The Dialogue

A useful repetition of many things already said and how GOD leads this devout soul to pray to Him for every creature, and for the Holy Church.

"Now thou hast seen, with the eye of thy intellect, and heard, with the ear of thy feeling, from Me, Eternal Truth, what method thou must hold to make use of this doctrine for thy self, and thy neighbour, and to know My Truth. As I told thee in the beginning, a knowledge of Truth is arrived at through a knowledge of self. Not a pure knowledge of self, but a knowledge of self seasoned and united with a knowledge of Me. Wherefore thou foundest humility and hatred and displeasure of thyself and the fire of My charity, through the knowledge that thou foundest of thyself from whence thou earnest to love and take delight in thy neighbour, bringing him to a holy and honest life, by means of the doctrine. I have also shown thee the Bridge, and the three general steps, placed there for the three powers of the soul, and I have told thee how no one can attain to the life of grace unless he has mounted all three

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steps, that is, gathered together all the three powers of the soul in My Name. I have also made known to thee, in particular, the three states of the soul, figured in the Body of My only-begotten Son, of Whom I told thee, that He had made of His Body a staircase, showing it to thee in His nailed Feet, and in the opening of His Side, and in His Mouth, where the soul attains to peace and quiet, in the way that I told thee. And I have shown thee the imper fection of servile fear, and the imperfection of the love, that is only for the sweetness found in Me, and I have shown thee, the perfection of the third state, namely of those who have arrived at the peace of the Mouth, having run, with anxious desire, by the Bridge of Christ crucified, ascending the three general steps, that is, gathering together in My Name the three powers of the soul and all their functions, as I explained to thee more clearly above, and thus have ascended the three principal steps, that is, passed from the imperfect state to the perfect. And so hast thou seen them run in truth, and taste with satisfaction the perfection of the soul, with the odour of the virtues. Thou hast also seen the deceptions into which theyfall before they arrive at perfection, if they do not exercise themselves in the knowledge of Me and of themselves. I have also declared to thee the misery of those who are drowned in the river, because they keep not by the Bridge of the doctrine of Christ crucified, the which I placed there that they might not be drowned. But they, as if they were mad, would drown in the misery and filth of the world. All these things have I declared to thee to increase in thee the fire of holy desire, and compassion and sorrow for the damnation of souls, and that thy sorrow and love might constrain thee to urge Me, with tears and sweat and humble and continual prayer, offered to Me with the fire of most ardent desire, to have mercy on the world. And that not only thou, but many others of my creatures and servants who may hear these things, might be constrained to urge Me to have mercy on the world and particularly on the mystic body of the Holy Church. I have already told thee, if thou remember well, that I would fulfil all thy desires, giving thee refreshment in thy toil, and satisfying the pain

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of thy desires, reforming the Church with holy and good pastors. Not reforming her by war, or the knife or cruelty, as I told thee, but by peace and quiet and by the tears and sweat of My servants, whom I have placed as labourers for souls in the mystic body of the Church, labouring for them in virtue, in example and in doctrine, offering to Me, for the Church and every creature, continual prayer, bringing forth the virtues on their neighbour in the way I have told thee, because every virtue and every fault is increased by its relation to the neighbour. Wherefore I wish you all to be of service to your neighbour, and thus to bear fruit. Cease not to cast up before Me the incense of fragrant prayers for the salvation of souls, because with those prayers, tears and sweatings will I wash the face of My Spouse, the Holy Church. I have already shown her to thee under the form of a damsel, her face all befouled, as if with leprosy. And this is on account of the sins of My ministers and of the whole Christian people who feed at the breast of this My Spouse, and of whose sins I will speak to thee in another place."