O Sacred Heart,
so burning with the fire of love.
O Heart of my Savior,
Sanctuary of all grace,
all love,
all truth,
I adore you, I praise you, I bless you,
and I love you with all the strength and love
my poor heart has to give.
O Heart above all hearts,
forgive this poor, scarred heart of mine,
so often choosing not to love,
not to listen to your call,
cold when you would fill it with fire,
rebellious when you would lead me beside the still waters,
unfaithful wihen you wiould fill it full with your grace.
Forgive me, O Fount of endless mercy,
I who deserve to be cast out of your presence and into the endless darkness,
but who through your mercy find myself here,
at the fount of the Living Water.
O Bridegroom beyond all others,
by your cross,
by the very act of your choosing to be the Victim of love,
by your loving self-sacrifice in the Eucharistic Presence
that feeds my very soul with your own loving self,
I beg you, O Heart of Divine Mercy,
to forgive me for all those times,
all those sins
of ingratitude,
forgetfulness,
lack of faithfulness,
and all the other wrongs I have done to you,
whom I should love with an undivided heart.
With tears of contrition and grief for what I have wrought,
I come before you
longing to make whatever reparation I can,
token of my love for you,
knowing that truly they could never make up for what you are willing to give,
but yet, Lord, here I am.
Let me bear whatever griefs,
whatever suffering you should send my way
willingly as a reparation to thee,
for the wrongs I have done,
for the wrongs others do,
and for the conversion of hearts who do not love you.
Let each beat of my heart
be a prayer of love you you,
each breath I take,
a rememberance of Him who gives me breath,
each day granted
another chance to speak to you of my love,
each hour a celebration of the hope you give me,
each minute passing,
a thanksgiving of my joy at having been touched
by your love.
O Ocean of mercy,
whose love is big enough to embrace the whole world,
hide me in the depths of your heart forever.
Amen.
An Act of Hope and Confidence in God
MY GOD, I believe most firmly that Thou watchest over all who hope in Thee, and that we can want for nothing when we rely upon Thee in all things; therefore I am resolved for the future to have no anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon Thee.
"In peace in the self-same I will sleep and I will rest; for Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope."
Men may deprive me of worldly goods and of honors: sickness may take from me my strength and the means of serving Thee; I may even lose Thy grace by sin, but my trust shall never leave me. I will preserve it to the last moment of my life, and the powers of Hell shall seek in vain to wrest it from me.
"In peace in the self-same I will sleep and I will rest."
Let others seek happiness in their wealth, in their talents: let them trust to the purity of their lives, the severity of their mortifications, to the number of their good works, the fervor of their prayers; as for me, O my God, in my very confidence lies all my hope. "For Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope." This confidence can never be vain. "No one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded."
I am assured, therefore, of my eternal happiness, for I firmly hope for it, and all my hope is in Thee. "In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded."
I know, alas! I know but too well that I am frail and changeable; I know the power of temptation against the strongest virtue. I have seen stars fall from Heaven, and pillars of the firmament totter; but these things alarm me not. While I hope in Thee I am sheltered from all misfortune, and I am sure that my trust shall endure, for I rely upon Thee to sustain this unfailing hope.
Finally, I know that my confidence can not exceed Thy bounty, and that I shall never receive less than I have hoped for from Thee. Therefore I hope that Thou wilt sustain me against my evil inclinations; that Thou wilt protect me against the most furious assaults of the evil one, and that Thou wilt cause my weakness to triumph over my most powerful enemies. I hope that Thou wilt never cease to love me, and that I shall love Thee unceasingly. "In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded."
-------REV. CLAUDE DE LA COLOMBIÈRE, S.J.