When you have difficulty loving Jesus, pray this prayer --Aleteia

Oddly enough, we don't always have a strong desire to love Jesus or let his love wash over us.

Jesus is the source and font of all love. In fact, he is love. He clearly displayed that love on Good Friday when he sacrificed his life for us all.

However, for whatever reason, we often don’t have a deep desire to love Jesus in return. Sometimes it’s even difficult for us to accept Jesus’ love into our hearts.

Attachment to sin is normally the culprit, as the momentary pleasures of sin can entrap us, taking our hearts away from God. On other occasions we may reject the love of God because we think we are unworthy of God’s love and fall into feelings of despair.

The best remedy for this situation is to ask Jesus for the grace to love him.

It’s a similar to the response of the father whose son was healed by Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Below is a short prayer that asks God for an increase in love, eliminating anything that might prevent our hearts from fully embracing the source of all love.

O my dearest Jesus, my crucified love! I believe and confess that thou art the Son of God, and my Savior. From the abyss of my nothingness, I adore and thank thee for the death thou hast suffered, to obtain for me the life of grace. My beloved Redeemer, to thee I owe my salvation; through thee I have, until now, been preserved from hell; through thee I have received the pardon of my sins: but I, ungrateful, instead of loving, have again offended thee.If, in my past life, I have not loved thee, I am sincerely sorry; now I love thee, and desire nothing in heaven nor on earth, but to love thee with my whole heart. But, without thy aid, I can do nothing.Since, then, thou commandest me to love thee, give me grace to fulfill so sweet and amiable a precept. Thou hast promised to grant whatsoever we ask of thee. Give me then the grace to love thee with my whole heart, to love thee continually; that persevering in thy holy love till death, a day may come, when I shall love thee with all my strength in heaven, and never cease to love thee for all eternity.O Mother of love, Mary, my advocate and refuge; you, who are the most lovely of all creatures, and the most beloved by God; you, who are the most ardent lover of God, and desire nothing but to see him loved by all, through the love which you bear towards Jesus Christ, pray for me, and obtain for me the grace to love him for ever, and with my whole heart. From you I ask this favor; through you, I hope to receive it. Amen.