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earth, and to save your lives by a | Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

1 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust thou in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.

2 Brethren, be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 3 Casting all your care upon Him, for he careth for you.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Seventh Week.

WEDNESDAY.

Same subject continued. From the Holy Gospel according to St. John.

5 TESUS went over the sea of Ga

JESUS

lilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lift up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? (And this He said to prove him; for He Himself knew what He would do.) Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of His disciples,

1 Isai. xxvi. 3. 4 Phil. iv. 7.

saith unto Him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley-loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley-loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world.

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FRIDAY.

Our Lord's baptism, fasting, and temptation.

From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.

HEN cometh Jesus from Ga

:

"Tilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptised of him. . . . . And Jesus, when He was baptised, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to

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Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee, and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto Him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.

1

Eighth Week.

WEDNESDAY.

Our Lord's transfiguration. From the Holy Gospels according to St. Matthew and St. Mark.

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us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And when they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

2 And when He was come into the house, his disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

FRIDAY.

Iscariot.

ND after six days Jesus taketh The betrayal of our Lord by Judas Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His

face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here if Thou wilt, let

1 St. Matt. xvii. 1.

3

From the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

bold, a multitude, and he

ND while Jesus yet spake, be

that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with 2 St. Mark ix. 28.

3 St. Luke xxii. 47.

a kiss? When they who were about the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with Him; for he is a Galilean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Him saw what would follow, they said unto Him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high-priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his ear, and healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders who were come to Him, Be ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of dark

ness.

The short chapters following may be read occasionally instead of the foregoing, at the discretion of the reader.

St. Peter's denial of Christ. From the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

THEN

HEN took they Jesus, and led Him, and brought Him into the high priest's house: and Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him, as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with Him. And he denied Him, saying, Woman, I know Him not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about

2

The awful dignity and majesty of
Christ.

From the Revelation of St. John
the Divine.

AND I, John, saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his Head wer many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Then he says,

. Let us bless the Lord for His goodness.

Ry. Thanks be to God who poureth His benefits upon us. . O Lord, turn Thy face from our sins.

R. And put out all our misdeeds.

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. Cast us not away from Thy presence. Ry. And take not Thy Holy Spirit from us.

Then all kneeling say the following Litany and Confession:

REMEMBER not, O Lord, our offences, nor those of our

forefathers, and take not vengeance of our sins. Spare us, O Lord, we beseech Thee. Christ have mercy upon us, and graciously vouchsafe to receive our prayers.

fort,

O God the Father, Creator of the world,

Have mercy on us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of mankind,

Have mercy on us.

O God the Holy Ghost, Dispenser of all grace and com

Have mercy on us.

O Holy Trinity, Three Persons and one God,

Have mercy on us, and spare us.

For we have sinned against Thee. As we have grown in years, we have multiplied the number of our offences, and every day Thy goodness adds to our lives, our wickedness increases the number of our transgressions;

Have mercy on us.

We have sinned against Thee in the vain thoughts and unlawful desires of our hearts, in the idle talk and perverse words of our mouth, in the wicked works and fruitless course of our lives;

Have mercy on us.

We have sinned against Thee by our ingratitude for Thy blessings, and our impatience under Thy chastisements, by preferring ourselves, and the satisfaction of our own inordinate appetites and desires, before Thee and the observance of Thy holy commandments;

Have mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father, and according to the greatness of Thy tender compassion, pardon the multitude of our grievous offences. Remember, O Lord, whereof we are made; remember the gracious promises of Christ, and for the merits of His sacred passion and most precious death, O Lord, deliver us.

From the evils of this present world, from the unquenchable fire of the world to come, from the evil of sin, which is the only

cause of all our misery, and from the false liberty of an undisciplined life,

O Lord, deliver us.

From pride, covetousness, and lust, from envy, gluttony, and sloth, from slander, vain-glory, and hypocrisy, from the great guilt of inducing others to sin, and from the unhappiness of being perverted ourselves,

O Lord, deliver us.

From ignorance of Thy will, and neglect of what we know to be our duty, from denying Thee before men for worldly respects, from new and factious interpretations of Thy holy word, and from proudly preferring our own private conceits before the judgment of Thy Church,*

O Lord, deliver us.

From the temptations to which by nature we are most exposed, from relapsing into the sins of which we have repented, or contracting any customary habit of vice, from provoking Thy justice by presumption, or offending Thy mercy by despair, from murmuring against the orders of Thy providence, and from an obstinate and impenitent heart,

O Lord, deliver us.

In the first motions of sin, and the repeated assault of any temptation, in the time of our trial when Thou seemest to withdraw Thy grace from us, in health and prosperity, in sickness and adversity, in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment, O Lord, deliver us.

We beseech thee to hear us, O Lord; and that it may please Thee to defend Thy Catholic Church; to bless and preserve all ecclesiastical persons therein in unity of truth and holiness of life, and to give the blessings of peace and order to all Christian people;

We beseech Thee to hear us, O Lord.

That it may please Thee to bring heretics into unity of faith and doctrine, and dissolute Christians to a virtuous life; and that Thou wouldst have compassion on all the afflicted in mind, body, or estate; enable them to bear their crosses patiently, and release them from their sorrows in Thine own good time;

*"Grant, O Lord, that in reading Thy holy word I may never prefer my private sentiments before those of the Church in the purely ancient times of Christianity."-BISHOP WILSON's Prayers.

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