# The paradise of the Christian soul/Chap. III. Various Prayers for Penitents.

CHAPTER III.
VARIOUS PRAYERS FOR PENITENTS.
PRAYERS AGAINST THE SEVEN CAPITAL SINS, ONE OF WHICH MAY BE SAID AFTER EACH OF THE PENITENTIAL PSALMS.
I. Against pride,
O Lord Jesus Christ, meek and humble of heart, who by word and example hast commanded us to learn humility of thee; for, being in the form of God equal to the eternal Father, thou didst humble thyself, taking upon thee the form of a servant, and becoming obedient to death, even to the death of the cross.
Take away from us all pride and swelling of spirit, that, glorying in nothing but thee, and despising none, we may think humbly of ourselves, and, with a lowly heart, praise thee alone; and if we seem to have any good, make us acknowledge it to come, not from ourselves, but from thee, the everflowing fountain of all good; that so we may ever give glory, not to ourselves, but to thee. Amen.
2. Against avarice.
Most bountiful God, who needest not any thing that we have, and who in so abundantly bestowing upon us thy blessings, biddest us be liberal to our poor neighbours of the things granted to us for the support of life, and therefore constantly recommendest to us alms-giving and works of charity: incline our hearts to thy testimonies. and not to covetousness; grant that for thy ​name we may give willingly, and freely distribute our temporal goods.
But pluck up out of our hearts covetousness, which is the root of all evil, that we may not desire other men’s goods, but give of our own, not with sadness, or of necessity, but with a full hand and a kind heart; and so be beloved by thee as cheerful givers, and receive the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Amen.
3. Against gluttony.
Lord Jesus, mirror of abstinence, who, to recommend to us by word and example a salutary abstinence, after taking our mortal flesh, didst fast forty days and forty nights; and hast taught us that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God: Grant that we may taste the honied richness of thy words, which are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb; that, rejecting all delicate meats and provocatives of appetite, we may live soberly and godly in this world; and, contented with plain and moderate fare, may receive thy gifts with thanksgiving, and make not a god of our belly, but serve thee the living God, who so bountifully providest for us. Amen.
4. Against luxury.
O Lord Jesus Christ, guardian of chaste minds, and lover of modesty, who, to shew that thou most delightest in purity, didst vouchsafe to take human flesh of the womb of thy most pure Virgin Mother, mercifully regard the weakness of our nature. Create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us. Grant us to curb the concupiscence of the flesh with the bridle of continence, to subdue all incentives to lust, and to pierce our very flesh with thy fear; that, this bosom enemy overcome, we may serve thee with a chaste body, and please thee by a clean heart. Amen.
5. Against envy.
Most loving Jesus, great example of charity, who comprisest all the precepts of the aw in the love of God and of our neighbour; grant us to love thee our God and Saviour with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, since thou hast first so loved us that thou hast given for us thy life.
Make us next to love our neighbour from our inmost hearts, and only to hate him by whose envy death entered into the world, that, rejoicing in our neighbour’s prosperity, and grieving in his adversity, we may have pleasure in no ​one’s unhappiness; but stifling all motions of envy, we may arrive at thee, who art the true charity. Amen.
6. Against anger.
Most meek Jesus, who, like a gentle lamb taken to sacrifice, and like a sheep led to the slaughter, didst not open thy mouth, but, when dragged, mocked, spit upon, struck, and at last nailed to the cross, didst not only not return evil for evil, but didst even pray for the transgressors to God the Father; implant, I beseech thee, in our hearts the virtues of meekness and patience, that we may restrain the fury of anger, with gentleness of heart overcome evil with good, and love our enemies; that so, being inflamed with kindness, as with hot burning coals, we may be enkindled to mutual love, and with one heart and mouth, in brotherly love, give glory to thee our God and Father upon earth, and finally attain to thee in heaven. Amen.
7. Against sloth.
O Lord Jesus, who didst shun no labour, but, often wearied with travel, didst suffer hunger and thirst and every hardship for our sake, and didst often also pass the night in prayer; expel from our hearts and bodies all inactivity and sluggishness, that we may be quick and ready to serve thee in watching, fasting, and prayer, and to devote ourselves entirely to thy glory, and the salvation of our neighbours; and that our soul may not slumber through heaviness, but that we may cheerfully run the way of thy commandments, when thou hast enlarged our heart by the love of thee and of our neighbour; lest at any time our lukewarmness disgust thee, and thou begin to vomit us out of thy mouth.
Kindle, therefore, within us the fire of thy love, and strengthen our weakness, that, being made strong in thee and by thee, we may endeavour by good works to make our calling sure; and whatever our hand finds to do, it may do it eafnestly, that so we may please thee alone, and thou mayest be finally our exceeding great reward.
Three short and forcible prayers for pardon of sins and amendment of life.
From the German prayers of F. Canisius.
FIRST PRAYER.
Most dear Lord Jesus Christ, I, an unworthy sinner, remind thee of all the holy contemplations thou hast ever had from all eternity until now, and of that especially by which, O eternal Word, thou didst contemplate becoming ​man. I remind thee also of all the holy thoughts which saints in heaven and good men on earth have ever had, or will have hereafter, for the honour of thy name.
O most merciful Lord, from the bottom of my heart I pray thee to pardon me, in return, all the vain, shameful, and bad thoughts which I have ever had until now, or in any way whatever occasioned others to have, that were beside or opposed to thy will. Our Father. Hail Mary.
Second Prayer.
O most tender Lord Jesus Christ, I, a wretched sinner, remind thee of all the good and saving words which thou hast ever spoken upon earth, or which have ever been, or will be hereafter, pronounced by others in thy name.
Forgive me, I humbly beg of thee, O good Jesus, all the words that I have ever until now spoken, or occasioned others to speak, in opposition to thy divine will. Our Father. Hail Mary.
THIRD PRAYER.
O most sweet Jesus Christ, I, a sinner, unworthy, but redeemed by thy precious blood, remind thee of all the good works thou hast wrought on earth for our salvation, or which have ever been, or will hereafter be, done by others in thy name.
Pardon, I beseech thee, most merciful Lord, whatever by my misconduct I have at any time ignorantly or knowingly committed, or occasioned others to commit, that is contrary to thy law and to the glory of thy name.
Direct and order also, O most gracious Lord, all my thoughts, all my words, and all my works, according to thy divine pleasure, to the praise of thy name; and conform them to the most perfect pattern of thy most holy conversation and life. I am thine, and will be thine, O Lord, in life and in death; and into thy hands I commit myself, and all that I have. Our Father. Hail Mary.
A PRAYER FOR A PENITENT.
From the same.
O Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who mercifully invitest all sinners, and castest not out whatever comes to thee, but graciously receivest, cherishest, and refreshest it; I remind thee of the infinite love with which thou hast of thy own accord offered thyself up for us upon the cross; and by the most generous shedding - of thy precious blood, hast so abundantly paid the price of our salvation, and atoned for the sins of the world.
By the most sacred and efficacious penance of thy ​most holy life and innocent death, I humbly beseech thee to forgive me all my sins, as readily as thou forgavest and promisedst paradise to the robber when hanging on the cross. I now cast all my sins into thy deep and sorrowful wounds. Whatever I lack that is requisite to my contrition and penance, vouchsafe mercifully to supply out of the riches of thy own satisfactions and merits, and of all the sorrows, pains, and labours which thou didst cheerfully undergo in thy most holy body, and didst will thyself to endure for us, even to the bitterest death.
And as thou, the fountain of all mercy, of thy love alone, and with the sighs of thy inmost heart, didst pray for thy enemies, nay more, didst shed thy blood for thy very tormentors; so make me an unworthy partaker in thy most holy life and passion. Let not their fruit be lost to me, but let me be delivered from all my sins, and the punishments I deserve for them, and devote myself wholly and entirely to thee, thy worship, and love.
Grant me, O most merciful Saviour, never again to crucify thee by my sins, but by the virtue and merit of thy cross, to grieve sincerely for my past sins, valiantly to overcome present temptations, and henceforward to hold on the way of the cross and of penance, and to persevere even to the end in good works; for to thee I desire to live, and in thee to die.
To thee I commend my body and soul, and all that I have, with my friends and benefactors, both living and dead. O Jesus, son of David, have mercy on us, and make us all resolutely to shun sin, and fulfil thy commandments, to thy greater glory and our own salvation. Amen.
A most elegant oblation of St. Bernard for forgiveness of sins.
O Lord Jesus Christ, in union with thy sorrow with which thou didst undertake to advocate the cause of my sorrow, and to find a remedy for my sins, together with all that sorrow and are truly penitent, and that seek thee in truth, I confess to thee all my sins, both of evil done and good left undone, or done carelessly, or without a pure intention, just as they are known to thee in number, weight, and measure, with the lost days of my life, in which I have offended thee and detracted from thy praise, and fallen from thee, my highest good and drawn my neighbour with me in my fall.
Accept then, O Lord, the years that remain to me out of this my wretched life; and for those which I have lost by my misconduct, despise not, ​O Lord, a broken and a humbled heart. My days have declined and perished without fruit, for it is impossible for me to recall them; but permit me to recount them in the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, the deep of my most profound misery calls upon the deep of thy most deep mercy. Shut not up thy mercies in thy anger, and let not the fount of thy inexhaustible mercy be dried up towards me because of my sins; for thou hast mercy upon all, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, and overlookest the sins of men for the sake of repentance.
It is thine, O Lord, to forgive sins; have mercy upon me, for now is the time for grace and mercy. And while there is time for amendment, grant me to merit the glory of thy blessing, lest, in the day of consummation, I be struck with .the sentence of thy curse.
Make me, O Lord, I beseech thee, to abandon my evil habits, and to do works acceptable to thee; and henceforward, by thy aid, to apply to doing thy will the diligence which I have hitherto spent upon sins, that so, where sin abounded, grace may more abound.
And I implore thee, by thyself, and for the love of thy most tender mother the glorious Virgin Mary, and by the intercession of all thy saints and elect, to pardon all my sins, negligences, and ignorances; and not to destroy me with my iniquities, nor in thy anger to reserve my sins to the end.
Remember, O Lord Jesus, that it is thine to lose nothing of all that thy Father hath given thee, and that it is thy property always to have mercy, and to spare; to lose none, but to save. For thy Father sent thee into the world, not to judge the world, but that we might have life through thee; that thou mightest be for us, and not against us. For thou hast paid our debt, atoned for our sin, and supplied our neglect.
Let, then, thy full and superabundant satisfaction, O Lord, thy bitter death, and the price of thy blood that was shed; the renewal of thy satisfaction, which is the venerable mystery of thy body and blood, daily offered to thee in the Church for the salvation of the faithful, in which thou art thyself priest and sacrifice, the offerer and the receiver of the offering, and the offering itself, avail now, and in my last hour, to merit for me now the grace that I merit not myself, and to obtain for me hereafter the rest and glory which thy most bitter death has won for me.
Thy eyes, O Lord, have seen my imperfect being; but thou, who art gracious and ​merciful, and ready to repent of the evil, and hast in thy best and wisest manner preordained all things to the most high and perfect good, impute it not to me for eternal punishment, and let me not be blotted out of the book of life; but offer for me, for my relief, the portion that falls to me, namely, of thy precious Passion, in return tor which it has been thy will to have man to be joint-heir with thee in the land of the living.
Let, then, O Lord, the consideration of human frailty stir and incline thee to mercy; for thou knowest what is man’s substance, and that thou hast not placed him for nought upon the earth; and preserve me, who am the work of thy love, lest thou shouldst have laboured for it in vain, and that the shedding of thy spotless blood may not be fruitless in my regard.
Thou who makest purification for sins, grant that I may be cleansed from the filth of my sins, and enlightened to know thee with the eye of my mind; and that I may ever confess thee, tend towards thee, and aspire to thee in the bent of my heart; that, finally, by a happy death, I may come to thee, O Jesus Christ, who, with Goa the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, livest and reign est world without end. Amen.