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The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis

 

BOOK FOUR


AN INVITATION TO HOLY COMMUNION

 

The Voice of Christ

COME to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you.
[45] The bread which I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world.
[46] Take you and eat: this is My Body, which shall be delivered for you. Do
this for the commemoration of Me. [47] He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh
My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him. [48] The words that I have spoken to
you are spirit and life.” [49]



 

The First Chapter

The Great Reverence With Which We Should Receive Christ


The Disciple

THESE are all Your words, O Christ, eternal Truth, though they were not all
spoken at one time nor written together in one place. And because they are
Yours and true, I must accept them all with faith and gratitude. They are
Yours and You have spoken them; they are mine also because You have spoken
them for my salvation. Gladly I accept them from Your lips that they may be
the more deeply impressed in my heart.

Words of such tenderness, so full of sweetness and love, encourage me; but
my sins frighten me and an unclean conscience thunders at me when
approaching such great mysteries as these. The sweetness of Your words
invites me, but the multitude of my vices oppresses me.

You command me to approach You confidently if I wish to have part with You,
and to receive the food of immortality if I desire to obtain life and glory
everlasting.

“Come to me,” You say, “all you that labor and are burdened, and I will
refresh you.” [50]

Oh, how sweet and kind to the ear of the sinner is the word by which You, my
Lord God, invite the poor and needy to receive Your most holy Body! Who am
I, Lord, that I should presume to approach You? Behold, the heaven of
heavens cannot contain You, and yet You say: “Come, all of you, to Me.”

What means this most gracious honor and this friendly invitation? How shall
I dare to come, I who am conscious of no good on which to presume? How shall
I lead You into my house, I who have so often offended in Your most kindly
sight? Angels and archangels revere You, the holy and the just fear You, and
You say: “Come to Me: all of you!” If You, Lord, had not said it, who would
have believed it to be true? And if You had not commanded, who would dare
approach?

Behold, Noah, a just man, worked a hundred years building the ark that he
and a few others might be saved; how, then, can I prepare myself in one hour
to receive with reverence the Maker of the world?

Moses, Your great servant and special friend, made an ark of incorruptible
wood which he covered with purest gold wherein to place the tables of Your
law; shall I, a creature of corruption, dare so easily to receive You, the
Maker of law and the Giver of life?

Solomon, the wisest of the kings of Israel, spent seven years building a
magnificent temple in praise of Your name, and celebrated its dedication
with a feast of eight days. He offered a thousand victims in Your honor and
solemnly bore the Ark of the Covenant with trumpeting and jubilation to the
place prepared for it; and I, unhappy and poorest of men, how shall I lead
You into my house, I who scarcely can spend a half-hour devoutly—would that
I could spend even that as I ought!

O my God, how hard these men tried to please You! Alas, how little is all
that I do! How short the time I spend in preparing for Communion! I am
seldom wholly recollected, and very seldom, indeed, entirely free from
distraction. Yet surely in the presence of Your life-giving Godhead no
unbecoming thought should arise and no creature possess my heart, for I am
about to receive as my guest, not an angel, but the very Lord of angels.

Very great, too, is the difference between the Ark of the Covenant with its
treasures and Your most pure Body with its ineffable virtues, between these
sacrifices of the law which were but figures of things to come and the true
offering of Your Body which was the fulfillment of all ancient sacrifices.

Why, then, do I not long more ardently for Your adorable presence? Why do I
not prepare myself with greater care to receive Your sacred gifts, since
those holy patriarchs and prophets of old, as well as kings and princes with
all their people, have shown such affectionate devotion for the worship of
God?

The most devout King David danced before the ark of God with all his
strength as he recalled the benefits once bestowed upon his fathers. He made
musical instruments of many kinds. He composed psalms and ordered them sung
with joy. He himself often played upon the harp when moved by the grace of
the Holy Ghost. He taught the people of Israel to praise God with all their
hearts and to raise their voices every day to bless and glorify Him. If such
great devotion flourished in those days and such ceremony in praise of God
before the Ark of the Covenant, what great devotion ought not I and all
Christian people now show in the presence of this Sacrament; what reverence
in receiving the most excellent Body of Christ!

Many people travel far to honor the relics of the saints, marveling at their
wonderful deeds and at the building of magnificent shrines. They gaze upon
and kiss the sacred relics encased in silk and gold; and behold, You are
here present before me on the altar, my God, Saint of saints, Creator of
men, and Lord of angels!

Often in looking at such things, men are moved by curiosity, by the novelty
of the unseen, and they bear away little fruit for the amendment of their
lives, especially when they go from place to place lightly and without true
contrition. But here in the Sacrament of the altar You are wholly present,
my God, the man Christ Jesus, whence is obtained the full realization of
eternal salvation, as often as You are worthily and devoutly received. To
this, indeed, we are not drawn by levity, or curiosity, or sensuality, but
by firm faith, devout hope, and sincere love.

O God, hidden Creator of the world, how wonderfully You deal with us! How
sweetly and graciously You dispose of things with Your elect to whom You
offer Yourself to be received in this Sacrament! This, indeed, surpasses all
understanding. This in a special manner attracts the hearts of the devout
and inflames their love. Your truly faithful servants, who give their whole
life to amendment, often receive in Holy Communion the great grace of
devotion and love of virtue.

Oh, the wonderful and hidden grace of this Sacrament which only the faithful
of Christ understand, which unbelievers and slaves of sin cannot experience!
In it spiritual grace is conferred, lost virtue restored, and the beauty,
marred by sin, repaired. At times, indeed, its grace is so great that, from
the fullness of the devotion, not only the mind but also the frail body
feels filled with greater strength.

Nevertheless, our neglect and coldness is much to be deplored and pitied,
when we are not moved to receive with greater fervor Christ in Whom is the
hope and merit of all who will be saved. He is our sanctification and
redemption. He is our consolation in this life and the eternal joy of the
blessed in heaven. This being true, it is lamentable that many pay so little
heed to the salutary Mystery which fills the heavens with joy and maintains
the whole universe in being.

Oh, the blindness and the hardness of the heart of man that does not show
more regard for so wonderful a gift, but rather falls into carelessness from
its daily use! If this most holy Sacrament were celebrated in only one place
and consecrated by only one priest in the whole world, with what great
desire, do you think, would men be attracted to that place, to that priest
of God, in order to witness the celebration of the divine Mysteries! But now
there are many priests and Mass is offered in many places, that God’s grace
and love for men may appear the more clearly as the Sacred Communion is
spread more widely through the world.

Thanks be to You, Jesus, everlasting Good Shepherd, Who have seen fit to
feed us poor exiled people with Your precious Body and Blood, and to invite
us with words from Your own lips to partake of these sacred Mysteries: “Come
to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you.”



 

[50] Matt. 11:28.


 

The Second Chapter

God’s Great Goodness and Love is Shown to Man in This Sacrament


The Disciple

TRUSTING in Your goodness and great mercy, O Lord, I come as one sick to the
Healer, as one hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life, as one in need to
the King of heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature to his Creator, a soul
in desolation to my gentle Comforter.

But whence is this to me, that You should come to me? Who am I that You
should offer Yourself to me? How dares the sinner to appear in Your
presence, and You, how do You condescend to come to the sinner? You know
Your servant, and You know that he has nothing good in him that You should
grant him this.

I confess, therefore, my unworthiness. I acknowledge Your goodness. I praise
Your mercy, and give thanks for Your immense love. For it is because of
Yourself that You do it, not for any merit of mine; so that Your goodness
may be better known to me, that greater love may be aroused and more perfect
humility born in me. Since, then, this pleases You and You have so willed
it, Your graciousness pleases me also. Oh, that my sinfulness may not stand
in the way!

O most sweet and merciful Jesus, what great reverence, thanks, and
never-ending praise are due to You for our taking of Your sacred body, whose
dignity no man can express!

But on what shall I think in this Communion, this approach to my Lord, Whom
I can never reverence as I ought, and yet Whom I desire devoutly to receive?
What thought better, more helpful to me than to humble myself entirely in
Your presence and exalt Your infinite goodness above myself?

I praise You, my God, and extol You forever! I despise myself and cast
myself before You in the depths of my unworthiness. Behold, You are the Holy
of holies, and I the scum of sinners! Behold, You bow down to me who am not
worthy to look up to You! Behold, You come to me! You will to be with me!
You invite me to Your banquet! You desire to give me heavenly food, the
Bread of Angels to eat, none other than Yourself, the living Bread Who are
come down from heaven and give life to the world.

Behold, whence love proceeds! What condescension shines forth! What great
thanks and praise are due You for these gifts! Oh, how salutary and
profitable was Your design in this institution! How sweet and pleasant the
banquet when You gave Yourself as food!

How admirable is Your work, O Lord! How great Your power! How infallible
Your truth! For You spoke and all things were made, and this, which You
commanded, was done. It is a wonderful thing, worthy of faith, overpowering
human understanding, that You, O Lord, my God, true God and man, are
contained whole and entire under the appearance of a little bread and wine,
and without being consumed are eaten by him who receives You!

You, the Lord of the universe, Who have need of nothing, have willed to
dwell in us by means of Your Sacrament. Keep my heart and body clean, so
that with a joyous and spotless conscience I may be able often to celebrate
Your Mysteries and to receive for my eternal salvation what You have
ordained and instituted for Your special honor and as an everlasting
memorial.

Rejoice, my soul, and give thanks to God for having left you so noble a gift
and so special a consolation in this valley of tears. As often as you renew
this Mystery and receive the Body of Christ, so often do you enact the work
of redemption and become a sharer in all the merits of Christ, for the love
of Christ never grows less and the wealth of His mercy is never exhausted.

Therefore, you should prepare yourself for it by constantly renewing your
heart and pondering deeply the great mystery of salvation. As often as you
celebrate or hear Mass, it should seem as great, as new, as sweet to you as
if on that very day Christ became man in the womb of the Virgin, or, hanging
on the Cross, suffered and died for the salvation of man.



 

The Third Chapter

It Is Profitable to Receive Communion Often


The Disciple

BEHOLD, I come to You, Lord, that I may prosper by Your gift and be
delighted at Your holy banquet which You, O God, in Your sweetness have
prepared for Your poor. Behold, all that I can or ought to desire is in You.
You are my salvation and my redemption, my hope and strength, my honor and
glory.

Gladden, then, this day the soul of Your servant because I have raised my
heart to You, O Lord Jesus. I long to receive You now, devoutly and
reverently. I desire to bring You into my house that, with Zacheus, I may
merit Your blessing and be numbered among the children of Abraham.

My soul longs for Your Body; my heart desires to be united with You. Give me
Yourself—it is enough; for without You there is no consolation. Without You
I cannot exist, without Your visitation I cannot live. I must often come to
You, therefore, and receive the strength of my salvation lest, deprived of
this heavenly food, I grow weak on the way. Once, most merciful Jesus, while
preaching to the people and healing their many ills, You said: “I will not
send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.” [51] Deal with me
likewise, You Who have left Yourself in this Sacrament for the consolation
of the faithful. You are sweet refreshment to the soul, and he who eats You
worthily will be a sharer in, and an heir to, eternal glory.

It is indeed necessary for me, who fall and sin so often, who so quickly
become lax and weak, to renew, cleanse, and inflame myself through frequent
prayer, confession, and the holy reception of Your Body, lest perhaps by
abstaining too long, I fall away from my holy purpose. For from the days of
his youth the senses of man are prone to evil, and unless divine aid
strengthens him, he quickly falls deeper. But Holy Communion removes him
from evil and confirms him in good.

If I am so often careless and lax when I celebrate or communicate, what
would happen if I did not receive this remedy and seek so great a help?
Although I am neither fit nor properly disposed to celebrate every day, yet
I will do my best at proper times to receive the divine Mysteries and share
in this great grace. This, indeed, is the one chief consolation of the
faithful soul when separated from You by mortality, that often mindful of
her God, she receives her Beloved with devout recollection.

Oh, wonderful condescension of Your affection toward us, that You, the Lord
God, Creator and Giver of life to all, should see fit to come to a poor soul
and to appease her hunger with all Your divinity and humanity! O happy mind
and blessed soul which deserves to receive You, her Lord God, and in
receiving You, is filled with spiritual joy! How great a Master she
entertains, what a beloved guest she receives, how sweet a companion she
welcomes, how true a friend she gains, how beautiful and noble is the spouse
she embraces, beloved and desired above all things that can be loved and
desired! Let heaven and earth and all their treasures stand silent before
Your face, most sweetly Beloved, for whatever glory and beauty they have is
of Your condescending bounty, and they cannot approach the beauty of Your
name, Whose wisdom is untold.



 

[51] Matt. 15:32.


 

The Fourth Chapter

Many Blessings Are Given Those Who Receive Communion Worthily


The Disciple

O LORD my God, favor Your servant with the blessings of Your sweetness that
I may merit to approach Your magnificent Sacrament worthily and devoutly.
Lift up my heart to You and take away from me this heavy indolence. Visit me
with Your saving grace that I may in spirit taste Your sweetness which lies
hidden in this Sacrament like water in the depths of a spring. Enlighten my
eyes to behold this great Mystery, and give me strength to believe in it
with firm faith.

For it is Your work, not the power of man, Your sacred institution, not his
invention. No man is able of himself to comprehend and understand these
things which surpass even the keen vision of angels. How, then, shall I, an
unworthy sinner who am but dust and ashes, be able to fathom and understand
so great a mystery?

O Lord, I come to You at Your command in simplicity of heart, in good, firm
faith, with hope and reverence, and I truly believe that You are present
here in this Sacrament, God and man. It is Your will that I receive You and
unite myself to You in love. Wherefore, I beg Your mercy and ask that
special grace be given me, that I may be wholly dissolved in You and filled
with Your love, no longer to concern myself with exterior consolations. For
this, the highest and most worthy Sacrament, is the health of soul and body,
the cure of every spiritual weakness. In it my defects are remedied, my
passions restrained, and temptations overcome or allayed. In it greater
grace is infused, growing virtue is nourished, faith confirmed, hope
strengthened, and charity fanned into flame.

You, my God, the protector of my soul, the strength of human weakness, and
the giver of every interior consolation, have given and still do often give
in this Sacrament great gifts to Your loved ones who communicate devoutly.
Moreover, You give them many consolations amid their numerous troubles and
lift them from the depths of dejection to the hope of Your protection. With
new graces You cheer and lighten them within, so that they who are full of
anxiety and without affection before Communion may find themselves changed
for the better after partaking of this heavenly food and drink.

Likewise, You so deal with Your elect that they may truly acknowledge and
plainly experience how weak they are in themselves and what goodness and
grace they obtain from You. For though in themselves they are cold,
obdurate, and wanting in devotion, through You they become fervent,
cheerful, and devout.

Who, indeed, can humbly approach the fountain of sweetness and not carry
away a little of it? Or who, standing before a blazing fire does not feel
some of its heat? You are a fountain always filled with superabundance! You
are a fire, ever burning, that never fails!

Therefore, while I may not exhaust the fullness of the fountain or drink to
satiety, yet will I put my lips to the mouth of this heavenly stream that
from it I may receive at least some small drop to refresh my thirst and not
wither away. And if I cannot as yet be all heavenly or as full of fire as
the cherubim and seraphim, yet I will try to become more devout and prepare
my heart so that I may gather some small spark of divine fire from the
humble reception of this life-giving Sacrament.

Whatever is wanting in me, good Jesus, Savior most holy, do You in Your
kindness and grace supply for me, You Who have been pleased to call all unto
You, saying: “Come to Me all you that labor and are burdened and I will
refresh you.”

I, indeed, labor in the sweat of my brow. I am torn with sorrow of heart. I
am laden with sin, troubled with temptations, enmeshed and oppressed by many
evil passions, and there is none to help me, none to deliver and save me but
You, my Lord God and Savior, to Whom I entrust myself and all I have, that
You may protect me and lead me to eternal life. For the honor and glory of
Your name receive me, You Who have prepared Your Body and Blood as food and
drink for me. Grant, O Lord, my God and Savior, that by approaching Your
Mysteries frequently, the zeal of my devotion may increase.



 

The Fifth Chapter

The Dignity of the Sacrament and of the Priesthood


The Voice of Christ

HAD you the purity of an angel and the sanctity of St. John the Baptist, you
would not be worthy to receive or administer this Sacrament. It is not
because of any human meriting that a man consecrates and administers the
Sacrament of Christ, and receives the Bread of Angels for his food. Great is
the Mystery and great the dignity of priests to whom is given that which has
not been granted the angels. For priests alone, rightly ordained in the
Church, have power to celebrate Mass and consecrate the Body of Christ.

The priest, indeed, is the minister of God, using the word of God according
to His command and appointment. God, moreover, is there—the chief Author and
invisible Worker to Whom all is subject as He wills, to Whom all are
obedient as He commands.

In this most excellent Sacrament, therefore, you ought to believe in God
rather than in your own senses or in any visible sign, and thus, with fear
and reverence draw near to such a work as this. Look to yourself and see
whose ministry has been given you through the imposition of the bishop’s
hands.

Behold, you have been made a priest, consecrated to celebrate Mass! See to
it now that you offer sacrifice to God faithfully and devoutly at proper
times, and that you conduct yourself blamelessly. You have not made your
burden lighter. Instead, you are now bound by stricter discipline and held
to more perfect sanctity.

A priest ought to be adorned with all virtues and show the example of a good
life to others. His way lies not among the vulgar and common habits of men
but with the angels in heaven and the perfect men on earth. A priest clad in
the sacred vestments acts in Christ’s place, that he may pray to God both
for himself and for all people in a suppliant and humble manner. He has
before and behind him the sign of the Lord’s cross that he may always
remember the Passion of Christ. It is before him, on the chasuble, that he
may look closely upon the footsteps of Christ and try to follow them
fervently. It is behind him—he is signed with it—that he may gladly suffer
for God any adversities inflicted by others.

He wears the cross before him that he may mourn his own sins, behind him,
that in pity he may mourn the sins of others, and know that he is appointed
to stand between God and the sinner, never to become weary of prayer and the
holy offering until it is granted him to obtain grace and mercy.

When the priest celebrates Mass, he honors God, gladdens the angels,
strengthens the Church, helps the living, brings rest to the departed, and
wins for himself a share in all good things.



 

The Sixth Chapter

An Inquiry on the Proper Thing to Do Before Communion


The Disciple

WHEN I consider Your dignity, O Lord, and my own meanness, I become very
much frightened and confused. For if I do not receive, I fly from Life, and
if I intrude unworthily, I incur Your displeasure. What, then, shall I do,
my God, my Helper and Adviser in necessity? Teach me the right way. Place
before me some short exercise suitable for Holy Communion, for it is good to
know in what manner I ought to make my heart ready devoutly and fervently
for You, to receive Your Sacrament for the good of my soul, or even to
celebrate so great and divine a sacrifice.



 

The Seventh Chapter

The Examination of Conscience and the Resolution to Amend


The Voice of Christ

ABOVE all, God’s priest should approach the celebration and reception of
this Sacrament with the deepest humility of heart and suppliant reverence,
with complete faith and the pious intention of giving honor to God.

Carefully examine your conscience, then. Cleanse and purify it to the best
of your power by true contrition and humble confession, that you may have no
burden, know of no remorse, and thus be free to come near. Let the memory of
all your sins grieve you, and especially lament and bewail your daily
transgressions. Then if time permits, confess to God in the secret depths of
your heart all the miseries your passions have caused.

Lament and grieve because you are still so worldly, so carnal, so passionate
and unmortified, so full of roving lust, so careless in guarding the
external senses, so often occupied in many vain fancies, so inclined to
exterior things and so heedless of what lies within, so prone to laughter
and dissipation and so indisposed to sorrow and tears, so inclined to ease
and the pleasures of the flesh and so cool to austerity and zeal, so curious
to hear what is new and to see the beautiful and so slow to embrace
humiliation and dejection, so covetous of abundance, so niggardly in giving
and so tenacious in keeping, so inconsiderate in speech, so reluctant in
silence, so undisciplined in character, so disordered in action, so greedy
at meals, so deaf to the Word of God, so prompt to rest and so slow to
labor, so awake to empty conversation, so sleepy in keeping sacred vigils
and so eager to end them, so wandering in your attention, so careless in
saying the office, so lukewarm in celebrating, so heartless in receiving, so
quickly distracted, so seldom fully recollected, so quickly moved to anger,
so apt to take offense at others, so prone to judge, so severe in
condemning, so happy in prosperity and so weak in adversity, so often making
good resolutions and carrying so few of them into action.

When you have confessed and deplored these and other faults with sorrow and
great displeasure because of your weakness, be firmly determined to amend
your life day by day and to advance in goodness. Then, with complete
resignation and with your entire will offer yourself upon the altar of your
heart as an everlasting sacrifice to the honor of My name, by entrusting
with faith both body and soul to My care, that thus you may be considered
worthy to draw near and offer sacrifice to God and profitably receive the
Sacrament of My Body. For there is no more worthy offering, no greater
satisfaction for washing away sin than to offer yourself purely and entirely
to God with the offering of the Body of Christ in Mass and Communion.

If a man does what he can and is truly penitent, however often he comes to
Me for grace and pardon, “As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the
death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live”; [52] I
will no longer remember his sins, but all will be forgiven him.



 

[52] Ezek. 33:11.


 

The Eighth Chapter

The Offering of Christ on the Cross; Our Offering


The Voice of Christ

AS I offered Myself willingly to God the Father for your sins with hands
outstretched and body naked on the cross, so that nothing remained in Me
that had not become a complete sacrifice to appease the divine wrath, so
ought you to be willing to offer yourself to Me day by day in the Mass as a
pure and holy oblation, together with all your faculties and affections,
with as much inward devotion as you can.

What more do I ask than that you give yourself entirely to Me? I care not
for anything else you may give Me, for I seek not your gift but you. Just as
it would not be enough for you to have everything if you did not have Me, so
whatever you give cannot please Me if you do not give yourself.

Offer yourself to Me, therefore, and give yourself entirely for God—your
offering will be accepted. Behold, I offered Myself wholly to the Father for
you, I even gave My whole Body and Blood for food that I might be all yours,
and you Mine forever.

But if you rely upon self, and do not offer your free will to Mine, your
offering will be incomplete and the union between us imperfect. Hence, if
you desire to attain grace and freedom of heart, let the free offering of
yourself into the hands of God precede your every action. This is why so few
are inwardly free and enlightened—they know not how to renounce themselves
entirely.

My word stands: “Everyone of you that doth not renounce all that he
possesseth, cannot be My disciple.” [53]

If, therefore, you wish to be My disciple, offer yourself to Me with all
your heart.


 

[53] Luke 14:33.


 

The Ninth Chapter

We Should Offer Ourselves and All That We Have to God, Praying for All


The Disciple

ALL things in heaven and on earth, O Lord, are Yours. I long to give myself
to You as a voluntary offering to remain forever Yours. With a sincere heart
I offer myself this day to You, O Lord, to Your eternal service, to Your
homage, and as a sacrifice of everlasting praise. Receive me with this holy
offering of Your precious Body which also I make to You this day, in the
presence of angels invisibly attending, for my salvation and that of all
Your people.

O Lord, upon Your altar of expiation, I offer You all the sins and offenses
I have committed in Your presence and in the presence of Your holy angels,
from the day when I first could sin until this hour, that You may burn and
consume them all in the fire of Your love, that You may wipe away their
every stain, cleanse my conscience of every fault, and restore to me Your
grace which I lost in sin by granting full pardon for all and receiving me
mercifully with the kiss of peace.

What can I do for all my sins but humbly confess and lament them, and
implore Your mercy without ceasing? In Your mercy, I implore You, hear me
when I stand before You, my God. All my sins are most displeasing to me. I
wish never to commit them again. I am sorry for them and will be sorry as
long as I live. I am ready to do penance and make satisfaction to the utmost
of my power.

Forgive me, O God, forgive me my sins for Your Holy Name. Save my soul which
You have redeemed by Your most precious Blood. See, I place myself at Your
mercy. I commit myself to Your hands. Deal with me according to Your
goodness, not according to my malicious and evil ways.

I offer to You also all the good I have, small and imperfect though it be,
that You may make it more pure and more holy, that You may be pleased with
it, render it acceptable to Yourself, and perfect it more and more, and
finally that You may lead me, an indolent and worthless creature, to a good
and happy end.

I offer You also all the holy desires of Your devoted servants, the needs of
my parents, friends, brothers, sisters, and all who are dear to me; of all
who for Your sake have been kind to me or to others; of all who have wished
and asked my prayers and Masses for them and theirs, whether they yet live
in the flesh or are now departed from this world, that they may all
experience the help of Your grace, the strength of Your consolation,
protection from dangers, deliverance from punishment to come, and that, free
from all evils, they may gladly give abundant thanks to You.

I offer You also these prayers and the Sacrifice of Propitiation for those
especially who have in any way injured, saddened, or slandered me, inflicted
loss or pain upon me, and also for all those whom I have at any time
saddened, disturbed, offended, and abused by word or deed, willfully or in
ignorance. May it please You to forgive us all alike our sins and offenses
against one another.

Take away from our hearts, O Lord, all suspicion, anger, wrath, contention,
and whatever may injure charity and lessen brotherly love. Have mercy, O
Lord, have mercy on those who ask Your mercy, give grace to those who need
it, and make us such that we may be worthy to enjoy Your favor and gain
eternal life.


 


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