Rev. James Fitton

“ Who will refuse to stand at the foot of the cross, to contemplate and love his beloved crucified, to lament the sins that made him die, and die of grief for Jesus, and with Jesus? Jesus dies for our sins: who will be so cruel, so inhuman, as to renew his death by sinning again? This most loving shepherd dies, to give his life for his dear sheep, who will be so ungrateful as to take no share in his sorrows, in his death? Who at the sight of a God dead of love and sorrow, can give himself up a prey to the foolish pleasures of the world, to vanities, frivolities, and sin? ”

“ I detest, with all my heart, my many offences against thy infinite goodness; and I beseech thee to blot them out with this precious blood which flows so copiously from thy wounds for my salvation. Pour it, dear Jesus, upon my soul, that it may be purified and sanctified by it, and may become, through thy merits, rich in virtue and heavenly gifts. Bless me, O loving Saviour, with those hands which are pierced for my love, and let thy blessing be an earnest of my eternal salvation. So fill my heart with thy divine love, that every love which is not for thee may be completely extinguished in me ”

“ TO OUR BLESSED REDEEMER, IN HONOR OF HIS BITTER PASSION.
Glory, honor, and praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ; may all the world adore thee. Blessed be thy holy name, who for us sinners vouchsafedst to be born of a humble Virgin; and blessed be thine infinite goodness, who didst die upon the cross for our redemption.
O Jesus, Son of God, and Saviour of mankind, we beseech thee to have mercy on us, and so dispose our lives here by thy grace, that we may hereafter rejoice with thee forever in thy heavenly kingdom. ”

“ Hail, most glorious Redeemer of our souls, whose death quickens and gives life to the world.
O blessed Saviour, have mercy on me, for thy goodness sake; forgive me all my sins, destroy and mortify in me whatever displeaseth thee. Make me one according to thy heart, and grant that to the utmost of my power I may most diligently imitate thy holy life. O blessed Father of heaven, behold, I offer the most holy incarnation, life, and passion of thy dearly-beloved Son Jesus Christ, in full satisfaction for all my sins, and perfect amendment of my life. ”

“ Recall to mind the passion and death of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, embrace in your heart his cross, kiss his sacred feet, take refuge in his wounds, that you may now escape the snares which beset you, earnestly beseeching him to cleanse your soul with his precious blood, and to pardon you all your transgressions; but, inasmuch as your own life has been unprofitable and imperfect, be careful to offer up to the Father of mercies the infinite merits of his eternal Son, his incarnation, his labors, his agonies, his sufferings, and his death. ”

“ Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world. Graciously hear us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, O Jesus.
Look down upon us, free us, and deliver us from all trouble, by the power of Jesus Christ. Amen. O most holy Virgin, imprint thy wounds in my heart, that I may read therein sorrow and love: sorrow, to endure every sorrow for thee; love, to despise every love for thee.
Say the Apostles' Creed, Hail Holy Queen, and three Hail Marys, in honor of the most holy Heart of Mary. ”

“ O Spirit of purity, Spirit of peace, whom the foulest stains of sin cannot resist, purify thou our souls, and infuse therein that peace which the world cannot give, that, strengthened and encouraged by thee, we may never be attached to this wretched world, nor be ever so wedded to its concerns as to prefer them to the perfect accomplishment of God’s holy will. Amen.
FOR PERSEVERANCE.
Grant, O my Lord Jesus Christ, that I may persevere in good purposes and in thy holy service till death; and that I may this day truly begin, since all I have hitherto done has been little or nothing. Amen. ”

“ At the death of Jesus, the sky is darkened, the sun eclipsed, the earth quakes, the mountains split open, the veil of the temple is rent, all nature seems convulsed with desolation at the sight of a God dying. And thou, my soul, wilt thou be insensible to so sad and fearful a spectacle? Will not thy heart also heave and burst with tenderness and sorrow? Look upon the lifeless and torn body of thy dead Saviour, and know for once what an evil sin is, since it has done this deed. What a blessing Paradise is, which has cost such a price! ”

“ For these transfix the heart, the very soul, of Jesus, with the most intense pangs of agony. The thoughts of vanity, of self-conceit, of pride, of impurity, which have so often been formed and encouraged in thy mind, were the cruel tormentors of the head of thy Jesus. Ah! my heart, weep for grief, and pour out a torrent of tears for thy sins; weep also with compassion and love for thy Saviour, who has paid so dearly for thy misdeeds. But, O! never return to those abominable thoughts, which are so many additional thorns in Jesus' crown, and pierce anew his loving heart. ”

“ Oh, what a crying injustice wilt thou be guilty of if thou continuest to love the devil, the world, and sin, instead of this God, dead upon the cross for thee? Oh, how monstrous must be thy hardness of heart, if thou be not moved to compassion and tears at such a sight! Consider well, my soul, that the devil has not died for thee, the world has not shed one drop of blood for thee; therefore not to them, but to him who did this for thee, dost thou belong. Jesus thou oughtest to love, for Jesus thou oughtest to live, Jesus' servant thou oughtest to be. ”

“ O Mother of consolation, I pray thee, sweeten mine; give peace to my soul; grant me all that thou knowest I desire of thee: obtain for me, from thy divine Son, the pardon of all my sins, the grace to sin no more, the blessedness to imitate thy virtues all the rest of my life, and finally a holy and a happy death. At that tremendous hour, be thou my protectress and my consolation, I beseech thee. O my tender Mother, come and receive my soul, to present it at the tribunal of the sovereign Judge, and to obtain for me a favorable sentence. I deserve not this at thy hands ”

“ Look again, for the last time, O my soul, upon thy Redeemer, alive upon his bed of torment, upon his throne of ignominy, and reflect that this God of infinite majesty is dying for thee, a monster of ingratitude, so guilty, so wicked. Yes, a God dies for thee — dies for the love of thee. Arouse thyself, and come with confidence and love to the throne of his goodness, and sec, in thy dying Saviour, what thy sins have done. Consider what thou hast cost Jesus, and what thou owest him. Thou hast cost the life of a God! ”

“ O Jesus, crucified and dead for the love of me, thou alone art infinitely amiable and worthy of all love. I do not intend to love the world any more; I do not wish to love creatures; I wish to love only thee, who hast loved me so excessively. Thee I choose for the. sole and eternal object of my whole love. I wish to think always of thee, of thee suffering and dying for my sake. To thee shall I raise up my sighs, to thee shall I breathe my affections, to thee shall I direct my desires, nor shall this heart of mine ever long but for thee, to whom I now offer and consecrate it. ”

“ I give thee thanks for all the benefits which, thou hast obtained for me from the Divine mercy; I unite myself to all the souls that find their joy and consolation in loving and honoring thee. O Heart most amiable, the delight and admiration of the angels and the saints, henceforth thou shalt be to me, next to the Heart of Jesus, the object of my tenderest devotion, my refuge in affliction, my consolation in sorrow, my place of retreat from the enemies of my salvation, and at the hour of my death, the surest anchor of my hope. ”

“ Have mercy on me. Lord, in this my last hour. Lord, make haste to help me, that my soul die not forever.
O JESUS, I am an unhappy sinner, and guilty of many crimes; but thou art my advocate with the Father, and the propitiation for my offences. Thou wiliest not the death of a sinner, but that he live; thy coming into this world was to save us sinners; have mercy therefore on me in this my extremity; be now my Mediator and Advocate with the Father. O good Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner. ”

“ O ALMIGHTY Lord, and maker of heaven and earth, infinite in majesty, is it possible that thy love and goodness for us should be so great as to suffer such poor worms as we are to call thee Father? O, make us ever dutiful children to such a Parent. O most holy Father, who dwellest in heaven, raise my heart to thee, and teach me, by thy interior grace, to pray to thee with attention, devotion, humility, and faith. ”

“ The vivid knowledge of all the sins of men, a sight of their enormity, a most intense horror of their malignity, filled his heart, pressed upon it with such piercing intensity, as to produce a sorrow and a sadness that can not be imagined. Jesus knows, and comprehends the entire malice and atrocity of sin, the enormity of the insult thereby offered to his heavenly Father; and loving his Father with a supreme love, he experiences a grief so poignant, a horror so excessive of human wickedness — all portrayed before him in such deformity — that he is ready to expire of intense grief. ”

“ Jesus Christ, defend and keep me; divine Spirit, enlighten and sanctify me, this night and forever. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, I humbly beg of thee, by the precious blood thou didst shed for me in the garden of Olives, that thou wilt give thy blessing to those who are in their agony; that thou wilt deliver the poor souls from purgatory, but especially the most abandoned. Conduct them to thy glory, where they will praise and bless thee forever and ever. ”

“ O BLESSED Lady of Lourdes, thou whose influence with Almighty God is so great that thy prayers are never refused, have pity on me thy needy child. O Virgin most holy! O Virgin most powerful! turn not away from me, though all unworthy, nor disdain to plead in my behalf. Heed not my unworthiness, but the promptings of thy own heart, thou who art as rich in mercy as in power. Use thy boundless influence to obtain for me patience in my sufferings, restoration to health (or other favor) , and the grace to make a good use of it for the glory of God. ”

“ O most holy Virgin Mary, when I consider the injuries which thou receivest every day on the part of men! How can there be found hearts so hard and impious as to despise thee, who art worthy of the respect and love of angels and men! And among the very children of the Church, thine own children, there are some, alas! who feel nothing but coldness and indifference for thee; who take no pains to testify their gratitude and devotion towards thee; who never honor thee, or invoke thy intercession, or seek to gain thy protection. ”

“ He stands bound to a pillar, under countless stripes, like an innocent victim upon an altar, offering his bitter torments for thee, He turns his pitiful looks now to the earth, now to heaven, to beg with their entreating expression mercy from his eternal Father for the grievous sins I have committed. Behold, my soul, how Jesus suffers, and what an example he gives thee of suffering profitably! See how much thou art bound to so loving a heart, which, in the midst of torments so excessive, only loves thee the more tenderly. ”

“ Jesus' Suffering merits our Love and Compassion.
A GOD dies amid boundless sufferings and pains for mankind. How powerful a motive to oblige us to the tenderest compassion, to the strongest love! Who is this God who submits to so many racking tortures? And men, what are they, that a God should suffer for them thus? My soul, this thought should absorb your affections. God is greatness itself, infinite majesty itself, he is infinite Omnipotence. Man is misery itself, baseness itself, a most vile nothing. ”

“ May the almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of all our sins. Amen.
O ALMIGHTY FATHER, who hast brought me to the beginning of this day, save me by thy power, that I fall not into sin. May all my thoughts, words, and actions be directed to thy honor and glory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ”

“ I am resolved never more, dear Jesus, to offend thee, never more to displease thee. Oh, how it grieves me to have lived so long, forgetful of thee, a stranger to thee, an enemy to thee, who hast loved me with a love so boundless! I do not deserve to live any longer; but if thy goodness deigns to prolong my life, it shall all be employed in loving thee, in meditating on thy sufferings, in bewailing my sins. Here, O Jesus, is my soul ”

“ And how many times have I myself plunged into my heart the two-edged sword! O Mother of mercy, I should never dare to lift up my eyes to thee, wert thou not the advocate of sinners. Oppressed with the burden of my infidelities, I come to ask forgiveness at thy feet, for myself and for all mankind. I acknowledge thy glory to be above that of all creatures. I honor, with the Church, thy immaculate conception and thy glorious assumption; I believe thy power and all thy perfections to be proportioned to thy dignity of Mother of God ”

“ O Heart, ever sensible of our misery, and ever ready to redress our evils; the real Victim of love in the holy eucharist, and a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of men! Seeing that the generality of Christians make no other return for these thy mercies than contempt of thy favors, forgetfulness of their own obligation, and ingratitude to the best of benefactors, is it not just that we, thy servants, penetrated with the deepest sense of the like indignities, should enter upon a due and satisfactory reparation of honor to thy most sacred Majesty? ”

“ Thou knowest how frail I am; that I am nothing but dust and ashes. Deal not with me according to my sins, neither punish me according to my iniquities, but according to the multitude of thy most tender mercies have compassion on me. O, let thy justice be tempered with mercy, and let thy heavenly grace come to my assistance, to support me in this my illness. Confirm my soul with strength from above, that I may bear with true Christian patience all the uneasiness, pains, disquiets, and difficulties of my sickness, and that I may cheerfully accept them as the just punishments of my offences. ”

“ O Heart worthy to be loved and honored by angels and men, most similar to the sacred Heart of Jesus, whose clear and perfect image thou reflectest; O Heart of Mary, seat of mercy, full of the bowels of compassion towards us wretched creatures; warm, I beseech thee, the cold hearts of thy children, and make them henceforth think of nothing, love nothing, desire nothing, but only the Heart of Jesus Christ. Infuse into our hearts the love of thy virtues, and kindle in them the flame of thy unfailing charity. ”