Vigils Reading – St John

The Heartbeats of the Lord Jesus2 by St Gertrud the Great

When she saw others hurrying off to a sermon, she plaintively said to the Lord: ‘You know, most loving one, that right now I would be heartily glad to hear a sermon, if I were not prevented by sickness’. The Lord replied: ‘Do you wish me to preach to you, dearest?’ She replied, ‘Very, very much’. Then the Lord let her lie on his Heart, so that the heart of her soul was placed next to his divine Heart. When her soul had taken sweet rest there for a while, she felt in the Lord’s Heart two wonderful and intensely delightful beats. The Lord said to her: ‘Each of those two heartbeats works human salvation in three ways. The first beat works the salvation of sinners; the second, of the righteous. For by the first beat in the first way I continuously address God the Father, winning his favor for sinners and inclining him to mercy. Secondly, I address all my saints, excusing a sinner in their eyes with brotherly faithfulness and inspiring them to pray for a sinner. Thirdly, I address the sinner himself, mercifully recalling him to penitence and awaiting with unspeakable desire his conversion.’

‘With the second beat in the first way I address God the Father so that he must rejoice with me that the ransom of my blood was paid out so profitably for the redemption of the righteous, in whose hearts I now delight to take such varied pleasure. Secondly, I address all the heavenly host so that we may together praise the praiseworthy way of life of the righteous and that they must thank me for all the blessings that have been given and will from now on be given. Thirdly, I address the righteous themselves, coaxing them to salvation in many different ways and faithfully urging them that they may go forward from day to day, from hour to hour. And just as the human heartbeat is not hindered from constantly beating by sight or hearing or any manual labor, so the government and

disposition of heaven, of earth, or of the whole universe can never, even a little, slow or modify or hinder in any way these two beats in my divine Heart, even unto the end of the world