For the sins we have committed hardening our hearts,
have mercy on us, for we are sinners! Lord have mercy!
For the sins we have committed openly and in secret,
through imprudence,
through omission and laziness,
through ignorance,
with premeditation and malice,
using violence,
letting ourselves be ruled by our base passions,
despising our parents and teachers,
in our work,
wanting to be first,
through avarice,
through pride and arrogance,
insulting our neighbour,
by lying,
speaking evil of others,
slandering our neighbour,
through sexuality,
looking lustfully,
through envy,
through gluttony,
being irresponsible,
sowing discord,
complaining in our heart,
saddening the Holy Spirit,
resisting the will of God,
Have mercy on us, for we are sinners!
Have mercy on us, for we are sinners! Lord have mercy!

You who dwell in the gardens,
where my companions are listening,
let me hear your voice,
let me hear your voice.
Flee, my beloved,
like a gazelle,
like a young stag,
on the sweet scented mountains.
I am in his eyes
as one who has found peace,
my vineyard is here in front of me,
my vineyard is here in front of me,
Flee, my beloved,
like a gazelle,
like a young stag,
on the sweet scented mountains.
You who dwell in the gardens…
The Church through Baptism has been introduced into the gardens of the Kingdom "where the
companions are listening."
There, as she has been made mother and teacher of all nations because of the experience of
love she has received and because of the suffering, the joys, the failures, the recoveries and – we
could say – because of the history of salvation that the Song of Songs expresses, the Church is
invited by the Bridegroom to let her voice be heard in a final yearning.
The Church answers with an eschatological paschal cry: what she has come to know and
experienced of the Bridegroom makes her desire to flee with him in a final exodus "to the sweet
scented mountains," which is Heaven, forever free.