A Prayer Before Confirmation
O God of infinite goodness and bounty, who has been pleased, at my baptism, to make me a Christian, to sanctify my soul with thy grace, and to honour me with the glorious title of thy child; which, alas! for my part, I have so wretchedly corresponded with, and have even forfeited a thousand times by my sins: behold, notwithstanding all my ingratitude, and my repeated treasons, which thou hast so long and so patiently endured, thou art still pleased, not only to invite me to return to thee, and to offer me thy mercy, but also to call upon me at this time, to come and present myself, in order to receive the greatest of all thy gifts, even thine own most Holy Spirit; to be consecrated to thee by his unction; to be made a strong and perfect Christian, and a soldier of thy Son. O may all heaven and earth praise thee, bless thee, and glorify thee for ever, for all thy mercies, goodness, and bounty to me. And now, dearest Lord, I desire to come, because such is thy will and my duty, to receive this great sacrament of Confirmation; that I may like thy apostles, be baptised with the Holy Ghost, and be endowed with power from on high; and like them be changed by divine grace, into another man, in such manner as henceforward to live up to the dignity, and to fulfil every part of the duty of a soldier of Christ! and to preserve and maintain even to death, that purity and sanctity which become the temple of the living God. But, O my God, how far am I from being worthy to approach this heavenly sacrament! How can I expect that thy Holy Spirit should come into my inward house, to make it his temple, which has been so long possessed by unclean spirits? Where are the dispositions in me, which the apostles brought, and which all Christians ought to bring along with them, to the receiving of the Holy Ghost? O! I acknowledge myself infinitely unworthy; I confess and detest from the bottom of my heart, all my past uncleanness and abominations; I humbly crave thy mercy and pardon, through Jesus Christ thy Son; and beg, through him, that thou wilt be pleased to cleanse my soul from all its filth with his precious blood, and to give me thy grace to come to this sacrament with that humility, faith, and devotion, which is most agreeable to thee. O Divine Spirit, do thou prepare my soul for thyself! Behold, I come, desiring to give up myself to thee for all time and eternity, that thou mayest ever live and reign in my soul; and O let my whole soul henceforward he perpetually subject to thee, and let nothing in me ever more rebel against thee. Amen.
Those who are preparing themselves for the sacrament of Confirmation, may likewise breathe forth, from time to time, the following short Ejaculations:
Come, Holy Ghost, who replenisheth the hearts of the faithful, descend into my soul, and make it the place of thy abode.
Come, O Divine Spirit, take full possession of my heart, and kindle in it the fire of thy divine love.
Enter into my soul and abide there for ever, to be my light, my guide, and my strength.
Come, Holy Ghost, with all thy gifts, and fill my soul; enlighten, direct, and conduct me in all my ways. Strengthen me against all the assaults of self-love, remove from me all vicious shame, and inspire me with a Christian courage.
O grant that I may make the gospel the rule of my life. Preserve me from the corruption of sin, and from the pernicious maxims of the world. Give me grace, O God, to do thy will in all things. Enlighten my eyes, O Lord, that I may never sleep in death.
O uncreated fire, when wilt thou consume whatever is imperfect in my soul.
Inebriate my soul with thy holy love, O thou sovereign beauty.
O may I never forget the obligations that are contracted, by being enlisted a disciple of the cross, in the sacrament of confirmation.
O grant that I may ever have before my eyes the duties thereunto annexed, and that I may live henceforward according to the spirit of a true and perfect Christian.
“Short ejaculations of this kind, frequently darted from an humble and fervent heart, penetrate the clouds, pierce the paternal heart of the Father of Mercies, and draw down an ample benediction on those pious souls to whom they become familiar by practice and habit; this manner of prayer is highly commended by the saints, and was one of the principal excercises by which the ancient solitaries arrived at the highest perfection. It has this peculiar advantage, that one can practise it at all times, on all occasions, and in the midst of external employment, without being exposed to the danger of vain glory, as it is secretly performed in the closet of the heart. It is short and easy, does not distract or fatigue the mind, but keeps up the fervour of the spirit, and attention to the divine presence.”