Prayers Before Communion, Part 2
Act
of Love
Ah! my God, the true and only love of my soul, what more couldst Thou
do to induce me to love Thee! Thou wast not content with dying for
me; Thou didst wish to institute this holy sacrament, to give Thyself
entirely to me, and thus unite Thy whole Heart to the heart of a
creature so vile and ungrateful as I am. And what is more Thou
Thyself dost invite me to receive Thee; Thou dost ardently desire
that I should receive Thee. O infinite love! incomprehensible love!
a God wishes to give Himself to me!
My soul, dost thou believe all this? What art thou doing, or what
hast thou to say? O God, infinitely amiable, the only object worthy
of all love, I love Thee with my whole heart; I love Thee above all
things; I love Thee more than myself – more than my life! Oh, that
I could see Thee loved by all! Oh, that I could make all hearts love
Thee as much as Thou dost desire! I love Thee, O most amiable God;
and in loving Thee, I unite my miserable heart to the heart of the
Seraphim, to the heart of most holy Mary, and to the Heart of Jesus,
Thy most holy Son. Thus I love Thee, O infinite Goodness, with the
love with which the saints, with which Jesus and Mary love Thee. I
love Thee only because Thou art worthy of my love, and through the
sole motive of pleasing Thee. Begone from my heart, all earthly
affections, you tend not to God. Mother of pure love, most holy
Mary, help me to love that God, Whom thou dost desire to see so much
loved.
Act of Humility
O my Saviour! who am I that Thou shouldst invite me to receive Thee
for the food of my soul? Is it possible that Thou, the God of
infinite purity, shouldst come and dwell in my heart, which has been
so long the abode of Thy enemy, and the sink of so much sin? Lord,
if Thou wilt Thou canst make me clean. Say but the word, and my soul
shall be healed. I come then, O my amiable Saviour, to receive Thee
this morning, but I come covered with shame and confusion at the
sight of my sins, but full of confidence in Thy mercy, and in the
love which Thou does bear to me.
Act of Sorrow
O God of my soul, I am sincerely sorry for not having hitherto loved
Thee. Instead of having loved Thee, I have, for the sake of my
pleasures, offended and despised Thy infinite goodness; I have turned
my back upon Thee; in a word, O my God, I have voluntarily lost Thee.
Lord, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart, for all my sins. I
hate above all things the offences, whether mortal or venial, which I
have committed against Thee, Who art infinite goodness. I hope Thou
hast already cleansed me from the stain of sin in the sacrament of
penance, but I desire to become still purer in Thy sight. Vouchsafe
then to wash in Thy blood this soul, which Thou dost wish soon to
make Thy dwelling-place.
Act of Desire
O
my soul, the happy hour is arrived; Jesus comes to dwell in my poor
heart. Behold the King of heaven, thy Redeemer and thy God, coming
to thee; prepare thyself to receive Him with love; say to Him with
the most ardent desire: Come, O my Jesus, come to me; I desire to
receive Thee. Before Thou dost give Thyself to me, I desire to give
Thee my miserable heart; accept it, come and take full possession of
it. Come, my God, make haste; do not delay. O my only and infinite
good, my treasure, my life, my love, and my all. I would wish to
receive Thee with that love with which the most holy and loving
souls, with which Immaculate Mary received
Thee. With their Communion I unite this Communion of mine. Most
holy Virgin, my Mother, Mary, behold I am going to receive thy Son.
I would wish to have thy heart, and the love with which thou didst
communicate: give me this morning thy Jesus, as thou gavest Him to
the shepherds and to the Magi. I wish to receive Him from thy most
pure hands: tell Him that I am thy servant, and that I am devoted to
thee; and when He comes to me, He will look on me with a more loving
eye, and will unite Himself more closely to me.
From
The Treasury of
the Sacred Heart,
1878
