Holy God,
You are always ready to forgive.
Please look upon me with Your endless goodness and mercy.
My poor soul wishes to return to You and be washed clean through the holy Sacrament of Confession.
Give me the grace to prepare well for this holy sacrament.
Fill my mind with light, so I may clearly see my sins.
Fill my heart with sorrow, so I may truly hate the wrong I have done.
Fill my lips with honesty and courage, so I may confess my sins sincerely and completely.
And through Your mercy, may I receive pardon and forgiveness.
Amen.
Holy Spirit, eternal Light,
shine into my heart.
Help me to see all the sins by which I have offended my dear God.
Let me know them clearly and honestly, so I may confess them with a truthful heart.
Give me true sorrow for my sins, because they have displeased God, who is so good, so loving, and worthy of all my love.
O merciful Father, turn away Your anger from me.
Forgive my sins, and do not punish me according to Your justice, but according to Your mercy.
Amen.
This prayer (page 10) comes from a very small and beautiful Catholic prayer book printed in Augsburg, Germany, in the year 1776. The little book is titled Auserlesenes Gebethbüchlein — which means “A Choice Little Prayer Book.” It contains morning and evening prayers, prayers for Confession and Holy Communion, litanies, and many other devotions for daily Catholic life.
The book was first prepared for the "young nobility" of Austria, but later published for the spiritual benefit of all Catholics. Inside are old German blackletter pages, hand-pressed in the 18th century, along with delicate devotional engravings meant to inspire prayer and recollection.
The opening approval pages show that the prayers were carefully examined and officially approved by Church authorities in Augsburg in the year 1752 before later editions were printed. These old “Imprimatur” pages remind us how lovingly the Church protected the purity of Catholic prayer books in those days.
Now, almost 250 years later, these prayers are being gently translated into clear, easy-to-understand English by Sister Mary Claire for her little sister Kathy at Camp Littlemore Farm, so they may once again be prayed slowly and reverently by loving hearts.
The opening approval pages show that the prayers were carefully examined and officially approved by Church authorities in Augsburg in the year 1752 before later editions were printed. These old “Imprimatur” pages remind us how lovingly the Church protected the purity of Catholic prayer books in those days.
Now, almost 250 years later, these prayers are being gently translated into clear, easy-to-understand English by Sister Mary Claire for her little sister Kathy at Camp Littlemore Farm, so they may once again be prayed slowly and reverently by loving hearts.
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