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Then, the Eternal Truth seized and drew more strongly
to Himself her desire, doing as He did in the Old
Testament, for when the sacrifice was offered to God,
a fire descended and drew to Him the sacrifice that
was acceptable to Him; so did the sweet Truth to that
soul, in sending down the fire of the clemency of the
Holy Spirit, seizing the sacrifice of desire that she
made of herself, saying:
"Do you not know, dear daughter, that all the
sufferings, which the soul endures, or can endure, in
this life, are insufficient to punish one smallest
fault, because the offense, being done to Me, who am
the Infinite Good, calls for an infinite
satisfaction?
"However, I wish that you should know, that not all
the pains that are given to men in this life are
given as punishments, but as corrections, in order to
chastise a son when he offends; though it is true
that both the guilt and the penalty can be expiated
by the desire of the soul, that is, by true
contrition, not through the finite pain endured, but
through the infinite desire; because God, who is
infinite, wishes for infinite love and infinite
grief.
"Infinite grief I wish from My creature in two ways:
in one way, through her sorrow for her own sins,
which she has committed against Me her Creator; in
the other way, through her sorrow for the sins which
she sees her neighbors commit against Me. Of such as
these, inasmuch as they have infinite desire, that
is, are joined to Me by an affection of love, and
therefore grieve when they offend Me, or see Me
offended, their every pain, whether spiritual or
corporeal, from wherever it may come, receives
infinite merit, and satisfies for a guilt which
deserved an infinite penalty, although their works
are finite and done in finite time; but, inasmuch as
they possess the virtue of desire, and sustain their
suffering with desire, and contrition, and infinite
displeasure against their guilt, their pain is held
worthy.
"Paul explained this when he said: If I had the
tongues of angels, and if I knew the things of the
future and gave my body to be burned, and have not
love, it would be worth nothing to me. The glorious
Apostle thus shows that finite works are not valid,
either as punishment or recompense, without the
condiment of the affection of love."
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