Newman's prayer for a daily conversion
My God, I am utterly confounded to think of the state I am in. What will become of me if you are severe? What is my life, my dear and merciful Lord, but a series of offences, little and great, against you? What can I do but come humbly to him whom I have so heavily affronted and insulted, and beg him to forgive the debt that lies against me? Lord Jesus, whose love for me was so great as to bring you down from heaven to save me: teach me my sin — teach me how grave it is — teach me truly to repent of it — and pardon it in your great mercy. Recover me, my dear Saviour. Your grace alone can do it. I cannot save myself. I cannot recover the ground I have lost. I cannot turn to you, I cannot please you, I cannot save my soul without you. I have lived long enough in this undecided, wavering, unsatisfactory state. I wish to be your good servant. I wish to sin no more. Be gracious to me, and make me able to be what I know I ought to be. Amen.
Pass it on
When this prayer is prayed
Every morning, by anyone who has understood that conversion is not one day in a life but a decision taken daily. The words are John Henry Newman's own, from his meditations on sin — the most famous convert of the nineteenth century, a cardinal, still asking to be converted. Only the pronouns have been modernised; every other word is his.