Contents
1. Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
2. A Prayer of St. Ignatius to Our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Preparatory Prayer.
4. Prayer to obtain the grace of understanding the true end of man.
5. Prayer to excite one s self to Repentance.
6. The Triple Colloquy.
7. Colloquy on God s Mercy.
8. Prayer to Jesus Christ that we may obey His call.
9. Prayer for aid in contemplating the scenes of the Gospel.
10. Prayer to attain the three degrees of Humility.
11. Prayer on the Three Classes.
12. Prayer that we may be received under the Standard of our divine King.
13. Prayer before Election.
14. Prayer in Desolation.
15. Prayer to unite ourselves with Christ s Sufferings,
16. Prayer to Our Lord risen from the Dead.
17. Prayer to excite love for God.
1
PRAYER OF ST. IGNATIUS
SOUL of Christ, sanctify me;
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, wash me;
Passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesus, hear me ;
Within Thy wounds hide me;
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee;
From the evil enemy defend me;
In the hour of my death call me,
And bid me come untc Thee,
That with all Thy saints I may praise Thee
For all eternity. Amen.
2
A PRAYER OF ST. IGNATIUS TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
O BELOVED Word of God, teach me to be generous, to serve Thee with that perfection which Thy majesty claims, to give without calculation, to fight with out heeding wounds, to labor without repose, to expend myself in Thy service without thought of other reward than that of knowing that I do Thy most holy will. Amen.
3
PREPARATORY PRAYER
LORD, it is for the purpose of conquering myself that by Thy grace I have undertaken these holy exercises. It is my rebel will that I desire to vanquish and overcome, my unruly and disordered affections which I desire to put in order, so that my soul may be attentive simply to the seeking and finding of Thy will, and to the following of it alone, in the ordering and disposing of my life.
Give me a generous heart, a heart truly liberal, which, giving itself to Thee, may abandon itself without any reservation to Thee, its Lord and Redeemer.
Lord, so great to all Thy servants, dispose of my life, of my liberty, of all that surrounds me. O my Creator, speak to Thy creature. Behold my soul before Thee: my will is as a scale in a state of perfectly equal balance, which shall only waver to one side or the other when Thou placest in it the weight of Thy will or wish. I ignore all natural inclination; my will is suspended and in a state of perfect indifference. I have but one will and desire, to obey and please Thee. I promise Thee fidelity to my exercises of piety, and to the full time meditation. I foresee the furious assaults of the devil, but I am firmly resolved to yield nothing on this point to his importunities.
I promise Thee to exert my earnest efforts. It is for me to exercise myself, and to labor, even at the cost of suffering if necessary; to examine my soul and to rectify its ways; to call on Thee, to listen to Thee, to obey Thee.
I promise Thee to preserve silence; not only shall my lips remain silent, but my mind shall be drawn off from the cares of life, from the agitations of the world, and from all vanities. I know that this interior and exterior solitude possesses great merit in Thy sight. But above all it leaves me in greater liberty to find that which I so ardently desire; it enables me to approach closely to Thee, to lose none of Thy words, to be better disposed for the receiving of the gifts of Thy divine and supreme goodness.
4
PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE GRACE OF UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE END OF MAN
MAN was created for this end to praise, reverence, and serve the Lord his God, and by this means to arrive at eternal salvation. All other beings or objects placed around man on earth have been created for him, to serve as means to assist him in the pursuit of the end for which he was created.
We must, then, above all things, endeavor to establish in ourselves a complete indifference with regard to all created things, even those of which the use is not forbidden us; not preferring, as far as depends on us, health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to humiliation, a long life to a short one; since good order requires that we wish for and choose, in everything, what will lead us most surely to the end for which we were created. (Text of St. Ignatius)
For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark viii. 36, 37)
Jesus said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment." (Matt. xxii. 37, 38)
Jesus said: "The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Matt. iv. 10)
Lord, Thou hast created me, Thou hast created me for Thyself to praise Thee, to reverence Thee, to serve Thee. It is by applying myself to Thy service that I shall save my soul. All other things placed around me in this world are there as so many means whereby I may be conducted to the great final end of my creation, which is twofold yet one: to serve Thee and save myself.
Teach me, O Lord, to do my duty, my only duty in this world, which is for the fulfilling of Thy intentions and designs, to discern amongst Thy creatures 1st, those which may aid me, so as to use them so long as they may be of service to me: 2d, those which may be harmful to me, so as to reject them inasmuch as they may be injurious to me. If I accept some and reject the others, may it be solely with the view of glorifying Thee, and of being always within the order of Thy will.
But since my courage may give way, since my heart may be fascinated by these extraneous creatures, defend it, O my God, and assure to it safety and freedom from the seductions of the world. Grant that, indifferent to all that is not commanded by Thee, indifferent to all those creatures the use of which Thou hast not even forbidden, my heart may neither desire nor seek amongst the multiplicity of creatures and the vicissitudes of life aught but what is needful for the fulfilling of Thy will.
May health or sickness, riches or poverty, honors or contempt and humiliations, leave my soul, if not insensible, at least in that state of holy indifference to which I desire to attain for Thy greater honor and glory; for this I pray. I will and desire that it should be thus with me, and I firmly resolve continually to restore my will to this necessary equilibrium, so that it may always be inclined solely by the motive-power of Thy holy will
5
PRAYER TO EXCITE ONE S SELF TO REPENTANCE
I BESEECH Thee, O Lord, to grant me the grace which I need, and which I earnestly desire to obtain. I ask it with confidence, since I know I ought to have a deep contrition and abiding and sincere sentiments of sorrow for my sins. I ask of Thee that feeling of shame which should make me blush for myself. Many souls have been lost by a single mortal sin. How many times have I not merited this judgment for my many and great sins?
I ask of Thee an intense sorrow for having committed them, tears to weep over them, a broken and contrite heart at the memory of them.
What a sight for me, a sinner, to behold Jesus Christ living and in agony on the tree of the cross! O my Creator and Redeemer, how great was Thy love when Thou didst will to exchange heaven for earth, the glory of Thy heavenly life for this life of pain, and to suffer a death of infamy for me for my sins.
Look, O my soul; look at and consider thy past life what hast thou done for Jesus Christ in the past at this present time what art thou doing for Jesus Christ in the future what wilt thou do for Jesus Christ ? Speak, O my soul, with Jesus crucified; tell Him thy thoughts, tell them to Him with all simplicity; tell them to Him just as thou thinkest them.
Pour out thyself, O my heart, to thy God. Let thy thoughts turn from Him to thyself; thy prayer is always good and fervent when it is true and sincere, when it speaks as a friend speaks to his friend, as a subject speaks to his king, as a slave speaks to his master. Accuse thyself, O my soul, of the evil thou hast done, declare all thy wounds, thy weakness, thy doubts, thy waverings, thy most secret thoughts.
May the Lord, my Creator, cure me and shelter me beneath His pardoning grace.
6
THE TRIPLE COLLOQUY
O MOTHER of my Saviour, my blessed Lady, my Queen, vouchsafe to intercede for me with thy divine Son, thy Lord, and obtain for me these three graces:
The grace to know with a full knowledge, to feel profoundly, to deplore and to detest my sins;
The grace to feel and realize the disorder of my life, to hold it in horror, to reduce it to rule, and amend it, and to correct myself;
The grace to know and detest the world, to put away from my soul, and keep out of it, all worldly and vain thoughts, and to renounce for ever the world and all its vanities.
Hail Mary
2. O LORD Jesus Christ, for the sake of Thy blessed Mother, obtain for me from the eternal Father these three graces:
The grace to know with a full knowledge, to feel profoundly, to deplore and to detest my sins;
The grace to feel and realize the disorder of my life, to hold it in horror, to reduce it to rule, and amend it, and to correct myself;
The grace to know and detest the world, to put away from my soul, and keep out of it, all worldly and vain thoughts, and to renounce for ever the world and all its vanities.
Anima Christi
3. ETERNAL God, Father Almighty, in the Name of the Word made flesh; I beseech Thee to grant me these three graces I implore of Thee:
The grace to know with a full knowledge, to feel profoundly, to deplore and to detest my sins;
The grace to feel and realize the disorder of my life, to hold it in horror, to reduce it to rule, and amend it, and to correct myself;
The grace to know and detest the world, to put away from my soul, and keep out of it, all worldly and vain thoughts, and to renounce for ever the world and all its vanities.
Our Father
7
COLLOQUY ON GOD S MERCY AND COMPASSION
Thanksgiving of the Sinner
O LORD God, Thou art infinitely wise, I adore Thee Who hast borne with my ignorance; Thou art infinitely just, I adore Thee Who hast not chastised my iniquity; Thou art infinitely powerful, I adore Thee Who hast deigned to spare my weakness ; Thou art infinitely good, I adore Thee Who hast pardoned me all my malice and sins.
I thank Thee that the angels, who are the avenging swords of Thy justice, have not slain me. I thank Thee because the saints, who are Thy friends, have prayed and made intercession for me who was Thine enemy. I thank Thee that Thy heavens, Thy stars, Thy sun have not refused to shine on me. I thank Thee for having placed the whole of creation at my service; I have caused it to groan beneath the burden of my sin, and yet it has not risen up against me. I thank Thee that the very earth has not opened beneath my feet to precipitate me into the lowest depths of hell, where I indeed deserve to be eternally.
I behold before me, O my God, the mystery of the infinite abyss of Thy mercy. I return Thee thanks for having preserved my life until this day, for having granted to me repentance for my sins; how great has been and how incomprehensible remains Thy pity for me!
Pardon, O perfections of my God, for having preferred imperfect and vile creatures to Thee! Pardon, O justice of my God, for having outraged Thee by my crimes! Pardon, O holiness of my God, pardon for having so long stained the purity of Thy sight by my sins! Pardon, O mercy of my God, for having so long despised Thy merciful voice! In deep sorrow and contrition I cast myself at Thy feet have mercy on me!
"Show mercy to a poor penitent, whom Thou hast so long spared in his impenitence."
(St. Bernard)
8
PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST OUR KING THAT WE MAY OBEY HIS CALL
MY Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast said to me: "My will is to subject the infidel world to My empire. If any one desires to follow Me, he must be content to abide beneath My tent, to eat at My table, to drink from the same cup with Me; he must also be willing to labor as I labor and with Me; he shall share with Me the fruits of the victory in proportion to the manner in which he shall have shared with Me the fatigues of the conflict." I have reflected upon this Thy call; I have asked of Thee, O Jesus Christ, and I still ask of Thee, the grace not to be deaf to Thy call, but to answer it joyfully, and to give all that Thy most holy will awaits from me.
Now, after mature consideration, this is what I freely offer Thee with my whole heart, protesting it to be my firm inward resolution, my determined will, which is fixed and will be, I trust, unalterable and steady, and which I shall never repent or regret.
I have understood that the infidel lands to be conquered are my soul, my heart, the world, and the devil: that the enemies to Thy domain are my sensuality, my pride, the spirit of the world ever living and working within me ; these are the enemies that I must fight against. I have taken the resolution of doing this, and I desire to distinguish myself in Thy service.
I ardently desire to join Thee in this great enterprise in which Thou, my Lord Jesus Christ, art leader, and the apostles, martyrs, penitents in a word, all the saints, are my illustrious companions.
O eternal King, O Christ, Our Lord and Ruler; under Thy protection, by Thy grace, with the memory of Thy infinite mercy, at Thy feet, in the presence of Thy glorious Mother and of all the saints who adorn Thy heavenly court I offer and consecrate myself to Thee and to Thy service alone; I give myself to Thee without any reserve. I am resolved to imitate Thee, I am resolved to follow Thee, and to distinguish myself as a follower of Thee, to be there where Thou art, if Thy divine Majesty will but deign to choose me and to receive me as one of Thy faithful and devoted followers.
Acknowledging my utter unworthiness, I humbly beg of Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, to be graciously pleased to accept my whole self as a full and entire oblation. Grant that I may live and die at the post where the interests of Thy glory and my salvation and Thy divine call may have placed me.
9
PRAYER FOR ASSISTANCE IN CONTEMPLATING THE SCENES OF THE GOSPEL
I BEG of Thee, O God, the grace which I desire to obtain: an intimate knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ, so that, knowing Him more clearly, I may love Him more dearly; that loving Him more dearly, I may follow him more nearly; and that following Him more nearly, I may attain to a high degree of perfection by imitating Him in all things.
Open, O my God, the eyes of my soul; grant me to contemplate in the silence of respect, of prayer, and of adoration the eternal Word made flesh (John i. 14), placed in the manger (Luke ii. 7), adored by Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the Magi, and the angels (Matt, ii. n). Permit me to contemplate and consider the demeanor of Jesus; His actions His divine perfection in the smallest actions, His voluntary obedience, His toil: His bearing its dignity, what modesty in all His gestures, His movements, His steps: His looks their serenity and sweetness. Let me consider Him in His sleep. In His prayer what fervor, what recollectedness. When He works what admirable resignation and humility. When seated at the humble table of Joseph. Let me follow Him when, with the blessing of His Mother, He departs to receive baptism by St. John when He retires into the desert calls together His disciples teaches the multitude.
Grant, O Lord Jesus, that I may be attentive to Thy thoughts, to Thy teachings, to Thy holy will. If Thou speakest, may I never lose a single word from Thy lips; if Thy lips are silent, grant to me to know and understand the workings of Thy Sacred Heart; may I be attentive alike to what Thou sayest and to what Thou mightest say. May Thy voice vibrate through my soul, may it enter my heart and be as a salutary food to nourish, vivify, and invigorate it.
Above all, grant that I may love, that I may feel, that I may taste, that I may breathe forth to some extent the infinite sweetness and gentleness of holiness, the exquisite fragrance of virtue; and that I may follow the example which Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us by His life and teachings.
Holy cave of Bethlehem, blessed walls of Nazareth, where my Jesus, lived, let my lips kiss in spirit these wit nesses of the virtues of Christ! Would that I could press my lips to all the traces of Thy steps, the earth, the walls sanctified by Thy presence, O Jesus! If Thou wilt permit me to approach yet nearer to Thyself, I would fain, in the purity and ardor of my love, kiss, as did the stricken woman of the Gospels, the hem of Thy garment.
10
PRAYER TO ATTAIN THE THREE DEGREES OF HUMILITY
MY Lord, I beseech of Thee to grant me a grace absolutely necessary for the eternal salvation of my soul. It is that I may always have sufficient humility, dependence, and submission to obey in all things Thy holy law, and that I may never hesitate before an order, or break any command of Thine, or of those appointed by Thee to command me, which obliges me, under pain of mortal sin, not even if by so doing I might preserve my life or obtain possession of the whole world. May I sacrifice my life, or renounce the empire of the entire world, before I willingly transgress any of Thy precepts.
2. Lord, I ask of Thee a greater grace than that of never offending Thee by mortal sin: may I always have sufficient humility and submission never to give way to the temptation of committing a single deliberate venial sin, even if by so doing I might save my life or acquire possession of the whole world. My heart will falter; it will often hesitate before the thought of venial sin, if it is not indifferent between riches and poverty, between honor and shame, between life and death. Grant me, O God, this perfect indifference of soul.
3. O Lord, I ask of Thee a still greater grace than that of never offending Thee by venial sin. May my soul be so humble, so entirely submissive, that it may no longer have aught but one desire: to imitate Thee and to follow Thee, its Lord and its God.
Even if the interests of the glory of God are not involved or affected, in order to resemble more closely Our Lord Jesus Christ, I will and desire to be poor with Jesus Christ in His poverty rather than to be rich, since Jesus Christ was not rich. I will and desire to be covered with ignominy rather than to be honored by the world, since Jesus Christ was not honored by it. I will and desire to be looked upon as a being useless to all, of little interest, of little repute, of little influence, of little learning and wisdom, since such was the estimation in which the world held Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grant me, O Lord, to arrive at this third and highest degree of perfection, and the grace of a perfect renunciation of myself after Thine example.
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PRAYER ON THE THREE CLASSES
LORD, I beg of Thee the grace not to belong to that class of Christians, who, convinced of the truth of religion, are not converted or sanctified, because they will not make use of the means by which sanctity may be acquired and their conversion assured. Grant that I may not be with those who give Thee desires only, and who put off, from day to day, the means necessary for holiness and salvation, and who do nothing until the day of their death.
Lord, I ask of Thee the grace not to belong to that class of men who indeed desire holiness, but who at the same time will not make the sacrifice at all, who can not bring themselves to renounce certain passions, who will only give to Thee certain works, who would have Thee and at the same time retain possession of certain worldly advantages, who will not choose the most certain means of holiness. They are very willing that Thou shouldst come to them, but they can not persuade themselves to go to Thee; and yet what a happy lot would be theirs if they had but the courage to give themselves unreservedly to Thee! With what superabundant graces dost Thou reward the sacrifices of generous souls, O my God!
Lord, I ask of Thee to grant me the grace of being in the class of those whose will is in a state of such perfect equilibrium, that it neither accepts nor rejects anything except as Thou inspirest it to accept or reject it.
I desire nothing, O my God, unless Thou first wiliest it; I wish for nothing except to serve Thee, my Creator and my Savior; and if the voice of nature asks anything different of me, it is my will and desire to go against this voice of nature, this natural repugnance. And I pray and beseech Thee to grant and vouchsafe to me, though in opposition to my natural inclination, and notwithstanding the reluctance of nature, that I may have the grace accorded me of always acting solely for the greater honor and glory of Thy infinite Majesty, the grace of always choosing what is for Thy greater glory; and to this end I beseech of Thee the grace of perfect and effective detachment
12
PRAYER THAT WE MAY BE RECEIVED UNDER THE STANDARD OF OUR DIVINE KING
LORD, behold me a suppliant praying before Thee. I come to implore of Thee a grace which is repugnant to my nature and which I dread to obtain. Alas, my heart is not indifferent: on the contrary, it rebels at the thought of voluntary poverty, and the contempt of men. It is to master my natural inclinations, to vanquish self, and to conquer my heart, to extinguish in it every spark of that self-love which is not in accordance with the rule these exercises place before me, that I entreat Thee to receive me under Thy standard.
May Thy divine Majesty deign to shelter me beneath me folds of this Thy holy standard, to give me the spirit of poverty and detachment, and to call me even to the practice of actual and perfect poverty, if such is Thy good pleasure. Lord Jesus, in order that I may resemble Thee more closely, grant me a share, I beseech Thee, in Thy humiliations, and in the injustices that Thou didst meet with, provided that I can bear them without committing any sin, without ever displeasing, in any way, Thy divine Majesty.
O Blessed Virgin, Mother of my God, obtain for me from Thy divine Son the grace to be received and to march under His standard.
Hail Mary
O Eternal Word, for the love Thou bearest Our Lady, Thy blessed Mother, obtain for me from the Father the grace to be received and to march under Thy standard.
Anima Christi
O Father, for the love Thou bearest the most holy Virgin Mary, for the sake of Thy Son, Our Lord, I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to be received and to march under the standard of Jesus Christ.
Our Father
13
PRAYER BEFORE ELECTION
GRANT, O Lord, to the eyes of mine understanding the light of a pure, upright, and single intention; may I always be mindful of the end for which Thou hast created me Thy glory and my eternal salvation. Help me, O God, to keep this end in view, enlighten my spirit, and incline my will toward the calling I should choose.
Before proceeding to my decision, I will with Thy help behold present to me in heaven the throne of the most Holy Trinity, of my Redeemer and Savior, the most blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, the saints, and all the elect of God.
May my resolution have their approval and assent! Above all, O my Creator and my God, I beseech Thee to communicate Thyself to my soul, and to bind it by ever closer ties to Thee and to Thy holy service.
Grant me the grace to come to my decision and to act- as I should act if I were now at the hour of my death as I should counsel another, a stranger, or a friend, to act under similar circumstances to mine to decide as at the day of judgment, before Thy tribunal, I should then wish I had now decided.
Before all, O my God, impress well upon my mind this important maxim, that the measure of my progress in spiritual things will be that of my abnegation of self, and that so much the more as I shall go out of myself, as I shall trample on my self-love, my self-will, my natural disposition, as I shall ignore and leave behind me that self, so much the more closely shall I approach to Thee, be united to and resemble Thee.
O Lord, if Thou hast approved of my decision, if it is agreeable to Thee, accept and bless it, confirm me in it, and grant to me steadfastly to persevere in it, in peace of mind, without regrets or doubts, to Thy greater honor and glory. Amen.
14
PRAYER IN DESOLATION
MY Lord and my God, I am tempted and in desolation; my soul is sad and languishes within me; my spirit droops; I am as if separated from Thee, with out hope, without love. I am anxious, agitated, and uneasy; my heart is troubled. I am tormented, I falter, I am languid, overwhelmed, and weary with the conflict. Inferior and terrestrial things are enticing me, they charm and draw me to them.
O my God, help! Come to my assistance, give me courage, give me strength, allow me not to be overcome by the assaults of the evil one; discover to me his snares and artifices.
If Thou hast left me, it is because I have been tepid and negligent in my exercises of piety. My faults have deprived me of Thy consolations.
Perhaps also it is that Thou wiliest to show me how little I can do when left to myself how little I can do alone, for Thy service, for Thy glory how weak and powerless I am when deprived of Thy aid. Or Thou art proving me; Thou wiliest to see how I employ myself for Thy service and glory when Thou dost not bestow on me every day the rewards of Thy Spirit in gifts and sensible graces. Thou desirest to prove what I am, and if I serve Thee for Thyself, or only for the reward of Thy divine consolations. Or perhaps Thou wiliest to detach my heart from a certain self-confidence, and thus to hold it back from the pitfall of pride and self-love, so dangerous to our salvation; to forbid it to seek elsewhere than in Thyself its repose, its security, and its peace.
But what I do know is, that with Thy grace, which Thou wilt never refuse me, and of which Thou wilt never deprive me although I may not always be sensible or conscious of its presence, I shall be able to resist and overcome all my enemies; therefore, establishing my confidence on Thy divine strength, I will not lose courage.
It only remains for me to humble myself, to abase myself to the very dust at the sight of my nothingness, and to persevere in my former resolutions made in the day of consolation, awaiting in patience and calm for, and looking with hope and confidence to, Thy next visit; for I know that the day of desolation will pass, and that consolation will not be long in coming.
Give me patience and hope, give me the courage to remain fixed in my resolutions, to attack and fight with the enemy without making any change in my former decisions; but, in order to dissipate this desolation, let me change myself, by being more recollected, more attentive, more silent, more mortified; above all, by applying myself more fervently to prayer and meditation.
15
PRAYER THAT WE MAY UNITE OURSELVES WITH THE SUFFERINGS OF OUR LORD
AT the foot of the cross I ask of Thee, O my God, the grace which I should first of all seek to obtain in considering the Passion of Our Lord. I ask an intense sorrow with Jesus Christ overwhelmed by sorrows; I ask for a broken heart in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in its agony. I beg of Thee tears to weep over the grief of Jesus Christ, a deep and sincere sympathy and compassion for the sufferings of Jesus Christ, and a lasting remembrance of all the profound sorrows and pains He endured for me.
I beg of Thee, O God, a lively contrition for my sins, and for the agony and sufferings they have caused Our Lord, and a tender love for Jesus Christ suffering for me.
Ah, it is for my sins, my Lord Jesus Christ that Thou dost advance to meet these torments. I have looked upon Thy bruised and wounded body, I have listened to Thy words in Thy affliction and distress, so full of tenderness and love, so full of sorrow and of pain; I have followed Thee along all the paths of Jerusalem: from the room of the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane, from the Garden of Gethsemane to the house of Caiphas, the high priest, from the high priest to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, from Herod back to the Roman governor, from the governor s hall to Calvary, and there I have gazed on Thee nailed to the cross!
Behold what Thou hast suffered, O my God! and Thou wouldst suffer it all again and still more for me were it necessary! So great is Thy love that it is, as it were, more insatiable and cruel to Thyself than even the hate of Thy executioners!
May my eyes pour forth tears at this sad sight! O my soul, let the waters of tribulation overwhelm thee; make every effort, strive with thyself, if necessary, to keep alone before thy sight thy crucified Savior, to compassionate Him, to mourn, to sorrow, to lament and bewail with Jesus crucified.
Where, O where is Thy Divinity hidden, O my Jesus? Why does not it arise to scatter and annihilate all Thy enemies? Why does it permit Thy most holy Humanity to suffer such indignities, such excruciating torments, torments beyond all bound and measure?
O God, I realize it! All these terrible sufferings are necessary for the effacing of my sins! Behold to what a state they have reduced Thee! Behold what Thy love has found needful to suffer for me! What does it now behoove me to suffer for Thee?
Consider, my soul, what gifts thou wilt offer at the foot of the cross: what wilt thou do and suffer for Thy God.
How can I refuse aught to Thee, my Lord and my Creator, Who hast done and suffered so much for my sake; Thou hast given all Thou hast to me; Thou hast given Thy labor, Thy toil, Thy thoughts, Thy love, Thy life, the very last drop of Thy Heart s blood for me. Ah! let me give Thee all I have all my affections, all my love, all my desires, my whole heart, my work, my efforts, my sorrows, my joys, my life, my whole self.
16
PRAYER TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD
GIVE me, O Jesus, the grace I seek in this meditation on Thy glorious Resurrection; it is that I may rejoice with Thee, that I may exult over, and participate in, Thy joy and Thy glory.
How beautiful art Thou, O my well-beloved! How beautiful and radiant are the wounds in Thy hands and Thy feet! And still more beautiful and still more radiant is the wound in Thy Sacred Heart! What ineffable sweetness, what light in Thy words! Happy Peter, happy Magdalen! still happier thou, O blessed Mother of Our Lord, united to Him in the glory of His triumph!
Let me contemplate, O my Jesus, the splendor of Thy Divinity. It seemed to hide itself during Thy Passion, but now that Thou art risen, how clearly does it shine, how evident it is to me as I recognize and confess it, and the truth and holiness of Thy presence, and of Thy apparitions which brought such peace and consolation with them!
What so overjoys and fills me with gratitude in contemplating Thee, O Lord Jesus, is the loving care Thou hast to bring -consolation to Thy servants. This tender care and loving thought for those who are Thine fills me with a great joy, and deep love and gratitude. O Jesus Christ, the Consoler, Thou Who so well knowest how to fulfil this office, this royal ministry of Thy love; how immense is the difference, how great the contrast between what friends can say to console their friends, and what Thou sayest and dost to console Thy disciples!
O divine Consoler, be Thou my consoler! Give to me that true consolation, that consolation which is the increase of faith, of hope, and of charity.
I congratulate thee, O most holy Virgin Mother, on thy happiness, and I participate in thy joy.
Regina Coeli
I adore Thee, O Jesus, in the glory of Thy Resurrection, in the immutability of Thy beatitude, and I consecrate myself to Thee anew, my Savior and my King.
Glory be to the Father
17
PRAYER TO EXCITE LOVE FOR GOD
LORD, I ask of Thee the grace to realize intimately the greatness and excellence of Thy blessed benefits which Thou hast so lavishly poured forth on me; I beg of Thee that I may realize the full extent of Thy generosity, the prodigality of Thy Heart, so that measuring my gratitude by Thy marvelous generosity, it may make that return which justice and love require by serving Thee in and by Thy gifts, and consecrating myself to Thy love and service.
It is from Thee that I have received the benefits of creation, and all those special gifts of grace which never fail me in my dangers and my difficulties. How good hast Thou been to me in particular above so many others, who are more worthy than I am.
Let me reflect upon the past! Thy love, never satisfied with giving, would always give more. Ah, my God, I am confident, I know that in Thy love Thou wilt never be satisfied, until Thou hast given me Thyself entirely and for ever in heaven.
And now in my turn, what can I do for Thee? What is meet, just, and right that I should offer to Thy divine Majesty? I have nothing of myself, I hold all from God; what else, then, can I do but offer Thee all that I have, all that I am?
Suscipe, Domine: Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All that I am, all that I have, Thou hast given me, and I restore it all to Thee, to be disposed of according to Thy good pleasure. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I am rich enough, and I desire nothing more.
But Thou art present, Thou dwellest in all these Thy benefits, in all creatures, in myself. It is Thou who didst create and dost give existence to the elements; Thou who causest them to be Thou who dost give life to the plants, and causest them to grow. Thou who hast given to animals sensation. Thou who hast given man intelligence, the power of thought, an immortal soul. Thus Thou hast united all Thy gifts and given them all to me, life, sensation, reason. I have been created in Thy likeness, and am as an image of Thy divine Majesty. In the most noble and excellent manner Thou dwellest in me, Thou dost dwell in me as in Thy temple, as in a sanctuary, seeing in me Thine own image, and finding in me an intelligence, capable of knowing and loving Thee. What then can I do to honor in His gifts Him Who presents them to me and Who maintains them by His power? What can I do except treat them with an infinite respect, and walk always in the presence of God, thinking and acting in His presence which surrounds and penetrates even within me.
Thou, my Benefactor, art always with me; Thou art more intimately united to me than is my soul to my body; help me then, O my God, help me to keep myself before Thee as a child in the presence of a tenderly-loved father, studying the slightest sign of Thy will and Thy wish.
O my God, not only dost Thou dwell in the whole of creation, not only art Thou present in the entire universe, but Thou dost act continually in all Thy creatures, and dost work in them for ever, for my service.
Yes! Divine Artificer, Thine infinite power, occupying itself in the heavens, the elements, the fruits of the earth, becomes as it were the servant of my needs; Thou dost light my path, enlighten me with the light of day; Thou dost nourish me with the productions of the earth, and serve me by each one of the creatures I use! Thy bounty, wisdom, and power, are placed at my service, and exercised for my wants and pleasures.
Help me, O my God, to serve Thee, acting always solely for Thee, and in Thy presence, uniting work with recollection, calm contemplation of Thee with activity in Thy service; let me think always of Thee, but without ceasing to act, and let me act, but in such a manner as not to be distracted and without ceasing to think of Thee. That I may attain to this perfection in all that I do, grant that I may seek but one end in the diversity of my occupations Thy good pleasure and holy will, O my God.
So Thou art in all these gifts which I receive from Thee; it is in them and by them that Thou dost serve me.
Behind the veil of these creatures I discern Thy fatherly hand which presents them to me, and fashions them to my service. If then, they come from Thee to me, it is but just that from me they should return to Thee. It is with this intent that I have offered all to Thee; for the future I will to see in creatures only the good and useful means they may offer of serving and praising Thee, and to use them only so long as, and inasmuch as, they shall serve to this end. I will to be detached from creatures and myself; this double detachment will give me true liberty of spirit, which consists in being no longer bound either to creatures or myself, and in reposing perfectly and solely on Thy love.
I will to be detached from creatures because they have only very limited perfections; the most perfect being but as a weak and rude image of Thy perfections. What they have of the good and beautiful is but an emanation of Thy Divinity, which rests on them as the rays of the sun rest on the moon and glorify it; but as the moon is pale in the presence of the sun, shining as it does with but a borrowed light, so creatures have but a very faint reflection of Thy perfections.
I will to be detached from myself, because all my being and happiness depend not on myself but on Thee; if I leave myself I shall find Thee, and in Thee I find as in their source and in an infinite degree all perfections. In Thee and in Thee alone shall I find my happiness and my being. "Thou hast made us, O Lord, for Thyself, and our hearts can not rest until they rest in Thee" (St. Augustine;. Thou hast said, O Lord: "He that loveth his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal" (John xii. 25).
O give me then, my Lord, this perfect detachment, since in that state my soul will be absolutely indifferent to all that is not Thee. I shall then have but one thought to please Thee in all my actions; but one desire soon to quit this world, in order fully to possess Thee, my God, in heaven.
The little that I am flows from a Being so infinitely-elevated above me; from Thee, O eternal Source, descend justice, comfort, sweetness, piety, gentleness, goodness. O pour down into my soul Thy gifts, inundate me with Thy perfections, and grant me such entire conformity to Thy will that I may attain to perfect repose in Thee.
O living Light, O heavenly Sun, the source from whence proceed all those beams of light which illuminate the souls of the saints, flooding them with an effulgence of celestial radiance, let me be engulfed and lose myself in Thee! May I forget myself, and leave myself; may I strip myself of all love of creatures to love Thee alone, my Creator and my God. May I leave both creatures and myself in order to attach myself only to Thee, my Lord and my God. May I see Thee alone in the whole of creation, serving Thee and Thee only, reposing and rejoicing for ever in Thy most holy will. Amen.
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PETITIONS FOR GRACES
O Father, O Son, O Holy Ghost!
O Most Holy Trinity! O Jesus! O Mary!
Ye blessed angels, and all ye saints of paradise, obtain for me these graces, which I ask through the merits of the most precious blood of Jesus Christ.
1. Always to do the will of God.
2. To be always in union with God.
3. To think only of God.
4. To love God alone.
5. To do everything for God.
6. To seek only the glory of God.
7. To make myself a saint for God s sake alone.
8. To know my own nothingness.
9. To know more clearly the will of God.
10. (Insert what you specially desire.}
O most holy Mary, offer to the eternal Father the most precious blood of Jesus Christ for my soul, for the holy souls in purgatory, for the needs of holy Church, for the conversion of sinners, and for the whole world.
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