The paradise of the Christian soul/Chap. IV. The Lord’s Prayer, variously adapted to the use of Penitents.
CHAPTER IV.
THE LORD’S PRAYER, VARIOUSLY ADAPTED TO THE USE OP PENITENTS.
A method of reciting the Lord's Prayer while the mind is reflecting on the parable of the Prodigal Son, for eliciting affections of compunction, by the following and similar expressions of grief.
From F. Christian Mayer, in the “Enchiridion Industriarum.”
Our Father.
O most loving Father, who art solicitous for the welfare of thy children, however unworthy, with greater affection and care than any father, nay, than ever was mother for the son of her womb; to what misery, alas! have I been reduced by my own fault and wilfulness in forsaking such a Father, and squandering the grace and blessings which he so bountifully bestowed upon me! Woe is me, that I was once as it were cherished in my Father’s most tender bosom, brought up in his house, shared his table, and was in all respects as a son, in want of nothing! Now I am living in a far country, a foreigner among strangers that know me not, an exile, starving, and naked.
I. Hallowed be thy name.
On how many accounts have I been bound, in how many ways been able, to hallow thy name, return thy love, and glorify thee, the Father of infinite majesty, power, wisdom, and goodness, anticipated as I have been by so many benefits, and strengthened by so many aids! I grieve that I have not done so. Behold, to do so for ever, from this moment, is my most anxious desire from the inmost depths of my heart.
2. Thy kingdom come.
Oh, how foolishly have I preferred the cruel tyranny of the world, the flesh, and the devil, to thy sweet yoke! and now, wearied out in the way of sin and perdition, how greedily I long again for my Father’s kingdom, the kingdom of thy grace and glory, wherein is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost!
3. Thy will be done.
Oh, how many evils have I suffered from my own perverse will, by the abuse of which, in opposition to thy most holy will, I have made myself liable to punishment, when I ought to have used it to merit for myself an increase of grace and glory! May, not mine, but thy most holy will be done by and for me henceforward, for ever, and in all things, as it is done by the blessed in heaven.
4. Our daily bread.
O most bountiful Father, who satisfiest thy elect with the plenty of thy house, from which I have but too foolishly separated myself! How many hired servants in my Father’s house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger! Time was, alas! when I was clothed in scarlet, and fed with the bread of sons; but now I hardly fill my empty belly with the husks of swine! Oh, that, if not as a son, yet at least as a hired servant, I might be fed again with the bread of thy grace.
5. And forgive us.
Behold, I cry out, prostrate before thee. Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants. I am sorry that I have ever offended thee. Forgive me, as I too forgive all
for thy sake. 6. And lead us not.
Thou hast now, O Lord, received me back indeed to grace with the kiss of peace, and embracest me with loving arms; but thou knowest my infirmity; let me not, I beseech thee, be ever again separated from thee, nor go astray after my own heart’s desire.
7. But deliver us.
Preserve and deliver me from all the evils of my present and future life, as far as they are opposed to the advancement of thy glory and my own salvation, that I may suffer no hindrance in serving thee perfectly upon earth, and may happily enjoy thee in heaven, where no evil can enter in, but thou art all in all, and art for ever the highest good of those that love thee. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER OPPOSED TO THE SEVEN CAPITAL SINS.
The Lord's Prayer is most fruitful in holy meanings, and is, as it were, a complete armory, or, if you mil, a universal charm against the plagues and diseases of the soul, which all spring up out of the direful root of the seven capital sins. Against these the Lord’s Prayer is the most suitable defence.
This sevenfold evil principle is therefore described in the Apocalypse under the figure of a Beast having seven heads, which, as being exceedingly hatef ul and inveterate against man, ceases not to assail us with one or other of its heads, and to pour its baneful poison upon us; so that as one is cut down another springs up, and as one loses another gathers strength, and thus in turn they succeed one another.
Nay, they not unfrcquently combine together, as it were, to attack us in a body, as every one soon knows by experience whs is in earnest about his salvation. Hence our Saviour, when he left us this contest for the trial of our virtue and the increase of our merit, gave us in his own prayer a remedy ready to our hand; and this he delivered to us with its seven petitions, as though it were armed with so many weapons, with each of which we might inflict a wound upon every head of the Beast. Therefore in saying.
Our Father, who art in heaven.
Lift up thy eyes to God thy Father, who dwells in heaven, and knows the high afar off; nay, is nigh to all that call upon him, and to them that are of a contrite heart. Consider, therefore, who, and how great, and how powerful and good, is thy helper in heaven; that he is God, and that he is himself thy Father. Fear not, then, in this conflict, but confide in the fatherly love of God towards thee, and say with the Prophet, The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? And then, in first repeating,
I. Hallowed be thy name,
Aim thy weapon against pride, which is the first head of the beast. For since pride, which is the beginning of all sin, instigates us to vainglory, or the love of our own honour, praise, and pre-eminence, it will be wise in us to dispel the pestilent humour, by referring all praise and glory to him who alone is of himself truly holy and great, and therefore alone is justly to be praised and glorified. Let us say, then, O our heavenly Father, hallowed be thy (not our) name; be thy name confessed holy, and in all things praised and glorified by all men.
For this is truly right and just, whereas, on the contrary, nothing is more misplaced than for the sinner to exalt himself, and seek for honour and praise, who is dust and ashes, corruption and a worm, by arrogating to himself what belongs to God alone; for, says the apostle, To God alone be honour and glory. The prophet, too, expresses his utter aversion to human glory, in saying, Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory.
Let this too be our feeling in saying. Hallowed be thy name. For if we ourselves seek not our own glory, another will seek it; if in and by all things we honour God alone, he will honour them that honour him; but upon them that despise him, he will bring ignominy and disgrace. They shall be covered with shame who arrogate to themselves the glory that is due to God.
2. When the head of pride has been struck down and crushed, the devil often resorts to the incitements of avarice, and with persuasion proposes gain next to honour for an object of pursuit. Hence he inflames men’s minds with longing for this world’s goods, and makes it his sole endeavour to cause them to spend their whole lifetime in acquiring and preserving them, to place their hope in them, and to estimate their happiness by the greatness of their wealth.
On the other hand, reflecting how vain, fleeting, and insufficient to satisfy the heart of man are these things, and that God has promised, as far as they are necessary, to give us them, even with no care of ours, if we seek first the kingdom of God and his justice; we, deliberately despising the things of earth, lift up the eyes of our mind to that heavenly kingdom, that inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and unfading in heaven, which only they merit to receive who set not their heart upon riches, but despise the kingdom of the world and all its pomp, and sigh continually for the riches of the kingdom of heaven, in praying from their heart,
Thy kingdom come,
The kingdom of all ages, when we shall be filled with the good things of thy house, and be satisfied, when thy glory shall appear; for we believe that we shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. Oh, what, and how great, are they! Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for them that love him.
Meantime, may thy kingdom of grace and justice come to us also, whicn may make us, though poor in worldly things, nevertheless rich in the merits of good works. For poor as is the life we lead here, yet, if we fear God, we shall have many blessings. For not earthly wealth, but virtues and the gifts of grace are the true riches.
But we must beware of being surprised by faintness and sloth in seeking the kingdom of God; for, Not every one that saith: Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth Vie will of my Father who is in heaven.
Next, therefore, to the victory over avarice, will come the struggle against sloth. The weapon to assail it with is this:
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
That is, oh, that we, inhabitants of earth, may do it like those of heaven! In heaven God is praised with the greatest delight. In heaven the angels, with wonderful readiness, obey his pleasure. Oh, that we might do so with similar devotion, alacrity, and promptitude upon earth! Even to wish this is much in the sight of God, who sees into our good will.
But because the weakness of our flesh compels us to refresh our bodily powers with meat and drink, an act which is productive of pleasure, the devil endeavours to make this an occasion of entangling us in the vice of gluttony, and of leading us into excess in the quality or quantity of our food. Therefore we must earnestly pray God against it, who has made us by nature frail, and liable to. this necessity of restoring our strength by food, in saying,
Give us this day our daily bread.
O merciful God! vouchsafe to give us our necessary food, and so to rule us, that we may not change into a matter of pleasure the requirements of necessity, and not use for luxury what thy bountiful hand has bestowed upon us for the support of nature; but that we may restrain our carnal appetites by the law of God and of right reason. Vouchsafe also to give us the bread of heavenly wisdom, that, by tasting how sweet the Lord is, we may loathe the allurements of the palate, and turn with disgust from all bodily pleasures, which, in comparison of the sweetness of his taste, are but as husks of swine.
But while the appetite is being bridled, the malice of the devil often contrives for us occasions for anger and impatience, that, by yielding to the sin of hatred, we may be robbed of the fruit of abstinence, and even in our very fasts become odious to God, like the people of whom Isaias speaks, who fasted for debates and strife.
Against this malignant head of the Beast he hurls his weapon with a powerful hand who prays from his heart,
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.
For there is not a day on which we have no need to ask of God forgiveness of our sins; for in many things we all offend, and if God shall mark iniquities, who shall endure it? But this we can only obtain by not being angry with those who sin against us, and forgiving them from our hearts. Then indeed we can say with open confidence, Forgive us, as we forgive.
This connection of the one clause with the other may well strike us with fear and anxiety. For what if thou forgive not thy debtors, or if thou forgive not fully and sincerely, or if outwardly only and deceitfully, and in the meantime cherishest anger in thy heart, and meditatest revenge? Then, undoubtedly, thou invokest God, not for thee, but against thee, and Wilt have him not for thy father, but for thy judge; and wilt hear, Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servant; for thou desirest to be forgiven only as thou forgivest.
Let us, then, become more careful, and follow our Lord’s counsel: When you shall stand to pray, forgive, if you have aught against any man. Otherwise, if man reserve wrath for man, how shall he seek remedy of God?
6. But if we learn to be gentle minded and placable towards all who injure us, we have to take care that this gentleness does not degenerate into softness and remissness, and that the devil does not thus gradually seduce us into carnal luxury.
When, then, we see that this detestable vice of luxury is dominant far and wide over the human race, so that all flesh has corrupted its way no less at this day than of old, we should have a strong fear of this pestiferous head of the Beast; for, says the Wise Man, It has cast down many wounded, and the strongest have been slain by it. Let us therefore implore God to be our helper, for we cannot be continent except by the gift of God. Therefore, let us pray,
And lead us not into temptation.
That is, permit not us to be led into it, who are frail to resist it, because, if we are left to our own strength, such is our proneness to evil, that we are certain to be led into it, and overcome by it.
7. But though our wicked enemy should find himself foiled in his previous attacks, still he will not desist, but will endeavour to destroy the soul by the poison of envy, the sin most peculiarly his own ( for by the envy of the devil death came into the world), and to make our neighbour’s prosperity become our cross and torment.
Hence it is that we do not look with a good eye upon our neighbour, but grieve at his prosperity, and rejoice at his adversity. From this diabolical and worst of vices, we pray, finally, to be delivered, in saying,
But deliver us from evil.
The evil, that is, of envy, which makes us wholly and entirely evil. For the evil one infects and inflames men with the poison of which he is himself full to the uttermost. For what is worse than for one to turn to his own hurt the good of another, who, by rejoicing in another’s good, might, as it were, make it his own, and thus himself be made by it better, happier, nearer to, and more worthy of, the Supreme Good?
A METHOD OF REPEATING THE LORD’S PRAYER TO GOD THE FATHER,
That our sins and failings may be atoned for by the virtues and merits of his Son.
Our Father.
O most holy Father! by that immeasurable love by which thou hast granted to us to be called and to be the sons of God, from the bottom of my heart I beseech thee mercifully to pardon my neglect hitherto to render thee the honour and filial love which I owe to my most loving Father; instead of which I have often and deeply offended thee by my sins, and by my sins have very often driven thee shamefully out of my heart, in which it was thy right to dwell, as thou dwellest in heaven, thy throne.
O most merciful Father! look upon the face of Christ thy Son, and have mercy upon me. I beseech thee, in union with that infinite love with which thou hast from all eternity begotten thy Son to be coequal with thee, and hast willed him at the predestined time to become man for us; I beseech thee, by the power of that most ample satisfaction, which the same thy most beloved Son and our sinless brother Jesus Christ has made to thee for me, graciously to accept in atonement for all my sins and failings, the most ardent love of that divine heart, together with that most appropriate praise and honour which, with the greatest humility, he rendered to thee.
1. Hallowed be thy name.
O most tender Father! with all the affection of my heart, I entreat thee not to punish me because I have not hallowed thy most holy name with its rightful religious worship, honour, and reverence; nay, have often treated it with contumely, and have many times so shamefully disgraced, by my unworthy conduct, the Christian name which, by thy grace, I bear.
O Father most high! vouchsafe, I beseech thee, to accept, in atonement for all my faults, the perfect holiness of life of thy most dear Son; in which, for the three and thirty years and upwards that he lived upon earth, he never ceased to glorify thy blessed name, and to praise and sanctify it by so many signs and miracles, words and works.
2. Thy kingdom come.
O Father of mercies! I beseech thee most mercifully to forgive me for having never, with becoming ardour and zeal, sought thee, the King of heaven and earth, and thy eternal kingdom, in which alone is true peace, and rest, and joy. Vouchsafe, I implore thee, of thy most tender mercy, to accept the most acceptable labours of thy most holy Son, by which he has made me and all men joint-heirs with himself in thy kingdom, for all the negligences and failings of which I have been miserably guilty, while I sought and minded so negligently the things that are above, but so ardently the things that are upon, the earth.
3. Thy will be done.
O most merciful Father! forgive me, I beseech thee, of thy infinite goodness, for not having always, as I ought to have done, preferred to my own thy divine and supreme will; for having so often again usurped by sin the power over my own will, which I had surrendered to thee once for all; and for not having readily, reverently, and cheerfully embraced the determination of thy most gracious will respecting me.
Vouchsafe, I implore thee, O eternal Father, to accept thy most dear Son’s most ready resignation of heart, and that most perfect obedience whereby he became obedient to thee even to the death of the cross, in atonement for all my disobedience and transgression of thy commandments.
4. Our daily bread.
O most bountiful Father! who openest thy beneficent hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature, and thus feedest even me, however unworthy, from my youth, by so largely providing so many blessings for my body as well as my soul; from the very bottom of my heart I pray thee to forgive me for having so ungratefully received thy gifts and benefits for the nourishment of both soul and body, and for having so often abused them, to thy hurt and my own damnation, while I either set my heart too much upon them, or enjoyed them to excess, or gave thee not due thanks for them.
Vouchsafe, O my Father, I implore thee, by the love of thy only-begotten Son, to accept his fasts, hunger, thirst, and wonderful abstinence, with all the thanksgivings which he was accustomed to offer up before taking food, in atonement for all the carelessness and ingratitude that I have ever been guilty of in receiving thy benefits and gifts.
5. And forgive us.
O Father of immeasurable goodness! if thou wilt mark our sins and iniquities, who shall endure it, in so many things do we all offend; I beseech thee, therefore, by thy eternal love, mercifully to forgive me whatever things I have failed in, at whatever time or place, and in what manner soever; or, if I may not have clearly fulfilled thy precept of forgiving those who sinned against me, or not have loved my enemies from my heart, I implore thy majesty to accept, O most just God, in satisfaction, the infinite price of the blood, and the most touching prayer of thy most dear Son, by which he asked thee to forgive his enemies when he was hanging on the cross.
6. And lead us not, &c.
O most gracious Father! for the sake of thy infinite love, forgive me for not having hitherto, with sufficient diligence and earnestness, endeavoured to resist my corrupt concupiscences and desires, but rather consented to the evil suggestions of the world, the flesh, and the devil, for which I have been deservedly exposed to various misfortunes. I pray, then, O Lord, that if, in the counsel of thy divine providence, thou willest me, on that account, to undergo temptations, thou wilt never permit me to consent to them. Vouchsafe, I beseech thee, O almighty God, to accept the glorious victory of Christ thy Son, by which he vanquished the flesh, the world, and Satan, together with his most holy conversation, and all his labours and sorrows, for the supply of all my negligence and frailty; and so to deliver me from all evil, and to bring me to all good, which is nowhere nor aught else, but thyself, singly and only, O my God and my all! Amen.