Reflection #22
The Words of a Dying Man
to Jesus Crucified
O Jesus, my Redeemer, who in a few moments wilt be my Judge, have mercy upon me before the moment comes when Thou wilt judge me. No, my sins do not terrify me, nor the rigors of Thy judgment, while I see Thee dead upon this cross to save me.
Yet, cease not to comfort me in the agony to which I am come: my enemies would terrify me by saying that there is no salvation for me; "Many say to my soul, there is no salvation for him in his God." (Psalms 3:3). Do Thou comfort me; do Thou make me feel that Thou art my salvation; "Say to my soul, I am thy salvation." (Psalms 34:3). Oh, let not so many pains, so many insults endured, so much blood shed by Thee, be lost to me; "Thou hast redeemed me, dying upon the cross; let not so great labor be in vain." Especially, I pray Thee--through that bitterness Thou didst feel when Thy blessed soul was separated from Thy most holy body--to have mercy upon my soul when it shall depart from my body.
It is true that by my sins I have so often despised Thee, but now I love Thee above everything; I love Thee more than myself, and I grieve with all my heart for all the outrages I have offered Thee; I detest them, I hate them above all evil. I see that by the offenses I have committed, I have deserved a thousand Hells; but the bitter death which Thou hast been willing to endure for me and the great mercies Thou hast already shown me make me confidently hope that, when I appear before Thee, Thou will give me the holy kiss of peace.
Trusting entirely in Thy goodness, O my God, I abandon myself into Thy loving arms. "In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped: I shall not be confounded forever." (Psalms 30:1). By the sins I have committed I have again and again deserved Hell but I hope in Thy blood that Thou hast already pardoned me; and I hope that I shall come to Heaven to praise Thy mercies forever; "The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever."
I willingly accept all the pains Thou dost destine for me in Purgatory; it is just that the fire should punish in me all the injuries I have done to Thee. O holy prison, when shall I find myself shut up in thee, secure from being able ever to lose my God! O holy fire, when wilt thou purge away my many filthy stains and make me worthy to enter the country of the blessed!
O Eternal Father, through the merits of the death of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, make me die in Thy grace and in Thy love, that I may come to love Thee eternally. I thank Thee for all the graces Thou hast given me throughout my life and especially for the great favor of having bestowed on me the Holy Faith and for having caused me to receive, in these my last days, all the holy Sacraments. Thou willest that I should die, and I desire to die to please Thee. It is little, O Jesus, my Savior, that I should die for Thee, who hast died for me. Joyfully I say to Thee with St. Francis: "May I die for love of Thy love, who hast vouchsafed to die for love of my love."
I receive death with peace, as also the pains which I shall have to endure as long as I breathe; give me strength to suffer with a perfect uniformity to Thy Will. I offer them all for Thy glory, uniting them to the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy Passion. O Eternal Father, I sacrifice to Thee my life and my entire being; and I pray Thee to accept this my sacrifice, through the merits of that great sacrifice which Jesus, Thy Son, offered of Himself to Thee upon the Cross.
O Mother of God and my mother, Mary, thou hast obtained so many graces from God for me during my life; I thank thee for them with all my heart. Oh, abandon me not in this hour of my death, in which I have greater need of thy prayers! Pray to Jesus for me; increase thy prayers and obtain for me more sorrow for my sins and more love for God, that I may come to love Him forever in thy company and with all my powers in Heaven.
"In thee, O Lady, I have hoped; I shall not be confounded forever." Mary, my hope, I trust in thee.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
Yet, cease not to comfort me in the agony to which I am come: my enemies would terrify me by saying that there is no salvation for me; "Many say to my soul, there is no salvation for him in his God." (Psalms 3:3). Do Thou comfort me; do Thou make me feel that Thou art my salvation; "Say to my soul, I am thy salvation." (Psalms 34:3). Oh, let not so many pains, so many insults endured, so much blood shed by Thee, be lost to me; "Thou hast redeemed me, dying upon the cross; let not so great labor be in vain." Especially, I pray Thee--through that bitterness Thou didst feel when Thy blessed soul was separated from Thy most holy body--to have mercy upon my soul when it shall depart from my body.
It is true that by my sins I have so often despised Thee, but now I love Thee above everything; I love Thee more than myself, and I grieve with all my heart for all the outrages I have offered Thee; I detest them, I hate them above all evil. I see that by the offenses I have committed, I have deserved a thousand Hells; but the bitter death which Thou hast been willing to endure for me and the great mercies Thou hast already shown me make me confidently hope that, when I appear before Thee, Thou will give me the holy kiss of peace.
Trusting entirely in Thy goodness, O my God, I abandon myself into Thy loving arms. "In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped: I shall not be confounded forever." (Psalms 30:1). By the sins I have committed I have again and again deserved Hell but I hope in Thy blood that Thou hast already pardoned me; and I hope that I shall come to Heaven to praise Thy mercies forever; "The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever."
I willingly accept all the pains Thou dost destine for me in Purgatory; it is just that the fire should punish in me all the injuries I have done to Thee. O holy prison, when shall I find myself shut up in thee, secure from being able ever to lose my God! O holy fire, when wilt thou purge away my many filthy stains and make me worthy to enter the country of the blessed!
O Eternal Father, through the merits of the death of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, make me die in Thy grace and in Thy love, that I may come to love Thee eternally. I thank Thee for all the graces Thou hast given me throughout my life and especially for the great favor of having bestowed on me the Holy Faith and for having caused me to receive, in these my last days, all the holy Sacraments. Thou willest that I should die, and I desire to die to please Thee. It is little, O Jesus, my Savior, that I should die for Thee, who hast died for me. Joyfully I say to Thee with St. Francis: "May I die for love of Thy love, who hast vouchsafed to die for love of my love."
I receive death with peace, as also the pains which I shall have to endure as long as I breathe; give me strength to suffer with a perfect uniformity to Thy Will. I offer them all for Thy glory, uniting them to the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy Passion. O Eternal Father, I sacrifice to Thee my life and my entire being; and I pray Thee to accept this my sacrifice, through the merits of that great sacrifice which Jesus, Thy Son, offered of Himself to Thee upon the Cross.
O Mother of God and my mother, Mary, thou hast obtained so many graces from God for me during my life; I thank thee for them with all my heart. Oh, abandon me not in this hour of my death, in which I have greater need of thy prayers! Pray to Jesus for me; increase thy prayers and obtain for me more sorrow for my sins and more love for God, that I may come to love Him forever in thy company and with all my powers in Heaven.
"In thee, O Lady, I have hoped; I shall not be confounded forever." Mary, my hope, I trust in thee.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
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