SR
Chapter 12VisiteSS.1.12

Visita XII

The Mutual Abode of Love

Reflecting on the divine promise that God dwells within those who love Him, we are invited to echo St. Philip Neri's cry of devotion before the Blessed Sacrament.

God is love; whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him. John 1.1 1.2 Whoever loves Jesus stays with Jesus, and Jesus stays with him. If anyone loves me, he will be loved by my Father, and we will come to him and make our home with him. When St. Philip Neri received Communion as Viaticum, upon seeing the Most Holy3 Sacrament enter, he cried out, “Here is my love, here is my love.”4 So let each of us say, here in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, “Here is my love, here is the object of all my loves, of my whole life and of all eternity.”

A Prayer for Constant Union

A personal prayer of contrition and desire, asking Jesus to remain in the soul forever and never be driven out by sin.

So then, my Lord and my God, if you have said in the Gospel that whoever loves you will be loved by you, and that you will come to dwell in that person never to leave again, I love you more than every good: love me then in return, while I count being loved by you as worth more than all the kingdoms of the world; and come and fix your dwelling in the poor house of my soul, so completely that you will never again have to leave me—or better said, that I will never again have to drive you from me. You do not leave unless you are driven out. Just as I have driven you out in the past, so I can drive you out again. Ah, do not let this fresh wickedness and horrible ingratitude happen: that I, having been so specially favored by you after receiving so many graces, should dismiss you from my soul again!5 But it can happen; and for this reason, my Lord, I desire death, if it please you, so that dying united with you—united with you—I may then live forever. Yes, my Jesus, that is what I hope for. I embrace you; I hold you close to my poor heart: make me always love you and always be loved by you. Yes, my most lovable Redeemer, I will always love you; you will always love me. I hope we will always love each other, O God of my soul, for all eternity. Amen. So be it. Ejaculatory prayer.6 My Jesus, I want to love you always and to be loved by you. Spiritual Communion.

Devotion to the Mother of God

An exhortation to honor Mary as a path to perseverance and eternal life, followed by the prayer of St. Ildefonsus.

To Mary. Those who work in me will not sin (Eccl. 24). Whoever applies themselves to honoring me, says Mary, will have perseverance. Those who make me known will have eternal life, and those who apply themselves to making me known and loved by others will be predestined. Promise, whenever you can, to speak in public or in private of the glories of Mary and of devotion to her. Ejaculation.7 Deign to let me praise you, O sacred Virgin. A prayer of St. Ildefonsus. O my Lady, and Mother of my Lord. Look, you are blessed among women, pure among virgins, Lady among handmaids, and Queen among your companions. Look, all nations call you blessed. Grant that I may proclaim your glories for as long as I am able; love you for as long as I am able to love; praise you for as long as I am able to praise; and serve you for as long as I am able to serve.8 Ejaculatory prayer.9 Grant that I may praise you, O sacred Virgin.

Read the original Latin

Deus caritas est, qui manet in caritate in Deo manet, et Deus in eo. Io. I. Chi ama Gesù sta con Gesù e Gesù sta con esso. Si quis diligit me, diligetur a Patre meo, et ad eum veniemus, et mansionem apud eum faciemus. S. Filippo Neri, quando si comunicò per viatico, in vedere entrare il SS. Sacramento esclamò: Ecco l'amor mio, ecco l'amor mio. Dica dunque ciascuno di noi alla presenza qui di Gesù sacramentato: Ecco l'amor mio, ecco l'oggetto de' miei amori, di tutta la mia vita e di tutta l'eternità.

Dunque, mio Signore e mio Dio, se voi avete detto nell'Evangelio che chi v'ama sarà amato da voi, e voi verrete ad abitare in esso per non partirvene più, io v'amo più d'ogni bene: amatemi dunque voi ancora, mentre io stimo l'essere amato da voi più di tutti i regni del mondo: e venite e fermate la vostra abitazione nella povera casa dell'anima mia, talmente che non vi abbiate più a partire da me, o per meglio dire, ch'io non v'abbia più a cacciare da me. Voi non vi partite se non siete cacciato. Io come vi ho cacciato per lo passato così posso cacciarvi di nuovo. Ah non permettete che succeda nel mondo questa nuova scelleraggine e quest'orrenda ingratitudine, ch'io favorito così parzialmente da voi dopo tante grazie vi abbia di nuovo a licenziare dall'anima mia! Ma può succedere; e per questo, Signor mio, desidero la morte, se vi piace, acciocch'io morendo unito con voi, unito con voi abbia poi da vivere per sempre. Sì, Gesù mio, così spero. Io v'abbraccio, vi stringo al mio povero cuore: fate ch'io sempre v'ami e sempre sia amato da voi. Sì, mio Redentore amabilissimo, io sempre vi amerò, voi sempre mi amerete.

Spero che sempre ci ameremo, o Dio dell'anima mia per tutta l'eternità. Amen. Così sia. - Giac. Gesù mio, io voglio sempre amarvi ed esser amato da voi. La comunione spirituale.

A Maria. Qui operabunt in me non peccabunt (Eccl. XXIV). Chi s'impiega, dice Maria, in ossequiarmi, avrà la perseveranza. Qui elucidant me vitam aeternam habebunt: E quelli che s'impiegano in farmi conoscere ed amare dagli altri, saranno predestinati. Prometti, sempre che potrai, di parlare in pubblico o in privato delle glorie e della divozione a Maria. Giac. Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata.

Orazione di S. Ildefonso. O mia Signora, e Madre del mio Signore. Ecco che Voi siete beata fra le donne, pura fra le vergini, Signora fra le ancelle, Regina fra le vostre compagne. Ecco che tutte le nazioni vi chiamano beata. Fate ch'io predichi le vostre grandezze, mentre potrò predicarle; vi ami, mentre potrò amarvi; vi lodi, mentre potrò lodarvi; vi serva, mentre potrò servirvi. Giac. Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata.

Scripture echoes

  1. 1John.4.16And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
  2. 1John.4.16;John.14.23And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. John.14.23 — Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'
  3. John.14.23Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'
  4. John.14.21-John.14.23;John.14.23The one who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him. John.14.22 — Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, 'Lord, what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?' John.14.23 — Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.' John.14.23 — Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'

Notes

  1. 1Orphan fragment after the 1 John quote; likely debris from an Italian biblical citation such as “1 Io.” (1 John), not a full sentence to translate.
  2. 2Single-letter orphan; likely further citation debris (book/chapter numeral or “Io.” split), not a complete sentence.
  3. 3Sentence is cut mid-phrase at “il SS.”; sense continues in the next unit with “Sacramento esclamò….”
  4. 4Continues s6: “on seeing the Most Holy Sacrament enter, he cried out….” “Amor mio” kept as “my love” (beloved), not generic affection.
  5. 5Italian parzialmente here means with special partiality/favor, not incomplete favor; rendered as "specially favored."
  6. 6Italian heading abbreviation "Giac." is treated as Giaculatoria (a short aspiratory prayer), not as a personal name or source citation.
  7. 7Italian Giac. abbreviates giaculatoria, a brief aspiratory prayer; traditional English rendering is Ejaculation.
  8. 8grandezze rendered as 'glories' (greatness/great deeds); also possible as 'greatness' or 'great works'.
  9. 9Abbreviated source citation left unexpanded; same pattern as VisiteSS.1.12.4.s7 before the following antiphon.

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