Omnipotent and merciful God, You bitterly hate all arrogance. Help me to be a rose of charity and a violet of humility, so that I may spread a fragrant smell by works of love and think humbly of myself. What am I in Your sight, O Lord? Dust, ashes, a shadow, nothing. Therefore, since I am nothing in Your sight, grant that I consider myself nothing in my own eyes. Push back the inborn, swelling pride of my heart that I receive the dew of heavenly grace. For the rivers of Your grace do not ascend up lofty mountains; rather, they flow down to the low-lying valleys of the humble heart. I have nothing but weaknesses and transgressions. Whatever is good in me has come down to me from the font of Your goodness. I can claim for myself nothing whatsoever which is good, since in and of myself I have nothing good. The more highly I think of You, the more unworthy I must consider myself. Far, far be it from me, O kindest Lord, to be arrogant concerning the gifts You have given me and despise others because of them.  (Continued on Epiphany Two) (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.62-63)

O holy and merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg You in the Holy Spirit, for the sake of Your Son, to powerfully work in me and put to death the old man. I need this every day so that I can be made strong in You according to the inner man. Sin dwells in my flesh [Rom. 7:17]. Give to me the strength of the Spirit, so I will not allow it to rule me [Rom. 6:12]. You set my hidden sins in the light of Your countenance [Psa. 90:8]. I ask that You place them in the light in my heart, so that I may recognize them and regret them, and humbly seek their forgiveness. I am not yet completely free from the indwelling of sin. Please be gracious, I ask, and grant me freedom from the guilt and condemnation of sin. The law of sin in my members is warring against the law of my renewed mind [Rom. 7:23]. Give me the grace of Your Spirit so that I may take captive the law of sin, and not be captive to the old law of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh [Gal. 5:17]. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak [Mat. 26:41]. Give to my spirit, therefore, great power and strength, so that it may overcome the depraved lusts which battle in my flesh. That whoring Delilah attacks me every day with her flatteries [Jud. 16:6]. Strengthen my inner man by Your Spirit [Eph. 3:16] so that she cannot break his powers. Oh how incredibly difficult and hard it is to fight against one’s self! When I fight the flesh I am fighting myself! How difficult and arduous it is to remove an enemy from one’s own home!

Unless You clothe me with heavenly strength in this war, I am afraid that I will certainly be defeated because of the hidden plots of the enemy. Strike down, burn, cut, and kill the old man, so that I can flee from his flattering fraud and seduction. Grant that daily I die unto myself, so the allurements of the flesh will not draw me away from the true life which is in Christ. Inflame the fire of the Spirit in my heart, so that I may offer to You as a sacrifice the beloved son of my soul, depraved lusts and my own will. Flesh and blood cannot receive the inheritance of the kingdom of God [1 Cor. 15:50]. May they die in me, so I will not be excluded from the kingdom of heaven! Those who live according to the flesh will die; those who by the Spirit kill the deeds of the flesh will live [Rom. 8:13]. Those who belong to Christ crucify the flesh with its desires [Gal. 5:24]. Pierce and crucify my flesh, O Christ pierced and crucified on the altar of the cross for me! Amen.

On the festival of Epiphany you heard that it was so called on account of the manifestation of Christ, which occurred that the new-born Babe might not be unknown, but revealed; for if we had not heard of His birth, it would have been of no avail. Hence it is that during these days we preach also upon other Gospel lessons which refer to the manifestation of Christ. Thus we use the one relating to Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan by John, and also the one which speaks of His first miracle, performed at the marriage at Cana, where He manifested Himself as Lord over all. These manifestations took place not only that Jesus should be known among men, but also that He might be acknowledged and praised as One who is more than human, born to have dominion over everything; and also that we should recognize Him as our Savior, upon whom we can depend in every distress and anxiety, and from whom we can obtain our help.

(The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.56-57)

Meditation on our need shows us that of ourselves we possess nothing which is spiritually good, and therefore, it teaches us to reject all faith in our own powers. It teaches us to flee to our only help, the divine mercy promised to us on account of Christ. When we consider all our many needs, our heart is raised to God. It asks Him to put to death the old man and to renew the new man. These works of God are needed daily by all those who have been reborn. This renovation consists of faith, hope, love, humility, patience, long-suffering, chastity, and the preservation and increase of all the other good qualities. We are to seek these from God with earnest prayers. Every day we are assaulted by the flesh, the world, and Satan. Every day our flesh incites us to love earthly things. Every day the world assaults us with its hatred, and Satan batters us with his plots. Therefore, we must pray daily to the Lord of Hosts, our highest Judge, to give us contempt for the world, denial of self, victory over the world, preservation in all difficult situations, true peace for the soul, victory in temptations, and preservation from the plots of the devil. Finally, since in the hour of death and judgment the help of God is needed by us above all else, we must humbly pray every day for a blessed end to this life and for a blessed resurrection unto eternal life.  (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.55)

(Continued)  You showed Your mercy to me before I could perceive it. You came to me with Your kindnesses before I could long for them. Your generosity encompassed me before I could offer thanks for it. You are the one who not only marvelously formed me in the womb of my mother, but also drew me out from the womb. You have been my hope since I was yet at my mother’s breast. I was cast upon You from birth. From my mother’s womb You have been my God (Psa. 22:10–11).

When I consider how many die in the womb before coming to the light of this life, I admire and praise Your mercy all the more, because You brought me, alive, safe, and sound, out of the confinement of the womb into the theater of this world. How many years passed in which I was nothing! But it pleased You to build this dwelling of my body, and to bring it out of the deep and darkness of my mother’s womb. You have given me a rational soul and did not will that I be a stone or snake. To You, my God, for this Your mercy, be honor and glory forever. Amen. (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.30-32)

Omnipotent, eternal God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I give You thanks. I praise You, I glorify You, that Your hands fashioned me and made every detail of what I am. You shaped me like clay in the womb of my mother. You poured me out like milk and curdled me like cheese. You clothed me with skin and knit me together with bones and tendons. You gave me life and showed me mercy, and in Your providence You watched over my spirit (Job 10:9–12). I will celebrate Your great mercy which You have shown me with eternal praises. Your kindness I will declare with everlasting songs of praise. You covered me in the womb of my mother. I will praise You, for I am wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and this my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You because You made me in secret when You adorned me with my various members in the lower parts of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was yet unformed, and in Your book were written all the days that would be, though not yet one of them was. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is their sum! If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sands of the sea (Psa. 139:13–18).

(Continued on Circumcision and Name of Jesus)  (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.30-32)

(Continued )  To me You were given—shall not also all things be given to me? My nature is glorified greater in You than it was disgraced in Adam through sin. Because You assumed into the unity of Your person [Christ has two natures, divine and human, in one person] that which was only accidentally weakened by Satan, You truly are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone [Eph. 5:30]. You are my brother. What can You deny to me, to whom You are most intimately joined by the same essence of flesh and by the feeling of fraternal love? You are the Bridegroom [Matt. 22:2], who according to the good pleasure of the Heavenly Father, bound the human nature to Yourself as a bride by means of a personal covenant. With a thankful soul I proclaim and acknowledge that I too am invited to the celebration of this marriage.

I am no longer amazed that heaven, earth, sea, and all that is in them, were made by God for man, since for man God Himself ordained to become a man. Truly You cannot reject me and turn me away, since You cannot deny [II Tim. 2:13] that You Yourself are a man, and therefore my brother. Now You can never forget me because You have engraved me on the palms of Your hands [Isa. 49:16]. For Christ’s communion with humanity daily and continually makes You mindful of me. Now You can never forsake me, since You, by the closest bond of the personal union, ordained to join the human nature to Yourself. However much, therefore, my sins hinder me from coming to You for mercy, nevertheless, the communion of the two natures in Christ will not allow me to be driven away. I will depend totally upon You, who totally assumed my totality, Amen. (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.35-36)

I give thanks to You, Jesus Christ, only Mediator and Redeemer of the human race, that in the fullness of time You united to Yourself, personally, a true human nature, and You deigned to be born of a virgin [Gal. 4:4]. How great is Your love of man that You laid hold not of angels, but of the seed of Abraham [Heb. 2:16]! How great is the mystery of godliness that You, being True God, deigned to become manifest in the flesh [1 Tim. 3:16]! How great the inclination of Your mercy that descending from heaven for my sake, You endured being born of a virgin [Isa. 9:6]. For me, a most worthless creature, You, the all-powerful Creator, became man. For my sake, an abject slave, You, the glorious Lord, in servile fashion, clothed Yourself with a body [Phil. 2:7], so that with flesh You might free flesh. For me You were born. Therefore, whatever heavenly goods You bring with You in Your birth will be mine.  (Text continues with Christ’s Mass Day)    (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.35-36)

The contemplation of divine gifts from the most beautiful garden of Heaven and the Church is like gathering together a bouquet of fragrant flowers. The scent of these blooms refreshes the spirit and calls forth from us the sacrifice of lips of praise, a sweet smell to God. These immeasurable and countless divine gifts may be considered according to the three articles of the Christian faith. God has created, redeemed, and sanctified us. He showers us in this life with the greatest gifts. He promises even more for eternal life. He gives us gifts of grace; He deprives and withholds evil from us. In short, we can grasp neither in word nor in thought the number and worth of those divine gifts which will be the most abundant subject of eternal praise in the coming life. (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.30)

(Continued)  All the powers of my soul, all the members of my body, are Your gifts. I should have been prepared to offer You the holy service I owed to You with all the powers of my soul, and with all the members of my body. But I have made them—O! what cause for sorrow!—I have made them tools for unrighteousness and evil. Yours is the breath which I draw. Yours is the air which I breathe. Yours is the sun, whose light I behold every day. All these should have been for me aids and tools for a holy life. But I have turned them—what sorrow!—into servants of sin. Creation was to be used for the glory of the Creator, but unfortunately, I have misused it for His dishonor. The armor of light was to be put on in the light of the sun, but in the sun’s light I have committed works of darkness [Rom. 13:12]. Whatever time is added to my life is given to me out of Your kindness. Therefore my whole life should have been devoted to You, from Whom all of it comes. But not even the smallest part of my life has been devoted to You in holy service. As often as I have sensed what is good and right to do, just as often have I failed to follow through and turned away from service to You. By these impulses I was most kindly invited to return to You through repentance. But O!, how often have I harshly shunned their most loving encouragement!

Receive the one who now at last returns to You with groaning and a contrite heart. Sprinkle me with the blood of Your Son, so that I may be cleansed whiter than snow [Psa. 51:7] from all the filthiness of my flesh and spirit [2 Cor. 7:1], and may praise You eternally with all the elect, Amen. (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.26-27)

#3 Part I, Chapter IX. All God’s Deeds of Kindness Testify to the Gravity of Our Sins.

O holy God, just Judge, the more deeds of kindness You have bestowed upon me, the more I am grieved that I have so often offended You, such a benevolent Father. Every gift you have bestowed upon me is like a bond of love. You have willed that I be bound to You, but I heaped up the number of sins, having forgotten You and Your kindness. I have sinned Father, against heaven and before You. I am not worthy to be called Your son. Make me as one of Your hired servants [Luke 15:19]. I am totally dissatisfied with myself. Grant that I be totally pleasing to You. The riches of Your goodness and Your extraordinary patience [Rom. 2:4] have for a long time called me to repentance, but so far I have declined to come. O most benevolent Father, again and again You have called me to repentance through the preaching of the Word, through the admonition of creation, through the reproof shown on Christ on the cross, through the internal working of the Holy Spirit. But I have completely closed my ears to this calling. (Text continues with Advent Four)  (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.26-27)