10. In fine, my God, I wish to love Thee as Thou lovest us; but since that
is impossible, grant that I may love Thee as well as I know how, as much
as I can, and as much as Thou wishest me. Amen.
Glory be to the Father.
Then say the following prayer:
O God, Who hast prepared invisible rewards for those who love Thee, pour
forth some of Thy love into our hearts, to the end that, loving Thee in
all and above all, we may obtain the accomplishment of Thy promises, which
surpass all desire; through Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc.
You may also add the following:
Lift up thine eyes, O my soul; behold and see the power of thy King, the
grace of thy God, the love of thy Saviour, now that thou art so near to
Him. Take now thy rest, taste and see how fair and how comely is the
Spouse thou hast chosen. See what the delights are of that country towards
which thou art sighing. See how fair the splendor of that crown for which
thou toilest. See what is the essence and what the infinite grandeur of
thy God, Whom thou hast loved, Whom thou hast worshipped, for Whom thou
hast constantly longed.
O God of my life, what praises worthy of Thee can I offer Thee? Truly I
know not. What shall I render unto Thee, O my well‐beloved, for all the
benefits wherewith Thou hast overwhelmed me? Thou in me, and I in Thee, O
Jesus, my one good; this is the thank‐offering I set before Thy glory. I
have nothing else beside. My one only offering is what I am in Thee, my
life in Thee.
O God, Thou sacred object of my love, expand my heart in Thee, enlarge my
soul, and fill me with Thy glory. Oh, when shall it be said unto my soul:
“Turn again into thy rest, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee”?
When, oh, when shall I hear that blissful word: “Come, enter into the holy
place of the rest of thy Spouse”? O Jesus? my sweetest peace, when shall I
lay me down and take my rest in Thee, whilst Thou showest me all Thy
glory?
Pius VII., by a rescript, Aug. 11, 1818, granted an indulgence of
three hundred days to all the faithful who should recite, with a
contrite heart, a succession of acts of the love of God, arranged
in form of a crown, with five Glory be to the Fathers, etc. By
saying them ten times a month for a whole year, a person may gain
a plenary indulgence on any day he may choose; confession,
communion, and prayers according to the Pope’s intentions being
supposed.
[Transcriber’s Note: Obvious printer’s errors have been corrected.]