Saturday, February 4 : Saint Gertrude of Helfta

O beloved Truth, O calmest equity of my God, how shall I dare to appear in your presence, bowed down as I am beneath the load of my iniquity…, the crushing weight of all my negligence? I have not been faithful, nor have I traded with the talent you entrusted me, the priceless treasure of Christian faith and the spiritual life. I ought to have committed your money to the bankers of your charity so that I might draw abundant interest of perfection from it and so give you back what belongs to you with interest. And not only have I spent your precious talent, my time, but I have wasted it, squandered it utterly away. Where shall I go? Who shall I turn to? “From your presence, where shall I flee?” (Ps 139[138],7). O Truth, you have justice and equity as your inseparable judges… Woe to me if, when I come before you, I lack an advocate to plead my cause. O Love, come forward on my behalf; answer for me; sue for my pardon. If you plead my cause, I know I still have hope of life. I know what I will do: “The cup of salvation I will take up” (Ps 116[115],13). I will lay it upon the empty scale of Truth’s balance. So I shall supply all that is lacking and outweigh all my sins. That cup will raise up again all my ruins; with that cup I shall worthily overbalance all my unworthiness. O beloved Truth, I could not, dare not stand before you without my Jesus; but with him, my Jesus, I will come with joy and gladness. Then sit on your judgement seat, O Truth…: “I fear no evil” (Ps 23[22],4).

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team