Aspirations of a Soul That Ardently Desires Holy Communion

Aspirations of a Soul That Ardently Desires Holy Communion

Great God, Whom I adore veiled under these frail appearances, is it possible that Thou art reduced to this lowly form in order to come to me and dwell corporally within me? The heavens are all too unworthy to lodge Thee, and Thou dost content Thyself to remain under these poor species in order to be always with me! 

O inconceivable Goodness, could I believe this marvel if Thou Thyself hadst not assured me of it! But still more, could I dare think that Thou wouldst come into my mouth! Thou wiliest, then, to repose on my tongue and to descend into my bosom; and to induce me to receive Thee, Thou dost promise me a thousand blessings! 

O God of Majesty, but also God of love, would that I might be all understanding to comprehend this Mystery, all heart to realize it well, all tongue to announce it. It is then, Thou, O God of my heart, who hast created me to be the object of Thy love and the recipient of Thy ineffable goodness, who art present under these lowly appearances. The angels are never weary of looking at Thee; they desire the favor of Communion even while they enjoy Thee. Should I, then, not desire to receive Thee? Since the reception of Thee in Holy Communion is pleasing to Thee, O my amiable Savior, and since my needs oblige me to desire to receive Thee, and since Thy goodness permits me to hope for this favor, I open to Thee my heart, I offer Thee my breast and my mouth to receive Thee, and my tongue to transport Thee thither. 

Come, come, O my Divine Sun, I am plunged in terrible darkness of ignorance and sin; come and clear away my darkness, and make the divine lights of Thy knowledge shine in my soul. 

Come, O my amiable Savior! On Calvary Thou didst give Thyself completely to save me from Hell; I have fallen again miserably under the slavery of sin. Come again once more and loose my bonds; break my fetters and set me at liberty. 

Come, O Charitable Physician of my soul! Thou hast washed me in the bath of Thy Blood and by Baptism hast made me clean and holy, though I deserved it not, but through my fault I have again contracted a thousand dangerous maladies which have brought loathing on my heart, weakness to my courage and death to my soul. Come and cure me, O my Divine Physician! I have greater need of it than the paralytic whom Thou didst ask if he wished to be cured. Yes, my God, I really wish it, and Thou who knowest the languor of this desire, increase it and render it more lively in me by the ardors of Thy Sacred Heart. 

Come, O most faithful, most tender, most sweet and most amiable of all friends! Come into my heart! He whom Thou lovest is suffering from a dangerous, nay a mortal, infirmity and languor. Thou knowest it, Thou who readest the depth of my heart. If hitherto I have been insensible to my misfortune and imprudent in danger, now by Thy grace I realize my misfortune and my danger; I groan in spirit, I cry out and implore Thy help. I summon Thee by Thy incomparable friendship, by Thy promise to come and solace me. 

Come, and do not permit me ever again to give Thee reason for leaving me. Promise me, as Thou didst St. Elizabeth, that Thou wishest always to be with me. 

Come, O Life of my heart, O Soul of my life, O only Support of my soul! O Bread of Angels, incarnate for love of me, exposed on the Cross for my ransom and taken down for my nourishment! Come and satiate me abundantly! Come and sustain me strongly! Come and make me grow to great stature! Come and make me live by Thee and in Thee, but in an efficacious manner, O my only Life and my only Good! 
If a body were deprived of its soul, how could it call it back, how could it seek it? Have I so little idea of Thee and of myself that I do not know what I am without Thee? Come, O my God and my All. Come and once more animate my soul which is languishing after Him who constitutes all its ornament and beauty, and is the Principle of its movement and the Source of its life. 

Absorb, I beseech Thee, O Jesus, my only love, all my thoughts, and draw my heart away from everything under the heavens by the force of Thy love, more ardent than fire and sweeter than honey. Grant that I may die of love of Thy love as Thou didst die of love of my love. Ah! Lord, so wound this heart which belongs to Thee and pierce it through so thoroughly that it can no longer contain anything earthly or human. 

O loving Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, O Heart which woundest hearts harder than stone, which warmest souls colder than ice and softenest feelings more impenetrable than diamond, wound my heart by Thy sacred wounds, O my amiable Savior, and inebriate my soul with Thy Blood, so that whatever side I may turn, I may see nothing but my Divine Crucified Savior, and that everything I look upon may appear stained with Thy Blood. O my good Jesus, grant that my soul may not repose until it has found Thee, who art its center, its love and its happiness. 

My amiable Jesus, by the Sacred Wound of Thy Heart, pardon me all the sins I have committed through malice or through impure intentions. Put my wicked heart in Thy Divine Heart, in order that being continually under Thy protection and direction, I may persevere constantly in doing good and avoiding evil until I breathe my last sigh. 

I find in the Sacred Heart of Jesus all that is wanting to my poverty, because It is filled with mercy. I have found no remedy so efficacious in all my afflictions as the Sacred Heart of my adorable Jesus. In It I sleep without care and repose without anxiety. There is nothing hard or grievous which is not softened by the amiable Heart of Jesus. The sick and sinners find in It an assured refuge and dwell there in peace. This divine and loving Heart is all my hope; It is my refuge. Its merits are my safety, my life and my resurrection. So long as Its mercy does not fail, I am well provided with merits, for the more powerful It is to save me, the more assured I am against all danger. 

O Divine Heart, Which on the Cross didst show forth the excess of Thy love and mercy by allowing Itself to be opened to give entrance to our hearts, receive them, then, drawing them by the bonds of Thy ardent charity and consume them by the vehemence of Thy love. 

O most liberal Heart, be Thou all our treasure and all our sufficiency. O Heart most amiable and desirable, teach us to love Thee and to desire only Thee. 

O Heart most generous, which dost take so much pleasure in doing good, grant me the grace of paying my debt towards Divine justice! I am insolvent, pay for me. Repair the evils that I have done by the good that Thou hast done. And in order that I may owe everything to Thee, receive me, O Charitable Heart, at the dread hour of my death. Hide my soul from the Divine anger which I have often aroused against myself Appear and answer for me, for I have done nothing but what would merit my condemnation to eternal punishment, if Thou dost not justify me. Oh! suffer not that I be deprived of loving Thee eternally. I languish with desire to be united to Thee, to possess Thee and to be lost in Thee, in order henceforth to live only by Thee who art my dwelling forever. In Thee, O most amiable Heart, I wish to love, act and suffer. Consume, then, in me all that is of myself; put in place of it all that is of Thee, and transform me into Thee. May I live only by Thee and for Thee. Be Thou, then, my life, my love and my all. Amen. 

by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 

Image Credit Waiting for the Word