sint tua protectione tran- mies being removed, our quilla. Ure igne Sancti Spiritus renes nostros et cor nostrum, Domine; ut tibi casto corpore serviamus, et mundo corde placeamus. days, by Thy protection, may be peaceful. Inflame, O Lord, our reins and our hearts with the fire of the Holy Ghost; that we may serve Thee with a chaste body, and please Thee with a pure mind. O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls Fidelium Deus omnium Conditor et Redemptor, animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum re- of Thy servants and hand missionem cunctorum tribue peccatorum; ut indulgentiam, quam semper optaverunt, piis supplicationibus consequantur. Actiones nostras, quæsumus Domine, aspirando præveni, et adjuvando prosequere ut cuncta nostra oratio et operatio a te semper incipiat, et per te cœpta finiatur. Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, qui vivorum dominaris simul et mortuorum, omniumque misereris, quos tuos fide et opere futuros maids remission of all their sins; that through our pious supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy inspiration, and further them with Thy continual help; that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and through Thee be brought to an end. Almighty, Everlasting God, who hast dominion over the living and the dead, and showest mercy unto all whom Thou fore esse prænoscis: te supplices exoramus, ut pro quibus effundere preces decrevimus, quosque vel præsens sæculum adhuc in carne retinet, vel futurum knowest will be Thine by faith and works: we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we have resolved to pour forth our prayers, whether this present world jam exutos corpore susce- still detain them in the pit, intercedentibus omni- flesh, or the world to come bus Sanctis tuis, pietatis hath already received them tuæ clementia omnium de- stripped of their bodies, lictorum suorum veniam may, by the grace of consequantur. Per Domi- Thy fatherly love, and num nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, etc. R. Amen. V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. V. Exaudiat nos omnipotens et misericors Domi nus. R. Amen.* V. Et fidelium animæ per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace. R. Amen. through the intercession of all the Saints, obtain the remission of all their sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. R. Amen. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto Thee. V. May the Almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us. R. Amen. * V. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. * See note, p. 257. Instructions and Devotions for Confession. ON THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. ENANCE is a Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ, in which, by the ministry of the Priest, actual sins are forgiven, and the conscience is released from the bonds by which it may be bound. In this Sacrament, also, the eternal punishment due to sin is remitted, and a part or the whole of the temporal punishment, according to the disposition of the penitent. This holy and salutary institution is grounded on the words of Jesus Christ: Truly I say to you, whatever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven (Matt. xviii. 18), and, As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins ye shall retain, they are retained (John xx. 21, etc.) In these words Jesus Christ gave to His Apostles, and to their lawful successors, power and authority to absolve from all sin those who sincerely repent of their offences. Hence we see the great necessity of this Sacrament; and the Council of Trent has decreed that it is not less necessary for sal vation to those who have fallen into mortal sin after Baptism, than Baptism to those who have never been baptized. And although Penance may, at first sight, and in itself, seem to be a bitter and painful thing, yet, viewed in its fruits and consequences, it is full of consolation; and every Christian, as soon as he is conscious that he has fallen into a mortal sin, ought at once to have recourse to this fount of divine mercy. The evil consequences of delay are manifold. 1. In a state of mortal sin, every other mortal sin committed renders our hearts still more hardened. 2. The commission of one mortal sin makes a second easier, and this leads to a third, and so on. 3. In a state of mortal sin we lose the value of all the good works that we may do. They avail nothing for everlasting life. Neither alms, nor prayers, nor fasts, nor even martyrdom itself, can profit us if we have not repented of our sins. 4. Sin, continued in, shuts by degrees the door of divine mercy, until at last scarce any hope is left of obtaining pardon from God. Lastly, just as the longer a stain remains upon a garment the more difficult it is to remove, so the longer the soul neglects to purify itself by Confession the more difficult the work becomes, and the more intricate, on account of the number of sins and anxiety of mind, until at last even an experienced Confessor may be unable to extricate the soul from its miserable state. A PRAYER To implore the Divine Assistance in order to make a good Confession. ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, who hast made me out of nothing, and redeemed me by the Precious Blood of Thine Only Son; who hast with so much patience borne with me to this day, notwithstanding all my sins and ingratitude; ever calling after me to return to Thee from the ways of vanity and iniquity, in which I have been quite wearied out in the pursuit of empty toys and mere shadows; seeking in vain to satisfy my thirst in unclean waters, and my hunger with husks of swine: behold, O most gracious Lord, I now sincerely desire to leave all these my evil ways, to forsake the region of death where I have so long lost myself, and to return to Thee, the Fountain of Life. I desire, like the prodigal son, to enter seriously into myself, and with the like resolution to arise without delay, and to go home to my Fatherthough I am infinitely unworthy to be called His child— in hopes of meeting with the like reception from His most tender mercy. But, O my God, though I can go astray from Thee of myself, yet I cannot make one step towards returning to Thee, unless Thy divine grace move and assist me. This grace, therefore, I most humbly implore, prostrate in spirit before the throne of Thy mercy; I beg it for the sake of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who died upon the Cross for my sins; I know that Thou desirest not the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live; I know Thy mercies are above all Thy works; and I most confidently hope that as in Thy mercy Thou hast spared me so long, and hast now given me this desire of returning to Thee, so Thou wilt finish the work which Thou hast begun, and bring me to a perfect reconciliation with Thee. I desire now to comply with Thy holy institution of the Sacrament of Penance; I desire to confess my sins with all sincerity to Thee and to Thy minister; and therefore I desire to know myself, and to call myself to an account by a diligent examination of my conscience. But, O my God, how miserably shall I deceive myself if Thou assist me not in this great work by Thy heavenly light. O then remove every veil that hides any of my sins from me, that I may see them all in their true colors, and may sincerely detest them. |