Francis Xavier Lasance

“ And, indeed, faith is an impenetrable shield against the fiery darts of the devil. When the latter strives to lead us astray, by inciting us to voluptuousness, faith lays bare to our view the abyss of hell, in order that we may behold the torments which will be the punishment of the unchaste. When he desires to dazzle us with the glitter of the riches, honors, and glories which the world has to offer us, faith throws open the portals of heaven, where the' highest rewards are prepared for those who persevere in the love of God and the pursuit of virtue. ”

“ Charity is the personal, love of God, our Lord, the wedding-garment of the soul, the treasure of great price which each must seek long and diligently for himself, and finds and heaps up more and more, that he may give to others, of his abundance abundantly, the fire of divine love, which kindles and enlightens the hearts of others the more brightly it burns in our own. 'Now this I pray,' says St. Paul, 'that your charity may abound more and more in all knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve the things which are excellent;' for to love God is an art — the one work of our lives. ”

“ Yes, Jesus, we love Thee now above all things, and we are resolved to please Thee by doing Thy will and by faithfully discharging the obligations of our state of life. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven! How happy should we be, O Jesus, could we but make reparation to Thy glory, by our respect, by our zeal, aye, even by the shedding of our blood. At least, most adorable Saviour, grant us the grace to love Thee in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, with the most tender, the most generous, the most perfect, the most constant love. ”

“ Deign to make me obedient, modest, humble, patient, kind, and simple as a little child; draw me to Thee in ever closer union with Thy loving Sacred Heart; make me resigned to Thy holy will, and grant that I may be found worthy one day of that reward which Thou hast promised to those who love and serve Thee faithfully on earth. Give me Thy grace, that I may become a saint. Oh, stay with us, dear Jesus, till the evening of life. Pardon me all my past transgressions; for I love Thee truly with my whole heart; and when death comes, say to me: " Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." ”

“ Through life's long day and death's dark night,
O gentle Jesus! be our light.
Labor is sweet, for Thou hast toiled,
And care is light, for Thou hast cared;
Let not our works with self be soiled,
Nor in unsimple ways ensnared.
Through life's long day and death's dark night,
O gentle Jesus! be our light.
For all we love — the poor, the sad,
The sinful — unto Thee we call;
Oh let Thy mercy make us glad;
Thou art our Jesus and our all.
Through life's long day and death's dark night,
O gentle Jesus! be our light. ”

“ O JESUS, we draw near with confidence to Thy sweet Heart; cast upon us, we beseech Thee, a look of pity, and make our hearts a perpetual offering consecrated to Thy glory. O Heart of infinite goodness, I offer to Thee my heart; vouchsafe to change it, to bless and sanctify it. O my soul, how Jesus Christ hath loved us! At what a price He hath redeemed us! Not with gold, not with riches, but by the voluntary shedding of His blood. He hath sacrificed Himself for us; let us then live only for Him; let us sacrifice ourselves together with Him. ”

“ Thank God, dear reader, for the most precious of all gifts, for the grace which enables you to say from the bottom of your heart, and with the most intense conviction: "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Pray that you may always persevere in this faith.
The fool alone can not descry God's work in earth and sea and sky; The more enlightened eye can trace His all-wise hand in Nature's face; And where sight fails, there faith alone The great Creator's skill will own. ”

“ I adore Thee beneath the eucharistic veil which Thou hast mercifully chosen in order to approach us. Permit me, O dearest Jesus, to render Thee my homage together with the angels who surround Thy altar-throne. I believe that Thou dwellest on our altars, not only to receive our humble adoration, but also to be the food of our souls, our sacrifice, our light in darkness, our counsel in doubt, our consolation in affliction, our strength in temptation, our friend in every need, our teacher in the school of perfection, our model in the way of sanctity and salvation. ”

“ O JESUS, Who didst confound all Thine enemies by clothing in glory and splendor that body which had been the victim of the cruelty of man, give me grace to die to myself that I may rise again with Thee, and after Thy likeness lead a new, divine, immortal life : new, by change of conduct, divine by the generosity and purity of my love, immortal by perseverance in well doing. Work in my heart, O Lord, this happy change; make me pass from death to life, from darkness to light, from a life full of imperfections to a life perfect and worthy of Thee. ”

“ Thou, O my God, art brighter than all things and sweeter. Take away from my soul all the dross and purify it, giving it light and strength. To Thee, Spirit of deathless love, I turn for help. Take from me all human respect; for wrong regard of creatures blights the soul, so that its fruits are withered. Help me to be more faithful to Jesus, my Love, Who is coming to me from His altar. He is my life, as Thou art my life, and as the eternal Father is my life. Give me more love, that I may welcome Jesus as He comes to me in the hidden light, and the freshness of the morning dew. ”

“ Faith is our beacon -light in the storms of life. Faith is our strength and consolation in adversity. Faith is certainly a supernatural treasure of such value that no earthly good whatever can compensate for its loss. Purity of heart is the fairest ornament of a young man; faith is his most precious treasure. It resembles the bright light of the sun, which cheers and enlivens the face of nature, and without which the earth would be dark and dreary, cold and unfruitful. Infinitely more sad, however, would be our life without the bright rays of the true faith. ”

“ Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
I ADORE Thee, eternal Son, and I thank Thee for the infinite love which caused Thee to become man for me, to be born in a stable, to live in poverty, to suffer hunger, thirst, heat, cold, fatigue, hardships, contempt, persecutions, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and a cruel death upon the hard wood of the cross. I thank Thee, with the Church militant and triumphant, for the infinite love with which Thou didst institute the Most Blessed Sacrament to be the food of my soul. ”

“ O sweet Jesus! recognize in me what is Thine, and efface all that is not Thine. O sweet Jesus! show mercy now in the time of mercy, and condemn me not in the day of justice. What profit to Thy precious blood, or what honor will my destruction give Thy holy name, O Jesus! "The dead shall not praise Thee, O Lord Jesus! nor all they that go down to hell." O most amiable Jesus! most meek, most loving Jesus! O Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! admit me to the number of Thy servants! O Jesus, comfort of all who fly to Thee! O sweet Jesus! forgive me my sins! O Jesus! ”

“ Believing all that Thou, my God, hast in any way revealed to us — grieving for all my sins, offenses, and negligences — hoping in Thee, O Lord, Who wilt never let me be confounded— thanking Thee for this supreme gift, and for all the gifts of Thy goodness — loving Thee, above all in this sacrament of Thy love — adoring Thee in this deepest mystery of Thy condescension: I lay before Thee all the wounds and wants of my poor soul, and ask for all that I need and desire. ”

“ Let not one of us die without the holy sacraments. Bless us, that we may always openly confess our faith which is to sanctify us, that we may never falter in out hope, even amid pain and affliction, that we may ever grow in love for Thee and in charity toward our neighbor.
O Jesus, bless us, protect us.
O Mary, Mother of grace and mercy, bless us, protect us against the evil spirit; lead us by the hand through this vale of tears; reconcile us with thy divine Son; commend us to Him, that we may be made worthy of His promises. ”

“ My Jesus, mercy!
Night Offering to the Blessed Sacrament.
O DIVINE Jesus! lonely to-night in so many tabernacles, without visitor or worshipper, I offer Thee my poor, but loving heart. May every pulsation be a prayer of love to Thee. Thou art ever watching under the sacramental veils; in Thy love Thou never sleepest, and Thou art never weary of Thy vigil for sinners. O good Jesus, I love Thee. Thou art infinitely good, and I have displeased Thee by many sins. ”

“ EJACULATION
My Jesus, mercy.
Indulgence of 100 days, each time.—Pius IX, Sept. 24, 1846.
To Jesus
O JESUS, while adoring thy last breath, I pray Thee to receive mine. In the uncertainty whether I shall have the command of my senses, when I shall depart out of this world, I offer Thee from this moment my agony and all the pains of my passing away. Thou art my Father and my Saviour, and I give back my soul into Thy hands. I desire that my last moment may be united to the moment of Thy death, and that the last beat of my heart may be an act of pure love of Thee. Amen. ”

“ I beseech thee, O Mother of God, and my most compassionate and loving Mother, by the blood which thy Son shed for me, to receive me into the number of thy servants, to be thy child and servant forever. Assist me in my thoughts, words, and actions every moment of my life, so that all may be directed to the greater glory of my God; and through thy most powerful intercession, may I never more offend my beloved Jesus, but may I glorify Him, and love Him on earth, and enjoy and praise Him forever in heaven. ”

“ O MOST amiable Redeemer! Whose infinite love for man far exceeded Thy corporal strength in the crib of Bethlehem, receive our fervent adorations and most ardent thanksgiving for the first effusion of that adorable blood which Thou didst afterwards shed to the last drop for us on the cross. Oh, how ardently must Thou have desired our salvation, since Thou didst so soon begin to suffer for us! How much must Thou have wished for our confidence, since Thou didst so early assume that name which, above all names, is best calculated to render Thee amiable in our eyes and dear to our hearts. O Jesus! ”

“ O JESUS, merciful Saviour, relying on Thy infinite goodness, I hope to obtain through this holy communion all the graces of which I stand in need for my greater sanctification and eternal salvation. Begging Thy pardon for all the transgressions of my past life, I first of all beseech Thee to give me the grace that I may never again fall into any mortal sin. I would rather be dead than live a moment without Thy grace and Thy love. But Thou, O Lord, knowest how weak I am and how prone to evil. Do Thou strengthen me by Thy grace, that I may be faithful in doing Thy will. ”