Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know Thee,
And desire nothing save only Thee.
Let me hate myself and love Thee.
Let me do everything for the sake of Thee.
Let me humble myself and exalt Thee.
Let me think nothing except Thee.
Let me die to myself and live in Thee.
Let me accept whatever happens as from Thee.
Let me banish self and follow Thee,
And ever desire to follow Thee.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in Thee,
That I may deserve to be defended by Thee.
Let me fear for myself, let me fear Thee,
And let me be among those who are chosen by Thee.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in Thee.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of Thee.
Let me cling to nothing save only to Thee,
And let me be poor because of Thee.
Look upon me, that I may love Thee.
Call me that I may see Thee,
And for ever enjoy Thee.    Amen.

O Lord, our God, we believe in Thee, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. As far as I have been able, as much as Thou hast given me the power to do so, I have sought for Thee. I have desired to see that in which I believe; much have I striven and labored.

Lord, my God, my only hope, let me never tire of seeking Thee, but make me seek Thy face with constant ardor. Give me the strength to seek after Thee--Thou Who hast made me find Thee, Who hast given me more and more the hope of finding Thee.

Thou seest my strength and my weakness; do Thou sustain the one and heal the other; Thou seest my strength and my ignorance. Where Thou hast opened to me, come make me welcome; where Thou hast opened to me, come make me welcome; where Thou hast closed to me, open to my plea. Give me to remember, understand, and love Thee.

O blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay thee thy just dues of praise and thanksgiving, thou who by the wondrous assent of thy will didst rescue a fallen world? What songs of praise can our weak human nature recite in thy honor, since it is by thy intervention alone that it has found the way to restoration? Accept, then, such poor thanks as we have here to offer, though they be unequal to thy merits; and, receiving our vows, obtain by thy prayers the remission of our offenses.

Carry thou our prayers within the sanctuary of the heavenly audience, and bring forth from it the antidote of our reconciliation. May the sins we bring before Almighty God through thee, become pardonable through thee; may what we ask for with sure confidence, through thee be granted. Take our offering, grant us our requests, obtain pardon for what we fear, for thou art the sole hope of sinners. Through thee we hope for the remission of our sins, and in thee, O blessed Lady, is our hope of reward. Holy Mary, succour the miserable, help the fainthearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray for thy people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God; may all who keep thy holy commemoration feel now thy help and protection. Be thou ever ready to assist us when we pray, and bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it thy continual care to pray for the people of God, thou who, blessed by God, didst merit to bear the Redeemer of the world, who liveth and reigneth, world without end.    Amen..

Saint Augustine (354-43O) was born in Tagaste in northern Africa. A brilliant but dissolute youth, he was converted through the perseverance in prayer of his mother, Saint Monica, and became one of the most glorious champions of orthodoxy in an age of theological turmoil. He spent his last thirty-five years as bishop of the African see of Hippo.


We humbly supplicate and beseech thee, O thrice blessed Augustine, that thou wouldst be mindful of us poor sinners this day, daily, and at the hour of our death, that by thy merits and prayers we may be delivered from all evils, as well of soul as body, and daily increase in virtue and good works; obtain for us that we may know our God and know ourselves, that in His mercy He may cause us to love Him above all things in life and death; impart to us, we beseech thee, some share of that love with which thou so ardently glow, that our hearts being all inflamed with this divine love, happily depart- ing out of this mortal pilgrimage, we may deserve to praise with thee the loving heart of Jesus for a never ending eternity.    Amen.

O God, Who enlightened St. Augustine by Your grace, and inflamed him with Your love in the midst of the darkness and miseries of a life of sin, have mercy likewise on my poor soul and upon those of my children and relatives! Pardon our ingratitude, our disobedience, our want of reverence, our indifference, finally, all the offenses of which we have ever been guilty against Your holy name. We acknowledge that there is in this world no pain or punishment so severe as that which we deserve; therefore, full of dread of what is in store for us, we invoke the intercession of Your holy servant Augustine, so inflamed with love of You!


O holy penitent Augustine, seraph of divine love, unspeakable miracle of divine mercy, obtain for us from God a true, perfect, and heartfelt sorrow for our sins, a devout and constant love of God, a love that triumphs over all difficulties, temptations, and tribulations, a wise and unremitting fervor in the observances of the divine Commandments and the fulfillment of our duties! Assist us especially in the training of our children. Behold to how many dangers their virtue and innocence are exposed in the world! See how numerous are the snares and deceits prepared for the ruin of their souls by the flesh, and through the words and example of evil and worldly-minded men! If they do not receive extraordinary help, how can they withstand such allurements? O great St. Augustine, take them under your protection! To our efforts in their behalf, join your intercession for them with God.


Exert all your influence and, with the compassion of your loving heart, intercede with the Most Holy Trinity for them. Permit not that our children, sanctified in the waters of Baptism, should through mortal sin be banished from the presence of God and suffer eternal punishment. Preserve them from the greatest of all evils here below, namely, that of denying the love of Jesus Christ, through affection to some creature or the fear of some misfortune. No, O great St. Augustine! Rather let them and us, their parents, die in the grace of God, than live to offend Him mortally! This favor we implore through your intercession, O holy son of a sainted mother, you who gladly receive and graciously hear the prayers of a mother! I confidently hope that you have already heard my petitions, and that you will obtain for me a favorable answer from God!     Amen.

The heart pants after the fountain of water, so my soul pants after the strong living God. When shall I come and appear before the face of my God?

O Fountain of life, Source of living waters, when shall I pass from this desert, this pathless barren land, to the waters of Your sweetness, to gaze upon Your beauty and glory, and to slake my soul's thirst at the gushing streams of Your love! O when shall I come and appear before Your face? O bright and glorious day that knows no evening, whose sun shall never set, in which shall be heard the voice of praise, the voice of joy and thanksgiving, Your voice, O God, saying unto me: "Enter into the joy of the Lord!" Enter into joy everlasting, into tranquil joy, into ecstatic happiness, into a blissful eternity, into the house of the Lord, your God, where are things great and unsearchable, wonderful things without number.

Enter into joy wherein there is no sorrow, naught but untroubled gladness; wherein is all manner of good and nothing of evil; wherein all your heart's desires shall be satisfied, and all that you fear or hate shall be removed far from you; wherein life shall be calm, and glad, and thrilling; wherein the hateful enemy shall not enter, nor shall any breath of temptation come near you; wherein are supreme and unshaken security, an eternal blessedness, the Blessed Trinity, the Godhead in unity, the ecstatic vision of the Godhead! There you shall find gladness without sorrow, health without pain, light without darkness, life without toil, life without death. There the vigor of youth knows no decay, beauty withers not, love grows not cold, nor does joy pass away. O joy upon joy, Joy transcending all joys! When shall I enter into you, and behold my Lord Whose dwelling is in you?

O Christ, our Refuge and our Strength, hope of the human race, You Whose light shines from afar upon the dark clouds that hang around us, behold Your redeemed ones who cry unto You--Your banished ones whom You have purchased with Your own most Precious Blood! Hear us, O God, our Savior, Who are the hope of all the ends of the earth! Guide us amid the shoals and quicksands that beset our course, and bring us in safety to the haven for which we long.      Amen.