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"Those who belong to the third state, which
immediately follows the last, having arrived at this
glorious light, are perfect in every condition in
which they may be, and receive every event which I
permit to happen to them with due reverence, as I
have mentioned to you when speaking of the third and
unitive state of the soul.
"These deem themselves worthy of the troubles and
stumbling-blocks caused them by the world, and of the
privation of their own consolation, and indeed of
whatever circumstance happens to them. And inasmuch
as they deem themselves worthy of trouble, so also do
they deem themselves unworthy of the fruit which they
receive after their trouble.
"They have known and tasted in the light My
Eternal Will, which wishes naught else but your good,
and gives and permits these troubles in order that
you should be sanctified in Me. Wherefore the soul
having known My Will, clothes herself with it, and
fixes her attention on nothing else except seeing in
what way she can preserve and increase her perfection
to the glory and praise of My Name, opening the eye
of her intellect and fixing it in the light of faith
upon Christ crucified, My only-begotten Son, loving
and following His doctrine, which is the rule of the
road for perfect and imperfect alike.
"And see, how My Truth, the Lamb, who became
enamored of her when He saw her, gives the soul the
doctrine of perfection. She knows what this
perfection is, having seen it practiced by the sweet
and amorous Word, My only-begotten Son, who was fed
at the table of holy desire, seeking the honor of Me,
the Eternal Father, and your salvation.
"And, inflamed with this desire, He ran, with
great eagerness, to the shameful death of the Cross,
and accomplished the obedience which was imposed on
Him by Me, His Father, not shunning labors or insults
or withdrawing on account of your ingratitude or
ignorance of so great a benefit, or because of the
persecutions of the Jews, or on account of the
insults, derision, grumbling, and shouting of the
people.
"But all this He passed through like the true
Captain and Knight that He was, whom I had placed on
the battle-field to deliver you from the hands of the
Devil, so that you might be free, and drawn out of
the most terrible slavery in which you could ever be,
and also to teach you His road, His doctrine, and His
rule, so that you might open the Door of Me, Eternal
Life, with the key of His precious Blood, shed with
such fire of love, with such hatred of your sins.
"It was as if the sweet and amorous Word, My Son,
should have said to you: 'Behold, I have made the
road, and opened the door with My Blood.' Do not you
then be negligent to follow, laying yourselves down
to rest in self-love and ignorance of the road,
presuming to choose to serve Me in your own way,
instead of in the way which I have made straight for
you by means of My Truth, the Incarnate Word, and
built up with His Blood. Rise up then, promptly, and
follow Him, for no one can reach Me, the Father, if
not by Him; He is the Way and the Door by which you
must enter into Me, the Sea Pacific.
"When therefore the soul has arrived at seeing,
knowing, and tasting, in its full sweetness, this
light, she runs, as one enamored and inflamed with
love, to the table of holy desire; she does not see
herself in herself, seeking her own consolation
either spiritual or temporal, but, like one who has
placed his all in this light and knowledge, and has
destroyed his own will, she shuns no labor from
whatever source it comes, but rather enduring the
troubles, the insults, the temptations of the Devil,
and the murmurings of men, eats at the table of the
most holy Cross, the food of the honor of Me, the
Eternal God, and of the salvation of souls; seeking
no reward, either from Me or from creatures, because
she is stripped of mercenary love, that is of love
for Me based on interested motives, and is clothed in
perfect light, loving Me in perfect purity, with no
other regard than for the praise and glory of My
Name, serving neither Me for her own delight, nor her
neighbor for her own profit, but purely through love
alone.
"Such as these have lost themselves, and have
stripped themselves of the Old Man, that is of their
own sensuality, and, having clothed themselves with
the New Man, the sweet Christ Jesus, My Truth, follow
Him manfully. These are they who sit at the table of
holy desire, having been more anxious to slay their
own will than to slay and mortify their own body.
"They have indeed mortified their body, though not
as an end in itself, but as a means which helps them
to stay their own will, as I said to you when
explaining that sentence that I wished few words and
many deeds, and so ought you to do. Their principal
desire should be to slay their own will, so that it
may not seek or wish anything else than to follow My
sweet Truth, Christ crucified, seeking the honor and
glory of My Name and the salvation of souls.
"Those who are in this sweet light know it, and
remain constantly in peace and quiet, and no one
scandalizes them, for they have cut away that thing
by which stumbling-blocks are caused, namely their
own will. And all the persecutions, with which the
world and the Devil can attack them, slide under
their feet, standing, as they do, in the waters of
many tribulations and temptations, and do not hurt
them, for they remain attached to Me by the umbilical
cord of fiery desire.
"Such a man rejoices in everything, nor does he
make himself judge of My servants, or of any rational
creature, but rejoices in every condition and in
every manner of holiness which he sees, saying:
'Thanks be to You, Eternal Father, who have in Your
House many mansions.' And he rejoices more in the
different ways of holiness which he sees, than if he
were to see all traveling by one road, because, in
this way, he perceives the greatness of My Goodness
become more manifest, and thus, rejoicing, draws from
all the fragrance of the rose.
"And not only in the case of good, but even when
he sees something evidently sinful, he does not fall
into judgment, but rather into true and holy
compassion, interceding with Me for sinners and
saying, with perfect humility: 'To-day it is your
turn, and tomorrow it will be mine unless the Divine
Grace preserve me.'
"Enamor yourself, dearest daughter, of this sweet
and excellent state, and gaze at those who run in
this glorious light and holiness, for they have holy
minds, and eat at the table of holy desire, and, with
the light, have arrived at feeding on the food of
souls, that is, the honor of Me, the Eternal Father,
being clothed with burning love in the sweet garment
of My Lamb, My only-begotten Son, namely His
doctrine.
"These do not lose their time in passing false
judgments, either on My servants or the servants of
the world, and they are never scandalized by any
murmurings of men, either for their own sake or that
of others. That is to say, in their own case they are
content to endure anything for My Name's sake; and
when an injury is done to some one else, they endure
it with compassion of this injured neighbor, and
without murmuring against him who caused the injury,
or him who received it, because their love is not
disordinate, but has been ordered in Me, the Eternal
God.
"And, since their love is so ordered, these souls,
my dearest daughter, never take offense from those
they love, nor from any rational creature, their will
being dead and not alive, wherefore they never assume
the right to judge the will of men, but only the will
of My Clemency.
"These observe the doctrine which, as you know,
was given you by My Truth at the beginning of your
life, when you were thinking in what way you could
arrive at perfect purity, and were praying to Me with
a great desire of doing so. You know what was replied
to you, while you were asleep, concerning this holy
desire, and that the words resounded not only in your
mind, but also in your ear. So much so, that, if you
remember truly, you returned to your waking body,
when My Truth said, 'Will you arrive at perfect
purity, and be freed from stumbling-blocks, so that
your mind may not be scandalized by anything?' Unite
yourself always to Me by the affection of love, for I
am the Supreme and Eternal Purity. I am that Fire
which purifies the soul, and the closer the soul is
to Me, the purer she becomes, and the further she is
from Me, the more does her purity leave her; which is
the reason why men of the world fall into such
iniquities, for they are separated from Me, while the
soul, who, without any medium, unites herself
directly to Me, participates in My Purity.
"Another thing is necessary for you to arrive at
this union and purity, namely, that you should never
judge the will of man in anything that you may see
done or said by any creature whatsoever, either to
yourself or to others. My will alone should you
consider, both in them and in yourself. And, if you
should see evident sins or defects, draw out of those
thorns the rose, that is to say, offer them to Me,
with holy compassion.
"In the case of injuries done to yourself, judge
that My will permits this in order to prove virtue in
yourself, and in My other servants, esteeming that he
who acts thus does so as the instrument of My will;
perceiving, moreover, that such apparent sinners may
frequently have a good intention, for no one can
judge the secrets of the heart of man. That which you
do not see you should not judge in your mind, even
though it may externally be open mortal sin, seeing
nothing in others, but My will, not in order to
judge, but, as has been said, with holy compassion.
"In this way you will arrive at perfect purity,
because acting thus, your mind will not be
scandalized, either in Me or in your neighbor.
Otherwise you fall into contempt of your neighbor, if
you judge his evil will towards you, instead of My
will acting in him. Such contempt and scandal
separates the soul from Me, and prevents perfection,
and, in some cases, deprives a man of grace, more or
less according to the gravity of his contempt, and
the hatred which his judgment has conceived against
his neighbor.
"A different reward is received by the soul who
perceives only My will, which, as has been said,
wishes nothing else but your good; so that everything
which I give or permit to happen to you, I give so
that you may arrive at the end for which I created
you. And because the soul remains always in the love
of her neighbor, she remains always in Mine, and thus
remains united to Me.
"Wherefore, in order to arrive at purity, you must
entreat Me to do three things: to grant you to be
united to Me by the affection of love, retaining in
your memory the benefits you have received from Me;
and with the eye of your intellect to see the
affection of My love, with which I love you
inestimably; and in the will of others to discern My
will only, and not their evil will, for I am their
Judge, not you, and, in doing this, you will arrive
at all perfection.
"This was the doctrine given to you by My Truth,
if you remember well. Now I tell you, dearest
daughter, that such as these, who have learnt this
doctrine, taste the earnest of eternal life in this
life; and, if you have well retained this doctrine,
you will not fall into the snares of the Devil,
because you will recognize them in the case about
which you have asked Me.
"But, nevertheless, in order to satisfy your
desire more clearly, I will tell you and show you how
men should never discern by judgment, but with holy
compassion."
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