CHAPTER VII. The Conclusion and Spiritual Bouquet.

THE meditation should be concluded by three acts, made with the utmost
humility. First, an act of thanksgiving;–thanking God for the
affections and resolutions with which He has inspired you, and for the
Mercy and Goodness He has made known to you in the mystery you have
been meditating. Secondly, an act of oblation, by which you offer your
affections and resolutions to God, in union with His Own Goodness and
Mercy, and the Death and Merits of His Son. The third act is one of
petition, in which you ask God to give you a share in the Merits of His
Dear Son, and a blessing on your affections and resolutions, to the end
that you may be able to put them in practice. You will further pray for
the Church, and all her Ministers, your relations, friends, and all
others, using the Our Father as the most comprehensive and necessary of
prayers.

Besides all this, I bade you gather a little bouquet of devotion, and
what I mean is this. When walking in a beautiful garden most people are
wont to gather a few flowers as they go, which they keep, and enjoy
their scent during the day. So, when the mind explores some mystery in
meditation, it is well to pick out one or more points that have
specially arrested the attention, and are most likely to be helpful to
you through the day, and this should be done at once before quitting
the subject of your meditation.
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