O my Jesus, I see how much Thou hast done and suffered, to put me under the necessity of loving Thee: and I have been so ungrateful to Thee! How many times, for the sake of some miserable pleasure or fancy, have I bartered away Thy grace, and have lost Thee, O God of my soul! I have been grateful enough to creatures, to Thee alone have I shown ingratitude. My God, pardon me; I grieve with my whole heart, and I hope for pardon from Thee, because Thou art infinite goodness. If Thou wert not infinite goodness, I should despair, and I should not even have the courage to ask for Thy mercy.
I thank Thee, my love, for not having damned me to hell, as I deserved, and for having borne with me so long a time. Thy patience with me, my God, should alone suffice to fill me with love to Thee. And who in deed but Thou, who art a God of infinite mercy, would have borne with me? I see that Thou hast been following me for so long, in order that I should love Thee. I will no longer resist Thy love: behold, I give myself up entirely to Thee. I have offended Thee enough; now I wish to love Thee.
I love Thee, O my sovereign Good; I love Thee, O infinite Goodness; I love Thee, my God, who is worthy of infinite love, and I desire to always repeat, in time and in eternity: I love Thee, I love Thee.
O God, how many years have I lost, in which I might have loved Thee and progressed in Thy love, and I have spent them in offending Thee!
But Thy blood, O Jesus, is my hope. I hope it will never be my lot again to cease to love Thee. I know not how long I have still to live; but the years that remain to me, be they few or many, I consecrate entirely to Thee. For this end Thou hast waited for me until now. Yes, my beloved Lord, I wish to please Thee, I wish to love Thee always, and to love Thee alone. What are pleasures? What are riches? What are honors? Thou alone, my God, Thou alone, art and shalt be always, my love, and my all.
But I can do nothing, unless Thou helpest me by Thy grace. Wound, I beseech, my heart, inflame it with Thy holy love, and bind it entirely to Thy self, but so bind it that it can never separate itself again from Thee. Thou hast promised to love those who love Thee: I love them that love me (Prov. 8:17). Now I love Thee; forgive my boldness, love me in return, and do not allow me to do anything that would force Thee to cease to love me: Who loveth not, abideth in death (1 John 3:14). Deliver me from this death, to remain deprived of the power of loving Thee. Make me love Thee always, in order that Thou mayest be always able to love me; and thus may our love be everlasting, and may no breach occur between me and Thee.
Grant it, O eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ. Grant it, most happy Jesus, by Thy merits, through them I hope to love Thee always, and to be always loved by Thee.
O Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, do thou also pray to Jesus for me.