Callousness

“ O ALMIGHTY and eternal God, Whose majesty filleth heaven and earth, I firmly believe that Thou art here present; that Thine all-seeing eye is upon me; that Thou knowest all things, and art most intimately present in the very center of my soul. I desire to bow down all the powers of my soul to adore Thee; I desire to join my voice with all Thy blessed angels and saints, to praise Thee and glorify Thee now and forever. ”

“ What man has considered the pious images in the prayer-books of the Middle Ages, the unadorned innocence, the piety and purity, the patience of the martyrs, the calm, heavenly transparency of the figures of the holy angels, without being attracted by the simple innocence and humility of these forms, the creation of pious artists' hands? Who has beheld them without tranquil joy at the soft splendor poured, over them, without deep sympathy, nay, without a certain emotion and tenderness? ”

“ That thy reading may partake the more of the nature of mental prayer, strive to draw from thy considerations such affections as are suitable to the subject; by stirring up, for example, in, the soul, the fear and love of God, a confidence in his goodness, a sense of gratitude for his benefits, the horror of sin, and such like: open thy heart as much as thou canst to these affections, that so these great and necessary virtues may take the deeper root there. ”

“ One look at our loving and living Saviour will do more towards softening the heart than hours spent in the scrutiny of feeling, or whole books of self-examination. If you want to grow in grace, in tenderness of conscience, in holy abhorrence of sin, in purity of heart, in lowliness of spirit, and in thankful love for your blessed Saviour,—then look on Him, keep your eyes on Him. ”

“ Pray for us, who know not how to pray for ourselves. Pray to the Lord thy God, for we are unworthy to call him ours, nor have we reason to expect any favour from him." 3. With a great sense of their need of divine direction. They speak of themselves as objects of compassion: " We are but a remnant, but a few of many; how easily will such a remnant be swallowed up, and yet it is a pity that it should. Thy eyes see what distress we are in, what a plunge we are at; if thou canst do any thing, help us." ”

“ God of truth, and of love, lead and establish my soul in the paths of justice, mercy, truth, and humility. Make me of a quick understanding in thy fear; nor leave me a moment to my own wisdom, or strength. My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Praise the Lord O my soul!”
“I adore thee, O my God, that thou hast made it lawful for me to pray to thee. Oh, how great is thy condescension to regard such a poor creature as me! I will extol thy goodness, O Lord, my king.” ”

“ O MY God, relying on Thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain the pardon of my sins, the assistance of Thy grace, and life everlasting; through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
AN ACT OF CHARITY
O MY God! I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good, and worthy of all love. ”

“ ANT. My soul is athirst for the living God: when shall I come and appear before the face of the Lord?
V. May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord. R. With Thy saints forever, because Thou art merciful.
Let us Pray
O GOD, to Whom it belongs always to have mercy and to spare, be gracious to the souls of the faithful departed, and grant them the remission of all their sins, that, being freed from the bonds of death, they may enter into life eternal. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
De Profundis for the Faithful Departed
(Psalm CXXIX)
OUT of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord! ”

“ O MY God, I believe in Thee; do Thou strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee; do Thou secure them. I love Thee with my whole heart; teach me to love Thee daily more and more. I am sorry that I have offended Thee ”

“ Lord, I desire that in all things Thy will may be done, because it is Thy will, in the manner Thou willest, and as long as Thou willest.
I beg of Thee to enlighten my understanding, to inflame my will, to purify my body, and to sanctify my soul.
Grant that I be not puffed up with pride, moved by flattery, deceived by the world, or duped by the devil. ”

“ Give me, O gracious Saviour, speedy and efficacious feelings of thy divine succour and comfort, who, according to the accustomed sweetness of thy tender heart, art wont to grant the requests of them who really fear and love thee, even to their own soul’s desire and satisfaction. ”

“ So good art thou, dearest Lord, and by thy mercy thou thyself so incitest me to pray, that I, who am dust and ashes, venture to ask, not only for that which thou hast, but for that even which thou art thyself, — though the lowest of thy suppliants, I ask, I say, with all the humility I am able, to enjoy thee singly and alone, to breathe and repose in thee only, and not on any of thy gifts, however excellent, noble, precious, or divine. ”

“ Such was the tenour of a conduct, which raised him, in the estimation of those who witnessed its excellence, to the character of a saint; but endeared him still more to their hearts, as a man who mingled sympathy with relief, and who added to the awful sentiment of veneration he inspired, the tender feeling of gratitude his mild benevolence was calculated to awaken.
Yet, over this bright display of virtues, scarcely human, one trait of conduct, something less than saintly, threw a transient shadow. ”

“ But if we appeal to them to know the true good of man, or the proper happiness of our rational nature; if we ask them what guilt there is in sin, or what excellence there is in piety; if we consult them as guides in these matters, we act full as absurdly as if we were to try to hear with our eyes, or to see with our ears. ”

“ O ETERNAL, Infinite, and Almighty God, Whose glory the heaven of heavens cannot contain, look down on thy unworthy servant, prostrate at the feet of thy mercy, and humbly confessing to thee, in the sight of all thy holy angels and blessed saints, the sinfulness and vanity of my life, but especially the transgressions of this day, by which I have so grievously wounded my own soul. ”

“ III. The pleas they urged with God for mercy and deliverance. 1. They pleaded the tender compassion God used to show to his people and his ability and readiness to appear for them, v. 15. The most prevailing arguments in prayer are those that are taken from God himself; such these are. Where is thy zeal and thy strength? God has a zeal for his own glory, and for the comfort of his people; his name is Jealous; and he is a jealous God; and he has strength proportionable to secure his own glory and the interest of his people, in despite of all opposition. ”

“ LORD, we beseech Thee, let Thy Holy Spirit kindle in our hearts that fire of charity which our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, sent forth from His inmost Heart upon this earth, and willed that it should burn with vehemence. ”

“ High over all, God reigns. A spirit of kindliness, quiet, unheroic, but deep and tender, enswathes the more serious part of these novels like an atmosphere; and if the mood shifts to indignation, it is the righteous indignation of the good in the face of that which is wrong and evil. ”

“ I confess, O my God, not only in Thy presence, who seest the secrets of hearts, but in the presence of all the blessed in heaven, and the faithful on earth, that I have often and grievously offended Thee, by thought, word, deed, and omission. ”

“ When thou prayest speak unto God in a quiet voice and say, ‘How can I possess Thee, O Lord? Thou knowest full well that I am a beast, and that I know nothing. Thou hast brought me to the prime of this life, deliver me then for Thy mercy’s sake ”

“ TO Thee, O Lord, do we command the soul of Thy servant, N., that being dead to the world he may live unto Thee; and whatsoever sins he has committed through the frailty of his mortal nature, do Thou, by the pardon of Thy most merciful love, wash away. ”

“ Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy inspiration, and further them with Thy continual help; that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and through Thee be brought to an end. ”

“ WE beseech Thee, O Lord, by Thy loving kindness, to have mercy on the soul of Thy servant, N., and now, that he is released from the contagion of this mortal flesh, to give him part in Thine eternal salvation. ”

“ I ADORE and praise Thee, O my divine Jesus, Son of the living God, and I desire to make satisfaction for all the outrages which I, the most miserable of Thy creatures, have offered Thee in all the members of Thy blessed body, and particularly in Thy adorable face. ”

“ In confidence of Thy goodness and great mercy, O Lord, I draw near unto Thee, as a sick person to the healer, as one hungry and thirsty to the fountain of life, a creature to the creator, a desolate soul to my own tender comforter. Behold, in Thee is all whatsoever I can or ought 83 to desire; Thou art my salvation and my redemption, my hope and my strength. Rejoice therefore this day the soul of Thy servant; for unto Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. ”

“ And at whatever time my pen ascribeth glory to any one of Thy names, methinks I can hear the voice of its lamentation in its remoteness from Thee, and can recognize its cry because of its separation from Thy Self. I testify that everything other than Thee is but Thy creation and is held in the hollow of Thy hand. To have accepted any act or praise from Thy creatures is but an evidence of the wonders of Thy grace and bountiful favors, and a manifestation of Thy generosity and providence. ”

“ I seek for all my salvation through the merits and mediation of the meek, humble, patient, suffering Lamb of God, who alone hath power to bring forth the blessed birth of these heavenly virtues in my soul. ”

“ We can better enjoy these glorious apprehensions in our hearts, than explain them to others. But oh how unworthy of them all are we? Consciousness of my own corruptions keeps me often low; yet faith and desire will easily mount on high, beseeching God that He would, according to the apostle’s prayer, fill me with all his communicable fulness, in the gifts and graces of his Spirit; that I may walk well-pleasing before Him, in all holy conversation, perfecting holiness in his fear. ”

“ Here and there, moreover, a soul bowed under the weight of recent affliction, or shaken with the terrors of a newly-awakened conscience, was both awed and glad to be able to give itself audible expression in words so fit and forcible as those of the Confession and the Litany, and thankful if it might pick up so much as a crumb of pardon and peace from the Master's bountiful table. ”

“ For in these three is all our life: Nature, Mercy, Grace: whereof we have meekness and mildness; patience and pity; and hating of sin and of wickedness,—for it belongeth properly to virtue to hate sin and wickedness. ”

“ Being mindful that before I address the Deity, my soul ought to be calm and serene, free from Passion and Perturbation, or otherwise elevated with Rational Joy and Pleasure, I ought to use a Countenance that expresses a filial Respect, mixed with a kind of Smiling, that Signifies inward Joy, and Satisfaction, and Admiration. ”

“ For the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men; Instructing us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, Looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to Himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works. ”

“ Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear as well as love of Thy holy Name, for Thou never ceasest to govern those whom Thou foundest upon the solidity of Thy love. Who livest and reignest forever and ever. ”

“ Assist me during life, comfort me in death with thy most sweet presence, and present me as thy child and faithful servant to the most Holy Trinity, that I may be enabled to praise and extol thee in heaven forever. ”

“ ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, Who hast given Thy servants, in the confession of the true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the Eternal Trinity, and, in the power of Thy majesty, to adore the Unity, we beseech Thee that, by steadfastness in the same faith, we may always be defended from all adversities. ”

“ But for you that fear the Lord in sincerity, I have nothing but good and comfortable words: may your souls ever live. What condition can you devise wherein there will not be matter of joy unspeakable to you. O beloved, know your own happiness, and live in that holy admiring, adoring, praising of your gracious God, that becomes the people of his praise. ”

“ Thus the sentiment of mercy, the tender grace and gentleness of that condescending love, has impressed upon it the seal of permanence when we say: 'Grace and Truth, Mercy and Faithfulness, are met together.' No longer is love mere sentiment, which may be capricious and may be transient. ”

“ Hearts are heavy, and souls are in anguish. Have mercy on these poor souls and do not leave them to the excesses of their own desires.
O Lord! Make manifest in Thy lands humble and submissive souls, their faces illumined with the rays of guidance, severed from the world, extolling Thy Name, uttering Thy praise, and diffusing the fragrance of Thy holiness amongst mankind. ”

“ But think of the calm, purified, enlightened, and elevated conscience of the highest natures—from which objectless fear has been excluded—and which hears, in its stillness, the eternal voice of God. What calm celestial joy fills all the being of a good man, when conscience tells him he is obeying God's law! What dismal fear and sudden remorse assail him, whenever he swerves but one single step out of the right path that is shining before his feet! ”

“ There are holy brightnesses in their eyes, on their lips, those doors to the borders of which the soul alone can come, from which it looks forth and all but shows itself. Goodness, kindness, as well as a cloistral spirituality, stream from their faces. ”