Page:Prayersmeditatio01thom.djvu/62

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To Thee, therefore, O most gracious Lord Jesus Christ, to Thee do I look up, beseeching Thee, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to make satisfaction for me, and to wash away my sins by Thy most pure oblation of Thyself: that so, cleansed and purified by Thy grace, I may win an entrance into the Temple of Thy heavenly Abode, there to praise Thy Holy Name for ever.

And do Thou also, Holy Mother of God, glorious Virgin Mary, pray for me that my sins may be forgiven: that there may be granted to me time for repentance, and a firm purpose of amendment, by the help of God's grace: and that there may be nothing wanting in me to win back my place in God's favour. Do thou plead for me, O most gracious Mother, by offering thyself, together with thy most dearly beloved Son, before our Father in heaven. May thy virginal purity atone for my impurities, whether of body or of soul; may thy love inflame the coldness of my heart; may thy humility subdue my pride; may thy voluntary obedience break down the hardness of my perverse will.

I place myself in thy hands, and in those of thy dearly-beloved Son: and whatever I can do, that I shall always be ready to do, in His service, and in thine.

I offer a pair of turtle doves, to wit, a twofold compunction of heart, first by way of grieving for my sins and shortcomings, and next by way of sighing for the joys that have no end.

I also present willingly, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, two young pigeons: earnestly desiring, that is, to keep a twofold simplicity of heart, first by way of rendering to no man evil for evil, and next by way of overcoming evil with good.