Heavenly Father, through the apostle Paul, You taught me that whatever I do, I should do for Your glory. In this endeavor, I fail every day, but the psalmist reminds me that when I confess my faults to You, You will take away the guilt of my sin (cf. Ps 32:5). And so I come before You as the leper did before Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, and I beseech You in his same words, “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
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(Fr Augustine H.T. Tran attended seminary at the North American College in Rome, Italy and was ordained to the priesthood in 1998. He serves in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and is currently in residence at St. John Catholic Church in McLean, Virginia, while he completes a Canon Law Degree at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].)
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify You by not worshipping other gods before You. So the times I performed my duties towards You reluctantly or grudgingly, the times I placed money, power, human respect, and material goods before love of You, the times I seriously believed in superstition or engaged in superstitious practices, the times I seriously doubted in matters of Faith, the times I endangered my faith through curiosity with the occult, the times I profaned sacred persons, places, or things, and the times I received Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify you by not taking Your name in vain. So the times I did so, the times I mockingly, jokingly, angrily, or otherwise irreverently used Your name, the times I told a lie under oath, and the times I broke private or public vows, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but, “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify you by keeping holy the Sabbath day. So the times I missed Mass on Sundays or Holy days of obligation through my own fault, the times I allowed myself to be distracted during Mass, the times I misbehaved or dressed improperly in church, causing others to be distracted during Mass, the times I arrived late or left early from Mass, and the times I did unnecessary work on Sundays and Holy days of obligation, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but, “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify you by honoring my mother and my father. So, the times I disobeyed my parents, the times I neglected to help them in their needs, the times I treated my parents with little affection or respect, the times I reacted proudly when they corrected me, the times I neglected my chores around the house, and the times I quarreled with my brothers and sisters, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but, “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
But Lord, not only am I someone's child, I am also someone's parent. So the times I neglected to teach my children their prayers or take them to church, the times I was a bad example to my children, the times I neglected to prepare them to properly receive First Confession, First Communion, and Confirmation, and the times I neglected their Christian education after Confirmation, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but, “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify you by not killing. So the times I lost my temper, the times I injured or took the life of an innocent person, the times I endangered lives by my reckless driving, the times I led others into temptation with my conversation or way of dressing, the times I got drunk or used prohibited drugs, the times I ate or drank to excess, the times I consented to, recommended, advised, or actively took part in an abortion or a direct sterilization, the times I caused anyone harm with my words or actions, and the times I insulted or teased others, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify you by not committing adultery or coveting my neighbor's wife. So the times I entertained indecent thoughts, the times I engaged in impure conversations, the times I put myself in proximate occasions of sin, the times I did not take care of those details of modesty and decency that are the safeguards of purity, the times I committed impure acts through self-abuse or with someone else, the times I put the person I love in danger of sinning, the times I degraded human love by confusing it with selfishness or pleasure, and the times I made improper use of marriage by either depriving my spouse of the marital right or by using artificial forms of birth control, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify You by not stealing or coveting my neighbor's goods. So the times I stole, the times I damaged others' property, the times I did harm by deception or fraud, the times I spent beyond my means, the times I neglected to tithe, the times I was lazy in my work or study, and the times I was greedy and excessively materialistic, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Heavenly Father, You taught me to glorify you by not bearing false witness against my neighbor. So the times I lied, the times I made derogatory remarks about others, the times I judged others rashly or suspected others falsely, the times I engaged in gossip or back-biting, and the times I willfully chose not to mention all my grave sins in confession, I did not behave in a way that glorifies You; but “if you wish, you can make me clean.”
If you wish, Lord, you can cleanse me from all my sins through the sacrament of forgiveness that Your Son left us for I come before you, now, with a humble and contrite heart.
