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The Disciple
Let it be granted me to find You alone, O Christ, to
open to You my whole heart, to enjoy You as my soul
desires, to be disturbed by no one, to be moved and
troubled by no creature, that You may speak to me and
I to You alone, as a lover speaks to his loved one,
and friend converses with friend.I pray for this,
I desire this, that I may be completely united to You
and may withdraw my heart from all created things,
learning to relish the celestial and the eternal
through Holy Communion and the frequent celebration
of Mass.
Ah Lord God, when shall I be completely united to
You and absorbed by You, with self utterly forgotten?
You in me and I in You? Grant that we may remain so
together. You in truth are my Beloved, chosen from
thousands, in Whom my soul is happy to dwell all the
days of her life. You are in truth my pledge of
peace, in Whom is the greatest peace and true rest,
without Whom there is toil and sorrow and infinite
misery.
You truly are the hidden God. Your counsel is not
with the wicked, and Your conversation is rather with
the humble and the simple.
O how kind is Your spirit, Lord, Who in order to
show Your sweetness toward Your children, deign to
feed them with the sweetest of bread, bread come down
from heaven! Surely there is no other people so
fortunate as to have their god near them, as You, our
God, are present everywhere to the faithful, to whom
You give Yourself to be eaten and enjoyed for their
daily solace and the raising of their hearts to
heaven.
Indeed, what other nation is so renowned as the
Christian peoples? What creature under heaven is so
favored as the devout soul to whom God comes, to feed
her with His glorious Flesh? O unspeakable grace! O
wonderful condescension! O love beyond measure,
singularly bestowed upon man!
What return shall I make to the Lord for this
love, this grace so boundless? There is nothing I can
give more pleasing than to offer my heart completely
to my God, uniting it closely with His. Then shall
all my inner self be glad when my soul is perfectly
united with God. Then will He say to me: "If you will
be with Me, I will be with you." And I will answer
Him: "Deign, O Lord, to remain with me. I will gladly
be with You. This is my one desire, that my heart may
be united with You."
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