John Priestly Warmoll

“ Give me grace to see the state of my soul, and the number and greatness of my sins.
Give me this grace, O Lord, and the grace also to be truly sorry for my offences from my inmost heart. Give me a lively faith in the mercy of my dear Redeemer, and teach me to detest all my past sins and my ingratitude, and to make a firm purpose of amendment, and a sincere resolution to begin a new life.
Blessed Mary, Mother of my Saviour, refuge of sinners, pray for me that through the Passion of Thy Son I may have the happiness to make a good confession. ”

“ PRAYER FOR THE GRACE OF CONTRITION.
Touch my heart with true sorrow, O Lord, for having so often carelessly and even wilfully offended against Thee, who lovest me so much, and who hast done with untiring love so much for me. Let my repentance be sincere, that I may escape eternal punishment, and may it produce in me the fruit of a new life, to the salvation of my soul and the glory of Thy holy Name. ”

“ Jesus, Lord of all, who didst visit the souls in prison, remember Thy faithful dead. Shorten their pain, and let them quickly see Thy Face, and enjoy the glory of the Kingdom which Thou hast prepared for them and for all who die in Thy holy love.
OUR FATHER.
Repeat this slowly and devoutly.
Our Father, most truly Our Father, for Thou in Thy goodness hast formed us out of nothing to Thy image and likeness. Thou hast redeemed from eternal death those who have fallen into sin. Thou hast adopted us as sons, and sanctified us by Thy Holy Spirit. ”

“ He is in the Temple—in the hall of the doctors, the teachers of the Law, which He had come to fulfil.
They know not who stands before them meekly answering their questions.
He is but a boy, yet such answers these learned men have never heard.
Such wisdom they have never known.
His questions startle these gravest men of Israel yet more than the answers which He gives.
While He would teach, He seems to learn from them.
He is the eternal Wisdom, clothed in our flesh.
A bashful modest Child before those doctors of the Temple, all knowledge is in His Heart. ”

“ Earth has never before seen such a mother. There never can be another like to her, so pure, so holy, like a spotless white lily-flower amongst the dark thorns of earth.
She has no better place this night wherein to lay her new-born Babe.
It is Mary, our Mother Mary.
His Mother and our Mother for ever, evermore.
A grave peaceful man watches over them, calm in the midst of all this scene of poverty.
Nothing can disturb him, nothing daunts him, for his heart belongs to God, to that little Child whose Foster-father he is henceforth. ”

“ All that is noble in our nature shrinks from the coward. Dare to be true. Dare to defend the truth, and God, who is truth, will not forget you. Dare to take the part of the innocent and oppressed, the weak and helpless, when they are wronged. Be ashamed to side with the strong and powerful when they are unkind and oppressive.
Never shrink from danger when it is not of your own seeking, and when it is your duty to incur it for God's sake or the sake of others.
Dare to take the blame upon yourself also when the blame belongs to you. ”

“ Few words are spoken; each knows the other's heart too well to need many words.
From the fresh dawn until the red sun sinks beyond the green western hills there is a peaceful round of labour and of loving offices to God and man.
Labour lightened by calm peace and love.
And so on through the days and years Joseph and Mary have heaven on earth. ”

“ In the future, growing nearer every day, and ever present in that Child's Heart, there is that dark Cross on Calvary—the wood of the awful Sacrifice and the cruel nails by which the Victim will be bound obedient to the Father's will, bonds all powerless but for the stronger cords of love. ”

“ If you have never committed a mortal sin, happy are you. Go on from good to better. Keep your first innocence. Once lost, neither gold, nor tears, nor your blood can buy it back again. By God's grace you have kept it, and through His grace alone can you keep it for the time to come. Do not think it will ever be safe for one moment without the grace of God, nor without great care on your own part. ”

“ My God, because Thou art so very good, I am truly sorry from my heart that I have sinned against Thee. I have also deserved Thy anger and Thy dreadful punishment. I beg pardon for having sinned against Thy great goodness, and I firmly resolve, by the help of Thy holy grace, not to offend Thee any more, but to avoid all occasions of sin for the love of Thee. Strengthen this sorrow and this resolution in my heart every day until I die.
Here you can make Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and use any other prayers you like. ”

“ After you have received the Blessed Sacrament, take great care lest you spoil all by a want of gratitude, and so by your heedlessness lose the fruits of a good Communion.
Be not in a hurry to return to the things and thoughts of this world. The very God has come to you, and dwells within you. Pause and be silent. Spend at least ten minutes or a quarter of an hour in thanksgiving.
What shall I do to show my gratitude? Thou, O my Jesus, dost abide within me. I will be still and quiet, and learn of Thee. May Thy love kindle love in me. ”

“ Teach me to give up daily my own will with gladness for Thy dear sake.
Ye holy Innocents, blest Babes, earliest martyrs of Jesus Christ, the King of martyrs, how bright a life was won by that sharp death!
Beautiful little martyrs of the holy Child, your eyes soon closed upon the dull mists of earth, to open upon untold glories. ”

“ IN HONOUR OF THE HOLY CHILD JESUS.
Of all offerings to our Father in heaven Holy Mass is infinitely the best. It is His only-begotten Son who offers Himself as a Victim. It is one with the Offering on Calvary. His priest at the Altar partakes of His Priesthood; and when you hear Holy Mass you are called by God to join with the priest in this holiest of all offerings. ”

“ The stars shine right down through the worn roof from the clear cold sky.
Brighter than the stars are the angels, not only in heaven above, but unseen by us, adoring this holy Child, their Creator, lying in that rough manger-cradle. ”

“ Assist my weakness, and suffer me not again to fall into sin, which separates me from Thee, and which I now am resolved to hate with my whole heart. Bind my heart and soul to Thee with the cords of love, that I may never fall away and suffer Thy just and dreadful punishment in hell. ”

“ Thou alone, who art all pure, knowest how pure I ought to be to receive Thee in Thy most Holy Sacrament. Thou alone canst make me worthy. Have pity on me, a creature of Thy hands, a soul whom Thou hast ransomed with Thy Precious Blood, and whom Thou desirest to have united to Thee. ”

“ Bless me, Spouse of the Holy Ghost, and do not suffer me to offend my good God by deed or omission; but pray for me, that I may always love Him with all my heart, and may make Him to be loved by others. ”

“ Heaven itself cannot contain His glory, nor countless angels worship Him enough or sound the praises due to Him.
It is His will to be offered thus for the love of us, with all His glory hidden, in His Temple on earth.
It is His will because it is the will of the Father who has loved us with an everlasting love.
The crowds know not, as they press by, that it is their Saviour and God. ”

“ ACT OF CHARITY.
My God, because Thou art so good, and because Thou art so good to me, I love Thee with my whole heart. Make me to love Thee ever more and more. For Thy dear sake, I love my neighbour as myself. ”

“ Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may, by His Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. ”

“ NIGHT PRAYERS.
Place yourself in the presence of God.
✠ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
My God, I believe that Thou art here, and seest all my heart. With my whole heart I adore Thee, and desire to love Thee. ”

“ There is nothing more wonderful on earth or in heaven than Holy Mass. In it the greatness and love of God are shown to the utmost.
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, God, equal to the Father and the Holy Ghost, offered Himself, bleeding and dying, upon the Cross for us and for our salvation. ”

“ Jesus, who hast taught me by Thy holy Church what I am to believe and do, give me the grace to resist temptation, and in all things always to do Thy holy will, to serve Thee, and my neighbour for Thy sake, by good works, and to profess joyfully Thy holy Catholic Faith in life and in death. ”

“ Listless idleness becomes a wretched habit in those who give way to it. It grows upon them, makes them a burden to others and a burden to themselves, and takes away that noble spirit of independence which in its proper bounds is one of the greatest charms of character. It hardens the heart or fills it with too-late regrets for opportunities wasted and for ever lost. ”

“ CONFESSION.
Before going to Confession, be sure to make a careful examination of your conscience. Do this, if possible, alone and in quiet; or do it in the church—there is no better place.
Beg light from God the Holy Ghost to see yourself, as far as may be, as you are in His sight. Call to mind all the sins of deed, word, thought, and omission that you have been guilty of since your last Confession.
If you have examined your conscience daily you will not find this difficult. ”

“ O God, who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right, and ever to rejoice in His consolation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. ”

“ And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that through pious supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired; who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen. ”

“ Dare to confess your Faith, if called upon, wherever you are; or rather, do not dare to deny it in word or deed. To deny the Faith is to deny God.
If you live in a Protestant land, you may find many to sneer at you and your Faith, but that does not matter. They who do this do it from ignorance; they know not what they do. The Faith is dearer to you than life, and so it would be to them if they had it. Perhaps, if the good God had given them the Faith, they would have been much better than you are. Do not consider yourself superior to them or better than they. ”

“ If you have no excuse, let it alone; bravely bear the blame and the punishment, if it comes, and you will have nothing upon your conscience. Nothing can need a lie. It will require courage to tell the truth sometimes; but then I do not know how you are to get to Heaven without being brave. When another person has a right to the truth, and the truth is required of you, tell it, come what may, and leave the rest to God. ”

“ Soldiers, cruel messengers of a cruel king, seek them in every house, snatch them from mothers' arms, that fondly cling in vain, and spill with the sharp biting sword their red young blood beneath God's sky. ”

“ Our senses kindle from above,
And make our hearts o'erflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.
Drive far from us the foe we dread,
And grant us Thy true peace instead ”

“ That the world which God had made might give its Maker fitting worship, He has come to us.
Not only does the race of man give becoming worship in that prayer, but that Holy Child who prays is God.
Man's eye can only see the form of a kneeling child. ”

“ Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie. Give us this day our daily bread. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. And lead us not into temptation. Sed libera nos a malo. But deliver us from evil. ”

“ He was told by the Holy Ghost that he should not die before he had this great joy.
And now he takes the Child, his Lord, in his arms, a peaceful calm flows in upon his soul, and he is ready to die when the good God wills. ”