Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/161

 love, that  I may  have  a perfect  contrition  for  them, and thy grace,  that  I may  avoid  them  in  future.

[Here let us examine what  sins  we  have  committed  since  our last confession,  by  thought,  word,  deed,  or  omission,  against  God, our neighbour,  or  ourselves.]

IVINE Jesus! I desire with  my  whole  heart  to bewail  my  sins  as  they  deserve. But the  grace of contrition  must  be  thy  gift. Bestow it  on  me then  in  thy  mercy; I beg  it  through  the  merits  of thy  most  precious  blood  and  wounds;  and  since  thou wiliest not  the  death  of  a sinner,  but  that  he  be  converted and  live,  convert  me,  my  God,  and  I shall  be truly  converted.

Let us  imagine  ourselves  at  the  feet  of  Christ crucified, and that  he  says  to  us  from  the  cross: “ What is  there  that  I ought  to  do  more  to  my  vineyard, that I have  not  done  to  it? Was it  that  I looked  that  it should  bring  forth  grapes, and  it  hath  brought  forth  wild grapes?” (Isa.  v.  4.)  Let  us  ask  our  heart  the  same question; it will  reply,  that  the  blood,  the  mercy,  the choicest graces  of  a God  have  never  been  withheld,  to render  it  fruitful  in  all  virtue: but  has  not  our  ingratitude frustrated  the  designs  of  his  love? When we compare  the  labours  of  our  Redeemer  with  their  effects on our  souls,  should  we  not  tremble,  lest  bringing  forth nothing but  wild  grapes,  we  should  expose  ourselves to hear  from  the  lips  of  the  divine  husbandman,  that awful threat: "And  now  I will  shew  you  what  1 will do  to  my  vineyard: I will  take  away  the  hedge  thereof and  it  shall  be  wasted:  I will  break  down  the  wall thereof  and  it  shall  be  trodden  down.  And  I will  make it  desolate: it  shall  not  be  pruned, and  it  shall  not  be digged:  but  briars  and  thorns  shall  come  up:  and  I