[4] John 14:2.

[5] Ps. 102[103]:8, 14, 13.

[6] Cf.  Matt. 19:14.

[7] John 14:2.

[8] Luke 12:34.

[9] Cf.  Zach. 13:6.

[10] Cf.  Luke 15:22.

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PRAYERS OF SOEUR THERESE, THE LITTLE FLOWER OF JESUS

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AN ACT OF OBLATION AS A VICTIM OF DIVINE LOVE

This Prayer was found after the death of Sister Teresa of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face in the copy of the Gospels which she carried night and day close to her heart.

O my God, O Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to love Thee and to make Thee loved—­to labour for the glory of Holy Church by saving souls here upon earth and by delivering those suffering in Purgatory.  I desire to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, and to reach the degree of glory Thou hast prepared for me in Thy Kingdom.  In a word, I wish to be holy, but, knowing how helpless I am, I beseech Thee, my God, to be Thyself my holiness.

Since Thou hast loved me so much as to give me Thy Only-Begotten Son to be my Saviour and my Spouse, the infinite treasures of His merits are mine.  Gladly do I offer them to Thee, and I beg of Thee to behold me only through the Eyes of Jesus, and in His Heart aflame with love.  Moreover, I offer Thee all the merits of the Saints both of Heaven and of earth, together with their acts of love, and those of the holy Angels.  Lastly, I offer Thee, O Blessed Trinity, the love and the merits of the Blessed Virgin, my dearest Mother—­to her I commit this Oblation, praying her to present it to Thee.

During the days of His life on earth her Divine Son, my sweet Spouse, spake these words:  “If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it you."[1] Therefore I am certain Thou wilt fulfill my longing.  O my God, I know that the more Thou wishest to bestow, the more Thou dost make us desire.  In my heart I feel boundless desires, and I confidently beseech Thee to take possession of my soul.  I cannot receive Thee in Holy Communion as often as I should wish; but, O Lord, art Thou not all-powerful?  Abide in me as Thou dost in the Tabernacle—­never abandon Thy Little Victim.  I long to console Thee for ungrateful sinners, and I implore Thee to take from me all liberty to sin.  If through weakness I should chance to fall, may a glance from Thine Eyes straightway cleanse my soul, and consume all my imperfections—­as fire transforms all things into itself.

I thank Thee, O my God, for all the graces Thou hast granted me:  especially for having purified me in the crucible of suffering.  At the Day of Judgment I shall gaze on Thee with joy, as Thou bearest Thy sceptre of the Cross.  And since Thou hast deigned to give me this precious Cross as my portion, I hope to be like unto Thee in Paradise and to behold the Sacred Wounds of Thy Passion shine on my glorified body.