Eternal Father, I offer Thee the precious blood, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
The precious blood obtains the forgiveness of our sins. Then with what great eagerness should we seek for this pardon! In what an unhappy state is our soul when stained by sin! By sin death came into the world and into our heart. We were robbed of the grace of God, lost His friendship, and came under the dominion of Satan, which is worse than death, and of which it is true that “it were better we had not been born.” In all this wreck and misfortune there is but one object to which we can turn, and that is the sacred blood of Christ as it flows from His wounds, and which He offers to the Almighty to condone for our faults, and to restore us to the grace of God. We do not get immunity from corporal [pg 292] death, which they say mankind would have enjoyed had it not fallen by the sin of our first parents. We are still afflicted by frailty, ignorance, and the inordinate demands of passion; but we have received the greatest gift, which cannot be surpassed by any other: the gift of the sacred blood of Christ.
Prayer.
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the precious blood, etc., etc.
Eighth Day.
The only thing that is asked of us is a horror of sin. We renounced Satan, sin, and hell at our baptism, but we are only too apt to forget the promises made then. During this month we will recall to ourselves our duty, and impress it deeply upon our souls; we will avoid sin and look upon it with horror, for it is a most loathsome object, hateful to God, and consequently it ought to be hateful to us. Sin was punished in the angels, in Adam, and even in ourselves; we must convince ourselves of this truth. St. Paul says, “Jesus has redeemed us with His blood,” and for the destruction of sin has given inexhaustible treasures of grace. O my dear Jesus, when I remember my sins, I would wish to have the courage to ask Thee that I might die at Thy feet in punishment for them; but at least make me really understand that I belong to God, to the angels, that I have renounced Satan, his demons and darkness, and that I must remain faithful to the part I have chosen.
Prayer.