Pages

1701-1750

1701 I asked the Lord today that He might deign to teach me about the interior life, because of myself I can neither understand nor conceive anything perfectly. The Lord answered me, Iwas your Teacher, I am and I will be; strive to make your heart like unto My humble and gentle Heart. Never claim your rights. Bear with great calm and patience everything that befalls you. Do not defend yourself when you are put to shame, though innocent. Let others triumph. Do not stop (73) being good when you notice that your goodness is being abused. I Myself will speak up for you when it is necessary. Be grateful for the smallest of My graces, because your gratitude compels Me to grant you new graces….. 1702 Towards the end of the Way of the Cross which I was making, the Lord Jesus began to complain about the souls of religious and priests, about the lack of love in chosen souls. will allow convents and churches to be destroyed. I answered, “Jesus, but there are so many souls praising You in convents.” The Lord answered, That praise wounds My Heart, because love has been banished from convents. Souls without love and without devotion, souls full of egoism and self-love, souls full of pride and arrogance, souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just enough warmth to keep them alive: My Heart cannot bear this. (74) All the graces that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot stand them, because they are neither good or bad. I called convents into being to sanctify the world through them. It is from them that a powerful flame of love and sacrifice should burst forth. And if they do not repent and become enkindled by their first love, I will deliver them over to the fate of this world…… How can they sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart especially chosen by Me, were you chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through……. 1703 When I tried to intercede for them, I could find nothing with which (75) to excuse them and, being at the time unable to think of anything in their defense, my heart was seized with pain, and I wept bitterly. Then the Lord looked at me kindly and comforted me with these words: Do not cry. There are still a great number of souls who love Me very much, but My Heart desires to be loved by all and, because My love is great, that is why I warn and chastise them. 1704 + Struggle with a certain temptation. There was a person who kept accosting me with flattering words, and since he knew when I went out to go to the chapel or to the veranda, he would bar my way. Since he did not dare approach me by himself, he found another person like himself, but neither of them dared approach. As I was on my way to the May devotions, they were already standing there where I had to pass. I hadn't yet reached them when I heard enticing words, (76) directed at me. And the Lord permitted me to know the intentions 373 of their hearts, which were not good. I felt they would block my way after the service, and that I would have to talk to them, for up to that time I hadn't said a word, When I left the chapel, they were there, armed and waiting for me to pass. This time, I was overcome with fear. Then Jesus stood by me and said, Do not fear. I am with you. Then I felt an extraordinary strength in my soul, which I cannot describe and, being a few steps from them, I said boldly and loudly, “Praised be Jesus Christ.” And they, stepping aside, responded, “For ever and ever, Amen.” As if struck by lightning, they bowed their heads, not even daring to look at me. After I had passed, I could hear some malicious comments. Ever since that time, when this person sees me, he runs away in order not to meet me and I, thanks to the Lord, have been left in peace…… 1705 (77) After Holy Mass, I went out to the garden to make my meditation, since there were not yet any patients in the garden at this time, and so I felt at ease. As I was meditating on the blessings of God, my heart was burning with a love so strong that it seemed my breast would burst. Suddenly Jesus stood before me and said, What are you doing here so early? I answered, “I am thinking of You, of Your mercy and Your goodness toward us. And You, Jesus what are You doing here?” I have come out to meet you, to lavish new graces on you. I am looking for souls who would like to receive My grace. 1706 During Vespers today, the Lord gave me to know how very pleased He is with a pure and free heart. I felt that it is God's delight to look into such a heart…. But such hearts are knightly hearts; their life is a constant battle…… 1707 (78) + On my way to the veranda, I went into the chapel for a moment. My heart was plunged in profound adoration, praising God's incomprehensible goodness and His mercy. Then I heard these words in my soul: I am and will be for you such as you praise Me for being. You shall experience My goodness, already in this life and then, to the full, in the life to come. 1708 O Christ, I am most delighted when I see that You are loved, and that Your praise and glory resound, especially the praise of Your mercy. O Christ, to the last moment of my life, I will not stop glorifying Your goodness and mercy. With every drop of my blood, with every beat of my heart, I glorify Your mercy. I long to be entirely transformed into a hymn of Your glory. When I find myself on my deathbed, may the last beat of my heart be a loving hymn in praise of Your unfathomable mercy. 1709 (79) + Today the Lord said to me, You shall make a three-day retreat before the coming of the Holy Spirit. I Myself will direct you. You shall not follow any of the rules required for retreats or use any books for meditation. Your task is to listen attentively to My words. For spiritual reading you shall read one chapter from the Gospel of St. John. [Here occurs a space of a half page in the original Notebook] 1710 (80) May 26, [1938 – Feast of the Ascension]. Today I accompanied the Lord Jesus as He ascended into heaven. It was about noon. I was overcome by a great longing for God. It is a strange thing, the more I felt God‟s presence, the more ardently I desired Him. Then I saw myself in the midst of a huge crowd of disciples and apostles, together with the Mother of 374 God. Jesus was telling them…. Go out into the whole world and teach in My name. He stretched out His hands and blessed them and disappeared in a cloud. I saw the longing of Our Lady. Her soul yearned for Jesus, with the whole force of Her love. But She was so peaceful and so united to the will of God that there was not a stir in Her heart but for what God wanted.1711 When I was left alone with the Blessed Virgin, She instructed me concerning the interior life. She said, The soul’s true greatness is in loving God and in humbling oneself in His presence, completely forgetting oneself and believing oneself to be nothing, because the Lord is great, but He is well-pleased only with the humble, He always opposes the proud. 1712 (81) A certain person whom I have mentioned before visited me again. When I saw that she was beginning to get entangled in her own lies, I let he know that I knew she was lying. She became very embarrassed and stopped speaking. Then I spoke to her about the great judgments of God, and I also remarked that she was leading innocent souls astray and along dangerous roads. I uncovered before her everything that was in her heart. Since I had to overcome my own feelings in order to talk to her, to prove to Jesus that I love my enemies, I gave her my afternoon snack. She went away enlightened in soul, but action is still far away…… 1713 There are times when the Lord Jesus fulfills my smallest wishes. Today I remarked that I would like to see some ears of grain, but that they cannot be seen from our sanatorium. However, one of the patients heard this remark and, on the following day, he went out into the field and brought me several beautiful (82) ears of grain. My room is always adorned with fresh flowers, but my spirit finds satisfaction in nothing. More and more, I year for God. 1714 Today I interceded earnestly with the Lord Jesus for our house, that He might deign to take away the cross which has touched our convent. 252 The Lord answered me, Your prayers are accepted for other intentions. I cannot take away this cross until they recognize its meaning. Nevertheless, I did not stop praying. 1715 A strong temptation. The Lord gave me to know how pleasing a pure heart is to Him, and thereby I was given a deeper knowledge of my own misery. When I began to prepare for confession, strong temptations against confessors assaulted me. I did not see Satan, but I could sense him, his terrible anger. – “Yes, he‟s an ordinary man.” – “Not ordinary, because he has the power of God.” – Yes, (83) it is not difficult for me to accuse myself of my sins. But to uncover the most secret depths of my heart, to give an account of the action of God‟s grace, to speak about God‟s every demand, about all that goes on between God and myself…. To tell that to a man is beyond my strength. I felt I was fighting against the powers and I cried out: “O Christ, You and the priest are one; I will approach confession as if I were approaching, not a man, but You.” When I entered the confessional, I began by disclosing my difficulties. The priest replied that the best thing I could have done was to disclose these temptations from the outset. However, after the confession, they took flight, and my soul is enjoying peace. 1716 Once during recreation, one of the sister directresses said that the lay sisters were without feelings, and so could be treated stiffly. I was sorry to see that the sister directresses know so little about the lay sisters and judge them only from appearances. 375 1717 (84) Today, I was talking with the Lord, and He said to me, There are souls with whom I can do nothing. They are souls that are continuously observing others, but know nothing of what is going on within their own selves. They talk about others continually, even during times of grand silence, which is reserved for speaking only with Me. Poor souls, they do not hear My words; their interior remains empty. They do not look for Me within their own hearts, but in idle talk, where I am never to be found. They sense their emptiness, but they do not recognize their own guilt, while souls in whom I reign completely are a constant source of remorse to them. Instead of correcting themselves, their hearts swell with envy, and if they do not come to their senses, they plunge in even deeper. A heart, which thus far is envious, now begins to be filled with hate. And they are already at the edge of the precipice. They are jealousof my gifts in other souls, but they themselves are unable and unwilling to accept them. 1718 (85) To stay at Your feet, O hidden God, Is the delight and paradise of my soul. Here, You give me to know You, O incomprehensible One, And You speak to me sweetly: Give Me, give Me your heart. Silent conversation, alone with You, Is to experience what heavenly beings enjoy, And to say to God, “I will, I will give You my heart, O Lord,” While You, O great and incomprehensible One, accept it graciously. Love and sweetness are my soul‟s life, And Your unceasing presence in my soul. I live on earth in constant rapture, And like a Seraph I repeat, “Hosanna!” O You Who are hidden, body, soul and divinity, Under the fragile form of bread, You are my life from Whom springs an abundance of graces; And, for me, You surpass the delights of heaven. When you unite Yourself with me in Communion, O God, I then feel my unspeakable greatness, (86) A greatness which flows from You, O Lord, I humbly confess, And despite my misery, with Your help, I can become a saint. 1719 + During Holy Mass, I came to know that a certain priest does not effect much in souls because he thinks about himself and so is alone. God‟s grace takes flight; he relies on trifling external things, which have no importance in the eyes of God; and, being proud, he fritters away his time, wearing himself out to no purpose. 1720 There are moments when Jesus gives me knowledge within my soul, and then everything that exists on earth is at my service: friends, enemies, success, adversity… . All things, willing or not, must serve me. I do not think of them at all; I strive to be faithful to God and to love Him to the point of complete forgetfulness of self. And He Himself looks after me and fights against my enemies. 376 1721 (87) After Holy Communion, when I had welcomed Jesus into my heart, I said to Him, “My Love, reign in the most secret recesses of my heart, there where my most secret thoughts are conceived, where You alone have free access, in this deepest sanctuary where human thought cannot penetrate. May You alone dwell there, and may everything I do exteriorly take its origin in You. I ardently desire, and I am striving with all the strength of my soul, to make You, Lord, feel at home in this sanctuary.” 1722 I heard these words: If you did not tie My hands, I would send down many punishmentsupon the earth. My daughter, your look disarms My anger. Although your lips are silent, you call out to Me so mightily that all heaven is moved. I cannot escape from your requests, because you pursue Me, not from afar but within your own heart. 1723 (88) When the soul of a certain young lady came to me one night, she made me aware of her presence, and made known to me that she needed my prayer. I prayed for a while, but her spirit did not leave me. Then I thought to myself, “If you are a good spirit, leave me in peace, and the indulgences I will gain tomorrow will be for you.” At that moment, the spirit left my room, and I recognized that she was in purgatory. 1724 Today I felt the Lord's Passion in my body more than at any other time. I felt this was for the sake of a dying soul. 1725 Today, the Lord has been teaching me, once again, how I am to approach the Sacrament of Penance: My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a (89) priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light. 1726 Christ and Lord, You are leading me over such precipices that, when I look at them, I am filled with fright, but at the same time I am at peace as I nestle close to Your Heart. Close to Your Heart, I fear nothing. In these dangerous moments, I act like a little child, carried in its mother‟s arms; when it sees something which menaces it, it clasps its mother‟s neck more firmly and feels secure. 1727 + I often see snares laid for me by souls who should not do so. I do not defend myself, but entrust myself all the more to God, who sees within me. And I see how these souls become entangled in their own snares. O God, how just and good You are!1728 (90) Write: I am Thrice Holy, and detest the smallest sin. I cannot love a soul which is stained with sin; but when it repents, there is no limit to My generosity toward it. My mercy embraces and justifies it. With My mercy, I pursue sinners along all their paths, and My Heart rejoices when they return to Me. I forget the bitterness with which they fed My Heart and rejoice at their return. Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart…. When will it beat for Me? Write, that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry (91) with them, leaving them alone andgiving them what they want. 377 1729 O my Jesus, You alone know of my efforts. I seem to be a bit better, but better only to the point that I can go out on the veranda instead of lying in bed. I see and am fully aware of what is happening to me. Despite the diligent care of my superiors and the efforts of the doctors, my health is fading and running out. But I rejoice greatly at Your call, my God, my Love, because I know that my mission will begin at the moment of my death. Oh, how much I desire to be set free from the bonds of this body. O my Jesus, You know that, in all my desires, I always want to see Your will. Of myself, I would not want to die one minute sooner, or to live one minute longer, or to suffer less, (92) or to suffer more, but I only want to do Your holy will. Although I have great enthusiasm, and the desires burning in my heart are immense, they are never above Your will. 1730 I fly to Your mercy, Compassionate God, who alone are good. Although my misery is great, and my offenses are many, I trust in Your mercy, because You are the God of mercy; and, from time immemorial, it has never been heard of, nor do heaven or earth remember, that a soul trusting in Your mercy has been disappointed. 1731 (93) Today I was awakened by a great storm. The wind was raging, and it was raining in torrents, thunderbolts striking again and again. I began to pray that the storm would do no harm, when I heard the words: Say the chaplet I have taught you, and the storm will cease. I began immediately to say the chaplet and hadn't even finished it when the storm suddenly ceased, and I heard the words: Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will. 1732 As I was praying for Poland, I heard the words: I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming. 1733 (94) + Welcome, hidden Love, life of my soul! I welcome You, Jesus, under these insignificant forms of bread. Welcome, sweetest Mercy, who pour Yourself out for souls. Welcome, Infinite Goodness, who pour out everywhere torrents of Your graces. Welcome, o veiled Brightness, the light of souls. Welcome, O Fount of inexhaustible mercy, O purest Spring from which life and holiness gush forth for us. Welcome, Delight of pure souls. Welcome, only Hope of sinful souls. 1734 O my Jesus, You know that there are times when I have neither lofty thoughts nor a soaring spirit. I bear with myself patiently and admit that that is just what I am, because all that is beautiful is a grace from God. And so I humble myself profoundly and cry out for Your help; and the grace of visitation is not slow in coming to the humble heart. 1735 (95) O virgin, lovely flower, You will not remain much longer in this world. Oh, how beautiful your loveliness, My pure bride! No numbers can count you. How dear is your virginal flower! Your brightness is in no way dimmed; It is brave, strong, invincible. 378 The very blaze of the noon-day sun Dims, and darkens in the presence of a virgin heart. I see nothing greater than virginity. It is a flower taken from the Divine Heart. O gentle virgin, fragrant rose, Although there are many crosses on earth, No eye has seen, nor has it entered into the mind of man What awaits a virgin in heaven. O virgin, snow-white lily, You live wholly for Jesus alone (96) And in the pure chalice of your heart Is a pleasing dwelling place for God Himself. O virgin, no one will sing your hymn. In your song lies hidden the love of God. Even the Angels do not comprehend What the virgins sing to God. O virgin, your flower of paradise Eclipses all the splendors of this world. And although the world cannot comprehend you, It bows humbly before you. Although the virgin‟s path is strewn with thorns, And her life bristles with many a cross, Who is as brave as she? Nothing will break her; she is invincible. O virgin, earthly angel, Your greatness is renowned throughout the Church. You stand guard before the tabernacle And, like a Seraph, become all love. 1736 (97) Once, when I was on the veranda, I saw that a certain person was being troubled by strong temptations concerning Holy Confession, doubting its secrecy. Although I knew the condition of that soul, I myself did not start the conversation. When we were alone, she opened her heart to me and told me everything. After talking for a short while, she said to me, “I am at peace now; my soul has received much light.” 1737 Today, Jesus made known to me that I should speak little with a certain religious sister. A special grace of God sustained me during the conversation, which would not otherwise have been for God‟s glory. 1738 The Lord said to me, Enter into purgatory often, because they need you there. O my Jesus, I understand the meaning of these words which You are speaking to me, but first let me enter the treasury (98) of Your mercy. 379 1739 Write, My daughter, that I am mercy itself for the contrite soul. A soul‟s greatest wretchedness does not enkindle Me with wrath; but rather, My Heart is moved towards it with great mercy. 1740 O my Jesus, give me strength to endure suffering so that I may not make a wry face when I drink the cup of bitterness. Help me Yourself to make my sacrifice pleasing to You. May it not be tainted by my self-love, even though it extend over many years. May purity of intention make it pleasing to You, fresh and full of life. This life of mine is a ceaseless struggle, a constant effort to do Your holy will; but may everything that is in me, both my misery and my strength, give praise to You, O Lord. (99) The Infinite Goodness of God in the Creation of the Angels. 1741 O God, who are happiness in Your very self and have no need of creatures to make You happy, because of Yourself You are the fullness of love; yet, out of Your fathomless mercy You call creatures into being and grant them a share in Your eternal happiness and in Your life, that divine indwelling life which You live, One God in Three Persons. In Your unfathomable mercy, You have created angelic spirits and admitted them to Your love and to Your divine intimacy. You have made them capable of eternal love. Although You bestowed on them so generously, O Lord, the splendor of love and beauty, Your fullness was not diminished in the least, O God, nor have their love and beauty completed You, because You are everything in Yourself. And if You have allowed them to participate in Your happiness and to exist and to love You, that is only due to the abyss of Your mercy. This is Your unfathomable goodness, for which they glorify You without end, (100) humbling themselves at the feet of Your majesty as they chant their eternal hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy ….. 1742 Be praised, merciful God, One God in the Holy Trinity, ` Unfathomable, infinite, incomprehensible, Immersing themselves in You, their minds cannot comprehend You, So they repeat without end their eternal: Holy. Be glorified, O merciful Creator of ours, O Lord, Omnipotent, but full of compassion, inconceivable. To love You is the mission of our existence, Singing our eternal hymn: Holy…… Be blessed, merciful God, Eternal Love. You are above the heavens, the sapphires, the firmaments. Thus the host of pure spirits glorifies You, With its eternal hymn: Thrice Holy. And, gazing upon You, face to face, O God, I see that You could have called other creatures before them. Therefore they humble themselves before You in great humility, For well they see that this grace comes solely from Your mercy. (101) One of the most beautiful spirits would not recognize Your mercy, And, blinded by his pride, he drew others after him. Angel of great beauty, he became Satan 380 And was cast down in one moment from heaven‟s heights into hell. Then the faithful spirits cried, “Glory to God‟s mercy!” And they stood firm in spite of the fiery test. Glory to Jesus, the Christ abased, Glory to His Mother, the humble and pure Virgin. After this battle, the pure spirits plunged into the ocean of Divinity; Contemplating and praising the depths of His mercy, They drown in His mercy and manifold light, Possessing in knowledge the Trinity of persons, the Oneness of Godhead. 1743 + God‟s Infinite Goodness in Creating Mankind. God, who in Your mercy have deigned to call man from nothingness into being, generously have You bestowed upon him nature and grace. But that seemed too little for Your infinite goodness. In Your mercy, O Lord, You have given us (102) everlasting life. You admit us to Your everlasting happiness and grant us to share in Your interior life. And You do this solely out of Your mercy. You bestow on us the gift of Your grace, only because You are g2ood and full of love. You had no need of us at all to be happy, but You, O Lord, want to share Your own happiness with us. But man did not stand the test. You could have punished him, like the angels, with eternal rejection, but here Your mercy appeared, and the very depths of Your being were moved with great compassion, and You promised to restore our salvation. It is an incomprehensible abyss of Your compassion that You did not punish us as we deserved. May Your mercy be glorified, O lord; we will praise it for endless ages. And the angels were amazed at the greatness of the mercy which You have shown for mankind…. 1744 May You be adored, O merciful God of ours, O All-powerful Lord and Creator. In deepest humility, we give You praise, Plunging ourselves into the ocean of your Godhead. (103) But man did not persevere in the hour of trial. At the instigation of the evil one, he became unfaithful to You. He lost Your grace and gifts; only misery was left him, And tears, suffering, sorrow and bitterness, until he would rest in the grave. But you, O merciful God, did not let humanity perish, And gave it the promise of a Redeemer. You did not let us despair, despite our grave offenses, And You sent Your prophets to Israel. Still, day and night, mankind cries out to You, From the abyss of misery, sin and all pain. Hear the moaning and the tears, You who reign in heaven, God of great mercy, God of compassion. 381 Man erred, but he cannot ask pardon, Because a gaping chasm has appeared between God and man. With the voice of his misery, he cries out, “Mercy!” But Yahweh is silent…. And century after century passes on. But the longing of all humankind grows deeper. A longing for Him who has been promised. (104) Come, Lamb of God, take away our vile sins, Come, illumine our darkness like a ray of light. Humanity calls out to You unceasingly, O Lord of lords, Calls out to Your unfathomable mercy, to Your compassion. O great Yahweh, grant that we may make atonement, Remember Your goodness, and forgive us our sins. + The Infinite Goodness of God in Sending Us His Only-Begotten Son. 1745 God, You did not destroy man after his fall, but in Your mercy You forgave him, You forgave in a divine way; that is, not only have You absolved him from guilt, but You have bestowed upon him every grace. Mercy has moved You to deign to descend among us and lift us up from our misery. God will descend to earth; the Immortal Lord of lords will abase Himself. But where will You descend, Lord; will it be to the temple of Solomon? Or will You have a new tabernacle built for Yourself? Where do You intend to come down? O Lord, what kind of tabernacle shall we prepare for You, (105) since the whole earth is Your footstool? You have indeed prepared a tabernacle for Yourself: the Blessed Virgin. Her Immaculate Womb is Your dwelling place, and the inconceivable miracle of Your mercy takes place, O Lord. The Word becomes flesh; God dwells among us, the Word of God, Mercy Incarnate. By Your descent, You have lifted us up to Your divinity. Such is the excess of Your love, the abyss of Your mercy. Heaven is amazed at the superabundance of Your love. No one fears to approach You now. You are the God of mercy. You have compassion on misery. You are our God, and we are your people. You are our Father, and we are Your children by grace. Praise be to Your mercy, that You have deigned to descend among us. 1746 Be adored, O God of mercy, Because You have deigned to descend from heaven to earth. Most humbly we adore You For Your having vouchsafed to exalt all mankind. (106 Unfathomable and incomprehensible in Your mercy, For love of us You take on flesh From the immaculate Virgin, ever untouched by sin, Because You have willed it so from all ages. The Blessed Virgin, that Snow-White Lily, Is first to praise the omnipotence of Your mercy. Her pure heart opens with love for the coming of the Word; She believes the words of God‟s messenger and is confirmed in trust. 382 Heaven is astounded that God has become man, That there is on earth a heart worthy of God Himself. Why is it that You do not unite Yourself with a Seraph, but with a sinner, O Lord? Oh, because, despite the purity of the virginal womb, this is a mystery of Your mercy. O mystery of God‟s mercy, O God of compassion, That You have deigned to leave the heavenly throne And to stoop down to our misery, to human weakness, For it is not the angels, but man who needs mercy. To give worthy praise to the Lord‟s mercy, We unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, (107) For then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, Because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us. + God‟s Infinite Goodness in Redeeming Man. 1747 God, You could have saved thousand of worlds with one word; a single sigh from Jesus would have satisfied Your justice. But You Yourself, Jesus, purely out of love for us, underwent such a terrible Passion. Your Father‟s justice would have been propitiated with a single sigh from You, and all Your self-abasement is solely the work of Your mercy and Your inconceivable love. On leaving the earth, O Lord, You wanted to stay with us, and so You left us Yourself in the Sacrament of the Altar, and You opened wide Your mercy to us. There is no misery that (108) could exhaust You; You have called us all to this fountain of love, to this spring of God‟s compassion. Here is the tabernacle of Your mercy, here is the remedy for all our ills. To You, O living spring of mercy, all souls are drawn; some like deer, thirsting for Your love, others to wash the wound of their sins, and still others, exhausted by life, to draw strength. At the moment of Your death on the Cross, You bestowed upon us eternal life; allowing Your most holy side to be opened, You opened an inexhaustible spring of mercy for us, giving us Your dearest possession, the Blood and Water from Your Heart. Such is the omnipotence of Your mercy. From it all grace flows to us. 1748 Be adored, O God, in the work of Your mercy, Be blessed by all faithful hearts On whom Your gaze rests, In whom dwells Your immortal life. (109) O my Jesus, have mercy, sorrowful was Your life on this earth, And in terrible torment Your work came to an end, Hanging stretched out on the wood of the Cross, And all this for the love of our souls. 383 In Your inconceivable love, You allowed Your most holy side to be opened, And streams of Blood and Water gushed forth from Your Heart. Here is the living fountain of Your mercy, Here souls receive consolation and refreshment. In the Blessed Sacrament, You left us Your mercy; Your love deigned to arrange it so, That, going through life, suffering and toil, I might never doubt of Your goodness and mercy. For even if the whole world‟s miseries weighed on my soul, We must not doubt for even a moment, But have trust in the power of God‟s mercy, Because, with graciousness, God receives a contrite soul. O unspeakable mercy of our Lord, Source of compassion and all sweetness, (110) Trust, trust, O soul, though you are stained by sin, For when you approach God, you will not taste bitterness. Because He is a living fire of great love, When we approach Him with sincerity, Our miseries, sins and evil deeds vanish; He will settle our debts when we surrender ourselves to Him. 1749 + God‟s Infinite Goodness in Adorning the Whole World with Beauty in Order to Make Man‟s Stay on Earth Pleasant. O God, how generously Your mercy is spread everywhere, and You have done all this for man. Oh, how much You must love him, since Your love is so active on his behalf. O my Creator and Lord, I see on all sides the trace of Your hand and the seal of Your mercy, which embraces all created things. O my most compassionate Creator, I want to give You worship on behalf of all creatures and all inanimate (111) creation; I call on the whole universe to glorify Your mercy. Oh, how great is Your goodness, O God! 1750 Be adored, O our Creator and Lord. O universe, humbly glorify your God; Thank your Creator to the best of your powers And praise God‟s incomprehensible mercy. Come, O earth, in all your fine greenery; Come, you too, O fathomless sea. Let your gratitude become a loving song And sing the greatness of God‟s mercy. Come, beautiful, radiant sun. Come, bright dawn which precedes it. 384 Join in one hymn, and let your clear voices Sing in one accord God‟s great mercy. Come, hills and valleys, sighing woods and thickets, Come, lovely flowers of morningtide; Let your unique scent Adore and glorify God‟s mercy. (112) Come, all you lovely things of earth, Which man does not cease to wonder at. Come, adore God in your harmony, Glorifying God‟s inconceivable mercy. Come, indelible beauty of all the earth, And, with great humility, adore your Creator, For all things are locked in His mercy, With one mighty voice all things cry out; how great is the mercy of God. But above all these beauties, A more pleasing praise to God Is a soul innocent and filled with childlike trust, Which, through grace, is closely bound to Him.