And amend my life : progress for religious through confession


...AND AMEND MY LIFE"
-3 61

- i)

. Ber 406X v'^ci ,

C\ir\C^ ^VVl6.»r%cil .

Ai>v'

PROGRESS FOR RELIGIOUS

THROUGH CONFESSION

By

Bernard A. Sause, O.S.B.

A GRAIL PUBLICATION

St Meinrad Indiana



For Review

. . AND AMEND MY LIFE

by Bernard Souse, O.S.B.

Price 75 <

JVe shall be pleased to have you

review this book in your periodical.

Kindly send us a marked copy of

your periodical in which the review

appears.

Publicity Director

GRAIL PUBLICATIONS

St. Meinrad, Indiana



II

.AND AMEND MY LIFE

E
PROGRESS FOR RELIGIOUS

THROUGH CONFESSION

©
By

Bernard A. Sause, O.S.B.

Price Seventy-five cents

A GRAIL PUBLICATION

St. Meinrad Indiana



IMPRIMI POTEST:

f< CuTHBERT McDonald, O.S.B.
Abbot of St. Benedicts Abbey

NIHIL OBSTAT:
Joseph G. Kempf, Ph.D.

Censor librorum

IMPRIMATUR:

^ Paul C Schulte, D.D.
Archbishop of Indianapolis

March 5, 1955

Copyright 1955 by

St. Meinrad Archabbey, Inc.

GRAIL PUBLICATIONS



CONTENTS

Chapter Page

I Preparation for Confession 1

II Regarding the Examination of Conscience 12

III Examination of Conscience 16

IV Firm Purpose of Amendment 36

V Prayer for Confessor 4l

VI Tlioughts while awaiting Your Turn to Confess . 45

VII Suggestions for Actual Confession 50

VIII Sacramental Absolution 54

IX The Act of Contrition 56

X After Confession: Thanksgiving 59
XI Sacramental Penance 63

XII The New Hope, Fresh Confidence 72

XIII For a Life Pleasing to God 83

Footnotes 87

iii



OeacklBfeef



PREFACE

Few religious remain long in their vowed striving for perfection with-
out profound gratitude to their confessor. Even the young carry torment-

ing doubts and problems to the confessional, and happily leave them

there.

Nor do many advance so far along the path of virtue that need for
help is past history in their lives; generally speaking, religious can never

cease to intensify their love for the sacrament of mercy. Experience has

taught them to appreciate it as one of the most powerful aids to their

vocation.

Every effect intended and produced demands that they so evaluate

the sacrament: pardon of sins and imperfections enables the penitent to

serve God in sinlessness; renewed or intensified grace gives power and
scope to religious effort; the confessor’s brief admonition is often more
fruitful than a sermon; the exercise of humility is the lifeblood of

religion.

Madame Cecile de Bruyere expresses the thought compellingly: ”We
may truly say that [in the sacrament of penance} our Lord, in His anxiety
for the progress of His loved ones, has broken down all barriers, and
has put within our reach every means of cleansing and adorning our-
selves and of removing from our path all hindrances to our perfect union

with Himself.”!

One would expect the confessions of religious to approach the ideal
about as closely as human effort will permit. The confessor is chosen
according to canon law’s exacting specifications regarding age, character,

and pastoral experience. The penitent is a mature person, trained in re-
ligious principles, bound by vow to strive for spiritual perfection (canon
487 ) ; he brings to his weekly acknowledgment of sin helps of a way of
life that have schooled him to derive maximum spiritual help from the
sacrament. This quiet of the chapel, free of the distraction and irregularity

of a parish church, should make for thoroughness in preparation, actual
confession, and thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, ideal conditions often fail to produce ideal results. Many
factors must be taken into account in order to confess well. Disregard

of even one of them may deprive the penitent of much of the sacrament’s
potential efficacy.

! All exact references that are not of immediate interest to the reader
are given at the end of the book. The complete list, together with
standard sources, constitutes the principal bibliography employed.
Scripture citations accompany the text without footnotes. Because of
its familiarity through devotional use, the traditional Douay Version
has been retained.

V



VI . . And Amend My Life**

The regularly repeated acts of conventual life tend to make religious
peculiarly susceptible victims of routine and its attendant evils. In men-

tally reviewing last month’s confessions, one may find identical intro-
ductory statements, almost unvaried acknowledgment of faults that have

been committed again and again, and a formula of conclusion that has

not changed since catechism days. Such confessions hurt the penitent

hardly at all. And there lies the cause of the failure to obtain greater
benefits from the sacrament: confession should hurt. It was instituted

to hurt. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that desirable results from

the sacrament will normally be in proportion to the violence that forces

one to subdue proud nature.

This booklet is intended as a help for religious in confessing.

There is no implied suggestion, heaven forbid, that it be perused from

cover to cover, or that the examination of conscience be gone through,

however cursorily, for each confession. On the other hand, the book is
detailed enough to serve at the time of the annual retreat in preparing

for the review confession that many make (which should be kept reason-
ably short).

Certain prayers and suggestions may appeal strongly to the individual
reader. The prayers have been translated from the writings of doctors
and saints, and are short enough to be marked and used over and over

with spiritual profit. The recommendations are from reputable sources,
are verified where they are distinctive, and incorporated here as con-

tributing to the limited purpose of this book.

Bernard A. Sause, 0,S,B,

St, Benedicts Abbey
Atchison, Kansas

January 13, 1933



CHAPTER ONE

PREPARATION FOR CONFESSION

S
IN is a mystery.

Its contradiction is particularly difficult to grasp when human
frailty asserts itself in one who is striving to give his best to God.

In his worthier moments the religious is a person of great gener-

osity in corresponding to grace. In the act of pronouncing (or renew-

ing) his vows, he places on the altar all that he is, or has, and all

that he may accomplish in life.
So intense is this act of love, so unreserved its offering, that the

Fathers of the Church have likened it to the sacrament of baptism,

and indeed have called it a second baptism, producing anew the most

desirable effects of the first.^ So great a sacrifice is involved that St.

Thomas teaches that entrance into religion exceeds every kind of
satisfaction for sin and, consequently, could never be assigned as a

penance, regardless of the gravity of the offense that one might have

committed. 3

Can a person so dedicated be so willful as to sin? Yes; and in-

different in a vocation which exacts spiritual eagerness and virtuous

zeal; thoughtless in a form of life that places a high premium on

alertness and intelligence of observance; selfish and disobedient; often

lacking in charity and the spirit of prayer.

Sin is man’s willful violation of God’s holy law. Weakened in

nature through Adam’s fall, man easily succumbs to temptation and
offends his Maker. The religious state sets up an environment of
grace and protection from the more common occasions of sin; it
undoubtedly shields the professed from many offenses that otherwise
would be committed. But it does not render sin impossible; if any-

thing, it is calculated to make the professed more conscious of his
numerous shortcomings and failures.

Repentance is a great deal more difficult than the commission of
sin, or its acknowledgment. In fact, St. Ambrose did not hesitate to
state that it is easier to find persons who have preserved their (bap-
tismal) innocence than those who have practiced a fitting spirit of
penance."*

Effective sorrow for sin depends largely on the ability to realize to

some degree how a human act can stand in opposition to the Divine
Will. And that is a gift, to be prayed for humbly.

1



2 . . And Amend My Life’*

For that reason, preparation for the sacrament of penance logically

begins with the petition to the Holy Spirit for the grace and light

to know one’s sins, and especially to appreciate something of the
malice involved in the disregard of God’s holy law.

^

COMB, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindlein them the fire of Thy love.
{yerside) Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
(Response) And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray: O God, Who didst teach the hearts of Thy faith-

ful people by sending them the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us
by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and

evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort. Through Christ our

Lord. Amen.

(An indulgence of 5 years. A plenary indulgence on the usual con-
ditions, when this prayer is recited daily for an entire month.

How warm, and consoling, and strong love is!
Because their love is so pure, parents overlook the fault of the re-

pentant child even before the child has asked forgiveness. Among
friends who truly love one another in Christ, an apology is as pain-
ful to him who receives as it is to him who offers it. For that rea-
son, among sincere friends, few apologies are ever fully expressed:

charity rushes in to cut short embarrassment and to assure the offender

of forgiveness. On a less exalted plane even ordinary good breeding
strives to imitate this noble disposition.

But where parents and friends have love and are moved by it, your
Heavenly Father is love.

Before you go to confession, you must be absolutely certain of a

truth which is so great that you can never wholly understand it: more

than that, your whole attitude must be governed by it. In all His

dealings with you, God acts according to His nature—^while answer-
ing the needs you have expressed in prayer. He is love, infinite love.
There can be no barriers to His love, nothing of weakness or limitation

in it, no object to which it does not extend.

Because of this boundless goodness, God wills, infinitely more, to
forgive you, than you can possibly desire to be forgiven! Because



Preparation for Confession 3

He is all good and merciful, He instituted the sacrament you are
about to receive. He asks little in return, only that you love Him
enough to be truly sorry for having offended Him, and to resolve

firmly to avoid your evil thoughts, words, deeds, and sins of omission

in the future.

Beg that He make your love of Him strong enough to turn your
soul from everything that is in the slightest degree displeasing to

Him.

The following prayers touch points you would probably omit in
your preparation. They need not, of course, be mentioned in your

confession. Your mindfulness of them in a general way will perfect
your worthiness in receiving absolution.

^

PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS

Alcuin of York

I
N Thy loving kindness mercifully forgive, O Lord, the sins I
have committed through ignorance, or with knowledge, or out

of contempt. And all those in which I have acted wilfully, either
through human weakness, or with deliberation. And the sins
that result from deception or scheming, and all my failings of
thought, word, or deed.

Forgive all my secret offenses, and those committed in the
presence of others, whether their malice remains unrecognized by

my soul—these too—or is known. Destroy those which gnaw at
my conscience, as well as those that are disregarded out of a
false sense of security.

Do not abandon my soul without the hope of pardon. So great
is Thy love, that even after many serious and mortal offenses
Thou dost instill in me the need of hastening to Thine infinitely
kind mercy.

When Thou makest me think on the torments of future punish-
ments, mayest Thou also always grant with the pardon of my sins
the hope of eternal life.

Do not permit my conscience, now cleansed of its lies and vices,
ever again to separate itself from Thee, or to be stained so that

I will no longer be able to rise and correspond with the grace of



4 ; . . And Amend My Life’

being cleansed. Banish all folly from my heart, O Lord. Purify
me from secret vices. Give courage to my heart with Thy holy
anointing, to enable me to subdue the passions. Strengthen my
senses for gaining the victory in my battles against temptation.
Make me justly angry at my sins; that I may obtain forgiveness
of them all.®

ST. BERNARD’S CONFESSION

Mindful of Thy most bitter suffering. Lord Jesus Christ, Whotookest upon Thyself the punishment due to me, and didst
undergo the painful atonement of my offenses, I confess to Thee
all my sins, the evils I have committed, the virtuous deeds I have
failed to discharge, and those I have performed without a pure

intention or in a negligent manner. These I confess together with

all who bewail their sins in sincere repentance and seek Thee in
truth.

Far better than I, Thou knowest the number of my sins, their
seriousness and extent. I acknowledge the days that have been

lost from out of my life—days in which I have offended Thee,
diminished Thy glory, fallen from Thee my highest good, and
led my neighbor into sin.
Take for Thine own. Lord, the years that remain of my sin-

filled life. For those years which I abandoned by living sinfully

and lived by sinning in an abandoned manner, do not despise,

O God, a contrite and humbled heart. (Psalm 50, 17)
My days have declined, passed away without fruit. I cannot

call them back; but may it please Thee that I recount them in
bitterness of soul. Lord, the depth of my misery calls on the depth
of Thy most exalted mercy. Do not withhold Thy compassion in
anger, nor permit the inexhaustible source of Thy mercy to dry
up because of my sins.
Thou hast mercy on all, and hatest none of the things which

Thou hast made, overlooking the sins of men for the sake of
repentance. (See Wisdom, 11: 11; ibid, 24.)

It is Thy nature. Lord, to forgive sins. Take pity on me while
there is time for grace and mercy; while there is still chance for



Preparation for Confession 5

correction, grant me to merit the glory of Thy blessing,* lest on
judgment day the curse strike me.

I beseech Thee, Lord, make me put an end to my habits of
evil and be zealous in doing what pleases Thee. Grant that the

eagerness and attachment which until now I have spent on what
is sinful I may, with Thine aid, devote to performing Thy Will,

so that where sin abounded. Thy grace may more abound. (Romans,

5:20)

I beg Thee because of Thine infinite mercy, because of the love

of Thy most kind Mother, the glorious Virgin Mary, and through

the intercession of all Thy saints and Thy elect, forgive me all
my sins, and everything of which I have been guilty through
negligence or ignorance. Do not destroy me with all my iniquities,
nor in anger reserve my evil deeds unto the end for judgment.

Be mindful, I implore Thee, Lord Jesus, that it is not Thy pur-
pose to lose any of those that Thy Father gave to Thee (See John,
17: 24); but it is proper to Thee to have mercy always and for-

give, to condemn no one, but to save. Thy Father sent Thee into
the world not to judge the world; He sent Thee that we might
have life through Thee (John 10: 10); and that Thou wouldst be
our atonement and our advocate, not that Thou shouldst be against
us.

Thou hast paid the debt we owed. Thou hast atoned for the
sins we committed. Thou hast made good our defects where we
offended in our heedlessness.

May this full, nay superabundant reparation. Lord, help me
now, and in my last hours—now, to merit the grace of which I
am unworthy, and to obtain for the future the rest and glory which
Thy most bitter death, the inestimable price of the shedding of
Thy Blood, won for us.

May the commemoration of Thy reparation, the adorable Mys-
tery of Thy Body and Blood, which is offered to Thee daily in
the Church for the welfare of Thy faithful servants, serve the same
cause. In It Thou are Priest and Sacrifice; He who offers, and
He to Whom the Sacrifice is offered.

* Blessing: “Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom . .
Curse: “Depart from Me, you cursed...” (Matthew, 25: 34 ff.)



6 . . And Amend My Life'*

Thou hast seen, Lord Jesus, my imperfections. But do not hold
them against me unto eternal punishment. Thou Who art gracious
and merciful, and ready to repent of the evil. (See Joel, 2: 13)

Thou hast perfectly and wisely pre-ordained everything to work
out to the highest and perfect good. Do not permit me to be
struck from the book of life. By applying the merits of Thy pre-
cious Passion, grant me the portion assigned to me, in which Thou
didst wish to have men as Thy co-heirs in the land of the living.

In order that Thou shalt not have placed man on earth in vain,
let the consideration of human frailty move Thee and incline Thee
to mercy. Lord. Thou knowest man’s nature.

Preserve me, the work of Thy love, so that Thou wilt not have
worked in vain. May the shedding of Thy Precious Blood not be
fruitless in my regard!
Thou Who art performing the purification of sinners, grant

that with the stain of my sins washed away by Thee, and with my
mind illumined, I may know Thee, steadfastly advance toward
Thee, and after a blessed death, be united with Thee, O Jesus
Christ, my God, my Lord, Who livest and reignest with the Father
and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen."^

^

Despite its simplicity, the following brief prayer of St. Thomas

reveals the full power of the mind that composed the great master

work of sacred knowledge, the Summa Theologica, when those mental
gifts were focused on the humble petition for Divine forgiveness.

Every word mirrors the perfection of the dispositions which the

religious should endeavor to bring to his confession.

FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

1
,
A SINNER, approach Thee, my God, soiurce of mercy; deign to
cleanse me who am unclean.
Sun of justice, give light to my blindness!
Eternal physician, heal me of my wounds!
King of kings, clothe the nakedness of my utter destitution be-

fore Thee!



Preparation for Confession 7

Mediator between God and men, wipe away my guilt and restore
me!

Good Shepherd, carry me back as the sheep that has wandered
from Thee.

0 God, have mercy on my misery; pardon my crimes; restore
life to one who is dead; renew the innocence I have lost; and
give again the anointing of Thy grace to my heart that is hardened
in its sinfulness.

Most merciful Lord, I would run away from Thee by my sin-
fulness: call me back to Thee! My weakness would resist Thee:
draw me to Thee! I live in constant danger of falling: raise me
up! How weakly I stand before Thee: support me! Lead me as
I follow the path Thou hast pointed out for me.

Do not forget me in my forgetfulness of Thee; do not abandon
me when I desert Thee; do not despise me in my misery.

By committing sin I have outraged Thee, my God; I have in-
jured my fellow man; I have not spared myself. O God! through
my weakness I have sinned against Thee, all-powerful Father; by
my ignorance I have sinned against Thee, Son of Divine Wisdom;
in my malice I have sinned against Thee, Holy Spirit of infinite
mercy. I have offended Thee, most adorable Trinity.

How miserable I am! How many and how great are the sins
of which I have been guilty!

1 have abandoned Thee, Lord. I complain of Thy goodness in
the presence of evil love, and under the humiliation of evil fear.

I have preferred to lose Thee rather than lack what I loved and

wanted. I have chosen to offend Thee rather than miss what I

should have feared.

0 my God, how much harm I have caused by word and deed,
sinning secretly, openly, stubbornly.

1 most humbly beg that because of my weakness Thou wilt not
dwell on my iniquity, but rather wilt contemplate Thine own im-
mense goodness, and forgive in Thy clemency what I have done,
granting me sorrow for my past offenses and an effective guard
against them in future. Amen.®



8 . . And Amend My Life"

THE MISERERE

Few persons have ever received the many wonderful gifts that
were bestowed on King David. But even this holy and privileged
ruler, so dear to his Maker, fell into sin. He scandalized his people
with murder and adultery (2 Kings, 11; If.) God gave David the
chance to repent, and sent His prophet Nathan to the king to excite

him to contrition and reparation. And because of his deep and abiding
sorrow, David was forgiven: "The Lord also hath taken away thy

sin: thou shall not die" (2 Kings, 12: 13).

Then, under divine inspiration. King David composed the Mherere

(Psalm 50), which the Church has always employed as her favorite

plea for forgiveness, and which religious have incorporated so ex-

tensively into their life of prayer. These sacred verses word simply

and worthily the ideal dispositions for approaching confession: deep

contrition tempered with unlimited confidence in the divine goodness.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.And according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies
blot out my iniquity.
Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my

sin.

For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.
To Thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before Thee:

that thou mayest be justified in thy words, and mayest overcome

when thou are judged.
For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my

mother conceive me.

For behold Thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden
things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:

Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
To my hearing Thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the

bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.

Turn away Thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit

within my bowels.
Cast me not away from Thy face; and take not Thy holy spirit

from me.



Preparation for Confession 9

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and strengthen me
with a perfect spirit.

I will teach the unjust Thy ways: and the wicked shall be con-
verted to Thee.

Deliver me from blood, O God, Thou God of my salvation:
and my tongue shall extol Thy justice.
O Lord, Thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare

Thy praise.
For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given

it: with burnt offerings Thou wilt not be delighted.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled

heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 50: 1-19)

Perfect contrition is humble love: it is not the product of many
words. The woman known as the sinner in the city did not open her
lips, but her love was so intense that it drew forth her Saviour’s

praise and merited His pardon.

And one of the Pharisees desired Him to eat with him. AndHe went into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to
meat.

And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she
knew that He sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an
alabaster box of ointment.

And standing behind at His feet, she began to wash His feet,
with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed

His feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

And the Pharisee, who had invited Him, seeing it, spoke with-
in himself, saying: This man, if He were a prophet, would know
surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him,
that she is a sinner.

And Jesus answering, said to him: **Simon, I have something
to say to thee.” But he said: '"Master, say it.”

"A certain creditor had two debtors, the one owed five hundred
pence, and the other fifty.

"And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them
both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most?”



10 . . And Amend My Life”

Simon answering, said: suppose that he to whom he for-
gave most.” And He said to him: ”Thou has judged rightly.”
And turning to the woman, He said unto Simon: ''Dost thou

see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest Me no
water for My feet;* but she with tears hath washed My feet, and
with her hair hath wiped them.

"Thou gavest Me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not
ceased to kiss My feet.
"My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with oint-

ment hath anointed My feet.
"Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because

she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth

And He said to her: "Thy sins are forgiven thee.”

And they that sat at meat with Him began to say within them-
selves: "Who is this that forgiveth sins also?”

And He said to the woman: "Thy faith hath made thee safe,
go in peace.” (Luke, 7: 36-50)

Right after receiving his First Communion, St. Peter denied Jesus
three times. So intense was Peter’s sorrow, so great Christ’s love in

the hour of the proof of His love for all men, that He made St.
Peter realize with a single glance that his sin was forgiven.

The same infinite love awaits you in the sacrament of mercy.

ORD, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to

And He said: "I say to thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow
this day, till thou thrice deniest that thou knowest Me” . .

.

And apprehending Him, they led Him to the high priest’s house.
But Peter followed afar off.

And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and
were sitting about it, Peter was in the midst of them.

* Washing the feet of a guest who had traveled the dusty highway
was an ordinary courtesy of the time. This and the following statements
of Jesus are a rebuke.

less.”

death.”



Preparation for Confession 11

Whom when a certain servant maid had seen sitting at the
light, and had earnestly beheld him, she said: "'This man also
was with Him.”

But he denied Him, saying: "'Woman, I know Him not.”
And after a little while, another seeing him, said: "Thou art

one of them.” But Peter said: "O man, I am not.”
And after the space, as it were of one hour, another certain man

afl5rmed, saying: "Of a truth, this man also was with Him; for
he is also a Galilean.”

And Peter said: "Man, I know not what thou sayest.” And
immediately, as he was yet speaking, the cock crew.

And the Lord turning looked on Peter. And Peter remembered
the word of the Lord, as He had said, "Before the cock crow,
thou shalt deny Me thrice.”
And Peter going out, wept bitterly.

{Luke, 22 : 33 - 34, 54-62 )

And one of those robbers who were hanged, blasphemed Him,
saying: "If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us.”

But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: "Neither dost

thou fear God, seeing thou art under the same condemnation.^

"And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our
deeds; but this Man hath done no evil.”
And he said to Jesus: "Lord, remember me when Thou shalt

come into Thy kingdom.”
And Jesus said to him: "Amen, I say to thee, this day thou

shalt be with Me in paradise.”
{Luke, 23 : 39-43 )



CHAPTER TWO
REGARDING THE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

The examination of conscience is a practical judgment on themorality of what the penitent has done. As part of the prepa-
ration for confession it is prayerfully made to seek for the wisdom
to understand and to detest, according to one’s limitations, and in

one’s fullest appreciation of the divine law, the offenses that have

been committed and, in the case of religious, the vowed promises and
ideals that have not been lived up to. More briefly, it is an endeavor
to see the state of one’s soul as it is before God.

Religious should be most proficient in its exercise. Several minutes

are assigned each day for the particular examen, a systematic and re-

lentless concentration on an individual fault instituted for the pur-

pose of banishing it from one’s life, or at least of diminishing its

harmful influence. The final community exercise before retiring in
the evening closes with a prayerful review of the day’s activities. In

a way that laymen can rarely duplicate, persons who have professed
vows in religion devote major attention to this rigorous control of

their daily actions.

The compulsion to strive constantly for perfection under the highly
regularized program of all religious institutes demands that unflagging

attention be devoted to the examination of conscience. This daily

checking on one’s motives and activities looks to the past, both re-

mote and immediate, but the principal concern is with the future. It

studies sins and imperfections, negligences and failures to cooperate

with the graces of the religious life, only in order to correct them. The
person under vows realizes that these human shortcomings hamper
his striving for more intimate union with God.

He knows that he must discover their causes. The humiliations of
past failures warn him to lay the axe to the root of inclinations that

thrive on negligence, indifference, or temporizing, and soon grow into

pernicious habits. He must know v/hat has been done, and u/hy it
is displeasing to God. This is asking much in the prayer addressed

to the Holy Spirit—^to see sin and failure in God’s light. The ex-
amination of conscience before confession is not so much to prepare

the penitent in what he is to say to his confessor: it is rather a ques-

tion of his cooperation in directing the sacramental grace to the pardon

and elimination of what is recognized as offensive to God.

12



Regarding the Examination of Conscience 15

Care must be exercised not to distort the examination of conscience

in relation to the other steps in preparing for the sacrament of pen-

ance. A formal examination of conscience is not essential for re-
ceiving the benefits of the sacrament. One can never confess worthily
without contrition. Neither is it possible to make a good confession

without a firm purpose of amendment, nor ordinarily without sub-

mitting one’s sins as one knows them to the power of the keys. This

is not true of the examination of conscience.

If the religious has a mortal sin on his soul, then an examination

of conscience is necessary insofar as it helps him to fulfill the essen-
tial parts of the sacrament. He must know all his mortal sins; he
must be sorry for them with a supernatural and universal contrition;

and he must be firm in his purpose to amend his life. To the ex-
tent that these essential acts make it necessary, the examination of
conscience is indispensable.

In the relation of the examination of conscience to the other parts

of the sacrament, and particularly when considered as a preparation
for actual confession, good sound sense is of great importance. Venial

sins need not absolutely be mentioned in confession, ever; there is

no strict obligation to confess any sins that are not mortal.

Sanctifying grace is not lost by committing venial sins. It is still

within the power of the person who has been guilty of imperfections
and who has committed deliberate venial sins to perform works that
are pleasing to God. There are many ways of removing those venial
offenses from one’s life—and in the case of religious, all of them
should be employed, for sinlessness is his goal.

Any prayer that he recites, or virtuous deed that he performs out
of intense love of God (an act of obedience, lending a helping hand
in the spirit of charity, the observance of chastity), is an indirect re-

pentance; if the motivation is intense enough, it forgives venial sins.

So also does an act of perfect contrition. Particularly powerful are

works of penance undertaken precisely to win the divine pardon, and

humiliations suffered for the same purpose. More than all else, be-
cause It brings the soul into immediate union with the Author of

divine forgiveness and into the fullest share in the Memorial of Christ’s

Passion, the worthiest possible reception of Holy Communion is an
assurance of the pardon of venial sins and imperfections.

The most certain and the safest means, of course, always remains
that instituted by Christ for forgiving all that is offensive to Him,

the sacrament of penance.



14 . . And Amend My Life’*

Precisely because they are committed to strive for complete detach-

ment from sin in their lives, religious are under obligation to confess

every week (see canon 595, § 1, 3°).

That presents a big problem.

Since venial sins need not be confessed, one penitent may elect
simply to mention a few imperfections that are of frequent occurrence

in his life, such as impatience in the classroom, or faulty attention at

prayer. A moment’s mental review of the week suffices to assure him
that these imperfections are still with him, and that no serious sin

has been committed since his last confession. So casual a glance at

the past can hardly be called an examination in any serious sense. A
confession based on such preparation would still be a "good” re-

ception of the sacrament; nothing has been concealed;—^but much
of the purpose has been lost sight of.

Another religious may examine his conscience according to one of
the available lists of faults (some of them are ponderous), and give

a full report to the confessor—a process little calculated to make for
heartfelt contrition or firmness of amendment, simply because it places

too heavy an emphasis on accuracy and detail of confession.

The happiest solution seems to be to examine one’s conscience more
or less independently of what one intends to state in the confessional,

and to select from among one’s faults those defects (three or four,
hardly more) that interfere most with the ideals of the religious life.

To these the penitent may commendably add a sin or habitual fault
from his past life, making certain that it is clearly understood by the

confessor as already forgiven and now included out of humility and
to assure the sincerity of contrition.

The following pages offer a form of examination of conscience
for religious. It is quite different from the examinations in available

manuals that have been studied. It does not pretend to be complete

in the sense of tabulating all the offenses that a religious might con-

ceivably commit. Besides omitting all explicit reference to the Ten

Commandments, the Commandments of the Church, and the capital
sins, it purposely excludes many of the infractions of minute regula-

tions—^which may be of daily occurrence, but usually have only minor
bearing on the bigger purposes of life in religion. The present ex-
amination considers the vows, the ideals of the religious life, the

spiritual exercises, the works of zeal. They constitute the principal

means of the distinctive sanctification to be sought within the en-

closure. Failure with regard to them needs the help of the sacrament.



Regarding the Examination of Consqence 15

PRAYER BEFORE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE •

God of spotless holiness! Sun of justice! Grant me the graceto draw close to Thy light, that I may see more sharply
than ever how the stains that disfigure my soul appear before Thee.
Let the judgment I pass on my offenses be clear in strong faith
and in deep love of Thy goodness. Allow me to understand how
my sins, offenses, and negligences have separated me from Thee,
or have weakened my union with Thee.
Do not permit me to consider any failing unimportant, nor to

make excuses, nor blame others, even in my own mind. I desire
to present my miserable condition to Thy priest as Thou knowest
me to be guilty: only in so doing may I derive the full help of
the sacrament of Thy merc}^
May my examination lead to humility and the realization of my

present unworthiness before Thee, without concern about what

the confessor may think of me. Let it result in deep sorrow for
sin and hatred of everj^ offense.

Stamp my conscience with supernatural delicacy and attachment
to Thy holy Will. Make it help me to grow in the love and gener-
osity to Thee that will repair my sinful past and protect me for
the future. Let its faithful exercise, as an oft-repeated preview of

the last judgment, prepare me for my final account before Thee,
my Divine Judge.
Thy serv^ant, St. Paul, teaches that in heaven we shall know Thee

as we are known (I Corinthians, 13: 12). I humbly trust that my
hope of that future reward will always do honor to Thee. But

I make bold, even now, to beg to know^ the state of my soul as
I am known—at least as far as I can bear the knowledge, and to
the degree that it will help me to make a perfect confession.^



CHAPTER THREE

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

VOCATION

A CALL to the religious life may be defined broadly as that dis-position of the Divine Goodness by which Providence singles
out an individual and endows him with the required qualities and

graces to strive for spiritual perfection. In the present discipline of

the Church nothing is left undetermined in the idea of vocation:

it involves the vowed observance of the evangelical counsels in a

society instituted by the Church for the precise purpose of leading its

members to the heights of virtue. It is a call from God to lead one
more surely back to God; it is a summons to serve beyond the ordi-
nary way of the Commandments; it is more vitally concerned with

the question of eternal destiny than with the activities of the respective

institute.

Before profession the candidate should arrive at the conviction that

far more than the religious life needs him, he needs the life of the

monastery or convent to develop the fullness of his personality in

knowing, loving, and serving God.

In Chapter 58 of his Rule of Monasteries, St. Benedict established

three criteria for determining with regard to the individual person

the genuineness of this seeking of God: zeal for the Work of God
(Divine worship), for obedience, and for humiliations. These qual-

ities may appear to some self-evident, little concerned with the press-
ing problems of modern institutes and, in any event, somewhat dif-

ficult to discern in the immaturity of the novice; but they continue

to be, for life, accurate norms for measuring cooperation with the

graces of vocation.

Have I deliberately exposed my vocation to danger?

Are attachment to sinful habits, worldliness, indiffer-

ence, or spiritual sloth frustrating the eflPort for perfection

by which my calling is defined? Is unwarranted interest
in happenings outside the cloister affecting my religious
life unfavorably?—seriously? Have I been especially care-
ful to avoid giving scandal to laymen?

16



Examination of CoNsaENCB 17

Have I adhered steadfastly to the distinctive means of

grace furnished by attachment to my religious family? Are
they failing to produce their intended effects because I

am lacking in simplicity, fortitude, constancy? Have I
eliminated any serious fault in the past year; or progressed

notably in any virtue?

Have I failed to adopt effective resolutions for leading

a worthier religious life because, relying on my own power
instead of placing complete trust in God, I fear that I

shall only fail again, as I have failed so often in the past?

Am I hesitant in this conversion because I am not yet
willing enough or generous enough to make the sacrifice

necessary for turning to God completely?

Do I regularly ask God in most earnest prayer to per-
fect what I have undertaken, which I recognize to be far

beyond the limitations of my weak nature? Have I
thanked Him for the many graces He has bestowed on
me? When did I last pray the Renewal of Vows, which
is recommended as part of the thanksgiving after having

received Holy Communion?

LOVE OF GOD: CHARITY FOR NEIGHBOR

IME after time, in the many ways that the simple truth permits

itself to be known, St. John taught that *‘God is love.*’ That

love is infinite, for there can be no limitation to divine act.

Man, who in the present dispensation, must cooperate with the
infinite power to effect that which he is made capable of doing in the
supernatural order, can limit the effects of that love. In the state

of mortal sin he deliberately shuts himself off from this divine light

and warmth. By attachment to deliberate venial sin he screens off
some of its effectiveness. Imperfections impede it according to their

opposition to love.

Life in religion is the perfection of life in Christ, measured in

terms of love. The doctrine of every founder of a religious institute,
together with all the worthiest traditions, practices, apostolic works,

add up to identical totals, expressions of the love of God, or they
are meaningless.



18 . . And Amend My Life’*

In the right order of things, only one motive accounts for the ex-

istence of a religious family, or the public profession of its individual

members. God alone can be that motive. That means love, for God
is love. He permits man to possess Him, but in His way, through
love. Everything in the religious life is a means to that end: the

rule, the sacred enclosure, the blessed garb, the life of prayer, the

practices of mortification, the activity, the vows and virtues. Should

they ever lose that nature and be thought of as ends in themselves,

the whole spiritual motivation would disappear. Fruitless externalism

and formalism would be the result of such a deordering; and they

hold their victims far from God.

In examining his conscience for confession the religious may be
inclined to by-pass the question of the love of God as a self-evident;
it is not self-evident at all, of course, but it deals with motive, and

motive is intangible and does not reveal itself in a casual examina-

tion. Consciousness of concrete human defects will rarely allow him
to adopt a similar attitude in examining his relationship to his neigh-

bor. Admittedly charity toward superiors, the professed, novices, and

candidates is difficult. The religious associates with the same com-
panions in the chapel and the refectory, at work and during recreation,

morning, noon, and night. Living in such close relationship tends

to force many unconquered weaknesses to the surface.

The command of love is positive: . and thy neighbor as thy-
self.” It is a religious family’s oneness in Christ expressing itself. It

is not merely a question of wishing one’s neighbor no evil, or of

not being envious of him, or jealous. Charity demands that we be
happy at his good fortune; we must will and pray that he be blessed
with the goods, both spiritual and temporal, that we desire for our-
selves.

Such love makes no distinction of persons, but treats all alike in

Christ. It will not entertain deceit in the heart, nor make a false

peace; it strives to love enemies and pray for them—in the love of
Christ.

It seeks to be of help wherever possible. It tries to avoid scandal,

and is zealous in making allowances for obvious shortcomings, and

in repairing the bad example that has resulted from human frailty.
It is quick to offer sincere sympathy and aid in tribulation. It prompts

the religious to be eager in adopting what is useful to others rather

than to himself.

Does my present religious observance show that I have
lost some of the enthusiasm of novitiate days and the



Examination of Conscience 19

early years of profession in serving God?—that I am
content with the mediocrity I have attained in spiritual

effort?—that I have done little of late to intensify in-
terior motives in glorifying God?

Have I sincerly rejoiced in my neighbor’s good quali-
ties, in his talents, in his virtue and industry, as though

they were my own? Do I often remember to thank God
in humble prayer for the work of a confrere which has

been brought to successful completion, a work in which,

as far as I may judge, God has been praised?

Have I sought only the company of those whom I ad-
mire for intellectual ability and attainments, or to whom I
am attracted for even less worthy reasons, and avoided others
whom I consider inferior or less appealing?

Have I addressed fellow religious, or others, rudely,

slightingly, sarcastically? Have I spoken uncharitably about

them, or encouraged the lack of charity in others by lis-

tening with readiness and approval to conversations that

I realized were uncharitable? (Common sense must be
observed in this point, as in all others: while it may not
be commendable, harmless poking of fun at another’s

expense, even though one might be embarrassed if the re-

marks were reported to the person about whom they were
made, is usually no sin at all.) Have I been guilty of de-

traction and lying? Is there anyone with whom I have
refused to speak?—over an extended period of time?
Are there others whom I merely tolerate, or whom I have
pointedly avoided?

Have I given way to anger?—refused to offer an apology
when I realized that one was called for?—refused to ac-
cept a confrere’s attempt at reconciliation when he sensed
that I had been offended?—borne a grudge?
Have I harmed the good name of my community by

discussing the defects of fellow religious with relatives,

friends, diocesan priests, members of other religious in-

stitutes?



20 . . And Amend My Life’

HUMILITY

Humility curbs all seeking of recognition of one’s own excellenceand, in subjection to God, inclines the religious to admit his
unworthiness. The virtue expresses itself freely in acknowledging the
natural and supernatural gifts God has bestowed on one, considering
each an added cause for submission to the Divine Will. At the same

time humility sees defects, past and present, sharply, vividly, and ac-

curately for what they are.

Although neither so excellent in itself, nor so necessary for the

holiness to be sought in religion, as are the theological virtues (faith,

hope, and charity), humility is the foundation of the moral life. Hu-

mility devotes itself to removing pride, which interferes with the

workings of grace. Unless grace operates freely in a subject who real-
izes that whatever is good, whatever in his soul is pleasing to God,

can result only from God’s working in his soul and from his co-

operation with that work, there can be little thought of the objectives

of the religious life. In this sense humility is indispensable for the

person that dedicates himself, by solemn promise made to God, to
seek for perfection.

Because it is so basic to the goals of life within the enclosure, this

virtue needs to operate continually, almost as a second nature: in

the evening examination of conscience almost any portion of the day

can be measured in terms of humility. The virtue’s principal ex-

pressions will be self-contempt (because of sins and imperfections)

;

a sense of unworthiness of God’s benefactions; the repressing of

the desire to be acknowledged and honored; the subjection to God
and to human superiors out of a love of God; the welcome embrac-
ing of less honorable positions, and contentment with what is less

desirable in the things given for one’s use.

Have I thought or acted as though the goods I possess

are my own, and not bestowed on me by God? Have I
acknowledged their divine origin, but considered them

as bestowed on me because of my merits?

Are not many of my acts self-willed in the sense that
they are neither for God’s glorification nor for my neigh-
bor’s welfare? Have thoughtlessness and inattention aris-

ing from want of devotion to the means to be found in

the religious life deprived these acts of their spiritual

motivation?



Examination of CoNsaENCE 21

Have I sought to impress others by simulating virtues,

knowledge, rank, position, or other desirable qualities

that I do not possess? Would I expect of a novice or a
lay religious what I would not do myself, or would do

most reluctantly?

Am I often testy, hard to get along with, ready to take
offense, unwilling to bear injuries patiently, insistent that

others take my feelings into consideration?
Have I despised others, ridiculed them, sought to be

preferred to them?

Have I sincerely sought to imitate my Master: 'Tearn
of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart”?

OBEDIENCE

OBEDIENCE is a giving to God. It is the offering of what is ordi-narily not given to Him. It is the submission of the will, man’s
noblest faculty, made through faith and through the desire to sacrifice
that which is unfailingly acceptable to God. It is so broad that it

directs all the virtuous acts of life in religion; it transforms into

virtue acts which otherwise might well remain mere unreflective, so-

called man acts, valueless, colorless, indifferent, into human acts,
virtuous, offerable to God.

Its scope must be universal, for profession is more than a legal

contract involving certain specified actions: it is the love-motivated

consecration to God’s service of all that one is, or has, as well as all

that he may become or acquire in the future.
Because it is all-embracing, obedience may easily be disregarded.

Habit and routine in the duties of the cloistral life may smother its
spirit and substitute for it mere discipline and regimentation. The

supernatural character of the virtue is to be purified and intensified,

at the proper sources—especially in sacred worship and mental prayer,
by trying to translate into action what has been learned in spiritual

reading, through imitation of the good example of those about us

who are striving, under grace, to make their observance pleasing to
God.

This most sacred and difficult virtue is presented by all religious

founders and leaders as an ideal—an ideal of imitating Christ who
became obedient unto death, even unto the death of the Cross. In

its observance the person under vows strives to grow in the belief



22 . . And Amend My Life’'

that the superior holds the place of Christ in his regard; from the

motive of the love of God he seeks to submit his will in all that is
commanded. When brought to perfection, obedience thus embodies
a difficult and practical act of faith, and the sacrifice of the will, which

is one of the very highest forms of praise of God which lies in man’s
power to offer.

Have I refused to obey.^ Have I shown a contemptuous
attitude for the rule, or the regulations of my institute, or
(generally much worse), for the specific commands given
to me? Have I shown formal contempt of my superior
in his capacity of superior? Have I sought to excuse my-
self by maintaining I could not do what I did not want

to do ?

Is part of my failure to make greater spiritual progress
in my vocation owing to the want of submitting all the
virtues to the moral dominance of obedience?

Criticism of the commands of a superior is an unmis-

takable sign that the religious faith essential to obedi-

ence has weakened. Have I allowed myself to become a
victim of this baneful vice?

Has the submission of my will been "'without hesitation,
fear, delay, lukewarmness, murmuring, unwillingness”?

Has continued neglect, with little or no effort to im-

prove my observance, adversely influenced the action and
thinking of other members of the community, especially

the young?

CHASTITY

I
N THE VOW of chastity the religious binds himself, from the love
of God, to abstain not only from all sinful venereal pleasure, but

also from the pleasure which is honorable and licit in the sacrament

of marriage. Although the superior excellence of the sacrifice of the

will in obedience must always be maintained, fidelity to the vow of
chastity sometimes becomes the severest test of the religious vocation.

In the Church’s law the very first of the sacred canons governing

religious commands that the religious state is to be held in honor by

all (canon 487). So keenly and universally is the need of grace for

the preservation of purity appreciated, and so manifestly is grace’s

environment created in the religious life, that chastity is one of the



Examination of Conscience 23

most positively appealing forces of all institutes. The gloriously
reigning Vicar of Christ states the thought in these exalted terms:

''Holy virginity and that perfect chastity which is consecrated to the

service of God is without doubt among the most precious treasures
which the Founder of the Church has left in heritage to the society

which He established.

But appreciation by others, particularly by laymen who have fol-
lowed their chosen vocations, is faint indeed when compared with
the grateful experience of the conscientious religious. However em-

barrassing the recollection of his difficulties and temptations, the

years of correspondence with grace in striving for perfection speak

to him in terms of complete and undivided devotion to which nothing

has been preferred; of familiarity with thoughts that lead close to

God (in present fulfillment of the Beatitude which promises that the
clean of heart shall see God); of gratitude begotten of the knowl-

edge of having been chosen by divine call to serve the Church in so

positive a way; of humility in the privilege of helping others, out

of the love of virtue, by prayer, example, instruction, and exhorta-

tion—for "A virgin soul without the apostolic spirit is only half ful-
filling her destiny.

The Apostolic See has extended the privilege of the consecration

of virgins to certain groups of sisters in the United States in recent

years. The ceremony, one of the most elaborate and impressive in

the Roman Pontifical, has been in use for centuries: the virtuous way
of life it blesses and shields is one which the Church has from its

beginnings held in highest esteem. Traditionally the consecration has

been reserved almost exclusively to nuns dwelling within the papal

enclosure: now it is bestowed on sisters whose activity, which often
takes them beyond their cloister, is about as intense as that of the

more busily engaged congregations. The grant of the privilege can
properly be thought of as one more manifestation of the Holy See’s

accommodation of the religious life to the modern needs and con-

ditions of the Church. It could hardly be interpreted merely as an

act of benevolence to honor certain religious groups: like all privi-

leges of the spiritual order it begets reciprocal, if not legally defined

obligations, in this case at least a striving for greater general worthi-

ness of life and a more profound love of chastity, together with the

great influence for good by communities so privileged. To all reli-
gious, and to the faithful generally, it must speak of the positive power

of purity in the Church’s warfare against the forces of evil.

But despite all its beauty, the enviable regard in which it is held



24 . And Amend My Life’*

by the Church, and the incomparable consolations proper to it, the

safeguards of chastity are weapons that the weakened wills of Adam’s

sons and daughters instinctively seek to shun: mortification, the flee-

ing of pleasure, the custody of the senses, and the vigilant No.

Often the struggle goes on, year after year. Father Garrigou-

Lagrange assures us that 'There are two very simple beings: me
child, who does not yet know evil; and the saint, who has forgotten
it by dint of conquering it.”^^ all but the most exceptional cases,

the maturity needed for religious profession precludes the former;

few have attained to the latter state.

For the soul that cooperates with grace, temptation, which is never

far distant, teaches the supreme value of constancy, vigilance, and

most earnest prayer. Repeated victories over temptation, won by co-
operation with grace, beget calm confidence in God’s goodness. Few
rewards on earth compare with that of a religious who has suffered
temptations against purity, has humbly and diffidently placed his

victories on the paten at the Offertory of the Mass, and then resolute-

ly and trustfully advanced to the stage of meeting all suggestions of

the evil one with utter contempt, to be transformed into opportunities

of growing in the love of God.

Abbot Marmion offers most consoling and spiritual advice: "Let
us not be discouraged by the remembrance of past infidelities or the

thought of possible failures in the future; the latter spring from our

nature, and can be perfectly reconciled with goodwill; the former

should be the occasion for us to humble ourselves and incite us to

greater generosity.

Have I violated chastity by purposely indulging in, or

not banishing unclean thoughts—by glancing immodestly
at others?—by participation in unclean speech?—^by an
action opposed to the vow?

Is my observance of chastity truly religious in that I
distrust myself and depend constantly for its perfection

on the help of my companions under vows and the pro-
tection of the enclosure?

Have I prayed for those (unknown to me) who will be
confronted with serious temptations today?—and for those
who have in human weakness succumbed to those tempta-
tions?

The spirit of mortification and the humble repression

of natural inclinations are the means by which chastity



Examination of CoNsaENCE 23

is placed in safety. Have my motives been what my reli-
gious training in the novitiate and my experience in reli-
gion have instilled into me, as to the custody of the senses,

especially of the eyes, the denial of those gratifications of

self-indulgence which experience has proved dangerous,

and the repression of harmful curiosity in reading?

When troubled with temptations, have I set the humble
goal of gaining a victory over my lower self in order to
have some small token to offer to Jesus in proof of my
love of Him?

POVERTY

B
y a single act of His Will God brought into being all the great

bodies of light and established their order in a space so vast

that imagination can only toy with its immensity. He formed the
earth with its wonders of the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms,

leaving everywhere evidences of His creative power. He breathed
into man a soul so wonderful in its gifts that He Himself spoke of
this uniquely privileged creature as fashioned in His likeness.

Throughout the vast universe which the Creator holds in His hand,

all was peace and order. One creature had the power, bordering on
the infinite, to disrupt that harmony. That is what man did, only to
discover that once he turned his face from God he was without
power for good.

God continued to love His favored creature, struck in His image.
Out of His infinite goodness He made it possible for man to co-
operate in the re-establishing of the disrupted order. He Who holds
the universe in His palm descended to earth, became man, limited

the activities which were executed in His human nature to the tiny
speck of the Holy Land.

As the Firstborn of creatures He stands at the head of the hu-
man race that He was to represent and to redeem—but He identified
Himself with the poor. Sparingly He used the material goods to
which men are so drawn, and through attachment to which they are
often led into sin.

But our Lord’s example is more than a pattern of conduct to be

admired: the renunciation of earthly possessions is His condition for

those who would make bold to follow Him. In that sense the Church
exacts the vowed promise of poverty as an integral part of the privi-
leged status of her religious.



26 . . And Amend My Dfe**

Have I sinned against poverty by acquiring, secretly re-

taining, or appropriating goods in violation of my rule?
—^by wasting or otherwise not properly using what has
been assigned for my use?—by disregarding the practices
of the common life in furnishings of the cell, in clothing,
food?—by neglecting to obtain prescribed permissions?
—by murmuring at what is distributed in the religious
family?—by refusing to perform my share of manual labor
(the lot of the poor) ?—^by envy, covetousness of the pos-
sessions of others?—by paying little or no attention to the
ideal of poverty as an integral part of the order’s ascetic-

ism?

PARTICIPATION IN SACRED WORSHIP

Normally the religious vocation has its effective beginning atthe altar; daily it is fostered and strengthened at the altar;
ideally, it is brought to its termination on earth at the altar. Between

the joyfully solemn beginnings of investiture and profession, and the

solemnly subdued administration of the Church’s last rites, spiritually

significant parts of each day have been spent with the religious family

as it gathers about the altar. Participation with the priest in offering

the holy Sacrifice, reception of the sacraments and the sacramentals,

public and private prayer sanctify the entire existence of professed

men and women.
These sacred hours must not be thought of as independent and

isolated units of the day’s schedule: they serve to consecrate all other

activity. Community prayer, for instance, may well be thought of as
having something of the same character of consecrating the totality

of religious endeavor that the Come Holy Ghost has at the begin-
ning of a class period. It dedicates all to God: day and night, and

their every part. The religious is a person devoted to prayer. From
the moment of his first vows until his death there is never any part
of any day that has not been consecrated to God in prayer. What is
said of community prayer remains true, of course, even though it is

recited privately by one whose assigned obedience prevents his pray-

ing with the religious family.

In terms of time distributed over a crowded schedule, the hours

assigned to prayer add up to a considerable portion of the waking

hours of every day; as regards their relative importance, rules and



Examination of Conscience 27

statutes are careful to specify that nothing is to be preferred to them;

more than all else, they form the bond of unity in Christ Jesus among
the members of the religious family.

That is true, not only in the sense of giving impetus, inspiration,

and direction to the works of the institute, but it helps to achieve

a quality of worship that can normally not be equalled outside life

in religion. This perfection of corporate worship is one of the most

eagerly desired contributions that religious can make to the Church’s
spiritual life.

Have I absented myself from common spiritual exer-
cises when I could conveniently have been present? Am
I tardy in putting in my appearance? Have I failed to
make up for the devotions at which I could not be present?

Do I fight distractions during spiritual exercises, only
to return to their cause after prayer?

Have I been drowsy and inattentive at the Divine Office

and other prayer?—given to routine assistance at Mass?
—habitually guilty of mechanical and distracted recitation
of my spiritual duties, intent only on fulfilling a legal
obligation ?—regularly wanting in adequate preparation for
and thanksgiving after receiving the sacraments?

SUALLY the appeal of life in religion begins on a note of in-

spiration. A retreat, even an individual sermon or an exhorta-
tion, an interview with one’s pastor or the reading of a book are

means that God often employs to implant the first seed of a vocation
to the religious life.

Spiritual reading is a well ordered, carefully prescribed continuation

of that inspirational appeal. God uses His holy word in the Scriptures
and the lesser works of ascetical writings as occasions of external

grace under which the soul is cast into a most favorable disposition

for listening to Him in order to be instructed, corrected, motivated,
and led on to the heights of virtue.

In prayer we address God; spiritual reading is often the form
His answer to us assumes.

This literature is rich in the maxims and examples of our Lord,
His Blessed Mother, and the saints; it is an invitation extended day

after day to the religious to look beyond his immediate tasks and

SPIRITUAL READING



28 . . And Amend My Life’

surroundings, and to contemplate God. It is not a pious practice

which the religious is free to follow or to disregard as he feels in-

clined. It is a matter of obedience, a training in holiness of life, a

schooling in the principles of spirituality. On its conscientious ob-
servance much of the progress of any vocation depends.

Bishop Hedley holds steadfastly to the purpose of this holy exer-

cise:
*

'There is only one really essential and adequate rule as to spir-

itual reading, and that is, that we seek God in it. If we seek amuse-
ment, or mere information, or matter for sermons, or vague edifica-

tion, or the satisfaction of a literary taste—^we have no right to call
it spiritual reading; and when we have read a book or a chapter
with any of these motives uppermost, our spiritual reading is still to

begin.

Have I neglected my spiritual reading?—habitually?

—

excused myself lightly with regard to the obligation on

the score of being too busy? Have I been drowsy and

inattentive, spiritually unresponsive to the ideals pre-

sented?

Have I vitiated my taste for spiritual writings by ex-
tensive reading of matter foreign to or opposed to the

religious state?

Have I read the principal ascetical commentaries on our
rule?—on the lives of our founder and of the saints pro-
duced by the order?—the noteworthy literary monuments
that form our tradition?

MANUAL LABOR

S
OME RELIGIOUS receive special training within their own com-
munities, or elsewhere at the expense of their institutes, to as-

sume pastoral responsibilities, to teach, engage in works of a social

nature, or to accept other kinds of spiritual duties. This sort of con-

centration has already affected the ascetical program of the older

orders: it will tend to do so among more recently founded congre-

gations as their tradition is built up. Such works of corporate 2eal

fall into a carefully thought out program, suggested or approved by

the Church, and described in the constitutions. The spiritual obliga-

tions involved are so varied and detailed, and can be so thoroughly

known from standard sources by the persons bound, that there is no
need to include them for the purposes of this manual.



Examination of Conscience 29

According to the definition of their form of life, monastic groups

have no activity beyond the enclosure, in contrast to the religious

bodies referred to above. Their ideal still calls for manual labor as

an integral part of their ascetical program, even though at present

the declarations to their respective rules usually provide for at least

moderate parochial, educational, or similar religious duties.

Vocation requirements ordinarily specify that laybrother candidates

must either have learned a trade or be capable of learning one. In

small groups, sisters generally engage in domestic duties without ex-

ception for rank or seniority. Many questions must be answered to
determine the quality of vocations among the young: this objective
makes manual labor almost indispensable for postulants, novices, and

junior members of all religious bodies.

Founders of religious institutes and authors of ascetical theology

emphasize work with the hands because of its sanctifying character.

It establishes a spiritual bond with the poor, with whom religious
profess to identify themselves. It preserves, in most instances, a

wholesome oneness with parents, brothers and sisters, because reli-

gious vocations frequently come from homes where hard work is

a necessity. It is standard and indispensable equipment for those who
would serve the Church in missions, foreign or domestic.

It dedicates man’s whole being to God—his will, by the continued
acceptance of an assigned obedience; his intellect, which is trained

in this school of the Lord’s service to be reflective and to banish

distractions; his body, which grows tired and would rebel if it were

not urged on by love of God. Everything connected with manual

labor can be offered to God and, despite all its limitations and imper-
fections should be offered to Him with the assurance of its accept-
ability; for it is humble, obedient and, generally, zealous work. In

the monastic breviary much of the second half of Prime is a blessing
on the day’s tasks.

Under capable spiritual direction physical toil, even when engaged
in for only limited periods of time, can become a solid foundation

for piety, simplicity, and holiness. Some of its qualities which con-
tribute substantially to the religious ideal are the following: because

of its humble nature it is marked by a calm intensity of effort that

differentiates it from the fretting and activism of more pretentious
undertakings—if allowed to produce its full effect, it can, even when
assigned for only briefer periods (washing dishes of an evening,

cleaning house on Saturday), give the latter their needed perspective

and balance; it is corporate and tends to elinunate personal com-



30 . . . And Amend My Life’

placenq^; it begets stability, for the field of manual labor is small

and develops a love of the religious home; more than any other

activity, it fosters the spirit of detachment.

Archabbot Maurus Wolter, founder of the Benedictine Congre-

gation of Beuron (Germany), explained the religious significance of

performing menial tasks in these terms: '"Manual labor is required

for perfect imitation of Christ, Who by spending three years in teach-
ing and thirty in heavy toil, bestowed the highest honor on work of

the hands. To be worthy to be called a monk, you must remain ever
willing to perform joyfully even the humblest tasks which may be
assigned to you either because of your ability or because of some neces-

sity of the monastery, and hold such work in high regard. Unless

excused by illness, you are personally to perform the work necessary

for keeping your room in order and your clothing clean, offer what

help you can to the brethren, especially the sick, and take your regu-

lar turn in serving them in the refectory.”^®

Always valid in their own right, the primary ascetical purposes of
manual labor remain constant. More immediate secondary objectives
may well claim the principal attention of religious today.

Especially since the Industrial Revolution, innumerable sins have

flouted "the principles of truth and justice" which dictate the condi-

tion of labor. As Pope Leo XIII pointed out: "The elements of a

conflict are unmistakable: the growth of industry, and the surprising

discoveries of science; the changed relations of masters and workmen;

the enormous fortunes of individuals and the poverty of the masses;

the increased self-reliance and the closer mutual combination of the

working population; and, finally, a general moral deterioration."^®

Many consider the sins of modern times committed against labor,
and especially communism, with its injustice, its exploiting and brutal-

izing of human dignity, nothing less than a scourge that God has
permitted to bring men to their senses. The errors of communism
have been so far-reaching that they have influenced, to some degree,

the destiny of every man, woman, and child now living in the world,
and of many who have ended their earthly existence in misery. At
present it seems quite possible that they may extend their evil domi-
nation even farther.

The Church has suffered discouraging losses, especially among the
working classes. In his pastoral letter of 1947, Cardinal Suhard wrote

with a grief-guided pen that "Ever increasing numbers have fallen

away from religion ... [to whom must be added} a large group of
baptized Christians who do not practice their religion, yet are still



Examination of CoNsaENCE 31

connected with the Qiurch by a few important facts of their existence:

baptism, first communion, etc.” One facet of the problem in the
statement of his Eminence seems colorless until scrutinized: then

it becomes a warning signal not only to the diocesans of Paris, but

to the world at large. It is the simple report: “Some [of those who
abandoned the Qiurch] even thought they were doing the right thing,

finding the elements of a sort of apparent justification in the modern

world and its spirit.

There is much that should hurt every religious deeply in that state-
ment. Materialism and communism have stolen the theology of labor,
stolen it out of the hearts of the faithful—and often religious, and
other spiritual leaders, who have had the opportunity of counteracting
the evil by teaching, good example, and intensified spiritual lives,

have remained silent and inactive; there is reason to suspect that

they have not zealously made of their labor a religious weapon in
this battle of the forces of good and evil.

G)nsider the enemies of the Church: they are out among the peo-

ple, working in cells, ever active. However irrational their doctrine

and unintelligible their language, they work hard, blindly, proudly.

They are deprived of the great motivation which urges religious, and

which can grow only from gratitude to the loving Father of mankind.

In fact, they intend to accomplish their atheistic objectives, not by a

philosophy, nor by any program of speculative thinking, but by labor.

Their erroneous teaching and propaganda must be shown to be false,

not only by teaching, but by living the truth; their insult to God
must be atoned for by the sacrifice of hard work and by the exempli-

fication of the dignity of labor; their influence must be stopped. Re-

ligious can make themselves the best equipped soldiers in this great
holy war of modern times.

Were laybrothers and sisters (and other religious) to dedicate all
the hours of manual labor of their life’s work as a reparation of the

blasphemy of materialism, the humble fulfillment of their vows would

go far toward giving full meaning to their vocation.

Have I refused to perform menial tasks—invented ex-
cuses for not contributing my share of the physical work
of the community?—considered such efforts beneath my
dignity?—given way to sloth, laziness, lack of interest?
—failed through indifference or thoughtlessness to give
my work any spiritual significance?

Have I shown an intelligent regard for the manual work



32 . . . And Amend My Life’

of laybrothers or sisters who perform household tasks, or
work at heavy manual toil? Have I criticized the more
contemplative orders with their devotion to hard work,

because I think that they are ''not doing enough for the

Church”?

TEACHING

I
N THIS COUNTRY the teaching by religious, from grammar school
through graduate studies, has assumed the role of a major con-

tribution made toward the spiritual development of the faithful.
Teaching may be broadly described as a communicating to others

of the plan of life which one has adopted upon mature and prayerful

reflection—a mentality and a sense of values greatly influenced by
the rule one has professed and by the best thought of the order’s

tradition. If thought of in such terms, its serious responsibilities are

more or less self-evident. Teachers who are religious take over an
important part of the duty of parents. As their pupils advance in age

and maturity, these same religious become the principal, and often

almost the sole, instructors to help the youth to grow in the knowl-

edge and love of the Church’s doctrine.

The task of the teacher abounds in challenges and difficulties. It

is not merely a conveniently chosen activity to engage the hours of

the religious that are not devoted to spiritual exercises. It is, in its

own right, an imitation of and a striving for increased union with
Christ, Who was frequently addressed as Master. Teaching by the
professed, with the recognition that is granted to them by the Church,

is primarily in the name of Christ, and undertaken with His authority.

As such it places a high premium on virtues which enhance reli-

gious spirituality: charity, obedience, zealous industry, patience, and

oneness in Christ with fellow religious. For such is the nature and

function of the school conducted by religious that no individual

teacher can ever give an education to an individual student: it is

eminently a corporate program that calls for the ^cooperation of all

the religious of a family.

Have I been negligent in preparing for classes accord-

ing to my training and ability?—indifferent to the progress
that is being made in my field today?—careless in correct-
ing tests and assignments?—^unwilling to sacrifice the time
and leisure for devoting individual attention where it seems



Examination of Conscience 33

called for?—inclined to adopt teaching fads instead of de-
voting my efforts to the serious work of imparting solid
instruction and training?

Does examination of conscience reveal that I am fre-
quently wanting in patience in dealing with my charges,
to the extent that it would be advisable for me to select
patience as the topic of my particular examen for a while?
Have I cooperated with the other instructors of the

school, so that my efforts have become a positive share in
a truly religious undertaking? Have I absented myself

from faculty meetings?—been disdainful of recommended
procedures?—insisted on going my separate way?
Have I failed to draw, however passingly, the attention

of those whom I teach to the religious implications of the
subject matter? Have I been so immersed in the content

of my courses (as presented by the textbook and easily
enlarged on because of my past studies), that a layman,
or even a non-Catholic, might have taught the course al-

most as religiously as I?

hrist’s attitude toward the sick and suffering who came to Him
or were brought to Him was one of His most powerful appeals

in proving His Divinity. For that reason alone it is understandable

that those who vow to imitate our Lord make the care of the sick
one of their chief spiritual concerns.

Our Lord’s indentification of Himself with the bedridden and help-
less ('1 was sick. . . and you visited Me,” Matthew 25: 36) and the

adaptability of a nursing program into the schedule of the religious

life, have caused many institutes to concentrate on the care of the
sick as their principal activity.

Besides the inherently virtuous act of mercy, other spiritual objec-

tives deserve attention in developing an appreciation of this particular

vocation, and in one’s examination of his faithfulness to duty. One
of these objectives is the opportunity of adding constantly to the good-

ness that goes to make up the life of the Church Militant. Another
is the privilege of being instrumental in God’s hand in breaking down
prejudice against His Church, and even in leading persons to con-

NURSING



34 . . And Amend My Life’*

version, duplicating, in a humble and imperfect manner, the very
approach that Christ Himself employed.

As is true in teaching and other activities which religious institutes
undertake with the explicit approval of their bishops, or of the Holy

Father himself (religious of papal jurisdiction), those who are as-
signed to administrative work, or more menial tasks, share fully in
the meritorious character, the corporate obedience, and in the re-

sponsibility of the religious family’s undertaking.

Have I been short-tempered, impatient, or brusque with

the sick—who do not always realize that they are served
out of a love of Christ? Have I been negligent in my as-
signed duties, thereby occasioning increased suffering of

the sick?

Despite their excellence, have I allowed the striving

for efficiency and the dedication to rapidly advancing sci-

ence to interfere with the simplicity of charity?

RULE, CONSTITUTIONS, TRADITION

The numerous religious institutes now thriving are united in theircommon purpose of striving for evangelical perfection, and in
the broad, sweeping lines of the Church’s common law which regu-
lates that effort. They are distinguished from one another by the

inspiration of their respective founders, by the rules they follow, and

by the zealous activities in which they engage with the Apostolic See’s

approval.

They have been likened to different gardens in the Church, with

their great variety of the flowers of virtue, requiring different culti-

vation. A less poetic approach makes one understand that through
the ages God has raised up great spiritual leaders, to establish reli-
gious orders and congregations to meet the needs of the Church.

Pope Pius XI describes these founders of religious institutes as
inspired of God, and their followers as faithful sons, if they keep

alive the holy ideals of the rule. He makes it clear that this is no mere
sentimental or devotional relation. The Church seeks one contribution
only of its religious: the zealous program outlined by the saintly

founders, modified where necessary to harmonize^with the conditions

under which the religious must live.^®

On profession day the candidate vows to serve God according to
the rule of his order: when he pronounces solemn or simple per-



Examination of CoNsaENCE 35

petiial vows, that obligation, binding under the virtue of religion, is

assumed for life. The spiritual duties involved are determined in de-

tail: generally speaking, from the day of his profession until his

death, the religious is never in doubt regarding what God wills of
him.

The rule, the tradition of immemorial standing, the constitutions

and the statutes accommodating the order’s obser^^ance to modem
conditions, are his inspiration, his guide and protection. Adherence

to them guarantees security and the tranquillity of complete fulfill-

ment of what was promised at the altar. Fidelity to them has pro-

duced saints; it stands prepared to do so now for those who are strong
in faith and hope, and humble enough to acknowledge the power of

these holy instruments. The rule, the tradition of the order, the
constitutions are to be loved and adhered to gratefully.

Do I often **put a broad interpretation” on the rule
of my order, and on other religious regulations, tr}^ing to
justify myself in what is in truth only rationalization and

presumption?

Has part of my failure to advance spiritually been owing
to my neglect in employing the traditional, well-tried ap-
proach of my order and my rule to the work assigned to
me?

Is my faith, strengthened by the many means of grace
afforded in my religious family, lively enough to accept
the rule without any reservation, as the way God has
chosen for me to sene Him and His Church?
Have I disregarded the regulations governing silence,

talking almost at will?—during the great silence of the
night?—to the disedification of others, particularly those
who are young in profession?
Have I retired at the prescribed hour?

Have I obsen^ed in the proper spirit the penances and

little humiliations whose purpose is to assist me in striv-
ing for the goal of the religious life?



CHAPTER POUR

FIRM PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT

S
ometimes religious become quite concerned and upset about their
past confessions. It is possible to look back over an extended

period of time and find cause for disturbance in the constant repeti-

tion of the same confessions.

There was no bad confession anywhere along the line: usually

there were no serious disorders—some deliberate venial sins, perhaps,
many imperfections and faults; nothing more. Preparatory prayers
were said faithfully, if somewhat mechanically. The examination of
conscience received as much attention as it did of an evening or dur-
ing the particular examen; the sins were acknowledged humbly

enough; the Act of Contrition was recited slowly and with the best

devotion at one’s command at the moment. Nothing was deliberately
concealed; on the contrary, much was confessed that really need not
have been mentioned.

But something has obviously gone wrong.

Most frequently the fault lies in the weakness of the penitent’s

purpose of amendment.

Painfully aware of the past humiliation of sin and imperfection,

the purpose of amendment is the present effective disposition and

resolve with regard to future conduct.

Most religious have taught Catechism at some level or other; in

so doing they have explained the firm purpose of amendment, and

its necessity for a good confession. An analogy that they themselves
have employed in the classroom may make practical to teachers the
doctrine that can remain theoretical, regardless of how accurately it
has been taught.

Suppose that a religious grievously offended a close friend, one

who has been kind, generous, consistently well-disposed, thoughtful.
The offender admits that he is entirely in the wrong. He is unhappy
until he can reach his friend, make a humble acknowledgment of
his thoughtlessness or indiscretion, and ask pardon for it. The apology
as such touches the past—^what was said or done that caused the hurt.
Regardless of how deeply he was wounded, or how reluctant he may
now feel about overlooking the unreasonableness of what was done,
a true friend would never question the present sincerity of an ad-

mission that is so obviously painful. Both parties understand that

36



Firm Purpose of Amendment 37

the apology itself is the guarantee against future repetition of the fault.

Worthiness of the firm purpose of amendment in confession fol-

lows the same general pattern, except that the penitent is begging

God^s pardon, and is employing God’s grace and help even to do

that. The past is taken care of in the worthiness of contrition and
humble confession: sorrow for sin is unfailingly acceptable where

the Recipient is known to be infinitely merciful and lovable. One Who
can love only with infinite perfection. The depth and sincerity of
the penitent’s present sorrow include, of their nature, the resolve to

avoid in future whatever violates God’s holy law. As an illustration;
if on Friday, his regular confession day, the religious has admitted

a deliberate sin of disobedience in a quite serious matter, the quali-

ties of his contrition reach out, as it were, and embrace by reason

of his firm purpose of amendment, the temptation to be disobedient

again which he may face on Sunday, or a month from now.

But what about human weakness? Must the purpose of amend-
ment be so firm that it extends itself to sins and shortcomings that

may have troubled the religious for years? In the case of mortal sins
it must do so, of necessity. In venial sins and imperfections that are

opposed in some particular manner to the nature of the religious

life, the striving for perfection (the Church’s definition of the reli-

gious state), demands sincere effort. All who are under vows, ex-
cept the unthinking and the unworthy, would love to be rid of their

faults—^but the worthier they are, the more realistically they fear
that they will not succeed in being rid of them for a long time, and

the more conscious they become of human frailty and the need for
divine help.

Common sense is always valuable: here it is indispensable. It tells
the penitent that if he has long harbored and fostered an attitude of

disobedience in small matters, or has frequently violated charity,

or has been negligent in prayer, he will hardly correct his ways

as a result of one Friday’s confession. The purpose of amendment
must employ the sacramental graces and the many helps of the reli-
gious life, such as the example of worthy companions, the inspiration

of holy reading, and the particular examen. As long as the effort
to grow in virtue and to avoid displeasing God is sincere, and is
based on the general principles of the religious life and those of

one’s own institute, there can be no reasonable cause for worry.

Today’s confession deals with the immediate past; it also involves

the penitent’s present disposition. The confessor, who functions as
a judge in exercising this phase of his ministry in Christ’s name, must



38 . . And Amend My Life”

have the assurance of the penitent's sincere sorrow and of his deter-

mination to try, with God’s help, to avoid the occasions of sin in

the future. The firm purpose of amendment means that here and now,
while preparing for the sacrament of penance, and in his actual con-

fession, the penitent proposes not to offend God again. This is not
a solemn promise; neither is it a vow that would be violated by
future failures. It is a resolve, made at this moment, at four o-clock
on Friday afternoon, to cooperate more conscientiously with God’s

grace.

This may seem tenuous and unsatisfactory to one who has now
seriously entered into himself, and is not happy at what he finds in

his soul. He is probably miserably conscious of his weakness.
He must remind himself that conversion (literally, a turning to

God), is God’s own work. Usually grace operates slowly—for the
sake of human weakness. Sudden and complete conversions from vice
to virtue, or from thoughtlessness and externalism to wholehearted

dedication, are rare. One has no right to expect such favors from
God. The wisest procedure is to throw oneself on the divine mercy
regarding the past, and to cooperate as fully as possible with the in-

crease of grace through the sacrament: just as despair dishonors God
as few other sins can dishonor Him, so confidence in the divine mercy

is one of the most splendid means of giving glory to God—which
is the primary purpose of all life in religion.

About ten years after his conversion and his writing of the first

part of his Confessions, St. Augustine added the last four books

(chapters) to his classical acknowledgment of God. Few statements
ever made by a converted sinner compare with the following words
for instilling courage into the heart of today’s penitent.

ERRiFiED by my sins and the mass of my misery, I had pondered
in my heart and thought of flight to the desert; but Thou

didst forbid me and strengthen me, saying: And Christ died for
all: that they also who live may now not live to themselves but
with Him who died for them. See, Lord, I cast my care upon
Thee, that I may live: and I will consider the wondrous things

of Thy law. Thou knowest my unskillfulness and my infirmity:
teach me and heal me. He Thy only One, in whom are hidden



Firm Purpose of Amendment 39

all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, has redeemed me with
His blood. Let not the proud speak evil of me, for I think upon

the price of my redemption, I eat and drink it and {as a bishop}
give it to others to eat and drink: and being poor I desired to

be filled with it among those that eat and are filled: and, they

shall praise the Lord that seek Him^^

^

PRAYER TO RID ONESELF OF VICES

Holy Lord, omnipotent Father, eternal God! Out of the depthsof our heart we beg Thy mercy. Grant us, through the
intercession and merits of all Thy saints a conscience free of sin;
give us the grace to shun the attractions of earth and direct our

gaze toward heaven, to hate sin and love sinlessness.

Root out of our lives solicitude for what is of this world, and

bestow the perfection of Thy holy fear.

Rid us completely of attachment to gluttony, and develop in

us a love of abstinence.

Keep at a distance from us the spirit of uncleanness, and per-

meate our beings with an ardent zeal for holy chastity. Extinguish

in us every evil desire of possession and inspire us with a truly

voluntary poverty. Restrain our anger and kindle in us a most

tender love of God and neighbor. Remove from our lives all in-
clination to boastfulness and vainglory, and grant us a most

salutary compunction of heart. Lay low our pride and perfect a

sincere humility in us.

Destroy all the pretentiousness and abundance associated with

vice and build up in us, simply, the keeping of Thy Command-
ments. Instill in us the tranquility of patience suited to our pro-

fession to help us do battle against impatience; love of the brother-

hood, against hatred and envy; unflagging zeal for Thy holy
praise, against all detraction and murmuring; and the favor of

knowing that our effort has merited Thine approval, against all

our vicious habits.



40 **. . . And Amend My Life’*

Cause a copious font of tears for bewailing our sins to spring

up in us, and soften the hardness of our hearts through the prac-

tice of the spirit of penance.

Let whatever virtuous deeds Thou workest in us be solely for
the increase of Thy glory and for the abiding grace to make us
realize that even though we always remain sinners, we are never
to cease from voicing Thy praise nor from performing Thy work,
but that we are to persevere in fulfilling Thy holy Will. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ . . .^°



CHAPTER FIVE

PRAYER FOR CONFESSOR

ON THE EVENING of His glorious Resurrection from the dead,Jesus appeared before His apostles. He breathed upon them.
He communicated to them His Holy Spirit. He bestowed on them,
and their successors in His holy priesthood, the wondrous power to

forgive sin in His name (See John, 20:22).
The relation between a religious and his confessor is unique. It

differs, even in its purpose, to some extent, from a comparable rela-

tion of the layman who confesses quite often. The difference is ex-
plained in part by the nature of the religious life. The religious looks

to his confessor not so much from compulsion to seek absolution (that
is always present, of course), as from the necessity of depending on

a minister of the sacrament of mercy who is also a guide along the
difficult path of virtue, whereas in ordinary parochial life, spiritual

direction tends often to be brief, incidental, and stereotyped.

Practically all other exercise of the sacerdotal power within the en-

closure of the monastery or convent is for the community, whether

the priest offers the holy Sacrifice, gives Benediction with the Blessed

Sacrament, preaches, leads the religious family in prayer, or imparts

his blessing. In this sacrament, by contrast, the attention is eminently

individual and personal. The confessor is a friend in Christ, if the
terminology be restricted to the sense in which devout persons make
bold to refer to Christ as their Brother. He is Christ’s alter ego.

There is withal a marked impersonality surrounding his intensely

personal ministry. If he lives apart from the community, as is often

the case, the penitent need never even speak to him outside the con-
fessional; if he is a member of the same religious family, the sacred
penitent-confessor relationship is utterly and inviolably ignored once the

final Amen of the absolution formula is pronounced. It is marvelous
that so powerful a benefactor can be associated with daily on perfectly

normal terms, on one sole condition: that it be fully recognized that

his effectiveness and spiritual influence never be adverted to in the

slightest degree outside the forum of conscience.

The confessor is either chosen by the individual or assigned for an
entire religious community, as the Church’s law stipulates (canons

518 ff). Not all priests can qualify for the appointment: blame-
lessness of life, prudence, pastoral experience, and maturity of age

41



42 . . And Amend My Life”

are the principal personal factors taken into account (see canon 524).

It is hardly thinkable that a confessor would assume this duty regularly

without equipping himself with a reasonably thorough knowledge

of the rule, the constitutions, and the more readily known customs
of the particular order of his penitents.

The confessor’s jurisdiction and authority are to be used in fear
and trembling. The religious penitent realizes that he can never fully
appreciate this operation of the priestly power, for it is of God.

It is a part of the divine plan that no person can ordinarily help a

religious in the spiritual realm so much as his confessor when he is
granted full cooperation.

The Church recommends that the priest say the following prayer
before entering the confessional. It emphasizes the principal virtues

of the worthy minister of the sacrament of mercy. It expresses his

humble plea to be effective as the instrument in God’s hand in assist-

ing penitents spiritually.

At the same time it acquaints the religious penitent with the mo-

tives and the scope of the confessor’s exhortation and absolution. In

so doing, it outlines, indirectly, how the religious himself is to co-
operate. Mentally modifying its phrases to read in the third person

instead of the first, the prayer establishes an anticipated bond of

spiritual union between the penitent and the confessor that creates

an ideal disposition for obtaining maximum fruit from the sacrament.

^

Grant me, O Lord, the wisdom employed at Thy throne, thatI may know how to judge Thy faithful with justice, and Thy
poor in judgment. Make me so handle the keys of the kingdom
of heaven that I shall not open the door to anyone on whom it
should be closed, nor close it on him to whom it should be opened.

Let my intention be pure, my zeal sincere, my charity patient,
my efforts fruitful. Let me be gentle without being lax, firm and
unyielding without becoming harsh; may I never look down on

the poor, nor flatter the rich. Make me kind in winning sinners,
prudent in questioning them, and skilled in instructing them.

Grant me, I beseech Thee, expertness in restraining sinners from

evil, diligence in keeping them virtuous, perseverance and earnest-

ness in leading them to greater progress.



Prayer for Confessor 43

Bestow on me maturity in my answers, rightness in my exhorta-
tions, light in all difficult problems, wisdom in involved situations,

and victory over all difficult cases.

Do not permit me to tolerate useless talk, nor to be corrupted
by the evils which are made known to me. May I save others,
and not be lost myself. Amen.^^

PRAYERFUL STATEMENT OF INTENTION

St. Gertrude

Most sweet Jesus, because of Thy loving desire for our salva-tion Thou hast instituted sacramental confession for the
consolation of all sinners, so that by its power we might be
cleansed of all our iniquities and recover the grace we have lost.

Now I return to Thee once more, wretched sinner that I am, after
having offended Thee again by many sins and defiled my soul
with many stains.

I now propose to receive this excellent sacrament with the un-
shakable hope and confidence that Thou wilt grant me pardon
of all my sins. I desire to accuse myself before the priest. Thy
representative, of all my sins, as far as I can recall them, with
the most profound humility and contrition. I will not knowingly

conceal any mortal sin, no matter how vile and shameful it be.

I desire to include in this confession all the sins which escape

my memory, and all my venial sins. I confess them all to Thee
as to my great High Priest. In the presence of the whole court
of heaven I proclaim myself faithless and guilty of offending Thine

adorable Majesty.

I beg Thee, therefore, most merciful Father, deign to look on

me, a miserable sinner, with the same compassion with which Thou
didst look upon Thy Son when He lay prostrate in the Garden
of Olives, crushed to earth by the sins of all mankind. Gracious-

ly hearken to me as with all my heart I implore Thy pardon.

To make up for what is lacking in my contrition, which I real-
ize is not what it should be, I offer Thee that most intense grief



44 . . And Amend My Life’*

which Thine only-begotten Son endured in His Sacred Heart

throughout His whole earthly life on account of the sins of the

world, but especially when in the Garden of Olives the extremity
of His anguish caused Him to sweat blood. I beg Thee to cleanse
my soul of all its stains in that most holy Blood and to adorn it
with a purity whiter than snow. Amen.22



CHAPTER SIX

THOUGHTS WHILE AWAITING YOUR
TURN TO CONFESS

Many lay persons will confess today. Probably a large numberof them are preparing at this moment, as I am, to enter the
confessional.

Few have attained my understanding of the sacrament. Scarcely any
of them share the combination of my blessings that are commonplace
among religious: the enclosure’s protection which holds temptation
at a distance; a schedule of prayer, work, and separation from the

world in all that I do that rarely permits deviation from seeking God;

almost unbroken companionship with my fellow religious who are
intent upon their life of virtue.

Nevertheless, at times God gives lay people a deep spirit of con-
trition. Their detestation of sin and the firmness in amending their

lives often constitute the greatest joy of the confessor. Humility,

learned in simple love of their Saviour, gives beauty to the acknowl-

edgment of their human shortcomings.

Lay folk often bring to the confessional much that is acceptable
to God and little known to men: undaunted struggle against tempta-
tion and the occasions of sin; the bearing of crosses from exalted

motives—crosses about which religious usually know little; the prac-
tice of virtue under difficult circumstances; childlike generosity with

God and charity toward neighbor. The last prayer of the formula of
absolution dignifies these acts of virtue by mentioning them with the

sufferings of Christ, the merits of His Blessed Mother and of the

saints: *'May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . whatever good

you [the penitent] have done, and whatever evil you have endured,

be for you unto the remission of sins ...”

It would be a terrible reversal of the right order of things if I, who
am vowed to strive after perfection, were to pay so much attention
to accuracy of numbers, meticulous correctness in stating my faults,
and all the external acts of confessing that laymen would perform

the humiliating task with greater love of God than I.

45



46 . . And Amend My Life”

That Thou wouldst spare us. .
. ;

that Thou wouldst pardon
us. .

. ; that Thou wouldst bring us to true penance, we beseech
Thee, Lord, hear us!

(Utany of the Saints)

>1,

^^/^OD allows sin; God allows me to sin. Why? I do not
VJ know, but it is something to know that God does allow it

and that He has a good motive for so doing. Now the fact that God
allows it does not in any way excuse me from the guilt and responsi-
bility of my wrongdoing. These sins are sins, and I know quite well
that I deliberately chose evil rather than good. It was a deliberate

choice of my will. God’s permission does not therefore absolve me,
but it does give me reason to think differently of my sin after the
event than if it bore no relation to God at all. For it is clear that
since He allows sin and since His motive in so doing is a good mo-
tive and since His only motive can be love, I am allowed to fall into
sin because God loves me. However disconcerting this thought is,
undoubtedly it is a valuable one because it makes me realize that
something can be done with sin to make it useful to me.
”What else can that mean but that God wishes me out of my past

sin to come nearer to Him, to find somewhere in that unhappy past

a motive too for love? . . . Sin then can be used afterwards so as to

make the memory of it an inspiration towards a greater love of God.
This is also the real act of sorrow, the perfect contrition that thinks

of sin and is sorry for it because it has offended God who is in-
finitely good in Himself. Here is true sorrow in which self is for-

gotten and God only remembered. It is not sorrow only, but sweet
sorrow; it is love.”23

A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit;
heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.

a contrite and humbled

{Psalm 50, 19)

''Be filled with confusion at your wretchedness. O my God,
how dare I appear before Thee? Alas! I am but an offscouring
of the world and a sink of ingratitude and of iniquity. Is it pos-



Thoughts While Awaiting 47

sible that I have been so disloyal, that there is not a single one

of my senses, or of the powers of my soul, which I have not
spoilt, violated and soiled, and that there has not been a single

day of my life on which I have not produced such evil effects?
Is this the return that I should make for the benefits of my Creator,
and for the blood of my Redeemer

That Thou wouldst bring us to true penance, we beseech Thee,
Lord, hear us! (Litany of the Saints)

If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow:

and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.
(^Isaias, 1: 18)

the sacrament of penance, contrition (as, moreover, the

1. other acts of the penitent: accusation of faults and satisfaction)

bears a sacramental character. What does this signify? In every sacra-
ment, the infinite merits gained for us by Christ are applied to the

soul in order to produce the special grace contained in the sacrament.

The grace of the sacrament of penance is to destroy sin in the soul,
to weaken the remnants of sin and to restore life; or if there are only

venial faults, to remit them and increase grace. In this sacrament, the

hatred of sin felt by Christ in His agony and upon the Cross . . .

passes into our soul there to produce the destruction of sin. This

destruction of sin effected by Christ’s substitution of Himself for us

in His Passion is reproduced in the penitent. Contrition remains

what it is, even outside the sacrament: i.e., an instrument of death

to sin; but in the sacrament Christ’s merits give to this instrument,

as it were, infinite and supreme efficacy. It is at this moment that
Christ washes our souls in His Precious Blood.

^

My little children, these things I write to you, that you may
not sin. But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,



48 **. . . And Amend My Life’*

Jesus Christ the just: and He is the propitiation for our sins:
and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

HE ASCETiCAL LITERATURE of rdigious Orders treats at length
of the greatly increased value of good works when they are

performed without any attachment to sin. I must remind myself that

being freed of sin is not something negative: it is the condition

for bringing my spiritual faculties to their perfection and for fulfill-
ing my duties under the virtue of religion as the Church desires me
to fulfill them. It is also the means of effecting my worthiest identi-
fication with the purposes of my religious family. Sin is always a
moral break from one’s religious institute; virtue, on the other hand,

intensifies the oneness of the brethren in Christ that is the foundation

on which an order or congregation is built up: and corporate holiness,

the united practice of good works draws down the blessing of God
and merits the gratitude of the Church. Such spiritual forces are

indispensable: they have no substitutes.

The first four of the concluding prayers of the Litany of the Saints
are used in the formula of general absolution granted to some orders.

The intent of the Apostolic See in granting this unusual favor on
certain feasts of the year is evident: that God be served and adored
in the name of the Church by representatives privileged to receive

the fullest possible application of the power of the keys.

O God, Whose property is ever to have mercy and to forgive,receive our humble petitions, and grant that we and all Thy
servants who are bound by the chains of sin may, by the com-
passion of Thy goodness, mercifully be absolved.

Graciously hearken to our humble prayer, we beseech Thee,

O Lord, and pardon the sins of those who confess to Thee, that
in thy goodness Thou mayest grant us pardon and peace.

Be graciously pleased, O Lord, to show unto us Thine unspeak-
able mercy, freeing us from all sin, and delivering us from all

punishments which we justly deserve for the same.

O God, Whom sin doth justly move to anger, and repentance
turn again mercifully to forgive the same, mercifully regard the

prayers of Thy people praying before Thee, and turn away the

(/ John, 2: 1, 2)



Thoughts While Awaiting 49

scourges of Thy wrath, which for our sins we most rightfully de-

serve.

^

He hath chastised us for our iniquities: and He will save us
for His own mercy. See then what He hath done with us, and
with fear and trembling give ye glory to Him: and extol the

eternal King of worlds in your works.

( Tobias '. 13, 5, 6)

'It is not merely because I have been preserved from mortal

sin that I. lift up my heart to God in trust and in love. I am
certain that even if I had on my conscience every imaginable
crime, I should lose nothing of my confidence, but would throw
myself, my heart broken with sorrow, into the arms of my Saviour.
I remember His love for the prodigal son, I have heard His words

to St. Mary Magdalen, to the woman taken in adultery, and to
the woman of Samaria. No—there is no one who could frighten
me, for I know too well what to believe concerning His Mercy
and His Love.^^

"... I know that in the twinkling of an eye all those thousands
of sins would be consumed as a drop of water cast into a blazing

fire."27

(St. Therhe of Lisieux)



CHAPTER SEVEN

SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTUAL CONFESSION

Timely, adequate preparation and all measures in conformity withreligious decorum adopted to expedite the hearing of confessions
show considerateness to the members of the community and are wel-

comed by the priest. If those who are waiting their turn to confess
do not form a line, it is commendable for the one who is next to
present himself to the priest to stand at a distance of a few paces—far
enough away that there would never be any possibility of hearing the

priest or the penitent, but close enough for promptly taking one’s

turn without delay. Where a double confessional, with grilles at either
side, is used (an architectural device that has not merited universal

adoption), the penitent should be kneeling when the confessor opens
the panel.

The first requisite for confessing worthily is to place oneself as
vividly as possible in the presence of the Divine Judge. Here the

religious is a professional: the spirit of recollectedness that he brings

to his sacramental acknowledgment of sin is part of the reward of

many hours of meditation, of spiritual reading, examinations of con-
science, private prayer, and the observance of silence. The light in
the confessional will usually permit him to gaze lovingly on the figure

of the crucified Saviour.

If a religious finds it necessary or justifiably convenient (it is never

the ideal), to confess in a parish church, or elsewhere, at a time

scheduled for lay parishioners, he should identify himself before

beginning the accusative part of his confession. The simple state-

ment, *1 am a religious,” helps to remove misunderstanding where
profession may aggravate offenses acknowledged, and to determine

the character of the priestly exhortation. Furthermore, it serves to

eliminate embarrassment on both sides of the grille, and should be

a guarantee of humility.

The penitent begins with the formula, ”Bless me. Father, for I

have sinned. My last confession was made one week ago.” The first
statement is an expression of humility which introduces the accusation

of sins with simplicity and directness. The approximate time since

one’s last reception of sacramental absolution is helpful to the priest

in his capacity of spiritual judge. In some novitiates candidates memo-

50



Suggestions for Actual Confession 51

rize a slightly different version of this introduction, and use the form

they are taught: arbitrary deviation from the accepted custom would

be a weak note on which to begin one’s plea for divine mercy and

for intensification of grace.

The ideal would be for every penitent to speak clearly, in a whisper

or subdued voice, but loud enough to be heard without difficulty or

straining, and for all confessors to be blessed with good hearing.

In this vale of human defects, where false teeth, defective hearing,
low-gear effort, and similar impairments are not unusual, the ideal

is often not attained without conscious effort at cooperation. For

those who are frequently asked to repeat what they have said in ordi-
nary conversations, distinct effort at clarity in the confessional is ob-

viously indicated. Best results are realized by speaking directly toward

the grille or small opening. As the minister of Christ the confessor
must judge the penitent’s dispositions: to do so he must ordinarily

hear every statement made. Otherwise he is forced to ask the penitent

to repeat what has been said, which occasions needless confusion and

embarrassment.

In some convents supplementary confessionals are erected, with

proper permission, in the infirmary, reception rooms, library rooms, or

other appropriate settings for the sick, the aged, and the hard of

hearing. If this commendable arrangement is impracticable, the re-

ligious should state quite simply that he does not hear well and would

be grateful if the priest were to speak a little louder or more distinct-

ly than usual. If he fears that he cannot understand even when the
confessor takes greater pains in addressing him, he may conclude his
confession by asking, *'Will it be satisfactory if I pray the Miserere

(or the De Projundis, or a decade of the Rosary) according to your
intention. Father?’* If he cannot see the confessor, he may simply
assume the answer has been in the affirmative.

Sins are to be confessed as briefly as possible. Should the religious

have had the misfortune of committing mortal sins, he must, if pos-

sible, indicate their exact number and any circumstances which aggra-

vate their seriousness.

If there are no mortal sins to confess, he should mention several
(usually not more than three or four) venial sins and imperfections
that have, in his judgment, the most direct bearing on his life as a

religious. To list a greater number would tend to throw the emphasis
on completeness of statement (which is not at all necessary with
venial sins), rather than on contrition and firm purpose of amend-
ment.



52 . . And Amend My Life**

To make certain of the desired quality of contrition it is wise to
include a sin or an evil habit from one’s past life, especially the sin

which offended God most seriously, a habit to which one remained
long attached, the word, thought, deed or omission whose remem-

brance now causes the deepest shame, or which had the most far-
reaching baneful influence in one’s life.

Former habitual sins merit particular attention in this connection.

Because they usually weaken the firm purpose of amendment until

they have been corrected, they are in a special sense offensive to God,

and can be confessed over and over with profit long after they have

ben conquered.

Care must be taken to specify that the sins have already been con-

fessed and absolved, and that they are included in the present con-

fession only for its perfection.

Even in so salutary a practice as accusing oneself of already forgiven

offenses, one must guard against two dangers: generalizations and

routine. It does not hurt deeply to say, *1 am sorry for all past viola-
tions of my vow of obedience.” The phrase comes easily: after it
has been appended a few times to confession it may become practical-
ly valueless. Even a more specific accusation, such as ”On one occa-
sion, before entering the monastery, I deliberately absented myself

from Mass on a holy day of obligation,” would lose some of its

effectiveness if it were repeated so often as to become habitual.

Better by far to include, week after week, different specific offenses

from the past, so that each confession is made to contribute to a posi-
tive, unending hatred for sin, a life devoted to reparation of past

failures. The opening sentence of the Prologue of St. Benedict to his
Rule offers a workable definition of the monastic life: "Through

the labor of obedience [which is a labor of love] we are to return
to God from Whom we wandered through the sloth of disobedi-
ence.” The process of returning to God is lifelong: the sacrament of
penance should have a prominent part in it.

Confession must be accusative to produce its intended fruit in the

soul of the religious. Excuses are entirely out of place, and are never

resorted to by those who kneel in the spirit of Calvary.

The fifth degree of humility as taught by St. Benedict in his Rule

(Ch. 7), emphasizes openness and candor in dealing with the spiritual

father. The manifestation of conscience contemplated in this classic

directive of monasticism has no more exact counterpart in modern

religious life than in childlike simplicity and frankness in relying

on the guidance of one’s confessor. As an integral element of a



Suggestions for Actual Confession 53

form of life that produced great saints, in times past, and intrinsically

on its own merits today, it cannot well be disregarded. Like the other
degrees of the difficult virtue, humble accusation and frankness must

be prayed for earnestly.

The confession should be closed with this sort of statement (which
is, of course, not obligatory) : 'Tor these and for all the sins of my
past life, especially (as an example) for having criticized and for

having interfered with the work of a local superior who was acting
under obedience, I am truly sorry and beg for God’s forgiveness
through your absolution. Father.”

After he has stated his sins, the penitent is to listen carefully to

the admonition of the confessor, and to the assigning of the penance.

Although the Church does not teach that the priest is inspired by the

Holy Spirit in his exhortation to penitents, experience abundantly

shows that decisions are made and principles applied with a wisdom
that can hardly be accounted for merely by years of study and experi-

ence. The contribution to a satisfying and helpful confession that is
made by the admonition is recognized by the faithful: in part, it
accounts for their love of the sacrament.

What is not so commonly appreciated is the penitent’s own con-
tribution; the quality of the exhortation seems to parallel, to some

degree, the humility and general worthiness of the confession. A
profoundly spiritual admission of sins and faults will hardly fail to

elicit a consoling and helpful response; stereotyped confessions, filled

with generalities and indifferently made, are usually not going to

draw forth gems of ascetical theology.

Because of the larger numbers who confess in motherhouses, or for
less understandable reasons, the admonition of the confessor is some-

times pared to skeletal proportions, or omitted altogether. A few
thoughts on the ideals of the religious life have been prefixed to each

part of the examination of conscience in this booklet. Although ad-

mittedly reading is a poor substitute for the appeal of Christ’s minister

in the act of administering the sacrament of mercy, its moral union

with the confession after one has made his thanksgiving preserves
a certain appropriateness that is not lacking in effectiveness.

It is courtesy to thank the confessor. "May God reward you. Father,”
or simply, "Thank you. Father,” are in good taste and in common
use.



CHAPTER EIGHT

SACRAMENTAL ABSOLUTION

Despite all seriousness of preparation for the sacrament, the mo-ment of absolution comes upon one with a suddenness that re-
quires calm reflection for its full appreciation. The confessor’s capacity
of judge, necessarily and invariably passing a sentence of reconcilation

with God once he has established the penitent’s worthiness of disposi-
tion; his role of spiritual father, exercised by instructing, guiding, and

warning; his duty as a physician in the spiritual order, diagnosing,

prescribing remedies, and resorting to painful cures when they are
needed—all seem momentarily to lose much of their significance as
he begins his more effective function as the minister of Christ.

While the penitent recites the Act of Contrition, usually upon in-

struction from the confessor to do so, the priest himself pronounces

his sentence, which, like the sign of the other sacraments, effects

what it represents. It wipes away sin—completely, so that they will
never again stand to the penitent’s discredit. By the same action it
restores or increases grace, extending the sacrament’s efficacy to the

future. It gives the pledge of eternal life.

The penitent’s great concern at the moment rests with his own
prayer, the Act of Contrition. It requires his undivided attention.

In a general way he should be mindful, however, of his confessor’s

pronouncement, either by reason of having anticipated its action during

his preparation for confession, or by swift advertence to what he

knows about the sacred formula of absolution. Afterward he can

commendably reflect at leisure on the beauty and simple power of

the confessor’s prayer: regardless of how often it has been studied,
each examination seems to reveal hitherto unnoticed beauties, or to

give intensity and depth to former appreciation.

Misereatur tut omnipotens De-

us, et dimissis peccatis tuts,

perducat te ad vitam aeternam.

Amen.

May Almighty God have mer-
cy on you, forgive your sins,

and lead you to life everlast-

ing. Amen.

54



Sacramental Absolution 55

Indulgentium, absolutionem, et

remissionem peccatorum tuo-

rum tribuat tibl omnipotens et

misericors Dominus. Amen,

Dominus noster Jesus Christus

te absolvat: et ego auctoritate

ipsius te absolvo ab omni vin-

culo excommunicationis, sus-

pensionis,^ et interdicti, in

quantum possum, et tu indiges,

Deinde ego te absolvo a pecca-

tis tuis, in nomine Patris, et

Filii, et Spiritus Sancti,

Amen,

Passio Domini nostri Jesu
Christi, merita Beatae Mariae

Virginis, et omnium sanctorum,

quidquid boni feceris, et mali

sustinueris, sint tibi in remissi-

onem peccatorum, augmentum

gratiae, et praemium vitae ae-

ternae. Amen,

May the almighty and merci-
ful Lord grant you pardon,

absolution, and forgiveness of

your sins. Amen.

May our Lord Jesus Christ ab-
solve you: and by His author-

ity I absolve you from every

bond of excommunication, sus-

pension,* and interdict, in as

far as lies in my power, and
you have need thereof.

Furthermore, I absolve you of

your sins, in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and

the Holy Ghost. Amen.

May the Passion of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the merits of the

Blessed Virgin Mary and all

the saints, whatever good you

have done, and whatever evil

you have endured, be for you

unto the remission of sins, the

increase of grace, and life ever-

lasting. Amen.28

The Roman Ritual has no specific prescription regarding the man-
ner of dismissing the penitent. The confessor may have several appro-
priate phrases which he may vary according to the circumstances of
penitents and liturgical seasons. Usually he employs a short excerpt

from the Gospel like **Go in peace, and sin no more,** or he may
say simply, *‘God bless you,** or **Will you please include a prayer

according to my intention?**

^
* The word ‘^suspension** is inserted into the formula only when a

person in major orders is absolved.



CHAPTER NINE

THE ACT OF CONTRITION

P
ROBABLY the penitent has never failed to recite this prayer on
any day since he learned it. So deeply instilled into Catholic

consciousness is the dread of retiring at night without having begged

God’s forgiveness of the day’s faults, that even those who succumb
to the inclination to cut their prayers to a minimum retain their de-
votion to the Act of Contrition after they have grown remiss about

other prayers. Understandably, too, the oftener one lifts up his mind

and heart to God, and the more he grows in the spirit of prayer, so

much the more vividly will these simple phrases of sorrow for sin
and detestation of what offends God dominate his soul.
As it is prayed during the absolution by the confessor the Act of

Contrition differs a great deal from its recitation at other times. Here

it takes on a sacramental character. The power that makes the sacra-
ment what it is, namely the application of the merits of Christ, enters

into the sinner’s soul, and communicates to him something of our

Lord’s own hatred of sin. When it becomes truly heartfelt, as a re-
sult of humble effort, this destestation of sin is the rich experience of

an intense love of God, to be appreciated to the fullest extent.

Realization of that goal necessitates that the penitent strive for the

perfection of his part in the administration of the sacrament of mercy.

There is a harmful tendency to be guarded against in so lofty an ob-

jective: some persons tense up nervously and struggle their way

through the Act of Contrition, almost as though they considered

themselves compelled to feel and express their sorrow physically. Cry-

ing, unusual inflection of words, pauses, and other manifestations

are valueless as criteria of the sincerity of contrition: better by far

to pray simply, unaffectedly, and just a bit more rapidly than one

might be inclined to pray, with one sole thought in mind—to make
fully one’s own the meaning of these basic words which, because they
are man’s relation to God, children can understand and in which

saintly individuals and gifted scholars always find new depths of love
to probe.

Everything must be done in calmness: the Divine Author of the

sacrament of forgiveness must not be thought of as willing that His

56



The Act of Contrition 57

infinitely loving reception of the repentant sinner be a tormenting

ordeal. The most desirable and impressive qualities of hatred of sin
and gratitude toward God are calmness, reflectiveness, profundity.
As far as can be reali2ed, the penitent must try not to allow any-

thing to distract him from the sacredness of what is transpiring: not
anything the confessor has said in his admonition (the penitent can

return to that later), nor any sudden disturbance in the chapel, nor

what others may think if one’s confession has been somewhat longer
than usual—nothing whatever. The endeavor should be to concentrate
on one thought exclusively, the obvious, simple meaning of this beauti-

ful acknowledgment of sorrow for sin.

The more humbly and worthily this prayer is said, the surer one
is that absolution is being received with ideal dispositions. It is

helpful to think of the two prayers being recited on either side of

the grille as not only simultaneous, but complementary: the priest

raises his hand in absolution as the penitent is in the very act of as-

suring God that he is sorry for his sins and eager to amend his life.
Although it is so short that it can be recited in only a few seconds,

the Act of Contrition states perfectly every thought that the penitent

need keep in mind.

It is helpful to gaze upon the crucifix while praying the Act of

Contrition: that is why it is erected in every confessional. Some
persons prefer to bow their heads, glancing at the cross on their
rosary, or on the printed figure of the Crucified Saviour in the book

they are using. They are free to express their sorrow in whatever

manner they find most helpful.

There can be no excuse for rushing through the Act of Contrition,

or for mumbling it in a slovenly manner. There should be adequate

time for praying it reflectingly and even reasonably slowly, for the

Latin formula of absolution pronounced by the priest is about twice

as long as the Act of Contrition. Should the confessor complete the

recitation of the formula of absolution before the penitent has finished

his prayer (some priests recite Latin quite rapidly), there is no cause

for becoming upset. Ordinarily the confessor, whose experience has

taught him to be observant, will notice that the penitent is still pray-
ing, and will wait. If he has failed to notice, and has pronounced

his dismissal to the penitent, the latter can simply remain kneeling

and say his prayer (this presents no problem where there is a double

confessional), or return to his place in the chapel and do so.



58 . . And Amend My Life”

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having
offended Thee. I detest all my sins, because
I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of
hell: but most of all, because they have
offended Thee, my God, who art all good,
and deserving of all my love. I firmly re-
solve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess
my sins, to do penance, and to amend my
life. Amen.



CHAPTER TEN

AFTER CONFESSION

THANKSGIVING

HE MINUTES that immediately follow absolution are precious.
They are comparable to the time that devout souls spend in

prayer after receiving Holy Communion, if one thinks of the distinctive

operations of divine love and compassion in this sacrament. They are

an occasion of abundant grace and closeness to God. They are espe-

cially significant for the religious, because his whole existence is, in

the ideal of every religious institute, a zealous striving for complete

detachment from sin.

Pardon of offense has now been pronounced. Through the min-
istry of the priest, God has erased all that was marked to the discredit
of the religious. Temptation for the moment remains at a distance.
Eagerness to please God and generosity in doing so should be the
dominant notes of these blessed moments.

The penitent’s first thought should be one of humble thanksgiving.

Ordinary politeness toward daily companions demands a fitting ex-

pression of gratitude when a favor has been received. Of course,
there is no standard of comparison, really. Instead of mere politeness

the penitent appreciates the inadequacy of words to express his thanks;

he is not acknowledging a favor that a friend has performed, but

seeks to praise the infinite mercy that has rescued him from eternal

loss; he is not speaking to an equal, but with humility’s lovable bold-

ness, addressing his God.

Simply to kneel before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for a little

while, saying nothing, desiring only to be with our Lord, permitting

the heart to make its own humble attempts at appropriate sentiments
is perhaps as worthy an expression of heartfelt appreciation as any.

If a worthy thought spontaneously arises in the mind (such as kneel-
ing in spirit on Calvary, entering more deeply into the keenness of
sorrow experienced while gazing on the crucifix in the confessional),

it should be encouraged, given free rein, and dwelt on as long as

possible. If other forms of expression elude one, thanking the in-

finitely good and merciful Lord over and over constitutes an excellent

prayer at the moment.

59



60 . . And Amend My Life’

Important as it is, the fulfilling of the penance directly after re-

turning to One’s place in the chapel can hardly be considered fitting.

Certainly it is no thanksgiving. Making due allowances for unavoid-
able necessity, such as an infirmarian returning to the care of the

sick, for a religious to leave the chapel immediately after performing

his penance, as often seems to be the practice, would reveal very little
regard for the sacrament of mercy and less appreciation of its influ-

ence in the life of the religious.

^

ST. THOMAS’ PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

I
PRAISE Thee, I glorify Thee, I bless Thee, my God, for the
great blessings Thou hast bestowed on me, despite my un-

worthiness.

I praise Thy mercy that so long and patiently awaited my con-
version to Thee; Thy tenderness that pretends to take vengeance

on me; Thy kindness in calling me back to Thee; Thy goodness
in receiving me; Thy merciful forgiveness of my sins.

I glorify Thy goodness in bestowing blessings beyond any merits

of mine; Thy patience in not holding my offenses against me;
Thy humility in offering me consolation; Thy patience in protect-
ing me; Thy eternity that preserves me; Thy faithfulness to Thy
promises in rewarding me.

What can I possibly say, my God, in honor and acknowledg-
ment of Thy generosity that defies description.^ For Thou dost
call back to Thee the person that flies from Thee; receive the

prodigal; give aid to the wavering and joy to the person in de-

spair; incite the negligent to action; equip the fighter for battle;

and crown the victor. Thou dost not spurn the repentant sinner,
nor remember his wrongdoing.

Thou dost free us from dangers, and soften our heart for re-
pentance. Thou dost deter us from sin by the terror of punish-
ments, and draw us to Thee by Thy promises.
Thou dost correct us with the lash; guard us with the ministry

of Thine angels; see to it that our material needs are provided;

and hold in reserve for us the goods of eternity.



After Confession 61

Thou dost exhort us by the dignity of our creation; invite us

to the mercy of redemption; promise us eternal rewards. And for
all these gifts I am incapable of saying anything in Thy praise.

I thank Thy divine Majesty for the abundance of Thine infinite

goodness. Mayest Thou always increase Thy graces in me, pre-

serve what Thou hast thus increased, and reward what Thou hast

preserved. Amen.^^

ST. GERTRUDE’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

O ALMIGHTY and merciful God, Whose mercy is boundless andeverlasting, and the riches of Whose goodness are infinite,
I give thanks with all my mind and heart for the most amazing
and exceeding goodness Thou hast shown me in graciously pardon-
ing all my sins, and restoring me to Thy grace and favor.

Blessed be Thy Divine compassion, O my God, and blessed be
the incomprehensible love of Thy beloved Son, which constrained
Him to institute so gentle and so powerful a remedy for our sins.

In union with all the thanksgivings that have ever ascended to

Thee from truly repentant hearts, I sing aloud Thy joyous praises
in the name of all in heaven, of all now living on earth, and of
the souls in Purgatory, for ever and ever. Amen.^^

In his excellent devotional manual of the seventeenth century,

Parasceve mortalitatis humanae Ranbeck recommends that the pre-

ceding prayer be recited in conjunction with Psalm 102, which is

particularly appropriate after one has gone to confession.

PSALM 102

B
less the Lord, O my soul: and let all that is within me bless
His holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done
for thee.

Who forgiveth all thy iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases.



62 . . And Amend My Life’

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction: who crowneth thee
with mercy and compassion.

Who satisfieth thy desire with good things: thy youth shall be
renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord doth mercies, and judgment for all that suffer wrong.

He hath made His ways known to Moses: His wills to the
children of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful: longsuffering and

plenteous in mercy.

He will not always be angry: nor will He threaten for ever.
He hath not dealt with us according to our sins: nor rewarded

us according to our iniquities.

For according to the height of the heaven above the earth: He
hath strengthened His mercy toward them that fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our
iniquities from us.

As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord

compassion on them that fear Him; for He knoweth our frame.
He remembereth that we are dust: man’s days are as grass, as

the flower of the field so shall he flourish.

For the spirit shall pass in him, and he shall not be: and he

shall know his place no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity

upon them that fear Him;

And His justice unto children’s children, to such as keep His
covenant.

And are mindful of His commandments to do them.
The Lord hath prepared His throne in heaven: and His king-

dom shall rule over all.
Bless the Lord, all ye His angels

:
you that are mighty in strength,

and execute His word, hearkening to the voice of His orders.

Bless the Lord, all ye His hosts: you ministers of His that do

His will.

Bless the Lord, all His works: in every place of His dominion,

O my soul, bless thou the Lord.



CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE SACRAMENTAL PENANCE

I
T IS wise at this point to fulfill the penance inflicted by the con-

fessor if, as is ordinarily the case, it is an act of devotion to be

performed in the chapel.

The penance or satisfactio, as it is commonly referred to in the

Church’s Latin, is in the nature of a compensation made to God in
place of the debt of temporal punishment that remains after the sin

itself has been forgiven. It differs entirely from penances inflicted in

the religious life. These latter produce their intended salutary effect

in proportion to and according to the spirit of cooperation and the

merit of the one performing them {ex opere operantis). The penance
which the confessor necessarily imposes, since it is an essential part

of the sacrament, is a compensation for the temporal punishment due

to sin and actually removes those penalties by the efficacy of the sacra-

ment itself {ex opere operato) and is, consequently, far more ef-

ficacious.

Today extremely light penances are customary, if we compare them
with the severity of the former discipline of the Church. In the con-

fession of religious they should never be so light nor so foreign to

the purpose of the sacrament as to lose their penitential character, as

is the case with prayers that can be recited in a minute or two and

prayed according to intentions that have little discernible connection

with sorrow for sin. The religious needs to keep in mind the purpose
of the Church, which he can make fully his own, even without the
painful aid of her former severity.

The Council of Trent makes it clear that there is a fourfold fruit in
performing the sacramental penance:

1. The penance teaches the sinner that sin after baptism is a great
evil which is worthy of severe punishment; it is in the nature of a

vengeance taken on sins ... "after having received the gift of the

Holy Ghost, [they] have not feared, knowingly to violate the temple

of God (I Corinthians, 3: 17) and to grieve the Holy Spirit (Romans,
2: 4).

^ 2.
"Doubtless these satisfactory punishments greatly recall [that is,

restrain] from sin, and check, as it were with a bridle, and make
penitents more cautious and watchful for the future;

63



64 . . And Amend My Life’*

3. *'They are also remedies for the remains of sin and by acts of

opposite virtues, they remove the habits acquired by evil living”;

(that is to say, as a punishment the penance is not only vindicative

but also medicinal and preservative);

4. ”By making satisfaction and suffering for our sins, we are made
conformable to Jesus Christ, Who satisfied for our sins, from whom
all our sufficiency is (II Corinthians, 3: 5); having also thereby a

most sure pledge, that if we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified
with Him (Romans, 8: 17). But neither is this satisfaction, which
we discharge for our sins, so our own, as not to be through Jesus
Christ.

”32

Regarding the penance, the Code of Canon Law specifies that ”The
confessor is to impose a salutary and proportionate penance according

to the quality and number of sins committed; the penitent must ac-

cept the same willingly and perform it personally (Canon 887). For

serious offenses penances are inflicted which are grave in the sense

that if one were otherwise bound to perform them, the obligation

would bind gravely, as the recitation of a substantial part of the Divine

Office, hearing Mass on a day of obligation, fasting or abstaining for

a day, praying the Litany of the Saints with its accompanying orations

on the days prescribed. Saying a few Our Fathers, the Miserere or
any other Psalm, or the Litany of Loretto does not constitute a grave

penance.

What is of importance for the religious who desires to derive
maximum spiritual benefit from confession is the willing acceptance
and fulfillment of the satisfactio, humbly uniting it with Christ’s

atonement for sin, from which union proceeds the full distinctive

value of the assigned good work.

FTER CONFESSION your soul is free from all sin and all attach-

ment to sin. It is at its worthiest, humanly speaking, for ac-

ceptable prayer. It is now impelled by the love of God.
Probably your confessor has assigned an intention according to which

you have performed your penance. However willingly and worthily

performed, these short prayers or little good works may not satisfy
your present desire to give proof of your love of God and your pres-

^

ent generosity. If your charity seeks more, the following intentions

are suggested for their perennial appeal to religious. Pick out one or

A SUGGESTION



The Sacramental Penance , 65

the other and pray the Our Father in the spirit of charity for its reali-

zation.

Considering the constantly operating law of human dissolution, it
is safe to assume that many religious will die today. Among those
who lie suffering at this moment waiting, amidst the temptations

and trials of their final hour before being released from their agony

and being summoned before their Maker, there may be a religious,
possibly of your own order, who stands in need of great increase of
grace. He may have on his soul the same imperfections and stains of
sin that you had a few minutes ago, before you went to confession.

Beg God to send a priest to his bedside to prepare him for a blessed
death and the worthiest possible termination of his vocation.

^

Occasionally one reads or hears of a lost vocation—
a

priest, a nun,

or other religious who has made what is often an irreparable break,
completely abandoning the grace of state. The experience is more
sobering when it involves a companion of your own order, your prov-
ince, possibly one of your novitiate and profession class, one bound

to you by the ties of fraternal charity and oneness in Christ. It makes

you sick at heart to appeal to such a person and to plead, only to

sense that the effective response to grace is gone.

When the final break becomes known, disturbing thoughts my assail
one:—maybe if charity had prompted me to pray zealously for
him ! . . . Did I contribute in the slightest way to his leaving ? . . .
Was I remiss in any obligation?

Flights from religion, apostasy, or secularization, whatever their

immediate occasion, do not happen suddenly. Regardless of the vir-

tue or the vow that is violated, formal dismissal from an order pre-
supposes the contumacy of grave and repeated infractions of the rule

after warnings; similar paternal and official action is taken with reli-

gious in simple vows. After a religious has departed illicitly or

apostatized from his institute, official investigation usually discloses

evidence of malicious intent that was concealed over an extended

period of time, a gradual drifting from the order. That was when
the person needed the help that the charity of confreres could have

given him.



66 \ . . And Amend My Life”

Considering how many are lost and, no doubt, the far greater
number who withstand temptation, it is safe to conjecture that the
devil is at work at this very moment. Somewhere a religious is toying

with grace. Possibly he is a member of your own order. He has a
claim on you, a claim of justice, or at least of charity. Pray for him.

The need for vocations is constantly felt. No matter how flourish-
ing the present status of an order seems to be, superiors speak fre-

quently of the necessity of greater numbers to meet the increasing

demands that are made on their orders to do their work; they attend
conventions, hold workshops, and employ other means for furthering

the campaign of enlisting new members; they petition or order special
prayers to be said that God will bless their orders with worthy candi-
dates. Much work for God that is traditional among religious insti-
tutes must remain for the present untouched in this country because

of the lack of the necessary man power: greater sacrifices for the
foreign missions; new foundations to be made in sections of this
country where the progress of the Church has been slow; the greater

depth and breadth of the teaching undertaken by the orders; the in-

creased care of the sick and the suffering by representatives of the

Church; and numerous other works of charity that can ideally be

taken over by religious. It must be remembered, however, that prayer

for vocations should have for its first purpose the increase of God’s

glory through the greater worthiness of life of the religious.

Many consider the Prayer over the People at the end of the Mass
on Tuesday in Passion Week as fully expressing their thought:

Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, a persevering obedienceto Thy Will; that in our days the people who serve Thee
may increase both in merit and number. Through our Lord ...

^
Both in his personal pronouncements and in the instructions issued

through the Sacred Congregation of Religious, our gloriously reigning

Vicar of Christ, Pope Pius XII, has indicated his intense desire of

directing most effectively the great power of religious institutes to

the problems that currently confront the Church. ’'Accommodation

of the principles of religious institutes to the modern needs of the

Church” is a phrase that has been featured so prominently in many



The Sacramental Penance '67

recent documents addressed to religious that it may well become one
of the keynotes by which the work of a great pope will be remem-

bered in history. The need is real and serious. The obligation of
obedience, a generous spirit of submission, is evident: "All religious

are subject to the Roman Pontiff as their highest superior, whom they
are bound to obey also in the virtue of the vow of obedience’'
(canon 499, § 1).

Zealous prayer that God will employ the services of the orders and
congregations (and particularly of one’s own institute) under the
enlightened leadership of their respective superiors, to accomplish

much that must be done in the Church today, is a worthy form of
zeal and charity.

In his booklet Religious and Monastic Life Explained, Abbot

Prosper Gueranger offers a suggestion which seems particularly appro-

priate in the sinlessness of the period of thanksgiving after confession.

Although written by a Benedictine for members of his order, it can

be adapted by any religious to the works of his institute.

The motto of the order is that God be glorified in all things. This
implies that the monk must constantly long for the kingdom of God,
the immediate object of the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

Inflamed by the ardor of such a motive, he will magnanimously recom-

mend to God the works of zeal performed in the entire order. He
will entreat God to accept all the efforts of every follower of St.
Benedict, whether these be expended in the humble tasks performed

within the confines of the community, or serve directly the sublime

objective of the salvation of souls. The monk is to pray frequently
that for God’s glory and service the order may be filled with men
powerful in word and deed, men after the pattern of the many illus-
trious saints of the monastic life, who became all things to all men
and knew so well how to serve the Church and the souls ransomed
by Jesus Christ . .

.

^
Announcements of the death of confreres in the order are constant-

ly appearing on the bulletin board; from time to time God calls to
Himself those with whom we have worked for years. Charity toward
all souls in Purgatory is a self-evident duty for those who strive for
perfection; it is a far graver obligation toward former companions in
religion.



68 . . And Amend My Life’

The religious life is, by definition, a return to God. It is also the
bond of unity in which brethren aid one another in observing the

life of virtue and in striving for their common goal. The souls of
former religious are detained in Purgatory, probably because of imper-

fections and unforgiven venial sins resulting from relaxed discipline,

or because of those for which the penitent himself may have furnished
the occasion. In any event, the return of the souls of deceased con-

freres to God has almost been realized; certainly death has not the power
of severing the oneness in Christ which makes the religious life what

it is; thoughtlessness should not be allowed to do what death cannot

do.

ST. BEDE’S PRAYER TO CHRIST
TO BREAK ATTACHMENT TO SIN

After a sincere and humble confession of his sins, the religiousdoes not worry about the past. Firmness of belief and unques-
tioning confidence in God’s goodness and mercy, together with faith

in the efficacy of the penance that has been performed with sacramental

power, honor the Father of mercies as few other dispositions of which

the human soul is capable.
But remembrance of past failures, awareness of present weakness,

and the realization of dependence on divine protection not only do

not dishonor God, but are a realistic acknowledgment of the help

one needs to correspond to the graces of life in religion.

St. Bede, who led a life of singular detachment, has left us this
beautiful prayer of great urgency that our Blessed Lord will guard

us and shield us, and lead us to Him.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Deliverer of souls, Redeemer of theworld, eternal God, immortal King! Although I am a sin-
ner, I make bold to implore Thy boundless clemency. Out of Thy

great mercy, and through the words of the Psalms {and other

prayers} which I have addressed to Thee, free my soul from sin.
Turn away my heart from all wicked, perverse, and dangerous

thoughts. Deliver my body from the slavery of sin. Keep all
evil desires far from me. Free me from every hold that the devil and
his ministers, visible and invisible, might have over me, and from

all Thy faithless enemies who seek to plunge my soul into sin.
Protect me from these and from all other evils, O Saviour of



The Sacramental Penance '69

the world, who with God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, livest
and reignest, and dost govern as Lord of all, God, for ever and

ever. Amen.^^

^
ST. THOMAS’ PRAYER TO THE BLESSED MOTHER

Much of the history of devotion to Mary, the Mother of God,is intertwined with her veneration by religious through the
ages. This is entirely understandable, because those who are dedicated
to the seeking of perfection beg with special confidence the inter-

cession of the Immaculate Queen. Her whole existence exemplified

every ideal of the religious life, and she derives great joy in the

glorification of her Divine Son by those who strive to become like
Him.

She knows their human frailty and their need of help. She delights
in being sincerely and trustfully asked to plead their cause at the

throne of her Son.

St. Thomas of Aquin has incorporated in the following prayer
motives and ideals which every religious seeks to bear away with him

after confession.

O MOST BLESSED and sweet Virgin Mary, Mother of God, con-sumed with the intensity of love. Daughter of the most
high King, Queen of angels. Mother of all the faithful! Today

and all the days of my life I commend to the heart of thy love
my body and soul, all my deeds, my thoughts, desires, longings,
speech, my works, my whole life, and my death.
May they all be directed for my welfare, through thy prayers,

according to the will of thy Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

so that thou, most holy Lady, wilt be my helper and comforter
against all the temptations and snares of the ancient enemy and

all who seek my harm.
Deign to obtain from thy Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

the grace by which I can effectually resist the temptations of the

world, the flesh, and the Devil, and always keep firm the purpose

of never sinning again and of persevering in thy service and that

of thy Beloved Son.

I beg thee, O my holy Queen, obtain for me suitable obedi-
ence and humility of heart that I may admit truthfully that I



70 . . And Amend My Life’'

am a miserable and weak sinner who am not only unable to per-
form any good work, but even to withstand the continuous as-

saults of the evil one without the grace and help of my Creator
and thy holy prayers.

Procure for me also, most dear Lady, perpetual chastity of soul
and body, to enable me to serve thy Beloved Son and thee with
a pure mind and a chaste body in thy order {the Dominicans}.

Obtain for me from Him the gift of voluntary poverty marked
with patience and tranquillity of mind so that I may bear the bur-
dens of the same order and labor for my own and my neighbor's
welfare.

Procure for me also, thou Queen of great tenderness, the true
spirit of charity by which I may love thy most adorable Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ, with my whole heart. After Him, let me love
thee above all things. May I love my neighbor in God and for
the sake of God. I desire to rejoice at my neighbor's good fortune,
to grieve at the evils he suffers, to spurn no one, not to judge any-

one rashly, nor prefer myself to any other person.

Grant also, O Queen of heaven, that my heart may always be
governed by both the fear and the love of thy most Beloved Son;

that I remain ever grateful for the wondrous benefits that have

been bestowed on me through no merit of mine but only through
His benignity; that by complete and sincere confession and true

repentance of my sins, I may attain to mercy and grace.
I pray also that at the end of my life thou, my own Mother,

gate of heaven and advocate of sinners, wilt not suffer me, thy

unworthy servant, to turn away from the holy Catholic faith. Aid

me with thy great love and mercy, and defend me from the evil
spirits. With my hope confirmed in the glorious and blessed Pas-
sion of Thy Son, and through thine own intercession, obtain from
Him the pardon of my sins, and direct me in the way of salvation
and eternal welfare, as I die in thine own and His love. Amen.^®

^
ST. ANSELM’S PRAYER OF DEPENDENCE

ON THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

WHATEVER his confidence in God’s mercy and goodness, the re-ligious knows from experience that he will have to cope with



The Sacramental Penance . 71

temptations and occasions of offending God that are not wanting in
power and attractiveness.

When these present themselves, the religious must depend on the
helps God has given him; the victory that gives glory to God does
so because weak man employs the means of faith to withstand the
powers of evil.

Among the great helps that God has given to each person is the
protection of his guardian angel. This pure spirit stands ever ready

to shield and aid the one whom he is assigned to protect. His pur-
pose is to prevent offense to the divine goodness: his motive, obedi-

ence to God and love of the one whose cause he has adopted.
The ages of livelier faith abounded in prayers in honor of guardian

angels. This one from the pen of St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canter-

bury, is among the worthier expressions. It merits the attention of
the religious today.

Guard over me constantly and protect me, I beg of thee, angelicspirit, to whose watchful care God has committed me. Keep
me always in thy sight. Shield me from every attack of the Devil.
Never let thy loving watchfulness fail for an hour, or even for

a moment, whether I am awake or asleep, night or day. Accom-
pany me wherever I go. Keep all of Satan’s temptations at a
distance from me.

I realize that my merits do not justify my asking for so great
a favor, but obtain for me that no shadow of vice darken my life:
make this thy prayer before our most merciful Judge and Lord,
Who appointed thee my guardian and assigned me to thy care.
When thou seest me about to enter into forbidden ways, use all

thy power to return me to our Redeemer by the paths of justice.
Whatever the difficulties I encounter, may I always enjoy the
grace of Almighty God which thou wilt obtain by making my
need known and pleading my cause.

If possible I pray thee to make known to me the time of my
death. In the hour that my soul is going forth from this body,
do not permit the evil spirits to terrify me, nor mock me, nor cast
me into the pit of despair. Do not leave me until thou hast led
me to the vision of my Maker where, with thee as my advocate,
as thou hast been my protector in earthly life, I shall rejoice with
all the saints for ever, through the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Amen.3^



CHAPTER TWELVE

THE NEW HOPE, FRESH CONFIDENCE

1
HAVE CONFESSED as worthily as I could. I have done so with the
firm conviction that God loves me with His boundless love, will-

ing infinitely more to show that love by forgiving me than I, with all
my imperfections and sins, could desire to be forgiven! My sins re-
main now only in my memory. I may look back on them; in fact I
hope that I shall look back on them in humility to remind me of past
faithlessness and malice and to keep me aware of my constant weak-
ness that must ever depend on vigilance and grace, but never to ques-

tion whether they were actually blotted out.

Many passages in the Church’s official prayer are so optimistic and
assured in tone that they are evidently composed to instill into the

hearts of the faithful the confidence in grace that I now need to build
up. They make it clear that the security and courage in which

I have been found wanting are to be prayed for zealously. They in-

struct me in the ways of cooperating with grace to make my vowed
life more pleasing to my future Judge.

It is readily understood that those parts of the Church’s worship

in which she venerates the heroes of the religious life emphasize the

worthiest motives for those who today seek to serve God in the sacred
enclosure.

In these prayers I learn that victory over my weakness is God’s
work.

Like a huge mural completely covering the walls of an immense

church, the examples of the saints who were schooled in the religious
life are held up for the admiration and imitation of today’s faithful.

Day after day through the greater part of the liturgical year the Mass
and Divine Office present one virtue after another: their total is

the perfection aimed at in the cloister.

It is God’s work, man’s worthiest oneness with Christ. Saints and

blessed of all the orders and congregations have contributed admirably

to the spiritual life of the Church: gratefully the Church extols their

heroic virtue and places on our lips the prayers by which she honors

them. Properly reflected on, these present the religious ideal. In the

words of Pope Pius XII, **We should imitate the virtues of the Saints

72



The New Hope, Fresh Confidence -73

just as they imitated Christ, for in their virtues there shines forth

under different aspects the splendor of Jesus Christ.

^

WORTHIER FULFILLMENT OF VOWS

O God, Who dost shed splendor on Thy Church with the won-derful learning of Thy blessed confessor Thomas, and makest
it fruitful by his holy deeds; grant us, we beseech Thee, to under-

stand what he taught and to follow his example in what he prac-

{Collect, St. Thomas Aquinas, March 7)

... so strengthen us by Thy grace in faith and love through his
merits and intercession, that we may be found faithful even to
the point of death in serving Thee.

{Collect, St. Fidelis of Stgmartngen, April 24)

^

Hearken, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to the prayers we offerThee in honor of Thy confessor and bishop, St. Basil, who
deserved to serve Thee in an acceptable manner; may his merits
move Thee to free us from all sin.

{Collect, St. Basil the Great, Jime 14)

E
nable us, O Lord God, in the spirit of the Apostle Paul, to

devote ourselves completely to learning the knowledge of

Jesus Christ, which surpasses all understanding . .

.

{Collect, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, July 5)

^

S
TIR up in Thy Church, O Lord, the Spirit to which our holy
Father Benedict was obedient, that filled with the same we

may zealously strive to love what he loved and put into practice
what he taught.

{Collect, Octave day. Solemnity of St. Benedict, July 18)



74 . . And Amend My Life’*

. . . may we, through Thy grace, aided by his intercession and
example, always put our trust in Thee, and desire only the things

of heaven.

{Collect, St. Cajetan, August 7) St. Cajetan founded the Theatines.

^

. .
.
grant us at his intercession that, being freed from the bond-

age of sin, we may devotedly and zealously do what is pleasing
to Thee.

{Collect, St. Raymund Nonnatus, August 31) St. Raymund was
one of the first outstanding vocations with which the Order of
Our Lady of Ransom was blessed.

O God, Who in Thine inexpressible Providence hast deignedto send Thy holy angels to keep watch over us, grant, we
humbly pray, that we may always be defended by their protection
and may rejoice in their fellowship for all eternity.

{Collect, Guardian Angels, October 2)

^

HUMILITY

O God, the exaltation of the humble. Who hast raised blessedFrancis to the glory of Thy saints; grant, we beseech Thee,
that through his merits and example we too may happily win the
reward Thou hast promised to the humble of heart.

{Collect, St. Francis of Paula, April 2) St. Francis was the founder
of the Minims.

UPHELD by the support of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother,we beg Thy mercy, O Lord, to lead our hearts to scorn
attachment to all things of earth, and to love Thee, the true God,

with perfect love.

{Secret Prayer, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Third Wednesday after Easter)



The New Hope, Fresh Confidence • 75

. . . mercifully grant that following his example, we may scorn

all that the world has to offer, and so merit to attain to the re-

wards which Thou hast promised to the humble of heart.
{Collect, St, Peter Celestine, May 19) Out of humility St. Peter
Celestine resigned the papacy.

. . . bestow on us. Thy servants, the grace to hold in contempt,

as he did, the treasured things of the world, and always to seek

after those of heaven. {Collect, St. Philip Benizi, August 23)

^

OBEDIENCE

O God, Who to encourage us in imitating the example of un-hesitating obedience set for us by the blessed Abbot Maurus,
didst cause him to walk with dry feet upon the waters; grant that

we may become worthy to practice the lessons he taught by his
virtue and to obtain a share in the same reward.

{Collect, St. Maurus, January 15)

O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear the prayers of Thypeople who call upon Thee; and grant that they may both
perceive what they ought to do, and have the grace and strength

to fulfill the same.

{Collect, Sunday within the Octave of Epiphany)

^

CHASTITY

O God, Who, to show the path of innocence, didst cause thesoul of Thy saintly virgin Scholastica to soar up to heaven
in the likeness of a dove; grant us, through her intercession and

merits, to live in such innocence that we may deserve to attain
everlasting bliss. {Collect, St. Scholastica, February 10)



76 \ . . And Amend My Life”

. .
.
grant through her intercession that we may lead lives of

angelic virtue and, renouncing all pleasures of earth, merit the

joys that are eternal. {Collect, St. Angela Menci, May 31)

^

O God Who, in the distribution of Thy heavenly gifts, didstunite wonderful innocence of life with an equal severity of
penance in the angelic youth Aloysius; by his merits and prayers

grant that we who have not followed him in innocence, may
imitate his spirit of penance.

{Collect, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, June 21)

. . . cleanse from our hearts all stain of sin through her merits

and intercession. {Collect, St. Gertrude, November 17)

^

POVERTY

Grant us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, to follow the coun-sel and example of Thy blessed confessor and bishop, Peter,
that by despising all attachment to the things of earth, we may

attain unto eternal joys. {Collect, St. Peter Damian, February 23)

O God Who didst adorn the blessed bishop Thomas in a singu-lar degree with the virtue of compassion for the poor; we
beseech Thy loving kindness, at his intercession, to pour forth

the riches of Thy mercy on all those who humbly pray to Thee.
{Collect, St. Thomas of Villanova, September 22)

O God Who, through the merits of blessed Francis, dost enrichThy Church with new offspring; grant that imitating him
we may despise the goods of earth and always find joy in partaking

of the gifts of heaven. {Collect, St. Prands of Assisi, October 4)



The New Hope, Fresh Confidence 77

Most merciful God, Who wast pleased to summon the holyAbbot Sylvester into the wilderness as he stood beside an
open grave, meditating on the vanity of the things of this world,

and to adorn him with the merit of a singularly holy life; we
beg Thee most humbly, that like him, we may despise earthly
wealth and enjoy fellowship with Thee for ever.

{Collect, St. Sylvester, November 26)

LOVE MOTIVE

O God, by Whose will blessed Francis, Thy confessor andbishop, became all things to all men for the salvation of
souls; mercifully grant that, being filled with the sweetness of

Thy love, we may, through the guidance of his counsels and the aid
of his merits, attain unto the joys of everlasting happiness.

(Collect, St. Francis of Sales, January 29)

. . . may we be nourished by her heavenly teaching and grow
in loving devotion toward Thee.

(Collect, St. Teresa of Avila, October 15)

^

. . . through her merits and example, give us the grace to love

Thee in all things and above all things, and to become worthy

to dwell in Thy heart for ever.
(Collect, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, October 17)

LOVE OF THE CROSS

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst endow blessed Paul withsingular charity for preaching the mystery of the Cross, and
wast pleased that through him a new religious institute should

flourish in the Church; grant through his intercession, that always

keeping the memory of Thy Passion before us in this life, we may
be accounted worthy to partake of its fruits in heaven.

(Collect, St. Paul of the Cross, April 28)



78 . . And Amend My Life”

MORTIFICATION

. .
.
grant in Thy mercy, and through the help of his merits and

intercession, that we may continually carry the cross and produce
worthy fruits of penance.

{Collect, Feast of Impression of Stigmata of St, Francis, September 17)

O God, Whom it pleased to make Thy blessed confessor Peterillustrious by the grace of a marvellous spirit of penance,
and to bestow on him the gift of the highest contemplation; grant,

for the sake of his merits, that we may so mortify our flesh that
we may learn more readily to understand the things of heaven.

(Collect, St. Peter of Alcantara, October 19)

j.

O God Who didst endow blessed John, Thy confessor anddoctor, with a spirit of utter self-denial and a surpassing love
of the Cross, grant that by following his example with constancy,

we may attain to everlasting glory.
(Collect, St. John of the Cross, November 24)

O God Who wast pleased that in her unconquered love of ThyCross, blessed Julia should enrich Thy Church with a new
religious family for educating poor girls; grant at her intercession

that by the courageous enduring of our sufferings we may attain
to the joys of eternity.

(Collect, Blessed Julia Billiart, April 8) Blessed Julia is the

foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

j.

VIRTUOUS ZEAL

May the sacraments we have received, O Lord, our God, nour-ish us in that ardent charity wherewith blessed Robert was
so intensely inflamed that he spent himself continuously in the

service of the Church.

(Postcommunion, St. Robert Bellarmine, May 13)



79The New Hope, Fresh CoNFroENCE

O God Whom it pleased to call many peoples to the knowledgeof Thy name by the zeal of Thy blessed martyr and bishop
Boniface; grant in Thy mercy that we . .

.

may also enjoy his
protection. {Collect, St, Boniface, June 5)

^

O God Who didst raise up blessed Norbert, Thy confessor andbishop, as an outstanding preacher of Thy word, and as
the founder of another religious order for Thy Church; grant,
we beseech Thee, for the sake of his merits, that Thy grace may
strengthen us for putting into practice the lessons he has taught

us by word and deed. {Collect, St. Norbert. June 6)

O God Who didst adorn blessed Camillus with the singulargift of charity in helping souls in their last agony; through
his merits inspire us with Thy love, we pray Thee, so that at the
hour of our death we may gain the victory over our enemy and
deserve to obtain a heavenly crown.

{Collect, St, Camillus of Lellis, July 18)

^

O God Who didst strengthen blessed Vincent with the powerof an apostle for preaching the Gospel to the poor and for
increasing the honor of the ecclesiastical state; grant, we humbly
pray, that we who seek to venerate him for his holy life, may
also profit by the example of his virtue.

{Collect, St, Vincent of Paul, July 19)

O God Who for spreading the greater glory of Thy Name didststrengthen the Church Militant with a new army by means
of blessed Ignatius; grant that we who wage the spiritual fight
on earth may with his help and in imitation of his example, be-
come worthy to be crowned with him in heaven.

{Collect, St. Ignatius of Loyola, July 31)



80 . . And Amend My Life”

O God Who didst inflame blessed AJphonsus Mary, Thy con-fessor and bishop, with burning zeal for the salvation of
souls, and through him didst beget new children for Thy Church;
grant, we beseech Thee, that imbued with his wholesome doctrine
and strengthened by his example, we may, by Thy grace, be able
happily to come to Thee.

{Collect, St, Alphonsus Mary of Llguori, August 2)

O God Who didst strengthen blessed Peter with wondrouscharity and patience for aiding the enslaved Negroes when
Thou didst summon them to the knowledge of Thy name; grant,
through his intercession, that seeking the things of Jesus Christ,

we may love our neighbors in deed and truth.
{Collect, St. Peter Claver, September 9)

May the heavenly mystery, O Lord, enkindle in us the fire ofthat love with which Thy virgin blessed Teresa conse-
crated herself to Thee as a victim of love for mankind.

{Postcommunion, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, October 3)

TEACHING AND DIRECTING THE YOUNG

O God Who didst raise up the holy confessor John Baptist topromote the Christian education of the poor and to confirm
the young in the way of truth; . . . mercifully grant that, helped

by his prayer and example, we may be inflamed with zeal for Thy
glory in saving souls and deserve to become sharers of his crown

in heaven. {Collect, St. John Baptist de la Salle, May 15)

^

O God, Father of mercies, grant in virtue of the merits andintercession of blessed Jerome, whom Thou didst will to
be a father and helper of orphans, that we faithfully preserve the
spirit of adoption whereby we are, in name and in truth. Thy
children. {Collect, St. Jerome Aemilian, July 20)



The New Hope, Fresh Confidence 81

O God Whom it has pleased to shed luster on Thy Church bythe merits and teaching of Thy confessor blessed Dominic;
grant, through his intercession, that the Church may not lack

temporal help, and may continually advance in spiritual growth.
{Collect, St. Dominic, August 4)

.j.

O God Who has deigned by means of St. Joseph, Thy con-fessor, to provide Thy Church with a new band of helpers
for training the minds of the young in knowledge and piety;

grant, we beg Thee, that by his example and intercession, we may

so work and teach as to gain an everlasting reward.
(Collect, St. Joseph Calasanctius, August 27)

He that shall receive one such little child in My Name, received!Me. Alleluia.
(Communion versicle, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, May 25)

^
IN TIME OF TEMPTATION

B
lessed is the man that endureth temptation! For when he
hath been proved he shall receive the crown of life.

(Alleluia verse, St, Francis Xavier, December 3)

PARTICIPATION IN SACRED LITURGY

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the examples ofThy saints may rouse us to lead a better life; so that through
observing their feast days we may also emulate their deeds.

(Collect, St. Felix, priest, martyr, January 14)

O God Who didst choose blessed Pius for the supreme pon-tificate to crush the enemies of Thy Church and to reform
divine worship; grant that his prayers ever be our defense, and

that we may be so faithfully attached to the service of Thy praise
that, foiling all the snares of our enemies, we may abide in Thy
peace for ever. {Collect, Pope St. Pius V. May 5)



82 . . And Amend My Life”

CONSTANCY, PERSEVERANCE

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in Thee, Whodidst fill blessed Gregory, Thy confessor and bishop, with
the virtue of constancy in defending the freedom of Thy Church;
grant that, helped by his prayers and example, we too may with
fortitude overcome all opposition.

{Collect, Pope St. Gregory VII, May 25)

^

DEPENDENCE ON GRACE

Almighty and merciful God, Who having endowed blessedJane Frances with wonderful strength of spirit, wast pleased
to lead her, ever consumed with love of Thee, along the path of

perfection throughout the whole course of her life, and through

her to bless Thy Church with a new and illustrious family; gra-
ciously regard her merits and intercession, and grant that we who
know how weak we are and who trust wholly in the strength
that comes from Thee may, by the help of Thy grace, overcome
the hostility of the forces that oppose us.

{Collect, St. Jane Frances de Chantal, August 21)



CHAPTER THIRTEEN

FOR A LIFE PLEASING TO GOD

P
ROFESSED RELIGIOUS who cooperate with the grace of their state
draw close to God. They see themselves in His light—as far

as He grants to them and to the extent they can bear. They see the
purpose of their existence, the pattern of all that befalls them, and

especially their human failings sharply and clearly. Making their life
pleasing to the Lord is their dominant concern.

With the saints this resolve is a burning passion, not of reckless-
ness or headlong action, but of intensity and firmness. Many of them
who composed prayers to express their 2eal wrote most appealingly on
this thought Religious of today may well learn from them.

^

ST. BEDE

O Lord God Almighty, do Thou open wide my heart andteach it by the grace of Thy Holy Spirit to ask for what is
pleasing to Thee. Direct my thoughts and my senses so to think
and to act that by a worthy manner of life I may deserve to ob-
tain the eternal joys of the heavenly kingdom. Direct my actions
according to Thy commandments so that ever striving to keep
them in my life I may receive for my deeds the eternal reward.^®

ST. ANSELM

Omnipotent God, merciful Father, kind Lord, have mercyon me a sinner.
Grant me pardon of my sins. Put me on my guard against all

allurements, temptations, and harmful pleasures; and enable me
to gain the victory over them.

Give me the grace to stay at a distance, both in thought and
deed, from all that Thou forbiddest, and to perform in perfect
observance what Thou commandest.

83



84 . . And Amend My Life’

Give me to believe in and hope for, to love and to live what
Thou knowest and wiliest, and to the extent that Thou hast ap-
pointed for me.

Bestow on me compunction begotten of humility and gratitude;
prudent abstinence and mortification of the flesh in order that I

may love Thee, turn to Thee in petition, praise Thee, reflect lov-
ingly on Thee, and make my deeds and thoughts harmonize with
Thy will. Give me a pure, composed, and devoted mind as well
as a true and efficacious knowledge of Thy law, that I may al-
ways progress humbly toward the greater good and never grow

negligent.

Do not abandon me. Lord, to my own will, to human ignor-
ance and weakness, to my own deserts, nor to anything other than
Thy loving Providence. But govern my whole being, my thought,
and my action according to Thy good pleasure, so that Thy will
alone may always be done by me, and in me, and concerning me.
Deliver me from all evil, and lead me to eternal life. Amen.^®

^

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, give to us wretchesto do for Thee what we know Thee to will, and to will al-
ways that which is pleasing to Thee; so that inwardly purified,

inwardly illumined and kindled with the flame of the Holy Ghost,

we may be able to follow in the footsteps of Thy Son, our Lord

Jesus Christ, and by Thy grace alone come to Thee, the Most
High, who in perfect Trinity and simple Unity livest and reignest
and gloriest God Almighty for ever and ever. Amen.^®

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Bestow on me, most
merciful God, the fervent zeal of desiring

the things that please Thee, and diligence in searching for

them faithfully in my life. Grant me the wisdom necessary for
finding them, and grace to accomplish them for the praise and

glory of Thy name.



For a Life Pleasing to God 85

Direct my life, that I may possess the knowledge for doing what
Thou dost demand of me: help me to do what I am supposed to
do, in the way I am supposed to do it, and as is most beneficial
for my soul.

Do not permit either prosperity or adversity to make me negli-
gent in duty, or separate myself from Thee. Keep me from being
puffed up with pride by the one, or driven to despair by the

other. Teach me to give humble thanks when all goes well, and
to be armed with patience when difficulties arise. In this way I

will learn to rejoice only in what draws me to Thee, my blessed
Jesus, and to have sorrow only for what separates me from Thee.

When I am put to the test, give me the courage to seek to
please no one but Thee, and never fear to displease anyone but

Thee.

May what is short-lived and passing cease to hold attraction for
me. Lord; but make me love all that is Thine for Thy sake, and
Thyself more than all else.

Deprive whatever is indulged in without relation to Thee of its

power to give me joy: do not let me desire anything that is
foreign to Thee. May labor undertaken for Thy love always
gratify me; may leisure that is not enjoyed by reference to Thee
be irksome.

Give me the grace to lift up my heart to Thee often. When
I become forgetful, grant that I may have sorrow for my sins
with a firm purpose of amendment.

Make me. Lord God, obedient without contradiction; poor with-
out turning in envy to those who are materially blessed; pure
with no stain of corruption; patient without murmuring; humble

without hypocrisy; cheerful without giving way to levity; sor-
rowful without dejection. Grant me the grace to be serious-
minded without taking myself too seriously; busily engaged with-

out the dissipation of my spiritual energies; blessed with fear of
Thee without loss of hope; given to a love of truth without de-

ceit; devoted to the performance of good works without pre-

sumption; possessed of charity to correct my neighbor without
pride, and to instruct him by word and example without pretend-
ing to be other than I truly am.



86 . . And Amend My Life”

Bestow on me, most loving Lord, a heart so devoted to prayer

and watchfulness that worldly curiosity cannot distract it from

Thee; a heart so noble that no unworthy attachment can draw it

downward; a heart so righteous that no evil can turn it aside

from what is virtuous; a heart of such constancy that hardship

cannot overcome it; a heart so free from the allurement of sin

that the most violent temptation has no power to conquer it.

Give me, O my Lord God, understanding for knowing Thee;
earnestness for seeking Thee; wisdom for finding Thee; the grace

of a life pleasing to Thee; the perseverance of hoping in Thee

to the end; and the unshakable confidence of finally enjoying

Thee for ever.

May I accept present afflictions as Thy punishments in penance;
and use Thy blessings as the operations of Thy grace; but more
than all else, have part in Thy heavenly joy as Thy glorious re-
ward, Thou, Who livest and reignest, God, for ever. Amen^^

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serveThee as Thou deservest; to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for

rest; to labor and not ask for reward, save that of knowing that

I am doing Thy will.^^

Lord, I give myself to Thee. I trust Thee wholly. Thou art
wiser than I—^more loving to me than I myself. Deign to

fulfill Thy high purposes in me whatever they may be—^work in
and through me. I am born to serve Thee, to be Thine, to be
Thy instrument. Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to
see— ask not to know-—I simply ask to be used.^^

ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

CARDINAL NEWMAN



FOOTNOTES

1 de Bruyere, Madame Cecile. The Spiritual Life and Prayer; accord-
ing to Holy Scripture and Monastic Tradition. London: Art and Book
Company, 1900. p. 74.

2 See Morin, Dom Germain, O.S.B. The Ideal of the Monastic Life
Found in the Apostolic Age; translated from the French by C. Gunning.
London: R. & T. Washbourne, 1914. Chapter IV of this ascetical master-
piece on "Baptism and Profession” (p. 49-66) presents the teaching of
the Fathers and merits repeated reading.
^Summa Theologica, II, Ilae, 189, art. 3, ad 3.
^ St. Ambrose, de poenitent., lib. II, c. 10, n. 96. P.L. l6: 541.
^The Raccolta; prayers and devotions enriched with indulgences;

authorized by the Holy See. New York: Benziger Brothers, 1952. N.
287, p. 203.

6 Alcuin of York. Beati Alcuini Opera. De Psalmorum usu liber. XI,
Oratio monachorum (first part of a lengthy prayer; translated freely).
P.L. 101: 502.

7 St. Bernard. Confessionis privatae formula seu oratio poenitentis ad
Christum devotissima, quae B. Bernardo non male adscrihitur. P.L. 183:
773, 774. As the title indicates, it is not certain that the prayer is the
composition of St. Bernard, but that there are serious reasons for attri-

buting it to him. Many of the phrases are taken from the Liturgy of
Lent, indicating that the prayer may well have been composed during
the sacred season.

® D. Thomae Aquinatis Doctoris Angelici et Scholarum Catholicarum
Patroni monita et preces. Vienna: Woerl, 1882. p. 69.

9 No appropriate prayer for the examination of conscience was found,
despite diligent search. This prayer has been composed principally from
Marmion’s Chapter on "Compunction of Heart” [in: Marmion, Dom
Columba, O.S.B., Christ, The Ideal of the Monk. London: Sands, 1926,
p. 148 f.]

Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Letter, Sacra Virginitas, March 25, 1954.
Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 46: l6l f. Opening paragraph of the Encyclical.
Oflicial Vatican Translation, issued by N.C.W.C.

Ketter, Peter, Christ and Womarikind; translated from the second
and enlarged edition, by Isabel McHugh. Westminster, Maryland: New-
man Press, 1952. p. 174.

12 Garrigou-Lagrange, Reginald, O.P., quoting another in The Three
Ages of Interior Ufe: Prelude of Eternal Ufe. St. Louis: B. Herder
Book Co., 1948. 2:111.

13 Marmion, Dom Columba, O.S.B. Sponsa Verbi: the Virgin Con-
secrated to Christ; spiritual conferences; translated from the French
by Dom Francis Izard, O.S.B. St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1925.
p. 59.

i^Hedley, John Cuthbert, O.S.B. A Retreat. London; Burn§ & Oates,
1894. p. 379.

87



88 . . And Amend My Life”

Wolter, D. Maurus, Abbas de S. Martini de Beuron. Praecipua
Ordtnts Monastid Elementa. Bruges: Desclee, de Brouwer et Soc., 1880.
p. 486, 487.

1® Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, "On the Condition of Labor,” May
15, 1891. [in: five Great Encyclicals. New York: Paulist Press, 1939.
p. u

1^ Suhard, Emmanuel Cardinal. Growth or Decline? The Church
Today; translated by James A. Corbett. South Bend, Indiana: Fides
Publishers, 1948, p. 37, 38.

18 Pope Pius XI, Apostolic Letter, Unigenitus Dei Filius, March 19,
1924. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 16: 133 f. Especially on p. 135.

19 St. Augustine. The Confessions of St. Augustine; translated by F.J.
Sheed. New York: Sheed and Ward, 1943. p. 256.

20 Oratio contra vitia. Lihellus Precum Sacrarum, ex AfS* Floriacensi
annorum circiter 900, apud Martene, de Antiquis Ecclesiae Ritihus. Ap-
pendix IV. P.L. 101: 1411.

Preces et Pia Opera. Rome: Vatican Polyglott Press, 1938. N. 693,
p. 556.

22St. Gertrude. Preces Gertrudianae; editio nova altera, recognita a
monacho Ordinis S. Benedict! Archiabbatiae Beuronensis. Freiburg: i. B.
Herder, 1919. p. 230, 231.

23 Jarret, Bede, O.P. "The Place of Sin in the Divine Economy.” [in:
Homiletic and Pastoral Review, April, 1934. 34: 716. 720.} This ex-
cellent article of the renowned theologian and provincial of the English
Dominicans for sixteen years (d. 1934), was subsequently and posthumous-
ly published under the title of "The Sinner” [in: Life of the Spirit:
A Blackfriars Review, April, 1951. 5: 484-489.} It well merits permanent
and more available form.

24 St. Francis de Sales. Introduction to the Devout Life; edited and
translated by Allan Ross, priest of the London Oratory. Westminster,
Maryland: The Newman Press, 1951. Ch. xii. Meditation iv. Of Sin,
p. 56.

25 Marmion, The Right Rev. D. Columba, O.S.B. Christ, The Life of
the Soul. 5th ed. St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1939. p. 178, 179.

Saint Therhe of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus; a revised trans-
lation of the definitive Carmelite edition of her autobiography and let-
ters . .

.

New York: P. J. Kenedy & Sons, 1927. p. 194, 195.
27 In his chapter "God of Wrath or God of Love?” in the recent book.

Love and Violence, New York: Sheed and Ward, 1954, p. 188, Pere
Philippe de la Trinite, O.C.D. adds this striking sentence to a more florid
translation of the same excerpt. Presumably the addition is in the original
French of the Autobiography and for some reason was omitted in the
definitive American edition.

28 Latin text from Roman Ritual, title 3, Ch. 2, Absolutionis forma
communis [in: Rituale Romanum, New York: Benziger Brothers, 1944.
p. 79.}

29 D. Thomae Aquinatis . . . monita et preces. Vienna: Woerl, 1882.
p. 68.

Preces Gertrudianae... Freiburg: B. Herder, 1919. p. 213.



Footnotes 89

31 Ranbeck, R.P. Aegidius, monachus Schyrensis benedictinus. Parasceve
mortalitaUs humanae. Ingolstadt: Typis Job. Philippi Zinch, 1676.

p. 36.

32 Phe Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Oecumenical Council
of Trent celebrated under the Sovereign Pontiffs, Paul III, Julius III,
and Pius IV; translated by Rev. J. Waterworth. London: Burns and
Oates, 1848. Session xiv, Ch. 8, p. 102, 103. Excerpt adapted and ar-
ranged for brevity.

33 Gueranger, Rt. Rev. Dom Prosper, Abbot of Solesmes. Religious and
Monastic Life Explained; authorized version from the French by Jerome
Veth, O.S.B., Conception Abbey, Conception, Mo. St. Louis: B. Herder,
1908. p. 24-27. Abbreviated and paraphrased for present purpose.

34 St. Bede. Ascetica\ libellus precum B. Bedae Venerabilis, oratio
prima. P.L. 94: 529.

35 D. Thomae Aquinatis . , . monita et preces. Vienna: Woerl, 1882.
p. 61-63.

36 St. Anselm, Oratio 62, Ad angelum custodem. P.L. 158: 967. As
with many of St. Anselm’s prayers, one finds slightly various readings of
the text; all of them are substantially the same.

37 Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Letter, Mediator Dei. November 20, 1947.
(Vatican Library translation, issued by N.C.W.C., June, 1948, § 167,
p. 57, 58.)

38 Devotions of St. Bede and Other Ancient Prayers; arranged by
Abbot Gasquet. London: R. & T. Washbourne, 1907. p. 45. Latin text
to be found P.L. 94: 529.

39 St. Anselm, Oratio 9, Ad Deum. P.L. 158: 876.
49 St. Francis of Assisi [in: Franciscan Life in Christ, by Mark Stier,

O.F.M. Cap., Paterson: St. Anthony Guild Press, 1953. p. 89, quoting
The Writings of St. Francis; translated by Paschal Robinson, O.F.M.,
Philadelphia: Dolphin Press, 1906. p. 118.]

44 D. Thomae Aquinatis ... monita et preces. Vienna: Woerl, 1882.
p. 63.

42 St. Ignatius of Loyola. This translation has been adopted because
it is that used by the Jesuits of the Missouri Province (booklet for private
circulation), which was lent for the present purpose.

43 Newman, John Henry Cardinal. Meditations and Devotions of the
Late Cardinal Newman. New York: Longmans, Green, 1893. p. 301, 302.





r

;;