Eternal Father, help me to remember
That time is short, eternity is long;
I beg Thee to subdue this hellish ember
Or shield me from temptation.  Thou art strong

And I am weak.  Thou knowest that without Thee
I can do nothing but fall into sin;
Ah, I beseech Thee, never let me doubt Thee
Lest greater evil then should enter in.

O Lord, I can but cry to Thee for pardon,
Because I am the murderer of Thy Son;
And lest my soul in wickedness should harden,
I tremble: for I know what I have done.

Thou seëst now before Thy feet a traitor,
Who has despised Thee over and over again:
Who hangs his head in shame; whose sins are greater
Than those of any other wicked men.

But still I dare to hope, to hope in Thee, Lord,
Only because Thy mercy is so great:
Were it not so, how wretched I would be, Lord;
I should be broken by the crushing weight

Of evil I now bear upon my shoulders,
A heaviness that almost breaks my back:
Each sin weighs more than ten enormous boulders:
Each is a greater torture than the rack.

Grant me the grace to make a good confession;
Oh, break these thunderous and viewless chains:
'Tis Thou alone canst vivify and freshen
A dead, stale soul in self-inflicted pains.

Ah, though my sins have crucified my Jesus,
And broken Mary's heart with sorrow's sword,
I still place all my hope in Him Who sees us
And all our secrets - Jesus Christ our Lord.

And though of sinners I am far the greatest,
Lord, do not send me that which I deserve;
It is not sinners, it is sin, Thou hatest:
Do not permit me even once more to swerve

From Thee, Who art my Lord, my Love, my Master,
My Saviour, my Creator, and my Friend;
Oh, let me embrace and cling to Thee yet faster,
My Happiness, my God, my Latest End.

(23rd June, 2009.)