Aspirations of Love after Mass.

COLLECTED FROM THE MANUSCRIPTS OF

ST. FRANCIS OF SALES.

O EXCESS of love! O sacred Host! I adore thee within me. My heart is too small to love thee, O Jesus; and my tongue too feeble to praise thy bounty. O my Savicur, how great are my obligations to thee, for having come to visit so poor a creature! I offer my whole self to thee in acknowledgment of so great a benefit.

I no longer desire to live, but that Jesus may live in me. He is mine, and I am his for eternity. O love, love! and no more sin. I will never forget the bounty and mercy of Jesus my Saviour and my Guest. Yes, my God, I believe without the least doubt, that thou art now, both body and soul, within my breast; thy divinity resides now within me, and is now united with me.

O God, thou art come to be united with me; to apply to me abundantly the merits of thy passion, and to sanctify me. Accomplish within me all that for which thou art My God, all-wise and all-powerful, let not thy coming to me be in vain! Unite

come.

thyself to me, and me to thyself by an inseparable union, and by perfect love.

O my Saviour, for the sake of thine infinite goodness, by which thou didst descend from heaven upon the earth, I beseech thee to grant me to experience the effects of thy love, in so inflaming my soul that, despising all terrestrial things, I may regard only thee, and think only of thee; so that the love which caused thee to die upon the cross, may make me die in thee, in order to live for thee for all eternity.

O God of my soul, who deservest to be loved above all creatures, I protest that thou art the only object of my affections, and that I prefer thee before all things in the world, and myself also. I desire to be faithful to thee, and never more to be separated from thee.

I resign myself, I adandon myself entirely into thy hands, by embracing with all affection and reverence thy blessed will, and thy just designs in my regard. And I beseech thee, that whatever thou hast appointed for me in time and eternity, may be accomplished in me; but I hope one day to see thy divine face, and to behold thine infinite beauty. My God, draw me to thyself that I may love thee, and so glow with the fervour of thy love, that I may be wholly consumed in it.

O eternal Father, for the love of thine only Son, fill my mind with holy thoughts, to remind me continually of thee and of thy Son. O grant me to know and to do whatever thou requirest of me. And thou, O Holy Spirit, inflame my will with holy affections, that they may produce all those fruits which proceed from thy love. Enlighten me with thy divine light that I may walk straight forward to thee, and my will have no other liberty but to become entirely thine.

O Word incarnate, grant that I may love thee, and none but thee. Remove from me all occasions which may divert me from loving thee. Grant that with my whole heart I may continually look up to thee and serve thee as the sovereign love of all hearts. Thou didst come into the world only to abide in those hearts which thou hast redeemed with thy blood: may my heart then be completely thine, enter into it and take possession of it, and from thence seeing all my wants, enlighten me, and make me ever ready to obey thy will.

O omnipotent Jesus, remove from me all impediments to the effects of thy infinite power and goodness. I divest myself of my own liberty, and consecrate it entirely to the disposal of thy will. Have pity on me, and heal me of all impurities and want of fideli

ty; fill me with thy grace and wisdom. I abandon myself entirely to thee, O my Jesus; I desire to be all thine; I desire to labour fervently in promoting thy glory, and, at the sight of thy sufferings, to suffer patiently all tribulations. Grant that in all things I may do what is best pleasing to thee.

My God, even were there no punishment for the wicked, I would not cease to love thee and to suffer for thee. Grant that I may correspond with thy designs. Grant that for the future thou alone mayest be my portion for ever. O Word Incarnate, cleanse my heart with thy blood, and imprint in it, as the pledge of thy love, thy holy name Jesus. O my Jesus, through that eternal love which thou hast borne me, grant that I may love thee for the little time of life that may remain to me on earth, that so I may love thee for all eternity in heaven. O God of love, grant that I may live only for thee. When shall I be all thine, as thou art all mine? When shall I die to myself, to live entirely for thy love? I know not how to give myself to thee as I ought; do thou, O God, take possession of me, and make me all thine own. . O ever Blessed Virgin, I rejoice with thee, that thou didst gain the heart of thy God; O unite me entirely to thy Son; speak to him for me, and obtain for me grace to do what

ever he may inspire me to do. And do thou teach me to practise the virtues which thou didst exercise on earth; and detach me from every thing which is not God, that I may love him with my whole strength.

My God, inflame me entirely with thy holy love, that I may seek for nothing but to please thee; expel from my heart every thing that is in the least displeasing to thee. Grant that I may ever be able to say with real affection: My God, my God, thee only do I desire, and nothing more. My Jesus, grant me a great affection for thy most sacred Passion, that I may ever have before my eyes thy sufferings and death, to inflame me with love for thee, and ever to urge me to make thee some return of gratitude for the immensity of thy love. Grant me also a great affection for the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, in which thou hast displayed the tenderness of thy love towards us. I beseech thee also to grant me a tender devotion to thy most holy Mother; give me grace always to love her and to serve her by having recourse to her intercession, and to ornament her altars, and to confide in her patronage; and ever grant to me and to all a great confidence in the merits of thy passion, and in the intercession of Mary.

I beseech thee to grant me a holy death.