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"Having told you how the world and the devils accuse
these wretches, which is indeed the truth, I wish to
speak to you in more detail on this point (so that
you may have greater compassion on these poor
wretches), telling you how different are the
struggles of the soul of a just man to those of a
sinner, and how different are their deaths, and how
the peace of the just man's death is greater or less
according to the perfection of his soul.
"For I wish you to know that all the sufferings
which rational creatures endure depend on their will,
because if their will were in accordance with mine
they would endure no suffering, not that they would
have no labors on that account, but because labors
cause no suffering to a will which gladly endures
them, seeing that they are ordained by My will.
"Such men as these wage war with the world, the
Devil, and their own sensuality through holy hatred
of themselves. Wherefore when they come to the point
of death, they die peacefully, because they have
vanquished their enemies during their life. The world
cannot accuse such a man, because he saw through its
deceptions and therefore renounced it with all its
delights.
"His sensual fragility and his body do not accuse
him, because he bound sensuality like a slave with
the rein of reason, macerating his flesh with
penance, with watchings, and humble and continual
prayer. The will of his senses he slew with hatred
and dislike of vice, and with love of virtue. He has
entirely lost all tenderness for his body, which
tenderness and love between the soul and the body
makes death seem difficult, and on account of it man
naturally fears death; but since the virtue of a just
and perfect man transcends nature, extinguishing his
natural fear and overcoming it with holy hatred of
himself and desire of arriving at his last end, his
natural tenderness cannot make war on him, and his
conscience remains in peace; for during his life his
conscience kept a good guard, warning him when
enemies were coming to attack the city of his soul,
like a watch-dog which stands at the door, and when
it sees enemies warns the guards by its barking, for
in this way the dog of conscience warns the sentry of
reason, and the reason together with the free-will
know by the light of the intellect whether the
stranger be friend or enemy.
"To a friend, that is to say, to virtue and holy
thoughts, he gave his delighted love, receiving and
using these with great solicitude; to an enemy, that
is to say, to vice and wicked thoughts, he gave
hatred and displeasure. And with the knife of hatred
of self, and love of Me, and with the light of
reason, and the hand of free-will he struck his
enemies; so that at the point of death his
conscience, having been a faithful guardian, does not
gnaw but remains in peace.
"It is true that a just soul, through humility,
and because at the moment of death she realizes
better the value of time and of the jewels of virtue,
reproves herself, seeming to herself to have used her
time but little; but this is not an afflictive pain,
but rather profitable, for the soul recollected in
herself, is caused by it to throw herself before the
Blood of the humble and immaculate Lamb My Son.
"The just man does not turn his head to admire his
past virtues, because he neither can nor will hope in
his own virtues, but only in the Blood in which he
has found mercy; and as he lived in the memory of
that Blood, so in death he is inebriated and drowned
in the same. How is it that the devils cannot reprove
him of sin? Because during his life he conquered
their malice with wisdom, yet they come round him to
see if they can acquire anything, and appear in
horrible shapes in order to frighten him with hideous
aspect, and many diverse phantasms, but the poison of
sin not being in his soul, their aspect causes him no
terror or fear, as it would do to another who had
lived wickedly in the world.
"Wherefore the devils, seeing that the soul has
entered into the Blood with ardent love, cannot
endure the sight, but stand afar off shooting their
arrows. But their war and their shouts cannot hurt
that soul, who already is beginning to taste eternal
life, as I said to you in another place, for with the
eye of the intellect illuminated by the pupil of the
holy faith, she sees Me, the Infinite and Eternal
Good, whom she hopes to obtain by grace, not as her
due, but by virtue of Jesus Christ My Son.
"Wherefore opening the arms of hope and seizing
Him with the hands of love, she seems to enter into
His possession before she actually does so, in the
way which I have narrated to you in another place.
Passing suddenly, drowned in the Blood, by the narrow
door of the Word she reaches Me, the Sea Pacific. For
sea and door are united together. I and the Truth, My
only-begotten Son being one and the same thing.
"What joy such a soul receives who sees herself so
sweetly arrived at this pass, for in Truth she tastes
the happiness of the angelic nature! This joy is
received by all those who pass in this sweet manner,
but to a far greater extent by My ministers, of whom
I spoke to you, who have lived like angels, for in
this life have they lived with greater knowledge, and
with greater hunger for the salvation of souls.
"I do not speak only of the light of virtue which
all can have in general, but of the supernatural
light which these men possessed over and above the
light of virtuous living, the light, that is, of holy
science, by which science they knew more of My Truth,
and he who knows more loves Me more, and he who loves
Me more receives more. Your reward is measured
according to the measure of your love, and if you
should ask Me, whether one who has no science can
attain to this love, I should reply, yes it is
possible that he may attain to it, but an individual
case does not make a general law and I always
discourse to you in general.
"They also receive greater dignity on account of
their priesthood, because they have personally
received the office of eating souls in My honor. For
just as everyone has the office of remaining in
charity with his neighbor, to them is given the
office of administering the Blood, and of governing
souls.
"Wherefore if they do this solicitously and with
love of virtue they receive, as has been said, more
than others. Oh! how happy are their souls when they
come to the extremity of death! For they have been
the defenders and preachers of the faith to their
neighbor. This faith they have incarnated in their
very marrow, and with it they see their place of
repose in Me. The hope with which they have lived,
confiding in My providence and losing all trust in
themselves, in that they did not hope in their own
knowledge, and having lost hope in themselves, placed
no inordinate love in any fellow-creature or in any
created thing; having lived in voluntary poverty,
causes them now with great delight to lift their
confidence towards Me.
"Their heart, which was a vessel of love,
inscribed by their ardent charity with My name, they
showed forth with the example of their good and holy
life and by the doctrine of their words to their
neighbor. This heart then arises and seizes Me, who
am its End, with ineffable love, restoring to Me the
pearl of justice which it always carried before it,
doing justice to all, and discreetly rendering to
each his due.
"Wherefore this man renders to Me justice with
true humility, and renders glory and praise to My
Name, because he refers to Me the grace of having
been able to run his course with a pure and holy
conscience, and with himself he is indignant, deeming
himself unworthy of receiving such grace.
"His conscience gives good testimony of him to Me,
and I justly give him the crown of justice, adorned
with the pearls of the virtues -- that is, of the
fruit which love has drawn from the virtues. Oh,
earthly angel! happy you are in that you have not
been ungrateful for the benefits received from Me,
and have not been negligent or ignorant, but have
solicitously opened your eye by the true light, and
kept it on your subjects, and have faithfully and
manfully followed the doctrine of the Good Shepherd,
sweet Christ Jesus, My only-begotten Son, wherefore
you are really now passing through Him, the Door,
bathed and drowned in His blood, with your troop of
lambs of whom you have brought many by your holy
doctrine and example to eternal life, and have left
many behind you in a state of grace.
"Oh, dearest daughter! to such as these the vision
of the devils can do no harm, because of the vision
which they have of Me, which they see by faith and
hold by love; the darkness and the terrible aspect of
the demons do not give them trouble or any fear,
because in them is not the poison of sin. There is no
servile fear in them, but holy fear. Wherefore they
do not fear the demon's deception, because with
supernatural light and with the light of Holy
Scripture they know them, so that they do not cause
them darkness or disquietude.
"So thus they gloriously pass, bathed in the
blood, with hunger for the salvation of souls, all on
fire with love for the neighbor, having passed
through the door of the word and entered into Me; and
by My goodness each one is arranged in his place, and
to each one is measured of the affection of love
according as he has measured to Me."
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