"Forget your presumptuous wishes." You desire something that you have never gotten and never will, come evil or torment. All the blessed Christians who love God in their interior suffering are so flooded with and immersed in love that they radiate holy virtues and are aflame with love in all their works. You well know it profits you not one whit that you tempt them so severely. They simply wait until it turns into an occasion for praising God. No matter how much you plot trickery against them, they are always ready with praise."
The growling and shrieking, the biting and gnashing he did in his bonds are beyond description."
Lord God, we thank you; give us a holy end. This is one of the greatest j oys that the blessed soul has, that she sees and knows that the enemies who have caused her so much pain fight among themselves and suffer their punishments in hell. In spite of it all, she has j oyfully escaped them and shall wear the eternal crown because of the torment they inflicted on her.
40. Thus Does the Loving Soul Speak to Her Dear Lord
41. How a Dominican Father Was Seen
Forty years agog I knew a religious man. In those days religious people were without duplicity and aflame with love. He progressed in the spiritual life and in piety and clearly performed much holy work for our Lord. He has now departed from here. I prayed to our Lord for his soul, as Christians do, that God might forgive him if he were guilty of anything. Then I saw, first of all, a radiance. God had prepared it for him. But I did not see him in it and this saddened my soul.
Some time later, when I was again praying for him, I discovered him in a fiery cloud. He was asking that he be forgiven. So I spoke with all my might to our dear Lord: "Ah, dear Lord, grant me this, that I might repay evil with good."
Then he drew himself up in the cloud and said: "0 Lord, how strong is your power, how right is your truth!"
And I said: "Well then, how are you doing now?"
He said: "You can see for yourself how I am doing."
"Why are you suffering these torments?"
The soul: "Those who falsely appeared to be holy made accusations to me against innocent people. I judged them accordingly and had a sinful opinion of them. That is why I suffer these torments. Ah, if I could still sigh!"45
I was unable to help him in this matter. He had also harmed me a bit.
A third time I again prayed for him. Then he ascended in bliss. Our dear Lord went to meet him and said to him: "That your path after your death has been so long and so difficult is the result of malicious people. You followed me in a holy manner and served me loyally. You shall wear the crown of virgins, the crown ofjustice, and the crown of truth."
Then he ascended in radiance above eight choirs and touched the ninth. Then I saw him no longer. Had false liars not influenced him, he would have entered into eternal joy with no suffering. That he trusted them was his undoing.
42. The Drink of Honey
Lord God, bless your precious treasure with a holy end and open it so that it might be a cause for praising you in heaven and on earth.
And a voice said:
43. Of Simple Love, How Wisdom Is Seen
44. Five Sins and Five Virtues
45. Seven Things, Five of Which One Finds in Heaven and Two on Earth"
Seven things I must say to God's honor: "Lord God, if it is possible, grant that I never forget them on earth." Five are found in heaven; two must remain here.
The first is: harm that is my fault because I have sinned and neglected to perform good works I could easily have done.
The second is: that I, Lord, wait for you with constancy, no matter when you want to come to me and in whatever manner you ordain a holy end for me.
The third: the fiery longing that I have for you.
The fourth: the burning love unextinguished in me that you cause.
The fifth: the first look of your sublime countenance upon me. Alas, that I was never able to experience this on earth as I desired. This is why my soul often sings, "Woe."
46. How the Soul Presents Herself in Spiritual Poverty
Here the soul presented herself in spiritual poverty and in eternal love to God and in restless longing to go to God. Thus does she speak: "The long waiting is coming to an end. In the future God and the soul shall be united, unseparated forever. Whenever I think about it, my heart feels intense joy. Ah, dear Lord, how still you have become. I thank you evermore that you have been avoiding me for so long a time. And so may you be praised eternally that your will is done and not mine. And now today I shall find consolation in your words that I heard in Christian faith, when you say: `I love those who love me. We want to come to them, my Father and I, and want to make a dwelling place with them. '49 Blessed am I, dear Lord, because of your generous goodness, which makes you hold back nothing."
Then our Lord said: "When the time of redemption comes, when I shall give you heavenly gifts, then I shall act very quickly because my eternity is contained therein. I shall unfold and raise it high above the bloody earth. I can think of nothing I would like more."
Eternal love of God dwells in the soul. Transitory love of earthly things dwells in the flesh. The five senses have the power to determine which way they turn.
47. One Sin That Is Evil Beyond All Sins
I heard tell of a sin. I thank God that I never had anything to do with it. It seems to me, and is, evil beyond all sins. This is total unbelief. It enrages me in my whole soul and in my whole body and in all my five senses and in my whole heart. I thank Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, that it has never entered my heart. This sin did not arise among Christians. The arrogant fiend has duped simple people with it. They claim to be so holy that they shall enter into the eternal Godhead and rest next to the eternal holy humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though they think they are in a sublime state, they have really delivered themselves over to being eternally cursed; and yet they claim to be the holiest. They scoff at God's words written about the humanity of our Lord.
You, most needy of all humans, if you really had knowledge of the eternal Godhead, it would be impossible for you not to know the eternal humanity as well that hovers in the eternal Godhead. You would have to know the Holy Spirit as well, who illumines the heart of a Christian there and whose fragrance in the soul surpasses all sweetness and who instructs one's mind better than any learned professor, so that one then says in humility that one cannot be perfect in the sight of God.50
48. How Love Was Seen with Her Maidens
In the night I spoke thus to our Lord: "Lord, I dwell in a land called exile, which is this world. For nothing in it can console me or cheer me except suffering."" In this place I have a house. It is called full of pain. This is the house where my soul lies captive: my body. This house is old, small, and dark. One should take this in a spiritual sense.
In this house I have a bed called restlessness, for everything not connected with God causes me pain. In front of the bed I have a chair called discomfort. It causes me discomfort to see the sins of others of which I was never guilty. In front of the chair I have a table called vexation, because I so seldom find a spiritual way of life among religious people. On the table is a tablecloth that is clean. It is called poverty. It contains much holy goodness. If one were to use it properly, one would cherish it in one's heart. Love of riches is a thief of poverty. On the table a dish is served up to me called bitterness of sin. It should be called well-intentioned effort as well. The beverage is called scant praise, because, alas, the good works I perform are all too few.
This house looked dark inside. Then true love of God revealed itself to me. It was like a noble empress. The outline of her body was refined, white, and rosy in the blossom of youth. She was accompanied by a great number of virtues. They all resembled maidens. She put them at my disposal if I myself wanted them. For her part she would gladly put all of them at my service. She was more splendidly crowned than with glittering gold. Her clothes were like green, light taffeta. When I gazed upon her properly, my dark house was all lit up so
that I saw everything that was in it and that had ever happened there. When I looked at her, I recognized her easily, for I had also seen her when she was my dear companion. But now I shall not talk about this because this has all been put down in the book.52
Then I said: "Ah, dearest of all ladies, you are more than a thousandfold above me, and yet you serve me with such great honors, as though I were more than an empress."
She replied: "When I found you with the pure intention of separating yourself from all earthly things, I didn't just want to be your lady. I also had to be your constant lady-in-waiting. Such is the pleasure I take in a pure heart that has freed itself from all earthly things through sincere love of God." By this she meant: No matter how many earthly things a person has, they must not be allowed to stick to a person's heart.
"Dear maiden," since you have served me for so long a time, it is only right that the feeble lady reward the maidservant honorably. As a reward I have given you everything I had and could achieve on earth."
She said: "I have gathered it all up; I shall return it to you with great honor."
"I don't know, lady, what else I can give you, unless you want my soul. That I shall be very happy to give you."
And she said: "That is what I have been longing to have from you for a long time. Now you have finally given her to me. Speak to my maidservants also, that they serve you diligently. Then I can remain with you in God's true love, which I myself am. God is love.""
Then the soul speaks to the first maidservant-sorrow: "Lady True Sorrow, come to me and bring me holy tears. They shall make me free of sin.
"Lady Humility, sit at my side and drive pride and vain honor away from me. When they see you near me, they are forced to flee from me.
"Dear Lady Gentleness, sit by me beneath my habit. Then friendliness will be at my disposal.
"0 noble Obedience, I subordinate myself to you in all my actions. May you never leave me. Then in all my actions I shall retain divine truth free of lies, which well befits God's intimate friends.
"Dear Lady Mercy, be at my side when I minister to the sick, that I be hardworking, that I may well bear the cost, that I may serve them with my person and my resources.
"Ah, dear Lady Chastity, I commend my virginal garment to you, that it may ever be pure and clean; for my dear Bridegroom Jesus Christ is always at my side.
"Lady Patience, I have great strength in silence and suffering. You rob all my temptations of their power, so that they are not able to harm me. I want to have you toiling with me.
"Lady Sanctity, come here to me and kiss the mouth of my soul and dwell in the ground of my heart. Then I shall always remain healthy.
"Lady Hope, I ask you to bind all the wounds of my heart that love has inflicted upon me so that I may ever keep God's blessing, no matter what distress I am given.
"Ah, glorious, holy Christian Faith, you have always illumined the eye of my soul so that I well know where to turn in matters of Christian thought. I commend to you my works and my mind.
"0 dear Lady Vigilance, do not sit, but rather stand always at my side. Then I shall remain free of evil.
"Lady Temperance, be with me always. Then I shall be ever ready for God's service.
"Lady Frugality, may you be my dear chambermaid. I shall love you so. You make my hard bed soft, my coarse food tasty. You give me power in poverty. This comes from God's goodness.
"Peace and Calm, I cannot do without you. May you walk with me on all my journeys. Those who talk much and whisper much seldom keep their honor. Those who boast-that can never be all to their advantage.
"Wisdom is always together with love and is the mistress of all maidens. She keeps whatever love gives. She makes useful whatever a person learns or reads.
"Chaste Modesty has special qualities about her. She is pleased to remain without praise in the presence of all people.
"Now I am well provided for as to ladies-in-waiting. But there are two more that I do not want to forget: Fear and Constancy. May the two of them be ever with me. Then all my servants shall be attentive to their duties.
"I thank you, dear Love of God, Lady Empress, that you have given them all to me as a help as I travel in exile on the road to heaven."
49. Concerning a Lay Brother
A lay brother of the Order of Preachers was struck dead by thunder. Prayers were said for his soul with the sincere wish that anything for which he had not done penance might be forgiven him. And his soul was shown to that person who was praying for him. He was fair in celestial bliss and in no way suffering. His soul gave the reasons why this was the case: "I was always humble in my heart, cautious in my thinking, and well-intentioned in my actions. That is why I experience no pain."
The soul: "Why then didn't you go immediately to heaven?"
He replied: "I had to receive divine knowledge and heavenly love here first. I didn't have these on earth."
"Why do you have that small blemish on your face?"
He said: "I used to frown at those who didn't do what I wanted. I never did penance for this."
"How can the blemish be removed?"
He said: "If I just had a sigh!"
But he could not get one from that person, for at that instant he was given it.55
Then he was happy and said: "Now it is gone."
"Why are you wearing this crown? After all, you are not yet in heaven."
He said: "I had an unusual death. That is why God gave it to me."
50. The Visible Favor of God
O dear Lord Jesus Christ, who are one eternal God with the eternal Father, remember me! I thank you, Lord, for your visible favor with which you constantly touch me, which cuts through all my bones, all my veins, and all my flesh. Whenever I can repay you for it, Lord, with holy thankfulness, I am secure; otherwise, I am not. You can certainly consider your frail creature feeble, Lord, for your intention is good, even better than good. For many things are called good which are not as good as that which you do to me. But when you touch me with your most sublime sweetness that permeates my body and my soul utterly, then I fear that I can draw to myself all too much of your divine pleasure. For I am unworthy of it on earth. And so I pray to you at times more for other people than for myself, so that I might draw away from my pleasure out of love of God and Christian loyalty. Thereafter I fear the rearing up of pride, which cast the most exalted angel out of heaven. I also fear the serpent of vain honor that deceived Eve. I fear the betrayal that thrustJudas from God. If I am faithful to God, I shall persevere in all virtues, in all goodness, and in great vigilance with God along with our dear Lady, his virgin mother.
51. A Prayer Against Sins of Omission
I, the least, the weakest, the most unworthy among the whole human race, it is my desire and I beg you, Lord heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Lord Holy Spirit, Lord Holy Trinity, that you might forgive me today all my sins of omission which I have committed in your holy service, and not just while seeking my advantage or out of necessity, but rather because of my sinful malice, which I could easily stop if I wanted to. Accept now, Lord, this tiny improvement that I now achieve with my will to the honor of your dear mother and of all the saints who are being honored today by Holy Christianity, and to praise and honor the blessedness of all God's saints through which, dear Lord, they have drawn near to you. Now help me, dear Lord, to such a change in my life that I may so become a companion of your saints on earth through a holy life that I might share their company in your kingdom before your glorious countenance along with all those who desire me to pray for them.
52. How the Loving Soul Bows Beneath the Hand of God
I say to my five senses: "Bow beneath the almighty hand of God. Even the fiends of hell, no matter how arrogant they are in their fiery fetters, must bow and cower beneath the hard coercion of almighty God. Those in purgatory must in their guilt bow beneath their punishment until that final hour when they shall be found pure. Sinners on earth must bow under the burden of their guilt and be judged penitent
by doing penance or be damned to eternal hell. Good people on earth must bow in sorrow to do penance all their days. The chosen pure who love God in utter faithfulness are much oppressed and suffer much holy distress. They bow and bend down beneath all pain and beneath all creatures with their ever-hovering love. Pride is rare among them.
"This is what I should keep in mind, and I shall and must drink from the same cup out of which my heavenly Father drank if I am to possess his kingdom." The kingdom of heaven bows with all the holy angels in delight-filled holiness. For their existence and life were given them by God as a gift. The saints bow and bend low before God in flowing love and in blissful longing with zealous devotion. Thus do they thank God for putting his gift so lovingly at their disposal in their distress on earth. This enabled them to endure all their anguish of heart. May I also experience this, for I, too, am in much distress for love of him."
53. The Prison of Religious People
I felt sorry in my heart for the distress of the community in which I live. In the night I spoke to our Lord in the solitude of my heart thus: "Lord, how do you like this prison?"
And our Lord said: "I am held captive in it."
In these words I understood the meaning of all the following words:
I truly hope that you57 constantly achieve this and know; whoever has not yet done so, may the true God bring it about in him.
54. Four Qualities of Faith
That one believe in God in a Christian manner and that one love God in a holy manner and that one truly know Jesus Christ and that one faithfully follow his teaching to one's human end: I believe that in these four things one shall find eternal life. We believe as Christians, not like Jews or like unbelieving Christians. They claim to believe in God but do not believe in his most holy work that he wrought; that is, that he gave us his only begotten Son. They reject him. Lord God, this is what we complain about to you. We believe it was the divine will that he sent us his only begotten Son into this world. We believe in the works and the death of our Lord Jesus Christ by which he redeemed us. We believe in the Holy Spirit who brought our happiness to completion in the Father and in the Son, and brings it even now to completion in all our good works.
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