Draw Near the Altar

a prayer by Fr. W. Roche

DRAW NEAR THE ALTAR, from Mysteries of the Mass in Reasoned Prayers
by Fr. W. Roche, S.J.

I have come to the house of God,
I kneel before the altar,
before the place on which is done
a thing most holy,
an act most high,
a secret act, a mystery,
an act which is a sacrifice,
the sacrifice of the Son of God,
my Lord Jesus Christ.
He is Himself the Victim veiled,
He is the hidden Priest.
He is to be offered and to offer Himself
and renew within the Host
the awful death of Calvary.
This He does as one with me and for my sake.
I now come humbly to this altar of God,
with reverence and great awe,
slowly and in silence,
as I would approach the Cross on Calvary.
Let me not be a passive spectator
of this sublime drama of Redemption,
but let me play my part devoutly,
since it is I whom it must save.
Amen.