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Then that soul, having seen with the eye of the
intellect, and having known by the light of holy
faith the truth and excellence of obedience, hearing
and tasting it with love and ecstatic desire, gazed
upon the divine majesty and gave thanks to Him,
saying, "Thanks, thanks to You, oh eternal Father,
for You have not despised me, the work of Your hands,
nor turned Your face from me, nor despised my
desires; You, the Light, have not regarded my
darkness; You, true Life, have not regarded my living
death; You, the Physician, have not been repelled by
my grave infirmities; You, the eternal Purity, have
not considered the many miseries of which I am full;
You, who are the Infinite, have overlooked that I am
finite; You, who are Wisdom, have overlooked my
folly; Your wisdom, Your goodness, Your clemency,
Your infinite good, have overlooked these infinite
evils and sins, and the many others which are in me.
"Having known the truth through Your clemency, I
have found Your charity, and the love of my neighbor.
What has constrained me? Not my virtues, but only
Your charity. May that same charity constrain You to
illuminate the eye of my intellect with the light of
faith, so that I may know and understand the truth
which You have manifested to me.
"Grant that my memory may be capable of retaining
Your benefits, that my will may burn in the fire of
Your charity, and may that fire so work in me that I
give my body to blood, and that by that blood given
for love of the Blood, together with the key of
obedience, I may unlock the door of Heaven. I ask
this of You with all my heart, forevery rational
creature, both in general and in particular, in the
mystical body of the holy Church.
"I confess and do not deny that You loved me
before I existed, and that Your love for me is
ineffable, as if You were mad with love for Your
creature. Oh, eternal Trinity! oh Godhead! which
Godhead gave value to the Blood of Your Son, You, oh
eternal Trinity, are a deep Sea, into which the
deeper I enter the more I find, and the more I find
the more I seek; the soul cannot be satiated in Your
abyss, for she continually hungers after You, the
eternal Trinity, desiring to see You with light in
Your light.
"As the hart desires the spring of living water,
so my soul desires to leave the prison of this dark
body and see You in truth. How long, oh! Eternal
Trinity, fire and abyss of love, will Your face be
hidden from my eyes? Melt at once the cloud of my
body. The knowledge which You have given me of
Yourself in Your truth, constrains me to long to
abandon the heaviness of my body, and to give my life
for the glory and praise of Your Name, for I have
tasted and seen with the light of the intellect in
Your light, the abyss of You -- the eternal Trinity,
and the beauty of Your creature, for, looking at
myself in You, I saw myself to be Your image, my life
being given me by Your power, oh! eternal Father, and
Your wisdom, which belongs to Your only-begotten Son,
shining in my intellect and my will, being one with
Your Holy Spirit, who proceeds from You and Your Son,
by whom I am able to love You.
"You, Eternal Trinity, are my Creator, and I am
the work of Your hands, and I know through the new
creation which You have given me in the blood of Your
Son, that You are enamored of the beauty of Your
workmanship. Oh! Abyss, oh! Eternal Godhead, oh! Sea
Profound! what more could You give me than Yourself;
You are the fire which ever burns without being
consumed; You consume in Your heat all the soul's
self-love; You are the fire which takes away all
cold; with Your light You do illuminate me so that I
may know all Your truth; You are that light above all
light, which illuminates supernaturally the eye of my
intellect, clarifying the light of faith so
abundantly and so perfectly, that I see that my soul
is alive, and in this light receives You -- the true
light.
"By the Light of faith I have acquired wisdom in
the wisdom of the Word -- Your only-begotten Son. In
the light of faith I am strong, constant, and
persevering. In the light of faith I hope, suffer me
not to faint by the way. This light, without which I
should still walk in darkness, teaches me the road,
and for this I said, Oh! Eternal Father, that You
have illuminated me with the light of holy faith. Of
a truth this light is a sea, for the soul revels in
You, Eternal Trinity, the Sea Pacific.
"The water of the sea is not turbid, and causes no
fear to the soul, for she knows the truth; it is a
deep which manifests sweet secrets, so that where the
light of Your faith abounds, the soul is certain of
what she believes. This water is a magic mirror into
which You, the Eternal Trinity, bid me gaze, holding
it with the hand of love, that I may see myself, who
am Your creature, there represented in You, and
Yourself in me through the union which You made of
Your godhead with our humanity.
"For this light I know to represent to myself You
-- the Supreme and Infinite Good, Good Blessed and
Incomprehensible, Good Inestimable. Beauty above all
beauty; Wisdom above all wisdom -- for You are wisdom
itself. You, the food of the angels, have given
Yourself in a fire of love to men; You, the garment
which covers all our nakedness, feed the hungry with
Your sweetness. Oh! Sweet, without any bitter, oh!
Eternal Trinity, I have known in Your light, which
You have given me with the light of holy faith, the
many and wonderful things You have declared to me,
explaining to me the path of supreme perfection, so
that I may no longer serve You in darkness, but with
light, and that I may be the mirror of a good and
holy life, and arise from my miserable sins, for
through them I have hitherto served You in darkness.
"I have not known Your truth and have not loved
it. Why did I not know You? Because I did not see You
with the glorious light of the holy faith; because
the cloud of self-love darkened the eye of my
intellect, and You, the Eternal Trinity, have
dissipated the darkness with Your light. Who can
attain to Your Greatness, and give You thanks for
such immeasurable gifts and benefits as You have
given me in this doctrine of truth, which has been a
special grace over and above the ordinary graces
which You give also to Your other creatures?
"You have been willing to condescend to my need
and to that of Your creatures -- the need of
introspection. Having first given the grace to ask
the question, You reply to it, and satisfy Your
servant, penetrating me with a ray of grace, so that
in that light I may give You thanks.
"Clothe me, clothe me with You, oh! Eternal Truth,
that I may run my mortal course with true obedience
and the light of holy faith, with which light I feel
that my soul is about to become inebriated afresh."
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