Part two (6): Xxiv. Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

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to love Thee, 0 my Dearest Jesus, I desire to love Thee with my whole heart, my whole soul and all m y strength. I desire, besides, to love Thee to the full extent of Thy divine will, with all the strength of Thy heart, and in all the virtues and all the powers of Thy love. For all these things are mine, and I can make use of them as of things belonging to me, since in giving Thyself to me Thou hast given me all that is Thine. 0 my Saviour, I desire to annihilate, at any cost, whatever in me is opposed to Thy love. 0 Good Jesus, I give myself to Thee to love Thee in all the perfection Thou dost ask of me.

Do, Thou Thyself remove in me every Obstacle in the path of Thy love, and do Thou love Thyself i n me in all the ways Thou dost desire, since I give myself to Thee to do and suffer all it may please Thee, purely for Thy love.

0 Jesus, I offer Thee all the love that ever has been, is now, and ever shall be borne for Thee i n heaven and on earth. Oh, may the whole earth love Thee now with me, and may everything that is in the world he transformed into a pure flame of love for Thee! 0 Father of Jesus, Holy Spirit o Jesus, Mother of Jesus, Blessed St. Joseph, Blessed St. Gabriel, angels and saints of Jesus, love Jesus for me and repay Him a hundred times over, all the love I should have given Him in my whole life, as well as the debt of love owed to Him by all the wicked angels and all ungrateful men.

Xxiv. Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

0 Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of Men and Angels, Wonder of Heaven and Earth, I pay thee all possible reverence, according to God's word, according to the desires of thy Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I offer thee my soul and my life, and desire to belong to thee forever and to render thee particular homage and service, in time and in eternity. Mother of Grace and Mercy, I choose thee as Mother of my soul because it pleased God Himself to choose thee for His Mother. Queen of Men and Angels, I accept and recognize thee as my sovereign, in honor of the dependence upon thee, as His Mother, that the Son of m y God, my Saviour and my God, willed to have. I give thee, as my sovereign, all possible power, in accordance with God's holy will, over my soul and my life. 0 Holy Virgin, look upon

me as thy very own, and in thy goodness treat me as the subject of thy power, and as the object of thy mercies.

0 Fount of Life and Grace, Refuge of Sinners, I have recourse to thee to be delivered from sin and saved from everlasting death. Let me remain under thy patronage and share in thy privileges. May I obtain through Thy powers and privileges, and through my right as thy bondsman, the graces I do not merit to Obtain, because of my sins. Let my life's last hour, that hour which will determine my eternity, be in thy hands, in honor of that happy moment of the Incarnation in which God became man and thou didst become the Mother of God.

Virgin and Mother, Holy Temple of the Godhead, Marvel of Heaven and Earth, all thy glories entitle thee to make me thine own. But I desire to belong to thee by my own choice and free will. Therefore, I give myself to thee and to thy Only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and I wish to let no day go by without rendering to Him and to thee some particular homage and some token of my dependence and servitude, in which I desire to die and to live forever. Amen.

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Professions of Christian Virtues

CHRISTIAN LIFE and sanctity are founded upon eight principal bases, which have been explained in 'Tart One" of this book. The eight foundations of Christian holiness are faith, hatred of sin, humility, self~denial, renunciation of the world and of all things, the abandonment and submission of oneself to the divine will , the love of Jesus and His most holy Mother, the love of the Cross, and charity to our neighbor. These are the principles of heavenly theology, of Christian philosophy, of the science of the saints, which our Lord Jesus Christ taught by His words and still more by His example. You are obliged to follow these teachings if you wish to be true Christians. You are bound by the solemn profession you made at Baptism.

It is, therefore, very important to renew each day this profession, which is included in the eight following prayers. But be especially careful not to make them in haste, cursorily; take plenty of time, weighing what you say and letting it make a deep impression on your mind. If time does not permit, select one profession, or two, each day, and leave the others until a later hour or even another day. If you have few leisure moments, it would be better to employ only one prayer each day, with firm attention, rather than to use them all in a rush, without the application of mind demanded by the importance of these matters.

Xxv. Profession of Faith

0 Jesus, I adore Thee as the author and consummation of faith, as eternal light and the source of all light. I give Thee infinite thanks that it hath pleased Thee, in Thy very great mercy, to call me forth from the shadows of sin and of hell into Thy admirable light, the light of faith. I beg pardon a thousand times over, because in the past I have not acted in accordance with this divine light, and I realize that I have often deserved to be deprived of that light. I protest that I wish to live in future only in accordance with the word of Thy

holy Apostle, St. Paul, who tells us that "the just man liveth by faith" (Rom. 1, 17).

To this end I give myself to the spirit of Thy holy faith and, in the power of that spirit as well as i n union with the most lively and perfect faith of Thy Blessed Mother, the holy apostles and of all Thy holy Church, I make my profession before heaven and earth. And I am prepared, with the help of Thy grace, to make it also before all the enemies of that same faith. I profess entire and firm belief in all that Thou dost teach us both by Thyself and by Thy holy Church; I desire to give my blood and my life and to suffer all kinds of tortures, rather than to abandon one single item of that faith and adhere in the smallest degree to the errors opposed to it: I desire to live and conduct myself no longer according to the senses, as do the animals, or merely according to human reason like the scientists, but according to the light of faith like true Christians, and according to, the maxims of faith, which Thou hast left us in Thy holy Gospel. Preserve these holy resolutions in me, 0 my Saviour; make them grow and give me the grace to carry them out perfectly for the-glory of Thy Holy Name.

Xxvi. Profession of Hatred and Detestation of Sin

0 Jesus, I adore Thee in Thy incomprehensible sanctity and in Thy infinite hatred for sin. From the bottom of my heart I beg Thee to forgive all the sins I have committed in my whole life. I give myself to Thy spirit of sanctity and to Thy spirit of hatred for sin. In this spirit, I make profession of a hatred and detestation of sin more than of death, or of the devil, or hell, and more than of all the most detestable things imaginable; of hatred for sin alone: I profess that I will never grieve over anything but the offenses committed against Thy divine majesty, since there is nothing in the world which deserves to be the object of our enmity and the subject of our sorrows, save only this hellish monster. I profess to hate it so much that, with the help of Thy grace, if I were to behold on one hand all the tortures of earth and of hell, and on the other sin, I would choose the former sooner than the latter. 0 my God, preserve and increase more and more this hatred in my heart.

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Xxvii. Profession of Humility

0 Most Adorable and Most Humble Jesus, I adore and bless Thee in Thy profound humility. I reduce myself to nothingness and confusion before Thee, when I consider my pride and vanity, and I most humbly beg Thee to forgive me. I give myself with all my heart to Thy spirit of humility. In this spirit, as well as in all the humility in heaven and on earth, plunging down into the depths of my own nothingness, I recognize before the whole world that I am nothing, have nothing, can do nothing, know nothing, and have no value whatsoever, and, therefore, of myself I have no power to resist even the slightest evil, or to do even the smallest good act; that, left to myself, I am capable of all the crimes of Judas, Pilate, Herod, Lucifer, and antichrist, and, in general, of all the sins of earth and of hell, and that, if thou didst not uphold me with Thy very great goodness, I should fall into a hell of all kinds of abominations; that I have deserved the wrath of God, and of all God's creatures, and merit only everlasting punishment. Such is my heritage. This is all I have to boast about-this, and not one thing more.

Therefore, I make profession of the desire to abase myself below all other creatures, considering and esteeming myself, and desiring to be considered and esteemed in all things and in every place, as the least of all men. I profess horror for all praise, honor, and glory, as of a curse and a poison, according to Thy words, 0 my Saviour, "Woe to you when men shall bless you" (Luke 6, 26). I profess the desire to embrace and love all scorn and humiliation as something that is due to a wretched reprobate such as I am, because I am a sinner and a child of Adam, which makes me, as I learn from Thy Apostle, natura filii irae (Eph. 2, 3), a child of wrath and malediction by my own natural condition. I profess the desire to be totally reduced to nothing in my own estimation and in that of others, so that I may no longer have any regard for esteem of, or preoccupation with myself; and also so that no one may see me or esteem me any more than they would something that does not exist, but rather that all may see and esteem Thee only. 0 Good Jesus, eternal Truth, deeply impress

upon me these truths and sentiments, and grant that they may manifest their effects in me by Thy great mercy, for Thy holy glory.

Xxviii. Profession of Abnegation

0 Jesus my Lord and my God, I adore Thee uttering these words: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me," and also, "Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be my disciple" (Matt. 16, 24; Luke 14, 33). I give myself to the spirit of light and grace with which Thou didst speak these words, so that I may recognize their importance and show their effects. In this spirit, I recognize three great truths, which exercise upon me a powerful compulsion to renounce myself and all things.

I see that Thou alone art worthy to be, to live, to act, and, therefore, that every other being must be reduced to nothing before Thee. If I am to exist and live in Thee, as it is Thy very great desire that I should do, it is necessary that I emerge from myself and all things, by reason of the corruption which sin has put into me and into all things. And I see that, by my sins, I have deserved to be stripped of all things, even of my own being and of my own life.

Therefore, I make the following profession, in the power of Thy grace, and in union with that same love by which Thou didst desire to live stripped of all worldly things, as well as in the power of the divine spirit by which Thou didst utter these terrible words: "I pray not for the world" (John 17, 9), and these also, in speaking of Thy followers: "They are not of the world, as I also am not of the world" (John 1 7 , 16). In public, and most solemnly do I now profess that I desire henceforth to view the world and abhor i t as being excommunicated, damned and another hell, and to renounce entirely and forever all the fame, money and enjoyment the world can offer; that I desire to take no voluntary satisfaction, pleasure or repose of spirit in any of these things, but to employ them as if I used them not, making no account of them, and not attaching myself to them in the least, but only using them through necessity, to obey Thy holy will in all things, and only for Thy pure glory.

I will try to live in this world of the old Adam as though I were

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not in it, and as one belonging to the other world, that of the new Adam, which is heaven. I resolve to live i n this world as if it were a hell, that is, not only with detachment from it, but hatred, opposition and horror towards all that is in it. And I will live in love, desire and longing for the world to come, with patience towards this world, suffering it as Thou dost suffer it, my Saviour, in spite of Thy great hatred of it, and Thy infinite desire to destroy -:t and reduce it to ashes, as Thou wilt do in the day of Thy wrath.

May I live in the same manner, in the midst of this world, as a truly Christian soul would live i f such a soul had been placed in the midst of hell by Thy command. May I remain on earth as one who is not on earth; and let my mind and heart and my conversation be in heaven, that is, in Thyself, for Thou art m y heaven, my paradise, my world and my all.

And yet, my Lord, I do desire to progress further, even beyond this. I want to follow Thy word i n which Thou dost declare to me that if I wish to come after Thee I must not only renounce all things, but m y own self as well. To this end, I give myself to the power of the divine love by which Thou didst reduce Thyself to nothingness, and in union with that same love I profess to renounce entirely and forever everything belonging to myself and to the old Adam; to annihilate at Thy feet, as far as possible, my mind, my self-love, my own will, my life and my being. I most humbly beg Thee to exert Thy divine power to annihilate me, in order to establish Thy kingdom in my heart, that Thou mayest live and reign and work i n me in accordance with Thy designs.

I desire no longer to exist, or live, or act, or speak in and by myself, but in Thee and by Thee. I make this profession not only for now, but for all the moments, all the actions of my life, and I beg Thee with my whole heart to look upon my resolution and accept it as if I were making it every minute, and i n every one of my acts, and to bring about that I may put this profession into practice for Thy glory, through Thy great goodness and power, so that I may say, together with Thy holy Apostle: "I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2, 20).

Xxix. Profession of Submission and Abandonment of Self to the Divine Will

0 my Saviour, I adore Thee speaking these divine words: I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 6, 38). I adore Thee in the most perfect submission rendered by Thee to all the desires of Thy Father. I implore pardon for all the obstacles I have placed in the way of Thy holy desires. I yield myself to Thy spirit in Order to follow Thee, from now on, in the practice of this virtue of submission. In the light of this divine spirit, I recognize that Thy holy will governs and disposes all things, whether by absolute command, or by permission. I also recognize that Thou hast placed me upon the earth only that I may here do Thy divine will. Consequently, this is my end, my centre, my element and my sovereign good.

And so, in union with the most perfect submission which Thou and Thy most holy Mother and all Thy saints render to the divine will, I profess to renounce entirely and forever all my wishes and inclinations. I desire never to have any other will but Thine, and to fix my eyes always upon it, and follow it wheresoever it leads, as perfectly as possible, in time and in eternity. I prefer to die, and to suffer a thousand hells, rather than to do anything against Thy most lovable will; and I wish in life and in death, in this world or the next, no other treasure, no other glory of joy or satisfaction, no other paradise but Thy most adorable will . 0 most dear will of my God, Thou art henceforth my heart, my soul, my life, my strength, my riches, m y delight, my honor, my crown, my empire and my sovereign good. Live and reign in me perfectly and forever.

Xxx. Profession of Love for Jesus and Mary

0 Most Amiable Jesus, and dearest Mary, Mother of Jesus, I honor you in all your perfections and i n the intensity of your great mutual love. I beg a thousand pardons for having loved you so little up to, now, and for having so often offended you. I surrender myself totally to your divine love. And in this same love, as well as in all the love in heaven and earth, recognizing that I am on earth only that

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I may love and glorify you, that I am obliged to do so for an infinite number of reasons. I profess m y constant desire to employ myself with all my strength in loving and serving you; to desire to do all that I shall ever do, as perfectly as I can, for love of you; to desire rather to be annihilated than to give away, to anything whatever, the slightest spark of the love I owe to you; to place all my happiness and delight i n honoring, serving and loving you; to desire to cause you to be loved and glorified by as many souls as I can and in all the different ways that lie in my power.

Xxx1. Profession of Love for the Cross

0 Jesus, my dear crucified Love, I adore Thee in all Thy sufferings. I beg Thy forgiveness for all the failings of which I have been guilty in the afflictions it has pleased Thee to send me. I give myself to the spirit of Thy holy Cross, and in this spirit, as well as in all the love in heaven and on earth, I embrace, with my whole heart and for love of Thee, all the crosses of body and of spirit that shall come to me. I profess to seek all my glory, my riches and my satisfaction in the Cross, that is, in humiliations, privations and sufferings, saying with St. Paul: Mihi acute absit gloriari, nisi in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi (Gal. 6, 14). "God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." "For m y part, I solemnly profess that I desire no other paradise in this world but the Cross of my Lord Jesus Christ."

Xxxii. Profession of Charity Towards Your Neighbor

0 Jesus, God of love and of charity, I adore Thee in all the excesses of Thy divine charity. I beg Thy forgiveness for my failings in this virtue, which is the queen of all virtues. I surrender myself to Thy spirit of charity. And in this spirit, as well in all the charity of Thy holy Mother and of all the saints, I profess never to hate anything, except sin; to desire to love all men, for love of Thee; never to think or do any evil to anybody, but always to think and judge and say and do what is good, in regard to everybody; to excuse and bear the faults of others; to put a favorable interpretation upon things; to have compassion for the spiritual and bodily woes of my neighbor and to

conduct myself towards each and every one with all gentleness, benignity and charity. 0 Eternal Charity, I give myself to Thee. Annihilate everything in me that is opposed to Thee, and establish Thy kingdom in m y heart and in the hearts of all Christians.

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