(St. Alphonsus de Liguori)
O God of infinite majesty, behold at Thy feet a traitor, who has offended
Thee over and over again, but who now humbly seeks forgiveness. O
Lord, reject me not ; Thou dost not despise a heart that humbles itself : A
contrite heart and humbled heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. I thank
Thee that Thou hast waited for me till now, and hast not let me die in sin,
casting me into hell, as I deserved. Since Thou hast waited for me, my
God, I hope that, by the merits of Jesus Christ, Thou wilt pardon me in
this confession for all the offences I have committed against Thee ; I
repent, and am sorry for them, because by them I have merited hell and
lost paradise. But above all, it is not so much on account of hell which I
have merited, but because I have offended Thee, O Infinite Goodness!
that I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. I love Thee, O Sovereign
Good! and because I love Thee, I repent of all the insults I have offered
Thee. I have turned my back upon Thee ; I have not respected Thee ; I
have despised Thy grace and Thy friendship. O Lord! I have lost Thee by
my own free-will ; forgive me all my sins for the love of Jesus Christ,
now that I repent with all my heart ; I hate, detest, and abominate them
above every evil. And I repent not only of mortal sins, but also of venial
sins, because these are also displeasing to Thee. I resolve for the future,
by Thy grace, never more wilfully to offend Thee. Yes, my God, I will
rather die than ever sin again.
