Page:StVincentsManual.djvu/366

 heart like  to  thee;  that  by  thee,  with  thee,  and  in thee,  it  may  eternally  love  the  Father,  the  Son,  and the Holy  Ghost. Amen.

MOST amiable  and  adorable  Heart,  centre  of  all hearts, glowing  with  charity,  and  inflamed  with zeal for  the  interest  of  thy  Father,  and  the  salvation of mankind ! O Heart,  ever  sensible  of  our  misery, and ever  ready  to  redress  our  evils;  the  real  victim of love  in  the  holy  Eucharist,  and  a  propitiatory  sacrifice for  the  sins  of  men! Seeing that  the  generality of Christians  make  no  other  return  for  these  thy  mercies than  contempt  of  thy  favors,  forgetfulness  of  their own obligation,  and  ingratitude  to  the  best  of  benefactors, is  it  not  just  that  we,  thy  servants,  penetrated with the  deepest  sense  of  the  like  indignities,  should enter upon  a  due  and  satisfactory  reparation  of  honor to thy  most  sacred  majesty? Prostrate, therefore,  in body,  and  humbled  in  mind,  before  heaven  and  earth we solemnly  declare  our  utter  detestation  and  abhorrence of  such  a  conduct. Inexpressible, we  know, was the  bitterness  which  the  multitude  of  our  sins brought on  thy  tender  Heart;  insufferable  the  weight of our  inequities,  which  pressed  thy  face  to  the  earth in the  garden  of  Olives;  and  insurmountable  thy  anguish, when,  expiring  with  love,  grief  and  agony,  on Mount  Calvary,  with  thy  last  breath  thou  wouldst  reclaim sinners  to  their  duty  and  repentance. This we know,  O  dear  Redeemer! and would  most  willingly redress these  thy  sufferings  by  our  own,  or  share  with thee in  thine.

O merciful  Jesus,  ever  present  on  our  altars,  and with a  heart  open  to  receive  all  who  "labor  and  are burdened;"  O  adorable  Heart,  source  of  true  contrition! impart to  our  hearts  the  true  spirit  of  penance and to  our  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  we  may  bewail and cast off our sins, and  those  of  the  world.