In order to be able to fight, you must first surrender.
My Lord and Almighty Father, most loving Sacred Heart of my
sweet and gentle Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, source of all wisdom, my Triune God, ruler of all, model of peace
and joy of every soul, I thank you for creating me, for every moment of my
life, for all you have generously given me,
for every person you have set in my path, and for loving, guiding,
consoling, refining, and forgiving me.
My soul has been defiled by my many sins, and so often is caught
up in its own preferences. I am sorry
for having been impatient, self-centered, intolerant, self-serving,
self-indulgent, vain and prideful, hardhearted, distracted by things of the
world, blinded by the errors of my ways, for the times I have been a poor
example to others...
Please help me,
Lord; may your Precious Blood be my
Antidote and wash away all dislike, bitterness, hatred, animosity, and anger
and replace them with a love so great, it would surrender its very life.
Please continue your work within my soul; obliterate
everything within me that displeases You and gets in the way of Your pouring the
priceless gift of Your grace into my soul.
Make my heart humble, my giving joyful, my ability to forgive second
nature, my speech gentle, my expression pleasant, and by the power of Your immeasurable
love, make my love for You and for others limitless. I give myself entirely to You, and promise to
love You and honor You, all the days of my life.
A beautiful prayer by Servant of God, Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.:
"Lord Jesus, I know I have a fallen human nature that must constantly
be controlled, if I am to serve You as I should and if I am even to save my
soul. Help me to be honest with You, and
honest with myself, in recognizing what
are my predominant weaknesses, and what sins I am most prone to commit. Have mercy on me, Lord, for the many times I
have offended You in the past. But Lord, especially help me for the future, that I
may see, see myself as You see me, see my passions of the flesh and passions of
the spirit, that I, that I must control.
See how best I can master myself, in order to be Your faithful
servant. Lord, that I may see, see how I
may grow in sanctity because I practice grateful generosity in return for the
mercy You have shown me until now, and will continue to show me, a sinner, as I
enter, dear Lord, I beg, as I enter, a heavenly eternity. Amen." 1
Surrender to Him completely,
that you may be better able to fight the battle
with the forces of evil.
You can't win if you are on the wrong side.
You can't win if you are on the wrong side.
God is at work in you!
© 2012 Joseph Karl Publishing.
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Source:
1. Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., Knowing Our Sinful Tendencies (Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Archives).
Pictures taken at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Slovak Catholic Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, U.S.A., in the Archdiocese of Detroit.