Prayers of St. Alphonsus Liguori for Each Day of the Week

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Complete prayer

SUNDAY

Dearest Jesus, my Redeemer and my God, I adore Thee now present within my breast under the humble appearances of bread and wine, and thus made the meat and drink of my soul. May Thy coming unto my soul be infinitely blessed, my God, and for that great benefit, I thank Thee from the bottom of my heart, and I grieve the fact that I am not able to give thanks to Thee in a manner worthy.

But what fitting thanksgiving could a poor peasant offer, if he should behold his king enter into his cabin to visit him, but to cast himself at his feet, and remain there prostrate in silence, in astonishment, and in thankfulness for his condescension?

I cast myself, therefore, at Thy feet, O my divine King, O sweetest Jesus, and I adore Thee from the depths of my misery. I unite my adoration to that which the Most Holy Mary offered Thee when she received Thee into her most sacred womb: and would that I could also love Thee as she loved Thee.

O dear Redeemer, in obedience to my words, Thou hast this day come down from heaven into my hands: and I? Alas! how often by disobeying Thy commandments have I ungratefully turned my back upon Thee, and have renounced Thy grace and Thy love! O good Jesus, I hope that now at this moment Thou hast for given me; but if through my fault Thou hast not yet pardoned me, pardon me this morning; for I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee, O Infinite Goodness.

O my Jesus, would that I had always loved Thee! At least from the day on which I said my first Mass I should have burned with love for Thee. Thou hast chosen me from the midst of so many millions of men to be Thy priest and Thy friend, what couldst Thou have done more to make Thyself beloved by me? But I thank Thee that Thou givest me time to do that which I have not done. I wish to love Thee with all my heart. No affection will I cherish in my heart save for Thee, who hast so greatly obliged me to love Thee.

My God and my all. O my God, what are riches to me! what are honors! what the pleasures of the world! Thou art my all. Thou alone shalt be henceforth my only good, my only love. I will say to Thee with St. Paulinus, The rich may have their riches, the kings their kingdoms; to me Christ is glory and kingdom. Let the kings, and rich ones of this world, delight in their kingdoms and in their riches, Thou alone, O good Jesus, shalt be my riches and my kingdom.

O Eternal Father, for the love of that Son of Thine, whom I have today sacrificed to Thee, and received into my heart, give to me, I beseech, holy perseverance in Thy grace, and the gift of Thy holy love. I recommend to Thee again all my relatives, friends, and enemies; I recommend to Thee the souls in Purgatory, and all sinners.

O my Mother, Most Holy Mary, do thou obtain for me holy perseverance and the love of Jesus Christ.

MONDAY

O infinite Goodness! O infinite Love! God has given Himself wholly to me, and has made Himself all mine! Unite, O my soul, all thy affections and bind thyself to thy Lord, Who has come on purpose to unite Himself to thee and to be loved by thee.

O dear Redeemer, I embrace Thee, my love and my life, I bind myself to Thee, do not Thou dispise me. Woe is me! for the time of my life, when I have driven Thee from my soul, and have separated myself from Thee; but for the future I will rather lose my life a thousand times than lose Thee, my sovereign Good. Forget, O Lord, all my offences against Thee, and pardon me; I repent with my whole heart, and would that I could die with grief!

But even though I have sinned against Thee, Thou biddest me, that I should love Thee: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart. Ah! my Lord, who am I, that Thou dost so greatly desire to be loved by me? But if this indeed be Thy desire, I wish to please Thee. Thou didst die for me, Thou hast given Thy flesh to be my food; I leave all, I bid farewell to all, and I embrace Thee alone, my beloved Saviour. For who shall separate me from the love of Christ?

O beloved Redeemer, and whom shall I desire to love except Thee, who art infinite Goodness, worthy of infinite love? What is mine in heaven and so what should I want on earth from Thee? O God of my heart and my portion in eternity. Yes, my God, where can I find in heaven, or on earth, a good greater than Thyself, or one who has loved me more than Thou?

Thy kingdom come. Ah! good Jesus, take, I pray Thee, this morning dominion of my whole heart, that I give all to Thee. Do Thou possess it always and entirely, and banish from it every love that is not for Thee. Thee alone do I choose for my portion and my riches: O God of my heart and my portion in eternity.

Suffer me to beg and to ask of Thee always with St. Ignatius Loyola, Give me love for Thee alone along with Thy grace, and I am rich enough. Give me Thy love and Thy grace; that is, grant that I may love Thee and be loved by Thee, and with this I am rich enough, I desire and ask Thee for nothing more.

But Thou knowest my weakness, Thou knowest my past treachery; help me with Thy grace, and do not allow me ever again to separate myself from Thy holy love: Never permit me to be separated from Thee. I say it to Thee now and I desire to repeat it always, and do Thou grant me to be able always to repeat it: Never permit me, never permit me to be separated from thee.

O most holy Virgin, my hope, Mary, do thou obtain for me from God this double grace: holy perseverance and holy love; I ask for nothing more from thee.

TUESDAY

Oh! my Lord, how could I have so many times offended Thee, when I knew that sin so greatly displeased Thee? Pardon me, I beseech Thee, by the merits of Thy Passion, and bind me by Thy love wholly to Thyself; let not the stench of my sins drive Thee from me. Make me know always more and more how great a good Thou art, the love Thou deservest, and the affection Thou hast borne me.

I desire, good Jesus, to sacrifice myself entirely for Thee, who didst will to sacrifice Thyself wholly for me. Thou by so many artifices hast bound me to Thyself; do not, I beseech, allow me ever again to disjoin myself from Thee. I love Thee, my God, and I will love Thee always. And now that I have known Thy love, how should I be able to live any longer at a distance from Thee and deprived of Thy grace?

I thank Thee for having borne with me when I was not in Thy grace, and for now giving me time to love Thee. If I had died then, I could never have loved Thee more. But now that I am able to love Thee, I have the will to love Thee, sweetest Jesus, as much as I am able and I desire to do everything to please Thee.

I love Thee, infinite Goodness, I love Thee more than my self; and because I love Thee I give Thee my body, my soul, and my whole will. Do with me and dispose of me, O Lord, as Thou wilt; in everything I subject myself to Thee. Enough, if Thou allowest me to love Thee always, I ask Thee for nothing more. Give to those who wish for them the goods of this earth: I desire and seek for nought but perseverance in Thy grace, and Thy holy love.

O eternal Father, trusting in the promise made me by Thy Son, Amen., amen, I say to Thee, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to Thee (John 16: 23), I ask of Thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, holy perseverance, and the grace to love Thee with my whole heart, and perfectly fulfil henceforward Thy will.

O my Jesus, Thou hast sacrificed Thyself wholly for me, and hast given me Thyself, in order that I should give myself to Thee, and sacrifice my entire will to Thee; for I hear Thee saying to me: Give, my son, thy heart to me (Prov. 23: 26). Behold my heart, O Lord, behold my heart, and my soul, which I give to Thee, and sacrifice all for Thee.

But Thou knowest, Lord, my weakness: come to my assistance; suffer me not to take back again my will from Thee, by sinning against Thee. No: do not let it be; make me love Thee always, make me love Thee as much as a priest ought to love Thee; and as Thy Son when dying was able to say, It is finished, grant that I also at my death may be able to say, that from this day forward I have fulfilled Thy holy will.

Grant, that in all temptations and danger of offending Thee, I may never cease to have recourse to Thee, and to beg Thee to assist me by the merits of Jesus Christ.

O Mary most holy, who art all-powerful with God, obtain for me this grace, to recommend myself always in temptations to God and to thyself.

WEDNESDAY

O my Jesus, I see how much Thou hast done and suffered, to put me under the necessity of loving Thee: and I have been so ungrateful to Thee! How many times, for the sake of some miserable pleasure or fancy, have I bartered away Thy grace, and have lost Thee, O God of my soul! I have been grateful enough to creatures, to Thee alone have I shown ingratitude. My God, pardon me; I grieve with my whole heart, and I hope for pardon from Thee, because Thou art infinite goodness. If Thou wert not infinite goodness, I should despair, and I should not even have the courage to ask for Thy mercy.

I thank Thee, my love, for not having damned me to hell, as I deserved, and for having borne with me so long a time. Thy patience with me, my God, should alone suffice to fill me with love to Thee. And who in deed but Thou, who art a God of infinite mercy, would have borne with me? I see that Thou hast been following me for so long, in order that I should love Thee. I will no longer resist Thy love: behold, I give myself up entirely to Thee. I have offended Thee enough; now I wish to love Thee.

I love Thee, O my sovereign Good; I love Thee, O infinite Goodness; I love Thee, my God, who is worthy of infinite love, and I desire to always repeat, in time and in eternity: I love Thee, I love Thee.

O God, how many years have I lost, in which I might have loved Thee and progressed in Thy love, and I have spent them in offending Thee!

But Thy blood, O Jesus, is my hope. I hope it will never be my lot again to cease to love Thee. I know not how long I have still to live; but the years that remain to me, be they few or many, I consecrate entirely to Thee. For this end Thou hast waited for me until now. Yes, my beloved Lord, I wish to please Thee, I wish to love Thee always, and to love Thee alone. What are pleasures? What are riches? What are honors? Thou alone, my God, Thou alone, art and shalt be always, my love, and my all.

But I can do nothing, unless Thou helpest me by Thy grace. Wound, I beseech, my heart, inflame it with Thy holy love, and bind it entirely to Thy self, but so bind it that it can never separate itself again from Thee. Thou hast promised to love those who love Thee: I love them that love me (Prov. 8:17). Now I love Thee; forgive my boldness, love me in return, and do not allow me to do anything that would force Thee to cease to love me: Who loveth not, abideth in death (1 John 3:14). Deliver me from this death, to remain deprived of the power of loving Thee. Make me love Thee always, in order that Thou mayest be always able to love me; and thus may our love be everlasting, and may no breach occur between me and Thee.

Grant it, O eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ. Grant it, most happy Jesus, by Thy merits, through them I hope to love Thee always, and to be always loved by Thee.

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

THURSDAY

O God of infinite Majesty, behold at Thy feet a traitor, who has so often offended Thee! Thou hast so many times pardoned me; and I, notwithstanding the graces and lights that Thou hast given me, have begun again to offend Thee. Others have sinned in the midst of darkness, I in the midst of light. But listen to this Thy Son, Whom I have offered to Thee, and who now is reposing within my breast: He is asking of Thee mercy and pardon for me. Pardon me, O infinite goodness, for the love of Jesus Christ, for I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee.

I know that, for the love of Jesus Christ, Thou art pleased to make peace with sinners: It has well pleased Him, through Him, to reconcile all things to Himself (Col 1, 20). For the love then, of Jesus Christ, be reconciled also to me. Do not cast me from Thy presence, as I should have deserved; pardon me, and change my heart. Create in me a pure heart, of God.

Do so at least for Thine honor's sake, since Thou hast made me Thy priest and minister, to sacrifice to Thee Thine own Son. Make me live as a priest. Give to me a heart, by which a priest ought to love Thee.

Extinguish, I pray, and destroy in me with the fire of Thy love, all my earthly affections. Grant that henceforth I may be grateful for the many graces Thou hast bestowed on me, and for the exceeding love, which Thou hast borne me. If in past time I have despised Thy friendship, now I value it more than all the kingdoms of the world, and I prefer that which pleases Thee to all the riches and pleasures of heaven and earth.

O my Father, for the love of Jesus Christ detatch me from all things. It is Thy will that Thy priests should be wholly separated from the world, in order to live for Thee alone, and for the things of Thy glory: Separate me Saul and Barnabas, for the work whereunto I have taken them (Acts 13: 2). The same I know is Thy will for me. I resolve to do it, but do Thou help me with Thy grace. Draw me wholly to Thyself.

Give me patience and resignation in difficulties and in contradictions. Give me the spirit of mortifying myself for Thy love. Give me the spirit of true humility, that I may even rejoice in being considered vile and full of faults. Teach me to do Thy will, and then tell me what Thou wiliest of me, for I will do all.

Allow, my God, a sinner to love Thee, who in past times has offended Thee too much, but who now desires to love Thee truly, and to be wholly Thine. O eternal God, I hope to love Thee forever. And therefore also I wish to love Thee exceedingly in this life, that I may love Thee exceedingly in eternity.

And because I love Thee, I would see Thee known and loved by all, and therefore, Lord, since Thou hast made me Thy priest, give me the grace to labor for Thee, and to gain Thee souls.

I hope for all through Thy merits, O Christ Jesus, and through thy intercession, O my Mother Mary.

FRIDAY

O Jesus! how couldst Thou choose me for Thy priest from the midst of so many men? Me, who have so often turned my back on Thee, and despised Thy grace for a mere nothing? My beloved Lord, I grieve from my whole soul these sins of mine. Tell me, hast Thou pardoned my sins? I hope so. Yes, Thou hast been my Redeemer, not once only, but as often as Thou hast pardoned me. Oh, my Saviour, would that I had never offended Thee! Let me hear those words Thou didst say to Magdalene: Thy sins are forgiven thee. Let me hear that Thou hast reinstated me in Thy grace, in giving me a great sorrow for my sins.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth. Ah! divine Shepherd, Thou didst come down from heaven to seek after me, the lost sheep, and every day Thou descendest on the altar for my good; Thou hast given Thy life to save me: do not abandon me. I commend my soul into Thy hands, receive it in Thy mercy, and never allow it to be separated again from Thee.

Thou didst shed all Thy blood for me: Therefore, we beseech Thee, help Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. Thou art now my advocate, not my judge; obtain for me pardon from Thy Father; obtain for me light and strength to love Thee with my whole soul. Give me so to pass the remainder of my life, that when I behold Thee as my judge, I may behold Thee appeased with me.

Reign over my heart, I beseech Thee, with Thy love, make me wholly Thine; and for this end, recall to me always, my dear Saviour, the love Thou hast borne me, and all that Thou hast done and suffered to save me, and to make Thyself loved by me. It was for this that Thou hast made me a priest, that I should love none but Thee.

Yes, my Jesus, I desire to please Thee; I love Thee, and will to love none other but Thee.

Give me humility and patience in the trials of this life, meekness in humiliation, mortification to earthly pleasures and detachment from creatures, and grant that I may banish from my heart every affection that does not tend to Thee.

I ask and hope for all through the merits of Thy passion. O most happy Jesus, my beloved Jesus, O good Jesus, hear Thou me.

O my Mother and my hope, Mary, do thou also hear me, and pray to Jesus for me.

SATURDAY

Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening. My dear Jesus, Thou hast come again this morning to visit my soul; I thank Thee with all my heart.

Since Thou hast come, speak to me, tell me what Thou wiliest of me, for I desire to do all. I should deserve that Thou didst no longer speak to me, for having so many times been deaf to Thy voice, which called me to love Thee, and for having ungratefully turned my back upon Thee. But I have already repented of my offenses against Thee, I repent anew, and I hope that Thou hast already pardoned me. Tell me, then, what Thou desirest of me, for I will fulfill all.

Would that I had always loved Thee, my God! Woe is me! how many years have I lost! But I hope, through Thy blood and Thy promises, to make up in future for the time I have lost, by attending solely to Thy love and pleasure.

I love Thee, my Redeemer, I love Thee, my God, To long for nothing but to love Thee with all my heart, and even to die for the love of Thee, who died for love of me. I will say to Thee with St. Francis: I will die of love for the love of Thee, who hast vouchsafed to die of love for the love of me.

Thou, my Jesus, hast given Thyself wholly to me; Thou hast given me all Thy blood, Thy life, all Thy sweat, all Thy merits; Thou hast nothing left to give me: I give my self all to Thee. I give Thee all my satisfactions, all the pleasures of the earth, my body, my soul, my will; I have nothing more to give Thee; had I more, I would give Thee more. Most delightful Jesus, Thou art sufficient for me.

But do Thou, O Lord, make me faithful to Thee; do not let me change my will and leave Thee. I hope through Thy Passion, O my Saviour, that this will never happen. Thou hast said: In thee, Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded (Eccl 2:11). I also, therefore, may resolutely say: In thee, Lord, have I hoped; may I never be confounded. I hope, and I will always hope, O God of my soul, that I shall never suffer the confusion of seeing my self separated from Thee, and deprived of Thy grace: In thee, Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded (Ps. 30, 2).

Thou, my God, art all-powerful. Make me holy. Grant that I may love Thee exceedingly, that I may never neglect anything that I know to be for Thy glory, and that I may overcome all, in order to please Thee.

O happy me, if I lose all, to gain Thee and Thy love! For this end Thou hast given me my life, hrant that I may spend it wholly for Thee.

I do not deserve graces, but punishments: and I say to Thee, punish me as Thou wilt, but do not deprive me of Thy love.

Thou hast loved me without reserve, O infinite love, infinite Good. O will of God! thou art my love. O my Jesus! Thou didst die for me, would that I could die for Thee, and by my death cause all men to love Thee! O infinite Good, and infinitely loveable! I prize Thee and love Thee above all things.

O Mary! draw me wholly to God; give me confidence in thyself, and make me have continual recourse to thee; Thou, by thy prayers, must make me holy: so I hope.

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