O Lord Jesus, I take this food in that same love wherewith thou hast sanctified it, when in thy most holy Humanity thou didst deign to eat and to drink to the glory of God the Father, and for the salvation of the whole human race; beseeching thee that, in union with thy divine love, it may tend to the increase of glory, and salvation of all thine elect in heaven, on earth, or in purgatory.
WHILE EATING.
St. Gertrude was accustomed to say frequently while eating:
MAY the virtue of thy divine love incorporate me wholly into thee, O my most loving Jesus!
And while drinking:
O Most loving Jesus, pour into my heart and preserve within me the energy of thine own most glowing charity; may it pervade all my substance, and flow evermore through every faculty of my body and soul, to thine eternal praise and glory! Amen.
She asked our Lord whether he would accept a like devotionfrom all who might offer it to him, and received this reply: Whenever any one eats or drinks with this intention and devotion, I will acknowledge in presence of my Father that I have eaten with him, and that he has given me to drink; and I will show to him in due time the utmost tenderness of my love.
