Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/181

 with so  great  a horror  of  sin,  that  I may  dread nothing so  much  as  becoming  thy  enemy  by  any mortal offence,  and  that  I may  tremble  at  the  very idea 6f  profaning  thy  most  sacred  body  and  blood.

Second point.— Consider,  secondly,  that,  next  to  the misfortune of  unworthily  communicating,  there  can be few  states  more  dangerous,  than  that  of  persons who approach  the  adorable  Eucharist  with  wilful tepidity, negligence,  and  indevotion. For this  there are three  solid  reasons,  which  you  should  seriously consider. First, such  Communicants  are  deprived by their  own  faults  of  almost  all  the  graces  annexed to the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  thus  run  an  evident  risk of drawing  little  if  any  profit  from  Communion. — Secondly, they  contract  a fatal  habit  of  approaching the sacrament  of  infinite  love  in  a careless  and  lukewarm manner,  and  are  thereby  in  imminent  danger of soon  committing  sacrilege. — Thirdly, nothing  is more  common  than  illusion  on  this  important  matter; for many,  whose  tepid  and  negligent  dispositions appear to  themselves  nothing  worse  than  venial  sin, are really  guilty,  in  the  eyes  of  God,  of  that  criminal indolence and  sloth  which  is  a grievous  offence. In the same  manner  as  sacrilegious  Communions  proceed from a want  of  sufficient  horror  of  mortal  sin: so are  fruitless,  tepid  Communions,  caused  by  the  little care which  Christians  take  to  avoid  venial  sin. Instead of  looking  on  a deliberate,  though  slight offence of  God,  as  a real  evil,  and  a great  misfortune, they commit  faults  without  number  or  remorse. Though they  do  not  abandon  at  once  the  holy  habit of approaching  regularly  the  sacrament  of  our  altars, yet they  appear  as  careless  about  the  correction  of their  faults,  as  if  they  never  were  to  communicate; they discharge  their  spiritual  duties  carelessly  and