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BOOK THREE
INTERNAL CONSOLATION
「主なる神が私の中で話す言葉を私は聞く。」(詩編 84：9) 祝福すべき魂とは、自分の中で話されている主の 言葉を聞いて、主の唇から慰めの言葉を聞ける魂である。 祝福されるべき耳とは、聖なるささやきの声音を聞けて、 この世界のぶつぶつ話されている音に注意をはらわない耳で ある。祝福されるべき耳とは、真実のない声に耳を傾けず、 自己の内部で教えられている真実に耳を傾けている耳である。 祝福されるべき目とは、外部のことには閉ざされ、内的 なことに集中している目である。祝福されるべき人々とは、 内的なことに集中しており、日々、この世の秘密を理解しよう と準備している人々である。祝福されるべき人々とは、神のた めに自分の時間を与えることを切望し、この世にある妨害物か ら、自分たち自身を切りはなそうとしている人々である。
私の魂よ、このようなことを考察して、あなたの五感の 扉を閉じなさい。そうすれば、主があなたの内部で話して いることを聞くことができるだろう。 「私はおまえの救世主である。」 あなたにとって、大切な神はそういうのだ。 「私はあなたがたの平安であり、命である。私と共にとど まりなさい。そうすれば、平安がみいだせるだろう。 すべての束の間の物事を放棄し、永遠のものを求め なさい。あなたを誘惑しない束の間のものとは何ですか。 創造主に見捨てられた際、すべての被造物があなたに 与えられる手助けとは何ですか(そんなものはありません)。」 すべての物事を放棄し、自分自身創造主に気にいられるよう に、誠実であるようにつとめなさい。そうすれば、 あなたは真の幸せを得ることができるだろう。
神よ、話して下さい。あなたの僕(しもべ)のために。(1 Kings 3:9.) 「私はあなたの召使いです。私があなたの決まりを理解していると、 私に理解させてください。」(Ps. 118:125.) 私の心をあなたの決まりに向かわせて下さい。(Ps. 118:36.) あなたの言葉を露のように洗練させて下さい。(Deut. 32:2)
イスラエルの子供は、モーセに言った。 「私たちに語りかけてください。そうすれば、私達は聞きますから。 主に私達に話しかけさせないで下さい。私達は死んでしまいますから。」(Exod. 20:19.)
神が私達に語りかけなければ、私達は祈らないだろう。 サミュエルという預言者と共に、私は謙虚に、心から懇願します。 「神よ、話してください。ここにいるあなたの僕たちに向かって。」 モーゼや他のどんな預言者にも、私に向かって話しかけさせないでください。 しかし、神よ、あなたは話しかけて下さい。 すべての預言者を刺激し、教えを与えた神よ。 預言者たちでなく、神ご自身が私に完全に教えることができます。 あなたなしでは、預言者達は何もすることができません。 預言者たちは、洗練された言葉づかいをしますが、真の秘密を語ることはできません。 預言者たちは、確かに美しく話しますが、もし、あなたが沈黙を続ければ、 私達の心を燃えたたせることはできません。 預言者たちはメッセージを伝えますが、神よ、あなたは真理を明らかにしてくださいます。 預言者たちは、私達の前に秘密をだしますが、神よ、あなたはその意味を明らかにしてくださいます。 預言者は戒律を宣言しますが、神よ、あなたはそれらを守らさせる手助けをしてくださいます。 預言者達は、道を示しますが、神よ、あなたは我々の旅に強さを与えてくださいます。 預言者たちの言葉は外的にしか作用しませんが、神よ、あなたは我々の心に指導をくわえ、啓発してくださいます。 預言者は、外部に水をまきますが、あなたは豊饒を与えてくださいます。
預言者は言葉を大声で叫びますが、神よ、あなたは聞き手に理解を与えてくださいます。 モーセを私にたいして、語りかけさせないで下さい。 神よ、私の神よ、永遠に続く真実よ、私が死なないように話しかけて下さい。 もし、私が外的な忠告しか与えられず、心から燃えたたなければ、不毛なこととなるでしょう。 もし、言葉が聞かれても守られず、知られても、愛をもって理解されず、信じられても従われなければ、 神よ、審判の日に私にむかって立ちあがってください。
それゆえ、神よ、あなたの僕が耳を傾けていますから、話してください。 「あなたは永遠の生命である言葉をおもちです。」(John 6:69.) 私の魂への慰めのために、私の生活の改善のために、あなたへの称賛のために、 あなたの栄光のために、あなたの永遠に続く栄誉のために、私に話しかけてください。
The Third Chapter
Listen Humbly to the Words of God. Many Do Not Heed Them
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, hear My words, words of greatest sweetness surpassing
all the knowledge of the philosophers and wise men of earth. My
words are spirit and life, and they are not to be weighed by man's
understanding. They are not to be invoked in vanity but are to be
heard in silence, and accepted with all humility and with great
affection.
The Disciple
"Happy is the man whom Thou admonishest, O Lord, and teachest
out of Thy law, to give him peace from the days of evil,"[31] and
that he be not desolate on earth.
The Voice of Christ
I taught the prophets from the beginning, and even to this
day I continue to speak to all men. But many are hardened. Many
are deaf to My voice. Most men listen more willingly to the world
than to God. They are more ready to follow the appetite of their
flesh than the good pleasure of God. The world, which promises
small and passing things, is served with great eagerness: I
promise great and eternal things and the hearts of men grow dull.
Who is there that serves and obeys Me in all things with as great
care as that with which the world and its masters are served?
"Be thou ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea speaketh."[32] And if
you ask why, listen to the cause: for a small gain they travel
far; for eternal life many will scarcely lift a foot from the
ground. They seek a petty reward, and sometimes fight shamefully
in law courts for a single piece of money. They are not afraid to
work day and night for a trifle or an empty promise. But, for an
unchanging good, for a reward beyond estimate, for the greatest
honor and for glory everlasting, it must be said to their shame
that men begrudge even the least fatigue. Be ashamed, then, lazy
and complaining servant, that they should be found more eager for
perdition than you are for life, that they rejoice more in vanity
than you in truth.
Sometimes indeed their expectations fail them, but My promise
never deceives, nor does it send away empty-handed him who trusts
in Me. What I have promised I will give. What I have said I will
fulfill, if only a man remain faithful in My love to the end. I am
the rewarder of all the good, the strong approver of all who are
devoted to Me.
Write My words in your heart and meditate on them earnestly,
for in time of temptation they will be very necessary. What you do
not understand when you read, you will learn in the day of
visitation. I am wont to visit My elect in two ways -- by
temptation and by consolation. To them I read two lessons daily --
one reproving their vices, the other exhorting them to progress in
virtue. He who has My words and despises them has that which shall
condemn him on the last day.
A Prayer for the Grace of Devotion
O Lord my God, You are all my good. And who am I that I
should dare to speak to You? I am Your poorest and meanest
servant, a vile worm, much more poor and contemptible than I know
or dare to say. Yet remember me, Lord, because I am nothing, I
have nothing, and I can do nothing. You alone are good, just, and
holy. You can do all things, You give all things, You fill all
things: only the sinner do You leave empty-handed. Remember Your
tender mercies and fill my heart with Your grace, You Who will not
allow Your works to be in vain. How can I bear this life of misery
unless You comfort me with Your mercy and grace? Do not turn Your
face from me. Do not delay Your visitation. Do not withdraw Your
consolation, lest in Your sight my soul become as desert land.
Teach me, Lord, to do Your will. Teach me to live worthily and
humbly in Your sight, for You are my wisdom Who know me truly, and
Who knew me even before the world was made and before I was born
into it.
-----
[31] Ps. 93:12.
[32] Isa. 23:4.
The Fourth Chapter
We Must Walk Before God in Humility and Truth
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, walk before Me in truth, and seek Me always in the
simplicity of your heart. He who walks before Me in truth shall be
defended from the attacks of evil, and the truth shall free him
from seducers and from the slanders of wicked men. For if the
truth has made you free, then you shall be free indeed, and you
shall not care for the vain words of men.
The Disciple
O Lord, it is true. I ask that it be with me as You say. Let
your truth teach me. Let it guard me, and keep me safe to the end.
Let it free me from all evil affection and badly ordered love, and
I shall walk with You in great freedom of heart.
The Voice of Christ
I shall teach you those things which are right and pleasing
to Me. Consider your sins with great displeasure and sorrow, and
never think yourself to be someone because of your good works. You
are truly a sinner. You are subject to many passions and entangled
in them. Of yourself you always tend to nothing. You fall quickly,
are quickly overcome, quickly troubled, and quickly undone. You
have nothing in which you can glory, but you have many things for
which you should think yourself vile, for you are much weaker than
you can comprehend. Hence, let none of the things you do seem
great to you. Let nothing seem important or precious or desirable
except that which is everlasting. Let the eternal truth please you
above all things, and let your extreme unworthiness always
displease you. Fear nothing, abhor nothing, and fly nothing as you
do your own vices and sins; these should be more unpleasant for
you than any material losses.
Some men walk before Me without sincerity. Led on by a
certain curiosity and arrogance, they wish to know My secrets and
to understand the high things of God, to the neglect of themselves
and their own salvation. Through their own pride and curiosity,
and because I am against them, such men often fall into great
temptations and sins.
Fear the judgments of God! Dread the wrath of the Almighty!
Do not discuss the works of the Most High, but examine your sins
-- in what serious things you have offended and how many good
things you have neglected.
Some carry their devotion only in books, some in pictures,
some in outward signs and figures. Some have Me on their lips when
there is little of Me in their hearts. Others, indeed, with
enlightened understanding and purified affections, constantly long
for everlasting things; they are unwilling to hear of earthly
affairs and only with reluctance do they serve the necessities of
nature. These sense what the Spirit of truth speaks within them:
for He teaches them to despise earthly things and to love those of
heaven, to neglect the world, and each day and night to desire
heaven.
The Fifth Chapter
The Wonderful Effect of Divine Love
The Disciple
I BLESS You, O heavenly Father, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ,
for having condescended to remember me, a poor creature. Thanks to
You, O Father of mercies, God of all consolation, Who with Your
comfort sometimes refresh me, who am not worthy of it. I bless You
always and glorify You with Your only-begotten Son and the Holy
Spirit, the Paraclete, forever and ever.
Ah, Lord God, my holy Lover, when You come into my heart, all
that is within me will rejoice. You are my glory and the
exultation of my heart. You are my hope and refuge in the day of
my tribulation. But because my love is as yet weak and my virtue
imperfect, I must be strengthened and comforted by You. Visit me
often, therefore, and teach me Your holy discipline. Free me from
evil passions and cleanse my heart of all disorderly affection so
that, healed and purified within, I may be fit to love, strong to
suffer, and firm to persevere.
Love is an excellent thing, a very great blessing, indeed. It
makes every difficulty easy, and bears all wrongs with equanimity.
For it bears a burden without being weighted and renders sweet all
that is bitter. The noble love of Jesus spurs to great deeds and
excites longing for that which is more perfect. Love tends upward;
it will not be held down by anything low. Love wishes to be free
and estranged from all worldly affections, lest its inward sight
be obstructed, lest it be entangled in any temporal interest and
overcome by adversity.
Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or
wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing
better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot
rest except in God, Who is above all created things.
One who is in love flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free, not
bound. He gives all for all and possesses all in all, because he
rests in the one sovereign Good, Who is above all things, and from
Whom every good flows and proceeds. He does not look to the gift
but turns himself above all gifts to the Giver.
Love often knows no limits but overflows all bounds. Love
feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it
is able, and does not plead impossibility, because it believes
that it may and can do all things. For this reason, it is able to
do all, performing and effecting much where he who does not love
fails and falls.
Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it
is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not
confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its
way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle.
If a man loves, he will know the sound of this voice. For
this warm affection of soul is a loud voice crying in the ears of
God, and it says: "My God, my love, You are all mine and I am all
Yours. Give me an increase of love, that I may learn to taste with
the inward lips of my heart how sweet it is to love, how sweet to
be dissolved in love and bathe in it. Let me be rapt in love. Let
me rise above self in great fervor and wonder. Let me sing the
hymn of love, and let me follow You, my Love, to the heights. Let
my soul exhaust itself in praising You, rejoicing out of love. Let
me love You more than myself, and let me not love myself except
for Your sake. In You let me love all those who truly love You, as
the law of love, which shines forth from You, commands."
Love is swift, sincere, kind, pleasant, and delightful. Love
is strong, patient and faithful, prudent, long-suffering, and
manly. Love is never self-seeking, for in whatever a person seeks
himself there he falls from love. Love is circumspect, humble, and
upright. It is neither soft nor light, nor intent upon vain
things. It is sober and chaste, firm and quiet, guarded in all the
senses. Love is subject and obedient to superiors. It is mean and
contemptible in its own eyes, devoted and thankful to God; always
trusting and hoping in Him even when He is distasteful to it, for
there is no living in love without sorrow. He who is not ready to
suffer all things and to stand resigned to the will of the Beloved
is not worthy to be called a lover. A lover must embrace willingly
all that is difficult and bitter for the sake of the Beloved, and
he should not turn away from Him because of adversities.
The Sixth Chapter
The Proving of a True Lover
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, you are not yet a brave and wise lover.
The Disciple
Why, Lord?
The Voice of Christ
Because, on account of a slight difficulty you give up what
you have undertaken and are too eager to seek consolation.
The brave lover stands firm in temptations and pays no heed
to the crafty persuasions of the enemy. As I please him in
prosperity, so in adversity I am not displeasing to him. The wise
lover regards not so much the gift of Him Who loves as the love of
Him Who gives. He regards the affection of the Giver rather than
the value of the gift, and sets his Beloved above all gifts. The
noble lover does not rest in the gift but in Me Who am above every
gift.
All is not lost, then, if you sometimes feel less devout than
you wish toward Me or My saints. That good and sweet feeling which
you sometimes have is the effect of present grace and a certain
foretaste of your heavenly home. You must not lean upon it too
much, because it comes and goes. But to fight against evil
thoughts which attack you is a sign of virtue and great merit. Do
not, therefore, let strange fantasies disturb you, no matter what
they concern. Hold strongly to your resolution and keep a right
intention toward God.
It is not an illusion that you are sometimes rapt in ecstasy
and then quickly returned to the usual follies of your heart. For
these are evils which you suffer rather than commit; and so long
as they displease you and you struggle against them, it is a
matter of merit and not a loss.
You must know that the old enemy tries by all means in his
power to hinder your desire for good and to turn you from every
devotional practice, especially from the veneration of the saints,
from devout meditation on My passion, and from your firm purpose
of advancing in virtue. He suggests many evil thoughts that he may
cause you weariness and horror, and thus draw you away from prayer
and holy reading. A humble confession displeases him and, if he
could, he would make you omit Holy Communion.
Do not believe him or heed him, even though he often sets
traps to deceive you. When he suggests evil, unclean things,
accuse him. Say to him: "Away, unclean spirit! Shame, miserable
creature! You are but filth to bring such things to my ears.
Begone, most wretched seducer! You shall have no part in me, for
Jesus will be my strength, and you shall be confounded. I would
rather die and suffer all torments than consent to you. Be still!
Be silent! Though you bring many troubles upon me I will have none
of you. The Lord is my light, my salvation. Whom shall I fear?
Though armies unite against me, my heart will not fear, for the
Lord is my Helper, my Redeemer."
Fight like a good soldier and if you sometimes fall through
weakness, rise again with greater strength than before, trusting
in My most abundant grace. But beware of vain complacency and
pride. For many are led into error through these faults and
sometimes fall into almost perpetual blindness. Let the fall of
these, who proudly presume on self, be a warning to you and a
constant incentive to humility.
The Seventh Chapter
Grace Must Be Hidden Under the Mantle of Humility
The Voice of Christ
IT IS better and safer for you to conceal the grace of devotion,
not to be elated by it, not to speak or think much of it, and
instead to humble yourself and fear lest it is being given to one
unworthy of it. Do not cling too closely to this affection, for it
may quickly be changed to its opposite. When you are in grace,
think how miserable and needy you are without it. Your progress in
spiritual life does not consist in having the grace of
consolation, but in enduring its withdrawal with humility,
resignation, and patience, so that you neither become listless in
prayer nor neglect your other duties in the least; but on the
contrary do what you can do as well as you know how, and do not
neglect yourself completely because of your dryness or anxiety of
mind.
There are many, indeed, who immediately become impatient and
lazy when things do not go well with them. The way of man,
however, does not always lie in his own power. It is God's
prerogative to give grace and to console when He wishes, as much
as He wishes, and whom He wishes, as it shall please Him and no
more.
Some careless persons, misusing the grace of devotion, have
destroyed themselves because they wished to do more than they were
able. They failed to take account of their own weakness, and
followed the desire of their heart rather than the judgment of
their reason. Then, because they presumed to greater things than
pleased God they quickly lost His grace. They who had built their
homes in heaven became helpless, vile outcasts, humbled and
impoverished, that they might learn not to fly with their own
wings but to trust in Mine.
They who are still new and inexperienced in the way of the
Lord may easily be deceived and overthrown unless they guide
themselves by the advice of discreet persons. But if they wish to
follow their own notions rather than to trust in others who are
more experienced, they will be in danger of a sorry end, at least
if they are unwilling to be drawn from their vanity. Seldom do
they who are wise in their own conceits bear humbly the guidance
of others. Yet a little knowledge humbly and meekly pursued is
better than great treasures of learning sought in vain
complacency. It is better for you to have little than to have much
which may become the source of pride.
He who gives himself up entirely to enjoyment acts very
unwisely, for he forgets his former helplessness and that
chastened fear of the Lord which dreads to lose a proffered grace.
Nor is he very brave or wise who becomes too despondent in times
of adversity and difficulty and thinks less confidently of Me than
he should. He who wishes to be too secure in time of peace will
often become too dejected and fearful in time of trial.
If you were wise enough to remain always humble and small in
your own eyes, and to restrain and rule your spirit well, you
would not fall so quickly into danger and offense.
When a spirit of fervor is enkindled within you, you may well
meditate on how you will feel when the fervor leaves. Then, when
this happens, remember that the light which I have withdrawn for a
time as a warning to you and for My own glory may again return.
Such trials are often more beneficial than if you had things
always as you wish. For a man's merits are not measured by many
visions or consolations, or by knowledge of the Scriptures, or by
his being in a higher position than others, but by the truth of
his humility, by his capacity for divine charity, by his constancy
in seeking purely and entirely the honor of God, by his disregard
and positive contempt of self, and more, by preferring to be
despised and humiliated rather than honored by others.
The Eighth Chapter
Self-Abasement in the Sight of God
The Disciple
I WILL speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. If I
consider myself anything more than this, behold You stand against
me, and my sins bear witness to the truth which I cannot
contradict. If I abase myself, however, if I humble myself to
nothingness, if I shrink from all self-esteem and account myself
as the dust which I am, Your grace will favor me, Your light will
enshroud my heart, and all self-esteem, no matter how little, will
sink in the depths of my nothingness to perish forever.
It is there You show me to myself -- what I am, what I have
been, and what I am coming to; for I am nothing and I did not know
it. Left to myself, I am nothing but total weakness. But if You
look upon me for an instant, I am at once made strong and filled
with new joy. Great wonder it is that I, who of my own weight
always sink to the depths, am so suddenly lifted up, and so
graciously embraced by You.
It is Your love that does this, graciously upholding me,
supporting me in so many necessities, guarding me from so many
grave dangers, and snatching me, as I may truly say, from evils
without number. Indeed, by loving myself badly I lost myself; by
seeking only You and by truly loving You I have found both myself
and You, and by that love I have reduced myself more profoundly to
nothing. For You, O sweetest Lord, deal with me above all my
merits and above all that I dare to hope or ask.
May You be blessed, my God, for although I am unworthy of any
benefits, yet Your nobility and infinite goodness never cease to
do good even for those who are ungrateful and far from You.
Convert us to You, that we may be thankful, humble, and devout,
for You are our salvation, our courage, and our strength.
The Ninth Chapter
All Things should be Referred to God as their Last End
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, I must be your supreme and last end, if you truly desire
to be blessed. With this intention your affections, which are too
often perversely inclined to self and to creatures, will be
purified. For if you seek yourself in anything, you immediately
fail interiorly and become dry of heart.
Refer all things principally to Me, therefore, for it is I
Who have given them all. Consider each thing as flowing from the
highest good, and therefore to Me, as to their highest source,
must all things be brought back.
From Me the small and the great, the poor and the rich draw
the water of life as from a living fountain, and they who serve Me
willingly and freely shall receive grace upon grace. He who wishes
to glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some
good as his own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in
his heart, but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways.
Hence you ought not to attribute any good to yourself or ascribe
virtue to any man, but give all to God without Whom man has
nothing.
I have given all things. I will that all be returned to Me
again, and I exact most strictly a return of thanks. This is the
truth by which vainglory is put to flight.
Where heavenly grace and true charity enter in, there neither
envy nor narrowness of heart nor self-love will have place. Divine
love conquers all and enlarges the powers of the soul.
If you are truly wise, you will rejoice only in Me, because
no one is good except God alone, Who is to be praised above all
things and above all to be blessed.
The Tenth Chapter
To Despise the World and Serve God is Sweet
The Disciple
NOW again I will speak, Lord, and will not be silent. I will speak
to the hearing of my God, my Lord, and my King Who is in heaven.
How great, O Lord, is the multitude of Your mercies which You have
stored up for those who love You. But what are You to those who
love You? What are You to those who serve You with their whole
heart?
Truly beyond the power of words is the sweetness of
contemplation You give to those who love You. To me You have shown
the sweetness of Your charity, especially in having made me when I
did not exist, in having brought me back to serve You when I had
gone far astray from You, in having commanded me to love You.
O Fountain of unceasing love, what shall I say of You? How
can I forget You, Who have been pleased to remember me even after
I had wasted away and perished? You have shown mercy to Your
servant beyond all hope, and have exhibited grace and friendship
beyond his deserving.
What return shall I make to You for this grace? For it is not
given every man to forsake all things, to renounce the world, and
undertake the religious life. Is it anything great that I should
serve You Whom every creature is bound to serve? It should not
seem much to me; instead it should appear great and wonderful that
You condescend to receive into Your service one who is so poor and
unworthy. Behold, all things are Yours, even those which I have
and by which I serve You. Behold, heaven and earth which You
created for the service of man, stand ready, and each day they do
whatever You command. But even this is little, for You have
appointed angels also to minister to man -- yea more than all this
-- You Yourself have condescended to serve man and have promised
to give him Yourself.
What return shall I make for all these thousands of benefits?
Would that I could serve You all the days of my life! Would that
for but one day I could serve You worthily! Truly You are worthy
of all service, all honor, and everlasting praise. Truly You are
my Lord, and I am Your poor servant, bound to serve You with all
my powers, praising You without ever becoming weary. I wish to do
this -- this is my desire. Do You supply whatever is wanting in
me.
It is a great honor, a great glory to serve You and to
despise all things for Your sake. They who give themselves gladly
to Your most holy service will possess great grace. They who cast
aside all carnal delights for Your love will find the most sweet
consolation of the Holy Ghost. They who enter upon the narrow way
for Your name and cast aside all worldly care will attain great
freedom of mind.
O sweet and joyful service of God, which makes man truly free
and holy! O sacred state of religious bondage which makes man
equal to the angels, pleasing to God, terrible to the demons, and
worthy of the commendation of all the faithful! O service to be
embraced and always desired, in which the highest good is offered
and joy is won which shall remain forever!
The Eleventh Chapter
The Longings of our Hearts Must Be Examined And Moderated
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, it is necessary for you to learn many things which you
have not yet learned well.
The Disciple
What are they, Lord?
The Voice of Christ
That you conform your desires entirely according to My good
pleasure, and be not a lover of self but an earnest doer of My
will. Desires very often inflame you and drive you madly on, but
consider whether you act for My honor, or for your own advantage.
If I am the cause, you will be well content with whatever I
ordain. If, on the other hand, any self-seeking lurk in you, it
troubles you and weighs you down. Take care, then, that you do not
rely too much on preconceived desire that has no reference to Me,
lest you repent later on and be displeased with what at first
pleased you and which you desired as being for the best. Not every
desire which seems good should be followed immediately, nor, on
the other hand, should every contrary affection be at once
rejected.
It is sometimes well to use a little restraint even in good
desires and inclinations, lest through too much eagerness you
bring upon yourself distraction of mind; lest through your lack of
discipline you create scandal for others; or lest you be suddenly
upset and fall because of resistance from others. Sometimes,
however, you must use violence and resist your sensual appetite
bravely. You must pay no attention to what the flesh does or does
not desire, taking pains that it be subjected, even by force, to
the spirit. And it should be chastised and forced to remain in
subjection until it is prepared for anything and is taught to be
satisfied with little, to take pleasure in simple things, and not
to murmur against inconveniences.
The Twelfth Chapter
Acquiring Patience in the Fight Against Concupiscence
The Disciple
PATIENCE, O Lord God, is very necessary for me, I see, because
there are many adversities in this life. No matter what plans I
make for my own peace, my life cannot be free from struggle and
sorrow.
The Voice of Christ
My child, you are right, yet My wish is not that you seek
that peace which is free from temptations or meets with no
opposition, but rather that you consider yourself as having found
peace when you have been tormented with many tribulations and
tried with many adversities.
If you say that you cannot suffer much, how will you endure
the fire of purgatory? Of two evils, the lesser is always to be
chosen. Therefore, in order that you may escape the everlasting
punishments to come, try to bear present evils patiently for the
sake of God.
Do you think that men of the world have no suffering, or
perhaps but little? Ask even those who enjoy the most delights and
you will learn otherwise. "But," you will say, "they enjoy many
pleasures and follow their own wishes; therefore they do not feel
their troubles very much." Granted that they do have whatever they
wish, how long do you think it will last? Behold, they who prosper
in the world shall perish as smoke, and there shall be no memory
of their past joys. Even in this life they do not find rest in
these pleasures without bitterness, weariness, and fear. For they
often receive the penalty of sorrow from the very thing whence
they believe their happiness comes. And it is just. Since they
seek and follow after pleasures without reason, they should not
enjoy them without shame and bitterness.
How brief, how false, how unreasonable and shameful all these
pleasures are! Yet in their drunken blindness men do not
understand this, but like brute beasts incur death of soul for the
miserly enjoyment of a corruptible life.
Therefore, My child, do not pursue your lusts, but turn away
from your own will. "Seek thy pleasure in the Lord and He will
give thee thy heart's desires."[33] If you wish to be truly
delighted and more abundantly comforted by Me, behold, in contempt
of all worldly things and in the cutting off of all base pleasures
shall your blessing be, and great consolation shall be given you.
Further, the more you withdraw yourself from any solace of
creatures, the sweeter and stronger comfort will you find in Me.
At first you will not gain these blessings without sadness
and toil and conflict. Habit already formed will resist you, but
it shall be overcome by a better habit. The flesh will murmur
against you, but it will be bridled by fervor of spirit. The old
serpent will sting and trouble you, but prayer will put him to
flight and by steadfast, useful toil the way will be closed to
him.
-----
[33] Ps. 36:4.
The Thirteenth Chapter
The Obedience of One Humbly Subject to the Example of Jesus Christ
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, he who attempts to escape obeying withdraws himself from
grace. Likewise he who seeks private benefits for himself loses
those which are common to all. He who does not submit himself
freely and willingly to his superior, shows that his flesh is not
yet perfectly obedient but that it often rebels and murmurs
against him.
Learn quickly, then, to submit yourself to your superior if
you wish to conquer your own flesh. For the exterior enemy is more
quickly overcome if the inner man is not laid waste. There is no
more troublesome, no worse enemy of the soul than you yourself, if
you are not in harmony with the spirit. It is absolutely necessary
that you conceive a true contempt for yourself if you wish to be
victorious over flesh and blood.
Because you still love yourself too inordinately, you are
afraid to resign yourself wholly to the will of others. Is it such
a great matter if you, who are but dust and nothingness, subject
yourself to man for the sake of God, when I, the All-Powerful, the
Most High, Who created all things out of nothing, humbly subjected
Myself to man for your sake? I became the most humble and the
lowest of all men that you might overcome your pride with My
humility.
Learn to obey, you who are but dust! Learn to humble
yourself, you who are but earth and clay, and bow down under the
foot of every man! Learn to break your own will, to submit to all
subjection! Be zealous against yourself! Allow no pride to dwell
in you, but prove yourself so humble and lowly that all may walk
over you and trample upon you as dust in the streets!
What have you, vain man, to complain of? What answer can you
make, vile sinner, to those who accuse you, you who have so often
offended God and so many times deserved hell? But My eye has
spared you because your soul was precious in My sight, so that you
might know My love and always be thankful for My benefits, so that
you might give yourself continually to true subjection and
humility, and might patiently endure contempt.
The Fourteenth Chapter
Consider the Hidden Judgments of God
Lest You Become Proud of Your Own Good Deeds
The Disciple
YOU thunder forth Your judgments over me, Lord. You shake all my
bones with fear and trembling, and my soul is very much afraid. I
stand in awe as I consider that the heavens are not pure in Your
sight. If You found wickedness in the angels and did not spare
them, what will become of me? Stars have fallen from heaven, and I
-- I who am but dust -- how can I be presumptuous? They whose
deeds seemed worthy of praise have fallen into the depths, and I
have seen those who ate the bread of angels delighting themselves
with the husks of swine.
There is no holiness, then, if You withdraw Your hand, Lord.
There is no wisdom if You cease to guide, no courage if You cease
to defend. No chastity is secure if You do not guard it. Our
vigilance avails nothing if Your holy watchfulness does not
protect us. Left to ourselves we sink and perish, but visited by
You we are lifted up and live. We are truly unstable, but You make
us strong. We grow lukewarm, but You inflame us. Oh, how humbly
and lowly should I consider myself! How very little should I
esteem anything that seems good in me! How profoundly should I
submit to Your unfathomable judgments, Lord, where I find myself
to be but nothing!
O immeasurable weight! O impassable sea, where I find myself
to be nothing but bare nothingness! Where, then, is glory's hiding
place? Where can there be any trust in my own virtue? All
vainglory is swallowed up in the depths of Your judgments upon me.
What is all flesh in Your sight? Shall the clay glory against
Him that formed it? How can he whose heart is truly subject to God
be lifted up by vainglory? The whole world will not make him proud
whom truth has subjected to itself. Nor shall he who has placed
all his hope in God be moved by the tongues of flatterers. For
behold, even they who speak are nothing; they will pass away with
the sound of their words, but the truth of the Lord remains
forever.
The Fifteenth Chapter
How One Should Feel and Speak on Every Desirable Thing
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, this is the way you must speak on every occasion: "Lord,
if it be pleasing to You, so be it. If it be to Your honor, Lord,
be it done in Your name. Lord, if You see that it is expedient and
profitable for me, then grant that I may use it to Your honor. But
if You know that it will be harmful to me, and of no good benefit
to the welfare of my soul, then take this desire away from me."
Not every desire is from the Holy Spirit, even though it may
seem right and good. It is difficult to be certain whether it is a
good spirit or a bad one that prompts one to this or that, and
even to know whether you are being moved by your own spirit. Many
who seemed at first to be led by a good spirit have been deceived
in the end.
Whatever the mind sees as good, ask and desire in fear of God
and humility of heart. Above all, commit the whole matter to Me
with true resignation, and say: "Lord, You know what is better for
me; let this be done or that be done as You please. Grant what You
will, as much as You will, when You will. Do with me as You know
best, as will most please You, and will be for Your greater honor.
Place me where You will and deal with me freely in all things. I
am in Your hand; turn me about whichever way You will. Behold, I
am Your servant, ready to obey in all things. Not for myself do I
desire to live, but for You -- would that I could do this worthily
and perfectly!"
A Prayer that the Will of God Be Done
Grant me Your grace, O most merciful Jesus, that it may be
with me, and work with me, and remain with me to the very end.
Grant that I may always desire and will that which is most
acceptable and pleasing to You. Let Your will be mine. Let my will
always follow Yours and agree perfectly with it. Let my will be
one with Yours in willing and in not willing, and let me be unable
to will or not will anything but what You will or do not will.
Grant that I may die to all things in this world, and for Your
sake love to be despised and unknown in this life. Give me above
all desires the desire to rest in You, and in You let my heart
have peace. You are true peace of heart. You alone are its rest.
Without You all things are difficult and troubled. In this peace,
the selfsame that is in You, the Most High, the everlasting Good,
I will sleep and take my rest. Amen.
The Sixteenth Chapter
True Comfort Is to Be Sought in God Alone
The Disciple
WHATEVER I can desire or imagine for my own comfort I look for not
here but hereafter. For if I alone should have all the world's
comforts and could enjoy all its delights, it is certain that they
could not long endure. Therefore, my soul, you cannot enjoy full
consolation or perfect delight except in God, the Consoler of the
poor and the Helper of the humble. Wait a little, my soul, wait
for the divine promise and you will have an abundance of all good
things in heaven. If you desire these present things too much, you
will lose those which are everlasting and heavenly. Use temporal
things but desire eternal things. You cannot be satisfied with any
temporal goods because you were not created to enjoy them.
Even if you possessed all created things you could not be
happy and blessed; for in God, Who created all these things, your
whole blessedness and happiness consists -- not indeed such
happiness as is seen and praised by lovers of the world, but such
as that for which the good and faithful servants of Christ wait,
and of which the spiritual and pure of heart, whose conversation
is in heaven, sometime have a foretaste.
Vain and brief is all human consolation. But that which is
received inwardly from the Truth is blessed and true. The devout
man carries his Consoler, Jesus, everywhere with him, and he says
to Him: "Be with me, Lord Jesus, in every place and at all times.
Let this be my consolation, to be willing to forego all human
comforting. And if Your consolation be wanting to me, let Your
will and just trial of me be my greatest comfort. For You will not
always be angry, nor will You threaten forever."
The Seventeenth Chapter
All Our Care is to Be Placed in God
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, allow me to do what I will with you. I know what is best
for you. You think as a man; you feel in many things as human
affection persuades.
The Disciple
Lord, what You say is true. Your care for me is greater than
all the care I can take of myself. For he who does not cast all
his care upon You stands very unsafely. If only my will remain
right and firm toward You, Lord, do with me whatever pleases You.
For whatever You shall do with me can only be good.
If You wish me to be in darkness, I shall bless You. And if
You wish me to be in light, again I shall bless You. If You stoop
down to comfort me, I shall bless You, and if You wish me to be
afflicted, I shall bless You forever.
The Voice of Christ
My child, this is the disposition which you should have if
you wish to walk with Me. You should be as ready to suffer as to
enjoy. You should as willingly be destitute and poor as rich and
satisfied.
The Disciple
O Lord, I shall suffer willingly for Your sake whatever You
wish to send me. I am ready to accept from Your hand both good and
evil alike, the sweet and the bitter together, sorrow with joy;
and for all that happens to me I am grateful. Keep me from all sin
and I will fear neither death nor hell. Do not cast me out forever
nor blot me out of the Book of Life, and whatever tribulation
befalls will not harm me.
The Eighteenth Chapter
Temporal Sufferings Should Be Borne Patiently,
After the Example of Christ
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, I came down from heaven for your salvation and took upon
Myself your miseries, not out of necessity but out of love, that
you might learn to be patient and bear the sufferings of this life
without repining. From the moment of My birth to My death on the
cross, suffering did not leave Me. I suffered great want of
temporal goods. Often I heard many complaints against Me. Disgrace
and reviling I bore with patience. For My blessings I received
ingratitude, for My miracles blasphemies, and for My teaching
scorn.
The Disciple
O Lord, because You were patient in life, especially in
fulfilling the design of the Father, it is fitting that I, a most
miserable sinner, should live patiently according to Your will,
and, as long as You shall wish, bear the burden of this
corruptible body for the welfare of my soul. For though this
present life seems burdensome, yet by Your grace it becomes
meritorious, and it is made brighter and more endurable for the
weak by Your example and the pathways of the saints. But it has
also more consolation than formerly under the old law when the
gates of heaven were closed, when the way thereto seemed darker
than now, and when so few cared to seek the eternal kingdom. The
just, the elect, could not enter heaven before Your sufferings and
sacred death had paid the debt.
Oh, what great thanks I owe You, Who have shown me and all
the faithful the good and right way to Your everlasting kingdom!
Your life is our way and in Your holy patience we come nearer to
You Who are our crown. Had You not gone before and taught us, who
would have cared to follow? Alas, how many would have remained far
behind, had they not before their eyes Your holy example! Behold,
even we who have heard of Your many miracles and teachings are
still lukewarm; what would happen if we did not have such light by
which to follow You?
The Nineteenth Chapter
True Patience in Suffering
The Voice of Christ
WHAT are you saying, My child? Think of My suffering and that of
the saints, and cease complaining. You have not yet resisted to
the shedding of blood. What you suffer is very little compared
with the great things they suffered who were so strongly tempted,
so severely troubled, so tried and tormented in many ways. Well
may you remember, therefore, the very painful woes of others, that
you may bear your own little ones the more easily. And if they do
not seem so small to you, examine if perhaps your impatience is
not the cause of their apparent greatness; and whether they are
great or small, try to bear them all patiently. The better you
dispose yourself to suffer, the more wisely you act and the
greater is the reward promised you. Thus you will suffer more
easily if your mind and habits are diligently trained to it.
Do not say: "I cannot bear this from such a man, nor should I
suffer things of this kind, for he has done me a great wrong. He
has accused me of many things of which I never thought. However,
from someone else I will gladly suffer as much as I think I
should."
Such a thought is foolish, for it does not consider the
virtue of patience or the One Who will reward it, but rather
weighs the person and the offense committed. The man who will
suffer only as much as seems good to him, who will accept
suffering only from those from whom he is pleased to accept it, is
not truly patient. For the truly patient man does not consider
from whom the suffering comes, whether from a superior, an equal,
or an inferior, whether from a good and holy person or from a
perverse and unworthy one; but no matter how great an adversity
befalls him, no matter how often it comes or from whom it comes,
he accepts it gratefully from the hand of God, and counts it a
great gain. For with God nothing that is suffered for His sake, no
matter how small, can pass without reward. Be prepared for the
fight, then, if you wish to gain the victory. Without struggle you
cannot obtain the crown of patience, and if you refuse to suffer
you are refusing the crown. But if you desire to be crowned, fight
bravely and bear up patiently. Without labor there is no rest, and
without fighting, no victory.
The Disciple
O Lord, let that which seems naturally impossible to me
become possible through Your grace. You know that I can suffer
very little, and that I am quickly discouraged when any small
adversity arises. Let the torment of tribulation suffered for Your
name be pleasant and desirable to me, since to suffer and be
troubled for Your sake is very beneficial for my soul.
The Twentieth Chapter
Confessing Our Weakness in the Miseries of Life
The Disciple
I WILL bring witness against myself to my injustice, and to You, O
Lord, I will confess my weakness.
Often it is a small thing that makes me downcast and sad. I
propose to act bravely, but when even a small temptation comes I
find myself in great straits. Sometimes it is the merest trifle
which gives rise to grievous temptations. When I think myself
somewhat safe and when I am not expecting it, I frequently find
myself almost overcome by a slight wind. Look, therefore, Lord, at
my lowliness and frailty which You know so well. Have mercy on me
and snatch me out of the mire that I may not be caught in it and
may not remain forever utterly despondent.
That I am so prone to fall and so weak in resisting my
passions oppresses me frequently and confounds me in Your sight.
While I do not fully consent to them, still their assault is very
troublesome and grievous to me, and it wearies me exceedingly thus
to live in daily strife. Yet from the fact that abominable fancies
rush in upon me much more easily than they leave, my weakness
becomes clear to me.
Oh that You, most mighty God of Israel, zealous Lover of
faithful souls, would consider the labor and sorrow of Your
servant, and assist him in all his undertakings! Strengthen me
with heavenly courage lest the outer man, the miserable flesh,
against which I shall be obliged to fight so long as I draw a
breath in this wretched life and which is not yet subjected to the
spirit, prevail and dominate me.
Alas! What sort of life is this, from which troubles and
miseries are never absent, where all things are full of snares and
enemies? For when one trouble or temptation leaves, another comes.
Indeed, even while the first conflict is still raging, many others
begin unexpectedly. How is it possible to love a life that has
such great bitterness, that is subject to so many calamities and
miseries? Indeed, how can it even be called life when it begets so
many deaths and plagues? And yet, it is loved, and many seek their
delight in it.
Many persons often blame the world for being false and vain,
yet do not readily give it up because the desires of the flesh
have such great power. Some things draw them to love the world,
others make them despise it. The lust of the flesh, the desire of
the eyes, and the pride of life lead to love, while the pains and
miseries, which are the just consequences of those things, beget
hatred and weariness of the world.
Vicious pleasure overcomes the soul that is given to the
world. She thinks that there are delights beneath these thorns,
because she has never seen or tasted the sweetness of God or the
internal delight of virtue. They, on the other hand, who entirely
despise the world and seek to live for God under the rule of holy
discipline, are not ignorant of the divine sweetness promised to
those who truly renounce the world. They see clearly how gravely
the world errs, and in how many ways it deceives.
The Twenty-first Chapter
Above All Goods and All Gifts We Must Rest in God
The Disciple
ABOVE all things and in all things, O my soul, rest always in God,
for He is the everlasting rest of the saints.
Grant, most sweet and loving Jesus, that I may seek my repose
in You above every creature; above all health and beauty; above
every honor and glory; every power and dignity; above all
knowledge and cleverness, all riches and arts, all joy and
gladness; above all fame and praise, all sweetness and
consolation; above every hope and promise, every merit and desire;
above all the gifts and favors that You can give or pour down upon
me; above all the joy and exultation that the mind can receive and
feel; and finally, above the angels and archangels and all the
heavenly host; above all things visible and invisible; and may I
seek my repose in You above everything that is not You, my God.
For You, O Lord my God, are above all things the best. You
alone are most high, You alone most powerful. You alone are most
sufficient and most satisfying, You alone most sweet and
consoling. You alone are most beautiful and loving, You alone most
noble and glorious above all things. In You is every perfection
that has been or ever will be. Therefore, whatever You give me
besides Yourself, whatever You reveal to me concerning Yourself,
and whatever You promise, is too small and insufficient when I do
not see and fully enjoy You alone. For my heart cannot rest or be
fully content until, rising above all gifts and every created
thing, it rests in You.
Who, O most beloved Spouse, Jesus Christ, most pure Lover,
Lord of all creation, who shall give me the wings of true liberty
that I may fly to rest in You? When shall freedom be fully given
me to see how sweet You are, O Lord, my God? When shall I
recollect myself entirely in You, so that because of Your love I
may feel, not myself, but You alone above all sense and measure,
in a manner known to none? But now I often lament and grieve over
my unhappiness, for many evils befall me in this vale of miseries,
often disturbing me, making me sad and overshadowing me, often
hindering and distracting me, alluring and entangling me so that I
neither have free access to You nor enjoy the sweet embraces which
are ever ready for blessed souls. Let my sighs and the manifold
desolation here on earth move You.
O Jesus, Splendor of eternal glory, Consolation of the
pilgrim soul, with You my lips utter no sound and to You my
silence speaks. How long will my Lord delay His coming? Let Him
come to His poor servant and make him happy. Let Him put forth His
hand and take this miserable creature from his anguish. Come, O
come, for without You there will be no happy day or hour, because
You are my happiness and without You my table is empty. I am
wretched, as it were imprisoned and weighted down with fetters,
until You fill me with the light of Your presence, restore me to
liberty, and show me a friendly countenance. Let others seek
instead of You whatever they will, but nothing pleases me or will
please me but You, my God, my Hope, my everlasting Salvation. I
will not be silent, I will not cease praying until Your grace
returns to me and You speak inwardly to me, saying: "Behold, I am
here. Lo, I have come to you because you have called Me. Your
tears and the desire of your soul, your humility and contrition of
heart have inclined Me and brought Me to you."
Lord, I have called You, and have desired You, and have been
ready to spurn all things for Your sake. For You first spurred me
on to seek You. May You be blessed, therefore, O Lord, for having
shown this goodness to Your servant according to the multitude of
Your mercies.
What more is there for Your servant to say to You unless,
with his iniquity and vileness always in mind, he humbles himself
before You? Nothing among all the wonders of heaven and earth is
like to You. Your works are exceedingly good, Your judgments true,
and Your providence rules the whole universe. May You be praised
and glorified, therefore, O Wisdom of the Father. Let my lips and
my soul and all created things unite to praise and bless You.
The Twenty-Second Chapter
Remember the Innumerable Gifts of God
The Disciple
OPEN my heart, O Lord, to Your law and teach me to walk in the way
of Your commandments. Let me understand Your will. Let me remember
Your blessings -- all of them and each single one of them -- with
great reverence and care so that henceforth I may return worthy
thanks for them. I know that I am unable to give due thanks for
even the least of Your gifts. I am unworthy of the benefits You
have given me, and when I consider Your generosity my spirit
faints away before its greatness. All that we have of soul and
body, whatever we possess interiorly or exteriorly, by nature or
by grace, are Your gifts and they proclaim Your goodness and mercy
from which we have received all good things.
If one receives more and another less, yet all are Yours and
without You nothing can be received. He who receives greater
things cannot glory in his own merit or consider himself above
others or behave insolently toward those who receive less. He who
attributes less to himself and is the more humble and devout in
returning thanks is indeed the greater and the better, while he
who considers himself lower than all men and judges himself to be
the least worthy, is the more fit to receive the greater blessing.
He, on the other hand, who has received fewer gifts should
not be sad or impatient or envious of the richer man. Instead he
should turn his mind to You and offer You the greatest praise
because You give so bountifully, so freely and willingly, without
regard to persons. All things come from You; therefore, You are to
be praised in all things. You know what is good for each of us;
and why one should receive less and another more is not for us to
judge, but for You Who have marked every man's merits.
Therefore, O Lord God, I consider it a great blessing not to
have many things which human judgment holds praiseworthy and
glorious, for one who realizes his own poverty and vileness should
not be sad or downcast at it, but rather consoled and happy
because You, O God, have chosen the poor, the humble, and the
despised in this world to be Your friends and servants. The truth
of this is witnessed by Your Apostles, whom You made princes over
all the world. Yet they lived in this world without complaining,
so humble and simple, so free from malice and deceit, that they
were happy even to suffer reproach for Your name and to embrace
with great affection that which the world abhors.
A man who loves You and recognizes Your benefits, therefore,
should be gladdened by nothing so much as by Your will, by the
good pleasure of Your eternal decree. With this he should be so
contented and consoled that he would wish to be the least as
others wish to be the greatest; that he would be as peaceful and
satisfied in the last place as in the first, and as willing to be
despised, unknown and forgotten, as to be honored by others and to
have more fame than they. He should prefer Your will and the love
of Your honor to all else, and it should comfort him more than all
the benefits which have been, or will be, given him.
The Twenty-Third Chapter
Four Things Which Bring Great Peace
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, I will teach you now the way of peace and true liberty.
Seek, child, to do the will of others rather than your own. Always
choose to have less rather than more. Look always for the last
place and seek to be beneath all others. Always wish and pray that
the will of God be fully carried out in you. Behold, such will
enter into the realm of peace and rest.
The Disciple
O Lord, this brief discourse of Yours contains much
perfection. It is short in words but full of meaning and abounding
in fruit. Certainly if I could only keep it faithfully, I should
not be so easily disturbed. For as often as I find myself troubled
and dejected, I find that I have departed from this teaching. But
You Who can do all things, and Who always love what is for my
soul's welfare, give me increase of grace that I may keep Your
words and accomplish my salvation.
A Prayer Against Bad Thoughts
O Lord my God, be not far from me. O my God, hasten to help
me, for varied thoughts and great fears have risen up within me,
afflicting my soul. How shall I escape them unharmed? How shall I
dispel them?
"I will go before you," says the Lord, "and will humble the
great ones of earth. I will open the doors of the prison, and will
reveal to you hidden secrets."
Do as You say, Lord, and let all evil thoughts fly from Your
face. This is my hope and my only comfort -- to fly to You in all
tribulation, to confide in You, and to call on You from the depths
of my heart and to await patiently for Your consolation.
A Prayer for Enlightening the Mind
Enlighten me, good Jesus, with the brightness of internal
light, and take away all darkness from the habitation of my heart.
Restrain my wandering thoughts and suppress the temptations which
attack me so violently. Fight strongly for me, and vanquish these
evil beasts -- the alluring desires of the flesh -- so that peace
may come through Your power and the fullness of Your praise
resound in the holy courts, which is a pure conscience. Command
the winds and the tempests; say to the sea: "Be still," and to the
north wind, "Do not blow," and there will be a great calm.
Send forth Your light and Your truth to shine on the earth,
for I am as earth, empty and formless until You illumine me. Pour
out Your grace from above. Shower my heart with heavenly dew. Open
the springs of devotion to water the earth, that it may produce
the best of good fruits. Lift up my heart pressed down by the
weight of sins, and direct all my desires to heavenly things, that
having tasted the sweetness of supernal happiness, I may find no
pleasure in thinking of earthly things.
Snatch me up and deliver me from all the passing comfort of
creatures, for no created thing can fully quiet and satisfy my
desires. Join me to Yourself in an inseparable bond of love;
because You alone can satisfy him who loves You, and without You
all things are worthless.
The Twenty-Fourth Chapter
Avoiding Curious Inquiry About the Lives of Others
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, do not be curious. Do not trouble yourself with idle
cares. What matters this or that to you? Follow Me. What is it to
you if a man is such and such, if another does or says this or
that? You will not have to answer for others, but you will have to
give an account of yourself. Why, then, do you meddle in their
affairs?
Behold, I know all men. I see everything that is done under
the sun, and I know how matters stand with each -- what is in his
mind and what in his heart and the end to which his intention is
directed. Commit all things to Me, therefore, and keep yourself in
good peace. Let him who is disturbed be as restless as he will.
Whatever he has said or done will fall upon himself, for he cannot
deceive Me.
Do not be anxious for the shadow of a great name, for the
close friendship of many, or for the particular affection of men.
These things cause distraction and cast great darkness about the
heart. I would willingly speak My word and reveal My secrets to
you, if you would watch diligently for My coming and open your
heart to Me. Be prudent, then. Watch in prayer, and in all things
humble yourself.
The Twenty-Fifth Chapter
The Basis of Firm Peace of Heart and True Progress
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, I have said: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give
unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you."[34]
All men desire peace but all do not care for the things that
go to make true peace. My peace is with the humble and meek of
heart: your peace will be in much patience. If you hear Me and
follow My voice, you will be able to enjoy much peace.
The Disciple
What, then, shall I do, Lord?
The Voice of Christ
Watch yourself in all things, in what you do and what you
say. Direct your every intention toward pleasing Me alone, and
desire nothing outside of Me. Do not be rash in judging the deeds
and words of others, and do not entangle yourself in affairs that
are not your own. Thus, it will come about that you will be
disturbed little and seldom.
Yet, never to experience any disturbance or to suffer any
hurt in heart or body does not belong to this present life, but
rather to the state of eternal rest. Do not think, therefore, that
you have found true peace if you feel no depression, or that all
is well because you suffer no opposition. Do not think that all is
perfect if everything happens just as you wish. And do not imagine
yourself great or consider yourself especially beloved if you are
filled with great devotion and sweetness. For the true lover of
virtue is not known by these things, nor do the progress and
perfection of a man consist in them.
The Disciple
In what do they consist, Lord?
The Voice of Christ
They consist in offering yourself with all your heart to the
divine will, not seeking what is yours either in small matters or
great ones, either in temporal or eternal things, so that you will
preserve equanimity and give thanks in both prosperity and
adversity, seeing all things in their proper light.
If you become so brave and long-suffering in hope that you
can prepare your heart to suffer still more even when all inward
consolation is withdrawn, and if you do not justify yourself as
though you ought not be made to suffer such great things, but
acknowledge Me to be just in all My works and praise My holy name
-- then you will walk in the true and right path of peace, then
you may have sure hope of seeing My face again in joy. If you
attain to complete contempt of self, then know that you will enjoy
an abundance of peace, as much as is possible in this earthly
life.
-----
[34] John 14:27.
The Twenty-Sixth Chapter
The Excellence of a Free Mind,
Gained Through Prayer Rather Than By Study
The Disciple
IT IS the mark of a perfect man, Lord, never to let his mind relax
in attention to heavenly things, and to pass through many cares as
though he had none; not as an indolent man does, but having by the
certain prerogative of a free mind no disorderly affection for any
created being.
Keep me, I beg You, most merciful God, from the cares of this
life, lest I be too much entangled in them. Keep me from many
necessities of the body, lest I be ensnared by pleasure. Keep me
from all darkness of mind, lest I be broken by troubles and
overcome. I do not ask deliverance from those things which worldly
vanity desires so eagerly, but from those miseries which, by the
common curse of humankind, oppress the soul of Your servant in
punishment and keep him from entering into the liberty of spirit
as often as he would.
My God, Sweetness beyond words, make bitter all the carnal
comfort that draws me from love of the eternal and lures me to its
evil self by the sight of some delightful good in the present. Let
it not overcome me, my God. Let not flesh and blood conquer me.
Let not the world and its brief glory deceive me, nor the devil
trip me by his craftiness. Give me courage to resist, patience to
endure, and constancy to persevere. Give me the soothing unction
of Your spirit rather than all the consolations of the world, and
in place of carnal love, infuse into me the love of Your name.
Behold, eating, drinking, clothing, and other necessities
that sustain the body are burdensome to the fervent soul. Grant me
the grace to use such comforts temperately and not to become
entangled in too great a desire for them. It is not lawful to cast
them aside completely, for nature must be sustained, but Your holy
law forbids us to demand superfluous things and things that are
simply for pleasure, else the flesh would rebel against the
spirit. In these matters, I beg, let Your hand guide and direct
me, so that I may not overstep the law in any way.
The Twenty-Seventh Chapter
Self-Love is the Greatest Hindrance to the Highest Good
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, you should give all for all, and in no way belong to
yourself. You must know that self-love is more harmful to you than
anything else in the world. In proportion to the love and
affection you have for a thing, it will cling to you more or less.
If your love is pure, simple, and well ordered, you will not be a
slave to anything. Do not covet what you may not have. Do not
possess anything that can hinder you or rob you of freedom.
It is strange that you do not commit yourself to Me with your
whole heart, together with all that you can desire or possess. Why
are you consumed with foolish sorrow? Why are you wearied with
unnecessary care? Be resigned to My will and you will suffer no
loss.
If you seek this or that, if you wish to be in this place or
that place, to have more ease and pleasure, you will never rest or
be free from care, for some defect is found in everything and
everywhere someone will vex you. To obtain and multiply earthly
goods, then, will not help you, but to despise them and root them
out of your heart will aid. This, understand, is true not only of
money and wealth, but also of ambition for honor and desire for
empty praise, all of which will pass away with this world.
The place matters little if the spirit of fervor is not
there; nor will peace be lasting if it is sought from the outside;
if your heart has no true foundation, that is, if you are not
founded in Me, you may change, but you will not better yourself.
For when occasion arises and is accepted, you will find that from
which you fled and worse.
A Prayer for Cleansing the Heart and Obtaining Heavenly Wisdom
Strengthen me by the grace of Your holy spirit, O God. Give
me the power to be strengthened inwardly and to empty my heart of
all vain care and anxiety, so that I may not be drawn away by many
desires, whether for precious things or mean ones. Let me look
upon everything as passing, and upon myself as soon to pass away
with them, because there is nothing lasting under the sun, where
all is vanity and affliction of spirit. How wise is he who thinks
thus!
Give me, Lord, heavenly wisdom to learn above all else to
seek and find You, to enjoy and love You more than anything, and
to consider other things as they are, as Your wisdom has ordered
them. Grant me prudence to avoid the flatterer and to bear
patiently with him who disagrees with me. For it is great wisdom
not to be moved by the sound of words, nor to give ear to the
wicked, flattering siren. Then, I shall walk safely in the way I
have begun.
The Twenty-Eighth Chapter
Strength Against Slander
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, do not take it to heart if some people think badly of
you and say unpleasant things about you. You ought to think worse
things of yourself and to believe that no one is weaker than
yourself. Moreover, if you walk in the spirit you will pay little
heed to fleeting words. It is no small prudence to remain silent
in evil times, to turn inwardly to Me, and not to be disturbed by
human opinions. Do not let your peace depend on the words of men.
Their thinking well or badly of you does not make you different
from what you are. Where are true peace and glory? Are they not in
Me? He who neither cares to please men nor fears to displease them
will enjoy great peace, for all unrest and distraction of the
senses arise out of disorderly love and vain fear.
The Twenty-Ninth Chapter
How We Must Call Upon and Bless the Lord When Trouble Presses
The Disciple
BLESSED be Your name forever, O Lord, Who have willed that this
temptation and trouble come upon me. I cannot escape it, yet I
must fly to You that You may help me and turn it to my good. Now I
am troubled, Lord, and my heart is not at rest, for I am greatly
afflicted by this present suffering.
Beloved Father, what shall I say? I am straitened in harsh
ways. Save me from this hour to which, however, I am come that You
may be glorified when I am deeply humbled and freed by You. May it
please You, then, to deliver me, Lord, for what can I, poor wretch
that I am, do or where can I go without You? Give me patience,
Lord, even now. Help me, my God, and I will not be afraid however
much I may be distressed.
But here, in the midst of these troubles, what shall I say?
Your will be done, Lord. I have richly deserved to be troubled and
distressed. But I must bear it. Would that I could do so
patiently, until the storm passes and calm returns! Yet Your
almighty hand can take this temptation from me, or lighten its
attack so that I do not altogether sink beneath it, as You, my
God, my Mercy, have very often done for me before. And the more
difficult my plight, the easier for You is this change of the
right hand of the Most High.
The Thirtieth Chapter
The Quest of Divine Help and Confidence in Regaining Grace
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, I am the Lord Who gives strength in the day of trouble.
Come to Me when all is not well with you. Your tardiness in
turning to prayer is the greatest obstacle to heavenly
consolation, for before you pray earnestly to Me you first seek
many comforts and take pleasure in outward things. Thus, all
things are of little profit to you until you realize that I am the
one Who saves those who trust in Me, and that outside of Me there
is no worth-while help, or any useful counsel or lasting remedy.
But now, after the tempest, take courage, grow strong once
more in the light of My mercies; for I am near, says the Lord, to
restore all things not only to the full but with abundance and
above measure. Is anything difficult for Me? Or shall I be as one
who promises and does not act? Where is your faith? Stand firm and
persevere. Be a man of endurance and courage, and consolation will
come to you in due time. Wait for Me; wait -- and I will come to
heal you.
It is only a temptation that troubles you, a vain fear that
terrifies you.
Of what use is anxiety about the future? Does it bring you
anything but trouble upon trouble? Sufficient for the day is the
evil thereof. It is foolish and useless to be either grieved or
happy about future things which perhaps may never happen. But it
is human to be deluded by such imaginations, and the sign of a
weak soul to be led on by suggestions of the enemy. For he does
not care whether he overcomes you by love of the present or fear
of the future.
Let not your heart be troubled, therefore, nor let it be
afraid. Believe in Me and trust in My mercy. When you think you
are far from Me, then often I am very near you. When you judge
that almost all is lost, then very often you are in the way of
gaining great merit.
All is not lost when things go contrary to your wishes. You
ought not judge according to present feelings, nor give in to any
trouble whenever it comes, or take it as though all hope of escape
were lost. And do not consider yourself forsaken if I send some
temporary hardship, or withdraw the consolation you desire. For
this is the way to the kingdom of heaven, and without doubt it is
better for you and the rest of My servants to be tried in
adversities than to have all things as you wish. I know your
secret thoughts, and I know that it is profitable for your
salvation to be left sometimes in despondency lest perhaps you be
puffed up by success and fancy yourself to be what you are not.
What I have given, I can take away and restore when it
pleases Me. What I give remains Mine, and thus when I take it away
I take nothing that is yours, for every good gift and every
perfect gift is Mine.
If I send you trouble and adversity, do not fret or let your
heart be downcast. I can raise you quickly up again and turn all
your sorrow into joy. I am no less just and worthy of great praise
when I deal with you in this way.
If you think aright and view things in their true light, you
should never be so dejected and saddened by adversity, but rather
rejoice and give thanks, considering it a matter of special joy
that I afflict you with sorrow and do not spare you. "As the
Father hath loved Me, so also I love you," I said to My disciples,
and I certainly did not send them out to temporal joys but rather
to great struggles, not to honors but to contempt, not to
idleness, but to labors, not to rest but to bring forth much fruit
in patience. Do you, My child, remember these words.
The Thirty-First Chapter
To Find the Creator, Forsake All Creatures
The Disciple
O LORD, I am in sore need still of greater grace if I am to arrive
at the point where no man and no created thing can be an obstacle
to me. For as long as anything holds me back, I cannot freely fly
to You. He that said "Oh that I had wings like a dove, that I
might fly away and be at rest!"[35] desired to fly freely to You.
Who is more at rest than he who aims at nothing but God? And who
more free than the man who desires nothing on earth?
It is well, then, to pass over all creation, perfectly to
abandon self, and to see in ecstasy of mind that You, the Creator
of all, have no likeness among all Your creatures, and that unless
a man be freed from all creatures, he cannot attend freely to the
Divine. The reason why so few contemplative persons are found, is
that so few know how to separate themselves entirely from what is
transitory and created.
For this, indeed, great grace is needed, grace that will
raise the soul and lift it up above itself. Unless a man be
elevated in spirit, free from all creatures, and completely united
to God, all his knowledge and possessions are of little moment. He
who considers anything great except the one, immense, eternal good
will long be little and lie groveling on the earth. Whatever is
not God is nothing and must be accounted as nothing.
There is great difference between the wisdom of an
enlightened and devout man and the learning of a well-read and
brilliant scholar, for the knowledge which flows down from divine
sources is much nobler than that laboriously acquired by human
industry.
Many there are who desire contemplation, but who do not care
to do the things which contemplation requires. It is also a great
obstacle to be satisfied with externals and sensible things, and
to have so little of perfect mortification. I know not what it is,
or by what spirit we are led, or to what we pretend -- we who wish
to be called spiritual -- that we spend so much labor and even
more anxiety on things that are transitory and mean, while we
seldom or never advert with full consciousness to our interior
concerns.
Alas, after very little recollection we falter, not weighing
our deeds by strict examination. We pay no attention to where our
affections lie, nor do we deplore the fact that our actions are
impure.
Remember that because all flesh had corrupted its course, the
great deluge followed. Since, then, our interior affection is
corrupt, it must be that the action which follows from it, the
index as it were of our lack of inward strength, is also corrupt.
Out of a pure heart come the fruits of a good life.
People are wont to ask how much a man has done, but they
think little of the virtue with which he acts. They ask: Is he
strong? rich? handsome? a good writer? a good singer? or a good
worker? They say little, however, about how poor he is in spirit,
how patient and meek, how devout and spiritual. Nature looks to
his outward appearance; grace turns to his inward being. The one
often errs, the other trusts in God and is not deceived.
-----
[35] Ps. 54:7.
The Thirty-Second Chapter
Self-Denial and the Renunciation of Evil Appetites
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, you can never be perfectly free unless you completely
renounce self, for all who seek their own interest and who love
themselves are bound in fetters. They are unsettled by
covetousness and curiosity, always searching for ease and not for
the things of Christ, often devising and framing that which will
not last, for anything that is not of God will fail completely.
Hold to this short and perfect advice, therefore: give up
your desires and you will find rest. Think upon it in your heart,
and when you have put it into practice you will understand all
things.
The Disciple
But this, Lord, is not the work of one day, nor is it mere
child's play; indeed, in this brief sentence is included all the
perfection of holy persons.
The Voice of Christ
My child, you should not turn away or be downcast when you
hear the way of the perfect. Rather you ought to be spurred on the
more toward their sublime heights, or at least be moved to seek
perfection.
I would this were the case with you -- that you had
progressed to the point where you no longer loved self but simply
awaited My bidding and his whom I have placed as father over you.
Then you would please Me very much, and your whole life would pass
in peace and joy. But you have yet many things which you must give
up, and unless you resign them entirely to Me you will not obtain
that which you ask.
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold, fire-tried, that thou
mayest be made rich"[36] -- rich in heavenly wisdom which treads
underfoot all that is low. Put aside earthly wisdom, all human
self-complacency.
I have said: exchange what is precious and valued among men
for that which is considered contemptible. For true heavenly
wisdom -- not to think highly of self and not to seek glory on
earth -- does indeed seem mean and small and is well-nigh
forgotten, as many men praise it with their mouths but shy far
away from it in their lives. Yet this heavenly wisdom is a pearl
of great price, which is hidden from many.
-----
[36] Apoc. 3:18.
The Thirty-Third Chapter
Restlessness of Soul -- Directing Our Final Intention Toward God
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, do not trust in your present feeling, for it will soon
give way to another. As long as you live you will be subject to
changeableness in spite of yourself. You will become merry at one
time and sad at another, now peaceful but again disturbed, at one
moment devout and the next indevout, sometimes diligent while at
other times lazy, now grave and again flippant.
But the man who is wise and whose spirit is well instructed
stands superior to these changes. He pays no attention to what he
feels in himself or from what quarter the wind of fickleness
blows, so long as the whole intention of his mind is conducive to
his proper and desired end. For thus he can stand undivided,
unchanged, and unshaken, with the singleness of his intention
directed unwaveringly toward Me, even in the midst of so many
changing events. And the purer this singleness of intention is,
with so much the more constancy does he pass through many storms.
But in many ways the eye of pure intention grows dim, because
it is attracted to any delightful thing that it meets. Indeed, it
is rare to find one who is entirely free from all taint of self-
seeking. The Jews of old, for example, came to Bethany to Martha
and Mary, not for Jesus' sake alone, but in order to see Lazarus.
The eye of your intention, therefore, must be cleansed so
that it is single and right. It must be directed toward Me,
despite all the objects which may interfere.
The Thirty-Fourth Chapter
God is Sweet Above All Things and in All Things
to Those Who Love Him
The Disciple
BEHOLD, my God and my all! What more do I wish for; what greater
happiness can I desire? O sweet and delicious word! But sweet only
to him who loves it, and not to the world or the things that are
in the world.
My God and my all! These words are enough for him who
understands, and for him who loves it is a joy to repeat them
often. For when You are present, all things are delightful; when
You are absent, all things become loathsome. It is You Who give a
heart tranquillity, great peace and festive joy. It is You Who
make us think well of all things, and praise You in all things.
Without You nothing can give pleasure for very long, for if it is
to be pleasing and tasteful, Your grace and the seasoning of Your
wisdom must be in it. What is there that can displease him whose
happiness is in You? And, on the contrary, what can satisfy him
whose delight is not in You?
The wise men of the world, the men who lust for the flesh,
are wanting in Your wisdom, because in the world is found the
utmost vanity, and in the flesh is death. But they who follow You
by disdaining worldly things and mortifying the flesh are known to
be truly wise, for they are transported from vanity to truth, from
flesh to spirit. By such as these God is relished, and whatever
good is found in creatures they turn to praise of the Creator. But
great -- yes, very great, indeed -- is the difference between
delight in the Creator and in the creature, in eternity and in
time, in Light uncreated and in the light that is reflected.
O Light eternal, surpassing all created brightness, flash
forth the lightning from above and enlighten the inmost recesses
of my heart. Cleanse, cheer, enlighten, and vivify my spirit with
all its powers, that it may cleave to You in ecstasies of joy. Oh,
when will that happy and wished-for hour come, that You may fill
me with Your presence and become all in all to me? So long as this
is not given me, my joy will not be complete.
The old man, alas, yet lives within me. He has not yet been
entirely crucified; he is not yet entirely dead. He still lusts
strongly against the spirit, and he will not leave the kingdom of
my soul in peace. But You, Who can command the power of the sea
and calm the tumult of its waves, arise and help me. Scatter the
nations that delight in war; crush them in Your sight. Show forth
I beg, Your wonderful works and let Your right hand be glorified,
because for me there is no other hope or refuge except in You, O
Lord, my God.
The Thirty-Fifth Chapter
There is No Security from Temptation in This Life
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, in this life you are never safe, and as long as you live
the weapons of the spirit will ever be necessary to you. You dwell
among enemies. You are subject to attack from the right and the
left. If, therefore, you do not guard yourself from every quarter
with the shield of patience, you will not remain long unscathed.
Moreover, if you do not steadily set your heart on Me, with a
firm will to suffer everything for My sake, you will not be able
to bear the heat of this battle or to win the crown of the
blessed. You ought, therefore, to pass through all these things
bravely and to oppose a strong hand to whatever stands in your
way. For to him who triumphs heavenly bread is given, while for
him who is too lazy to fight there remains much misery.
If you look for rest in this life, how will you attain to
everlasting rest? Dispose yourself, then, not for much rest but
for great patience. Seek true peace, not on earth but in heaven;
not in men or in other creatures but in God alone. For love of God
you should undergo all things cheerfully, all labors and sorrows,
temptations and trials, anxieties, weaknesses, necessities,
injuries, slanders, rebukes, humiliations, confusions,
corrections, and contempt. For these are helps to virtue. These
are the trials of Christ's recruit. These form the heavenly crown.
For a little brief labor I will give an everlasting crown, and for
passing confusion, glory that is eternal.
Do you think that you will always have spiritual consolations
as you desire? My saints did not always have them. Instead, they
had many afflictions, temptations of various kinds, and great
desolation. Yet they bore them all patiently. They placed their
confidence in God rather than in themselves, knowing that the
sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the
glory that is to come. And you -- do you wish to have at once that
which others have scarcely obtained after many tears and great
labors?
Wait for the Lord, act bravely, and have courage. Do not lose
trust. Do not turn back but devote your body and soul constantly
to God's glory. I will reward you most plentifully. I will be with
you in every tribulation.
The Thirty-Sixth Chapter
The Vain Judgments of Men
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, trust firmly in the Lord, and do not fear the judgment
of men when conscience tells you that you are upright and
innocent. For it is good and blessed to suffer such things, and
they will not weigh heavily on the humble heart that trusts in God
rather than in itself. Many men say many things, and therefore
little faith is to be put in them.
Likewise, it is impossible to satisfy all men. Although Paul
tried to please all in the Lord, and became all things to all men,
yet he made little of their opinions. He labored abundantly for
the edification and salvation of others, as much as lay in him and
as much as he could, but he could not escape being sometimes
judged and despised by others. Therefore, he committed all to God
Who knows all things, and defended himself by his patience and
humility against the tongues of those who spoke unjustly or
thought foolish things and lies, or made accusations against him.
Sometimes, indeed, he did answer them, but only lest his silence
scandalize the weak.
Who are you, then, that you should be afraid of mortal man?
Today he is here, tomorrow he is not seen. Fear God and you will
not be afraid of the terrors of men. What can anyone do to you by
word or injury? He hurts himself rather than you, and no matter
who he may be he cannot escape the judgment of God. Keep God
before your eyes, therefore, and do not quarrel with peevish
words.
If it seems, then, that you are worsted and that you suffer
undeserved shame, do not repine over it and do not lessen your
crown by impatience. Look instead to heaven, to Me, Who have power
to deliver you from all disgrace and injury, and to render to
everyone according to his works.
The Thirty-Seventh Chapter
Pure and Entire Resignation of Self to Obtain Freedom of Heart
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, renounce self and you shall find Me. Give up your own
self-will, your possessions, and you shall always gain. For once
you resign yourself irrevocably, greater grace will be given you.
The Disciple
How often, Lord, shall I resign myself? And in what shall I
forsake myself?
The Voice of Christ
Always, at every hour, in small matters as well as great -- I
except nothing. In all things I wish you to be stripped of self.
How otherwise can you be mine or I yours unless you be despoiled
of your own will both inwardly and outwardly? The sooner you do
this the better it will be for you, and the more fully and
sincerely you do it the more you will please Me and the greater
gain you will merit.
Some there are who resign themselves, but with certain
reservation; they do not trust fully in God and therefore they try
to provide for themselves. Others, again, at first offer all, but
afterward are assailed by temptation and return to what they have
renounced, thereby making no progress in virtue. These will not
reach the true liberty of a pure heart nor the grace of happy
friendship with Me unless they first make a full resignation and a
daily sacrifice of themselves. Without this no fruitful union
lasts nor will last.
I have said to you very often, and now I say again: forsake
yourself, renounce yourself and you shall enjoy great inward
peace. Give all for all. Ask nothing, demand nothing in return.
Trust purely and without hesitation in Me, and you shall possess
Me. You will be free of heart and darkness will not overwhelm you.
Strive for this, pray for this, desire this -- to be stripped
of all selfishness and naked to follow the naked Jesus, to die to
self and live forever for Me. Then all vain imaginations, all
wicked disturbances and superfluous cares will vanish. Then also
immoderate fear will leave you and inordinate love will die.
The Thirty-Eighth Chapter
The Right Ordering of External Affairs; Recourse to God in Dangers
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, you must strive diligently to be inwardly free, to have
mastery over yourself everywhere, in every external act and
occupation, that all things be subject to you and not you to them,
that you be the master and director of your actions, not a slave
or a mere hired servant. You should be rather a free man and a
true Hebrew, arising to the status and freedom of the children of
God who stand above present things to contemplate those which are
eternal; who look upon passing affairs with the left eye and upon
those of heaven with the right; whom temporal things do not so
attract that they cling to them, but who rather put these things
to such proper service as is ordained and instituted by God, the
great Workmaster, Who leaves nothing unordered in His creation.
If, likewise, in every happening you are not content simply
with outward appearances, if you do not regard with carnal eyes
things which you see and hear, but whatever be the affair, enter
with Moses into the tabernacle to ask advice of the Lord, you will
sometimes hear the divine answer and return instructed in many
things present and to come. For Moses always had recourse to the
tabernacle for the solution of doubts and questions, and fled to
prayer for support in dangers and the evil deeds of men. So you
also should take refuge in the secret chamber of your heart,
begging earnestly for divine aid.
For this reason, as we read, Joshua and the children of
Israel were deceived by the Gibeonites because they did not first
seek counsel of the Lord, but trusted too much in fair words and
hence were deceived by false piety.
The Thirty-Ninth Chapter
A Man Should Not Be Unduly Solicitous About His Affairs
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, always commit your cause to Me. I will dispose of it
rightly in good time. Await My ordering of it and it will be to
your advantage.
The Disciple
Lord, I willingly commit all things to You, for my anxiety
can profit me little. But I would that I were not so concerned
about the future, and instead offered myself without hesitation to
Your good pleasure.
The Voice of Christ
My child, it often happens that a man seeks ardently after
something he desires and then when he has attained it he begins to
think that it is not at all desirable; for affections do not
remain fixed on the same thing, but rather flit from one to
another. It is no very small matter, therefore, for a man to
forsake himself even in things that are very small.
A man's true progress consists in denying himself, and the
man who has denied himself is truly free and secure. The old
enemy, however, setting himself against all good, never ceases to
tempt them, but day and night plots dangerous snares to cast the
unwary into the net of deceit. "Watch ye and pray," says the Lord,
"that ye enter not into temptation."[37]
-----
[37] Matt. 16:41.
The Fortieth Chapter
Man Has No Good in Himself and Can Glory in Nothing
The Disciple
LORD, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man
that You visit him? What has man deserved that You should give him
Your grace? What cause have I, Lord, to complain if You desert me,
or what objection can I have if You do not do what I ask? This I
may think and say in all truth: "Lord, I am nothing, of myself I
have nothing that is good; I am lacking in all things, and I am
ever tending toward nothing. And unless I have Your help and am
inwardly strengthened by You, I become quite lukewarm and lax."
But You, Lord, are always the same. You remain forever,
always good, just, and holy; doing all things rightly, justly, and
holily, disposing them wisely. I, however, who am more ready to go
backward than forward, do not remain always in one state, for I
change with the seasons. Yet my condition quickly improves when it
pleases You and when You reach forth Your helping hand. For You
alone, without human aid, can help me and strengthen me so greatly
that my heart shall no more change but be converted and rest
solely in You. Hence, if I knew well how to cast aside all earthly
consolation, either to attain devotion or because of the necessity
which, in the absence of human solace, compels me to seek You
alone, then I could deservedly hope for Your grace and rejoice in
the gift of new consolation.
Thanks be to You from Whom all things come, whenever it is
well with me. In Your sight I am vanity and nothingness, a weak,
unstable man. In what, therefore, can I glory, and how can I wish
to be highly regarded? Is it because I am nothing? This, too, is
utterly vain. Indeed, the greatest vanity is the evil plague of
empty self-glory, because it draws one away from true glory and
robs one of heavenly grace. For when a man is pleased with himself
he displeases You, when he pants after human praise he is deprived
of true virtue. But it is true glory and holy exultation to glory
in You and not in self, to rejoice in Your name rather than in
one's own virtue, and not to delight in any creature except for
Your sake.
Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine,
be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human
praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my
heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself
I will glory in nothing but my infirmities.
Let the Jews seek the glory that comes from another. I will
seek that which comes from God alone. All human glory, all
temporal honor, all worldly position is truly vanity and
foolishness compared to Your everlasting glory. O my Truth, my
Mercy, my God, O Blessed Trinity, to You alone be praise and
honor, power and glory, throughout all the endless ages of ages.
The Forty-First Chapter
Contempt for All Earthly Honor
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, do not take it to heart if you see others honored and
advanced, while you yourself are despised and humbled. Lift up
your heart to Me in heaven and the contempt of men on earth will
not grieve you.
The Disciple
Lord, we are blinded and quickly misled by vanity. If I
examine myself rightly, no injury has ever been done me by any
creature; hence I have nothing for which to make just complaint to
You. But I have sinned often and gravely against You; therefore is
every creature in arms against me. Confusion and contempt should
in justice come upon me, but to You due praise, honor, and glory.
And unless I prepare myself to be willingly despised and forsaken
by every creature, to be considered absolutely nothing, I cannot
have interior peace and strength, nor can I be enlightened
spiritually or completely united with You.
The Forty-Second Chapter
Peace is Not to Be Placed in Men
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, if you place your peace in any creature because of your
own feeling or for the sake of his company, you will be unsettled
and entangled. But if you have recourse to the ever-living and
abiding Truth, you will not grieve if a friend should die or
forsake you. Your love for your friend should be grounded in Me,
and for My sake you should love whoever seems to be good and is
very dear to you in this life. Without Me friendship has no
strength and cannot endure. Love which I do not bind is neither
true nor pure.
You ought, therefore, to be so dead to such human affections
as to wish as far as lies within you to be without the fellowship
of men. Man draws nearer to God in proportion as he withdraws
farther from all earthly comfort. And he ascends higher to God as
he descends lower into himself and grows more vile in his own
eyes. He who attributes any good to himself hinders God's grace
from coming into his heart, for the grace of the Holy Spirit seeks
always the humble heart.
If you knew how to annihilate yourself completely and empty
yourself of all created love, then I should overflow in you with
great grace. When you look to creatures, the sight of the Creator
is taken from you. Learn, therefore, to conquer yourself in all
things for the sake of your Maker. Then will you be able to attain
to divine knowledge. But anything, no matter how small, that is
loved and regarded inordinately keeps you back from the highest
good and corrupts the soul.
The Forty-Third Chapter
Beware Vain and Worldly Knowledge
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, do not let the fine-sounding and subtle words of men
deceive you. For the kingdom of heaven consists not in talk but in
virtue. Attend, rather, to My words which enkindle the heart and
enlighten the mind, which excite contrition and abound in manifold
consolations. Never read them for the purpose of appearing more
learned or more wise. Apply yourself to mortifying your vices, for
this will benefit you more than your understanding of many
difficult questions.
Though you shall have read and learned many things, it will
always be necessary for you to return to this one principle: I am
He who teaches man knowledge, and to the little ones I give a
clearer understanding than can be taught by man. He to whom I
speak will soon be wise and his soul will profit. But woe to those
who inquire of men about many curious things, and care very little
about the way they serve Me.
The time will come when Christ, the Teacher of teachers, the
Lord of angels, will appear to hear the lessons of all -- that is,
to examine the conscience of everyone. Then He will search
Jerusalem with lamps and the hidden things of darkness will be
brought to light and the arguings of men's tongues be silenced.
I am He Who in one moment so enlightens the humble mind that
it comprehends more of eternal truth than could be learned by ten
years in the schools. I teach without noise of words or clash of
opinions, without ambition for honor or confusion of argument.
I am He Who teaches man to despise earthly possessions and to
loathe present things, to ask after the eternal, to hunger for
heaven, to fly honors and to bear with scandals, to place all hope
in Me, to desire nothing apart from Me, and to love Me ardently
above all things. For a certain man by loving Me intimately
learned divine truths and spoke wonders. He profited more by
leaving all things than by studying subtle questions.
To some I speak of common things, to others of special
matters. To some I appear with sweetness in signs and figures, and
to others I appear in great light and reveal mysteries. The voice
of books is but a single voice, yet it does not teach all men
alike, because I within them am the Teacher and the Truth, the
Examiner of hearts, the Understander of thoughts, the Promoter of
acts, distributing to each as I see fit.
The Forty-Fourth Chapter
Do Not Be Concerned About Outward Things
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, there are many matters of which it is well for you to be
ignorant, and to consider yourself as one who is dead upon the
earth and to whom the whole world is crucified. There are many
things, too, which it is well to pass by with a deaf ear,
thinking, instead, of what is more to your peace. It is more
profitable to turn away from things which displease you and to
leave to every man his own opinion than to take part in
quarrelsome talk. If you stand well with God and look to His
judgment, you will more easily bear being worsted.
The Disciple
To what have we come, Lord? Behold, we bewail a temporal
loss. We labor and fret for a small gain, while loss of the soul
is forgotten and scarcely ever returns to mind. That which is of
little or no value claims our attention, whereas that which is of
highest necessity is neglected -- all because man gives himself
wholly to outward things. And unless he withdraws himself quickly,
he willingly lies immersed in externals.
The Forty-Fifth Chapter
All Men Are Not to Be Believed, for It Is Easy to Err in Speech
The Disciple
GRANT me help in my needs, O Lord, for the aid of man is useless.
How often have I failed to find faithfulness in places where I
thought I possessed it! And how many times I have found it where I
least expected it! Vain, therefore, is hope in men, but the
salvation of the just is in You, O God. Blessed be Your name, O
Lord my God, in everything that befalls us.
We are weak and unstable, quickly deceived and changed. Who
is the man that is able to guard himself with such caution and
care as not sometimes to fall into deception or perplexity? He who
confides in You, O Lord, and seeks You with a simple heart does
not fall so easily. And if some trouble should come upon him, no
matter how entangled in it he may be, he will be more quickly
delivered and comforted by You. For You will not forsake him who
trusts in You to the very end.
Rare is the friend who remains faithful through all his
friend's distress. But You, Lord, and You alone, are entirely
faithful in all things; other than You, there is none so faithful.
Oh, how wise is that holy soul[38] who said: "My mind is
firmly settled and founded in Christ." If that were true of me,
human fear would not so easily cause me anxiety, nor would the
darts of words disturb. But who can foresee all things and provide
against all evils? And if things foreseen have often hurt, can
those which are unlooked for do otherwise than wound us gravely?
Why, indeed, have I not provided better for my wretched self? Why,
too, have I so easily kept faith in others? We are but men,
however, nothing more than weak men, although we are thought by
many to be, and are called, angels.
In whom shall I put my faith, Lord? In whom but You? You are
the truth which does not deceive and cannot be deceived. Every
man, on the other hand, is a liar, weak, unstable, and likely to
err, especially in words, so that one ought not to be too quick to
believe even that which seems, on the face of it, to sound true.
How wise was Your warning to beware of men; that a man's enemies
are those of his own household; that we should not believe if
anyone says: "Behold he is here, or behold he is there."
I have been taught to my own cost, and I hope it has given me
greater caution, not greater folly. "Beware," they say, "beware
and keep to yourself what I tell you!" Then while I keep silent,
believing that the matter is secret, he who asks me to be silent
cannot remain silent himself, but immediately betrays both me and
himself, and goes his way. From tales of this kind and from such
careless men protect me, O Lord, lest I fall into their hands and
into their ways. Put in my mouth words that are true and steadfast
and keep far from me the crafty tongue, because what I am not
willing to suffer I ought by all means to shun.
Oh, how good and how peaceful it is to be silent about
others, not to believe without discrimination all that is said,
not easily to report it further, to reveal oneself to few, always
to seek You as the discerner of hearts, and not to be blown away
by every wind of words, but to wish that all things, within and
beyond us, be done according to the pleasure of Thy will.
How conducive it is for the keeping of heavenly grace to fly
the gaze of men, not to seek abroad things which seem to cause
admiration, but to follow with utmost diligence those which give
fervor and amendment of life! How many have been harmed by having
their virtue known and praised too hastily! And how truly
profitable it has been when grace remained hidden during this
frail life, which is all temptation and warfare!
-----
[38] St. Agatha.
The Forty-Sixth Chapter
Trust in God Against Slander
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, stand firm and trust in Me. For what are words but
words? They fly through the air but hurt not a stone. If you are
guilty, consider how you would gladly amend. If you are not
conscious of any fault, think that you wish to bear this for the
sake of God. It is little enough for you occasionally to endure
words, since you are not yet strong enough to bear hard blows.
And why do such small matters pierce you to the heart, unless
because you are still carnal and pay more heed to men than you
ought? You do not wish to be reproved for your faults and you seek
shelter in excuses because you are afraid of being despised. But
look into yourself more thoroughly and you will learn that the
world is still alive in you, in a vain desire to please men. For
when you shrink from being abased and confounded for your
failings, it is plain indeed that you are not truly humble or
truly dead to the world, and that the world is not crucified in
you.
Listen to My word, and you will not value ten thousand words
of men. Behold, if every malicious thing that could possibly be
invented were uttered against you, what harm could it do if you
ignored it all and gave it no more thought than you would a blade
of grass? Could it so much as pluck one hair from your head?
He who does not keep his heart within him, and who does not
have God before his eyes is easily moved by a word of
disparagement. He who trusts in Me, on the other hand, and who has
no desire to stand by his own judgment, will be free from the fear
of men. For I am the judge and discerner of all secrets. I know
how all things happen. I know who causes injury and who suffers
it. From Me that word proceeded, and with My permission it
happened, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed. I
shall judge the guilty and the innocent; but I have wished
beforehand to try them both by secret judgment.
The testimony of man is often deceiving, but My judgment is
true -- it will stand and not be overthrown. It is hidden from
many and made known to but a few. Yet it is never mistaken and
cannot be mistaken even though it does not seem right in the eyes
of the unwise.
To Me, therefore, you ought to come in every decision, not
depending on your own judgment. For the just man will not be
disturbed, no matter what may befall him from God. Even if an
unjust charge be made against him he will not be much troubled.
Neither will he exult vainly if through others he is justly
acquitted. He considers that it is I Who search the hearts and
inmost thoughts of men, that I do not judge according to the face
of things or human appearances. For what the judgment of men
considers praiseworthy is often worthy of blame in My sight.
The Disciple
O Lord God, just Judge, strong and patient, You Who know the
weakness and depravity of men, be my strength and all my
confidence, for my own conscience is not sufficient for me. You
know what I do not know, and, therefore, I ought to humble myself
whenever I am accused and bear it meekly. Forgive me, then, in
Your mercy for my every failure in this regard, and give me once
more the grace of greater endurance. Better to me is Your abundant
mercy in obtaining pardon than the justice which I imagine in
defending the secrets of my conscience. And though I am not
conscious to myself of any fault, yet I cannot thereby justify
myself, because without Your mercy no man living will be justified
in Your sight.
The Forty-Seventh Chapter
Every Trial Must Be Borne for the Sake of Eternal Life
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, do not let the labors which you have taken up for My
sake break you, and do not let troubles, from whatever source,
cast you down; but in everything let My promise strengthen and
console you. I am able to reward you beyond all means and measure.
You will not labor here long, nor will you always be
oppressed by sorrows. Wait a little while and you will see a
speedy end of evils. The hour will come when all labor and trouble
shall be no more. All that passes away with time is trivial.
What you do, do well. Work faithfully in My vineyard. I will
be your reward. Write, read, sing, mourn, keep silence, pray, and
bear hardships like a man. Eternal life is worth all these and
greater battles. Peace will come on a day which is known to the
Lord, and then there shall be no day or night as at present but
perpetual light, infinite brightness, lasting peace, and safe
repose. Then you will not say: "Who shall deliver me from the body
of this death?" nor will you cry: "Woe is me, because my sojourn
is prolonged." For then death will be banished, and there will be
health unfailing. There will be no anxiety then, but blessed joy
and sweet, noble companionship.
If you could see the everlasting crowns of the saints in
heaven, and the great glory wherein they now rejoice -- they who
were once considered contemptible in this world and, as it were,
unworthy of life itself -- you would certainly humble yourself at
once to the very earth, and seek to be subject to all rather than
to command even one. Nor would you desire the pleasant days of
this life, but rather be glad to suffer for God, considering it
your greatest gain to be counted as nothing among men.
Oh, if these things appealed to you and penetrated deeply
into your heart, how could you dare to complain even once? Ought
not all trials be borne for the sake of everlasting life? In
truth, the loss or gain of God's kingdom is no small matter.
Lift up your countenance to heaven, then. Behold Me, and with
Me all My saints. They had great trials in this life, but now they
rejoice. They are consoled. Now they are safe and at rest. And
they shall abide with Me for all eternity in the kingdom of My
Father.
The Forty-Eighth Chapter
The Day of Eternity and the Distresses of This Life
The Disciple
O MOST happy mansion of the city above! O most bright day of
eternity, which night does not darken, but which the highest truth
ever enlightens! O day, ever joyful and ever secure, which never
changes its state to the opposite! Oh, that this day shine forth,
that all these temporal things come to an end! It envelops the
saints all resplendent with heavenly brightness, but it appears
far off as through a glass to us wanderers on the earth. The
citizens of heaven know how joyful that day is, but the exiled
sons of Eve mourn that this one is bitter and tedious.
The days of this life are short and evil, full of grief and
distress. Here man is defiled by many sins, ensnared in many
passions, enslaved by many fears, and burdened with many cares. He
is distracted by many curiosities and entangled in many vanities,
surrounded by many errors and worn by many labors, oppressed by
temptations, weakened by pleasures, and tortured by want.
Oh, when will these evils end? When shall I be freed from the
miserable slavery of vice? When, Lord, shall I think of You alone?
When shall I fully rejoice in You? When shall I be without
hindrance, in true liberty, free from every grievance of mind and
body? When will there be solid peace, undisturbed and secure,
inward peace and outward peace, peace secured on every side? O
good Jesus, when shall I stand to gaze upon You? When shall I
contemplate the glory of Your kingdom? When will You be all in all
to me? Oh, when shall I be with You in that kingdom of Yours,
which You have prepared for Your beloved from all eternity?
I am left poor and exiled in a hostile land, where every day
sees wars and very great misfortunes. Console my banishment,
assuage my sorrow. My whole desire is for You. Whatever solace
this world offers is a burden to me. I desire to enjoy You
intimately, but I cannot attain to it. I wish to cling fast to
heavenly things, but temporal affairs and unmortified passions
bear me down. I wish in mind to be above all things, but I am
forced by the flesh to be unwillingly subject to them. Thus, I
fight with myself, unhappy that I am, and am become a burden to
myself, while my spirit seeks to rise upward and my flesh to sink
downward. Oh, what inward suffering I undergo when I consider
heavenly things; when I pray, a multitude of carnal thoughts rush
upon me!
O my God, do not remove Yourself far from me, and depart not
in anger from Your servant. Dart forth Your lightning and disperse
them; send forth Your arrows and let the phantoms of the enemy be
put to flight. Draw my senses toward You and make me forget all
worldly things. Grant me the grace to cast away quickly all
vicious imaginings and to scorn them. Aid me, O heavenly Truth,
that no vanity may move me. Come, heavenly Sweetness, and let all
impurity fly from before Your face.
Pardon me also, and deal mercifully with me, as often as I
think of anything besides You in prayer. For I confess truly that
I am accustomed to be very much distracted. Very often I am not
where bodily I stand or sit; rather, I am where my thoughts carry
me. Where my thoughts are, there am I; and frequently my thoughts
are where my love is. That which naturally delights, or is by
habit pleasing, comes to me quickly. Hence You Who are Truth
itself, have plainly said: "For where your treasure is, there is
your heart also." If I love heaven, I think willingly of heavenly
things. If I love the world, I rejoice at the happiness of the
world and grieve at its troubles. If I love the flesh, I often
imagine things that are carnal. If I love the spirit, I delight in
thinking of spiritual matters. For whatever I love, I am willing
to speak and hear about.
Blessed is the man who for Your sake, O Lord, dismisses all
creatures, does violence to nature, crucifies the desires of the
flesh in fervor of spirit, so that with serene conscience he can
offer You a pure prayer and, having excluded all earthly things
inwardly and outwardly, becomes worthy to enter into the heavenly
choirs.
The Forty-Ninth Chapter
The Desire of Eternal Life;
the Great Rewards Promised to Those Who Struggle
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, when you feel the desire for everlasting happiness
poured out upon you from above, and when you long to depart out of
the tabernacle of the body that you may contemplate My glory
without threat of change, open wide your heart and receive this
holy inspiration with all eagerness. Give deepest thanks to the
heavenly Goodness which deals with you so understandingly, visits
you so mercifully, stirs you so fervently, and sustains you so
powerfully lest under your own weight you sink down to earthly
things. For you obtain this not by your own thought or effort, but
simply by the condescension of heavenly grace and divine regard.
And the purpose of it is that you may advance in virtue and in
greater humility, that you may prepare yourself for future trials,
that you may strive to cling to Me with all the affection of your
heart, and may serve Me with a fervent will.
My child, often, when the fire is burning the flame does not
ascend without smoke. Likewise, the desires of some burn toward
heavenly things, and yet they are not free from temptations of
carnal affection. Therefore, it is not altogether for the pure
honor of God that they act when they petition Him so earnestly.
Such, too, is often your desire which you profess to be so strong.
For that which is alloyed with self-interest is not pure and
perfect.
Ask, therefore, not for what is pleasing and convenient to
yourself, but for what is acceptable to Me and is for My honor,
because if you judge rightly, you ought to prefer and follow My
will, not your own desire or whatever things you wish.
I know your longings and I have heard your frequent sighs.
Already you wish to be in the liberty of the glory of the sons of
God. Already you desire the delights of the eternal home, the
heavenly land that is full of joy. But that hour is not yet come.
There remains yet another hour, a time of war, of labor, and of
trial. You long to be filled with the highest good, but you cannot
attain it now. I am that sovereign Good. Await Me, until the
kingdom of God shall come.
You must still be tried on earth, and exercised in many
things. Consolation will sometimes be given you, but the complete
fullness of it is not granted. Take courage, therefore, and be
strong both to do and to suffer what is contrary to nature.
You must put on the new man. You must be changed into another
man. You must often do the things you do not wish to do and forego
those you do wish. What pleases others will succeed; what pleases
you will not. The words of others will be heard; what you say will
be accounted as nothing. Others will ask and receive; you will ask
and not receive. Others will gain great fame among men; about you
nothing will be said. To others the doing of this or that will be
entrusted; you will be judged useless. At all this nature will
sometimes be sad, and it will be a great thing if you bear this
sadness in silence. For in these and many similar ways the
faithful servant of the Lord is wont to be tried, to see how far
he can deny himself and break himself in all things.
There is scarcely anything in which you so need to die to
self as in seeing and suffering things that are against your will,
especially when things that are commanded seem inconvenient or
useless. Then, because you are under authority, and dare not
resist the higher power, it seems hard to submit to the will of
another and give up your own opinion entirely.
But consider, my child, the fruit of these labors, how soon
they will end and how greatly they will be rewarded, and you will
not be saddened by them, but your patience will receive the
strongest consolation. For instead of the little will that you now
readily give up, you shall always have your will in heaven. There,
indeed, you shall find all that you could desire. There you shall
have possession of every good without fear of losing it. There
shall your will be forever one with Mine. It shall desire nothing
outside of Me and nothing for itself. There no one shall oppose
you, no one shall complain of you, no one hinder you, and nothing
stand in your way. All that you desire will be present there,
replenishing your affection and satisfying it to the full. There I
shall render you glory for the reproach you have suffered here;
for your sorrow I shall give you a garment of praise, and for the
lowest place a seat of power forever. There the fruit of glory
will appear, the labor of penance rejoice, and humble subjection
be gloriously crowned.
Bow humbly, therefore, under the will of all, and do not heed
who said this or commanded that. But let it be your special care
when something is commanded, or even hinted at, whether by a
superior or an inferior or an equal, that you take it in good part
and try honestly to perform it. Let one person seek one thing and
another something else. Let one glory in this, another in that,
and both be praised a thousand times over. But as for you, rejoice
neither in one or the other, but only in contempt of yourself and
in My pleasure and honor. Let this be your wish: That whether in
life or in death God may be glorified in you.
The Fiftieth Chapter
How a Desolate Person Ought to Commit Himself
Into the Hands of God
The Disciple
LORD God, Holy Father, may You be blessed now and in eternity. For
as You will, so is it done; and what You do is good. Let Your
servant rejoice in You -- not in himself or in any other, for You
alone are true joy. You are my hope and my crown. You, O Lord, are
my joy and my honor.
What does Your servant possess that he has not received from
You, and that without any merit of his own? Yours are all the
things which You have given, all the things which You have made.
I am poor and in labors since my youth, and my soul is
sorrowful sometimes even to the point of tears. At times, also, my
spirit is troubled because of impending sufferings. I long for the
joy of peace. Earnestly I beg for the peace of Your children who
are fed by You in the light of consolation. If You give peace, if
You infuse holy joy, the soul of Your servant shall be filled with
holy song and be devout in praising You. But if You withdraw
Yourself, as You so very often do, he will not be able to follow
the way of Your commandments, but will rather be obliged to strike
his breast and bend the knee, because his today is different from
yesterday and the day before when Your light shone upon his head
and he was protected in the shadow of Your wings from the
temptations rushing upon him.
Just Father, ever to be praised, the hour is come for Your
servant to be tried. Beloved Father, it is right that in this hour
Your servant should suffer something for You. O Father, forever to
be honored, the hour which You knew from all eternity is at hand,
when for a short time Your servant should be outwardly oppressed,
but inwardly should ever live with You.
Let him be a little slighted, let him be humbled, let him
fail in the sight of men, let him be afflicted with sufferings and
pains, so that he may rise again with You in the dawn of the new
light and be glorified in heaven.
Holy Father, You have so appointed and wished it. What has
happened is what You commanded. For this is a favor to Your
friend, to suffer and be troubled in the world for Your love, no
matter how often and by whom You permit it to happen to him.
Nothing happens in the world without Your design and
providence, and without cause. It is well for me, O Lord, that You
have humbled me, that I may learn the justice of Your judgments
and cast away all presumption and haughtiness of heart. It is
profitable for me that shame has covered my face that I may look
to You rather than to men for consolation. Hereby I have learned
also to fear Your inscrutable judgment falling alike upon the just
and unjust yet not without equity and justice.
Thanks to You that You have not spared me evils but have
bruised me with bitter blows, inflicting sorrows, sending distress
without and within. Under heaven there is none to console me
except You, my Lord God, the heavenly Physician of souls, Who
wound and heal, Who cast down to hell and raise up again. Your
discipline is upon me and Your very rod shall instruct me.
Behold, beloved Father, I am in Your hands. I bow myself
under Your correcting chastisement. Strike my back and my neck,
that I may bend my crookedness to Your will. Make of me a pious
and humble follower, as in Your goodness You are wont to do, that
I may walk according to Your every nod. Myself and all that is
mine I commit to You to be corrected, for it is better to be
punished here than hereafter.
You know all things without exception, and nothing in man's
conscience is hidden from You. Coming events You know before they
happen, and there is no need for anyone to teach or admonish You
of what is being done on earth. You know what will promote my
progress, and how much tribulation will serve to cleanse away the
rust of vice. Deal with me according to Your good pleasure and do
not despise my sinful life, which is known to none so well or so
clearly as to You alone.
Grant me, O Lord, the grace to know what should be known, to
praise what is most pleasing to You, to esteem that which appears
most precious to You, and to abhor what is unclean in Your sight.
Do not allow me to judge according to the light of my bodily
eyes, nor to give sentence according to the hearing of ignorant
men's ears. But let me distinguish with true judgment between
things visible and spiritual, and always seek above all things
Your good pleasure. The senses of men often err in their
judgments, and the lovers of this world also err in loving only
visible things. How is a man the better for being thought greater
by men? The deceiver deceives the deceitful, the vain man deceives
the vain, the blind deceives the blind, the weak deceives the weak
as often as he extols them, and in truth his foolish praise shames
them the more. For, as the humble St. Francis says, whatever
anyone is in Your sight, that he is and nothing more.
The Fifty-First Chapter
When We Cannot Attain to the Highest,
We Must Practice the Humble Works
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, you cannot always continue in the more fervent desire of
virtue, or remain in the higher stage of contemplation, but
because of humanity's sin you must sometimes descend to lower
things and bear the burden of this corruptible life, albeit
unwillingly and wearily. As long as you wear a mortal body you
will suffer weariness and heaviness of heart. You ought,
therefore, to bewail in the flesh the burden of the flesh which
keeps you from giving yourself unceasingly to spiritual exercises
and divine contemplation.
In such condition, it is well for you to apply yourself to
humble, outward works and to refresh yourself in good deeds, to
await with unshaken confidence My heavenly visitation, patiently
to bear your exile and dryness of mind until you are again visited
by Me and freed of all anxieties. For I will cause you to forget
your labors and to enjoy inward quiet. I will spread before you
the open fields of the Scriptures, so that with an open heart you
may begin to advance in the way of My commandments. And you will
say: the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared
with the future glory which shall be revealed to us.
The Fifty-Second Chapter
A Man Ought Not to Consider Himself Worthy of Consolation,
But Rather Deserving of Chastisement
The Disciple
LORD, I am not worthy of Your consolation or of any spiritual
visitation. Therefore, You treat me justly when You leave me poor
and desolate. For though I could shed a sea of tears, yet I should
not be worthy of Your consolation. Hence, I deserve only to be
scourged and punished because I have offended You often and
grievously, and have sinned greatly in many things. In all
justice, therefore, I am not worthy of any consolation.
But You, O gracious and merciful God, Who do not will that
Your works should perish, deign to console Your servant beyond all
his merit and above human measure, to show the riches of Your
goodness toward the vessels of mercy. For Your consolations are
not like the words of men.
What have I done, Lord, that You should confer on me any
heavenly comfort? I remember that I have done nothing good, but
that I have always been prone to sin and slow to amend. That is
true. I cannot deny it. If I said otherwise You would stand
against me, and there would be no one to defend me. What have I
deserved for my sins except hell and everlasting fire?
In truth, I confess that I am deserving of all scorn and
contempt. Neither is it fitting that I should be remembered among
Your devoted servants. And although it is hard for me to hear
this, yet for truth's sake I will allege my sins against myself,
so that I may more easily deserve to beg Your mercy. What shall I
say, guilty as I am and full of all confusion? My tongue can say
nothing but this alone: "I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned;
have mercy on me and pardon me. Suffer me a little that I may pour
out my grief, before I go to that dark land that is covered with
the shadow of death."
What do you especially demand of a guilty and wretched
sinner, except that he be contrite and humble himself for his
sins? In true sorrow and humility of heart hope of forgiveness is
born, the troubled conscience is reconciled, grace is found, man
is preserved from the wrath to come, and God and the penitent meet
with a holy kiss.
To You, O Lord, humble sorrow for sins is an acceptable
sacrifice, a sacrifice far sweeter than the perfume of incense.
This is also the pleasing ointment which You would have poured
upon Your sacred feet, for a contrite and humble heart You have
never despised. Here is a place of refuge from the force of the
enemy's anger. Here is amended and washed away whatever defilement
has been contracted elsewhere.
The Fifty-Third Chapter
God's Grace Is Not Given to the Earthly Minded
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, my grace is precious. It does not allow itself to be
mixed with external things or with earthly consolations. Cast away
all obstacles to grace, therefore, if you wish to receive its
infusion.
Seek to retire within yourself. Love to dwell alone with
yourself. Seek no man's conversation, but rather pour forth devout
prayer to God that you may keep your mind contrite and your heart
pure.
Consider the whole world as nothing. Prefer attendance upon
God to all outward occupation, for you cannot attend upon Me and
at the same time take delight in external things. You must remove
yourself from acquaintances and from dear friends, and keep your
mind free of all temporal consolation. Thus the blessed Apostle
St. Peter begs the faithful of Christ to keep themselves as
strangers and pilgrims in the world.[39]
What great confidence at the hour of death shall be his who
is not attached to this world by any affection. But the sickly
soul does not know what it is to have a heart thus separated from
all things, nor does the natural man know the liberty of the
spiritual man. Yet, if he truly wishes to be spiritual, he must
renounce both strangers and friends, and must beware of no one
more than himself.
If you completely conquer yourself, you will more easily
subdue all other things. The perfect victory is to triumph over
self. For he who holds himself in such subjection that sensuality
obeys reason and reason obeys Me in all matters, is truly his own
conqueror and master of the world.
Now, if you wish to climb to this high position you must
begin like a man, and lay the ax to the root, in order to tear out
and destroy any hidden unruly love of self or of earthly goods.
From this vice of too much self-love comes almost every other vice
that must be uprooted. And when this evil is vanquished, and
brought under control, great peace and quiet will follow at once.
But because few labor to die entirely to self, or tend
completely away from self, therefore they remain entangled in
self, and cannot be lifted in spirit above themselves. But he who
desires to walk freely with Me must mortify all his low and
inordinate affections, and must not cling with selfish love or
desire to any creature.
-----
[39] Peter 2:11.
The Fifty-Fourth Chapter
The Different Motions of Nature and Grace
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, pay careful attention to the movements of nature and of
grace, for they move in very contrary and subtle ways, and can
scarcely be distinguished by anyone except a man who is spiritual
and inwardly enlightened. All men, indeed, desire what is good,
and strive for what is good in their words and deeds. For this
reason the appearance of good deceives many.
Nature is crafty and attracts many, ensnaring and deceiving
them while ever seeking itself. But grace walks in simplicity,
turns away from all appearance of evil, offers no deceits, and
does all purely for God in whom she rests as her last end.
Nature is not willing to die, or to be kept down, or to be
overcome. Nor will it subdue itself or be made subject. Grace, on
the contrary, strives for mortification of self. She resists
sensuality, seeks to be in subjection, longs to be conquered, has
no wish to use her own liberty, loves to be held under discipline,
and does not desire to rule over anyone, but wishes rather to
live, to stand, and to be always under God for Whose sake she is
willing to bow humbly to every human creature.
Nature works for its own interest and looks to the profit it
can reap from another. Grace does not consider what is useful and
advantageous to herself, but rather what is profitable to many.
Nature likes to receive honor and reverence, but grace faithfully
attributes all honor and glory to God. Nature fears shame and
contempt, but grace is happy to suffer reproach for the name of
Jesus. Nature loves ease and physical rest. Grace, however, cannot
bear to be idle and embraces labor willingly. Nature seeks to
possess what is rare and beautiful, abhorring things that are
cheap and coarse. Grace, on the contrary, delights in simple,
humble things, not despising those that are rough, nor refusing to
be clothed in old garments.
Nature has regard for temporal wealth and rejoices in earthly
gains. It is sad over a loss and irritated by a slight, injurious
word. But grace looks to eternal things and does not cling to
those which are temporal, being neither disturbed at loss nor
angered by hard words, because she has placed her treasure and joy
in heaven where nothing is lost.
Nature is covetous, and receives more willingly than it
gives. It loves to have its own private possessions. Grace,
however, is kind and openhearted. Grace shuns private interest, is
contented with little, and judges it more blessed to give than to
receive.
Nature is inclined toward creatures, toward its own flesh,
toward vanities, and toward running about. But grace draws near to
God and to virtue, renounces creatures, hates the desires of the
flesh, restrains her wanderings and blushes at being seen in
public.
Nature likes to have some external comfort in which it can
take sensual delight, but grace seeks consolation only in God, to
find her delight in the highest Good, above all visible things.
Nature does everything for its own gain and interest. It can
do nothing without pay and hopes for its good deeds to receive
their equal or better, or else praise and favor. It is very
desirous of having its deeds and gifts highly regarded. Grace,
however, seeks nothing temporal, nor does she ask any recompense
but God alone. Of temporal necessities she asks no more than will
serve to obtain eternity.
Nature rejoices in many friends and kinsfolk, glories in
noble position and birth, fawns on the powerful, flatters the
rich, and applauds those who are like itself. But grace loves even
her enemies and is not puffed up at having many friends. She does
not think highly of either position or birth unless there is also
virtue there. She favors the poor in preference to the rich. She
sympathizes with the innocent rather than with the powerful. She
rejoices with the true man rather than with the deceitful, and is
always exhorting the good to strive for better gifts, to become
like the Son of God by practicing the virtues.
Nature is quick to complain of need and trouble; grace is
stanch in suffering want. Nature turns all things back to self. It
fights and argues for self. Grace brings all things back to God in
Whom they have their source. To herself she ascribes no good, nor
is she arrogant or presumptuous. She is not contentious. She does
not prefer her own opinion to the opinion of others, but in every
matter of sense and thought submits herself to eternal wisdom and
the divine judgment.
Nature has a relish for knowing secrets and hearing news. It
wishes to appear abroad and to have many sense experiences. It
wishes to be known and to do things for which it will be praised
and admired. But grace does not care to hear news or curious
matters, because all this arises from the old corruption of man,
since there is nothing new, nothing lasting on earth. Grace
teaches, therefore, restraint of the senses, avoidance of vain
self-satisfaction and show, the humble hiding of deeds worthy of
praise and admiration, and the seeking in every thing and in every
knowledge the fruit of usefulness, the praise and honor of God.
She will not have herself or hers exalted, but desires that God
Who bestows all simply out of love should be blessed in His gifts.
This grace is a supernatural light, a certain special gift of
God, the proper mark of the elect and the pledge of everlasting
salvation. It raises man up from earthly things to love the things
of heaven. It makes a spiritual man of a carnal one. The more,
then, nature is held in check and conquered, the more grace is
given. Every day the interior man is reformed by new visitations
according to the image of God.
The Fifty-Fifth Chapter
The Corruption of Nature and the Efficacy of Divine Grace
The Disciple
O LORD, my God, Who created me to Your own image and likeness,
grant me this grace which You have shown to be so great and
necessary for salvation, that I may overcome my very evil nature
that is drawing me to sin and perdition. For I feel in my flesh
the law of sin contradicting the law of my mind and leading me
captive to serve sensuality in many things. I cannot resist the
passions thereof unless Your most holy grace warmly infused into
my heart assist me.
There is need of Your grace, and of great grace, in order to
overcome a nature prone to evil from youth. For through the first
man, Adam, nature is fallen and weakened by sin, and the
punishment of that stain has fallen upon all mankind. Thus nature
itself, which You created good and right, is considered a symbol
of vice and the weakness of corrupted nature, because when left to
itself it tends toward evil and to baser things. The little
strength remaining in it is like a spark hidden in ashes. That
strength is natural reason which, surrounded by thick darkness,
still has the power of judging good and evil, of seeing the
difference between true and false, though it is not able to
fulfill all that it approves and does not enjoy the full light of
truth or soundness of affection.
Hence it is, my God, that according to the inward man I
delight in Your law, knowing that Your command is good, just, and
holy, and that it proves the necessity of shunning all evil and
sin. But in the flesh I keep the law of sin, obeying sensuality
rather than reason. Hence, also, it is that the will to good is
present in me, but how to accomplish it I know not. Hence, too, I
often propose many good things, but because the grace to help my
weakness is lacking, I recoil and give up at the slightest
resistance. Thus it is that I know the way of perfection and see
clearly enough how I ought to act, but because I am pressed down
by the weight of my own corruption I do not rise to more perfect
things.
How extremely necessary to me, O Lord, Your grace is to begin
any good deed, to carry it on and bring it to completion! For
without grace I can do nothing, but with its strength I can do all
things in You. O Grace truly heavenly, without which our merits
are nothing and no gifts of nature are to be esteemed!
Before You, O Lord, no arts or riches, no beauty or strength,
no wit or intelligence avail without grace. For the gifts of
nature are common to good and bad alike, but the peculiar gift of
Your elect is grace or love, and those who are signed with it are
held worthy of everlasting life. So excellent is this grace that
without it no gift of prophecy or of miracles, no meditation be it
ever so exalted, can be considered anything. Not even faith or
hope or other virtues are acceptable to You without charity and
grace.
O most blessed grace, which makes the poor in spirit rich in
virtues, which renders him who is rich in many good things humble
of heart, come, descend upon me, fill me quickly with your
consolation lest my soul faint with weariness and dryness of mind.
Let me find grace in Your sight, I beg, Lord, for Your grace
is enough for me, even though I obtain none of the things which
nature desires. If I am tempted and afflicted with many
tribulations, I will fear no evils while Your grace is with me.
This is my strength. This will give me counsel and help. This is
more powerful than all my enemies and wiser than all the wise.
This is the mistress of truth, the teacher of discipline, the
light of the heart, the consoler in anguish, the banisher of
sorrow, the expeller of fear, the nourisher of devotion, the
producer of tears. What am I without grace, but dead wood, a
useless branch, fit only to be cast away?
Let Your grace, therefore, go before me and follow me, O
Lord, and make me always intent upon good works, through Jesus
Christ, Your Son.
The Fifty-Sixth Chapter
We Ought to Deny Ourselves and Imitate Christ
Through Bearing the Cross
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, the more you depart from yourself, the more you will be
able to enter into Me. As the giving up of exterior things brings
interior peace, so the forsaking of self unites you to God. I will
have you learn perfect surrender to My will, without contradiction
or complaint.
Follow Me. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the
Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing.
Without the Life, there is no living. I am the Way which you must
follow, the Truth which you must believe, the Life for which you
must hope. I am the inviolable Way, the infallible Truth, the
unending Life. I am the Way that is straight, the supreme Truth,
the Life that is true, the blessed, the uncreated Life. If you
abide in My Way you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make
you free, and you shall attain life everlasting.
If you wish to enter into life, keep My commandments. If you
will know the truth, believe in Me. If you will be perfect, sell
all. If you will be My disciple, deny yourself. If you will
possess the blessed life, despise this present life. If you will
be exalted in heaven, humble yourself on earth. If you wish to
reign with Me, carry the Cross with Me. For only the servants of
the Cross find the life of blessedness and of true light.
The Disciple
Lord Jesus, because Your way is narrow and despised by the
world, grant that I may despise the world and imitate You. For the
servant is not greater than his Lord, nor the disciple above the
Master. Let Your servant be trained in Your life, for there is my
salvation and true holiness. Whatever else I read or hear does not
fully refresh or delight me.
The Voice of Christ
My child, now that you know these things and have read them
all, happy will you be if you do them. He who has My commandments
and keeps them, he it is that loves Me. And I will love him and
will show Myself to him, and will bring it about that he will sit
down with Me in My Father's Kingdom.
The Disciple
Lord Jesus, as You have said, so be it, and what You have
promised, let it be my lot to win. I have received the cross, from
Your hand I have received it. I will carry it, carry it even unto
death as You have laid it upon me. Truly, the life of a good
religious man is a cross, but it leads to paradise. We have begun
-- we may not go back, nor may we leave off.
Take courage, brethren, let us go forward together and Jesus
will be with us. For Jesus' sake we have taken this cross. For
Jesus' sake let us persevere with it. He will be our help as He is
also our leader and guide. Behold, our King goes before us and
will fight for us. Let us follow like men. Let no man fear any
terrors. Let us be prepared to meet death valiantly in battle. Let
us not suffer our glory to be blemished by fleeing from the Cross.
The Fifty-Seventh Chapter
A Man Should Not Be Too Downcast When He Falls Into Defects
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, patience and humility in adversity are more pleasing to
Me than much consolation and devotion when things are going well.
Why are you saddened by some little thing said against you?
Even if it had been more you ought not to have been affected. But
now let it pass. It is not the first, nor is it anything new, and
if you live long it will not be the last.
You are manly enough so long as you meet no opposition. You
give good advice to others, and you know how to strengthen them
with words, but when unexpected tribulation comes to your door,
you fail both in counsel and in strength. Consider your great
weakness, then, which you experience so often in small matters.
Yet when these and like trials happen, they happen for your good.
Put it out of your heart as best you know how, and if it has
touched you, still do not let it cast you down or confuse you for
long. Bear it patiently at least, if you cannot bear it
cheerfully. Even though you bear it unwillingly, and are indignant
at it, restrain yourself and let no ill-ordered words pass your
lips at which the weak might be scandalized. The storm that is now
aroused will soon be quieted and your inward grief will be
sweetened by returning grace. "I yet live," says the Lord, "ready
to help you and to console you more and more, if you trust in Me
and call devoutly upon Me."
Remain tranquil and prepare to bear still greater trials. All
is not lost even though you be troubled oftener or tempted more
grievously. You are a man, not God. You are flesh, not an angel.
How can you possibly expect to remain always in the same state of
virtue when the angels in heaven and the first man in paradise
failed to do so? I am He Who rescues the afflicted and brings to
My divinity those who know their own weakness.
The Disciple
Blessed be Your words, O Lord, sweeter to my mouth than honey
and the honeycomb. What would I do in such great trials and
anxieties, if You did not strengthen me with Your holy words? If I
may but attain to the haven of salvation, what does it matter what
or how much I suffer? Grant me a good end. Grant me a happy
passage out of this world. Remember me, my God, and lead me by the
right way into Your kingdom.
The Fifty-Eighth Chapter
High Matters and the Hidden Judgments of God
Are Not to Be Scrutinized
The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, beware of discussing high matters and God's hidden
judgments -- why this person is so forsaken and why that one is
favored with so great a grace, or why one man is so afflicted and
another so highly exalted. Such things are beyond all human
understanding and no reason or disputation can fathom the
judgments of God.
When the enemy puts such suggestions in your mind, therefore,
or when some curious persons raise questions about them, answer
with the prophet: "Thou art just, O Lord, and righteous are Thy
judgments";[40] and this: "The judgments of the Lord are true and
wholly righteous."[41] My judgments are to be feared, not
discussed, because they are incomprehensible to the understanding
of men.
In like manner, do not inquire or dispute about the merits of
the saints, as to which is more holy, or which shall be greater in
the kingdom of heaven. Such things often breed strife and useless
contentions. They nourish pride and vainglory, whence arise envy
and quarrels, when one proudly tries to exalt one saint and the
other another. A desire to know and pry into such matters brings
forth no fruit. On the contrary, it displeases the saints, because
I am the God, not of dissension, but of peace -- of that peace
which consists in true humility rather than in self-exaltation.
Some are drawn by the ardor of their love with greater
affection to these saints or to those, but this affection is human
and not divine. I am He who made all the saints. I gave them
grace: I brought them to glory. I know the merits of each of them.
I came before them in the blessings of My sweetness. I knew My
beloved ones before the ages. I chose them out of the world --
they did not choose Me. I called them by grace, I drew them on by
mercy. I led them safely through various temptations. I poured
into them glorious consolations. I gave them perseverance and I
crowned their patience. I know the first and the last. I embrace
them all with love inestimable. I am to be praised in all My
saints. I am to be blessed above all things, and honored in each
of those whom I have exalted and predestined so gloriously without
any previous merits of their own.
He who despises one of the least of mine, therefore, does no
honor to the greatest, for both the small and the great I made.
And he who disparages one of the saints disparages Me also and all
others in the kingdom of heaven. They are all one through the bond
of charity. They have the same thought and the same will, and they
mutually love one another; but, what is a much greater thing, they
love Me more than themselves or their own merits. Rapt above
themselves, and drawn beyond love of self, they are entirely
absorbed in love of Me, in Whom they rest. There is nothing that
can draw them away or depress them, for they who are filled with
eternal truth burn with the fire of unquenchable love.
Therefore, let carnal and sensual men, who know only how to
love their own selfish joys, forbear to dispute about the state of
God's saints. Such men take away and add according to their own
inclinations and not as it pleases the Eternal Truth. In many this
is sheer ignorance, especially in those who are but little
enlightened and can rarely love anyone with a purely spiritual
love. They are still strongly drawn by natural affection and human
friendship to one person or another, and on their behavior in such
things here below are based their imaginings of heavenly things.
But there is an incomparable distance between the things which the
imperfect imagine and those which enlightened men contemplate
through revelation from above.
Be careful, then, My child, of treating matters beyond your
knowledge out of curiosity. Let it rather be your business and aim
to be found, even though the least, in the kingdom of God. For
though one were to know who is more holy than another, or who is
greater in the kingdom of heaven, of what value would this
knowledge be to him unless out of it he should humble himself
before Me and should rise up in greater praise of My name?
The man who thinks of the greatness of his own sins and the
littleness of his virtues, and of the distance between himself and
the perfection of the saints, acts much more acceptably to God
than the one who argues about who is greater or who is less. It is
better to invoke the saints with devout prayers and tears, and
with a humble mind to beg their glorious aid, than to search with
vain inquisitiveness into their secrets.
The saints are well and perfectly contented if men know how
to content themselves and cease their useless discussions. They do
not glory in their own merits, for they attribute no good to
themselves but all to Me, because out of My infinite charity I
gave all to them. They are filled with such love of God and with
such overflowing joy, that no glory is wanting to them and they
can lack no happiness. All the saints are so much higher in glory
as they are more humble in themselves; nearer to Me, and more
beloved by Me. Therefore, you find it written that they cast their
crowns before God, and fell down upon their faces before the Lamb,
and adored Him Who lives forever.
Many ask who is the greater in the kingdom of heaven when
they do not know whether they themselves shall be worthy of being
numbered among its least. It is a great thing to be even the least
in heaven where all are great because all shall be called, and
shall be, the children of God. The least shall be as a thousand,
and the sinner of a hundred years shall die. For when the
disciples asked who should be greater in the kingdom of heaven
they heard this response: "Unless you be converted and become as
little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, he
is the greater in the kingdom of heaven."[42]
Woe to those, therefore, who disdain to humble themselves
willingly with the little children, for the low gate of the
heavenly kingdom will not permit them to enter. Woe also to the
rich who have their consolations here, for when the poor enter
into God's kingdom, they will stand outside lamenting. Rejoice,
you humble, and exult, you poor, for the kingdom of God is yours,
if only you walk in the truth.
-----
[40] Ps. 118:137.
[41] Ps. 18:10.
[42] Matt. 18:3, 4.
The Fifty-Ninth Chapter
All Hope and Trust Are to Be Fixed In God Alone
The Disciple
WHAT, Lord, is the trust which I have in this life, or what is my
greatest comfort among all the things that appear under heaven? Is
it not You, O Lord, my God, Whose mercies are without number?
Where have I ever fared well but for You? Or how could things go
badly when You were present? I had rather be poor for Your sake
than rich without You. I prefer rather to wander on the earth with
You than to possess heaven without You. Where You are there is
heaven, and where You are not are death and hell. You are my
desire and therefore I must cry after You and sigh and pray. In
none can I fully trust to help me in my necessities, but in You
alone, my God. You are my hope. You are my confidence. You are my
consoler, most faithful in every need.
All seek their own interests. You, however, place my
salvation and my profit first, and turn all things to my good.
Even though exposing me to various temptations and hardships, You
Who are accustomed to prove Your loved ones in a thousand ways,
order all this for my good. You ought not to be loved or praised
less in this trial than if You had filled me with heavenly
consolations.
In You, therefore, O Lord God, I place all my hope and my
refuge. On You I cast all my troubles and anguish, because
whatever I have outside of You I find to be weak and unstable. It
will not serve me to have many friends, nor will powerful helpers
be able to assist me, nor prudent advisers to give useful answers,
nor the books of learned men to console, nor any precious
substance to win my freedom, nor any place, secret and beautiful
though it be, to shelter me, if You Yourself do not assist,
comfort, console, instruct, and guard me. For all things which
seem to be for our peace and happiness are nothing when You are
absent, and truly confer no happiness.
You, indeed, are the fountain of all good, the height of
life, the depth of all that can be spoken. To trust in You above
all things is the strongest comfort of Your servants.
My God, the Father of mercies, to You I look, in You I trust.
Bless and sanctify my soul with heavenly benediction, so that it
may become Your holy dwelling and the seat of Your eternal glory.
And in this temple of Your dignity let nothing be found that might
offend Your majesty. In Your great goodness, and in the multitude
of Your mercies, look upon me and listen to the prayer of Your
poor servant exiled from You in the region of the shadow of death.
Protect and preserve the soul of Your poor servant among the many
dangers of this corruptible life, and direct him by Your
accompanying grace, through the ways of peace, to the land of
everlasting light.