"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God": The great mystery of our God, our creator and redeemer, who became man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order to reveal to us most profoundly the face of God, and so to invite each individual in a unique way to become an active participant in the divine life of knowledge and love which orders and moves the whole universe. - There is one who enlightens every soul born into the world; he was the true Light. He, through whom the world was made, was in the world, and the world treated him as a stranger. ... the Word was made flesh, and came to dwell among us; and we had sight of his glory, glory such as belongs to the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. ... We have all received something out of his abundance, grace answering to grace. (John 1:9-16)
"Me, a sinner": Who, me? A what? Yes, me - and you too - a sinner. Someone who knows - no matter how vaguely or clearly - about what is true and good, about what really matters, about how best to live, about certain actions that I should and should not do, of the love I owe to God and to neighbor - but who often enough chooses not follow through on that knowledge. - Inwardly, I take delight in God’s law, but I observe another law in my lower self, which raises war against the law of my conscience, and so I am handed over as a captive to that law of sin which my lower self contains. (Romans 7:22-23)
"Have mercy": that is, look with love upon my defects - and so, heal my wounds, restore my brokenness, sweeten my bitterness, correct my misunderstandings, enlighten my ignorance, give courage to my tremulous heart, enflame my tepid love. - Pitiable creature that I am, who is to set me free from a nature thus doomed to death? Nothing else than the grace of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7: 24-25)
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