Prayer.
O my Mother, give me Jesus as thou didst give Him to the holy Wise Men. Obtain for me a fervent heart to desire Jesus; a pure and humble heart to receive Jesus; a constant heart, that I may never, by the least wilful sin, sadden His loving Heart. Amen.
Fourteenth Day.
During these days make the sacrifice of your heart a persevering, loving, patient sacrifice. You are not going to retain anything of this heart, you are not going to divide your love. Jesus has given Himself entirely to you; He has been presented to you by the hands of Mary. He has made you a Christian, that you may take advantage of this privilege of enjoying Him as often as you please. You can be on familiar terms with Him, you can unite Him to your heart in holy communion, when He will enter your soul and be such a gracious, noble guest. By your Christian character He has privileged you to participate in all the sacraments of the Church. He [pg 025] confirms you in your Christianity; He pardons your transgressions when you have fallen, and when, with sorrow in your heart, you wish to rise again; He claims you as His at the end of your life by anointing you in your last sickness: He claims you in fact, body and soul, for His own glory.
Prayer.
Most sweet Infant Jesus, I acknowledge Thee my benefactor. I return Thee thanks for whatever I possess, and I heartily beg Thy grace, that I may make good use of the benefits which through Thy great mercy I enjoy. Amen.
Fifteenth Day.
You are going to appear before Jesus and Mary during these days with the incense of the Magi, which they presented to Him as a tribute of praise; they acknowledged Jesus as their God. Incense is offered to God alone; it is a prayer in itself, and ascends with a pleasant odor. You are going to stand before Jesus offering your incense of prayer and adoration. You have your daily prayers to say; in fact the whole day should be a prayer, which should insert itself into all your actions. How noble will not such a day appear to you when you look back on it! Oh, that all your days were like this one, full of holy joy, peace and happiness; such a happiness as you cannot find in earthly pleasure and enjoyment. Mary will receive this gift of prayer for her divine Son, and point out to Him the pious Christian that has brought the same sacrifice as did the kings of the East—the incense of prayer. How pleased will be our sweet Jesus to receive this gift from our hands, and in exchange [pg 026] He will give us the gift of piety, thus enabling us to love God alone and to despise all else.