Tractatus Prior, Pars Prior, Cap. 17. De ieiunio et temptationibus

Tractatus Prior, Pars Prior, Cap. 17. De ieiunio et temptationibus

O invincible Jesus. . I bless you and give thanks to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for your sacred fast, which you observed in the desert for forty days and nights to give us a standard for abstaining, where you were alone like a wild beast among the beasts, without the comfort of human companionship, but never lacking the company of angels, commending to all religious people a great example of an abstract life in this deed. I praise and honor you, Jesus Christ, food of angels and nourishment for humanity, for the long torment of hunger, for the wonderful abstinence and the severe discipline of your most holy body, for the many prolonged vigils, for the holy prayers and pure meditations faithfully completed in the vast solitude. I praise and exalt you forever for the strong struggle against the devil, for the many vexations of the most wicked tempter, for the contempt of all sinful suggestions, for the wise responses of Scripture to his challenges, for the glorious victory over the three principal vices, which brings about the eternal confusion of Satan and the strengthening of our weakness through these salutary deeds. I praise and adore you reverently, kneeling with the holy angels, serving you with worthy honor, seeking nourishment for life, the support of grace, comfort in tribulation, strength in temptation, and protection from the snares of the enemy, as long as I live in this desert of the world. I believe and confess that you are Christ, the Son of God, God and Lord of angels, creator of the human race, and redeemer, who has been tested in our weakness in every way, so that you might be merciful and, by sharing in our sufferings, heal us from the languor of our sins. O merciful Jesus, strongest champion, who so valiantly fasted for me, fought so fiercely, and triumphed, grant me the strength to battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to repel every assault of temptation with an unwavering heart. Send your holy angels, ministers of light and peace, to comfort me in my exile, that they may visit me often, guard me faithfully, help me powerfully, console me kindly, bless me abundantly, and lead me safely and soundly to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, after the joyful end of this life. Amen.