Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/273

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out in practice the good resolutions we have made. Also, before the meditation is over, we ought to recommend to God the souls in purgatory, the Holy Church, Our friends and benefactors, and all poor sinners, saying for this purpose a Pater and an Ave, which are the most efficacious of all prayers.



Meditations for every Day of the Week.


MEDITATION FOR SUNDAY.

On the End of Man.

CIONSIDER, O my soul, that God has given thee existence, made thee after his own image, without any merit of thine, and adopted thee for his own child in holy baptism. He has loved thee more than a father, and has created thee to love and serve him in this life, that thou mayst eternally enjoy him in paradise. Therefore thou art not created and must not live to be happy here on earth, to enjoy riches and authority, or to eat, drink, and sleep, as do the animals, but only to love thy God and win thy eternal salvation.

And thy Lord has given thee created things for this use, to help thee to reach thy great end. O wretch that I am ! I have thought of anything else rather than of my eternal end. [ For example , of this or that thing. Examine here to see what is your chief vice.]

My Father! for the love of Jesus, grant that I may begin a new life, perfectly holy and conformable to thy divine will. [ Here endeavour to excite the deepest