Affections and Resolutions

Affections AND RESOLUTIONS M* Lord, and my all, I am confounded at the multitude and enormity of my offences against so good a God, I dare not presume even to lift up my eyes to heaven, much less to come near thy altar, after so many treasons against thee! Alas! what shall I now do, O Lord? what shall I say? but, with the humble publican, strike my breast, and cry out to thee, O God be merciful unto me a sinner. My sins exceed in number the hairs of my head, and the sands of the sea: but thy mercies are more innumerable than my sins. O ocean of mercy, have compassion on a poor miserable sinner, and make me now at least a true penitent.; ` Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight; and am not worthy to be called thy child: oh, receive me as one of the least of thy servants, and never suffer me to go astray from thee any more. It grieves me, O my God, that I have offended thee; I am heartily sorry for all the sins I have committed against thy infinite goodness. O that I could worthily lament them even with tears of blood.

Who will give water to my head, and fountains of tears to my eyes, that night and day I may bewail my sins and ingratitude?

O that I had never offended my God! O that I had never sinned! Happy those souls, who have never lost their baptismal innocence! Ah sweet Jesus, that I had been so happy! Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out all my iniquities. Wash me yet more from my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sins; because I know my iniquities, and my sins are always before me. O that I could now, like Magdalene, present myself at the feet of my Saviour! O that I could wash them with my tears! Oh! suffer me, dear Lord, to lay down all my sins at thy feet, to be cancelled by thy precious blood.

Lord, thou hast said there is joy in heaven upon one sinner doing penance, more than upon ninety-nine just O give me now grace to be a true penitent indeed, that so heaven may rejoice at my conversion.

Thou camest, O my dear Redeemer, not to call the just but sinners to repentance: look down upon me a poor miserable sinner; and draw me now powerfully to thee by thy grace.

I know thou willest not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live: O let me no longer remain dead in my sins! O let me now at least begin to live to thee!"

Create a clean heart in me, O God; and renew a right spirit within my bowels. O grant that I may now serve thee in good earnest! O let this be the change of the right-hand of the most high! ) Thou hast made me, O my God, and redeemed me by thy precious blood. O despise not the work of thy hands! O let not thy blood be spilt for me in vain!

Too late have I known thee, O ancient truth! Too late have I loved thee, O ancient beauty! Too long have I gone astray from thee! From this moment, O my soveraign good, I desire to be for ever thine. O let nothing in life or death ever separate me from thee any more!

O divine lover of penitent souls, give me henceforward a contrite and humble heart: oh! I desire from this hour to offer this sacrifice daily to thee, till the end of my life.

O divine love, how little art thou known in this wicked world; how little art thou loved!

Come now to me, and take full possession of my whole heart and soul for time and eternity.

Thy mercy has been infinite in bearing so long with such an ungrateful sinner, as I have been; and in daily heaping thy favours upon me. Add this one favour, O Lord, to all the rest, that henceforward, by thy grace, I may never offend thee more. This one thing I earnestly beg of thee, for thy infinite mercy’s sake, and through the death and Passion of thy only Son; hear this one prayer, I beseech thee, and in all things else do with me what thou pleasest.

I am resolved, by thy grace, never more to return to my sins: O rather let me die than offend thee wilfully any more. I am resolved to fly all evil company, and dangerous occasions; and to take proper measures for a thorough amendment of my life for the future.

All this I resolve; but thou knowest my frailty, O my God; and if thou assist me not by thy grace, all my resolutions will prove ineffectual, and I shall be for ever miserable.

O look to me, O Lord, that I may never betray thee any more.

N.B. Here it is proper that the penitent should think upon the measures he must take for an entire amendment of life for the time to come; considering well what have been the occasions of his sins? What circumstances are apt to be dangerous to him? What precautions he must take against those dangers for the future? What pious exercises he must daily make use of; such as prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, Ge. when, and how often, frequent the sacraments, Jc.

242 The Method of Confession When the penitent finds himself heartily sorry for having offended God, and fully determined for the time to come to amend his life, and avoid all mortal sins, and the immediate occasions of them; he may then go to confession, in which he may follow this method: