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Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane Berryville, Virginia 22611

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A Word from Our Cistercian Fathers

April 12, 2026 by Fr Joseph

I have found him whom my soul loves:  I grasp him and will not let him go.  I embrace you, my Jesus, and experience the joy of my love.  I encompass you, the treasure of my heart, from whom I have all that is mine.  May my mind feel, I beg you, the power of your presence.  May it taste how sweet you are, O Lord, so that, captivated by your love, it might seek nothing outside of you and love nothing if not because of you. 

You are my King:  do not forget my indigence and tribulation.  You are my Judge:  forgive my sins and have mercy on me.  You are my Physician: heal all my infirmities.  You are the Bridegroom of my soul:  wed yourself to me for all eternity.  You are my Guide and my Defender:  keep me at your side and then any hand can fight against me.  You became a Victim for my sake, and I will sacrifice to you an oblation of praise.  You are my Redeemer:  redeem my soul from the power of hell and save me.  You are my God and my All.

What is there for me to seek in the heavens, and, apart from you, what do I desire on earth?  The God of my heart and my lot are you, O God, for all eternity!

Inveni, an ancient Cistercian prayer –  as quoted in Fire of Mercy, Heart of the World: Meditations of the Gospel According to Saint Matthew, by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (Father Simeon, OSCO) volume III, p. 867-8.    

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901 Cool Spring Lane
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Phone: (540) 955-4383

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