SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK, FOR THOSE WHO COMMUNICATE OFTEN: SUNDAY + CONSIDER JESUS CHRIST AS KING
Consider Jefus Chrift as a King; and in the
Morning form the Resolution of making him
that Day reign in thy Heart.
Divine Monarch come and reign in my Heart.
REMOTE PREPARATION.
THOU art this day come to me, O adorable
sovereign! to ascertain thy conquest of my
heart, and there to reign with absolute authority. Oh! how happy do I think myself to be
under thy government? Put on therefore thy
armour, (Ps. 44.5.) bend thy bow, march prosperously against thy foes who have hitherto been
in possession of this heart; and having expelled them, established therein for ever thy empire.
O king of nations, and object of all their desires! I groan under a most oppressive yoke,
becaufe, alas! other (If. 26. 13.) Lords
beside thee have hitherto had dominion over me ;
but come and break my bands, and fet me at
liberty.
Cheer up my foul; this day the Saviour of
the world will begin to reign over us. We
shall live no longer in slavish subjection to fin
and fatan, but under the mild government of
our amiable redeemer. Ah! when shall I
possess this gracious sovereign? when shall I
have the happiness of seeing him reign in my
heart ?
If thou had, O my soul! a just idea of the
inestimable favour done thee this day by the
king of glory, in giving himself to thee, together with his kingdom and all his riches; if
thou understood the gift of God, how great a
value wouldst thou not set upon it? with what
care and diligence, 'would it thou not drive to
dispose thyself for it? Make me sendible, O
Jesus I beseech thee, of the greatness of this
favour, and prepare my foul for receiving it.
Behold thy king cometh towards thee, O
my soul! go forth to meet him by the ardour
of thy desires, and a holy eagerness and impatience; and prepare for him a throne worthy
of him in thy heart.
Come, O adorable sovereign, come: and
reign in my heart. May thy kingdom come.
Everything there longs for, and sighs after thy
coming; everything is eager for the establishment of thy kingdom; come, thou shalt be the
the Lord and master, thou shalt reign there
with absolute power.
But wilt thou not, my foul, bring some offering to thy king, when thou prcfenteft thyfelf before him? Thou must, as the wise
men, offer him prefents on thy going to adore
him, if thou art desirous to meet with a favourable reception. The prefents he most delights in are acts of humility, charity, obedience, mortification, patience and the duties of
thy state done in his spirit and for the love of
him. Canst thou then say with truth, as the spouse, I consecrate all my actions to the king; I
confecrate all I do to my beloved sovereign, to
dispose myself thereby to receive him worthily.
Here Is the royal feast which this great monarch gives to all his subjects, to display the
glory and opulence of his empire; prepare thy self to taste of its delights, and in order to
this renounce all insipid earthly pleasures.
Hast thou sufficiently considered, O my
foul ! who it is that comes to thee this day.
Hast thou seriously reflected that it is the sovereign monarch of the universe who governs
with absolute power in heaven, on earth, and
in hell. His power is not confined to a small territory in a corner of the world, or to one
particular nation ; but he is the king of the
whole creation, and of every nation in the
world.
worlds He is not a temporary king, a king for
a limited (pace of time; he is the king of all
(1Tim. 1.17.) ages, and of whose kingdom
(Luke 1. 33.) there (hall be .no end. He is
not a king indebted to his people for his glory
and power ; being all glorious of himself, he
borrows nothing from creatures. He is not a
king whose reign is liable to troubles and revolutions, for uninterrupted peace and tranquillity always flourish in it. Heisaking, in fine,
who gives his subjects whatsoever dignity or
perfection they poflefs ; being infinitely holy,
infinitely wife, infinitely juft, infinitely powerful, infinitely rich, infinitely munificent, infinitely beautiful, infinitely amiable, infinitely
happy, in short, infinitely perfect in all and
every kind of perfection. What a happiness
it is for thee, O my soul! that so great a king
Should condescend to honour thee this day
with his visit? One favourable look, a single
word or mark of esteem from a king of the.
earth would transport thee with joy; how
great then ought to be thy comfort this day, to
receive a visit from the King of kings.
But why do I say a visit? his views are much more extensive: he comes to bestow himself
upon thee to be equally thy king and thy
kingdom. Thy king, because he is desirous
to reign in thee; and thy kingdom, becausehe would have thee reign in him, and with him,
and enter into a participation of all his excellences, his riches and his glory.
See to what a degree he has carried his love for thee! Though thou art entirely unprofitable to him, and though he be entirely rich,
infinitely powerful, and infinitely happy in
himself, yet he was willing to purchase that
petty kingdom of thy heart at the expense of
his life and blood. He was torn with scourges,
crowned with thorns, besmeared with spittle,
bruised with blows, and lastly fattened to the
cross on which he died with pain and ignominy to rescue thee out of the hands of thy enemies and establish his kingdom within thee.
Reflect at the fame time on the excess of
thy ingratitude towards him. For though
thou didst cost him so much, and though thy
entire happiness confifts in having him for thy
sovereign, thou hast, notwithstanding, so far
forgotten thyself, as shamefully to expel him
thy heart, and to deliver up his kingdom to
his mod cruel enemies. Is it possible to carry
ingratitude and perfidiousness to greater
lengths? Be confounded, and beg pardon for so great an injury.
Ah! pardon my perfidiousness and rebellion, O august sovereign ! pardon them I beseech thee. Oh! how hearty is my forrow,
how afflicted my foul on this account ? Oh!
how do I detest my wretched behaviour? my
heart is pierced with grief for it. I promise
thee, O my king and my God! by the assistance of thy grace, never to relapse into the like,
traitorous practices, though I were to suffer a
thousand deaths I will for the future be as
loyal and faithful to thee, as I have been hitherto rebellious. I will be as zealous in promoting thy interest, as I have been unhappy in derogating from thy glory. Forget then, I
pray thee, the trespasses I have committed
against: thee; I firmly hope for it from thy clemency and companion.
I come this day, O divine monarch! to make
reparation for the injustice I have done thee by
delivering up thy kingdom into the hands of
thy enemies. I come to, replace it in thine,
and to beg of thee to make thyself matter of
it, and to secure to thyself the possession of it
for ever. In compliance with, and in perfect
fubmiflion to the will of thy Father who has established thee King of all nations, I choose thee
this day for my king : thou watt fo already by
inheritance and conquest, thou shalt be fo for
the future by election. Come then, my amiable sovereign, come and reign in me, and protect me against all my enemies.
O king of all the hearts of men and angels !
I fee plainly that notwithstanding thy immense
wealth, thou dost defire the possession of my
heart . Thou haft concealed thyself under the
appearances of bread, with no other view
than to enter there, and make thyself matter
of it. Come then and reign in it, it is entirely
devoted to thee ; it pants only after thee, and
from this moment it confederates to thee all its
love and all its affections.
Be opened, ye gates of my heart 1 be open-
ed, ye gates of iron, which have been so long shut against the divine Jefus, and let the king
of glory enter. Yes, come in, O my Saviour ! come in, all is open for thee, there is
nothing to obstruct thy entrance : every thing
in
in me owns thee for its sovereign, and figbs af-
ter the establishment of thy kingdom within
my foul. I here give up to thee the keys of
my liberty. I surrender unto thee all the power
which thou haft given me over my foul and
body, over all their faculties, and over everything elfe I possess ; all is thine, and it is my
desire that henceforward every thing within me
may be entirely subject to thee, and that no-
thing may be done in me but conformably to
thy orders and commandments.
If I cannot give thee a reception suitable to
thy dignity, Odivine monarch! I will receive
thee at least with the deepest sentiments I possibly can of love, reverence, joy, adoration,
humility, forrow for my fins and defire of being possessed by thee. I offer to thee to supply
what is deficient in my homages, all the acclamations, all the honour, and all the respect
with which the angels and blefled spirits received thee into heaven on the day of thy triumphant (Apoc. 3. a 1.) ascension, and all the
glory and magnificence with which thou waft
received by thy Father, and placed at his right-
band on a throne equal to his own. Come
then, once more, O my king! come : l bum
with the desire of seeing thee reign within me;
come and take pofieffion of a kingdom which
belongs to thee by fo many claims of just right.
Come and compel thy enemies to keep at a
greater distance from it than ever. Come and
display thy glory in it; come and by thy presence bless it with peace, plenty, and happiness! Yes, my beloved sovereign, my divine
monarch, my king! I am thine, and thine
indeed, without the least reserve.
IMMEDIATE THANKSGIVING
Thou art then within me, O King of
glory! My king and my God. Yes it is my
king and my God ; I acknowledge and adore
thee as fuch. What an excess of good nets
muft it be in thee, thus graciously to humble
thy incomprehensible greatness to the lowliness
of my condition? Ye heavens, ftars, elements,
and creatures of heaven and earth, bless this
great king. Ye angels and faints of the Lord
Specially, fing to hint a new fong, for the new
and incomparable favour lie has just now conferred upon me. And do thou, O my soul!
bless him . May all my members, and all
my powers cry. out with holy David, blessed be
bis glorious name for ever and with the
apostle. Unto the king eternal, immortal, and
invisible, be honour and glory given for ever and
ever. Amen.
But since thou art within me, divine monarch,,feat tbyfelf, I beseech thee, inthemidft
of my heart, and make it thy throne. Thy
throne is a throne of light and fire, a throne
of justice and sanctity, illuminate -my heart
therefore with tby light, inflame it with the
fire of thy love, clothe it with thy justice and sanctity. sanctity, that it may be a habitation worthy
of thee.
Abide forever in my heart, O amiable
sovereign! may nothing ever obstruct thy
reigning there with absolute authority. All
rule and empire is thine; riches and glory belong to thee ; thou pofiefieft a fovereign and
abfolute power over all things: Strength and
authority are in thy hands. Thine, O Lord,
is the greatness and the power, and the glory; and
thine is the kingdom, and thou art exalted as head
above all.
All ye powers of my foul and body, come
and adore your king upon his new throne.
Come my understanding and my will, my memory and all my senses, come and pay him homage and adoration. Come, let us adore and
fall down before him. May everything in me
adore thee, O august sovereign! may everything own thee for its king, and submit with
the most profound veneration to thy power,
authority and dominion.
Rule then upon this thy new throne in the
midst of thy enemies, O divine monarch ! Thou
art there beset with a multitude of passions,
vices, wicked inclinations that are within me,
and stand up in opposition to thy divine laws :
but do thou rule notwithstanding in the midst
of them all ; triumph over them by thy power ; raife for thyself trophies upon their ruins ;
confound the devices, defeat the efforts of all
thy adverfaries j drive them out of all their strong holds and rule in their stead. Reign
in my mind, in my memory, in my appetite,
in
iii all my (enies : reign, in fliort, throughout
my whole being.
Behold, O my king! to what a wretched,
condition thy enemies have reduced this little
kingdom. They have plundered, burnt, and
lacked everything. Nothing more is feen but the melancholy remains of the ravages and desolations they have committed. Repair, I beseech thee, the damages they have cauled in
it; send into it powerful succours for its defence: make opulence and plenty to reign in
it; display there thy glory and thy magnificence, and prevent thy enemies evermore becoming masters of it.
Proclaim, O sovereign king 1 thy laws in
this thy little kingdom, engrave them fo deep
in my heart, that the impression may never be
effaced ; write them in characters that cannot
be effaced j caufe them to be observed by all
my powers with an inviolable exactness. Thy
laws are the dictates of love, meekness, patience, humility, obedience and mortification;
make me therefore practice all these virtues;
fill my foul with thy love ; establish thy peace,
in it; make it humble, meek, patient, obedient and mortified.
Thou justly requirest of me, O divine monarch 1 fidelity and tribute, I promise thee
both. I will for the future be inviolably faithful to thee; I will never hearken to any proposal contrary to thy service, though my refusal were to cost me my life a thousand times over. I will never engage in any enterprise which displeases thee, now much so ever solicited, or even compelled thereto. All my thoughts, desires and and actions shall be a. kind of tribute that I will pay thee; for it is my firm purpose that every thing of this kind shall be wholly thine, and shall tend to no other end, shall
have nothing else in view than to promote thy
glory In a more particular manner 1 consecrate unto thee whatever I am to do this day.
The only request I have to make, O my!
gracious sovereign! is, that thou wouldst always reign in me, and never leave this little kingdom to my own management, nor abandon it to my enemies. I will have no other
king to reign in my heart but thee, because it
is thou atone that I love, reverence and adore. Rule in me at all times ; give ever thy orders, and make thyself always obeyed. Thy kingdom has no bounds; let it therefore extend to everything I am possessed of, to my whole being, and to all the powers and faculties both of my foul and body. Thy kingdom is everlasting; suffer not the tyranny of passion, nor the usurped empire of sin to destroy it in me*
Thy kingdom is infinitely perfect; may therefore its glory, its riches, and its magnificence
fhine forth in me by means of. the eminent !l
virtues thou shalt enable me to practice.
Oh! the happiness of having my Jesus for
my sovereign Lord, and of seeing myself subjected to his power, and governed by his amiable laws. I prefer obedience to him to the empire of the universe. By his reigning over
me, he makes me a sharer in his kingdom,
power and wealth; or rather, he himself becomes; my kingdom, my crown, my power;
my wealth and my treasure. What an accumulation of glory and happiness is this for me!
Preserve as the most precious of treasures, O
my soul! the possession of this admirable kingdom which thy Jesus this day tonfigns
over to thee. And thou, my Jefus! secure
to thyself the possession of the little kingdom,
which I this day reign into thy hands. The
proofs thou hast given me of thy love, by
feeding me with thy body and blood, encourage me to hope for this favour from thee.
Thou art possessed, O great king! of other
kingdoms besides this of mine which I have
this day made over to thee. The church is thy kingdom j all the nations of the earth
(Pf. 2. 2.) are. thy kingdom, though the
greater part do not acknowledge thee for their
king; every foul in particular is also thy kingdom, though but few of them render thee
the fubmiffion they owe thee. I recommend
unto thee all these kingdoms, the catholic
church especially, beseeching.thee to preserve
and defend her, aid to maintain in her a flri
observance of thy laws. I recommend unto
thee so many nations that are strangers to thy
holy name ; l beg of thee to enlighten them
with the light of thy gofpel, and bring them
over to thee. I recommend unto thee, so many
fouls now upon the earth, which do not render
thee the honour which they owe thee: convert
them, I beseech thee, that they may serve and
obey thee. As to thy part, my soul, let nothing
make thee forget to ferve and honour thy king. On this day, in particular, let it be
thy only study to honour, in the best manner
thou art able, thy adorable sovereign, faying
with the apostle: To the king immortal, eternal
(1 Tim. 1. 17.) be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
REMOTE THANKSGIVING
Blessed be thou for evermore, O sovereign King of heaven! for thy goodness in visiting me this day, and giving thyself to me to
be my king. May all the creatures in heaven
and earth join in thanksgiving to thee for fo
great a benefit.
Reign, I beseech thee O my king ! in my
.heart, and in all my faculties and powers. Do
not suffer fin to bear any sway there after thou
haft taken polfefijon of it.
Triumph, O my sovereign Lord ! in this
thy new kingdom ; beat down all thy enemies
under thy feet, that they may serve thee as a
footstool for mounting thy throne : may every
thing yield and submit to thee: The Lord
reigneth, let the people tremble , he who. is seated
on. the cherubims reigneth in my heart, let the
earthquake for fear; let the universe respect his
presence, and let no creature presume to oppose
his laws.
Remember, O Jesus! thy little kingdom
which thou hast conquered and acquired the price of thy blood defend it against thy
enemies, and cause justice and sancity to flourish in it.
Seek, O my soul! the kingdom of thy Jesus. It is not the kingdom of this world, but of the other: it consists not in the sweets of the present life, in eating, drinking and diversions; but in peace, justice and sanctity. To
i leek his kingdomis to feck his glory; feek then! his glory here, if thou desirest to be admitted into his eternal kingdom hereafter
Thou haft this day promised. fealty, O my soul! to thy king; and wilt thou evermore: presume to turn traitor and surrender his kingdom to his mortal enemies? Oh ! beware of-
fuch bafe treachery; be faithful to thy promise, fight manfully in his cause and call him to thy.
affiftance that he may protect thee.
"Devotions to Jesus Christ: in the most holy sacrament of the altar: Containing Pious Exercises For Honouring This Divine Mystery, And Approaching It Worthily: composed in French by the Rev. Father Dominick Morel, Of The Order Of ST. Benedict"
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