'Do not neglect to make due preparation for the Holy
Sacrifice; always make your thanksgiving; watch day and night over the
interior tabernacle, that is, the heart of the worthy priest. He who
acts thus will not fail to enkindle within himself the fire of divine
love. Guard cautiously this living tabernacle, and keep always burning
there the lamps of faith and charity. May it be ever adorned with
virtues! Imitate the perfect dispositions of your Saviour. Since the
Mass is the renewal of the Sacrifice of the Cross, enter into the
sentiments of compunction and of love which animated the Blessed Virgin,
St. John, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus. The heart of the priest
ought to be the sepulchre of Christ. As the tomb in which He was laid
after death was new, so ought your heart be pure, animated with a lively
faith, a firm confidence, an ardent charity, a fervent desire for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls. The Mass is the most favorable
occasion to treat with the eternal Father, because then we offer Him His
only Son as a victim for our salvation. Before celebrating, reflect on
the sufferings of your Redeemer, commune peaceably with Him, even in the
midst of dryness; carry to the altar the needs of the entire world.'
