for thou art the Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world; and one drop of this blood, which thou hast shed for us, is more than enough to cancel the sins of ten thousand worlds. Thou seest, O Searcher of hearts, all my maladies and all the wounds of my soul; thou knowest how prone I am to evil, and how backward and sluggish to good. Thou seest this self-love that tyrannizes over my soul, which is so deeply rooted in my corrupt nature, and branches out into so many vices, so much pride and vanity, so much passion and envy, so much covetousness and worldly solicitude, so much sensuality and concupiscence. Oh! who can heal all these my evils but thou the true Physician of my soul, who givest me thy body and blood in this blessed sacrament, as a sovereign medicine for all my infirmities, and a sovereign balsam for all my wounds! Dispel, dear Jesus, the darkness of ignorance and error from my understanding, by thy heavenly light; drive away the corruption and malice of my will, by the fire of divine love and charity; restrain all the motions of concupiscence, and all the irregular sallies of passion, that they may no more prevail over me; strengthen my weakness with heavenly fortitude; destroy this hellish monster of self-love, with its many heads; or at least chain down this worst of all my enemies, that it may no longer usurp the empire of my soul, which belongs to thee, and which thou hast taken possession of this day; cut off the heads of this beast, and particularly that which annoys me most, and which is my predominant passion; stand by me henceforward in all my temptations, that I may never more be overcome; remove from me all dangerous occasions, and grant me this one favor, that I may rather die a thousand deaths than live to offend thee mortally.
