Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/146

 saints. Secondly, you  must  carefully  examine  your conscience, in  order  to  find  out  the  different  ways  in which  you  have  offended  Almighty  God,  and  how often you  have  fallen  into  each  particular  kind  of sin. Thirdly, you  are  to  implore  God's  pardon  with sorrow of  heart  for  having  offended  him,  and  resolve, with the  help  of  his  grace,  to  lead  a virtuous  life  for the time  to  come. And you  should  bear  well  in mind,  that  you  cannot  be  truly  sorry  for  your  sins unless you  be  firmly  resolved  to  keep  away  from  all dangerous occasions. In the  Sacred  Scripture  it  is said,  “ He  who  loves  the  danger  shall  perish  in  it.”

EGIN by  devoutly  making  the  sign  of  the  cross; saying at  the  same  time,  Bless  me, O Father,  for I have  sinned. Then repeat  the  Confiteor,  or  “I  confess  to Almighty  God,”  &amp;c.,  till  you  come  to  the  words “through my  fault,”  at  which  strike  your  breast,  full  of compunction,  like  the  humble  publican  in  the  Gospel, and so  proceed  to  accuse  yourself  with  candour  and sincerity, telling  first,  how  long  it  is  since  you  were last at  Confession,  whether  you  were  then  absolved, and whether  you  performed  your  penance. Make an humble  acknowledgment  of  your  guilt. Let there be no  excuses,  no  throwing  the  blame  on  others; but above  all,  let  not  shame,  or  fear,  or  hypocrisy, tempt you  to  tell  lies,  or  conceal  a mortal  sin  in confession. Should you  feel  a difficulty  in  confessing a certain  sin,  pray  to  God  for  help  to  overcome that difficulty; and  recollect  that  without  the confession of  that  sin  you  have  no  hope  of  pardon, and that  by  concealing  it  you  draw  down  upon  your soul the  heaviest  evils  both  for  time  and  eternity.

“ O God! What a hell  does  a soul  suffer  within