Recite the Salve Regina daily and meditate on death

"Father, I would like to change my ways, but the temptations are too much for me to cope with."

Saint Philip Neri looked at this earnest young man and gently encouraged him: "Be brave, my child. I recommend that you just do two things: Recite the Salve Regina every day, and meditate on death. Try to imagine your body in a hole in the ground—decomposing—both your eyes cavities having been eaten out by worms. And say to yourself: ‘Is this why I'm chasing after the pleasures of the flesh and losing Heaven?’”

Faithful to this twofold recommendation, the young man decided to pray to Our Lady of Mercy, Life and Hope, and he meditated on death every day. With God's grace, he was able to fight against temptations until his death.

Source: 365 jours d’espérance avec François-Xavier Nguyën Van Thuân, (365 Days of Hope with François-Xavier Nguyën Van Thuân), Jubilé Editions