The Irish Catholic Hermit

  The Meaning of the Prayer “O Lord and Master of my life.” This short phrase confesses that we depend utterly on Jesus Christ our God. We acknowledge again what we acknowledged at baptism, that our first allegiance is to God, that God has given us life, that we must live in accordance with God’s will, and that it is for God to call us from this earthly life. In these few words we turn away from all idolatry, we reject everything, which might take the place of God. “Give me not the spirit of slothfulness” or in plain English, laziness! Life, especially the Christian life, is an effort. That does not mean at all that we should never “enjoy life”; Christ promised to give us joy. But real joy has nothing in common with laziness. Laziness steals our time and gives us no joy at all; one only discovers that one has done nothing, neither what one should have done nor what one might have done. Exercise is a good cure for laziness; Lent is a spiritual exercise, to cure us of spiritual lazi...

  The Audacity of Mercy Let yourself be persecuted, but do not persecute others. Be crucified, but do not crucify others. Be slandered, but do not slander others. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep: such is the sign of purity. Suffer with the sick. Be afflicted with sinners. Exult with those who repent. Be the friend of all, but in your spirit remain alone. Be a partaker of the sufferings of all, but keep your body distant from all. Rebuke no one, revile no one, not even those who live very wickedly. Spread your cloak over those who fall into sin, each and every one, and shield them. And if you cannot take the fault on yourself and accept punishment in their place, do not destroy their character. What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons, and for all that exists. By the recollection of them the eyes of a merciful person pour forth tears in abundance. By the strong and...

  On the Passion of the Saviour I am afraid to speak and touch with my tongue this fearful narrative concerning the Saviour. For truly it is fearful to narrate all this. Our Lord was given up today into the hands of sinners! For what reason then was one who is holy and without sin given up? For having done no sin He was given up today. C ome, let us examine closely why Christ our Saviour was given up. For us, the ungodly, the Master was given up. Who would not marvel? Who would not give glory? When the slaves had sinned the Master was given up. The sons of perdition and the children of darkness went out in the darkness to arrest the sun who had the power to consume them in an instant. B ut the Master, knowing their effrontery and the force of their anger, with gentleness, by His own authority, gave himself up into the hands of the ungodly. And lawless men, having bound the most pure Master, mocked the One who had bound the strong one with unbreakable bonds, and set us free from th...

M y Lord and Master, God of heaven and earth, show forth Your grace and open for me the door of repentance. I entreat You with my troubled soul. Look upon me according to Your great mercy. A ttend to my prayer and forgive me, who has been guilty of committing many sins. F orgive all the vile things I did, for I have been overcome by means my own wicked desires. I look for peace and find it not. M y conscience is polluted and there is no peace in me because of the abundance of my sins. H ear Lord, a heart which beseeches You in turmoil. D o not take heed to my works, but rather to the misery of my soul, and come quickly to heal me of my grievous wounds. R estore me to a sound mind by means of Your grace and love for mankind. T ake away from me the weight of my sins and do not repay what my works merit, so that I not come to ruin in the end. A nd so that I will not lack thought and care for my renewal. I fall prostrate before Your loving-care. H ave compassion on me who am thrown into...

Prayer of profound love for all of humanity. O ur Lord Jesus Christ: D o not abandon your servants who live far away from the Church.   M ay your love convict them and bring them back to you. L ord have mercy on your servants who are suffering from cancer. O n your servants who suffer either from small or serious ailments. O n your servants who suffer from physical infirmities. O n your servants who suffer from spiritual infirmities. L ord have mercy on our leaders and inspire them to govern with Christian love. L ord have mercy on children who come from troubled homes. O n troubled families and those who have been divorced. L ord have mercy on all the orphans of the world, on all those who are suffering pain and injustices since losing their spouses. L ord have mercy on all those in jail, on all anarchists, on all drug abusers, on all murderers, on all abusers of people, and on all thieves.  E nlighten these people and help them to straighten out their lives. L ord ...

I n love did He bring the world into existence W hat profundity of richness, what mind and exalted wisdom is God’s. What compassionate kindness and abundant goodness belongs to the Creator!  W ith what purpose and with what love did He create this world and bring it into existence!  W hat a mystery does the coming into being of this creation look towards! To what a state is our common nature invited!  W hat love served to initiate the creation of the world!  T his same love which initiated the act of creation prepared beforehand by another dispensation the things appropriate to adorn the world’s majesty which sprung forth as a result of the might of His love. I n love did He bring the world into existence; in love does He guide it during this its temporal existence; in love is He going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of Him who has performed all things; in love will the whole course of th...