Fourth Meditation.—Of Sins.
PREPARATION.
_1. Place yourself in the presence of God._
_2. Pray to Him to inspire you._
CONSIDERATIONS.
1. Consider how long it is since you began to sin, and see how, since then, sins have multiplied in your heart; how every day they have risen up more and more against God, against your neighbour, against yourself, by deeds, by words, by desires and by thoughts.
2. Consider your evil inclinations, and how you have followed them; this alone will suffice to convince you that your sins are more numerous than the hairs of your head, or than the grains of sand in the sea.
3. Consider in particular the sin of ingratitude towards God; a general sin which spreads over all the others, and infinitely increases their enormity. Thus, count all the benefits that God has bestowed upon you, and that you have turned against the Benefactor Himself. How many inspirations despised! how many good motions rendered useless! and, more than all this, how many sacraments received, and received perhaps without preparation! and where is the fruit? What has become of those precious jewels with which your dear Spouse had adorned you? All this has vanished beneath your iniquities, and while God has run after you so much to save you, you, you have always fled from Him, to destroy yourself: see a little what ingratitude!
PREPARATION.
_1. Place yourself in the presence of God._
_2. Pray to Him to inspire you._
CONSIDERATIONS.
1. Consider how long it is since you began to sin, and see how, since then, sins have multiplied in your heart; how every day they have risen up more and more against God, against your neighbour, against yourself, by deeds, by words, by desires and by thoughts.
2. Consider your evil inclinations, and how you have followed them; this alone will suffice to convince you that your sins are more numerous than the hairs of your head, or than the grains of sand in the sea.
3. Consider in particular the sin of ingratitude towards God; a general sin which spreads over all the others, and infinitely increases their enormity. Thus, count all the benefits that God has bestowed upon you, and that you have turned against the Benefactor Himself. How many inspirations despised! how many good motions rendered useless! and, more than all this, how many sacraments received, and received perhaps without preparation! and where is the fruit? What has become of those precious jewels with which your dear Spouse had adorned you? All this has vanished beneath your iniquities, and while God has run after you so much to save you, you, you have always fled from Him, to destroy yourself: see a little what ingratitude!
_Affections and Resolutions._
1. Be confounded at the sight of your misery. O my God! how dare I appear before Thy eyes? Alas! I see it plainly, I am the offscouring of the world; my heart is an abyss of ingratitude and iniquity. Is it possible that I should have carried malice so far as to leave none of my senses, none of the powers of my soul, without defiling and profaning them, and that not one day of my life should have passed without bringing forth some evil fruit? Is this how I ought to have repaid the benefits of my Creator and the blood of my Redeemer?
2. Ask pardon and cast yourself at the Lord’s feet, like a prodigal child, like a Magdalen, like an ungrateful and faithless bride: O Lord! have mercy upon this sinner. O heart of Jesus, living fountain of compassion and sweetness! have pity on this wretched creature.
3. Resolve to live better. O Lord! never again, by the aid of Thy holy grace, never again will I abandon myself to sin. Alas! I have loved it only too well! but now I detest it; and it is Thee, Father of mercies, whom I love and embrace. I will live and die for Thee.
4. To wipe away past sins, I will courageously confess them, leaving not one unacknowledged.
5. I will do all I can to tear out even their last roots, particularly those of such and such sins, which weigh most heavily upon me.
1. Be confounded at the sight of your misery. O my God! how dare I appear before Thy eyes? Alas! I see it plainly, I am the offscouring of the world; my heart is an abyss of ingratitude and iniquity. Is it possible that I should have carried malice so far as to leave none of my senses, none of the powers of my soul, without defiling and profaning them, and that not one day of my life should have passed without bringing forth some evil fruit? Is this how I ought to have repaid the benefits of my Creator and the blood of my Redeemer?
2. Ask pardon and cast yourself at the Lord’s feet, like a prodigal child, like a Magdalen, like an ungrateful and faithless bride: O Lord! have mercy upon this sinner. O heart of Jesus, living fountain of compassion and sweetness! have pity on this wretched creature.
3. Resolve to live better. O Lord! never again, by the aid of Thy holy grace, never again will I abandon myself to sin. Alas! I have loved it only too well! but now I detest it; and it is Thee, Father of mercies, whom I love and embrace. I will live and die for Thee.
4. To wipe away past sins, I will courageously confess them, leaving not one unacknowledged.
5. I will do all I can to tear out even their last roots, particularly those of such and such sins, which weigh most heavily upon me.
6. To this end, I will generously embrace all the means afforded me, and I will never believe that I have done enough to repair such great faults.
CONCLUSION.
1. Give thanks to God, Who has waited for you until now, and Who has inspired these good dispositions in you.
2. Offer Him your heart, that you may put them into practice.
3. Pray Him to strengthen you, etc.
CONCLUSION.
1. Give thanks to God, Who has waited for you until now, and Who has inspired these good dispositions in you.
2. Offer Him your heart, that you may put them into practice.
3. Pray Him to strengthen you, etc.