April 19, 2009

Prayer for Forgivness~ A Devotion for Divine Mercy Sunday

Devotional Garden the Shrine at Monte Cassino, St Meinrad, IN

The Prayer for Forgiveness

To You, O God
Fountain of Mercy
I come...a sinner
May You wash away my impurity

O Sun of Justice
give sight to the blind
O Eternal Healer
cure the wounded
O King of Kings
Restore the despoiled,
O Mediator of God and Man
reconcile the sinful
O Good Shepard
lead back the straying

O God
have pity on the wretched
show leniency to the guilty
bestow life upon the dead
reform the impious
and give the balm of grace
to the hard of heart

O merciful God
call back the one who flees
draw back the one who falls
lift up the one who falls
support the one who stands
and accompany the one who walks

Do not forget those who forget You
Do not desert those who desert You
Do not despise those who sin against You

For in sinning,
I have offended You, me God
I have harmed my neighbor
I have not even spared myself injury

I have sinned, O my God
against You, almighty Father
because of my weakness
against You... All knowing Son
because of my ignorance
against You,merciful Holy Spirit
because of my malice.

Thus have i offended You
most high Trinity

Woe to me, a pitiful soul
How many
how great
and how diverse
are the sins I have committed

I abandoned You, Lord
I question Your goodness
by yeailding to evil cravings
and weskening myself with harmful fears

By such things
I prefered to lose You
rather than abandonwhat I desired
to offend You
rather than face
what ought not to be feared

O my God
how much harm have I done
by wowrd and deed
and by sinning secretly,
openly and defiantly

therefore,
out of my weakness, I beg You
not to pay heed to my iniquity
but rather to Your immense goodness.

and I beg you mercifully to pardon
what I have done
granting me
sorrow for my past actions
and precaution in the future

Amen

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Labels: Catholic, IN, Poem, scripture