Praying with Fenelon

This is an excerpt of a prayer from Francis Fenelon (1651 - 1715), archbishop of Crambrai and one of my historical mentors. Is not the Great Commandment that the Lord our God is One, and that we are to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves? Are we not to present ourselves as living sacrifices? 

An Excerpt from a Prayer of Fenelon:

“…Even those who want to love thee only love thee for themselves, for their consolations or for their security. Where are they, those who love thee for thyself? Where are they, those who love thee because they were created only to love thee? Where are they? I do not see them. Are there any on the face of the earth? If there are not any, make some! Of what use is the whole world if no one loves thee, or if no one loves thee enough to lose himself in thee?...

“O my God, O love, love thyself in me! In this way thou will be loved as thou are loveable. I only want to live to be consumed before thee, as a lamp burns ceaselessly before thine altars. I do not exist for myself at all. It is only thou who exists for thine own self. Nothing for me, all for thee. This is not too much. I am jealous for thee against my own self. Better perish than allow the love which should be given to thee, ever to return to me. Love on, O love! Love in thy weak creature! Love thy supreme beauty! O beauty, O infinite goodness, O infinite love: burn, consume, transport, annihilate my heart, make it a perfect holocaust!”