Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

contented lives, to thy presence in paradise. Amen.

May thy divine assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen.

THURSDAY.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

AN ACT OF GRATITUDE.

With all the faculties of our souls we bless and praise thee, eternal Lord, for all the mercies thou hast bestowed upon us; for creating us to thy own image and likeness; for sending thy almighty Son to redeem us with his precious blood; and for associating us by baptism to the children of thy adoption. All that could be hoped for from the most bountiful creator thou hast fulfilled towards us; tempering thy justice with mercy, and ever calling upon us not to reject those means of salvation which thou hast provided for our weakness.

To thee we render our most grateful thanks for having expected, from our childhood to this time, that we might come to the amendment of our lives, and to the grateful acknowledgment of all thy benefits. We praise and glorify thee for having so often delivered us from distresses and misfortunes, and especially for having pre

served us from the punishment due to our sins. We praise and glorify thee for having bestowed upon us so many favours in common with others, and so many particular benefits which others have wanted, and which we have in no way deserved. We beseech thy goodness so to per fect these thy gifts as to remove from our hearts whatever displeaseth thee; and to deliver us from all such dangers and difficulties as may hinder our progress to thee, or prevent our looking forward to thy blessed haven of rest and peace. Amen.

Our Father, &c.

FOR CHARITY AND THANKFULNESS.

Almighty God, let us still and ever adore thee as our creator and sovereign; let us still and ever acknowledge the many benefits thou hast conferred upon us, in relation both to body and soul. Oh let us not continue to be ungrateful and unprofitable servants. In returning thee thanks for having preserved us during the past night, let us determine to labour this day with more diligence than we have hitherto done for obtaining that immortal glory which thou hast prepared for us. Let our hearts be every day more spiritualized, that they may still render thee a more ample tribute of praise and thanksgiving. Never, oh Lord, leave us to ourselves, but let thy holy fear be always in our thoughts, to curb and keep us within the compass of obedi

ence. Let that fear, which is the beginning of wisdom, lead us on to the more perfect love which may banish fear and temper all trials and temptations, that we may never more be overcome. For thou knowest how frail we are, and that our strength is nothing; thou knowest we have nothing to depend upon but thee. Give us therefore such a thankfulness for past favours as may secure to our souls a continuance of thy heavenly protection. Amen.

Hail Mary, &c.

FOR BROTHERLY LOVE.

Almighty Saviour, who hast taught us to consider this life as a preparation to a blessed immortality of which none can partake who do not carry with them hence that spirit of peace and charity which may be suited to the divine harmony of paradise, grant us to cultivate those feelings of brotherly love to one another, and of thankfulness towards thee, which a common share in thy favours ought ever to beget.

Jesus, grant us thy grace to love all men in thee, and thyself above all. Grant us truly to love thee for thy infinite goodness, and those blessings we have received and ever hope to receive from thee.

Let the remembrance of thy kindness and patience master the evil inclinations of our perverted nature.

Let the thought of thy many calls and helps

in the way of our lives make us tremble at our ingratitude.

For what dost thou require of us for all thy mercies, but to be grateful and obedient? and why dost thou require it, but for our good?

Oh Jesus, encourage us to give up our whole lives to thee for the future, in token of our humble acknowledgement of all thy past favours and forbearance.

Amen.

May the divine assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

FRIDAY.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

FOR SALVATION THROUGH THE REDEMPTION. Oh blessed Jesus, the God of mercy, and overflowing fountain of compassion, we humbly beseech thee to grant us grace to spend this passing life in virtuous and holy exercises: that when the day of death shall come, though we may feel pain in the body, we may find comfort in our souls; and with faithful hope in thy mercy, sincere love of thee, and perfect charity towards the world, may depart from this vale of misery to be received into that glorious country in which thy sacred blood has purchased for us an everlasting inheritance. O let us be ever mindful of the

mysterious order of our redemption; let us be ever mindful of the cause and object of thy Death. Grant us to apply to our souls the merits of thy redeeming sacrifice, without which thy fallen creatures could never have aspired to pass the bright gates of heaven. O let not that sacred blood have been shed for us in vain! Make us rather have ever in remembrance the bitterness of thy passion, and daily learn to die to the world for the love of thee who hast vouchsafed to die upon the cross to rescue us from thy offended justice. Amen.

Our Father, &c.
Hail Mary, &c.

FOR A HAPPY DEATH.

Receive, oh gracious Lord, our humble thanks for having given us an object the attainment of which is deserving of all our endeavours; for having opened to us the bright prospect of heaven as a goal to which all our energies in this life can be alone worthily directed. We bless and praise thy goodness for having thus raised our ambition above the petty cares and pursuits of this world, which could present no object to satisfy the wants of those immortal souls thou hast breathed into us. Oh enable us to resist all those weaknesses by which we have attached too much importance to the things of this world, which have so often led us to think of death with fear, rather than with gratitude and trembling

« ElőzőTovább »