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BLESSED HENRY SUSO'S

LITTLE BOOK OF ETERNAL WISDOM.
FIRST AMERICAN

EDITION:

TO WHICH ARE ADDED THE

CELEBRATED "PARABLE

OF THE PILGRIM,"

OF WALTER HILTON, 0. S.B.,
AND

A PREFACE BY C. H. McKENNA, O. P.

BOSTON:
THOMAS B. NOONAN & CO.
17, 19, AND 21 BOYLSTON STREET.

1887.

Imprimatur:

+ JOHN J.

WILLIAMS,
Archbishop of Boston.

April 21, 1887.

CASHMAN, KEATING & CO.
ELECTROTYPERS

AND

PRINTERS,

BOSTON, MASS.

CONTENTS.
PAGE
-eface

.

..........

vii

.

.

1
3

CHAPTER I.
How some persons are unconsciously attracted by God

.

11

CHAPTER II.
What happened before the Crucifixion

.

16

CHAPTER III.
How it was with Him on the Cross according to the
exterior man
.........

22

CHAPTER IV.
How very faithful His Passion was

25

anslator's Preface
-face

.

.

.

.

.

.

THE FIRST PART.

.

.

.

.....

CHAPTER V.
How the soul attains hearty repentance, and gentle par.......
don under the Cross

28

CHAPTER VI.
How deceitful the love of this world is, and how amiable
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
God is .

37

How lovely God is

.

CHAPTER VII.
.........

702640

48

iv

CONTENTS.
PAGE

CHAPTER VIII.
An explanation of three things which most of all might
be likely to be repugnant to a loving heart in God.
-One is, how He can appear so wrathful and yet be
so gracious .

5........

CHAPTER IX.
The seeond thing-why God, after rejoicing the heart,
often withdraws Himself from His friends, by which
.
.
.
.
His true presence is made known .

,

CHAPTER X.
The third thing-why God permits His friends to suffer so
.
....
much temporal suffering

69

CHAPTER XI.
On the everlasting pains of Hell

.

.

.

.

72

..

CHAPTER XII.
On the immeasurable joys of Heaven

77

.

CHAPTER XIII.
88

On the immeasurable dignity of temporal suffering
CHAPTER XIV.
On the unspeakable advantages to be derived from medi.
.
.
.
tating on the Divine Passion

99

CHAPTER XV.
From the fond caresses which the soul has had with God
beneath the Cross she returns again to His Passion .

106

CHAPTER XVI.
On the worthy praise of the pure Queen of Heaven

.

112

V

CONTENTS.

PAG

CHAPTER XVII.
On the unutterable heart-rending grief of the pure Queen
of Heaven .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

12

CHAPTER XVIII.
How it was with Him at that hour in regard of His
interior man
.
........

128

CHAPTER XIX.
On the taking down from the Cross

.

134

.

CHAPTER XX.
On the lamentable separation of the grave

.

139

THE SECOND PART.
CHAPTER XXI.
How we should learn to die, and of the nature of an unprovided death
.
........

141

CHAPTER XXII.
How one should live an interior and godly life

.

157

CHAPTER XXIII.
How we ought lovingly to receive God

.

.

160

CHAPTER XXIV.
A Prayer to be said when thou goest to receive our Lord's
Holy Body .

180

CHAPTER XXV.
How we should at all times praise God

182

vi

CONTENTS.

THE THIRD PART
Contains the Hundred Meditations and Prayers comprised in
few words, as they should be repeated every day with devotion.
PAGE

Preface
.
.
.
.
On Sunday, or at Matins
On Monday, at Prime
Tuesday, or at Tierce
On Wednesday, or at Sext
On Thursday, or at None
On Friday, or at Vespers
On Saturday, or at Complin

.

.

.
.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.
.
.

.

.

.
.

.
.

203
205
207
208
210
213
214
216

PREFACE.

JEsus and MARY! Sacred names, always
united in the mind and heart of every true
Christian. Jesus, model of true manhood;
Mary, model of true womanhood. Jesus,
begotten of the Father before all ages, the
figure of His substance, by whom were made
all things that were made. Mary, first woman
in the mind of the Creator; original type,
remaining unfallen when every copy fell!
Woman, destined from eternity to crush the
Jesus and
head of the unclean demon.
Mary ! Models of the interior life, to you
is dedicated this new edition of a work of
one of your devoted servants, which is well
calculated to lead many souls up the path
of perfection till they reign with you in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
THE

LITTLE

BOOK

OF

ETERNAL

WIS-

is among the best of the writings of
Blessed Henry Suso, a priest of the Order
of St. Dominic, who lived a life of wonder-

DOM

-viii

PREFACE.

ful labors and sufferings, and died in the
Fourteenth century with a reputation for sanctity which the Church has solemnly confirmed. Gregory XVI. granted to the whole
Order of St. Dominic the privilege of celebrating his office, and of offering the Mass
yearly in his honor, appointing the Second
of March for his festival.
The Order of St. Dominic, known in the
Church both as the Order of Truth and the
Order of Preachers, so rich in pontiffs,
marytrs, and confessors, is also illustrious
for its theologians, its ascetic writers, its
great masters of the spiritual life. Its mystic theologians stand in the first rank of those
who have scaled the wondrous heights of
Not only have they
sublime perfection.
stood on the mountain tops of the spiritual
life, but they have pointed out, with a clearness surpassed by no other writers, the
path of ascent, marking for the unwary its
every danger. The wiles of the enemy are
exposed; where, when, and how he seeks to
accomplish our ruin. Our defence is first
outlined, and then given in detail. The
source of strength is pointed out, and thus
the perilous journey may safely be made.

PREFACE.

ix

Among the ascetic writers of the Order,
mention may be made of St. Thomas Aquinas, Blessed Albert the Great, Master Humbert, St. Antoninus, Bartholemew of the
Martyrs, Louis of Granada, St. Vincent Ferrer,
St. Catharine of Siena, and St. Catharine
of Ricci, whilst the Illuminated Doctor John
Tauler and Blessed Henry Suso are among the
first of the great mystic theologians of the
Church.
THE LITTLE BOOK OF ETERNAL WISDOM

was years ago translated and published for
the Catholics of England. This is in great
measure a reproduction of that publication.
It would be difficult to speak too highly of
this little book or of its author. In soundness of teaching, sublimity of thought, clearness of expression, and beauty of illustration,
we do not know a spiritual writer that surpasses Henry Suso. He clothes virtue in
such lovely garments, the path to the sublime heights of perfection is so clearly
marked out, that the willing soul is allured
onward and assisted upward, till she stands
with her blessed guide in the full light of
the Eternal Wisdom.
To this preface it was deemed advisable

PREFACE.

to add the celebrated " Parable of the Pilgrim," taken from the writings of Walter
Hilton, a Carthusian monk, and afterwards
abridged by the venerable contemplative
Father Baker, of the Order of St. Benedict.
The devout reader is earnestly requested
to read this parable again and again before
commencing the study of Suso's golden book
of Eternal Wisdom. This parable outlines
the whole plan of the spiritual life

THE PARABLE

OF THE PILGRIM.

The following celebrated parable was written by Walter Hilton, an illustrious Carthusian Monk. It was abridged by the Venerable Benedictine Contemplative, Father
Baker. It conveys most useful instructions
for those who seriously aim at perfection,
which Hilton designates as the Vision of
Peace given to the Soul in Jerusalem. This
parable will be understood and appreciated
by those only who are hungering after Justice. They should read it frequently, and
fervently pray for grace to become true pilgrims and pursue the path here clearly

PREFACE.

xi

marked out, that so they may arrive at the
glorious end.
"A certain man had a great desire to go to
Jerusalem. Not knowing the right way, he
enquired of one he hoped could direct him,
and asked by what path he could reach there
in safety. The other said, 'The journey
there is long and full of difficulties. There
are several roads that appear and promise to
lead there, but their dangers are too great.
However I know one way which, if you will
faithfully follow according to the marks and
directions that I shall give you, will certainly
lead you there. I cannot however promise
you security from many frights, beatings, and
other ill-usages and temptations of all kinds,
yet if you only have courage and patience
enough to suffer them without quarrelling,
or resisting, or troubling yourself about
them, but pass on quietly, having this only
in your mind, and sometimes on your tongue,
"I have naught, I am naught, I desire naught
but to be in Jerusalem," my life for yours,
in due time you will get there in safety.'
" The pilgrim, full of joy at the news said,
'If only I arrive at length in safety at the

xii

PREFACE.

place I desire so much, I care not what miseries I suffer on the way; therefore, only let
me know the course I am to take, and, God
willing, I shall not fail carefully to observe
all your directions.' -- 'Since you have so
good a will,' said the guide, 'though I
myself was never so happy as to be in Jerusalem, yet be assured that if you follow the
instructions I shall give, you will arrive safe
at the end of your journey.'
"The advice is briefly this : Before taking
the first step on the highway that leads there
you must be firmly grounded in the truths of
the Catholic Faith. Moreover, whatever sins
you find sullying your conscience you must
cleanse by hearty penance and absolution according to the laws of the Church. Having
done so begin your journey in God's name;
but be sure to have with you two necessary
instruments, Humility and Charity. These
are contained in the words above mentioned,
which must always be present to your mind,
'I am naught, I have naught, I desire only
one thing, and that is our Lord Jesus, and
to be with him at peace in-Jerusalem.' The
meaning and power of these words you must
have continually, at least in your thoughts

PREFACE.

Xil

either expressly or virtually. Humility says,
'I am nothing, I have nothing.' Charity
says, 'I desire nothing but Jesus.' You
must never lose these two companions,
neither will they consent to be separated
from each other, for they agree lovingly
together, and the deeper you establish yourself in humility the higher you will advance
in charity, for the more you see and feel
yourself to be nothing the more ardently you
will see and love Jesus, that by Him who is
All you may become something.
" This humility is to be exercised not so
much in considering your own vileness and
sinfulness, though in the beginning this consideration is good and beneficial, but rather
in a quiet consideration of the infinite being
and goodness of Jesus. You are to behold
Him either through grace in sensible devotional knowledge of Him, or, at least, in a
full and firm faith in Him. And such a contemplation of the infinite sanctity and goodness of Jesus will operate in your mind a
much more pure, spiritual, solid and perfect
humility, than the reflection on your own
nothingness, which produces a humility much
more gross, boisterous and imperfect. In

xiv

PREFACE.

this mirror of sanctity you will behold yourself to be not only the most wretched, filthy
creature in the world, but also, in the very
substance of your soul, setting aside the
foulness of sin, to be a mere nothing; for
really, in comparison with Jesus who is All,
you are nothing. And until you have and
feel that you have the love of Jesus, although you think you have done ever so
many good deeds, spiritually and worldly,
you have nothing, for nothing but the love
of Jesus will abide in and fill your soul.
Therefore cast aside and forget all other
things in order that you may have that
If you do this
which is the best of all.
you will become a true pilgrim, who leaves
behind him house, wife, children, friends,
and goods, and denies himself all things in
order that he may go on his journey lightly
and without hindrance.
" If your desire for Jesus still continues and
grows stronger, so that you go on your way
courageously, they will then tell you that
you may become ill, and perhaps with such
a disease as will bring frightful dreads into
your mind ; or perhaps you will become very
poor and you will find no charitable person

PREFACE.

XV

to help you. Do not heed what they say,
but if you should happen to fall into sickness
or poverty, still have faith in Jesus, and say,
'I am naught, I have naught, I care for
naught in this world, and I desire naught but
the love of Jesus, that I may see him at
peace in Jerusalem.'
"If it should ever happen that through some
of these temptations and your own weakness, you waver and perhaps fall into sin,
and thus lose the way for a time, return as
soon as pc ssible to the right path by using
such remedies as the Church ordains. Do not
think of your past sins, for that will harm
you and favor your enemies; but make haste
to go on your way as if nothing happened.
Think only of Jesus, and of your desire to
gain his love, and nothing will harm you.
" Finally, when your enemies see that you
are so determined that neither sickness, fancies, poverty, life, death, nor sins discourage
you, but that you will continue to seek the
love of Jesus and nothing else, by continuing
your prayer and other spiritual works, they
will grow enraged and will not spare you the
most cruel abuse. They will make their
most dangerous assault by bringing before

XVi

PREFACE.

you all your good deeds and virtues, showing
that all men praise, love, and honor you for
your sanctity. This they will do to make
you vain and proud. But if you offer your
life to Jesus you will consider all this flattery
and falsehood as deadly poison to your soul,
and will cast it from you.
"In order to shun such temptations renounce
all vain thoughts and think of Jesus only,
resolving to know and love Him. After you
have accustomed yourself to think of Him
alone, any thoughts not relating to Him will
be unwelcome and painful to you.
"If there is any work you are obliged to
do for yourself or neighbor fail not to do it
as soon and as well as you can, lest by delay
it may distract your thoughts from Jesus.
If it is unnecessary work do not think
about it, but dismiss it from your thoughts
saying, 'I am naught, I can do naught,
I have naught, and I desire naught but Jesus
and his love.'
"It will be necessary for you, as for all
other pilgrims, to take, on the way, sleep
and refreshments and sometimes innocent
recreation; but if you use discretion in these
things, although they seem to delay you,

PREFACE.

XVil

they will give you strength and courage to
continue on your journey.
" To conclude, remember that your principal aim, and indeed only business, is to
give your thoughts to the desire of Jesus,
and to strengthen this desire by daily prayer
and other spiritual works. And whatever
you find suitable to increase that desire, be
it praying or reading, speaking or being
silent, working or resting, make use of it
as long as your soul finds delight in it, and
as long as it increases the desire of having
and enjoying nothing but the love of Jesus
and the blessed sight of Jesus in true peace
in Jerusalem.
Be assured that this good
desire, thus cherished and continually increased, will bring you safely to the end of
your pilgrimage.
" Observing these instructions, you are in
the right path to Jerusalem. To proceed on
this journey, it is necessary to do, inwardly
and outwardly, such works as are suitable to
your condition, and such as will help to increase in you the gracious desire that you
have to love Jesus only. No matter what
your works are, whether thinking, reading,
preaching, laboring, etc., if you find that

vii

X~Vfl

aPrIaCE.

they draw your mind from worldly vanity
and strengthen your heart and will more to
the love of Jesus, it is good and profitable
for you to pursue them. But if, through
custom, you find such works in time lose
their-power and virtue to increase this love,
cast them aside and try some other works
which you think will gain for you more grace
and sanctity; for, although the inclination
and desire of your heart for Jesus should
never change, nevertheless the spiritual
works you practice, such as prayer, reading,
etc., in order to feed and strengthen this
desire, may well be changed, according as
you feel your spiritual welfare will be benefited by this change. Therefore, lest you
hinder the freedom of your heart to love
Jesus, do not think that because you have
accustomed yourself to a certain form of
devotion, that you cannot change it for a
better.
"Before you have journeyed far, you must
expect enemies of all kinds, who will surround you and busily. endeavor to hinder
you from going forward. Indeed, if they
can by any means, they will, either by persuasions, flatteries, or violence, force you to

PREFACE .

xix

return to your former habits of sinfulness.
For there is nothing annoys them so much
as to see a resolute desire to love Jesus and
to labor to find Him. Consequently, they
will conspire to drive out of your heart that
good desire and love in which all virtues
are comprised. The first enemies that will
assault you will be desires of the flesh, and
vain fears of your corrupt heart. Joined
with these will be unclean spirits, which,
with sights and temptations, will seek to entice you to them, and draw you from Jesus.
But do not believe anything they say, but
betake yourself to your old and only secure
remedy, answering--' I am naught, I have

naught, and I desire naught but only the
love of Jesus.'
"If they endeavor to put dreads and doubts
into your mind, and try to make you believe
you have not done necessary penance to
atone for your sins, do not believe them.
Neither believe them if they say you have
not sufficiently confessed your sins, and that
you should return home to do penance better before you have the boldness to go to
You are sufficiently acquitted of
Jesus.
your sins, and there is no need at all that

XX

PREFACE.

you should delay to ransack your conscience,
for it will now but harm you, and either put
you entirely out of your way, or at least
unprofitably delay your toil.
"If they tell you that you are not worthy
to have the love of Jesus, or to see Jesus,
and that on that account you ought not to be
so presumptuous as to desire and seek it,
do not believe them, but go on, saying, ' It
is not because I am worthy, but because I
am unworthy, that I desire to have the love
of Jesus; for, once having that, I would become worthy. Therefore I will never cease
desiring till I have obtained it. I was created for this love alone, and so, say and do
what you will, I will desire it continually,
and never cease to pray for it, and thus endeavor to obtain it.'
"If you meet with any who seem to be your
friends, and who in kindness would hinder
your progress by entertaining you and seeking to draw you to sensual mirth by vain
discourses and carnal pleasures, whereby you
will be in danger of forgetting your pilgrimage, give a deaf ear to them, answer them
not; think only of this, that you would fain
be at Jerusalem. If they offer you gifts and

PREFACE.

xxi

attractions, heed them not, but think ever of
Jerusalem.
" If men despise you, lay false charges
against you, defraud and rob you, or even
beat and use you cruelly, for your life take
no notice of them, but meekly content yourself with the injury received, and proceed
as if nothing happened to hinder you. This
punishment, or even more, is as nothing if
you can only arrive at Jerusalem, where
you shall be recompensed for all you have
endured.
"If your enemies see that you grow courageous, and that you will neither be seduced
by flatteries nor disheartened by the pains
and trials of your journey, but rather are
contented with them, they will then be afraid
of you. Notwithstanding all this, they will
still pursue you on your way and seek every
advantage against you, now and then endeavoring, either by flatteries or alarms, to
stop and drive you back. Fear them not,
but continue on your way thinking of nothing
but Jerusalem and Jesus, whom you will find
there."

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

THIS second edition in English of Blessed
Henry Suso's Little Book of Eternal Wisdom,
translated from the classical German text
of the late Cardinal Melchior Diepenbrock,
Prince-Bishop of Breslau,* differs from the
first edition only in some verbal corrections
and emendations.
That it is a very imperfect reproduction of
the incomparable original, I am fully aware.
But there are authors whose beauties of idiom
are such as to be untranslatable. Suso is
one of them. His Latin translator, in the
sixteenth century, Laurentius Surius, knew
this. In dedicating his translation of Suso's
writings to Venerable Blosius he says:
Sermo ejus Germanicus magnam habet grat* Heinrich Suso's genannt Amandus, Leben und Schriften,
von Melchior Diepenbrock, Regensburg, 1837.
I.

2

TRANSLATOR'S

PREFACE

iam adeo ut Latino Sermone eam assequi
non potuerim.
I think it superfluous to enlarge here on
the intrinsic merits of Blessed Henry Suso's
work.* For five hundred years it has enjoyed undiminished popularity, as at once a
religious and literary masterpiece. Such a
work speaks too eloquently for itself. Such
a work is its own best praise, its own best
commentary.
R. R.
* The exact year of its first appearance is not known, but
there is no doubt it was between 1333 and 1341.

Munich, December 8th, 1865.

HERE BEGINS THE PREFACE TO
THIS BOOK.

A

PREACHER

once stood, after matins,

before a crucifix, and complained from his
heart to God that he could not meditate properly on His torments and passion, and that
this was very bitter for him, inasmuch as, up
to that hour, he had in consequence suffered
so much. And, as he thus stood with his
complaint, his interior senses were rapt to
an unusual exaltation, in which he was very
speedily and clearly enlightened as follows:
Thou shalt make a hundred venias,* and
each venia with a special meditation of My
passion, and each meditation with a request.
And every one of My sufferings shall be
spiritually impressed on thee, to suffer the
same again through Me as far as thou art able.
And as he thus stood in the light, and
would needs count the venias, he only found
*A form of prostration, " at full length on the right side,"
practised by the Dominicans.

PREFACE.

ninety, upon which he spoke to God thus:
Sweet Lord, Thou didst speak of a hundred
venias, and I find only ninety. Then he
was reminded of ten others which he had
already made in the Chapter House, before
solemnizing, according to his custom, the
devout meditation of the miserable leading
forth of Christ to death, and coming before
that very crucifix; and so he found that the
hundred meditations had entirely included
from beginning to end His bitter Passion
and death. And when he began to exercise
himself in this matter, as he had been directed,
his former dryness was changed into an interior sweetness.
Now it was his request that if, perchance,
any one else had the same imperfection,
and felt the same dryness and bitterness in
meditating on Christ's Passion in which all
santification lies, he too might be assisted,
and might exercise himself therein, and not
desist until he had attained salvation. And,
therefore, he wrote his meditations down, and
wrote them in German, because he had so
received them from God.
Accordingly, he gained many a bright
inspiration of divine truth, whereof these

PREFACE.

5

meditations were a cause, and between him
and the Eternal Wisdom there sprang up a
tender intercourse, and this took place not
by a bodily intercourse nor by figurative
answers; it took place solely by meditation
in the light of Holy Writ whose answers can
deceive in nothing; so that the answers are
taken either from the mouth of the Eternal
Wisdom who uttered them herself in the
Gospel, or else from the highest doctors, and
they comprise either the same words or the
same sense, or else such truths as are agreeable to Holy Writ, out of whose mouth the
Eternal Wisdom spoke. Nor did the visions
which hereafter follow take place in a bodily
way; they are but an interpreted similitude.
The answer touching our Blessed Lady's
complaint he has given in the sense of St.
Bernard's words ; and the reason why he propounds his doctrine by question and answer
is that it may prove the more attractive ; that
it may not seem as though he were the person
to whom the doctrine belonged, or who had
spoken it as coming from himself. His object
is to give a general doctrine, in which he and
all persons may find every one what is suitable for himself. He takes upon himself, as

PREFACE.

a teacher ought to do, the person of all mankind: now he speaks in the person of a sinner; now under the image of a love-sick
soul; then, as the matter suggests, in the
likeness of a servant with whom the Eternal
Wisdom discourses. Moreover, everything
is expounded with reference to our interior;
much is given here as doctrine that a zealous
man should choose out for himself as devout
prayer. The thoughts which stand here are
simple, the words simpler still, for they proceed from a simple soul and are meant for
simple men who have still their imperfections
to cast aside.
It happened that, as the same brother had
begun to write on the three matters, namely,
the Passion, and the rest of it all, and had
come to that part on repentance: Now then,
cheer up thou soul of mine! &c., he had
reclined himself one forenoon on his chair,
and that in a bright sleep he saw clearly, in
a vision, how two culpable persons sat before
him, and how he chastised them very severely
for sitting there so idly, and performing
nothing. Then was it given him to understand that he should thread a needle, which
was put into his hand. Now the thread was

PREFACE.

threefold; and two parts were very fine, but
the other part was a little coarser, and when
he would needs twist the three together he
could not well do it. Then he saw close to
him on his right hand our Lord, standing
the same as when He was unbound from the
pillar, and He stood before him with a look
so kind and fatherly that he thought it was
indeed his father. Now he perceived that
His body had quite a natural color; it was
not very white, but of the color of wheat, that
is, white and red well mixed together (and
this is the most natural color of all), and he
perceived that His whole body was covered
with wounds, and that they were quite fresh
and bloody, that some were round, some
angular, some very long, just as the whips
had torn Him; and as He thus stood sweetly
before him, and kindly looked at him, the
preacher raised his hands and rubbed them
to and fro on His bloody wounds, and then
took the three parts of the thread and twisted
Then was given to
them easily together.
him a power, and he understood that he was
to complete his task, and that God with
rose-colored garment (which is wrought so
delightfully out of His wounds) would clothe

HIis

PREFACE.

all those in eternal beauty who should occupy
their time and leisure with it here below.
One thing, however, a man should know,
that there is as great a difference between
hearing himself the sweet accords of a harp
and hearing another speak of them, as there
is between the words received in pure grace
and that flow out of a living heart, through
a living mouth, and those same words when
they come to be set down on dead parchment,
especially in the German tongue ; for then are
they chilled, and they wither like plucked
roses : for the sprightliness of their delivery,
which, more than anything, moves the heart
of man, is then extinguished, and in the dryness of dry hearts are they received. Never
was there a string how sweet soever, but it
became dumb when stretched on a dry log.
A joyless heart can as little understand a
joyful tongue as a German an Englishman !
Therefore let every fervent soul hasten after
the first out-pourings of this sweet doctrine,
so that she may learn to contemplate them in
their origin, where they were in all their loveliness and ravishing beauty; even there are
the in-pourings of the present grace, to the
quickening of hearts that are dead ! And

PREFACE.

9

he who thus looks at this book will hardly
have read it through before his heart will
needs be deeply moved either to fervent love,
or to new light, or to a yearning towards
God, and abhorrence of sin, or else to some
spiritual request, wherein the soul will presently be renewed in grace.
Here ends the Preface, and follows

PART THE FIRST.

CHAPTER I.
HOW SOME PERSONS

ARE UNCONSCIOUSLY

ATTRACTED BY GOD.

Her have I loved, and have sought her out
from my youth, and have desired to take her
for my spouse, and I became a lover of her
beauty. These words stand written in the
Book of Wisdom* and are spoken by the
beautiful and all-loving Wisdom.
A Servant was filled with disgust and dejection of heart on his first setting forth on
the uneven ways.
Then did the Eternal
Wisdom meet him in a spiritual and ineffable
form, and lead him through bitter and sweet
until she brought him to the right path of
divine truth. And after well reflecting on
his wonderful progress, he thus spoke to
*

viii. 2.
II

12

HOW SOME PERSONS ARE

God: Sweet and tender Lord! from the
days of my childhood my mind has sought
for something with burning thirst, but what
it is I have not as yet fully understood.
Lord, I have pursued it ardently many a
year, but I never could grasp it, for I know
not what it is, and yet it is something that
attracts my heart and soul, without which I
never can attain true rest. Lord, I sought
it in the first days of my childhood, as I saw
done around me, in creatures, but the more
I sought it in them the less I found it, and
the nearer I approached them the further I
receded from it, for every image that presented itself to my sight, before I wholly tried
it, or gave myself up quietly to it, warned
me away thus: " I am not what thou seekest !" And this repulsion I have experienced
more and more in all things. Lord, now my
heart rages after it, for my heart would so
gladly possess it. Alas ! I have so constantly
had to experience what it is not ! But what it
is, Lord, I am not as yet clear. Tell me,
beloved Lord, what it is indeed, and what is
its nature, that so secretly agitates me.
Answer of Eternal Wisdom.--Dost thou
not know it? And yet it has lovingly em-

UNCONSCIOUSLY

ATTRACTED BY GOD.

13

braced thee, has often stopped thee in the
way, until it has at length won thee for itself
alone.
The Servant.- Lord, I never saw it;
never heard of it : I know not what it is.
Eternal Wisdom.-This is not surprising,
for its strangeness and thy familiarity with
creatures were the cause.
But now open
thy interior eyes and see who I am. It is I,
the Eternal Wisdom, who, with the embrace
of My eternal providence, have chosen thee
in eternity for Myself alone. I have barred
the way to thee as often as thou wouldst
have parted company with me, had I permitted thee. In all things thou didst ever meet
with sonmo bstacle and it is the sweet sign
of My elect that I will needs have them for
Myself.
The Servant.-Tender loving Wisdom!
And is it Thou I have so long been seeking
for ? Is it Thou my spirit has so constantly
struggled for? Alas, my God, why didst
Thou not show Thyself to me long ago?
Why hast Thou delayed so long? How
many a weary way have I not wandered !
Eternal Wisdom.- Had I done so thou
wouldst not have known My goodness so
sensibly as now thou knowest it.

14

HOW SOME PERSONS ARE

The Servant.- O unfathomable goodness !
how very sweetly hast Thou not manifested
Thyself to me!
When I was not, Thou
gavest me being. When I had separated
from Thee, Thou didst not separate from me;
when I wished to escape from Thee, Thou
didst hold me sweetly captive. Yes, Thou
Eternal Wisdom, if my heart might embrace
Thee and consume all my days with Thee in
love and praise, such would be its desire;
for truly that man is blest whom Thou dost
anticipate so lovingly that Thou lettest him
have nowhere true rest,, till he seeks his rest
in Thee alone. O Wisdom Elect ! since in
Thee I have found Him whom my soul loveth,
despise not Thy poor creature.
See how
dumb my heart is to all the world in joy and
sorrow. Lord, is my heart always to be
dumb towards Thee? O give my wretched
soul leave, my dearest Lord, to speak a word
with Thee, for my heart is too full to contain itself any longer; neither has it any one
in all this world to whom it can unburthen
itself, except to Thee, my elected Lord,
Father, and Brother. Lord, Thou alone
knowest the nature of a love-overflowing
heart, and knowest that no one can love what

UNCONSCIOUSLY

ATTRACTED BY GOD.

15

he cannot in any way know. Therefore,
since I am now to love Thee alone, give me to
know Thee entirely, so that I may be also
able to love Thee entirely.
Eternal Wisdom.- The highest emanation
of all beings, taken in their natural order, is
through the noblest beings to the lowest, but
their refluence to their origin is through the
lowest to the highest. Therefore, if thou art
wishful to behold Me in My uncreated Divinity thou must learn how to know and love
Me here in My suffering humanity for this
is the speediest way to eternal salvation.
The Servant.--Then let me remind Thee
to-day, Lord,' of Thy unfathomable love,
when Thou didst incline Thyself from Thy
lofty throne, from the royal seat of the
fatherly heart, in misery and disgrace for
three-and-thirty years, and didst show the
love which Thou hast for me and all mankind, principally in the most bitter passion
of Thy cruel death: Lord, be Thou reminded of this, that Thou mayest manifest
Thyself spiritually to my soul, in that most
sweet and lovely form to which Thy immeasurable love did bring Thee.
Eternal Wisdom.--The more mangled,

16

WHAT HAPPENED

the more deathly I am for love, the more
lovely am I to a well-regulated mind. My
unfathomable love shows itself in the great
bitterness of My passion, like the sun in its
brightness, like the fair rose in its perfume,
like the strong fire in its glowing heat.
Therefore, hear with devotion how cruelly I
suffered for thee.

CHAPTER II.
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION.

AFTER the Last Supper, when on the
Mount of Olives, I gave Myself up to the
pangs of cruel death, and when I felt that
he was present before Me, I was bathed in
a bloody sweat, because of the anguish of
My tender Heart, and the agony of My
whole bodily nature. I was ignominiously
betrayed, taken prisoner like an enemy,
rigorously bound, and led miserably away.
After this I was impiously maltreated with
blows, with spittle, with blindfolding, accused
before Caiphas, and pronounced worthy of

BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION.

17

death. Unspeakable sorrows of heart were
then seen in My dear Mother, from the first
sight she had of My distress till I was hung
upon the cross. I was shamefully presented
before Pilate, falsely denounced, and sentenced to die. They stood over against Me
with horrible eyes like fierce giants, and
I stood before them like a meek lamb. I,
the Eternal Wisdom, was mocked as a fool
in a white garment before Herod, My fair
body was rent and torn without mercy by
the rude stripes of whips, My lovely countenance was drenched in spittle and blood, and
in this condition I was condemned, and
miserably and shamefully led forth with My
cross to death. They shouted after me very
furiously, so that: Crucify, crucify the miscreant ! resounded to the skies.
The Servant.-Alas ! Lord, the beginning
is indeed so bitter, how will it end? If I
were to see a wild beast so abused I should
hardly be able to bear it. With what reason,
then, must not Thy Passion pierce my heart
and soul! But, Lord, this is a great marvel
to my heart; I would needs seek Thy divinity, and Thou showest me Thy humanity; I
would needs seek Thy sweetness, and Thou

18

WHAT HAPPENED

settest before me Thy bitterness; I would
needs conquer, Thou teachest me to fight.
Lord, what dost Thou mean ?
Eternal Wisdom.-No one can attain divine exaltation or singular sweetness except
by passing through the image of My human
abasement and bitterness. The higher one
climbs without passing through My humanity,
the deeper one falls. My humanity is the
way one must go, My Passion the gate
through which one must penetrate, to arrive
at that which thou seekest. Therefore, lay
aside thy faint-heartedness, and enter with
Me the lists of knightly resolve : for, indeed,
softness beseems not the servant when his
master stands ready in warlike boldness. I
will put thee on My coat of mail, for My
entire Passion must thou suffer over again,
according to thy strength. Make up thy
mind to a daring encounter, for thy heart,
before thou shalt subdue thy nature, must
often die, and thou must sweat the bloody
sweat of anguish because of many a painful
suffering under which I mean to prepare thee
for Myself; for with red blossoms will I
manure thy spice garden. Contrary to old
custom, must thou be made prisoner and

BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION.

19

bound; thou wilt often be secretly calumniated and publicly defamed by My adversaries; many a false judgment will people
pass on thee; My torments must thou then
diligently carry in thy heart with a motherly
heartfelt love. Thou wilt obtain many a
severe judge of thy godly life; so also will
thy godly ways be often mocked as folly by
human ways; thy undisciplined body will
be scourged with a hard and severe life;
thou wilt be scoffingly crowned with persecution of thy holy life; after this, if only
thou shalt issue forth from thy own will and
deny thyself, and shalt stand as wholly disengaged from all creatures in the things
which might lead thee astray in thy eternal
salvation, even as a dying man when he departs hence, and has nothing more to do with
this world,--if only thou shalt do this, then
wilt thou be led forth with Me on the miserable way of the cross.
The Servant.-Woe is me, Lord, but this
is a dreary pastime ! My whole nature rebels
against these words. Lord, how shall I ever
endure it all? Gentle Lord, one thing I
must say : couldst Thou not have found out
some other way, in Thy eternal wisdom, to

20

WHAT HAPPENED

save me and show Thy love for me, some
way which would have exempted Thee from
Thy great sufferings, and me from their bitter
participation? How very wonderful do Thy
judgments appear !
Eternal Wisdom.-The bottomless abyss
of My hidden mysteries (in which I order
everything according to My eternal providence), let no one explore, for no one can
fathom it. And yet, in this abyss, what thou
askest about and many things besides are
possible, which yet never happen. However,
know this much, that, in the order in which
emanated beings now are, a more acceptable
or more pleasing way could not be. The
Lord of nature knows well what He can do
in nature. He knows what is best suited to
every creature, and He operates accordingly.
How should man better know the hidden
things of God than in His assumed Humanity? How might he, who has forfeited all
joy through irregular lusts, be rendered susceptible of regular and eternal joy? How
would it be possible to follow the unpractised
way of a hard and despised life, unless it had
been followed by God Himself? If thou
didst lie under sentence of death, how could

BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION.

21

He,. who should suffer the fatal penalty in
thy stead, better prove His fidelity and love
towards thee, or better excite Thee to love
Him in return? Him, therefore, whom My
unfathomable love, My unspeakable mercy,
and My bright divinity, My most affable
humanity, brotherly truth, espousing friendship, cannot move to ardent love, what else
shall soften his stony heart? Ask the fair
array of all created beings if ever I could
have maintained My justice, evinced My
fathomless mercy, ennobled human nature,
poured out My goodness, reconciled heaven
and earth, in a way more efficacious than by
My bitter death?
The Servant.-Lord, truly, I begin to
perceive that it is even so, and he whom
want of understanding has not blinded, and
who well considers the subject, must confess
it to Thee, and extol the beautiful ways of
Thy love above all ways. But still to follow
Thee is very painful to a slothful body.
Eternal Wisdom.-Be not terrified at the
following of My Passion. For he whose
interior is so possessed by God that suffering
is easy to him has no cause to complain. No
one enjoys Me more in My singular sweet-

22

HOW IT WAS WITH HIM ON THE CROSS

ness than he who stands with Me in harsh
bitterness. No one complains so much of
the bitterness of the husks as he to whom
the interior sweetness of the kernel is unknown. For him who has a good second the
fight is half won.
The Servant. -- Lord, Thy comforting
words have given me such heart, that, methinks, I am able to do and suffer all things
in Thee.
Therefore, I desire that Thou
wouldst unlock for me the entire treasure of
Thy Passion, and tell me still more about it.

CHAPTER III.
HOW IT WAS WITH HIM ON THE CROSS
ACCORDING TO THE EXTERIOR MAN.

Eternal Wisdom.--When I was suspended
on the lofty tree of the cross because of My
unfathomable love to thee and all mankind,
My whole frame was very grievously distorted, My bright eyes were extinguished and
turned in My head; My divine ears were
filled with scoffing and blasphemy; My deli-

ACCORDING TO THE EXTERIOR MAN.

23

cate nostrils were wounded with foul smells;
My sweet mouth was tormented with bitter
drink; and My tender feeling with hard
blows. The whole earth was not able to
afford Me any rest, for My feeble head was
bowed down with pain and distress, My fair
throat was unnaturally distended, My pure
countenance polluted with spittle, My beautifu conmplexuin fadd. Lo Myeomely
figure withered entirely away, as though I
were an outcast leper, and had never been
the fair and Eternal Wisdom.
Thou most gracious
The Servant. -O
mirror of all graces, in which the heavenly
spirits regale and feed their eyes, would that
I had before me Thy delicious countenance
in its deathly aspect until I had well steeped
it in the tears of my heart; would that I
might behold again and again those beautiful
eyes, those bright cheeks, that tender mouth,
all ghastly and dead, till I had fully relieved
my heart in fervent lamentation over my
Love.
Alas! sweet Lord, Thy Passion
affects so deeply the hearts of some people
that they are able to lament over Thee with
the greatest fervor, and weep for Thee from
their very hearts. O God, could I, and

24 HOW IT WAS WITH HIM ON 'THE CROSS.

might I, now represent all devout hearts
with my lamentation, might I shed the tears
of all eyes, and utter the doleful words of all
tongues, then would I show Thee to-day how
near to my heart Thy woeful Passion lies.
Eternal Wisdom.-No one can better show
how deeply his heart is affected by My
Passion than he who endures it with Me in
the practice of good works. To Me, a free
heart, unconcerned about perishable love,
and ever intent on following the main thing
according to the type of My contemplated
Passion, is more agreeable than if thou didst
always bewail Me, and didst shed as many
tears from weeping over My torments as there
ever rained drops of water from the sky;
for the following of Me was the cause in
which I suffered bitter death, although tears
are also pleasing and agreeable to Me.
The Servant.-O sweet Lord, since then
an affectionate following of Thy meek life
and voluntary Passion is so agreeable to
Thee, I will in future be more assiduous in
a voluntary following than in a weeping
sorrow. But, as I ought to have both, according to Thy words, teach me how I shall
resemble Thee in both.

HOW VERY FAITHFUL HIS PASSION WAS. 25

Eternal Wisdom.-Renounce thy pleasure
in dissolute sights and voluptuous words;
let that savor sweetly of love, and be grateful to thee, which before was repugnant to
thee; thou shouldst seek all thy rest in Me,
shouldst willingly suffer wrong from others,
desire contempt, mortify thy passions, and
die to all thy lusts. Such is the first lesson
i

the

..

schoobof wisdom , which is o be read

in the open, distended book of My crucified
body. And consider and see, whether, if
any one in all this world were to do his utmost, he could yet be to Me what I am to
him ?

CHAPTER IV.
HOW VERY FAITHFUL HIS PASSION WAS.

The Servant.--Lord,if I forget Thy worth,
Thy gifts, Thy benefits, and all things, still
one thing moves me and goes to my very
heart; this is, when I well reflect not only
on the way of our salvation, but also on its
unfathomably faithful way. Dear Lord, many
a one so bestows a gift on another, that his

26

HOW VERY FAITHFUL HIS PASSION WAS.

love and faith are better known by his way
than by his gift. A small gift in a faithful way
is often better than a great one without this
way. Now, Lord, not only is Thy gift so
great, but also the way of it, methinks, is
so unfathomably faithful. Thou didst not
only suffer death for me, but Thou didst also
seek whatever is deepest in love, whatever
is most intimate and hidden, in which suffering can or may be experienced. Thou didst
really do as though Thou hadst said: Behold
all hearts, if ever a heart was so full of love ;
look on all my limbs ; the noblest limb I have
is my heart; my very heart have I permitted
to be pierced through, to be slain and consumed, and bruised into small pieces, that
nothing in me or upon me might remain
unbestowed, so that ye might know my love.
Alas ! Lord, how was it in Thy mind, or
what were Thy thoughts? Might one not
indeed learn something farther on this head ?
Eternal Wisdom.--Never was there a
thirsty mouth that longed so ardently for the
cool fountain, nor a dying man for the pleasant days of life, as I longed to help all sinners and to render Myself beloved of them.
Sooner couldst thou recall the days that are

HOW VERY FAITHFUL HIS PASSION WAS.

27

gone, sooner couldst thou make green all
withered flowers, and gather up every drop
of rain, than possess the power to measure
the love which I bear to thee and all mankind. And, therefore, was I so covered with
marks of love that one could not have placed
the small point of a needle on any spot of
My lacerated body that had not its particular love-mark. Consider that My right hand
was nailed through; My right arm stretched
out ; My left very grievously distended ; My
right foot perforated; My left cruelly transfixed; that I hung fainting, and in great distress of My divine limbs; all My delicate
members were immovably fastened to the
hard bed of the cross. My hot blood, because of My anguish, burst forth in many a
wild gush, which overflowed My expiring
body, so that it was a most piteous sight to
see. Behold a lamentable thing ! My young,
My fair and blooming body began to fade,
to wither and pine away, My weary and tender back had a hard pillow on the rough
cross, My heavy body gave way, My whole
frame was gashed with wounds, and like one
great sore, and all this My loving heart willingly endured.

CHAPTER V.
HOW THE SOUL ATTAINS HEARTY REPENTANCE
AND GENTLE PARDON UNDER THE CROSS.

The Servant.- Now then, cheer up thou
soul of mine ! Collect thyself entirely from
all exterior things into the calm silence of
thy interior, that so thou mayest break away,
and wander at large, and run wild in the
rugged wilderness of an unfathomable sorrow
of heart, up to the high rock of misery, now
contemplated; and mayest cry aloud from
the depths of thy sad and languishing heart,
till it resound over hill and valley throughout the sky, and pierce even to heaven before all the heavenly host; and speak with
thy lamentable voice thus: Alas, ye living
rocks, ye savage beasts, ye sunny meads!
who will give me the burning fire of my full
heart, and the scalding water of my sorrowful tears, to wake you up, that ye may help
me to bewail the unfathomable heartrending
woe which my poor heart so secretly suffers ?
Me had my heavenly Father adorned above
28

HOW THE SOUL ATTAINS REPENTANCE

29

all living creatures, and elected to be His
own tender and blessed spouse. And lo, I
have fled from Him! Woe is me ! I have
lost the beloved of my choice, my only one !
Woe on my wretched heart ! forever woe !
What have I done, what have I lost ! I have
fled from myself, all the host of heaven, all
that could give me joy and delight, have fled
from me ! I sit forsaken, for mfy false lovers
were deceivers. O misery and death ! How
falsely and miserably have ye not forsaken
me, how despoiled me of all the good with
which my only love had arrayed me! Alas
honor ! alas joy ! alas all consolation! how
am I 'utterly robbed of you! Whither shall
I turn myself? The entire world has forsaken
me, because I have forsaken my only love.
Wretched me ! when I did so what a lamentable hour it was ! Behold in me a late daisy,
behold in me a sloe thorn, all ye red roses,
ye white lilies ! take notice how very quickly
that flower withers, fades, and dies, which
this world gathers ! For I must always thus
living, die ; thus blooming, fade ; thus youthful, grow old; thus healthy, sicken. And
yet, tender Lord, all that I suffer is of small
account compared to my having made wroth

30

HOW THE SOUL ATTAINS REPENTANCE

Thy fatherly countenance; for this is to me
a hell and a grief above all grief. Alas, that
Thou shouldst have been so graciously kind,
that Thou shouldst have warned me so tenderly, and drawn me so affectionately, and
that I should have so utterly despised it all!
O heart of man ! what canst thou not endure !
As hard as steel must thou be not to burst
utterly with woe. True, I was once called
His beloved spouse; woe is me ! I am not
now worthy to be called His poor handmaid.
Never more, for bitter shame, may I raise
my eyes. Henceforth in joy and sorrow
my mouth to Him must be dumb. O how
narrow for me is this wide world ! O God,
were I but in a wild forest, where no one
might hear or see me, but where I could cry
aloud to my heart's desire, to the relief of
my poor heart; for other consolation I have
none ! O sin, to what a pass hast thou
brought me ! Woe to thee, thou false world !
woe to him that serves thee ! How hast thou
rewarded me, seeing that I am a burthen to
myself and thee, and ever must be. Hail,
all hail to you, ye rich queens ! ye rich souls,
who, by the misfortunes of others, have become wise; who have continued in your first

AND

PARDON UNDER THE CROSS.

31

innocence of body and mind; how unwittingly blessed ye are! O pure conscience !
O free and single heart ! how ignorant are ye
of the state of a heart oppressed and sorrowful through sin ! Ah me, poor spouse, how
happy was I with my Beloved, and how little
did I know it ! Who will give me the breadth
of the heavens for parchment, the depth of
the sea for ink, leaves and grass for pens,
that I may write fully out my desolation of
soul, and the irreparable calamity which
my woful separation from my Beloved has
brought upon me! Alas that ever I was
born ! What is left but for me to cast myself into the abyss of despair ?
Eternal Wisdom.-Thou must not despair.
Did I not come into the world for the sake
of thee and all sinners, that I might lead
thee back to My Father in such beauty,
brightness, and purity, as otherwise thou
never couldst have acquired?
The Servant.-O what is that which sounds
so sweetly in a dead and outcast soul?
Eternal Wisdom.-Dost thou not know
Me ? What I art thou fallen so low, or hast
thou lost thy senses, because of thy great
trouble, my tender child ? And yet it is I, the

32

HOW THE SOUL ATTAINS REPENTANCE

all-merciful Wisdom, I who have opened wide
the abyss of infinite mercy, which is, however hidden from all the saints, to receive
thee and all penitent hearts.
It is I,
the sweet Eternal Wisdom, who became
wretched and poor that I might guide thee
back again to thy dignity. It is I who suffered bitter death that I might bring thee
again to life. Lo ! here I am, pale, bloody,
affectionate, as when suspended between thee
and the severe judgment of My Father, on
the lofty gibbet of the cross. It is I, thy
brother. Behold, it is I, thy bridegroom!
Everything that thou ever didst against Me
will I wholly forget, as though it had never
happened, provided only that thou return to
Me, and never quit Me more. Wash thyself
in My precious blood, lift up thy head, open
thy eyes, and be of good cheer. Receive as
a token of entire peace and complete expiation My wedding ring on thy hand, receive
thy first robe, shoes on thy feet, and the
fond name of My bride forever ! Lo, I have
garnered thee up with such bitter toil!
Therefore, if the whole world were a consuming fire, and there lay in the midst of it
a handful of flax, it would not, from its very

AND PARDON UNDER THE CROSS.

33

nature, be so susceptible of the burning
flame as the abyss of My mercy is ready to
pardon a repentant sinner, and blot out his
sins.
The Servant. -- O my Father! 0 my
Brother! O all that can ravish my heart!
And wilt Thou still be gracious to my offending soul? 0 what goodness, what unfathomable compassion ! For this will I fall prostrate
at Thy feet, O heavenly Father ! and thank
Thee from the bottom of my heart, and beg
of Thee to look on Thy only-begotten Son,
whom, out of love Thou gavest to bitter
death, and to forget my grievous misdeeds.
Remember, heavenly Father, how Thou didst
swear of old to Noah, and didst say: I will
stretch My bow in the sky; I will look upon
it, and it shall be a sign of reconciliation
between Me and the earth. 0 look now
upon it, tender Father, how cruelly stretched
out it is, so that its bones and ribs can be
numbered; look how red, how green, how
yellow love has made it ! Look, O heavenly
Father, through the hands, the arms, and the
feet, so wofully distended, of Thy tender
and only-begotten Son. Look at His beautiful body, all rose color with wounds, and

34

HOW THE SOUL ATTAINS REPENTANCE

forget Thy anger against me. Remember
that Thou art only called the Lord of Mercy,
the Father of Mercy, because Thou forgivest.
Such is Thy name. To whom didst Thou
give Thy best-beloved Son? To sinners.
Lord, lHe is MINE!
Lord, He is ouns!
This very day will I enclose myself with
His bare extended arms in a loving embrace
in the bottom of my heart and soul, and
living or dead will never more be separated
from Him. Therefore, do Him honor to-day
in me, and graciously forget that wherein I
may have angered Thee. For, methinks it
were easier for me to suffer death than ever
to anger Thee, my heavenly Father, again.
Neither afflictions nor oppressions, neither
hell nor purgatory, are such causes of lamentation to my heart, as that I ever should
have angered and dishonored Thee, my
Creator, my Lord, my God, my Saviour,
the joy and delight of my heart. Oh, if for
this I could give voice to my grief of soul,
through all the heavens, till my heart should
burst into a thousand pieces, how gladly
would I do it ! And the more entirely Thou
forgivest my evil deeds, so much the greater
is my sorrow of heart at having been so un-

AND PARDON

UNDER THE CROSS.

35

grateful in return for Thy great goodness.
And Thou, my only consolation, Thou my
tender elected one, Eternal Wisdom! how
can I ever make Thee a complete and proper
return of thanks for having at so dear a rate
healed and reconciled with Thy pangs and
wounds the breach which all created beings
could not have made good? And therefore,
my eternal joy, teach me how to bear Thy
wounds and love-marks on my entire body,
and how to have them at all times in my
keeping, so that all this world, and all the
heavenly host, may see that I am grateful for
the infinite good which, out of Thy unfathomable goodness alone, Thou hast bestowed on
my lost soul.
Eternal Wisdom. -- Thou shouldst give
thyself and all that is thine to Me cheerfully,
and never take them back. All that is not
of absolute necessity to thee shouldst thou
leave untouched; then will thy hands be
truly nailed to My cross. Thou shouldst
cheerfully set about good works and persevere in them; then will thy left foot be made
fast. Thy inconstant mind and wandering
thoughts shouldst thou make constant and
collected in Me; and thus thy right foot will

36

HOW THE SOUL ATTAINS REPENTANCE.

be nailed to My cross. Thy mental and
bodily powers must not seek rest in lukewarmness; in the likeness of My arms they
should be stretched out in My service. Thy
sickly body must often, in honor of My
dislocated bones, be wearied out in spiritual
exercises, and rendered incapable of fulfilling its own desires. Many an unknown
suffering must strain thee to Me on the
narrow bed of the cross, by which thou wilt
become lovely like Me, and of the color of
blood. The withering away of thy nature
must make Me blooming again; thy spontaneous hardships must be to My weary
back as a bed; thy resolute resistance to
sin must relieve My spirit; thy devout
heart must soften My pains, and thy high
flaming heart must kindle My fervid heart.
The Servant.-Now, then, fulfil Thou my
good wishes, according to Thy highest praise,
and according to Thy very best will; for
indeed Thy yoke is soft, and Thy burthen
light: this do all those know who have experienced it, and who were once overladen
with the heavy load of sin.

CHAPTER VI.
HOW DECEITFUL THE LOVE OF THIS WORLD
IS, AND HOW AMIABLE GOD IS.

The Servant.- Sweetest Good, if I leave
Thee but a little I am like a young roe which
has strayed from its dam, and is pursued by
the hunter, and runs wildly about, until it
escapes back to its cover. Lord, I flee, I
run to Thee with ardent desire, like a stag
to the living waters. Lord, one little hour
without Thee is a whole year ; to be estranged
one day from Thee is as much as a thousand
years to a loving heart. Therefore, Thou
branch of salvation, Thou sprig of May,
Thou red blooming rose-tree, open and spread
out the green branches of Thy divine nature.
Lord, Thy countenance is so full of graciousness, Thy mouth so full of living words,
Thy whole carriage such a pure mirror of all
discipline and meekness!
O Thou aspect
of graciousness to all the saints, how very
37

38

HOW DECEITFUL THIS WORLD IS,

blessed is he who is found worthy of Thy
sweet espousals !
Eternal Wisdom.-- Many are called to
them, but few are chosen.
The Servant.- Gentle Lord, either they
have broken with Thee, or Thou with them.
Eternal Wisdom.- Lift up, therefore, thy
eyes, and behold this vision.
The Servant lifted up his eyes and was
terrified, and, with a deep sigh, said: Woe
to me, dear Lord, that ever I was born ! Do
I see aright, or is it only a dream? I saw
Thee before in such richness of beauty, and
such tenderness of love; now I see nothing
but a poor, outcast, miserable pilgrim who
stands wretchedly leaning on his staff before
an old decayed city. The trenches are in
ruins, the walls falling down, only that, here
and there, the high tops of the old timber
work still project aloft; and in the city is a
great multitude of people; among them are
many that look like wild beasts in a human
form: and the miserable pilgrim goes wandering about to see if any one will take him
by the hand. Alas ! I behold the multitude
drive him with insult away, and hardly look
at him, because of the things about which

AND HOW AMIABLE

GOD I8.

39

they are busy. And yet some, but only a
very few, offer to give him their hands; this
the other wild beasts come and prevent.
Now I hear the miserable pilgrim begin to
sigh wofully, and cry aloud: O heaven and
earth have pity on me -me
who have garnered up this city with such bitter toil, and
who am so badly welcomed in it, while those
who have spent no labor upon it are yet so
kindly received !
Lord, such is what has been shown me in
the vision. O Thou eternal God, what does
it mean? Am I right or wrong?
Eternal Wisdom.- This vision is a vision
of pure truth. Hearken to a lamentable
thing ; O let it touch thy heart with pity ! I
am the miserable pilgrim whom thou didst
see. At one time I was in great honor in
that city, but now I am brought down to
great misery and driven out.
The Servant.- Dearest Lord! what is
this city, what are the people in it ?
Eternal Wisdom.- This decayed city is
an image of that spiritual life in which I was
once so worthily served. And while they
were living in it so holily and securely, it
begins in many places to fall very much to

40

HOW DECEITFUL THIS WORLD IS,

ruin; the trenches begin to decay, and the
walls to crack, that is to say, devout obedience, voluntary poverty, secluded purity in
holy simplicity, begin to disappear, and, at
last, to such a degree that nothing is to be
seen standing, except the high timber work
of mere exterior observance. As to the great
multitude, the beasts in human form, they
are worldly hearts under spiritual disguises,
who, in the vain pursuit of transitory things,
drive Me out of their souls. That a few
should, nevertheless, offer to give Me their
hands, but are hindered by the rest, signifies
that some men of good intentions and devout
feelings are perverted by the speech and evil
The staff on which
example of others.
thou didst see Me stand leaning, is the cross
of My bitter passion, with which I admonish
them at all times to think on My sufferings,
and to turn, with the love of their hearts to
Me alone. But the cry of misery thou didst
hear is My death which even here begins to
cry aloud, and ever cries aloud, because of
those in whom neither My unfathomable love
nor my bitter death is able to do so much
as to expel the worm of sinful thoughts from
their hearts.

AND HOW AMIABLE

GOD IS.

41

The Servant.-O Lord, how it cuts through
my very heart and soul to think Thou art
so lovable, and yet, in spite of all Thy advances, art in many hearts so utterly despised.
Ah ! tender Lord, what will Thy advances be
to those who, though they see Thee in the
miserable shape in which Thou art rejected
by the multitude, yet stretch out their hands
to Thee with sincere faith and love ?
Eternal Wisdom. -- Those who for My
sake give up perishable affections, and receive Me with sincere faith and love, and
remain constant to the end, will I espouse
with My divine love and sweetness, and will
give them My hand in death, and exalt
them on the throne of My glory before the
whole court of heaven.
The Servant.-Lord, there be many who
think they will still love Thee without giving up perishable love.
Lord, they will
needs be very dear to Thee, and yet will
not the less indulge in temporal love.
Eternal Wisdom.--It is as impossible as
to compress the heavens together and enclose
them in a nut-ghell.
Such persons array
themselves in fair words, they build upon
the wind, and construct upon the rainbow.

42

HOW DECEITFUL THIS WORLD IS,

How may the eternal abide with the temporal, when even one temporal thing neither
can nor will endure another? He but deceives himself who thinks he can lodge the
King of kings in a common inn, or thrust
Him into the mean dwelling of a servant.
In entire seclusion from all creatures must
he keep himself who is desirous of receiving
his guest as he ought.
The Servant.- Alas, sweet Lord, how
completely bewitched must they all be not
to see this !
Eternal Wisdom.- They stand in deep
blindness. They endure many a hard struggle for pleasures which yet neither fix their
attachment nor afford them full gratification.
lefore they obtain one joy they meet with
n sorrows, and the more they pursue their
1 sts the nrore are these upbraided with being
ipsufficient. Lo ! godless hearts must needs
ke at all times in fear and trembling. Even
the fleeting pleasure they obtain proves very
harsh to them, for they procure it with much
toil, they enjoy it in great anxiety, and lose
it with much bitterness. The world is full
of uitruth, faksehood, and inconstancy ; when
profit is at an end, friendship is at an end,

AND HOW AMIABLE GOD IS.

43

and to speak shortly, neither true love, nor
entire joy, nor constant peace of mind, was
ever obtained by any heart from creatures.
The Servant.- Alas ! dear Lord, what a
lamentable thing it is, that so many a noble
soul, so many a languishing heart, so many
an image formed after God in such beauty
and sweetness, that in Thy espousals ought
to be queens and empresses, powerful in
heaven and on earth, should so foolishly go
astray and degrade themselves ! Oh, wonder
of wonders ! to think that of their own accord they should be lost ! since, according
to Thy words of truth, the fell separation of
the soul from the body were better for them
than that Thou, the Life Eternal, shouldest
have to separate from their souls where Thou
findest no dwelling-place. Oh, ye dull fools,
behold how your great ruin prospers, how
your great loss increases, how you allow the
precious, the fair, the delightsome moments
to pass away, which ye may hardly or indeed
never again possess, and how gaily you carry
yourselves the while, as though it concerned
you not! Alas! Thou gentle Wisdom, did
they but know it and feel it surely they
would desist.

44

HOW DECEITFUL THIS WORLD IS,

Eternal Wisdom.- Listen to a wonderful
and lamentable thing. They know it and
feel it at all hours, and yet do not desist;
they know it and yet will not know it; they
beautify it, like unsound argument, with dazzling brightness, which yet is unlike the
naked truth, as so many of them at last,
when it is too late, will have to feel.
The Servant.-Alas ! tender Wisdom, how
senseless they are, or what does it mean?
Eternal Wisdom.-- Here will they needs
escape calamity and suffering, and yet fall
into the midst of it; and as they will not
endure the eternal good and My sweet yoke,
they will be overwhelmed by the inevitable
doom of My severe justice with many a
They fear the frost, and
heavy burthen.
fall into the snow.
The Servant.- Alas! tender and merciful Wisdom, remember that, without being
strengthened by Thee, no one can accomplish
anything. I see no other help for them than
to raise their eyes to Thee, and to fall at Thy
feet with bitter, heart-felt tears, entreating
that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to enlighten
them, and free them from the bonds with
which they are made fast.

AND

HOW AMIABLE

GOD Is.

45

Eternal Wisdom.-I am at all times ready
to help them, if only they be ready. I do
not turn away from them.
The Servant.- Lord, it is painful for love
to separate from love.
Eternal Wisdom.- Very true, if I could
not and would not lovingly make good all
love in hearts of love.
The Servant.- O Lord, it is impossible
to leave off old custom.
Eternal Wisdom .- But it will be yet more
impossible to endure future torments.
The Servant.- They are perhaps so well
regulated in themselves that it does them
no injury.
Eternal Wisdom.- I was the best regulated, and yet the most self-mortified. How
may that be regulated which, from its very
nature, corrupts the heart, confuses the mind,
perverts discipline, draws off the heart from
all fervor, and robs it of its peace? It
breaks open the gates, behind which godly
living lies hidden, that is, the five senses.
It robs sobriety and introduces audaciousness, the loss of grace, estrangement from
God, interior tepidity, and exterior sloth.
The Servant.-Lord, they do not think

46

HOW DECEITFUL THIS WORLD IS,

they are hindered so much, if only what they
love have the appearance of a spiritual life.
Eternal Wisdom.--A clear-seeing eye may
just as easily be blinded by white meal as by
pale ashes. Behold, was ever any person's
presence so harmless as Mine among my
disciples? No unprofitable words fell from
us, among us there was no extravagant demeanor, no beginning loftily in the spirit, and
sinking down in the depth of endless words;
there was nothing else but real earnestness
and entire truth without any deceit. And
yet, My bodily presence had to be withdrawn
from them before they became susceptible of
My spirit. What a hindrance, then, must
not a merely human presence prove! Before
they are initiated by one person, they are
seduced by a thousand; before they are reformed in one point by good precept, they
are often led astray by bad example; and,
to speak briefly, as the sharp frost in May
nips the blossoms and scatters them abroad,
so the love of perishable things blights godly
seriousness and religious discipline. If thou
hast still a doubt respecting it, look around
thee into the beautiful, fruitful vineyards
which formerly were so delightful in their

AND HOW AMIABLE GOD IS.

47

first bloom, how utterly withered and ruined
they are, so that they contain few traces more
of fervent seriousness and great devotion.
Now, this produces an irreparable injury, for
it has become a thing of habit, a spiritual decorum, which, secretly, is so destructive of
all spiritual salvation. It is all the more pernicious as it appears innocent. How many a
precious spice-garden is there, which, adorned
with delightful gifts, was a heavenly paradise, where God was well pleased to dwell,
which, now, by reason of perishable love, has
become a garden of wild weeds ; where lilies
and roses formerly grew, now stand thorns,
nettles, and briars, and where angels were
used to dwell, swine now root up the soil.
Woe betide the hour, when all lost time,
when all good works neglected, shall be
reckoned up, when every idle word spoken,
thought, written, whether in secret or in
public, shall be read up before God and the
whole world, and its meaning, without disguise, be understood !
The Servant.-Alas! Lord, these words
are so sharp that indeed it must be a stony
heart that is not moved by them. Ah, my
Lord, some hearts there are, of so tender a

43,

HOW LOVELY GOD IS.

nature, that they are much sooner attracted
by love than fear, and as Thou, the Lord of
nature, art not a destroyer but a fulfiller
of nature, O, therefore, most kind and gracious Lord, put an end to this sad discourse,
and tell me how Thou art a Mother of beautiful love, and how sweet Thy love is.

CHAPTER VII.
HOW LOVELY

GOD IS.

The Servant.- Lord, let me reflect on
that divine passage, where Thou speakest of
Thyself in the Book of Wisdom: " Come
over to Me, all ye that desire Me, and be
filled with My fruits. I am the Mother of
fair love; My spirit is sweet above honey
and the honeycomb. Wine and music rejoice the heart, but the love of wisdom is
above them both."*
Ah, Lord ! Thou canst show Thyself so
lovely and so tender, that all hearts must
needs languish for Thee and endure, for Thy
*Ecclesiasticus, xxiv. 24, 26, 27; xl. 20.

HOW LOVELY, GOD IS.

49

sake, all the misery of tender desire; Thy
words of love flow so sweetly out of Thy
sweet mouth, and so powerfully affect many
hearts in their blooming days, that perishable
love is wholly extinguished in them. O my
dear Lord, this it is for which my soul sighs,
this it is which makes my spirit sad, this it is
about which I would gladly hear Thee speak.
Now, then, my only elected Comforter, speak
one little word to my soul, to Thy poor handmaid; for, lo ! I am fallen softly asleep beneath Thy shadow, and my heart watcheth.
Eternal Wisdom.-Listen, then, my son,
and see, incline to Me thy ears, enter wholly
into thy interior, and forget thyself and all
things. I am in Myself the incomprehensible
good, which always was and always is, which
never was and never will be uttered. I may
indeed give Myself to men's hearts to be felt
by them, but no tongue can truly express Me
in words. And yet, when I, the Supernatural, immutable good, present Myself to every
creature according to its capacity to be susceptible of Me, I bind the sun's splendor, as
it were, in a cloth, and give thee spiritual perceptions of Me and My sweet love in bodily
words thus: I set Myself tenderly before the

50

HOW LOVELY GOD IS,

eyes of thy heart; now adorn and clothe thou
Me in spiritual perceptions and represent Me
as delicate and as comely as thy very heart
could wish, and bestow on Me all those things
that can move the heart to especial love and
entire delight of soul. Lo ! all and everything that thou and all men can possibly imagine of form, of elegance, and grace, is in
Me far more ravishing than any one can express, and in words like these do I choose to
make Myself known. Now, listen further:
I am of high birth, of noble race; I am the
Eternal Word of the Fatherly Heart, in which,
according to the love-abounding abyss of My
natural Sonship in His sole paternity, I possess a gratefulness before His tender eyes
in the sweet and bright-flaming love of the
Holy Ghost. I am the throne of delight, I
am the crown of salvation, My eyes are so
clear, My mouth so tender, My cheeks so
radiant and blooming, and all My figure so
fair and ravishing, yea, and so delicately
formed, that if a man were to lie in a glowing furnace till the day of judgment, only
to have one single glance at My beauty, he
would not deserve it. See, I am so deliciously adorned in garments of light, I am so

HOW LOVELY GOD IS.

51

exquisitely set off with all the blooming colors
of living flowers, that all May-blossoms, all
the beautiful shrubs of all dewy fields, all the
tender buds of the sunny meads, are but as
rough thistles compared to My adornment.
In the Godhead I play the game of bliss,
Such joy the angels find in this,
That unto them a thousand years
But as one little hour appears.

All the heavenly host f6llow Me entranced
by new wonders, and behold Me; their eyes
are fixed on Mine; their hearts are inclined
to Me, their minds bent on Me without intermission. Happy is he who, in joyous security, shall take Me by My beautiful hand, and
join in My sweet diversions, and dance forever the dance of joy amid the ravishing delights of the kingdom of heaven ! One little
word there spoken by My sweet mouth will
far surpass the singing of all the angels, the
music of all harps, the harmony of all sweet
strings. My faithfulness is so made to be
loved, so lovely am I to be embraced, and so
tender for pure languishing souls to kiss, that
all hearts ought to break for My possession.
I am condescending and full of sympathy and

HOW LOVELY GOD IS.

always present to the pure soul. I abide
with her in secret, at table, in bed, in the
streets, in the fields. Turn Myself whichever
way I will, in Me there is nothing that can
displease, in Me is everything that can delight
the utmost wishes of thy heart and desires of
the soul. Lo ! I am a good so pure, that he
who in his day only gets one drop of Me regards all the pleasures and delights of this
world as nothing but bitterness; all its possessions and honors as worthless, and only
fit to be cast away; My beloved ones are
encompassed by My love, and are absorbed
into the One Thing alone without imaged love
and without spoken words, and are taken and
infused into that good out of which they
flowed. My love can also relieve regenerate
hearts from the heavy load of sin, and can
give a free, pure, and gentle heart, and create a clean conscience. Tell Me, what is
there in all this world able to outweigh this
one thing ? For he who gives his heart wholly
to Me lives joyfully, dies securely, and obtains the kingdom of heaven here as well as
hereafter.
Now, observe, I have assuredly given thee
many words, and yet My beauty has been as

HOW LOVELY GOD 18.

53

little touched by them as the firmanent by thy
little finger, because no eye has ever seen
My beauty, nor ear heard it, neither has it
ever entered any heart. Still let what I have
said to thee be as a device to show thee the
difference between My sweet love and false,
perishable love.
The Servant.-Ah ! Thou tender delicious
wild flower, Thou delight of the heart in the
embracing arms of the pure loving soul, how
familiar is all this to him who has ever really
felt Thee; but how strange is it to that man
who knows Thee not, whose heart and mind
are still of the body ! O, Thou most heartfelt incomprehensible good ! this is a precious
hour, this is a sweet moment, in which I must
open to Thee a secret wound which my heart
still bears from Thy sweet love. Lord, plurality in love is like water in the fire. Lord,
Thou knowest that real fervent love cannot
bear duality. Alas! Thou only Lord of my
heart and soul, my heart desires that Thou
shouldst have a particular love for me, and
that I should be particularly pleasing to Thy
divine eyes. O Lord, Thou hast so many
hearts that ardently love Thee, and are of
much account with Thee. Alas ! my sweet

54

HOW LOVELY GOD IS.

and tender Lord, how stands it with me in
this matter ?
Eternal TWisdom.- I am a lover of that
sort who is not diminished in unity, nor confounded in multiplicity. I am as entirely
concerned and occupied with thee alone,
with the thought how I may at all times
love thee alone, and fulfil everything that
appertains to thee, as though I was wholly
disengaged from all other things.
The Servant. O rare ! O wonderful!
whither am I borne, how am I gone astray !
how is my soul utterly dissolved by the sweet
friendly words of my beloved ! Oh, turn away
Thy bright eyes from me, for they have
Wherever was there a heart
overcome me.
so hard, a soul so lukewarm, so cold as, when
it heard Thy sweet living words, so exceedingly fiery as they are, was not fain to melt
and kindle in Thy sweet love! O wonder of
wonders ! that he who thus sees Thee with
the eyes of his soul, should not feel his very
heart dissolve in love. How right blessed is
he who bears the name of Thy Spouse, and
is so! What sweet consolations and secret
tokens of Thy love must not he eternally re* Cant. vi. 5.

HOW LOVELY

GOD IS.

55

ceive from Thee ! O thou sweet virgin St.
Agnes, thou fair wooer of Eternal Wisdom !
how well couldst thou console thyself with
thy dear Bridegroom, when thou didst say,
" His blood has adorned my cheeks with rose
color." O gentle Lord, that my soul were
but worthy to be called Thy wooer! And
were it indeed possible that all delights, all
joy and love, that this world can afford,
might be found united in one man, how gladly
would I renounce him for the sake of that
name ! How blessed is that man, that ever
he was born into the world, who is named
Thy friend, and is so ! Oh, if a man had even
a thousand lives, he ought to stake them at
once for the sake of acquiring Thy love. Oh,
all ye friends of God, all ye heavenly host,
and thou dear virgin St. Agnes, help me to
pray to Him; for never did I rightly know
what His love was. Alas ! thou heart of
mine, lay aside, put away all sloth, and see
if, before thy death, thou mayest advance so
far as to - feel His sweet love. O Thou tender beautiful Wisdom! O my elected one!
What a truly right gracious love Thou canst
be above all loves else in the world! How
very different is Thy love and the love of

5b

HOW LOVELY GOD IS.

creatures ! How false is everything that appears lovely in this world and gives itself out
to be something, as soon as one really begins
to know it. Lord; wherever I might cast
my eyes I always found something to disgust
me; for, if it was a fair image, it was void of
grace; if it was fair and lovely, it had not
the true way; or if it had indeed this, still,
I always found something either inwardly or
outwardly, to which the entire inclination of
my heart was secretly opposed. But Thou
art beauty with infinite affability, Thou art
grace in shape and form, the word with the
way, nobility with virtue, riches with power,
interior freedom and exterior brightness, and
ONE thing Thou art which I have never found
in time, namely, a power and faculty of perfectly satiating every wish and every ardent
desire of a truly loving heart. The more
one knows Thee, the more one loves Thee;
the more acquainted one is with Thee, the
more friendly one finds Thee. Ah me ! what
an unfathomable, entirely pure good Thou
art ! See how deceived all those hearts are
that fix their affections on anything else!
Ah! ye false lovers, flee far from me, never
come near me more. I have chosen for my

HOW LOVELY GOD IS.

heart that one only love in which my heart,
my soul, my desires, and all my powers can
alone be satiated with a love that never dissolves away. O Lord, could I but trace Thee
on my heart! could I but melt Thee with
characters of gold into the innermost core of
my heart and soul, so that Thou mightest
never be eradicated out of me ! Oh, misery
and desolation! that ever I should have
troubled my heart with such things ! What
have I gained with all my lovers, but time
lost, forfeited words, an empty hand, few
good works, and a conscience burdened with
infirmity? Slay me, rather, in Thy love, O
Lord, for from Thy feet I will never more
be separated.
Eternal Wisdom.- I go forth to meet
those who seek Me, and I receive with affectionat joy such as desire My love. All that
thou canst ever experience of My sweet love
in time, is but as a little drop to the ocean
of My love in eternity.

CHAPTER VIII.
AN

EXPLANATION

OF THREE THINGS

WHICH

MOST OF ALL MIGHT BE LIKELY TO BE REPUGNANT

TO A LOVING

HEART IN GOD.-

ONE IS, HOW HE CAN APPEAR SO WRATHFUL
AND YET BE SO GRACIOUS.

The Servant.-Three things there are at
which I marvel very much; one is, that Thou
shouldst be beyond all measure so amiable
Thyself, and yet so severe a judge of evil
deeds. Lord, when I reflect on Thy severe
justice, my heart with passionate voice exclaims : "Woe to all who persist in sin !"
for did they but know the strict account of
every single sin, which Thou wilt infallibly
require, even from Thy very dearest friends,
they ought sooner to pluck out their teeth
and hair than ever provoke Thy anger ! Woe
is me ! How very terrible is Thy angry countenance, how very intolerable Thy ungentle
averted looks ! So full of fire are Thy threatening words that they cut through heart and
soul. Shield me, O Lord, from Thy wrath58

AN EXPLANATION OF THREE THINGS.

59

ful countenance, and extend not Thy vengeance against me to the next world. Lo !
when I only doubt, lest, because of my guilty
deeds Thou mayest have turned Thy face
angrily away from me, it is a thing so insupportable, that nothing in all this world is so
bitter to me. Oh, my Lord and Father, how
could my heart endure Thy angry countenance forever ! When I but seriously reflect
on Thy countenance inflamed with anger, my
soul is so horrified, all my strength is so
shaken, that I can liken it to nothing else
but the heavens beginning to darken and grow
black, to fire raging in the clouds, and a
mighty thunder rending them, so that the
earth trembles, and fiery bolts dart down
upon men. Lord, let no one confide in Thy
silence, for verily Thy silence will soon be
turned to dreadful thunder. Lord, the angry
countenance of Thy Fatherly anger to that
man who is fearful of provoking and losing
Thee, is a hell above all hells. I will say
nothing of that furious countenance of Thine
which the wicked at the last day will have
to behold in bitterness of heart. Woe, everlasting woe to those who shall have to expect
so great a calamity I

60

THREE THINGS REPUGNANT

TO

Lord, all this is a profound mystery to my
heart, and yet Thou sayest that Thou. art so
gracious and so good.
Eternal Wisdom.- I am the immutable
good, and subsist the same and am the same.
But that I do not appear the same, arises
from the difference of those who view Me
differently, according as they are with or
without sin. I am tender and loving in My
nature, and yet a terrible judge of evil deeds.
I require from My friends childlike awe, and
confiding love, in order that awe may restrain
them from sin, and love unite them to Me in
faith.

CHAPTER IX.
THE SECOND THING -WHY
JOICING THE

HEART,

GOD,
OFTEN

AFTER REWITHDRAWS

HIMSELF FROM HIS FRIENDS, BY WHICH HIS
TRUE PRESENCE IS MADE KNOWN.

The Servant.-Lord, all has been explained
to my heart's satisfaction, except one thing.
In truth, Lord, when a soul is quite exhausted
with yearning after Thee and the sweet ca-

A LOVING HEART, IN GOD.

61

resses of Thy presence, then, Lord, art Thou
O Lord!
silent and sayest not a word.
ought not this to grieve my heart, that Thou,
my tender Lord, Thou who art my only one
love, and the sole desire of my heart, shouldst
yet behave Thyself so strangely, and in such
a way hold Thy peace?
Eternal Wisdom.--And yet do all creatures
cry aloud to Me that it is I.
The Servant.-O dear Lord ! that is not
enough for a languishing soul.
Eternal Wisdom.-If every little word I
utter is a little word of love to their hearts,
and every word of the Sacred Scriptures written by Me is a sweet love-letter, as though
I Myself had written it, ought not this to be
enough for them?
Thlie Servant.-- Lord, Thou knowest
O
well that to a loving heart everything that
is not its only love and its only consolation,
is insufficient. Lord, Thou art so very intimate, choice, and fathomless a love; lo ! if
even all the tongues of all the angels were
to address me, love unfathomable would still
pursue and strive after Him alone whom it
longs for. A loving soul would still take
Thee for the kingdom of heaven, for surely

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THREE THINGS REPUGNANT

TO

Alas ! Lord, ,may
Thou art her heaven.
I venture to say that Thou shouldst be a
little more favorable to such poor affectionate hearts as pine and languish for Thee, as
breathe out so many an unfathomable sigh to
Thee, as look up so yearningly to Thee, crying aloud from their very hearts, Return to
us, O Lord ! and speaking and reasoning with
themselves thus: " Have we cause to think
we have angered Him, and that He will forsake us ? Have we cause to think He will
not give us His loving presence back again,
so that we may affectionately embrace Him
with the arms of our hearts, and press Him
to our bosoms till all our sorrow vanish?
Lord, all this Thou knowest and hearest, and
yet art Thou silent ! "
Eternal Wisdom.- I know it and see it
with heart-felt eager joy. But now, since thy
wonder is so great, answer Me a question.
What is that which, of all things, gives most
delight to the highest of created spirits?
The Servant.-Lord,I would fain learn this
from Thee, for such a question is too great
for my understanding.
Eternal Wisdom.- Then I will tell thee.
Nothing tastes better to the very highest

A LOVING HEART, IN GOD.

63

angel than, in all things, to do My will; so
that if he knew that it would tend to My
praise to root up nettles and other weeds, it
would be for him, of all things, the most desirable to perform.
The Servant.- Ah, Lord, how dost Thou
strike home to me with this question! For
surely Thy meaning is, that I ought to keep
myself disengaged and serene in joy, and
seek Thy praise alone, both in sorrow and
delight.
Eternal Wisdom.- A desertion above all
desertion is to be deserted in desertion.
The Servant.-AlasI Lord, but it is a
very heavy woe.
Eternal Wisdom.- Where is virtue preserved except in adversity ? Yet know that I
often come and ask for admission into my
house, and am denied. Often am I received
like a poor pilgrim, and meanly entertained,
and speedily driven out. I come even to
My beloved, and fondly take up My abode
with her, but it takes place so secretly that
it is totally hidden from all men, except those
only who live in entire seclusion, and perceive My ways, who are ever careful to correspond to My graces. For in virtue of My

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THREE THINGS REPUGNANT TO

divinity, I am a perfectly pure essential spirit,
and am spiritually received into pure spirits.
The Servant. -- Gentle Lord, methinks
Thou art altogether a hidden lover, therefore I desire Thou wouldst give me some
signs of Thy true presence.
Eternal Wisdom.--In nothing canst Thou
discern My presence so well as in this, namely,
when I hide and withdraw Myself from the
soul, as not till then art thou capable of perceiving who I am or what thou art. I am
the Eternal Good, without which no one has
any good. When I, the Eternal Good, pour
Myself out so graciously and lovingly, everything into which I enter is made good. By
this goodness My presence is to be known,
even as is the sun by his brightness, who, in
his substance, is yet not to be seen. If ever
thou art sensible of Me, enter into thyself
and learn to separate the roses from the
thorns, and to choose out the flowers from
the grass.
The Servant.-Lord, truly I seek and find
in myself a great inequality. When my soul
is deserted, she is like a sick person who can
relish nothing; who is disgusted with everything ; the body is languid, the spirits are

A LOVING HEART, IN GOD.

65

dull; dryness within, and sadness without;
all that I see and hear is then repugnant to
me, and I know not how good it is, for I
have lost all discrimination. I am then inclined to sin, weak in resisting my enemies,
cold and lukewarm in all that is good; he
who visits me finds an empty house, for the
master, who gives wise counsel and makes
all the family glad at heart, is not at home.
But, Lord, when in the midst of my soul
the bright morning star rises, all my sorrow
passes away, all my darkness is scattered,
and laughing cheerfulness appears. Lord,
then leaps my heart, then are my spirits gay,
then rejoices my soul, then is it my marriage
feast, while all that is in me or about me
is turned to Thy praise. What before was
hard, troublesome, and impossible, becomes
easy and pleasant; fasting, watching, praying, self-denial, and every sort of rigor, are
made sweet by Thy presence. Then do I
acquire great assurance in many things,
which, in my dereliction I had lost; my
soul is then overflowed with clearness, truth,
and sweetness, so that she forgets all her
toil; my heart can sweetly meditate, my
tongue loftily discourse, and whoever seeks

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THREE THINGS REPUGNANT

TO

high counsel from me touching his heart's
desire finds it; for then I am as though
I had overstepped the bounds of time and
space, and stood. in the ante-chamber of
Alas, Lord! who will
eternal salvation.
grant that it might only be of longer duration, for behold, in a moment it is snatched
away, and I am again stripped and forsaken.
Sometimes I pursue it as if I had never
gained it, till at last, after much sorrow and
trouble of heart, it comes back. Lord ! art
Thou this thing, or am I it, or what is it?
Eternal Wisdom.- Thou art and hast of
thyself nothing but imperfection; I am it,
and this is the game of love.
The Servant.-But, Lord, what is the
game of love ?
Eternal Wisdom.-All the time that love
is with love, love does not know how dear
love is; but when love separates from love,
then only does love feel how dear love was.
The Servant.---Lord! this is a dreary
game. Alas, Lord! is inconstancy never
cast aside in any one while time lasts?
Eternal Wisdom.--In very few persons,
for constancy belongs to eternity.
The Servant.--Lord, who are these per'
sons ?

A LOVING HEART, IN GOD.

67

Eternal Wisdom.--The very purest of all,
and in eternity the most like to God.
The Servant.-Lord, which are they?
Eternal Wisdom.--They are those persons who have denied themselves in the
most perfect manner.
The Servant.-- Gentle Lord, teach me
how, in my imperfection, I ought to behave
in this matter.
Eternal Wisdom.-- In good days thou
oughtest to look at evil days, and in evil
days not to forget good days; thus can
neither elation injure thee in My company
nor despondency in dereliction. If, in thy
faintheartedness, thou canst not endure My
absence with pleasure, wait for Me at least
with patience, and seek Me diligently.
The Servant.--O Lord, long waiting is
painful.
Eternal Wisdom.- He who will needs
have love in time, must know how to bear
weal and woe. It is not enough to devote
to Me only a portion of the day. He who
would enjoy God's intimacy, who would hear
His mysterious words, and mark their secret
meaning, ought always to keep within doors.
Alas ! how is it that thou always permittest

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THREE THINGS REPUGNANT.

thy eyes to wander so thoughtlessly around,
when thou hast standing before thee the
Blessed and Eternal Image which never for
a moment turns away from thee? Why
dost thou let thy ears escape from thee when
I address thee so many a sweet word ? How
is it that thou so readily forgettest thyself
when thou art so perfectly encompassed
with the eternal good? What is it thy soul
seeks in exterior things who carries within
herself so secretly the kingdom of heaven?
The Servant.--What is the kingdom of
heaven, O Lord, which is in the soul?
Eternal Wisdom.-It is righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
The Servant.---Lord, I understand from
this discourse that Thou hast much hidden
intercourse with the soul, which is wholly
hidden from her, and that Thou dost secretly
attract the soul, and dost leisurely initiate
her into the love and knowledge of Thy high
divinity, her who at first was only concerned
with Thy fair humanity.

CHAPTER
THE THIRD THING.-

X.

WHY GOD

FRIENDS TO SUFFER

SO

PERMITS HIS

MUCH

TEMPORAL

SUFFERING.

The Servant. -Another
thing, Lord, I
have at my heart: may I venture to tell it
Thee ? May I indeed venture to dispute
with Thee like holy Jeremias?
Gentle
Lord, be not angry, but listen patiently to
me. Lord, people say as follows: that how
sweet soever Thy love may be, Thou dost
yet allow it to prove very harsh to Thy
friends in the many severe trials which Thou
sendest them, such as worldly scorn and
much adversity, both inwardly and outwardly. Scarcely is any one, say they, admitted to Thy friendship, but he has forthwith to gather up his courage for suffering.
Lord, by Thy goodness ! what sweetness can
they have in all this? Or how canst Thou
permit it in Thy friends? Or art Thou
pleased not to know anything about it?
Eternal Wisdom.--Even as My Father
loves Me, so do I love My friends. I do
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70

THREE THINGS

REPUGNANT TO

to My friends now as I have done from the
beginning of the world.
Tlie Servant.-This is what they complain
of; and therefore, say they, Thou hast so
few friends because Thou allowest them to
prosper in this world so very sorrily. Lord,
on this account there are also indeed many
who, when they gain Thy friendship, and
ought to prove constant in suffering, fall off
from Thee; and (woe is me! that I must
say it in sorrow of heart, and with bitter
tears) relapse to that state which, through
Thee, they had forsaken. O my Lord, what
hast Thou to say to this ?
Eternal Wisdom.--This is the complaint
of persons of a sick faith and of small works,
of a lukewarm life, and undisciplined spirit.
But thou, beloved soul, up with thy mind
out of the slime and deep slough of carnal
delights! Unlock thy interior sense, open
thy spiritual eyes and see. Mark well what
thou art, where thou art, and whither thou
dost belong; for then shalt thou understand
that I do the very best for My friends. According to thy natural essence thou art a
mirror of the Divinity, thou art an image
of the Trinity, and a copy of eternity; for

A LOVING HEART, IN GOD.

71

as I, in My eternal uncreated entity, am the
good which is infinite, so art thou according
to thy desires, fathomless, and as little as a
small drop can yield in the vast depth of the
sea, just so little can all that this world is
able to afford contribute to the fulfilment of
thy desires. Thus, then, art thou in this
wretched valley of tears, where joy and
sorrow, laughing and weeping, mirth and
sadness, are mingled together; where no
heart ever obtained perfect happiness; for
it is false and deceitful, more than I will tell
thee. It promises much and performs little;
it is short, uncertain, and changeable; to-day
much joy, to-morrow a heart full of woe.
Behold, such is the disport of this scene
of time I

CHAPTER XI.
ON THE EVERLASTING PAINS OF HELL.

Eternal Wisdom. -- O my chosen one!
now look from the very bottom of thy heart
at this lamentable misery. Where are now
all those who heretofore sat down amidst
this temporal scene with tranquillity and
pleasure, with tenderness and comfort of
body? What avails them all the joys of
this world which are as soon vanished on
the wings of swift time as though they had
How quickly over is that
never been?
carnal love for which pain must be eternally
endured ! O ye senseless fools:! Where is
now what ye so gaily uttered: "Hail, ye
children of jollity, let us give furlough to
sorrow, let us cherish the fulness of joy!"
What avail now all the pleasures ye ever
obtained? Well may ye cry aloud with
sorrowful voice: Woe upon us that ever
How has
we were born into the world!
swift time deceived us ! How has death
72

ON THE EVERLASTING PAINS OF HELL.

73

stolen upon us ! Is there any one still upon
the earth who could be more deceived than
we have been deceived? Or is there any
one willing to take counsel from the calamity
of others? If any one were to have all the
sufferings of all mankind for a thousand years
it would only be as a moment against this!
How very happy is that man who has never
sought after pleasures displeasing to God,
who for His sake has renounced all temporal
delights ! We foolish. ones, we deemed such
men forsaken and forgotten of God; but see
how He has embraced them in eternity with
such marks of honor before all the heavenly
host. What harm can all their sufferings
and disgraces now do them, which have
turned out so much to their joy? Meanwhile, all that we- so entirely loved, how
is it vanished ! Ah, misery on misery ! and
it must last forever. Oh, forever and ever,
what art thou? Oh, end without end! Oh,
dying above all dying, to be dying every
hour, and yet never to die. Oh, father and
mother, and all that we ever held dear, God
bless you forever and ever, for we shall
never see you and love you again: we must
ever be separated from you. Oh, separation,

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ON THE EVERLASTING PAINS OF HELL.

oh, everlasting separation, how grievous thou
art! Oh, wringing of hands, oh, fretting,
sobbing, and weeping, oh, shrieking and
howling forever, and yet never to be heard !
Nothing but sorrow and distress must our
wretched eyes behold, our ears be filled with
nothing -- but alas! nothing but Woe is
me ! Oh, all hearts, let our lamentable Forever and ever! move your compassion, let
our miserable Forever ! pierce to your core.
Oh, ye mountains and valleys, why do ye
wait for us, why do ye keep us so long, why
do ye bear with us, why do ye not bury us
from the lamentable sight? Oh, sufferings
of that world and sufferings of this world,
how very different ye are ! Oh, time present,
how blinding, how deceiving thou art, that
we should not have foreseen this in the
blooming days of our youth, which we
wasted so luxuriously, which will never
more return ! Oh, that we had but one little
hour of all those vanished years ! Yet this
is denied by God's justice, and without any
hope for us, ever must be denied. Oh, suffering, and distress, and misery, in this
forgotten land, where we must be separated
from all that is dear, without solace or hope,

ON THE EVERLASTING PAINS OF HELL.

75

forever and ever ! Nothing else would we
desire than that if there was a mill-stone as
broad as the whole earth, and in circumference so large that it everywhere touched the
heavens, and that if there came a little bird
every hundred thousand years, and took
from the stone as much as the tenth part of
a grain of millet, so as in ten hundred thousand years to peck away from the stone as
much as an entire grain of millet; we unfortunates would desire nothing more than
that, when the stone came to an end, our
torments too might terminate; and yet even
this cannot be. Behold, such is the song of
woe which succeeds the joys of this world.
The Servant. -- Oh, Thou severe Judge,
how terrified are the depths of my heart,
how powerless sinks my soul beneath the
load of sorrow and compassion for those unhappy spirits ! Who is there in the world
that hears this, and is so insane as not to
tremble at such fearful distress? Oh, Thou,
my only love, forsake me not ! Oh, Thou,
my only chosen consolation, do not thus
separate from me!
Sooner than be thus
separated from Thee, my only love, forever
and ever (I will say nothing of the rest),

76

ON THE EVERLASTING PAINS OF HELL.

oh, misery of misery ! I would prefer to be
tormented a thousand times a day. When
I but think of such a separation, my heart
for anguish is like to break. Yes, tender
Father! do with me here what Thou wilt,
Thou hast my free consent, but, oh, deliver
me from this woful separation, for I could
by no means endure it.
Eternal Wisdom. -- Cast away thy fear.
That which is united in time remains undivided in eternity.
The Servant.-Oh, Lord, would, that all
men heard this, who still consume their days
so foolishly, so that they might become wise,
and might reform their lives, before these
things should overtake them. Oh, ye senseless, obdurate men ! how long will ye protract
your foolish, sinful lives ? Be converted to
God, and shield yourselves against this
wretched misery, and lamentation of eternal
woe.

CHAPTER XII.
ON THE IMMEASURABLE

JOYS OF HEAVEN.

Eternal Wisdom.-Now lift up thy eyes
and see where thou dost belong. Thou dost
belong to the Fatherland of the celestial
paradise. Thou art here as a stranger guest,
a miserable pilgrim; therefore, as a pilgrim
hastens back to his home where his dear
friends expect him, and wait for him with
great longing, so shouldst thou desire to
hasten back to thy fatherland, where all
will be glad to see thee, where all long so
ardently for thy joyous presence, that they
may greet thee tenderly, and unite thee to
And didst
their blessed society forever.
thou but know how they thirst after thee,
how they desire that thou shouldst combat
devoutly in suffering, and behave chivalrously in all adversity, even such as they
have overcome, and how they now with
great sweetness remember the cruel years
through which they once passed, truly, all
77

78

ON THE IMMfASURAf1lL

suffering would only be the easier to thee,
for, the more bitterly thou shalt have suffered, the more honorably wilt thou be received. Oh, then, how pleasant will honor
be, what joy will then pervade thy heart and
mind when thy soul shall be so honorably
praised, commended, and extolled by Me
before My Father and all the heavenly host,
because she has suffered so much, and fought
against and overcome so much in this scene
of temporal strife, in whose fulness of reward many a one who has never known
How
affliction will have no participation.
brightly will not then the crown shine that
here below is gained with such bitterness !
How exquisitely beautiful will not the
wounds and marks glitter, which here below are received from My love ! So welcome wilt thou be made in thy fatherland,
that the greatest stranger to thee of all its
countless hosts will love thee more ardently
and faithfully than any father or mother ever
loved the child of their bosom in this scene
of time.
The
-- O Lord, through Thy
goodness, dare I hope that Thou wilt tell
me yet more about my fatherland, so that

Servant.

JOYS OF HEAVEN.

79

I may long for it all the more, and may
suffer every affliction the more cheerfully?
Yes, my Lord, what manher of place is my
fatherland? Or what do people do there ?
Or are there very many people there? Or
do they really know as well what takes place
with us on earth as Thy words declare?
Eternal Wisdom.-Now, then, ascend thou
on high with Me. I will carry thee thither
in spirit, and will give thee, after a rude
similitude, a distant glimpse into the future.
Behold, above the ninth heaven, which is
incalculably more than a hundred thousand
times larger than the entire earth, there is
another heaven which is called Ceelum Empyreum, the fiery heaven, so called, not from
the fire, but from the immeasurably transparent brightness, which is immovable and
unchangeable in its nature; and this is the
glorious court in which the heavenly hosts
dwell, where the morning star with the rest
praises Me, and all the children of God rejoice.
There stand, encompassed with inconceivable light, the everlasting thrones,
from which the evil spirits were hurled, in
which the elect are seated. See how the
delightful city shines with beaten gold, how

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ON THE IMMEASURABLE

it glitters with costly jewels, inlaid with
precious stones, transparent as crystal, reflecting red roses, white lilies, and all living
flowers.' Now, look on the beautiful heavLo ! here all deenly fields themselves.
lights of summer, here sunny meads of May,
here the very valley of bliss, here the glad
moments are seen flitting from joy to joy;
here harps and viols, here singing, and leaping, and dancing, hand in hand forever ! here
the gratification of every desire, here pleasure without pain in everlasting security!
Now, look how the countless multitude
drink to their hearts' desire at the living
fountains of gushing water; look how they
feast their eyes on the pure, clear mirror of
the revealed Divinity, in which all things are
made plain and evident to them. Steal a
little nearer, and mark how the sweet queen
of the celestial kingdom, whom thou lovest
with so much ardor, soars aloft in dignity
and joy over the whole celestial host, inclined tenderly on her beloved, encircled
with rose-flowers and lilies of the valley.
See how her ravishing beauty fills with delight and wonder all the heavenly choirs..
Oh, now behold what will rejoice thy heart

JOYS OF HEAVEN.

81

and soul, and see how the mother of compassion has turned her compassionate eyes
towards thee and all sinners, and how powerfully she appeals to her beloved Son, and
intercedes with Him. Now, turn round with
the eyes of thy pure understanding, and behold also how the high seraphim and the
love-abounding souls of the seraphic choirs
blaze up perpetually in Me; how the bright
company of the cherubim have a bright infusion and effusion of My eternal inconceivable light, how the high thrones and hosts
enjoy in Me a sweet repose, and I in them!
Then see how the triplicity of the other
hosts, the lordships, powers, and dominations, regularly fulfil My beautiful and
eternal order in the universality of nature.
Mark, too, how the third host of angelic
spirits executes My high messages and decrees in the particular parts of the world;
and see, how lovingly, how joyfully, and variously the multitude is marshalled, and what
a beautiful sight it is ! Turn next thy glance
and see how My chosen disciples and best
beloved friends sit in repose and honor upon
their awful judgment-seats, how the martyrs
glitter in their rose-colored garments, the

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ON THE IMMEASURABLE

confessors shine in their vernal beauty, how
refulgent the virgins appear in their angelic
purity, how all the heavenly host overflows
with divine sweetness ! Oh, what a company !
Oh, what a joyous band! Blessed, thrice
blessed is he who was born to dwell where
they dwell! Lo, to this very fatherland I
shall carry home from misery and tribulation, arrayed in all the richness of her rich
morning gift, My beloved bride in My arms.
I shall adorn her interiorly with the beautiful garment of the eternal light of that glory
which will exalt her above all her natural
powers. She will be clothed exteriorly with
the glorified body, which is seven times
brighter than the sun's light, swift, subtle,
and to suffering, impassive; then I shall
put her on the crown of delight, and on
the crown a golden garland.
The Servant. - Gentle Lord, what is the.
morning gift, and what the crown and golden
garland ?
Eternal Wisdom.- The morning gift is a
clear vision of that which here below thou
dost merely believe in, an actual comprehending-of that which now thou hopest for,
and a heartfelt pleasant enjoyment of that

JOYS OF HEAVEN.

83

As to the
which on earth thou lovest.
beautiful crown, it is essential reward, but
the blooming garland is accidental reward.
The Servant.---Lord, what is that?

Eternal Wisdom.-

ACCIDENTAL REWARD

consists in such particular delight as souls
obtain by particular and meritorious works
wherewith they have conquered here below,
even as the souls of great doctors, steadfast
martyrs, and pure virgins.

But ESSENTIAL

reward consists in the contemplative union
of the soul with the pure Divinity, for rest
she never can till she be borne above all her
powers and capacities, and introduced to the
natural entity of the Persons, and to the
clear vision of their real essence. And in
the emanation of the splendor of Their
sence she will find full and perfect satisfaction and everlasting happiness; and the more
disengaged and abstracted the self-egression
of such souls is, the more free will be their
soaring exaltation; and the more free their
exaltation, the deeper will be their penetration into the vast wilderness and unfathomable abyss of the unknown Godhead, wherein
they are immersed, overflowed, and blended

's-

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ON THE IMMEASURABLE

up,* so that they desire to have no other will
than God's will, and that they become the
very same that God is: in other words, that
they are made blessed by grace as He is by
nature. Raise then thy countenance joyfully,
forget for a while all thy tribulations, comfort
thy heart in this dark silent scene with the
secret vision which thou now enjoyest of the
society of the blessed, and behold how blooming and fair those faces appear which here on
earth were so often red with shame for My
sake; lift up thy glad heart and speak as
follows: Where now is that bitter shame
which so cruelly pierced your pure hearts?
Where now the bowed heads, the cast down
eyes? where the suppressed sorrow of heart,
the deep sighs and bitter tears ? where the
pale looks, the dire poverty, and manifold
infirmities ? Where is now the miserable
voice thus speaking: "Alas, my Lord and
my God, how sad at heart I am !" Where
are all those now who so greatly oppressed
and despised you ? No more are heard such
words as these : "Ho, for the combat ! ho,
for the strife ! be ready day and night like
* Without prejudice, however, to their own individuality, as

Suso elsewhere clearly teaches.

JOYS OF HEAVEN.

one who fights against the heathen !" Where
is now what you were wont, in the presence
of grace, to say a thousand times interiorly:
" Art thou prepared to combat steadily when
forsaken ?" No more is heard the sad and
lamentable cry which you so often uttered:
"0O God, why hast Thou forsaken me !"
Rather do I hear the sweet words lovingly
sounding in your ears: "Come hither to
Me, My blessed ones, possess the everlasting kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world." Where is now all
the sorrow and affliction which ye ever endured on earth? O God, how swiftly is it
all vanished like a dream as though ye had
never known tribulation ! Of a truth, gentle
Lord, how inscrutable are Thy judgments to
the world! Happy you, ye elect, it is all
over how with going into corners, with stealing away and hiding yourselves from the
senseless follies of other men. Oh, if all
hearts were but one heart, they could not
sufficiently reflect on the great honor, the
immeasurable deserts, the praise which you
will forevermore possess. O ye heavenly
princes, O ye noble kings and emperors, O
ye eternal children of God, how full of joy

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ON THE IMMEASURABLE

are your countenances, how full of gladness
your hearts ! What a loftiness of soul ye
have ! How right cheerfully do your voices
swell forth in this song: Praise and thanksgiving, prosperity and benediction, grace and
joy and everlasting honor to Him, from world
to world, from eternity to eternity, from the
very bottom of our hearts, to Him by whose
goodness we possess all these things forever
and ever ! Amen ! Lo, here is our fatherland, here is heartfelt jubilation, here is
unfathomable everlasting life !
The Servant.-O wonder above all wonders ! Ah, fathomless good, what art Thou?
Yes, my gentle Lord, my elected One, how
good it is to be here ! O my only Love,
let us tarry here !
Eternal Wisdom.--It is not yet time to
tarry here. Many a sharp conflict hasi thou
still to endure. This vision has only been
shown to thee that thou mayest presently
revert to it in all thy sufferings, as then thou
canst never lose courage, and wilt forget all
thy sorrow ; and further, as an answer to the
complaint of foolish men who say that I
allow My friends to fare so hard. See then
what a difference there is between My friend-

JOYS OF HEAVEN.

87

ship and the friendship of this temporal state ;
and to speak according to the truth, how
much better than others My friends fare at
My hands. I will say nothing of the great
trouble, labor, and many a severe tribulation
in which they swim and wade, night and day;
only this, that they are so blinded they do
not understand it. It is indeed My eternal
economy that a mind not regulated should
be a sharp torment and heavy burden to itself. My friends have bodily distress, but
then they have peace of heart. The friends
of the world hunt after bodily comfort and
ease, but in their hearts, their souls and
minds, they gain nothing but trouble and
vexation.
Thte Servant.-Those persons, Lord, are
out of their right senses, and are raving, who
would needs compare Thy faithful friendship
and the world's friendship together. That
they should do so because Thou hast few
friends who have no suffering to complain
of, is the fault of their great blindness. O
Lord, how very soft and gentle is Thy
Blessed is he on whom
Fatherly rod!
Thou sparest it not. Lord, I now plainly
see that tribulation does not proceed from

88

ON THE IMMEASURABLE

P

DIGNITY

Thy harshness, but rather from Thy tender
love. Let no one say for the future that
Those
Thou hast forgotten Thy friends.
hast Thou forgotten (for Thou hast despaired
of them), on whom Thou dost spare chastisement here below. Lord, in all fairness
those ought not to have joyous days, nor
pleasures, nor comfort here below, whom
Thou dost intend to shield above from
eternal misery, and endow with everlasting
Grant, O Lord, that these two
delight.
visions may never disappear from the eyes
of my heart, so that I never may lose Thy
friendship.

CHAPTER XIII.
ON THE IMMEASURABLE DIGNITY OF TEMPORAL
SUFFERING.

The Servant.-Tell me now, tender Lord,
what this suffering is which Thou thinkest so
very profitable and good?
Eternal Wisdom.-What I mean is every
kind of suffering, whether willingly accepted

OF TEMPORAL SUFFERING.

89

or unwillingly incurred, -- as when a man
makes a virtue of necessity in not wishing
to be exempt from suffering without My
will, and ordering it, in humble patience, to
My eternal praise; and the more willingly
he does this, the more precious and agreeable it is to Me. Touching such kinds of
suffering, hear further, and write it down
in the bottom of thy heart, and keep it as
a sign to set before the spiritual eyes of thy
soul. My dwelling is in the pure soul as
in a paradise of delights, for which reason
I cannot endure that she should lovingly and
longingly attach herself to anything. But,
from her very nature, she is inclined to pernicious lusts, and therefore I encompass her
path with thorns. I garnish all her outlets
with adversity, whether she like it or not,
so that she may not escape from Me; her
ways I strew with tribulation, so that she
may not set the foot of her heart's desire
anywhere except in the loftiness of My
divine nature. And if all hearts were but
one heart, they would not be able to bear
the smallest reward that I certainly will
give for the smallest suffering endured by
any one for love of Me. Such is My eter-

90

ON THE IMMEASURABLE

DIGNITY

nal order in all nature, from which I do not
swerve; what is precious and good must be
earned with bitterness; he who recoils at
this, let him recoil; many are indeed called,
but few are chosen.
The Servant.-It may well be, Lord, that
suffering is an infinite good, provided it be
not without measure, and not too dreadful and overwhelming. Lord, Thou alone
knowest all hidden things, and didst create
all things in weight, in number and measure; Thou knowest also that my sufferings
are measureless, that they are wholly beyond
my strength. Lord, is there any one in all
this world who has constantly more painful
sufferings than I? They are to me invincible-how am I to endure them? Lord,
if Thou wouldst send me ordinary sufferings, I could bear them, but I do not see
how I can ever endure such extraordinary
sufferings as these--sufferings which in so
hidden a manner oppress my heart and soul,
which only Thou canst perfectly understand.
Eternal Wisdom.-Every sick man imagines that his own sickness is the worst, and
every man in distress, his own distress the
greatest. Had I sent thee other sufferings

OF TEMPORAL SUFFERING.

91

it would have been the same. Conform thyself freely to My will under every suffering
which I ordain thee to suffer, without excepting this or the other suffering. Dost
thou not know that I only desire what is
best for thee, even with as kindly a feeling
as thou thyself ? Hence it is that I am the
Eternal Wisdom, and that I know better
than thou what is for thy good. Hence it
is that thou mayest have felt that the sufferings which I send are much more exquisite,
and penetrate deeper, and operate better,
for him who does them justice, than all selfchosen sufferings. Why then dost thou so
complain to Me? Address Me rather as
follows: O my most faithful Father, do to
me at all times what Thou wilt !.
The Servant. -O Lord, it is so easy to
talk, but the reality is so difficult to endure,
for it is so very painful.
Eternal Wisdom.--If suffering gave no
pain, it could not be called suffering. There
is nothing more painful than suffering, and
nothing more joyful than to have suffered.
Suffering is a short pain and a long joy.
Suffering gives to the sufferer pain here,
Suffering kills sufferand joy hereafter.

92

ON THE IMMEASURABLE

DIGNITY

ing. Suffering is ordained that the sufferer
may not suffer eternally. Hadst thou as
much spiritual sweetness and divine consolation and heavenly delight as, at all times,
to overflow with the divine dew, it would
not be for thee so very meritorious of itself,
since, for all this together, I should not have
to thank thee so much; it could not exculpate thee so much as an affectionate suffering
or patience in adversity, in which thou sufferest for My sake.
Sooner will ten be
perverted and ruined in the midst of great
delight and joyous sweetness than one in
the midst of constant suffering and adversity.
If thou hadst as much science as all the
astronomers, if thou couldst discourse as
ably of God as all the tongues of men and
angels, and didst possess the treasures of
knowledge of all the masters, not all this
could avail to advance thee in a good life,
so much as if thou didst give thyself up,
and didst abandon thyself in all thy sufferings to God; for the former is common to
the good and the bad, but the latter is common to My elect alone. If any one were
able rightly to weigh time and eternity, he
ought rather to desire to lie in a fiery fur-

OF TEMPORAL SUFFERING.

98

nace for a hundred years than to be deprived
in eternity of the smallest reward for the
smallest suffering; for this has an end, but
the other is without end.
The Servant.-Ah, sweet and dear Lord,
how like a sweet harp are these words to
a suffering mortal! Lord, Lord, wouldst
Thou but cheer me thus and come to visit
me in my sufferings, I should be glad to
suffer, it would then be better for me to
suffer than not to suffer.
Eternal Wisdom.- Now, then, hearken to
the sweet music of the distended strings of
a God-suffering man, how richly it sounds,
how sweetly it vibrates. Before the world
suffering is a reproach, but before Me it is
an infinite honor.
Suffering is an extinguisher of My wrath, and an obtainer of
My favor. Suffering makes a man in My
sight worthy of love, for the sufferer is like
Me.
Suffering is a hidden treasure which
no one can make good; and though a man
might kneel before Me a hundred years to
beg a friendly suffering, he nevertheless
would not earn it. Suffering changes an
earthly man into a heavenly man. Suffering brings with it the estrangement of the

94

ON THE IMMEASURABLE

DIGNITY

world, but confers, instead, My intimate
familiarity. It lessens delight and increases
grace. He to whom I am to show Myself
a friend, must be wholly disclaimed and
abandoned by the world. Suffering is the
surest way, the nearest way, and the shortest way. He who rightly knew how profitable suffering is, ought to receive it as a gift
worthy of God. Oh, how many a man there
is who once was a child of eternal death, and
plunged in the profoundest sleep, whom suffering has wakened up and encouraged to a
good life. How many a wild beast, how
many an untamed bird, there is in human
form, whom constant suffering has shut up,
as it were, in a cage, who, if any one were
to leave him time and place free, would do
his best to escape from his salvation. Suffering is a safeguard against grievous falls;
it makes a man know himself, rely on himself, and have faith in his neighbor. Suffering keeps the soul humble and teaches
patience. It is the guardian of purity, and
confers the crown of eternal salvation. There
is probably no man living but who derives
good from suffering, whether he be in a state
of sin, or on the eve of conversion, or in

OF TEMPORAL SUFFERING.

95

the fruition of grace, or on the summit of
perfection; for it purges the soul as fire
purges iron and purifies gold; it adorns the
wrought jewel. Suffering takes away sin,
lessens the fire of purgatory, expels temptation, consumes imperfections, and renovates
the spirit. It imparts true confidence, a
clear conscience, and constant loftiness of
mind. Know that it is a healthy beverage,
and a wholesome herb above all the herbs
of paradise. It chastises the body which,
at any rate, must rot away, but it nourishes
the noble soul which shall endure forever.
Behold, the noble soul blooms by suffering
even as the beautiful rose by the fresh dews
of May ! Suffering makes a wise mind and
an experienced man. A man who has not
suffered, what does he know? Suffering is
affection's rod, a paternal blow given to My
elect.
Suffering draws and forces men to
God, whether they like it or not. He who
is always cheerful in suffering, has for his
servants joy and sorrow, friend and foe.
How often hast thou not thrust an iron bit
between the gnashing teeth of thy enemies,
and rendered them, with thy joyous praise,
and thy meekness in suffering, powerless?

96

ON THE IMMEASURABLE

DIGNITY

Sooner would I create suffering out of
nothing than leave my friends unprovided
with it; for in suffering, every virtue is
preserved, man adorned, his neighbor reformed, and God praised. Patience in suffering is a living sacrifice, it is a sweet smell
of balsam before My divine face, it is an
appealing wonder before the entire host of
heaven. Never was a skilful knight in a
tournament so gazed at as a man who suffers
well is gazed at by all the heavenly court.
All the saints are on the side of the suffering man; for, indeed, they have all tried it
before him, and they call out to him with
one voice that it contains no poison, but is
a wholesome beverage. Patience in suffering is superior to raising the dead, or the
performing of other miracles. It is a narrow way which leads direct to the gates of
heaven. Suffering makes us companions of
the martyrs, it carries honor with it, and
leads to victory against every foe. Suffering clothes the soul in garments of rose
color, and in the brightness of purple; in
suffering she wears the garland of red roses,
and carries the sceptre of green palms. Suffering is for her as a shining ruby in a young

OF TEMPORAL SUFFERING.

97

maiden's necklace.
Adorned with it, she
sings with a sweet voice and a free heart a
new song which not all the angelic choirs
could ever sing, because they never knew
And, to be short, those who
suffering.
suffer are called the poor before the world,
but before Me they are called the blessed,
for they are My elect.
The Servant. -- Oh, how plainly does it
appear that Thou art the Eternal Wisdom,
since Thou canst bring the truth home with
such cogency that no one doubts it any
longer. No wonder that he, to whom Thou
dost make suffering appear so lovely, can
bear sufferings. Lord, in consequence of
Thy words, all sufferings in future must be
easier and full of joy for me. , Lord, my
true Father, behold, I kneel before Thee this
day, and praise Thee fervently for my present sufferings, and also for the measureless
sufferings past, which I deemed so very
great, because they appeared so hostile to
me.

Eternal Wisdom.--But what is thy opinion now ?
The Servant. - Lord, my opinion in very
truth is this: that when I look at Thee, Thou

98

ON THE IMMEASURABLE DIGNITY, ETC.

delight of my eyes, with looks of love, the
great and violent sufferings with which, in
so paternal a manner, Thou hast disciplined
me, and at the sight of which Thy pious
friends were filled with such terror on my
account, have been like a sweet fall of dew
in May.
(Now, when the same preacher had begun
to write on suffering, there appeared to him,
in the way already mentioned above, the
same two persons that were in sorrow and
trouble, sitting before him, and one of them
requested him to play on the harp to her.
This he took amiss, and answered that it
would be an unpriestly thing. Then he was
told that it would not be unpriestly, and
presently there entered a youth who prepared
a harp, and when he had tuned it, he spun
the two threads crosswise over the strings,
and gave it into the hands of the brother,
and then the brother began to write on suffering.)

CHAPTER XIV.
ON

THE UNSPEAKABLE

ADVANTAGES

TO

BE

DERIVED FROM MEDITATING ON THE DIVINE
PASSION.

The Servant. - Truly, Lord, the unfathomable good which is found in Thy Passion for those who avail themselves of the
time and place to meditate on it is a thing
hidden from all hearts. Oh, what a sure
path is the way of Thy Passion, along the
way of truth, up to the very pinnacle of all
perfection. All hail to thee, glorious St.
Paul! thou noble light among all the stars
of heaven, who was rapt up so high and initiated so deeply into the mysteries of the
Godhead, when thou didst hear the deep
words which it is not given to man to utter,
and who yet wast so sweetly touched in thy
heart by this very passion of infinite love,
above everything else, that thou didst exclaim : " I determined not to know anything
among you save Jesus Christ and Him cruci99

100

ON THE ADVANTAGES

DERIVED

fled." * Blessed be thou, too, among all
doctors, sweet St. Bernard, whose soul was
so illuminated with the brightness of the
eternal Word that most sweetly did thy
tongue exhale from a full heart the passion
of His humility, when thy fervent soul thus
spoke: The green bunch of myrrh of my
Lord's bitter Passion have I fondly taken
betwixt my breasts, and tenderly pressed to
my heart; I do not ask, like the bride,
where He rests at noon whom I embrace in
the midst of my heart: I do not ask where
He feeds His flock at noon, whom my soul
so longingly beholds on the cross; that is
certainly loftier, but this is sweeter and
easier to attain. From this love-o'erflowing
Passion, I take what fully makes up for the
insufficiency of my own small merits; herein
lies my complete justification; to meditate
on this Passion, I call eternal wisdom, the
perfection of all knowledge, the riches of all
salvation, an entire satisfaction of all desert;
it casts me down in prosperity, it raises me
up in adversity, it keeps me in an even balance between this world's weal and woe, and
guards me against all evil in complete secu* 1 Cor. ii. 2.

FROM MEDITATING ON THE PASSION.

101

rity. Sometimes I have drunk out of it a
draught of salutary bitterness, but at other
times I have also drunk out of it a draught
of spiritual consolation and divine sweet-.
ness.* O sweet St. Bernard, therefore is
it but just that thy tongue should overflow
with sweetness, since thy heart was so wholly
sweetened with sweet suffering. O Eternal
Wisdom, in this, I observe that, whoever is
desirous of great reward and everlasting salvation, of high knowledge and deep wisdom,
of standing erect in joy and sorrow, of possessing full security against all evil, whoever
wishes to drink a draught of Thy bitter Passion, and Thy singular sweetness, must carry
Thee at all times, O crucified Jesus, before
the eyes of his heart.
Eternal Wisdomn. - Thou dost not rightly
know what good is lodged in it. Behold, assiduous meditation on My Passion makes out
of a simple man a master of high knowledge ;
truly it is a living book in which everything
is to be found. How right blessed is that
man who has it ever before his eyes and
studies it! What wisdom, grace, consolation, sweetness, what cleansing from all im* Sancti Bernardi Sermones in Cantica Canticorum,. Sermo

xliii.

102

ON THE ADVANTAGES

DERIVED

perfection, may not such a man obtain through
the devout contemplation of My living presence ! Respecting which, listen to what follows. It fell out many years ago, that a
certain preacher in the beginning of his conversion had a bitter affliction of inordinate
despondency, which, at times, so overpowered him that no heart which had not experienced it could conceive it. And, as he once
sat after dinner in his cell, his affliction was
so great that he could neither study nor pray,
nor perform any other good deed, except
sitting there so sadly in his cell, and laying
his hands in his lap, as though he meant
only to take care of the cell, for God's sake,
because he was no longer of any use in spiritual things. And, as he thus sat disconsolate, it suddenly seemed to him as though he
heard these words distinctly addressed to
him: Why dost thou sit here ? Arise and
betake thee to My sorrowful Passion, for
then wilt thou overcome thy own sorrow.
And immediately he arose, for the words
were the same to him as though they came
from heaven, and he began to meditate on
the sorrowful Passion of the' Lord, in which
all his own sorrow was lost, so that he never
felt it again in the same manner.

FROM MEDITATING ON THE PASSION.

103

The Servant.-O my sweet Wisdom, Thou
understandest all hearts, and knowest that,
above all things, I desire to have my heart
penetrated with Thy Passion, in the face of
all men, and my eyes turned day and night
into running fountains of bitter tears. Alas !
there is just now in my soul a bitter complaint, that Thy Passion does not at all times
thoroughly penetrate my heart, and that I do
not meditate on it so affectionately as in reason I ought to do, and as is worthy of Thee,
my Lord elect; teach me, therefore, how I
ought to comport myself!
Eternal Wisdom.-The meditation on My
torments must not be made by going through
them in a hasty manner, when one has time
and opportunity, but it must be made by
going through them with heartfelt love and a
compassionate searching into their mysteries;
for, otherwise, the heart remains as unaffected by devotion, as the mouth by unchewed
sweet-tasting food. If thou hast no liking
to meditate on My Passion with weeping
eyes, because of the bitter agony I suffered,
then oughtest thou to meditate on it with a
laughing heart, because of the joyous benefit
thou wilt find in it. But if thou hast no

104

ON THE ADVANTAGES

DERIVED

mind either to laugh or to cry, thou oughtest to meditate on it in the dryness of thy
heart, to My honor and praise, by doing
which thou wilt have done no less than if
thou hadst been dissolved in tears or steeped
in sweetness; for then thou actest from love
to virtue, without regard to thyself. And
that thou mayest take it all the more to
heart, listen to what follows. Such is My
severe justice that it permits no wrong deed
in all nature, be it great or small, to pass
without atonement and without being made
good. Now, how should a great sinner, who
has perhaps committed more than a hundred
mortal sins, and for every mortal sin subjected himself, by the law of My Church, to
do penance seven years long, or else to complete his unperformed penance in the furnace
of grim purgatory-how should such a miserable soul fulfil her penance ? When would
there be an end to her sighs and tears? Oh,
how long, how much too long, would it not
appear to her! Behold, she has speedily
made all good by means of My innocent,
meritorious Passion! With reason, then,
let her grasp the treasure of My acquired
merits, and apply it to herseif, in virtue of

FROM MEDITATING ON THE PASSION.

105

which, even if she ought to burn a thousand
years in Purgatory, she will be able, in a
short time, to discharge her guilt and penance, so as to attain heaven without any
purgatory at all.
O tender and Eternal
The Servant.
Wisdom, teach me this in Thy goodness;
how glad should I be to make such a grasp !
Eternal Wisdom. - The way to make
such a grasp is this.

Let a man often and

seriously weigh with a penitent heart the
greatness and multitude of his evil deeds, by
which he has so wantonly incensed the eyes
of his Heavenly Father; in the next place,

let him account as nothing the works of his
own satisfaction, since, reckoned against his
sins, they are but as a little drop in the deep
ocean; and then, let him confidently weigh
the immeasurable greatness of My satisfaction; for the least drop of My precious
Blood, which everywhere flowed without
measure out of My body, would alone suffice to atone for the sins of a thousand worlds.
Every man, therefore, appropriates so much
of My satisfaction to himself, in proportion
as he assimilates himself to Me by sympathetic participation in My sufferings. More-

106

THE SOUL RETURNS

AGAIN

over let a man humbly and modestly merge
the smallness of his works in the greatness
of My satisfaction or atonement. And to
tell it thee in a few words, know, then, that
all the masters of numbers and measure would
be unable to calculate the immeasurable benefit which lies hidden in the zealous meditation of My Passion.

CHAPTER XV.
FROM THE FOND CARESSES WHICH THE SOUL
HAS HAD WITH GOD BENEATH THE CROSS,
SHE RETURNS

AGAIN TO HIS PASSION.

The Servant. - Thou hast revealed to me
the measureless sufferings which Thou didst
suffer in Thy exterior Man on the gibbet of
the cross, how cruelly tormented Thou wast,
and encompassed about with the bands of
miserable death. Alas ! Lord, how was it
beneath the cross? Or was there anybody
at its foot whose heart was pierced by Thy
woful death? Or how didst Thou behave

TO HIS PASSION.

107

Thyself in Thy sufferings towards Thy sorrowing Mother ?
Eternal Wisdom. -- Oh,listen now to a
woful thing, and let it sink into thy heart.
When, as thou hast heard, I hung suspended
in mortal anguish before them, behold, they
stood over against Me, and, with their voices,
called out scoffingly to Me, wagging their
heads contemptuously, and scorning Me utterly in their hearts, as though I had been a
loathsome worm. But I was firm amidst it
all, and prayed fervently for them to My
heavenly Father; behold, I, the innocent
Lamb, was likened to the guilty thieves; by
one of these was I reviled, but by the other
invoked. I listened to his prayer and forgave him all his evil deeds. I opened to
him the celestial paradise. Hearken to a
lamentable thing. I gazed around Me and
found Myself utterly abandoned by all mankind, and those very friends who had followed Me, stood now afar off; yea, My
beloved disciples had all fled from Me. Thus
was I left naked, and stripped of all My
clothes. I had lost all power and was without victory. They treated Me without pity,
but I behaved Myself like a meek and silent

108

THE SOUL RETURNS

AGAIN

lamb. On whichever side I turned I was
encompassed by bitter distress of heart. Below Me stood My sorrowful Mother, who
suffered in the bottom of her motherly heart
all that I suffered in My body. My tender
heart was, in consequence, deeply touched,
because I alone knew the depth of her great
sorrow, and beheld her distressful gestures
and heard her lamentable words. I consoled
her very tenderly at My mortal departure,
and commended her to the filhil care of My
beloved disciple, and gave the disciple in
charge to her maternal fidehty.
The Servant.--Ah, gentle Lord, who can
here refrain from sighing inwardly, and weeping bitterly? Yes, Thou beautiful Wisdom,
how could they, the fierce lions, the raging
wolves, be so ungentle to Thee, Thou sweet
Lamb, as to treat Thee thus ! Tender God,
oh, that Thy servant had but been there to
represent all mankind ! Oh, that I had stood
up there for my Lord, or else had gone to
bitter death with my only Love; or, had
they not chosen to kill me with my
Love, that I yet might have embraced, with
the arms of my heart, in sorrow and desolation, the hard stone socket of the cross, and,

-only

TO HIS PASSION.

109

when it burst asunder for very pity, that my
wretched heart, too, might have burst with
the desire to follow my Beloved.
Eternal Wisdom.-It was by Me from all
eternity ordained, that when My hour was
come, I alone should drink the cup of My
bitter Passion for all mankind. But thou,
and all those who desire to imitate Me, deny
yourselves, and take up, each of you, your
own cross, and follow Me. For this dying
to yourselves is as agreeable to Me as though
you had actually gone with Me to bitter
death itself.
The Servant.-Gentle Lord, teach me,
then, how I should die with Thee, and what
my own cross is. For, truly, Lord, since
Thou hast died for me, I ought not to live
any more for myself.
Eternal Wisdom. -When thou dost strive
to do thy best as well as thou dost understand it, and for so doing, dost earn scornful words and contemptuous gestures from
thy fellow-men, and they so utterly despise
thee in their hearts that they regard thee as
unable, nay, as afraid, to revenge thyself,
and still thou continuest not only firm and
unshaken in thy conduct, but dost lovingly

110

THE SOUL RETURNS AGAIN

pray for thy revilers to thy heavenly Father,
and dost sincerely excuse them before Him;
lo ! as often as thou diest thus to thyself for
love of Me, so often is my own death freshly
renewed and made to bloom again in thee.
When thou dost keep thyself pure and innocent and still thy good works are so misrepresented, that with the joyful consent of
thy own heart thou art reckoned as one of
the wicked, and that from the bottom of thy
heart thou art as ready to forgive all the injury thou hast received as though it never
had happened, and, moreover, to be useful to
and assist thy persecutors by word and deed,
in imitation of My forgiveness of My crucifiers, then truly art thou crucified with thy
Beloved. When thou dost renounce the
love of all mankind, and all comfort and
advantage, as far as thy absolute necessities
will allow, the forsaken state in which thou
dost then stand, forsaken by all earthly love,
fills up the place of all those who forsook
Me when My hour was come. When thou
dost stand, for My sake, so disengaged from
all thy friends in those things by means of
which they are an impediment between Me
and thee, even as though thy friends did not

TO HIS PASSION.

111

belong to thee, then art thou to Me a dear
disciple and brother, standing at the foot of
My cross, and helping Me to support My
sufferings.
The voluntary detachment of
thy heart from temporal things, and its devotion to Me, clothe and adorn My nakedness. When, in every adversity which may
befall thee from thy neighbor, thou art oppressed for the love of Me, and dost endure
the furious wrath of all men from whichever
side its blast come, how fiercely soever it
come, and whether thou be right or wrong,
as meekly as a silent lamb, so that, in virtue
of thy meek heart, and sweet words, and
gentle looks, thou disarmest the malice of
the hearts of thy enemies; behold even this
is the true image of My death accomplished
in thee. Yes, wherever I find this likeness,
what delight and satisfaction have I not
then, and My heavenly Father also, in man.
Oh, carry but My bitter death in the bottom
of thy heart, and in thy prayers, and in the
manifestation of thy works, and then wilt
thou fulfil the sufferings and fidelity of My
immaculate Mother and My beloved disciple.
The Servant. - Ah, loving Lord, my soul
implores Thee to accomplish the perfect im-

112

ON THE WORTHY PRAISE OF THE

age of Thy miserable Passion on my body
and in my soul, be it for my pleasure or my
pain, to Thy highest praise and according to
Thy blessed will. I desire, also, in particular, that Thou wouldst describe something
more of the great sorrow of Thy sorrowing
Mother, and wouldst relate to me how she
behaved herself in the hour that she stood
under the cross.

CHAPTER XVI.
ON

THE

WORTHY

PRAISE

OF

THE

PURE

QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

The Servant.--Oh, the great riches of the
Divine knowledge and wisdom ! how very
inscrutable are Thy judgments, and how unknown Thy ways ! How many a strange way
hast Thou of bringing poor souls back to
Thee! What were Thy thoughts, or how
glad at heart must Thou not have been in
Thy eternal immutability, when Thou didst
so nobly create the pure, tender, illustrious
Lord,
creature above all pure creatures!

PtRE

QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

113

then couldst Thou indeed say: I think the
thoughts of peace.* Lord, Thou hast, out
of the abyss of Thy essential goodness, reflected Thy glory interiorly to Thyself again,
inasmuch as Thou hast led back to their
origin all beings gone astray in their divine
Yes, Heavenly Father, how
emanation.
should a sinful creature dare to approach
Thee, unless Thou hadst given him Thy own
elected child, Eternal Wisdom, for a guide?
Yes, Eternal Wisdom, how should a sinful
creature dare at all times to discover his uncleanness before such purity, unless indeed
he took the mother of all compassion for his
protectress? Eternal Wisdom.! if Thou art
my brother, Thou art also my Lord ; if Thou
art truly man, woe is me so art Thou also
truly God, and a very severe judge of evil
For this reason, when our poor
deeds.
souls are in the narrow prison house of fathomless sorrow of heart, and we can neither
stir here nor there, nothing remains for us
except to lift up our miserable eyes to thee,
O chosen Queen of Heaven. Therefore,
thou mirror reflecting the brightness of the
eternal sun, thou hidden treasure of infinite

!

* Jeremias xxix. 11

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ON THE WORTHY PRAISE OF THE

compassion, this day do I and all penitent
hearts salute thee! O ye exalted spirits,
ye pure souls, stand forth, extol and praise,
commend and exult in the ravishing paradise
of all delight, the sublime Queen ! for I am
not worthy to do so, unless in her goodness
she vouchsafe to allow me. O thou chosen
bosom friend of God, thou fair golden crown
of Eternal Wisdom, permit me, a poor sinner, even me in my weakness, to speak to
thee a little in confidence. With a trembling
heart, with a countenance of shame, with
dejected eyes, my soul falls down before
thee. O thou mother of all graces, methinks
neither my soul nor any other sinful soul requires permission or a passport to repair to
thee. Art thou not the immediate mediatrix
of all sinners ? The more sinful a soul is,
the more reasonable it seems to her that she
should have free access to thee; the deeper
she is in wickedness, the more reason she
has to press forwards to thee. Therefore,
my soul, step joyfully forth ! If thy great
crimes drive thee away, her unfathomable
goodness invites thee to draw near. O,
therefore, thou only consolation of all sinful
hearts, thou only refuge of guilty mortals,

PURE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

115

to whom so many a wet eye, so many a
wounded, miserable heart is raised up, be a
gracious mediatrix and channel of reconciliation between me and the Eternal Wisdom.
O think, think, thou mild Queen elect, that
thou derivest all thy merits from us poor
What was it made thee God's
sinners.
mother, made thee a casket in which the
Eternal Wisdom reposed? O Lady, it was
the sins of us poor mortals! How couldst
thou be called a mother of graces and compassion, except through our wretchedness,
which has need of grace and compassion?
Our poverty has made thee rich, our crimes
have enobled thee above all pure creatures.
O turn hither then the eyes of thy compassion, which thy gentle heart never turned
from a sinner, from a forlorn mortal ! Take
me under thy protection, for my consolation
and confidence are in thee. How many a
guilty soul, after having bid farewell to God
and all the heavenly host, by denying God
and despairing of Him, and being lamentably
separated from Him, has, by still clinging to
thee, been sweetly detained, till at length,
through thy intercession, it has again attained to grace. Who is the sinner, how

116

ON THE WORTHY PRAISE OF THE

great soever his crimes, to whom thy overflowing goodness has denied assistance ? Lo,
when my soul seriously reflects within herself, methinks it were only right, if it were
possible, that while my eyes wept for joy,
my heart should leap out of my mouth; so
does thy name dissolve in my mouth like
honey from the comb. Even thou art called
the mother, the Queen of Compassion, yes,
tender mother, yes, gentle mother of compassion! O what a name ! O how unfathomable is the being whose name is so rich in
grace ! Did ever the melody of song resound
as soothingly in an agitated heart as thy
pure name in our penitent hearts? At this
exalted name all heads in reason ought to
incline, all knees to bend. How often hast
thou not put to flight the hostile powers of
wicked spirits, how often hast thou not allayed the angry justice of the severe judge !
How often hast thou not obtained from Him
Yes, poor sinful
grace and consolation!
mortals as we are, what have we to say to
it? How shall we ever acknowledge such
great goodness? If all angelic tongues, all
pure spirits and souls, if heaven and earth
and all that is contained in them cannot

PURE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

117

properly praise her merits, her ravishing
beauty, her graciousness and immeasurable
dignity, alas ! what shall we sinful hearts be
able to do? Let us do our best, and express
to her our acknowledgements, our thanks;
for indeed her great kindness does not look
at the smallness of the gift, it looks at the
purity of intention. Ah, sweet Queen, with
what justice may not thy sex rejoice in thy
sweet name; for cursed was the first Eve
that she ever eat of the fruit; blessed be the
second Eve that she brought us again the
sweet fruit of heaven ! Let no one lament
over Paradise; one paradise we lost, and
have won two others. For is she not a
paradise in whom grew the fruit of the living tree? in whom all delight and joy are
contained together? And is not that also a
paradise above every paradise in whom the
dead again live, if they only try His fruit
from whose hands, feet, and side the living
fountains which irrigate all the earth flow,*
the fountains of inexhaustible mercy, fathomless wisdom, overflowing sweetness, ardent love, the fountains of eternal life?
Truly, Lord, whoever tastes of this fruit,
*Gen. ii. 10.

118

ON THE WORTHY PRAISE OF THE

whoever has drunk of this fountain, knows
that these two gardens of paradise far surpass the earthly paradise. But thou, O
Queen elect, art the gate of all grace, the
door of compassion, that never yet was shut.
Heaven and earth may pass away, ere thou
wilt permit any one who earnestly seeks thy
assistance to depart from thee without obtaining it. Behold, for this very reason art
thou the first object my soul sees when I
awake, the last when I lie down to sleep.
How should anything which thy pure hands
present before God and commend unto Him,
how small soever in itself, be rejected ? Take,
O take, therefore, the smallness of my works
and present it, so that, in thy hands it may
appear something before the eyes of God
Almighty. Even thou art the pure vessel of
red gold, melted down with graces, inlaid
with precious emeralds, and sapphires, and
all virtues whose single aspect, in the sight
of the heavenly King, surpasses that of all
O, thou lovely divine
other creatures.
spouse elect, if King Ahasuerus was captivated by the beauty of Esther, if she was
found pleasing in his eyes above all women,
if she found favor above them all, so that he

PURE

QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

119

did for her whatever she desired, O thou,
all red roses and lilies, surpassing beauty,
how justly may the King of Heaven be captivated by thy spotless purity, thy meek
humility, by the sweet smelling nosegay of
all thy virtues and graces! Or, who has
ever caught the wild and noble unicorn, if
not thou?* How infinitely pleasing, above
all mortals, in His eyes is thy delicate and
love-inspiring beauty, before which all other
beauty fades like a glow-worm before the
brightness of the sun. What overflowing
grace hast thou not found before Him for
thyself and us mortals who are without
grace
How should, how can, then, the
heavenly King deny thee anything ? Truly
mayest thou say, My Beloved is mine, and I
am His. Ah ! thou art God's, and God is
thine, and ye two have an eternal and unfathomable reciprocation of love which no
duality can divide. Think of us poor needy
ones, who continue to wander so wretchedly

!

*According to a legend of the Middle Ages, the unicorn loves
chastity so much that it can only be caught by a virgin, who in
consequence lies in wait at a place where the unicorn is accustomed to seek its food, and which is no iponer conscious of
the virgin's presence than it approaches her softly, and lays its
head in her lap and falls asleep. Then she makes a sign, and
the concealed hunters rush upon their prey.

120

ON THE WORTHY PRAISE OF THE

in sorrowful affliction. Yes, exalted Lady of
heaven and earth, arise now and be to us a
mediatrix, and an obtainer of grace with thy
tender Child, the Eternal Wisdom. Ah,
Eternal Wisdom, wilt Thou deny me anything? Even as I present Thee before Thy
heavenly Father, so do I present Thy pure
tender mother before Thee. Look at her
mild eyes which so often looked kindly on
Thee; behold those fair cheeks which she so
often affectionately pressed to Thy infant
face. O look at her sweet mouth which used
to kiss Thee so fondly and tenderly again and
again. Look at her pure hands which so
often ministered to Thee. O Thou goodness
above all goodness, how canst thou deny
anything to her who suckled Thee so affectionately and bore Thee in her arms; who
hkid Thee to rest, woke Thee up and tenderly
reared Thee ! O Lord, let me remind Thee
of all the love Thou ever didst experience
from her in Thy childhood's days, when
Thou didst sit in her motherly lap, and with
Thy playful eyes didst laugh so pleasantly
and tenderly in her face with that fathomless
love Thou hadst for her above all other
creatures ! Think too of the heart-rending

PURE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

121

woe which her maternal heart endured with
Thee under the gibbet of Thy miserable
cross, where she saw Thee in the agony of
death, and when her heart and soul so often
died away in sorrow and distress with Thee.
Lord, I entreat Thee, for her sake, to grant
me every means of shaking off my sins, of
acquiring Thy grace, and never losing it
again.

CHAPTER XVII.
ON THE UNUTTERABLE HEART--RENDING GRIEF
OF THE PURE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

The Servant.-Who will give my eyes as
many tears as there are letters, so that with
bright tears I may write down the miserable tears of the unfathomable heart-rending
grief of my Blessed Lady? Pure Lady and
noble Queen of Heaven and Earth, touch my
stony heart with one of thy scalding tears,
one of those which thou didst shed in bitter
distress for thy tender Child under the
wretched cross, so that my heart of stone

122

ON THE UNUTTERABLE GRIEF

may be softened, and may hearken to thee;
for heart-rending grief is of such a nature,
that no one can have a true knowledge of it,
except him whom it touches. Touch then
my heart, O Lady Elect, with thy sorrowful
words, and tell me in short significant terms,
simply as an admonition, how it was with
thee in thy mind, and how thou didst support thyself at the foot of the cross, when
thou didst behold thy tender Child, the
beautiful and tender Wisdom, so lamentably
expire.
Answer.-Thou shouldst hearken to it
with sorrow and heartfelt woe; for although
I am now exempt from suffering, yet, at that
time, I was not. Before I had reached the
foot of the cross, I had endured many a great
unspeakable anguish of heart, especially at
the spot where I first caught sight of the
beating, kicking, and ill-usage of my Child,
on beholding which my strength forsook me,
and thus helpless was I carried after my dear
Son to the foot of the cross. But, in respect
of what thou askest, how I felt in my mind,
and how I supported myself, listen to as
much as it is possible for thee to know; for
the whole no heart that ever was born can

OF THE PURE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

123

fathom. Understand, then, that all the sorrow that ever could afflict a heart would only
be as a drop in the ocean compared to the
unfathomable sorrow which my maternal
heart at that time endured; and understand,
at the same time, that the dearer, the sweeter,
the more precious the beloved one is, the more
insupportable is his loss and death. Now,
where on the whole earth was there ever a
more tender one born, a lovelier one seen
than my own best beloved one, Jesus Christ,
by whom and in whom I had entire possession
of all that the world could bestow? I was
already dead to myself, and lived only in
Him, and when at last my own fair love
was slain, then only did I utterly die; and,
as my only love was but one, and, moreover,
dear to me above all other loves, so my only
sorrow was but one, and a sorrow above all
sorrows that ever were expressed. His fair
and gentle humanity was, to me, a delightful
spectacle; His dignified divinity was, to my
eyes, a sweet contemplation ; to think of Him
was my heart's delight; to speak of Him
was my pastime; to hear His sweet words
was music to my soul. He was my heart's
mirror, my soul's comfort; heaven and earth,

124

ON THE UNUTTERABLE

GRIEF

and all that is in them, I possessed in His
sweet presence. Lo, when I saw my love
suspended in mortal agony before me, alas,
the sight ! Alas, what a moment was that !
How died my heart within me ! How was
my courage extinguished!
How did my
strength fail me ! How did all my senses
forsake me ! I looked up, but I could not
help my Child. I looked down, and saw
only those who so cruelly ill-used Him. O
how narrow then to me was all this world !
I had lost all heart; my voice had fled from
me; I had, above all, lost my strength; and
yet, when I came to myself, I raised my
hoarse voice, and spoke to my Child, complainingly, such words as these: Alas, my
Child! Alas, thou Child of mine ! Alas,
my heart's delightful mirror, in which I have
so often taken delight to behold myself,
how do I now see Thee miserably suspended
before me! Alas, thou treasure above all
this world! My mother, my father, and all
that my heart can express (such art Thou to
me), take me with Thee ! Or, to whom wilt
Thou leave Thy wretched mother?
Oh,
who will permit me to die for Thee, to suffer
for Thee this bitter death? Oh, misery and

OF THE PURE

/QUEEN

OF HEAVEN.

125

distress of a love-born mother, how am I
robbed of all joy, of all love, of all consolation ! Oh, thou greedy death, why sparest
thou me ? Take, take away the poor mother
with her poor Child; to her, life is bitterer
than not to die ! Him, even Him, whom my
soul loveth, I see dying! And as I thus
lifted up my voice in lamentation, behold,
my Child consoled me very affectionately,
and, among other things, said : That in no
other way might mankind be redeemed, and
that on the third day He intended to rise
again and appear to me and His disciples;
and He said further: Woman, cease thy
weeping; weep no more, my fair mother, I
will not forsake thee forever! And while
my Child thus tenderly consoled me, and
commended me to the disciple whom He
loved, and who also stood by, full of sorrow
(those words of His were conveyed to my
heart in a tone so lamentable, and so broken
by sighs, that they pierced through my heart
and soul like a sharp sword), even the hard
hearts of the Jews were moved to compassion for me. I cast up my arms and my
hands, and, in the anguish of my heart,
would gladly have embraced my beloved,

126

ON THE UNUTTERABLE

GRIEF

yet this I might not do. And then I sank
down, overwhelmed by my heart-rending
grief, at the foot of the cross and became
speechless; and when I returned to myself,
and could do nothing else, I kissed the blood
that trickled down from His wounds, so that
my pale cheeks and mouth were all tinged
with blood.
The Servant. - Ah, Thou unfathomable
goodness, what infinite torture, what infinite
misery is this ! Whither shall I turn, or to
whom shall I cast my eyes ? If I look up at
the beautiful Wisdom, I only see woe and
distress, at which my heart is like to sink
within me. They cry out and shout against
Him outwardly, the agony of death struggles
with Him inwardly, all His veins are on the
rack, all His blood gushes away, it is nothing but ejaculations of woe, and cheerless
dying without recovery. Then, if I but
turn my eyes to His pure Mother, I see her
tender heart pierced, alas ! with wounds as
though a thousand blades had transfixed it.
I see her pure soul lacerated by woe. Never
were such gestures of misery and longing
seen as hers, never motherly lamentation
heard like hers; deprived was her sick body

OF THE PURE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

127

of all strength, her fair countenance besmeared with mortified blood. Oh, great
misery above all misery! The torture of
His heart consists in the affliction of His sorrowing Mother; the torture of His sorrowing Mother consists in the innocent death of
her beloved Son, more painful to her than
her own death. He beholds her and consoles her tenderly; she stretches out her
hands to Him, and would gladly die instead
of Him. Alas ! which of the two feels here
the most bitterly? Whose is the greater
distress ? To both it is so unfathomable that
there never was any equal to it. Alas ! the
motherly heart. Alas ! the tender womanly
mind. How was thy maternal heart ever
able to support this infinite sorrow? Blessed
be that heart compared to whose sorrow
everything that ever was uttered of a heart's
sorrow is only as a dream to the reality.
Blessed be Thou, O rising blush of morning, above all creatures! And blessed be
the flower-enamelled rose-scented meadow
of Thy fair countenance, adorned with the
ruby red blood of Eternal Wisdom ! Alas !
Thou affable countenance of beautiful wisdom, how dost Thou fade in death ! Alas I

128

HOW IT WAS WITH HIM

Thou beautiful body, how dost Thou hang
suspended ! Woe is me, Thou pure blood,
how hotly dost Thou run down on Thy
pure Mother who bore Thee ! Lament, ye
mothers, lament with me over this affliction !
All ye pure hearts, let this rose-colored,
pure blood which so besprinkles your pure
Mother, go to your hearts! Behold, all
hearts, ye who ever had sorrow, behold and
see, if ever there was sorrow like unto this
sorrow ! Truly, it is a wonder that our
hearts melt not here for pity and compassion; so great, indeed, was this distress,
that hard stones were rent asunder, the earth
trembled, the sun was extinguished, because
they would fain show compassion for their
Creator !

CHAPTER XVIII.
HOW IT WAS WITH HIM AT THAT HOUR
REGARD OF HIS INTERIOR MAN.

IN

The Servant. - Eternal Wisdom ! the
more one reflects on Thy measureless Passion, the more unfathomable it appears. Thy
extremity was so very great UNDER the cross,

IN REGARD OF HIS INTERIOR MAN.

129

but still more s6 ON the cross, according to
Thy exterior powers which, at that hour, felt
all the pangs of bitter death. But, gentle
Lord, how was it with Thy interior Man,
with Thy noble Soul ? Had it no consolation, no sweetness like other martyrs' souls,
so as to mitigate its cruel sufferings? Or,
when did Thy sufferings come to an end?
Eternal Wisdom. -- Now, hearken to a
misery of miseries, such as thou never yet
didst hear of. Although My soul, according
to her highest powers, was at that time wrapt
in the vision and enjoyment of the pure
divinity, noble as, in truth, she is, behold,
the lower powers of My exterior and interior
nature were yet wholly abandoned to themselves, even to the very last drop of infinite
bitterness of suffering, without any consolation, so that no torment was ever equal to it.
And as I was thus left entirely helpless and
forsaken, with running wounds, with weeping eyes, with extended arms, with the veins
of My body on the rack, in the agony of
death, then it was that I lifted up My voice
in lamentation, and cried out miserably to
My Father: My God, My God, why hast
Thou forsaken Me.? And still in all this,

130

HOW IT WAS WITH HIM

My will was united in eternal conformity
with His will. And when all My blood was
poured out, and all My strength exhausted,
behold, I was seized by a bitter thirst, because of My mortal agony. But I thirsted
still more for the salvation of man. Then
did they reach Me vinegar and gall to quench
the burning thirst of My parched mouth.
And when I had accomplished the work of
human redemption, I cried out : It is finished !
I was entirely obedient to My Father, even
unto death. My Spirit I commended into
His hands, saying : Into Thy hands I commend My Spirit. And then My noble Soul
separated.from My body, both of which yet
remained unseparated from the divinity!
After this a sharp spear was thrust into My
right side; forthwith a stream of precious
blood gushed out, and with it a fountain of
living water. Behold, My child, in an extremity so pitiable as this did I redeem thee,
and all the elect, and did save thee by the
living sacrifice of My innocent blood from
everlasting death.
The Servant.- Alas! tender and loving
Lord and Brother, with what sorrowful,
what bitter toil didst Thou not reap me in !

IN REGARD OF HIS INTERIOR MAN.

131

Alas !, noble Lord, how ardently didst Thou
love me, how generously didst Thou redeem
me! Woe is me, Thou fair Wisdom, how
shall I ever be in a condition to acknowledge
Thy love and Thy sufferings? If I had
Samson's strength, Absalom's beauty, Solomon's wisdom, and the riches and greatness
of all kings, my only wish would be to devote them to Thy praise and service. But,
Lord, I am nothing, and therefore can do
nothing.. O Lord, how am I to thank Thee ?
Eternal Wisdom.
If thou hadst the
tongues of all the angels, the good works of
all mankind, and the powers of all created
beings, thou yet couldst not thank Me, nor
requite Me, for the least pang which I suffered for the love of thee.
The Servant.- Tender Lord, inform and
teach me, then, how I may become pleasing
to Thee by means of Thy grace, since no one
is able to make Thee a return for the tokens
of Thy love.
Eternal Wisdom.-Thou shouldst often
set My sorrowful cross before thy eyes, and
let My bitter torments penetrate to thy heart,
and shape thy own sufferings after them. If
I allow thee to pine and wither in disconso-

132

HOW IT WAS WITH HIM

late affliction and dryness, without any sweetness, thou shouldst not seek after strange
consolation. Let thy cry of misery rise to
thy heavenly Father with a renunciation of
thyself and all thy desires, according to His
Fatherly will. The bitterer thy suffering is
from without, and the more resigned thou art
from within, the more like art thou to Me,
and the more dear to My heavenly Father,
for herein the most pious are put to the
strongest proof. What though thy desires
may have a thirsty craving to seek satisfaction and delight in something that might be
pleasant to them, yet shouldst thou forego it
for My sake, and thus will thy thirsty mouth
Thou
be steeped with Me in bitterness.
shouldst thirst after the salvation of men.
Thy good works thou shouldst direct to a
perfect life, and persevere to the end. Thy
will must be subject, thy obedience prompt
to thy superiors; thy soul, and all that belongs to it, thou must surrender into thy
heavenly Father's hands, and thy spirit must
ever be dying out of time into eternity, in
prefiguration of thy last journey. Behold,
thus will thy cross be shaped after My miserable cross, and worthily accomplished in

IN REGARD OF HIS INTERIOR MAN.

133

it. Thou shouldst wholly lock thyself up
with My love-wounded heart in My open
side, and dwell there, and seek there thy
resting-place. Then will I wash thee with the
waters of life, and deck thee out with My
precious blood, in purple. I will associate
Myself to thee, and unite thee with Myself
eternally.
The Servant.-Lord, never was there any
magnet so powerful in attracting hard iron
to itself, as Thy love-fraught Passion, thus
presented to my soul, is powerful to unite to
itself all hearts. Alas ! Thou loving Lord,
draw me now by means of love and sorrow
away from this world to Thee on Thy cross,
fulfil in me the closest resemblance to Thy
cross, so that my soul may enjoy Thee in Thy
highest glory.

CHAPTER XIX.
ON THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS.

The Servant.--Ah, pure Mother and tender Lady ! When did thy great and bitter
affliction of heart which thou hadst for thy
Son, come to an end ?
Answer.-Listen to my words with sorrowful compassion. When my tender Child had
expired, and when He hung suspended before
me, and all the strength of my heart was
utterly broken, though I could do nothing
else, I yet cast many a glance up at my dead
Child. And when they came to take Him
down, it was as if I had been roused from
the dead. With what motherly love did
I not receive His lifeless arms, with what
sighs of love did I not press them to my
blood-stained cheeks, and when He was
lowered down to me, how affectionately beyond measure did I not embrace Him, dead
as He was in my arms; how did I not strain
to my heart my only love elect, and kiss
again and again the fresh bleeding wounds
134

THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS.

135

of His face ! And, yet, with what ravishing
beauty His entire body was transformed, all
hearts could not sufficiently contemplate.
Then did I take my tender Child on to my
lap, and look at Him. I looked at Him, and
He was dead ! I looked at Him again and
again, but He had neither voice nor consciousness. Then did my heart die within
me again, and had well-nigh burst into a
thousand pieces. Then did I fetch many a
deep and heart-rending sigh, my eyes shed
many tears, my whole figure was deplorable
to see, scarcely had my doleful words reached
my lips, when they were choked by grief,
and only half expressed. Alas, alas, cried I,
whenever was any one so cruelly used on
earth as Thou, my innocent and beloved
Child ! Alas ! my Child, my only consolation, my only joy, how art Thou changed for
me into a source of much bitterness ! Where
is now the joy I experienced at Thy birth?
Where the delight I had at Thy childhood ?
Where the honor and dignity I had in Thy
presence? Whither is all gone that could
ravish my heart? Oh sorrow, Oh anguish,
Oh bitterness, Oh desolation of heart, truly
is everything transformed into an unfathom-

136 THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS.

able desolation of heart, into a mortal agony !
Alas, Thou Child of mine, how am I so
shorn of all love, how has my heart become
utterly disconsolate ! Such, and many such
words of lamentation did I utter, because of
my deceased Child.
The Servant.- Oh, pure and beautiful
Mother, permit me once more to console my
heart in this moment with thy dear Child,
my Lord, the Eternal Wisdom, before the
hour of separation comes, before He is
snatched away from us to the grave. Immaculate Mother ! however unfathomable thy
heart's affliction was, however strongly it
may touch all other hearts, thou didst yet,
methinks, find some pleasure in the affectionate embracing of thy deceased Child. Oh,
pure and gentle Lady, I desire that thou
wouldst offer me thy dear Child, as He appeared in death, on the lap of my soul, so
that I may experience, according to my
ability, in spirit and meditation, what thou
didst thy body. Lord, my eyes are turned
to Thee in the most rapturous joy and in
deepest, heart-felt love, such as no only love
was ever regarded with by the beloved.
Lord, my soul expands to Thy embrace even

in

THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS.

137

as the tender rose expands to the pure sun's
brightness. Lord, my soul stretches out her
arms to Thee with infinite desire. Oh, my
loving Lord, with ardent desire I embrace
Thee to-day, and press Thee to the bottom
of my heart and soul, and put Thee in mind
of the loving hour of Thy death, that Thou
mayest never allow it to be lost in me; and
I request that neither life, nor death, nor
joy, nor sorrow, may ever separate Thee
from me. Lord, my eyes contemplate Thy
dead countenance, my soul kisses again and
again all Thy fresh bleeding wounds, all my
senses are fed with this sweet fruit beneath
the living tree of the cross; and it is reasonable, for this person consoles himself with
his innocent life, the other with his great exercises and strict conduct; the one with this,
the other with that; but, as for me, all my
consolation, all my trust, are lodged wholly
in Thy Passion, in Thy satisfaction and
merited reward, and, therefore, I shall at all
times carry Thy Passion joyfully in the bottom of my heart, and show the image of it
outwardly, in words and deeds, to the utmost
of my ability.
Oh, enchanting brightness of eternal light,

138

THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS.

how art Thou now for me utterly extinguished ! Extinguish in me the burning
lust of all vice.
Oh, pure transparent mirror of divine majesty, how art Thou now defiled! Cleanse
away the great stains of my evil deeds !
Oh, beautiful image of paternal goodness,
how art Thou befouled and utterly defaced !
Restore the defaced and faded image of my
soul !
Oh, Thou innocent Lamb, how wretchedly
art Thou used ! Amend and atone for my
guilty, sinful life !
Oh, Thou King of all kings, and Lord of
all lords, how does my soul see Thee lying
here in so lamentable and ghastly a plight !
Grant, that since my soul now embraces
Thee with sorrow and lamentation in Thy
dereliction, she may be embraced by Thee
with joy in Thy everlasting glory ! Amen.

CHAPTER XX.
ON

THE

LAMENTABLE

SEPARATION

OF

THE

GRAVE.

The Servant.-Now, tender Lady, put an
end to thy sorrow and thy sad recital, and
tell me how thou didst separate from thy
Beloved.
Answer.-It was a misery to see and hear.
Alas, all was yet supportable, while I had
my Child with me; but when they tore my
dead Child from my blighted heart, from
my embracing arms, from my face pressed
to His, and buried Him, what a wailing I
set up in that hour would hardly be believed ;
and then when it came to the separation, oh,
what an agony, what woe, were seen in me !
For when they separated me from my Beloved, the separating wrestled with my heart
like bitter death. Supported by their hands
who led me away, I walked with tottering
steps, for I was robbed of all consolation,
my heart longed wofully to return to my
Love, my confidence was wholly set in Him,
I rendered Him alone of all mankind entire
189

140

THE SEPARATION OF THE GRAVE.

fidelity and true attachment, even to the
grave.

The Servant.--Oh, affectionate and tender
Lady, for this do all hearts greet thee, all
tongues praise thee, since all the good that
the Fatherly heart has vouchsafed to give
us, flowed through thy hands. Thou art the
beginning, thou art the means, thou shalt
also be the end. Alas, pure and tender
Mother, let me remind thee to-day of thy
miserable separation; think of thy bitter
separating from thy tender Child, and help
me that I may not be separated either from
thee or from His joyous countenance.
Yes, pure Mother, even as my soul now
stands by thee with compassionate sympathy,
and embraces thee with ardent desire, and,
in contemplation with heartfelt desire, with
thanksgiving and praise, leads thee from the
sepulchre through the gate of Jerusalem back
again to thy house, so do I crave that, at
my last departure, my soul may be again
led by thee, O pure and tender Mother, to
its Fatherland, and there be confirmed in
everlasting bliss. Amen.

THE SECOND PART.

CHAPTER XXI.
HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE, AND OF THE
NATURE

OF AN UNPROVIDED

DEATH.

The Servant.-Eternal Wisdom! if any
one were to give me the whole earth for my
own, it would not be so agreeable to me as
the truth and the advantage which I have
found in Thy sweet doctrines. Therefore, do
I desire from the very bottom of my heart
that Thou, the Eternal Wisdom, wouldst
Lord, what is that
teach me still more.
which belongs, above all things, to a servant
of Eternal Wisdom, who is desirous to live
for Thee alone? Lord, I should like to hear
about the union of pure reason with the Holy
Trinity, when, in the true reflection of the
eternal birth of the Word, and in the regeneration of her own Spirit, reason is ravished
141

142

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

from herself and stands face to face with
God.
Eternal Wisdom.-Let not him ask about
what is highest in doctrine, who still stands
on what is lowest in a good life. I will
teach thee what will profit thee more.
The Servant.-Lord, what wilt Thou teach
me ?
Eternal Wisdom. - I will teach thee to
die and will teach thee to live.: I will teach
thee to receive Me lovingly, and will teach
thee to praise Me lovingly. Behold, this is
what properly belongs to thee.
The Servant.--Eternal Wisdom, if I had
the power to fulfil my wishes, I know not
whether, in this temporal state, I ought to
wish anything else, as to doctrine, than how
to die to myself and all the world, how to
live wholly for Thee, to cherish Thy love
with all my heart, to receive Thee lovingly,
and to praise Thee lovingly. O God, how
blessed is that man who is able to do this,
and who consumes in it his whole life. But,
Lord, dost Thou mean a spiritual dying or
a bodily dying?
Eternal Wisdom.-I mean both one and
the other.

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

143

The Servant.-What need have I, Lord,
of being taught how to die bodily? Surely
it teaches itself when it comes.
Eternal Wisdom.--He who puts his teaching off till then, will find it too late.
The Servant.--O Lord, it is still somewhat bitter for me to hear about death.
Eternal Wisdom. - Behold, even this is
the source of those unprovided and terrible
deaths whereof the towns and convents now
are full. Behold, death has often bridled
thee secretly, and had fain ridden thee from
hence, in the same way as he does the countless multitude, one of whom I will now show
thee. Open, therefore, thy interior sense,
and see and listen; see what grim death is
like in the person of thy neighbor, do but
mark the lamentable voice thou wilt hear.
The Servant heard with his understanding
the voice of the unprepared dying man cry
aloud and speak as follows: The sorrows of
death have surrounded me.* Woe is me,
Thou God of Heaven, that ever I was born
into the world ! The beginning of my life
was with crying and weeping, and now my
departure from it is also with bitter crying
* Psalm xvii. 5.

144

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

and weeping.
Alas, the sorrows of death
have surrounded me, the pains of hell have
encompassed me! O death, O furious death,
what an unwelcome guest art thou to my
young and joyous heart ! How little was I
prepared for thy coming!
Thou hast attacked me from behind, thou hast run me
down. Thou leadest me away in thy chains
like one that leads a condemned man bound
and fettered to the place where he is to be
slain. I clasp my hands above my head, I
wring them with anguish in each other, for
gladly would I escape from him. I look
around me into all the ends of the earth to
see if any one will give me advice or help,
and it cannot be. Death I hear thus fatally
speaking within me: Neither learning, nor
money, nor friends can avail thee; thou art
mine by right. Alas, and must it be so?
O God, and must I then depart from hence?
Is a last separation really at hand ? Woe is
me that ever I was born! O death, what
art thou going to do with me ?
The Servant.-Dear man, why dost thou
take it so hard ? This is the common lot of
rich and poor, young and old. Many more
have died in their youth than in their old

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

145

age. Or wouldst thou, perhaps, alone escape death? This would prove a great want
of understanding in thee.
The unprepared dying man. -O
Lord,
what bitter consolation is this! I am not
without understanding. Those are without
understanding who have not lived for Him,
and who are not frightened at death. Such
persons are blind; they die like cattle; they
know not what they have before them. I
do not complain that I must die; I complain
that I must die unprepared. I do not merely
lament the end of my life, I lament and weep
over the delightful days which are so utterly
lost and vanished without any profit. For
truly I am like an untimely and rejected
abortion, like a blossom torn off in May.
My days have sped swifter than an arrow
from the bow. I am forgotten as though I
had never been, like a track which a bird
makes through the air, which closes behind
it and is unknown to all men. Therefore
are my words so full of bitterness, therefore
is my speech so full of woe ! Oh, who will
enable me to be as I once was, to have again
those pleasant times before me, and to know
then what I know now I When those times

146

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

were mine I did not rightly estimate them;
I, foolish man, let them pass swiftly away;
now are they vanished from me; I cannot
recall them, I cannot overtake them. No
hour so short but I ought to have valued it
more preciously and thankfully than a poor
man about to receive a kingdom as a gift.
Lo, this is why my eyes shed salt tears, because they cannot restore what I have lost.
Woe is me, O God! that I should have
feasted so many days away, and that it
profits me now so little. Why did not I
learn to die all the time ? O ye blooming
roses, that have still your days before you,
look at me and learn wisdom; turn your
youth to God, and with Him alone occupy
your time, so that what has happened to me
may not happen to you. Ah, me ! how have
I consumed my youth! No one would I
believe; my wayward spirit would listen to
Alas, now am I fallen into the
no one.
snare of bitter death ! My days have vanished, my youth has sped. Better were it
for me had my mother's womb become my
grave than that I should so have squandered
away my time.
The Servant.-Be converted to God; re-

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

147

pent of thy sins; if thy end be well, then
will all be well.
Unprepared dying man.-Alas, what do
I hear? How shall I now do penance? How
shall I now be converted to God ? Seest thou
not how terrified I am, how exceeding great
is my distress ? Even as a little bird caught
in the claws of a cruel falcon, and become
senseless in the agony of dying, I am unconscious of everything except that I would
gladly escape and cannot. Death and the
bitterness of separation oppress me. Alas,
the repentance and free conversion of him
who is capable of right doing, what a sure
thing you are ! He who puts you off will
hardly fail of being himself put off. O long
protraction of my amendment, how much too
protracted hast Thou not proved ! My good
intentions without works, my good promises
without performance, have ruined me. I
have said to God, To-morrow and to-morrow,
till I am fallen into the night of death. O
Thou Almighty God, is it not a misery above
all miseries, ought it not deeply to afflict me,
that I should thus have lost the whole of my
life, my thirty, my forty years? I know not
that I ever spent a day wholly according to

148

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

God's will, or that I ever rendered to God,
as in reason I ought to have done, a truly
acceptable service. Oh, how the thought cuts
me to the heart! O God, how wretchedly
shall I not stand before Thee and the whole
heavenly host ! Lo, now I am departing
hence; and now, even at this hour, a single
Pater Noster, uttered with devotion, would
rejoice me more than if any one were to put
into my hands a thousand pounds of gold.
Ah, my God, what have I not eternally
neglected, what evil have I not inflicted on
myself in not having seen this while it was in
my power ! What hours upon hours have
escaped me ! How have I allowed myself to
be led wrong by small things in the great
affair of my salvation! It would now be
more agreeable to me, and would procure me
more eternal reward if, from divine love, I
had foregone the pleasure I took at the sight
of a friend, when such pleasure was contrary
to God's will, than if that friend were to
demand a reward for me from God thirty
years long on his knees. Hear, hear, all
men, a lamentable thing : I go begging round
and round, because my time is short, and beg
a small alms out of the merits of good people

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

149

as an expiation for myself, and it is refused
me; for they are all afraid lest they should
want oil in their lamps. Alas, Thou God of
Heaven, let this move Thy compassion, that
with my healthy body I could have earned
such great reward and wealth on so many a
day when I went about idle, and that now
this small alms, begged only as an expiation,
not as a reward, for which, moreover, I
should stand indebted, no one will give me.
Oh, let this, ye old and young, go to your
hearts, and hoard up in the good season while
ye can, so that ye may not become beggars,
and be denied in an hour like this.
The Servant.-Alas, my dear friend, thy
distress rends my very heart. By the living
God, I conjure Thee, give me some advice so
that I may not come into trouble.
The unprepared dying man.-The best
advice I can give thee, the greatest wisdom
and prudence on earth, is this: That thou
prepare thyself by a full confession of and an
abstinence from all those things with which
thou knowest thyself to be infected, and that
thou hold thyself at all times ready, as though
thou shouldst have to depart hence in a day,
or at latest in a week. Imagine now, in thy

150

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

heart, that thy soul is in Purgatory, and
doomed to remain there ten years for her evil
deeds, and that this year alone is granted thee
to help her in. Look at her very often, see
how wofully she calls out to thee and speaks
to thee: O thou my best beloved friend,
reach me thy hand, have pity on me, and
help me to pray that I may speedily come
out of this raging fire of Purgatory, for I am
so miserable, that there is nobody, except
thee alone, to help me with charitable works.
I am forgotten by all the world, because
every one is busy about himself.
The Servant.--This were a choice doctrine
for whoever might actually feel it like Thee
in their hearts. But though Thy words are
so piercing, yet do people sit here and give
little heed to them; they have ears and hear
not; they have eyes and see not; no one will
really die before his soul departs out of him.
The unprepared dying man.-Wherefore,
when at last they are caught on the hook of
death, and cry aloud in woful distress and
cruel pain, they are not heard. Lo, even as
among a hundred persons who wear the
appearance of holiness (of others I will say
nothing), not one pays attention to my words,

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

151

that he may be converted and reform his life,
so is it come to that pass that among a hundred, not one but falls into the snare of death
unprepared; as also certainly happens to
those who die suddenly, or in an unconscious
state ; for the comforts of the body, perishable
love, and the greedy pursuits of sustenance,
blind the multitude. But if thou wouldst be
delivered from this miserable and unprovided
death, then follow my advice.
Behold,
diligent meditation on death, and faithful
assistance given to thy poor soul, who appeals
so piteously to Thee, will advance thee so far
that thou wilt not only be without fear, but
more, thou wilt expect death with all the
ardor of thy heart. Think of me every day,
and write down my words in the bottom of
thy heart. In my bitter distress see what
thy future lot will be ; look what a night this
is. Oh, happy the man, that ever he was born,
who arrives well prepared at this hour, for
his passage will be a good one, however
bitter his death; behold, the bright angels
will guard him, the saints escort him, the
celestial court receive him; his final marching
forth will be a glorious entry into his everlasting fatherland.
But me, alas! where

152

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

will my soul lodge this very night in that
strange, mysterious country? Oh, my soul,
how art thou utterly forsaken! O God,
how very miserable she will be among all
miserable souls ! Who is there that will help
her with entire fidelity? And now let me
put an end to my sad complaints; for my
hour is come. I see now that it cannot be
otherwise. My hands begin to grow cold,
my face to turn livid, my eyes to lose their
sight. Alas, the shocks of furious death
wrestle with my poor heart. I begin to fetch
my breath very hard. The light of this
world begins to vanish from me. I begin to
see into the next world. O God, my God,
what a sight ! The horrible forms of black
Moors assemble together; the wild beasts of
hell surround me. They gloat over my poor
soul to see if it will be theirs. O Thou just
judge of the severe judgment seat, how very
heavy in Thy scales are those things which
in ours are so light ! The cold sweat of death
bursts, from very anxiety, through my flesh.
Oh, the wrathful aspect of the severe judge,
how very sharp Thy judgments are ! Now
let me turn in spirit to that world where I am
led by the hand into Purgatory, and where,

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

153

in the land of torments, I see anguish and
distress. O God, I see the wild hot flames
dart up on high, and meet over the heads of
suffering souls. They wander up and down
amid the dark flames, and great is their
affliction. What heart would like to contemplate our pangs, the bitterness of our
woe? Many a sad cry is heard. Help!
help ! ah, where is all the help of our false
friends ? Where are the fair promises of our
false friends? How have they deserted us,
how have they utterly forgotten us ! Oh,
have pity on us, some little pity; at least
you our best beloved friends ! What services
have we not rendered you, and how are we
now repaid. Oh, that we should not have
warded off these sufferings when we could
have done so with things so trifling ! Is not
the least torment here greater, much greater,
indeed, than any torment ever was on earth?
One hour in Purgatory lasts a hundred years.
Lo! now we boil, now we burn, now we
shriek aloud for help; but, more than all it
is our misfortune to be deprived so long of
the joy of His countenance; this it is that
cuts through the heart, the sense, the soul !
-And thus I expire.

154

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

TThe Servant.-O Eternal Wisdom, how
hast Thou forsaken me ! O God, how has
death all at once become present before me !
Alas, thou soul of mine, art thou still in my
body? Lord of Heaven, do I still live? Ah,
Lord, now will I praise Thee, and vow
reformation to Thee till death. Oh, how very
terrified I am ! I did not think death was so
near me. Truly, Lord, this sight shall not
fail to profit me; every day I will be on the
watch for death, and will look about me that
He take me not by surprise. I will learn
how to die; I will turn my thoughts to
yonder world' Lord, I see that there is no
remaining here; Lord, in sooth, I will not
save up my sorrow and repentance till death.
Oh, how terrified I am at this spectacle, I
marvel that my soul is still in my body !
Begone, begone, from me, soft reclining,
long sleeping, good eating and drinking,
perishable honors, delicateness and luxury !
If but a little suffering here is so painful to
me, how shall I ever endure immeasurable
suffering? O God, if indeed I were now to
die thus, how would it be with me? What
a load have I not still upon me ! Lord, this

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

155

very day I will set a poor man* to pray for
my poor soul, and since all her friends have
forsaken her I will befriend her.
Eternal Wisdom.-See ; this shouldst thou
diligently look to whilst thou art in thy
youth, and whilst thou hast still time to
make things better. But when, in truth,
thou hast reached this hour, and thou canst
not make things better, then shouldst thou
look at nothing on earth, except My death
and My infinite mercy; so that Thy trust
may repose wholly in Me.
The Servant.-O Lord, I prostrate myself
at Thy feet, and I beseech Thee with bitter
tears to chastise me here as Thou wilt, only
keep it not in store for me in the next world.
Woe is me, Lord, the fire of Purgatory and its
unspeakable torments, how could I ever be so
foolish as to think lightly of them, and how
do I now stand in such great fear of them!
Eternal Wisdom.-Be of good heart, this
thy fear is the beginning of wisdom, and a
path to salvation. Or hast thou forgotten
how all the Scriptures declare what great
salvation is contained in the fear and diligent
contemplation of death?
Thou shouldst
*According to a practice,of the middle ages.

156

HOW WE SHOULD LEARN TO DIE.

always praise God, for not to one in a
thousand has it been granted to know Him,
as to Thee. Listen to a lamentable thing:
they hear it spoken of; they know of it
beforehand, and yet they allow it to pass by,
and heed it not till they be swallowed up by
it, and then they howl and weep when it is
too late. Open thy eyes, count upon thy
fingers, see how many of them have died
around thee in thy own times; talk with
them a little in thy heart; join thy old man
to them as though it were dead; question
them together; see with what fathomless
sighs, with what bitter tears they will say:
Oh, blessed is he that ever he was born, who
follows sweet counsel and, in the misfortunes
of others, learns wisdom ! Prepare thyself
well for thy departure hence; for truly thou
sittest as a bird on the bough, and art as a
man who stands on the water's edge, and
looks at the swift sailing ship in which he
will presently take his seat, and sail away for
a strange land whence he will never more
return. Therefore, so regulate thy life that
when the ship comes for thee thou mayest
be ready, and mayest joyfully take thy
departure hence.

CHAPTER XXII.
HOW

ONE

SHOULD

LIVE

AN INTERIOR

AND

GODLY LIFE.

The Servant.-Lord, many are the rules,
many the ways of a godly life, the one is so,
the other so. Many and various are the
ways. Lord, the Scriptures are inexhaustible, their precepts innumerable. Teach me,
O Eternal Wisdom, in a few words, out of
the abyss of all the things they contain, to
what I ought chiefly to hold fast in the way
of a truly pious life.
Eternal Wisdom.-The truest, most useful,
and most practical doctrine for thee in all the
Scriptures that, in a few words, will more
than amply convince thee of all the truth
requisite for the attainment of the summit of
perfection in a godly life, is this doctrine:
Keep thyself secluded from all mankind, keep
thyself free from the influence of all external
things, disenthrall thyself from all that depends on chance or accident, and direct thy
157

158 HOW ONE SHOULD LIVE A GODLY LIFE.

mind at all times on high in secret and divine
contemplation, wherein, with a steady gaze
from which thou never swervest, thou hast
Me before thy eyes. And as to other exercises, such as poverty, fasting, watching, and
every other castigation, bend them all to this
as to their end, and use just so much and so
many of them as may advance thee to it.
Behold, thus wilt thou attain to the loftiest
pitch of perfection, that not one person in a
thousand comprehends, because, with their
end in view, they all continue in other
exercises, and so go astray the long years.
The Servant.-Lord, who can exist in the
unswerving gaze of Thy divine vision at all
times ?
Eternal Wisdom.-No one who lives here
below in this temporal scene. This has been
said to thee only that thou mightest know
at what thou shouldst aim, after what thou
shouldst strive, to what thou shouldst turn
thy heart and mind. And if ever thou losest
sight of it, let it be to thee as if thy eternal
salvation were taken away from thee; and do
thou speedily turn to it again, so that thou
mayest again obtain possession of it; and
then must thou look carefully to thyself, for,

HOW ONE SHOULD LIVE A GODLY LIFE. 159

if it escape from thee, thou art like a sailor
from whose grasp the oars in a strong swell
have slipped, and who does not know whither
he shall direct his course. But if thou mayest
not as yet have a constant abiding place in
divine contemplation, let the perpetually repeated collecting of thy wandering thoughts,
and the assiduous withdrawing of thyself to
engage in it, procure thee constancy as far as
it is possible. Listen, listen, My child, to
the faithful instructions of thy faithful Father.
O give heed to them ! Shut them up in the
bottom of thy heart; think who it is that
teaches thee all this, and how very much in
earnest He is. Dost thou wish to become
ever more and more faithful? Then set My
precepts before thy eyes. Wherever thou
sittest, standest, or walkest, think that I am
present to thee, and that I either admonish
or converse with thee. O, My child, keep
within thyself, keep thyself pure, disengaged,
and retired. See, in this way wilt thou
become conscious of My words; that good,
too, will be made known to thee which, as
yet, is greatly hidden from thee.
The Servant.-O,Eternal Wisdom, praised
be Thou forever! Ah, my Lord and most

160

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

faithful friend, if I would not do it otherwise,
Thou wouldst yet force me to do it with Thy
sweet words and Thy gentle teaching. Lord,
I ought and will do my very best towards it.

CHAPTER XXIII.
HOW WE OUGHT LOVINGLY TO RECEIVE GOD.

Thie Servant.-Eternal Wisdom, if my
soul could only penetrate the heavenly shrine
of Thy divine mysteries, I would question
Thee further about love. And this would be
my question: Lord, Thou hast so entirely
poured out the abyss of Thy divine love in
Thy passion, that I wonder if Thou canst
show any more signs of Thy love ?
Eternal Wisdom.-Yes. Even as the stars
of heaven are countless, so the love-tokens of
My unfathomable love are uncounted.
The Servant.-Ah, sweet Love of mine !
ah, tender Lord elect! how my soul lanTurn Thy mild
guishes for Thy love!
countenance towards me, outcast creature
that I am; see how everything vanishes and

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

161

passes away in me except only the one
treasure of Thy ardent love, and therefore
tell me something further of this rich and
hidden treasure. Lord, Thou knowest well
that it is love's right never to be satisfied
with what concerns the Beloved; that the
more it has the more it desires, how unworthy
soever it may acknowledge itself to be, for
such is the effect of the omnipotent power of
love. O, beautiful Wisdom, now tell me the
greatest and dearest mark of Thy love that
in Thy adopted human nature Thou didst
ever manifest, without taking into account
the unfathomable love-token of Thy bitter
death.
Eternal Wisdom. - Answer Me now a
question. What is that of all lovely things
which is most agreeable to a loving heart?
The Servant.-Lord, to my understanding
nothing is so agreeable to a loving heart as
the beloved Himself and His sweet presence.
Eternal Wisdom.-Even so. See, and on
this account, that nothing which belongs to
true love might be wanting to those who love
Me, did My unfathomable love, as soon as I
had resolved to depart by death out of this
world to My Father, compel Me to give My-

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HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

self and My loving presence at the table
of the last supper to My dear disciples, and
in all future times to My elect, because I
knew beforehand the misery which many a
languishing heart would suffer for My sake.
The Servant.-Oh, dearest Lord, and art
Thou Thyself, Thy very Self, really here ?
Eternal Wisdom.-Thou hast Me in the
sacrament, before thee and with thee, as truly
and really God and Man, according to soul
and body, with flesh and blood, as truly as
My pure Mother carried Me in her arms, and
as truly as I am in heaven in My perfect
glory.
The Servant.-Ah, gentle Wisdom, there
is yet something in my heart, may I be
allowed to utter it to Thee ? Lord, it does
not proceed from unbelief, I believe that
what Thou willest Thou canst do ; but, tender
Lord, it is a marvel to me (if I may venture
to say so) how the beautiful, the delightful
and glorified body of my Lord in all its
greatness, in all its divinity, can thus essentially conceal itself under the little shape
of the bread which, relatively considered, is
so out of all relation. Gentle Lord, be not
angry with me on this account, for, as Thou

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163

art my Wisdom elect, I should be glad by
Thy favor to hear something on this head
out of Thy sweet mouth.
Eternal Wisdom.-In what manner My
glorified body and My soul, according to the
whole truth, are in the Sacrament, this can
no tongue express, nor any mind conceive,
for it is a work of My omnipotence. Therefore oughtest thou to believe it in all simplicity, and not pry much into it. And yet
I must say a little to thee about it. -I will
thrust this wonder aside for thee with another
wonder. Tell Me how it can be in nature
that a great house should shape itself in
a small mirror, or in every fragment of
a mirror, when the mirror is broken? Or,
how can this be, that the vast heavens should
compress themselves into so small a space as
thy small eye, the two being so very unequal
to each other in greatness ?
The Servant.-Truly, Lord, I cannot tell,
it is a strange thing, for my eye is to the
heavens but as a small point.
Eternal Wisdom.-Behold, though neither
thy eye nor anything else in nature is equal
to the heavens, and yet nature can do this
thing, why should not I, the Lord of nature,

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be able to do many more things above nature ?
But now, tell me further, is it not just as
great a miracle to create heaven and earth,
and all creatures out of nothing, as to change
bread invisibly into My body?
Thie Servant.-Lord, it is just as possible
for Thee, as far as I can understand, to
change something into something, as to
create something out of nothing.
Eternal Wisdom.-Dost thou wonder then
at that, and not at this? Tell Me further,
thou believest that I fed five thousand persons
with five loaves, where was the hidden matter
which obeyed My words?
The Servant.-Lord, I know not.
Eternal Wisdom.--Or dost thou believe
thou hast a soul?
The Servant. - This I do not believe,
because I know it, for otherwise I should
not be alive.
Eternal Wisdom.-And yet thou canst not
see thy soul with thy bodily eyes.
The Servant.---Lord, I know that there
are many more beings invisible to human
eyes than such as we can see.
Eternal Wisdom.-Now listen: many a
person there is of senses so gross as hardly

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165

to believe that anything which he cannot
perceive with his senses really exists, concerning which the learned know that it is
false. In like manner does the human understanding stand related to divine knowledge.
Had I asked thee how the portals of the
abyss are constructed, or how the waters
in the firmament are held together, thou
wouldst perhaps have answered thus : It is a
question too deep for me, I cannot go into it:
I never descended into the abyss, nor ever
mounted up to the firmament. Well, I have
only asked thee about earthly things which
thou seest and hearest, and understandest
not. Why shouldst thou wish, then, to
understand what surpasses all the earth, all
the heavens, and all the senses? Or why
wilt thou needs inquire into it? Behold, all
such wondering and prying thoughts proceed
alone from grossness of sense, which takes
divine and supernatural things after the likeness of things earthly and natural, and such
is not the case. If a woman were to give
birth to a child in a dark tower, and it were
to be brought up there, and its mother were
to tell it of the sun and the stars, the child
would marvel greatly, and would think it

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all against reason and incredible, which its
mother, nevertheless, knows so well to be
true.
The Servant. - Indeed, Lord, I have
nothing more to say, for Thou hast so enlightened my faith that I ought never to
think of marvelling in my heart again, or why
should I seek to inquire into the highest, who
cannot comprehend the lowest? Thou art
the truth which cannot lie; Thou art the
highest wisdom that can do all things; Thou
art the omnipotent who can dispose of all
things. Oh, noble and loving Lord, I have
often desired in my heart that, like holy
Simeon in the temple, I might have received
Thee bodily in my arms, might have pressed
Thee to my heart and soul, so that the
spiritual kiss of Thy presence might have
been as truly mine as it was his. But now,
Lord, I see that I receive Thee as truly as
he, and so much the more nobly as Thy tender body is now glorified, and impassible,
which then was passible. Wherefore, dearest
Lord, if my heart had the love of all hearts,
my conscience the purity of all the angels,
and my soul the beauty of all souls, so that
by Thy grace I should be worthy of Thee, I

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167

would fain receive Thee to-day so affectionately, and so bury and sink Thee in the
bottom of my heart and soul, that neither joy
nor sorrow, neither life nor death, could
separate Thee from me. Ah, sweet Lord,
hadst Thou, my chosen love, only sent me
Thy messenger, I should not have known,
for all this world, how I ought to offer Him
a sufficient welcome. How then ought I to
behave myself towards Him whom my soul
loveth ? Truly art Thou the only one thing
in which everything is included, that, in time
and eternity, my heart can desire. Or is
there anything else that my soul can desire
with Thee that Thou art not ? I will say
nothing of that which is contrary to Thee, or
which is without Thee, for that would be
repugnant to me. Truly art Thou the comeliest of all to the eyes, the sweetest of all to
the mouth, the tenderest of all to the touch,
the most beloved of all to the heart ! Lord,
my soul neither sees nor hears, nor feels
aught of all that is here below, but she finds
it severally a thousand times lovelier in Thee
my chosen love. Ah, Eternal Lord, how am
I to restrain myself in Thy regard from
wonder and delight? Thy presence inflames

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HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

me, but Thy greatness terrifies me. My
reason will needs do honor to its Lord, but
my heart desires to love its only good, and
lovingly to embrace it. Thou art my Lord
and my God, but Thou art also my Brother,
and, if I may venture to say so, my beloved
Spouse. Oh, what love, what rapture, and
what great joy, what dignity do I not possess
in Thee alone ! Ah, sweet Lord, methinks
that had I only been vouchsafed the grace to
receive out of Thy open wounds, from Thy
heart, one single drop of blood into my
mouth, if I could have had my desire, it
would have given me the fulness of joy. Ah,
heartfelt, inconceivable wonder, now I have
not only received from Thy heart or Thy
hands, from Thy feet or Thy tender wounds,
I have not only received one or two drops,
but I have received all Thy hot, rose-colored
blood through my mouth into my heart and
soul. Is not this a great thing? Ought I
not to appreciate this which to the exalted
angels is precious ? Lord, would that all my
limibs, and all that I am, were transformed
into an unfathomable love for the sake of this
sign of Thy love. Lord, what is there else in
all this world that could rejoice my heart, or

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

169

that it could desire, when Thou givest Thyself thus cordially to me to enjoy and love !
Truly is it called a SACRAMENT OF LOVE.
When was there anything lovelier seen or
heard of than to embrace love itself; than to
be changed by grace into love itself? Lord,
I see no difference except that Simeon
received Thee visibly, and I receive Thee
invisibly. But as little as my bodily eyes
can see Thy true humanity, just as little
could his bodily eyes contemplate Thy
divinity, except through faith, as I do now.
Lord, what new power is lodged in this
bodily sight? He whose spiritual eyes are
opened, has not much to see with his bodily
eyes, for the eyes of the spirit see far more
really and truly. Lord, I know by faith, as
far as one can know it, that I have Thee
here; what do I wish for more ? Lord, it is
a thousand times better for me that I am
unable to see Thee; how could I ever have
the heart thus visibly to partake of Thee !
As it is, that which is lovely and delightful
remains, while that which is inhuman falls
away.
Lord, when I truly reflect how
inscrutably well, how lovingly and wisely
Thou. hast regulated all things, my heart,

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HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

with a loud voice, exclaims: Oh, the great
treasure of the abyss of Divine Wisdom,
what must Thou not be in Thyself, if Thou
art so much in Thy fair emanations ! Now,
O glorious Lord, look at the great and sincere desire of my heart. Lord, never was
king or emperor so worthily received, never
dear strange guest so cordially embraced,
never bride so beautifully and tenderly taken
home, nor so honorably maintained, as my
soul desires to receive Thee, my most honored
emperor, my soul's most lovely Bridegroom,
this day, and to introduce Thee to the innermost and the very best that my heart and
soul are able to afford, and to offer it Thee as
worthily as ever it was offered Thee by any
creature. Wherefore, Lord, teach me how
I should behave myself towards Thee, how,
with due honor and love, I should receive
Thee.
Eternal Wisdom.-Thou shouldst receive
Me worthily, thou shouldst partake of Me
with humility, thou shouldst keep Me earnestly, thou shouldst embrace Me with conjugal love, and have Me in My godly dignity lefore thy eyes. Spiritual hunger and
actual devotion must impel thee to Me more

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

171

than custom. The soul that wishes to feel
Me interiorly in the recesses of a secluded
life, and sweetly to enjoy Me, must, first of
all, be cleansed from sin, must be adorned
with virtue, encircled with self - denial,
decked out with the red roses of ardent love,
strewn over with the fair violets of humble
submission, and the white lilies of perfect
purity. She should pray to Me with peace
of heart, for in peace is My dwelling-place.
She should clasp Me in her arms to the exclusion of all strange affections; for these I
avoid, and flee as the free bird avoids and
flees the cage. She should sing Me the song
of Sion, which is a song of fervent, loving,
and measureless praise; then will I embrace
her, and she shall incline herself on My
breast. There, if she finds a calm repose, a
pure vision, unusual fruition, a foretaste of
eternal bliss, let her preserve it, let her keep
it for herself, and, with a sighing heart, let
her speak as follows: Truly art Thou the
hidden God, the secret good which no one
can know that has not felt it.
The Servant.-Alas, the great blindness
I have
in which I have hitherto lived!
plucked the red roses and have not smelt

172

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

them; I have wandered among the blooming
flowers and have not seen them; I have
been as a dry branch amid the fresh dews of
May. Never, O never can I sufficiently repent Thy having been for many a day so
near me, and my having been so far from
Thee. O, Thou sweet guest of pure souls,
what a sorry welcome have I hitherto given
Thee, what an ill return have I so frequently
made Thee ! How little desirous have I not
shown myself for the sweet bread of angels !
I had the precious balsam in my mouth, and
felt it not. Ah, Thou delight of all angelic
eyes, never as yet did I feel true delight in
Thee ! If it were announced to me that a
bodily friend would visit me in the morning
should I not rejoice at it all the night before ?
And yet, never did I prepare myself for the
reception of Thee, as in reason I ought,
Thou worthy guest, whom heaven and earth
equally honor.
Alas! how have I been
wont to turn quickly away from Thee, how
to drive Thee out of Thy own ! O Eternal
God, Thou, even Thou Thyself, art here so
truly present, and the angelic host is here,
and yet I have approached so shyly and
Of Thee I will say nothing;
sluggishly.

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

173

but, truly, Lord, I know of no spot within
many miles, whither, if I had known for certain of the presence of blessed angels, those
high and noble guests who at all times behold Thee, I should not have repaired of my
own accord, and even if I had not seen them,
still my heart, on their account, would have
leapt in my body for joy. O sweet Lord
and God, that Thou Thyself, the Lord of all
angels, shouldst have been present here, and
shouldst have had with Thee so many angelic
choirs, and that I should not have given
more heed to the place; this, this must ever
be a sore affliction for me ! I ought, at all
events, to have approached the place where I
knew Thee to be thus present, even though
nothing else might have come of it. O God,
how often have I stood distracted and without devotion on the very spot where Thou
wast before me, and with me in the Blesied
Sacrament; my body indeed stood there,
but my heart was elsewhere. How often
have I thought so little of Thee in Thy presence, that my heart has not even offered
Thee an affectionate salutation, with a devout
inclination. Gentle Lord, my eyes ought to
have looked at Thee with joyous delight, my

174

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

heart ought to have loved Thee with the fulness of desire, my mouth ought to have
praised Thee with heartfelt, fervent jubilee;
all my strength ought to have melted in Thy
glad service.
What did not Thy servant
David do who leapt so joyously with all his
might before the ark, in which there was
nothing but corporal bread of heaven, nothing but corporal things! Lord, now do I
stand here before Thee, and before all Thy
angels, and with bitter tears fall at Thy feet.
Remember, O, remember, tender Lord, that
here, before me, Thou art my flesh and my
brother, and forego Thy displeasure. O, forgive me all the dishonor that ever I offered
Thee, for I am sorry for it, and must ever be
sorry for it; for the light of Thy wisdom
begins only now to enlighten me; and the
place where Thou art, not only according to
Thy divinity, but according to Thy humanity,
shall be honored by me evermore. Ah, Thou
sweetest good, Thou worthy Lord and lovely
guest of my soul, another question would I
gladly ask: Tell me, gentle Lord, what is it
Thou givest Thy beloved with Thy real presence in the Sacrament, provided she receives
Thee with love and desire ?

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

175

Eternal Wisdom.--Is that a fitting question for a lover? What have I better than
Myself? He who possesses the object of his
love, what else has he to ask for? He who
gives himself, what has he refused? I give
Myself to thee, and take thee from thyself,
and unite thee to Me. Thou losest thyself,
and art wholly transformed into Me. What
does the sun in his brightest reflection bestow on the unclouded sky? Yes, what does
the bright star of the morning dawn bestow
on the dark night? Or what do the fair and
ravishing adornments of summer bestow
after the cold, wintry, melancholy season ?
The Servant. -- O Lord, they bestow
precious gifts.
Eternal Wisdom.-They seem precious to
thee because they are visible to thee. Behold, the smallest gift that flows from Me in
the Blessed Sacrament reflects more splendor in eternity than any sunny brightness;
it sheds more light than any morning star;
it adorns thee more ravishingly in eternal
beauty than ever did any adornment of summer the earth. Or is not My bright divinity
more radiant than any sun, My noble soul
more resplendent than any star, My glorified

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HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

body more ravishing than any ravishment of
summer ? And yet all these things hast thou
truly received here.
The Servant.--O Lord, why then are they
not more sensibly felt? Lord, I often approach in such dryness that all light, all
grace and sweetness are as strange to me,
methinks, as to a man born blind, who never
saw the sun. Lord, if I may venture to say
so, I could indeed wish that, in Thy real
presence, Thou hadst given more testimony
of Thyself.
Eternal Wisdom.-The less the testimony,
the purer thy faith and the greater thy reward. The Lord of nature operates with
such secrecy a blessed increase in many a fair
tree, that no eye nor other sense can perceive
it till it is accomplished. Now, I am not an
exteriorly working good, but an interiorly
shining light; an interiorly working good
which is so much the nobler as it is the more
spiritual.
The Servant.-Alas ! how few men there
are who perceive this, who weigh thoroughly
what they receive. They draw near like the
rest generally, in an ill and inconsiderate
manner, and, therefore, as they go up empty,

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

177

they come away without grace. They do not
ruminate their food so as to ponder what they
have received.
Eternal Wisdom.-To the well prepared
I am the bread of eternal life, to the little
prepared the bread of dryness, but to the
unprepared I am a deadly blow, an eternal
curse.
The Servant.--O Lord, what a terrible
thing is this ! Lord, whom dost Thou call
the well prepared, the little prepared, and
the unprepared?
Eternal Wisdom.-The well prepared are
the purified, the little prepared such as still
cleave to temporal things, but the unprepared
are the sinful who continue by will and by
deed in mortal sin.
The Servant.-But, tender Lord, if at the
time a person is heartily sorry for his sins,
and strives, to the best of his ability, to rid
himself wholly of them, conformably to
Christian precept, how is it then with him?
Eternal Wisdom.-In such a case a man
is, for the time, no longer in sin.
The Servant.-Lord, in my opinion it
were one of the greatest things this world
could accomplish, if any person, while living

178

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE GOD.

in this temporal state, was able to prepare
himself worthily enough for Thy reception.
Eternal Wisdom.-That person was never
yet born ; nay, if a man had the native purity
of all the angels, the sanctity of all the
saints, and the good works of all mankind,
he would yet be unworthy.
The Servant.-Ah, beloved Lord, with
what trembling hearts ought not persons so
unworthy, so deprived of grace, as we are,
to approach Thee
Eternal Wisdom.--If a man only does his
best, nothing more is required of him, for
God completes what is left incomplete. A
sick man should cast aside all reserve, and
should approach the physician whose attendance is his cure.
The Servant.-Lord, beloved Lord, which
is better, OFTEN, or SELDOM, to receive Thee
in the Blessed Sacrament ?
Eternal Wisdom.-For him whose grace
and devotion perceptibly increase by it, to
receive Me often is profitable.
The Servant.-But, Lord, if a man in his
own opinion remains the same, and cannot
prove that he either increases or decreases by
it in holiness, or if he' is often visited by

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179

spiritual dryness, how should he then behave
himself ?
Eternal Wisdom.-A man, provided only
he does his part, should not withdraw himself
because of spiritual dryness. For the salvation of that soul which by God's will suffers
from spiritual dryness is often accomplished
as nobly in the light of pure faith alone, as
in great sweetness. I am a boon which,
turned to account, increases, but which, saved
up, wastes away. It is better to approach
once a week with a deep sense of real
humility, than once a year with an overweening self-approbation.
The Servant.-Lord, at what time does
the influence of grace from the Blessed
Sacrament take place ?
Eternal Wisdom.--In the very moment of
actual reception.
The Servant.-Lord, but what if a mst
have a fervent desire for Thy bodily
s:
4L
in the Sacrament, and he must yet be d
4V9
of it ?
Eternal'Wisdom.-Many a man after being
filled with Me, goes away hungry, and many
a man obtains Me, though the table be empty ;
the former merely receives Me bodily, the
latter enjoys Me spiritually.

re

180

A PRAYER.

Servant.-Lord, has that man any
advantage who receives Thee bodily and
spiritually, over him who only receives Thee
spiritually ?
Eternal Wisdom.-Tell Me whether that
man has more who has Me and My grace, or
he who has only My grace alone?
The Servant.-Lord, how long dost Thou
remain in Thy real presence with a man who
has received Thee ?
Eternal Wisdom.-As long as the image
and likeness of the Sacrament remain.
The

CHAPTER XXIV.
A PRAYER TO BE SAID WHEN THOU GOEST TO
RECEIVE OUR LORD'S HOLY BODY.

O Thou living fruit, Thou sweet blossom,
Thou delicious paradise apple of the blooming
fatherly heart, Thou sweet vine of Cyprus in
the vineyard of Engaddi, who will give me to
receive Thee so worthily this day that Thou
shalt desire to come to me, to dwell with

A PRAYER.

181

me, and never to separate from me
O
unfathomable good, that fillest heaven and
earth, incline Thyself graciously this day,
and despise not Thy poor creature. Lord,
if I am not worthy of Thee, yet do I stand
in need of Thee. Ah, gentle Lord, art Thou
not He who with one word created heaven
and earth ? Lord, with one word canst Thou
restore health to my sick soul. O Lord, do
unto me according to Thy grace, according
to Thy infinite mercy, and not according to
my deserts. Yes, Thou art the innocent
Paschal Lamb, which at this day is still
offered up for the sins of all mankind. Ah,
Thou sweet-tasting bread of heaven, which
contains all sweet tastes according to the
desire of every one's heart, make the hungry
mouth of my soul to rejoice in Thee this
day ; give me to eat and to drink; strengthen,
adorn, and unite me interiorly to Thee. Ah,
Eternal Wisdom, come down so powerfully
this day into my soul, that all my enemies
may be driven out of her, all my crimes be
melted away, and all my sins be forgiven.
Enlighten my understanding with the light
of true faith. Inflame my will with Thy
sweet love. Cheer up my mind with Thy

182

HOW WE SHOULD

PRAISE GOD.

glad presence, and give virtue and perfection
to all my powers. Watch over me at my
death, that I may enjoy Thy beatific vision
in eternal bliss. Amen.

CHAPTER XXV.
HOW WE SHOULD AT ALL TIMES PRAISE GOD.

The Servant. - Praise the Lord, 0 my
soul, in my life I will praise the Lord: I
will sing to my God as long as I shall be."*
Who will grant, O God, to my full heart
to fulfil before my death its desire for Thy
praise? Who will grant me worthily to
praise, in my day, the beloved Lord whom
my soul loveth ? Ah, tender Lord, would
that there issued from my heart as many
sweet tones as ever have issued from sweet
harpings, as many as there are leaves and
blades of grass, would that they were all
addressed on high to Thee in Thy heavenly
court, so that a song of such a delightful and
unheard-of praise might burst from my heart,
* Psalm cxlv. 1.

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

183

as would be pleasing to the eyes of my
Lord, and full of joy to all the heavenly
host ! Ah, beloved Lord, although I am
not worthy to praise Thee, still my soul desires that the heavens should praise Thee,
when, in their ravishing beauty and sublime
splendor they are lit up with the multitude
of glittering stars; and the fair delightful
meadow, when, in all the bliss of summer it
glistens afresh in blithesome beauty, in manifold flowery adornment; and all the sweet
thoughts and fervent desires that ever a pure
and affectionate heart conceived for Thee
when it was encompassed by the refreshing,
summer-delights of Thy illuminating Spirit.
Lord, when I but think of Thy high praise,
my heart is ready to melt in my breast, my
thoughts wander from me, speech fails me,
and all knowledge escapes me. Something
shines in my heart "beyond the power of
words, when I will needs praise Thee, O
infinite Good; for, if I take the fairest creatures, the most exalted spirits, the purest
beings, Thou yet surpassest them all unspeakably. If I enter the deep abyss of Thy
goodness, there all praise disappears in its
own littleness. Lord, when I behold living

184

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

forms of beauty, creatures gentle and engaging, they say to my heart: Oh, see how right
gracious He is from whom we emanate, from
whom all that is beautiful has issued! If I
traverse heaven and earth, the universe and
the abyss, wood and grove, mountain and
valley, lo ! they one and all fill my ears with
a rich canticle of Thy unfathomable praise.
Then, when I mark with what infinite beauty
and harmony Thou orderest all things, both
evil and good, I am dumb and speechless.
But, Lord, when I remember that Thou
Thyself art this praiseworthy good which
my soul has chosen out solely for herself,
as her one only and undivided love, my
heart, for praise, is like to burst within me,
and to cease its throbbings. Oh, tender
Lord, have regard, therefore, for the great
and ardent desire of my heart and soul, and
teach me how to praise Thee worthily, and
how to serve Thee acceptably before I depart hence, for this is what my soul thirsts
after in my body.
Eternal Wisdom. - Wouldst thou then
gladly praise Me ?
The Servant. -- Alas! Lord, why dost
Thou provoke me ? Thou knowest all hearts,

HOW WE SHOULD

PRAISE GOD.

185

Thou knowest that my heart is ready to turn
round in my body from the true desire of
Thy praise, which from my childhood's days
till now I have had.
Eternal Wisdom. - Praise becometh the
upright.*
The Servant. - Alas ! my Lord all my
uprightness lies in Thy boundless compassion.
Beloved Lord, the frogs praise Thee in the
pool, and if they cannot speak, yet do they
croak. Full well do I know who I am.
Lord, I know that rather than praise Thee, I
ought to lament and beg pardon for my sins.
And yet, O unfathomable good, scorn not
the desire I have to praise Thee, miserable
worm that I am. Lord, though the cherubim and seraphim, and the countless number of all exalted spirits, praise Thee according to their utmost powers, yet what can
they do more as regards Thy infinite dignity,
far removed above all praise, than the very
least of Thy creatures ? Lord, Thou standeat
in need of no creature's praise; but Thy infinite goodness is made all the more manifest
the more Thou givest Thyself to the praise
of those who are without desert.
* Psalm xxxii. 1.

186

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

Eternal Wisdom. - Whoever thinks he
can praise Me to the fulness of my worth,
acts like him who chases the wind and tries
to grasp a shadow. And yet it is permitted
to thee and all creatures to praise Me according to your ability; for there never was a
creature so little, nor so great, nor so good,
nor so wicked, neither will there be one,
but it either praises Me or testifies to My
praise; and the more it is united with Me,
the more praiseworthy it finds Me; and the
more thy praise is like the praise of eternal
glory, the more praiseworthy it is to Me;
and the more this praise of thine is abstracted
in imagination from all creatures and united
in true devotion to Me, the more it is like
the praise of eternal glory. A fervent contemplating sounds better in my ears than
merely a praising with words, and a heartfelt
sighing sounds better than a lofty appeal. A
total subjection of one's self under God and
all mankind, in the wish to be as nothing in
their sight, is a sound for Me above all sweet
sounds. I Myself never appeared on earth
so worthy of praise before My Father as
when I hung in mortal agony on the cross.
Some persons praise Me with fair words, but

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

187

their hearts are far from Me, and of such
So likewise,
praise I make no account.
some persons praise Me when things go according to their desires, but when things
begin to go wrong with them, their praise
ceases, and such praise is disagreeable to Me.
But that praise is good and precious in My
divine eyes when, with thy heart, thy words
and works, thou dost praise me as fervently
in sorrow as in joy, in utter adversity as in
full prosperity; for then thou thinkest of
Me and not of thyself.
The Servant. -- Lord, I desire not sufferings from Thee, neither will I give cause for
such things ; but I will give myself up wholly
and entirely, according to the desire of my
heart, to Thy eternal praise, whereas, before,
I never could truly forsake and utterly forget
myself. Lord, if Thou wert to permit me
to become the most despised person the
whole earth could produce, Lord, even this
I would suffer for the sake of Thy praise.
Lord, I yield myself up this day to Thy
grace and mercy; nay, if I were to be accused of the foulest murder that ever any
man committed, so that whoever saw me
should spit in my face, Lord, I would will-

188

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

ingly bear it in praise of Thee, provided I
only stood guiltless in Thy sight. But even if
I were guilty, I would still endure it in praise
of Thy blessed justice, which is a thousand
times more precious to me than my own
honor. For every term of reproach cast at
me I would give Thee a particular praise,
and with the good thief would say to Thee:
Lord, I receive the due reward of my deeds,
but what hast Thou done amiss? Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Tlhy
kingdom
And should it be Thy will to
take me now from hence, if it were for Thy
praise, I would not look about me for a
respite, but I would desire to be taken
hence; and I would desire that, if it should
have been my lot to have become as old
even as Mathusala, every year of the long
period, and every week of the years, and
every day of the weeks, and every hour of
the days, and every minute of the hours,
might praise Thee for me in such rapturous praise as never did any saint in the
veritable bright reflection of the saints, and
this as many times as the grains of dust are
countless in the sunshine, and that they
might fulfil this my good desire, as though

HOW WE SHOULD

PRAISE GOD.

189

I myself had all the time lived to fulfil it.
Therefore, Lord, take me early or late to
Thyself, for such is my heart's desire. Lord,
I will say still more, that, if I had now to
depart hence, and it were to Thy praise that
I should burn fifty years in purgatory, I am
ready to incline myself at Thy feet, and
gladly accept it all to Thy eternal praise;
blessed be the fire of purgatory in which
Thy praise is fulfilled in me! Lord, Thou,
and not myself, art what I here love and
here seek. Lord, Thou comprehendest all
things, Thou knowest all hearts, Thou knowest that these are my unshaken sentiments;
nay, if I knew that I should have to lie forever at the bottom of hell, however it might
afflict my heart to be robbed of Thy ravishing vision, I yet would not cease from Thy
praise; and could I retrieve the lost time of
all men, reform their misdeeds, and by means
of praise and honor, make full amends for
all the dishonor that ever was shown Thee,
I would willingly do it; and if it were indeed possible, then, from the lowest abyss
of hell must needs burst forth from me a
beautiful song of praise which would penetrate hell, the earth, air and all the heavens,

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HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

till it arrived before Thy divine countenance.
But, if this were not possible, I would yet
wish to praise Thee here all the more, that I
might even here rejoice in Thee all the more.
Lord, do with thy poor creature what is for
Thy praise, for let what will happen to me,
as long as there is any breath in my mouth
I will utter Thy praise; and when I lose my
utterance, I desire that the raising of my
finger may be a confirmation and conclusion
of all the praise I ever spoke; nay, when
my body falls to dust, I desire that, from
every grain of dust, an infinite praise may
pierce through the hard stones, through all
the heavens up to Thy divine presence, till
the last day, when body and' soul shall again
unite in Thy praise.
Eternal Wisdom. - In this desire and
good intention thou shouldst remain till
death - such praise is pleasing to Me.
Thie Servant. - Ah, sweet Lord, since
Thou deignest and desirest to receive praise
from me, poor sinful person that I am, it is
my desire that Thou wouldst show me three
things, namely, how, wherewith, and at
what time I ought to praise Thee. Tell me,
dearest Lord, is the external praise which is

HOW WE SHOULD

PRAISE GOD.

191

given by words and singing, any way profitable ?
Eternal Wisdom.--It is certainly profitable, and especially as it stirs up the interior
man, which it very often stirs up, above all
in the case of newly converted persons.
The Servant.--Lord, I also am filled with
the desire, (seeing that one should be glad
to begin in time, what one will have to practise in eternity), to attain the diligent praising of Thee in my interior, and that I should
not be interrupted in Thy praise at any time,
even for the space of a second. Lord, out
of this very desire I have often spoken as
follows : O, thou firmament, why dost thou
hasten and revolve so fast? I beseech thee,
stand still in this moment, until I shall have
thoroughly praised my Lord according to my
heart's desire. Lord, when perchance I have
been a little while neglectful of Thy present
praise, and have shortly come to myself, I
have interiorly cried out as follows: O Lord,
it is a thousand years that I have thought no
more of my Beloved ! O Lord, teach me,
then, as much as Thou canst, while my soul is
yet in my body, how I may attain to praise
Thee continually and without relaxation.

192

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

Eternal Wisdom.--He who in all things is
mindful of Me, who keeps himself from sin,
and is diligent in virtue, praises Me at all
times; but still, if thou wouldst seek after
the highest sort of praise, listen to something more : The soul is like to a light peacock's feather; if nothing is attached to it,
it is very easily borne aloft by its own mobility towards the sky, but if it is laden with
anything it falls to the ground. In like
manner, a mind that is purified from all heaviness of sin is also raised by virtue of its
native nobility, with the help of gentle contemplation, to heavenly things; and therefore, when it happens that a mind is disengaged from all bodily desires, and is set
interiorly at rest, so that its every thought
cleaves at all times inseparably to the immu-able Good, such a mind fulIls My praise at
all times; for in the state of purity, so far
as words can express it, man's carnal sense is
so wholly drowned and so wholly transformed from earthiness into a spiritual and an
angelic semblance, that, whatever he receives
exteriorly, whatever he does or operates,
whether he eats, drinks, sleeps, or wakes is
nothing else but the very purest praise.

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE

GOD.

193

The Servant.--Ah Lord, what a truly
sweet doctrine is this! Lovely Wisdom,
three things there are still that I should be
glad to have explained. One is: Where shall
I find the most reasons to praise Thee ?
Eternal Wisdom.-In the first origin of
all good, and then in its outflowing springs.
The Servant.-Lord, as to the origin, it is
too high for me, too unknown to me; there
let the tall cedars praise Thee, the heavenly
spirits, the angelic minds. And yet will I
too press forward like a rude thistle with my
praise, that they may be admonished by the
spectacle of my impotent longings of their
own high worthiness, that they may be incited in their pure brightness to praise Thee,
just as though the cuckoo were to give the
nightingale occasion to sing a ravishing song.
But the outflowings of Thy goodness; these
will be proper for my praise. Lord, when I
ponder well what I was formerly, how often
Thou hast protected me, from what evil chains
and bonds Thou hast delivered me, O Thou
Everlasting Good, it is a wonder that my
heart does not wholly melt in Thy praise !
Lord, how long didst Thou not wait for me,
how kindly didst Thou not receive me, how

194

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

sweetly in secret didst Thou not anticipate
me and interiorly warn me ! How ungrateful soever I might sometimes be, still Thou
didst not desist until Thou hadst drawn me
to Thee. Ought I then not to praise Thee,
my gentle Lord? Yes, truly do I desire that
a rich praise should ascend before Thy eyes,
even such a great and joyous praise as that
rendered by the angels when they first beheld the sight of their own constancy and the
reprobation of their fallen companions; as
that uttered in the joy felt by the miserable
souls in Purgatory when they come forth
from their grim prison-house before Thee,
and behold for the first time Thy countenance
beaming with delight and love ; a praise even
as that unfathomable praise which will resound in the streets of the heavenly city after
the last judgment, when the elect shall be
separated in everlasting security from the
wicked. Lord, one thing I should also like
to know respecting Thy praise is this: How
all that is naturally good in me may be referred to Thy everlasting praise ?
Eternal Wisdom.-Inasmuch as nobody in
this temporal state can be sure, from actual
knowledge, of the true difference between

HOW WE SHOULD

PRAISE GOD.

195

nature and grace, so when anything gracious,
joyous, or agreeable, arises in thy mind,
whether it be from nature or from grace,
enter quickly and speedily into thy interior,
and make an oblation of it to God, so that
it may be consumed in My praise, because I
am the Lord of nature and grace, and in this
way will nature now to thee become supernatural.
The Servant.--Lord, but how then shall I
turn even the imaginations of evil spirits to
Thy eternal praise?
Eternal Wisdom.-To the suggestions or
inspirations of an evil spirit speak thou as
follows: Lord, as often as this wicked spirit
or any other sends me against my will such
disagreeable thoughts, let me of my own
premeditated will send Thee the most fervent
praise in his stead, even the very praise
which the same evil spirit ought to have
given Thee throughout all eternity had he
remained loyal, so that in his reprobate state
I may represent his place in praising Thee;
and as often as he inspires me with such
odious thoughts, let my good praise ascend
to Thee.
The Servant.--O Lord, now do I indeed

196

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

see that to good men all things may be turned
into good, when even the very worst things
of the evil spirit can in such a way be made
good things. But now tell me one thing
more. Ah, Thou gracious Lord, how am I
to turn all that I hear, all that I see, to Thy
praise and glory ?
Eternal Wisdom.-As often as thou seest
a great number of people, as often as thou
beholdest an exceeding fair multitude, say
from the very bottom of thy heart : Lord, as
often and as beautifiully must the thousand
times a thousand angelic spirits who stand
before Thee salute Thee lovingly this day in
my name, and the ten thousand times a thousand spirits who serve Thee praise Thee
to-day for me, and they must desire for me
all the holy desires of the saints, and that the
ravishing beauty of all creatures may do
Thee honor to-day for me.
The Servant.-O my sweet Lord, how
hast Thou not refreshed and increased my
zeal in Thy praise! But truly, Lord, this
temporal praise has stirred up my heart and
alas ! set my soul a longing for the praise
which is everlasting and eternal. When, my
own elected Wisdom, when will the bright

HOW WE SHOULD

PRAISE GOD.

197

day arise, when will the glad hour arrive of
a perfectly prepared death and departure
from this scene of wretchedness to my Beloved ! Ah me, I begin so to languish, so
ardently to long after my heart's only love !
When, O when shall I ever possess it? Ho.lingering is the time, how late it will be
before I behold face to face the delight of my
soul's eye, before I enjoy Thee according to
my heart's desire ! O misery of banishment,
what a misery thou art to him who considers
himself banished in very truth! Behold,
Lord, there is hardly any one on earth but
has some friend to visit, some place on which
to rest his foot a little while. Alas, my only
one, Thou whom my soul alone seeks and
desires, Thou knowest that I have no other
refuge, than in Thee alone ! Lord, whatever
I hear and see, if I find Thee not, is a torment
to me; the society of all mankind without
Thee is bitterness to me. Lord, what should
rejoice me, what detain me here?
Eternal Wisdom.-Here on earth shouldst
thou often wander in the delightful orchard
of my blooming praise. In this transient life
there is no truer prelude to the celestial habitations than is to be found among those who

198

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

praise God in the joy of a serene heart.
There is nothing that cheers a man's mind so
much, and lightens his sufferings; that drives
away evil spirits, and makes sadness disappear, as joyous praising of God. God is
near those who praise Him; the angels are
familiar with them; they are profitable to
themselves; it betters their neighbor and
gladdens the soul; all the heavenly host is
honored by cheerful-minded praise.
The Servant.-Sweet Lord, my tender,
my Eternal Wisdom! I desire that when
my eyes first awaken in the morning, my
heart may awaken too, and that there may
burst from it a high-flaming fiery love-torch
of Thy praise, with the most fervent love of
the most loving heart that exists in time,
according to the most ardent love of the most
exalted seraphim in eternity, in the fathomless love with which THOU, Heavenly Father,
lovest Thy only Son, and with the most sweet
love of the Holy Ghost who proceeds from
Father and Son; and I desire that this praise
may resound so sweetly in the fatherly heart
as never did yet the strings of all earthly instruments in a joyous mind; and that this
love-torch may send up so sweet a savor of

HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD.

199

praise as though it were smoking incense
composed of all precious herbs and spices of
all virtues finely powdered together in their
highest perfection; and lastly, that the sight
of it may be so beautifully blooming in graces
as never any May was known to be in its
most ravishing bloom; so that it may be a
delightful aspect for Thy divine eyes and all
the heavenly host. And my desire is, that
this love-torch may at all times blaze out fervently in my prayers, from my mouth in my
singing, in my thoughts, words, and works,
that it may subdue all my enemies, consume
all my sins, and obtain for me a happy end,
so that the end of this my temporal praise
may be but the beginning of my everlasting,
my eternal praise. Amen.

THE THIRD PART
CONTAINS THE

HUNDRED MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS
COMPRISED IN FEW WORDS,
AS THEY SHOULD BE REPEATED EVERY DAY

WITH DEVOTION.

PREFACE.

Let everybody who desires to meditate
briefly, properly, and earnestly on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all
our salvation lies, and who desires to be
thankful for His manifold sufferings, learn by
heart the hundred choice meditations which
hereafter follow, severally, according to theisense, which is comprised in few words, and
go over them devoutly every day, with a
hundred venias or otherwise, as it may suit
him best, and at every venia, when it relates
to our Blessed Lady, let him say a Pater
Noster, oi an Ave Maria, or a Salve Regina,
for in this manner were they revealed to a
preacher by God, at a time when he stood
before a crucifix after Matins, and fervently
complained to God that he could not well
meditate on his torments, and that it was so
bitter a thing for him to meditate on them,
inasmuch as, up to that hour he had had
herein great infirmity, from which he was
then relieved. The prayers he afterwards
203

204

PREFACE.

appended, in a short form, so that all might
be free to find matter for themselves to pray
agreeably to their own feelings, but should
the prayers prove too many for a person all
at once, let him divide them into even daily
hours, or into the seven days of the week,
according as they are here noted down.

THE HUNDRED MEDITATIONS
AND PRAYERS.

ON SUNDAY, OR AT MATINS.

O Eternal Wisdom, my heart reminds
Thee of Thy sorrow of soul. 1. When after
the Last Supper on the Mount, Thou wast
bathed in Thy bloody sweat because of the
anxiety of Thy heart; 2. And when like an
enemy Thou wast made prisoner, cruelly
bound, and led miserably away; 3. When,
Lord, Thou wast sacrilegiously maltreated in
the night with hard blows, and with blindfolding of Thine eyes; 4. Early accused before
Caiphas and pronounced worthy of death;
5. Seen by Thy affectionate mother with unspeakable sorrow of heart; 6. Thou wast
ignominiously presented before Pilate, falsely
accused, and condemned to die; 7. Thou, O
Eternal Wisdom, wast mocked as a fool in a
white garment before Herod; 8. Thy fair
body was torn and rent without mercy by
205

206

MEDITATIONS AND

PRAYERS.

the cruel whips of Thy scourgers; 9. Thy
delicate head was pierced with sharp thorns
and Thy sweet face, in consequence, drenched
with blood; 10. Thus condemned Thou wast
led miserably and shamefully with Thy cross
to death.
Alas, my only hope, let me, therefore, remind Thee to give me Thy fatherly aid in all
my distresses. Oh, unloose my sinful fetters,
guard me against secret vice and open guilt,
shelter me from the false counsels of the
enemy, and from the occasion of all crime,
inspire me with a sincere sympathy for Thy
own sufferings and for those of Thy tender
mother. Lord, at my last departure, judge
me mercifully, teach me to contemn worldly
honors, and to serve Thee wisely. Let all
my infirmities be healed in Thy wounds. Let
my reason be fortified and adorned by the
injuries inflicted on Thy head, and may Thy
whole Passion be imitated by me according
to my ability. Amen.
1. When on the high
Sweet Lord!
branches of the cross Thy eyes were extinguished and turned in their sockets; 2.
Thy divine ears filled with mockery and
blasphemy; 3. Thy delicate nostrils stopped

MEDITATIONS

ANID PRAYERS.

207

with rank smells; 4. Thy sweet mouth with
bitter drink; 5. Thy tender feeling visited
with rude blows. Therefore do I beg that
Thou wouldst guard this day my eyes from
all dissolute sights, my ears from voluptuous
speech. Lord, take away from me all relish
of bodily things, make all temporal things
unpleasant to me, and rid me of all tenderness for my own body.
ON MONDAY,

AT PRIME.

Ah, tender Lord! 1. When Thy divine
head was bowed down by weakness and utter
debility; 2. Thy fair throat very grievously
distended; 3. Thy blessed features polluted
with spittle and blood; 4. Thy clear complexion made livid; 5. All Thy beautiful
form smitten with death. Grant me, therefore, O Lord, to love bodily pain, and to
seek all my rest in Thee, to endure injuries
willingly from others, to desire contempt, to
die to my affections and all my lusts.
Sweet Lord! 1. When Thy right hand was
nailed down; 2. Thy left hand struck
through; 3. Thy right arm extended; 4.
Thy left stretched out; 5. Thy right foot

208

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS.

hammered through; 6. Thy left made fast;
7. Thou didst hang suspended in a swoon;
8. And in great weariness of Thy divine
limbs; 9. All Thy tender joints were immovably strained on the hard bed of the
cross; 10. Thy body was drenched in many
places with Thy hot blood. Therefore, O
Lord, I beseech that I may be made immovably fast to Thee in joy and sorrow, that all
the powers of my body and soul may be distended on Thy cross, and my reason and
affections nailed to it. Grant me inability to
indulge in bodily pleasure, promptness in
seeking Thy praise and honor. I crave that
no limb of my body may be without a living
token of Thy death, a spontaneous proof of
the image of Thy passion.
TUESDAY, OR AT TIERCE.

Tender Lord! 1. Thy blooming body
pined and withered away on the cross; 2.
Thy weary and tender back leant uneasily
against the hard wood; 3. Thy heavy frame
painfully gave way; 4. All Thy limbs were
covered with sores ; 5. Thy heart endured it
lovingly. Lord, be Thy withering a re-

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS.

209

blooming to me forever. Thy uneasy leaning
my spiritual rest. Thy giving way, my
powerful support. All Thy wounds must
heal mine, and Thy loving heart inflame mine
with fervor.
Sweet Lord ! 1. First in Thy mortal agony
Thou wast mocked with scornful words; 2.
And with contemptuous gestures; 3. Thou
wast utterly annihilated in their hearts; 4.
Thou didst continue under it steadfast; 5.
And didst pray to Thy Father for them lovingly; 6. Thou, the innocent Lamb, wast
numbered with the guilty; 7. Thou wast
condemned and reviled by the thief on Thy
left; 8. But wast invoked by him on the
right; 9. Thou forgavest the latter all his
sins ; 10. Thou didst unlock for him the gates
of paradise.
Beloved Lord ! teach me, Thy servant, to
bear with firmness every ignominious word,
every scornful gesture, and all sorts of contempt for Thy sake, and lovingly to excuse
my enemies before Thee. Ah, Thou infinite
good, behold, this day I offer up, before the
eyes of Thy heavenly Father, Thy innocent
death for my guilty life. Lord, with the
thief I cry out to Thee : Remember me when

210

MEDITATIONS

AND PRAYERS.

Thou comest into Thy kingdom ! Condemn
me not for my evil deeds, forgive me all my
sins, undo for me the gates of the heavenly
paradise !
ON WEDNESDAY,

OR AT SEXT.

Tender Lord ! 1. At that hour Thou wast
forsaken for my sake of all men; 2. Thy
friends had renounced Thee. 3. Thou stoodst
naked and robbed of all honor and raiment;
4. Thy power then seemed overcome; 5.
They treated Thee without mercy, and Thou
didst bear it all in meekness and silence;
6. Alas, for Thy gentle heart, Thou who
alone didst know at that time the depth of
Thy mother's sorrow of heart ; 7. And didst
see her deplorable state; 8. And didst hear
her lamentable words ; 9. And at Thy mortal
separation didst commend her to the filial
piety of Thy disciple; 10. And the disciple
to her maternal love.
Oh, therefore, Thou pattern of all virtues,
take away from me all pernicious love of
men, and all inordinate affection of friends;
strip me of all impatience; give me steadfastness against all evil spirits, and meekness

MEDITATIONS

AND PRAYERS.

211

against all violent men. Give me, gentle
Lord, Thy bitter death in the bottom of my
heart, in my prayers, and in the practice ot
good works. O, tender Lord, I commend
myself this day to the true fidelity and care
of Thy pure Mother and Thy beloved disciple.
[Here say a Salve Regina or an Ave

Maria.]
O pure and tender Mother, I shall remind
thee to-day of the infinite sorrow of heart
which thou didst endure.- 1. At the first
aspect of thy dear Child when thou didst
see him suspended in agony; 2. Thou
couldst not then come to His assistance;
3. Thou didst gaze in anguish of heart at
thy beloved Son expiring before thine eyes;
4. Thou didst lament over Him with great
lamentation; 5. And He comforted thee
very kindly; 6. His divine words pierced
thy heart; 7. Thy lamentable gestures softened the hard hearts of the Jews; 8. Thy
maternal arms and hands were most reverentially lifted up; 9. But thy sick body
sank exhausted on the ground; 10. Where
thy tender mouth did affectionately kiss His
fallen blood.

212

MEDITATIONS

AND PRAYERS.

Oh, then mother of all graces, watch over
me like a mother for my whole life, and graciously shield me in the hour of my death.
O gentle lady ! behold, that is the hour for
the sake of which I desire to be thy servant
all my days. That is the dreadful hour
which frightens my heart and soul, for then
there will be an end to prayer and supplication. Then shall I, poor wretch, not know
to whom to turn. Therefore, thou unfathomable abyss of divine compassion, I fall at
thy feet this day with the fervent sighs of
my heart, that I may then be found worthy
of thy joyous presence. How should he
ever despond, or what can injure him whom
here, O purest Mother, thou dost protect?
Ah, thou only consolation, defend me against
the terrible looks of the wicked spirits, lend
me aid and protection against the hands of
Hearken consolingly to my
the enemy!
wretched sighs, look kindly with the eyes of
thy compassion on my ghastly and enfeebled
frame. Reach me thy beneficent hands.
Receive my poor soul. With thy radiant
countenance present it before the severe
judge, and install it in everlasting bliss I

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS.

213

ON THURSDAY, OR AT NONE.

O Thou most intimate delight of the
Heavenly Father ! 1. How wast Thou abandoned at that hour on the cross to every
pang of bitter death exteriorly, and robbed
of all sweetness and solace diteriorly ! 2.
Thou didst utter a cry of misery to Thy
Father; 3. Thy will Thou didst unite wholly
to His; 4. Thou didst thirst bodily by reason
of great dryness ! 5. Thou didst thirst spiritually by reason of great love ; 6. Thy thirst
was bitterly quenched; 7. And when all
things were fulfilled Thou didst exclaim:
Consummatum est? 8. Thou wast obedient
unto Thy Father, even unto death; 9. And
Thou didst commend Thy Spirit into His
Fatherly hands; 10. And then Thy noble
soul separated from Thy body.
Ah, Thou loving Lord, in this Thy love I
desire that Thou wouldst open Thy Fatherly
ears at all times to my call, and give me in
all things a will united to Thine. Lord,
quench in me all thirst after bodily things;
make me thirst after spiritual goods. Sweet
Lord, let Thy bitter drink change all my

214

MEDITATIONS

AND PRAYERS.

afflictions into sweetness. Grant me to persevere in perfect thoughts and in good works
until death, and that I may never swerve
from Thy obedience. Eternal Wisdom, let
my spirit be transferred from this day forth
into Thy hands, so that at its final departure
it may be joyfully received by Thee. Lord,
grant me a W]e pleasing in Thy sight; a
death well prepared for; an end made sure
by Thee. Lord, let Thy bitter death make
amends for, and complete my insufficient
works, so that at my last hours, guilt and
punishment may be wholly effaced.
ON FRIDAY, OR AT VESPERS.

Ah, my Lord, remember, 1. How the
sharp spear was thrust into Thy divine side;
2. How the purple blood ran out; 3. How
the living water gushed forth; 4. And with
what bitter toil Thou didst garner me up; 5.
And how generously Thou didst ransom me;
Loving Lord ! may Thy deep wounds shelter
me from all my enemies; Thy living water
cleanse me from all my sins; Thy rosecolored blood adorn me with all graces and
virtues. Tender Lord ! May the prize Thou

MEDITATIONS

AND PRAYERS.

215

didst so bitterly win bind me to Thee ! The
ransom Thou didst so freely pay unite me
eternally with Thee. Oh, thou chosen consolation of all sinners, Oh, thou sweet Queen,
remember to-day, 1. How thou didst stand
under the cross, and how, as thy Son hung
dead above thee, thou didst cast on Him
many, a look of misery; 2. How affectionately His arms were received by thee; 3.
With what fidelity pressed to thy bloodstained face; 4. His bleeding wounds, His
dead and ghastly features, were by thee
kissed again and again; 5. How many a
death-wound thy heart then received ; 6.
How many a fervent unfathomable sigh burst
from thee ; 7. How many scalding tears thou
didst shed; 8. Thy miserable words were so
full of sorrow; 9. Thy most gracious figure
was so steeped in affliction; 10. Thy woeful
heart was without consolation from all mankind. Oh, pure Lady, on this account forget
not to be a constant protectress of my whole
life, and my faithful guide. Turn thy eyes,
thy mild eyes, at all times, with compassion
on me. Watch over me like a mother in
Protect me faithfully
every temptation.
against my enemies, protect me beneath thy

216

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS.

tender arms. Let thy faithful kissing of His
wounds be to me as a tender reconciliation
with Him; Let the wounds of thy heart
obtain for me a cordial repentance of my
sins; Thy fervent sighing procure for me a
constant yearning; And let thy bitter tears
soften my hard heart; Be thy lamentable
words even as a renunciation to me of all
voluptuous speeches; Thy weeping form as
a casting away of all dissolute conduct; Thy
disconsolate heart as a despising of all perishable affections.
ON SATURDAY,

OR AT COMPLIN.

1. O, Thou ravishing brightness of eternal
light, how art Thou at this moment, when
my soul embraces Thee under the cross as
dead in Thy sorrowful mother's lap, with
lamentation and thanksgiving, how art Thou
utterly extinguished ! Extinguish in me the
burning desire of all vice. 2. O, Thou pure
clear mirror of the Divine Majesty, how art
Thou defiled for very love of me ! Wash
out the great stains of my evil deeds. 3. O,
fair and shining Image of the Fatherly goodness, how grievously disfigured Thou art!

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS.

217

Restore the disfigured image of my soul. 4.
O, innocent Lamb, how piteously art Thou
abased ! Atone and reform for me my guilty
sinful life. 5. O, King of all kings, O,
Lord of all lords, vouchsafe me, since my
soul embraces Thee with sorrow and lamentation in Thy abasement, that it may be embraced by Thee with joy in Thy eternal glory.
O, pure Mother, worthy of all love, remember to-day, 1. The forlorn condition in which
thou foundest thyself when they tore thy
murdered Son from thy breast; 2. Remember thy separation from Him; 3. Thy faltering steps; 4. Thy heart sighing again for
His body; 5. The constant fidelity which
thou alone didst evince for Him in all His
woe till He was laid in the grave. Obtain
for me, from thy tender Son, that in thy
sorrow and His sufferings I may subdue my
own. Moreover, that I may shut myself up
with Him in His sepulchre from all temporal
anxieties; That I may be inspired with disgust for all this world; That I may only
cherish a perpetual desire of Him, and may
persevere in His praise and service to the
grave. Amen.

218

MEDITATIONS

AND

PRAYERS.

When all this was ready and written out,
there still remained a little to make up at
the end of a chapter, appertaining to our
Blessed Lady, and in that very part he had
left a blank space until he should be inspired
with it by God, for he had been many months
in a state of spiritual dereliction, so that he
could not finish the chapter. Then he besought our Blessed Lady, the Mother of
God, that she would do it. And, on the
eve of St. Dominic, at night, after he had
sung matins, it seemed to him in his sleep,
as if he were in a chamber; and as if, while
he was sitting there, a very fair youth entered with a ravishing harp, and with him
four other youths with flutes. Then the
youth with the harp sat down by the brother,
and began to touch his harp, and play upon
it very sweetly. This was pleasant for the
brother to hear, and he said to him, O, when
wilt thou come to the place where I dwell,
and lift up my heart a little with thy music ?
Then the youth asked the brother if he was
still busy with what he had for a long time
been occupied with? To which he said,
Yes. Then the youth answered and said:
It is hard to play. So he turned to the

MEDITATIONS

a,

a 1.
to

..

four with flutes, and bid them blow. Then
one of them answered and said that if two
of them blew it would be enough. But the
other said, that two would not be enough,
and that they must all blow their flutes together, and he gave them a certain tune,
which was well known to him, but of which
the brother knew nothing, and it was done
accordingly.
Meanwhile he presently neither saw nor
heard any harp or flute, but saw that the
youths had in their hands a picture, above
all measure lovely, of our Blessed Lady,
and that it was worked in cloth, and the
mantle of the picture was red and purple,
with damask embroidery, which it was delightful to behold, and the ground was as
white as snow. Then the brother marvelled
greatly, and took pleasure in the sight; and
he perceived that they would needs complete
it, and, first of all, fill up the empty space.
PresThen they said, See how it grows
ently he saw it completed. And then one
of them took a needle and thread, and made
on the forepart of the mantle very skilful
cross stitches, and they were very finely
done, and wonderfully adorned our Blessed

!

V

.....

..

AND PRAYERS.

Lady. And now his eyes were opened, and
he understood that he should no longer doubt
that it was given him to complete the ground,
the blank space, and the spiritual picture,
which had so long been denied to him; for
he was accustomed to have all that he had
hitherto performed clearly manifested to him
by God in the way of some similitude like
the above, and so, on the morrow, he finished
his work to the end.

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