Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin MaryVisit 10

To the Blessed Sacrament.
My Lord Jesus Christ, etc., page 123.

O foolish ones of the world, says St. Augustine, miserable creatures, where are you going to satisfy your hearts? Come to Jesus; for by him alone can that pleasure which you seek be bestowed. ‘Unhappy creatures, whither are you going? The good you seek for comes from him.”¹ My soul, be not of the number of these foolish ones; seek God alone: “seek for that one good in which are all good things.” * And if thou desirest soon to find him, behold, he is close to thee; tell him what thou desirest, since for this end it is that he is in the ciborium, to console thee, and to grant thy prayer. St. Teresa says that all are not allowed to speak to their king: the most that can be hoped for is to communicate with him through a third person. To converse with Thee, O King of glory, no third person is needed; Thou art always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire Thee always find Thee there, and converse with Thee face to face. And even if any one at length succeeds in speaking with a king, how many difficulties has he had to overcome before he can do so! Kings grant audiences only a few times in the year; but Thou, in this Sacrament, grantest audience to all night and day, and whenever we please.

O Sacrament of love, Thou who, whether Thou givest Thyself in the Communion, or dwellest on the altar, knowest, by the tender attractions of Thy love, how to draw so many hearts to Thyself, who, enamoured of Thee, and filled with amazement at the sight of such love, burn with joy, and think always of Thee; draw also my miserable heart to Thyself; for it desires to love Thee, and to live enslaved by Thy love. For my part, I now and henceforward place all my interests, all my hopes, and all my affections, my soul, my body,—I place all in the hands of Thy goodness. Accept me, O Lord, and dispose of me as Thou pleasest. I will never again complain, O my love, of Thy Holy dispensations; I know that, as they all take their source in Thy loving heart, they all will be full of love, and for my good. It is enough for me to know that Thou willest them; I will them also in time and in eternity. Do all that Thou willest in me and with me; I unite my entire self to Thy will, which is all holy, all good, all beautiful, all perfect, all loving. O will of my God, how dear art thou to me! My will is ever to live and die united to and bound up with Thee. Thy pleasure is my pleasure. I will that Thy desires shall also be my desires. My God, my God, help me; make me henceforward live for Thee alone; make me will only what Thou willest, and make me live only to love Thy amiable will. Grant that I may die for Thy love, since Thou hast died and become food for me. I curse those days in which I did my own will, so much to Thy displeasure. I love thee, O will of God, as much as I love God, since thou art one with him. [{I love Thee, then, with my whole heart, and give myself all to Thee.

Ejaculatory prayer. O will of God, thou art my love!
Spiritual Communion, page 124.
Visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The great Queen says, With me are riches... that I may enrich them that love me Let us love Mary, if we

would be rich in graces. The writer who calls himself “the Idiot” styles her “the treasurer of graces,” Blessed is he who has recourse to Mary with love and confidence. My Mother, my hope, thou canst make me a saint; from thee I hope for this favor.

Ejaculatory prayer. Mother most amiable, pray for me!’
[From the Naples Edition.]
Prayer of St. Andrew of Jerusalem,

Hail! Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with thee. Hail! source of our joy. Through thee, as the Mother of Jesus, the sentence of our condemnation has been revoked, and changed into a judgment of benediction. Hail, temple of the Deity’s glory, sacred dwelling of the King of Heaven; thou art the reconciliation of God with man. Hail, Mother of our bliss; thou art truly blessed, because thou wast the only one amongst women found worthy to be the Mother of thy Creator. All nations call thee blessed.³ If I place my confidence in thee I shall be saved. Under thy protection I have nothing to fear, because, in being devoted to thee, I hold in my hand the most assured arms of salvation, which the Almighty grants only to those whom he wishes in a special manner to save.

Ejaculatory Prayer. We fly to thy protection, O sacred Mother of God!
The usual prayer, page 125.