The Thirteenth Day of June

The Second Desire of the Heart of Jesus: the Honor of His Mother.

Who can say what the love of the Heart of Jesus was for His Blessed Mother? As God, He loved her as the purest and most perfect of His creatures; He preserved her from, all sin, and adorned her with all graces and virtues. As Man He loved her as would the most respectful, the most docile, the most submissive and affectionate of children. What favors, what sanctity must not the Heart of the Son have communicated to the Heart of the Mother during the nine months He reposed in her virginal womb, and during the thirty years of intimacy which He passed with her at Nazareth! During the time of His public ministry, it was frequently at the request of His Mother that Jesus worked His miracles, as He did at Cana in Galilee, so that the women of Israel, envious of such great glory, cried out: "Blessed is the womb that bore thee" (Luke. xi. 27). In Heaven, He wills that His Mother should be the dispenser of His treasures, the channel by which His graces descend to earth. He takes pleasure in granting the prayers which are addressed to her, and to confirm by miracles the confidence that is shown by her servants. He wills that the Church should have for her the most profound respect, the most tender love, the most entire confidence; He loves to see her name united to His, and when a temple is raised to His glory, it is necessary in order to please Him, that its vaulted roof should give shelter to the humble altar of Mary. Finally, He wills, that wherever the Son is adored, the Mother also should be honored: "And entering the house they found the Child with Mary, his Mother" (Matt. ii. 11).

Christians, if we wish to please Jesus, let us love and respect Mary; let us love her as dutiful children love their mother; she has for us all the tenderness and devotedness of a parent; her heart, like that of her Son, is an abyss of love and mercy. In our devotion, let us never separate the heart of Mary from that of Jesus; let us honor and love them both with all fervor; they were always closely united, let us not, in our affections, separate them. Let us address our petitions to God the Father through the Heart of Jesus; let us appeal to Jesus through the heart of Mary; we shall obtain all from the Father through the Heart of Jesus, and all from the Son through the heart of the Mother. Let us delight to repeat frequently the touching invocation:

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us!

Immaculate heart of Mary, heart like to the Heart of Jesus, pray for us!

EXAMPLE.

During the fatal war of 1870, between France and Germany, a virtuous and only son, when on the point of starting to join the army, placed himself under the powerful protection of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. His good parents had also placed in this twofold refuge their hopes for the preservation of a child so dear, and whom they looked to as the stay and support of their old age. As it always happens these hopes were not deceived. The young man, a captain in The army of the Loire, encountered the greatest dangers: he was exposed to the fire of the enemy’s cannon and saw blood flowing on every side, and yet he received no wound. He devoted himself day and night to nursing a soldier ill of smallpox, and he was preserved from the contagion. In a word, under every circumstance, Jesus and His holy Mother watched over this faithful servant with the tenderest care, and he on his side, in the midst of the toils and perils of war, never failed a single day to recite his rosary. Protected by the Sacred Hearts he returned safe and well to his family. To mark their sense of this favor, the relatives of the young man placed a slab of white marble in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin, bearing in golden letters this inscription: "Gratitude to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who have preserved and restored a beloved son to his family during the war of 1870." Under every circumstance, in every danger let us invoke Jesus and Mary, let us take refuge in their Hearts and we shall always be safe.

PRAYER.

O Heart of Jesus, grant that I may be always the favored child of the most holy Virgin! Inspire me with the most tender and filial confidence towards her, and give me the grace to invoke her unceasingly. Grant that her blessed name, united to Thine may be always on my lips, that thus living here below with Jesus and Mary, I may one day behold them in heaven. Amen.

PRACTICE.

Always have recourse to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, especially when tempted to sins of impurity.

The Twelfth Day of June

The First Desire of the Heart of Jesus: the Glory of His Father.

To glorify God the Father, in making Him known, loved and served, such was the object of all the affections of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the motive power of all Its actions, the end of all Its sufferings. Not only at His entrance into the world, but in the accomplishment of each mystery, in each step of His career, our divine Lord repeated constantly: "Behold me, my Father, behold me: what wouldst Thou that I should do to glorify Thee? I have engraven this law in the depths of my heart, it shall always be my rule." He was not troubled about Himself, nor His concerns, nor His own personal glory. "I seek not my own glory. My glory is nothing" (John, viii. 50-54). Oh! what admirable zeal and what purity of love! In truth, the Heart of Jesus seeks for Itself only contempt, humiliations and shame. He imposes silence on those who praise Him, hides Himself from those who seek to make Him king, whilst He hastens to meet the executioners who, on the day of His passion, bring Him chains and a cross. It was by accepting humiliations, a thorny crown, and an infamous gibbet that He honored His Father, and that the bleeding royalty of Calvary, which He so ardently desired, will establish the glory of God throughout the world. Then will He exclaim on the last day: "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do."

Consider, Christians, that it is impossible to love God and not to feel an interest in his glory. Thousands of apostles, missionaries and heroic women, have made the sacrifice of their country, their families, their possessions, their lives even, in order that God should be known, loved and served in childhood, youth and all ages of life. It was because these noble souls knew how to love, because each day they said, with hearts filled with a holy jealousy for the honour and glory of God: "Our Father, who art in heaven, may Thy name be hallowed, exalted and praised. May Thy kingdom come in all hearts and command all affections. May Thy will be everywhere venerated and loved over the whole earth, as it is in heaven." Let ns examine ourselves and see if these are also our sentiments; if we have not too often preferred our repose and our interests to the greater glory of God; if in our hearts we feel for the evils which oppress the Church and religion, so as to be able to say with the Psalmist: "The reproaches of them that reproached Thee are fallen upon me" (Psalm lxviii. 10).

EXAMPLE.

A religious of the Order of St. Francis, named Alphonsus, had laboured successfully in propagating the kingdom and glory of God amongst the Indians. To evangelize these poor souls sitting in the shadow of death; to make them know and love the Creator of heaven and earth, was the object of his zeal and his preaching. Often was he heard to exclaim: "All for Thy glory, O my God; nothing except for Thy glory!" After some years, he resolved to abandon his apostolic works, and retire to a solitary place, that he might attend only to his personal sanctification. He had been an apostle and a missionary, now he would become a hermit. One day as he was kneeling before an image of the Sacred Heart, and praying with great fervor, he heard a mysterious voice which appeared to come from the Heart of Jesus, and which said to him: "Your prayers are pleasing to me, Alphonsus; but your preaching and your apostolic journeys were still more pleasing in my sight, for they caused many to bless and honor my Father. There are in India thousands of souls who neither know nor invoke His holy name: will you allow them to perish? And will you be indifferent to the glory of my Father, that glory which was the object of all my toils and sufferings?" The religious replied, weeping: "Lord Jesus, I refuse not to labor; I will become again the apostle of Thy heavenly Father, and so long as I know there exists a corner of the earth where He is not known or loved, I shall never enjoy a moment’s rest." He left his solitude and returned to India, where he honored God by the toils of his apostolate, and, finally, by the pains of martyrdom.

PRAYER.

Grant, O Lord, that Thy glory may be the end of all our thoughts, words and works, and that we may take as our motto these sublime words: "All for the greater glory of God." O Jesus, kindle in us this divine zeal, that it may consume us as victims and holocausts entirely sacrificed to the fire of Thy love. Amen.

PRACTICE.

Speak to someone about the great love God the Father has for us in that He gave us His Son to suffer and die for our salvation.

The Eleventh Day of June

The Flames of the Heart of Jesus.

What strikes us most in contemplating the Sacred Heart of Jesus are the flames which consume and surround It. These mysterious flames cannot be contained even in that burning Heart; they escape through the wound, pass around the cross and among the thorns, covering and penetrating It completely. In a word, it is a burning Heart, an inflamed Heart. And what is this sacred fire which thus consumes the Heart of Jesus? It is the love which He has for us. "I am come," said He, "to cast fire on the earth; and what will I but that it be kindled" (Luke. xii. 49). One day, revealing His breast to Margaret Alacoque, He said to her: "My Heart, loving passionately mankind, can no longer contain the flames of Its charity; it is necessary for It to manifest Itself to them, in order to enrich them with the treasures It contains." At another time, showing her again the interior of His adorable Heart, He showed It to her as a burning furnace, glowing with flames.

Love was the life of the Heart of Jesus, was the mainspring of all Its movements, and of Its sorrows. It was love that caused Him to be born, to act, to suffer, and to weep; it was love, finally, which made Him die. And in the divine Eucharist, it is love that induces Him to give Himself to us; to be our guest, our companion, our Savior, our food and nourishment. "O Lord!" exclaimed St. Gertrude, "if men but knew how Thou dost love them: if Thou wouldst but reveal to them the infinite riches of Thy Heart, they would all fall at Thy feet, and would love but Thee. O mystery of infinite charity and abyss of love!"

What answer would you give, O Christian, if this good Master said to you as He did to His disciple: "Lovest thou me? Dost thou give me heart for heart love for love?" What would be your reply? Examine yourselves, place your hand on your own heart and see if it beats with love for Jesus. Alas! its affections are, perhaps, ouly for creatures; how few generous souls are there, how few hearts which really belong entirely to God, to Jesus Christ. How few are they who love infinite love. How do we manage not to love that which is so lovable? Oh! let us ask of Him a tender love with which to love Him, a strong love to suffer for Him, a confiding love in order to be able to lean by turns on His Heart and on His cross. Heart of Jesus, celestial flame, divine fire, destroy in us all that is not pure, and grant that our affections may be entirely thine. May we live only for love and die of love.

EXAMPLE.

A priest relates the following conversion of a great sinner, in which the goodness of the Heart of Jesus is strikingly manifested.

"A young man, one of my parishioners, whose parents had given up the practice of their religion, became so impious and lawless that he scandalized even those who led bad lives. The excesses in which he indulged brought on an affliction of the lungs, which, gradually developing, was slowly, but surely, leading him to the grave. I visited him and gave him many proofs of the interest I took in him; but he met my advances with blasphemies and insults, refusing even to say one Hail Mary. His state filled me with grief; a soul redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ was about to perish and fall into eternal fire. ‘My good friend,’ said I to one of my curates, ‘go at once to Paray-le-Monial; ask prayers for our poor dying man, and place his name in the Heart of Jesus.’ He set off without delay, and the next day he was at Paray-le-Monial with the pilgrims from Dijon. Prayers were said and communions offered for the lost sheep, and his name was placed in a silver heart near the altar of the Heart of Jesus. Full of hope we went again to visit the sick man. ‘I prayed for you at Paray,’ said the curate, ‘and 1 have brought you a medal of the Sacred Heart.’ ‘I thank you,’ replied the dying sinner, and, call ing his mother, he asked for a ribbon, to which he attached the medal, placed it round his neck, and even kissed it with respect. ‘Now,’ said he, ‘I wish to go to confession, and it must be this very day.’ He made his confession, and received all the sacraments of the Church, to the great edification of all present. Whilst I administered Extreme Unction, he said: ‘Do not hurry, father, I must follow what you say, and ask pardon for my sins. Oh! how good is the Heart of Jesus in waiting for and pardoning me; if I could live longer how much I would love It.’ He died the following day, blessing the infinite mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus."

PRAYER.

O Heart of Jesus! Thou dost always love us, notwithstanding our sins and innumerable crimes. In Thee love is stronger than death. Grant, by the assistance of Thy grace, that loving Thee with the most ardent love, we may obtain the pardon of our faults, final perseverance and eternal happiness. Amen.

PRACTICE.

Examine yourself to determine how much you live out of love for God and how much out of love for self or other things. Resolve to grow in love for God. But keep in mind that love for things other than God is not sinful unless it hinders or lessens love for God.

The Tenth Day of June

The Cross of the Heart of Jesus.

Why does our Lord show us His Heart surmounted by a cross? It is to remind us that the whole of His passion was summed up in His Heart, which was the seat of suffering as of love. The sufferings of His body were indeed great; the most holy victim was insulted, torn, wounded in a thousand ways. "From the feet to the head, His body was but one wound." And be assured, that the sufferings of His soul, the unseen wounds of His Sacred Heart, were still greater. The cross had its place in His heart before it was erected on Calvary; for, during His life, He burned with the desire to be baptized with the baptism of blood He was to receive on the cross. "I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized: and how am I straitened until it be accomplished" (Luke. xii. 50). Yes, it was His Heart that first suffered, which was filled with bitterness, was torn and sacrificed. Listen to the cry of anguish that was heard in the garden of Olives: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death." Oh, how overwhelmed, how crushed must this tender Heart have been for Him to give utterance to such words, He who was so courageous under suffering; and let us not forget that the love of Jesus for us was the cause of all He endured. "He loved us and gave himself for us." "O Lord! exclaimed the seraphic St. Francis of Assisi, "it was love that caused Thee to descend from heaven to earth, and induced Thee to pass in the world as one despised. In Thy life and death Thou didst show forth a boundless love; it was love that raised Thy cross, and love nailed Thee to it; Thou wert its slave and victim!"

Christians, the cross is the daily bread that your heavenly Father fails not to provide for His elect. "Without the cross and the Blessed Sacrament I could not live," were the words of St. Margaret Mary; and truly each day our hearts need a certain amount of suffering to detach us from this miserable world and conform us to Jesus, our head. Refuse not then this cross, these thorns, these nails, which make your life a painful martyrdom; for each wound of your heart, each torment of your soul, increases your likeness to the crucified Redeemer. Accept, as coming from the hand of your Lord, the cross He gives you to carry; the soul which knows the value of the cross, delights to suffer, and love softens suffering by remembering that Heaven is its reward.

EXAMPLE.

A pious and devoted mother was at the point of death; her cure was hopeless unless she submitted to a fearful operation, which the surgeons recommended her to undergo. Wishing to live for her son’s sake, but above all in order to secure the salvation of her only child, the courageous woman placed herself in the hands of the doctors. Her son, at her desire, was present, and she witnessed, without shuddering, all the preparations for the dreadful ordeal. At that period the producing of insensibility, through the agency of chloroform or ether, had not been discovered; even if it had, she would most; probably have refused to place herself under its influence; she possessed a spiritual opiate more powerful and efficacious. The terrible operation began; not even a sigh was heard, nor did a cry escape her; but just at the finish, when the sharp edge of the knife approached too near the heart, the poor woman moved slightly, and gently murmured: "O my God!" It was then that the son, in a frenzy of grief, at the sight of the lacerated breast which had nourished him, uttered a blasphemous imprecation. "My son," said his mother, "be silent; you give me more pain than the operators, for you insult Him who strengthens and consoles me;"and opening her hand she showed him a small crucifix she held, to which she owed the courage she had shown. After several mouths of great suffering, this heroic woman died, blessing her son, and saying to him: "Keep my cross, it has given me such consolation." The crucifix has ever since been preserved respectfully in the family, and it became for her son the most precious remembrance of his pious mother. Christians, afflicted souls, preserve the cross of the Heart of Jesus, and it will comfort and save you.

PRAYER.

O Jesus! when I meditate on the motives which should induce me to love and attach myself to the cross, I feel ready to embrace sufferings of every kind; but when they present themselves, I am dismayed and my courage forsakes me. Sometimes even I give way to impatience, murmuring and discouragement. Grant me grace, O Jesus! to be resigned and patient under all the afflictions it may please Thy divine providence to have in store for me Amen.

PRACTICE.

Begin from today onwards accepting trials with patience. Start with the small tribulations such as waiting in line with patience or not rushing past people and work up to the greater.

The Ninth Day of June

The Crown of Thorns of the Heart of Jesus.

If you contemplate attentively a representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, yon will notice that It is encircled with a crown of thorns; thus was It depicted in the apparition to Margaret Mary Alacoque. On the day of our Lord’s bitter passion, the soldiers platted a crown of thorns and pressed it with violence on His sacred head. This was, without doubt, one of the most insulting and cruel tortures which the Redeemer had to suffer in His passion. But we may well believe that these torments sprang from the Heart of Jesus, and fell back again upon It with crushing weight; for the heart is the seat of suffering as of love. The crown of thorns lacerated His Heart before piercing His sacred head. "And these thorns," says a pious writer, "were our innumerable sins, whose fearful punishment He had taken on Himself; the ingratitude of mankind who would despise His tender ness; the multitudes of those who would be lost in spite of His efforts to save them." Ah, yes, all the sins and crimes of the whole world are so many sharp thorns, which pierce and tear that adorable Heart. Nevertheless, Jesus accepts, with resignation, this bleeding crown for love of us. Oh, how dear to us should be this Sacred Heart, thus crowned with a royal diadem, placed on the altar of the cross, and consumed as a perpetual victim by the sacred fire of His love! How far more eloquently than a crown of roses does this crown of thorns speak to our hearts, and teach us to understand the burning charity of the Heart of Jesus! Oh, with what transports of love should we not cry out: "Heart of Jesus, pierced with thorns, have mercy on us." Cor Jesu, spinis transfixum, miserere mei.

Christians, Jesus would teach us by this mystery, that devotion to His Sacred Heart is not a devotion of sentiment, but a practical devotion which should produce in us a love of the cross and of suffering; for, as St. Bernard says: "Is it not shameful to be a delicate member of a head crowned with thorns?" Is it not a revolting contrast to see the Saint of saints in agony, and we revelling in pleasures? Jesus delivering up His head and His Sacred Heart to thorns, and we devoting ourselves to the delights and joys of this world? This mystery teaches us also humility; for the ignominious crown which Jesus wore, is the condemnation of the diadem of pride and ambition which excites our desires. He wished to show us how He loves humble souls who do good in secret, and seek not the eyes of creatures and human glory; for them the practice of virtue is sufficient. my beloved Jesus! Jesus crowned with thorns, imprint deeply in my heart and soul these great and saving truths.

EXAMPLE.

On the Feast of the Assumption, many hundred years ago, a celebrated queen said to her two daughters; "Put on your most beautiful dresses and your crowns of gold, and let us go down together to the town, and hear Mass at the Church of Our Lady." The two princesses dressed themselves as their mother had ordered, and entering the church they knelt down opposite a crucifix. At the sight of the figure of her Savior, naked, bleeding and dying, the youngest princess took off her crown and all her ornaments and prostrated herself on the pavement of the church. Her mother, surprised at her conduct, was about to express her disapproval, when the young girl, with a touching accent, addressed her thus: "Behold, before my eyes, my king and my God, the sweet and merciful Jesus, who is crowned with sharp thorns, naked and bleeding, and shall I, a wretched sinner, remain before Him wearing a crown of gold and precious stones? My diadem would be a mockery in the presence of His." And she wept bitterly; for the love of the heart of Jesus had already wounded her tender heart. The young princess grew up, choosing always the crown of thorns offered by Jesus in preference to that of gold and jewels held out by the world, and, in after life, she became St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary. Learn from this story, O Christians, that in order to deserve the crown of glory in heaven, you must here on earth wear the crown of thorns; the one must precede the other.

PRAYER.

O Jesus crowned with thorns! from hence forth I will accept, with patience, all the in terior and exterior sufferings which it may please Thee to send me. Nature may rebel, and I may, perhaps, say like Thee, in the Garden of Olives: "Father, let this chalice pass from me." But love will quickly make me add; "Not my will, my God, but Thine be done." Amen.

PRACTICE.

Prepare yourself to make a thorough confession. Examine your conscience well and do not rush. Then make your confession as soon as possible.

The Eighth Day of June

The Water and the Blood of the Heart of Jesus.

When the soldier Longinus had withdrawn the point of the lance which had opened the Heart of Jesus, there was seen to issue from that deep wound, water and blood. Even now, if we contemplate with the eyes of faith the sacred image of this adorable Heart, that touching pledge of the love of Jesus for us, we shall see, flowing from that mysterious wound, drops of water and blood. The water flows in order that man may be born again to the life of grace by Baptism, of which it is the type. "I will pour upon you dean water and you shall be cleansed, and I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you" (Ezech. xxxvi. 25-26). St. Augustine assures us that this miraculous water has also the power to assuage the burning thirst of the passions of men. "It is not only," says he, "a salutary bath to cleanse souls; it is also a draught which refreshes and quenches their thirst." O good Jesus! "give me this water," so that I may drink and suffer thirst no more. The blood flows from the Heart of Jesus to effect our justification; its voice reaches to the throne of God, not to call for vengeance, but to ask for pity and mercy, and, at this voice, divine justice is appeased and looks down on us with love. "O sweet wound!" exclaims St. Bonaventure, "gentle wound of my Savior! what can be more wonderful! His death gives life, His wounds heal, and His blood redeems souls." It is the blood of the Heart of Jesus which still flows each day in the chalice on our altars, and gives life and grace. Yes, that sacred wine "springing forth virgins," and rejoicing souls, is the blood of Jesus. At the holy table it empurples our lips, it circulates in our veins in such a manner that, according to the beautiful expression of a holy father of the Church, we contract with Jesus Christ a glorious consanguinity. Oh! let us often hasten to drink of the chalice of salvation, and be inebriated with this divine blood.

Christians, let us repeat frequently during the day, as an ejaculatory prayer, the beautiful words of St. Ignatius: "Water from the side of Christ, cleanse me: Aqua lateris Christi, munda me. Blood of Christ inebriate me; inebriate me with thy love: Sanguis Christi, inebria me." And when you kiss your crucifix, press your lips to the wound of the Sacred Heart, as if to draw from thence the last drops of Its blood.

EXAMPLE.

Tradition relates that the soldier Longinus, who dared to plunge his lance into the Heart of Jesus, was partially blind. This misfortune, which he had endured for several years, was the result of long and severe sufferings. As he withdrew his spear, a drop of divine blood fell on his face, and at the same moment his sight was restored; his soul at the same time was illuminated with the light of faith, and his heart was filled with love for the God whom he had just outraged. Oh! wonderful vengeance of the Redeemer; He cured miraculously both the soul and the body of the executioner. Longinus was not ungrateful for so great a favor: obliged to guard the Savior’s tomb after His burial, and, therefore, a witness of the resurrection, he published everywhere all he had seen and heard. The Jews being unable to corrupt him by gifts and promises, obtained an order from Pilate that he should be put to death, and two soldiers were sent to kill him. Longinus, when he heard the decree, leaped for joy, happy to shed his blood for Him whose blood had cured and sanctified him. He asked for a white garment in which to celebrate the feast of his heavenly nuptials, and having embraced and blessed the two friends who accompanied him to the place of execution, he was beheaded. Such was the edifying death of him, who had been first the executioner, and then the apostle of the Heart of Jesus. Oh, marvellous power of the blood which gushed from that sacred wound! If one drop alone possessed so great a virtue, what may we not hope for from that inexhaustible fountain which flows unceasingly on our altars!

PRAYER.

Heart of Jesus! how much hast Thou loved me! What would have become of me if I had not been redeemed by Thy precious blood ? Alas! I should most certainly have been lost. Oh priceless balm, springing from the fountain of infinite love! Sweet Savior continue to sprinkle me with the dew of Thy saving blood, so that it may purify me more and more, and obtain for me the glory of heaven. Amen.

PRACTICE.

Renew your Baptismal Promises before the image of the Sacred Heart. The Prayer for this can be found here.

The Seventh Day of June

The Wound of the Heart of Jesus.

Jesus had breathed forth His last sigh on the hard wood of the cross, and there only remained on Calvary, Mary, the mother of the Savior, Mary Magdalen, and the apostle St. John. Represent to yourself this little group, and imagine that you stand amongst them. A soldier arrives, he draws near, and gazes on the lifeless body of Jesus. "He is dead," he exclaims, "but I will strike him once more;" and aiming his spear at the right side of the Redeemer, he pierces it, and the sharp point of the lance enters in and opens that divine Heart. As he withdraws the weapon, water and blood gush forth from the wound: "Exivit sanguis et aqua." In the words of St. John: "Immediately there came out blood and water" (John, xix. 34). These were the last tears, the last drops of blood from the Sacred Heart: truly a miracle of love, a mystery which contains in itself many mysteries! St. Bernard says: "Jesus willed that His Heart should be wounded, in order that through the visible wound we might contemplate the invisible wound of love." He willed that His Heart should be pierced, so that we might enter without hindrance, and find there both a shelter and a refuge. This adorable Heart, open to all, will never be closed; just and sinners can take shelter there without fear of being rejected. Wounds inflicted on the dead can never heal; that in the Heart of Jesus was made by death and love, and it will ever remain open to proclaim to all succeeding generations, that it was thus that the Saviour loved mankind: Sic dilexit. This wound is a fruitful source of graces; the water which burst forth, the blood which flowed from it, are the types of the precious favors of mercy and love. Let us, then, go and there seek the assistance of which we stand in need; if we are weak, this Heart will be our strength; if we are blind, It will be our light; if we are sorrowful, It will be our consolation. Let us exclaim with St. Gertrude: "O my Jesus! my sweetest hope, may Thy divine Heart transfixed for me, be the sure refuge of my soul! I implore Thee, by Thy wounded Heart, to pierce mine with the sword of Thy love."

Christians, is not this sacred wound in the Heart of Jesus, and its last outpouring of blood, the great resource reserved for the fearful evils of our century? Is it not time to appeal to it, to take possession of and employ it for the deliverance of the Church, of our country, of society, and above all of poor sinners? Let us enter this very day into the divine Heart; Jesus Himself invites us, saying, as He formerly did to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: "Behold the place of thy abode." Let us there remain for the rest of our lives, so that at death we may be able to say with Father de Ravignan: "How glorious a gate by which to enter heaven is the wound of the Heart of Jesus!"

EXAMPLE.

Towards the end of the eleventh century our forefathers, obedient to the voice of the Sovereign Pontiff, formed the noble design of checking the barbarity of the Turks, who threatened to overran Europe, and to deliver from their power the sepulchre of Jesus Christ. After several splendid victories the Christians took possession of Antioch, the capital of the East, where however they were soon besieged by the Prince of Mossoul at the head of three-hundred thousand men. Driven to desperation by hunger, the hitherto brave soldiers felt, for the first time, their courage give way. It is related, in the history of the Church, that a holy priest of Marseilles, named Bartholomew, was inspired to seek in a particular spot for the lance which pierced the Heart of the Savior, the finding of which would be a certain pledge of the complete triumph of the Christians over the enemy’s forces. The lance was found, and preceded by this glorious token of victory the Crusaders issued forth from Antioch. At the sight of the sacred spear the Turkish troops were seized with a sudden panic; the weapons fell from their hands, they fled on all sides, and the countless dead that lay on the ground testified to their entire defeat.

From whence had the lance of Calvary drawn its strength and power? From the Heart of Jesus, which it had pierced; from that precious Blood which it had caused to flow, and with which it was empurpled. O happy lance! had I been in your place, I should never have wished to leave my Savior’s side; I would have said: "This shall be my rest for ever." But what wonders will not the Heart of Jesus effect when It deigns to dwell in our own hearts in Holy Communion? By It we shall conquer all the enemies of our salvation, and obtain the crown of the blessed in heaven.

PRAYER.

O Heart of my beloved Jesus! the refuge opened for me by the lance, and where I need no more fear either divine vengeance or the fury of hell; permit me to hide myself in Thee and there forget the world and myself: there let me rest after the weary toils of life, and there let me lose myself for time and eternity. Amen.

PRACTICE.

Spend a few moments each day prayerfully resting in the wound in the Sacred Heart.