A Prayer of Humble Contrition and Mercy
O merciful God, who desirest not the death of the sinner but that he be converted and live, look down with pity upon Thy servant, who on this twenty-fifth day of holy Lent kneels before Thee in dust and ashes of the heart.
I have wandered far from Thee in thought, word, and deed. My sins have been as the Pharisee’s pride and the publican’s hidden faults; yet, like the poor tax collector in the Temple, I dare not lift mine eyes to heaven, but smite my breast and cry:
“O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)
By the merits of Thy Passion and Cross, which we now contemplate more deeply in these sacred days, wash away my iniquities. Grant me the grace of true compunction, a spirit of penance, and a firm purpose of amendment. Strengthen me to fast with the body, to pray with the soul, and to give alms with a cheerful heart.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd who seekest the lost sheep, do not abandon me in my weakness. Holy Mary, Mother of Sorrows, and all ye holy angels and saints, intercede for me, that this Lent may not pass in vain, but bear fruit unto life everlasting.
Through the same Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be
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