Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/163

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
145
145

the vineyard thou hast moistened with thy blood, planted with the choicest vines, and cherished with the fondest care! But let thy mercy alone judge between thee and thy vineyard. What can I do for my sins but humbly confess them, and lament them, and incessantly implore thy mercy for them? Hear me, I beseech thee, in thy mercy, where I stand before thee, O my God. All my sins displease me exceedingly; I will never commit them any more: I am sorry for them? and will be sorry for them as long as I live: I am willing to do penance for them, and to make satisfaction to the utmost of my power. Forgive me, O my God, forgive me my sins for thy holy name's sake. Save my soul which thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Behold, I commit myself to thy mercy; I resign myself into thy hands; deal with me according to thy goodness, not according to my wickedness and iniquity.

My God! I offer thee the confession I am going to make, to thy greater glory, and in obedience to thy will. I beg that my soul may become more pleasing in thy sight, by being purified in thy most precious blood; and that by the humble confession of my sins, I may satisfy thy justice, repair the dishonor done to thee by them, and obtain that sanctifying grace which may preserve me from again relapsing into them. Grant to my soul, in making this confession, all the necessary dispositions of humility and contrition, which I ought to have in order to please thee and sanctify myself. Divine Lord! I acknowledge that I have done much evil, and scarcely any good; and the little good I have done has been accomplished with so much negligence that it stands as nothing before thee; indeed all my actions have been void of virtue, and full of irregu-