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Sickness and Death
During Illness WHEN you feel ill, should the illness he such as seems
to require some remedy, additional rest, etc., men-
tion it simply to your Superior, without either dis-
guising or exaggerating its extent, and submit entirely to
whatever is directed- You do not prescribe for yourself;
Wt should the Superior or Infirmarian consult you on your
L diet, remedies, etc-, you should reply candidly, and mention
submissively what you thmk most likely to agree with you-
Never mention wants, ailments, etc., to the Sisters with a
1. J.IICVCI iiiciinuu Wti.iii,a, aiiJiiciii.a, en-., w lue >3ii>i.er»
WII.JJ tt
i view to their being conveyed to the Superior, but mention
i them directly to her, as prescribed.
Do not prescribe for another Sister with regard to medicine,
food, etc., and never manifest any disapproval of the treat-
ment the sick receive.
] Some think that illness excuses them from all effort at self-
' control. They are as selfish and exacting as possible. They
, eeem to believe that their sufferings give them full right to
tax to the utmost everyone's patience and forbearance. On
the contrary, self-control is necessary, not only in regard to
•attendants and friends, but even for one's own comfort and
recovery. A fretful, complaining mood is increased by in-
• Iluigence. By fixing our attention on our sensations, they
• are apt to overwhelm us. A just consideration for others
helps wonderfully to a very wholesome forgetfulness of our
iinfferings.
. i, i When you are ill, and even confined to bed, nevertheless, as
far as you can, get your Meditation and other Spiritual Ex-
'tfcises, as far as your state of health permits. Do as St.
,Rrancis de Sales says:
.'t'.'ln Uckness offer up all your sufferings, pains, ani weari-
'•iHUs to our Lard, and beseech Him to unite them to the sufferings and torments which He endured for you. Obey your
physiciant take your medicines, food and other remedies for
the love of God, remembering the gall which Jesus drank for
the love of you.
We must leave to our sweet Lord that disposal of circum-
stances, by which He often bestows on us more good through
labors and afflictions, than through happiness and consolations.
And again, manage yourself with great care while your in-
firmity lasts, and do not trouble yourself to force your mind
to any exercise, except very gently. If you get tired with
kneeling, sit down. If you have not sufficient power of atten-
tion to pray for half an hour, pray for a quarter only, f)r
half a quarter. I beg of you to put yourself in the presence
of God, and to bear your sorrows in His sight. Do not
restrain yourself when you would complain; but I ivould have
you do it to God with a filial spirit, as a tender infant would
do to its mother; for, provided it is done lovingly, there is no
danger in complaining, nor in asking to be healed, nor in
changing place, nor in procuring comfort; only do all this
with love and resignation, in the arms of the most holy will
of God, Do not trouble yourself by making acts of the dif-
ferent virtues well, for, as I have told you, they may be
very good, although made with languor, heaviness and a kind
or compulsion. You can only give to God what you have, end
in this season of affliction you have no other actions to offer
Him.
A visitation of sickness gives an opportunity of practising
patience, humility and resignation to God's holy will. We
may acquire much merit by accepting and bearing sickness
with proper dispositions. We ought to be on our guard lest
our spiritual enemies lead us to commit such faults as mur-
muring, repining, impatience, petulance, selfishness, unkind-
ness, and unreasonableness, thus causing us to lose much, if
not all, of the merit which we might otherwise gain.
During our sickness we should frequently make acts of
faith, hope, charity and contrition; also acts of humility,
resignation, thanksgiving and union with Our Lord, and pray
for the graces necessary to bear our sickness for God*s glory
and our own sanctification. The prayers of the Bona Mors
might be used.
In the Imitation of Christ may be found some chapters
especially instructive and useful for the time of sickness. See
Boole I, chap. xxiii, and Book III, chaps xlvii-xlix. While
thus disposing ourselves for our end, in case it should he
according to God's good pleasure to call us away, let us strive
to remove anxiety from our mind by the thought that we
belong to God, and that He will arrange all things, both for us
and for all who are dear to us, according to His infinite
wisdom, love and goodness. Let us also, in looking to the
future, excite ourselves to fervent Christian hope. Who loves
us as God does? He will watch over and take care of those
whom He loves. "The souls of the Just are in the hand of
God, and the torment of death shall not touch them." Wisd.
Ill, 1.
For a Happy Death
CAROINAL KEWMAN
0 my Lord and Saviour, support me in my last
hour by the strong arms of Thy Sacraments, and
the fragrance of Thy consolations. Let Thy
absolving words be said over me, and the holy
oil sign and seal me: and let Thine own Body
be my food, and Thy Blood my sprinkling, and
let Thy Mother Mary come to me, and my Angel
whisper peace to me, and Thy glorious Saints
and my own dear Patron smile on me, that in
and through them all I may die as I desire to
live, in Thy Church, in Thy faith, and in Thy
'ove. Amen.
In Time of Suffering
:· Lord, I offer and consecrate to Thy glory, all
l.'that I have ever suffered, all that I now suffer,
;.and all that I shall suffer until death; perfect my
pains with Thy love, and grant, 0 sweet Jesus,
that they may be pleasing to Thee. I shall suffer
because Thou wilt have it so—Thou Whom I
love with my whole heart; therefore I desire
whatever Thou wilt! Amen.
0 Lord Jesus Christ, I receive this sickness (or,
this affliction), with which Thou art pleased to
visit me, as coming from Thy fatherly hand. It
is Thy will, and therefore I submit—Not my will
but Thine be done. May it be to the honor of
Thy holy Name, and for the good of my soul. I
here offer myself with an entire submission to all
Thy appointments; to suffer whatever Thou
pleasest, as long as Thou pleasest, and in what
manner Thou pleasest; for I am a creature, 0
Lord, who have often and most ungratefully of-
fended Thee, and whom Thou mightest justly
have visited with Thy severest punishments. Oh,
let Thy justice be tempered with mercy, and let
Thy heavenly grace come to my assistance to
support me under this affliction! Confirm my
soul with strength from above, that I may bear
with true Christian patience all the uneasiness,
pains, disquiets, and troubles under which I labor;
preserve me from all temptations and murmuring
thoughts, that in this time of affliction I may in
no way offend Thee; and grant that this and all
other earthly trials may be the means of prepar-
ing my soul for its passage into eternity, that,
being purified from all my sins, I may believe in
Thee, hope in Thee, love Thee above all things,
and finally, through Thy infinite merits, be admit-
ted into the company of the Blessed in heaven,
there to praise Thee for ever and ever. Amen.
Act of Resignation
Lord Jesus, Incarnate Son of God, Who for our
salvation didst will to be born in a stable, to
endure poverty, suffering and sorrow throughout
Thy life and finally to die the bitter death of the
cross, I implore Thee, in the hour of my death,
to say to Thy Divine Father: 0 Father, forgive
her! Say to Thy beloved Mother: Behold thy
child! Say to my soul: This day shalt thou be
with Me in paradise! 0 my God, my God! for-
sake me not at that moment! I thirst! 0 rnv
\ God! Truly my soul in athirst for Thee, the
\ fountain of living water. My life has passed
j away like unto smoke; yet a little, and all is
< consummated. Therefore also, adorable Saviour,
'. into Thy hands I commend my spirit for alt
', eternity. Lord Jesus, receive my soul. Amen.
j
For a Sick Sister
We most humbly beseech Thee, 0 almighty
r and most merciful God, to bless and comfort our
\ dear Sister afflicted with sickness, and restore her
' again to health, that she may praise and glorify
Thy holy Name; grant her perfect resignation to
Thy holy will, and graciously enable her to suffer
without complaining whatever Thou art pleased
to appoint. Compassionate Lord Jesus, look upon
her with pity; blessed' Mother of God, and all ye
happy Saints, intercede for her, that her heart
and desires may remain in perfect and peaceable
conformity with the will of God, and that this
trial may serve to purify her, and render her
more pleasing in His Divine sight. Amen.
When Recovery Is Hopeless
My God, look down with mercy and pity on
our dear Sister, afflicted with sickness unto death;
give her perfect resignation to Thy Divine will,
and graciously enable her to suffer, without com-
plaining, whatever Thou art pleased to appoint.
Compassionate Lord Jesus, support and comfort
her. 0 blessed Mother of God, and all ye happy
Saints, intercede for her, that she may gain much
merit in passing through this time of trial and be
purified thereby from the smallest stain, so that
at the moment of her departure from this vale
of tears, she may enter into the joys which God
has prepared for those who love and serve Him,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Daily During Sickness
Lord, I accept this sickness from Thy hands,
and entirely resign myself to Thy blessed will.
whether it be for life or death. Not my will, but
Thine be done! Thy will be done on earth, as it
is in heaven!
Lord, I submit to all the pains and uneasiness
of this illness; my sins have deserved infinitely
more. Thou art just, 0 Lord, and Thy judgment
is right.
Lord, I offer up to Thee all that I now suffer,
or may have yet to suffer, to be united to the
suffering's of my Redeemer, and sanctified by His
Passion.
I adore Thee, 0 my God and my all, as my first
beginning and last end; and I desire to pay Thee
the best homage I am able, and to bow down all
the powers of my soul to Thee.
Lord, I desire to praise Thee for ever, in sick-
ness as well as in health; I desire to join my
heart and voice with the whole Church of heaven
and earth, in blessing Thee for ever.
I give Thee thanks from the bottom of my heart
for all the mercies and blessings bestowed upon
me, and Thy whole Church, through Jesus Christ
: Thy Son; and above all, for having loved me from
all eternity, and redeemed me with His Precious
L Blood. Oh, may that Blood not have been shed
• for me in vain!
Lord, I believe all those heavenly truths which
~Thou hast revealed, and which Thy holy Catholic
church believes and teaches. Thou art the
~overeign Truth, Who canst neither deceive nor
)e 'deceived; and Thou hast promised the Spirit of
truth to guide Thy Church into all truth. In this
faith I resolve, through Thy grace, both to live
and die. 0 Lord, strengthen and increase this my
faith.
0 my God, all my hopes are in Thee; and
through Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, and through
His Passion and Death, I hope for mercy, grace
and salvation from Thee. In Thee, 0 Lord, have
I put my trust: 0 let me never be confounded!
Sweet Jesus, receive me into Thy arms in this
day of my distress; hide me in Thy wounds, bathe
my soul in. Thy Precious Blood.
I love Thee, 0 my God, with my whole heart
and soul, above all things; at least, I desire so to
love Thee. Oh, come now and take full posses-
sion of my whole soul, and teach me to love Thee
for ever!
I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ.
Oh, when will Thy kingdom come? 0 Lord,
when wilt Thou perfectly reign in all hearts?
When shall sin be no more?
I desire to have perfect charity towards every
one of my neighbors for the love of Thee. I
forgive from my heart all who have in any way
offended or injured me, and ask pardon of all
whom I have in any way offended.
Have mercy on me, 0 God, according to Thy
great mercy; and according to the multitude of
Thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.
Oh, who will give water to my head, and a
fountain of tears to my eyes, that night and day
I may weep for all my sins! Oh, that I had never
sinned!
I am filled with confusion when I look back
upon my life; so little have I done to please Thee,
0 my God, and so often have I offended Thee!
• I place all my confidence in Thy boundless
mercy, and in the infinite merits of the sufferings
and death of my Divine Redeemer. 0 Eternal
Father, I offer Thee these saving merits in full
satisfaction for all my sins.
Lord, be merciful to me a sinner; sweet Jesus,
Son of the living God, have mercy on me!
I commend my soul to God my Creator, Who
made me out of nothing; to Jesus Christ my
Saviour, Who redeemed me with His Precious
Blood; to the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified me in
Baptism. Into Thy hands, 0 'Lord, I commend
my spirit!
T f- nn(~nrP frnn\ tTntc mnl~nt· *irtn fnr oTi
p eternity, the devil and all his works; and I abhor
all his suggestions and temptations. Oh, suffer
not, 0 Lord, this mortal enemy of my soul to
have any power over me, either now or at my
la.st hour. Let Thy holy Angels defend me from
all the powers of darkness.
0 Heart of Jesus! full of love and compassion,
comfort and console me. Help me to sanctify
Iffiy sickness by patience and resignation. Lord,
pemember me in Thy kingdom. Receive my soul
linto Thy embraces.
Holy Mary, pray for me!
Holy Mary, Mother of mercy, do thou defend
me from the enemy, and receive me at the hour
of death!
0 holy Angel of God, who art my guardian,
stand by me and assist me.
0 all ye blessed Angels and Saints of God, pray
for me, a poor sinner.
Litany of the Blessed Virgin,
Spiritual Communion,
The Rosary, etc.
To Mary
0 dearest Lady, sweet Mother mine, watch the
hour when my departing soul will lose 'its hold
on all earthly things, and stand unveiled in the
presence of its Creator. Show thyself my tender
Mother then, and offer to the Eternal Father the
Precious Blood of thy Son Jesus for my poor
soul, that it may, thus purified, be pleasing in
His sight. Plead for thy poor child at the moment
of her departure from this world, and say to the
heavenly Father: receive her this day into Thy
kingdom! Amen.
To St. Joseph for a Good Death
0 blessed Joseph, who didst yield thy last
breath in the sweet embrace of Jesus and of Mary,
when death shall close my career, come, holy
father, with Jesus and Mary, to aid me, and obtain
for me the only solace which' I ask a that hour,
to die under their protection. Living and dying,
into your sacred hands, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
I commend my soul.
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