Prayer of the Enamoured Soul

O Lord God, my Love, if Thou art still mindful of my sins, and wilt not grant my petitions, Thy will be done, for that is my chief desire. Show Thou Thy goodness and mercy, and Thou shalt be known by them. If it be that Thou art waiting for my good works that in them Thou mayest grant my petition, do Thou give them and work them in me : send also the penalties which Thou wilt accept, and do Thou inflict them. But if Thou art not waiting for my good works ; what art Thou waiting for, O most merciful Lord ? why tarriest Thou ? For if at last it must be grace and mercy, for which I pray in Thy Son, do Thou accept my worthless offering, according to Thy will, and give me this good also according to Thy will. O Lord - Almighty, my spirit has fainted within me because it has forgotten to feed upon Thee. I knew Thee not, O my Lord, when I went after vanity.

2. Who can free himself from base and mean ways, if Thou, O my God, wilt not lift him up to Thee in pure love? Thou hastenest joyfully and lovingly, O Lord, to raise up him who has offended Thee, but I make no haste to honour and raise him up who has offended me. How shall a man raise himself up to Thee, for he is born and bred in misery, if Thou wilt not lift him up with the hand that made him ? O Lord Almighty, if the shadow of the power of Thy justice in earthly sovereigns who. govern and rule the nations can do so much, what cannot Thy almighty justice do, dealing with the just man and the sinner ?

3. O Lord my God, Thou art not estranged from him who does not estrange himself from Thee. How is it that men say Thou art absent ? O Lord my God, who is there that seeks Thee in pure and true love, who does not find thee to be the joy of His will ? It is Thou who art the first to show Thyself, going forth to meet those who desire to meet Thee. Thou wilt not take away from me, 0 my God, what Thou hast once given me in Thy only begotten Son Jesus Christ, in Whom Thou hast given me all I desire. I will therefore rejoice, Thou wilt not tarry if I wait for Thee. Wait in hope then, O my soul, for from henceforth thou mayest love God in thy heart.

4. The heavens are mine, the earth is mine, and the nations are mine : mine are the just, and the sinners are mine : mine are the angels, and the Mother of God ; all things are mine, God Himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine, and all for me. What dost them then ask for, what dost thou seek for, O my soul ? All is thine, all is for thee ; do not take less, nor rest with the crumbs which fall from the table of Thy Father. Go forth and exult in thy glory, hide thyself in it, and rejoice, and thou shalt obtain all the desires of thy heart.

5. O sweetest love of God, too little known ; he who has found Thee is at rest ; let everything change, O my God, that we may rest in Thee. Everywhere with Thee, O my God, everywhere all things with Thee as I wish. O my Love, all for Thee, nothing for me : nothing for Thee, everything for me. All sweetness and delight for Thee, none for me : all bitterness and trouble for me, none for Thee. O my God, how sweet to me Thy presence, who art the sovereign Good. I will draw near to Thee in silence, and will uncover Thy feet,* that it may please Thee to unite me to Thyself, making my soul Thy bride : I will rejoice in nothing till I am in Thine arms. O Lord, I beseech Thee, leave me not for a moment, because I know not the value of my soul.