Flower of Devotion

On one occasion, when St. Gertrude, following the example of the holy sisters Mary and Martha of Bethany, wished to receive her Lord Jesus into her heart and to welcome Him with various pious exercises, the Lord Jesus fulfilled her wish and said to her lovingly:
“Here I am, what will you give me now?” To this the saint answered: “O my only and true happiness and good, I have nothing that is suitable for Your Divine Majesty, and that I can offer to You; but I offer Thee all that I am, all that I have, and all that I desire, and I beseech Thee, deign to arrange all things in me as Thou wilt best.” To this the Lord Jesus answered, “If you want me to receive all these things according to my good pleasure, then give me the key so that I can take and arrange for myself whatever I want according to my need and to my good pleasure. “And what is the key?” St. Gertrude asked. And the Lord answered, “That is thy own will?”
From this conversation St. Gertrude learned that whoever sincerely desires to have the honour of receiving and welcoming the Lord Jesus should give Him his free will (cf. “Diary – Divine Mercy in My Soul by St. M.F. Kowalska, p. 1264. Giving one’s free will to God was the beginning of the path to holiness for many blesseds and saints. Editor’s note.) that is, he should give himself completely to Him and trust in His goodness, and henceforth he will be happy in all matters pertaining to the salvation of his soul.
Only now did the Lord Jesus enter the holy heart and use the joys that He sought in her, that He found in her, and which He loved so much.