2. “Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they broke not His legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear laid open His side, and immediately came there out blood and water.” A suggestive word was made use of by the evangelist, in not saying pierced, or wounded His side, or anything else, but “opened;” that thereby, in a sense, the gate of life might be thrown open, from whence have flowed forth the sacraments of the Church, without which there is no entrance to the life which is the true life.

From this divine heart three streams flow endlessly.
   • The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance.
   • The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection to find the means of surmounting their difficulties.
   • From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained perfection; these he wishes to unite to himself so that they may share his knowledge and commandments and, in their individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing his glory.

This divine heart is an abyss of all blessings, and into it the poor should submerge all their needs.
It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows.
It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness,
an abyss of mercy for the wretched,
an abyss of love to meet our every need.