St. Gertrude encouraged others to pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for graces and composed beautiful prayers in honour of the Sacred Heart. (BCC file photo)
St. Gertrude the Great (1256- 1301) had great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One day, Jesus said to Gertrude: “It would be good to make known to men and women how they would benefit from remembering that I, the Son of God and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, always stand before God for the salvation of the human race, and that should they commit some sin through their weakness. I offer my unblemished Heart to the Father for them”.
One night, Gertrude was suffering greatly from a fever. Jesus appeared to her, carrying health in his right hand and sickness in his left, offering her both that she might choose that which she preferred.
Gertrude leaned toward the Heart of Christ and answered: “Lord,
I choose nothing, I desire only the good pleasure of your Heart.” Then Jesus, causing
a fountain, as it were, of grace to spring from his Heart, made it flow into
that of Gertrude, saying: “Since you renounced your own will to abandon it
entirely unto mine, I pour into you all the sweetness and all the joy of my divine
Heart.”
Gertrude encouraged others to pray to the Sacred Heart for graces. Jesus told
her: “They may draw forth all they need from my divine Heart.”
Gertrude composed beautiful prayers. Here is a prayer in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
“Sanctity of the Heart of Jesus, consecrate my heart; providence of the Heart of Jesus, watch over my heart; unchangeableness of the Heart of Jesus, strengthen my heart; purity of the Heart of Jesus, purify my heart; obedience of the Heart of Jesus, subjugate my heart; amiability of the Heart of Jesus, make Thyself known to my heart; divine attractions of the Heart of Jesus, captivate my heart; riches of the Heart of Jesus, do ye suffice for my heart; floods of grace and blessing that flow from the Heart of Jesus, inundate my heart. O Heart of Jesus! be Thou my joy, my peace, my repose in this world and in the next. O Heart of Jesus! adored in heaven, invoked on earth, feared in hell, reign over all hearts, reign throughout all ages, reign forever in celestial glory. Amen.”
Gertrude had great love and compassion for the souls in purgatory. Our Lord told her: “I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer.”
Gertrude was said to be given the following prayer: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, those in the Universal Church, in my home, and in my family.”
In 1298 her health deteriorated. She lovingly offered all of her sufferings in union with Christ’s sufferings for the salvation of souls. She died on Nov. 17, 1301.
日多達寫作祈禱經文
聖大日多達 (1256-1301) 熱心敬禮耶穌聖心。有一天，耶穌告訴她要讓世人知道和緊記，衪、作為天主子和至童貞瑪利亞的親子，為了軟弱罪人的得救，常站在天主前。若是他們因軟弱而犯罪，衪會在天父面前，奉獻衪無瑕的聖心。
一個晚上，日多達發著高燒，辛苦難堪，耶穌顯現給她，右手拿著她的健康，左手拿著她的病苦，要她揀選。日多達依偎在耶穌聖心，說：「主，我不作任何揀選，我只要鍾悅祢的聖心。」耶穌於是從祂的聖心，把聖寵如流水般湧到日多達身上，說：「既然你捨棄你自己的旨意，而完全投入我的旨意，我把我聖心的甘飴和神樂，傾注給你。」
日多達鼓勵大眾向耶穌聖心，祈求聖寵。耶穌確認說：「他們可從我聖心取得他們所需的一切。」
日多達寫作不少美麗的經文。以下是她對敬禮耶穌聖心寫的經文：「耶穌聖心的聖善，請聖化我心！耶穌聖心的照顧，請看管我的心！耶穌聖心的不變，請堅強我的心！耶穌聖心的純潔，請淨化我的心！耶穌聖心的服從，請臣服我的心！耶穌聖心的和藹，請使我的心認識祢！耶穌聖心的神聖引力，請攫取我的心！耶穌聖心的豐盈，為我心已足夠！從耶穌聖心傾出的恩寵與福澤之洪流，使我心滿溢！啊，耶穌聖心！祢是我現世與來世的喜悅、平安和安息！啊，耶穌聖心！祢在天上被欽崇、在世上被呼求、在陰間被畏懼！祢統治一總的心靈、世代為王，在天上的光榮中永遠為王。亞孟。」
日多達亦愛和關顧煉獄的靈魂。吾主對她說：「我以最大的喜樂接受為可憐的煉靈所獻給我的；我難以言喻地期待他們來接近我── 我為他們，付出了很大的代價。因你的善靈的祈禱，促使我每當你動舌道字祈禱時使釋放一個在煉獄中的囚犯。」
聞說吾主教授了日多達以下的經文：「永生之父，為在煉獄中的聖靈魂，也為了世界各處的罪人、在公教教會中、在我的家居中，和在我的家庭中的罪人 ── 我把祢聖子的至聖寶血，連同今天在普世所舉行的彌撒奉獻給祢。」
1280年，日多達的健康不濟，她把自己的病苦結合耶穌的苦難，為人靈的得救作出奉獻。1301年11月17日，日多達與世長辭。