Meditations for the Novena for Christmas - Dec. 17

Meditation II.

Bitterness of the Heart of Jesus in the Womb of his Mother.

Hostiam et oblationem noluisti; corpus autem aptasti mihi.

“Sacrifice and oblation Thou wouldest not; but a body Thou hast fitted to Me.” – Heb. x. 5.

Consider the great bitterness with which the heart of the Infant Jesus must have felt itself afflicted and oppressed in the womb of Mary at the first moment when his Father proposed to his consideration all the series of contempt, sorrow, and agonies which he was to suffer during his life, to deliver men from their miseries: In the morning He wakeneth my ear,¹ and I do not resist; I have given my body to the strikers.²

Thus did Jesus speak by the mouth of the prophet: In the morning He wakeneth my ear; that is to say, from the first moment of my conception my Father made me feel that it was his will that I should lead a life of sorrows, and in the end should be sacrificed on the cross: And I do not resist; I have given my body to the strikers. And all this I accepted for your salvation, O ye souls of men, and from that time forth I gave up my body to the scourges, to the nails, and to the death of the cross.

Consider that whatever Jesus Christ suffered in his life and in his Passion, was all placed before him whilst he was yet in the womb of Mary, and he accepted everything that was proposed to him with delight; but in accepting all this, and in overcoming the natural repugnance of sense, O my God, what anguish and oppression did not the innocent heart of Jesus suffer! Well did he understand what he was first of all to endure, shut up for nine months in the dark prison of the womb of Mary; in suffering the shame and the sorrows of his birth, being born in a cold grotto that was a stable for beasts; in having afterwards to lead for thirty years an humble life in the shop of an artisan; in considering that he was to be treated by men as ignorant, as a slave, as a seducer, and as one guilty of death, and of the most infamous and painful death that ever was allotted to the most worthless of criminals.

All this did our dearest Redeemer accept every moment; but each moment that he accepted it he suffered at once all the the pains and humiliations that he would afterwards have to endure even unto death. The very knowledge of his divine dignity made him feel still more the injuries that he would have to receive from men: All the day long my shame is before me.³ He had continually before his eyes his shame, especially that confusion which he should one day feel at seeing himself stripped naked, scourged, and suspended by three iron nails; and so to end his life in the midst of the insults and curses of those very men for whom he was to die: Becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.⁴ And for what? To save us miserable and ungrateful sinners.

Affections and Prayers.

My beloved Redeemer, oh, how much did it cost Thee, even from Thy first entrance into the world, to raise me from the ruin which I have brought on myself by my sins! Thou hast consented to be treated as the lowest of slaves, in order to deliver me from the slavery of the devil, to whom I had willingly sold myself by sin; and yet, knowing all this, I have had the boldness to afflict continually Thy most amiable heart, which has loved me so much! But since Thou, who art so innocent, and art my God, hast accepted such a painful life and death, I accept for Thy love, O my Jesus, every trouble that shall come to me from Thy hands. 1 accept it and embrace it, because it comes from those hands which were once pierced through, in order to deliver me from the hell which I have so often deserved. Thy love, O my Redeemer! in offering Thyself to suffer so much for me, does more than oblige me to accept for Thy sake every sorrow, every humiliation. O my Lord! for Thy own merit’s sake, give me Thy holy love; Thy love will render all sufferings and ignominy sweet and pleasant to me. I love Thee above everything: I love Thee with my whole heart; I love Thee more than myself. But during Thy whole life how many and what great proofs of Thy love didst Thou not give me; and yet, ungrateful that I am, how many years have I not lived in the world without giving Thee any proofs of my love! I dread appearing before Thee when Thou shalt come to judge me, poor as I now am, without having done anything for the love of Thee. But what can I do without Thy grace? I can do nothing but pray that Thou wilt succor me; but even this prayer comes simply from Thy grace. O my Jesus! help me through the merits of Thy sufferings, and of the blood Thou hast shed for me. Most holy Mary, recommend me to thy Son, for the love that thou bearest him. Behold, I am one of those sheep for which thy Son has died.

1“Mane erigit mihi aurem. . . .” – Isa. l. 4.

2“Ego autem non contradico . . .; corpus meum dedi percutientibus.” – Ibid. 6.

3“Tota die verecundia mea contra me est.” – Ps. xliii. 16.

4“Factus obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis.” – Phil. ii. 5.

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Meditations for the Novena for Christmas - Dec. 16

Meditation I.

God has given Us his only Son to save Us.

Dedi te in lucem gentium, ut sis salus mea usque ad extremum terræ.

“I have given Thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation even to the farthest part of the earth.” – Isa. xlix. 6.

Consider that the Eternal Father addressed these words to the Infant Jesus at the instant of his conception: I have given Thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation.¹ My Son, I have given Thee to the world for the light and life of all people, in order that Thou mightest procure for them their salvation, which I have as much at heart as if it were my own. Thou must therefore employ Thyself entirely for the well-being of men: “Wholly given to man, Thou must be wholly spent in his service.”² Thou must therefore, at Thy birch, suffer extreme poverty, in order that men may become rich, “that Thou mayest enrich them by Thy poverty.”³ Thou must be sold as a slave to acquire liberty for man; and Thou must be scourged and crucified as a slave to satisfy my justice for the punishment due to man. Thou must give Thy blood and Thy life to deliver man from eternal death; in short, Thou art no longer Thine own, but Thou belongest to man: A child is born to us, a son is given to us.⁴ Thus, my beloved Son, man will be constrained to love me, and to be mine, when he sees that I give Thee, my only-begotten one, entirely to him, and that there is nothing left for me to give him.

God so loved the world—(O infinite love! only worthy

of an infinite God!)—God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son.⁵ The Infant Jesus, far from being sorrowful at this proposal, is pleased at it, accepts it with love, and exults in it: He hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way;⁶ and from the first moment of his incarnation he gives himself entirely to man, and embraces with pleasure all the sorrows and ignominy that he must suffer on earth for the love of man. These were (says St. Bernard) the mountains and hills that Jesus Christ had to pass with so many labors in order to save man: Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills.⁷

Here consider that the divine Father, in sending his Son to be our Redeemer and mediator between himself and man, has in a certain sense bound himself to forgive us and love us, on account of the covenant he made to receive us into his favor, providing his Son satisfied for us his divine justice. On the other hand, the divine Word, having accepted the decree of his Father (who, by sending him to redeem us, has given him to us), has also bound himself to love us; not, indeed, for our own merits, but in order to fulfil the merciful will of his Father.

Affections and Prayers.

My dearest Jesus, if it is true (as the law says) that dominion is acquired by gift, since Thy Father hath given Thee to me, Thou art mine; for me Thou wert born, to me hast Thou been given: A child is born to us, a Son is given to us.⁸ Therefore I may well say, “My Jesus and my all.”⁹ Since Thou art mine, everything that belongs to Thee is also mine. Of this I am assured by Thy Apostle: How hath He not also with Him given us all things.¹⁰ Thy blood is mine, Thy merits are mine, Thy grace is mine, Thy paradise is mine; and if Thou art mine, who shall be able to take Thee from me? “No man can take God away from me,”¹¹ said with joy the abbot St. Anthony. So, from this day forth, will I also continually say. It is only through my own fault that I can lose Thee and separate myself from Thee; but if in past times I have abandoned Thee and lost Thee, O my Jesus, I now repent of it with all my soul, and I am resolved to lose my life and everything sooner than lose Thee, O infinite Good, and only love of my soul! I thank Thee, Eternal Father, for having given me Thy Son; and since Thou hast given him entirely to me, I, miserable sinner, give myself entirely to Thee. For the sake of this same Son, accept me, and bind me with the chains of love to this my Redeemer; but bind me so strongly that I also may be able to say, Who shall separate me from the love of Christ?¹² What good shall there ever be in the world that shall separate me from my Jesus? And Thou, my Saviour, if Thou art all mine, know that I am all Thine. Dispose of me, and of all that belongs to me, as shall best please Thee. And how can I refuse anything to a God who has not refused me his blood and his life? Mary, my Mother, do thou guard me with thy protection. I will no longer be my own. I will be all my Saviour’s. Do thou help me to be faithful; I trust in thee.

1“Dedi te in lucem gentium, ut sis salus mea usque ad extremum terræ.”

2“Totus illi datus, totus in suos usus impenderis.” – S. Bern.

3“Ut tua inopia dites.”

4“Parvulus natus est nobis, et Filius datus est nobis.” – Isa. ix. 6.

5“Sic Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret!” – John, iii. 16.

6“Exsultavit ut gigas ad currendam viam.” – Ps. lviii. 6.

7“Ecce iste venit saliens in montibus, transiliens colles.” – Cant. ii. 8.

8“Parvulus natus est nobis, et Filius datus est nobis.” – Isa. ix. 6.

9“Jesus meus, et omnia.”

10“Quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit?” – Rom. viii. 32.

11“Deum a me tollere nemo potest.”

12“Quis nos separabit a charitate Christi?” – Rom. viii. 35.

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Meditations for Every Day of Advent - Third Wednesday

Meditation XVIII.

We should hope all Things from the Merits of Jesus Christ.

Proprio Filio suo non pepercit; sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum.

“He that spared not even His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.” – Rom. viii. 32.

Consider that, since the Eternal Father has given us his own Son to be our mediator and advocate with him, and the victim in satisfaction for our sins, we cannot despair of obtaining from God whatever favor we ask of him, if we avail ourselves of the help of such a Redeemer. How hath he not also, with Him, given us all things?¹ adds the Apostle. What can God deny us when he has not denied us his Son?

None of our prayers deserve to be heard or granted by the Lord, for we do not deserve graces but punishment for our sins; but Jesus Christ who intercedes for us, and offers for us all the sufferings of his life, his blood, and his death, does indeed deserve to be heard. The Father cannot refuse anything to so dear a Son, who offers him a price of infinite value. He is innocent; all that he pays to divine justice is to satisfy our debts; and the satisfaction he offers is infinitely greater than all the sins of men. It would not be just that a sinner should perish who repents of his sins, and offers to God the merits of Jesus Christ, who has already superabundantly atoned for him.

Let us therefore thank God, and hope all things from the merits of Jesus Christ.

Affections and Prayers.

No, my God and my Father, I can no longer distrust Thy mercy; I cannot fear that Thou wilt refuse me the pardon of all the sins I have committed against Thee, and that Thou wilt withhold from me the graces necessary for my salvation, since Thou hast given me Thy Son, in order that I should offer him to Thee. Thou hast given me Jesus Christ on purpose to pardon me, and to render me capable of receiving Thy grace, and Thou hast commanded me to offer him to Thee, and to hope for salvation from Thee for his merits. Yes, my God, I will obey Thee, and I thank Thee. I offer Thee the merits of this Thy Son, and through them I hope for grace to remedy my weakness, and all the injuries that I have done myself by my sins. I repent, O infinite Goodness! of having offended Thee, and I love Thee above everything; and from this day forth I promise Thee to love none but Thee. But my promise will be of no avail if Thou dost not help me. For the love of Jesus Christ, give me light and strength to accomplish all Thy holy will. Trusting, therefore, in the merits of Jesus Christ, I hope that Thou wilt grant my prayer. Mary, my mother and my hope, I beseech thee also, for the love of Jesus Christ, to obtain for me this grace. O my Mother, listen to my prayer.

1“Quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit?”

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Meditations for Every Day of Advent - Third Tuesday

Meditation XVII.

Jesus the Charitable Physician of our Souls.

Orietur vobis . . . Sol justitiæ, et sanitas in pennis ejus.

“But unto you the sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings.” – Mat. iv. 2.

Your physician will come, says the prophet, to cure the infirm; and he will come swiftly like the bird that flies, and like the sun, which on rising from the horizon, instantly sends its light to the other pole. But behold him, he is already come. Let us console ourselves, and return thanks to him.

St. Augustine says, “He descends to the bed of the sick;”¹ that is to say, even to taking upon him our flesh, for our bodies are the beds of our infirm souls.

Other physicians, if they love their patients, do indeed use all their efforts to cure them; but what physician, in order to cure the sick man, ever took upon himself his disease? Jesus Christ has been that physician, who charged himself with our infirmities in order to cure them. Neither would he content himself with sending another in his place, but he chose to come himself to fulfil this charitable office, in order to gain to himself all our love: He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows.² He chose to heal our wounds with his own blood, and by his death to deliver us from eternal death, which we had deserved; in short, he chose to swallow the bitter draught of a life of continual sufferings and a painful death, to obtain for us life, and deliver us from our many evils.

The chalice which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?³ said he to St. Peter. It was necessary, then, that Jesus Christ should suffer so many ignominies to heal our pride; that he should embrace such a life of poverty to cure our covetousness; that he should be overwhelmed in a sea of troubles, and even die of pure sorrow, to cure our eagerness after sensual pleasures.

Affections and Prayers.

May Thy charity, O my Redeemer! be forever praised and blessed. And what would become of my soul, thus infirm and afflicted with the many sores of my sins, if I had not Thee, my Jesus, who both art able and willing to heal me? O blood of my Saviour, I trust in thee; wash me and cure me. I repent, O my love, of having offended Thee. Thou hast led a life of such tribulations, and hast died so bitter a death to prove to me the love Thou dost bear me. I would fain show Thee how much I love Thee; but what can I do who am so miserable and weak? O God of my soul! Thou art omnipotent; Thou canst heal me, and make me holy. Oh, kindle in me a great desire of pleasing Thee. I renounce all my pleasures to please Thee, my Redeemer, who dost deserve to be pleased at all costs. O sovereign Good! I esteem Thee and love Thee above every good; make me love Thee with all my heart, and always implore Thy love. I have hitherto offended Thee, and have not loved Thee, because I have not sought Thy love. I now beg of Thee this love, and the grace always to seek it. Oh, grant my prayer by the merits of Thy Passion. O Mary my Mother! thou art always prepared to hear the prayer of him that calls upon thee. Thou lovest him that loves thee. I love thee, my Queen; obtain for me the grace to love God, and I ask nothing more of thee.

1Descendit usque ad lectum ægrotantis.” – Serm. 87, E. B.

2“Vere languores nostros ipse tulit, et dolores nostros ipse portavit.” – Isa. liii. 4.

3“Calicem quem dedit mihi Pater, non bibam illum?” – John, xviii. ii.

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Meditations for Every Day of Advent - Third Monday

Meditation XVI.

Jesus is the Fountain of Grace.

Haurietis aquas in gaudio de fontibus Salvatoris.

“You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains. – Isa. xii. 3.

Consider the four fountains of grace that we have in Jesus Christ, as contemplated by St. Bernard.

The first is that of mercy, in which we can wash ourselves from all the filthiness of our sins. This fountain was formed for us by our Redeemer with his tears and his blood: He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.¹

The second fountain is that of peace and consolation in our tribulations: Call upon me (saith Jesus Christ) in the day of trouble, and I will console thee.² He that thirsteth, let him come to me.³ He that thirsteth for true consolations even in this world, let him come to me, for I will satisfy him. He that once tastes the water of my love will forever disdain all the delights of the world: But he that shall drink of the water that I will give, him shall not thirst forever.⁴ And thoroughly contented will he be when he shall enter into the kingdom of the blessed, for the water of my grace shall raise him from earth to heaven. It will become in him a fountain of water springing up into life everlasting.⁵ The peace which God gives to the souls that love him is not the peace that the world promises from sensual pleasures, which leave in the soul more bitterness than peace; the peace which God bestows exceeds all the pleasures of the senses: Peace which surpasseth all understanding.⁶ Blessed are those who long for this divine fountain. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice.⁷

The third fountain is that of devotion. Oh, how devout and ready to execute the divine will, and increasing every day in virtue, is he who constantly meditates on all that Jesus Christ has done for our sake! He will be like the tree planted by a stream of water: He shall be like a tree that is planted near the running waters.⁸

The fourth fountain is that of love: In my meditation a fire shall flame out.⁹ It is impossible to meditate on the sufferings and ignominy borne by Jesus Christ for the love of us, and not to feel inflamed by that blessed fire which he came upon earth to enkindle. How true it is, then, that he who avails himself of these blessed fountains of Jesus Christ will always draw from them waters of joy and of salvation! You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains.¹⁰

Affections and Prayers.

O my sweet and dearest Saviour, how much do I not owe Thee! What an obligation hast Thou put upon me of loving Thee, since Thou hast done for me what no son would have done for his father, and no servant for his master! If Thou, therefore, hast loved me above every one else, it is only just that I should love Thee above all others. I could wish to die with sorrow at the thought that Thou hast suffered so much for me, and that Thou didst accept for my sake the most painful and ignominious death that it is possible for a man to endure; and yet I have so often despised Thy friendship. How many times hast Thou forgiven me, and I have despised Thee afresh? But Thy merits are my hope. I now esteem Thy grace above all the kingdoms of the world. I love Thee, and for Thy love I accept every sorrow, every kind of death. And if I am not worthy to die for Thy glory by the hand of executioners, I accept at least willingly that death which Thou hast allotted to me; and I accept it in the manner and at the time that Thou shalt choose. My dear Mother Mary, obtain for me the grace always to live and to die loving Jesus.

1“Dilexit nos, et lavit nos a peccatis nostris in sanguine suo.” – Apoc. i. 5.

2“Invoca me in die tribulationis; eruam te.” – Ps. xlix. 15.

3“Si quis sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat.” – John, vii. 37.

4“Qui autem biberit ex aqua quam ego dabo ei, non sitiet in æternum.” – John, iv. 13.

5“Fiet in eo fons aquæ salientis in vitam æternam.”

6“Pax Dei, quæ exsuperat omnem sensum.” – Phil. iv. 7.

7“Beati, qui esuriunt et sitiunt justitiam!” – Matt. v. 6.

8“Erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum.” – Ps. i. 3.

9“In meditatione mea exardescet ignis.” – Ps. xxxviii. 4.

10“Haurictis aquas in gaudio de fontibus Salvatoris.”

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Meditations for Every Day of Advent - Third Sunday

Meditation XV.

The Poverty of the Infant Jesus.

Invenientes infantem . . . positum in præsepio.

“You shall find the infant laid in a manger.” – St. Luke, ii. 16.

The Holy Church, in contemplating this great mystery and prodigy of a God being born in a stable, exclaims, full of admiration, “O great mystery! O wonderful sacrament! for animals to behold the Lord lying in a manger.”¹

In order to contemplate with tenderness and love the birth of Jesus, we must pray the Lord to give us a lively faith. If without faith we enter into the grotto of Bethlehem, we shall have nothing but a feeling of compassion at seeing an infant reduced to such a state of poverty that, being born in the depth of winter, he is laid in a manger of beasts, without fire, and in the midst of a cold cavern. But if we enter with faith, and consider what an excess of bounty and love it was in a God to humble himself to appear like a little child, wrapped in swaddling-clothes, placed on straw, crying and shivering with cold, unable to move, depending for subsistence on his mother’s milk, how is it possible that we should not feel ourselves gently constrained to give all our affections to this Infant God, who has reduced himself to this state to make us love him! St. Luke says that the shepherds, after having visited Jesus in the manger, returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.² And yet what had they seen? Nothing more than a poor child trembling with cold on a little straw; but, being enlightened by faith, they recognized in this child the excess of divine love; and inflamed by this love they went on their way glorifying God, that they had the happiness to behold a God who had emptied himself³ and annihilated himself for the love of men.

Affections and Prayers.

O my amiable and sweet Infant! although I behold Thee so poor and lying on straw, yet I confess and adore Thee as my Lord and Creator. I know what it was that reduced Thee to so miserable a state: it was the love that Thou didst bear me. But when I remember, O my Jesus! how I have treated Thee in times past, the injuries I have committed against Thee I wonder in myself how Thou hast borne with me. Accursed sins, oh, what have you done! You have made me cause bitterness to the heart of my beloved Saviour. Oh, my dearest Redeemer, for the sake of the sufferings Thou didst endure and the tears Thou didst shed in the stable of Bethlehem, give me tears, give me a great sorrow, that may make me all my life long lament the displeasure I have caused Thee. Grant me a love for Thee, but such a love as may compensate for the offences I have committed against Thee. I love Thee, my Infant Saviour; I love Thee, my Infant God; I love Thee, my love, my life, my all. I promise Thee from this day forth to love none but Thee. Do Thou help me by Thy grace, without which I can do nothing. Mary, my hope, thou dost obtain whatever thou willest from thy Son, obtain for me his holy love; my Mother, hear me!

1“O magnum mysterium et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, jacentem in praesepio!” – Off. Nat. resp. 4.

2“Reversi sunt pastores glorificantes et laudantes Deum in omnibus quæ andierantet viderant.” – Luke, ii. 20.

3“Semetipsum exinanivit!” – Phil. ii. 7.

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Meditations for Every Day of Advent - Second Saturday

Meditation XIV.

The Greatest Sorrow of Jesus.

Qua utilitas in sanguine meo, dum descendo in corruptionem?

“What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption?” – Ps. xxix. 10.

Jesus Christ revealed to the Venerable Agatha of the Cross that whilst he was in his Mother s womb, that which afflicted him more than any other sorrow was the hardness of the hearts of men, who should, after his Redemption, despise the graces which he came into the world to diffuse. And he had expressed this sentiment before, by the mouth of David, in the words just quoted, which are generally thus understood by the holy Fathers: What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption?¹ St. Isidore explains whilst I descend into corruption, “whilst I descend to take the nature of man, so corrupted by vices and sins;” as if he had said, O my Father, I am indeed going to clothe myself with human flesh, in order to shed my blood for men; but what profit is there in my blood?”—the greater part of the world will set no value on my blood, and will go on offending me, as if I had done nothing for the love of them.”

This sorrow was the bitter chalice which Jesus begged the Eternal Father to remove from him, saying: Let this chalice pass from Me.² What chalice? The sight of the contempt with which his love was treated. This made him exclaim again on the cross: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?³ Our Lord revealed to St. Catharine of Sienna, that this was the abandonment of which he complained the knowledge, namely, that his Father would have to suffer that his Passion and his love should be despised by so many men for whom he died.

And this same sorrow tormented the Infant Jesus in the womb of Mary, the foresight of such a prodigality of sorrows, of ignominy, of blood-shedding, and of so cruel and ignominious a death, and all to so little purpose. The holy Child saw, even there, what the Apostle says, that many (indeed the greater number) should trample under foot his blood and despise his grace, which this blood would obtain for them: Treading under foot the Son of God, and offering an affront to the Spirit of grace.⁴ But if we have been of the number of these ungrateful men, let us not despair; Jesus, at his birth, came to offer peace to men of good-will, as he made the angels sing: And on earth peace to men of good-will.⁵ Let us, then, change our will, repent of our sins, and resolve to love this good God, and we shall find peace, that is, the divine friendship.

Affections and Prayers.

O my most amiable Jesus, how much have I too caused Thee to suffer during Thy lifetime! Thou hast shed Thy blood for me with so much sorrow and love, and what fruit hast Thou hitherto drawn from me but contempt, offences, and insults? But, my Redeemer, I will no longer afflict Thee; I hope that in future Thy Passion will produce fruit in me by Thy grace, which I feel is already assisting me. I will love Thee above every other good; and to please Thee, I am ready to give my life a thousand times. Eternal Father, I should not have the boldness to appear before Thee to implore either pardon or graces, but Thy Son has told me, that whatever grace I ask of Thee in his name Thou wilt grant it to me: If ye shall ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it you.⁶ I offer Thee, therefore, the merits of Jesus Christ, and in his name I ask of Thee first a general pardon of all my sins; I ask holy perseverance even unto death; I ask of Thee, above all, the gift of Thy holy love, that it may make me always live according to Thy divine will. As to my own will, I am resolved to choose a thousand deaths sooner than offend Thee, and to love Thee with my whole heart, and to do everything that I possibly can to please Thee. But in order to do all this, I beg of Thee, and hope to receive from Thee, grace to execute what I purpose. My Mother Mary, if thou wilt pray for me, I am safe. Oh, pray for me, pray; and cease not to pray till thou seest that I am changed, and made what God wishes me to be.

1“Quæ utilitas in sanguine meo, dum descendo in corruptionem?”

2“Transeat a me calix iste!” – Matt. xxvi. 39.

3“Deus meus! Deus meus! ut quid dereliquisti me?” – Matt. xxvii. 46.

4“Filium Dei conculcaverit . . . , et spiritui gratiæ contumeliam fecerit!” – Heb. x. 29.

5“Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis.” – Luke, ii. 14.

6“Si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo, dabit vobis.” – John, xvi. 23.

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