My Favorite Prayer

When I was younger, my favorite prayer was the ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. My parents, siblings, and I used to recite this prayer every Thursday evening at the weekly Novena. I continue to like it especially because of the detailed invocations for redemption of the enemies of Christ and His Church.

Catholic Online says the prayer was authorized by Pope Pius XI, which is consistent with Fr. Lasance's footnote in Let Us Go to Jesus. The small vest pocket prayerbook notes this particular Consecration to the Sacred Heart was

"issued on October 17, 1925 by His Holiness Pope Pius XI, for the annual consecration of the human race to the Sacred Heart on the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King, the last Sunday of October."

As I get closer to the end of my life on earth, my favorite prayer has become "HOPE AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD." Even though I appreciate the saintly paths of individuals who guide us by their example and teaching, I know Jesus came to save sinners. Consequently, hope in the incarnate Savior, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, is paramount in my life.

HOPE AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD

My God, I believe most firmly that Thou watches over
All who hope in Thee,
And that we can want for nothing when
We rely upon Thee in all things;
Therefore I am resolved for the future to have no anxieties,
And to cast all my cares upon Thee.
"In peace in the self-same I will sleep and I will rest;
For Thou, O Lord,
Singularly hast settled me in hope."

Men may deprive me of worldly goods and of honors;
Sickness may take from me my strength
And the means of serving Thee;
I may even lose Thy grace by sin;
But my trust shall never leave me.
I will preserve it to the last moment of my life,
And the powers of hell shall seek in vain
To wrest it from me.
"In peace in the self-same I will sleep and I will rest."

Let others seek happiness in their wealth, in their talents;
Let them trust in the purity of their lives,
The severity of their mortifications,
To the number of their good works,
The fervor of their prayers;
As for me, O my God, in my very confidence
Lies all my hope.
"For Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope."
This confidence can never be in vain,
"No one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded."

I am assured, therefor, of my eternal happiness,
For I firmly hope for it,
And all my hope is in Thee.
"In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped;
Let me never be confounded."

I know, alas, I know but too well
That I am frail and changeable;
I know the power of temptation against the strongest virtue.
I have seen stars fall from heaven,
And pillars of the firmament totter;
But these things alarm me not.
While I hope in Thee,
I am sheltered from all misfortune,
And I am sure that my trust shall endure,
For I rely upon Thee to sustain this unfailing hope.

Finally, I know that my confidence cannot exceed Thy bounty,
And that I shall never receive less than I have hoped for from Thee.
Therefore, I hope that Thou wilt sustain me
Against my evil inclinations;
That Thou wilt protect me
Against the most furious assaults of the evil one,
And that Thou will cause my weakness
To triumph over my most powerful enemies.

I hope that Thou wilt never cease to love me,
And that I shall love Thee unceasingly,
"In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped,
Let me never be confounded."