Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/333



My dove  in  the  clefts  of  the  rock! come and  contemplate my  heart  through  the  aperture  of  my bleeding  side. The Heart  of  Jesus  calls  us  all  to him. "Come you  all  to  me.”  (Matt.  xi.  28.)  I place  no  bounds  to  my  promises; my  Heart  is  an inexhaustible  source  of  goodness,  which  can  efface  all crimes.  "Come  you  all  to  me,  and  I shall  relieve  you; the crimes — the  wounds — are  yours; the  remedy — the cure — is  mine.”

Come you  all  to  me; my  Heart  is  vast  enough  for all; the  sea  of  my  mercy  is  boundless  enough  to receive  all  sinners  who  rush  into  it — to  absorb,  to drown  their  offences. "I have found  a Physician,” you  may  say  now,  my  soul,  “ who  knows  my  disease and  its  cure.  I have  found  what  my  soul  thirsted for; I shall  never  any  more  suffer  want.”

" Lord, give  me  of  that  water  ” flowing  from  your Heart, " and  I shall  never  thirst.”

All the  wounds  of  our  Lord  are  so  many  gates  of salvation  open  to  the  whole  world; but  that  of  his Heart is  the  largest.

All his  wounds  are  fountains  of  grace,  but  that  of his  Heart  is  the  clearest  and  most  delicious.

All his  wounds  are  so  many  purple  streams,  in which  we  can  plunge  all  the  powers  of  our  soul,  to enhance  the  price  of  our  thoughts,  words,  and actions; but the  wound  of  the  Heart  gives  them  a higher  colour,  a more  lively  tinge,  a more  precious lustre.

All his  wounds  are  so  many  places  of  refuge, where the  most  criminal  find  shelter; but  that  of  the Heart is  the  most  secure. Redite praevaricatores ad  cor.