Part seven (5): Sixth Day

Xx111. Extreme Unction

You do not knew whether you will be able to concentrate on God when you receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, (assuming that it may please Him to grant this grace). It would, therefore, be a good ,thing to devote the fifth day to acquit yourself of the obligations to Our Lord to this holy Sacrament and to prepare for a meritorious reception of Extreme Unction.

1. 0 Jesus, I adore Thee as the author of the Holy Sacrament of Extreme Unction, and as the source of its priceless graces, which Thou hast acquired and merited for us by the shedding of Thy Precious Blood. I refer to Thee all the graces Thou didst ever produce in souls through Extreme Unction. I bless Thee a thousand times for all the glory Thou hast given to Thyself by this last Sacrament. I adore the infinite design of Thy Providence in the institution of Extreme Unction and I surrender myself to the accomplishment of Thy divine Plan for me according to Thy holy will. I implore Thee most humbly to grant me the grace of receiving this Sacrament at the end of my life. And if I should not be able to receive it, I implore Thee to produce in MY soul, by Thy great mercy, the same graces I would acquire by its reception.

2. 0 Jesus, I adore Thee in the holy anointing of Thy sacred body in the last days of Thy life by St. Mary Magdalen, and at Thy burial by St. Nicodemus and St. Joseph of Arimathea. I offer Thee all the holy unctions ever performed, in this last Sacrament, upon the bodies of all Christians who have received it o r ever shall do so, in boner of and homage to the divine anointing of Thy deified body.

3. 0 Good Jesus, I adore Thee as High Priest to whom, before all. others, belongs the right of conferring all the Sacraments. I give myself to Thee as High Priest and implore Thee to inspire in my soul all the dispositions required for the fruitful reception of Extreme Unction and to produce in me all the graces represented by its consoling ceremonies.

In order to dispose myself for its reception, 0 my Saviour, behold I cast myself down at Thy feet, accusing myself before Thee and Thy heavenly court of all my sins, most humbly begging Thy forgiveness with all the humility and contrition I can muster, with my whole heart imploring Thee, together with Thy Blessed Mother and all the angels and saints, to ask forgiveness from Thy Eternal Father, and to offer to Him in satisfaction for my sins the full measure of Thy infinite merits and sufferings.

0 Good Jesus, come into my soul and into my heart. Come to bring me Thy holy peace and to destroy in me all that might disturb the peace and repose of my spirit. Come unto me, and with Thy Precious Blood purify me of the foulness of my sins. Come to grant me full and total absolution, indulgence and remission of all my sins.

0 Most Kind Jesus, I offer Thee all the senses and members of my body and all the powers of m y soul. Anoint me, I beg Thee, with the sacred oil that ever flows from Thy divine Heart, that is, with the oil of Thy grace and mercy and, by this heavenly anointing, cleanse me of the evil effects of my sins. 0 Dearest Jesus, I offer Thee the holy employment of bodily senses and spiritual powers ever made by Thy Divine Self, by Thy Blessed Mother and all the saints, in satisfaction for my abuse or misuse of the members and senses of my body and the faculties of my soul. May it please Thee to grant me the grace to employ them i n future only for Thy pure glory.

Finally, 0 Most Amiable Jesus, may it please Thee to give me Thy holy blessing. Ask the Beneficent Father and the Holy Spirit to bless 'me with Thee, so that this divine and mighty benediction may destroy i n me all that displeases Thee, and transform me utterly into eternal benediction and praise of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Sixth Day

Xxiv. Christ's Last Will and Testament, and the Will You Should Make in I T S

Honor

On this day you should prepare to make a will, in imitation and honor of the final testament of Jesus Christ on earth. In the presence of God you should meditate on the infinitely adorable legacy left by Christ and consider how to make your own will in the same spirit with similar dispositions. This may be done i n the following manner:

0 Jesus, I adore Thee in the last days of Thy life. I adore every aspect and event of these last days, but especially Thy divine Testament pronounced in the Cenacle, on Mount Olivet and from the Cross. I adore, bless and glorify the supreme love for Thy Father, the most burning charity towards us and all the other holy dispositions of Thy last Testament to mankind.

In Thy last will there are five bequests:

The first bequest is to Thine enemies, for, 0 wonder of wonders, 0 immensity of goodness, Thy first word and first prayer on the Cross is for Thine enemies, begging the Father to pardon them, in the very hour when they were crucifying Thee.

The second bequest is to the Heavenly Father, the final gift of Thy holy soul with these words: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23, 46). These words were uttered not only with reference to Thy deified soul, but to my soul and to the souls of all who belong to Thee, which were all at that moment before Thy sight, and Thou didst look upon them as Thy own possession, forming all together but one soul with Thine, by virtue of their most intimate union. When Thou didst say to the Father: Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum, Thou didst speak for Thyself and for me; Thou didst commend m y soul together with Thine into the hands of Thy Father, adddressing this prayer to Him who is at once Thy Father and mine, in Thy Name and my own, against the hour when my soul shall leave my body. And Thou didst make the offering of my soul with the same love with which Thou didst say Pater or Father in general, not My Father in particular, to show that Thou didst regard Him not

only as Thy own Special Father, but as the common and universal Father of all Thy brethren and members. Thou didst pray to Him not only for Thyself in particular, but also in general for all who belong to Thee, with filial confidence and love, as much for Thyself as for them, for which mayst Thou be loved and blessed forever.

The third bequest in Thy will concerns the Blessed Mother, to whom Thou didst give that which was most dear to Thee after herself, the beloved disciple, St. John the Evangelist. At the same time there were represented in the person of St. John all the other disciples and children, until the end of time. When Thou didst say to Mary the words, "Woman, behold thy son" (John 19, 26), Thou didst give her not 'only St. John, but all other Christians to be her children. Reciprocally, in saying to St. John the words "Behold thy Mother?' (John 19, 27), Thou didst give to him and also to all Christians, represented in his person, Thy most precious possession in the order of created beings, namely, Thy most Blessed Mother. Thou didst give her to them to be their Mother just as she was Thy Mother, imparting to them Thy precious relationship and character with her. That was the reason Thou didst call her no longer Thy Mother, but M ulier , "woman," to show the transfer to us of Thy relationship to her as Son, and the gift to us, as Mother, of her who was about to cease to be Thy Mother for a time by reason of her Son's death. And so, good Jesus, Thou didst bequeath me in Thy will to Thy Blessed Mother, not only as a servant and subject, but actually as a son: Mulier, ecce filius tuus. Thou didst give her to me not only as my Queen and Lady, but in the most honorable and lovable character there is-that of a Mother. 0 love! 0 excess of goodness! May the whole world be transformed into love for so great a goodness!

The fourth bequest in Thy will is particularly ours and concerns us so diversely that it seems to have been made for us alone.

1. During Thy last days on earth, 0 Jesus, Thou didst express a surpassing and extraordinary love, assuring us that Thy Father loves us as He loves Thee (John 17, 23), and that Thou lovest us as Thy Father loves Thee (John 15, 9). And Thou dost consequently urge us to love one another as Thou hast loved us (John 13, 34).

2. Thou didst likewise commend us with most particular affection

to the most exalted and powerful persons most dear to Thee, by whom Thou art most loved in heaven and on earth-that is, Thy Eternal Father and Thy divine Mother. To the Father just before setting out on the road to Calvary, Thou didst address a beautiful prayer: "Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom Thou hast given me. Not for them only do I pray but for them who through their word shall believe in me" (John 1 7 , 11-20). While hanging on the Cross, Thou didst place our souls in His hands together with Thine own, as has been said. Thou didst also commend us to Thy divine Mother.

3. We share in Thy will because in Thy last, solemn and public prayer, Thou didst obtain from the Heavenly Father the greatest favors that could have been asked of Him, or that He could have given us. Here are the prayers Thou didst address to Him for us: 'Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me" (John 17, 24), that is, that they should have their dwelling and take their rest with Me forever in Thy bosom and Thy Fatherly Heart. "Just Father, may the love wherewith Thou hast loved me, be in them" (John 17, 25-26), that is to say: love them as Thou lovest Me, love them with the greatest, the most burning and most divine love that could ever possibly exist. Look upon them as Thou dost regard Me; love them with the very heart with which Thou lovest Me; treat them as Thou dost treat Me; give them all that Thou givest Me. "That they may be one, as thou, Father, in me and I in thee; that they also may be one in us ... I in them, and thou in me: that they may be made perfect in one" (John 17, 21-23). 0 dearest Lord, what love! What more couldst Thou ask the Father for us?

4. We share in Thy will because Thou didst give us the most rare and precious gift, Thy Eternal Father to be our Father, praying Him to love us as He loves Thee, as His children with sublime paternal love. Thou didst give us Thy Blessed Mother to be our Mother. Thou didst give us Thy most Holy Body in the Eucharist, Thy holy soul on the Cross in death with the words: I lay down my life for my sheep" (John 1 0 , 15). Thou didst give Thy Precious Blood to the very last drop, Thy life, merits, sufferings, humanity and divinity, as

expressed in these words: "The glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them" (John 17, 22). Thou didst give up all without reserve. 0 dearest Lord, how admirable is Thy goodness, poured forth for us in the very hour when we were causing Thee to suffer so many evils! How can we love Thee so little and think so seldom of Thee? How can so great a love be held so cheap and be so despised by those whom Thou so lovest?

The filth and last bequest in Thy will was made on Mount Olivet when, departing from the apostles and ascending into heaven, Thou didst give them Thy holy blessing. We share in this bequest also, for i n imparting Thy blessing to the holy apostles and disciples Thou didst bless all of us, each one in particular, for we were all just as much present in Thy sight then as we are now. May heaven and earth bless Thee, 0 Author of all gifts, and may all things in heaven and earth be transformed into eternal blessings of Thee.

Such, good Jesus, are the five clauses of Thy admirable will, in honor of which I desire. if it please Thee, to draw up my own testament as follows:

Xxv. Last Spiritual Will and Testament

1. 0 Most Kind Jesus, in honor of and in union with the love with which Thou didst shed Thy Blood and die for Thy enemies and pray to Thy Father to pardon those who crucified Thee, with my whole heart I fully forgive all those who have ever offended or injured me, and I implore Thee to grant them full pardon. I offer myself to Thee to do and suffer whatever may please Thee for their sake, even to shed my blood and die for them, if necessary. So, too, in all the humility I can muster, I beg all whom I have ever offended o r displeased in my whole life to forgive me, and I give myself to Thee to make whatever satisfaction to them Thou mayest desire.

2. In honor of and in union with the exceeding great love, the most perfect confidence and all the other dispositions with which Thou didst commend Thy soul and all the souls that belong to Thee into the hands of Thy Father, I surrender my soul, with the souls of all those for whom I am bound to have special concern, into the gentle hands and the most loving heart of the Divine Father, who is my

God, my Creator and my Most Lovable Father, that He may dispose of them according to His good pleasure. I trust that His infinite goodness will place them with Thy soul, good Jesus, in His Fatherly Bosom, there to love and bless Him eternally with Thee, according to the desire of Thy soul, expressed in the words: "Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me" (John 17, 24).

3. In honor of and in union with Thy great charity in giving all Thy friends and children to Thy most Blessed Mother, I resign into her hands all those entrusted to my care, imploring Thee, Good Jesus, to commend them Thyself to Thy Virgin Mother. I implore her with my whole heart, by ~Thy very great love for her and hers for Thee, and by the same love with which Thou didst give her Thy friends and children, to look upon them henceforth as her children in a more special way, and to be their Mother.

4. In honor of and in union with the exceedingly powerful love whereby Thou didst commend me to Thy Father on Thy last day, and didst beg Him, on my behalf, for such great favors, giving me all that was most dear to Thee, with such extraordinary tokens of that love, urging me also to love my neighbor as Thou didst love me: I commend to Thee all those whom Thou knowest I should commend particularly to Thee, and I beg Thee on their behalf for all that Thou didst ask for me from Thy Eternal Father on Good Friday. I abandon myself to Thee to love Thee as Thou lovest the Father and as the Father loves Thee. I give myself also to Thee to love my neighbor as Thou didst love me, and to shed my blood and give my life for him, if i t is Thy holy will.

5. 0 Jesus, God of all blessings, I adore Thee in the last moment of Thy sojourn on earth, upon Mount Olivet, as Thou didst leave the earth to ascend into heaven. I adore Thee giving Thy most holy blessing to Thy Blessed Mother, Thy apostles and disciples; I adore the exceeding great love and all the other dispositions which filled Thy divine soul when Thou didst impart this supreme blessing as is related in the Holy Gospel (Luke 24, 50).

0 Good Jesus, behold me prostrate at Thy feet, in union with the humility and the other holy dispositions of the Blessed Mother and

the holy apostles and disciples as they received Thy blessing. I most humbly implore Thee, by all Thy love for them, and theirs for Thee, to give now to me and to all I have commended to Thee, Thy most holy blessing, so that by the power of that divine blessing all that displeases Thee in me may be destroyed and I may be altogether transformed into everlasting praise, love and benediction of Thee.

Seventh Day

Xxvi. the Agony and the Moment of Death

You shall consider this day as if it were to be your last. You must strive to spend it with as much care and devotion as if you had only this one day in which to love God. For this purpose, you should apply yourself to the contemplation and adoration of Our Lord in the last day of His life on earth, and to do everything in union with the holy and divine dispositions of His last actions. With the last day of your life in view, you should implore Jesus to unite you to his dispositions and foster them in your heart, that you may be of the number of those of whom it is said: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord" (Apoc.14, 13) that is, who die in the dispositions of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Similarly you should consider and honor the Blessed Virgin on the last day of her life, uniting yourself to her dispositions, offering her the last day of your life. The prayers addressed to Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother for the end of the year should also serve your purpose here.

I may also add at this point that it is a good thing on this day to adore Jesus and honor His most holy Mother in their agony and death, offering your agony and death in union with theirs, imploring them to bless and sanctify your death by their own. It is also most beneficial to adore the infinite power of the divine love that caused the death of Jesus and of His most holy Mother, for they both died of love and by love. You should implore that divine love to cause you to die with Jesus and His divine Mother, and to consume and sacrifice your life in its sacred flames.

You should also honor the holy martyrs and all saints in their agony and death; offer them your agony and death, in union with their own, begging them to unite you with their holy dispositions as they prepared for death. Implore them specially to associate you with all the love and glory they gave to Our Lord on the last day of their life and at the moment they died for Him.

You should pray specially to St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary Magdalen and the good thief who died with Jesus, and all the other saints who were present at the death of the Son of God, that through the merits of their privilege in being near Him in death, they may give you special assistance at the hour of your own death.

On this same day it would be most advisable to read the Passion of Our Lord, the seventeenth chapter of St. John, containing His last words and prayers before setting forth to be crucified, as well as the prayers of Holy Mother Church for the agonizing soul, which are to be found at the end of the Breviary. For you do not know whether you will be in a fit state on the last day of your life to complete these preparations for a holy death. Hence, it is a good thing to anticipate that day, and to read the Passion of Our Lord and the above-mentioned prayers with all the devotion you would wish to put into them at the hour of death, and all the devotion with which they have ever been read by the whole Church.

But above all, when you read the seventeenth chapter of St. John, which contains the last words and prayers of Jesus, give yourself to Him in a sincere effort to pronounce these words and prayers in union with His love, dispositions and intentions when He spoke them, imploring Him to foster in your heart these sublime dispositions in preparation for the last day of your life and to produce the effects of these holy words. - Finally, cast yourself down at the feet of Jesus and His most holy Mother, to implore them to give you their most holy blessing. "0 Jesus, 0 Mother of Jesus, give me your holy blessing for the last moment of my life. By your great goodness, grant that the last moment of my life may be consecrated to the glory of the last moment of yours, and that my last breath may be an act of most pure love for you!'

Eighth Day