. 
 Thus we will please those great servants 
 of God, and obtain their intercession. 
 
 Practice —Three spiritual communions 
 in honour of these Angels, 
 
TIIE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 125 
 
 Asp. —0 all ye holy Saints and Angels ! 
 intercede for us. 
 
 Lecture —6th Motive 1st part of Bou- 
 don. 
 
 OCTOBER THIRTIETH. 
 
 All the Angels because they assist us in Death 
 
 We are horn but to live—we live but to 
 die—and our lot for eternity depends on 
 the manner in which we breathe our last. 
 We ought, then, to “make for ourselves 
 friends,” for that critical moment, of the 
 holy Angels, by a true, sincere, persever¬ 
 ing devotion to them. If we do, it is then 
 indeed they will show “ how” they “loved” 
 us. 
 
 Practice —Beads of the holy Angels, 
 and Hymn and Prayer to the B. Y. for a 
 happy death. See Appendix, page ■ 
 
 Asp .—0 holy Angels—-Spirits of God ! 
 “pray for us now and at the hour of our 
 death—Amen.” 
 
 Lecture —9th Motive, 1st part of Bou- 
 don 
 
126 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 All the Angels because they will contribute to our 
 happiness in eternity. 
 
 When the figure of this world shall 
 hav# passed away—when the earth and all 
 that is in it shall have been burnt up, and 
 the elements melted with heat—when, in 
 fine, the Son of Man shall appear on a 
 cloud to judge the living and the dead — 
 the Angels, at his command, having sepa¬ 
 rated the good from the had, will encom¬ 
 pass the former as a tower of defence 
 against the evils which will cause the-latter 
 to exclaim— u Mountains fall upon us ! 
 hills cover us \” And when the final 
 sentence seals man’s eternal doom, and 
 that the Supreme Arbiter, having locked, 
 on their respective inmates, the gates of 
 heaven and of hell, has flung the keys into 
 the ocean of eternity, these blessed Spirits 
 will seat us down at the table of the Lamb, 
 rejoicing that our sorrow is changed into 
 joy, and that the days of our mourning 
 are ended. Let us love these holy Angels, 
 but let us love them perseveringly. Per¬ 
 severance crowns the work. If they de¬ 
 served our homage yesterday, they as well 
 and better deserve it to day. 
 
THE HOLT ANGELS. 
 
 127 
 
 Practice —Excite others to be devout to 
 the Angels. Recite also the Litany of 
 the Saints, favoured by the Angels. See 
 Appendix. 
 
 Asp. —Alleluia! Salvation to our God, 
 that sits upon the throne: and may all his 
 Angels say, Amen. 
 
 Lecture —The preceding work of Bou- 
 don. 9th Practice, 2d part. 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE ANGELICAL MONTH 
 
 —FIRST OF NOVEMBER. 
 
 '• Feast of all Saints. 
 
 0 blessed Spirits ! our guardians and 
 intercessors—I, your unworthy servant, 
 grateful for the favours received from you 
 during this holy month, come to present 
 you my warmest thanks on this feast of 
 the Saints your blessed companions in 
 glory, and as some mark of sorrow for past 
 indevotion, and of present love and respect, 
 I offer you the little crown formed of the 
 pious practices performed during this 
 month in your honour, in union with the 
 perpetual love which your little Associa¬ 
 tion entertains for you. Deign to accept 
 it, 0 holy Angels! and obtain for us of 
 
128 
 
 DEVOTION TO 
 
 God, through Jesus, his Incarnate Word, 
 and Mary, your august Queen, that perse¬ 
 vering in the good resolutions wherewith 
 he has inspired us now, we may eternally 
 contemplate with you that unfading beauty 
 whom we bitterly regret u having loved too 
 late.” Memorare (as before, p. 98.) 
 
 A PRAYER TO OUR ANGEL GUARDIAN. 
 
 0 Angel of God! amiable Guardian! to whose 
 care the tender mercy of my Creator committed my 
 soul at the instant of its creation ! accept my fervent 
 thanksgivings for the blessings and graces I have re¬ 
 ceived through and by thee. 0 pure Spirit! my 
 guide from the moment of my birth ! remember the 
 zeal and charity with which thou didst undertake 
 to accompany me through life—remember the joy 
 with which thou wert filled when I was purified in 
 the waters of baptism, and entitled to reign eter¬ 
 nally with thee. How anxiously didst thou watch 
 over the treasure of my innocence! how fervently 
 didst thou pray for its preservation! and, alas! 
 when my soul was defiled for the first time by sin, 
 when all her ornaments were taken away, when she 
 that teas free teas made a slave, her beauty and her 
 glory laid waste, how deeply didst tlTou deplore her 
 misfortune. If I am still capable of loving him on 
 earth, aspiring to his eternal love in heaven, is it 
 not by thee I enjoy these blessings? Didst not 
 thou preserve me, not only from temporal dangers, 
 but from the eternal pains I so often deserved ? 
 Since my ingratitude has not cooled the ardour of 
 thy charity towards me ; since my sins, and the 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 129 
 
 miseries of my soul, have not forced thee to abandon 
 me, deign, I conjure thee, to accept the firm resolu¬ 
 tion I now make of being docile in future to thy 
 merciful inspirations. Remember, 0 most happy 
 Spirit! that it was one profound act of humility, 
 one ardent transport of perfect charity, which fixed 
 thee for ever in glory, and graciously obtain for me 
 those amiable virtues. Thou who always standest 
 before the Lord, (Tob. xii. 16,) think of me in his 
 divine presence, and keep me attentive to this holy 
 exercise—offer him my heart, my actions, my inten¬ 
 tions, my whole being. Adore him for me, love 
 him for mo, supply by thy burning ardours for my 
 coldness and tepidity, atone by thy profound con¬ 
 templation for my negligence and distraction; 
 watch over my soul in her last awful combat, and 
 return with me to him that sent thee, that we may 
 mutually bless him, and publish his toonderful 
 works. Amen. (Ibid. 20.) 
 

 
 
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APPENDIX 
 
 to 
 
 THE MONTH OF THE HOLY ANGELS, 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 THE OFFICE, 
 
 AND 
 
 OTHER PRACTICES OF DEVOTION 
 
 PRESCRIBED 
 
 DURING THAT PERIOD. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 AT MATINS. 
 
 Ant. God hath given his Angels thargo 
 of thee, that they keep thee in all thy 
 ways. Amen. 
 
 0 Lord, open thou my lips.. 
 
 And my tongue shall declare thy praise. 
 
 0 God, incline unto my aid. 
 
 0 Lord, make haste to help me. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 0 Lord, permit us here to raise our voice, 
 
 And waft before thy throne our feeble praise; 
 
 And thank thee for those Angels whom thy choice, 
 Hath lent our weakness to direct its ways, 
 
 And free us from the envious foes that lurk 
 To spoil the beauty of thy cherish’d work. 
 
 Ant. 0 Holy Angels! our Guardians, 
 defend us in the combat, that we perish 
 not in the dreadful judgment. 
 
 V. In the sight of the Angels I will sing 
 to thee, my God. 
 
 R. I will adore at thy holy temple, and 
 confess to thy name. 
 
 ( 133 ) 
 
134 
 
 OFFICE OF 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God, who with unspeakable provi¬ 
 dence hast vouchsafed to appoint thy holy 
 Angels to be our Guardians, grant to thy 
 humble suppliants, to be always defended 
 by their protection, and to enjoy their 
 everlasting society, through Jesus Christ, 
 thy Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns, 
 &c. Amen. 
 
 AT PRIME. 
 
 Ant. God hath given his Angels charge 
 of thee, that they keep thee in all thy 
 ways. Amen. . 
 
 0 God, incline unto, &c. 
 
 0 Lord, make haste, &c. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 For Satan driven from the happy land, 
 
 Where once he shone in splendour, ill can brook, 
 The kindly justice of the Almighty hand, 
 
 That gives to man the throne that he forsook, 
 And seeks to drag into his own disgrace 
 Poor mortals thus design'd to fill his place. 
 
 Ant. 0 Holy Angels! our Guardians, 
 &c., as before. 
 
THE I10LY ANGELS. 
 
 135 
 
 V. In the sight of thy Angels I will 
 sing unto thee, my God. 
 
 11. I will adore at thy holy temple, and 
 confess to thy name. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God, who with unspeakable provi¬ 
 dence, &c., as before. 
 
 AT TIERCE. 
 
 Ant. God hath given his Angels, &c., 
 as before. 
 
 0 God, incline unto, &c. 
 
 0 Lord, make haste, &c. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Bright Spirit! whom a God supremely wise 
 Hath given to be the Guardian of this land, 
 
 Come arm’d with all thy power from the skies, 
 And hear its children harmless in thy hand, 
 
 Safe from all evil that defiles the soul, 
 
 Safe from disunion’s with’ring control. 
 
 Ant. 0 Holy Angels, &c., as before. 
 
 V. In the sight of thy Angels, &c. 
 
 Ji. I will adore at thy holy temple, &c. 
 
136 
 
 OFFICE OF 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God, who with unspeakable provi¬ 
 dence, &c. 
 
 AT SEXT. 
 
 Ant. God hath given his Angels, &c. 
 
 0 God incline unto my aid. 
 
 0 Lord make haste to help me. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 '0 Jesus ! glory of the angelic choirs, 
 
 Light of their brightness, sweetness of their bliss; 
 Thou who didst leave a world whero nothing tires. 
 To taste the pains and miseries of this; 
 
 Be these same pains, endured to set us free, 
 
 The germ of endless-happiness with thee. 
 
 Ant. 0 Holy Angels, &c. 
 
 V. In the sight of thy Angels, &c. 
 
 R. I will adore at thy holy temple, &c. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God, who with unspeakable provi¬ 
 dence, &c. 
 
 AT NONE. 
 
 Ant. God hath given his Angels, &c. 
 R. Amen. 
 
THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 137 
 
 V. 0 God, incline unto my aid. 
 
 ^ R. 0 Lord, make haste to help me. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Angel of peace ! come, Michael, to our aid, 
 
 Thou who didst once chase discord from the sky; 
 Come calm those boisterous passions that have made 
 Such havoc here as they have made on high ; 
 
 Drive strife and rancour to their kindred gloom— 
 To Hell, their fitting, their eternal tomb. 
 
 Ant. 0 Holy Angels, &c. 
 
 V. In the sight of thy Angels, &c. 
 
 R. I will adore at thy holy temple, &c. 
 
 • 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O God, who with unspeakable provi¬ 
 dence, &c. 
 
 AT VESPERS. 
 
 Ant.. God hath given his Angels, &c. 
 O God, incline unto my aid. 
 
 O Lord, make haste to help me. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Spirit of might! 0 Gabriel, display 
 Thy matchless power against our ancient foes; 
 
138 
 
 OFFICE OF 
 
 Visit those sacred temples where we pray, 
 
 ’Twas at thy potent word those temples rose; 
 
 Thou wert the herald of his future birth, 
 
 Whose worship raised these shrines throughout the 
 earth. 
 
 Ant. 0 Holy Angels, &c. 
 
 V. In the sight of thy Angels, &c. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God, who with unspeakable provi¬ 
 dence, &c. 
 
 AT COMPLIN. 
 
 Ant. God hath given his Angels,‘&c. 
 
 V. Convert us, 0 God, our Saviour. * 
 
 R. And avert thy anger from us. 
 
 0 God, incline unto my aid. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 And Raphael! of the glorious seven who stand 
 Before the throne of Him who lives and reigns; 
 Angel of Health ! the Lord has filled thy hand 
 With balm from Heaven to soothe or cure our pains. 
 Heal or console the victim of disease, 
 
 And guide our steps when doubtful of our ways. 
 
 Ant. 0 Holy Angels, &c. 
 
 V. In the sight of thy Angels, &c. 
 
 R. I will adore at thy holy temple, &c. 
 
TE DEUM LAUDAMUS. 
 
 139 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God, who with unspeakable provi~ 
 dence, &c. 
 
 COMMENDATION. 
 
 Ah, Holy Angels ! at your feet 
 This •wreath of humble flowers I lay; 
 
 0 that their odour were as sweet, 
 
 As he who giv^desires it may, 
 
 Protect me at oeath’s awful hour, 
 
 Receive my soul to your embrace, 
 
 Rich with the wonders of your power, 
 
 To thank, to praise you, face to face. Amen. 
 
 TE DEUM LAUDAMUS. 
 
 We praise thee, 0 God; we confess 
 thee, 0 Lord. 
 
 Thee the Eternal Father all the earth 
 doth worship. 
 
 Thee the Angels, and all the Powers. 
 
 Thee the Cherubim and Seraphim pro¬ 
 claim without ceasing. 
 
 Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sab 
 baoth. 
 
 The heavens and the earth are full of 
 the majesty of thy glory. 
 
 Thee the glorious choir of Apostles. 
 
140 
 
 TE DEUM LAUDAMUS. 
 
 Thee the numerous train of Prophets. 
 
 Thee the white robed army of martyrs 
 doth praise. 
 
 Thee holy church throughout the world 
 confesses. 
 
 The Father of immense majesty. 
 
 The venerable, true, and only Son. 
 
 The Holy Ghost, the Paraclete. 
 
 Thou art the King of (Hory, 0 Christ. 
 
 Thou art the eternal Son of the Father. 
 
 Who when about to deliver man didst 
 not abhor a Virgin's womb. 
 
 Thou having overcome the sting of 
 death, hast opened to believers the king¬ 
 dom of heaven. 
 
 Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in 
 the glory of the Father. 
 
 We believe thee to be the Judge to come. 
 
 We therefore pray thee to help thy ser¬ 
 vants whom thou hast redeemed with thy 
 precious blood. 
 
 Let them be numbered with thy Saints 
 in eternal glory. 
 
 Lord save thy people and bless thy in¬ 
 heritance. 
 
 And govern and exalt them for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 Every day we bless thee. 
 
 And we praise thy name for ever and ever. 
 
THE BENEDICITE. 
 
 141 
 
 Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, to preserve us to¬ 
 day without sin. 
 
 Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, have mercy 
 on us. 
 
 Let thy mercy, 0 Lord, he upon us, ac¬ 
 cording as we have hoped in thee. 
 
 In thee, 0 Lord, have I hoped, let me 
 never be confounded. 
 
 AYE REGINA CCELORUM. 
 
 Hail, Mary, Queen of heavenly spheres, 
 Hail, whom the angelic host reveres; 
 Hail, fruitful root, hail, sacred gate, 
 
 From whom earth’s light dorives its date. 
 0 glorious Maid, with beauty blest, 
 
 • May joys eternal fill thy breast; 
 
 Thus crown’d with beauty and with joy, 
 Thy prayers with Christ for us employ. 
 
 THE benedicite; 
 
 OK, CANTICLE OP THE HEBREW CHILDREN. 
 
 All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord > 
 praise and extol him for ever. 
 
 Bless the Lord, ye. Angels of the Lord, 
 ye heavens bless the Lord. 
 
142 
 
 THE BENED1CITE. 
 
 All ye waters that are above the hea¬ 
 vens bless the Lord. 
 
 All ye powers of the Lord, Sun and 
 Moon, bless the Lord. 
 
 Stars of heaven, bless the Lord. 
 
 Showers and Dew, bless the Lord. 
 
 All Spirits of God, bless the Lord. 
 
 Fire and Heat, bless the Lord. 
 
 Cold and Summer, bless the Lord. 
 
 Dews and Hoar-Frost, bless the Lord. 
 
 Frost and Cold, bless the Lord. 
 
 Ice and Snow, bless the Lord. 
 
 Lightnings and Clouds bless the Lord. 
 
 Let the earth bless the Lord; let it 
 praise and magnify him for ever. 
 
 Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; all 
 things that spring in the earth, bles^L the 
 Lord. 
 
 Bless the Lord, ye fountains; seas and 
 rivers, bless the Lord; whales, and all 
 that move in the waters, bless the Lord; 
 bless the Lord all ye fowls of the air. 
 
 Beasts and cattle, bless the Lord; ye 
 sons of men, bless the Lord. 
 
 Let Israel bless the Lord; let it praise 
 and extol him for ever. 
 
 Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; ser¬ 
 vants of the Lord, Mess the Lord; spirits 
 
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 
 
 143 
 
 and souls of the just, bless the Lord; ye 
 holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord. 
 
 Ananias, Azarius, Misael, bless the 
 Lord ; praise and extol him for ever. 
 
 Let us bless the Father, and the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghost; let us praise and 
 magnify him for ever. 
 
 Blessed art thou Lord in the firmament 
 of Heaven, and praised and glorified and 
 extolled for ever. 
 
 GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 
 
 Glory be to God on high, and peace on 
 earth to men of good will. We praise 
 thee, we bless thee, we adore thee, w’e 
 glorify thee, we give thee thanks for thy ' 
 great. glory. 0 Lord God, Heavenly 
 King, God the Father Almighty, Lord 
 Jesus Christ, thy only begotten Son, Lord 
 God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, 
 who takest away the sins of the world, 
 have mercy on us ! who takest away the 
 sins of the world, receive our prayer! who 
 sittest at the right hand of the Father, 
 have mercy on us! For thou alone art 
 holy, thou alone art Lord, thou alone art 
 
144 
 
 HYMN TO THE ANGELS. 
 
 most high, in the glory of Grod the Father. 
 Amen. 
 
 ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIKGIN. 
 Alma Redemptoris Mater. 
 
 Bright Parent of the Lord, whose pray’rs display 
 The heavenly gates whose light directs our way; 
 Bright ocean’s star, whose sacred influence guide 
 Our straggling course in spite of nature’s tide, 
 Thou in whom nature stood amazed to seo 
 Both God and Man, thy Maker born of thee; 
 
 In whom alone the Maid and Mother meet. 
 Remember sinners at thy Infant’s feet. 
 
 HYMN OF. THE ANGELS. 
 
 Jesus ! thy Father’s ray and might, 
 Of faithful hearts the life and light; 
 Tributes of praise to thee we pay, 
 With th’ Angels who thy voice obey. 
 
 Millions of leaders arm’d with light, 
 In close array thy battles fight; 
 Michael, the saving standard wields, 
 Displays the cross, and Satan yields. 
 
 Th’ infernal dragon down from bliss, 
 He hurls to Hell’s inflamed abyss : 
 And thunders headlong from the sky 
 The rebel captain and his crew. 
 
PLALM XC. 
 
 145 
 
 Lot’s follow then so brave a guide, 
 Against this hellish Prince of pride; 
 That crowns of glory we may gain, 
 
 And with the Lamb for ever reign. 
 
 To God the Father amd the Son, 
 
 And Holy Spirit, thrlfe in one, 
 
 Be endless glory, as before 
 
 The Mforld began, so evermore. Amen. 
 
 PSALM XC. 
 
 He who dwells in the help of the Most 
 High, shall abide in the protection of the 
 God of Heaven. 
 
 He shall say to the Lord, thou art my 
 protector, and my refuge; my God, in him 
 will I hope. 
 
 For he hath delivered me from the 
 snare of the hunters; and from the sharp 
 sword. 
 
 With his shoulders he will overshadow 
 thee; and under his wings thou shalt 
 hope. 
 
 His truth shall encompass thee with a 
 shield ; thou shalt not fear the terrors of 
 the night. Nor the arrow flying in the 
 day, nor the noonday devil. 
 
 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 PLALM XC. 
 
 ten thousand at thy right hand, hut it 
 shall not come nigh to thee. 
 
 But thou shalt consider with thine eyes, 
 and shalt see the reward of sinners. 
 
 Because thou, jP Lord, art my hope; 
 thou hast made the Most High thy refuge. 
 
 Evil shall not approach to thee; nor 
 shall the scourge come near thy tabernacle. 
 
 For he hath given his Angels charge of 
 thee, that they may keep thee in all thy 
 ways. 
 
 In their hands they shall bear thee up; 
 lest, perhaps, thou dash thy foot against a 
 stone. 
 
 Thou shalt walk upon the asp and upon 
 ihe basilisk; thou shalt trample under 
 foot the lion and the dragon. 
 
 Because he hath hoped in me I will de¬ 
 liver him ; I will protect him because he 
 hath known my name. 
 
 He shall call upon me and I will hear 
 him; I am with him in his tribulation; I 
 will deliver him, and will glorify him. 
 
 I will fill him with length of days, and 
 will show him my salvation. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. 
 
LITANY OF TIIOSE SAINTS 
 
 WHO HAVE BEEN SPECIALLY FAVOURED BY THE 
 ANGELS 
 
 Lord, ha_ve mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, hear us! 
 
 Christ, graciously hear us ! 
 
 God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us ! 
 
 God the Son, Redeemer of the World, have merw 
 on us ! 
 
 God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Holy Trinity, one only God, have mercy on us! 
 
 Holy Mary, who has been saluted by the 
 Archangel Gabriel, 
 
 St. Joseph, who received the divine commands 
 by Angels, 
 
 St. Peter, delivered from captivity by an Angel, 
 
 St. John, taught sublimo secrets by an Angel, 
 
 St. Gregory and St. Philip Nori, whose charity 
 to the poor caused the Angels to appear 
 among them, when you administered relief 
 to their wants. 
 
 SS. Nicholas and Martin, whom the Angels 
 gratified at death with harmonious concerts, 
 
 St. Pachomius, who received by an Angel a 
 rule for the religious whom you governed, 
 
 St. Francis, who received the stigmas of the 
 Passion by a Seraph, 
 
 St. Welceslaus, whom the Angels visibly pro¬ 
 tected in battle, 
 
 SS. Raymond and Stanislas, who are said to 
 
 (U7) 
 
 a 
 
 
148 
 
 LITANY OF SAINTS. 
 
 Have received the Holy Eucharist by the' 
 ministry of Angels, 
 
 St. Thomas of Aquin, who received the gift of 
 chastity through the agency of an Angel, 
 
 St. Isadore, whom the Angels assisted at work 
 to furnish you with more time for prayer, 
 
 St. Camillus, protected by Angels in your jour¬ 
 neys, 
 
 St. Mary Magdalene, who learned the Resur¬ 
 rection of Jesus from Angels, 
 
 St. Catherine of Sienna, espoused by Jesus 
 Christ in presence of the Angels, 
 
 SS. Agnes and Cecily, protected by Angels, 
 
 St. Francis, who often conversed with and re¬ 
 ceived from your good Angel innumerable 
 favours, 
 
 St. Catherine of Sweden, whose soul at death 
 was received by Angels, 
 
 St. Teresa, the transverberation of whose heart 
 with divine love was accomplished by an 
 . Angel, 
 
 St. Rose of Lima, who in recompense of your 
 purity enjoyed the'familiarity of your Angel, 
 
 0 all ye holy Saints who have been most de¬ 
 voted to and favoured by the Angels, 
 
 Lamb of God ! who takest away the sins of the 
 world ! pardon us, 0 Lord ! 
 
 Lamb of God! who takest away the sins of the 
 world, hear us, 0 Lord ! 
 
 Lamb of God ! who takest away the sins of the 
 world, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Lord, hear my prayer ! 
 
 And let my supplication come to thee ! 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God ! who with admirable order hast 
 
 Pray for us. 
 

 LITANY OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 149 
 
 regulated the functions of Angels and of 
 men, grant that those who always assist 
 before your throne in heaven may defend 
 us here on earth, through Jesus Christ, 
 thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth 
 with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
 one God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 THE BEADS OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 Say on the cross, the Te Deum* 
 
 Say on the Decades, (which may he five, 
 seven, or nine, as time and devotion serve,) 
 the Ave Maria, or Gloria Patri —and on 
 the Stones, say, “ 0 holy Angels ! I love 
 you, and wish to love you more.” If a 
 person wish to address it to his or her 
 Angel Guardian, they will say on the 
 Stones, the little prayer, “ 0 Angel of 
 God ! to whose care,” &c. and the rest, 
 as before. 
 
 LITANY OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 
 
 / 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us! 
 
 Christ, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, hear us! 
 
 Christ, graciously hear us ! 
 
 * * See Appendix, page 1S7.' 5 
 
150 LITANY OF THE HOLY ANGELS 
 
 God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us! 
 
 God, the Sou, Redeemer of the World, have mercy 
 on us! 
 
 God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us! 
 
 Holy Trinity, only one God, have mercy on us! 
 Holy Mary, Queen of Angels, 
 
 St. Michael, 
 
 St. Gabriel, 
 
 St. Raphael, 
 
 Holy Seraphim, 
 
 Holy Cherubim, 
 
 Holy Thrones, 
 
 Holy Dominations, 
 
 Holy Virtues, 
 
 Holy Powers, 
 
 Holy Principalities, 
 
 Holy Archangels, 
 
 Holy Angels, 
 
 Rlessed Spirits, who surround the throne of God 
 and incessantly sing to him, Holy! Holy! 
 
 Holy Lord God of Sabbaoth, 
 
 Who dissipate our darkness and illumine our 
 minds, 
 
 Who announce to us divine things. 
 
 Who have received from God the care of men, 
 
 Who incessantly contemplate the beauty of his 
 countenance, 
 
 Who rejoice at the conversion of a sinner, 
 
 Who rescued Lot out of Sodom, 
 
 Who ascended and descended by the ladder 
 of Jacob, 
 
 Who gave the law to Moses on Sinai, 
 
 Who announced joy to Man atthebirthof Christ, 
 
 Who ministered to Jesus after his fast of forty 
 days, 
 
 Who appeared at his sepulchre, 
 
 Who spoke to his Disciples at his Ascension, 
 
 Who will accompany him at his last coming, 
 
 Pray for U9. 
 

 LITANY OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 151 
 
 ( Who assist us at the hour of death, 
 
 Who release from Purgatory the Souls detained 
 there, 
 
 Who perform Miracles by the Divine Power, 
 
 Who preside over States and Monarchies, 
 
 Who have delivered the friends of God from 
 many dangers, 
 
 Who consoled the Martyrs in their torments. 
 
 Who specially protect Prelates and Princes, 
 
 All ye celestial Orders and Hierarchies, 
 
 From all sin and danger, preserve us, 0 holy Angels! 
 From the Devil’s malice, preserve us, 0 holy Angels ! 
 ! From heresy and schism, preserve us, 0 holy Angels! 
 I From eternal damnation, preserve us, 0 holy Angels ! 
 ! From a sudden death, preserve us, 0 holy Angels ! 
 i Lamb of God ! who takest away the sins of the 
 world, pardon us, 0 Lord ! 
 
 Lamb of God! who takest away the sins of the 
 world, hear us, 0 Lord ! 
 
 Lamb of God! who takest away the sins of the 
 world, have mercy on us ! 
 
 ; Lord, hear my prayer ! 
 
 And let my supplication come to thee! 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 * v ^ * 
 
 0 God ! who with admirable order hast 
 regulated the functions of Angels and Men, 
 
 1 grant that those who always assist before 
 your throne in heaven may defend our 
 ! lives here on earth—through Jesus Christ, 
 j thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth 
 with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
 one God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
152 LITANY OP THE ANGEL GUARDIAN 
 
 LITANY OF THE ANGEL GUARDIAN, 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Lord, have mercy on me ! 
 
 Christ, bear us ! 
 
 Christ, graciously hear usl 
 
 God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us ! 
 
 God, the Son, Redeemer of Men, have mercy on us! 
 God, the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of Souls, havo 
 mercy on us ! 
 
 Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us! 
 
 Holy Mary, Queen of Heaven, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Guardian, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Protector in all dangers, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Defence in all afflictions, 
 
 Holy Angel, my most faithful Lover, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Preceptor, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Guide, 
 
 Holy Angel, witness of all my actions, 
 
 Holy Angel, my helper in all my difficulties, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Negotiator with God, 
 
 Holy Angel, my advocate, 
 
 Holy Angel, lover of'Chastity, 
 
 Holy Angel, lover of Innocence, 
 
 Holy Angel, most obedient of God, 
 
 Holy Angel, Director of my Soul, 
 
 Holy Angel, model of Purity, 
 
 Holy Angel, model of Docility, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Counsellor in doubt, 
 
 Holy Angel, my Guardian through life, 
 
 Holy Angel, my shield at the hour of Death, y 
 Lamb of God! who takest away the sins of the 
 world, spare us, 0 Lord ! 
 
 Lamb of God! who takest away the sins of tho 
 world, hear us, 0 Lord ! 
 
 Lamb of God ! who takest away the sins of the 
 world, have mercy on us! 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
HYMN TO THE VIRGIN. 
 
 153 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God ! who with unspeakable Provi¬ 
 dence vouchsafest to send thy Angels to be 
 our Guardians, mercifully grant, that we, 
 thy suppliants, may be always defended by 
 their protection and enjoy their eternal so¬ 
 ciety—through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our 
 Lord, who liveth andreigneth with thee, in 
 the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 HYMN TO THE GLORIOUS VIRGIN, 
 MOTHER OF GOD. 
 
 By the devout Blosius. 
 
 Ave! Virgo gratiosa, 
 
 Virgo sole clarior, 
 
 Mater Dei gloriosa, 
 
 Favo inellis dulcior. 
 
 Tu es ilia speeiosa, 
 
 Qua nulla est pulchrior, 
 
 Rubicunda plusquain ros&, 
 
 Lilio candidior. 
 
 Tu es grata lux piorum. 
 
 Grata lux Ecclesioe, 
 
 Fulgens portus afilictorum, 
 
 Regina clementiae. 
 
154 HYMN TO THE VIRGIN. 
 
 Dele sordes peeeatorum, 
 
 Mater indulgentim, 
 
 Luctus solare majstorum, 
 
 Aurora lsetitiae. 
 
 Veni, veni, propera, 
 
 Unge corda misera, 
 
 Charum fundens oleum, 
 
 Tua semper ubera, 
 
 Sanent nostra vulnera, 
 
 Coeli jubar aureurn. Amen. 
 
 \ 
 
 _ 
 
 / 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 Hail! thou good and gracious Mother', 
 Virgin brighter than the sun ! 
 
 Crown’d with glory which no other 
 Eyes but thine could look upon. 
 
 Sweeter than the honey; glowing 
 Beauteous above all that’s bright; 
 
 Blooming as the rose’s blowing: 
 
 Eairer than the lily’s white. 
 
 Thou’rt that light, whose dazzling glory 
 Cheers the hearts of all the good ; 
 
 Thou’rt that church’s light which Jesus 
 Purchased with his sacred blood. 
 
 Where’s the heart, however troubled, 
 Thou canst not from pain release ? 
 
 Thou’rt its beacon—thou’rt its refuge— 
 Queen of clemency and peace. 
 
PRAYER TO THE VIRGIN. 
 
 155 
 
 In our souls, 0 Queen of mercy! 
 
 Every stain of sin destroy ; 
 
 Soothe the griefs of those who mourn, 
 
 Morning star of peace and joy. 
 
 Come—0 come! make haste to heal us— 
 Sweet’s the peace thy power imparts ; 
 
 Come and pour the oil of gladness 
 On our weak and wretched hearts. 
 
 Give thy sacred breasts to heal us— 
 
 Golden beam of Heaven, we pray ; 
 
 Give thy glorious aid to shield us,— 
 
 Give thy Heart to be our stay. Amen. 
 
 PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN. 
 
 0 Holy Virgin ! you are my good mo¬ 
 ther, and, by excellence, the mother of 
 pure love. You have obtained for me 
 many favours during life ; beg for me one 
 more, which will crown all the rest—that 
 is, to love my God—to love Him purely— 
 to love Him ardently—to love Him con¬ 
 stantly, as long as I shall live on earth— 
 that 1 may have the happiness to love Him 
 eternally with you in heaven. Amen. 
 
 i 
 
156 
 
 A NOVENA TO OUR 
 
 A NOYENA, 
 
 OR NINE DAYS* DEVOTION, 
 
 FOR THE FEAST OF THE ANGEL GUARDIANS. 
 
 0 Pure and happy Spirits whom the Almighty 
 selected to become the angels and guardians of men ! 
 I most humbly prostrate before you, to thank you for 
 the charity and zeal with which you execute this 
 commission. Alas ! how many pass a long life, 
 without ever thanking that invisible friend to whom 
 they a thousand times owed its preservation ! 0 
 
 charitable guardians of those souls for whom Christ 
 died ! 0 burning Spirits, who cannot avoid loving 
 
 those whom Jesus eternally loved ! permit me to ad¬ 
 dress you on behalf of all those committed tq your 
 care, and to implore for them all in general a grateful 
 sense of your many favours, and also the grace to 
 profit of your charitable assistance. 0 Angel of those 
 happy infants, who as yet are without spot before 
 God, (Rev. xiv. 5,) preserve their innocence, I earn¬ 
 estly conjure you. Angels of youth, who are ex¬ 
 posed to so many dangers, conduct them safely to 
 the bosom of God, as Tobias was conducted back to 
 his father. Angels of those who employ themselves 
 in the instruction of youth! animate them with 
 your zeal and love; teach them to emulate your 
 purity and incessant view of God, that they may 
 worthily and successfully co-operate with the in¬ 
 visible guardians of their young charge. 0 Angels 
 of the Clergy xoho have the eternal Gospel to preach 
 to them that sit upon earth, (Ibid. xiv. 6,) present 
 their words, their actions, and their intentions to 
 God, and purify them in that fire of love which con¬ 
 sumes you. Angels of infidels whom the true faith 
 
 / 
 
ANGEL GUARDIANS. 
 
 157 
 
 has never-enlightened ! intercede for them, that, 
 practising what they know, they may at length dis¬ 
 cover the hidden secrets of the kingdom of God. 0 
 Angels of all those who throughout the world are 
 deprived of religious instruction! open for them 
 lome source of salvation; raise up some one to 
 break for them the bread of the world. (Lam. iv. 4.) 
 And you, 0 Guardian Angels of sinners! charita¬ 
 ble Guides of those unhappy mortals, whoso perse¬ 
 verance in sin would embitter even your unutter¬ 
 able joys, were you not established in the peace of 
 God! 0 join me, I ardently beseech you, in im¬ 
 
 ploring their conversion. Angels of all those who 
 at this moment struggle in the agonies of death! 
 strengthen, encourage, and defend them against the 
 attacks of their infernal enemy. 0 faithful Guides ! 
 holy Spirits ! ardent Adorers of the Divinity ! Guar¬ 
 dian Angels of all creatures ! protect us all—teach 
 us to love, to pray, to combat on earth, and rather 
 obtain for us instant death, than permit us to com¬ 
 mit one mortal sin. Amen. 
 
 GOOD THOUGHTS. 
 
 FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK. 
 
 Every morning and evening, think on what is 
 set down for each day, and often renew the same 
 good thought. This can be easily done, either 
 working, walking, or standing, by overy class of 
 persons, whether labourers, servants, or even child¬ 
 ren. 
 
 SUNDAY. 
 
 0 Glory everlasting! What a happiness to pos- 
 
158 
 
 GOOD THOUGHTS, &C. 
 
 sess you, my Jesus ! What a misfortune to lose 
 you by sin. 
 
 MONDAY. 
 
 Our last hour will come. All will then bo past. 
 Oh ! what would I wish at that timo I had done 
 during health? Let us do it now, my soul! let us 
 begin. 
 
 TUESDAY. 
 
 Ah, my poor soul#! you must stand at the judg¬ 
 ment seat of God alone; your works, your thoughts, 
 your words, will be seen by God, and all his angels 
 and saints; all then will be laid open. 
 
 WEDNESDAY. 
 
 The punishment of mortal sin, is to burn in hell 
 with devils for all eternity. This is the reward for 
 drunkenness, theft, swearing, and impurity. . 
 
 THURSDAY. 
 
 He that loses his soul loses all. He that offends 
 God, loses his soul. 0 sin, what a loss dost thou 
 bring on us ? Let us detest it from the bottom of 
 our hearts. 
 
 FRIDAY 
 
 0 sweet Jesus, to thee I consecrate my life, and 
 the desires of my soul. For me you were nailed on 
 tho cross; for your sake I will abandon sin, and 
 give myself wholly to you. 
 
 SATURDAY. 
 
 O Blessed Virgin, how sincerely did you lcrve 
 your Son Jesus ! pray for mo, that nothing in this 
 world may separate me frOm his holy love. 
 
THE LITTLE OFFICE. 
 
 159 
 
 A Prayer to obtain the grace of dying well. 
 
 i 
 
 0 Lord Jesus Christ! who didst die for the salva¬ 
 tion of the whole world, and desirest that no one 
 should perish; I beseech thee, by thy holy name, 
 that at the hour of my death thou be pleased to 
 grant me the perfect use of my senses, a true sor¬ 
 row for my sins, a lively faith, a firm hope, an ar¬ 
 dent charity ; that I may say to thee, with a pure 
 heart: Into thy httnds, 0 Jesus, 1 commend my 
 spirit. 
 
 THE LITTLE OFFICE 
 
 OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE EVER 
 GLORIOUS AND BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 
 
 This Office may be recited altogether ; but it would 
 be far more in the spirit of the church to divide it 
 into at least three portions—for example : Matins 
 and Lauds would be best recited in the evening, 
 after four o’clock, for the following day. Prime, 
 Terce, Sext, and None, may be said together tho 
 next morning, at any time before noon. Vespers and 
 Complin may be said together after twelve at noon. 
 It may be recited kneeling, standing, walking, or 
 sitting ; but a kneeling position is preferable, both 
 from respect and the better fixing the attention. 
 This Office, like all others, may be recited alone, or 
 in company ; the latter is the better method, as 
 being most comformable to tho original institution of 
 the divine Office. When it is recited in company, 
 one party acts as leader, and begins every hour 
 with the verse, to which tho other party answers by 
 the response, and the hymns in like manner, as they 
 
1G0 
 
 THE LITTLE OFFICE OF 
 
 are all divided into two portions. The leader also 
 says the prayer, and the commendation at the end 
 of Complin. 
 
 AT MATINS. 
 
 Verse. Sing, 0 my lips, and joyfully 
 proclaim, 
 
 Response. The spotless Virgin’s praise 
 and glorious name. 
 
 V. 0 Lady pure! extend thy gracious 
 aid, 
 
 R. Guard me from all my foes, 0 spot¬ 
 less Maid. 
 
 V. Glory he to the Father, &c. 
 
 R. As it was in the beginning, &c. 
 Alleluia. 
 
 From Septuagesima till Easter, instead of Alleluia 
 is said, Praise be to thee, 0 Lord, King of ever¬ 
 lasting glory. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Hail, Lady of the world, and Heaven’s bright Queen, 
 Virgin of virgins, hail, thou star serene ; 
 
 Thou who in early morn to earth dost shine, 
 
 Fill’d with celestial grace, and light divine ; 
 
 0 Lady, hasten, and thine arm extend, 
 
 Guard us from sin, and from our foes defend. 
 
 Thee from eternity, the world’s great Lord 
 Ordained the mother of his own pure word; 
 
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 161 
 
 That sole begotten Word by whom He made 
 The Earth and Sea, and Heaven’s bright hosts ar¬ 
 ray’d, 
 
 Th eo he adorn’d his Spouse, and made thee free 
 From Adam’s sin, that stain’d his progeny. 
 
 Y. God hath elected her ; and pre¬ 
 elected her. 
 
 R. lie hath made her dwell in his taber¬ 
 nacle. 
 
 Y. 0 Lady, protect my prayer. 
 
 R. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 LET US PRAY. 
 
 Holy Mary, Queen of Heaven, Mother 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Lady of the 
 world, who forsakest no one, and depisest 
 none, look upon me mercifully with thy 
 pious eyes, and obtain for me of thy be¬ 
 loved Son, the pardon of all my sins ; that 
 as I now celebrate with devout affection 
 thy holy and immaculate conception, so I 
 may hereafter obtain the prize of eternal 
 happiness, by the grace of Him whom thou, 
 a Virgin, didst bring forth, our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who lives and reigns one God in 
 perfect Trinity, world without end. Amen, 
 
 V. 0 Lady, protect my prayer. 
 
 R. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 11 
 
162 
 
 THE LITTLE OFFICE OF 
 
 V. Let us bless the Lord. 
 
 R. Thanks be to God. 
 
 V. May the souls of the faithful de¬ 
 parted, through the mercy of God, rest in 
 peace. 
 
 R. Amen. 
 
 AT PRTME. 
 
 Y. 0 Lady pure ! extend thy gracious 
 aid; 
 
 R. Guard me from all my foes, 0 spot¬ 
 less Maid. 
 
 y. Glory be to the Father, &c. 
 
 R. As it was in the beginning, &c. 
 Alleluia. 
 
 N HYMN. 
 
 Wise Virgin, hail, Mother supremely blest; 
 
 Pure mansion, built for God's adopted rest. 
 
 Thy seven fair columns hewn of noblest height, 
 And splendid table dazzles human sight: 
 
 Free art thou from the fatal curse of earth, 
 
 Holy and pure before thy joyful birth. 
 
 Thou Mother of the living! Jacob’s star, 
 
 Rising in glory o’er his hills afar : 
 
 Gate of the Saints, and Angels' glorious Queen, 
 Dreadful as mighty hosts embattled seen; 
 
 Dispel all terror from the Christian's breast,. 
 
 Be thou our refuge and our port of rest. 
 
 y. He hath created her in the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 163 
 
 R. And hath exalted her among all His 
 works. 
 
 V. 0 Lady ! protect my prayer. 
 
 R. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 Prayer, Holy Mary, as before, page 159, with the 
 same V. V. and It. It. at the conclusion. 
 
 AT TERCE. 
 
 V. 0 Lady pure ! extend thy gracious 
 aid, 
 
 R. Guard me from all my foes, 0 spot- ’ 
 less Maid. 
 
 V. Glory be to the Father, &c. 
 
 R. As it was in the beginning, &c. 
 
 . Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 ’ ’ . / 
 
 Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s rich throne; 
 Rainbow of hope to trembling mortals shown; 
 
 Bush of bright vision, Aaron’s flowering rod, 
 Famed Gideon’s fleece, unopened gate of God, 
 Sweet honeycomb of Sampson, pray that we, 
 
 A sweeten’d odour to our God may be. 
 
 0 Virgin pure ! how worthy of thy Son; 
 
 The eternal Father’s sole begotten One, 
 
 To save his chosen mother from the blot. 
 
 Of Eve’s infected race, the hapless lot: 
 
 And by a special grace reserved for thee, 
 
 From every sinful stain to keej) thee free. 
 
 Y. I dwell in the highest places. 
 
164 
 
 THE LITTLE OFFICE OF 
 
 R. And my throne is a pillar of a cloud, 
 Y. 0 Lady ! protect my prayer, 
 
 R. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 Prayer, Holy Mary, &c., as before, page 159. 
 
 AT SEXT. 
 
 Y. 0 Lady pure ! extend thy gracious 
 aid, 
 
 R. Guard me from all my foes, 0 spot¬ 
 less Maid. 
 
 Y. Glory be to the Father, &e. 
 
 R. As it was in the beginning, &o 
 Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Hail, Virgin Mother of our gracious Lord ! 
 
 And temple of the Trinity adored; 
 
 The Angel’s joy, and purity’s fair cell, 
 
 Thou bringest comfort where the afflicted dwell. 
 Garden of purest pleasure, patience palm; 
 Chastity, cedar, contrite sinner’s balm. 
 
 The promised land art thou, the priestly lot, 
 
 Holy and free from sin’s primeval blot; 
 
 City of God, most high—the orient gate, 
 
 The full of every grace, we celebrate : 
 
 0 Virgin, singularly blest and pure, 
 
 Beneath thy fostering care we rest secure. 
 
 Y. As the lily among thorns, 
 
 R. So is my beloved among the daugh¬ 
 ters of Adam. 
 
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 165 
 
 V. 0 Lady, protect my prayer, 
 
 R. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 Prayer, Iloly Mary, Ac., as before, page 159. 
 
 AT NONE. 
 
 Y. 0 Lady pure! extend thy gracious 
 aid; 
 
 R. Guard me from all my foes, 0 spot¬ 
 less Maid. 
 
 V. Glory be to the Father, &c., &c. 
 
 R. As it was in the beginning, &c., &c. 
 Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Hail, city of our refuge ! David’s tower; 
 
 Adorn’d with arras and trophies of his power; 
 Mother of grace and clemency ! to thee 
 The trembling sinner and the afflicted doe. 
 
 In thy conception, fired with love’s pure flame, ' 
 Tho dragon-fiend by thee was put to shame. 
 Woman for valiant deeds renown’d afar, 
 
 As Judith unctismay’d in tents of war; 
 
 The eternal Son was foster’d by thy care, 
 
 As aged David by a virgin fair. 
 
 Egypt’s provider holy Rachael bore, 
 
 Thou gavest the world a Saviour to adore. 
 
 Y. Thou art all fair my beloved; 
 
 R. And the stain of original sin was 
 never in thee. 
 
366 
 
 THE LITTLE OFFICE OF 
 
 Y. 0 Lady ! protect my prayer; 
 
 R. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 Prayer, Holy Mary, &c., as before, page 159. 
 
 AT VESPERS. 
 
 Y. 0 Lady pure ! extend thy gracious 
 aid ; 
 
 R. Guard me from all my foes, 0 spot¬ 
 less Maid. 
 
 Y. Glory be to the Father, &c. 
 
 R. As it was in the beginning, &c. 
 Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Dial of Achaz ! on whose face the sun 
 
 Ten lines went backward ere his lace was run, 
 
 All nature’s laws stood still, and own’d their Lord; 
 Born of a Virgin pure, the incarnate Word. 
 
 When God immense, less than his angels made, 
 Gain’d Heaven for man, and all his ransom paid. 
 Around thee, Mary, with celestial blaze, 
 
 The sun of justice sheds his glorious rays. 
 
 Thou as the rising morn, didst mildly shin 
 In thy conception by his light divine; 
 
 The serpent’s victor—thee all grace adorns, 
 
 Fair as the moon, the lily among thorns. 
 
 Y. I made an unfailing light arise in 
 heaven ; 
 
 R. And I covered all the earth as a 
 mist. 
 
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MART. 167 
 
 V. 0 Lady ! protect my prayer, 
 
 R. And let my cry come unto thee. 
 
 Prayer, Holy Mary, Ac., as before, page 159. 
 
 AT COMPLIN. 
 
 May thy Son Jesus Christ, convert 
 us, 0 Lady, appeased by thy prayers for 
 us. 
 
 R. And may he turn away his anger 
 from us. 
 
 V. 0 Lady pure! extend thy gracious 
 aid; 
 
 R. Guard me from all my foes, 0 spot¬ 
 less Maid. 
 
 V. Glory be to the Father, &c. 
 
 R. As it was in the beginning, &c. 
 
 Alleluia. 
 
 HYMN. 
 
 Powerful Virgin ! Mother far renownM ! 
 
 0 beauteous Queen, with stars of glory crown’d, 
 
 All fair art thou, immaculate and chaste, 
 
 Higher in glory than the Angels placed ; 
 
 In golden vesture privileged to stand, 
 
 By Heaven’s exalted throne on God’s right hand. 
 Mother of grace ! sweet hope is found in thee, 
 Heaven at thy prayer will set the guilty free; 
 
 The ocean’s guiding star, serenely bright, 
 
 The port that gladdens the wrecked seaman’s sight, 
 
168 
 
 THE LITTLE OFFICE OF 
 
 Through thee, the open’d gate, the weak ones’ aid, 
 May we heaven’s King behold, and saints be made. 
 Amen. 
 
 Y. Thy name, 0 Mary, is as oil poured 
 out; 
 
 R. Thy servants have loved thee ex¬ 
 ceedingly. 
 
 Prayer, Holy Mary, page 159. After which, 
 
 Y. O Lady ! protect my prayer, 
 
 R. And let my cry come unto thee : 
 y. Let us bless the Lord. 
 
 R. Thanks be to God. 
 y. May the omnipotent and mercifwl 
 Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, bless 
 and preserve us. R. Amen. 
 
 THE COMMENDATION. 
 
 To thee, Virgin pious, 
 We humbly present 
 These hours canonical 
 With pure intent. 
 
 Guide pilgrims until 
 With Christ we meet: 
 
 In our agony aid us, 
 
 0 Virgin sweet. Amen. 
 
 ANTHEM. 
 
 This is the branch, in which was neither 
 
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MART. 169 
 
 knot of original, nor bark of actual sin 
 found. 
 
 V. In thy conception, 0 Virgin, thou 
 wast immaculate. 
 
 R. Pray unto the Father for us, whose 
 Son thou didst b^ing forth. 
 
 LET US PRAY. 
 
 0 God, who didst prepare for thy Son a 
 worthy habitation; by the immaculate con¬ 
 ception of the Virgin ! we beseech thee, 
 that as thou didst preserve her from every 
 stain, by the preordained death of thy 
 Son, so thou wouldst grant that we also 
 may come, without spot, to thee, through 
 the same Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who 
 lives and. reigns with thee, in the unity of 
 the Holy Ghost, world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 V. May the immaculate conception of 
 the blessed Virgin Mary 
 
 R. Re our safeguard and protection. 
 Amen. »■ 
 
) 
 
 LITANY OF THE HOLY ARCHANGELS, 
 
 ST. MICHAEL, ST. GABRIEL, AND ST. RAPHAEL. 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! &c . &c. 
 
 God, the Father of Heaven, Creator of every spirit, 
 have mercy on us ! 
 
 God, the Son, Redeemer of the World, on whom the 
 Angels desire to gaze, have mercy on us ! 
 
 God, the Holy Ghost, felicity of the blessed spirits, 
 have mercy on us ! 
 
 Holy Trinity, one God, glory of the holy Angels, 
 have mercy on us ! 
 
 Holy Mary, empress of the Principalities, 
 
 Holy Mary, glory of the Powers, 
 
 Holy Mary, strength of the Virtues, 
 
 Holy Mary, Queen of the Dominations, 
 
 Holy Mary, majesty of the Thrones, 
 
 Holy Mary, purity of the Angels, 
 
 Holy Mary, joy of the Archangels, 
 
 Holy Mary, science of the Cherubim, 
 
 Holy Mary fervour of the Seraphim, 
 
 St. Michael, prince of the celestial host, 
 
 Chief of the angels of Peace, 
 
 Most strong in combat, 
 
 Conqueror of the ancient serpent, 
 
 Defender at all times of the people of God, 
 
 Who didst expel Lucifer and his confederates 
 from Heaven, 
 
 Who dost receive souls at their departure 
 hence, and conduct them to Paradise, 
 
 Solace of the faithful, 
 
 Protector of those who are devout to thee, 
 
 St. Gabriel, who didst reveal to Daniel divine 
 secrets, 
 
 ( 170 ) 
 
PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL. 
 
 171 
 
 Who didst declare the birth and ministry of St.' 
 John Baptist, 
 
 Who didst announce the Incarnation of the 
 
 Word, 
 
 Guardian of the Holy Virgin, 
 
 Attendant on the Infancy of the Saviour, 
 
 Who didst console Him in His last agony. 
 
 Faithful minister of Christ, 
 
 St Raphael, angel of health, 
 
 St. Raphael, one of the seven spirits who stand - 
 before the Throne, 
 
 Faithful conductor of Tobias, 
 
 Who didst compel the devils to flee, 
 
 Offerer of our prayer before the Lord, 
 
 Curer of blindness, 
 
 Helper in tribulation, 
 
 Consoler in necessities, 
 
 Making joyful your devoted clients, 
 
 Holy Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, 
 
 Christ Jesus, beatitude of the Angels, spare us. 
 Christ Jesus, glory of the heavenly spirits, hear us. 
 Christ Jesus, splendour of the celestial armies, have 
 mercy on us. 
 
 PRAYER TO ST. MICnAEL. 
 
 0 God, who didst render blessed Michael, 
 thy Archangel, victorious over the proud 
 Lucifer, and all the wicked spirits, we be¬ 
 seech thee, that combating under the 
 Cross, and ever adopting his maxim, 
 u Who is like God,” we may be victorious 
 over all our enemies, and delivered from all 
 impediments \ regulate our lives according 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
172 
 
 PRAYER TO ST. RAPHAEL. 
 
 to thy will and commandments. Through 
 Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 
 
 TO ST. GABRIEL. 
 
 0 God, the lover of the salvation of 
 mankind, who didst commission blessed 
 Gabriel, assisting before thy throne, to 
 announce to the ever glorious Virgin, the 
 mystery of thy blessed Son’s becoming 
 man, we beseech thee, that recurring to 
 his intercession, we may be succoured in 
 all our wants, spiritual and temporal. 
 Through Jesus Christy our Lord. Amen. 
 
 , « 
 
 TO ST. RAPHAEL. 
 
 0 God, who in thy ineffable goodness 
 hast rendered blessed Raphael the con¬ 
 ductor of thy faithful in their journeys, 
 we humbly implore thee that we may be 
 conducted by him in the way of salvation, 
 and experience his help in the maladies of 
 oursouls. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
LITANY OF SS. PETER AND PAUL. 
 
 Lord have*mercy on ns, Ac. Ac. 
 
 Holy Mary, Queen of Apostles, 
 
 St. Peter, Pillar of the Church, 
 
 St. Paul, Doctor of the Gentiles, 
 
 St. Peter, who left all for Christ, 
 
 St. Paul, converted by miracle, 
 
 St. Peter, confessor of the Divinity of Christ, 
 
 St. Paul, who desired to become an anathema 
 for your brethren, 
 
 St. Peter, who constantly lamented your denial 
 of Christ, 
 
 St. Paul, who never lost the remembrance of 
 the divine mercies, 
 
 St.. Peter, chief of the sacred college, 
 
 St. Paul, apostle of nations, 
 
 St. Peter, centre of unity, 
 
 St. Paul, burning with charity, 
 
 St. Peter, father of the Faithful, 
 
 St, Paul, luminary of the Church, 
 
 St. Peter, model of apostles, 
 
 St. Paul, prince of doctors, 
 
 St. Peter, vigilant pastor, 
 
 St. Paul, zealous preacher, 
 
 St. Peter, released from prison by an Angel, 
 
 St. Paul, caught up to the third heavens, and 
 heal ing unutterable secrets, 
 
 St. Peter, founder of the Holy Roman See, 
 
 St. Paul, overthrower of idolatry, 
 
 St. Peter, whom was given the power of the 
 keys, 
 
 St. Paul, to whom was committed the dispensa¬ 
 tion of the word. 
 
 St. Peter, who consummated your course by a 
 most painful martyrdom, 
 
 St. Paul, who sealed your testimony with your 
 blood, , 
 
 173 ) 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
174 LITANY OF SS. PETER AND PAUL. 
 
 That we always preserve inviolate the deposit of 
 faith, we beseech you to intercede for us. 
 
 That we may regulate our lives by the holy doc¬ 
 trine which we profess, we beseech thee to in¬ 
 tercede for us. 
 
 That we may truly repent of our past sins, we be¬ 
 seech thee to intercede for us. 
 
 That we may count all things as dross, so as that 
 we gain Jesus Christ, we beseech thee to inter¬ 
 cede for us. 
 
 That we may never glory but in His Cross, we be¬ 
 seech thee to intercede for us. 
 
 That neither life nor death, nor any creature may 
 be able to separate us from his charity, we be¬ 
 seech thee to intercede for us. 
 
 That we may omit no opportunity of extending his 
 kingdom, we beseech thee to intercede for us. 
 
 That serving him here we may possess him in 
 eternity, we beseech thee to intercede for us. 
 Lamb of God, <&c. &c. 
 
 V. Pray for us glorious apostles, SS. 
 Peter and Paul. 
 
 0 
 
 JR. That we may be made worthy of 
 the promises of Christ. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God ! whose right hand saved blessed 
 Peter from the sea, and delivered St. Paul, 
 his fellow apostle, when a third time ship¬ 
 wrecked ) mercifully grant that by the 
 merits and intercession of both we may 
 arrive at a happy eternity. Through 
 Jesus Christ, our Lord, thy Son, &c. 
 Amen. 
 
LITANY OF ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY. 
 
 Lord, have mercy, <fcc. 
 
 Holy Mary, Mother of Mercy, 
 
 Dear St. Elizabeth, mother of the poor, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, fearing God from your infancy, 
 St. Elizabeth, fervent worshipper of God. 
 
 St. Elizabeth, devout and much loved disciple 
 of Jesus Christ, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, imitatrix of the blessed Francis, 
 St. Elizabeth, noble in faith and descent, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, devoted to all pious exercises, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, spending your night3 in prayer 
 and contemplation, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, often consoled with divine visions, 
 St. Elizabeth, amiable to God and man, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, admirable in your contempt of 
 the world, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, model of chastity, poverty, and 
 obedience, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, solace of married persons, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, mirror of widows, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, pattern of humility and penance, 
 St. Elizabeth, wonderful in meekness, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, despising the delights of your 
 kingly father’s house, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, lover of the cross of Christ, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, light of pious women, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, perpetually intent on works of 
 mercy, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, nurse of orphans, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, consoler of all the afflicted, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, devoting all your energies to 
 Christ’s poor, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, subjected to injuries and con¬ 
 tempt, 
 
 ( 175 ) 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
176 LITANY OF ST. ELIZABETH. 
 
 St. Elizabeth, destitute of your friends’ assist¬ 
 ance, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, most patient in adversity, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, who wrought linen, and wool to 
 clothe the poor, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, provider for the sick and travel¬ 
 lers, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, assisting all the distressed, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, formidable to the devils, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, example of high perfection, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, obtaining the conversion of the 
 vain and dissolute, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, consoled at your decease by 
 angelical harmony, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, eminent for miracles in life and 
 death, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, most charitable to those devout 
 to you, 
 
 St. Elizabeth, enjoying eternal felicity 
 Lamb of God, <fcc. J 
 
 V. Pray for us, St. Elizabeth. 
 
 R. That we may be made worthy of the 
 promises of Christ. ' 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Mercifully illumine, 0 Lord, the hearts 
 of thy faithful, and grant us, through the 
 glorious merits of St. Elizabeth, to despise 
 worldly joys, and to delight always in such 
 as are celestial. Through Jesus Christ, 
 thy Son, our Lord. Amen. 
 
An exquisite Effusion of a celebrated French Poet to 
 
 a Lamp suspended before the Holy Tabernacle. 
 
 “Pale Lamp of the- Sanctuary! why in the oo- 
 seurity of the holy place, unperceived and solitary 
 eonsumest thou thyself before God? It is not to 
 direct the wing of prayer or of love to give light, 
 feeble spark ! to the eye of Him who made the day. 
 It is not to dispel darkness from the steps of his 
 adorers. The vast light is only more obscure before 
 thy distant glimmering; and yet, symbolic lamp! 
 thou guardest thy immortal fire, and under the 
 breeze of bassilicas thou dost flicker before every 
 altar ;* and mine eyes love to rest suspended upon 
 this aerial hearth, and I say to them whom I com¬ 
 prehend not; ye pious flames! ye do well. Per¬ 
 haps bright particles of the immense creation, they 
 imitate before His throne the eternal adoration. It. 
 x8 thus, say I to my soul, that from the shade of this 
 loioer place thou burnest , a fame invisible in the pre¬ 
 sence of thy God ? In the night of the sensible 
 world, I feel that there is a point inaccessible to the 
 obscurity of earth—a dawn on the hills which will 
 watch all night long—a star which never sets—a 
 fire which remains uuextinguished, unconsumed, in 
 which inconse can at all times be enkindled to 
 ascend in fragrance to Heaven.” 
 
 * Alas! that we cannot here understand the Poet lite¬ 
 rally, and that before every altar in the universe, but, above 
 all in our own Catholic Ireland, “the unextinguishable 
 fire” were lighted up. We would fain express a hope that the 
 lire of holy zeal were soon enkindled in the hearts of many 
 who could offer this little tribute of faith and love to their 
 annihilated God, living for them a mystic life in Ilis ever 
 Holy Sacrament. Hut where such an offering is made, the 
 lamp should be kept burning perpetually, and not as in 
 some churches extinguished at the very time in which it is 
 most wanted—the time of night—when Jesus Christ is left 
 alone, surrounded by none but his angels. 
 
 12 
 
LITANY OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENNA. 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 God the Father, source of all existence, have mercy 
 on us ! 
 
 God the Son, begotten of the Father, have mercy 
 on us ! 
 
 God the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father 
 and the Son, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Holy Mary, mother of God, and our mother, 
 
 St. Catherine of Sienna, 
 
 St. Catherine, adorned with singular graces 
 from your infancy, 
 
 St. Catherine, special favourite of heaven in 
 your tenderest years, 
 
 St. Catherine, chaste spouse of Jesus Christ, 
 
 St. Catherine, ardent lover of the Son of God, 
 
 St. Catherine, instructed when a little one by 
 the Holy Ghost, 
 
 St. Catherine, contemplative soul, 
 
 St. Catherine, enemy of vanity, 
 
 St. Catherine, vanquisher of the evil one, 
 
 St. Catherine, rigidly austere, 
 
 St. Catherine, crucifier of the flesh, 
 
 St. Carherine, follower of the Cross, 
 
 St. Catherine, eldest daughter of St. Dominick, 
 
 St. Catherine, model of religious, 
 
 St. Catherine, profoundly humble 
 St. Catherine, angelically pure, 
 
 St. Catherine, perfectly obedient, 
 
 St. Catherine, heroically patient, 
 
 St. Catherine, most compassionate and bounti¬ 
 ful to the poor, 
 
 St. Catherine, powerful in converting souls, 
 
 Prarj for us. 
 
LITANY OF ST. CATHERINE. 179 
 
 St Catherine, intercessor for sinners at the' 
 Throne of the Most High, 
 
 St. Catherine, angel of peaco, 
 
 St. Catherine, zealous for the glory of God, 
 
 St. Catherine, guide of interior souls, 
 
 St. Catherine, devoted to the Divine Provi¬ 
 dence, 
 
 St. Catherine, special favourite of the Holy 
 Virgin, 
 
 St. Catherine, incessant adorer of the Holy 
 Sacrament, 
 
 St Catherine impressed with the sacred stigmas 
 of Christ crucified. 
 
 St. Catherine, whose great attrait was His Holy 
 Passion, 
 
 St. Catherine, drawing waters in joy from these 
 fountains of the Saviour, 
 
 St. Catherine, entirely devoted to the Sacred 
 Heart of Jesus, 
 
 St. Catherine, endowed with the spirit of pro¬ 
 phecy, 
 
 St. Catherine, replenished with celestial gifts, 
 
 St. Catherine, reigning with Christ in glory, 
 Lamb of God! &c. 
 
 
 Ant. The zeal of thy house has eaten 
 me up, and the affronts of those who af¬ 
 fronted thee, fell upon me. 
 
 V. Pray for us, glorious St. Catherine. 
 
 11. That we may be made worthy of the 
 premises of Christ. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Grant, 0 Lord! that we who honour 
 our blessed Catherine, thy Virgin, may, 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
180 LITANY OP ST. BRIDGET. 
 
 through her intercession, profit by the ex¬ 
 ample of her eminent virtues: who liveth 
 and reigneth with thee, one God, world 
 without end. Amen. 
 
 AN IMPROVED LITANY OF ST. BRIDGET. 
 
 ATRONESS OP IRELAND. 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us! 
 
 Christ, hear us ! 
 
 Christ, graciously hear us ! 
 
 God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us! 
 
 God, the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy 
 On us! 
 
 God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Holy Trinity, one only God, have mercy on us! 
 Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins, 
 
 St. Bridget, patroness of Ireland, 
 
 St. Bridget, as your name implies, shining light 
 of virtue and sanctity, 
 
 St. Bridget, consecrated spouse of Jesus Christ, 
 
 St. Bridget, corner stone of the monastic insti¬ 
 tute in the Island of Saints, 
 
 St. Bridget, great model of Irish virgins, 
 
 St. Bridget, mother of religious, 
 
 St. Bridget, pattern of religious perfection, 
 
 St. Bridget, intercessor for the Irish Church, 
 
 St. Bridget, mediatrix for the Irish n ition, 
 
 St. Bridget, protectress of the holy faith planted 
 by St. Patrick, 
 
 St. Bridget, enjoying with him the clear vision 
 of God, 
 
 Lamb of God, &c. 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
LITANY OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 181 
 
 Pray for us, glorious St. Bridget, 
 
 That we may be made worthy of the 
 . promises of Christ. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God, who dost rejoice us on this day, 
 by the festival of blessed St. Bridget, thy 
 Virgin, mercifully grant that we may be 
 assisted by her merits, by whose chastity 
 we are illumined. Through Jesus Christ, 
 thy Son, our Lord. Amen. 
 
 LITANY OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 
 
 To implore their protection in all our wants, hut 
 particularly for the existing necessities of the 
 Church in Ireland. 
 
 A. M. D. G. 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us! 
 
 Christ, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us! 
 
 Christ, hear us! 
 
 Christ, graciously hear us ! 
 
 God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us ! 
 
 God, the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy 
 on us ! 
 
 God, the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the Elect, have 
 mercy on us ! 
 
 Holy Trinity, fine only God, have mercy on usl 
 
182 LITANY OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 
 
 v 
 
 Iloly Mary, Patroness of Ireland, \ 
 
 Holy Angels, Guardians of Ireland, 
 
 Glorious St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, 
 
 St. Malachy, 
 
 St. Otteran, 
 
 St, Carthagus, 
 
 St. Declan, 
 
 St. Columban, 
 
 St. Laurence, 
 
 St. Albertus, 
 
 St. Kevin, 
 
 St. Finbar, 
 
 St. Virgilius, 
 
 St. Frigidianus, 
 
 St. Kilian, 
 
 St. Rurnold, 
 
 St. Cataldus, ® 
 
 St. Flannan, 
 
 St, Brendan, 
 
 St. Fintan, 
 
 St. Aidan, 
 
 St. Fiacre, 
 
 St. Fursey, 
 
 St. Rupert, 
 
 St. Donatus, 
 
 St. Audoen, 
 
 St. Michan, 
 
 St. Column, 
 
 St. Livin, - 
 St. Columba, 
 
 St. Gall, 
 
 St. Canice, 
 
 St. Albans, 
 
 St. Kyrnn, 
 
 St. Jarlath, 
 
 St. Congallus, 
 
 St. Macartin, 
 
 St. Bridget, 
 
 St. Dyrnpna, 
 
 St. Ico, 
 
 Pray for us. 
 
LITANY OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 183 
 
 All yo holy saints of the Irish nation, make in-' 
 tercession for us, 
 
 That thou, 0 Lord, wouldst vouchsafe to pre¬ 
 serve among us pure and inviolate the faith 
 “ once delivered” by St. Patrick, 
 
 That thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant unanimity 
 of sentiment and opinion to our prelates and 
 pastors, 
 
 That thou wouldst vouchsafe to increase among 
 us the fervour of the just and convert the }• 
 sinners, 
 
 That thou wouldst vouchsafe to alleviate our 
 sufferings, and grant us patience in our 
 trials, 
 
 That thou wouldst vouchsafe to bless and pro¬ 
 tect the children of St. Patrick in life and 
 death, 
 
 That thou wouldst vouchsafe to conduct them 
 in triumph to thy heavenly kingdom, 
 
 Lamb of God, &>c. 
 
 < 3 * 
 
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 -s 
 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 Lord God of infinite goodness and 
 mercy, who with the faith didst plant 
 among us the true spirit of Joseph, and 
 propagate it abundantly for ages, we hum¬ 
 bly beseech that being “ the children of 
 the saints/’ we may never degenerate from 
 their noble sentiments and holy example; 
 but through their powerful intercession, 
 ever walk on worthily of the vocation to 
 which we have been called. Through 
 Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen. 
 
LITANY OF ST. MARY MAGDALEN. 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us, <fcc. 
 
 Holy Mary, refuge of penitent sinners, 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen, 
 
 Conquest of divine grace, 
 
 Model of true penitents. 
 
 Monument of the sacred tenderness of Jesus, 
 
 Victim of holy compunction, 
 
 Ardent lover of the Son of God, 
 
 Hostess of Jesus Christ, 
 
 Attentive to his divine word, 
 
 Most dear to his Sacred Heart, 
 
 Choser of the better part, 
 
 Seeker of the one thing necessary, 
 
 Example of austerity, 
 
 Pattern of mortification, 
 
 Glorying in the Cross of Christ, 
 
 Companion of his holy mother, 
 
 Dwelling in the holes of the rock, 
 
 Drawing waters in joy from the fountains of 
 the Saviour, 
 
 More courageous than the Apostles, 
 
 More fervent than the martyrs, 
 
 More faithful than the virgins, 
 
 Associated with the Angels, 
 
 Ant. Many waters cannot quench char¬ 
 ity ; neither can floods drown it. Though 
 a man should give all he is worth for love, 
 he would despise it as nothing. 
 
 Pray for us, glorious St. Mary Mag¬ 
 dalen, 
 
 That we may be made worthy of the 
 promises of Christ. 
 
 ( 184 ) 
 
LITANY OF ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ. 185 
 
 I 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 Grant, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, that 
 we may be assisted by the prayers of 
 blessed Mary Magdalen, at whose prayers 
 thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead 
 after he had been four days buried. 
 Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, 
 who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the 
 unity of the Holy Ghost, world without 
 end. Amen. 
 
 _ l 
 
 LITANY OF B. ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 Whose feast is solemnized by the Jesuits on the 30 th 
 or 31st of October. 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, have mercy on us! 
 
 Lord, have mercy on us ! 
 
 Christ, hear us! 
 
 Christ, graciously hear us! 
 
 God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us! 
 
 God, the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy 
 on us! 
 
 God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us! 
 
 Holy Trinity, one only God, have mercy on us! 
 Holy and immaculate Mary, 
 
 St. Ignatius, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, obedient man, who speak- 
 
 est victories, 
 
 Pray, due. 
 
186 
 
 LITANY OF 
 
 t 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, who didst walk before or ini 
 the presence, of God. 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, faithful companion of Jesus, 
 Blessed Alphonsus, perfect imitator of Jesus, 
 Blessed Alphonsus, most pious adorer of Jesus 
 in the Holy Eucharist, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, cherished child of Mary, 
 Blessed Alphonsus, most devoted servant of 
 Mary, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, contemner of worldly de¬ 
 lights, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, most wise by the folly of 
 the cross, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, most high by the abnega¬ 
 tion of your own will, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, most rich by the mortifica¬ 
 tion of your own desires, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, lover of holy poverty. 
 Blessed Alphonsus, signal in chastity, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, model of humility, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, admirable by your abase¬ 
 ment, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, endowed with sublime 
 contemplation, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, assiduous in the exercise of 
 prayer, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, indefatigable in the chastise¬ 
 ment of your body, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, consumed with zeal for 
 souls, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, master of the apostolic 
 virtue^, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, mirror of religious dis¬ 
 cipline, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, vanquisher of devils, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, ornament of the Society of 
 Jesus, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, protector of the humble of 
 heart, 
 
 
 
 2 * 
 
BLESSED ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ. 187 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, hope of those who invoke 
 you, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, terrible to hell, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, illustrious by your miracles, 
 Blessed Alphonsus, inscribed among the elect. 
 Blessed Alphonsus, enjoying the glory of the 
 saints, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, most powerful in Heaven, 
 Blessed Alphonsus, prophet in faith and spirit, 
 Blessed Alphonsus, apostle by your prayers, 
 
 Blessed Alphonsus, martyr by your patience, 
 Blessed Alphonsus, confessor by your works, 
 
 Lamb of God, &c. 
 
 Pray for us, Blessed Alphonsus Kod- 
 riguez. 
 
 That we may be made worthy of the 
 promises of Christ. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 0 God ! strength of the weak, and ex¬ 
 altation of the humble, who hast by con¬ 
 tinual mortification and profound humility 
 rendered blessed Alphonsus illustrious, 
 grant that crucifying the flesh and humbly 
 following Jesus Christ after his example, 
 we may obtain eternal life. Through the 
 game Jesus Christ, thy son, our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
A. M. D. G. 
 
 FOR CHRISTMAS. 
 
 Jesus in his Incarnation and Nativity. 
 
 u The Lord is ‘little,’ and exceedingly 'amiable/ 
 Whensoever I look upon thee in the bosom of thy 
 mother, divine Jesus !—whether hidden in her 
 womb, or clasped in her embrace—my soul exults 
 for joy, and in the fulness of my heart, I do not 
 cease exclaiming : “ The Lord is ‘ little ’ and ‘ ex¬ 
 ceedingly amiable!’” Exceedingly amiable art 
 thou in the womb of thy most sweet mother; for 
 there thou thinkest of me—there thou lovest me— 
 there thou prayest for mo—there thou dost recon¬ 
 cile me with thy Father—there thou dost ask for my 
 heart—there thou dost give me thine—there for 
 nine months thou remainest enclosed, the captive 
 of my love. 
 
 But say, I entreat you, my Prisoner ! tell me, 
 thou captive of my love ! why thou art so long 
 hidden? I know, 0 most amiable Jesus! I know 
 what thou art doing there. There thou art forming 
 thyself to my “image and likeness.” Thou formest 
 to thyself eyes, to look upon me benignly—thou 
 formest to thyself ears, that thou mightest patiently 
 hear me—thou formest to thyself lips, that they 
 may “distil myrrh”—thou formest a tongue, to teach 
 me— -feet, to come to me— hands, to benefit me— 
 arms, to embrace me— hisses, to kiss me—a heart, to 
 burn for me— blood, to shed it for me. In fine, 
 thou formest a body, to immolate it for me one day 
 on the altar of the cross. “ The Lord is ‘ little,’ 
 and ' exceedingly amiable.’ ” 
 
 Thou art exceedingly amiable on the lap of thy 
 
♦ FOR CHRISTMAS. 
 
 1&9 
 
 most sweet parent. Wheresoever I behold thee, 
 there I see all benignity, all beauty, all sweetness, 
 all delights! 0 sweetest, dearest, and most amiable 
 Babe ! My life ! my delight! my love ! ray Jesus ! 
 Shall I therefore remain gazing upon thee in thy 
 mother’s bosom? There thou liest— there thou re- 
 posest—there thou feedest, among the lilies. “Who 
 shall give thee to me as a brother, sucking the paps 
 of my mother,” that I may find thee, that I may 
 see thee, that I may kiss thee, that I may proclaim 
 to all, “ the Lord is ‘ little,’ and exceedingly 
 amiable.” 
 
 What else can be said of Him ? “ My spirit ex¬ 
 
 ults in God my Saviour.” In the virgin’s womb 
 thou art made my flesh; in the Nativity, my little 
 brother; at the Circumcision, my Saviour; at thy 
 Presentation, my victim; at the Epiphany, my 
 King and my God. 0 Jesus! thou art amiable in 
 the bosom of thy Father, but amiable too in the 
 womb of thy mother. In the bosom of the Father, 
 thou didst create me to thy resemblance: in the 
 womb of thy mother, thou formest thyself to mine. 
 In the bosom of the Father, thou didst “ create for 
 me the heavens and the earth, and all that thou 
 hast made;” in the wonb of thy mother, thou didst 
 make thyself (man) for me. In the bosom of the 
 Father, thou didst extract me from nothing; in the 
 womb of thy mother, thou didst draw me from hell. 
 In the bosom of the Father, thou didst form me; in 
 the womb of thy mother, thou didst reform me. Tell 
 me, 0 Angels! say, 0 man ! what do you think of 
 my Christ ? whether is he more amiable in the bosom 
 of his Father, than in the womb of his mother? I 
 will tell what I think, and tell it boldly : In the 
 bosom of the Father, “ the Lord is great and ex¬ 
 ceedingly laudable;” in the womb of his mother, 
 “ the Lord is ‘ little ,’ and exceedingly amiable.” 
 
 Laus Jesus et Beatuo Maria. 
 
190 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 
 THE HYMN'. 
 
 0 saving vic tim, pledge of love ! 
 
 Who open’st the heavenly gates above. 
 By hostile wars we are oppress’d, 
 
 Be thou our force, support, and rest. 
 
 To God the Father, and the Son, 
 
 And holy Spirit, three in one, 
 
 Be endless praise: may he abovo, 
 
 With life immortal, crown our love. 
 
 mn£. 
 
 THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD. 
 
 With hearts truly grateful. 
 
 Come, all ye faithful, 
 
 To Jesus, to Jesus in Bethlehem. 
 
 See Christ your Saviour, 
 
 Heaven’s greatest favour. 
 
 Let’s hasten to adore him. 
 
 Let’s hasten to adore him, 
 
 Let’s hasten to adore him— 
 
 Our God and King. 
 
 trod to God equal, 
 
 Light of Light eternal; 
 
 Carried in virgin’s ever spotless womb; 
 
 He all preceded. 
 
 Begotten, not created. 
 
 Let’s hasten, &c. 
 
 Angels now praise him, 
 
 Loud their voices raising; 
 
 Tho heavenly mansions with joy now ring; 
 To him who’s most holy, 
 
 Be honour, praise and glory. 
 
 Let’s hasten, &g. 
 
IIYMNS. 
 
 191 
 
 To Jesus, this day born, 
 
 Grateful homage return ; 
 
 ’Tis he who all heavenly gifts does bring; 
 Word in created, 
 
 To our flesh united. 
 
 Let’s hasten, Ac. 
 
 We, joyfully singing, 
 
 Grateful tributes bringing. 
 
 Praise him and bless him in heavenly hymns 
 Angels implore him, 
 
 Seraphs fall before him, 
 
 Then e’er let us adore him— 
 
 Our God and King. 
 
 FOR COMMUNION. 
 
 0 what could my Jesus do more, 
 
 Or what greater blessing impart, 
 
 0 silence, my soul, and Adore, 
 
 And press him still near to thy heart. 
 
 ’Tis here from my labors I’ll rest, 
 
 Since he makes my poor heart his abode; 
 
 To him all my cares I’ll address, 
 
 And speak to the heart of my God. 
 
 For life and for death thou art mine, 
 
 My Saviour, I’m seal’d with Thy blood; 
 
 Till eternity on me doth shine. 
 
 I’ll feed on the flesh of my God. 
 
 In Jesus triumphant I live— 
 
 In Jesus exultingly die— 
 
 The terrors of dea th calmly brave, 
 
 In his bosom breathe out my last sigh. 
 
192 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 HOLY mary! mother mild. 
 
 Holy Mary ! Mother mild! 
 
 Hear! 0 hear a feeble child, 
 
 "Who on life’s tempestuous sea * 
 
 Is cast alone: 0 succour me ! 
 
 Waves of sorrow o’er me roll! 
 
 Storms of passion shake my soul 
 Dangers press on every side ! 
 
 Star of Ocean, be my guide. 
 
 Brightest in the courts above ! 
 
 Joy of angels ! Queen of love ! 
 
 Comfort of the sorrowing ! hear ! 
 
 And grief and tears will disappear. 
 
 Throned in majesty and might, 
 
 In the realms of fadeless light, 
 
 Maiden Mother ! hear our prayer, 
 
 Prove to us thy loving care. 
 
 Mother of our Saviour God, 
 
 Guide us in the path He trod, 
 
 Till to thy children it be given, 
 
 To bless, with thee, his name in heaven. 
 
 SOUND THE LOUD TIMBREL. 
 
 Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea! 
 Jehovah has triumph’d, his people are free! 
 
 Sing, for the pride of the tyrant is broken, 
 
 His chariots, his horsemen, all splendid and brave! 
 How vain was their boasting, the Lord hath but 
 spoken, 
 
 And chariots and horsemen are sunk in the wave! 
 
HYMNS. 
 
 193 * 
 
 Praise to the Conqueror, praise to the Lord, 
 
 His word was our arrow, his breath was our sword! 
 Who shall return to tell Egypt the story, 
 
 Of those she sent forth in the hour of her pride ! 
 
 For the Lord hath looked out from his pillar of glory, 
 And all her brave thousands are dash’d in the tide. 
 Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea, 
 Jehovah has triumph’d, his people are free ! 
 
 HYMN FOR LENT, Ac. 
 
 Saviour, when in dust to Thee 
 Low we bow th’ adoring knee; 
 
 When repentant to the skies, 
 
 Scarce we lift our streaming eyes; 
 
 Oh ! by all the pains and wo. 
 
 Suffered once for man below, 
 
 Bending from thy throne on high. 
 Hear our solemn Litany ! 
 
 Hear our solemn Litany ! 
 
 By Thy birth and early years, 
 
 By Thy human griefs and fears, 
 
 By Thy fasting and distress, 
 
 In the lonely wilderuess, 
 
 By Thy victory in the hour 
 Of the subtle tempter’s power, 
 
 Jesus ! look with pitying eye, 
 
 Hear our solemn Litany! 
 
 Hear our solemn Litany ! 
 
 i ■ 
 
 By Thine hour of dark despair, 
 
 I y Thine agony of prayer, 
 
 By the purple l'obe of scorn, 
 
 By Thy wounds, Thy crown of thorn, 
 
 18 
 
194 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 By Thy cross, Thy pangs and crios, 
 By Thy perfect sacrifice, 
 
 Jesus! look with pitying eye, 
 
 Hear our solemn Litany ! 
 
 Hear our solemn Litany ! 
 
 By Thy deep expiring groan, 
 
 By Thy seal’d sepulchral stone, 
 
 By Thy triumph o’er the grave, 
 
 By Thy power from death to save; 
 Mighty God ! ascended Lord ! 
 
 To Thy throne in heaven restored, 
 Prince and Saviour, hear our cry, 
 Hear our solemn Litany ! 
 
 Hoar our solemn Litany ! 
 
 HYMN TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.. 
 
 Fading, still fading, the last beam is shining,* 
 
 Ave Maria ! day is declining : 
 
 Safety and innocence fly with the light. 
 
 Temptation and danger-walk forth in the night; 
 From the fall of the shade, till the matin shall 
 chime, 
 
 Shield us from danger and save us from crime. 
 
 Ave Maria! Audi nos. 
 
 Ave Maria ! oh hear when we call ; 
 
 Mother of Him, who is Saviour of all! ■ 
 
 Feeble and fearing, we trust in thy might, 
 
 In doubting and darkness, thy love be our 
 light: 
 
 Lot U3 sleep on thy breast while the night taper 
 burns, 
 
 And wake in thine arms when the morning returns, 
 Avo Marie 1 Audi nos. 
 
HYMNS. 
 
 195 
 
 VENI, CREATOR, SPIRITUS. 
 
 Spirit, creator of mankind! 
 
 Come visit ev’ry pious mind. 
 
 And sweetly let thy graco invade 
 
 Our hearts, 0 Lord! which thou hast made. 
 
 Thou art the Comforter whom all 
 Gift of the highest God must call, 
 
 The living fountain, fire and love; 
 
 The ghostly unction from above. 
 
 God’s sacred finger which ilnparts, 
 
 A sev’nfold grace to faithful hearts ; 
 
 Thou art the Father’s promise, whence 
 We language have, and eloquence. 
 
 Enlighten, Lord! our souls, and grant 
 That we thy love may never want; 
 
 Lot not our virtue ever fail, 
 
 But strengthen what in flesh is frail. 
 
 Chase from our minds th’ infernal foe, 
 
 And peace, the fruit of love, bestow : 
 
 And lest our feet should step astray. 
 
 Protect and guide us in the way. 
 
 Make us eternal truths receive, 
 
 And practise all that we believe. 
 
 Give us thyself that we may see, 
 
 The Father and the Son in thee. ** 
 
 Immortal honour, endless fame, 
 
 Attend th’ Almighty Father’s name; 
 
 To the Son equal praises be. 
 
 And holy Paraclete, to thee. 
 
 

 196 HYMNS. 
 
 ASPIRATIONS TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 
 
 My God, my life, my love, 
 
 To Thee, to Thee I call; 
 
 0 come to me from heaven above, 
 
 And bo my God, my All. 
 
 My faith beholds Thee, Lord! 
 
 Concealed in human food; 
 
 My senses fail, but in Thy word, 
 
 1 I trust and find my God. 
 
 0 when wilt thou be mine, 
 
 Sweet lover of my soul; 
 
 My Jesus dear, my king divine, 
 
 Come o’er my heart to rule. 
 
 0 ! come and fix Thy throne, 
 
 In the midst of my heart, 
 
 0! make it burn for Thee alone, 
 
 And from me ne’er depart. 
 
 Begone ye, from my mind, 
 
 Vain, childish, earthly toys; 
 
 In my Jesus, alone I find 
 True pleasures, solid joys. 
 
 COME, HOLY GHOST. 
 
 Come Holy Ghost, send down those boams, 
 Come Holy Ghost, send down those beams, 
 Which sweetly flow in silent streams 
 From thy bright throne above. 
 
 0 Come, Thou Father of the Poor! 
 
 Thou bounteous source of all our store! 
 
 Come warm our hearts with love, with love divine, 
 Come warm our hearts with love, with love divine, 
 Thou bounteous source of all our store 
 Come warm our hearts with love. 
 
 Come Holy Ghost, &o. 
 
 A 
 
HYMNS. 
 
 197 
 
 Come Thou of Comforters the best, 
 
 Come Thou, the soul’s delightful guest, 
 Como Thou, the soul’s delightful guest, 
 The Pilgrim’s street relief. 
 
 Come Holy Ghost, <fcc. 
 
 Thou art our rest in toil and sweat; 
 Refreshment in excessivo heat; 
 Refreshment in excessive hoat, 
 
 And our solace in all grief. 
 
 Como Holy Ghost, &c. 
 
 0 Sacred Light! Shoot home Thy darte, 
 0 pierce the centre of these hearts, 
 
 0 pierco the centre of these hearts, 
 Whose faith aspires to Thee! 
 
 Come Holy Ghost, &c. 
 
 0 grant Thy faithful, dearest Lord ! 
 Whose only hope is Thy sure word. 
 Whose only hope is Thy sure word. 
 
 The seven gifts of Thy Spirit. 
 
 Come Holy Ghost, <fcc. 
 
 Grant us in life to obey Thy grace. 
 Grant us at death to see Thy face. 
 
 And everlasting joys inherit; 
 
 And everlasting joys inherit— 
 
 Grant us at death to see Thy face 
 And endless joys inherit. 
 
 Come Holy Ghost, <fcc. 
 
 SOLDIERS OF CHRIST. 
 
 Soldiers of Christ! arise! 
 
 And put your armour on, 
 
 Strong in the strength which God euppliea 
 Through his eternal Son ; 
 
 i 
 
198 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 Strong is the Lord of hosts, 
 
 And in His mighty power, 
 
 Who in the strength of Jesus trusts. 
 Is more than conqueror. 
 
 Soldiers of Christ! arise ! 
 
 The God of armies calls 
 Unto his mansions in the skies— 
 
 His everlasting halls : 
 
 Lo ! the angel host appears 
 To welcome you to bliss; 
 
 0 ! what is earth, its sighs and tears, 
 Its joys compared to this. 
 
 Crush’d is the haughty foe, 
 
 His might, his glory gone, 
 
 But ye, with victory crown’d shall go 
 To Christ’s eternal throne. 
 
 There shall the conqueror rest. 
 
 And in that blest abode, 
 
 Forever reign amid the blest, 
 Triumphant with his God. 
 
 HYMN TO ST. ROSE OP LIMA. 
 
 First flowret of the desert wild! 
 
 Whose leaves the sweets of grace exhale, 
 We greet thee, Lima’s s in ted child— 
 
 Bose of America-all hail! 
 
 When first appear’d the infant smile, 
 Beaming upon thy features meek, 
 
 It seemed as if there blushed, the while. 
 The Bose-bud on thy Virgin cheek, 
 
 And honce thy name, St. Bose, was given. 
 Not by thy earthly parent’s choico. 
 
 But by the holy Queen of heaven. 
 
 Who bade thee in that name rejoice. 
 
HYMNS. 
 
 199 
 
 Transplanted from the worldly gaze, 
 
 Which sometimes taints the fairest flowers. 
 In solitude thou lov’d’st to praise 
 Thy spouse amid Religion's bowers. 
 
 There oft thy mind, too pure, too high, 
 
 For this low world of sin and strife. 
 
 Held blest communion with the sky, 
 Enjoying heaven in mortal life. 
 
 And once, amid thy rapturous prayer, 
 
 Thy heavenly Spouse himself came down, 
 Most sweetly breathing in thine ear, 
 
 “ Rose of my heart, receive thy crown.” 
 
 And whilst amid his glories now, 
 
 Thou soest him face to face—oh deign, 
 
 St. Rose, to hear thy suppliants vow, 
 
 That grace and glory wo may gain. 
 
 ST. CECILIA. 
 
 Let the deep organ swell the lay, 
 
 In honour of this festive day, 
 
 And let harmonious choirs proclaim 
 Cecilia’s ever blessed name: 
 
 Rome gave the Virgin Martyr birth. 
 
 Whose memory has fill’d the earth, 
 
 Who, in the early dawn of youth, 
 
 Had fix’d her heart on God and truth: 
 
 t 
 
 Thence from the world’s bewild’ring strife. 
 In peace she spent her holy life, 
 
 Teaching the organ to combine 
 With voioo, to praise the Lamb divine: 
 
200 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 When hade forthwith her faith deny. 
 
 And with the pagan rites comply. 
 
 She nobly chose the bath of fire, 
 
 There to be tortur’d and expire: 
 
 But there the virgin felt no pain, 
 
 One night and day did she remain, 
 
 When, roused by vengeance, with a blow. 
 The lictor laid the Martyr low. 
 
 Cecilia, with a two-fold crown, 
 
 Adorn’d in heav’n, we pray, look down 
 Upon thy pious vot’ries hero, 
 
 And hearken to their humble pray’r. 
 
 BENEDETTE SIA BA MADRE. 
 
 0 blest fore’er the Mother, 
 
 And Virgin full of grace, 
 
 Who bore our God ! our Brother! 
 
 The Saviour of our race. 
 
 Sweet Jesus ! low before Theo, 
 
 We bend in fear and love, 
 
 0 grant we may adore Thee, 
 
 In Thy bright realms above. 
 
 D. C. Sweet Jesus, &o. 
 
 Pure as the light of heav’n, 
 
 In meekness, nearest Thee, 
 
 *Tis Thou hast Mary given, 
 
 Our guide, our friend to be. 
 Sweet Mother ! tears are falling, 
 From hearts that love thy Son- 
 Then hear thy children calling, 
 
 On Thee, and bless thy own. 
 
 D. C. Sweet Mother, &o. 
 
HYMNS. 
 
 201 
 
 HYMN OF PRAISE AND JOY. 
 
 Thee, Sovereign God ! we grateful praise, 
 And greot Thee, Lord ! in festive lays; 
 
 To thee, great God ! earth’s boundless frame. 
 With echoes sounds immortal fame; 
 
 Lord God of hosts, the heav’nly pow’rs, 
 
 For Thee vibrate the vaulted tow’rs. 
 
 Cherubs and Seraphs thron’d on high. 
 
 Still Holy, Holy, Holy cry, 
 
 Both heav.en and earth aloud display, 
 
 Thy beauty, grandeur, majesty; 
 
 Thy praises till the Apostles choir; 
 
 The prophets in the song conspire. 
 
 0 ! grant us, with the saints above, 
 
 To share thy everlasting love ; 
 
 Save, Lord! thy people, and enhance, 
 
 Thy grace on thy inheritance. 
 
 Forever rule and guide their ways, 
 
 Each day we’ll chant aloud thy praise. 
 
 No age shall fail to extol thy name. 
 
 No hour neglect thy lasting famo; 
 
 Preserve us, Lord, this day from ill, 
 
 Have mercy, Lord! have mercy still, 
 
 As we have hoped, so crown our pain, 
 
 Nor let our hope in Thee be vain. 
 
 HYMN TO OUR BLESSED LADY. FOR THE SOULS III 
 PURGATORY. 
 
 0 turn to Jesus, Mother! turn, 
 
 And call Him by his tenderest names; 
 Pray for the Holy Souls that burn 
 This hour amid the cleansing flames 
 
 / 
 
202 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 * 
 
 In pains beyond all earthly pains, 
 Favorites of Jesus ! there they lie, 
 Letting the fire wear out their stains, 
 And worshipping God’s purity. 
 
 They are the children of thy tears ; 
 
 Then hasten, Mother ! to their aid; 
 
 In pity think each hour appears 
 An age while glory is delay’d. 
 
 See how they bound amid their fires. 
 
 While pain and love their spirits fill j 
 Then with self-crucified desires 
 
 Utter sweet murmurs, and lie still. 
 
 0 Mary ! let thy son no more 
 
 His lingering Spouses thus expect; 
 God’s children to their God restore, 
 
 And to the spirit his elect. 
 
 Pray then, as thou hast ever pray’d; 
 
 Angels and Souls all look to thee; • 
 God waits thy prayers for he hath made 
 Those prayers his laws of charity. 
 
 TO ST. JOSEPH. 
 
 Holy Patron ! thee saluting, 
 
 Here we meet with hearts Sincere, 
 Bless’d St. Joseph, all uniting, 
 
 Call on thee to hear their prayer. 
 Happy Saint! in bliss adoring, 
 Jesus, Saviour of mankind, 
 Hear thy children thee imploring, 
 May we thy protection find. 
 
 Worldly dangers for them fearing, 
 Youthful hearts to thee we bring, 
 
HYMNS. 
 
 203 
 
 Grant in virtue persevering, 
 
 Vice may ne’er their bosoms sting. 
 
 Happy Saint, &c. 
 
 Thou, who faithfully attended 
 Him, whom heaven and earth adore : 
 
 Who with pious care defended 
 Mary, Virgin over pure. 
 
 Happy Saint, <tc. 
 
 May our fervent prayers ascending, 
 Move thee for our souls to plead, 
 
 May thy smile of peace descending, 
 Benedictions on us shed. 
 
 Happy Saint, &c. 
 
 Through this life, oh! watch around us, 
 Fill with love our every breath, 
 
 And when parting fears surround us, 
 Guide us through the toils of death. 
 
 Happy Saint, &c. 
 
 HYMN TO ST. PATRICK, APOSTLE OP IRELAND. 
 
 Hibernia’s Champion Saint, all hail! 
 
 With fadeless glory crown’d; 
 
 The offspring of your ardent zeal, 
 
 This day your praise shall sound. 
 
 Great and glorious St. Patrick, 
 
 Pray fOr that dear Country, 
 
 The Land of our Fathers; 
 
 Great and glorious St. Patrick, 
 
 Hearken to the prayer of thy children. 
 
 Borne on the wings of charity, 
 
 To Erin’s coast you flew, 
 
 Bade Satan from her valleys flee, 
 
 And his dark shrines o’erthrew. 
 
 Great, <fcc. 
 
204 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 Wand’ring thro’ error's gloomy night. 
 
 Our sires lost their way, 
 
 You cheer’d their hearts with heav’nly light. 
 With truth’s consoling ray. 
 
 Great, <fcc. 
 
 0! what a harvest crown’d thy toil, 
 
 The earth, long curs’d, was bless’d: 
 
 Each lovely virtue graced its soil. 
 
 The sinner’s heart found rest. 
 
 Great, &c. 
 
 From faith’s bright camp the demon fled, 
 The path to heaven was clear’d, 
 
 Religion rais’d her beauteous head, 
 
 An Isle of Saints appear’d. 
 
 Great, &c. 
 
 i 
 
 To God, who sent thee to our Isle, 
 
 Be endless glory given, 
 
 0! may He ever on it smile, 
 
 And lead its sons to heav’n. 
 
 Great, <fcc. 
 
 HYMN TO OUR GUARDIAN ANGETi. 
 
 0 God, how ought my grateful heart, 
 To praise Thy bounteous hand, 
 
 Who send’st Thy angel from above, 
 
 To be my guide and friend 1 
 
 My soul is surely something great, 
 Meant for eternity: 
 
 That angels thus should be employ’d. 
 In watching over mo. 
 
 Whilst I an helpless infant was, 
 
 With every tender care 
 
nYMNS. 
 
 205 
 
 He guarded round my cradle’s side; 
 
 No evil could come near. 
 
 Protected by His heavenly aid, 
 
 How safe my infancy ! 
 
 Though death and danger raged around, 
 They harmless pass’d by me. 
 
 When I, within my mother’s arms. 
 Enjoy’d her fond embrace, 
 
 He hov’ring round on airy wings. 
 Divinely did me bless. 
 
 When first I from my mother learnt 
 My Jesus’ name to praise, 
 
 He softly whisper’d to my heart, 
 
 “ How sweet are all His ways!” 
 
 And now when morning from the east, 
 Sends forth her golden rays, 
 
 Teach mo to raise my heart to God, 
 
 And sing His glorious praise. 
 
 And while the Sun with brighter beams 
 Is shining through the day, 
 
 Let every action, every thought, 
 
 My love to Him display. 
 
 In evening when the cooling breeze, 
 Invites to sweet repose, 
 
 May I, in grateful thanks to Him, 
 
 My wearied eyelids close. 
 
 Celestial Guardian, thus with thee, 
 
 And by thy constant care, 
 
 May I the world’s corruption flee, 
 
 Ami hoav’nly blessings shore. 
 
THE WAY OE SALVATION. 
 
 RULES OF A CHRISTIAN LIFE. 
 
 ON THE MEANS OF CONTINUING IN THE GRACE OF GOD. 
 
 It is necessary to be fully convinced that 
 in order to obtain salvation, we must not 
 only desire to be saved, but also adopt the 
 means of being saved left us by Jesus 
 Christ. If we fall into sin, it will be of 
 no avail for us to attempt an excuse at the 
 day of judgment, by saying that our temp¬ 
 tations were very strong and ourselves 
 very weak : because Grod gives us the 
 means of overcoming by his grace all the 
 assaults of our enemies; if, therefore, we 
 will not avail ourselves of them, and are 
 overcome, the fault is our own. All per¬ 
 sons desire to be saved, but the greater 
 part, because they will not adopt the means 
 of being saved, fall into sins and are lost. 
 
 The first means is to avoid and fly from 
 the occasions of sin. He who is not careful 
 to avoid and fly from the occasions of sin, 
 particularly such as allure him to sensual 
 gratifications, cannot possibly avoid falling 
 into sin. St. Philip Neri said : “ In the 
 war of the senses, those cowards who fly 
 (20fl) 
 
THE WAY OF SALVATION - . 207 
 
 become the conquerors.” The occasion, 
 when not fled from, becomes as a bandage 
 bound over our eyes, which will not allow 
 us to see anything, neither God, nor hell, 
 nor our former good resolutions. The 
 Scripture tells us, that it is impossible tc 
 walk upon burning coals and not be burnt: 
 Can a man walk upon‘hot coals and his 
 feet not he burnt f —Prov. vi. 28. In like 
 manner, it is morally impossible to expose 
 ourselves voluntarily to the danger of al 
 luring occasions and not fall, although we 
 may have made a thousand resolutions and a 
 thousand promises to God. The truth of 
 this is proved by the misfortune of so many 
 poor souls who are daily carried headlong 
 into vice, because they will not fly from 
 dangerous occasions. And he who is ad¬ 
 dicted to any habit of impurity, let him 
 know that to restrain himself, it will not 
 be sufficient to avoid merely the immediate 
 occasions of temptations; if he will not 
 avoid those also which are not altogether 
 immediate occasions he will be very easily 
 overcome and will fall. Let us not suffer 
 ourselves to be deceived by the devil, who 
 tells us that we are safe, because the per¬ 
 son who is the subject of temptation to us 
 is holy; it often happens that, the more 
 
208 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 devout such a person is, the more violent 
 is the temptation. St. Thomas of Aquinas 
 says, that the most holy persons have the 
 greatest attractions. The temptation be¬ 
 gins in the spirit and ends in the flesh. A 
 great servant of God, Father Sertorious 
 Caputo, of the Society of Jesus, observes 
 that, the devil first endeavours to induce 
 us to love virtue in certaiu pious persons, 
 and then to love the persons themselves, 
 when he blinds us and hurries us into sin. 
 It is necessary also to avoid wicked com¬ 
 panions : we are very weak, the devil is 
 continually tempting us, and the senses 
 alluring us to evil, yet the influence of 
 one wicked companion will more easily 
 overcome us than all these. The first 
 thing therefore that we must do to be 
 saved, is to keep ourselves at a distanee 
 from dangerous occasions and wicked com¬ 
 panions. And in this it is necessary to 
 use violence with ourselves, and overcome 
 all human respect. He who does not use 
 violence with himself, will not be saved. 
 It is true, we are not to confide in our own 
 strength, but only in the divine assistance; 
 but God requires of us on our part to do 
 violence to ourselves in order to obtain 
 heaven. The kingdom of heaven svffereth 
 
THE WAY OF SALVATION. 209 
 
 violence , and the violent hear it away .— 
 St. Matt. xi. 12. 
 
 The second means is mental prayer. 
 Without this it will be difficult for the soul 
 to continue long in the grace of God. In 
 all thy works , says the Holy Spirit, remem¬ 
 ber thy last end , and thou shalt never sin. 
 —Eccl. vii. 40. He who frequently me¬ 
 ditates on his last end, upon death, judg¬ 
 ment, hell and heaven, will not fall into 
 sin: but these truths are not to be dis¬ 
 cerned by the eyes, but only by the mind; 
 if they be not dwelt upon, they vanish 
 from the mind ; and the pleasures of sense 
 presenting themselves easily gain admittance 
 into the hearts of those who do not keep in 
 mind the eternal truths; and hence it is 
 that so many abandon themselves to vice 
 and are lost. All Christians know and 
 believe that they must die, and must be 
 judged after death ; but because they do 
 not think of these things, they live at a dis¬ 
 tance from God. Without mental prayer 
 we can have no light, but must walk in 
 the dark, and walking in the dark we can¬ 
 not perceive dangers, we cannot take pre¬ 
 cautions; we ask not God for his assist¬ 
 ance, and thus we must be lost. Without 
 prayer there is neither light nor strength 
 
 14 
 
210 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 for us to walk forward in the way of God, 
 because without prayer we ask not God to 
 give us his help; and hence not praying 
 we must certainly fall. Hence Cardinal 
 Bellarmin says, that it is morally impossi¬ 
 ble for a Christian who does not meditate 
 upon eternal truths to continue in the 
 grace of God. On the contrary, he who 
 meditates every day, will not easily fall 
 into sin; and if by some misfortune he 
 should fall, he will, by a continuance in 
 prayer, soon arise and return again to 
 God. A servant of God once said : 
 “ Mental prayer and mortal sin can never 
 exist together.” Resolve, therefore, to 
 make every day, either in the morning, cr 
 in the evening, but better in the morning, 
 half an hour’s meditation. For the rest, 
 it is sufficient to read during the half hour 
 some book of meditations, and excite within 
 you from time to time some pious affec¬ 
 tion, and make some prayer to God. 
 Above all, I beseech you never to relinquish 
 this kind of prayer, but to make it at least 
 once in the day, although you should be in 
 great dryness of spirit, and should find it 
 very irksome. If you continue faithful to 
 it, you will assuredly be saved. 
 
 Together with prayer it is of great use 
 
THE WAT OE SALVATION. 211 
 
 to be diligent in spiritual reading, out of 
 some book that treats of the holy lives of 
 the saints, or of the Christian virtues; and 
 this for half an hour, or at least a quarter 
 of an hour every day. How many by 
 reading some devout book have changed 
 their lives and N become saints! St. John 
 Columbinus, St. Ignatius, and so many 
 others. It would also be very useful 
 every year to make a retreat in some re¬ 
 ligious house. But at least never fail to 
 make your meditation every morning. 
 
 The third means is the frequenting of 
 the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy 
 Communion. By confession the soul is 
 kept purified, and by it not only are our 
 faults forgiven us, but additional helps are 
 obtained for us for resisting temptations. 
 And for this end you have your director; 
 always confess to him and not to another, 
 and consult him on all affairs of importance, 
 even though they be of a temporal nature; 
 and obey him in everything, particularly 
 if you are troubled with scruples. He who 
 obeys his director never need be afraid of 
 doing wrong. He who hears you , hears 
 me. —St. Luke, x. 16. The voice of your 
 director is the voice of God. 
 
 The Holy Communion is called heavenly 
 
212 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 bread; because as earthly bread maintains 
 the life of the body, so does the Holy 
 Communion maintain the life of the soul: 
 Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man , 
 you shall not have life in you. —St. John 
 vi. 54. On the contrary, to him who fre¬ 
 quently eats of this bread, is promised 
 eternal life: If any man eat of this bread 
 he shall live for ever. —Ibid. 52. Hence 
 the Council of Trent (Sess. 13, c. 2,) calls 
 the Holy Communion a u Medicine which 
 frees us from venial sins, and preserves us 
 from mortal ones.” Resolve, therefore, 
 to communicate at least every eight days, 
 with a determination not to allow any 
 worldly affair to prevent you from so doing; 
 there is no affair of greater importance than 
 eternal salvation. Besides, the more you 
 are in the world, the greater need have 
 you of spiritual help, because you are ex¬ 
 posed to greater temptations. 
 
 The fourth means is to hear Mass every 
 morning. When we assist at Mass we 
 give more honour to God than all the angels 
 and saints in heaven give him, because 
 their honour is only that of creatures ; but 
 in the Mass we offer to God Jesus Christ, 
 who gives him infinite honour. 
 
 The fifth means is to visit the Blessed 
 
THE WAY OF SALVATION. 213 
 
 Sacrament every day, Jesus Christ remains 
 upon so many altars in so many churches 
 to bestow favours upon all those who come 
 to visit him; and hence those who practice 
 this beautiful devotion derive innumerable 
 benefits from it. The graces which you 
 should particularly seek for in your visits, 
 are the - love of God and holy perseve¬ 
 rance to the end of your life. 
 
 The sixth means, which above all others 
 I recommend you practice, is holy prayer. 
 It is certain that we cannot, without the 
 help of God, do the least good for our 
 souls : and God declares he will not bestow 
 on us his help unless we ask him for it: 
 Ash, and it shall he given to you .—St. 
 Matt. vii. 7. Hence St. Teresa says : “ he 
 who asks not, receives not.” Hence also 
 that common sentence of the Holy Fa¬ 
 thers and divines with St. Thomas, that 
 “ without prayer it is impossible to perse¬ 
 vere in the grace of God and to be saved.” 
 But he who prays is secure of God’s assist¬ 
 ance; who have his word for it, which 
 cannot fail, and repeated many times in the 
 sacred Gospels : All things , whatsoever you 
 ash , when you pray , believe that you shall 
 receive ; and they shall come unto you. —St. 
 Mark, xi. 24. Every one that asheth , re - 
 
214 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 ceiveth. —St. Luke, xi. 10. Amen, amen , 1 
 say to you : if you ask the Father anything 
 in my name , he will give it you. —St. John, 
 xvi. 23. God grants whatever is asked for in 
 the name of Jesus Christ. If then we would 
 he saved, we must pray, aud this too with 
 humility, confidence, and above all, with 
 perseverance. And hence it is that medi¬ 
 tation is of so much use; because by it 
 we are reminded to pray; we should other¬ 
 wise forget it, and thus should be lost. 
 St. Teresa writes, that through the desire 
 which she had that all might be saved, she 
 could have wished to ascend a high 
 mountain, and thence to make herself 
 heard by all men, saying only this word: 
 i( Pray, pray.” The ancient fathers of ' 
 the desert, in their conferences, concluded 
 that there was no better way of obtaining 
 salvation than to repeat continually that 
 prayer of David : “ Incline unto my aid , 
 O God; 0 Lord , make haste to help me.” 
 Let us endeavour to do this. Or let us 
 repeat that beautiful ejaculation of the 
 Venerable Father Leonardo da Porto 
 Maurigio : my Jesus, mercy!” The 
 
 two principal graces we should always seek 
 for (as I have said above) are the love of 
 God and holy perseverance. And these 
 
THE WAY OF SALTATION. 215 
 
 graces we should ask for through the inter¬ 
 cession of the most holy Mary, who is 
 called the dispenser of all the divine 
 graces; and when we pray to her, she 
 will obtain them for us from God. Hence 
 St. Bernard exhorts all: “ Let us seek 
 grace, and let us seek it through Mary; 
 because what she seeks she finds, and can¬ 
 not be refused.” 
 
 THE END. 
 
1 / 
 !' 
 

 
 

BOSTON COLLEGE 
 
 88 
 
 MAR^9 1990 
 
 NOV 2 3 2001 
 

 
 86778 
 
 BT 965 .B6>; 
 
 Boudori i Henri Marie* 1624 
 1702. 
 
 The glories of the hols 
 angels / 
 
 i 
 
 Bapst Library 
 
 Boston College 
 
 Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02167