St Alphonsus for priests (Wednesday)

Prayer to be said by the priest after celebrating Mass (Wednesday)

O my Jesus, I see how much you have done and suffered so that you might impose on me the necessity of loving you: and how ungrateful to you I have proved to be! How many times have I exchanged your grace for vile delectation and evil desire and lost you, O God of my soul? To the benefits of created things I have shown grateful appreciation; to you alone have I have shown myself ungrateful. Forgive me, my God; I grieve the crime of such an ungrateful soul, I mourn with all my heart, and I hope for forgiveness from you because you are infinite goodness. If you were not infinite goodness, I would have to despair and never again dare to implore your mercy.

Thanks be to you, my love, because you have sustained me for so long and have not damned me to hell which I have deserved. Indeed your patience alone with me, my God should draw me to love you. Who could ever have tolerated me except you, God, who are infinite mercy. It is long now since you invited me to love you; I do not wish to resist your love any longer; behold I give my whole self to you. I have sinned against you enough, now I wish to love you. I love you, O my highest Good, I love you, O infinite goodness, I love you, my God who are worthy of infinite love, and I wish to repeat always in time and in eternity, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

O God how many years have I lost in which I could have loved you and progressed in your love, and I have used them up in sinning against you! But your blood, O Jesus, is my hope. I hope never to cease loving you. I do not know how much longer I have to live, but I consecrate the rest of my life to you, whether it be long or short. For this, you have so far waited for me. And so I wish to please you; I wish to love you always, most loving Lord, and I wish to love you alone. What are delights to me? What are riches? What are honours? You alone, my God, you are and always will be my love and my all.

But I can do nothing unless you assist me with your grace. Wound my heart, I pray you, inflame it with your holy love and join me wholly to you: and thus join me that I can never be separated from you. You promised to love the one who loves you: “I love those who love me.” (Prov 8.17) Now I love you; forgive my audacity, love me also and do not permit me to do anything that would prevent me from loving you. “Who does not love remains in death.” (1 Jn 3.14) Free me from this death by which I may be impeded from loving you. Make me always love you so that you are able always to love me; and thus may our love be eternal and never again may it be dissolved between you and me. Grant me this, eternal Father, through the love of Jesus Christ. Bestow this, most lovable Jesus, through your merits in which I trust that you may always be loved by me and I may always be loved by you.

O Mary, Mother of God and my mother, pray also to Jesus for me.

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