CONTENTS |
About This Book |
Translator's Introduction |
|
A TREATISE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE |
1. |
How a soul, elevated by
desire of the honor of God, and of the salvation of her
neighbors, exercising herself in humble prayer, after she had
seen the union of the soul, through love, with God, asked of
God four requests. |
2. |
How the desire of this
soul grew when God showed her the neediness of the world. |
3. |
How finite works are not
sufficient for punishment or recompense without the perpetual
affection of love. |
4. |
How desire and contrition
of heart satisfies, both for the guilt and the penalty in
oneself and in others; and how sometimes it satisfies for the
guilt only, and not the penalty. |
5. |
How very pleasing to God
is the willing desire to suffer for Him. |
6. |
How every virtue and every
defect is obtained by means of our neighbor. |
7. |
How virtues are
accomplished by means of our neighbor, and how it is that
virtues differ to such an extent in creatures. |
8. |
How virtues are proved
and fortified by their contraries. |
|
|
A TREATISE OF DISCRETION |
1. |
How the affection should
not place reliance chiefly on penance, but rather on virtues;
and how discretion receives life from humility, and renders to
each man his due. |
2. |
A parable showing how
love, humility, and discretion are united; and how the soul
should conform herself to this parable. |
3. |
How penance and other corporal exercises are
to be taken as instruments for arriving at virtue, and not as
the principal affection of the soul; and of the light of
discretion in various other modes and operations. |
4. |
How this soul grew by means of the divine
response, and how her sorrows grew less, and how she prayed to
God for the Holy Church, and for her own people. |
5. |
How God grieves over the Christian people, and
particularly over His ministers; and touches on the subject of
the Sacrament of Christ's Body, and the benefit of the
Incarnation. |
6. |
How sin is more gravely punished after the
Passion of Christ than before; and how God promises to do
mercy to the world, and to the Holy Church, by means of the
prayers and sufferings of His servants. |
7. |
How the road to Heaven being broken through
the disobedience of Adam, God made of His Son a Bridge by
which man could pass. |
8. |
How God induces the soul to look at the
greatness of this Bridge, inasmuch as it reaches from earth to
Heaven. |
9. |
How this soul prays God to show her those who
cross by the aforesaid Bridge, and those who do not. |
10. |
How this Bridge has three steps, which signify
the three states of the soul; and how, being lifted on high,
yet it is not separated from the earth; and how these words
are to be understood: "If I am lifted up from the earth, I
will draw all things unto Me." |
11. |
How this Bridge is built of stones which
signify virtues; and how on the Bridge is a hostelry where
food is given to the travelers; and how he who goes over the
Bridge goes to life, while he who goes under It goes to
perdition and death. |
12. |
How traveling on both of these roads, that is
the Bridge and the River, is fatiguing; and of the delight
which the soul feels in traveling by the Bridge. |
13. |
How this Bridge, having reached to Heaven on
the day of the Ascension, did not for that reason have the
earth. |
14. |
How this soul wondering at the mercy of God,
relates many gifts and graces given to the human race. |
15. |
Of the baseness of those who pass by the river
under the Bridge; and how the soul, that passes underneath, is
called by God the tree of death, whose roots are held in four
vices. |
16. |
How the fruits of this tree are as diverse as
are the sins; and first, of the sin of sensuality. |
17. |
How the fruit of others is avarice; and of the
evils that proceed from it. |
18. |
How some others hold positions of authority,
and bring forth fruits of injustice. |
19. |
How through these and through other defects,
one falls into false judgment; and of the indignity to which
one comes. |
20. |
Of the words that Christ said: "I will send
the Holy Spirit, who will reprove the world of injustice and
of false judgment;" and how one of these reproofs is
continuous. |
21. |
Of the second reproof of injustice, and of
false judgment, in general and in particular. |
22. |
Of the four principal torments of the damned,
from which follow all the others; and particularly of the
foulness of the Devil. |
23. |
Of the third reproof which is made on the Day
of Judgment. |
24. |
How the damned cannot desire any good.
|
25. |
Of the glory of the Blessed.
|
26. |
How, after the General Judgment, the pain of
the damned will increase. |
27. |
Of the use of temptations, and how every soul
in her extremity sees her final place either of pain or of
glory, before she is separated from the body. |
28. |
How the Devil gets hold of souls, under
pretense of some good: and, how those are deceived who keep by
the river, and not by the aforesaid Bridge, for, wishing to
fly pains, they fall into them; and of the vision of a tree,
that this soul once had. |
29. |
How, the world having germinated thorns, who
those are whom they do not harm; although no one passes this
life without pain. |
30. |
How this soul was in great bitterness, on
account of the blindness of those who are drowned below in the
river. |
31. |
How the three steps figured in the Bridge,
that is, in the Son of GOD, signify the three powers of the
soul. |
32. |
How if the three aforesaid powers are not
united, there cannot be perseverance, without which no man
arrives at his end. |
33. |
An exposition on Christ's words: "Whosoever
thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." |
34. |
The general method by which every rational
creature can come out of the sea of the world, and go by the
aforesaid holy Bridge. |
35. |
How this devoted soul looking in the Divine
mirror saw the creatures going in diverse ways. |
36. |
How servile fear is not sufficient, without
the love of virtue, to give eternal life; and how the law of
fear and that of love are united. |
37. |
How, by exercising oneself in servile fear,
which is the state of imperfection, by which is meant the
first step of the holy Bridge, one arrives at the second step,
which is the state of perfection. |
38. |
Of the imperfection of those who love GOD for
their own profit, delight, and consolation. |
39. |
Of the way in which GOD manifests Himself to
the soul who loves Him. |
40. |
Why Christ did not say "I will manifest My
Father," but "I will manifest myself." |
41. |
How the soul, after having mounted the first
step of the Bridge, should proceed to mount the second. |
42. |
How an imperfect lover of GOD loves his
neighbor also imperfectly, and of the signs of this imperfect
love.
|
A TREATISE OF PRAYER |
1. |
Of the means which the soul takes to arrive at
pure and generous love; and here begins the Treatise of
Prayer. |
2. |
Here, touching something concerning the
Sacrament of the Body of Christ, the complete doctrine is
given; and how the soul proceeds from vocal to mental prayer,
and a vision is related which this devout soul once received.
|
3. |
Of the method by which the soul separates
herself from imperfect love, and attains to perfect love,
friendly and filial. |
4. |
Of the signs by which the soul knows she has
arrived at perfect love. |
5. |
How they who are imperfect desire to follow
the Father alone, but they who are perfect desire to follow
the Son. And of a vision, which this holy soul had, concerning
diverse baptisms, and of many other beautiful and useful
things. |
6. |
How worldly people render glory and praise to
GOD, whether they will or no. |
7. |
How even the devils render glory and praise to
GOD. |
8. |
How the soul, after she has passed through
this life, sees fully the praise and glory of My Name in
everything, and, though, in her the pain of desire is ended,
the desire is not. |
9. |
How after Saint Paul was drawn to the glory of
the blessed, he desired to be loosened from the body, as they
do, who have reached the aforesaid third and fourth states.
|
10. |
How the soul who finds herself in the unitive
state desires infinitely to have the barren earthly state and
unite herself to GOD. |
11. |
How they, who are arrived at the aforesaid
unitive state, have the eye of their intellect illuminated by
supernatural light infused by grace. And how it is better to
go for counsel for the salvation of the soul, to a humble and
holy conscience than to a proud lettered man. |
12. |
How this devout soul seeks knowledge from God
concerning the state and fruit of tears. |
13. |
How there are five kinds of tears.
|
14. |
Of the difference of these tears, arising from
the explanation of the aforesaid state of the soul. |
15. |
How the four stages of the soul, to which
belong the five aforesaid states of tears, produce tears of
infinite value: and how God wishes to be served as the
Infinite, and not as anything finite. |
16. |
Of the fruit of worldly men's tears.
|
17. |
How this devout soul, thanking God for His
explanation of the above-mentioned states of tears, makes
three petitions. |
18. |
How the light of reason is necessary to every
soul that wishes to serve God in truth; and first of the light
of reason in general. |
19. |
Of those who have placed their desire rather
in the mortification of the body than in the destruction of
their own will; and of the second light, more perfect than the
former general one. |
20. |
Of the third and most perfect state, and of
reason, and of the works done by the soul who has arrived at
this light. And of a beautiful vision which this devout soul
once received, in which the method of arriving at perfect
purity is fully treated, and the means to avoid judging our neighbor is spoken of. |
21. |
In what way they, who stand in the
above-mentioned third most perfect light, receive the earnest
of eternal life in this life. |
22. |
How this soul, rendering thanks to God,
humiliates herself; then she prays for the whole world and
particularly for the mystical body of the holy Church, and for
her spiritual children, and for the two fathers of her soul;
and, after these things, she asks to hear something about the
defects of the ministers of the holy Church. |
23. |
How God renders this soul attentive to prayer,
replying to one of the above-mentioned petitions. |
24. |
Of the dignity of the priest; and of the
Sacrament of the Body of Christ; and of worthy and unworthy
communicants. |
25. |
How the bodily sentiments are all deceived in
the aforesaid Sacrament, but not those of the soul; therefore
it is, with the latter, that one must see, taste, and touch
It; and of a beautiful vision this soul had upon this subject.
|
26. |
Of the excellent state of the soul who
receives the sacrament in grace. |
27. |
How the things which have been said about the
excellence of this Sacrament, have been said that we might
know better the dignity of priests; and how God demands in
them greater purity than in other creatures. |
28. |
Of the excellence, virtues, and holy works of
virtuous and holy ministers; and how such are like the sun.
|
29. |
A brief repetition of the preceding chapter;
and of the reverence which should be paid to priests, whether
they are good or bad. |
30. |
Of the difference between the death of a just
man and that of a sinner, and first of the death of the just
man. |
31. |
Of the death of sinners, and of their pains in
the hour of death. |
32 |
How this devout soul, praising and thanking
GOD, made a prayer for the Holy Church. |
A
TREATISE OF OBEDIENCE |
1. |
Here begins the treatise of obedience, and
first of where obedience may be found, and what it is that
destroys it, and what is the sign of a man's possessing it,
and what accompanies and nourishes obedience. |
2. |
How obedience is the key with which Heaven is
opened, and how the soul should fasten it by means of a cord
to her girdle, and of the excellences of obedience. |
3. |
Here both the misery of the disobedient and
the excellence of the obedient are spoken of. |
4. |
Of those who have such love for obedience that
they do not remain content with the general obedience of
precepts, but take on themselves a particular obedience. |
5. |
How a soul advances from general to particular
obedience; and of the excellence of the religious orders. |
6. |
Of the excellence of the obedient, and of the
misery of the disobedient members of the religious orders. |
7. |
How the truly obedient receive a hundredfold
for one, and also eternal lift; and what is meant by this one,
and this hundredfold. |
8. |
Of the perversities, miseries, and labors of
the disobedient man; and of the miserable fruits which proceed
from disobedience. |
9. |
How God does not reward merit according to the
labor of the obedient, nor according to the length of time
which it takes, but according to the love and promptitude of
the truly obedient; and of the miracles which God has
performed by means of this virtue; and of discretion in
obedience, and of the works and reward of the truly obedient
man. |
10. |
This is a brief repetition of the entire book.
|
11. |
How this most devout soul, thanking and
praising God, makes prayer for the whole world and for the
Holy Church, and commending the virtue of faith brings this
work to an end. |
12. |
Letter of Ser Barduccio di Piero Canigiani,
containing the Transit of the Seraphic Virgin, Saint Catherine
of Siena, to Sister Catherine Petriboni in the Monastery of
San Piero a Monticelli near Florence. In the Name of Jesus
Christ. |