O Lord, open Thou my mouth that I may bless Thy Holy Name;
cleanse my heart from all vain, evil, and wandering
thoughts;
enlighten my understanding;
kindle my affections, that I may worthily, attentively,
and devoutly recite this office,
and may deserve to be heard before
the presence of Thy divine Majesty.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time.
Amen.
The Lord is my Shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
For His Name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
For you are with me;
Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies,
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
My whole life long.
[Psalm 23:1-6; NRSV]
O merciful Father, who have wonderfully fashioned man in your own image, and have made his body to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, sanctify, we pray you, our doctors and nurses and all those whom you have called to study and practice the arts of healing the sick and the prevention of disease and pain. Strengthen them in body and soul, and bless their work, that they may give comfort to those for whose salvation your Son became Man, lived on this earth, healed the sick, and suffered and died on the Cross.
Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Holy God, Holy Strong One,
Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.
To you be praise,
To you be glory,
To you be thanksgiving
Through endless ages,
O Blessed Trinity.
Amen.
Once you have completed your Examination Of Conscience, and you have told God that you are deeply sorry for your sins, enter the confessional box (or reconciliation room).
You may either:
Kneel before the screen, or
Sit so you can talk face to face to the priest.
You begin by saying these words (or similar ones.)
“I confess to Almighty God and to you, Father, that I have sinned. My last confession was ______________ weeks (months, years) ago.”
You say one of the following:
“Since then, I do not recall committing any mortal sins.”
Or
“Since then, I have committed mortal sins. They are…” (mention the sins, how many times they were committed and related circumstances)
And then…
“My venial sins are…” (mention the sins and the number of times)
Or
“I do not recall having committed any venial sins”
“For these and all the sins that I have committed during my life, I am deeply sorry.” Then listen to the words of the priest. When invited to do so, make an Act Of Contrition.
Example:
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
Amen.
Next,
Listen to the priest’s words of forgiveness (absolution), and
Make the Sign of the Cross with the priest.
If the priest says, “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,”
You answer,
“For His mercy endures forever.”
Then you leave the confessional box (reconciliation room) and you say the penance that the priest gave you.
Most merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray you by the agony of your most sacred heart, and by the sorrows of your Immaculate mother, to wash in your most Precious Blood the sinners of the world who are now in their agony, and who will die today.
Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Assist me in my last agony, and grant that I may breath forth my soul in peace with you.
Amen.
Most Merciful Jesus,
lover of souls,
I pray You,
by the agony of Your most Sacred Heart,
and by the sorrows of Your Immaculate Mother,
to wash in Your Most Precious Blood,
the sinners of the world who are now in their agony,
and who will die today.
Heart of Jesus,
once in agony,
have mercy on the dying.
Amen.
May Christ Who was crucified for your sake
free you from excruciating pain.
May Christ Who died for you
free you from the death that never ends.
May Christ the Son of the living God,
set you in the ever green loveliness of His Paradise,
and may He, the true Shepherd
recognize you as one of His own.
May you see your Redeemer face to face
and standing in His presence forever,
may you see with joyful eyes
Truth revealed in all its fullness.
Amen.
