I came across this meaningful prayer written over 800 years ago by St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast we celebrate today. He is known for his theological writings, in particular the ‘Summa Theologica,’ an unfinished masterpiece, but I found this prayer very helpful. May God who gave us this great saint known for his holiness and teaching, help us to grow in wisdom by his teaching and in holiness by imitating his faith. Here is the newly-discovered prayer:
To you, o God, Fountain of Mercy, I
come, a sinner. May you wash away my impurity.
O Sun of Justice, give sight to the
blind.
O Eternal Healer, cure the wounded.
O King of Kings, restore the despoiled.
O Mediator of God and man, reconcile the
sinner.
O Good Shepherd, lead back the straying.
O God, have pity on the wretched, show
leniency to the guilty, bestow life on the dead, reform the impious, and give
the balm of grace to the hard of heart.
O most merciful God, call back the one
who flees, draw back the one who resists, lift up the one who falls, support
the one who stands, and accompany the one who walks.
Do not forget those who forget you.
Do not desert those who desert you.
Do not despise those who sin against
you.
For in sinning, I have offended you, my
God.
I have harmed my neighbor; and I have
not even spared myself injury.
I abandoned you, Lord. I questioned your
goodness by yielding to evil cravings and weakening myself with harmful fears.
By such things, I preferred to lose you rather than abandon what I desired, to
offend you rather than face what ought to be feared.
Out of my weakness I beg you to pay heed
not to my iniquity, but rather to your immense goodness. And I beg you
mercifully to pardon what I have done, granting me the sorrow for my past
actions and precaution in the future.
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