Prayer before Confession

For Ash Wednesday.

Jesu, give me forgiveness of sins,
Jesu, keep my guilt in my memory,
Jesu, give me the grace of repentance,
Jesu, give me the grace of forgiveness,
Jesu, give me the grace of submission,
Jesu, give me the grace of earnestness,
Jesu, give me the grace of lowliness,
To make a free confession at this time,
To condemn myself at the chair of confession
Lest I be condemned at the chair of judgment;
Jesu, give me strength and courage
To condemn myself at the chair of confession
Lest I be condemned at the chair of judgment.
It is easier for me to go under subjection for a brief while Than to go to death during eternity.
Jesu, give me to confess my guilt
As earnestly as were this the moment of my death.

Jesu, take pity upon me,
Jesu, have mercy upon me,
Jesu, take me to Thee,
Jesu, aid my soul.
A cause of grief is sin,
A cause of anguish is death,
A cause of joy is repentance
And cleansing in the river of health.

There will be joy among the angels of heaven
That I am laved in the pool of confession.

O my soul, be joyful,
God is willing to be reconciled to thee,
Seize His hand while it is stretched out
To announce to thee a loving reconcilement.

Refuse not Thy hand to me, O my God,
Refuse not Thy hand, O Lord of lords,
For the sake of my Saviour Jesus Christ,
Let me not go to death everlasting.

--from the Carmina Gadelica