- The ten commandments of God
- Prayer before Confession
- Affections and Resolutions before Confession
- An Act of Contrition
- Prayers after Confession
- Divine Praises
The ten commandments of God
- I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me.
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
- Honor thy Father and thy Mother.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
Prayer before Confession
0 almighty and most merciful God! who hast made me out of nothing, and redeemed me by the precious Blood of Thy only Son; who hast borne with me to this day with so much patience, notwithstanding my sins and ingratitude, behold me, O Lord! prostrate at Thy feet to implore Thy forgiveness.
I desire most sincerely to leave all my evil ways, to forsake this region of death where I have so long lost myself, and to return to Thee, the fountain of life.
I desire, like the prodigal child, to enter seriously into myself, and with the like resolutions, to rise, without delay, and go home to my Father, though I am infinitely unworthy to be called His child, in hopes of meeting with the like reception from His most tender mercy.
I know 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 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, 0 my good God! what will it avail me to know my sins, if Thou dost not also give me a hearty sorrow and repentance for them? Without this, my sins will be all against me still, and I shall be still Thy enemy and a child of hell.
Thou insistest upon a change of heart, without which there can be no reconciliation with Thee; and this change of heart ‘none but Thou canst give. Oh, give it me, then, dear Lord! at this time.
Give me a lively faith and a firm hope in the passion of my Redeemer. Teach me to fear Thee and to love Thee. Give me, for Thy mercy’s sake, a hearty sorrow for having offended so good a God.
O blessed Virgin, mother of my Redeemer, mirror of innocence and sanctity, and refuge of penitent sinners! intercede for me through the passion of Thy Son, that I may obtain the grace to make a good confession. O all you blessed angels and saints of God! pray for me, a most miserable sinner, that I may now effectually turn from my evil ways, that my heart may henceforward be for ever united with yours in eternal love, and never more go astray from the sovereign good. Amen.
Affections and Resolutions before Confession
My Lord and my all! I am confounded at the multitude and enormity of my offences against so good a God. I dare not presume even to lift up my eyes to heaven, much less to come near Thy altar, after so many treasons against Thee. Alas! what shall I now do, O Lord? what shall I say? With the humble publican, I will strike my breast, and cry unto Thee: 0 God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
My sins exceed in number the hairs of my head, and the sands of the sea. But Thy mercies are still greater in number than my sins. O ocean of mercy! have compassion on me, a poor miserable sinner, and make me, now at least, a true penitent.
Have mercy on me, 0 God! according to Thy great mercy, and according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out all my iniquities. Wash me yet more from my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sins; because I know my iniquities, and my sins are always before me.
Lord! Thou hast said, there is joy in heaven upon one sinner’s doing penance, more than upon ninety-nine just: Oh, give me now grace to be a true penitent indeed, that hereby heaven may rejoice at my conversion.
Thou earnest, O my dear Redeemer! not to call the just, but sinners, to repentance. Look down upon me, a poor miserable sinner, and draw me now powerfully to Thee by Thy grace.
I know Thou willest not the death of a sinner, but that he be converted and live. Oh, let me no longer remain dead in my sins! Oh, let me now at least begin to live to Thee!
Thou hast made me, 0 my God! and redeemed me by Thy precious blood. Oh, despise not the work of Thy hands, and let not Thy blood be spilt for me in vain!
I am resolved by Thy grace, never more to turn to my sins. Oh, rather let me die than offend Thee wilfully anymore. I am resolved to avoid all evil company, and dangerous occasions; and to take proper measures for a thorough amendment of my life for the future. All this I resolve; but Thou knowest my frailty, O my God! and if Thou assist me not with Thy grace, all my resolution will prove ineffectual, and I shall be for ever miserable. Oh, look to me, O Lord! that I may never betray Thee anymore.
An Act of Contrition
O my God! I am most heartily sorry for all my sins; and I detest them above all things because they displease Thee, who art infinitely good and amiable, and subject me to the rigors of Thy justice; and I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to do penance for them, and never more to offend Thee.
Prayers after Confession
O God of infinite goodness! who hast shown such mercy to a miserable sinner! 0 most indulgent Father! who hast received once more Thy prodigal child, how shall I thank Thee? how shall I testify the joy and gratitude that fill my heart? Oh that I could worthily thank Thee, my good God! and acknowledge, as I ought, that infinite mercy which forgiveth all my iniquities, which healeth all my diseases. Oh that I could now be heard all over the world, I would publish to all sinners that Thou art a God compassionate and merciful, who will not always be angry, nor threaten for ever.
I would invite all who ever had the misfortune of offending Thee, to return with their whole hearts, that they may enjoy with me the bliss of having been received into Thy grace and favor. Thou wouldst receive them no less mercifully than Thou receivedst me; for as a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear Him.
My God! Thou hast broken the bonds of my sins; Thou hast blotted out, with Thy own precious Blood, the sentence of eternal death, which stood against me; Thou hast snatched me almost from the brink of hell, and delivered me from the power of the devil, who has now no claim to my soul : as far as the east is from the to east, so far hast Thou removed my iniquities from me, and by the mouth of Thy minister Thou hast desired the most unworthy of all sinners to ” Go in peace” O divine Jesus! I have obeyed Thy command, my heart rejoices, my soul is truly at peace, because I hope I am no longer Thy enemy; because Thou hast received me with mercy and forgiveness, and satisfied the first and only desire of my heart. But, Lord! hast Thou not said, that those to whom much has been forgiven, should love Thee much? To whom hast Thou ever remitted such ingratitude as mine? who had ever so little claim on Thy compassion; yet, at the same time, who ever experienced more of Thy mercy and goodness? Oh, let me then love Thee, at least, more than those who offended Thee less, and to whom less was remitted; let me love Thee unceasingly, and sincerely begin, from this happy day, to serve Thee alone, and love Thee above all created things.
0 most bountiful Redeemer, so worthy of my whole heart! though Thou hast mercifully forgiven me, yet I will never pardon myself; though I firmly trust Thou hast forgotten my iniquities, yet I will never forget them, but grieve over them to the last moment of my life. The more mercy and tenderness I have experienced from Thee, the more reason I have to deplore my misfortune in having ever offended so good a God. This day shall be the beginning of my perfect conversion; from this moment forward, the recollection of my past ingratitude and Thy ineffable goodness shall be ever present to my mind, and with the assistance of Thy grace, shall be a double motive for detesting sin, and faithfully observing my resolutions, which I fervently renew, and once more present to Thy divine Majesty. Do not refuse to receive, O my God! the remainder of my life. I am heartily sorry for the years I have misspent: they have gone down as a shadow; they have passed away without fruit; but as I cannot recall them, I will at least think of them in the bitterness of my soul. Oh, let the ardor with which I pursued a life of sin, be in future applied to Thy service, that where sin hath abounded, Thy divine grace may be still more abundant. Let the change in my conduct be visible to all, and may I henceforward edify more than I have hitherto scandalized.
0 Divine Lord! vouchsafe graciously to remember Thy holy thoughts from all eternity, and chiefly that tender design of becoming man for the redemption of the world. Pardon me, through the merits of these, all my vain and evil imaginations, as well as the bad thoughts I may have excited in others.
O most compassionate Jesus! I, a wretched sinner, dare to present Thee all the words of salvation which have fallen from Thy sacred lips, and which others have uttered, or shall hereafter utter to the glory of Thy name; and I earnestly beseech Thee through these expressions, full of glory to God and peace to men, to forgive whatever I have said offensive to Thy divine Majesty, or what others, through my means, may have sinfully uttered.
O most amiable Lord, Jesus Christ! remember all the good works Thou hast performed for our salvation, and through their infinite merits graciously pardon my reiterated offences against Thy holy law. Mercifully direct all my thoughts, words, and actions to Thy greater glory, and regulate them by the model of Thy own blessed life.
0 Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world! who invitest the sinner to return to Thee, kindly receiving, refreshing, and consoling him; remember that with Thy precious Blood Thou wast pleased to redeem my sinful soul: to Thy sacred wounds I therefore flee for refuge; and as in Thy mercy Thou didst pray for Thy enemies, and sacrifice Thy life for Thy tormentors, vouchsafe to impart to me the benefits of Thy sacred Death and Passion. Grant that I may never again crucify Thee by any wilful offence; but, sincerely grieving for the past, and resolutely striving against present temptations, I may fervently persevere to the end in Thy love and service. Into Thy hands I commend my whole being. 0 Jesus, Son of David! have mercy on me.
O holy Virgin, and all ye saints and angels! bless and extol the Lord for His infinite mercies; beg of Him to accept the confession I have made, to supply, through His goodness, for all its deficiencies, and graciously to confirm in heaven the sentence of absolution which has been pronounced upon me on earth.
Divine Praises
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, the most holy Mary.
Blessed be her holy and immaculate Conception.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.