Daily Prayers to the Blessed Virgin
PRAYER OF ST. ALPHONSUS TO BE SAID BEFORE A PICTURE OR STATUE OF OUR BLESSED LADY
MOST holy and immaculate Virgin! O my Mother! thou who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate, hope, and refuge of sinners! I, the most wretched among them, now come to thee. I honor thee, great Queen, and give thee thanks for the many favors thou hast bestowed on me in the past; most of all do I thank thee for having saved me by thy help from hell, which I had so often deserved. I love thee, Lady most worthy of all love, and, by the love which I bear thee, I promise ever in the future to honor thee, and to do what in me lies to win others to thy love. In thy intercession I put all my trust, all my hope of salvation. Receive me as thy servant, and cover me with the mantle of thy protection, thou who art the Mother of mercy! And since thou hast so much power with God, implore Him to deliver me from all temptations, and obtain for me the grace ever to overcome them. From thee I ask a true love of Jesus Christ, and the grace of a happy death. O my Mother! by thy love for God I beseech thee to be at all times my helper, but above all at the last moment of my life. Cease not thy supplications until thou seest me safe in heaven, there for endless ages to bless thee and sing thy praises. This is my hope. Amen.
(Ind. of 300 days, each time. — Pius IX. Sept. 7, 1854.)
