cross, when thy blessed soul was separated from thy adorable body, to be propitious to me and to all sinners in our last awful passage from time to eternity. Amen. A SHORT PRAYER WHICH MAY BE SAID DAILY FOR THE GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH. MOST dear and adorable Jesus! who wast cru for the of mankind, I beseech thee, by thy dreadful agony, by thy countless wounds, by the effusion of thy precious blood, by the recommendation of thy sacred soul into the hands of thy Eternal Father, and by thy ignominious death on the altar of the cross, that thou wilt graciously vouchsafe at my last hour to receive my spirit into the bosom of thy mercy. A PRACTICE MADE USE OF BY ST. MECHTILDIS. HOLY Mary, our sovereign Queen! as God the Father by his omnipotence hast made thee most powerful, deign to assist us at the hour of our death, by defending us against all power that is contrary to thine. Ave Maria. HOLY Mary, our sovereign Queen! as God the Son has endowed thee with so much knowledge and charity, that it enlightens all heaven, deign at the hour of our death to illustrate and strengthen our souls with the knowledge of the true faith, that they be not perverted by error or pernicious igno rance. Ave Maria. HOLY Mary, our sovereign Queen! as the Holy Ghost has plentifully poured forth into thee the love of God, deign to instil into us, at the hour of our death, the sweetness of divine love, that all bitterness at that time may become acceptable and pleasant to us. Ave Maria. A Daily Prayer in Time of Sickness. MY God, I consider this sickness with which thou art pleased to visit me, as a favour from thy fatherly hand. I accept of all its circumstances and consequences in satisfaction for my sins. Thou hast given me health and strength, O Lord, and taken them away; may thy holy name be blessed for ever. I bow down my whole soul to adore thee in all thy appointments. I resign myself entirely into the hands of thy providence, and acknowledge that thou dost treat me with too much indulgence. I know I deserve greater evils than those I now endure, and that my sins have merited pains infinitely greater than those of hell, where I would long since have been, had not thy mercy interposed between my soul and thy justice. Alas! how many are now suffering therein for crimes considerably less than mine. My pains are nothing in comparison to theirs. I have no reason to complain. May thy holy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I offer myself with entire submission to suffer whatever thou pleasest-as long as thou pleasest-and in what manner thou pleasest. May this sickness be to the honour of thy holy name. and the good of my soul. O Lord, have pity on my weakness, and deal not with me according to my sins, but have compassion on me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. Confirm my soul with strength from above, that I may patiently suffer all the pains, uneasiness, and difficulties of my illness. Grant that I may cheerfully submit to them as just punishments of my manifold offences, and duly offer them in union with the sufferings and death of my blessed Redeemer on the cross, through whose merits I look for mercy, and hope to obtain eternal life. Have pity on me, O most loving Father! Clothe me with thy grace, and receive me into the arms of thy mercy. "Create a clean heart in me, O God! and renew a right spirit within my bowels." (Psalm 1. 12.) Cast out from thence whatever profanes or defiles thy temple. Eradicate from my heart whatever is displeasing to thee, and lay in me the foundation of a new life. I am heartily sorry for having ever offended thy infinite goodness, either in thought, word, deed, or omission. I most humbly implore the pardon of all my sins. I now firmly purpose never to offend thee more, but to avoid everything that may be to me an occasion of sin. I resolve to make restitution and satisfaction for the injuries I have committed; for the love of thee I sincerely forgive all those who have in the least injured me: I beseech thee to pardon them, and to grant them the same blessings I desire for my own soul. With the utmost humility, I also heartily beg pardon of all those to whom I have given any offence, whether by bad example, words, deeds, or any other way, deliberately or indeliberately. Thou knowest, O Lord, my frailty, being nothing but dust and ashes; preserve me from all temptations, and be thou my defence against all the assaults of the evil spirit, that in this sickness I may no ways offend thee; and if it is to be my last, I beg of thee so to direct me by thy grace, that I may not neglect the necessary means of salvation, nor be deprived of any of those powerful helps which thou hast, in thy mercy, ordained for the good of my soul. Prepare me, O Lord, for my passage to eternity, that being perfectly cleansed from all my iniquities, I may be admitted one day into the kingdom of thy glory, there to love and praise thee for ever in the company of thy blessed angels and saints. Amen. Litany for the Sick. LORD, have mercy on me. Christ, have mercy on me. Lord, have mercy on me. God the Father, Creator of the world, Have mercy on me. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on me. God the Holy Ghost, perfecter of the elect, Hare mercy on me. O Blessed Trinity, three Persons and one God, Have mercy on me. Holy Mother of God, All ye holy angels and archangels, All ye holy bishops and confessors, All ye holy virgins and widows, All ye holy saints of God, make intercession for me. Have mercy, O Lord, and spare me. Have mercy, O Lord, and hear me. Pray for me. O Lord deliver me. From all my sins and offences, and the punishment due to them, From all temptations, and the snares of the devil, From all impatience and repining at thy just · chastisements, From dejection of spirit, and diffidence in thy mercies, From all undue fears of death, and all immoderate desires of life, From distraction of mind, and neglect of preparation for eternity, By thy cross and passion, By thy death and burial, By thy glorious resurrection and ascension, That it would please thee to comfort me in sor- That it would please thee to remind me of all thy mercies, and by them encourage me to a sure confidence in thee, That thou wouldst grant me the grace to order all my temporal affairs with prudence, justice, and charity; and with a free and quiet mind wholly to dispose myself for heaven, That thou wouldst sanctify this thy fatherly correction of me, that the sense of my weakness may add strength to my faith, and seriousness to my repentance, That thou wouldst grant me the grace to confess sincerely, to repent of all my sins, and bestow on me perfect remission and forgiveness of them, I beseech thee, to hear me. |