I thank thee. I kiss reverently those hands and feet nailed for me to the painful tree of the cross. I detest, with all my heart, my many offences against thy infinite goodness; and I beseech thee to blot them out with this precious blood which flows so copiously from thy wounds for my salvation. Pour it, dear Jesus, upon my soul, that it may be purified and sanctified by it, and may become, through thy merits, rich in virtue and heavenly gifts. Bless me, O loving Saviour, with those hands which are pierced for my love, and let thy blessing be an earnest of my eternal salvation. So fill my heart with thy divine love, that every love which is not for thee may be completely extinguished in me; and that I may have no other wish but that of pleasing thee. O infinite good, my crucified love, thee alone do I wish to love, thee alone do I wish to please, in my every thought, and in my every action.
SEVENTH REFLECTION.
Jesus' Agony and Death.
Three hours did our loving Redeemer hang nailed to the cross to satisfy the divine justice for the sins of men; and during that time he did nothing but writhe and suffer in fearful agony, without the least consolation. Before Jesus dies, come near, my soul, reverently to his cross, to meditate on and compassionate his last pains. Look at his tearful eyes, his pallid features, his livid, pierced limbs, his whole body, with life ebbing out of it by slow degrees of pain. Observe his loving heart, how its palpitation grows weaker, how the divine blood no longer flows, but issues drop by drop. Observe how his adorable head, being no longer able to keep up for weakness and pain, slowly and sweetly droops, as if to give the last kiss of peace and reconciliation to
