Daily Prayer
Memorial of Frances of Rome
Antiphon (mantra) repeat quietly:
My strength has failed me; do not abandon me, O God.
Psalm 38
O God, do not rebuke me;
do not punish me as I deserve.
I am no longer whole
because of your just anger.
I am buried by my iniquities;
this is a burden too heavy to bear,
the result of my own folly.
I am bowed down, overcome.
I mourn all day long.
My body burns with fever.
Spent and utterly crushed,
I cry aloud in anguish of heart.
All that I long for is known to you.
My strength is spent;
the very light has gone from my eyes.
My friends avoid me;
those closest to me keep their distance.
Those who threaten my life
set snares in my path;
those who seek my ruin speak of harm,
plotting treachery all day long.
But I am like the deaf who cannot hear,
like the mute unable to speak.
I trust in you, O God.
It is you who will answer.
I wait and pray,
“Do not let them mock me,
those who gloat when my foot slips.”
For I am on the point of falling,
and my grief is always before me.
I confess that I am guilty;
my sin fills me with dismay.
My enemies are numberless,
and my foes are many.
Repaying my kindness with evil,
they attack me for seeking what is good.
Do not abandon me, O God!
Be not far from me!
Make haste and come to my help!
Pray the Prayer of Jesus (Our Father)
Translation © 1998 Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Inc.
