AS A VICTIM OF DIVINE LOVE

_This Prayer was found after the death of Sister Teresa of the
Child Jesus and of the Holy Face in the copy of the Gospels which
she carried night and day close to her heart._

O my God, O Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to love Thee and to
make Thee loved--to labour for the glory of Holy Church by saving
souls here upon earth and by delivering those suffering in
Purgatory. I desire to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, and to
reach the degree of glory Thou hast prepared for me in Thy
Kingdom. In a word, I wish to be holy, but, knowing how helpless I
am, I beseech Thee, my God, to be Thyself my holiness.

Since Thou hast loved me so much as to give me Thy Only-Begotten
Son to be my Saviour and my Spouse, the infinite treasures of His
merits are mine. Gladly do I offer them to Thee, and I beg of Thee
to behold me only through the Eyes of Jesus, and in His Heart
aflame with love. Moreover, I offer Thee all the merits of the
Saints both of Heaven and of earth, together with their acts of
love, and those of the holy Angels. Lastly, I offer Thee, O
Blessed Trinity, the love and the merits of the Blessed Virgin, my
dearest Mother--to her I commit this Oblation, praying her to
present it to Thee.

During the days of His life on earth her Divine Son, my sweet
Spouse, spake these words: "If you ask the Father anything in My
Name, He will give it you."[1] Therefore I am certain Thou wilt
fulfill my longing. O my God, I know that the more Thou wishest to
bestow, the more Thou dost make us desire. In my heart I feel
boundless desires, and I confidently beseech Thee to take
possession of my soul. I cannot receive Thee in Holy Communion as
often as I should wish; but, O Lord, art Thou not all-powerful?
Abide in me as Thou dost in the Tabernacle--never abandon Thy
Little Victim. I long to console Thee for ungrateful sinners, and
I implore Thee to take from me all liberty to sin. If through
weakness I should chance to fall, may a glance from Thine Eyes
straightway cleanse my soul, and consume all my imperfections--as
fire transforms all things into itself.

I thank Thee, O my God, for all the graces Thou hast granted me:
especially for having purified me in the crucible of suffering. At
the Day of Judgment I shall gaze on Thee with joy, as Thou bearest
Thy sceptre of the Cross. And since Thou hast deigned to give me
this precious Cross as my portion, I hope to be like unto Thee in
Paradise and to behol