Twenty-Third Day - Practice in Honour of the Heart of Jesus

God bestows His graces upon us, every moment of our lives, in consideration of the merits and blood of His Son, and thus places us in the way of gaining boundless treasures for eternity. But we must acknowledge that we every day incur, through our negligence, inconceivable losses. The greater number of our actions lose their value, from want of a right intention. It is time to rouse ourselves from this lethargy; and the best way of rendering our actions as meritorious towards our salvation, and as glorious to God, as possible, is to make use of the following practice taught us by Blosius. "It consists," he tells us, "in offering our good works, and all our actions, to the most sweet and sacred Heart of Jesus, that they may be purified by this divine Heart; for it is so full of love and tenderness towards us, that it is ever ready to complete and perfect the good, with which it has itself inspired us." The Venerable Mary Margaret gave the same advice to a person who had consulted her; "You are grieved at leading a listless life in the service of God: what He seems to suggest to me to say to you in reply, is this; do not be disturbed; to satisfy Him on this pointy you have but to unite yourself, in all your actions, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; this will serve, before beginning, by way of disposition, and at the end, by way of satisfaction. If, for example, you find that you can do nothing in prayer, content yourself with offering the prayer, which our divine Saviour is ever making in our behalf, in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar; offer the ardour of His love, in reparation for your tepidity; and say, as you perform each action; u My God! I wish to do or to suffer this, in union with the Sacred Heart of Thy divine Son, and according to His holy intentions, which I offer to Thee in reparation for all that is impure and imperfect in my own." In a word, this amiable Heart will supply for all that may be wanting on your part; for it will love God for you, and you will love Him in it, and by it.

One day, as Saint Gertrude was endeavouring to pray with all the attention in her power, she could not avoid, through human weakness, several distractions. Greatly afflicted at this, she said within herself; Alas! what fruit can I hope for from such a prayer, made with so distracted a heart? Upon which, our Blessed Lord, to console her, presented to her His Heart, and said to her; "Behold my Heart, the delight of the Blessed Trinity; I present it to you, that you may make use of it, to supply for all that is wanting in you; recommend all your actions to it with confidence; it will render them perfect in my eyes; my Heart shall be ever ready to serve you, and will supply for your negligences."

Profit by this instruction; and, whatever you love; whenever you pray, labour, or endure any suffering; love, pray, labour, suffer in union with the affections, prayers, labours, and sufferings of the Heart of Jesus; and, still more, when you have fallen into any fault, after humbling yourself for it, go seek in the Heart of Jesus the virtue which is contraiy to your natural inclination, whether it be humility, charity, resignation, or bearing with your neighbour's defects, and offer it to the eternal Father in expiation for your faults. It is a short and easy means of paying your debts, as soon as you have contracted them, and of acquiring an immense treasure of merits. It was the habitual practice of the Venerable Mary Margaret. Address yourself with simplicity, like her, to the Heart of Jesus, and say to Him after your falls; "You see, O Lord! the evil which I have done: pay, if you please, for your poor slave." At night, lay up, within this adorable Heart, all the actions of the day, that it may purify whatever it finds imperfect in them.

Prayer - I sleep; but Thy Heart, which Thou permittest me to call mine, watches for me, over me, and within me. (Canticle 5:2)

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

O Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.