Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/535



ORD, have  mercy  on  us. Christ, have mercy  on  us.

Lord, have  mercy  on  us.

God the  Father,  who  for  our  sake  didst  deliver  up thy  beloved  Son  to  death,  Have  mercy  on  us.

God the  Son,  who  didst  mercifully  submit  to  the law of  death,  that  we  may  thereby  gain  eternal  life, Have mercy  on  us.

Holy Spirit,  the  great  comforter  of  dying  Christians,

O divine Jesus! when I shall  be  seized  with  my last  illness,  and  warned  to  prepare  for  the approach of  my  Judge, Then, Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.

When my  eyes,  darkened  with  the  mist  of  death, shall fix  their  last  dying  looks  on  thy  crucified image, Then, Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.

When my  pale  and  ghastly  countenance  shall  fill others with  compassion  and  terror,

When my  ears,  about  to  close  for  ever  to  all human discourse,  shall  await  the  dreadful sound of  thy  irrevocable  sentence,

When my  feet,  unable  to  move,  shall  remind  me that  my  earthly  course  is  drawing  to  an  end,

When my  imagination,  disturbed  with  gloomy and frightful  phantoms,  shall  fill  my  heart  with deadly horror,

When my  soul,  terrified  at  the  view  of  my  sins, and agonized  with  fear  of  thy  rigorous  justice, shall struggle  with  the  angel  of  darkness,

When my  heart,  weakened  and  overwhelmed  with the pains  of  sickness,  shall  be  seized  with  the last agonies  of  death,  and  violently  assailed  with the last  efforts  of  Satan,