Preces Gertrudianae/Devotions for Daily Use
Prayers of St. Gertrude.
PART I.
PRAYERS FOR DAILY USE.
MORNING
Our Divine Lord said to St. Mechtilde: When you awake in the morning, let your first act he to salute my Heart, and to offer me your own.
I ADORE, praise, and salute thee, O most sweet Heart of Jesus Christ, fresh and gladdening as the breath of spring, from which, as from a fountain of graces, sweeter than the honeycomb, floweth evermore all good and all delight. I thank thee with all the powers of my heart for having preserved me throughout this night, and for having rendered to God the Father praises and thanksgivings on my behalf. And now, O my sweet Love, I offer thee my wretched and worthless heart as a morning sacrifice; I place it in thy most tender Heart, and intrust it to thy keeping; beseeching thee that thou wouldst deign to pour into it thy divine inspirations, and to enkindle it with thy holy love. Amen.
RECOMMENDATION TO JESUS.
It was revealed to St Gertrude that if any one commends himself to God, praying to be kept from all sin, God will never forsake him; and even though he be permitted to fall into some grievous fault, the grace of God will sustain him like a staff, and enable him to return more easily to repentance.
O JESUS, full of compassion, I commend to thee my spirit and my soul, in union with that love wherewith thou didst commend thine own to the Father on the cross; and I place them in the most sacred wound of thy tender Heart, that they may be therein protected from all the snares of the enemy. Thou knowest, O good Jesus, and I know by my own sad experience, how weak and frail I am, so that I could not of myself persevere in good, or resist temptation even for one single hour. Wherefore I pray thee, by the reverence due to that union wherein thy manhood is united to the adorable Trinity in order to our glorification, that thou wouldst deign to unite my will to thine, and so to strengthen and secure it, that it may be unable to rebel against thee. In union with thy most sinless limbs, I commend to thee all the members of my body, with all their movements, that they may throughout this day move for thy glory alone, for thy praise and thy love. Amen.
ASPIRATION TO JESUS.
Jesus said to St. Mechtilde: Whoever shall breathe a sigh towards me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning, and shall ask me 'to work all his works in him throughout the day, he will draw me to him; so that his soul shall leave life from me even as his body has life from his soul, and he shall do all things through me and by me. For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration towards me without drawing me nearer to him than I was before.
O MOST loving Jesus, I breathe towards thee this sigh, drawn from the depth of my heart, beseeching thee, with all my might, that thou wouldst deign thyself to work in me all my works, whether of body or of soul, to cleanse them all in thy sweetest Heart, and to offer them, in union with thine own most perfect works, to God the Father as an eternal thanksgiving. Amen.
INTENTION TO BE FORMED IN THE MORNING.
Our Lord revealed to St Gertrude, that he records with letters of gold in the book of life all those actions, which are done purely for the love of God, in union with the Passion of Christ, and for the salvation of all mankind, without thought of our own merit. And although all good works receive from God an abundant reward,those which are done simply and purely for his glory are of far higher merit, and obtain for us a far greater increase of glory.
O LORD, my God, for thy sake I resolve to perform all my actions, whether outward or inward, purely for thy glory, and for the salvation of the whole world; with such intention and in such manner as thou dost desire and enjoin; and in union with that love whereby thy Son came down from heaven, and wrought out the whole work of our salvation, especially during his Passion. Wherefore I entirely disclaim all merit, all reward and grace which I might otherwise hope to obtain by these actions, that I may offer to thee, my God, a pure sacrifice of praise, and give thee a proof of my love.
COVENANT WITH GOD.
O ALMIGHTY God, I sanctify, dedicate, and consecrate to thee every beating of my heart, and every pulsation of my blood; and I desire to make this compact with Thee, that their every beating shall say to thee: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; and I beseech thee to impute this meaning to them, so that they may be before thy Divine Majesty as the unceasing echo of that heavenly canticle, which seraphims sing without ceasing unto thee. Amen. Amen.
A MORE EXTENDED COVENANT, TO BE RENEWED EVERY WEEK.
The great efficacy of this covenant may he shown thus: Were a person to resolve that by every movement he made he wished to be understood to ratify and approve all the sins that are committed all over the earth, and to be held a partaker of them, it is easy to see what guilt he would thus contract. And if such an intention would have so great influence for evil, why should it not have immense force and merit for good?
O Lord God, my Creator, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hidden from thee; but inasmuch as the necessities of this life prevent the constant application of my mind to thy praises, I make with thee this covenant, earnestly desiring that it may remain in force throughout this week.
Whenever I look up towards heaven, I desire and intend to rejoice with thee in thine infinite perfections; that thou art what thou art, supremely, strong and wise and loving and just.
As often as I open or close my eyes. I desire and intend to approve and concur in all the holy actions which thine only-begotten Son, and all the saints in heaven and just on earth, have ever done, or shall ever hereafter do, to thy glory, and desire to be held a partaker in them all.
As often as I draw my breath, I offer to thee the Life and Passion and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the merits and sufferings of all the saints, to thine eternal glory, for the welfare and peace of all the whole world, and in satisfaction for the sins of all men.
Whenever I sigh, I intend to detest and abhor every sin, as well my own sins as those which have ever been committed from the beginning of the world against the honour of thy Name. Would that the slight and worthless offering of my blood might be accepted in satisfaction for them!
Lastly, as often as I move my hand or my foot, so often do I cast myself with entire resignation upon thy most holy will, desiring that thou wouldst dispose of me in time and in eternity, according to thine adorable good pleasure.
And, lest this five-fold covenant should be in any way made void, I seal it with the seals of thy five most Sacred Wounds, earnestly desiring that it may have its full force with thee, even though in any one of these actions it be not actually present to my mind.
ASPIRATION BEFORE PRAYER.
Our Lord directed St. Mechtilde to say the following prayer whenever she went into choir, or said the divine office or other prayer; assuring her that she might securely rely on the mercy of God that no prayer thus begun should fail of its effect.
O Most Holy Father, in union with the love of thy well-beloved Son, I commend my spirit to thee.
PRAYER BEFORE THE DIVINE OFFICE OR OTHER PRAYER.
O ALMIGHTY, everlasting God, I, thy most unworthy creature, appear here before the throne of thy grace, desiring to pour out my heart before thee, and to worship thee, my God, as well and as perfectly as I can. Wherefore I begin and will faithfully continue this divine office [or, this prayer] in union with the love wherewith thy Son worshipped thee, and wrought all the whole work of our redemption; beseeching thee that I may be enabled to pay thee a tribute of honour and praise like that which the most precious Humanity of Jesus and the most holy Virgin Mary rendered thee unceasingly. And to this end I offer these my prayers to thee, in the virtue and merit of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in his Name and in that of all thy holy angels and saints, to thy eternal praise and glory. I humbly implore thee to preserve me from all distraction and dryness of spirit, and to enable me duly to bring thee this my appointed tribute of prayer. Amen.
ASPIRATION BEFORE THE DIVINE OFFICE.
Our Lord recommended St. Mechtilde to say the following brief prayer before reciting her office, promising her that the prayer of those who habitually did so should be united with his own most perfect and availing prayers, and so have an infinite worth before God.
O Lord Jesus, in union with the intention and love with which thou didst give praise to God the Father, I offer and will recite this holy office,
REMEDY AGAINST DISTRACTIONS.
When you are distracted in prayer, commend it to the Heart of Jesus, to be perfected by him, as our Lord himself taught St. Gertrude. One day, when she was much distracted in prayer, he appeared to her, and held forth to her his Heart with his own sacred hands, saying: Behold, I set my Heart before the eyes of thy soul, that thou mayest commend to it all thine actions, confidently trusting that all that thou canst not of thyself supply to them will be therein supplied, so that they may appear perfect and spotless in my sight.
Remember always to say the Gloria Patri with great devotion. The hermit Honorius relates that a certain monk who had been accustomed to say his office negligently appeared to another after his death, and being asked what sufferings he had to undergo in punishment of his carelessness, he said that all had been satisfied for and effaced by the reverent devotion with which he had always said the
Gloria Patri.
ASPIRATION AFTER THE DIVINE OFFICE.
While St. Mechtilde was praying for one who had complained to her that she frequently said her hours with great distractions, she received this answer from our Lord: Let her always say, after each hour, the following prayer; adding, that if it could not be said punctually after each separate hour, it should at least be said seven times during the day.
O God, be merciful to me a sinner! or, O most meek and gentle Lamb of God, have mercy on me, and deign to supply all my defects and negligences in saying this hour.
PRAYER AFTER OFFICE, OR ANY OTHER PRAYER.
O Lord Jesus, I commend this my lukewarm and distracted service to thy Divine Heart, that it maybe therein cleansed and perfected; I offer it to thee in union with the love with which thou didst endure death, and set forth thy death, together with all the fruit of thy holy Incarnation, before God the Father on the day of thine ascension.
AN EFFICACIOUS METHOD OF OFFERING OUR ACTIONS TO GOD.
While St. Gertrude was offering a certain action to God, saying:
O Lord, I offer thee this work through thine only Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the praise of thy eternal Majesty; it was revealed to her that whatever action was thus offered would acquire a worth and acceptableness to God beyond all human comprehension. For as all things appear to be green when seen through a green glass, so whatever is offered to God through his only begotten Son cannot be otherwise than most precious and pleasing in his sight.
That you may understand how useful it is to offer all your works to God, listen to what our Lord said on one occasion to St. Gertrude: All thy works are most perfectly pleasing to me. And as she could not believe this, he added: If you held in your hand some object which you had the means and the skill to render perfectly pleasing to every one, and if you tenderly loved that object, would you neglect to adorn it? Even thus, because you are accustomed to offer all your works to me, I hold them in my hand; and as I have both the power and the skill, my love rejoiceth to cleanse and perfect them all, that they may be most perfectly pleasing in my sight.
PRAYER ON LEAVING CHURCH.
O Most pitiful Jesus, I give thee thanks for every good gift which thou hast bestowed on me in this church. And now that I am about to leave it, I offer thee, in union with thy own most perfect prayers, all the prayers and other devotions which I have performed therein; beseeching thee that thou wouldst deign to ennoble and perfect them in thy Divine Heart, to unite them with every holy intention and every feeling of devotion which thou hast ever elicited from any heart of man, and to offer them to God the Father, for all my negligences and omissions, as a grateful satisfaction and a most acceptable sacrifice; and I implore thee to grant me that most holy blessing which thou gavest to thine apostles when thou didst ascend into heaven, so that by its force and efficacy I may be enabled to persevere in thy grace, and to serve thee faithfully evermore. Amen.
AT TAKING HOLY WATER.
BY the sprinkling of thy Precious Blood, O Lord Jesus Christ, and by the merit of thy Passion, wash me from every stain, and cleanse me from all sin. In the Name of the Father.
HOW PLEASING IT IS TO OUR LORD TO PRAY WITH HANDS OUTSTRETCHED IN FORM OF THE CROSS.
St. Gertrude said to our Lord: Teach me, O thou best Teacher, some one way at least in which we may most specially set forth the memory of thy holy Passion. Our Lord answered her thus: W hen you pray, spread forth your hands so as to represent to God the Father the memory of my Passion, in union with that love with which I stretched out my hands on the cross; and if you do this habitually, without fear of ridicule or reproach, you will pay me an honour as great as is shown to a king when he is solemnly enthroned.
WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES.
O Most sweet Jesus, I commend to thy Divine Heart all that I have done in the hour that is gone, to be cleansed and purified, and offered to God the Father for his eternal praise. And whatsoever I shall do in the hour that is beginning, I resolve to do simply and purely for the glory of God and for the salvation of all mankind, in union with thy Passion. Amen.
BEFORE WORK.
Our Lord directed St. Gertrude to tell a certain person to form the following intention before beginning any work:
O Lord Jesus, in union with thy most perfect actions I commend to thee this my work, to be directed according to thy adorable will, for the salvation of all mankind. Amen.
AFTER WORK.
O Lord Jesus, in union with thy most perfect actions I offer thee this my work, to be amended and cleansed, and presented as is fit to God the Father, to his eternal praise. Amen.
BEFORE EATING.
Our Lord said to St. Gertrude: He who takes care to eat and drink, &c. with the intention expressed in the following prayer, holds as it were a buckler before me, to defend me from the insults and injuries of the worldly.
O Lord Jesus, I take this food in that same love wherewith thou hast sanctified it, when in thy most holy Humanity thou didst deign to eat and to drink to the glory of God the Father, and for the salvation of the whole human race; beseeching thee that, in union with thy divine love, it may tend to the increase of glory, and salvation of all thine elect in heaven, on earth, or in purgatory.
WHILE EATING.
St. Gertrude was accustomed to say frequently while eating:
MAY the virtue of thy divine love incorporate me wholly into thee, O my most loving Jesus!
And while drinking:
O Most loving Jesus, pour into my heart and preserve within me the energy of thine own most glowing charity; may it pervade all my substance, and flow evermore through every faculty of my body and soul, to thine eternal praise and glory! Amen.
She asked our Lord whether he would accept a like devotionfrom all who might offer it to him, and received this reply: Whenever any one eats or drinks with this intention and devotion, I will acknowledge in presence of my Father that I have eaten with him, and that he has given me to drink; and I will show to him in due time the utmost tenderness of my love.
AFTER FALLING INTO SIN.
St Gertrude said to our Lord: Teach me, O best of Teachers, how to efface the stains of sin which I contract from time to time. She received this answer: Never allow these stains to remain upon thy conscience; but as soon as thou feelest thyself defiled by any fault, say to me with a devout heart:
O CHRIST Jesus, my only Salvation and Hope, grant that all my transgressions may be blotted out by thy most efficacious death. Amen.
EVENING PRAYERS
A THANKSGIVING OF WONDERFUL EFFICACY.
HAIL, my God, Light and Salvation of my soul, may all that is in the round world, and within the circle of the heavens, and in the depths of the abyss, give thee thanks for all the benefits and tender mercies which thou hast bestowed on me in body and in soul.
And as the number of them is so great that I cannot answer thee for one of a thousand, I make over this duty to that eternal, infinite, unfailing gratitude whereby every debt to thee is acquitted by thyself, and through thyself, and in thyself, O thou bright and ever - peaceful Trinity! and obtruding myself on thy notice as a grain of dust, I offer thee, through him who stands at thy right hand, in the truth of my substance, such praise and thanksgiving as thou hast enabled us by thy Spirit to render to thee. Amen.
Here examine your conscience, and make an act of contrition, saying with a sigh:
O Most loving Father, in the bitterness of the Passion of Jesus Christ thy Son I pour forth now my complaint, indignantly accusing myself that I have served thee so unfaithfully this day, and have offended thee, my most kind and loving Father, by so many and so great negligences. I grieve for them from my inmost heart, and smite my breast in the spirit of contrition, and say unto thee: God be merciful to me a sinner! And for all the negligences whereby I have quenched thy good and gentle Spirit within me, I offer thee the sorrows and the tears of thy beloved Son. I beseech thee, in union with his most availing prayers, to grant me the pardon of my sins, and the supply of all my defects. Deign to hear this my prayer through that love which held back thine arm from taking vengeance when thy only and most beloved Son, the object of thine eternal and ineffable complacency, was numbered with transgressors. Amen.
Our Lord directed St. Mechtilde to repeat three times a day the psalm, Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes, in penance for her sins.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.
O SWEETEST Heart of Jesus, to thee I commend my body and my soul this night, that they may calmly rest in thee. And as I cannot praise my God while I sleep, do thou deign to supply my lack of service, and for every beating of my heart give praise to the most Holy Trinity on my behalf; receive into thyself every breath I draw, and offer them all to God as glowing sparks of divine love. Amen.
TO thy maternal faithfulness and to thy special care, O most blessed Virgin Mary, I commend myself this night, beseeching thee to protect me from all the snares of the enemy. O my beloved angel guardian, and you, holy saints, my patrons, defend me and keep me in safety through this night. Praise my God for me without ceasing while I sleep, and deign to bestow on me your blessing in answer to my humble prayer. Amen.
INTENTION BEFORE SLEEP.
Taught to St. Gertrude by our Lord.
O Lord JESUS, I accept this sleep in the love with which thou didst sanctify it when thou didst deign to sleep in thy most sacred Humanity, to the glory of God the Father, and for the salvation of all the whole human race; beseeching thee that, in union with thy divine Son, it may tend to the increase in grace and glory of all thine elect, in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory. Amen.
Before you lie down to sleep, trace on your forehead these four letters, I. N. R. I, saying:
MAY Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, preserve me from sudden and unprepared death. Amen.
Our Lord revealed to St. Edmund that those who use this prayer shall be preserved from sudden death in the night.
On one occasion when St. Gertrude could not sleep, she learned the prayer from Christ himself.
BY thine own eternal and unruffled repose in the bosom of God the Father, by thy most peaceful rest in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, by the most ecstatic rapture with which thou didst ever take thy delight in the hearts of those who love thee, I beseech thee, O most loving Lord, deign to grant me needful sleep, not for my pleasure or advantage, but that the weary members of my body may be refreshed to labour for thy eternal praise and glory. Amen.