8
Excerpt from
Prayer for Christians Confined in Prison
by Pope Pius XII (April 10, 1958)
O Divine Prisoner of the Sanctuary, Who for love
of us and for our salvation, hast willed not only to
enclose Thyself within the narrow confines of
human nature and then hid Thyself under the veils
of the Sacramental Species, but also continually
live in the tabernacle-cell, give heed to our prayers
which ascend to Thee from within these barred
and walled enclosures, and by which we desire to
express our love for Thee as well as our grief, and
the urgent need we feel for Thee in our distress,
especially in the privation of our freedom, which
causes us so much pain.
Grant, O Lord, that we may never forget that this is a period of trial and a most
favorable opportunity for purifying the soul, for practicing the highest virtues
and acquiring greater merits. Grant that our saddened hearts may not be
penetrated with hatred, which is a blight to the human heart, or with distrust
which leaves no room for the feeling of brotherhood, or with rancor which is
the forerunner of evil designs. May we always bear in mind that, in taking
away the freedom of the body, no one can deprive us of the spirit which, in
the long hours of our solitude, can raise its thoughts and fix them on Thee
in order to know Thee better and to love Thee daily more and more.