Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/214

 is the  church,  in  the  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  in the  Blessed  Sacrament."

"Not a  few  pious  persons,"  says  Father  Girardey  in  his  "Popular  Instructions  on  Prayer," "before setting  out  for  their  daily  occupations, go  to  Mass  in  the  early  hours  of  the  morning, make  their  meditation  during  the  Holy  Sacrifice, and  thus  draw  on  themselves  the  divine  blessing for  the  whole  day.

"As regards  the  time  of  meditation,  it  would be  well  if  we  were  to  make  a  meditation  both in  the  morning  and  in  the  evening.  If  this  is not  feasible,  we  should,  if  convenient,  prefer  the morning  to  any  other  part  of  the  day.  The reason  is  because  in  the  morning  we  are  fresh  in mind  and  have  as  yet  hardly  any  cause  for  distractions, while  later  in  the  day  we  are  apt  to be*  more  or  less  absorbed  by  our  occupations and  other  worldly  matters.  Moreover,  by  a good  meditation  in  the  morning  we  begin  the day  well,  drawing  down  God's  blessing  on  us, and  deriving  grace  and  strength  to  avoid  sin and  fulfil  our  obligations.  When  we  make  our meditation  in  the  morning,  we  ought  to  prepare its  subject  on  the  previous  night  before  retiring to  rest,  and  make  thereon  some  brief  reflections before falling  asleep,  and  also  after  rising  in  the morning. We ought,  moreover,  to  recall  our meditation to  mind  from  time  to  time  during the day,  recommending  our  resolution  to  the Blessed Virgin  by  a  Hail  Mary.

"We should  endeavor  to  spend  at  least  a quarter  of  an  hour  daily  in  mental  prayer.  The saints  used  daily  to  spend  many  hours  therein; and  when  they  had  much  to  do  they  would  subtract some  hours  from  the  time  allotted  to  their sleep,  in  order  to  devote  them  to  this  holy  exer-