me, but deal with me according to Thy mercy, which is greater than the sins of the whole world. Thou knowest my weakness and fearfulness. O God, keep me under the shadow of Thy Cross, stedfast in faith, firm in hope, constant in adversity, patiently and calmly to bear my trials and troubles, and never to be led away by grief to do aught contrary to Thy Commandments. Help me according to Thy will. If it be Thy will that I should suffer, Thy will be done, only give me the grace of endurance, and have respect to my needs and my infirmity. To Thee be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. LORD JESU CHRIST, Who here on earth didst for our sins carry on Thy shoulders the heavy burden of the Cross, on the way to Calvary, and didst bid us to weep for ourselves, and not for Thee, mercifully give me constancy to endure these many and great tribulations, and grant that they may benefit me to the amendment of my faults: Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. In any Calamity. LORD, despise not Thy people, who in their trouble cry unto Thee, but for the glory of Thy Name mercifully assist us in all our sufferings: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer when Falsely EVERLASTING GOD, Who knowest secrets, Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me, whereas I never did such things as these men have maliciously invented against me. But although in this I am very much wronged, as Thou, O Lord, knowest, yet my very, very many great and crying sins have deserved this and a much greater punish. ment. I will therefore hold my peace, and not open my mouth, because it is Thy doing and my deserving. Lord, give me sure repentance for all the sins of my life past, and especially for those which may have been the occasion of this sad reproach. Give me grace to look upon the authors of this wrong as instruments in Thy hand for manifesting Thy glorious attributes of mercy In Time of Persecution. MY LORD JESUS Christ, true God and true Man, Who sufferedst an ignominious death on the Cross for my redemption; I humbly offer up to Thee my soul and my body, my life, my goods, and all my fortunes, to be wholly disposed of according to Thy most blessed will. And if it be Thy holy pleasure that I should lose my life or fortune for the profession of Thy holy Name, and the Catholic Religion, Lord, I humbly and freely submit thereunto, beseeching Thee of Thy bitter Death and Passion, that Thou wilt please to forgive me my sins; give me strength and patience to overcome all temptations and adversities; pardon all my enemies and persecutors, and all the injuries that they have done me in thought, word, and deed, and make us all partakers of Thy heavenly kingdom, Who with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest one God, world without end. Amen. A Prayer in Time of Perplexity. GOD of light, truth, and goodness, may Thy Holy Spirit direct me in this (to me) perplexing case. Let me faithfully consider what shall be required of me, that I may see my duty, and avoid the paths of error and danger. Let nothing seduce me from a settled purpose of doing what I believe will be most acceptable to Thee. And grant that I may omit nothing that I ought to do in order to be rightly informed. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Thine infinite goodness and DIRECT me, gracious God, mercy, and by the merits of in this difficult time, that I may neither speak nor act anything unbecoming my character, and that I may never prostitute my conscience for any worldly consideration whatever. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. For any Necessity. strength, Who art the Author of all godliness: be ready, we beseech Thee, to hear the devout prayers of Thy Church and grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. For Guidance. good things do come, grant to us, Thy humble servants, that by Thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good, and by Thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. For Choice of a Profession. JESU, Lover of souls: Thou didst for my salvation come down from heaven, didst humble Thyself and didst live on earth in humility, and poverty, and toil: didst endure persecution, injustice, and pain, and didst on Thy Cross shed Thy blood for the remission of my sins: I pray Thee, send me from heaven the spirit of counsel that I may choose that vocation to which Thou hast indeed called me. Thou knowest best, O Lord, in what station I can live piously and die happily. The desire of my heart is ever truly to serve Thee, and not to follow my own lusts and pleasures upon earth. Behold, O Lord, my heart is ready: I desire what Thou desirest: show me Thy will, and give me Thy grace that I may obediently follow it unto death, Who livest and reignest God, world without end. Amen. For Grace to Live according to our Calling. GOD, Whose wisdom ordereth all things and Whose providence ordains to each one his vocation, and gives him grace to serve Thee therein I thank Thee for the state of life to which Thou hast been pleased to call me. Grant me to know my duty, and give me grace to do it, Before Study. THOU Most High and little goodness, and my great idleness about the study of profitable things. Lighten my darkness; make me wiser and better. Show me the wonderful things of Thy law, that I may learn not what carnal prudence, but what heavenly wisdom suggests, to my own and to my neighbours' profit: that by means of this imperfect knowledge I may come at last to the eternal vision of Thee, the uncreated Wisdom of the Father, Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. On Going to Work. Holy One, Who inha-RETURN, O Father, to bitest eternity, Eternal Wisdom, dwelling in the bosom of the Father, illumine my mind and give me a docile heart to seek, to embrace, and to hold fast the truth, for Thou art Truth. I seek to know, but how I ought to know, I know not; do Thou therefore make me to know first what is most necessary to salvation, and most conducive to charity. Take from me all desire of vainglory, all idle curiosity, all unnecessary motives, that I may learn to edification. Thou knowest my ignorance, Q God, my want of skill, my the labour of my hands: give me, I pray Thee, care and understanding as well as health and strength, that being assisted by Thy grace I may accomplish my labour with gratitude and without hurt: that the work which I am about to begin in Thee may be duly finished to the glory of Thy Name: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. To the glory of Thy Name, O God, I begin this work: and offer it to Thee; through the merits of Jesus Christ, Amen. After Work. O LORD our Strength, without Whose aid we toil in vain and can perfect nothing, I give Thee hearty thanks for Thy merciful bless. ing upon my labours this day. Without Thee, O my Helper, I had done nothing; by Thee I have accomplished my work. Grant, O Father, that as Thou hast been my Helper, so what I have done by Thy help may be profitable to myself and to my neighbour through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. For Grace. created me in Thy image and similitude, grant me Thy grace which Thou hast shown me to be necessary to my salvation, that I may overcome my evil nature. Let me find grace in Thy sight, and Thy grace shall be sufficient for me. In temptation and tribulation I shall fear no evil if Thy grace be with me: this shall be my strength and my counsel. Without Thy grace I can do nothing; with Thy grace I can do all things, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end. Amen, LORD. we pray Thee, that Thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. To obtain any particular ALMIGHTY Everlasting God, Whose mercies are infinite, and Thy treasury inexhaustible. Behold me, a miserable and repentant sinner, and cast me not away from Thy Presence, whom Thou hast created from nothing by Thy Almighty power, and redeemed from everlasting damnation by the death of Thine Only-begotten Son. By Thine unspeakable mercy, which in a moment by pardon delivers the repentant sinner from the punishment due to his sins; by the merit of Thy Well-beloved Son; by the love of the Holy Ghost; I implore Thee to have mercy npon me and to hear my prayer. Open to me the treasury of Thy grace and grant me . . . . Cast Thy merciful eyes upon me, and give me what I seek. But I desire, O God, only what Thou willest, and what Thou willest not I desire not. Nothing can injure me but that which |