Preces Gertrudianae

CHAPTER. DEVOTIONS FOR DAILY USE

Prayers of St. Gertrude.

PART I.

PRAYERS FOR DAILY USE.

MORNING

Our Divine Lord said to St. Mechtilde: When you awake in the morning, let your first act he to salute my Heart, and to offer me your own.

ADORE, praise,

and salute thee,

O most sweet Heart

of Jesus Christ, fresh

and gladdening as the

breath of spring, from

which, as from a fountain of graces, sweeter

than the honeycomb,

floweth evermore all

good and all delight.

I thank thee with all

the powers of my

heart for having preserved me throughout this night, and

for having rendered

to God the Father

praises and thanksgivings on my behalf.

And now, O my sweet

Love, I offer thee my

wretched and worth

less heart as a morning sacrifice; I place

it in thy most tender

Heart, and intrust it

to thy keeping; beseeching thee that

thou wouldst deign to

pour into it thy divine

inspirations, and to

enkindle it with thy

holy love. Amen.

RECOMMENDATION TO JESUS.

It was revealed to St

Gertrude that if any

one commends himself

to God, praying to be

kept from all sin, God

will never forsake him;

and even though he be

permitted to fall into

some grievous fault, the

grace of God will sustain him like a staff,

and enable him to return more easily to repentance.

JESUS, full of

compassion, I

commend to thee my

spirit and my soul,

in union with that

love wherewith thou

didst commend thine

own to the Father

on the cross; and

I place them in the

most sacred wound of

thy tender Heart, that

they may be therein

protected from all the

snares of the enemy.

Thou knowest, O good

Jesus, and I know by

my own sad experience, how weak and

frail I am, so that I

could not of myself

persevere in good, or

resist temptation even

for one single hour.

Wherefore I pray

thee, by the reverence

due to that union

wherein thy manhood

is united to the adorable Trinity in order

to our glorification,

that thou wouldst

deign to unite my

will to thine, and so

to strengthen and secure it, that it may

be unable to rebel

against thee. In union with thy most sinless limbs, I commend to thee all the

members of my body,

with all their movements, that they may

throughout this day

move for thy glory

alone, for thy praise

and thy love. Amen.

ASPIRATION TO JESUS.

Jesus said to St.

Mechtilde: Whoever

shall breathe a sigh

towards me from the

bottom of his heart

when he awakes in the

morning, and shall

ask me 'to work all his

works in him throughout the day, he will

draw me to him; so that

his soul shall leave life

from me even as his

body has life from his

soul, and he shall do

all things through me

and by me. For never

does a man breathe a

sigh of longing aspiration towards me without drawing me nearer

to him than I was before.

MOST loving Jesus, I breathe

towards thee this

sigh, drawn from the

depth of my heart,

beseeching thee, with

all my might, that

thou wouldst deign

thyself to work in me

all my works, whether

of body or of soul, to

cleanse them all in

thy sweetest Heart,

and to offer them, in

union with thine own

most perfect works, to

God the Father as an

eternal thanksgiving.

Amen.

INTENTION TO BE FORMED IN THE MORNING.

Our Lord revealed to

St Gertrude, that he

records with letters of

gold in the book of life

all those actions, which are done purely for the love of God, in union with the Passion of Christ, and for the salvation of all mankind, without thought of our own merit. And although all good works receive from God an abundant reward,those which are done simply and purely for his glory are of far higher merit, and obtain for us a far greater increase of glory.

LORD, my God,

for thy sake I

resolve to perform all

my actions, whether

outward or inward,

purely for thy glory,

and for the salvation

of the whole world;

with such intention

and in such manner as

thou dost desire and

enjoin; and in union

with that love whereby thy Son came down

from heaven, and

wrought out the whole

work of our salvation,

especially during his

Passion. Wherefore

I entirely disclaim all

merit, all reward and

grace which I might

otherwise hope to obtain by these actions,

that I may offer to

thee, my God, a pure

sacrifice of praise, and

give thee a proof of

my love.

COVENANT WITH GOD.

ALMIGHTY

God, I sanctify,

dedicate, and consecrate to thee every

beating of my heart,

and every pulsation

of my blood; and I

desire to make this

compact with Thee,

that their every beating shall say to thee:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord

God of Sabaoth; and

I beseech thee to impute this meaning to

them, so that they

may be before thy Divine Majesty as the

unceasing echo of

that heavenly canticle, which seraphims

sing without ceasing

unto thee. Amen.

Amen.

A MORE EXTENDED COVENANT, TO BE RENEWED EVERY WEEK.

The great efficacy of

this covenant may he

shown thus: Were a

person to resolve that

by every movement he

made he wished to be

understood to ratify

and approve all the

sins that are committed all over the

earth, and to be held a

partaker of them, it is

easy to see what guilt

he would thus contract.

And if such an intention would have so great

influence for evil, why

should it not have immense force and merit

for good?

Lord God, my

Creator, all my

desire is before thee,

and my groaning is

not hidden from thee;

but inasmuch as the

necessities of this life

prevent the constant

application of my

mind to thy praises, I

make with thee this

covenant, earnestly

desiring that it may

remain in force throughout this week.

Whenever I look

up towards heaven,

I desire and intend

to rejoice with thee

in thine infinite perfections; that thou

art what thou art, supremely, strong and

wise and loving and

just.

As often as I open

or close my eyes. I

desire and intend to

approve and concur

in all the holy actions

which thine only-begotten Son, and all

the saints in heaven

and just on earth, have

ever done, or shall

ever hereafter do, to

thy glory, and desire

to be held a partaker

in them all.

As often as I draw

my breath, I offer to

thee the Life and Passion and Blood of our

Lord Jesus Christ,

and the merits and

sufferings of all the

saints, to thine eternal glory, for the welfare and peace of all

the whole world, and

in satisfaction for the

sins of all men.

Whenever I sigh,

I intend to detest and

abhor every sin, as

well my own sins as

those which have ever

been committed from

the beginning of the

world against the honour of thy Name.

Would that the slight

and worthless offering of my blood might

be accepted in satisfaction for them!

Lastly, as often as

I move my hand or

my foot, so often do I

cast myself with entire resignation upon

thy most holy will,

desiring that thou

wouldst dispose of

me in time and in

eternity, according to

thine adorable good

pleasure.

And, lest this five-fold covenant should

be in any way made

void, I seal it with the

seals of thy five most

Sacred Wounds, earnestly desiring that it

may have its full

force with thee, even

though in any one of

these actions it be not

actually present to my

mind.

ASPIRATION BEFORE PRAYER.

Our Lord directed St. Mechtilde to say the

following prayer whenever she went into choir, or said the divine office or other prayer; assuring her that she might securely rely on the mercy of God that no prayer thus begun should fail of its effect.

Most Holy Father, in union

with the love of thy

well-beloved Son, I

commend my spirit to

thee.

PRAYER BEFORE THE DIVINE OFFICE OR OTHER PRAYER.

ALMIGHTY,

everlasting God,

I, thy most unworthy

creature, appear here

before the throne of

thy grace, desiring to

pour out my heart before thee, and to worship thee, my God, as

well and as perfectly

as I can. Wherefore

I begin and will faithfully continue this divine office [or, this

prayer] in union with

the love wherewith

thy Son worshipped

thee, and wrought all

the whole work of our

redemption; beseeching thee that I may

be enabled to pay thee

a tribute of honour

and praise like that

which the most precious Humanity of Jesus and the most holy

Virgin Mary rendered

thee unceasingly. And

to this end I offer

these my prayers to

thee, in the virtue and

merit of the Sacred

Heart of Jesus, in his

Name and in that of

all thy holy angels

and saints, to thy

eternal praise and

glory. I humbly implore thee to preserve

me from all distraction and dryness of

spirit, and to enable

me duly to bring thee

this my appointed

tribute of prayer.

Amen.

ASPIRATION BEFORE THE DIVINE OFFICE.

Our Lord recommended St. Mechtilde

to say the following

brief prayer before reciting her office, promising her that the prayer

of those who habitually

did so should be united

with his own most perfect and availing prayers, and so have an infinite worth before God.

Lord Jesus, in

union with the intention and love with

which thou didst give

praise to God the Father, I offer and will

recite this holy office,

REMEDY AGAINST DISTRACTIONS.

When you are distracted in prayer, commend it to the Heart of

Jesus, to be perfected by

him, as our Lord himself taught St. Gertrude.

One day, when she was

much distracted in

prayer, he appeared to

her, and held forth to

her his Heart with his

own sacred hands, saying: Behold, I set my

Heart before the eyes of

thy soul, that thou mayest commend to it all

thine actions, confidently trusting that all that

thou canst not of thyself

supply to them will be

therein supplied, so that

they may appear perfect

and spotless in my sight.

Remember always to

say the Gloria Patri

with great devotion.

The hermit Honorius

relates that a certain

monk who had been accustomed to say his office negligently appeared to another after his

death, and being asked

what sufferings he had

to undergo in punishment of his carelessness,

he said that all had

been satisfied for and

effaced by the reverent

devotion with which he

had always said the

Gloria Patri.

ASPIRATION AFTER THE DIVINE OFFICE.

While St. Mechtilde

was praying for one

who had complained to

her that she frequently

said her hours with

great distractions, she

received this answer

from our Lord: Let her

always say, after each

hour, the following

prayer; adding, that if

it could not be said

punctually after each

separate hour, it should

at least be said seven

times during the day.

God, be merciful

to me a sinner!

or, O most meek and

gentle Lamb of God,

have mercy on me,

and deign to supply

all my defects and negligences in saying

this hour.

PRAYER AFTER OFFICE, OR ANY OTHER PRAYER.

Lord Jesus, I

commend this

my lukewarm and distracted service to thy

Divine Heart, that it

maybe therein cleansed and perfected; I

offer it to thee in union with the love with

which thou didst endure death, and set

forth thy death, together with all the fruit

of thy holy Incarnation, before God the

Father on the day of

thine ascension.

AN EFFICACIOUS METHOD OF OFFERING OUR ACTIONS TO GOD.

While St. Gertrude

was offering a certain

action to God, saying:

O Lord, I offer thee

this work through

thine only Son, in the

power of the Holy

Spirit, to the praise of

thy eternal Majesty;

it was revealed to her that whatever action was thus offered would acquire a worth and acceptableness to God beyond all human comprehension. For as all things appear to be green when seen through a green glass, so whatever is offered to God through his only begotten Son cannot be otherwise than most precious and pleasing in his sight.

That you may understand how useful it is to offer all your works to God, listen to what our Lord said on one occasion to St. Gertrude: All thy works are most perfectly pleasing to me. And as she could not believe this, he added: If you held in your hand some object which you had the means and the skill to render perfectly pleasing to every one, and if you tenderly loved that object, would you neglect to adorn it? Even thus, because you are accustomed to offer all your works to me, I hold them in my hand; and as I have both the power and the skill, my love rejoiceth to cleanse and perfect them all, that they may be most perfectly pleasing in my sight.

PRAYER ON LEAVING CHURCH.

Most pitiful Jesus, I give thee

thanks for every good

gift which thou hast

bestowed on me in

this church. And now

that I am about to

leave it, I offer thee,

in union with thy own

most perfect prayers,

all the prayers and

other devotions which

I have performed

therein; beseeching

thee that thou wouldst

deign to ennoble and

perfect them in thy

Divine Heart, to unite

them with every holy

intention and every

feeling of devotion

which thou hast ever

elicited from any

heart of man, and to

offer them to God the

Father, for all my negligences and omissions, as a grateful

satisfaction and a

most acceptable sacrifice; and I implore

thee to grant me that

most holy blessing

which thou gavest to

thine apostles when

thou didst ascend into

heaven, so that by its

force and efficacy I

may be enabled to

persevere in thy grace,

and to serve thee

faithfully evermore.

Amen.

AT TAKING HOLY WATER.

Y the sprinkling

of thy Precious

Blood, O Lord Jesus

Christ, and by the

merit of thy Passion,

wash me from every

stain, and cleanse me

from all sin. In the

Name of the Father.

HOW PLEASING IT IS TO OUR LORD TO PRAY WITH HANDS OUTSTRETCHED IN FORM OF THE CROSS.

St. Gertrude said to

our Lord: Teach me, O

thou best Teacher, some

one way at least in which

we may most specially

set forth the memory of

thy holy Passion. Our

Lord answered her thus:

W hen you pray, spread

forth your hands so as

to represent to God the

Father the memory of

my Passion, in union

with that love with

which I stretched out

my hands on the cross;

and if you do this habitually, without fear

of ridicule or reproach,

you will pay me an

honour as great as is

shown to a king when

he is solemnly enthroned.

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES.

Most sweet Jesus, I commend

to thy Divine Heart

all that I have done

in the hour that is

gone, to be cleansed

and purified, and offered to God the Father for his eternal

praise. And whatsoever I shall do in the

hour that is beginning, I resolve to do

simply and purely for

the glory of God and

for the salvation of

all mankind, in union

with thy Passion.

Amen.

BEFORE WORK.

Our Lord directed

St. Gertrude to tell a

certain person to form

the following intention

before beginning any

work:

Lord Jesus, in

union with thy

most perfect actions

I commend to thee

this my work, to be

directed according to

thy adorable will, for

the salvation of all

mankind. Amen.

AFTER WORK.

Lord Jesus, in

union with thy

most perfect actions

I offer thee this my

work, to be amended

and cleansed, and presented as is fit to God

the Father, to his

eternal praise. Amen.

BEFORE EATING.

Our Lord said to St.

Gertrude: He who takes

care to eat and drink,

&c. with the intention

expressed in the following prayer, holds as

it were a buckler before

me, to defend me from

the insults and injuries

of the worldly.

Lord Jesus, I

take this food

in that same love

wherewith thou hast

sanctified it, when in

thy most holy Humanity thou didst

deign to eat and to

drink to the glory of

God the Father, and

for the salvation of

the whole human

race; beseeching thee

that, in union with

thy divine love, it

may tend to the increase of glory, and

salvation of all thine

elect in heaven, on

earth, or in purgatory.

WHILE EATING.

St. Gertrude was accustomed to say frequently while eating:

AY the virtue of

thy divine love

incorporate me wholly

into thee, O my most

loving Jesus!

And while drinking:

Most loving Jesus, pour into

my heart and preserve

within me the energy

of thine own most

glowing charity; may

it pervade all my substance, and flow evermore through every

faculty of my body

and soul, to thine

eternal praise and

glory! Amen.

She asked our Lord whether he would accept a like devotionfrom all who might offer it to him, and received this reply: Whenever any one eats or drinks with this intention and devotion, I will acknowledge in presence of my Father that I have eaten with him, and that he has given me to drink; and I will show to him in due time the utmost tenderness of my love.

AFTER FALLING INTO SIN.

St Gertrude said to our Lord: Teach me, O best of Teachers, how to efface the stains of sin which I contract from time to time. She received this answer: Never allow these stains to remain upon thy conscience; but as soon as thou feelest thyself defiled by any fault, say to me with a devout heart:

CHRIST Jesus,

my only Salvation and Hope, grant

that all my transgressions may be blotted

out by thy most efficacious death. Amen.

EVENING PRAYERS

A THANKSGIVING OF WONDERFUL EFFICACY.

AIL, my God,

Light and Salvation of my soul,

may all that is in the

round world, and

within the circle of

the heavens, and in

the depths of the

abyss, give thee

thanks for all the

benefits and tender

mercies which thou

hast bestowed on me

in body and in soul.

And as the number

of them is so great

that I cannot answer

thee for one of a

thousand, I make

over this duty to

that eternal, infinite,

unfailing gratitude

whereby every debt

to thee is acquitted by

thyself, and through

thyself, and in thyself, O thou bright

and ever - peaceful

Trinity! and obtruding myself on thy notice as a grain of dust,

I offer thee, through

him who stands at

thy right hand, in

the truth of my substance, such praise

and thanksgiving as

thou hast enabled us

by thy Spirit to render

to thee. Amen.

Here examine your conscience, and make an act of contrition, saying with a sigh:

Most loving Father, in the bitterness of the Passion

of Jesus Christ thy

Son I pour forth now

my complaint, indignantly accusing myself that I have served

thee so unfaithfully

this day, and have offended thee, my most

kind and loving Father, by so many and

so great negligences.

I grieve for them

from my inmost

heart, and smite my

breast in the spirit

of contrition, and

say unto thee: God

be merciful to me

a sinner! And for

all the negligences

whereby I have

quenched thy good

and gentle Spirit within me, I offer thee

the sorrows and the

tears of thy beloved

Son. I beseech thee,

in union with his most

availing prayers, to

grant me the pardon

of my sins, and the

supply of all my defects. Deign to hear

this my prayer

through that love

which held back

thine arm from taking vengeance when

thy only and most beloved Son, the object

of thine eternal and

ineffable complacency, was numbered

with transgressors.

Amen.

Our Lord directed St. Mechtilde to repeat three times a day the

psalm,

Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes,

in penance for her sins.

RECOMMENDATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.

SWEETEST

Heart of Jesus,

to thee I commend

my body and my soul

this night, that they

may calmly rest in

thee. And as I cannot praise my God

while I sleep, do thou

deign to supply my

lack of service, and

for every beating of

my heart give praise

to the most Holy

Trinity on my behalf;

receive into thyself

every breath I draw,

and offer them all to

God as glowing sparks

of divine love. Amen.

TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN, ETC.

O thy maternal

faithfulness and

to thy special care,

O most blessed Virgin

Mary, I commend

myself this night, beseeching thee to protect me from all the

snares of the enemy. O my beloved

angel guardian, and

you, holy saints, my

patrons, defend me

and keep me in safety

through this night.

Praise my God for

me without ceasing

while I sleep, and

deign to bestow on

me your blessing in

answer to my humble

prayer. Amen.

INTENTION BEFORE SLEEP.

Taught to St. Gertrude by our Lord.

Lord JESUS, I

accept this sleep

in the love with which

thou didst sanctify it

when thou didst deign

to sleep in thy most

sacred Humanity, to

the glory of God the

Father, and for the

salvation of all the

whole human race;

beseeching thee that,

in union with thy divine Son, it may tend

to the increase in

grace and glory of all

thine elect, in heaven,

on earth, and in purgatory. Amen.

Before you lie down to sleep, trace on your forehead these four letters

, I. N. R. I,

saying:

AY Jesus of Nazareth, King of

the Jews, preserve

me from sudden and

unprepared death.

Amen.

Our Lord revealed to

St. Edmund that those

who use this prayer

shall be preserved from

sudden death in the

night.

On one occasion when

St. Gertrude could not

sleep, she learned the

prayer from Christ himself.

Y thine own eternal and unruffled repose in the

bosom of God the Father, by thy most

peaceful rest in the

womb of the Blessed

Virgin, by the most

ecstatic rapture with

which thou didst ever

take thy delight in the

hearts of those who

love thee, I beseech

thee, O most loving

Lord, deign to grant

me needful sleep, not

for my pleasure or

advantage, but that

the weary members of

my body may be refreshed to labour for

thy eternal praise and

glory. Amen.

CHAPTER. FOR THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

PART II.

ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

Our Lord said to St.

Mechtilde: Receive it

as a most certain truth,

that if any one hears

Mass devoutly and fervently, I will send him,

for his consolation and

defence in the hour of

his death, as many of

the glorious spirits who

stand around my throne

as he shall have heard

Masses with devotion.

And on another occasion he said: However

guilty a man may be,

however inveterate the

enmity of his heart

against me, I will patiently bear with him

whenever He is present

at Mass, and will

readily grant him the

pardon of his sins, if

he sincerely ask it.

Be ever ready, then,

to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and

strive to penetrate your

soul with the spirit of

the prayers which follow; they contain the

true method of hearing

Mass, and are most

availing with God.

PRAYER BEFORE MASS.

ALMIGHTY,

everlasting God,

seeing that it is the

true faith of thy

Church that the holy

sacrifice of the Mass

instituted by thy Son

is infinitely pleasing

to thy divine Majesty,

and renders thee an

infinite worship and

praise, and since by

it alone thou canst be

worthily and adequately worshiped

and praised; impelled by an ardent

desire of thy honour

and glory, I purpose

to assist at this present sacrifice with the

utmost devotion of

which I am capable,

and to offer this most

Holy Oblation to thee

in union with thy

priest. I offer thee

not only this sacrifice, but all those

which shall be this

day offered from

every part of the

world; and I protest

before thee that if it

depended on me whether they should be

offered or omitted, I

would put forth all

my powers to procure and further

their being offered.

And were I able

now to raise up to

thee, of the stones

which are scattered

over the earth, most

devoted priests, who

should day by day and

with glowing fervour

offer to thee this sacrifice of praise, I

would most gladly do

it. But, being what

I am, I implore thee,

O most holy Father,

through Jesus Christ

thy Son, to pour into

the hearts of all thy

priests, and especially

those who might perchance otherwise offer

thee this acceptable

sacrifice coldly and

without due recollectedness, the spirit of

grace and of fervour,

that they may be enabled to celebrate thy

tremendous Mystery

with becoming awe

and devotion. Grant

to me, and to all

those who are here

present with me, that

we may join in this

most sacred action

with reverence and

devotion, so that we

may have our portion

in its fruit and effect.

I confess to thee, O

almighty God, and to

the Blessed Mary ever

Virgin, and to all the

Saints, my own sins

and those of all the

world; and I lay them

on thy sacred Altar,

that they may be entirely blotted out by

the virtue of this sacrifice. Do thou deign

to grant us this grace,

by that love which

held back thy hand

from smiting when

thy most beloved Son,

thy only Son, was immolated by the hands

of ungodly men.

Amen.

As the Mass varies

day by day from the

Introit to the Offertory,

you may vary your

prayers according to

your devotion.

AT THE OFFERTORY.

Most merciful

Father, in union

with that unimaginable love wherewith

thy only Son offered

to thee the whole

influx of the Godhead

into his Humanity,

and thus with ineffable gratitude referred

it back to its immeasurable, unfathomable source, I offer

thee whatever gifts

and graces thou hast

ever bestowed on me

of thy sovereign and

unutterable goodness; and I lay them

on thine altar, together with the merits

and graces of the

same thy Son, as a

sacrifice of everlasting

praise, and a pledge

and expression of my

boundless gratitude

to thee. More especially, I offer thee my

heart, all too defiled

and loathsome as it

is; and I plunge it

into this Chalice, to

the end and with the

desire that all the

prayers and benedictions which shall be

spoken over this Chalice may be spoken

also over my heart,

and that by the virtue

of the ineffable consecration whereby

thou changest this

wine into the Blood

of thy Son, it may

he wholly turned to

the perfect and constraining love of thee.

And that I may obtain these my petitions, I unite myself

to all the love and

the gratitude with

which thy Son endured all his sorrows;

and I offer to thee

whatever sorrow or

affliction thy fatherly

love has ever laid

on me or any son of

man in order to our

salvation, beseeching

thee that they may

come up before thee

in union with this

sacrifice as a sweet-smelling odour, and

may avail for our salvation.

Finally, in union

with the resignation

of thy only Son I offer

and resign myself to

thy most holy will, beseeching thee with my

whole heart that thy

adorable good pleasure may always in all

things be done in me

and by me and in all

that concerns me.

To this end I lay at

thy feet, O thou King

of kings and my Lord,

all my substance and

being, my body and

my soul, to serve thee

henceforth and evermore to the glory of

thy most worshipful

Majesty. Amen.

When St. Gertrude

had thus offered herself to our Lord on one occasion, he said to her: This offering of thy good will is as it were a royal sceptre in my hand, and a rejoicing and a glory to me in presence of all my angels and saints. And whenever thou renewest this intention before me, it is as though that sceptre budded and put forth most fragrant flowers.

At

Orate Fratres,

say with the server:

Suscipiat, &c.

AT THE SECRETA.

OOK down, O tender Father, from

the throne of thy Majesty and from the

lofty dwelling-place

of thy heavens, upon

this oblation which

our holy Mother the

Church, thy Bride,

offers to thee by the

hands of thy priest;

and through its force

and merit be appeased for our manifold

transgressions. Accept, I beseech thee,

the sacrifice which I,

thy most worthless

servant, offer to thee

my living and true

God in my own name

and in that of all the

whole world; in union

with all the merits of

thy most beloved Son,

with all the treasure

of thy holy Church,

for my innumerable

sins, offences, and

negligences, and for

all the faithful, living

and departed, that to

them and to me it

may avail for salvation unto eternal life.

Amen.

AT THE PREFACE.

While St. Mechtilde was praying for a certain person, our Lord said to her: Behold, pardon all her sins; in satisfaction for them, while the priest is recit

ing these words of the

Preface,

Per quem Majestatem

, &c, let her

praise me in union with

all my angels and

saints, and offer a

Pater noster

to God

through me; thus shall

all her negligences be

forgiven and effaced.

And all who shall do

this may confidently expect the like blessing at

my hands.

Most compassionate Jesus, I

adore thee, I praise

and magnify thee in

union with that transcendent praise which

the most Holy and

Worshipful Trinity

renders unceasingly

to himself; which

flows down thence

upon the most Blessed

Virgin Mary and upon

all Saints and Angels, who adore thy

glorious Majesty with

unceasing and unutterable canticles, and

show forth thy praise

in rapturous accord.

With whose voices

we beseech thee to

permit ours to blend,

saying in lowly acknowledgment: Holy,

holy, holy, &c.

Here say as follows a

Pater

to supply all your negligences and defects.

Most holy Father, I offer thee

this prayer in union

with the praises with

which heaven and

earth and all thy

creatures worship and

magnify thee. Deign

to hear and accept it

through Jesus Christ

thy Son, for all that

is offered to thee

through him comes

up before thee well-pleasing and most acceptable. I beseech

thee, through the

same thy Son, to forgive me all my sins

and to supply all my

defects and negligences. Amen.

AT THE CANON.

INEFFABLE

God, we are now

drawing near to those

tremendous Mysteries

which neither Cherubim nor Seraphim

nor all the virtues of

heaven suffice to comprehend, for thou

alone knowest with

what energy of love

thou dost daily offer

thyself to God the

Father upon the altar

as a victim of praise

and propitiation. And

therefore all choirs

and orders of Angels

adore this thy most

sacred and impenetrable secret with

lowliest prostration,

and behold with awe

their King and their

Lord, who once came

down from heaven in

unutterable love to

redeem man, now again

mysteriously present

upon the altar, hidden beneath the mean

and lowly species of

bread and wine for the

salvation of men.

O good Jesus, this

work which thou art

now about to work

is so transcendently

adorable that I dare

not even look up to

thee from the depth

of my nothingness.

Wherefore I bury myself in the lowest,

deepest valley of humiliation I can find,

and there await the

portion of thy substance that falleth to

me for salvation goeth

forth from thee upon

all thine elect. Would,

O loving Jesus, that

my weak arm might

aid thee in thy divine

work, and obtain for

this most holy oblation its full effect according to its ineffable dignity and worth;

to effect this the most

weary and painful toil

would be sweet and

light to me. Wherefore I pray thee, grant

to this thy priest that

he may with due reverence handle thee

and offer thee, so that

this oblation may

have its fullest force

and efficacy on all the

living and departed.

Amen.

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST.

AIL, sweetest Jesus, prostrate

in lowliest humility,

I worship and adore

thee.

Here strike your breast three times, and say:

JESUS, have

mercy on me!

O good Jesus, spare

me!

O most compassionate Jesus, be merciful to me a sinner!

PRAYER TO GOD THE FATHER.

Most loving Father, in union

with that love wherewith thy Son offered

himself once upon the

cross, and now offers

himself to thee upon

the altar, I offer him

to thee for the welfare

and salvation of all thy

whole Church. Look

upon his virgin Flesh,

so cruelly torn by the

scourges, bruised with

blows and buffetings,

denied with spittings,

besmeared with Blood,

pierced with the

thorns, swollen and

livid with stripes, torn

by the nails, rent with

the lance. May that

pity which drew him

down from heaven and

sweetly constrained

him to immolate himself on the cross, and

constrains him now

to offer himself daily

to thee upon the altar; may that same

pity move thee now,

O Father, to have

mercy on us. Amen.

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE.

AIL, most precious Blood of

my Lord, prostrate

before thee in lowliest

devotion, I worship

and adore thee.

Here strike your breast three times, and say:

SACRED Blood,

wash me!

O roseate Blood,

cleanse me!

O most precious

Blood, cry for me

unto God the Father,

that he may have

mercy on us!

PRAYER AFTER THE ELEVATION,OF GREAT EFFICACY.

Thy only-begotten Son,

here truly present

upon the altar, has

deigned to become a

sacrifice and propitiation for our sins, I

offer thee his most

holy Body and Blood,

his Humanity and his

Divinity, his virtues

and his perfections,

his Passion and

Death, in union with

that love with which

he once offered himself to thee upon the

cross, and now offers

himself to thee on the

altar. And in union

with these I offer thee

the virtues, merits,

and graces of the

Blessed Virgin Mary

and all the Saints, together with all the

good works of all

men, and all the

whole treasure of thy

holy Church. And I

desire especially to

add to these whatever of good I and

those who are dear to

me have ever done,

and whatever afflictions we have suffered for thy glory. And

in union with this sacrifice, and with all

those which are offered to thee all over

the world, I offer

to thee this oblation,

O Eternal Father,

through thy beloved

Son, in the power of

the Holy Ghost, to

thy supreme praise

and glory, in acknowledgment of thy supreme Majesty and

dominion, and in

thanksgiving for all

the benefits and

graces thou hast ever

bestowed on any creature, and in full reparation of every injury or insult ever offered to thee by any

whom thy hands have

made.

I offer it to thee for

the increase of the joy

and glory of the sacred

Humanity of our Lord

Jesus Christ, in worship and veneration of

all the mysteries of

his life and death, for

the increase of the

glory and blessedness

of the Blessed Virgin

Mary and of all the

Saints, especially my

holy Patrons, and

those whose memory

we this day celebrate.

Lastly, I offer it to

thee on behalf of myself, a most miserable

sinner, and for all my

friends, whether in the

order of nature or of

grace [especially N.],

and for all Christians

living and departed

[especially N.]; beseeching thee that

thou wouldest deign to

accept it as an adequate and sufficient

thanksgiving for all

the benefits and graces

which thou hast ever

bestowed on our bo

dies and souls, to impart to us all the grace

needful for us, to turn

away from us all evil

of body and of soul

which might hinder

our salvation, and to

grant us perfect and

entire remission of all

our sins and negligences. For all these

ends, I offer thee all

the love with which

Jesus Christ thy Son

our Lord has ever

loved thee, and all the

satisfaction he has

made to thee for our

sins. Through him

and with him and in

him be all honour and

glory unto thee, O

God, Father Almighty,

in the unity of the

Holy Ghost, for ever

and ever. Amen.

Here say Pater noster with the priest, and add the following prayer for the sins of the whole church. It was revealed to the Saint that this devotion is most pleasing to God.

Most tender Jesus, I offer to

thee this prayer in

union with the most

perfect intention with

which thou didst sanctify it in thy sacred

Heart and enjoin it

for our salvation; for

the forgiveness of all

our sins and the supply of all the defects

caused by our frailty,

our ignorance, or our

fault, in opposition to

thine irresistible almightiness, thine unsearchable wisdom,

and thy free and superabounding goodness.

Amen.

AT THE AGNUS DEI.

Beseech our Lord to offer himself to God the Father as he does in every Mass, according to the revelation made to St Gertrude.

LAMB of God,

have mercy on

us, and offer thyself

to God the Father

with all thy humility

and all thy patience,

in satisfaction for our

sins.

O Lamb of God,

have mercy on us,

and offer thyself to

God the Father with

all the bitterness of

thy Passion, for our

reconciliation to God.

O Lamb of God,

have mercy on us,

and offer thyself to

God the Father with

all the love of thy divine Heart, for the

supply of all our necessities. Amen.

Here you may say part of the prayer which follows the Mass, p. 32.

AT THE DOMINE, NON SUM DIGNUS.

Lord, I am not

worthy that the

earth should bear me;

but for thine own sake

pardon me all my

sins.

O Lord, I am not

worthy to be called

thy creature; but by

the bitterness of my

passion forgive me all

my debts.

O Lord, I am not

worthy to utter thy

Holy Name; but by

the virtue of this holy

sacrifice bestow on me

thy grace. Amen.

Here make an, act of spiritual communion, saying with St Gertrude and with St. Mechtilde:

Thou Stream

from the Life-giving Fountain, thou

fragrance and sweetness of divine delight,

I prostrate myself in

my indigence and my

misery in presence of

thine overflowing fulness. I set before thee

my sorrow and my

tears, that, by reason

of my exceeding unworthiness, my soul

must go away fasting

from thine uncloying

banquet. And now,

O thou who hast formed my substance and

reformed it when fallen and decayed, I beseech thee so to prepare me by thine all-powerful wisdom, and

by the tender compassionate love of thy

Heart, that I may

worthily receive thee

into my soul, and that

thou mayest work and

perfect in me without

impediment all that

thou hast from eternity decreed concerning me, according to

the good pleasure of

thy divine will. Amen.

To this end say, if

you have time, a Pater

noster, as our Lord

taught St. Mechtilde.

AT THE COMMUNION.

Almighty love,

I praise thee; O

most ravish in thy sweet

Love, I glorify thee;

O most gentle and

tender Love, I magnify thee in and for all

the good which thy

most glorious Godhead and thy most

blessed Humanity

have ever wrought in

us, or shall hereafter

work in us, through

that most august and

adorable instrument,

thy divine Heart.

Amen.

AT THE POST-COMMUNION.

EHOLD, O Heavenly Father,

our holy Mother the

Church has sent up

before thee from thine

altar that Victim of

transcendent worth

whom thou didst send

to be immolated for

us. Vouchsafe, therefore, to accept it with

that ineffable love

with which thou didst

receive thy Son when

he came back from

this our far country

into thy kingdom, and

set forth before thee

all the fruit of his sacred Humanity and

the glorious wounds

of his Flesh. O most

compassionate Father,

let not his scars depart from before thine

eyes for ever, that

thou mayest be perpetually reminded

what great and super-abounding satisfaction

he hath made thee for

our sins. Wherefore

I beseech thee, in the

virtue and efficacy of

this unbloody oblation, have mercy on

me, and on all sinners,

and on all the faithful

living and departed;

grant unto them grace

and mercy, remission

of sins and everlasting

life. Amen.

AT THE BLESSING.

Good Jesus, may

thine omnipotence bless me, may

thy wisdom teach me,

may thy sweetness fill

and pervade me, may

thy goodness draw me

and unite me to thee

for ever. Amen.

At the words,

And the Word was

made flesh, and dwelt

among us,

bow your head in devout gratitude, and say:

THANK and bless

thee, O good Jesus,

that for love of me

thou didst deign to be

made man.

If any one does this, said our Lord, I will graciously incline my Head towards him in return, and will offer to God the Father all the

fruit of my Incarnation, with all the love of my Heart, for the increase of that man's blessedness and glory.

ACT OF ADORATION OF THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT.

AIL, most glorious

Body and most

precious Blood of my

Lord Jesus Christ,

here truly present beneath these sacramental species; I

adore thee with all

that devotion and awe

wherewith the nine

choirs of angels worship and adore thee.

I prostrate myself before thee in the spirit

of humility, believing

and professing that

thou, my Lord and my

God, are herein most

truly contained.

Hail, most glorious

Body of Jesus Christ

my Saviour, true Victim immolated upon

the cross, I adore thee

in union with that

adoration with which

thy Humanity adored

thy Godhead, and I

give thee thanks with

all the love of all thy

creatures, that thou

dost deign to remain

hidden in this tabernacle for our salvation.

Hail,compassionate

Jesus, Word of the

Father, Brightness of

his glory, Ocean of

pity, Salvation of the

world, most august

and sacred Victim.

Hail, Jesus Christ,

Splendour of the Father, Prince of Peace,

Gate of Heaven, True

Bread, Son of the Virgin, Shrine of the

Godhead.

I most firmly believe that thou, my

God, art here present,

and that thou art looking out upon me from

behind the veil of the

sacrament, and dost

behold all the most

secret recesses of my

heart. I believe that

under this species of

bread are contained

not only thy Flesh

and thy Blood, but

also thy Divinity and

thy Humanity. And

although this mystery

surpasses my understanding, I nevertheless believe it so firmly

that I am ready to

give my life and my

blood in defence of its

truth.

I fall down before

thee with most profound reverence, O

most Holy Sacrament,

and with Angels

and Archangels, with

Thrones and Dominations, with Cherubim

and Seraphim, and

with all the glorious

array of the heavenly

host, I sing to thy

glory, saying: Blessed

a thousand, yea, ten

thousand fold, be the

most Holy Sacrament

of the Altar!

O thou most intimate and tender Love

of the Father's Heart,

I give thee thanks, in

union with the ineffable mutual thanksgiving and gratitude

of the three adorable

Persons of the glorious and most worshipful Trinity, that thou

hast condescended to

institute this priceless

Sacrament, by which

heaven and earth are

made one, and both

are unceasingly filled

with the infinite treasures of thy grace.

I glorify and magnify thy wise and tender almightiness; I

praise and adore thy

almighty and gentle

wisdom; I bless and

praise thine almighty

and most wise and

gentle love, O Christ

Jesus, for that thou

hast condescended to

devise and hast been

strong to institute

this ineffably magnificent Sacrament to be

the strength and the

succour of our salvation.

O Christ Jesus, thou

faithful and only Trust

of my soul, I praise

thee, I love thee, I

worship and adore

thee; and I humbly

implore thee, that as

thou didst offer thyself

once upon the cross

for the sin of the whole

world, so thou wouldest now deign to offer

thyself to God the Father for my exceeding

sins.

O Christ Jesus, my

sweetest and only

Love, look with the

eyes of thy compassionate mercy on me,

a most miserable singer, here prostrate before thee and imploring with my whole

heart the forgiveness

of my sins.

O thou princely

Flower from the Root

of Jesse, by the unutterable love of thy

most sweet heart have

mercy on me, and receive me into thy favour, for the glory of

thy Name.

O most loving Father, I offer to thee

this thy beloved Son

as a holocaust of unceasing praise, and as

a perpetual sacrifice of

propitiation for all our

sins. Look, I beseech

thee, on the face of thy

Christ, and remember

that most abundant

satisfaction which he

made to thee for our

sins on the cross, and

have mercy on us.

Amen.

CHAPTER. TO THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

PART III.

FIVE HYMNS OF PRAISE TO THE MOST HOLY TRINITY.

These five hymns, taken from the devotions of St. Gertrude, are so sublime and so divine that they seem to be utterances of the Blessed in the heavenly country rather than of pilgrims here on earth. They may be used in solemn processions, or at other times when you feel especially drawn to praise God.

HYMN I. OF THE THREE CHILDREN IN THE FIERY FURNACE.

LESSED art thou,

O Lord, the God

of our fathers: and

worthy to he praised

and glorified and exalted above all for ever.

And blessed is the

holy Name of thy

glory: and exceedingly to be praised,

and glorious for ever.

Blessed art thou in

the holy temple of thy

glory: and exceedingly to be praised,

and glorious for ever.

Blessed art thou on

the holy throne of

thy kingdom: and

exceedingly to be

praised, &c.

Blessed art thou in

the sceptre of thy

Godhead: and exceedingly to be praised, &c.

Blessed art thou

that sittest above the

Cherubim and beholdest the depths: and

exceedingly to be

praised, &c.

Blessed art thou

that walkest on the

wings of the wind

and on the waves of

the sea: and exceedingly to be praised, &c.

Let all thine angels

and saints bless thee:

praise thee, and glorify thee for ever.

Let heaven and

earth, the sea, and

all that is in them,

bless thee: and let

them praise thee, and

glorify thee for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy

Ghost: most blessed

and glorious for ever.

Blessed art thou, O

Adonai, our Lord, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hast

made heaven and

earth, and all that is

in them: and art blessed and glorious and exalted over all for ever.

HYMN II. IN WHICH THE SAINTS ARE CALLED UPON TO PRAISE GOD.

God of my heart,

may all the choirs

of angels and all the

throng of thy saints

shout for joy unto

thee for me: whom

thou hast predestinated from all eternity

to thy glory.

May the seven

glorious spirits who

stand continually before the presence of

the throne of thy

glory: shout for joy

unto thee for me.

May the countless

bands of holy angels,

whom thou sendest to

minister to the elect

race whom thou hast

purchased to thyself:

shout for joy unto

thee for me.

May the four-and-twenty ancients, with

all the patriarchs and

prophets, who fall

down before thee and

cast their crowns before thy throne: shout

for joy unto thee for

me.

May the four living creatures having

wings, which day and

night show forth thy

praise: shout for joy

unto thee for me.

May the most loving and worshipful

brotherhood of the

Apostles, by whose intercessions thou dost

wonderfully sustain

thy Church: shout

for joy unto thee for

me.

May the victor

army of thy martyrs,

whose robes are ruddy

with thy precious

Blood: shout for joy

unto thee for me.

May the goodly

host of confessors,

whom thou hast

translated into thy

marvellous light:

shout for joy unto

thee for me.

May all thy holy

and unspotted Virgins, clothed upon

with the serene splendour of thy snow-white purity: shout

for joy unto thee for

me.

May they shout

aloud unto thee for

me that new song

which breaks forth

evermore from their

hearts as they follow

thee whithersoever

thou goest: O Jesus,

Bridegroom of Virgin

souls.

May all the whole

army of thine elect,

thine own peculiar

people, shout for joy

unto thee for me for

thou art their God,

and they are thy people for ever.

May all thy marvellous works throughout heaven and earth

shout for joy unto

thee for me: and render back to thee, its

source, the glory

which streams everlastingly from thee.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost:

and glory to the Queen

of heaven, with all the

multitude of the heavenly hierarchy, for

ever. Amen.

Hymn III: IN WHICH GOD IS GLORIFIED IN THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

my God, may the

most Blessed

Virgin Mary bless

thee: whom thou didst

deign to predestinate

from eternity to be thy

Mother.

Let that admirable

Tabernacle of thy

glory praise thee:

sole abode on earth

meet for thy holy habitation.

Let the glory of thy

Godhead bless thee:

which condescended

to go down into that

lowly and virginal

valley.

Let the inventive

wisdom of thy Godhead bless thee: by

which thou didst impart to that Virgin

Rose so great virtue

and comeliness, that

thou didst thyself desire her beauty.

Let thine unspeakable goodness bless

thee: the abundant

grace of which rendered the whole life

of Mary worthy of thy

dignity.

Let thy tender love

bless thee: by the

force of which thou,

the peerless flower of

virginity,didst become

the Virgin's Son.

Let the splendour

of the countenance of

thy glory bless thee:

which so adorned the

soul of the Virgin that

the ineffable Trinity

delighted in her.

Let thine incomprehensible wisdom

bless thee: which

filled the most chaste

spirit of the Virgin

with knowledge and

understanding.

Let thy lowly and

adorable condescension bless thee: whereby thou didst deign

to suck the breasts of

the most chaste Virgin, as the antidote

of the poison of our

sins.

Let the ravishing

sweetness of thy Sacred Heart bless thee:

wherewith thou didst

inebriate thy Mother's virgin soul with

calm, unutterable delights.

Let the most gracious words of thy divine lips bless thee:

which enkindled thy

Mother's deepest

heart with the holy

name of charity.

Let all the virtue

of thy Divinity bless

thee, and all the substance of thy Humanity: which deigned to

pour into the heart of

Mary the whole fulness of heavenly gifts.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost:

and glory to the Queen

of heaven, with all

the multitude of the

heavenly hierarchy,

for ever. Amen.

HYMN IV: IN WHICH THE HUMANITY OF JESUS IS INVOKED TO PRAISE GOD FOR US.

SWEETEST Jesus, let thine

emptying thyself of

thy Majesty bless thee

for me: which obtained for us the

priceless treasure of

everlasting glory.

Let thine assumption of our humanity

bless thee: whereby

thou hast called us

to be partakers of the

Divine nature.

Let the weary exile thou didst endure

for three-and-thirty

years bless thee:

whereby thou hast

brought back to eternal life the souls that

had perished.

Let all the anguish

and grief of thy Humanity bless thee:

by which thou hast

sanctified all our afflictions and our toil.

Let thine experience of our misery

bless thee: whereby

thou hast become unto us the Father of

exceeding compassion.

Let all the drops of

thy most precious

Blood bless thee: by

which thou hast

cleansed us from the

stains of our sins.

Let thy five most

precious Wounds, thy

most radiant adornment, bless thee: by

which thou hast purchased for us mansions in the everlasting inheritance.

Let the bitterness

of thy sacred death

bless thee: in which

thy love, stronger than

death, bowed thy Head

for us.

Let the excessive

sweetness of thy deified heart bless thee:

which broke on the

cross with impetuous

love and grief.

Let the most undefiled flesh of thy Humanity bless thee: in

which thou wast made

unto us a brother most

loving and constant.

Let thy triumphant

glory bless thee for

me: whereby thou

sittest at the right

hand of the Father in

our flesh for ever.

Let thine own dazzling radiance, thy honour And thy might,

bless thee for me:

wherewith all the

heavenly host is wondrously filled and fed

evermore.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy

Ghost: and glory to

the Queen of heaven,

with all the multitude

of the heavenly hierarchy, for ever. Amen.

HYMN V: IN WHICH GOD IS PRAISED IN HIMSELF.

ET thy glorious

and marvellous

light bless thee for

me, O my God; and

the kingly splendour

of thy most excellent

Majesty praise thee.

Let the meet and

seemly pomp of thy

boundless glory bless

thee: and the majestic energy of thine

infinite power praise

thee.

Let the princely

splendour of thine

eternal glory bless

thee: and the glowing beauty of thy peerless honour praise

thee.

Let the great deep

of thy just judgment

bless thee: and the

unsearchable range of

thine eternal wisdom

praise thee.

Let the infinite

number of thy manifold compassions

bless thee: and the

immeasurable weight

of thy tender mercies

praise thee.

Let the bowels of

thine infinite pity

bless thee: and the

overflowing abundance of thine unimaginable love praise

thee.

Let the excessive

love thou bearest to

man bless thee: and

the profuse bounty

of thy most tender

kindness praise thee.

Let the subduing

force of thy exuberant

sweetness bless thee:

and the fulness of

bliss which awaiteth

thy chosen in thee

praise thee.

Let the sublimity

of thy dignity bless

thee: and thy calm,

everlasting unchangeableness praise thee.

Let the Godhead of

thy most royal Trinity,

the oneness of Essence and the distinctness of persons,

bless thee for me:

and thy sweet mutual

indwelling and love,

thy glorious and consummate felicity,

praise thee.

Glory be to the

Father, and to the

Son, and to the Holy

Ghost: and glory to

the Queen of heaven,

with all the multitude

of the heavenly hierarchy, for ever.

Amen.

OBLATION.

CCEPT, O Holy

Trinity, the desires my lips have uttered and the glowing love of my heart

has inspired, to set

forth and praise thy

magnificence. I offer

them to thee in union with the ineffable

praise which the

three Persons of thy

adorable Godhead offer one to another in

manner and degree

far above human comprehension. And so

far as in me lies,

cast my heart as a

most worthless grain

of incense into the

golden censer of thy

Divine Heart, where

in burns evermore to

thy honour and glory

the sweetest frankincense of eternal love;

earnestly desiring and

beseeching thee that,

vile and unworthy as

it is, it may be enkindled by the breath

of thy spirit and consume away in thy

worship and praise;

and that the deep

sighs I breathe towards thee from this

valley of tears, because my hope is so

long deferred, may be

to thee an endless

praise and glory.

Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE TO GOD.

HEIGHT inaccessible of wondrous power! O unfathomable depth of

hidden wisdom! O

boundless breadth of

much - desired love!

None but thyself can

worthily praise thee,

for thou alone knowest thine infinite magnificence, and thou

knowest how thou

oughtest to be praised. Wherefore, O

Lord my God, may

thine eternal Godhead, thy uncircumscribed Majesty, and

thine infinite goodness, praise thee for

me. O Lord my God,

may thy loftiest wisdom, thy widest and

most ample mercy,

and thy most profound justice, praise

thee for me. May

thy greatness without limits, thy exquisite and penetrating

sweetness, and thy

most compassionate

kindness, praise thee

for me.

May all the names,

all the titles, all the

emblems, which can

be said of thee or

conceived of thee,

bless thee, exult in

thee, and magnify

thee for me, and give

thee thanks for all

good things which

thou hast ever bestowed, or shalt hereafter bestow, on me

or on any one of thy

creatures.

May the most adorable Humanity of Jesus Christ praise thee

and exult in thee for

me, O Lord my God.

May his most holy

life and conversation

on earth, his most

divine virtue and

graces, his most precious Blood and tears,

his cruel wounds and

bruises, his most bitter passion and death,

supply all the defects

of my service, and

worthily glorify thee.

May the most serene Queen of heaven,

the most chaste Virgin Mary, magnify

and extol thee, O God

my Creator; and together with her the

ten thousand times

ten thousand companies of blessed spirits,

and the countless

host of thy saints;

may they sing praises

to thee for me for

ever.

May our most holy

Mother the Church

sing to thee and exult

in thee for me; may

the seven most hallowed Sacraments

praise thee; may all

the reverent ceremonies and rites of thy

Church honour thee;

may all her psalms

and prayers praise

thee, all her virtues

and her holiness, all

her sorrow and her

love, all her longing

and her desire wherewith she sighs unto

thee in this valley of

tears.

May all the gratuitous gifts of grace

which thou hast ever

conferred on me give

thee thanks and

praise; may all my

powers of body and

soul, my nerves and

veins, my bones and

my flesh, all my desire and all my groaning, my understanding, my memory and

my will, my inmost

heart with its wondrous beatings and

throbs; may all unite

to shout for joy to

thee. I offer and resign to thee all these,

beseeching thee that

thou wouldest make

me show forth thy

praise and glory in

time and in eternity.

Amen.

THREE INCOMPARABLE ACTS OF PRAISE

Which our Lord taught to St. Mechtilde.

VENERATE and

glorify thee, O

most blessed Trinity,

in union with that

ineffable glory with

which God the Father in his omnipotence honours the Son

and the Holy Ghost

for ever.

I magnify and bless

thee, O most blessed

Trinity, in union with

that most reverent

glory with which God

the Son in his unsearchable wisdom

glorifies the Father

and the Holy Ghost

for ever.

I adore and extol

thee, O most blessed

Trinity, in union with

that most adequate

and befitting glory

with which the Holy

Ghost in his unchangeable goodness

extols the Father

and the Son for ever.

Amen.

AN EFFICACIOUS ACT OF PRAISE

Every word of which has a special weight of meaning.

Most compassionate Jesus,

may all the virtue

and efficacy of thy

Divinity praise thee

for me. May all the

tender loving - kindness of thy Humanity

satisfy to thee for me.

May all the kingly

splendour and majesty

of the Trinity glorify,

magnify, and honour

thee in thyself for me,

with that sublimest

praise wherewith thou

sufficest to thyself,

and suppliest what is

lacking to the praises

of all thy creatures.

AN EFFICACIOUS METHOD OF LOVING AND PRAISING GOD.

While St. Mechtilde was disquieted because she did not worthily honour and love God, our Lord said to her: When you desire to praise me, and cannot praise me as you would, say:

Good Jesus, I

praise thee:

vouchsafe to supply

for me whatsoever is

lacking in my praise.

And if you wish to love me, say:

Good Jesus, I

love thee: vouchsafe to supply whatever is lacking in my

love, and offer the

love of thy Sacred

Heart to God the Father for me.

And on another occasion he said to her: If you desire to praise me, repeat these few words:

LORY be to thee,

O most sweet,

most noble, resplendent, peaceful, ineffable Trinity.

AN ACT OF CONGRATULATION MOST PLEASING TO GOD.

Most glorious

God, I, the least

of thy servants, congratulate thee, and

rejoice with my whole

heart that thou art

and abidest unchangeably such and so great

a God as thou art in

thy Godhead and Essence, and shalt be

evermore. I congratulate thee and rejoice with thee in

thine infinite power

and majesty. I rejoice and give thee

thanks for thy great

glory and thine inexpressible excellency.

I rejoice and exult

with my whole heart

that all things are

subject to thy sway,

and that there is none

that can resist thy

will. And to express

to thee my congratulations and my gratitude that thou art so

great and so ineffable

a God, I offer thee, in

union with the sweetest Heart of Jesus and

in my own name and

that of all thy creatures, thy divine and

infinite Essence with

all the perfections,

attributes, and qualities contained therein, in such manner

and with such love as

thou hast enabled us

through thy love in

the Holy Ghost. I

desire and long that

all creatures in heaven

and in earth may acknowledge thee and

love thee, and rejoice

in thine infinite glory

and blessedness; and

I place them all before thee in spirit,

and subject them to

thee, and congratulate thee in their

name. And since

this is far short of

showing forth thy

praise, I beseech

thee that thou wouldest vouchsafe to supply for thine own sake

ray lack of service,

and that of all creatures, in loving thee

and rejoicing in thee.

And I offer to thee

this splendour and

fragrance of love and

congratulation, together with all the glory,

praise, and congratulation which the blessed spirits and souls

of the just render

thee with one consent, in thanksgiving

for all the glory and

blessedness which

thou dost enjoy for

evermore. Amen.

SUBLIME ACT OF THANKSGIVING.

From the devotions of St. Gertrude.

LESSED be thy

goodness, O my

God, and blessed be

thy compassion, O

thou one and true

Godhead, thou one

and holy Trinity,

thou one and supreme God, for all

the benefits and loving-kindnesses with

which thy profuse

and loving compassion has surrounded

me, undeserving as I

am. For all these I

adore thee, I praise

and bless thee, O my

most tender Lord and

God, in union with

that supernal praise

with which thou, O

glorious Trinity, art

thine own sufficient

praise, which pours

down from thee upon

the blessed Humanity

of our Lord Jesus

Christ, upon his glorious Mother, and

upon all holy angels

and saints; and from

them flows back again

into its source in the

abysses of thy Divinity. I give thee

thanks for the love

with which thou hast

created and redeemed

me, sanctified me,

called me, preserved

me, and endowed me

with all manner of

good things. And

since praise is not

seemly in the mouth

of a sinner, I beseech

thee, O sweetest Jesus, by that prevailing love wherewith

thou sittest at the

right hand of the Father, to pay for me

to my God eternal,

infinite, unfaltering,

unceasing praises,

such as thou alone

canst pay, and as

thou knowest to be

befitting his most

dread glory and the

honour of his Majesty,

for all the good which

has ever flowed forth

upon me from the inexhaustible abyss of

his Godhead. Break

forth, therefore, O

beloved Jesus, into

such thanksgivings as

thou alone canst

utter; O my Lord,

great and wonderful

exceedingly, praise

the Godhead in thyself, in me and for

me, with all the might

of thy Divinity, and

with all the love of

thy Humanity, in the

name and on behalf

of all the universe thy

hands have made.

Amen.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE BENEFITS OF GOD.

While saying this prayer, St Gertrude

received from the Son of God most gracious tokens of his love, and his promise that he would take her into his most intimate and special protection. Hence she learned that the Lord takes in a special manner under His protection all who gratefully recite this acknowledgment, and commit themselves to his divine Providence.

give thee thanks,

O holy Father,

with all my strength,

through him who sitteth at thy right

hand, for all the gifts

I have ever received from thy munificent

bounty; and I acknowledge

that no power could have bestowed them on me

but thine, who art all-powerful, and upholdest

all creation.

I give thee thanks,

most kind and gentle

Jesus, and I confess,

and will confess to

my latest breath, that

thou hast most wisely

and well provided for

me in body and in

soul, in all things

prosperous or adverse; and I acknowledge that no wisdom

could thus embrace

all my whole life but

thy increated wisdom

alone, O my most

tender thanks, tender God, which

holy Father, reacheth from end

with all my strength,

through him who

sitteth at thy right

hand, for all the gifts

I have ever received

from thy munificent

bounty, and I acknowledge that no

power could have

bestowed them on

to end mightily, and

ordereth all things

sweetly.

I give thee thanks,

O good and quickening Spirit, the Comforter, through him

who was by thy cooperation made flesh

in the Virgin's womb,

that thou dost in all things

so sweetly anticipate me,

unworthy as I am, with the blessings of thy gratuitous bounty; and

I acknowledge that

no goodness could

thus diffuse itself but

thy ineffable goodness,

in which all good

things are contained,

from which they proceed, and together

with which they are

received. And as thou

bast hitherto and always provided for me,

so I confidently hope

and rely that thou

wilt provide for me

to the end through

thy divine goodness,

to which I most devoutly commend myself.' Amen.

PROFESSION OF FAITH.

My God, thou

ancient and absolute truth, I (N.)

believe with my heart,

confess with my

mouth, and profess

by my actions, that I

most firmly believe

all and every article

of faith which the

holy Roman Church

proposes to us to be

believed, and that I

will believe them to

the end of my life.

And although I can

in no wise understand

how the truths which

the faith delivers to

us are possible, nevertheless I bring my

understanding into

captivity to the obedience of Christ, I revere these most sacred

mysteries with profound submission, and

I beseech thee to render them availing to

my salvation. And

even as I now profess

this faith, so I vow,

promise, and swear,

in presence of all the

holy angels and saints,

and above all in thy

presence, O most holy

Trinity, that I desire

to live and die in the

same. So help me

God and these his

holy Gospels.

In the

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Here commend thy faith to God, as follows: for our Lord revealed to Ht. Mechtilde that those who do so shall be preserved from temptations against the faith to their lives' end.

COMMEND this

my faith to thine

omnipotence, O eternal Father, beseeching thee that thou

wouldest so strengthen me therein with

thy divine strength,

that I may never depart from it or waver

in it.

I commend it to

thine unsearchable

wisdom, O only-begotten Son, beseeching thee that thou

wouldest so enlighten

me with the light of

thy knowledge, that

I may never be led

astray by the spirit of

error.

I commend it likewise to thy most compassionate goodness,

O Holy Ghost the

Comforter, beseeching thee that this my

faith may so work in

me by charity, that at

the hour of my death

it may be found perfect and entire.

TRUST IN GOD.

Our Lord said to St.

Mechtilde: Of a truth it

greatly pleases me that

men should confidently

expect great things from

me, for it is impossible

that a man should fail

to obtain that which he

believes and hopes for.

Therefore it is good for

a man to hope great

things from me, and to

confide sincerely in me.

Our Lord gave also a

like assurance to St.

Gertrude.

GOD of my heart,

my only hope and

refuge, I, the poorest of thy creatures

and infinitely unworthy of the least good

at thy hands, do yet

so confidently hope in

thy tender kindness,

that I have no manner of doubt that as

thou knowest how to

succour and aid me,

so thou both canst and

wilt be with me in all

things. I know, indeed, O compassionate God, that if thou

wert to deal with me

as I have deserved, I

could expect no grace

at thy hand, but only

manifold rebuke and

punishment; but since

I know that thy goodness is so exuberant

that thou art wont to

do good even to thy

worst enemies, I most

firmly believe and

trust that thou wilt

not forsake me in my

distresses and miseries, but wilt provide

for me with a care and

generosity which I

should vainly look for

in my dearest friend.

O most loving God,

although my sins are

so manifold and so

grievous that they deserve a thousand hells,

yet by reason of thine

infinite goodness I so

securely expect from

thee remission of them

all, provided only they

grieve me, as in deed

and in truth they do,

that I could more

easily doubt my own

existence than the

certainty of this remission. O infinite

goodness, so tender

is my confidence in

thee, that even if I

had sinned a thousand times more than

I have, and knew that

thine anger was fiercely kindled against me,

yet, could I choose my

own judge, I would

choose none other

than thee. In thee

alone, and in none

other than thee, would

I trust, and I should

more certainly hope

for mercy at thy hand

than from my best

and dearest friend.

For if I had sinned

as often and as grievously against any one

of my friends as I

have against thee, I

am most sure that I

could not hope for

pardon, even from the

most tender and compassionate of mothers.

Yea, had I been so rebellious and so unloving to my own mother as I have been

to thee, she would

have cast me off for

ever. But thou, notwithstanding all the

many and grievous

insults I have heaped

upon thee, and notwithstanding all my

many and grievous

negligences in thy

service, dost still cherish and sustain me.

And dost thou think,

O most loving Father,

that I have the smallest doubt that I shall

attain to everlasting

bliss? Do thou thyself forbid. For my

hope of attaining that

bliss rests not on my

own merits, but on

the faithful promise

of thy Only-begotten,

and on his most abundant and exuberant

merits, which he has

communicated and

made over to his

elect. And hence I

abound with so great

joy and consolation,

because I seem already to possess that

for which I so eagerly long. For thy

Son,who has promised

me salvation and his

merits, which are its

title and its price, is

most faithful, nor can

any word which has

gone forth from his

mouth be revoked or

fail. Vouchsafe, O

eternal Father, to increase in me this

hope and trust which I

give into thy merciful

keeping, until I see

thee in thy unfading

eternity, and hope is

lost in fruition. Amen.

LOVE OF GOD.

It was revealed to

St. Gertrude that when

a soul which loves God

turns to him with ardent

affection and desire, if

it were possible, to make

reparation to him for

all the insults and affronts whereby his honour is outraged, and

expresses to him all its

yearning tenderness, his

anger is appeased, and

he spares the world of

sinners. For one loving

soul obtains more from

God for all the faithful

living and departed

than ten thousand who

are cold and unloving.

My God, most

worthy object of

my love, my supreme

and infinite Good, I

love thee and will

love thee for ever and

ever; I embrace thee

with all the affections

of my heart, with the

strong embrace of

love, for thou art my

sweetest and much-desired Good, thou

my perennial peace

and sweetness, thou

the sufficing portion

of my soul. O thou

most gentle, most

ravishing, most beloved Lord, thou art

the life of my soul,

thou the jubilee of

my heart, my God,

my Love, the chosen

One of all my vows.

I love thee, O my

sweetness, my joy, my

delight; I love thee

with all my soul and

with all my strength,

but, alas, not as I

ought, not as I would.

Would that I could

love thee a thousandfold more; would that

I could love thee with

an infinite love! Pierce

my heart, O sweetest

God, with the arrow

of thy love, and wound

it with the languishing wound of thy dilection. Grant that

I may love thee, O

Lord; for without

thee I cannot love

thee. Oh, could I

draw all created

hearts, and contain

them all in my heart,

with all their affections and their love,

how would I love thee

then, O my fairest

Love! Oh, wouldst

thou give me but for

one hour the glowing

love of Seraphim, that

I might be inflamed

with the ardour of

that impetuous love

and enkindle it in

every heart of men!

And how great is my

grief that thou, my

tender Love, art not

loved! Alas, how I

mourn that thou, my

sweet Love, art neglected and despised, and

above 'all that thou

art so cruelly offended

and outraged! I condole with thee, O my

God and my Love, on

all the injuries and

insults which are

heaped on thee; and,

were I able, I would

most gladly make reparation to thee for

all the outrages and

wrongs done to thine

honour; yea, for thy

love I would gladly

suffer to my dying

hour all the pangs of

holy desire which the

heart of man hath suffered or shall suffer

to the end of the

world, if so I might

offer thee a more

worthy shelter within

my soul, and make

amends to thee for

all the contempt and

ignominy which thy

peerless and excelling dignity sustains at

the hands of ungrateful men. Amen.

ASPIRATIONS OF A LOVING SOUL.

He who ardently desires and firmly resolves to love and praise

me more than I am

praised and loved by

any other creature shall

undoubtedly, said our

Lord to St. Gertrude,

receive an abundant reward from my divine

bounty; a reward oftentimes greater than

that which he could obtain by good works.

God of my heart,

I love thee with

all my heart, and I

would that I could

love thee a thousandfold more. Would

that I could praise

and love thee beyond

every other of thy

creatures; that I

could give thee thanks

and condole with

thee, and practise all

virtues in greatest

perfection: most eagerly and gladly

would I do so, according to the sovereign good pleasure

of thy divine Heart.

O my sweet Love,

could I bring before

thee, my Lord and

my God, all men

in whom thou hast

vouchsafed to take

thy delights, I would

most gladly go barefoot throughout the

world, and bring to

thee in my arms all

in whose hearts thou

dost deign and delight to dwell, that I

might thus satisfy the

yearnings of thy infinite, thy divine love.

And moreover, were

it possible, I would

divide my heart into

as many fragments as

there are men on the

earth, that I might

communicate to them

all a holy resolve to

serve and obey thee

to the joy and content

of thy divine Heart.

O God, worthy of

an infinite love, I

have nothing which

can be commensurate

with thy dignity; but

such is my desire towards thee, that if

I had all that thou

hast, I would gladly

and thankfully resign

all to thee.

HOLOCAUST.

When St. Gertrude

had once offered this

holocaust to God, our

Lord Jesus Christ appeared to her, bearing

her oblation and setting

it forth before the Blessed Trinity as a gift of

exceeding price; and

as he passed through

the midst of heaven the

whole heavenly host

knelt before him in reverence for that choice

oblation. Whence she

understood that whenever any one offers his

prayers or his desires

to God, the whole company of heaven bears

them up to the throne of

God as gifts most precious and acceptable;

and that whenever the

merits of Jesus Christ

are added thereunto,

the saints bow and

adore them as aforesaid.

God of glorious

majesty, Ruler

of heaven and earth,

I thy most unworthy

creature offer thee,

upon the most sacred

altar of the sweetest

Heart of Jesus Christ,

myself with all that

I am, all I have, all I

can do, together with

every good gift which

thou hast ever bestowed on me from

thine unfathomable,

overflowing bounty.

Moreover I offer thee

all the treasures and

the wealth of this

world, all kingdoms,

royalties, princedoms,

honours, and dignities, with this intention: that were they

all mine, I would distribute them to thy

poor, and employ

them in pious uses,

that for very love of

thee I might abide

with joy in my present state of poverty.

Further, I offer to

thee on the same altar all the virtues,

devotions, merits,

and holiness of all

the just; all the affliction, the crosses,

the poverty, and want

of all the poor, the

afflicted, and the sick;

all the pangs, the torments, the wounds,

the bloodshedding,

and the death of all

martyrs; all the penance, the mortification, the fastings, vigils, and austerities of

all confessors; all the

love, the continence,

the purity of all virgins: and I offer them

all to thee with this

intention: that were

they all mine, I would

do and suffer them all

with most pure intention for thy glory.

Thirdly, I offer thee

all the whole fulness

of grace and glory,

transcending all human thought, wherewith thou hast so

super-abundantly enriched thy saints in

heaven, and especially

the most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of

thy only-begotten Son.

And above all these I

offer thee the virtues

and merits which thy

Son manifested on

earth, and all the gifts

of grace, drawn from

the infinitely exuberant treasury of the

most Holy Trinity,

which thou hast be

stowed on his most

sacred Humanity.

For all which I desire, on behalf of all

in heaven and earth,

and under the earth;

and through the most

sacred and blessed

Heart of thy Son,

which gives forth its

ravishing harmony at

the touch of the Holy

Ghost the Comforter, I sing unto thee

praises and thanksgivings, and thus give

thee back thine own.

Lastly, I offer thee

the priceless ineffable

abundance of riches

and perfections which

thy divine Essence

contains within itself,

and which one divine

Person communicates

to another in sweetest, most transcending, and unimaginable manner. For all

which I give thee

thanks with all my

heart and strength;

I congratulate thee

that thou dost contain

within thyself and for

thyself such inexhaustible treasures and delights, and dost perpetually and for ever

communicate them to

thine elect. Wherefore, O my King, live

for ever, and enjoy

evermore that bliss

which is thyself, and

vouchsafe to bestow

on us wretched exiles in this valley of

tears some crumbs

from thy heavenly

table. Amen.

ACT OF RESIGNATION.

It was revealed to St. Gertrude that those who submit and conform themselves entirely to the divine will, desiring above all things that the adorable will of God may be most fully done In all that concerns them whether in body or in soul,

touch the Sacred Heart most sensibly. For such perfect resignation is an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty, and gives him. as much honour as is given to an earthly king when the crown of his realm is set on his head.

Most holy Father, I thy poor

and vile creature entirely renounce my

own will, and offer

and resign myself to

thy most holy will

and pleasure; above

all delights of this

world, I wish and

desire that thy most

adorable, most placid

will may be perfectly

done in me, by me,

in all that concerns

me whether in body

or in soul, in time and

in eternity. And to

this end I would readily submit all the

members of my body

to suffering of any

kind and degree.

O my God, wert

thou to give me fullest choice of asking

all I wish, and didst

thou swear to me

by thyself that thou

wouldst grant my petition in all things, I

would neither desire

nor ask aught else

than that thy most

adorable will may be

perfectly done in me

and in every creature

of thine, according

to thy supreme and

faultless good pleasure. Wherefore, in

union with that resignation with which Jesus committed himself wholly to thy

will in the garden of

Olives, and in union

with his affection and

his intention, I say

from his heart and

in his words: Not

my will, but thine be

done, O most holy

Father, in time and

in eternity. Amen.

Should any affliction, threaten you, add the following words, which are most pleasing to God, as he condescended to reveal to St. Gertrude. If any one, says she, offers his whole will to the will of God when he knows that affliction is coming on him, his offering will be as acceptable to God as though, during the Passion of Jesus, he had allayed the anguish of his wounds with fragrant ointments.

ND more especially, O good

Jesus, I offer and resign myself to thee,

in perfect readiness

of will to bear that

affliction which I foresee coming upon me;

I will accept it with

unshaken will as from

thy Hand, and I will

bear it with what patience I can; in union

with that love wherewith thou didst accept

all thine afflictions

from thy Father's

Hand, and didst offer

them to him again in

ineffable gratitude;

beseeching thee that

thou wouldest grant

me fortitude and patience, that I may

manfully endure, to

thy eternal glory and

to the welfare and

peace of all the world.

Amen.

CHAPTER. TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

PART IV

PRAYERS TO JESUS CHRIST.

WREATH OF GEMS,

Composed of three beads of gold and fifteen of silver.

While St. Gertrude

was offering this wreath

of salutations in honour

of the name of Jesus,

she seemed to see them

under the form of roses

hung around with golden veils, the fragrance

and tuneful harmony

of which touched the

Sacred Heart with ineffable delight. Those

which had been recited

with devout intention

gave forth a most ravishing melody, while

those which had been

said carelessly uttered a

low and wailing sound.

And the Lord said to

her: Whenever any

one prays to me, Hail

sweetest Jesus, &c, the

depth of the sweetness of

my Godhead is stirred

within me, and there

spreads itself before me

an odour of wondrous

fragrance, which I shed

down on him who repeats these words.

FIRST GOLDEN BEAD.

AIL, most loving

Jesus, life-giving

Germ of the divine

Honour, unfading

flower of human dignity, my consummate

and my only salvation.

Thou art my Creator

and my Redeemer,

and thou hast so loved me as to leave all

thy bliss and thy glory, and to purchase

me for thyself with

the anguish of thy

death.

Five sliver heads.

1. Hail, sweetest

Jesus, most precious

pearl of the most holy

Trinity, with whose

price the world has

been redeemed.

2. Hail, most tender Jesus, refulgent

splendour of the Father's glory, who with

the light of thy countenance dost enlighten and quicken thine

elect in the heavenly

country.

3. Hail, most amiable Jesus, flashing

effulgence from the

sun of Justice, who

dost inflame the

hearts of angels and

saints with the fire of

thy love.

4. Hail, most noble

Jesus, living Image

of thy Father's substance, who dost

make all those who

cleave to thee partakers of thy divine

nature.

5. Hail, most renowned Jesus, Morning Star of thy

Church, who enlightenest the darkness of

the world, and scatterest all the thick

darkness of sin.

SECOND GOLDEN BEAD.

AIL, Jesus, Bridegroom most

beauteous in the

charm of thy Divinity,

I salute thee and embrace thee with the

affection of all thy

creatures, and kiss

thee with my mouth,

thou Wound of love.

Five silver beads.

1. Hail, Jesus, fairer than the sons of

men, Orient pearl

formed in the ocean

of the Godhead of

the Father, whose generation no created

intelligence can declare.

2. Hail, Jesus, sweet

er than honey and

the honeycomb, heavenly manna of wondrous sweetness, who

dost refresh and satisfy every hungry

soul.

3. Hail, Jesus most

resplendent, glowing

Fire of uncreated love,

who dost lighten and

hear the burden of

human toil and misery.

4. Hail, Jesus most

gentle, sweet channel

of heavenly streams,

who dost take away

the bitterness of every

soul in anguish.

5. Hail, priceless

Jesus, treasure-house

of the divine Essence,

who dost enrich the

poverty of our nature.

Amen.

THIRD GOLDEN BEAD.

AIL, Jesus, full of

grace, mercy is

with thee, and thou

art blessed among the

sons of men; and

blessed be thy most

Holy Name, thy Life

and thy Passion. O

sweet Jesus, Son of

God, have mercy on

us sinners now and

in the hour of our

death. Amen.

Five Silver Beads.

1. Hail, Jesus,

Spouse and Crown of

Virgins, we praise

thee for ever, whose

love made thee Son

of the Virgin.

2. Hail, Jesus, Euler of all things, fairer

in thy beauty than the

sons of men, we acknowledge and worship thee as our most

clement Lord.

3. Hail, Jesus, wondrous splendour of

the Godhead, wonder

of wonders, who dost

blot out all the sins

of the world.

4. Hail, Jesus, our

consolation, who dost

lay open to us the

treasury of the riches

of God, thou true refuge of the poor, and

comfort of the afflicted.

5. Hail, Jesus, glory of angels, living

Fountain, light of all

minds, who dost

transcend all joy and

all desire. Amen.

OBLATION.

Good Jesus,

my love, my joy,

and my sweetness, my

soul loves thee alone;

for thee alone doth

my longing spirit

pine. For thou art

more glorious than

the sun, fairer than

the moon, more radiant than the dawn,

more brilliant than

the stars. Thou art

whiter than the lily,

more ruddy than the

rose, more vigorous

than the hyacinth,

and more fragrant

than earth's most fragrant flowers. Thou

art sweeter than all

sweetness, more tender than all affection,

more exquisite than

all dainties, beloved

above all love. Thou

alone art great and

to be praised, thou

alone art sweet and to

be loved, thou alone

art fair and pleasant,

thou alone beauteous

and full of delight,

thou alone hast no

counterpart or equal

in heaven or in earth.

Wherefore, in token

of my love, I offer thee

this wreath of gems,

and present it to thee

on the golden altar of

thy divine Heart, in

union with that unceasing melody of

praise wherewith the

whole company of

heaven worships thee.

And since this my

meagre, barren praise

is altogether unwor

thy of thee, O true

Love of my heart, do

thou thyself perform

the stately solemnity

of thy praise; and together with thee let

all the ranks of heaven rejoice and sing

aloud for that greatest,

sweetest blessing,that

thou art my God, and

that thou dost condescend to be acknowledged, and loved,

and praised by me,

the refuse and off-scouring of thy creatures. Amen.

LOVING AFFECTIONS TOWARDS JESUS.

This prayer was revealed to St. Gertrude

during an unusually

abundant influx of

grace and light. Our

Lord said to her: Whoever repeats this prayer

shall receive the grace to

know me more intimately, and shall receive into his soul the splendour

of my Divinity, even as

he who holds up to the

sun a min or of pure

gold collects therein the

dazzling effulgence of

its rays.

Thou most excelling King of

kings, Prince of glory,

my loving Jesus, thou

art the life of my

soul; may all the affection of my heart

be inflamed with the

ardour of thy love,

and for ever united to

thee. May it sink back

baffled and exhausted

when it would love

aught but what tends

to thee alone; for

thou art the brilliance

of all colour, the savour of all dainties,

the fragrance of all

odours, the charm of

all melody, the soothing repose of all love.

O thou overflowing

abyss of Divinity, in

thee is pleasure most

enrapturing, from

thee ever-gushing

streams of plenty

spread around, towards thee a gentle

force irresistibly attracts, through thee

our souls are inundated with thrilling

gladness. O King of

kings most worthy,

sovereign Lord of all,

Prince most glorious,

most clement Ruler,

thou most mighty

Protector, thou art

the vivifying germ of

human dignity, O

most wonderful in thy

working, gentlest of

Teachers, Wisest in

counsel, most kind

and effectual Helper,

Friend faithful unto

death. No union is

so intimate, so beatific, as thine, O thou

transporting,soothing

Lover of souls, most

tender and chaste

Spouse of thy chosen.

Thou art the spring

Flower of noble grace

fulness, O my brother

most fair, ruddy, and

comely in thy youth,

most winning companion, Host most

munificent in thy

provision; I choose

thee in preference to

all creatures, for thy

sake I renounce all

pleasure, for thee I

run with joy to meet

all adversity, and in

all I do I seek no

other praise than

thine. I acknowledge

with heart and mouth

that thou art the root

from which these and

all good things spring.

With the energy of

thy fervour I unite

my intention to that

of thy most availing

prayer, that in virtue

of this divine union

every movement of

rebellion may be

quelled and crushed

within me, and that I

may be led by thee to

the summit and pinnacle of perfection.

Amen.

PRAYER TO THE NAME OF JESUS.

Good Jesus, O

most compassionate Jesus, O Jesus

Son of God and of the

Virgin Mary, full of

mercy and of pity;

O sweet Jesus, have

mercy on me according to thy great mercy. O most clement

Jesus, I implore thee,

by that precious

Blood which thou bast

shed for sinners, that

thou wouldst wash

away all my iniquities, and look down

upon me, wretched

and unworthy, humbly seeking thy forgiveness and invoking this holy Name

of Jesus. O Name of

Jesus, name of sweetness! Name of Jesus, name most full

of delight! Name

of Jesus, name most

lovely! For what is

Jesus but Saviour?

Wherefore, O Jesus,

for thy holy Name's

sake, be to me Jesus,

and save me. Suffer

me not to be lost,

whom thou hast redeemed with thy Precious Blood. O good

Jesus, let not mine

iniquity destroy me,

the work of thy almighty goodness. O

Jesus most benignant, have mercy on

me in this day of

mercy, that thou condemn me not in the

day of judgment. O

most compassionate

Jesus, if thy stern

justice incline to condemn me, I make my

appeal and my refuge

in thy most pitiful

mercy. O most loving Jesus, Jesus most

ardently longed for,

Jesus most gentle and

meek, O Jesus, Jesus,

Jesus, receive me into the number of thy

chosen. O Jesus, the

salvation of those who

believe in thee; O

Jesus, the trust of

those who flee for refuge unto thee; O

Jesus, the sweetness

of those who love

thee; grant that I

may love thee, and

cleave faithfully to

thee, and after this

most miserable life

come to thee in peace.

Amen.

PETITION TO JESUS.

That by his most holy life and conversation he would make satisfaction for our transgressions.

TENDER Jesus,

full of pity and

of mercy, who never

despisest the sighing

of the wretched, to

thee I betake myself,

imploring thy clemency. Speak thou

for me, supply thou

for me; for I confess

unto thee all my

sins. By the sinless

tears of thy most glorious eyes, wash away

all the stains of my

sinful eyes. By the

gentle pity of thy

blessed ears, wash away all the iniquities

of my sinful ears. By

the thrilling energy

of the sweet words of

thy blessed lips, wash

away all the offences

of my polluted lips.

By the perfection of

thine actions and by

the wounds in thy

hands, wash away all

the offences of my

impious hands. By

the aching weariness

of thy blessed feet,

and by the cruel holes

of the nails, wash

away all the defilement of my sinful

feet. By the pure intention of thy most

holy thoughts, and by

the glowing love of

thy pierced Heart,

wash away all the

guilt of my evil

thoughts and of my

wicked heart. By the

matchless innocence

of thy life, and by thy

unspotted holiness,

destroy all the foulness of my corrupt

life. By the priceless

fountain of thy most

Precious Blood, wash

away, cleanse and efface every defilement

of my heart and soul,

that by thy most holy

merits I may be found

clean from sin, and

be henceforward enabled to keep all thy

commandments perfectly and spotlessly.

Amen.

Five sublime aspirations to Jesus Christ, which he himself taught to St. Mechtilde.

SWEET Jesus,

I sigh unto thee

in union with that

glory which flows

down from thee upon

all thy saints, to make

up what is lacking

in the glory which

all creatures ought to

give thee.

O compassionate

Jesus, I sigh unto

thee in union with

the gratitude which

rises towards thee

from the hearts of

thy saints, when they

give thanks to thee

for the gifts thou hast

bestowed on them.

O meek Jesus, I

sigh unto thee by

reason of my sins and

those of all men, in

union with that patience with which thou

dost support and endure the iniquities of

us all.

O amiable Jesus, I

sigh unto thee in union with that divine

yearning which thou

hadst on earth for the

salvation of men, earnestly craving every

good gift needful to

men for thy glory and

for their salvation.

O good Jesus, I

sigh unto thee in union with all the prayer

which has ever gone

forth from thy divine

Heart, and from the

hearts of all saints,

for all the faithful,

living and departed.

Amen.

OBLATION OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST FOR OUR SINS.

When, our Lord, at

the request of St. Gertrude, had presented

this oblation to God

the Father, she appeared clothed, in garments

of white and red, with

ornaments of wonderful

richness. And, indeed,

this prayer is of singular efficacy, and should

be frequently repeated.

Most compassionate Jesus,

since by reason of

thine unsearchable

wisdom thou knowest

the extent of human

frailty more clearly

and fully than I or

any one can know it, I

implore thee to have

manifold compassion

on my manifold frailty, and to vouchsafe

to supply all my defects and shortcomings. Offer to thy

most gracious Father,

O pitiful Jesus, the

most becoming silence of thy holy lips,

in expiation of all the

sin I have committed,

and in supply of all

the good I have omitted, by vain and frivolous conversation. Offer, O good Jesus, the

modesty of thy most

holy ears, for all the

sins I have committed

by hearing. Offer also the reserve of thy

eyes, for all the stains

which I have con

tracted by wandering

and forbidden looks.

Offer the caution and

deliberation of thy

Hands and thy Feet,

for all the sins which

I have committed in

my daily actions or

in my daily walk.

Lastly, O most loving Jesus, offer to his

glorious Majesty thy

deified Heart, for

all the sins which I

have committed by

thought, will, or desire. Amen.

PRAISE OF JESUS IN THE ALLELUIA.

St Gertrude said to

our Lord on Master

Day: Teach me, O thou

gentlest Teacher, how

I may most devoutly

praise thee in the Alleluia. She received this

answer: You may well

and suitably praise vie

by uniting your intention in the following

manner to that of the

heavenly host, who unceasingly sing Alleluia

to my glory.

PRAISE thee, O my

Jesus, in union with

that all-transcending praise wherewith

all thy saints extol, in

rapturous harmony,

the thrilling influx of

thy Divinity into thy

deific Humanity, new

that it is transfigured

in unfading glory, in

reward of the manifold bitterness of the

Passion and Death

thou didst endure for

man's salvation.

I praise thee, O my

Jesus, in union with

that all-transcending

praise, wherewith all

thy saints extol the

ravishing delight of

that glad everlasting

spring, wherein the

eyes of thy Humanity feast in the green

pastures of the one,

whole, supreme, and

undivided Trinity.

I praise thee, O my

Jesus, in union with

that all-transcending

praise, wherewith all

thy saints extol that

most tranquil delight

with which the ears

of thy deified Humanity are soothed,

in the ineffable endearments of the ever-adorable Trinity

and the unwearying

praises of angels and

saints.

I praise thee, O my

Jesus, in union with

that all-transcending

praise, wherewith all

thy saints extol the

entrancing fragrance

which exhales from

the Bosom of the

most Holy Trinity,

for the refreshment

and delight of thy

sacred and immortal

Humanity.

I praise thee, O my

Jesus, in union with

that all- transcending

praise, wherewith all

thy saints extol with

one accord the magnificent, the incomprehensible, inestimably

precious influx of the

Divinity into thy deific Humanity, which,

now immortal and

impassible, receives,

in lieu of those corporeal sensations which

it lacks, a double

delight and joy from

the divine influx.

A TENDER SALUTATION OF JESUS.

This brief salutation

was very familiar to

St. Gertrude, because it

made reparation to our

Lord for the outrages

he receives from men.

Wherefore you will do

well to follow her example, and repeat it

frequently before the

Crucifix.

AIL, thou quickening germ of

divine honour. Hail,

unwithering flower of

human dignity, thou

most loving Jesus.

I salute and embrace

thee with all the joy

and delight of thy

Divinity, and with

the affections of all

mankind; and I commend myself to the

sweetest Wound of

thy sacred Heart.

Amen.

SALUTATION OF THE WOUNDS OF JESUS.

When St. Gertrude

had recited this prayer

5466 times in honour of

all the Wounds of our

Lord Jesus, he appeared to her in vision,

having on each Wound

a rose flashing with a

golden splendour, and

greeted her tenderly,

saying: Behold, I will

appear to thee in this

refulgent form at the

hour of thy death, and

I will cover all thy sins,

and adorn thee with

a glory like that with

which thou hast adorned

my Wounds by thy salutations; and all who

use this or any similar

devotion shall receive

the like favour. In

order to make up this

number, and become a

partaker of this promise

of Christ, you may say

the following prayer five

times a day for three

years, adding the oblation which our Lord directed St. Mechtilde to

repeat after each division of five.

lory be to thee,

most gracious,

sweetest, most benign,

sovereign, transcending, effulgent, and

ever-peaceful Trinity, for the roseate

Wounds of Jesus

Christ, my chosen

and only Love.

Oblation

To be said after each five repetitions.

Lord Jesus

Christ, Son of

the living God, accept

this prayer with that

surpassing love with

which thou didst endure all the Wounds

of thy most holy Body.

And have mercy on

me, and on all sinners, and on all the

faithful, living and

departed. Grant unto them grace and

mercy, remission of

sins, and everlasting

life. Amen.

ANOTHER SALUTATION OF THE WOUNDS OF JESUS.

Which the Holy Ghost taught to St. Mechtilde, and which she had neither heard nor known before.

AIL, most precious Wounds of

Jesus, in the omnipotence of the Father,

who decreed you;

hail, in the wisdom

of the Son, who endured you; hail, in

the goodness of the

Holy Ghost, who

through you accomplished the work of

human redemption.

To you I commend

myself, in you I hide

myself, into you I

plunge myself, that

in your shelter I may

be secure from the

destroyer. Amen.

SALUTATION OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

While St. Mechtilde was meditating in the bitterness of her heart how negligently she had served God, our Lord said to her: To compensate and make good all thy former negligences, salute my Heart in the divine Goodness, as follows:

AIL, sweetest

Heart of Jesus,

most tuneful instrument of the Holy

Trinity. Hail, Heart

of Jesus, flowing with

honey, living stream

of all goodness and

all grace. Hail, loving Heart of Jesus,

most noble treasury

of the riches of God.

I bless and salute

thee a thousand and

a thousand fold in

the divine Goodness,

that thou art the

Fountain and Source

whence all good and

all mercy stream

forth. O noble and

precious Heart of Jesus Christ, I salute

and adore thee,

through the mutual

complacency of the

worshipful Trinity,

in the abundance of

all graces, wherewith

thou dost evermore

inundate all holy and

devout souls, whom

thou hast so often bedewed and inebriated

with the torrent of

thy divine pleasures.

O Heart of Jesus,

Heart most sweet;

Heart of Jesus, Heart

most precious; Heart

of Jesus, Heart most

worthy of love; O

Heart flowing with

sweetness, abounding

with pity, overflowing

with charity; in thy

most hidden recesses

I plunge my spirit,

and in the great deep

of thy mercy I bury

all the burden of my

iniquity and my negligence. To thee I

offer all my labours

and my toils, to thee

I dedicate all my anguish and my misery,

to thee I commend

my life, and the end

of my life. O Heart,

sweet-smelling spikenard, frankincense

most fragrant, most

worthy and adequate

sacrifice; offer thyself upon the golden

altar of propitiation,

to compensate for

all the days of my

life wherein I have

brought no fruit to

God.

I bless thee, O most

kingly Heart of Jesus,

in that love wherewith the Holy Ghost

formed thee of the

most chaste blood of

the Virgin Mary. I

glorify thee, O sweetest Heart of Jesus, in

that love wherewith

the Holy Trinity adorned thee with all

heavenly gifts. I

magnify thee, O gentlest Heart of Jesus,

in that love wherewith thou didst glow

for all the human

race. I adore thee,

O most benign Heart

of Jesus, in that love

whereby thou wast

broken upon the

cross. I extol thee,

O Heart of Jesus,

most true and faithful, in that love wherewith thou didst will

to be thrust through

with the lance, and to

shed forth Blood and

Water.

Wherefore, O transcendently glorious

Trinity, I praise thee,

I glorify and bless

thee, through that

surpassingly blessed

Heart, that thou hast

willed and desired to

bestow on it such

manifold gifts and

such an abundance

of grace: and with

all possible love and

reverence I offer to

thy divine Majesty

that Heart, so ravishing in sweetness, and

so supremely and alone worthy, through

the fulness of divine

complacency and the

ineffable perfection

of manifold bliss,

with which thou hast

filled it for ever; and

I beseech thee, that

thou wouldst vouchsafe for his sake to

pardon whatever I

have done that is

wrong, and to supply I have omitted or done

and perfect whatever negligently. Amen.

LITANY OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS.

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Jesus hear us.

Jesus graciously hear us.

O God the Father, of heaven,

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

O God the Holy Ghost,

Holy Trinity, One God,

Jesus, Son of the living God,

Have mercy on us

Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary,

Jesus, Son of David,

Jesus, most kind,

Jesus, most loving

Jesus, most meek,

Jesus, most gentle,

Jesus, most mild,

Jesus, most sweet,

Jesus, full of pity,

Jesus, most amicable,

Jesus, most merciful,

Jesus, most bountiful,

Jesus, most gracious,

Jesus, most lovely,

Jesus, most noble,

Jesus, most renowned,

Jesus, most glorious,

Jesus, chosen of ten thousand,

Jesus, splendour of the Father's glory,

Jesus, Figure of the Father's substance,

Jesus, Spouse of chaste souls, flowing with

delights,

Jesus, vivifying Germ of Divine Honour,

Jesus, unfading Flower of human dignity,

By thy sweetest Name,

By the compassion of thy Divine Heart,

By the union of the Divinity with thy Humanity,

By the love wherewith thou didst come

down from heaven and complete the

work of human redemption,

By the love wherewith thou didst will to

be laid in the manger,

By the love wherewith thou didst suck the

chaste breasts of the Virgin Mary,

By the love wherewith for thirty-three

years thou didst endure all our miseries,

By the love wherewith thou didst undergo

a most bitter death,

By the love wherewith thou didst will thy

Heart to be pierced,

By the love wherewith at thy resurrection

thou didst glorify thy sacred Body,

By the love wherewith thou hast placed

thy Humanity at the right hand of the

Father,

By the love wherewith thou dost make glad

thy Saints with the comeliness of thy

Face,

By the love wherewith thou dost show thy

deified Heart to the Father for us sinners,

By the mutual love of thy Divinity and thy

Humanity,

Jesus Christ,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, spare us, O Jesus.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, graciously hear us, O Jesus.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus.

R. Graciously hear us, O Jesus, Saviour

of the world.

V. To whom nothing is impossible, save

to refuse mercy to the wretched.

Let us pray.

Most tender Jesus, true Sweetness of all who flee to

thee for refuge, receive this my pray

which I devoutly offer

thee through thy sweetest Name:

beseeching thee, by

that love wherewith thou didst

will to receive that most holy Name and to make it so sweet and so lovely to all the faithful,

that by the virtue of that most sacred Name Jesus thou wouldst vouchsafe to strengthen

me in all temptations, and to be with me in my last hour,

according to they faithful promise: who livest and reignest, &c.

CHAPTER. ON THE PASSION

PART V

ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD.

TEN PRAYERS OF DEVOUT AFFECTIONS,

In which our Lord's Passion is pleaded with

him.

It was revealed to St.

Gertrude that reading

and meditations on the

Passion are far more

useful and efficacious

than all other spiritual

exercises. As those who

handle flour cannot

avoid contracting some

whiteness, so no one,

however imperfect his

devotion may be, can

occupy his mind with

the Passion of our Lord

without receiving some

benefit therefrom. And,

however cold and lukewarm our devotion, our

Lord will look upon us

with greater long-suffering and mercy if we

never omit the memory

of his Passion.

FIRST PRAYER.

Lord Jesus

Christ, the eternal Sweetness and Jubilee of those who

love thee, remember

all the presentiment

of grief thou didst endure from the moment

of thy conception, and

especially at thy entrance into thy Passion, when thou didst

say: My soul is sorrowful, even unto

death; and when, by

reason of overwhelming dread and anguish

and grief, thou didst

sweat as it were drops

of blood trickling

down upon the ground.

Remember all the

bitterness of thy sorrow when thou wast

seized upon by the

Jews, accused by false

witnesses, condemned

by thy three judges,

buffeted and smitten,

spit upon, scourged,

and crowned with

thorns. O sweetest

Jesus, I implore thee,

by all the sorrows and

insults thou didst endure, have mercy on

me a sinner. Amen.

SECOND PRAYER.

JESUS, Paradise

of the delights

of God, remember now

all the dread and sorrow thou didst endure

when Pilate pronounced on thee sentence of death; when

the godless soldiers

laid the heavy cross

on thy shoulders, and

fastened thee thereon

with rude and blunted

nails, cruelly stretching thy sacred limbs

so that all thy bones

could be numbered:

I beseech thee, vouchsafe to pronounce a

merciful sentence on

me in the day of judgment, and deliver me

from all punishment.

Amen.

THIRD PRAYER.

JESUS, heavenly

Physician, remember now the languor and the pain

thou didst endure

when lifted upon the

cross, when all thy

bones were out of

joint, so that no sorrow was like to thy

sorrow, because, from

the sole of thy foot to

the top of thy head,

there was no soundness in thee. And

nevertheless thou

didst put away the

feeling of all thine

own griefs, and pray

to thy Father for thine

enemies, saying: Father, forgive them; for

they know not what

they do. By this thy

charity and thy mercy,

grant that the dignity

and worth of thy Passion may be the entire

remission of all my

sins. Amen.

FOURTH PRAYER.

JESUS, Mirror of

the eternal splendour, remember now

that sadness which

filled thy heart when

thou didst behold in

the mirror of thy Divinity the reprobation

of the wicked and the

multitude of the lost;

and by the depth of

the compassion thou

didst then feel for lost

and despairing sinners, and by the mercy thou didst show

to the robber on the

cross, saying: This

day thou shalt be with

me in Paradise, I beseech thee, O compassionate Jesus, show

me thy mercy in the

hour of my death.

Amen.

FIFTH PRAYER.

JESUS, King

most beloved,

remember now all the

mournful desolation

of thy heart, when

thou, the tenderest

and most faithful of

friends, wast forsaken

by all, and mocked as

thou hungest on the

cross; when thou didst

find none. to comfort

thee but thy beloved

Mother, who stood

by thy cross to the

last, and whom thou

didst commend to thy

disciple, saying: Woman, behold thy son;

and to the disciple:

Behold thy Mother. I

beseech thee, O compassionate Jesus, by

that sword of anguish

which then pierced

her heart, do thou

condole with me and

console me in all my

tribulations. Amen.

SIXTH PRAYER.

JESUS, inexhaustible Fountain of pity, remember

now that bitterness

which thou didst endure when, all thy

strength being exhausted and thy Sacred Body dried up,

thou didst feel that

burning thirst, and

hadst not one drop

of water to cool thy

parched tongue, but

only vinegar upon hyssop; I beseech thee

that thou wouldest

extinguish in me the

thirst of carnal concupiscence and worldly

delights. Amen.

SEVENTH PRAYER.

JESUS, mighty

King, remember

now that when thou

wast plunged into the

bitter waters of thy

Passion until they

closed over thy Head,

thou wast forsaken

not only by men but

by thy Father also,

and didst cry with a

loud voice, saying:

My God, my God,why

ha st thou forsaken me?

By this thine anguish

and dereliction, I beseech thee, forsake

me not in my last

agony. Amen.

EIGHTH PRAYER.

JESUS, strong

Lion of the tribe

of Juda, remember

now the sorrow and

the woe thou didst

endure, when all the

forces of thy Heart

and of thy Flesh

failed thee utterly, and

thou didst bow thy

Head and cry: It is

consummated. By

this thine anguish

and thy woe, have

mercy on me at the

end of my life, when

my soul shall be troubled, and my spirit

disquieted within me.

Amen.

NINTH PRAYER.

JESUS, Splendour of the Father's glory and Figure of his substance,

remember now that

earnest commendation with which thou

didst commend thy

spirit to the Father,

saying: Father, into

thy hands I commend

my spirit, and when,

thy Sacred Body

being torn and thy

Heart broken, and all

the bowels of thy compassion laid bare for

our redemption, thou

didst give up the

ghost: I beseech

thee by that love

which moved thee,

the Life of all that

live, to submit to die,

that thou wouldest

mortify and kill in my

soul whatever is displeasing to thee. Amen.

TENTH PRAYER.

JESUS, true and

fruitful Vine,

remember now the

lavish, the excessive

profusion wherewith

thou didst shed thy

Most Precious Blood,

when on the cross

thou didst tread the

winepress alone, and

wast crushed as a

cluster of ripe grapes;

when thou didst give

us water and blood

from thy pierced side,

so that not one drop

remained in thy

Heart. Then wast

thou hanged up as a

bundle of myrrh, and

thy tender Flesh grew

pale, and thy moisture

was all dried up within thee, and the marrow of thy bones con

sumed. By this thy

most bitter Passion,

and by the shedding

of thy Most Precious

Blood, I beseech thee,

O most loving Jesus,

wash my soul at the

hour of my death

with the water which

flowed from thy Sacred Side, and adorn

it with comeliness in

the Precious Blood of

thy sweetest Heart,

and render it acceptable in thy sight in

the fragrant odour of

thy divine love. Amen.

Oblation

CCEPT, O compassionate Jesus, with that exceeding love wherewith

thou didst endure a

bitter death, and didst

offer it, together with

all the fruit of thy

most, sacred Humanity, to God the Father

on the day of thine

ascension: by the

depth of those wounds

which scarred thy

Flesh and pierced thy

Hands and Feet and

Heart, I beseech thee,

raise me up, who am

steeped and sunk in

sin, and render me

well-pleasing to thee

in all things. Amen.

FIVE OFFERINGS OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST FOR SINS.

Our Lord said to St. Gertrude on one occasion: If you believe that I offered myself to God the Father on the cross, believe also that I now desire with the same love to be daily offered to God the Father for each sinner in particular; so that, however heavy be the load of sins beneath which a man feels himself oppressed, he may take comfort in the hope of pardon if he offer to God the Father thy most spotless

Passion and Death, and

may be assured that

he will reap abundant

fruit of mercy and indulgence.

FIRST OFFERING.

LMIGHTY and

eternal God, unfailing Fountain of

mercy, who dost not

despise those that

come unto thee, notwithstanding their

unworthiness, but

dost cleanse them

from their sins; behold, I, a sinner,

weighed down beneath a grievous burden of sins, confess

to thee in the spirit of

humility and with a

contrite heart, that I

have been exceedingly ungrateful to thee

my God, and have offended thee in manifold ways. But now

I come to thee, and prostrate myself before thee with true

contrition, and implore thy mercy. And

as I have nothing of

greater worth to offer

thee in satisfaction

for my sins than the

most holy Life and

Passion of thy Son,

therefore I offer thee

that surpassing love

wherewith thy Only-begotten took on him

our nature, and during three-and-thirty years endured so

many toils and fatigues, so much anguish and woe, for

our sake; and I make

this offering to thee

through the sweetest

Heart of Jesus Christ,

in the power of the

Holy Ghost, and for

all the sins which I

have committed from

my birth upwards

even to this hour,

with the full consent

of my will and the delectation of my heart.

I offer thee the ap

prehension and the

sorrowfulness which

he felt when he said:

My soul is sorrowful,

even unto death. I

offer thee that sweat

of blood which impetuous love and

thrilling anguish

wrung from his sacred Body, and that

thrice-repeated prayer

which he poured

forth to thee from the

midst of his Agony.

I offer thee his ignominious bondage, his

stripes and bruises,

his insults and blasphemies, his blows

and buffetings, the

plucking out of his

hair, and the spitting

on his adorable face,

which he endured in

the houses of Annas

and of Caiaphas in

that same night; and

setting forth all these

before thee with gratitude and lively compassion, I beseech

thine inexhaustible

goodness that by their

virtue and merit thou

wouldst wash me

from my sins, and

render me in all

things well-pleasing

to thee. Amen.

After each of these offerings you may say a

Pater Noster.

SECOND OFFERING.

Most compassionate God, for

all the perverse and

wicked actions which

I have done with the

several members of

my body I offer thee

that inexpressible affront and grief which

thy Son endured,

when his sacred Face

was so shamefully

spit upon and smitten; when he was unjustly accused before

Pilate and Herod,

was scornfully mocked and blasphemously insulted, I offer

thee the ignominious

stripping off of his garments, the harsh binding to the pillar, his

painful scourging, his

grievous wounds, and

his excessive effusion

of blood. Behold, O

compassionate Father, with what composed modesty he

stood at the pillar,

how with all his heart

he sighed unto thee,

how many blows and

gashes he received,

and with how many

wounds his flesh was

torn, what anguish

penetrated even to his

bones, and how many

the drops of his most

sacred Blood which

flowed forth from his

wounds; and setting

forth all these before

thee, with gratitude

and lively compassion, I beseech thee

that by their virtue

and their merit thou

wouldst receive me

into thy favour, and

render me in all

things well-pleasing

to thee. Amen.

THIRD OFFERING

Most long-suffering God, for

all the good I have

omitted through my

sloth and lukewarmness, I offer thee that

love wherewith thy

Son endured his intolerable anguish,

when he was crowned

with thorns, hailed

with impious derision,

shamefully spit upon,

smitten with reeds

and buffeted, dragged

before the judgment-seat and unjustly condemned; when a murderer and thief was

preferred to him, and

an ungodly rabble

clamoured for his

death. I offer thee

that way of sorrows

he went to the Mount

Calvary, laden with

his heavy cross; I offer thee the weariness

of his sacred limbs,

the ruthlessness of

the soldiers, the

shouts and derision

of the mob, his footprints traced in blood,

and whatsoever he did

or suffered throughout his whole life.

And setting forth all

these before thee with

gratitude and lively

compassion, I beseech thine inexhaustible goodness,

that by their virtue

and their merit thou

wouldst wash me from

my sins, and render

me in all things

well-pleasing to thee.

Amen.

FOURTH OFFERING.

Most merciful

God, for all the

sins and iniquities

which I have committed against thee

with my body or my

soul, I offer thee all

that exceeding sorrow

which thy Son endured, when the garments which cleaved

to his lacerated flesh

were roughly stripped

off, and all his wounds

thus mercilessly torn

open afresh. I offer

thee the cruel and

most fearful anguish

of his Heart, when

his most sacred

Hands and Feet were

nailed to the cross.

Remember, O most

compassionate Father, how humbly

and how piteously

thy Son laid himself

down upon the cross,

not knowing where to

lay his head by reason of the intensity of

his intolerable agony.

Remember what tears

his eyes poured forth

to thee, what sighs

broke forth from his

heart towards thee,

how many drops of

priceless blood dripped from his sacred

wounds, what sorrow

and horror of thick

darkness pervaded his

human soul as death

came slowly onwards.

I set forth before thee

with gratitude and

lively compassion all

these bloodsheddings

and tears, all the anguish of his distorted

and dislocated limbs,

all his groanings and

sighs, and all the

love and the patience

with which thy Son

endured them all;

beseeching thee that

thou wouldst cleanse

me from my sins,

and render me in all

things well-pleasing

to thee. Amen.

FIFTH OFFERING.

Most gracious

and clement God,

for all my sins, mortal

and venial, for all my

negligences and omissions, for all the guilt

I have contracted and

all the punishment I

have deserved, I offer

thee the unutterable

anguish which pierced

the Heart of thy Son

when the cross was

uplifted and let fall

suddenly into its

place, and all the

weight of his sacred

Body was borne by

three nails. I offer

to thee all the scornful mockeries and the

blasphemies which assailed his sacred Ears,

all the words be uttered from the cross,

all the tears he shed,

all the quivering

of his holy limbs in

their agony, all the

anguish and torment

of his sacred Heart,

all the sighs and

prayers which he

breathed towards thee,

all his shrinking from

nakedness and from

the rude gaze of the

crowd, all his acts of

virtue on the cross,

all the compassion,

the sobs, the tears

of his most desolate

Mother and of all his

friends; I offer thee,

last of all, that most

bitter, most cruel,

most agonising death,

which impetuous love

and thrilling anguish

inflicted on him, most

humbly beseeching

thee that, by the merits of his most holy

Life and Passion and

Death, thou wouldst

wash my soul from

all its stains and defilements in his most

precious Blood, and

adorn it with the

merits and virtues of

his Humanity, and

strengthen it at its

departure hence with

his Passion and

Death. Amen.

THE VICTIM OF SIN.

A prayer in which our Blessed Lord hanging on the cross is offered to God the Father.

OOK down, O pitiful Father, from

the throne of thy Majesty and the lofty

habitation of thy heavens, and behold thy

beloved Son hanging so piteously and

so ignominiously on

the cross, his sacred

Body all stretched,

and racked, and torn

with cruel wounds.

Look down upon that

spotless Lamb, who

opened not his mouth

when in the jaws of

the wolves, to speak

one word of deprecation or complaint.

See thy most beloved

Son, thy sweet Jesus,

shedding his Blood

with such profuse liberality for the sin of

his brethren. Behold

that sacred Head, before which the Powers

of heaven bow in reverent awe, now itself

bowed in dereliction

and in anguish. See

that Face, fairer than

the sons of men, defiled with spittings,

seamed with scars, besmeared with blood,

and marred with livid

bruises. Behold his

eyes swimming in

tears, his gracious

mouth distorted, his

sunken pallid cheeks,

his hair plucked oft,

his arms so painfully

stretched, his bones

out of joint, his breast

torn with wounds, his

skin all scarred with

gashes, his weak and

trembling knees, his

hands and feet dug

through with cruel

nails, his pierced side,

his heart laid open,

and all his limbs

swollen with scourging and with blows.

Remember, O most

compassionate Father, who it is that

suffers; and remember in thy mercy for

whom he suffers. Is

not this thy well-beloved Son, whom thou

hast begotten from everlasting, and cherished in thine inmost

heart? Is not this

that most spotless

Lamb who, obedient

to thee even unto

death, hath offered

himself a sacrifice

and a victim for our

sins? Suffer thyself,

then, to be touched

with that great sight

which thine only begotten Son hath set

before thee upon the

cross, and with the

satisfaction he hath

made for our sins.

Remember all his

groanings, remember

all the tears he shed

upon the cross, while

he prayed for those

who had crucified

him, saying: Father,

forgive them! To

this end I set forth

before thee and offer

thee, for my innumerable sins, offences,

and negligences, this

thy Son, who is made

unto me justice, and

sanctification, and redemption. Behold,

O most holy Father,

I set before thee thy

most humble Son,

who has made most

abundant atonement

to thee for all my sins

of pride. I set forth

before thee and offer

thee this thy most

meek and gentle Son,

who has made atonement to thee for all

my sins of anger. I

offer thee thy most

loving Son, who has

fully satisfied for all

my sins of hatred.

His most gracious

liberality has paid

whatever debt I have

contracted through

my avarice. His most

holy works have made

amends for my sloth.

His most perfect abstinence has satisfied

for my gluttony. The

purity of his most

holy life has blotted

out whatever sins I

have committed by

evil thoughts, or

words, or deeds. His

entire and finished

obedience, wherein

he was obedient unto thee even unto

death, has effaced my

disobedience. Lastly,

let his universal and

absolute perfection

plead for my utter

imperfection and lack

of all virtues. This

is my treasure, O

most compassionate

Father, in which I

put my trust; this is

the price wherewith

I pay thee all my

debts. I beseech

thee, therefore, by

the virtue of all the

prayers which thy

Son poured out before thee on behalf

of sinners, that thou

wouldst deign to render this my oblation

valid, acceptable, and

availing; and by the

most sinless Humanity of the same Jesus

Christ thy Son to

look on me as pure

and cleansed from all

sin, and endowed and

adorned by his glorious Divinity with all

those virtues wherewith that. same Divinity caused his most

holy Humanity to

blossom and to bear

fruit. Amen.

A SHORTER OFFERING.

This prayer was revealed to St. Gertrude

during a marvellous

and unusual visitation

of grace, and she was

told at the same time

that our Lord would accept it with singular

favour from all who repeated it. It became so

familiar to the saint

that during her last illness she repeated it continually.

Most loving Father, in atonement and satisfaction

for all my sins, I offer thee all the whole

Passion of thy most

beloved Son, from the

plaintive wail he uttered when laid upon

straw in the manger, through all the

helplessness of his

infancy, the privations of his boyhood,

the adversities of his

youth, the sufferings

of his manhood, until

that hour when he

bowed his Head upon

the cross with a loud

cry, and gave up the

ghost. And, in atonement and satisfaction

for all my negligences,

I offer thee, O most

loving Father, all the

whole most holy life

and conversation of

thy Son, most perfect

in its every thought,

and word, and action,

from the hour when

he came down from his

lofty throne to the Virgin's

womb,and thence

came forth into our

dreary wilderness, to

the hour when he presented to thy Fatherly

regard the glory of his

conquering Flesh. Amen.

PRAYER TO JESUS SUFFERING.

This prayer was very

familiar to St. Gertrude,

and through its use she

obtained the great grace

that the stigmata of the

Most Sacred Wounds of

our Lord were impressed

upon her heart.

Lord Jesus

Christ, Son of

the living God, grant

that I may aspire towards thee with all

my heart, with yearning desire, with a soul

ever athirst for thee;

that I may breathe in

thee alone, who art all

sweetness and all delight; and that my

whole spirit and my inmost heart may pant for

thee, their true blessedness. O most merciful Lord,engrave thy

Wounds upon my heart

with thy most precious

Blood, that I may read

in them all thy grief

and all thy love; and

may the memory of

thy Wounds ever abide

in the secret of my

heart, to excite my

most lively compassion and to enkindle

my most glowing love.

Grant also that all

creatures may grow

vile in my eyes, and

be thou alone sweet to

my heart. Amen.

ASPIRATION OF A SOUL CONDOLING WITH JESUS IN HIS PASSION.

Our Lord said to St.

Mechtilde: Whenever

any one sighs towards

me with love in meditating on my Passion, it

is as though he gently

touched my Wounds

with a fresh-budding

rose, and I wound his

heart in return with the

arrow of my love. Moreover, if he shed tears of

devotion over my Passion, I will accept them

as though he had suffered for me. And how

shall I obtain this gift

of tears? asked the saint.

Then our Lord taught

her the following prayer.

Most tender Jesus, who didst

come to seek and to

save that which was

lost; alas, how cruelly and how unworthily

has the world treated

thee, and how black

has been its ingratitude to thee,who didst

lay down thy beloved

soul for its salvation!

I condole with thee, O

my most loving Brother, and I compassionate thee from my

inmost heart, when

I call to mind the

mournful desolation

in which thou, most

faithful of friends,

wast left by all thy

friends; how thou

wast ruthlessly seized

as a thief and a robber, and cruelly bound,

and driven towards

thy death, scornfully

mocked by thine enemies, and assailed

with insults and outrages; and didst become as a worm and

no man, the reproach

of men, and the outcast of the people.

Who can meditate

without tears on the

loving gentleness with

which thou went est

forth to meet thine

enemies, as they came

with swords and with

staves to seize thee

and deliver thee to

death, even as a tender mother goes forth

to meet the son of her

love; and how thou

didst meekly resign

thyself into their cruel hands, to rescue

them from the jaws

of the wolves of hell!

While they so pitilessly smote thee, for

every blow and for

every buffeting thou

didst impress a kiss of

love on all the souls

which should be saved

through thy Passion

until the day of doom.

Oh, how great was

thy love towards thine

enemies, O most tender Jesus, in that,

even while they were

cruelly scourging thee,

thou didst pour forth

for them such availing prayer, that many

of them were converted unto thee! And

when they thrust the

crown of thorns on thy

most sacred Head,

thou didst weave into

their crowns as many

gems as there were

thorns in thine own.

O most gentle Jesus,

who can think without an ardent love of

thee on the amazing

love thou didst manifest to us most

ungrateful sinners,

when thy sinless

hands and feet were

so inhumanly nailed

to the cross, and all

thy limbs so painfully

stretched and dragged

asunder that all thy

bones might be numbered; and thou, the

while, wast drawing

towards thee, with all

the might of thy Divinity, the souls of as

many as were ordained to life everlasting.

And when thy sacred

Side was opened with

the lance, thou didst

offer the cup of life,

filled from thine own

Heart, to all who had

drunk in Adam the

cup of death, that in

thee, who art the life,

all might be made

sons of everlasting

life and blessedness.

Wherefore, O thou

tenderest Lover of my

soul, in return for

thy love, and for the

undeserved bitterness of thy guiltless

Passion, I offer thee

my whole heart, earnestly desiring, from

this moment to the

time of my departure

hence, to bear with

thee all the bitterness

and the sorrow of thy

sweetest Heart, and

of thine immaculate

Body; and beseeching thee to wound my

heart with a sense

and sympathy in thy

Passion, and evermore to keep alive its

memory within me.

Amen.

PRAYER TO JESUS SUFFERING.

Our Lord said to St.

Mechtilde: Behold, I

make over to thee all the

bitterness of my Passion, that thou mayest

offer it to me again as

though it were thine

own possession. And

whoever shall do this

shall receive double at

my hand, and whenever he renews this offering he shall assuredly receive the double;

and this is that hundredfold which a man

receives in this life, and

in the world to come life

everlasting.

Most gracious

Jesus, Redeemer

and Saviour of the

whole human race, I

recall to thy mind

with gratitude and

love all the sorrow

and anxiety which

thou, my Creator and

my God, didst feel in

thine Agony, when

thou didst pray yet

longer, and didst bedew the earth with

the sweat of Blood,

wrung from thee by

thine exceeding anguish, desire, and

love; beseeching thee

by all and each of

those most sacred

drops, all which I

here offer thee with

devout affection, that

thou wouldest wash

away all the stains of

my sins. I recall to

thy mind thy being

unjustly bound with

heavy chains, thy

innumerable stripes

and blows, and all the

contumely and the

blasphemy wherewith

thou wast assailed,

when all proclaimed

thee a deceiver of the

people; when thou

wast falsely accused

before Pilate, ignominiously mocked by

Herod, and set aside

for an impious robber; and when all

the whole multitude

clamorously demanded that thou shouldst

be crucified. And all

this thou didst endure with such love

and such patience

that although thou

couldst by one look

have appalled thine

adversaries, and with

one word convicted

the false witnesses

against thee, yet thou

didst submit to be

led as a sheep to the

slaughter, and stand

before thy judge with

thy head bowed in

humility, thine eyes

fixed on the ground,

not once opening thy

mouth to speak one

word of complaint at

the lying accusations

brought against thee.

Wherefore I give thee

thanks on behalf of

all mankind, and offer

thee all the outrages

and the insults heaped on thee, in satisfaction for all the insult I have done thee

by my sins. I give

thee thanks also, and

I recall to thy mind

thy most cruel and

excessive scourging,

wherein thy whole

Body was so gashed

and torn that from

the sole of thy foot to

the top of thy head

there was no soundness in thee. I set

forth now before thee,

likewise, that intolerable agony thou didst

feel when the crown

of thorns was so

harshly forced upon

thy kingly Head,when

the sharp thorns

pierced thy head and

thy brow, and were

thrust even into thy

brain, and thy most

gentle loving face, into which the Angels

desire to look, was

covered with slow-trickling drops of thy

roseate Blood. O most

pitiful Jesus, I now

recall to thy mind the

unutterable anguish

which thrilled through

thy whole Body when

thou wast fastened to

the cross with iron

nails, when thou wast

lifted up on high on

thy cross, and blasphemed by the Jews,

mocked in thy thirst

with vinegar and gall,

and hung up between

two robbers as the refuse and offscouring

of all creatures. Lastly, O most gracious

Jesus, I recall to thy

mind with gratitude

and compassion all

and each of the sorrows thou didst feel

throughout thy whole

most sacred Body,

and especially in thy

sweetest Heart, by

reason of thy fore-knowledge

that thy

most bitter, thy most

shameful, most guiltless Passion would be

of no avail to so many.

And then thy deified

Heart itself broke

with excessive love

and grief,and thy most

holy Soul quitted thy

blessed Body with an

inconceivable pang!

For all these thy sorrows I give thee infinite thanks; and

through thy sweetest

Heart, in the power

of the Holy Ghost,

and on behalf pf and

with the love of all

creatures, I offer thee

all thy grief, and pain,

and torment of body

and of soul, throughout all the time of thy

Passion, for all the

sins have committed,

for all the good I

have left undone or

done negligently, and

to turn away all the

punishment I have so

justly deserved. Do

thou now vouchsafe to

ratify and accept this

my oblation, and to

absolve me from all

my sins. Amen.

SALUTATION OF ALL THE SACRED LIMBS OF JESUS.

In obedience to a divine inspiration, St.

Gertrude was wont to

salute each member of

our Lord which had

suffered in his Passion;

whenever she did so, a

divine splendour appeared to emanate from

the sacred members thus

saluted, and to irradiate her whole soul. In

that splendour she was

clothed with that innocence which our Lord

acquired for us by the

sufferings of that particular member. Wherefore let us not neglect

this holy practice, if we

would have some part

in this blessing.

AIL,tender Limbs

of my Lord Je

sus Christ, tormented

in thy Passion with

manifold pain for our

salvation. Hail, thou

adorable Head, crowned for us with thorns,

and stricken with the

reed. Hail, most worshipful Face, for us

spit upon and smitten. Hail, most gentle Eyes of our Saviour, for us suffused

with tears. Hail, sacred Mouth, filled for

us with vinegar and

gall. Hail, most noble Ears, pierced for

us with reproach and

contumely. Hail,thou

kingly Neck, buffeted

for us; and most holy

Back, for us torn with

the scourge. Hail,

venerable Hands and

Arms, stretched out

for us upon the cross.

Hail, divine Breast,

disquieted for us, and

mangled in the Passion. Hail, adorable

Knees, bent in prayer for us, now crushed and out of joint.

Hail, most worshipful

Feet, pierced for us

with the nails. Hail,

glorious Side, riven

for us with the soldier's lance. Hail,

whole Body of my Jesus, hanged for us on

the cross, torn and

wounded, dead and

buried. Hail, sacred

Heart, dropping like

the honeycomb, treasure-house of the most

Blessed Trinity, broken for us on the cross.

Hail, thrice-holy Soul

of Jesus Christ, sorrowful for us even unto death. Hail, most

precious Blood, flowing so lavishly from

the wounds of Jesus. Hail, adorable

Wounds of my Saviour, tokens of his love

and price of our redemption, inflicted on

Jesus in his Passion,

and now radiant as

stars in the highest

heaven. Oh, write my

name in these thy

Wounds, good Jesus,

and hide me therein

from the face of the

tempter. And by the

many wounds and

merits of all thy sacred Limbs, vouchsafe

to my soul at its departure hence that innocence which thou

hast acquired for thy

Church by their several anguish and passion. Amen.

PRAYER TO JESUS HANGING ON THE CROSS.

My most dear and

loving Lord Jesus

Christ, by the unutterable love wherewith

thou didst love the

race of men, when

thou, the King of

Heaven, didst hang

upon the cross, thy

Body all marred with

wounds, thy Heart

pierced through, thy

Senses confused, thy

most beauteous Face

so piteously sad, thy

ruddy Wounds dripping blood, thine Arms

stretched out and thy

Feet dug through, thy

most sacred Limbs all

wrenched and out of

joint, thy Mouth livid

and thy Countenance

pale, thy tearful Eyes

dimmed with the shadow of death, thy

Breast heaving with

sighs, thy Head bowed, thy Side laid open,

and thy Soul saturated with sorrows: by

all these, and by the

love which broke thy

sweetest Heart when

thy blessed Soul went

forth from thy Body,

have mercy on my

soul, I beseech thee,

in the hour of my going hence. Amen.

THREE THANKSGIVINGS TO JESUS ON THE CROSS.

St. Mechtilde once

asked our Lord, in

prayer, which had been

his greatest suffering.

Our Lord replied;

The being so forcibly

stretched out upon the

cross that all my bones

might have been numbered; and if any one

give me special thanks

for that suffering, it

shall be as though he

anointed my wounds

with fragrant ointment.

And if any one give me

thanks for the thirst I

suffered, it shall be as

though he had allayed

that thirst in my Passion; moreover if he

give me thanks that I

wilted to be fastened to

my cross with nails, he

shall be as acceptable to

me as though he had

taken me down from it.

Most meek and

gentle Lamb of

God,who during three

long hours didst hang

so piteously upon the

cross; with the affection of all thy creatures give thee thanks

for that intolerable

pain thou didst endure

when thou wast so

cruelly stretched out

upon thy sacred cross

that all thy bones

might be numbered:

beseeching thee by

that pain to forgive

me all the sins which

I have ever committed

against thee with any

member of my body.

Amen.

Most innocent

Lamb of God,

with the gratitude of

every creature of thy

hands I give thee

thanks for the bitter

thirst thou didst suffer for the salvation

of the world, when

with plaintive voice

thou didst exclaim:

I thirst; and when

nothing was given

thee to drink but only vinegar and gall:

beseeching thee by

the bitterness of that

thirst to forgive me all me by showing thy

the sins which I have most sacred Wounds

ever committed against thee by immoderate eating and drinking. Amen.

most sacred Lamb of God with the mutual gratitude of the Three Persons of the One adorable Trinity I give the thanks for

all the dread anguish thou didst endure when thou wast so pitilessly fastened to

the cross with iron nails driven through thy sacred hands and Feet; so that thy

heart shuddered and thy whole frame quivered with agony. By

this thy strong pain and thy most bitter death, I beseech thee to wash away

the sins of my hands and my feet, and to appease thy Father's wrath again me by showing thy most sacred Wounds for me. Amen.

PRAISE TO JESUS DESPISED IN HIS PASSION.

Taught to St Mechtilde by our Lord himself.

Jesus, most glorious in thy magnificence, I praise and bless thine incomprehensible

omnipotence, thus weak and helpless for us in thy Passion. I adore and glorify

thine unsearchable wisdom, thus accounted foolishness for us. I praise and magnify

thine unutterable love, which did submit to he hated of all men for the sake of

thine elect. I praise and extol thy meek and gentle mercy, sentenced to a fearful

death for man. I praise and adore thy ravishing sweetness,

embittered for us by

thy most bitter death.

Amen.

LOVING AFFECTIONS TO JESUS BLASPHEMED IN HIS PASSION.

When St. Gertrude

heard, in the Gospel of

the Mass, the words:

Thou hast a devil; she

was unutterably distressed at so blasphemous a

reproach and addressed to our Lord the following prayer. While

she was repeating it

with most tender affection our Lord appeared

to draw near to her and

to greet her, saying:

Whoever shall salute me

with the like affection in

reparation for the blasphemies heaped upon

me, in the dreadful day

of judgment I will show

him such tender affection in return, that all

his adversaries shall be

amazed and flee away.

AIL, life-giving

Germ of divine

Majesty! hail, unfading Flower of human

dignity! O most loving Jesus, for all the

blasphemies and contumely with which

thou wast assailed on

earth, I salute and

bless thee with all the

affection and love of

the whole creation.

For every drop of thy

Precious Blood shed

in thy Passion, for

every Wound thou

didst bear in thy sacred Body, for every

blow and stripe and

bruise, I salute and

bless thee ten thousand fold. For every

tear thou didst shed,

for every sigh thou

didst breathe forth,

for every sorrow thou

didst feel, I bless and

salute thee, O my

sweetest Jesus, ten

thousand fold. For

every act of virtue

thou didst do, for

every thirsting desire

with which thou didst

yearn for our salvation, for every look of

love thou didst bend

on thy Mother and thy

friends. I bless and

salute thee ten thousand fold. For every

fall along thy way of

sorrows, for every

shrinking and sinking

of thy Human Flesh,

for every movement of

thy sacred Hands and

Feet,I salute and bless

thee ten thousand

fold. I bless and salute thee ten thousand

times, O meekest Jesus, for every drop of

Blood that fell to the

ground in thy sweat

of agony, for every

painful step of thy

weary Feet, for every

strong cry and tear

wherewith thou didst

offer thy prayers and

thy supplication to thy

Father. I salute and

bless thee ten thousand times, O most

gentle Jesus, for every

gash with which thy

sacred Body was torn

in thy scourging, for

every thorn of thy

cruel crown which entered into thy Flesh,

for all the loathsome

spittings with which

thou wast defiled. I

bless and salute thee

ten thousand times for

every cord with which

thou wast bound, for

every reproach and

outrage wherewith thy

soul was saturated, for

every impious greeting

of scorn with which

thou wast insulted.

For every false charge

brought against thee,

O sinless Jesus, for

every foul and impious

lie uttered in disparagement of thee, and

for every unjust sentence pronounced upon thee, I bless and

salute thee ten thousand fold. Would, O

most gracious Jesus,

that I could multiply

these my salutations and praises ten thou sand times ten thou sand fold, and offer them to thee every hour of my life; that so I might efface and make amends for all the insults, the contumely, and the blasphemy hurled against thee, my sweetest Redeemer! I pray thee, despise not the desire nor the sighing of thy poor, but, according to thine own essential goodness, deign to ratify and accept them. Amen.

SALUTATION OF THE WOUND IN THE SIDE OF JESUS.

LORD Jesus, compassionate Pelican, who hast cleansed us unclean in thine own Blood, I give thee thanks for the sweet

and adorable Wound of love which thou didst receive on the cross, when thine all conquering love opened thy sweet-flowing Side, and wounded thy most sacred Heart with an arrow of love. Blessed for ever be that life-giving stroke and that most hallowed Wound; and blessed be the adorable Blood, and the water of salvation which gushed forth from it, to wash away all our sins! Wash me, unclean, O compassionate Jesus, in that cleansing water; anoint my feeble soul, and quicken it with that sacred Blood; and grant that at my last hour my portion and heritage may be but one drop of that divine stream. O most loving Jesus, by thy pierced Heart, I pray

thee, wound my heart

with that arrow of

love; so that nothing

of earth may abide in

it more, but that it be

filled with thy glowing

love alone for ever.

Amen.

SALUTATION OF THE WOUND IN THE SHOULDER OF JESUS.

It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that

St. Bernard once asked

our Lord, which was his

greatest unrecorded suffering, and that our

Lord condescended to

answer: I had on my

shoulder, while I bore

my cross on the way

of sorrows, a most grievous wound, which was

more gainful to me

than the others, and

which is not recorded

by men because they knew

not of it. Honour this

wound with thy devotion,

and I will grant thee

whatsoever thou dost ask

through its virtue and

merit. And in regard

of all those who shall

venerate this wound, I

will remit to them all

their venial sins, and

will no more remember

their mortal sins.

Most loving Jesus, meekest

Lamb of God, I, a

miserable sinner, salute and worship the

most sacred Wound of

the shoulder on which

thou didst bear thy

heavy cross, which so

tore thy Flesh and laid

bare thy Bones as to

inflict on thee an anguish greater than any

other wound of thy

most blessed Body.

I adore thee, O Jesus

most sorrowful; I

praise thee, I bless

and glorify thee, and

give thee thanks for

this most sacred and

most painful Wound;

beseeching thee, by

that exceeding pain,

and by the crushing

burden of thy heavy

cross, to be merciful

to me a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal

and all my venial sins,

and to lead me on to

wards heaven along

the way of thy cross.

Amen.

LITANY OF THE PASSION.

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Jesus hear us.

Jesus graciously hear us.

O God the Father, of heaven,

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

O God the Holy Ghost,

Holy Trinity, one God,

Jesus, Son of the living God,

By thy most holy life and conversation,

By thy most bitter passion and death,

By thy sorrow and thine agony in the garden,

By thy thrice-repeated prayer,

Have mercy on us.

By thy resignation of thy human will,

By thy sweat of Blood,

By thy harsh captivity,

By thy bonds and stripes,

By thy sacred Body buffeted and smitten,

By thy mockings and thine ignominy,

By the spitting upon thy adorable Face,

By the false judgment pronounced on thee by Caiphas,

By thy setting at naught by Herod,

By the shameful stripping off thy garments,

By thy cruel scourging,

By thy painful crown of thorns,

By thy purple robe,

By thy most unjust condemnation,

By thy bearing thine own cross,

By thy footprints traced in blood,

By the wound in thy sacred shoulder,

By the tearing off thy garments,

By the cruel stretching of all thy sacred limbs,

By thy dread crucifixion,

By the upraising of thy cross,

By the taunts and blasphemies of thine enemies,

By thy seven words and thy thirst,

By the compassion of thy Mother,

By the woe of all thy friends,

By the anguish of thy Heart and of thy Body,

By thy tears and prayers,

By the dropping of thy most precious Blood,

By thy patience and humility,

By the love of thy sweetest Heart,

By the love wherewith thou didst pray for sinners,

By the love wherewith thou didst endure

all thy torments and sorrows,

By the love wherewith thou didst will to

die a cruel death,

By the love wherewith thou didst will

thy sacred Side to be opened with the

lance,

By the love wherewith thou didst will to be

laid in the sepulchre,

By the most acceptable sacrifice which

thou didst offer to thy Father in thy

Passion,

By the intercession of thy dearest Mother

and of all thine elect,

By thine infinite dignity and worth,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, hear us.

Jesus, graciously hear us.

Ant. O Saviour of the world, save us, who

by thy cross and blood hast redeemed us:

grant us thine aid, we beseech thee, O our

God.

V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless

thee.

R. Because by thy cross thou hast redeemed the world.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus

Christ, Son of

the living God, who

didst at the sixth hour

go up on the cross for

the redemption of the

world, and shed thy

blood for the remission

of our sins; we humbly

beseech thee that by

the virtue and merits

of thy most holy life,

passion, and death,

thou wouldst grant us

to enter into the gates

of Paradise with joy:

who livest, &c.

CHAPTER. TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

PART VI

ON THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.

OFFICE OF B.V.M.

St. Gertrude said to

our Lord: Teach me,

O my Lord, how I may

show my devotion and

love to thy blessed Mother, since I am unable

to recite her office. Then

our Lord taught her the

following prayers; and

when she recited them

she seemed to see him offering his divine Heart

in likeness of a vessel of

gold, of which, when she

had drunk, she appeared filled with gladness.

Hence she learned that

whenever these prayers

are recited, our Lord

thus presents his Heart

to the lips of his blessed

Mother, and that in the

fulness of her maternal

delight she graciously

rewards those who recite

them.

AT MATINS.

Most compassionate Jesus, I

praise thee with the

tuneful praise which

thine own sweetest

Heart gives forth, for

the innocence of that

most spotless virginity whereby thy peerless and ever-blessed

Mother was a Virgin

in her conception of

thee, a Virgin when

she brought thee

forth, and ever remained a Virgin most

inviolate after thy sacred birth; imitating

thus thine own innocence, when in the

early dawn thou wast

seized and bound for

the redemption of our

captive race, and buf

feted and smitten, and

cruelly and piteously assailed with contumely and manifold

reproach.

The following prayer should be said at all the Hours:

MOTHER of all

blessedness, peerless sanctuary of the

Holy Ghost, I praise

and greet thee through

the sweetest Heart of

Jesus Christ, the Son

of God and thy most

loving Son; beseeching thee to succour us

in all our needs and

distresses, and at the

hour of our death.

Amen.

AT PRIME.

PRAISE thee, O

most compassionate Jesus, through

thine own sweetest

Heart, for that placid

deep humility whereby

the Virgin undented

became day by day

more fitted and more

worthy to conceive

thee; imitating thus

thy humility, when

thou, who wilt come

to be the Judge of the

living and the dead,

didst at the first hour

of the day condescend

to be judged by a

Gentile and an alien

for the redemption of

the human race.

O Mother of all

blessedness, &c.

AT TIERCE.

PRAISE thee, O

most compassionate Jesus, through

thine own sweetest

Heart, for that most

ardent yearning desire

whereby the Virgin full

of pity drew thee, the

Son of God, from the

bosom of the eternal

Father into her most

pure womb; imitating

thus that most impetuous desire wherewith thou didst desire

our salvation, when

thou wast scourged

with cruel thongs and

crowned with thorns,

and didst condescend

at the third hour of

the day to bear thy

cross of ignominy on

thy wearied bleeding

shoulder with uncomplaining meekness and

patience.

O Mother of all

blessedness, &c.

AT SEXT.

PRAISE thee, O

most compassionate Jesus, through

thine own sweetest

Heart, for that steadfast and undismayed

hope wherewith the

heavenly Virgin strove

unceasingly, with fixed

will and holy intention,

to praise thee; imitating thus that eager

yearning wherewith,

when hanging high

on the tree of thy

cross, and amid the exceeding bitterness of

thy death, thou didst

long with all thy whole

soul for the redemption of the human race,

and didst therefore

cry: I thirst. For what

didst thou thirst, O

loving Jesus, but for

the salvation of the

souls of men, for which

thou wouldst have joyfully endured yet more

bitter and consuming

anguish.

O Mother of all

blessedness, &c.

AT NONE.

PRAISE thee, O

most compassionate Jesus, through

thine own sweetest

Heart, for that most

ardent mutual love

which united the divine Heart to that of

the Virgin undefiled,

and which most intimately and inseparably conjoined thy all-glorious Divinity with

thy Humanity in her

most pure womb; so

that it was thus given

her to imitate thee in

the exceeding greatness of thy love, thou,

the Life of all that

live, didst at the ninth

hour bow thy head in

bitterest death upon

the cross for our redemption.

O Mother of all

blessedness, &c.

AT VESPERS.

PRAISE thee, O

most compassionate Jesus, through

thine own sweetest

Heart, for that most

firm and rooted faith

whereby the blessed

Virgin stood alone,

unshrinking, beneath

the cross, when thine

Apostles had forsaken

thee and all had tied

in dismay; imitating

thus thy faithfulness

in death, when thou

didst go in quest of

thine own even into

Limbus, and drawing

them thence, with the

strong right hand of

thy mercy, didst bear

them up to the joys of

thy Paradise.

O Mother of all

blessedness, &c.

AT COMPLINE.

PRAISE thee, O

most compassion,

ate Jesus, through

thine own sweetest

Heart, for the incomparable perseverance

wherewith thy most

blessed Mother persevered in virtue and

in good works even to

the end my imitating

thus thine unresting,

unwearying zeal in

the work of our redemption, when, having obtained eternal

redemption for us by

thy most bitter death,

thou didst not shrink

from giving thine incorruptible Body to

the grave, alter the

manner of men; that

thou mightest show

us that there was no

abyss of humiliation

from which thou

wouldst shrink, to effect our complete consolation.

O Mother of all

blessedness, &c.

ACT OF REPARATION

Most pleasing to the blessed Virgin.

While St. Gertrude was bewailing her negligence in that she had never served the Mother of Jesus with due reverence, and was beseeching oar Lord to supply her lack of service, she seemed to see the King of Glory arise and present his deific Heart to his Mother, and therewith to make amends for all her negligence. To obtain a like grace, recite the following prayer.

SWEETEST Jesus, by that love

wherewith thou didst

deign to take our flesh

of the most pure Virgin and of her to be

born, that thou mightest satisfy the desires

of the poor and the

wants of the needy, I

beseech thee that thou

wouldst vouchsafe to

make amends to thy

ever-virgin. Mother,

with thine own sweetest Heart, for all the

manifold defects which

through my own negligence and ingratitude

have tainted and marred my service and honour of so gentle and

loving a Mother, whose

gracious succour has

never failed me in any

danger or necessity.

Do, then, O most tender Jesus, present to

her thy sweetest Heart,

overflowing with ineffable blessedness, in

reparation of this my

neglect. Let her see

therein all the divine

love whereby thou

didst from all eternity

freely elect her to be

thy Mother; didst preserve her from all taint

of original sin, and

incomparably adorn

her with all graces

and all virtues. Let

her see therein all the

tenderness wherewith

thou didst cling to her

when she cherished

thee, her Child, in her

bosom; all the constant unfailing love

with which, during the

whole time of thy sojourn on earth, thou,

who art the Ruler of

heaven and earth,

didst obey her as a

son his mother; and

especially in the hour

of thy death, when,

as though forgetting

thine own intolerable

anguish, and touched

to the heart by her

desolation, thou didst

provide for her a guardian and a son. Let

her see therein that

love beyond thought

with which thou didst

show h er how precious

she is in thy sight,

when on the day of

her most joyous Assumption thou didst

exalt her high above

all the choirs of angels,

and crown her Lady

and Queen of heaven

and earth. And thus,

O good Jesus, may she

be still to me a loving

and long-suffering Mother, and both in life

and in death my compassionate advocate

and patroness. Amen.

THANKSGIVING FOR THE GRACES BESTOWED ON THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

When St. Gertrude had recited this short prayershe saw in vision the Mother of divine grace arise and beseech the Blessed Trinity to grant

her as large a measure of grace as the heart of man can receive in this life. Then the most glorious Trinity turned towards the saint, and filled her soul with unutterable grace and benediction.

LESSED be the

ineffable, ever-adorable omnipotence

of God the Father;

and blessed the wondrous and manifold

wisdom of God the

Son; and blessed the

amazing and most

tender goodness of

the Holy Ghost, the

Paraclete; for that

the ever-glorious Trinity hath deigned to

decree from eternity,

to create in time, and

to bestow on us as our

most effectual help

and succour, the Virgin so full of all grace,

in order that he might

communicate to her

his own divine and

super-abounding beatitude. Amen.

GOLDEN SALUTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

The Blessed Virgin revealed to St. Gertrude that she rejoiced to show to those who thus saluted her the inestimable treasures of her loving compassion. And at the hour of his departure, she added, I will appear to him domed with radiant beauty, and will pour into his soul heavenly sweetness and consolation.

AIL, fair Lily of

the effulgent

and ever-peaceful

Trinity. Hail, radiant Rose of heavenly fragrance, of

whom the King of

heaven willed to be

born, and with thy

milk to be fed; uphold and succour me,

a miserable sinner,

now and at the hour

of my death. Amen.

HEAVENLY AVE MARIA

Which our Lord himself put in the mouth of St. Mechtilde.

AIL, thou peerless offspring

of the omnipotence

of the Father, of the

wisdom of the Son,

and of the enrapturing goodness of the

Holy Ghost, Mary,

who fillest heaven

and earth with thy

gentle light. Thou

that art full of grace,

the Lord is with thee,

even the only-begotten Son of the Father,

and the one only Son

of the love of thy virgin heart, thy sweetest Spouse and thy

Beloved. Blessed art

thou amongst women,

for thou hast annulled

the curse of Eve, and

hast brought back an

everlasting blessing.

And blessed is the

Fruit of thy womb,

Jesus Christ, the Lord

and Creator of all

things, who doth evermore bless and sanctify, enrich and quicken

all things. Amen.

GOLDEN AVE MARIA.

While St Mechtilde was ardently desiring to greet the Blessed Virgin with the most sublime salutation possible, she saw in vision our Lady % bearing on her heart the angelical salutation written in letters of gold, and saying to her: No salutation can surpass this, nor can any be so sweet in my ears as that with which God the everlasting Father greeted me, in the following manner:

AIL, Mary, in

union with that

reverence wherewith

God the Father greeted thee with Ave, and

by his omnipotence

delivered thee from

every woe and

Vae

of

sin. Hail, Mary, in

union with that love

wherewith the Son of

God enlightened thee

with his wisdom, and

made thee a softly-shining star, lighting

up heaven and earth.

Hail, Mary, in union

with that sweet unction of the Holy Ghost,

wherewith he so pervaded thee and made

thee so full of grace,

that every one who

through thee seeketh

grace doth find it

Call to mind now that

unspeakable operation

wherewith the whole

most Blessed Trinity

wrought in thee, when

human flesh taken

from thy substance

was so united to the

Divine Nature that

God was made man

and man became God,

and thy whole soul

was suffused with a

sweetness and a gladness which the heart

of man cannot conceive. And therefore

very creature with

rapturous admiration

doth acknowledge and

confess that thou art

blessed and incomparably exalted above

all creatures in heaven

or on earth, and blessed the Fruit of thy

womb, even Jesus,who

quickens, sanctifies,

and blesses all things

for ever. Amen.

ACT OF JOY IN THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

To which Innocent VIII. attached an Indulgence at the request of the Queen of Spain,

AIL, glorious Virgin, Morning star that dost outshine

the sun, gracious Mother of my God, sweeter than the dropping

honeycomb: thou art

that fair one in comparison with whom all

beauty is pale and dim;

thou art redder than

the rose and more

dazzling white than

the lily; all virtues

adorn thee, thou purer

than the seraphim;

and every saint doth

give thee honour, thou

that hast thy higher

throne in the heavens.

Amen.

THREE EFFICACIOUS PETITIONS TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

When St. Gertrude

recited these three petitions, which she had

learned of the Blessed

Virgin, it seemed to her

as though she were so

clothed and adorned

with her surpassing

merits, that the Lord of

Majesty took ineffable

delight in her.

Most blessed

Virgin Mary, I

beseech thee by the

most spotless purity

wherewith thou didst

prepare in thy womb

a still and glad abode

for the Son of God,

that by thy intercessions, I may

be cleansed

from every stain.

O most blessed Virgin Mary, I beseech

thee by that thy most

gentle, deep humility

whereby thou didst

merit to be raised

high above all angels

and saints, that by thy

intercessions all my

negligences may be

forgiven and satisfied

for.

O most blessed Virgin Mary, I implore

thee by that unutterable love which united thee inseparably

to God, that by thy

intercessions I may

receive an abundance

of all merit. Amen.

THE FIVE JOYS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

On one occasion while

St. Mechtilde was re

flecting in sadness that

she had never been duly

devout to the Blessed

Virgin, and was beseeching our Lord to

teach her how to supply

her defect, it seemed to

her that our Lord bade

her apply her lips to the

wound in his side, saying: Draw hence that

which thou dost wish to

offer to my Mother. And

she felt the five following

salutations, which she

had never heard or conceived before, trickle

down upon her lips as

so many drops of water.

SALUTE thee, O

Virgin most resplendent in glory, in

that sweetest stream

which flowed forth

upon thee from the

Heart of the most Holy Trinity, by reason

of thy most blessed

predestination from

everlasting.

I salute thee, O Virgin most radiant in

holiness, in that sweetest stream which went

forth upon thee from

the Heart of the most

Holy Trinity, by reason of thy most blessed conversation and

life.

I salute thee, O

Virgin most noble, in

that sweetest stream

which shed itself forth

upon thee from the

Heart of the most Holy

Trinity, through the

teaching and preaching of thy Son.

I salute thee, O

Virgin most full of

love, in that sweetest

stream which gushed

forth upon thee from

the Heart of the most

Holy Trinity, through

the bitter Passion and

Death of thy Son.

I salute thee, O

Virgin most worshipful, in that sweetest

stream which burst

forth upon thee from

the Heart of the most

Holy Trinity, and fill

ed thee with all the

glory, all the dazzling

magnificence, and the

ecstatic joy in which

thou dost now exult,

as beseemeth thee, the

elect above and over

all creatures before

the world was formed.

Amen.

AT THE ECCE ANCILLA DOMINI.

Our blessed Lady said

to St. Gertrude: Whoever shall devoutly recall to my mind the joy

which I felt in uttering

the words: Behold the

handmaid of the Lord,

I will most truly show

him, that I am his Mother, and will unfailingly succour him.

MOTHER of

blessedness and

most august Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost,

I praise and greet

thee, and with most

devout intention of

mind recall to thee

that unspeakable joy

which thou didst feel

when with calmest

trustfulness thou didst

commend to the divine Will thy whole

unreserved self, and

all that was to be done

to thee and in thee,

saying: Behold the

handmaid of the Lord:

beseeching thee that

thou wouldst show thyself my Mother, and

evermore succour me

with the saving help

of thy compassionate

heart. Amen.

OFFERING OF THE HEART OF JESUS TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

While St. Gertrude was once bemoaning her lack of service and devotion to our blessed Lady, she felt moved by the Holy Ghost to offer her the Heart of Jesus; which, she adds, our Lady received with exceeding joy, finding

therein a delight greater far than, all our service and devotion, no that no prayer, however fervent and recollected, could so gladden her maternal heart. St. Mechtilde also received a similar revelation.

PRAISE and greet

thee, O Virgin

surpassingly sweet, in

that intimate union

wherewith thou art

united to God above

all creatures. And in

amends for all the negligences I have committed in thy service,

I offer thee, O tender

Mother, the most glorious and adorable

Heart of Jesus Christ,

with all that true and

faithful filial love he

showed thee in such

perfection on earth,

and will for ever show

thee in heaven. Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. EDMUND.

Composed by him to

be repeated every day

Having omitted it one

day, he saw in a vision

of the night the holy

evangelist St. John, who

looked at him with a

severe countenance, and

said: Why have you

omitted my prayer?

And then, raising the

sceptre he held in his

hands with a threatening gesture, he commanded him never more

to omit it.

Undefiled

and ever-blessed,

only and incomparable Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost,

Gate of the kingdom

of heaven, through

whom under God all

the whole earth liveth;

bow down thy compassionate ears to my

unworthy supplications, O my Mother,

and be to me, a miserable sinner, needful

help and succour in

all things. O most

blessed John, thou

beloved friend of Jesus, who wast chosen

in thy purity by our

Lord, and because of

thy purity more tenderly beloved, and

more deeply imbued

with high and heavenly mysteries than thy

brethren; thou most

glorious apostle and

evangelist, I invoke

thee together with

Mary the Mother of

the same our Lord

Jesus Christ, and beseech thee that thou

wouldst, in union with

her, bestow upon me

thine aid. O ye two

gems of heavenly brilliance, ye two lights

shining with divine

lustre in the presence

of God, scatter with

your bright beams the

mists and clouds of

my sins. For you are

they unto whom, by

reason of your spotless purity, our Lord

confirmed his love

of predilection when

hanging on the cross,

saying to the one:

Woman, behold thy

son; and to the other:

Behold thy Mother.

Wherefore, in the

sweetness of that

most holy love wherein you are joined by

our Lord himself as

mother and as son,

I, a miserable sinner,

now commend to both

my body and my soul,

beseeching you to

deign to be my sure

protectors, both inwardly and outwardly,

at every moment of my

life, and my compassionate intercessors

with God. Demand

for me, I beseech you,

the salvation of my

soul and of my body.

Grant, I implore you,

oh, grant that through

your glorious prayer

the good and gentle

Spirit, bounteous Giver of all grace, may

cleanse me from all

the defilements of my

sins, may enlighten

and adorn me with

all holy virtues, and

enable me to stand

steadfast and to persevere unto the end

in the love of God and

of my neighbour; and

when I have finished

my course, may the

most gracious Paraclete lead me to the

joys of his chosen.

Who with the Father

and the Son, &c.

ASPIRATIONS OF A SINNER TO MARY.

emember, O

most compassionate Mother, that

from the beginning it

has never been heard

that any who have

fled to thee for protection, or implored

thy intercession, have

been forsaken by thee.

For to this end hath

the Fountain of forgiveness been given

to thee as thy Son,

that thou mightest

obtain grace for all

who need, and that

thine abundant charity might cover the

multitude of our sins

and our many defects.

Wherefore, encouraged by this assurance,

I have recourse to

thee, and stand before

thee in my misery and

my defilement. Oh,

despise me not for

my innumerable and

grievous sins, nor cast

me away because of

the exceeding loathsomeness and hardness of my heart.

Thou knowest, O Mary, how deeply I am

sunk in sins and vices,

and how justly I have

deserved all the most

dreadful anger of thy

Son. Cast me not away from thy favour,

O most compassionate

Mother, for thou art,

after God, my surest

confidence, and the

chief, the only ground

of my hope. For such

is the trust I have in

thee, that I shall never believe that I can

perish, as long as I

love thee and serve

thee. O most holy

Mother of God and of

man, thou joy of all

saints, thou solace of

the wretched and refuge of the poor, I beseech thee, by that ineffable joy and sweetness thou didst feel

when the incomprehensible Divinity took

flesh of thee, and thus

deigned to unite human nature to himself

for ever in thy virginal

womb, vouchsafe to

undertake my cause,

and to render me well-pleasing to the same

thy well-beloved Son.

Show him, O Mother,

the breasts which he

has sucked and the

arms with which thou

didst embrace him;

set now before him

all the toils and all

the dolours thou didst

suffer for his sake;

show him that heart

of thine, sweeter than

the honeycomb, all

glowing with the fire

of his love; and so

render him propitious

unto me. O my most

faithful advocate, turn

on me, thy most unworthy servant, those

pitying eyes of thine;

and by the fragrance of

that unimaginable delight thou didst feel as

thou wentest up from

this world to the royal

court of heaven, leaning blissfully on thy

Beloved, vouchsafe to

be with me in the hour

of my death; and in

that dread hour offer

for me to the most

Holy Trinity the merits of that tranquil

and consummate perfection which raised

thee, on the day of

thine Assumption, far

above all human and

angelic dignity, and

made thee the object

of his supreme and

everlasting complacency. Amen.

INVITATION TO THE B.V.M.TO BE PRESENT AT OUR DEATH.

Most holy Virgin Mary, in

union with that most

faithful love wherewith thy Son commended thee from

his cross to the blessed John, I commend

to thee my soul and

my body,my thoughts,

my words and my

actions, my life and

my death, and more

especially that one

last moment of my

life on which eternity

hangs. And as thou

didst invite thy Son

to thine own blessed

departure, so I invite

thee now to mine;

beseeching thee, by

that love wherewith

thou didst stand beneath the cross on

which thy Son was

dying, and by the bitter tears thou didst

shed when thou sawest him bow in death

his sacred Head, that

thou be not absent

from me then, but be

there to succour me

with a mother's tenderness; for without

thee I cannot die in

peace. Refuse not,

O most tender Mother, this my request,

which I make to thee

with all the earnestness and devotion of

my heart; for if I die

without thee, I most

justly fear lest I perish everlastingly. For

how shall I, fearful

and frail as I am,

stand then amidst the

manifold and most

grievous assaults of

my enemies, unless

thou be near to succour me? How shall

I appear in the dread

day of judgment, unless thou be my companion and my advocate? How give an

account of my innumerable, my enormous, my most exceeding sins, unless thou

plead my cause with

thy Son, and obtain

for me forgiveness of

them all? Incline

thine ear to my supplication, O my blessed Mother; and by

the love of thy Son

be with me in my

last moments, that by

thy availing succour I

may be rescued from

that appalling peril,

and with thee attain

to everlasting gladness. Amen.

THREE AVE MARIANS FOR A GOOD DEATH.

St. Mechtilde, having

on one occasion asked

the Blessed Virgin to assist her in the hour of

her death, received this

answer: You may feel

assured of my presence

and aid if you daily

address to me this threefold salutation.

AIL, Mary, full of

grace, the Lord

is with thee; blessed

art thou among women, and blessed is

the fruit of thy womb,

Jesus. Holy Mary,

Mother of God, as

God the Father in

the grandeur of his

omnipotence hath exalted thee and given

thee power above all

creatures, be with me,

I beseech thee, in the

hour of my death, and

drive far from me all

the snares and craft of

my enemies. Amen.

Hail, Mary, &c.

Holy Mary, Mother

of God, as God the

Son in the excellence of his unsearchable wisdom hath endued thee with so

great knowledge, and

filled thee with so

great light that thou

knowest the most Holy Trinity more truly

and intimately than

all saints, do thou so

enlighten my soul in

the hour of my death

with the knowledge of

the faith, that no error or ignorance may

lead it astray. Amen.

Hail, Mary, &c.

Holy Mary, Mother

of God, as the Holy

Spirit hath poured

into thee the sweetness of his love with

such abundance, that

thou art after God

the sweetest and most

benign of beings, do

thou pour into my

soul at the hour of

my death the sweetness of divine love,

that its every bitterness may be rendered

sweet to me. Amen.

Our Lord himself taught St. Gertrude to invoke his blessed Mother daily with the words: O thou our Advocate, turn on us those pitying eyes of thine; assuring her that she would thus receive great consolation in her last hour.

THE SWORDS OF SORROW

Which pierced the heart of the Blessed Virgin in the Passion of her Son.

THE FIRST SWORD.

Most sorrowful

Virgin Mary, I

recall to thy mind

now that sword of

sorrow which pierced

thy soul, when thy Beloved, thine, only one,

came to bid thee farewell, and to ask thy

maternal blessing, ere

he went forth to death.

Remember, O Mother

most afflicted, how

thy heart was wrung

when thy most tender

and only Son, thy delight, so lovingly embraced thee for the

last time, and with

plaintive voice and

tearful eyes bade thee

farewell. Remember

now your sighs and

tears, when the hearts

so joined together by

the strongest ties of

love were thus torn

asunder, and pierced

through with the

keenest wound of sorrow. By that mournful going away of thy

Son, and by all the

bitter tears thou didst

shed, I beseech thee,

O Mary, be with me

at the last, when all

my friends turn away

from my lifeless body,

and protect me with

thy maternal blessing

from all the snares of

the enemy. Amen.

THE SECOND SWORD.

Most afflicted

Virgin Mary, I recall to thy mind now

that keen sword of

sorrow which pierced

thy soul, when the

blessed John came to

tell thee that thy Son

had been betrayed by

Judas, seized by the

Jews, dragged before

Annas and Caiphas,

and there blasphemed and mocked, spit

upon, buffeted, and overwhelmed with contumely and rude reproach. Remember,

O thou most afflicted

one, how these mournful tidings pierced thy

heart. Oh, remember

now the moans and

wailing plaints with

which thou didst fill

the house, and how

thou didst cry: O Jesus, my Son Jesus,

who will grant me

that I might die for

thee, O Jesus, my Son,

my Son! By that

keenest sword of sorrow I beseech thee,

O Mary, in my last

hour, when my heart

shall quake with anguish and the dread

of death, do thou deign

to cheer me with thy

most holy presence,

lest I sink in the abyss

of despair. Amen.

THE THIRD SWORD.

Most sad Virgin

Mary, I recall

to thy mind now that

sword of sorrow which

pierced thy heart,

when thou didst behold thy Son led forth

by Pilate, his sacred

Body torn and bleeding, his Head crowned

with thorns, defiled

with spittings, so that

there was no beauty

in him, nor comeliness. Remember, O

Mother most sad, how

thy heart was torn

when thou didst hear

the Jews exclaim: Away with him, away

with him! crucify

him! Remember that

keenest wound which

was dealt upon thy

heart when thou didst

hear the sentence of

an accursed death pronounced by Pilate.

Remember all the

compassion and the

grief which wrung thy

Mother's heart when

thou didst see thy Son

laden with his heavy

cross, and led forth

with direst ignominy to the hill of Calvary. Oh, who shall

count thy sighs and

tears, who shall tell

the sorrows of thy

most afflicted heart!

I compassionate thee,

O Mother most desolate, and I humbly beseech thee be with me

in the dread hour of

judgment, when I am

overwhelmed with the

accusations of the devil; and drive far from

me then all mine enemies. Amen.

THE FOURTH SWORD.

Most desolate

Virgin Mary, I recall to thy mind now

that sword of sorrow

which pierced through

thy heart, when thou

didst behold thy Son

raised high upon his

cross, and fastened

thereunto with three

nails. O most sorrowful Mother, how

was it that thy soul

was not utterly crushed down and wrenched

from thy body? How

could it be that thine

eyes did not fail for

tears? Oh, remember

now the sadness which

filled thy heart when

thou didst behold him

blasphemed, mocked

with vinegar and gall

in his thirst, reputed

viler and treated more

ruthlessly than the

very robbers. Remember thine ineffable anguish when thou didst

see him fail and sink

beneath his impetuous

love and sorrow, his

lips grow pale, his

limbs quiver, his eyes

glazed and dim; until at length his heart

broke with a mighty

pang, and with a loud

cry he gave up the

ghost. By these thy

surpassing sorrows,

O Mother most desolate, and by all thy

groanings and tears, I

beseech thee, be with

me with the same love

when I draw my last

breath, when my heart

shall break in the agony of death; and

deign to receive my

soul into thy hands as

it goes forth from the

body.

THE FIFTH SWORD.

VIRGIN Mary,

Mother of dolours, I recall to thy

mind now that sword

of sorrow which pierced thy heart, when

thou didst receive into thy bosom thy Son,

taken down from the

cross, and didst bedew

his sacred Body with

thy tears. Oh, what

didst thou feel as thou

didst gaze upon that

Head pierced all around with thorns,

that Side riven with

the lance, those Hands

and Feet dug through

with the cruel nails,

that beauteous Face

marred with blows and

denied with spittings,

and all that sacred Body torn with wounds,

livid with stripes, and

besmeared with blood.

O most sorrowful Mother, how didst thou

kiss that divine Face,

and wash it with thy

tears, and bewail the

dishonour of thy Beloved. O Mother most

forlorn, I pray thee,

by all the sighs and

groans wrung from thy

heart, by all the sorrows and the wounds

of thy soul, comfort

mine in the hour when

it goes forth from the

body, wash it with

thy tears, and receive

it into thy maternal

arms as thou didst

receive the lifeless

Body of thy Son, and

lead it up to the joys

of heaven. Amen.

A LITANY OF HOLY MARY.

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Christ hear us.

Christ graciously hear us.

O God the Father, of heaven,

Have mercy on us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

Have mercy on us.

O God the Holy Ghost,

Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,

Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,

Holy Mother of God,

Holy Virgin of virgins,

Daughter of the Eternal Father,

Pray for us.

Mother of the Son of God,

Spouse of the Holy Ghost,

Virgin most glorious,

Virgin most amiable,

Virgin most meek,

Virgin most gentle,

Virgin most sweet,

Virgin most compassionate,

Virgin most gracious,

Virgin most faithful,

Virgin sweeter than the dropping honeycomb,

Delight of the Holy Trinity,

Temple of the living God,

Shrine of the Holy Ghost,

Glory of the heavenly Jerusalem,

Never-failing Spring of graces,

Stream of everlasting life,

Garden of heavenly delights,

Refuge of the sorrowful in spirit,

By thy sweetest name,

By the pity of thy Mother's heart,

By the love with which thou didst conceive

Jesus, and bear him in thy most pure

womb,

By the love with which thou didst bring

forth Jesus, and lay him in the lowly

manger,

By the love with which thou didst give him

to suck of thy breasts,

By the love with which thou didst share

with Jesus his joys and his sorrows,

By the love with which thou didst shed so

many tears in his Passion,

By the love with which thou didst stand by

the cross of Jesus,

By the love with which thou didst look

upon Jesus risen,

By the love with which thou didst gaze upon

him ascending,

By the love with which thou didst receive

the Holy Ghost,

By the love with which thou didst give thy

spirit into his hands,

By the love with which thou wast taken up

into heaven,

By the love with which thou wast welcomed

into heaven, and exalted high above all

creatures,

By the mutual love which unites thee to

God

By the love with which thou dost pity all

sinners,

Holy Mary,

Intercede for us

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

Ant.

Through thee may we have access to

thy Son, O thou blessed one who hast found

grace, thou Mother of the Life and Mother of

Salvation; that by thee we may receive him

who hath been given to us by thee. O our

Lady, our advocate, may thy undefiled purity

plead with him in excuse of our corruption;

may thy humility, so pleasing to God, obtain

from him forgiveness of our vanity; may

thine abounding charity cover the multitude

of our sins, and thy glorious fruitfulness render us fruitful in merits. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the

promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who hast deigned to elect the blessed Mary ever Virgin above all creatures to be thy Mother, and in thy most lavish love hast watered and fertilised and blessed her with abundant streams of manifold graces; we most humbly entreat thy clemency, by that mighty love wherewith thy Sacred Heart glowed towards her, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to be merciful to our sins, and to make us well-pleasing in thy sight, for the sake of the merits of the same thy most glorious Mother: who livest and reignest, &c.

CHAPTER. TO CERTAIN SAINTS

PART VII.

OF THE SAINTS.

INSTRUCTION ON THE MANNER IN WHICH THE SAINTS ARE TO BE HONOURED.

When St. Gertrude wished to honour any particular saint, she was accustomed to give God thanks for all the graces he had bestowed on that saint, by repeating several times the psalm:

Laudate DoraiDura, omnes gentes.

She found by experience that when we thus thank God on behalf of any saint, he increases grace in our souls through the merit of that saint. On one occasion she seemed to see many persons clothed and adorned with the merits of St. Bernard, and was much astonished, as those persons had not done works like his. What, then, said St. Bernard to her,

is she less beautiful who is adorned with the ornaments of another, than she who is adorned with her own? Assuredly not; and thus it is in regard of the merits of the saints, obtained by those who praise God on their behalf; they are conferred on them with so great love that they will be to them matter of everlasting joy.

Remember this, therefore, and if you say the Divine Office, bow your head at the

Gloria Patri,

with the intention of thanking God for the graces He has bestowed on the saint whose feast you are celebrating.

On another occasion St. Gertrude offered to

the blessed Virgin

15O Ave Maria's

, which she

had said in her honour;

and it seemed to her as

though every word thus

presented were a piece

of golden coin And

she felt within herself

that whenever we commit the end of our life

to any saint by special

prayers, those prayers

are borne up before the

throne of the Judge; and

the saint to whom they

were addressed is appointed by God the advocate of those who have

offered them, to provide

them all manner of good

according to their need.

In like manner St.

Mechtilde, having asked one of her sisters departed, who had appeared to her in radiant

glory after her death:

Tell me, my beloved Sister, of what avail to you are the prayers we offer for you?

received

this answer:

I receive every word of them from your mouth as so many blooming roses, which I offer with joy to my Beloved.

And

having spoken thus, she

showed her under her

glorious mantle roses of

exquisite bloom, having

a leaf of gold in the

midst. And being asked what was signified

by that golden leaf, she

answered:

It signifies those prayers which are offered of devotion, without obligation.

And she added, moreover:

Whenever any one addresses his prayer to any saint, that saint receives all the words of his mouth as though they were fresh blooming roses of spring.

And if you say an Our Father to all saints, with the intention, were it possible, of saying one for each of the saints, your intention is accepted by them as though you had really done so.

It is likewise most pleasing to the saints to salute them in and through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and especially

if you offer them that Divine Heart; because through it and from it they receive the most consummate and ecstatic delights.

TO ST. MICHAEL ARCHANGEL.

AIL, most glorious

prince, Michael

the Archangel! Hail,

most noble leader of

the heavenly host!

Hail, honour and glory

of the hierarchies of

heaven! O most august

prince, under what obligation dost thou lie

to thy Creator, who,

without any merit of

thine own, hath endowed thee with such

excellent might and adorned thee with such

peerless virtues? O

thou renowned warrior, thou ornament of

Paradise, thou lustrous gem of the court

of heaven, thou art the

seal of likeness to God,

full of wisdom and consummate in beauty.

Every precious stone

is thine adornment,

and all the working

of thy finished comeliness is of gold, in the

delights of the Paradise of our God. Thou

hast been appointed

prince and captain to

receive the souls of

the elect, and to lead

them into the Paradise

of rejoicing. I recall

to thy mind now, O

most blessed prince,

these and all other

graces wherewith the

boundless liberality of

God hath enriched

thee above all orders

of angels; beseeching

thee, by that mutual

love which binds thy

heart to the Divine

Heart of Jesus, that

thou wouldst deign to

receive my soul at the

moment of my departure, and to render the

Judge propitious to

me through thy intercession. Amen.

TO OUR GUARDIAN ANGEL.

Most holy angel

of God, appointed by him to be my

guardian, I give thee

thanks for all the benefits which thou hast

ever bestowed on me

in body and in soul.

I praise and glorify

thee that thou dost

condescend to assist

me, miserable and

worthless as I am,

with such patient fidelity, and to defend

me against all the assaults of my enemies.

Blessed be the hour

in which thou wast

assigned me for my

guardian, my defender, and my patron.

Blessed be all thy love

to me, and all thy care

for me, wherewith

thou dost unwearyingly further my salvation. In acknowledgment and return of all

thy loving ministries

to me from my youth

I offer thee the infinitely precious and

noble Heart of Jesus, full and overflowing with all blessedness: beseeching thee

to forgive me for having so often striven

against thy holy inspirations, and saddened thee my nearest, dearest friend;

and firmly purposing

to obey thee henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God.

Amen.

TO ST. JOHN EVANGELIST.

St. John was the special patron of St. Gertrude. Our Lord had, assigned her to him, instructing her to say every day a Pater noster in

his honour, with the following prayer:

BLESSED John

the Evangelist,

I recall to thy mind

now that most sweet

and most affectionate

fidelity thou didst feel

in thy heart when our

Lord taught thee, together with the other

Apostles, this his own

availing prayer: beseeching thee to obtain for me the grace

to cleave faithfully to

him, and to persevere

to the end of my life.

Amen.

Our Father, &c.

TO ST. BENEDICT.

St. Benedict said to St. Gertrude: Whoever shall delight in recalling to my mind the grace which was vouchsafed me, of dying while I was standing and praying, I will assuredly be with him in the hour of his death, and will stand between him and his enemies, wherever their assault is most deadly and furious.

Most glorious

patriarch, holy

father Benedict, I recall to thy mind now

that great and glorious grace bestowed on

thee by our Lord, of

breathing out thy last

breath as thou stoodst

praying, on which account thy lips now exhale a fragrance which

ravishes all the saints

with delight; beseeching thee to be with me

in the hour of my death

with loving fidelity,

and to place thyself

between me and my

enemies round about,

wheresoever thou seest them rage most

furiously against me;

so that, protected by

thy presence, I may escape all their snares,

and reach the joys of

heaven safe and blessed for ever. Amen.

TO ST. ANNE.

Pope Alexander VI.

granted an indulgence

of twenty years to all

who should devoutly repeat this prayer three

times before an image

of St. Anne.

AIL, thou full of

grace, the Lord

is with thee; let thy

grace be with me!

Blessed art thou amongst women, and

blessed be thy mother

Anne, who brought

thee forth, O Virgin

Mary all immaculate;

and of thee was born

Jesus Christ, the Son

of the living God. Amen.

TO ST. MARY MAGDALEN.

St. Mary Magdalen

said to St. Mechtilde:

Whosoever shall give

God thanks for all the

tears I shed upon the

feet of Jesus, &c., our

most merciful God will

grant him through my

intercession remission

of all his sins before his

death, and a great increase of love to God.

Most merciful

Jesus, I give

thee thanks for that

work of piety which

the blessed Mary

Magdalen wrought on thee

when she washed thy

feet with her tears,

and wiped them with

the hair of her head,

and kissed them and

anointed them with

fragrant ointment;

whereby she obtained

from thee such signal

grace that thou didst

pour into her heart

and soul so great love

of thee that she could

love nothing apart

from thee: beseeching thee that by her

merits and intercessions thou wouldst

vouchsafe to me tears

of true repentance,

and pour into my

heart thy divine love.

Amen.

PRAYER TO JESUS

Through the merits of St. Gertrude.

Our Lord promised St. Gertrude that if any one should praise God for her, and give him thanks for the love wherewith he had chosen her from eternity, &c., he would assuredly grant him whatever He asked, provided that it tended to his salvation.

Most compassionate Jesus, Giver of all good and all

grace, may all within the round world

and the depth of the

sea and the compass

of heaven give thanks

to thee and praise thee

with that infinite, everlasting, and unchanging praise which floweth forth from thee

and floweth back unceasingly upon thee

again, for the exceeding love wherewith

thou didst shed into

the heart and soul of

thy beloved spouse

Gertrude so great a

flood of graces and

of loving-kindnesses,

and didst reveal to the

world the mysteries of

thy tender compassion

through her, thine own

chosen and peculiar

instrument. Wherefore from my inmost

heart I render thee

utmost thanks; and I

beseech thee, on behalf of all in heaven,

on earth, or in purgatory; through that

ineffable divine love

wherewith thou didst

from all eternity elect

to special grace thy

loving and most faithful servant, and didst

in thine own appointed time draw her so

sweetly to thee, and

unite her so intimately to thyself, and dwell

with such delight in

her heart, and crown

her life with an end

so blessed; that thou

wouldst condescend

graciously to hear and

to answer my petition.

I recall to thy mind

now, O most compassionate Jesus, the promise thou madest to

thy beloved spouse in

thy great and superabounding goodness,

that thou wouldst

most assuredly grant

the prayers of all who

come to thee through

her merits and intercession, in all matters

concerning their salvation; binding thyself, moreover, if thou

didst not at once grant

their petition, to bestow on them threefold in thine own good

time, from the omnipotence, the wisdom,

and the tender kindness of the adorable

Trinity. Calling thus

to thy mind this thy

faithful promise, I beseech thee, leave me

not desolate, but bestow on me the salutary effect of my petition. Amen.

AN EFFICACIOUS PRAYER TO ST. GERTRUDE.

PRAISE and greet

thee, O most blessed Virgin Gertrude,

through the sweetest

Heart of Jesus thy

Spouse; and through

that Heart I magnify

the goodness and condescension of the ever-adorable Trinity for

all the grace which has

ever flowed forth, from

that unfathomable abyss for thy salvation; beseeching thee,

by that mutual love

which united thy pure

heart to the Sacred

Heart of Jesus, that

thou wouldst look on

me as commended to

thy care in life and

in death, and be my

faithful advocate with

God. Amen.

PRAYER TO ST. GERTRUDE IN TIME OF TEMPTATION.

One who was grievously tempted with evil thoughts and almost brought to consent to them, took by a holy inspiration a relic of St. Gertrude and applied it to her heart, saying with great confidence:

Lord Jesus, I

beseech thee by

that love wherewith

thou didst choose the

heart of thy elect one,

freed from every earthly affection, to be thine

own exclusive abode,

and didst fill it with

spiritual gifts; vouchsafe to deliver me from

this fierce temptation

through her merits

and intercession. Amen.

And as soon as she had thus prayed, the temptation left her. Imitate her example; and if you have not a relic of the saint, apply her image to your heart.

St. Francis directed a brother who was suffering temptation to say with devotion,:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

And when he had done so, the temptation vanished. And

this has been often done with much fruit.

THANKSGIVING FOR THE GRACES BESTOWED ON ST. MECHTILDE.

Our Lord said to a devoid person: I will graciously incline myself towards those who love my beloved Mechtilde for my sake, and will draw them to me. And those who shall give me thanks for having exalted her so highly, I will make them partakers of her merits, and grant them divine consolation in the hour of death.

GIVE thanks to

thy goodness, O

my God; I give thanks

to thy condescension,

that thou hast chosen

thy beloved and blessed Mechtilde to so

great grace, and hast

adorned her with such

immense gifts and virtues. I rejoice together with thee, O compassionate Jesus, and

I give thee thanks for

all the good thou hast

wrought in her, and

wilt work in her for

evermore. I thank

thee for that abounding joy and that tranquil peace thou didst

find in her. I give thee

thanks for that ravishing influx of grace

wherewith thou didst

incline thine heart towards her, and for all

the holy operation of

thy Spirit within her.

And, lastly, I thank

thee for that perfect

and untroubled delight thou didst take

in her; beseeching

thee devoutly to make

me a partaker of her

merits, and to adorn

me with the splendour

of her virtues. Amen.

PRAYER TO A MARTYR.

SALUTE thee and

venerate thee, O

most holy martyr of

Christ, St. N. I bless

and magnify the infinite goodness and condescension of the ever-adorable Trinity for

all the grace which

he hath deigned to

bestow on thee of his

exceeding and most

bounteous love. I

bless the boundless

liberality of the divine

compassion which so

gently prevented thee

with the blessings of

sweetness, and hath

gloriously adorned thy

head with the triumphant crown of martyrdom in the heavens.

O holy N., most blessed martyr of Christ,

invincible soldier in

that army whose garments are sprinkled

with blood; thou art

a foundation-stone of

the faith, and a column

of strength. Thou art

a glorious hero of the

Church, the honour

and the glory of Paradise; blessed art thou

amongst martyrs, and

beautiful in thy form

above the inhabitants

of heaven. For the

increase of thy glory

and blessedness I offer

thee the most worshipful Heart of Jesus

Christ, so consummate

and perfect in all good

things through its union with his Divinity;

devoutly beseeching

thee, by all and every

drop of thy precious

blood which thou hast

shed, by all the cruel

wounds thou didst receive, and by the bitter

anguish thou didst endure in heart and soul

and body, that thou

wouldst be with me in

the hour of my death,

which I commend to

thee with sure trust;

and wouldst offer to

Jesus my Judge, in

compensation for the

merits which I lack,

the virtues whereby

thou knowest thyself

to be more especially

pleasing in his sight.

Amen.

PRAYER TO A CONFESSOR.

AIL, holy N., illustrious confessor

of Christ, glory and adornment of his holy

Church. Thou art the

sweet budding rose of

charity, the lily of purity, the beaming star

of sanctity. Like the

morning star in the

midst of a cloud, and

as the moon at the full,

so didst thou shine

forth in the splendour of thy virtues. O

most blessed N., what

thanks dost thou owe

to God for all his gifts

to thee, in that he

chose thee from eternity in his unsearchable wisdom, justified

thee freely, and made

thee honourable and

worthy of his grace;

in that he hath delivered thee from all

evil and misery in his

strong and prevailing

love, and hath made

all the events of thy

life, the evil as well as

the good, work together unto thy good and

thy salvation. Wherefore I give thanks to

thy most loving Creator, and I magnify and

extol with thee the

omnipotence, the wisdom, and the goodness of the transcendently glorious Trinity,

which has deigned to

decree and give effect

to thy predestination

unto so great holiness,

and to adorn thee together with himself

with a crown of justice

in the kingdom of his

glory. O blessed N. O

most holy friend of

Jesus, remember me,

a miserable sinner,

who invoke thee with

all the devotion of my

heart. I commend to

thee my life and my

death, and especially

my last parting breath;

beseeching thee, by

that love wherewith

thou didst cleave so

fast to God and serve

him so devoutly, that

thou wouldst deign to

offer to God in satisfaction for my sins all

the mortifications, the

austerities, and the

penance which thou

didst so willingly undertake and so lovingly accomplish for the

glory of his Name. Amen.

PRAYER TO A VIRGIN AND MARTYR.

AIL, holy N., glorious virgin and

martyr. Hail, sweetest

spouse of Jesus, thou

vessel of election of

the Holy Ghost; like

as the rose amongst

thorns, and as a star

in the midst of a cloud,

so didst thou shine

forth upon the darkness of the world. I

salute and bless thee

a thousandfold in that

union wherewith thy

loving soul is one spirit with God, and I

rejoice and exult in

the victory which thou

hast gained in thy glorious strife. I congratulate thee on the two-fold crown, of virginity and of martyrdom,

wherein thou shinest

gloriously forth as a

star in the firmament.

For the increase of

thy joy, thy glory, and

thy blessedness, I offer thee the sweetest

Heart of my Jesus, together with all his filial love to God the Father in his Divinity,

and to Mary his Mother in his Humanity:

and through that sacred-heart I commend

myself to thy especial

care and patronage,

that by thy most holy

sufferings and death,

and by the merits of thy

pure and virgin blood,

I may obtain forgiveness of my sins, and

the sure protection of

divine grace in life and

in death. Amen.

PRAYER TO A VIRGIN.

AIL, holy N.,

graceful virgin,

unspotted spouse of

Jesus, thou art full of

grace and of love, lustrous with honour, resplendent with charity. O blessed N., I

recall to thy mind now

that ineffable grace

which our Lord bestowed upon thee,

when he set thee apart

even from thy mother's

womb, and chose thee

into the number of

his especially beloved

ones. Blessed be the

perfection of thy snow white purity, and the

gentle charm of thy

most chaste love; for

with one hair of thy

neck and with one of

thine eyes thou hast

wounded the heart of

thy Lord the King.

Thou art a lily of virginity glistening in

thy whiteness, an unfading flower of purity,

who drawest all saints

after the sweet odour

of thy perfumes, and

dost gladden and refresh them with the

marvellous radiance

of thy light. Thou

art a spotless lamb,

clothed upon with the

snowy fleece of chastity, and thou followest the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, and

with most ravishing

melody dost sing thy

virgin hymn. I beseech thee, O blessed

N., by that love wherewith Christ doth bestow on thee the rewards of everlasting

bliss, blot out all the

stains of my manifold

corruptions, and with

thy undefiled virginity cover the foulness

of my defilement, and

obtain for me, through

the favour thou hast

found with God, that

I may never henceforward, by thought or

word or deed, sin against the sacredness

of purity. Amen.

PRAYER TO A SAINT ON HIS FEAST-DAY.

HOLY N., I

praise thee, bless

thee, and glorify thee,

and congratulate thee

with all my heart on

all the glory and honour which are rendered to thee to-day,

through the boundless liberality of the

divine goodness. I

recall to thy mind now

the overflowing gladness with which thou

didst rejoice when

thou wast presented

before the face of the

glory of God by the

ministry of holy angels, to receive from

him thine everlasting reward. Remember, O most blessed

saint, all thy honour

and thy glad rejoicing

when the hand of God

placed the crown of

the kingdom on thy

head, and thy soul was

set upon the throne of

its glory. For these

and all other benefits

and graces which have

ever been bestowed

upon thee by the God

of majesty, I adore,

praise, and bless his

unutterable goodness,

that he hath poured

out upon thee in such

abundance the flood

of his sweetest compassion; and as the

bond of that perpetual love and faithfulness in which I desire

to bind myself to thee,

I offer thee the sweetest Heart of my Jesus,

that treasure of all

good things, together

with all the love and

the condescension he

hath ever showed thee

upon earth, and now

showeth thee in the

heavens. And, finally, with most assured

trust I commend myself to thy most holy

prayers; beseeching

and imploring thee

that in the dread hour

of my death thou

wouldst offer unto the

Lord, in satisfaction

for my manifold negligences, all that collected fervour with

which thou didst stand

before God perfect and

complete on this the

day of thine entrance

into Paradise. Amen.

Invocation of all saints, which our Lord taught to St. Mechtilde, and commanded her to recite.

YE holy Patriarchs and Prophets, I salute you in

the sweetest Heart of

Jesus; beseeching you

to deign to offer unto

God for me the ardent

yearning desire you

felt for the Incarnation of Jesus.

O ye holy Apostles,

I salute you in the

sweetest Heart of Jesus; beseeching you

to deign to offer unto

God for me that faithfulness and constancy

wherewith you continued with Jesus in

his temptations, and

gathered unto him a

faithful people by your

preaching.

O ye holy Martyrs,

I salute you in the

sweetest Heart of Jesus; beseeching you

to deign to offer unto

God for me that patience with which you

shed your blood for

his love.

O ye holy Confessors, I salute you in

the sweetest Heart of

Jesus; beseeching you

to deign to offer unto

God for me that sanctity which shone forth

in your words and your

example.

O ye holy Virgins,

I salute you in the

sweetest Heart of your

divine Spouse; beseeching you to deign

to offer unto God for

me that purity and

chastity whereby you

have merited to stand

now so near to Jesus

in heaven.

O all ye Saints of

God, I salute and venerate you all in the

sweetest Heart of Jesus your Lord, and

through it I render

thanks to God for all

the good which has

ever flowed forth from

it for your salvation;

beseeching you all in

general, and each one

of you in particular,

to deign to offer unto

God for me, a miserable sinner, all those

virtues and perfections which render you

most especially well-pleasing to God. Amen.

LITANY OF ALL SAINTS.

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Christ hear us.

Christ graciously hear us.

O God the Father, of heaven,

Have mercy on us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

Have mercy on us.

O God the Holy Ghost,

Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,

Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,

All ye holy Angels and Archangels,

All ye holy Thrones and Dominations,

All ye holy Princedoms and Powers,

All ye holy Virtues of the heavens,

All ye holy Cherubim and Seraphim,

Pray for us.

All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets,

All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists,

All ye holy Martyrs and Confessors,

All ye holy Bishops and Doctors,

All ye holy Priests and Levites,

All ye holy Monks and Hermits,

All ye holy Penitents and Pilgrims,

All ye holy Virgins and Widows,

All ye who have served God in holy matrimony,

All ye holy Innocents,

All ye Saints of God,

Intercede for us.

Jesus, Crown of all thy saints,

By their virtues and merits,

By their patience and humility,

By their penance and mortification,

Have mercy on us.

By their fasts and watchings,

By their weariness and toils,

By their poverty and want,

By their pilgrimages and prayers,

By their devotion and their love,

By their sighs and their longings,

By their charity and alms,

By their compassion and mercy,

By their persecutions and martyrdom,

By their bonds and imprisonment,

By their pains and torments,

By their wounds and stripes,

By their cruel death,

By the shedding of their blood,

By all the adversities and the miseries

which they endured for thy glory,

By the love wherewith thou hast loved

them from eternity,

By the love wherewith thou didst draw

them to thyself,

By the love wherewith thou didst dwell in

their hearts,

By the love wherein thou didst confer on

them such manifold graces,

By the love wherewith thou didst receive

them into heaven,

By the love wherewith thou art ever bestowing on them their everlasting reward,

By the mutual love which unites them to

thee,

Jesus Christ,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Graciously hear us O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, hear us.

Jesus, graciously hear us.

V. Pray for us, all ye saints of God.

R. That by your merits we may attain to everlasting life.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus

Christ, Crown of

thy saints,do thou have

mercy on thy people,

who are called by thy

Name, and by the merits of all thy saints be

merciful to our iniquities. Remember all

the faithfulness and

the love which they

kept always to thee

even unto death. Behold, their innocent

blood so ruthlessly

shed crieth unto thee

from the ground, beseeching thy mercy.

Be thou appeased, O

our Lord, by their merits which we now offer thee, and grant us

to enjoy their society

in heaven, on whose

merits and patronage

we rely on earth. Who

livest, &c. Amen.

CHAPTER. FOR THE CHURCH, FOR THOSE IN AFFLICTION, FOR THE DYING, AND FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

PART VIII

PRAYERS FOR DIFFERENT NECESSITIES.

KISSING THE FIVE WOUNDS FOR THE SINS OF THE CHURCH.

When St. Gertrude,

inspired by God, had

kissed the five Wounds

of Jesus in the manner

which follows, it was revealed to her that whenever any one does any

good work, however

small it be, for the glory

of God, or says an Our

Father, or the welfare of

the Church, the Son of

God receives that work

with ineffable delight as

the fruit of his Passion,

gives thanks to God the

Father for it, blesses it,

and in blessing, multiplies it, and distributes

it to the whole Church

to promote the everlasting salvation of his

elect.

AT THE WOUND OF THE LEFT FOOT.

SWEETEST Jesus, with all the

loving affection of my

heart I kiss the wound

of thy left Foot, in

expiation of all the

sins which have been

ever committed in

thy whole Church by

thought, or desire, or

intention; beseeching

thee that thou wouldst

vouchsafe to impart

to it for its cleansing

that perfect and sufficing expiation whereby thou hast purged

away the sins of the

whole world. Amen.

AT THE WOUND OF THE RIGHT FOOT.

Most compassionate Jesus,

with all the loving affection of my heart I

kiss the wound of thy

right Foot, for all the

omissions made by thy

whole Church in good

thoughts, in holy desires, and pious intentions; beseeching thee

that thou wouldst now

vouchsafe to impart

to it for the supply of

its omissions that most

perfect and sufficing

satisfaction by which

thou didst pay the

debt of all the race of

man. Amen.

AT THE WOUND OF THE LEFT HAND.

Most loving Jesus, with most devout intention of soul

I kiss the wound of thy

left Hand, in expiation

of all the sins of word

and of deed committed

by the whole world;

beseeching thee that

thou wouldst vouchsafe to impart to thy

Church for its cleansing that most perfect

and sufficing satisfaction whereby thou hast

made atonement for

all our sins of word

and deed. Amen.

AT THE WOUND OF THE RIGHT HAND.

Most kind Jesus, with most

profound devotion I

kiss the wound of thy

right Hand, in satisfaction for all the negligences of thy whole

Church in useful words

and good works; beseeching thee that

thou wouldst vouchsafe to impart to it for

the supply of all its

defects that consummate perfection wherewith thy Divinity caused thy Humanity to

shine with such transcendent glory. Amen.

AT THE WOUND OF THE SIDE.

Most gentle Jesus, with the

deepest love of my

heart I kiss the loving

wound of thy most

sacred Side; beseeching thee that after

having bestowed on

thy holy Bride the

Church sufficing expiation of all its sins,

and perfect satisfaction for all its negligences and omissions,

thou wouldst, according to the multitude

of thy divine compassions, impart to it for

the increase of its

everlasting bliss the

merits of all thy most

holy life and conversation, wherein thou

dost now shine forth

with such effulgence

in the presence of God

the Father. Amen.

OFFERING OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST FOR THE SINS OF THE CHURCH.

St. Gertrude was accustomed to say, under

the guidance of the Holy

Ghost, five Our Father's

in honour of the Five

Wounds of our Lord,

and in satisfaction for

all the sins of the Jive

senses committed by the

whole race of men. She

added also three Our

Father's in satisfaction

for all the sins of the

three principal faculties

of the soul committed

by all mankind, as well

as in supply of all their

omissions and defects.

OFFERING OF OUR lord's PRAYER.

SWEETEST Jesus, I offer thee

this prayer in union

with that most perfect

intention wherewith

thou didst sanctify it

in thy sacred Heart,

and give it forth to us

for our salvation; in

satisfaction for all our

sins committed, and

for all the negligences

and the defects arising

from human frailty,

ignorance, or ill-will,

against thy irresistible omnipotence, thy

unsearchable wisdom,

and thy superabounding gratuitous goodness. Amen.

When she had made

this offering our gracious Lord,as though propitiated by the ineffable

complacency with which

he looked on her, stretched forth his Hand, and

gave her his loving benediction, signing her

with the sign of the cross

from the crown of her

head to her feet. Let

us strive, by imitating

the saint, to gain a like

blessing.

On another occasion,

our Lord said to her:

Recite thirty-three

Our Father's

, and thus buy

of me my holy conversation and life while

for thirty three years I

was working salvation

in the midst of the earth.

And I communicate this

fruit of my work to my

whole Church for its salvation and my glory.

And when she had done

this she saw in her spirit

the whole Church adorned as a bride with all

the fruit of the most holy

life and conversation

of Christ.

You may gather how

pleasing it is to Christ

to pray for his Church,

from these following

words which he said to

St. Mechtilde: If any

one, of pure love to God,

prays for another person as though he were

praying for himself, his

prayer shall enlighten

the heavenly Jerusalem

like the morning sun

PRAYER FOR THE WHOLE CHURCH.

St. Gertrude said to

our Lord, on one occasion: Behold, O Lord,

I offer thee the desires

and petitions of all who

have commended themselves to my unworthy

prayers. And the Lord

said to her: Thou hast

enkindled and inflamed

my heart with as many

torches of love as are the

persons whom thou dost

represent before me.

Then said the saint:

Lord, teach me how to

come before thee for all

the members of thy

Church, and I will enkindle in thy Heart as

many torches of love as

there are persons in the

whole universal Church.

Our Lord answered her

thus: You may do what

you desire in these four

ways: by praising

me for having created

them; by giving me

thanks for the benefits I

have bestowed on them,

&c, as follows:

Most compassionate Jesus, I

praise, bless, and glorify thee with the love

of my whole heart for

the creation of all

those whom thou hast

deigned to form after

thine own image and

likeness, and I render

thee thanks for all

the benefits that thou

hast ever bestowed, or

shalt ever hereafter

bestow, on them. In

union with thy most

exceeding sorrow I

pour out now my complaint before thee,with

true sorrow and repentance for every

manner in which they

have ever hindered or

frustrated thy grace;

and I most devoutly

pray for all men, that

each in his appointed

place may be made

perfect in every good

work, to thy everlasting praise and glory.

Amen.

LAUDATE REPEATED THRICE FOR OUR OWN SINS OR THOSE OF THE CHURCH.

St. Gertrude said to

our Lord: Teach me,

O most loving Master,

with what prayer I

may most sweetly soothe

and propitiate thine anger, excited by the sins

of men. Our Lord answered her thus: It will

be very pleasing to me

to recite the Our Father,

or the psalm: Laudate

Dominum, omnes gentes, three times, and

offer them to God in the

following manner:

Our Father, or,

Laudate.

Most holy Father, in expiation of all the earthly

and carnal delights

and the perverse desires with which any

human heart, and in

particular my own,

has ever been ensnared, I offer thee all the

toil of the most sacred

Heart of thine only-begotten Son, wherewith he was wearied

upon earth for our salvation; all its praise,

its giving of thanks,

its plaints, its movements, its yearnings,

and its love. Amen.

Our Father, or,

Laudate.

Most holy Father, in expiation of all the sins

committed in thy holy

Church, and particularly my own, by gluttony and drunkenness, and by the multiplication of useless

and hurtful words, I

offer thee all the

utterances of the

most sacred Lips of

thine only-begotten

Son; all his abstinence and temperance,

his silence, his unwearied preaching and

his prayers, wherein

he toiled for our salvation. Amen.

Our Father, or,

Laudate.

Most holy Father, in expiation of all the sins

which any member of

thy Church, and in

particular I myself,

have ever committed

in any manner, or by

the misuse of any

member of the body,

I offer thee now every

movement of the

most sacred Body of

thine only- begotten

Son; the movements

of all his most holy

Limbs, all the whole

course of his most

perfect conversation

and life, together with

all the bitterness of

the most sinless Passion and Death which

he endured for the

redemption of the human race. Amen.

A VERY EFFICACIOUS PRAYER FOR OUR RELATIONS AND FRIENDS.

While St. Gertrude

was thus praying for

all who had an especial

claim on her affection,

the merciful Lord, recalling to mind in the

light of his divine knowledge the necessities of

each, vouchsafed to display towards them his

tender and most loving

compassion.

Most kind and

gentle Jesus, I

commend all those

who have asked my

unworthy prayers to

thy divine knowledge

and love, under the

guidance of which

thou didst come down

to earth from the bosom of thy Father to

save man. And in

union with that love

wherewith thou didst

commend thy Spirit

to thy Father, I commend

them all to thy

sacred Heart, and enclose them all therein;

and I offer and set it

forth before thee, in

union with that love

wherewith thou didst

take it to thyself, a

human heart, for the

salvation of all the

human race, and hast

often given it as a

token of thy special

friendship to thy well-beloved friends; beseeching thee from

its infinite treasures

to take wherewith to

bless those for whom

I pray, or am bound

to pray. Amen.

Thus our Lord taught St. Gertrude to pray. Then add an

Our Father,

and offer it thus:

GOOD Jesus, I

offer thee this

prayer to thine everlasting praise,and that

through it thou mayest shed forth thy benefits and blessings

on those who are dear

to thee and to me, according to the good

pleasure of thy divine

compassion. Amen.

In like manner St. Gertrude was accustomed to offer, with the approval of our Lord, a Miserere for all who were dear to her.

That you may know how useful it is to pray for others, hear what our Lord said to St. Gertrude on one occasion. Even as it cannot be that a man's feet should be pierced through, and his heart not feel a thrill of anguish and compassion, so it is impossible that my fatherly pity should not look with an eye of mercy on him who, although he feels himself bowed down beneath the burden of his own transgressions, and needs first of all for himself the healing balm of divine forgiveness, still prays unceasingly for the salvation of his neighbour.

FOR OUR ENEMIES.

When St. Gertrude

had prayed the following prayer, it seemed to

her as though our Lord

fell down before the Face

of God the Father, and

offered for her the fruit

of all his most holy life

and conversation, in expiation of all her sins.

Lord Jesus, in

union with that

love and that surpassing sweetness with

which, amidst the unutterable anguish and

sorrows of thy Passion, thou didst pray

for those who crucified

thee, saying: Father,

forgive them, I beseech thee with all

the love of my heart

that thou wouldst now

vouchsafe to forgive

all who have ever or in

any way offended against me. Amen.

PRAYER IN ANY TRIBULATION.

When St. Gertrude

and her sisters had long

prayed to God in a

certain affliction without receiving any answer, site said at length:

How is it, O thou most

tender Lover of my soul,

that thou thus deferrest

my hope? Then our

Lord answered her, saying: It were not to be

wondered at that a father should permit his

son to ask him for a

piece of money, if at

each demand he laid

up for him a hundred.

In like manner do not

wonder if I seem to defer to grant your petition in this matter; for

as often as you pray to

me in this matter, be it

only by one word or by

one thought, I lay up

in store for you far

more than a hundredfold of eternal good

things.

FATHER of

mercies and God

of all consolation,

vouchsafe, I beseech

thee, to look on me

with the eyes of thy

compassion, as thou

didst look upon thy

beloved Son when, in

the Garden of Olives,

he cried unto thee in

the sore anguish of his

spirit, and bedewed

the ground with his

sweat of blood. Is it

not thy will, O most

pitiful Father, that

we should flee to thee

in all our necessities,

and call upon thee to

turn away from us all

our perils? Seeing,

therefore, that thou

wiliest that we should

pray to thee and call

upon thy Name, I beseech thee in accordance with thy will that

thou wouldst deliver

me from this tribulation, in thy own most

adorable good-pleasure. O most tender

Father, incline the

ears of thy compassion to my prayers,

all unworthy as they

are, and draw me out

of this great strait.

Before the eyes of

thy mercy, at the feet

of thy tender love, I

lay open all the anguish of my heart and

the distress of my

spirit, and I offer it

to thee that thou mayest do with it as seemeth best in thy sight.

O sweet Jesus, by all

the anguish and the

distress thou didst

undergo for our salvation, let this chalice

pass from me. O most

compassionate Jesus,

I offer thee that transcending prayer which

thy sweat of blood in

view of the agony of

death rendered so fervent, and which the

glowing love of thy

Divinity rendered so

effectual; beseeching

thee to hear me

hrough its virtue, and

to deliver me from

this affliction. Wherefore I implore thee,

with thine own intention and resignation,

with the feelings of

thine own heart and

the words of thy sacred lips, saying: Abba, Father, all things

are possible to thee;

remove this chalice

from me; nevertheless not what I will,

but what thou wilt.

Amen.

PRATER OF ONE WHO IS SICK OR AFFLICTED.

When on one occasion

St. Mechtilde was ill,

and had poured out her

complaint before our

Lord, he said to her:

Lay all thy pains in

my Heart, and I will

grant thee all the alleviation I have ever granted to any of my saints.

And like as my Passion

brought forth ineffable

fruit, so if you commend

your sickness to me it

shall bring forth increase of honour to the

blessed, of merit to the

just, and of forgiveness

to sinners.

Most loving Jesus, I accept with

most ready will this

sickness [or, this affliction] which thou

hast sent me from thy

paternal Heart in token of thy love, and I

offer it to thee with

thankfulness, in that

same love wherein

thou hast sent it upon

me. Wherefore I lay

all my pain and my

anguish in thy most

sacred Heart,beseeching thee that thou

wouldst deign to unite

them to thine own

most bitter Passion,

to absorb them therein and render them

perfect and acceptable

to thee. And since by

reason of the multitude

of my sorrows

and pains I cannot

praise thee as I ought,

do thou praise thy

Father for my sufferings with that praise

wherewith thou didst

praise him upon the

cross in thine own extremest agony. And

as thou didst give

him thanks with all

thy heart for all the

contumely and the

pain which he laid

upon thee, so do thou

thank him for these

my sufferings. And

finally, with that same

love wherewith thou

didst accept all thy

wounds and all thy

reproaches and offer

them to thy Father

with perfect gratitude,

do thou offer to him

this my outward and

inward affliction, together with thy most

holy Passion, to his

everlasting praise and

glory. Amen.

OFFERING OF ANY PAIN OR GRIEF.

Whenever any pain or grief comes upon you, offer it immediately to the divine love, as our Lord taught St. Mechtilde.

My sweet Love, I

offer thee this

little smart, and commend it to thee with

that same intention

wherewith thou hast

Drought it down to me

from the Heart of Jesus, beseeching thee to

record it for me on high

together with my deepest thankfulness.

ACT OF RESIGNATION IN SICKNESS.

A sick or dying person can do nothing better than to commit himself wholly and unreservedly to the divine will, and to profess his perfect readiness to accept from his hand all suffering, and even

death itself. And whoever does this with his whole heart may be sure that he shall enter heaven without passing through purgatory, even though he have committed innumerable sins. So we are taught by Thauler, Blosius, Suso, and others. Wherefore the sick person should, often recite Vie following prayer, or have it recited for him.

EHOLD, O almighty and most

merciful God, I thy

unworthy servant offer and resign myself

to thee wholly and

unreservedly,for thine

everlasting praise and

glory, that thou mayest do in me, both in

body and in soul, all

thine adorable will;

and I make this offering in union with that

love wherewith thy

Son offered himself

to thee while hanging

on the cross. And I

profess from my heart

my readiness to endure with patience,

and for the sake of

thy love and thy glory,

all the pains and anguish of this my sickness, and even death

itself, and all the evils

and the chastisement

which the severity of

thy divine justice may

lay upon me in time

or in eternity. Wherefore, in thy presence

and in presence of all

thy saints, I declare

and protest, that were

it in my power to

live a thousand years

amidst all the pleasures and delights the

heart of man can conceive or desire, I would

nevertheless choose

rather for thy love and

thy glory to die at this

time, if it be thy holy

will. And with the

fullest resignation of

myself into thy hands,

I say and repeat a

thousand times with

heart and mouth: Not

my will, but thine be

done, O most loving

Jesus, in me, by mo,

in all that concerns

me, in time and in

eternity. Amen.

PRAYER FOR A SICK PERSON.

When St. Gertrude

was about to pray for a

sick person, she asked

our Lord what prayer

would be most pleasing

in his sight, and received this answer: Say

the fete following words

for him with a devout

heart; and as often as

you repeat them, both

you and the sick person

shall receive a notable

increase of merit. Those

who are sick may say

this prayer for themselves, making the needful changes.

Lord Jesus, I

beseech thee, by

that love wherewith

thou didst bear all our

languors and carry all

our sorrows, that thou

wouldst sustain the