St. Patrick's Breastplate "Faeth Fiada" (Lorica)

I arise today through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to see before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to secure me,
against snares of devils,
against temptations and vices,
against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me
ill, afar and anear,
alone and in a crowd. . .

Christ be with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit,
Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

Prayer for Light and Help by St. Claude la Colombiere

Jesus,I feel within me a great desire to please you but, at the same time, I feel totally incapable of doing this without your special light andhelp, which I can expect only from you. Accomplish your will in me -even in spite of me.


Recite the Salve Regina and Meditate on Death Every Day

"Father, I'd like to straighten out my life. But the temptations are too strong, much stronger than my own self." Saint Philip Neri looked at this young man of good will and softly encouraged him: "Be brave, my child. I recommend to you only two practices: recite the Salve Regina and meditate on death every day. Imagine that your body is buried deep in the ground, half decomposed, both eyes hollowed out, and eaten up by worms. Then ask yourself this question: Is this the reason why I'm chasing after the pleasures of the flesh and wasting my chance to go to Heaven?" Obeying the priest's double-barreled advice, the young man prayed to the Blessed Virgin of mercy, hope and life, and meditated on death each and every day. With the help of God's grace, he succeeded in fighting off his temptations till the very end.

From: 365 Days of Hope with Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan (Ed. du Jubilé)