O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I adore Thy impulses of charity, which made Thee wish to fill my heart and my soul with Thine, my spirit with Thy spirit, and to feed my body with Thy sacred flesh. I adore Thy divinity, concealed from my sight under the symbols of Thy mystery of love, and I beseech Thee, of Thy mercy, to use my soul, my mind, my heart, and my body as a temple consecrated to Thy honor. O Sacred Heart, I adore Thee as a victim sacrificed by the ascendancy and power of its own pure love. Amen.
Eighteenth Day. O Heart of Jesus, Thou Art All Mine and I Am All Thine.
Heart of my God, Thou art for me light, hope, heaven, eternity, all. I thank Thee, sweetest Jesus, for all Thy generosity towards Thy unworthy creature. I scarcely know myself when I feel Thee so near my heart in holy communion. Oh, let that love of Thine fill my heart; do not leave me till Thou grantest me the comfort I hope and claim of Thee. Lord, were I to ask of Thee temporal things, Thou mightest well refuse them, but I ask that which thou Thyself art pleased with—Thy holy love. I cannot love Thee unless Thou grantest me power to do so. Heart of my Jesus, where shall I find Thee if [pg 258] not where Thou art really present—in the Adorable Eucharist? Be Thou blessed a thousand times, my Jesus, Who hast provided so sweet a source of comfort for us poor exiles in this vale of tears. I behold Magdalen approach Thee, her heart full of shame, and I behold her leaving Thee, her heart full of peace and love. I see Augustine filled with the malice of sin, and all at once he becomes one of Thy brightest saints. Is, then, Thy power shortened? No, no, Thou never failest in coming to those who in lowliness of heart cry to Thee for help. Let me, then, O my sweet Jesus, show Thee all my sorrow and reveal to Thee all my need. If I had loved Thee as warmly as I have loved myself and my sins, I would have been a saint long ago. Now once more I return to Thee; let my hope never be confounded.
Prayer.
Be Thou blessed and praised forever, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, hidden under the mystical veil of the consecrated Host! Grant that I may worthily praise Thy ardent love. Thou art all in all to the saints in heaven. Give me Thy grace, that to me also Thy Sacred Heart may become all things, and that I may love and adore Thee in spirit and in truth. Amen.
Nineteenth Day. God is Charity and He Who Lives in Charity Lives in God.
The Heart of Jesus, a great saint has said, is the abode of every virtue, the source of every blessing; always filled with love for us, it is ever ready to receive, to shelter, and to comfort us. O [pg 259] you who are bending under the burden of sorrow or want, or who are forever struggling against temptation, fly to this sweet Heart; there you shall find that God is love, that He is ever attentive, and ever prepared to hear our slightest prayer. Oh, then, merciful Heart of my Jesus, be with me everywhere, even when I do not ask Thee, because then the peril is much greater. Stretch out Thy hand to me and draw me unto Thee. Thou hast told Magdalen that much was forgiven her because she had loved much; but was it not Thyself, sweet Jesus, that gave her such love? Give me the same love, my Jesus, and I shall love Thee as much. Ah, my Jesus, my heart is no longer mine—I give it to Thee without reserve. Let it live for Thee and Thee only; keep it, O Lord, and guard it as Thine own. If the angels rejoice over the returning of the repentant prodigal, wilt Thou not find greater delight in that prodigal's sincere desire of thanking Thee and loving Thee more and more? I resolve that my heart will henceforward bear Thee company by visiting Thee in Thy tabernacles, and by fidelity to prayer.
Prayer.