"The priest going from the sacristy to the altar, and retiring to the foot of it, in order to recite the 42nd psalm, _Judica me Deus_, &c. represents Jesus Christ retiring from his last supper, and praying to his heavenly Father in the garden of Gethsemani, situate at the foot of Mount Olivet. The beginning of the Mass, with the sign of the cross, and the invocation of the three persons of the most Holy Trinity, signifies that it is in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that the faithful assembled, in order to celebrate the memory of Christ's passion and death. The psalm which is then repeated, expresses the deep concern of a soul kept at a distance from the temple of God, like David when he was persecuted by Saul, and the ardent desires with which we are to approach the altar, and partake of the divine mysteries. The _Introit_, or entrance of the Mass, and the _Confiteor_, or general confession made to the whole court of heaven, represent the fall of Adam, which was the source of all our miseries, and remind us that we ought to dispose ourselves for this great sacrifice by a sincere repentance for our sins." {371} Prayer At The Beginning Of Mass. O Lord, in the multitude of thy mercies I will enter thy house, and adore thee in thy holy temple and confess to thy name. Though my sins are without number, I have still thy goodness to appeal to, I have still a confidence in the sufferings of my Redeemer, and hope, through his infinite merits, to find mercy, grace, and salvation. Thou, O dear Jesus, hast washed me once in baptism; wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sins. Sprinkle me with the hyssop of thy blood, and I shall be cleansed; wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Explanation. "The priest bowing down before the altar, and saying the _Confiteor_, represents our Saviour loaded with the sins of mankind, prostrate at his prayers in the garden, and falling into a bloody sweat and most painful agony. The priest going up to the altar and kissing it, represents our Saviour going to meet his enemies, and receiving the treacherous kiss from Judas. When he goes to the book at the corner of the Epistle, forms the sign of the cross, and reads the _Introit_, he represents our Saviour seized, bound, and led captive to the courts of Annas and Caiphas, where he was struck across the face, blindfolded, buffeted, spit upon, and treated with the greatest indignity, by the servants of the high priest, as if he were a mock prophet." Prayer At The Introit And Kyrie.