O eternal, holy, and most glorious Jesus. In yourself you united two natures, the human and the divine, which are of infinite distance from one another. You descended to the lowness of human nature, so that you might exalt it to a participation with the divine. We, your people, who were sitting in darkness and in the shadows of death, have seen a great light, which aids our understanding and enlightens our souls with its wonderful influence. The excellency of your holiness shines gloriously in every part of your life to lead us out of darkness, as your angel, the pillar of fire, led your children out of the darkness of Egypt.
Lord, open my eyes and give me power to behold your righteous glory. Let my soul be so engaged with love and holy enthusiasm that I may never look back to the world as Lot's wife looked back to the city of Sodom. Instead may I follow your light, which renews and enlightens, and guides us to the mountains of safety and the sanctuaries of holiness. Holy Jesus, since your image is imprinted on our nature by creation, help me show forth your image by living a holy life, by conforming my will and affections to your teaching, and by submitting my understanding to your dictates and guidance.
Help me to imitate your sweetness and your gracious character, your devotion in prayer, your conformity to God's will, your zeal tempered with meekness, and your patience exalted with love. May my heart, my hands, my eyes, and all of my abilities grow in accordance with God's will until I am mature and full-grown in the image of Christ. May I become a perfect person in Christ Jesus. May I see light, because of your light. By sowing the seeds of holiness, may I reap the fruits of glory by imitating your holy life, O blessed and holy Savior Jesus. Amen.
O eternal and almighty God, who sent your holy angel to visit the virgin mother of our Lord, to reveal the setting in motion of your eternal purpose of the redemption of mankind by the incarnation of your eternal Son, assist me with your divine grace. May I have such a holy attitude and disposition that I may never impede the effect of your mercy which you have ordered and designed for my own good. Please help me to have a desire to obey you promptly in the same way angels are eager to obey you. Give me holy purity and piety, prudence and modesty, such as were found to an excellent degree in the virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, your divine Son. May my deeds be holy and not tainted by worldly desires. As much as the circumstances of my life will allow it, may I live for you separated from secular interests and disturbances. Mary was able to have Jesus formed within her and bring him forth to the world. In a similar way, may I conceive the holy Jesus within my soul, entertain him, nourish him, and bring him forth and show him to the world by living a life of piety and obedience. May he dwell in me forever, and may I forever dwell with him in the house of eternal pleasure and glory, world without end. Amen.
O holy Jesus, Son of the eternal God, your glory is far above the heavens, and yet you came down to earth. Your glory was so great, making your humiliation all the more gracious. I worship your holy humanity in all humility, thankfulness, and joy, because you were willing to unite human nature with the eternal Word. This great and glorious mystery is the honor and glory of mankind. It was the expectation of our fathers who saw the mysteriousness of your incarnation obscurely from a great distance. Blessed be your name, because you allowed me to be born after the fulfilling of these prophecies. You allowed me to know of the consummation and the revelation to the world of this great mystery which shows forth the love of God. Holy Jesus, I admire and worship the greatness of your love and your willingness to condescend yourself to our level. I am thankful that you were willing to carry our burdens and infirmities for us. By way of contrast, though, I abhor myself and detest my impurities, which are so great. They are contradictory of the excellency of God. In order to destroy sin and save us, it was necessary that you should be sent into the world to die our death for us and give us life.
Dearest Jesus, you did not breathe one breath, nor shed one drop of blood, nor cry one tear, nor suffer one blow, nor preach one sermon for the salvation of demons. How sad and shameful it is, then, that I should be the cause of so much sorrow coming down on your sacred head. You have given yourself completely for me and the elect. At the beginning of your work of redemption, you spent nine months in the pure womb of your holy mother in order to redeem me from the eternal servitude of sin and its miserable consequences. Holy Jesus, let me be born anew. Let me receive a new birth and a new life. You are beloved by your Father and you have obtained from him atonement for us. May I imitate the excellency and graciousness which makes you beloved by the Father. Let your holy will be done by me. Let your will be done concerning me. May I do whatever is pleasing to you and submit to your guiding providence. May I conform to your holy will and serve you, now in the fellowship of the saints in the church, and forever in the glories of eternity. Amen.
Holy and immortal Jesus, I adore and worship you with all the humility of my soul and body. I give you thanks for your great love for us, a love demonstrated by your birth into the world. I am thankful for your humility in voluntarily choosing to be born into poor and humble circumstances. I present to your holy humanity, in which dwells your divinity, my body and my soul. I humble desire that as you clothed yourself with a human body, you might clothe me with the robes of righteousness. Please cover my sins, help me overcome my weaknesses, and sustain my life until I shall finally be clothed with the garments of glory. Amen.
Lord Jesus, please be gracious enough to come to me in a more personal and intimate way, so that you may lead me to the Father. By myself I can not move one step toward you. Take me by the hand. Place me in your heart, so that I may live there--and there may I die. As you have united our nature to your eternal being, may you unite my person to yourself through my love, obedience, and conformity to your image. Let your ears be open to my prayers. Let your merciful eyes look down on my problems. May your holy hands be stretched out for my relief and assistance. May your precious tears, which you cried because of your compassion and your suffering, water my heart of stone, making it soft and responsive to your love. May my heart be melted by your tears and become obedient and full of love. Moisten my eyes, so that I may mourn for my sins. Let my tears and sorrows be united with yours and become precious because they are mixed with that which is holy. Amen.
Blessed Jesus, you have sanctified and exalted human nature by your incarnation. You have even made me precious by uniting me with your divine nature. Teach me to be reverent and to acknowledge this dignity which you have done for me. May I never profane my body with impure lusts or evil thoughts. May I never unhallow the ground where your holy feet have walked. Instead, give me the kind of desires which you intended to accomplish by being born into this world and by the other works you did for our redemption. May I have greater faith in you because of your glorious work. May I have more sorrow in light of my own imperfections and my lack of conformity to your example. Bring me closer to you by my imitation of your excellent holiness. May I live here with you in a holy life. May I die with you by mortification and patient endurance. May I reign with you in immortal glory, world without end. Amen.
O holy and eternal God, you are the Father of all creatures and the King of all the world. You have given all people principles and abilities which are for our own preservation. You have given us the ability to think and reason. Natural inclinations to follow you are not only reasonable, but you have given us revelations of your will so that we might be drawn closer to you, to give you glory as our Lord and Father. Teach me to observe what is right, what I can know by natural law, so that I may act properly in relationship with all of the rest of creation. All of creation is made to serve you. May I serve you in the way that you desire. Lord, let me be as constant in my religious duty as the sun is in its rising and setting. Lord, let me be as ready to follow the guidance of your Spirit as little birds by instinct are ready to obey the directions of your providence. Lord, please never let evil practices, vain company, or false ideas extinguish the principles of morality and right reason within me. You have imprinted within me a sense of what is right morally and what is reasonable. You have created this sense within me and added to it an education to reinforce it plus the positive influence of the church. So Lord, let me live in accordance with your will which I can know from creation. May I, proceeding from nature to grace, then go on from grace to glory. May I receive glory as a crown for my obedience. May I live a prudent life and walk a holy walk before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O blessed and eternal Jesus, at whose birth choirs of angels sang praises to God and proclaimed peace to men, sanctify my will and my desires. May I live peaceably in all holiness. May I be humble and loving instead of being drawn to worldly things or superficial vanities. By your great example may I be so focused on carrying out the eternal will of God that I will not be swayed by the terrors of the world. May I not be influenced by its allurements and seductions. May I not be ambitious for its honor. May I not desire its rewards. Instead, make me diligent in the work you would have me to do. May I be faithful in the discharge of what you have entrusted to me. May I be modest in my desires and wants. May I be content with what your providence provides for me. As a result may I be focused on heaven and spiritual things and truly comprehend the blessings of the gospel, the "mystery" made known in Christ. By your guidance may I be brought into your presence in order to see your beauty and to admire your graciousness. And once I am in your presence, may I imitate all of your imitable qualities and rest in you forever. In this world may I persevere by means of a holy life. In the world to come may I share in your glory and happiness, O blessed and eternal Jesus.
Most holy Jesus, you are the glory of your people Israel, and a light to the Gentiles. You were pleased to call the Gentiles so that they might come to know your teaching and to worship your sacred person. You have shared your inestimable riches with everyone with a universal love with no respect of persons. Lord, give us teachable, pious, wise, and obedient spirits. May no work or calling of your grace be without effect on us. Instead may it produce excellent effects. May the secret whispers of your Spirit be heard by us as clearly as the loudest sermons of the gospel. May your Spirit prevail upon our desires, leading us to piety and obedience. Create in us an excellent character which would be suitable for presentation to your glorious majesty. Accept the offering of myself and my whole life in service to you. Lord, please accept my offering and take possession of it. May Satan not pollute it or have any part in it, so that I may be completely yours forever. Clarify my understanding, sanctify my will, and fill my thoughts with inclinations toward piety. Then I will present to you an offering as rich and precious as the gifts given to you by the wise men from the east. Lord, I am yours. Do not reject me from your favor. Do not exclude me from your presence. I will serve you all the days of my life and then may I partake of the glories of your kingdom in which you reign gloriously and eternally. Amen.
Most holy and ever blessed Jesus, you are infinite in your very nature, infinite in glory, and infinite in mercy. Yet, you are easy to approach and to talk to because of your humanity. I worship your name by which you conquered death and opened up the gates of heaven, by which you restrained the power of hell and revealed and shared the treasures of your Father's mercies. O Jesus, your name means "savior," so be a Jesus to me. Be a savior to me. Save me from the dangers and the ruin of sin. Save me from the wrath of the Father and from the misery and torment of the lost. Save me by the power of your majesty, by the sweetness of your mercy, and the sacred influence and miraculous glory of your name. I adore and worship you in your perfect obedience and humility. You submitted your innocent and spotless body to the bloody covenant of circumcision in accordance with Jewish law. Teach me to follow your example by being humble and obedient to your sacred laws. May I be disciplined and consistent in my religious habits. May I be purified in body and spirit and circumcised in heart and tongue. May I follow you as my example by being pious and living a penitent life. May I eliminate all that is harmful and unnecessary, especially that which might nurture the flesh or sinful desires. Now that I wear your holy name, may I do no dishonor to that name or the reputation of the church. Instead, I pray that I may only give you honor, worship and adoration by practicing a pure religion, O most holy and ever blessed Jesus. Amen.
O Lord and blessed Savior Jesus, by your obedience many became righteous. By your obedience you made amends for the ruin brought to humanity by the disobedience of Adam. You came into the world with many important goals to attain for our salvation. You have given us a great example by your obedience. You were willing to sacrifice your own life and become obedient, even to death on a cross. Let me imitate your blessed example. By the merits of your obedience let me obtain the grace of humility. Help me practice self-denial of my own desires and renounce my own selfish will. Instead, may my will conform to your sacred laws and holy purposes. May I obey you cheerfully, of my own free will, humbly, confidently, and continually. Please give me much mercy and a kind measure of your providence, so that your will be done in my life. Amen.
Lord, let my thoughts cling to and be satisfied with the great wisdom of your revealed will. May me heart's desire be the same as yours. May all of my resources be given to keeping your commandments. Let my love and desire to obey you make me obedient to those authorities who are above me, for I know that all rightful authority comes from you. May I never despise them as persons nor refuse to cooperate. May I never insist on my own way nor complain about my obligations. May I never dispute the wisdom of rightful authority nor excuse myself from it nor pretend that my duties are too difficult or impossible. Help me to see that all creation is obedient to your word. You have made this world a world of order, and I have no right to reject my duty to obey in many different relationships. May my obedience in these things ultimately be given to you. May it be united to your obedience, so that I may have a share in the glories of your kingdom, O Lord and blessed Savior Jesus. Amen.
O eternal God, by the prompting of your Holy Spirit your servants Simeon and Anna were present at the temple at the time of the presentation of the holy child Jesus. By them you verified your promise, you manifested your Son, and you rewarded the piety of holy people who had longed for redemption by the coming of the Messiah. Give me the assistance of the same Spirit as a monitor and a guide. Lead me in the way of holiness into fellowship with your glorious Son. Remember all your faithful people, your holy church, who wait for consolation and redemption, especially in times of trouble and persecution. Satisfy their needs by showing them your mercy and salvation. You have exalted your holy child and set him up as a symbol of your mercy and glory. Lord, let no act or thought or word of mine ever be in contradiction of your Son's example. May his example be the ruin of all my vices and all the powers the devil employs against the church. May his example arouse all those virtues and graces which you had planned for me for all eternity. Please never allow my lot to be cast among the unbelieving, the scornful, the heretical, or the profane. May I never stumble over this stone, Jesus, which you have laid for the foundation of your church and have given as an embodiment of a virtuous life. Lord, when sorrows or afflictions pierce my heart, remember me with much mercy and compassion. Transfix me with love, so that all the troubles of this world will be no more than hints of the joys of a better life to come. Please grant me that life for the mercy's and name's sake of your holy child Jesus. Amen.
Holy and eternal Jesus, your whole life was a perpetual sermon of holiness. Your life and your teaching are a treasure of wisdom and a storehouse of material for meditation. Give me grace so that I might understand. Give me diligence and attentiveness so that I might consider these things carefully. May I be careful to store these things up in my heart. May I be careful to put them into practice. You have shown me my duty in so many ways, by your actions, your sermons, your comments, and your life itself. Let my understanding become as spiritual in its work as it is immaterial in its nature. Fill my mind with memories and thoughts which will prick my conscience and incite me toward holiness. Let your Holy Spirit dwell in my soul, instructing my mind, sanctifying my thoughts, guiding my desires, and directing my will in the choice of virtue. May the passion of my life to meditate on your law, to study your will, and to understanding all aspects of my duty. May ignorance never be a cause of sin in me. Take away from me all arrogance, meddlesomeness, or false ideas of any kind. Let my thoughts be as my religion, that is, plain, honest, pious, simple, prudent, and charitable. Let my thoughts work mightily to produce virtue in my soul and to exterminate vice. You know my limitations and my weaknesses, Lord, but let me be wholly filled with love. May that love be completely given to doing deeds that will please you, even though I know I am weak and frail. Then please draw the curtain and show me the beauties of your kingdom in its eternal glory. Grant me a place there, for your mercy's sake, O holy and eternal Jesus. Amen.
O blessed and eternal God, you allowed your holy Son to flee from the violence of an angry king. You chose to defend him in his vulnerable youth by hiding him in Egypt. Lord, be a defense to all of your faithful people whenever persecution arises against them. Send them angels to minister to them and to keep them secure. Let your Holy Spirit guide them in the paths of sanctity, and let your providence continue in custody of them until times of refreshment and the day of redemption return. Give, O Lord, to your whole church sanctity and zeal. Give your church the confidence which comes from a holy faith and a boldness of confession. Give your church humility, contentment, calmness of spirit, a contempt of the world, and a pure desire for your glory. Edify the church, O Lord, so that no worldly interest may disturb her duty or her love. May nothing depress her hopes or pollute her spirit. May nothing else compete with her love for you. Preserve her from the snares of the world and the devil. Preserve her from the sinful influence of sacrilegious people. Whether her condition is one of affluence or want, may she still promote the interests of religious duty. If her condition is one of plenty and peace, may that condition work for the best for your church. If her condition is to be made as naked as Jesus was in his death, then may poverty be the best condition for her. In all conditions may she glorify you, and in all situations may you sanctify and bless her. At last may you bring her to the eternal riches and abundances of glory where no persecution will disturb her rest. Grant this for sweet Jesus' sake, who suffered exile and hard journeys and all the inconveniences of being a stranger in a faraway land. To Jesus, with you the Father and the eternal Spirit, be glory forever, and blessing in all generations of the world, forever and ever. Amen.
Blessed and most holy Jesus, you are my fountain of grace and comfort. You are my treasure of spiritual wisdom. Be pleased to abide with me forever by giving me assistance and refreshment within my soul. Give me a love that corresponds to your love for me. Give me purity. May I be careful and watchful so that I may never provoke you to anger and cause you to stop dwelling within my heart. Please do not draw a cloud over your holy face. If in your loving wisdom you must cover my eyes so that I can not behold the bright rays of your favor or feel your refreshing spiritual comfort, please support me with your love in ways that are unknown to me. In all my needs give me support that will be influential in inciting me to do my duty. No matter what my circumstances may be, let me continue to seek you by prayer, humility, and a disciplined holy life. May I follow your example; may I walk in your footsteps. May I be supported by your strength, guided by your hand, and enlightened by your favor. After persevering in holiness and after serving you well, may I at last dwell with you in regions of light and eternal glory. There I will not be afraid of losing my life of happiness or of ever being away from your blessed presence, O blessed and most holy Jesus. Amen.
O holy and most glorious God, before your Son began his public ministry, you sent John the Baptist to make the way of the Lord clear and ready. John was an example of mortification; he lived an austere life of penitence. He preached on repentance and tried to remove the impediments of sin in people's lives which would hinder them from coming to Jesus. Be pleased, God, to let your Holy Spirit lead me in the straight and holy paths. May I not stray on either side. May I avoid all deadly sin. May I find it easy to walk in the ways of the Lord with zeal, diligence, and perseverance. May the ax strike at the root of my sin. May sin within me die, never to bear fruit to cause you to be displeased with me. Thoroughly purge my heart by your Spirit, so that it might become a holy storehouse of virtues. May I be full of thanksgiving, blessing, and holiness. May I be prepared at all times for when the Lord comes, so that I might lodge him and serve him a feast. May he forever be pleased to dwell with me. Make me dwell with him. May I, through prayer and meditation on his wondrous beauty and the secrets of his kingdom, hide myself in him. May I always walk in the courts of the Lord's house by diligently laboring in repentance and a holy life. When my life is done, I pray that I may have served you well by your gracious assistance and that I may have glorified your holy name by strict and holy devotion. May you then be pleased to call me even nearer to you, through the merits and mercies of Jesus Christ. Amen.
O dearest God, you made mankind, soul and body, and fitted us with the ability to serve you. Let your Holy Spirit rule and sanctify every talent and capacity of my body and soul so that they might used in your service as you intended in creating them. Restore your people by the power of your grace. May our desires be guided by our reason and our understanding enlightened by your word, which will then guide and persuade our wills. May our desires not be turned toward evil nor overcome by temptation. May your people be able to resist the siren call of impurity and lust. May "sin not reign in our mortal bodies." Instead, may both bodies and souls be conformable to the sufferings of the holy Jesus, so that in our bodies we may bear the marks and dying example of our Lord. In our spirits may we be humble and mortified and more like Jesus in all of his imitable perfection. May we die to sin and live to righteousness. After our suffering together with him in this world, may we reign together with him in the hereafter. To our Lord, in the unity of the most mysterious Trinity, be all glory and dominion and praise forever and ever. Amen.
O holy Jesus, you fulfilled all righteousness. You lived a life of balance and obedience while in fellowship with the Jewish people. You submitted yourself to all the rites and sanctions of God upon the Jews. Give me grace to live well in the fellowship of your holy church. Let me live a life of piety. May I be helped by the influence of the sacraments and rites of the church. As you sanctified me when I became a Christian, may I continue to live in purity and innocence. I worship your infinite goodness. I am grateful that you were pleased to wash my soul in the bath of regeneration. I am pleased that you have ordained that I might participate in the holy eucharist. Do not let me return to the weaknesses of the old man of sin which you crucified on your cross and which was buried with you in baptism. Let me not renew any of the evil habits of my sinful years. Let me always receive assistance from your divine Spirit. I pray that I might be a child of God, a partner in your eternal inheritance. If I need reassurance, help me to know that I am your servant and your child. Grant that I may walk in such a way that I will neither bring shame to the name of Christ nor stain the purity of that innocence which you gave to my soul when I put on the baptismal robe. Grant that I will neither break my holy vow nor lose my inheritance which you have promised me by your grace. Holy Jesus, love me with the love of a father, and a brother, and a husband, and a lord, as I serve you in the fellowship of the saints, in observance of the Lord's Supper, in living a holy life, and in continuous love and devotion. May my life be used to the glory of your name and for the accomplishment of your will by the Christian system. Please grant these things, holy Jesus, for your mercy's sake and for the honor of your name, which is, and shall be, adored forever and ever. Amen.
Eternal God and most merciful Father, I adore your wisdom, your providence, and your wise governing in the spiritual kingdom of our Lord Jesus. You even allow sadnesses and difficulties to interrupt your created order, which you made so innocent and harmless for our spiritual perfection. But you are able to bring good from evil by your overruling power. You can bring glory to your name from our shame. We can see your wisdom even in contradictory accidents and events. Lord, have pity on me when sadnesses or difficulties come my way. You know my weaknesses, so please show me mercy. Let me, by suffering what you see fit to come my way, cooperate with you to the glorification of your grace and the magnification of your mercy. Never let me consent to sin. May the power of your majesty and the might of your mercy rescue me from dangers and enemies which daily attempt to destroy the innocence you clothed me with at my new birth. Notice, O God, how the spirits of darkness attempt to extinguish our hopes. Notice how they want to prevent the dispersion of grace which the holy Jesus has purchased for every loving and obedient soul. Everything around us is full of temptation. One sin leads to another, and even our good deeds can become an occasion for temptation. Lord, deliver me from the evil of the devil, from the errors of the world, and from my own foolishness. May I not be devoured by the first, nor cheated by the second, nor betrayed by myself. Let your grace, which is sufficient for me, always be present with me. Let your Spirit instruct me in spiritual warfare. Let your Spirit arm my understanding and secure my will. Strengthen my spirit with holy resolve. Help me to know the blessings of religious devotion and the disadvantages and drawbacks of sin. May the dangerous temptations around me become an opportunity for victory and triumph, through the assistance of the Holy Spirit and by the cross of the Lord Jesus. Jesus won the victory over sin, hell, the grave, and even over the powers of darkness, for himself and all of his servants. By the mercies of Jesus and the merits of his suffering and death on the cross, now and forever, deliver me and all your faithful people from sin, hell, the grave, and the powers of darkness. Amen.
O holy and eternal Jesus, you in your own person were pleased to sanctify the waters of baptism. By your initiation and command you made the waters of baptism effective for grace and the healing of our sins. Please validate the holy effects of baptism in me and in all your servants. May we keep the promise and pledge we made to you when we were baptized. Please pardon all sinful actions which we have committed contrary to the condition of grace and favor in which you placed us at the time of our baptism. Let that Spirit which moved upon those holy waters never be absent from us. May your Spirit call us and invite us with continuous solicitations and inducements to holiness. May we never return to the filthiness of sin, but by the pledge of a good conscience may we please you, glorify your name, and give honor to the Christian faith and the church in this world. May we receive the blessings and rewards of the world to come. Let us be presented to you pure and spotless in the day of your power when you shall lead your church into the heavenly kingdom and endless glories. Amen.
O eternal and ever blessed Jesus, you chose apostles to be witnesses of your life and miracles. By doing this you allowed mankind to participate in your great work of bringing us to heaven. Be pleased to give me your grace, so that I may love and respect the apostles who are a part of the foundation of the church. May I follow their faith and imitate their lives as they imitate you. May I be able to use my abilities and talents in a similar way to do the same spiritual work, even though it is of a lower office and status. Let my prayers, my words, my relationships, and my friendly encouragements to others benefit and help all those precious souls with whom I have contact. Since you began your public ministry in this world with a miracle, be pleased to visit my soul with your miraculous grace. Turn my water into wine, that is, change my natural desires into supernatural perfection. Let my sorrows be turned into joys, my sins into virtuous habits, and my human weaknesses into a participation in the divine nature. Since you "keep the best until last," may I by your assistance grow from grace to grace until your gifts become reward. May I move from receiving gracious benefits from you to participating in your glory, O eternal and ever blessed Jesus. Amen.
O eternal God, you are the fountain of all truth and holiness. To believe in you is life eternal. Let your grace descend with great power into my soul. Beat down every stronghold of sin and every vain imagination. Bring every proud thought, my ignorant understanding, and my false self- confidence into obedience to Jesus. Take away from me all disobedience, all stubbornness, all selfish ambition, and any base interest. Remove from me all prejudice and weakness of commitment. May I completely surrender my understanding to the influence of Christianity. May I acknowledge you to be the principle of truth, your word the measure of knowledge, your laws the rule of my life, your promises the satisfaction of my hopes, and union with you the consummation of love which leads too glory. Amen.
Holy Jesus, help me to acknowledge you to be my Lord and Master. Help me to become a servant and a disciple of your holy discipline. Let me love to sit at your feet and take in with my ears and my heart the sweetness of your holy sermons. Let my soul be clothed with the gospel of peace and with a peaceable and gentle disposition. Give me great boldness in the public confession of your name and in the truth of your gospel, even when faced with hostilities and temptations. Grant that I may always remember that I wear your name, so that I might behave myself. May I neither give others a reason to take offense at your name nor damage the reputation of the Christian faith. May you be glorified in me, and after I have strictly observed all of the holy laws of Christianity, may I be glorified by your mercies.
O Holy and ever blessed Spirit, let your gracious influence be the constant guide of my thinking. Fill me with wisdom and knowledge, spiritual understanding, and a holy faith. Consecrate my faith so that it might lift up my hope and result in a holy manner of life for me. Put to death in me all bad attitudes and pride of spirit, all unorthodox and untrue ideas, and whatever is contrary to sound doctrine. When the eternal Son of God, the "pioneer and perfecter of our faith," comes in judgment to examine our faith, may I receive the promises laid up for those who believe in the Lord Jesus and wait for his coming in holiness and purity. To the Lord Jesus, who with the Father and you, O blessed Spirit, be all honor and eternal adoration given, with all holiness and joy and thankfulness, now and forever. Amen.
O eternal Jesus, you are the bright image of your Father's glory. Your light shone on all the world when your heart was full of zealous devotion and love for God. Let a coal from your altar, fanned with the wings of the holy Dove, kindle in my soul such flames of holiness that I may be zealous for your honor and glory. May I be devoted and earnest in the pursuit of my religious duties. May I be wise in carrying out my duties, so that my service will result in nothing but your glory and my obtaining your promises. May I be sanctified in soul and body, a holy temple appropriately prepared for your Spirit to dwell within. Grant that I may never grieve your Spirit by allowing anything impure to desecrate or unhallow the courts of the Spirit's abode. Give me a pure soul in a chaste and healthy body. May my spirit be full of holy sincerity. May I desire and want to do what you command, and then may I be able to carry out what I have intended in my heart. By your assistance may I obtain the goal of my labors, the reward of obedience and a holy life. May I obtain the fellowship and inheritance of Jesus. May I be able to share in the joys of your temple where you dwell and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, O eternal Jesus. Amen.
O eternal God, you do not dwell in temples made with hands. The highest of heavens is not able to contain you; yet, you are pleased to reveal your presence among humans by granting your favor and blessing to us. Make my body and soul a pure and holy temple in which it would be appropriate for the holy Jesus and your Holy Spirit to dwell. Lord, be pleased to purge all impure lusts, all worldly affections, all covetous desires from this body of mine, your temple, by means of your rod of fatherly discipline. May the temple of my body become a place of prayer and meditation, of holy desires and chaste thoughts, and of pure intentions and zealous desires of pleasing you. May I become a sacrifice as well as a temple, given over to a zeal for your glory and consumed with the fire of love. May not one thought be entertained by me unless it is like perfume coming up from the altar of incense. May not one word pass from my lips unless it has the accent of heaven on it and sounds pleasant to your ears. O dearest God, fill every capacity of my soul with the influence of religion. Sanctify my soul so that I may be full of zeal and religious devotion. May I love you above all things in the world. May I worship you with the humblest adoration and in frequent prayer. May I continually feed my soul by meditating on your divine sweetness, considering your infinite excellence, and observing your righteous commandments. May I enjoy the feast of a holy conscience in anticipation of eternity, and may I then enter into the joys of heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O holy Jesus, you are the fountain of eternal life. You are the spring of joy and spiritual satisfaction. Let the holy stream of blood and water coming from your sacred side cool the thirst, soften the hardness, and refresh the barrenness of my desert soul. I thirst for you as an famished deer thirsts for a cool stream. May I despise all of the vain things of this world and refuse all association except those which are safe, pious, and in accordance with your love. Help me to mortify my foolish desires and instead desire nothing but you, seek none but you, and rest in you. Help me to abandon completely my sinful desires. May my natural desires easily change into the desires of grace. May my thirst and my hunger be spiritual. May my hopes be placed in you. May every part of my life be an expression of love for you and in obedience to your commandments. I invite you to possess my soul and every part of my being for my whole life, so that I may possess your glory in a blessed eternity. Guide me to your presence by the light of your gospel. Sustain me by the streams of your grace until I reach you, the fountain of life and glory. And there with you may I be satisfied with the waters of paradise, with joy, and with love. Let me then contemplate, adore, and admire the beauties of the Lord for ever. Amen.
O eternal Jesus, you are Lord of all creation and Prince of the church universal whom all creatures obey in acknowledgement of your supreme dominion and with whom all cooperate according to your disposition toward the advancement of your kingdom. Lord, be pleased to arrange the events of the world so that everything may work for the gospel. May everything cooperate for the good of the elect, to inhibit the growth of vice, and to advance the interests of virtue. May all people in all stations of life be your disciples. Let government rulers worship you and defend religion. Let ministers and pastors do you honor through personal zeal and by keeping watch over their flocks. Let all the world submit to your rule, praise your righteousness, adore your judgments, and revere your laws. May I be able to influence all of those who your providence has placed near me, as a fisherman lays a net around fish. May I fulfill my obligations to you with a strict and religious devotion. Let me know your voice and obey your call. Let me entertain your Holy Spirit and improve my talents. Let me share in the blessings of the fellowship of the church. And when the nets are drawn to the shore and the angels separate the good fishes from the bad, may I not be rejected or thrown into the sea of fire prepared for the enemies of your kingdom. Let me be admitted to the community of the saints and the everlasting fellowship of your blessings and glories, O blessed and eternal Jesus. Amen.