Act of Love: A Prayer to Love God expresses the desire to love God until the last breath of life, to prefer death to living without loving Him, and to long for Heaven for the sake of loving Him perfectly. It asks for the grace to love God while suffering, and that this love be increased and perfected as the end of life draws near. The prayer is attributed to St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars (1786 to 1859) and patron saint of parish priests.
I love Thee, O my God.
My only desire is to love Thee,
until the last breath of my life.
I love Thee, O infinitely loveable God,
and I prefer to die loving Thee,
rather than to live for an instant without Thee.
I love Thee, O my God,
and I desire only to go to Heaven,
to have the happiness of loving Thee perfectly.
I love Thee, O my God,
and my only fear is to go to Hell,
because one will never have the sweet
solace of loving Thee there.
O my God, if my tongue cannot say
at all times that I love Thee,
at least I want my heart to repeat it to Thee!
as many times as I breathe.
Ah! Do me the grace
to suffer while loving Thee,
to love Thee while suffering,
and, that when I die:
I not only will love Thee,
but experience it in my heart.
I beg Thee that: the closer I come to my final end,
Thou wilt increase and perfect my love for Thee. Amen.