Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/337

 Between the  Heart  of  Jesus,  and  mine,  alas,  what a contrast!

When Jesus  appears  to  sleep,  His  Heart  is  watching; but  I sleep  and  my  heart  watches  not. My senses are  ever  wakeful,  my  passions  ever  active,  my mind  is  constant  excitement. It is  my  heart  that sleeps! O my God! let all  within  me  sleep,  all

except my  heart,  for  it  is  upon  my  heart  that  Thy divine gaze  is  ever  fixed. Dominus intuetur cor — “The Lord  looketh  at  the  heart.”

Thus let  me  pass  my  days,  O my  God! loving Thee with  my  heart,  adoring  Thee  with  my  heart; serving Thee  with  my  heart,  and  when  Thou  shalt call me  to  Thyself,  be  it  mine  to  exclaim  with my last  sigh,  “I  am  now  about  to  sleep  the sleep of  death,  but  it  will  not  be  an  utter  sleep. My heart  shall  watch; it  shall  watch  near  Thee and in  Thee,  through  a blissful  eternity! Amen.”

Heart of  Jesus,  hope  of  those  who  die  in  thee, have mercy  on  me!

How blind  am  I! I have  received  wonderful graces that  I never  thought  of; and  none  the  less wonderful because  they  did  not  strike  any  of  my senses. I felt nothing; I received  what  would  surprise me,  did  I know  it. How blind! — worse than that, I have  been  and  am  ungrateful! Perhaps I have  been  actually  dissatisfied — almost  displeased with certain  graces  and  signal  favours. A little wholesome severity  on  the  part  of  him  who  reconciled me  to  God,  disturbed  my  peace  in  the  very