to have despised Thee more than others. But I throw myself at Thy feet, O Jesus, my Saviour. " Cast me not away from Thy presence." (Ps. li. 11.) I should deserve to be cast away, for the ingratitude which I have committed, but Thou hast said that Thou knowest not how to cast away a penitent heart that returns to Thee. "Hun that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out." (S. John vi. 37.) My Jesus, I repent of having offended Thee. In the time past I have been ungrateful to Thee; now I own Thee for my Saviour and my Redeemer, Who died to save me, and to be loved by me. When shall I cease, my Jesus, to be ungrateful to Thee? When shall I begin to love Thee truly? Behold, this day I resolve to love Thee with all my heart, and to love none other than Thee. O Infinite Goodness, I adore Thee for all those who adore Thee not; and I love Thee for all those who love Thee not. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee, I offer Thee my all; aid me with Thy grace. Thou knowest indeed my weakness. But if when I did not desire Thee, nor loved Thee, Thou bestowedst so many favours upon me, how much more should I hope in Thy mercy, now that I love and desire but to love Thee? My Lord, give me Thy love; but so fervent a love, that it may compel me to forget every creature; a strong love, that it may enable me to overcome all difficulty in pleasing Thee; a perpetual love, that may ever abide between me and Thee. All these things I hope for, O my Jesus, through Thy merits.
Second Point.
But God has not only given to us so many beautiful creatures, He cannot be said to be satisfied until He has arrived at the giving us, even Himself. " Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Gal. ii. 20.) Accursed sin has caused us to lose the Divine grace and heaven, and to become the slaves of hell; but the Son of God, to the wonder of heaven and nature, willed to come on earth and become Man, to redeem us from eternal death, and to enable us to obtain that grace and that heaven which we had lost. What a marvel would it not be to see a king become a worm for the love of worms! But it should excite in us an infinitely greater wonder, to see a God become man for
