The Dialogue

How the soul, having mounted the third step of the holy Bridge, that is, having arrived at the Mouth, at once makes use of it— and how the death of self-will is the true sign that the soul has arrived there.

" Now I say to thee, that all this, which I have just narrated to thee, as thou knowest, in the person of My Truth, was nar rated to thee, so that thou mightest know the excellence of the state of that soul, who has ascended the second step, where she learns and acquires so much fire of love, and from whence she immediately runs to the third, that is, to the Mouth, which proves her to have arrived at the perfect state. Through what did she pass ? Through the midst of the Heart, that is the Blood, wherein she was re-baptised, leaving imperfect love, through the knowledge that she drew from the cordial love, seeing, tasting and proving the fire of My chanty.

" Such, then, have arrived at the Mouth, and they show it by taking the office of the mouth. The mouth speaks by means of the tongue, which is in the mouth, and tastes by means of the palate, giving to the stomach what the mouth retains and which has been chewed by the teeth to make it fit to be swallowed. The soul does likewise. First she speaks to me, with the tongue, which is in the mouth of holy desire, that is to say, the tongue of holy and continual prayer. This tongue speaks actually and mentally, mentally offering to Me sweet and amorous desires for the salvation of souls, and actually announcing the doctrine of My Truth, admonishing, counselling, confessing without fear of any pain which the world may cause her. I say that she eats, taking the food of souls, for My honour, on the table of the Cross, and on no other table and in no other way could she eat perfectly and in truth. She then chews with the teeth of hatred and love ; that is, hatred of vice and love of virtue, which are the two rows of teeth in the mouth of holy desire, for otherwise she would not be able to swallow the food of souls.

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She chews, I say, for the sake of the salvation of souls, insults, villainies, reproofs and persecutions, enduring hunger and thirst, cold and heat, painful desires and tears and sweat, and she chews them all for My honour, bearing and supporting her neighbour. She then tastes the relish of the fruit of toil and the delight of the food of souls, in fire of My love and that of her neighbour. The food then reaches the stomach, that is, the stomach of the heart, which, by desire and the soul's hunger, is disposed to receive it, with cordial love and delight and affection for the neigh bour. Delighting in the food, the stomach of the heart heaps it up by the aforesaid process, and loses corporal hunger, becoming able to take the food of the table of the doctrine of Christ crucified. The soul fattens on the royal and true virtues, and swells so greatly through the abundance of her food that her clothing of sensuality, that is to say her body, which covers the soul, bursts, and the body that bursts is dead; thus is the sensitive will of the soul dead, but the spiritual will is living, clothed in My eternal Will.

Now this death of the sensitive will, after the soul had eaten of the affection of My charity, is the sign, by which it is known, in truth, that the soul has arrived at the third step, that is the Mouth. And in the Mouth she found peace and quiet, and nothing can disturb her peace and quiet, because her sensitive will is dead. They who have arrived at this step, bring forth the virtues upon their neighbour without pain, not because pain is no longer painful to them, but because, their sensitive will being dead, they voluntarily bear pain for My sake. They run without negligence, by the doctrine of Christ crucified, and slacken not their pace on account of the persecutions, injuries or pleasures of the world. They pass by all these things, with fortitude and perseverance, their affection, clothed in the affection of charity, and eating the food of souls with true and perfect patience, which patience is a sign that the soul is in perfect love, loving without any consideration of self. For did she love Me and her neighbour for her own profit, she would, in impatience, slacken her steps, but, loving Me, Who am the Supreme Being and worthy to be loved, she

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loves herself and her neighbour through Me alone, caring only for the glory and praise of My name, which causes her to be patient and strong to suffer, and persevering."