Prayer of Sophie

I thought today that I would share with you a prayer that St. Madeleine Sophie said everyday.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Give me a heart that is one with your own;
A humble heart that knows and loves its nothingness;
A gentle heart that holds and calms its own anxieties;
A loving heart that has compassion for the suffering of others;
A pure heart that recoils even at the appearance of evil;
A detached heart that longs for nothing other than the goodness of heaven;
A heart detached from self-love and embraced by the love of God,
Its attention focused on God, its goodness is its only treasure
In time and eternity. Amen.

As we prepare for Pentecost, let us remember that Sophie also said:
"Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us, then we will act on the Spirit's gentle inspiration."

It is the season now to develop our relationship with the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Comforter! It is also the Holy Spirit who transforms us and can give us a heart more like the Heart of Jesus - humble, gentle, loving, pure, detached, compassionate...

I keep going back to a chapter in Carlos Martini's book on the Gospel of Paul that speaks of three attitudes that Paul had after his transformation experience: joy, gratitude, and praise. We see these attitudes in Paul's letters and I hope others can see them reflected in my own life. I think they are worth cultivating, but only God can give us the grace to live with a joyful, grateful heart and one full of praise. Martini also speaks of Paul's never giving up but always bouncing back when rejected, thrown out, etc. I guess this is the grace of perseverance! He also acted with great freedom; when we seek only God, it makes us free.