THANKSGIVING IV.

WEDNESDAY.

O MY Jesus, I see how much thou hast done and suffered to oblige me to love thee; and how ungrateful have I been to thee! How often, for a trifling gratification or caprice, have I forfeited thy grace, and slighted thee, the God of my soul! I have been grateful towards creatures, to thee only have I been ungrateful. Forgive me, O God; I am grieved, I am sorry with my whole heart; and I hope for mercy and pardon from thee, who art infinite in bounty and goodness. If thou wast not infinite goodness itself, I should lose all hope, and should not dare to crave thy pardon.

I give thee thanks, my beloved Lord, for not having consigned me to hell, as I have deserved, and for having borne with me for so long a time. O God, how ought thy patience towards me to fill me with love towards thee! Who would ever have borne with me as thou, the God of infinite mercy, hast done? I see that thou hast given thyself to me now for so long a time, in order that I may love thee. I will no longer resist the attractions of thy love; behold I give myself entirely to thee. Now have I begun;

as much as I have offended thee, so much will I now love thee. I love thee, my sovereign good; I love thee, O infinite goodness; I love thee, O my God, who art worthy of infinite love, and I would willingly, for time and eternity repeat, I love thee, I love thee, I love thee.

O God, how many years have I lost during which I might have loved thee and gained. thy love still more and more, and I have slighted and offended thee! But, O Jesus, thy precious blood is my hope. I trust that I shall never more cease to love thee. I know not how much of life may remain to me; but the years which shall remain, whether few or many, shall be entirely consecrated to thee. For this hast thou so long waited for me, Yes, my beloved Lord, I desire to satisfy thee, I desire always to love. thee, and thee only do I desire to love. What are pleasures! what are riches! what are honours! thou, thou only, O God, art and shalt be for ever, my love, my all.

But I am of myself capable of nothing unless thou assist me with thy grace. Touch thou my heart, inflame it with thy holy love, and unite it entirely to thee; and unite it so closely, that it may never more be able to withdraw itself from thee. Thou hast promised to love those who love thee: Ego dili

gentes me diligo. Prov. viii. Now I do love thee; do thou also love me, and never suffer me to give thee any cause to cease from loving me. Qui non diligit, manet in morte. Joan. iii. 14. Deliver me from the death of not being able to love thee.

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Grant that I may always love thee, that thou mayest always love me; and thus our love become eternal, and never to be dissolved between us. Grant this, O Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ. Grant it, my Jesus, through the merits of thy passion and death: through them do I confide that I shall always love thee, and that thou wilt always love me. Mary, Mother of God, and my mother also, pray to Jesus for me.

THANKSGIVING V.

THURSDAY.

O God, of infinite Majesty, behold at thy feet a traitor who has very often betrayed thee. Thou hast many times pardoned me; and I, notwithstanding thy grace and thy light, have again and again offended thee. Others have sinned in the darkness of ignorance, but I have sinned in the midst of light. But listen to thy divine Son, whom I have this morning offered to thee in sacrifice, and

received within my breast; he pleads for mercy and pardon. Pardon me for the love of Jesus Christ; I am sorry with my whole heart for having offended thine infinite good

ness.

I know that for the love of Jesus Christ thou art pleased to be reconciled to sinners. Complacuit......per eum reconciliare omnia in ipsum. Colos. i. 20. For the love, therefore, of Jesus Christ, I beseech thee be reconciled to me. Ne projicias me a facie tua. Cast me not away from thy face, as I have deserved; pardon me and change my heart. Cor mundum crea in me Deus. Grant this my prayer for thine own honour and glory. Since thou hast made me a Priest, thy Minister, empowered to offer to thee in sacrifice thine own beloved Son, grant that I may live as becometh a Priest after thine own heart. sume and destroy within me all earthly affections by the flames of divine love. Grant that henceforward I may be grateful to thee for the many graces which thou hast bestowed upon me, and for the great love which thou hast shown me. If hitherto I have disregarded thy friendship, I now esteem it above all the kingdoms of the world, and prefer thy pleasure to all the enjoyments and riches of earth and of heaven.

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O my Father, for the love of Jesus Christ

separate me from all things here below. Thou requirest thy Priests to separate them. selves in all things from the world, and to live only for thee, and to promote thy honour and glory. Segregate mihi Saulum et Barnabam in opus, ad quod assumpsi eos. Act. xiii. 2. I know that thou requirest the same of me; I will do it; but do thou assist me with thy grace. Draw me entirely to thyself. Give me patience and resignation in all labours and difficulties. Give me the spirit of mortification for thy love. Give me the spirit of true humility, that I may be pleased with being slighted and contemned. Doce me facere voluntatem tuam. Teach me to do thy will, and then will I do whatever thou requirest. Accept of me, O God, and love me, a sinner, who have hitherto many times offended thee, but now desire truly to love thee, and to be entirely thine. O Eternal God, I hope to love thee for all eternity: and hence do I desire to love thee much here, that I may love thee much for ever hereafter.

And because I love thee, I would that all others did know and love thee. And since, O Lord, thou hast been pleased to make me a Priest, enable me by thy grace to labour for thee, and to bring souls to thee. I hope all through thy merits, O Jesus;

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