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 "up to this time you have not been all Mine; now that you are all Mine, be assured that I am all yours." St. Augustine calls love "a bond which binds the lover with the loved one." God has every wish to clasp us and unite us to Himself; but it is also necessary for us to strive and unite ourselves to God. If we wish God to give Himself entirely to us, it is likewise necessary for us to give ourselves entirely to Him.

Oh I happy me, if, from this day forward, I shall be able always to say with the sacred spouse, My Beloved to me and I to Him. [Cant. 2:16] My God, my Beloved has given Himself all to me; it is but reasonable for me to give myself all to my God, and to say What have I in Heaven? and besides Thee what do I desire upon earth? [Ps. 72:25]

Oh, my beloved Infant, my dear Redeemer, since Thou hast come down from Heaven to give Thyself to me, what else shall I go about seeking in Heaven or on earth besides Thee, Who art my sovereign Good, my only treasure, the Paradise of souls? Be Thou, then, the sole Lord of my heart, do Thou possess it wholly. May my heart obey Thee alone, and seek to please Thee alone! May my soul love Thee alone, and mayest Thou alone be its portion! Let others strive after and enjoy (if enjoyment can ever be found out of Thee) the goods and fortunes of this world; Thee alone do I desire, who art my fortune, my riches, my peace, my hope in this life and in eternity. Behold, then, my heart; I give it wholly to Thee; it is no longer mine own, but Thine. In the same manner as at Thy entrance into the world Thou didst offer to the Eternal Father, and present to Him Thine entire will, as David has taught: In the head of the book it is written of Me, that I should do Thy will; O my God, I have desired it; [Ps. 39:8] so do I on this day offer to Thee, Thy Saviour,