Sixth Exercise: Praise and Thanksgiving

After having kindled the flame of love in the soul entrusted to her care, St. Gertrude initiates it into the praises of the Sovereign Good. Love cannot keep silence; and so St. John tells us that in heaven the elect rest not day nor night, and ti:at the tranquil ecstasy of their eternal love is vocal with praises uplifted to him who is the Object and the Fount of their bliss. These heavenly songs found an echo in the seraphic soul of St. Gertrude, and she has imitated them with an ardour and a transport which are scarcely of earth.

This beautiful Exercise gives the soul a foretaste of the everlasting joys. But it is not the will of the saint that the soul, still clogged and impeded by its mortal body, should await its entrance into heaven to join the song of glorified spirits. And so she suggests the substance of the songs which it may sing here below to the honour of the great God who has condescended to anticipate it with his love, and to fill it with good things.

And yet the homage of praise, elicited from the soul by the grandeur of God, suffices not to acquit its debt. It has received everything from this sovereign Lord; its being, its preservation, its vocation to heaven, its redemption, forgiveness a thousand times repeated, the abiding succours of grace, even to the latest moment oflife. In return for so many and so great benefits, it must begin in this life a thanksgiving which death cannot interrupt. It is the aim of St. Gertrude to train the soul to the discharge of this obligation, which is not less imperative than delightful; and in this Exercise she has blended the accents of the lowliest thanksgiving with those of the most lofty and jubilant praise.

Set apart a day from time to time, that you may . apply yourself without impediment to singing the praises of God, and thus make amends for your past neglect in praising and blessing him for the benefits he has bestowed on you all the days of your life. This day will be one of rejoicing and of gladness, and you will keep it in anticipation of that ineffable song of praise which you will sing for ever and ever to the glory of the Lord, when your soul is satisfied in his presence and all-pervaded with his glory. Wherefore in this Exercise are some devout sighings of the soul, longing eagerly to behold the face of God.

First of all present yourself before God in the spirit of profoundest humility, and implore him to grant you to see the beauty of his countenance, saying :

I take upon myself to speak to my Lord, although I am but dust and ashes. O my God, whose greatness is infinite, and wha dost look down upon the things that are most lowly and of no repute, my mind and my soul have failed me while I recall thine infinite benefits. Open to me the treasure of thy compassionate heart, for there is the one object of my desires. Disclose unto me, in all its ravishing beauty, thy Face divine, that I may pour forth my soul before thee. Show me the source of that loving mercy which giveth peace, that my heart may be glad, and my tongue be loosed to sing thy praises.

O Love, enter for me into the presence of the great God; there give utterance to the cries of my longing heart; for all my strength is gone from me by reason of my consuming thirst to behold his divine beauty. Take my soul, and bear it up with thee into the high and holy place; for my heart and my flesh faint at thought of God my Saviour. Present me to my Lord and my King; for my soul melteth! with love while I wait for the coming of my Spouse. O Love, make haste to satisfy my desire; for if thou tarry, I perish.

Begin the praises of the Lord :

Je eet O my soul, awake, and arise from the dust, and come before the Lord thy God, that thou mayest confess before him all the mercies that he hath shown unto thee. But what shall I say unto the Lord, or how shall I answer him for one of a thousand! O Love, I suffer violence; do thou answer for me, for I know not what I shall say to the God of my life. I stand speechless with admiration in presence of his glorious face. I am abashed and confounded, for the splendour of his majesty makes my heart faint, and my courage fail. O Love, do thou answer for me in Jesus my God, the true and living Word. Touch with compassion towards me that divine Heart in which thou dost so gloriously

IIZ show forth thy power. O mighty Love, through thee I recover strength, and dare to say to the God who hath saved me: Thou, even thou, art the refuge of my soul; thou art the life of my understanding; thou the God of my heart.

O Love, attune thy melodious and excelling harp; cause me to hear the sweetest voice of Jesus my Spouse; let him, the God of my life, himself bid me begin the song of his own everlasting praise; let him charm my life and inebriate my soul with the choicest music of a song worthy of his glory. O Love, what thou doest, do quickly; for I can no longer endure the torment of the wound wherewith thou hast pierced my heart.

Encourage your soul to seek its delights in God.

Lift up thine eyes, O my soul; behold and see the power of thy King, the grace of thy God, the love of thy Saviour, now that thou art so near to him. Take now thy rest, taste and see how fair and how comely is the Spouse thou hast chosen of a thousand. See how immense the glory is for which thou hast despised the world. See how complete the good is for which thou hast chosen to wait. See what the delights are of that country towards which thou art sighing. See how fair the splendour of that crown for which thou hast toiled. See what is the essence and what the infinite grandeur of thy God, whom thou hast loved, whom thou hast worshipped, for whom thou hast constantly longed.

O God of my life, what praises worthy of thee can I offer thee ? Truly I know not. What shall I render unto thee, O my wellbeloved, for all the benefits wherewith thou hast overwhelmed me? Thou in me, and I in thee, O Jesus my one good; this is the thank-offering I set before thy glory. I have nothing else beside. My one only offering is what I am in thee, my life in thee.

For thou alone art my life, and thou the strength which upholds me. Thou art my glory, and thy mercy shines resplendent in my soul. To thee be praise and thanksgiving, world without end. O when shall it be given me to consume on thine altar all the whole inmost treasure of my soul, to enkindle my heart with the sacred flame which burns everlastingly on that altar, to immolate myself without reserve, a thank-offering unto thee !

O God, thou sacred object of my love, expand my heart in thee, enlarge my soul, and fill me with thy glory. O when shall it be said unto my soul: * Turn again into thy rest, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee " € When, O when shall I hear that blissful word: * Come, enter into the holy place of the rest of thy Spouse" $ O Jesus, my sweetest peace, when shall I lay me down and take my rest in thee, whilst thou showest me all thy glory ¢

For thou art able to keep that which I have committed unto thee, O thou Life of my soul; thou wilt bring it back again to him who made it. O Love, Love, when wilt thou bring my soul out of prison? When wilt thou free it from the trammels of the body? When wilt thou bring me to my Spouse, that I may be united with him in bliss unending? O Love, hasten on these divine espousals. To purchase a blessedness so vast, gladly would I die a thousand deaths; nevertheless, be that day and that hour wher thou wilt, and not as I will.

Smitten with profoundest awe in presence of the glory of your God, which angels long to see, say with your whole heart the Psalm, Benedic, anima mea, Domino.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and let all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and forget not all he hath done for thee. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction: who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion. Who satisfeth thy desire with good things: thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle's. The Lord doeth mercies and judgment: for all that suffer wrong. He hath made his ways known unto Moses: his will to the children of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and merciful: long-suffering and plenteous in mercy. He will not always be angry: nor will he threaten for ever.

He hath not dealt with us according to our sins: nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For according to the height of heaven above the earth: he hath strengthened his mercy towards them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west: so far hath he removed our iniquities from us.

As a father hath compassion on his children: so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him.

For he knoweth our frame: he remembereth that we are dust.

Man’s days are as grass: as the flower of the field so shall he flourish.

For the spirit shall pass in him, and he shall not be: and he shall know his place no more. [

But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity: upon them that fear him.

And his justice unto children's children: to such as keep his covenant,

And are mindful of his commandments: to do them.

The Lord hath prepared his throne in heaven: and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Bless the Lord, all ye his angels: ye that are mighty in strength, and do his word, hearkening to the voice of his orders.

Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts: ye ministers of his that do his will.

Bless the Lord, all his works in every place of his dominion: bless thou the Lord, O my 'soul ry

Greet the glorious face of your Spouse in the following words :

Blessed art thou, O Adonai, in the firmament of heaven. Blessed be thou by . all the powers of my soul. Blessed by all the whole substance of my soul and of my body. Let all that is within me glorify thee. Let all my desires and yearnings combine to celebrate thy glory. For thou alone art worthy of praise and honour throughout eternity. My heart pants to quit this mortal body; my soul springeth forward to meet thee, O God, who in thy love hast created me for thyself. My soul, which thou hast redeemed, bemoans the weariness of its exile, and goeth forth towards thee, drawing with it this feeble body, even to the holy place where thou dwellest, O my King and my God.

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. Blessed are they who exult in the vision of thy glorious face. For ever, and still for ever, are they praising thee. When shall my soul be admitted into that wonderful tabernacle’ where with all thy glorious saints I shall eternally sing: Holy ! holy ! holy / in presence of thy transcending beauty ¢

How glorious thou art, O my God! How wonderful and how fair, how worthy to be praised, on the sacred throne of thy Godhead ! How beauteous is thy light to behold! What bliss in gazing on thee, thou true Sun! How rich and thrilling and full that song of praise

which cometh up to thee from the ten thousand times ten thousand blessed spirits of heaven ! I go forth from myself, I run forward to meet thee, O thou living God: and my heart and my soul already leap for joy. O my God and my supreme delight, how dazzling is thy glory on the sapphire throne of thy boundless empire, around which angels and saints hymn thy grandeur !

And now my soul languisheth and fainteth by reason of the weariness of this life. Though I am but the refuse of thy creation, my one longing desire is to die to be with thee, to offer thee the homage of my song of gladness in unison with that happy company who sing thy praises eternally in the heavens. There, on the altar of thy divine heart, will I burn the incense that thou lovest, the incense of my heart’s love and praise, which I shall gladly offer thee in return for all the favours with which thou, my Father and my Master, hast consoled me in all my tribulation and anguish here below.

Break forth in praise and thanksgiving.

[rst all thy wonderful works, and all the gifts of thy bounty unto me, bless thee, glorify thee, and praise thee for me, O God of my life. Let thy great and manifold mercies, and all thine infinite benefits to my soul, bless thee, O God of my heart. Let my inmost soul, my whole being and life, bless thee; for thou art the God of my salvation and my refuge.

Sing with joy unto the Lord before the throne of God and of the Lamb, remembering all his benefits.

Let all the longing desires of my heart praise and bless thee, O my loving God, and all the gratitude I render thee for the graces thou hast bestowed upon me. Let the sighings and groanings of my soul in this weary exile praise thee, and all the patience wherewith I wait for the one great gift, which is none other than thyself. Be thou praised, O my God, in the hope and trust I have that thou wilt one day raise me up from the dust, and unite me for ever to thyself.

All praise and thanksgiving be unto thee, O my beloved Redeemer, for the seal of faith which thou hast impressed on my soul, whereby I know that in my flesh I shall one day see thee. All praise to thee, O my God, and my soul’s eternal home, from the yearning aspiration of my heart towards thee, from the thirst which consumes me till I come unto thee. Let the divine love which has prevented and anticipated my heart, and bound me to thee to love thee with an unchanging love, itself praise thee for me: for thou, O my God, beloved object of my heart, thou art God alone, and blessed for evermore.

Lay your soul prostrate in adoration before the face of the Lord your God, and implore Jesus to deign to supply whatever is lacking in your worship.

O JESUS, full of love, when wilt thou give me to come into thy home to offer thee my sacrifice of praise, and to lay at thy feet K the vows my lips have spoken in the tribulation of my exile? When shall I stand before thy throne to gaze upon the fair beauty of thy countenance, whose divine splendour satisfieth the longing desires of all saints, and calls forth their sweetest and loudest songs of praise ¢

Hear thou my cry, O thou best-beloved of my heart. Let thine ear be attentive to the voice of my prayer, and answer me; for thee alone doth my sighing heart and my longing soul desire. If mine eyes run down with tears, itis that they have been so long and so wistfully lifted up unto thee. Thou art my God and my delight, my love and my hope from my youth; none will I have, none desire, none hope for, but only thee alone.

Thou art seated at the right hand of God the Father in my very human nature, O thou my well-beloved, and there thou puttest forth all the might of thy love. There my name is graven upon the palms of thy hands, on thy feet, and on thy sweetest heart, that so thou mayest never forget my soul, which thou hast redeemed at so great a cost. O my God and my mercy, for all the good thou hast showed unto me, for all that thou showest me now, or wilt show unto me hereafter for ever, do thou render unto thyself infinite and eternal thanksgivings, according to thine infinite power, and as thou knowest that it beseemeth thy great and glorious majesty.

Deign to perform this duty for me, O my most beloved Jesus, in all the extent of thy righteous claims, O my Master, who art so great and so wonderful. Do thou praise thyself in thee, in me, and for me, with all the might of thy Godhead and with all the loving affections of thy manhood, on behalf of all thy whole universe of creatures, until thou shalt bring me, who am but a mere atom in thy creation, through thyself the Way, unto thyself the Truth, in thyself the Life, into which thou wilt plunge me and hide me, in that blissful abode where I shall enjoy the vision of thy beauteous face for evermore.

Overwhelmed with wonder and joy at the thought of the glory which surrounds the divine Majesty, offer to the God whom you love the heavenly Psalm, Exaltabo te, Deus meus Rex.

I will extol thee, O God my King: and

Iwill bless thy name for ever, yea, for ever and ever.

Every day will I bless thee: and I will praise thy name for ever, yea, for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of his greatness there is no end.

Generation and generation shall praise thy works: and they shall declare thy power.

They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy holiness: and shall tell thy wondrous works.

And they shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and shall declare thy greatness.

They shall publish the memory of the abundance of thy sweetness: and shall rejoice in thy justice.

The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy.

The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Let all thy works praise thee, O Lord: and let thy saints bless thee.

They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom: and shall tell of thy power.

To make thy might known to the sons of men: and the glory of the magnificence of thy kingdom.

Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages: and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words: and holy in all his works.

The Lord lifteth up all that fall: and setteth up all that are cast down.

The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season.

Thou openest thy hand: and fillest every living creature with blessing.

The Lord is just in all his ways: and holy in all his works.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth.

He will do the will of them that fear him: and he will hear their prayer and save them.

The Lord keepeth all them that love him: but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever, yea, for ever and ever.

MY King and my God, my love and my blessedness, my soul and my heart exult and sing for joy to thee, O my God, life of my soul, living and true God, thou source of everlasting light, whereof one ray hath fallen from thy countenance on me unworthy, to stamp thy likeness on me; to thee my heart longeth to offer its homage of praise and blessing. Wherefore I offer unto thee now all my powers of soul and body as a sacrifice and burntoffering before thee.

But what shall I render unto thee, O my Master, for all the benefits which thou hast bestowed on me * For thou hast loved me more than thine own glory. For my sake thou hast not even spared thyself; and when thou hadst created me, redeemed and elected me, thou didst make me that thou mightest draw me to thyself and give me life in thee, and thou hast predestinated me to enjoy thee throughout eternity. And is it not meet and right that, above all in heaven or earth, above all that is not thee, I should desire thee alone, and crave thee as my last end ¢

O Lord, thou art my hope and my glory, my joy and my biessedness. My soul is athirst for thee. In thee my soul findeth its life, and in thee my heart leapeth for joy. Whither should my adoring love draw me, but to thy bosom, O my God ? Thou art the beginning of all good, and thou its blissful consummation ; thine elect are filled with bliss in thee. My heart and my mouth can sing thy praise alone. The glory which streams from thee issues from thy love, which is the glad springtime of all that live. Let thine own sovereign Godhead bless and glorify thee that thou art the fount of life and the well-spring of life everlasting; for no creature can attain unto a thanksgiving and praise worthy of thee. Thou alone sufficest unto thyself, and thou faintest not, neither art thou ever weary. Thy countenance, sweeter than milk and honey, is the food of thine elect, who behold it evermore.

Bless the Lord God, your great King, for all his mercies towards you, saying :

| SM thy glorious and wonderful light bless thee for me, O my God. Let thy sovereign majesty celebrate thy praise. Let thine ineffable glory, and thine infinite power, bless thee and praise thee forme. Let the splendour of thine eternal brightness, and the spell of thy dazzling beauty, praise thee and bless thee for me. Let the great deep of thy most righteous judgment, and the unfathomable abyss of thine eternal wisdom, praise thee and bless thee for me. Let thy mercies without number, and the boundless munificence of thy benefits to all thy creatures, bless thee and praise thee for me.

Offer to the Lord a sacrifice of gladness, and say devoutly:

Per thy bowels of compassion towards us, and the overflowing abyndance of thy great goodness, sing thy praises, O my God, with transports of joy. Let thy love, which breaketh forth upon man like a torrent, and the irrepressible liberality of thy love, extol thee with gladness. Let the triumphant strength of thine infinite sweetness, and the fulness of bliss for evermore, which thou hast laid up for them that love thee, be thine ineffable praise.

And now adore the Lord your God, and beseech him to bring you into his holy tabernacle, and to praise himself for you.

O God, thou Life supremely blessed, towards whom alone my soul doth look, when shall the hour come when I, a faint and feeble spark, shall be drawn into thy keen and flashing flame, in the splendours of thy saints € There, before thy resplendent throne, shall my feeble tongue resound thy praises; there shall all creation raise to thee one grand concordant song of praise and thanksgiving, to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. When shall I be set as asweet-sounding string in the harp of seraphim ¢ that harp which giveth forth evermore the ineffable: Holy ! holy ! holy! When, O when shall my heart blend its ecstasy with theirs $

When shall my feet be plucked out of the snare of the hunters, arrayed in the white fleece of thy spotless purity, and admitted to gaze on thee, thou fairer than the choirs of angels, who leadest the exulting songs of virgins and of saints? When shall it be given me to hear the new song of the heavenly espousals, which thou their King and their Spouse sngest unto them with melody so ravishing; that song which soars above the mighty acclaim of all creation, and with its excelling sweetness hushes every voice and every tongue of thine elect ¢

O how blessed is that abode where sovereign praise and thanksgiving are rendered everlastingly to God, One in Substance, Three in Persons, by the divine Unity and the divine Trinity itself; where the heavenly harpers hush their thrilling harmony and listen silently; where burning seraphim droop their wings in ravishment ineffable! O God of my heart, dearest object of my desires, by thy power and thy great goodness deign to grant that the feeble note which sings my worthless praise and thanksgiving may mingle with the melody ever flowing from thy sacred Heart. Let this my homage of gratitude for all thou hast done for me, for my creation and my redemption, for my vocation and withdrawal from the world, blend with thine own harmonious hymn.

Express in this transcendent melody my love for thee. Draw its ties so closely that my soul may be ceaselessly rapt and ravished at thought of thee amidst the trials and sorrows of this land of exile. May I ever thirst after thy praise; may my desire to return to thee who madest me be daily more glowing and eager, until I lay down the weight of this oppressive body, and stand before thee in thine inmost secret place. Then, when I gaze on thy Godhead, shall my heart overflow with gladness, and my tongue break forth in song; then shall thy goodness be to me the fount of a joy ever new and never-ending, and the vision of thy face divine a bliss unbroken and without alloy.

Here your soul, transported with the vision of the riches and delights of the glory of its God, lost in wonder at the everlasting song which celebrates his divine beauty, ravished with the splendour of the heavenly court, inebriated with the resplendent charms of its divine Spouse, will invite all creatures to sing his praise, saying the hymn, Benedicite.

O ALL ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O all ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye showers and dews, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye mighty winds, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye cold and frost, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye dews and hoar-frost, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye nights and days, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye light and darkness, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O let the earth bless the Lord: yea, let it praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye herbs and plants that spring up from the earth, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye fountains, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye whales and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye sons of men, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O let Israel bless the Lord: yea, let them praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.

Let us bless the Father and the Son, with the Holy Ghost: yea, let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.

Blessed be thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven: and worthy to be praised and exalted over all for ever.

And then continue, as follows :

Y heart and my flesh have rejoiced in thee, O living God. My soul is transported with gladness in thee, O my true and only Saviour. O how lovely is thy temple, O Lord God of hosts! How glorious is thy dwelling-place, where thou reignest in thy majesty, most high over all beings ! My soul falls back baffled and wearied at the threshold of this glorious abode. O God, O my God, O thou love and joy of my heart, my refuge and my strength, my honour and my glory; when shall the hour come when I shall be admitted to praise thee in the great assembly of thy saints ¢

When shall I see thee with mine eyes, O my God, O thou God of gods? When wilt thou fill me with gladness by disclosing to me thy lovely face, O thou God of my heart? When wilt thou fulfil my soul's desire by showing me thy glory $ O my God, my chosen inheritance, my strength and my glory, when shall I mingle among the mighty spirits who gaze on thy strength and thy glory? When wilt thou clothe me with the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that I may be gathered up amongst thy holy angels, and all the members of my body, and all the powers of my soul, unite to sing sweet praises unto thee ¢

O God of my life, when shall I come into the tabernacle of thy glory to sing sweet Alleluias in thine honour, while my heart and my soul show forth before all thy saints the mercies thou hast bestowed upon me? O my God, my kingly inheritance, when shall the snare be broken which holds me fast in death, and when will the wall of separation fall which keeps my soul from thee? “When shall I dwell in thine house for ever, and show forth thy praise without distraction, and sing the ever-new song of thy wondrous mercies $

Who among the gods is like unto thee, O my sovereign Master, and what can compare with the magnificence of thy glory? Who can sound the depths of thy wisdom, or number the treasures of thine unwearied mercy? None is like unto thee, O my God, O eternal King. Who can presume to speak of thy glory and thy majesty? Who throughout eternity can exhaust the blessedness with which the vision of thy splendour fills the soul? How can mortal eye be keen to see, or mortal ear be strong to hear, the marvels of that beatific vision €

O God, O my God, thou alone art wonderful and glorious; thou alone art great and worthy to be praised; thou alone art gentle and loving; thou alone all fair and full of charms; thou alone so perfect that all the glories of earth and heaven are pale to thee. Thy light ravishes my heart; it is the one exclusive object of my love; its faintest, most distant ray rejoices my heart, and changes the weariness of life into bliss and gladness.

O light divine, when wilt thou come and kindle the torch of my soul, that it may burn and shine in thee, and be no more extinguished for ever, so that in thee I may know even as I am known? O blessed is the soul which thy glorious essence keepeth thus hidden in itself. When shall I be sweetly absorbed in thee, thou divine centre, towards which all things living tend; and thus become, all unworthy as I am, one only love, one spirit with thee? Mine inmost soul crieth out: Lord, who is like unto thee? No, thou hast not, nor canst have, any equal in thy glory; for thou art the one only God, triumphant and renowned amongst the generations that are past. When wilt thou raise me up from the dust, and bring me, poor and miserable as I am, before thy kingly face, and take from my head the ashes of humiliation, and crown me with unfading joy? Then shall my soul, in its glowing, eternal enthusiasm, break forth into singing, and show forth for evermore its gratitude for all thy great and undeserved mercies.

Meanwhile, O thou God of my heart, my whole heart and soul aspire towards thee with all their living energy, O thou my God, mine everlasting inheritance. My spirit doth rejoice in thee, O God my Saviour. Were all creatures, all the fair works of thy fingers, mine, I would form and blend them into a concert of praise unto thy glory. The thought alone of thy praise melteth my spirit and my soul within me. Why have I not the collected strength of angels and of men? With what gladness would I employ it all for thy glory, so that I might one day hear the sweet and solemn harmonies which echo round thy sacred throne in that abode where thou keepest thine eternal sabbath in rest ecstatic, thou and the virgin Ark in which thy holiness deigned to dwell enshrined; in that abode where unnumbered millions of thine elect gird thee round, and unceasing sing: HOLY ! HOLY ! HOLY !

Nay, even now I cast my heart as a grain of incense into the golden censer of thy divine heart, wherein burns to thy glory the sweet perfume of everlasting love; desiring, with all the energy of my whole soul, that, all vile and unworthy as it is, it may be kindled by the breath of thy spirit, and consume away to thy glory alone; and that the deep sighs I breathe forth now towards thee from the depths of the abyss of earth, during this my long and weary expectation, may be one day changed into glad and everlasting songs of praise to thy glory. Amen.

And now, glowing with desire to show forth the praise of God, and finding no words equal to his grandeur, beseech the Lord Jesus, who loves you, himself to glorify himself for you, as he wills and how he wills.

Blessed be thou, O my God and my sweetness, in the sacred glory of thy Godhead, which did not abhor for nine months to inhabit and to fill the most chaste womb of the Virgin Mary.

Blessed be thou in the most high and holy majesty of thy Godhead, which deigned to come down even into the lowest depths of this valley of our humiliation.

Blessed be thou, O God most high, in the loving ingenuity of thine almightiness, whereby thou didst shed upon the Virgin Rose so great virtue and grace and manifold charms, that thy love did not disdain to desire her beauty.

Blessed be thou in thy wondrous wisdom, whereby thou didst pour upon Mary all the treasures of thy grace, and fit her, both in body and soul, to fulfil all the decrees of thine infinite greatness.

Blessed be thou in thy love, so mighty, wiseand tender, whereby thou didst condescena to become the Son of the Virgin.

Blessed be thou in that wondrous abasement of thy glorious majesty, which hath prepared for me the treasures of the everlasting inheritance.

Blessed be thou in the union which thou hast contracted with my human nature, whereby thou dost call me to be partaker of thy divine nature.

Blessed be thou in that long exile of three and thirty years which thou didst endure for me, that thou mightest bring back to the source of life eternal my soul, which was lost.

Blessed be thou in thy toil, thy sufferings, and thy sweat of blood, whereby thou hast sanctified my pain, my anguish, and my sickness.

Blessed be thou in thy deep experience of my misery, whereby we know thee to be the Father of infinite mercy and the God of boundless consolation.

Blessed be thou in thy superabounding love, whereby thou hast redeemed my soul.

Blessed be thou in all and each of the drops of thy most precious blood, wherewith thou hast quickened my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

Blessed be thou in the bitterness of thy precious death, which in thine infinite love thou hast borne for me; in that death, in virtue of which I take thy merit to atone for my lack of all merit, and trust without presumption that thou dost really care for me; for thou art mine and I am thine through that eternal redemption.

Blessed be thou in thy triumphant glory, for it is in the truth of my flesh that thou sittest at the right hand of the Father, O my God, blessed for evermore.

Blessed be thou in thy divine light and spiendour and power, the wondering contemplation of which is the food and the full contentment of all the inhabitants of the heavenly court.

And now rise higher still, and implore the sovereign Lord, who loves you, to join his blessed Mother and all the host of heaven, and to sing to his own glory a song of jubilant gladness, in all the transports of that love which ts his own felicity, employing both his Godhead and his Manhood as instruments in that sublimest harmony. Say then, with all your heart:

Joy and gladness be to thee in my name,

O God of my life, for the sovereignty of thy divine Trinity, for the essential unity of thy substance, for the distinct properties of thy Persons, for their union and intercommunion, source of thine own ineffable blessedness.

Joy and gladness be unto thee for thine incomprehensible grandeur, for thine unchangeable eternity, for thy supreme and most spotless holiness, source and cause of all holiness, and for thy most glorious and consummate beatitude.

Joy and gladness be unto thee for the most pure flesh of thy human nature, wherewith thou hast purified me, making thyself bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.

Joy and gladness be to thee for thy grand

D majestic soul, that one precious offering which hath redeemed my soul.

Joy and gladness be to thee for thy divine heart, pierced by love for me, even unto death.

Joy and gladness be to thee for that most loving and faithful heart, which was opened for me by the lance, that I might enter therein, and therein make my rest.

Joy and gladness be to thee from that sweetest heart, my one refuge and shelter in my exile, from that heart so full of tender care for me, whose love is so set on me that it cannot rest till it hath received me into itself for evermore.

Joy and gladness be to thee for the most worthy heart and soul of the glorious Virgin Mary thy Mother, whom thou hast given me as my mother in all that touches my salvation, thus opening to me for ever the treasures of her maternal love.

Joy and gladness be to thee for the loving care thou hast shown me, in that thou hast given me an advocate so prevailing, at whose intercession I may obtain thy grace so readily and so surely, and in presence of whom I cannot doubt that thou keepest for me thine everlasting mercy.

Joy and gladness be to thee in that wondrous tabernacle of thy glory, wherein alone thou hast been worthily worshipped and served, and in which thou findest the praise and the glory which are due to thee from me.

Joy and gladness be to thee on my behalf, from the seven glorious spirits who stand before thy throne.

Joy and gladness be to thee from the innumerable hosts of angels, whom thou dost employ to guide and to train thine elect family which thou hast redeemed.

Joy and gladness be to thee from the four and twenty ancients, from the patriarchs and prophets, who fall down before thee, and cast their crowns before thy throne, and attune their golden harps to thine eternal praise.!

Joy and gladness be to thee from the four living creatures having wings, which rest not day nor night, singing thy praises with transport ineffable.

Joy aad gladness be to thee from the glorious company of the Apostles, whom thou didst make thy brethren and thy friends, and on whose intercession thou dost wondrously sustain thy holy Church.

Joy and gladness be to thee from the triumphant army of martyrs, who bear the banner and the colours of thy precious blood.

Joy and gladness be to thee from the countless multitude of confessors, all arrayed in perfection, and whose souls thou dost ravish with gladness in thy marvellous light.

Joy and gladness be to thee from the spotless company of virgins, who shine forth in thee with a purity more dazzling than snow.

Joy and gladness be to thee from that new song which they sing everlastingly, as they follow thee whithersoever thou goest, O Jesus, full of goodness, king and spouse of virgins.

Joy and gladness be to thee for the sweet

food of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is none other than the beholding thy face divine.

Joy and gladness be to thee from all the whole host of thine elect, who are thine inheritance and the people of thy possession; for they are with thee, O my God, and thou with them, for all eternity.

Joy and gladness be to thee from all the stars of heaven, which hearken unto thy commandment and do thy will unfailingly.

Joy and gladness be to thee from all thy creatures, who fill heaven and earth and the great deep. May they give thee back that eternal praise which floweth forth from thee, and to thee as its source returns.

Joy and gladness be to thee from my heart and my soul, from my spirit and my flesh, and from all the creatures of thine hand. To thee from whom are all things, by whom are all things, in whom all things, to thee alone be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Having thus revived your soul and enlarged your heart by praising God in his holy place, seek your delight in him who loveth you, casting into him all the love of your heart, that he may sustain you here below with the benedictions of his sweetness and hereafter admit you to enjoy it fully in heaven.

O GOD, O my God, since thou art mine, I shall lack nothing; and since I am thine, I will evermore glory in thee, my God and my

Saviour. For thou dost prepare a table of gladness before me, amidst all my tribulations and my sadness. Where is my soul's bliss if it be not in thee, O God of my life? If the mere thought of thy praise be so sweet amidst the miseries of this life, what will it be, O my God, when the splendour of thy Godhead shall shine forth in all its glory?’ If the few and scanty drops which reach me now have such virtue to nourish and sustain, what will it be, O thou infinite sweetness, when thou shalt be given to me in thy boundless immensity € If now thy consolations satisfy the longing which draws me towards the sovereign good, what will it be, O God of my salvation, when thou shalt absorb and hide my soul in thee ¢ What must the pastures of that happy land be where thou showest thy face, if already, here below, one passing glimpse of thee doth melt my soul, and blend it inseparably with thine ¢ How will the unclouded view of thy divine countenance feed and sustain it, if even now its hunger be fully satisfied with the crumbs thou lettest fall from time to time from thy divine table? O God, O my God, when thou drawest my soul after thee, thou leavest me no liberty to feel or think of aught but thee, thou ravishest me from myself. In these blessed moments I have no thought nor care for myself; for thou drawest me with sweetest force into thee, so that I am hidden from myself. What will be my joy, my bliss, my ecstasy, when thou shalt disclose to me the charms of thy Godhead, and my soul shall see thee face to face $ when I shall have no other occupation than to rest on evermore in the contemplation of thy glory, O my God; no other love than to stand beside the heavenly altar whereon my redemption was effected; than to offer thee, on that altar and to thy glory, the inmost feelings of my soul in a transport of gladness, and with songs of everlasting praise.

Then, O my soul, shalt thou see and abound; and thou, my wondering heart, shalt be enlarged,! when this torrent of riches and of delight shall break forth on thee; when the glory of the august Trinity, like a mighty sea, shall swallow thee up; when thou shalt be surrounded by that great multitude whom the King of kings and Lord of lords hath redeemed from the power of the enemy, having made bare his almighty arm; when thou shalt be sunk and lost and borne away beneath the rushing flood of the mercy, the love, the almightiness, the wisdom, the goodness of thy God; when thou shalt know and feel thyself adopted finally and for evermore. Then shall be given unto thee the cup of the vision of God; that grand inebriating cup whereof drinks for ever the soul which beholds the glory of the face of God.

Then shalt thou quench thy thirst at the torrent of eternal delights; and he who is the source of all delight shall fill thee with the fulness of a boundless joy. Then shalt thou see the heavens all filled with the glory of God who dwelleth in them, and thine eyes shall see

1 Isa, Ix, 5, that virgin star which, brightest next to God, filleth heaven with the splendour of its purest lustre; then shalt thou see all the wondrous works of the hand of thy God, and the morning stars praising him together, and all the sons of God making joyful melody.!

Alas, alas, O God of my heart and my portion for ever, how long shall my soul languish still and pine for the bliss of seeing thee¢ Thou alone knowest how sad and wretched this my exile is, and to what perils my frailty is exposed. O beloved object of my heart's desire, my soul is athirst after thee; draw me soon to thyself, O God, thou source of my life, that I may drink eternal life from thee. Let the rays of thy countenance fall full upon me, and let me see thee face to face. O show thyself unto me, and give me bliss in thee for evermore.

O thou life of my soul, change these plaintive cries which my soul utters, in the anguish of its baffled yearnings, into a song of joy and gladness. Fashion my whole life to thy love, that all my actions may be hymns of praise to thee, that all my intentions may be united to thine adorable good pleasure, and may all tend towards thee and meet in thee, who art the true life of my soul.

O my heart's true Love, render now to thyself thanksgiving for me, and let all the ravished court of heaven unite with thee to thank thee, that thou, O my God, dost condescend to be my sovereign and most exquisite good; that thou hast vouchsafed to make thyself

1 Job xxxviii. 7, known to one who is the very refuse of thy creatures, and to be loved and praised by her; for thou art God my Saviour, the author of my salvation, and the life of my soul.

And in this lofty hymn of praise my soul, melted with its glowing love, shall blend its feeble voice until my spirit return to thee, to taste true bliss in thee, my God. Give me to seek and to find my happiness here below in the thought of thine everlasting praise, that at the hour of my departure my thirst to behold thee, to praise thee, to be with thee, and the energy of my love of thee, may surmount the pangs of death. In that last agony be thou my door and my eternal home; and do thou bring me up to the height of that heavenly, blissful life, where my heart and my soul shall for ever exult with joy in thee. Amen.

And now that you are become as the bereaved and lonely turtle-dove, moaning by reason of the weariness of this life and of your longing to see the face of your Beloved, fold the wings of your restless desires, even as the winged living creatures before the throne of God. Protest before God that your heart is wholly there where your treasure is, and implore of him a happy death.

MY heart is fixed there where Jesus hath wished it to be fixed. Yes, O my Jesus, beloved supremely above all, thou art the abiding life of my soul. For thee my heart languisheth; it thirsteth after thee. A wound of rapture hath torn and pierced it; the light of this world is torment and anguish, because I know thy beauty and thy greatness, thy love, and the blessedness that is in thee.

My heart is dreary with delay. How long, O my well-beloved, how long shall I look for the moment when I shall enjoy thee, and shall gaze upon thy beauteous face? To my thirsting soul heaven and earth, and all that is therein, apart from thee, are chill and dreary as a winter’s day. My glad spring-time, my one only consolation, will be at length to see thy face.

O love, when wilt thou bid my body return to the dust, that my liberated soul may soar on high to thee, its God and living source ¢ The divine rays which stream from thy throne, and come even unto me, ravish my whole being with pure and genial light. Why dost thou so long leave upon the tree this poor and helpless leaf, to be shaken and buffeted by the fierceness of the storms of this world ¢

O love, uphold me with thy strong right hand, that my soul be not swept away. O stream of living waters, thy sweet murmur hath soothed my heart; for earth hath no music so exquisitely soft. This life has grown unto me as a vain and empty dream. How long shall I be constrained to endure its hollow illusion ? Yet, O love, break not the tie whereby thou holdest me, unless it be to bring me to the one beloved of my heart, and to lay me on his loving bosom. O thou divine fruit of life, O thou whom my soul loveth more than all, thy sweet fragrance hath ravished my heart; to me this body is but vile corruption, and my sighs go up ceaselessly towards thee.

O love, love, when wilt thou set me free from this vile body, that so I may enjoy without obstruction him who is the well-beloved of my heart, and dwell with him for ever ¢ One single ray of thy Godhead, streaming upon me through the veil of thy manhood hath so transported my soul, that had I a thousand bodies, I should loathe them all; what, then, must be the delights of the full unclouded splendour of thine unveiled beauty ¢ Gladly would I die a thousand deaths, if so it were given me to behold thy truth arrayed in all its charms.

O love, love, have pity on me; take me quickly home to that banquet of delights where I shail see the glory of the Saviour, my true and faithful Spouse. The fulness of thy Godhead alone, O my Jesus, can satisfy the soul which thou hast deigned to make for thyself. One smallest drop of thy sweetness so ravishes my soul, that death would be delightful to me above a thousand lives, if so it were given me to see thee for evermore.

O love, love, when wilt thou come, and so entirely separate my soul from my body, that it may have no other dwelling-place than thee ¢ Thy loving embrace, O my Jesus—alas, how rare and brief !—is so surpassingly sweet, that had I a thousand hearts, they would all melt within me at thy touch. The kiss of thy divine mouth absorbs my life in thine, and my soul dares to impress on thee its answering kiss of love. O bliss transcending thought. O that then I could sink in death, and lose myself beneath the gleaming billows of thy Godhead:

O love, love, delay not to celebrate my high, eternal espousals. Take my soul up out of this valley of misery; let it lose itself as a feeble drop in the shoreless ocean whence it came at the bidding of my God. O sweet Jesus. beloved above all and with all my heart's strength, mine elect, my only one, be thou my guide throughout this time of trial; grant that I may end my days in thy praise, in thy grace, and in thy favour.

O Jesus, my sweet love, be thou the sure refuge of thy poor and lowly spouse, who has neither hope nor inheritance but in tnee. Guide her over the swelling waves of the pathless sea of this life; be her consolation when the storm of death shall lower. Stretch forth then the hand of thy compassion; be thou then my sure stay, on whom I may rest the weight of my being. O then, my most loving Redeemer, do thou with one majestic look scatter and defeat all the enemies of my soul.

O Jesus, my true and faithful friend, let the great deep of thy tender mercy be then my shelter from my appalling foe. Be thou the sure hiding-place whither I may flee with joyful trust, to escape the captivity of my sins. O Jesus, my beloved hope, let thy divine heart, which was pierced for love of me, and is ever open to all sinners, be the first refuge of my soul when it quits this body. There, in that abyss of love, shall all my sins be blotted out in a moment; and with thee, O thou wellbeloved of my heart, I shall go up my unobstructed, unimpeded way, to the source of heavenly joys.

O Jesus, my only hope, my Saviour and my God, send to me at my last hour thy tender Mother Mary, that soft-shining star of the sea, that she may stand by me as my sure defence. Her face, fair as the bright dawn of morning, will make me feel and know that thou too, O divine Sun of justice, art drawing near to my soul in all thy splendour. O my beloved above all, thou knowest the desire of my heart; thou knowest that my soul sigheth after thee alone. O come, then, come quickly; at sight of thy beauteous face my soul will remember its sufferings and sorrows no more.

O love, love, watch over the hour of my death; seal it with thy seal, that I may know thou wilt be with me then, and that thy goodness, my sole stay in that dread hour, will remove far from me whatever might hurt my soul. Show forth thy most loving wisdom in that critical hour, O thou great King! Strengthen my weak soul, that it may bear for ever the impress of the unutterable mercy wherewith thou hast dealt with me in life and in death. Draw up all my powers into thee, and plunge me into the mighty deep of thy Godhead, where the sight of Jesus, the beloved of my heart, will restore my wasted strength, and satisfy my longing desire, and fill my soul to overflowing for evermore.

Persevere with holy importunity in commending the end of your life to God, imploring him to aid you then, and to order all its circumstances in his great mercy.

O MY God and my Lord, my most loving Creator and Redeemer, thou one hope of my heart, in whom I have believed, whose faith I have ever professed, thou crimsonglowing flower of the Godhead, pour forth upon me as the dew the favours of thy most sacred manhood. Gladden my soul by shedding upon it the sweet influences of thy tender charity, that it may no more remember the anguish of its exile, and may put forth in thee the fragrant flower of all the virtues whereof thou hast sown in it the precious seed, O thou who art the brightest gem and the incomparable flower of all virtues. With thee may it endure the miseries of this pilgrimage ina strange land, and abide in patience amidst all its tribulations and anguish.

O my God and my King, who dwellest in the holy place of the heaven of heavens, thou in whom my life is hid with Jesus, thy chaste delights have steeped my soulin bliss. Already is my life quenched in thee; whither, then, can I go out of thee? I know but thee alone in heaven or in earth. O my God, thou glory of Israel, who dwellest on high in the heavens, thou in whom I live and move and have my being, my trust is stayed on thee alone. In thee alone my heart opens and dilates, for thou art my one joy and all my desire. The rays of thy glorious light have fallen on mine eyes, and awakened my soul from its slumber.

When shall my soul be lost in the still waters of the river of life? When shall thy love take me hence, and give me back myself, in that abode where I shall see thee, O God of my life, thou author of my salvation, and only refuge of my soul? Without thee I am nothing, I know nothing, I can do nothing; in thee alone I hope, to thee alone I long to come, to remain inseparably and for ever united to thee with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength,

Hallow my whole being and my life for thy praise and thy greater glory. Enable my soul to glorify thee constantly and perfectly in all its thoughts and words and works, yea, in its every movement; and let my body be consecrated to thy love with all its powers in all their energy. Now it is but the dreary prisonhouse whence my soul sigheth after thee, O God, thou source of my life. In this exile it knoweth not when the soul enters into it, nor when it shall leave it. But, O Father of mercies, thou wilt not despise nor forsake the work of thine own hands. Olet thine infinite compassion regard my mournful exile; that exile which thou thyself didst for three-andthirty years deign to share. Give me now and all along ever to feel the effects of that goodness, of which thou didst display the unfathomable tenderness when, for my redemption, thy Sweetest heart was broken for love upon the cross.

O thou, the life and the bliss of my soul, be my victory and my triumph in all temptations, my patience in all infirmities, my consolation in all trials; be thou my end and aim, my beginning and my end, in all I think or speak or do; my sanctification all my life long; my perseverance in this protracted expectation, even to the glad issue of my warfare.

O my peerless inheritance, thou treasure of my soui, thou enly end of my expectation and my hope, when the moment shall come that I must leave this world, order all things for me in thy wondrous goodness. Place in my hand the banner of thy holy cross, to defend me from all the wiles of Satan. May the hallowed weapons of thy triumphant Passion, the nails and the spear, be unerring shafts which shall pierce and scatter my enemies. May thy death be unto me a sure rampart and defence—that death which was thy most glorious triumph and the measure and proof of thy love for me. Sprinkle me over with thy blood, the price of my redemption; and be thou my viaticum and my guide when I pass through the strait gate of death.

Leave me not in that dread hour nor forsake me, O thou who hast loved me, who hast made me for thyself; but bring me to that blessed abode where I shall see thee face to face. There, O Jesus, dear deliverer of my soul, wilt thou show me the splendour of thy Godhead; there wilt thou fill my mind and my soul with the ravishing gladness of thy praise; there my heart shall sing and leap for joy in thee, O my sweet salvation, for ever and for ever.

Then my soul, which thou hast redeemed, shall enjoy the good things of thy house. Then shall it feed on the ecstatic vision of thee, and exult as it calls to mind the countless snares and wiles of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the sore anguish of death, from which it has for ever escaped. Then shall it taste the sweetness of the inheritance it possesses in thee who art its life, in that abode where thou wilt be in me and I in thee, eternally one with thee in an indissoluble bond of love. Then shall it glorify thee, O God of my life, my Redeemer, my soul's beloved, for all the graces and blessings which thou hast showered upon it.

Implore our Lord to give you his blessing, and to confirm his love in you, until you come to the beatific vision.

O THOU love which unitest and makest one, thou God of my heart and joy of my mind, my King and my God, my beloved, chosen among ten thousand; thou Spouse of my soul, thou Lord of Hosts, whom alone my soul loveth and desireth. Be thou in this world my blessed and sufficing portion. Let my soul be one spirit with thee, until it be eternally united to thee; let it obey no other impulse, have no other will, know no other affection, than thine alone. Thou art the glowing fire of love; grant me nere, in this my pilgrimage, thy living and effectual blessing, gentle and enkindling, that all my whole being may be

set on fire and consume away in the glow of thy love.

O living love, be thou unto me that blessing which consummates and renders perfect. Grant that my soul may walk before thee as beseems thy chosen spouse. Rule and guide my whole life in thy love. Order my death in full vigour of faith and hope and charity; fit me for it by a worthy reception of the sacraments of holy Church. Use up and exhaust all my powers in thy service; consume in the flame of thy love, even to the last vestige of my body; then shall my soul, freed from its heavy burden, follow thee, who dost deign to loye me so tenderly, into the luminous heights of the most holy Trinity. There shall all my sins be forgiven me by thy goodness; there thine incomprehensible charity will cover all the multitude of my offences; there my being shall rise again from its ruins in virtue of its union with thee, my Jesus, thou priceless treasure of love. There my soul, which now pineth away by reason of the weariness of life, shall renew its youth in thee,

-O ever-living love. There shall it soar on eagle wings, and grasp its ineffable bliss in the vision of thy beloved face; for there it will have laid hold on eternal life, in that it holds thee as its possession for evermore, [9) God who art love. Amen.