To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
THis is what I recommend unto you most earnestly, Dear Theotime, that you do not forget the prayer to the Blessed Virgin before and after Communion.
Before Communion, that you may obtain by her intercession, the grace to Communicate wor∣thyly,
conceiving, as she did, the Son of God in your heart, before you receive him in your body, as St. Ambrose affirm'd of her: Prius concepit men∣te quam corpore. And that you may be replenish'd with those holy dispositions, whereby she merit∣ed to receive the Son of God himself into her womb and particularly with those of Purity and Humility, which were the two virtues, by which, according to St. Bernard, she attracted to her the Son of God, She pleased him by her Virginity, and conceived him by her Humility, Virginitate placuit, humilitate concepit. For this reason you shall ad∣dress your self unto her in this, or some such like manner.
O Blessed Virgin, most worthy mother of God, behold me upon the point of receiving him the very same person, whom thou didst con∣ceive in thy chast bowells, and ready to partake of the adorable body and blood which he received from thee. It concerns thee, that he be received with all the respect and honour he deserves, and that he be not unworthyly treated by those upon whom he bestows himself with so much love. This is the cause, why I address my self unto thee, that thou wouldest vouchsafe to obtain of him in my behalf, all the blessings which I stand in need of in this Communion: Obtain of him that he take possession of my heart by love, before he
enter into my body by the Sacrament. And that loving him I may be worthy to receive him. Beg, and by thy powerfull intercession obtain of him these dispositions for me, these two important virtues; which assured him unto thee, and ren∣der'd thee deservedly his worthy mother, I mean Purity and Humility. That he find nothing in me, which may tast either of Impurity or Pride. And for this reason it is, that I detest from my heart these two Sins which infinitely displease both him & thee. And I am fully resolv'd to use all my en∣deavours that I may perfectly acquire these two excellent virtues, by which I heartily desire to please him and to imitate thee, begging for this end his grace by thy holy intercession, which I implore with all my heart.
YOu shall pray to her, that by her intercession you may obtain grace to conserve her Son Jesus Christ, whom you have corporally received, also Spiritually in your Soul, as she her self after she had conceived & brought him into the world, preserved him always in her heart by means of that love, which kept her Soul continually fixed upon her dearly beloved Son: a love whereby she enjoy'd a greater happiness, then she did by being chosen the Mother of God; according to the sentiment of a Father of the Church: It is true, says Venerable Bede, in Luc. the Mother of God was truly happy upon this account, that she became
his Mother in the Incarnation and conceived him in her body, but questionless she was much more happy, for that she conserved him perpetually in her heart by love, as she always did.
Form in your understanding a right conceit of this happiness, and pray to the Blessed Virgin that she will obtain it for you for ever. To this end direct the following prayer to her.
IT is just, O Blessed Virgin, that thou partake of the thanks, which I am obliged to render to thy Son, since he hath been pleas'd I should re∣ceive him in this Communion. It was to thee that this living bread descended from heaven, and from thee he took the body and blood, which he gives us for our food. Luc. 1.42. Blessed be thou amongst women and blessed be the fruit of thy womb. Let the Angells praise thee for that thou hast given us this fruit of life, and prepared for us this divine food, which nourisheth us, and brings us to everlasting bliss. Help me to preserve this fruit, that I may never loose it more. And as thou hadst grace after thou hadst happily born him in thy womb, to conserve him also more fortunate∣ly in thy heart; obtain of him for me the like favour, without which this Communion would not be usefull to me: O Holy mother of God as∣sist me, that I may conceive in my Soul thy Son Jesus Christ, that he may be born in me, that he may dayly increase, that he may there live and
reign as absolute Lord and Master of my Soul.
You may add here any of those prayers, which the Church is used to make to her, as the hymn Ave Maris Stella. her Litanies, or the like.