late souls! O JESUS, the strength of the feeble, and Refuge of the forsaken, what then is this abyss of grief into which I see Thee plunged! Thou didst accept, with submission and love, the forsaking to which Thy FATHER subjected Thee. Thou didst sustain Thy Holy Humanity in this terrible conflict; Thou didst withhold from it all the consolations which Thou couldst have communicated to It, because Thou wouldst suffer without consolation. Thou didst send Thy Mother from the Cross; Thou didst suffer Thy disciples to forsake Thee; Thou didst conceal Thy Infinite Power, that Thine enemies, seeing only weakness in Thee, might overwhelm Thee with impunity. Thou wast fixed to the Cross as a malefactor, an impostor, a seducer, and disturber of the public peace, as the most wicked of men; naked, covered with wounds, and suffering in every part of Thy Body, abandoned by all the world, and even forsaken by Thy FATHER. It is true, that all these sufferings were Thy Own choice; but they are not the less grievous, since they oblige Thee to have recourse to Thy FATHER with words so deep and touching.

Is it possible that I dare complain when I am deprived of heavenly consolations, since I see Thee in such great desolation? But, alas! I am so miserable, that when Thou withdrawest Thy consolations, I soon think myself forgotten, rejected, and abandoned by Thee, O my GOD! and instead of seeking Thee more ardently, I go and seek vain consolations from my fellow creatures. I doubt Thy goodness, though I see Thee have recourse to Thy FATHER, remain on the cross, and suffer the agonies of death, until Thou hast

accomplished, by Thy Death, all the dispensations of the eternal counsels. When Thou dost comfort me I make great promises; I offer to suffer in Thy service, and to give myself up to Thee, and even ask the cross, from a desire to be like Thee; but if Thou hidest Thy Face, if Thou givest me that which, in my abundance I ask for, I fall into despondency, and imagine that I have lost Thy grace, and exhausted Thy mercies and patience. Ought I not to at least remember, O my Saviour! that in the extreme desolation to which Thou wast reduced, Thou didst not cease to be the Son of GOD, and that Thou hadst lost nothing of the infinite treasures of grace, which are hidden in Thee. How miserable, feeble, earthly, grovelling, inconstant, blind, ungrateful am I! How imperfect and selfish is my love! purify it, LORD, by Thy own. O desolate JESUS! Thou art Thyself the refuge of desolate souls! Thy love teaches me, that from Thy desertion I ought to draw all the strength which I need to support my own. Thou hast given me life by Thy Death, and hast delivered me by Thy Pains from those which were due to me; and Thou hast also merited, by Thy desertion, that my heavenly FATHER abandon me not; and He is never nearer me by His mercy, than when I am most cast down by the withdrawal of His consolations.

Prayer.

All praise, honour and glory be to Thee, O LORD my Redeemer, Who with Thy sacred Body grievously afflicted, and Thy Head crowned with thorns, didst

Grant

profess Thyself destitute of all consolation. that in all sorrow and desolation of spirit, I may flee to Thee, most holy FATHER, with firm faith; and wholly distrusting myself may believe and hope in Thee alone, and resign myself wholly to Thee. Impress upon my inmost soul, O LORD, the memory of Thy wounds, imprint them on my heart, and cleanse my soul with Thy most precious Blood, and so draw me after Thee, that I may seek, find, and possess Thee as my portion for ever. Amen.

This thirst is expressive of His ardent longing for our salvation. He saith not, I am pained, but, I thirst. For what doth He thirst? For thy faith, thy salvation, thy joy. The torture of thy soul possesses Him, more than that of His Own Body: pity thyself, if thou wilt not Him. Thou, merciful JESU! sayest nothing of Thy crown of thorns, nothing of Thy Cross, or Thy Wounds, but only, I thirst.

Meditations.

Thou sufferest another thirst, than that which was evident to the eyes of men; and this, O my Saviour! is not yet quenched. Thou still feelest it, and wilt continue to do so to the end of the world; it is the thirst for the salvation of men, which will only be satisfied when after having overwhelmed them with Thy blessings, Thou shalt behold them reigning with Thee eternally. How many times have I offered Thee, O Saviour! the vinegar and gall instead of the love I owe Thee; but why do I not love Thee with all my heart? since Thou hast created my soul to hunger and thirst after the Sovereign Good, it cannot be satisfied with perishable benefits, they can only aggravate its cravings, as Thou alone canst satisfy both. Thou refusest the gall and vinegar which they offer Thee, for Thou thirstest for my salvation. I experience something like it, LORD; I taste in vain the refreshments that Thy creatures offer, and I find only bitterness; my thirst is not quenched, because it can only be appeased by Thyself alone. Forget, O LORD, the blindness in which I have lived. I come to Thee, I sigh after Thee, in Thee only can I find healing and rest for my soul. There is nothing that Thou wouldst not suffer for the saving of our souls; Thou didst thirst, and they bring Thee vinegar and gall. O my Saviour, Thou didst submit to this because Thou knewest how negligent I should be in Thy service, careless of pleasing Thee, opposed to Thy will, disregarding Thy precepts, rebellious to Thy inspirations, ungrateful for

Thy benefits, unfaithful in my promises, inconstant in my resolutions. I am full of self-esteem and self-love, continually attached to the world and the flesh. I see truly, that in refusing this gall and vinegar, Thou dost condemn my unruly appetites. I conjure Thee, O my GOD, by this thirst which Thou didst endure, by the gall, myrrh and vinegar, which they offered Thee, to root out from my heart the love of the world. May I be crucified to the world, and the world to me,

so that I may look upon it as the enemy of my soul. I implore Thee, O Divine Saviour! by the grief and pain Thou didst suffer, to grant me an ardent thirst for righteousness, and give me the living waters, which alone can quench it.

Even so, LORD, Thou that wouldst die for us, wouldst thirst for us, O give me to thirst after those waters which Thou promisest. (S. John vii. 37, 38.) O give me to thirst after that precious water; and so do Thou give me of that water of Life, that I may never thirst again.

Prayer.

All praise, adoration, and thanksgiving be unto Thee, O SON of the living GOD, Who, when consummating the work of our redemption, didst suffer thirst, and didst offer Thyself upon the Cross as a holy and living Sacrifice for the sins of all men; O grant, I beseech Thee, that this may be the end of all my thoughts, words, and works, that I may seek Thy honour and