Page:PrecesGertrudianae.djvu/140

 ed thee with all the glory, all the dazzling magnificence, and the ecstatic joy in which thou dost now exult, as beseemeth thee, the elect above and over all creatures before the world was formed. Amen.

Our blessed Lady said to St. Gertrude: Whoever shall devoutly recall to my mind the joy which I felt in uttering the words: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, I will most truly show him, that I am his Mother, and will unfailingly succour him.

MOTHER of blessedness and most august Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, I praise and greet thee, and with most devout intention of mind recall to thee that unspeakable joy which thou didst feel when with calmest trustfulness thou didst commend to the divine Will thy whole unreserved self, and all that was to be done to thee and in thee, saying: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: beseeching thee that thou wouldst show thyself my Mother, and evermore succour me with the saving help of thy compassionate heart. Amen.

While St. Gertrude was once bemoaning her lack of service and devotion to our blessed Lady, she felt moved by the Holy Ghost to offer her the Heart of Jesus; which, she adds, our Lady received with exceeding joy, finding