PRAYER BEFORE VISIT
Jesus, I love You with all my heart. I'm sorry for the times I've let You down. With Your help, I won't do it again. I give You everything I have and all I am. Please do with me whatever You want. All I ask for is Your love, to always do what You want, and to be with You forever.
THE CANTICLE OF LOVE
"City of Sion, be of great joy! Give voice to your songs of praise. Great is the One who is in your midst: He is the Holy One of Israel." (Is. 22). How great our joy should be; how great our hopes; and how great our love; when we know that here in our own city, in our own church, close to our own home, the Holy One, God Himself, dwells in the Blessed Sacrament―yes, God Himself, whose presence gives joy exceeding great to the Saints in Heaven: God who is Love Itself!
St. Bernard tells us "He imparts love. But this is not all: He is Love―Love Itself. "God is Love."
But here in this Sacrament, my dear Jesus, I can hear you making your sad complaint: "I came as your guest and you refused to welcome me." To do good to us you came to earth to be our Guest, and we had no welcome for you. Ah! yes, my Master, you are right; and one of those ungrateful ones who left you forsaken was myself; I did not even come to visit you. O punish me in any other way you will, but please do not punish me by depriving me of your presence; this is the punishment I deserve, but I will correct the rudeness of my manners, and my want of courtesy towards you. From today forward I want to visit you often and I want to spend as much time as I can in your company.
O my gentle Saviour, make me faithful to you now, and inspire others by my example to keep you company in the Most Holy Sacrament.
The voice of Your Eternal Father speaks to me, "This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 17). In you the Great Almighty Father finds His boundless joy. And I, a poor thing of no worth dwelling in this valley of tears am to find my delight in you also! O Fire all-consuming, put an end to that love of created things that still lingers in me; because it is these, and these only, that can make me unfaithful to you and deprive me of your possession. You can do it. You wish to do it. You can make me clean. You have done much for me; do this one thing more: put out of my heart every particle of love that is not for you. Here and now I surrender myself completely to you; I dedicate all the rest of my life to the love of the Most Holy Sacrament. You, my Jesus in the Sacrament, will now be my comfort―my love all my life long; and in the moment of my death. Then you will come to be my Viaticum; then you will bring me to the Kingdom of the Blessed.
Amen. Amen.
This is my hope; and so let it be.
Aspiration - My Jesus, when shall I see your beautiful Face?
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
Jesus, I believe you are in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you; I want you to come to me. Come into my heart; I embrace you; O never depart from me.
A VISIT TO MARY
THE BRIDGE TO GOD
St. Bonaventure calls you "The gate of Liberty"―In you we have the door through which we go forth from the slavery of sin. He also calls you "The safe resting place of men"―so in you too we find peace and security. St. Lawrence Justinian calls you "The comforter of our pilgrimage"―you bring relief to us in our sufferings. St Bonaventure calls you "The Throne of the Grace of God:" so to sum up all, in you we find God's grace and God Himself. St. Proclus tells us you are "The bridge by which God comes down to man"―our sins have separated us from God but happily for us, Mary is the bridge by which He passes when He comes to dwell in our souls by His grace.
Aspiration - Mary, you are my strength, my liberty, my peace; and my salvation.
PRAYER AFTER VISIT
Most holy and immaculate Virgin―My Mother Mary―to thee, the Mother of my God, the Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, and the refuge of sinners―I have recourse to-day, I, who am the most miserable of all.
I render thee my humble homage, O great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces which thou hast bestowed upon me until now, particularly for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved.
I love thee, O most amiable Sovereign, and for the love I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always, and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. I place in thee, after God, all my hopes. I confide my salvation to thy care.
Accept me for thy servant, and take me under thy protection, O Mother of Mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death.
Obtain for me, I beseech thee, a perfect love for Jesus Christ. To thee I look for grace to die a good death. O my Mother, by the love thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me at all times, and particularly at the decisive moment of death. Do not leave me until thou seest me safe in heaven, occupied in blessing thee, and singing thy mercies throughout eternity. Amen.
"And with this, we end our daily visit. May the words we’ve shared be a beacon for those who seek comfort and guidance. Let our hearts be cradled by the grace of the Lord, and may the tender embrace of the Blessed Virgin Mary enfold us. As day gives way to night, let the promise of the dawn renew our spirits for the morrow. Until we meet again, let us walk in the light of faith and love."
With love and devotion,
Kathy
No comments:
Post a Comment