Father,

behold the suffering of your Son, Jesus.
I lift him up to you.
Although I’m weak and don’t have much to offer by myself,
dear Father, your Son’s merits are infinite.
So, behold, to your Son’s suffering,
I unite my own, 
and I ask you to save all those poor, 
Unrepentant sinners who have no one else to pray for them.
Yes, Father, I believe that your Son’s
infinite merits can accomplish this.

Amen. 

Commentary & Excerpts from the Book of Fr Michael Gaitley:

“Consoling the Heart of Jesus” 

Fr. Gailey points out at this point that our own darkness could be an obstacle  “that prevents us from going to the Lord” (76). In this entry, we will try to reflect on our own weaknesses. I invite you, however, to present these weaknesses in prayer to the Lord with all humility, vulnerability and spiritual authenticity.  

Fr. Michael defined weaknesses as “our imperfections and inability to make concrete progress in the spiritual life” (76).  

“Our weaknesses can send us into a downward spiral that begins when we notice them… As we reflect on these recurring faults, we may begin to think we’ll never overcome them. This then leads us to hate our weaknesses as we feel discouraged because of them. Finally, in our discouragement, we hide from the Lord, because we doubt his love for us…” (76)

Today, when we think of and reflect on our weaknesses, we also embrace them – and “love” them. Because it is these same weaknesses that bring us ever closer to the Lord. St. Therese reminds us that our weakness is our ticket to the “spiritual elevator” that will bring us closer to the Lord. 

“Mercy has two aspects: heart and arms. The heart part always comes first… Mercy begins with a movement of the heart, a movement that reaches out to help alleviate the suffering of the other… Jesus’ Heart is particularly moved with compassion when he sees anguished little souls stuck at the bottom of the rough stairway of perfection” (77-78).

The second movement is to “step up” into the arms of Jesus – so that we might be lifted up, closer to Him. Humility and trust are the virtues necessary in this spiritual uplighting. The real obstacles are not our weaknesses but our “BIG” idea of ourselves and the lack of trust in God.