Chapter 17. Of fervent love and vehement desire of receiving Christ (Book 4. Exhortation to Holy Communion) (The Imitation of Christ) (a-Kempis, Thomas)

1. The Voice of the Disciple

With the deepest devotion and fervent love, with all affection and fervour of heart, I long to receive You, O Lord, even as many Saints and devout persons have desired You in communicating, who were altogether well pleasing to You by their sanctity of life, and dwelt in all ardent devotion. O my God, Eternal Love, my whole Good, Happiness without measure, I long to receive You with the most vehement desire and becoming reverence which any Saint ever had or could have.

2. And although I be unworthy to have all those feelings of devotion, yet do I offer You the whole affection of my heart, even as though I alone had all those most grateful inflamed desires. Yea, also, whatsoever things a pious mind is able to conceive and long for, all these with the deepest veneration and inward fervour do I offer and present to You. I desire to reserve nothing to myself, but freely and entirely to offer myself and all that I have to You for a sacrifice. O Lord my God, my Creator and Redeemer! with such affection, reverence, praise, and honour, with such gratitude, worthyss, and love, with such faith, hope, and purity do I desire to receive You this day, as Your most blessed Mother, the glorious Virgin Mary, received and desired You, when she humbly and devoutly answered the Angel who brought to her the glad tidings of the mystery of the Incarnation. Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.

3. And as Your blessed forerunner, the most excellent of Saints, John Baptist, being full of joy in Your presence, leapt while yet in the womb of his mother, for joy in the Holy Ghost; and afterwards discerning Jesus walking amongst men, humbled himself exceedingly, and said, with devout affection, The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice; even so I wish to be inflamed with great and holy desires, and to present myself to You with my whole heart. Whence also, on behalf of myself and of all commended to me in prayer, I offer and present to You the jubilation of all devout hearts, their ardent affections, their mental ecstasies, and supernatural illuminations and heavenly visions, with all the virtues and praises celebrated and to be celebrated by every creature in heaven and earth; to the end that by all You may worthily be praised and glorified for ever.

4. Receive my prayers, O Lord my God, and my desires of giving You infinite praise and unbounded benediction, which, according to the multitude of Your unspeakable greatness, are most justly due to You. These do I give You, and desire to give every day and every moment; and with beseechings and affectionate desires I call upon all celestial spirits and all Your faithful people to join with me in rendering You thanks and praises.

5. Let all peoples, nations, and tongues praise You, and magnify Your holy and sweet- sounding Name, with highest jubilations and ardent devotion. And let all who reverently and devoutly celebrate Your most high Sacrament, and receive it with full assurance of faith, be accounted worthy to find grace and mercy with You, and intercede with all supplication for me a sinner; and when they shall have attained to their wished-for devotion and joyous union with You, and shall depart full of comfort and wondrously refreshed from Your holy, heavenly table, let them graciouslybe mindful of me, for I am poor and needy.

Luke i. 38. John iii. 29.