|
Then the goodness of God, wishing to satisfy the
desire of that soul, said, "Do you see those? They
have arisen with servile fear from the vomit of
mortal sin, but, if they do not arise with love of
virtue, servile fear alone is not sufficient to give
eternal life.
"But love with holy fear is sufficient, because
the law is founded in love and holy fear. The old law
was the law of fear, that was given by Me to Moses,
by which law they who committed sin suffered the
penalty of it. The new law is the law of love, given
by the Word of My only-begotten Son, and is founded
in love alone. The new law does not break the old
law, but rather fulfills it, as said My Truth, 'I
come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.' And
He united the law of fear with that of love.
"Through love was taken away the imperfection of
the fear of the penalty, and the perfection of holy
fear remained, that is, the fear of offending, not on
account of one's own damnation, but of offending Me,
who am Supreme Good. So that the imperfect law was
made perfect with the law of love. Wherefore, after
the car of the fire of My only-begotten Son came and
brought the fire of My charity into your humanity
with abundance of mercy, the penalty of the sins
committed by humanity was taken away, that is, he who
offended was no longer punished suddenly, as was of
old given and ordained in the law of Moses.
"There is, therefore, no need for servile fear;
and this does not mean that sin is not punished, but
that the punishment is reserved, unless, that is to
say, the person punish himself in this life with
perfect contrition. For, in the other life, the soul
is separated from the body, wherefore while man lives
is his time for mercy, but when he is dead comes the
time of justice.
"He ought, then, to arise from servile fear, and
arrive at love and holy fear of Me, otherwise there
is no remedy against his falling back again into the
river, and reaching the waters of tribulation, and
seeking the thorns of consolation, for all
consolations are thorns that pierce the soul who
loves them disordinately."
|