CHAPTER X.

SPEAKS OF VARIOUS OTHER GRACES GOD BESTOWS ON THE SOUL IN DIFFERENT WAYS,

AND OF THE GREAT BENEFITS CONFERRED BY THEM.

1. Reasons for speaking of these supernatural favours. 2. An intellectual

vision. 3. God compared to a palace in which His creatures dwell. 4. Forgive

as we are forgiven. 5. The vision shows God to be Truth itself. 6. We should

imitate God by truthfulness. 7. Why God reveals these truths.

1. OUR Lord communicates with the soul by means of these apparitions on many

occasions--sometimes when it is afflicted, at other times when it is about to

receive some heavy cross, and again for the sake of the mutual delight of

Himself and His beloved. There is no need for me to specify each different

case nor do I intend to do so. I only wish to teach you (as far as I am

acquainted with them myself) what are the different favours God shows a soul

in this state so that you may understand their characteristics and the

effects they produce. Thus you will not mistake every idle fancy for a

vision and if you really see one, knowing that such a thing is possible, you

will not be disturbed nor unhappy. The devil, who gains greatly by it, is

delighted to see a soul troubled and distressed, knowing how this hinders it

from employing itself wholly in loving and serving God.

2. His Majesty has far higher ways of communicating Himself to the soul;

they are less dangerous for I do not think the evil spirit can imitate them.

They are more difficult to explain, being more abstruse; therefore imaginary

visions are easier to describe. God is sometimes pleased, while a person is

engaged in prayer and in perfect possession of her senses, to suspend them

and to discover sublime mysteries to her which she appears to see within God

Himself. This is no vision of the most sacred Humanity nor can I rightly say

the soul 'sees,' for it sees nothing; this is no imaginary vision but a

highly intellectual one, wherein is manifested how all things are beheld in

God and how He contains them within Himself. [375] It is of great value,

for although passing in an instant, it remains deeply engraved in the

memory, producing a feeling of great shame in the mind which perceives more

clearly the malice of offences against God, since these most heinous sins

are committed within His very being since we dwell within Him. I will try to

explain this truth to you by a comparison, for although it is obvious and

has been often told us, we either never reflect upon it or do not wish to

understand it. If we realized it, we could not possibly behave with such

audacity.

3. Let us compare God to a very spacious and magnificent mansion or palace

and remember that this edifice is God Himself. Can the sinner withdraw from

it in order to carry out his crimes? No, certainly not, for within this very

palace, that is, within God Himself, are perpetrated all the abominations,

impurities and evil deeds that sinners commit. Oh awful thought, well worthy

to be pondered over! What profit it would bring to us, who know so little

and understand these truths but partially or how could we possibly be so

reckless in our daring? Let us, sisters, meditate on the infinite mercy and

patience of God in not casting us down to hell at once and let us render Him

hearty thanks. Surely we should be ashamed of resenting anything done or

said against us--we who are the scum of the earth--when we see what outrages

are offered to God our Creator within His very being, by us His creatures;

yet we are wounded whenever we hear of an unkind word having been spoken of

us in our absence, although perhaps with no evil intention.

4. Oh misery of mankind! When, daughters, shall we imitate Almighty God in

any way? Oh, let us not think we are doing great things if we suffer

injuries patiently: rather let us bear them with alacrity; let us love our

enemies, since this great God has not ceased to love us in spite of our many

sins! This is indeed the chief reason that all should forgive any harm done

them. I assure you, daughters, that though this vision passes very quickly,

our Lord has bestowed signal grace on her to whom He grants it, if she seeks

to profit by keeping it constantly in mind.

5. Short as the time lasts, yet, in a manner impossible to describe, God

also manifests that in Him there is a verity which makes all truth in

creatures seem obscure. He convinces the soul that He alone is that Truth

which cannot lie, thus demonstrating the meaning of David's words in the

psalm: 'Every man is a liar,' [376] which could never be thus realized by

any other means, however often we might hear that God is truth infallible.

As I recall Pilate and how he besought our Lord in His Passion to answer his

question: 'What is truth?' [377] I realize how little mortals know of that

sublime veracity.

6. I wish I could explain this better but am unable to do so. Let us learn

from it, sisters, that if we would bear any resemblance to our God and our

Spouse, we must strive to walk ever in the truth. I do not merely mean that

we should not tell falsehoods thank God, I see that in these convents you

are most careful never to do so on any account--but I desire that as far as

possible we should at with perfect truth before God and man and above all

that we should not wish to be thought better than we are; that in all our

deeds we should ascribe to God what is His and attribute what is ours to

ourselves, and that we should seek for verity in all things. Thus we shall

care little for this world, which is but deception and falsehood, and

therefore cannot last. Once, while I was wondering why our Lord so dearly

loves the virtue of humility, the thought suddenly struck me, without

previous reflection, that it is because God is the supreme Truth and

humility is the truth, for it is most true that we have nothing good of

ourselves but only misery and nothingness: whoever ignores this, lives a

life of falsehood. They that realize this fact most deeply are the most

pleasing to God, the supreme Truth, for they walk in the truth. God grant,

sisters, that we may have the grace never to lose this self-knowledge! Amen.

7. Our Lord shows the soul these favours because she is now indeed His

bride, resolute to do His will in all things; therefore He wishes to give

her some idea how to accomplish it and to manifest to her some of His divine

attributes. I need say no more about it, but I believe the two points above

mentioned will prove very useful. These favours should cause no fear but

lead us to praise God for bestowing these graces. I think neither the devil

nor our own imaginations can have much to do with them, therefore the soul

may rest in perfect peace.

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[375] Life, ch. xl. 13-16.

[376] Ps. cxv. 11. 'Omnis homo mendax.'

[377] St. John xviii. 38: Quid est veritas?

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