Gifts of Heaven · Volume 2 · Chapter 206

Prayer of thanksgiving and supplication of the servant

14th March 1842

[1] Oh my most beloved God, Father, Master, Teacher, Guide, Redeemer and Life-giver, Jesus! You eternal Love, you eternal Light – yes, you endless Love of all love, you endless Light of all light! Oh You eternal mercy yourself! With what kind of heart and with what kind of words should I, poor, sinful man, thank you for this Your really so incomprehensible great grace, which You, Oh my most beloved and adored Father Jesus, have so lovingly bestowed on me most unworthy of all already two full years?

[2] If you had given me a miraculous power, how much damage my bad heart would have suffered before you, and I would have languished banishment for a long time in some hard country for it! If you had given me worldly riches, how unhappy I would be! For surely this most dangerous poison for the spirit would have killed me long ago and made me insensitive to every word from you and to everything that is truly according to your most Holy Will. Had you otherwise conferred on me some worldly respectable office, how would I perhaps often have made a merciless judge, would have let myself be blinded by the world, and would thereby have become a terribly oppressive burden to my brothers!

[3] In short, You have given me only all that which had to make me most happy, namely the sole grace of love, through which You, most loving Father Jesus, educated and prepared me long before and humiliated me more often, even through sins, so that I should thereby become receptive to this ineffable, supreme grace, to which You still dignify me at present, almost like John, who was and still is the greatest word-miracle of Your love and mercy to give life to everyone who directs his life accordingly!

[4] Yes, you have undeniably done this to me! You have honored me with such a high grace that I will never grasp the very least part of it forever! Yes, truly, I recognize it now, what that is, what you are giving me now! It is the Most High! It is Your living, Holy Word, of which I am not worthy of one letter! Yes so it is real and true!

[5] But how to thank You for such unthinkably supreme grace! I – who I am not even worthy that the light of the worst day on earth should shine on me, who am I, a purest beast before You, oh most Holy Father Jesus! Most graciously look down on me poor, great sinner before you! Have mercy on me and accept my imperfect love in return, as if it were something before You!

[6] That is all I can do out of myself through your kindest permission. Everything else that from the small series of my deeds always only seems as good there, is anyway only Your work – all sin is solely mine!

[7] Therefore, oh Holy Father Jesus, be merciful and gracious to me – a poor sinner, and accept this my very least thanks for Your most high gift!

[8] And let yourself be humbly asked by me and all of us, that with this inestimable grace of Yours, You would remain with us even furthermore, even eternally! And if it were your Holy Will, let Yourself be asked to send me a holy little word for the brothers today, too!

[9] But your Holy Will be done now as always and forever! Amen.