The Dialogue

How one should reprove one's neighbour, without falling into false judgment.

" Now listen, dearest daughter. In order that thou mightest understand better that which thou desiredst to know, I have spoken to thee of the general light, which you all must have, in whatever state you be, speaking of those who live in ordinary charity. And I have also spoken of those who are in the perfect light, which light I distinguished in two instances, first, that of those who, having left the world, applied themselves to the mortification of the body, and of those who, in all things, destroyed their own will ; these latter were the perfect souls who nourish themselves at the table of holy desire. I will now speak particularly to thee, and in speaking to thee, and in satisfying thy desire, I shall also speak to others. I wish that thou shouldest do three things in particular, so that ignorance may not prevent the perfection to which I call thee. And I will tell thee the first thing I wish thee to do, in order that the Devil, hidden in the cloak of love of the neighbour, may not nourish within thy soul the root of presumption, for, by this means, thou wouldest fall into false judgments, which I have forbidden thee, ordering thee to judge aright, whereas thou wouldest judge wrongly, returning to thy human point of view, for the Devil would often cause thee to see what was true, in order to lead thee into falsehood. This he would do in order to make thee judge the minds and intentions of My rational creatures, which fall, as I have told thee, under My judgment alone. This, then, is the first of the three things which I wish thee to do and observe, namely, that thou shouldest never deliver a judg ment, except under a certain condition, but under that condition I wish thee to do it. The condition is this, unless I have expressly manifested to thee in thy mind, not once, nor twice, but several times thy neighbour's fault, thou shouldst say nothing in particular to him who

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seems to thee to fall into it, but rather in general correct the vices of those who come to visit thee, and plant the virtues lovingly and with benignity, but with a certain sternness in thy benignity, according as thou shalt see need. And if it should appear to thee that I have shown to thee many times the defects of others, unless thou seest that it was an express revelation from Me, as has been said, thou shouldest say nothing in particular, but devote thyself to the surer way, so as to dispel the delusion and malice of the Devil ; for, with the blade of this desire to judge, he might wound thee, causing thee often to judge thy neigh bour falsely, and, thus, often to scandalise him.

" Wherefore let silence dwell in thy mouth, or holy con versation about virtue, and the contemptibleness of sin, and attribute that vice, which thou seemest to recognise in another, to thyself, at the same time as to him, and if, in truth, this person should have fallen into that vice, he will correct himself better, seeing himself so sweetly treated, and will be obliged, by thy pleasant warnings, to correct himself, and will himself tell thee that very thing which thou wast on the point of saying to him ; and thus thou wilt remain in safety, and wilt have cut away the road under the Devil's feet, who will not be able to delude thee, or prevent the perfection of thy soul. I will too that thou shouldst know that thou shouldst not trust all thou seest, but rather cast it behind thee and refuse to look at it, look ing only at thyself and recognising in thyself My bounty and My goodness. Thus do they, who have arrived at the last state, of which I spoke to thee ; they constantly turn to the valley of self-knowledge, and do not, on that account, diminish the height of their union with Me. And this is the first of the three things which, as I told thee, I wish thee to do, in order to serve Me in truth."

220 THE DIALOGUE OF ST. CATHERINE