Act of Charity

My God,
I love you with my whole heart and above all things,
Because you are infinitely good and perfect;
And I love my neighbour as myself for love of you.
Grant that I may love you more and more in this life,
And in the next for all eternity.

An Orthodox Prayer

Set our hearts on fire with love for you, O Christ our God,
that in that flame we may love you
with all our heart,
with all our mind,
with all our soul,
with all our strength,
and our neighbour as ourselves;
so that keeping your commandments,
we may glorify you, the giver of all good gifts.

Amen.

Hear, O Israel

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

And these words which I command to you this day  shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise   (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

Prayer of St Richard of Chichester

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,

may  I know you more clearly,

love you more dearly,

follow you more nearly,

day by day. Amen

Prayer to Jesus

(St John Vianney)

I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life.
I love You, O my infinitely lovable God,
and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You.
I love You, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally
My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You,
I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath.

Amen.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O sacred heart of Jesus, we implore, make us love you more and more.

Amen.

You are Christ

(Attr. St Augustine of Hippo, 4th Century)

You are Christ, my Holy Father, my Tender God, my Great King, my Good Shepherd, my Only Master, my Best Helper, my Most Beautiful and my Beloved, my Living Bread, my Priest Forever, my Leader to my Country, my True Light, my Holy Sweetness, my Straight Way, my Excellent Wisdom, my Pure Simplicity, my Peaceful Harmony, my Entire Protection, my Good Portion, my Everlasting Salvation.

Christ Jesus, Sweet Lord, why have I ever loved, why in my whole life have I ever desired anything except You, Jesus my God? Where was I when I was not in spirit with You? Now, from this time forth, do you, all my desires, grow hot, and flow out upon the Lord Jesus: run… you have been tardy until now; hasten where you are going; seek Whom you are seeking. O, Jesus may he who loves You not be an anathema; may he who loves You not be filled with bitterness.

O, Sweet Jesus, may every good feeling that is fitted for Your praise, love You, delight in You, adore You! God of my heart, and my Portion, Christ Jesus, may my heart faint away in spirit, and may You be my Life within me! May the live coal of Your Love grow hot within my spirit and break forth into a perfect fire; may it burn incessantly on the altar of my heart; may it glow in my innermost being; may it blaze in hidden recesses of my soul; and in the days of my consummation may I be found consummated with You!

Amen.