Aspirations of a Loving Soul
Preces Gertrudianae, compiled by Thomas Alder Pope, 1861Source and notes
Source
| Printed in | Preces Gertrudianae: Prayers of St Gertrude and St. Mechtilde of The Order of St. Benedict. |
|---|---|
| Imprint | LONDON, BURNS AND LAMBERT, 1861 |
| Pages | pp. 57–58 |
| Scan | leaf 69, leaf 70 of the Internet Archive copy |
| Rights | Public domain in the United States. |
- Saints
- St. Gertrude the Great
- Prayers for
- love of God
Angel Holding the Sacred Heart, hand-coloured woodcut, Low Countries, 1490–1510. Rijksmuseum.
He who ardently desires and firmly resolves to love and praise me more than I am praised and loved by any other creature shall undoubtedly, said our Lord to St. Gertrude, receive an abundant reward from my divine bounty; a reward oftentimes greater than that which he could obtain by good works.
O GOD of my heart, I love thee with all my heart, and I would that I could love thee a thousandfold more. Would that I could praise and love thee beyond every other of thy creatures; that I could give thee thanks and condole with thee, and practise all virtues in greatest perfection: most eagerly and gladly would I do so, according to the sovereign good pleasure of thy divine Heart.
O my sweet Love, could I bring before thee, my Lord and my God, all men in whom thou hast vouchsafed to take thy delights, I would most gladly go barefoot throughout the world, and bring to thee in my arms all in whose hearts thou dost deign and delight to dwell, that I might thus satisfy the yearnings of thy infinite, thy divine love. And moreover, were it possible, I would divide my heart into as many fragments as there are men on the earth, that I might communicate to them all a holy resolve to serve and obey thee to the joy and content of thy divine Heart.
O God, worthy of an infinite love, I have nothing which can be commensurate with thy dignity; but such is my desire towards thee, that if I had all that thou hast, I would gladly and thankfully resign all to thee.