AN ACT

OF

HOPE

So powerful and so merciful, O God, You draw me to Yourself; trusting in your goodness, I hope to rise above this earthly life and be with you forever in the next. By faith I am certain that You are faithful to all your promises, loyal to Your covenant, and everwatchful over the world with love. Too much am I confident in myself, though often I have lamented my weaknesses, and too greatly have I leaned on creatures to support my infirmities, though their strength is insufficient for me. Only You deserve my unbounded confidence, O Good One, and only from You will I obtain as much as I hope for. With the daring boldness of a child, I trust in You, my living Redeemer; unfrightened by stormy winds, I come, for You call me by name. Even now You grasp my hand and offer peace to my heart, promising that with Your help I will one day see You face to face. Not founded on what I deserve, nor on what my poor powers can accomplish, but on Your unfailing grace, my hope is in the LORD of hosts, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Savior of the world. Not cast aside because of my faults, I am lifted up by Your mercy, which has guided and preserved me. And You will guide me still, until at last I come to my true home, the haven where the saints dwell everlastingly, entirely, definitively, and joyfullythe heaven of the Blessed Trinity. Amen.

AN ACT

OF

FAITH

Only the beautiful light of faith can light my way to You, O God, for by faith You illumine the darkness of my mind and guide me to Yourself. Though my reason can reach natural truths, only faith reaches up to heaven, to You, my God, the Blessed Trinity, and to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God who died and rose again for my sake. I believe not because I can see or understand, but because You are Truth itself speaking truly, and You founded the Holy Catholic Church upon St. Peter the Apostle. Therefore I firmly believe in the inspiration of Sacred Scripture; I profess and accept everything proposed by the Church regarding faith and morals, and I embrace the apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions handed on by the Pope and the Magisterium in communion with him. In this world, I walk by faith. Though I have a thousand difficulties, they do not equal one doubt; though I may not feel the truth, I hold firmly to it;

though it may cost me much, I will not deny it; though at times I may seem to be walking in darkness, I am interiorly illuminated by a supernatural perspective, seeing all things from Gods point of view, in light of eternity and the plan of redemption wrought in His Son Jesus Christ. With the help of God, I promise to maintain this faith entirely, sincerely, and with firm constancy until my last breath. And I shall strive, insofar as possible, to share my faith by word or example with everyone I meet. Amen.