Saint Claude de la Colombiere - February 15

Saint Claude de la Colombiere was a Jesuit priest. He promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and was the confessor to Saint Margaret Mary. 

Saint Claude’s Prayer to Jesus,
the True Friend

My Jesus, you are my true friend,
my only friend,
you take part in all my misfortunes;
you know how to change
them into blessings.
 
You listen to me with
the greatest kindness.
When I tell you all my troubles,
you always have something
with which to heal my wounds. 

I find you at any time
of the day or night,
for I find you wherever
I happen to be.
You never leave me;
if I change my dwelling place,
I find you wherever I go.
You never weary of listening to me;
you are never tired of doing me good.
I am certain of being loved by you,
if I but love you.

My worldly goods
are of no value to you,
but by bestowing yours on me,
you never grow poorer.
However miserable I my be,
no one more noble or
cleaverer or even holier
can come between you
and me and deprive me
of your friendship. 

And death,
which tears us away
from all other friends,
will unite me forever to you.
All  the humiliations
attached to old age,
or the loss of honor,
will never detach you from me.
On the contrary
I shall never enjoy you more fully
and you will never be closer to me,
than when everything
seems to conspire against me
to overwhelm me,
and cast me down.

You bear with all my faults
with extreme patience,
and when my want of fidelity,
and my ingratitude
do not wound you
to such a degree
as to make you unwilling
to receive me back,
then I return to you.
O Jesus, grant
that I may die loving you,
and that I may die
for the love of you.  

For devotional items related to the Catholic Faith please visit Lynn's Timeless Treasures