A Prayer for Certain Afflicted Persons
O Jesus! by that wound which Thou didst suffer in Thy shoulder from the carriage of Thy cross, have mercy, I entreat Thee, on those who have a life-long cross to bear, as also upon such as have secret sorrows which only Thou canst know. May the memory of Thy painful cross-bearing give them strength to carry theirs with courage and fidelity to the end, and may the thought of that secret suffering Thou didst endure, teach them to sanctify their hidden sorrows that they may be fruitful for Thy glory. Amen. — From The Voice of the Sacred Heart.
"My Elect Shall not Labor in Vain"
It is said — (it is God Who has spoken):
"His elect shall not labor in vain
Though sorrow on earth be their portion
Their "fruit shall forever remain."
By sorrow and dire contradiction,
God would life to mankind impart,
And His last sad plaint when dying
Was the cry of a broken Heart.
There is strength in each toil and struggle —
In the brave heart's inward strife, —
In the chill of seeming failure, —
For these are the seeds of life.
Each heart-ache endured for Jesus
Has gone up and told its tale,
And though upon earth deemed fruitless,
With Him — shall it not prevail?
Oh! because his soul hath labored
He shall see a long-lived seed,
In the promise of Truth eternal
For Whom the will is the deed.
