Allow me, O my Saviour, to offer Thee my heart, and grant that I seek only to please Thee in all things. From this moment I consecrate [pg 241] my heart to Thee; take possession of it, destroy its indifference, purify its affections, and give a new life to its inclinations. O sweet Jesus, take possession of me and consume me in the flames of Thy love. Amen.
Fourth Day. In Thy Heart I Shall Find Peace.
Thee, Thee alone, O Heart of my God, will I love! Heart most pure, Heart most holy, never tiring of my insults, ever forgiving and forgetting, and, if I do but love Thee sincerely, admitting me as a chosen friend to Thy sweet company. “Come unto Me, all you that labor, and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” Seek not elsewhere for relief in sorrow: come to the Heart of One Who loves you. Never will you meet with a more generous giver, never will you meet a kinder friend, never will you meet one who will bear with you more patiently in your trials and temptations. Be comforted, then, my heart, in having this God of love, Who will not abandon you; Who has no sweeter choice than to hearken to your prayers. Well, dear Lord, behold how my poor soul is chained down, what billows of sorrow buffet it and all but wreck it. Come then, O Heart of my Jesus, come to me or I perish. In Thee alone do I find relief. Be Thou a thousand times blessed, O sweetest Heart, for all Thy mercy! O admirable Heart, forgive my guilty wretchedness. Henceforth Thee alone will I seek, Thee alone will I love. I shall serve Thee and Thee only till my dying gasp, in hope of praising and loving Thee forever more in heaven.
Prayer.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, be Thou praised and blessed forever as the source of supernatural life, the nourishment of the soul, and the sustenance of the spirit! From Thy fulness all good is poured out upon us. Fill my heart, I beseech Thee, with the sentiments that inspired Thy adorable Heart. Amen.
Fifth Day. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Teaching Charity.
Thy Heart, O my Jesus, is a mystery of charity; mine is a mystery of malice. I am ashamed and confounded when I consider attentively Thy Heart, O my Jesus! Thou, the Creator and Master of all things—Thou art meek and lowly of heart, and I, a poor outcast, am full of pride and presumption. How often have I not outraged Thy love and despised Thy law, and still Thou art silent and forgivest me! Thou art ever ready to welcome back Thy lost sheep, no matter how far they have strayed, nor how deeply they have wounded and insulted Thy loving Heart! And can it be that after that I would dare violate the charity I owe my neighbor? That I would, for a slight offence, allow proud and revengeful feelings to take possession of my heart? Oh, what a contrast to Thy gentleness and patience! I cannot forget the least insult received, whilst Thou, O my God, at the first sincere prayer for pardon wilt forget all the injuries that I have offered Thee. Could I then fail to choose Thy Heart as a model for my own? But how can this cold heart of mine ever resemble that kindest Heart [pg 243] of Thine? Thou alone possessest the remedy. Behold me then, O sweet Jesus, and mercifully regard a misery so profound. “My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.” I will extol Thee, O God my King, and I will bless Thy name forever and ever.
Prayer.