the universal prayer (attributed to pope clement xi)

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith. I trust in you: strengthen my trust. I love you: let me love you more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning, I long for you as my last end, I praise you as my constant helper, and call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom, correct me with your justice, comfort me with your mercy, protect me with your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you; my words: to have you for their theme; my actions: to reflect my love for you; my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.

I want to do what you ask of me: in the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it.

Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and make me holy.

Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to rise above my human weakness and to grow stronger as a Christian.

Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies.

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.

Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.

Keep me, Lord, attentive in prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions.

Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered.

Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish your love for me, keep your law, and come at last to your salvation.

Teach me to realize that this world is passing, that my true future is the happiness of heaven, that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal.

Help me to prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in your goodness. Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Credo, Dómine, sed credam fírmius; spero, sed sperem secúrius; amo, sed amem ardéntius; dóleo, sed dóleam veheméntius.

Adóro te ut primum princípium; desídero ut finem últimum; laudo ut benefactórem perpétuum; ínvoco ut defensórem propítium.

Tua me sapiéntia dírige, iustítia cóntine, cleméntia soláre, poténtia prótege.

Óffero tibi, Dómine, cogitánda, ut sint ad te; dicénda, ut sint de te; faciénda, ut sint secúndum te; ferénda, ut sint propter te.

Volo quidquid vis, volo quia vis, volo quómodo vis, volo quámdiu vis.

Oro, Dómine: intelléctum illúmines, voluntátem inflámmes, cor emúndes, ánimam sanctífices.

Défleam prætéritas iniquitátes, repéllam futúras tentatiónes, córrigam vitiósas propensiónes, éxcolam idóneas virtútes.

Tríbue mihi, bone Deus, amórem tui, ódium mei, zelum próximi, contémptum mundi.

Stúdeam superióribus obœdíre, inferióribus subveníre, amícis consúlere, inimícis párcere.

Vincam voluptátem austeritáte, avarítiam largitáte, iracúndiam lenitáte, tepiditátem fervóre.

Redde me prudéntem in consíliis, constántem in perículis, patiéntem in advérsis, húmilem in prósperis.

Fac, Dómine, ut sim in oratióne atténtus, in épulis sóbrius, in múnere sédulus, in propósito firmus.

Curem habére innocéntiam interiórem, modéstiam exteriórem, conversatiónem exemplárem, vitam regulárem.

Assídue invígilem natúræ domándæ, grátiæ fovéndæ, legi servándæ, salúti promeréndæ.

Discam a te quam ténue quod terrénum, quam grande quod divínum, quam breve quod temporáneum, quam durábile quod ætérnum.

Da, ut mortem prævéniam, iudícium pertímeam, inférnum effúgiam, paradísum obtíneam. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.