THE OFFERING OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS; OUR OFFERING
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
AS I offered Myself willingly to God the Father for your sins
with hands outstretched and body naked on the cross, so that nothing
remained in Me that had not become a complete sacrifice to appease the
divine wrath, so ought you to be willing to offer yourself to Me day
by day in the Mass as a pure and holy oblation, together with all your
faculties and affections, with as much inward devotion as you can.
What more do I ask than that you give yourself entirely to Me?
I care not for anything else you may give Me, for I seek not your gift
but you. Just as it would not be enough for you to have everything if
you did not have Me, so whatever you give cannot please Me if you do
not give yourself.
Offer yourself to Me, therefore, and give yourself entirely for
God -- your offering will be accepted. Behold, I offered Myself wholly
to the Father for you, I even gave My whole Body and Blood for food
that I might be all yours, and you Mine forever.
But if you rely upon self, and do not offer your free will to
Mine, your offering will be incomplete and the union between us
imperfect. Hence, if you desire to attain grace and freedom of heart,
let the free offering of yourself into the hands of God precede your
every action. This is why so few are inwardly free and enlightened --
they know not how to renounce themselves entirely.
My word stands: "Everyone of you that doth not renounce all
that he possesseth, cannot be My disciple."[51]
If, therefore, you wish to be My disciple, offer yourself to Me
with all your heart. |
Of the oblation of Christ upon the cross, and of
resignation of self
The Voice of the Beloved
As I of my own will offered myself unto God the
Father on the Cross for thy sins with outstretched hands and naked
body, so that nothing remained in Me that did not become altogether a
sacrifice for the Divine propitiation; so also oughtest thou every day
to offer thyself willingly unto Me for a pure and holy oblation with
all thy strength and affections, even to the utmost powers of thine
heart. What more do I require of thee than thou study to resign
thyself altogether unto Me? Whatsoever thou givest besides
thyself, I nothing care for, for I ask not thy gift, but thee.
2. As it would not be sufficient for thee if thou
hadst all things except Me, even so whatsoever thou shalt give Me, if
thou give Me not thyself, it cannot please Me. Offer thyself to
Me, and give thyself altogether for God, so shall thy offering be
accepted. Behold I offered Myself altogether to the Father for
thee, I give also My whole body and blood for food, that thou mightest
remain altogether Mine and I thine. But if thou stand in
thyself, and offer not thyself freely to My will, thy offering is not
perfect, neither shall the union betwixt us be complete. Therefore
ought the freewill offering of thyself into the hands of God to go
before all thy works, if thou wilt attain liberty and grace. For
this is the cause that so few are inwardly enlightened and made free,
that they know not how to deny themselves entirely. My word
standeth sure, Except a man forsake all, he cannot be My disciple.(1)
Thou therefore, if thou wilt be My disciple, offer thyself to Me with
all thy affections. |