St Gertrude the Great, Prayer, Revelations, Biography, Life, Pictures

Book 1: The Revelations of Saint Gertrude.
The Life of Saint Gertrude.

Chapter 1

The thirteenth century was an eventful one for the world and the Church. Its commencement found the great orders of St. Dominic and St. Francis established in almost every city of Europe, already winning martyr's crowns and containing their trophies won for the Lamb by hundreds and by thousands. St. Elizabeth of Hungary had sanctified a palace and edified a nation by her heroic virtue and her meek resignation in adversity. St Thomas Aquinas and the seraphic St. Bonaventure had bequeathed such treasures to the Church, as had never before been confided to her keeping. St. Louis had died a victim to his love of Jesus crucified and his grief that the land where his Lord had died should be despoiled by the heathen and defiled by the infidel. It was, in truth, a century of Saints, and of Saints of more than ordinary note; at the close of this century as a crowning gift, came the great and beautiful Saint Gertrude, whose history has been little too known among us, while her very name receives a continual homage of reverent love.

The illustrious Benedictine Abbess was born at Eisleben, a small town in the country of Mansfield, on the 6th of January, 1263; and thus, as it has been happily remarked, a star of no ordinary brilliancy was given to the Church on the day on which that Church was mystically led by a start to her Incarnate God. It is said that the family of the Counts of Lachenborn were nearly related to the imperial family of Germany; but whatever their rank or dignity may have been, all distinct remembrance of it has long since passed away, and they are only now remembered as illustrious because of the surpassing sanctity of their illustrious child. Bucelinus, in his Aquila Imperii Benedictini, gives a genealogical tree of the family of the Counts of Hackeborn, commencing with the father of the Saint, and concluding with "Fredericus Dominus et Comes" in Hackeborn, "familiae suae ultimus" but there is no date by which to determine when this Count, the "last of his family" passed away from earth. When the Saint attained her fifth year, she was placed in the famous Benedictine Abbey of Rodersdorf, in the diocese of Halberstadt, where she was soon joined by her younger sister Mechtilde.

Here, under the careful training of the Benedictine Dames - who then, as now, devoted themselves with unwearied solicitude and more than ordinary intellectual abilities, to the education of those confided to their charge - the young Countess of Lachenborn advanced in wisdom and learning, both human and divine.

The high intellectual gifts with which St. Gertrude was endowed had the most ample advantages for their development. At an early age she was sufficiently conversant with the Latin tongue to read and converse in that language; her reading was extensive for an age in which literature was confined to parchment manuscripts and oral instructions. Indeed, her devotion to her literary pursuits - though these were of the best and purest kind, since the Scriptures, the Fathers, and other theological works, were her chief study - seemed at first likely to prove a hindrance to her spiritual advancement. Yet all was overruled by infinite love and infinite wisdom. Her writings were to be the Church's treasures in all ages, though, like stars in a stormy sky, their light may be for a time concealed from men, only perchance to shine more gloriously when they shall have emerged from this passing obscurity.

Secular learning might encase the jewel, but it could not produce it; it might enhance the beauty of the pure and sparkling stream by diverting its course through a more cultivated channel, but it could not produce the stream itself. And now the Spouse of virgins began to speak to the heart of His chosen one, and to withdraw her from those exterior occupations, no longer necessary for mental cultivation, that she might listen without distraction or hindrance to those whispers of His love which we also, despite our unworthiness are permitted to hear and to enjoy.

The Saint has informed us herself when and how the first of these heavenly communications was vouchsafed to her. It was on Monday, the 25th of January, "at the close of day, the Light of lights came to dissipate the obscurity of her darkness, and to commence her conversion. And Jesus came, as He mostly comes to His beloved ones, as she performed an act of humility and obedience - declining to an ancient religious to fulfill a conventual observance, and doubtless from no mere habitual custom, but with deep and lowly reverence for a spouse of Christ, whom she considered incomparably her superior in virtue and sanctity.

Her sisters were not slow to perceive that their companion was specially favored by Heaven. One religious who had long suffered from most painful temptations, was warned in a dream to apply to Gertrude for relief and to recommend herself to her prayers. The moment she complied with this injunction, the temptation ceased. Another, who feared to communicate under a similar and even more urgent trial, obtained a morsel of cloth which had been used by the Saint, and placing it near her heart, implored our Lord to deliver her by the merits of Gertrude. The favor was granted, and from that moment she never suffered from the same temptation. It would appear, indeed, that Gertrude was specially designed by providence to assist others, even during her life time, by her merits and intercession, as well as by the gifts of counsel with which she was singularly favored.

A person whose sanctity had been long manifest, and who was specially favored by Divine communications, came to the monastery from a distant country to obtain an interview with the Saint. As she knew none of the religious personally, she prayed that whoever would benefit most by their conversation might be sent to her. It was then made known to her that whoever should come and take their place beside her would be indeed the one most beloved by God, and the most holy among the religious. On her arrival, St. Gertrude came to her; but so well did she conceal any appearance of sanctity, and hide the supernatural light with which she was favored, that the stranger imagined that she had been deceived and again prayed as she had done before. The same reply was once more vouchsafed to her, and she was assured that this was indeed the religious who was so dear to God. Shortly after, the visitor had a long interview with St. Mechtilde, whose conversation she greatly preferred and whose sanctity was more apparent. Again she "inquired of God" and asked why St. Gertrude was preferred to her sister. Our Lord replied that He had indeed operated great graces in Mechtilde, but in Gertrude He had operated, and He would yet operate, far greater.

Another person of great sanctity, who was praying for the Saint, felt a singular impulse of affection for her, which she believed to be supernatural. "O Divine Love!" she exclaimed, "what is it You behold in this virgin which obliges You to esteem her so highly and to love her much?" Our Lord replied: "It is My goodness alone which obliges Me; since she contains and perfects in her soul those five virtues which pleases Me above all others, and which I have placed therein by a singular liberality. She possesses purity, by a continual influence of My grace; she possesses humility, amidst the great diversity of the gifts which I have bestowed on her - for the more I effect in her, the more she abases herself; she possesses a true benighnity, which makes her desire the salvation of the whole world for My greater glory; she possesses a true fidelity, spreading abroad, without reserve, all her treasures the same and final end. Finally, she possesses a consummate charity; for she loves Me with her whole heart, with her whole soul and with her whole strength; and for love of Me, she loves her neighbor as herself".

After Our Lord had spoken this to this soul, He showed her a precious stone on His heart, in the form of a triangle, made of trefoils, the beauty and brilliancy of which cannot be described; and He said to her. "I always wear this jewel as a pledge of the affection which I have for My spouse. I have made it in this form, that all the celestial court may know by the brightness of the first leaf that there is no creature on earth so dear to Me as Gertrude, because there is no one at this present time among mankind who is united to Me so closely as she is, either by purity of intention or by uprightness of will. They will see by the second leaf that there is no soul still bound by the chains if flesh and blood whom I am so disposed to enrich by My graces and favors. And they will observe in the splendor of the third leaf that there is no one who refers to My glory lone the gifts received from Me with such sincerity and fidelity as Gertrude, who far from wishing to claim the least thing for herself, desires most ardently that nothing shall be ever attributed to her". Our Lord concluded this revelation by saying to the holy person to whom He had thus condescended to speak of the perfections of our Saint: "You cannot find Me in any place in which I delight more, or which is more suitable for Me, than in the Sacrament of the Altar, and after that, in the heart and soul of Gertrude, My beloved; for towards her all my affections, and the complacences of My Divine Love, turn in a singular manner"

On another occasion, a devout person who was praying for the Saint heard these words: "She for whom thou prayest is My dove, who has no guile in her, for she rejects from her heart as gall all the guile and bitterness of sin. She is My chosen lily, which I love to bear in My hands, for it is My delight and My pleasure to repose in the purity and innocence of this chaste soul. She is My rose, whose odor is full of sweetness because of her patience in every adversity and the thanksgiving which she continually offers Me, which ascend before Me as the sweetest perfumes. She is that spring flower which never fades, and which I take pleasure in contemplate, because she keeps and maintains continually in her breast an ardent desire not only for all virtues, but for the utmost perfection of every virtue. She is a sweet melody, which ravishes the ears of the blessed; and this melody is composed of all the sufferings she endures with so much constancy"

A little before Lent, as Gertrude was reading a lecture for the community, according to the custom of the Order, she repeated these words twice: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with they whole strength" (Deut. 6:5). The Saint lived in a community of saints, where more than one favored soul was vouchsafed intimate and frequent communion with her Spouse. A sister, who was touched by the devotion with which these words were uttered, prayed that He who so loved Gertrude and had taught her to love Him so much, would vouchsafe to impart to her the same blessed lesson. Our Lord replied: "I have borne her in My arms from her infancy. I have preserved her in her baptismal purity and innocence, until she, by her own free choice and will, has given herself to Me entirely and forever; and as a recompense for the perfection of her desires, I in return, have given Myself entirely to her. So pleasing is this soul to Me, that when I am offended by men, I often enter therein to repose, and I make her endure some pain of body or of mind, which I inflict on her for the sins of others; and as she accepts this suffering with the same thanksgiving, humility and patience as she receives all that comes from Me, and offers it to Me in union with My sufferings, she appeases my anger, and obliges My mercy to pardon, for her sake, an immense number of sinners."

On another occasion, Gertrude having humbly asked the prayers of a sister, the religious complied with her request, and while praying for the Saint, heard these words: "The faults which appear in Gertrude may rather be called steps in perfection, for it would be almost impossible that human weakness could be preserved from the blasts of vainglory, amidst the abundance of graces which I continually operate in her, if her virtues were not hidden from her eyes under the veils and shadow of apparent defects. Thus, even as the earth produces a richer and more abundant harvest in proportion as the laborer has been careful in manuring it, so the gratitude of Gertrude bears Me richer fruit, the more I make her see her own weakness. It is for this reason that I permit different imperfections in her, for which she is in a state of continual humiliation, sending her a particular grace for each, with which she blots them all out from My sight; and the time will come when I change these defects into so many virtues, so that her soul will shine before Me as a most glorious sun."

What these defects were, we are not told. The Saint's patience in sickness and in trial was unalterable; her charity to her sisters abounded with each necessity; for its exercise; and her sanctity was apparent in every action of her holy life. A special gift of prophecy or fore - knowledge enabled her to give advice with promptness, and the greatest wisdom, on the most important occasions. When these gifts became known, the monastery was frequently visited by all classes of persons, who came to converse with her on spiritual subjects, or to obtain counsel in difficulties. Her deep study of Holy Scripture and of the Fathers now bore abundant fruit, and it was observed that she had a singular, and no doubt a Heaven sent, felicity in applying what she had read and treasured in her memory to the spiritual necessities of those with whom she conversed.

God and the salvation of souls - this was the one object of her life, the one end of every action. From her humility, she had fully persuaded herself that the marvelous graces bestowed on her were given her for others. This holy delusion served two important ends - it saved her from every temptation to spiritual complacence, and it induced her to impart freely to others a knowledge if the revelations and other favors bestowed in her. She was simply according to her own idea, a channel of divine grace to others; and believing this to be her end, she neither spared time nor labor for its accomplishment. Often her rest was shortened and her food forgotten when souls demanded tome or anxious thought. "Not satisfied with even this, she often deprived herself of the sweetness of contemplation when it was necessary to succor the tempted, to console the afflicted, or, what she desired above all else, to enkindle and increase the fire of divine love in any soul. For as iron, when placed in the fire, becomes itself like fire, thus this virgin, burning with love, seemed to be all love, such zeal had she for the salvation of all."

She believed that God would indeed be glorified thereby, and that His gifts would thus be multiplied a hundredfold; "she was absolutely persuaded that she received nothing for herself, but that all was for the salvation of others. She never beheld anyone whom she did not consider better than herself, and it was on this account that she was so convinced that God would receive more glory by the communications of His graces to them. She believed that they merited more by a single thought, by their mere innocence, even by their purity of heart, than she could do by all her mental powers or spiritual gifts." Can we wonder that a vessel so emptied of self should have been filled to overflowing with God? - that the "perfume of the ointment" should have lingered for so many hundreds of years in the house of God, and that it still affords refreshment and consolation to His chosen spouses, and to the most saintly souls? May this poor effort to extend the sweetness of that perfume be for His honor and glory, for the honor of this blessed Saint and for the refreshment of the little ones of Jesus!



Chapter 2

In the year 1273, Rodolph of Hapsburg ascended the imperial throne as Emperor of Germany, though as he was not crowned by the the Holy See, he only bore the humbler title of King of the Romans. It is said that his election was predicted by a priest to whom he showed singular marks of reverence and respect while bearing the Holy Viaticum to a dying man. Coxe in his House of Austria, highly extols the character of this prince, but observes that he was raised to the imperial throne chiefly through the influence of the Archbishop of Mentz. Albert, the Emperor's sole surviving son, succeeded to the hereditary dominions of his father. The electors would probably have accepted him as their chief, had not his stern and unconciliating manners offended his best friends, and, contrary to all expectation, Adolphus, Count of Nassau, was raised to the vacant throne.

The nomination of Adolphus took place on May 10, 1292. How little did he imagine that his new dignity and tragic end were at that very moment revealed to a nun in a distant and lonely cloister! The sisters were earnest in their prayers for a worthy successor to their most Christian king, and interceded, as true religious ever will, with fervent supplications for the welfare of their country. On the very day, and almost at the same moment, when the important affair was decided, Gertrude told the Abbess of her monastery what had occurred, and predicted the terrible fate of the new monarch.

The troubles of the times were not without their effect upon the monastery of Rodersdorf. Once, when threatened with a terrible calamity, which was considered inevitable because of the menaces of those who had both power and force on their side, the Saint went to her Superior, and assured her there was no longer any cause for fear. Almost at the same moment, the person whose anger had been so much dreaded came to the convent and the religious found, to their joy and amazement, that the local judges had appeased all differences and established peace even as Gertrude had predicted to the Abbess.

St. Gertrude was chosen Abbess of her monastery in the year 1294. The year following, the religious removed to Heldelfs. The Saint was elected at the early age of thirty - no slight testimony to her singular prudence and extraordinary virtue. For forty years she continued to edify and guide her spiritual children, many of whom had attained a high degree of sanctity. As Superior, she was distinguished for charity and zeal. While others suffered, whether in body or in mind, she could not rest; and where there was need of amendment, her tears and prayers brought repentance and renewed fervor, rather than any severity of reproof, which her very office might have more than sanctioned. The importance of her work, and its immense value in the eyes of her Divine Spouse, was manifested to her by a remarkable vision, which must ever be a special subject of instruction and consolation for those similarly circumstanced, and, indeed, for all religious.

Our Lord appeared to her, bearing on His sacred shoulders a vast magnificent building. "Behold" He said: "with what labor, care and vigilance I carry this beloved house, which is none other than that if Religion. It is everywhere threatened with ruin, because there are so few persons who are willing to do or to suffer anything for its support and increase. You, therefore, should suffer with Me in bearing it; for all those who endeavor, by their words or actions, to extend religion, and who try to establish it in its first fervor and purity, are so many strong pillars which sustain this holy house and comfort Me by sharing with Me the weight of this burden."

From this moment the Saint devoted herself, with all the sanctified energy of a naturally ardent temperament, to the work so dear to her Spouse. Her monastery became indeed a "pleasure - house" of delight to the Spouse if virgins. Under her guidance, the fervent increased in fervor, and the saintly advanced rapidly in perfection. Many were favored with intimate and most blessed communications from Heaven; one at least, her sister in the flesh as well as in the spirit, obtained even on earth a recognition of her sanctity, and ranks amongst those who are invoked upon the Church's altars.

But the life of the young Abbess was not to be devoted exclusively to active service; and Our Lord began now to teach her that exterior zeal should have its limits, however holy the end for which it labored; that contemplation was not only necessary for the individual soul, but also to promote the glory of God in others, since prayer alone may effect conversions and sanctifications, while active exertion, without its vivifying influence, is of little avail. A person to whom our Divine Lord revealed His designs in regard to the Saint wrote thus to her:

"O blessed spouse of Christ, enter into the joy of your Lord! His Divine Heart opens for you its fount of ineffable sweetness, as a reward for the fidelity with which you have labored for His glory and for the defense of the truth. He desires now that you should rest in the shadow of His most peaceful consolations: for as a good tree, planted by the riverside, takes root deeply and produces abundant fruit, so will you produce for your Beloved the fruit of your thoughts, words and actions, which are most pleasing to Him, by His grace operating within you. Do not fear that the heat of persecution will wither up your soul, for it is continually bedewed by the sacred waters of grace. As you seek in all your actions the glory of God, and not your own, the fervor of your zeal increases a hundredfold the fruits which you offer to your dear Spouse, not only by the pious works which you actually accomplish, but even by those which you desire to do yourself or to see done by others, although it is not in your power to perform them. Jesus Christ Himself will supply before His Father your needs and your defects, and those of others for whom you are solicitous; therefore, do not doubt that He will equally reward all you desire to do as if you had accomplished it and know that the whole court of Heaven rejoices in your advancement and returns thanks and praise to God for love of you".

The union of the Saint with her Lord became now so intimate that even the apprehension of sudden death appeared unable to disturb her peace for a moment. On one occasion, as she journeyed from one convent to another, she was suddenly precipitated down a steep mountain path. "My sweet Lord", she exclaimed, "how happy I should have been if this fall had brought me sooner to Thee!" Her companions inquired if she would would not fear to die without the Sacraments. "I desire most ardently," she replied, "to receive the support of the Sacraments before I die, but I prefer the Providence and the will of my Lord and my God even to all the Sacraments, for I believe that this is the best preparation for death. It is indifferent to me whether it be slow or sudden, provided that it is pleasing in His sight to whom I hope it will bring me; for I trust, in whatever manner I die, that I shall not be deprived of the mercy of my God, without which my eternal ruin would be inevitable, whether I die an unprepared death, or whether I have long anticipated my end."

The Saint's confidence in God was indeed an eminent characteristic of her sanctity, and one which obtained for her immense favors. How could the Heart of Jesus refuse anything to one who trusted Him so entirely? How pleasing was this virtue was to her Spouse, was revealed to one of her religious, who had long prayed in vain for a particular favor which she ardently desired. At last our Divine Lord vouchsafed to inform her of the reason of this delay, and which she had felt and expressed her profound amazement. "I have delayed answering your prayers because you have not yet sufficient confidence in the effects which My mercy produces in you. Why do you not act like Gertrude, My chosen virgin, who is so firmly established on My Providence, that there is nothing which she does not hope for from the plenitude of My grace; therefore I will never refuse her anything, whatever she may ask of Me".

A holy man once earnestly prayed that he might know what virtue was most pleasing to Our Lord in His spouse. He was answered that it was "her generosity of heart". But as this surprised him not a little, he ventured to reply: "As for me, O Lord, I had imagined that what pleased You most in this soul was the perfect she had of herself, and the high degree of love to which by Your grace, she had attained". Our Lord replied: "This generosity of heart is if such value and so great a good, that the height of perfection may be obtained through it. By means of it My elect is prepared at all times for receiving gifts of great value, which prevents her from attaching her heart to anything which could either impede Me or displease Me".

One happy effect of this liberty of spirit was that the Saint could not bear either to possess or retain anything that was not absolutely necessary for use; and yet we are told that she had a sweet and holy attachment to such things as were used for holy purposes - to the tablets on which she wrote - and well might she love them, since her writings were the special work for which Providence had given her to the Church, and were begun by the express command of her Divine Spouse: for such spiritual works as promised the greatest edification and proved most profitable to herself and to her sisters - and this because she believed these inanimate things were used by Our Lord to render Him a special service, and to procure His greater honor and glory.

The happy manner in which she combined the duties of the active life with that unceasing union her Beloved was so specially characterized her spiritual life was shown to St. Mechtilde in a vision. On one occasion, as she chanted, she beheld our Divine Lord seated on a high throne around which St. Gertrude walked without turning her eyes from her Master even for a moment. At the same time, she appeared to fulfill her exterior duties with the most perfect exactness. As her holy sister mused in amazement on the vision, she heard these words: "This is an image of the life which My beloved Gertrude lives; thus does she ever walk in My presence, never relaxing in her ardent desire to know and to do what is most pleasing to My heart. As soon as she has ascertained it, she executes it with care and fidelity, and then promptly passes to some other duty, seeking in her zeal always to find some new virtue to practice. Thus her whole life is a continuous chain of praise, consecrated to My honor and glory."

"But Lord", replied St. Mechtilde, "if the life of St. Gertrude is so perfect, how is it that she cannot support the imperfections of others, and that they appear so great to her?"

Our Lord replied with admirable sweetness: "It is because she cannot endure that her own heart should be filled with the slightest stain, and therefore she cannot see without emotion the least defect in the heart of another".

It was the custom of the Saint when she was offered any choice in articles of clothing or other necessaries, to close her eyes, then to put out her hand and take whatever she touched. Then she received whatever fell to her lot, with the most lively gratitude as a present from our Lord Himself. Indeed, her devotion to Divine Providence was a special feature in her sanctity, and one which procured her many favors. What could be refused to one who trusted so utterly to Eternal Love!

The sanctity of St. Mechtilde was well known to the Saint, and she frequently asked her advice and prayers. Once, as Mechtilde fervently prayed for her, in compliance with her desire, she beheld our Divine Lord attired as a Bridegroom, and clothed in a robe of green lined with gold. His beauty surpassed that of millions of Angels, and He tenderly embraced with His right arm her for whom she prayed. It appeared to her that Gertrude also embraced her Lord, and that her heart was attached to the wound in the side of Jesus. As she sought in amazement to comprehend this extraordinary vision, she heard these words: "Know that the green and gold of My vestments represents the operation of My Divinity, always new, and always acting by the influence of My love. Yes." He added, after again repeating the same words, "My operation is always new, and always in action in the soul of Gertrude; and the union which you behold of her heart with My side shows that she is attached so inseparably to Me, that she is in a condition to receive every moment the infusions of My Divinity."

St. Mechtilde then asked if St. Gertrude, who was so dear to God, never committed any fault, and why she appeared so ready at any moment to change her occupation, and to do so, as if by chance, whatever came into her mind, her conscience appearing to be equally at rest whether she prayed, wrote, read, instructed, reproved, or consoled.

Our Savior replied: "I have united My Heart so closely to her soul by the ties of My Mercy that she has become one spirit with Me. It is on this account she obeys so promptly all the desires of My will, so that the harmony and understanding which exists between the different members of the body and the heart is not greater than that which exists between the soul of Gertrude and Mine; and as the moment a man has willed in his heart a movement of his hands, they accomplish his desire, because they are entirely subject to the will of the heart; and as one desires in his mind that his eyes should look on any object, and his eyes immediately open to obey him - so Gertrude is ever with Me, and at every moment is ready to obey the movements which I suggest."

A similar revelation was made about the same time to another holy person, to whom it was said that the union of the Saint with her Spouse would become even yet more perfect, that she would receive the gifts of God with yet greater abundance, and that she would obtain so perfect a union with Him, that with her eyes she would only see what God willed her to see, with her ears only hear what God willed her to hear, and with her lips only speak what He willed her to speak.



Chapter 3

That one so united to God should have been specially favored with the gift of miracles, is but what we might expect in the ordinary course of spiritual life. Those who give themselves up without reserve to God receives His gifts also without reserve. They do His will, and He accomplishes theirs; for the will of the Bridegroom and the bride is one. The Saint once obtained the cessation of a frost which was so severe that had it continued longer, the fruits of the earth would have been utterly destroyed. Her petition was offered at the Holy Sacrifice; and as she was about to approach the adorable Sacrament of the Altar, our Lord assured her that He had granted her request. With holy boldness however, she asked that the hail which was then falling might instantly cease. Her petition was granted, but as she was absorbed in the greatness of the action she was about to perform, she thought no more of her request. It was only remembered as she left the church and saw the thaw which had already commenced. Those who knew not of the prayer of the Saint were greatly amazed at the sudden change of weather and feared it was but a passing cessation of the dreaded severity, but it was not so; the country was spared desolation and famine, though few knew to whom they were indebted for this favor.

Once, also, when long heavy rain threatened to destroy the harvest, all the sisters were constantly offering prayers and penances to avert the calamity. Gertrude at last, with the holy confidence of extraordinary sanctity, declared that she would not cease praying until she obtained the fine weather. Immediately the sky became serene and fair, though a few moments before dark and heavy clouds had threatened a long continuance of rain.

"One evening, after supper", says her biographer, "when the community went into the court to finish some work, the sun, which was still above the horizon, was suddenly covered with clouds, which threatened to fall in heavy rain. Gertrude sighed deeply - and I myself heard her - speaking thus to God: 'O Lord my God, Creator of the universe, I do not pretend to constrain You to obey my sinful will; on the contrary, if Your infinite mercy wills not to oppose the degrees of Your justice, and prevent this rain, except for my sake, I would rather that Your Will, which I adore, should be accomplished and that it should rain, if You have willed it thus.' She said these things with perfect resignation to the Will of God, having her mind occupied solely with the consideration of Divine Providence, whose orders she desired to see executed. But, behold, a marvel! She had scarcely finished these words when a clap of thunder was heard, and large drops of rain began to fall rapidly. She, quite overcome, and touched with compassion for the sisters, exclaimed again, 'Have pity on us, O God of clemency, at least for a brief space, until we have finished the work which we have been commanded to do'. God, to show that He refused nothing to her prayers, caused the rain to cease until all was finished. " The community then returned to their enclosure, but they had scarcely reached the door when there came on so violent a storm of thunder, lightening and rain, that those who remained in the court were perfectly deluged with it. " It is thus" continued the chronicler, "that God obeys the prayers of His elect, who have entirely renounced their own desires for love of Him."

It was the Saint's ordinary custom to have recourse to her heavenly Spouse in every trial, whether of less or greater import, and her prayers were equally accepted on all such occasions. What, indeed, is little in His sight, who so cares for His elect, that the very hairs of their heads are numbered, and not one can fall without His knowledge? Thus it is related of Gertrude, that even when she had lost a needle with which she had been working, and had sought it for some time in the straw where it had fallen, she turned to her Lord, for whose glory it had been used, and asked Him to help her in her search; even as she spoke, she put her hand once more into the straw, and found instantly what she had so long looked for in vain. Indeed, so great was the power of the Saint over the Heart of her Spouse, that it appeared as if our Divine Lord Himself was pained to refuse her any request. It happened on one occasion, that a long continuance of drought, combined with tempestuous weather, caused serious fears for the fruits of the earth. St. Gertrude, as usual, had recourse to prayer. It was not the will of God to grant her petition; but with amazing condescension, He vouchsafed not only to inform her of His designs, but even, as it would appear, to excuse Himself to her for not complying with her request.

"The reason which obliges Me sometimes to grant the prayers of My elect does not exist between you and Me, since our wills are so closely united by the sacred tie of grace, that you desire nothing but what I Myself desire. But because I design by the terrors of this tempest to conquer some who rebel against My Will and at least to oblige them to seek Me by prayer, since they only come to Me when they have no other resource, it is necessary that I should refuse you what you desire. Nevertheless, that you may know that your prayers have not failed in their effect, I will grant you in return some other spiritual favor." What a revelation of the tenderness of the Father and the sanctity of the child! Alas! Then, are there those to whom our dear Lord is obliged to grant the favors they ask because they cannot bear to be refused, because, to prevent their murmurs, He gives that which, had they more faith, would be refused! And, alas, is it not too true that thousands seek Him only when all else has failed, and must be driven into the arms which all day long are opened to welcome them with such ineffable tenderness!

As Gertrude who frequently consulted on all subjects, not only by those who had the happiness of living under her immediate guidance, but also by hundreds who came from afar, attracted by the fame of her sanctity, it happened more than once that she was seized with holy fear lest her words and her counsel should rather hinder than advance those who had recourse to her. As she prayed for light in this important subject, Our Lord replied: "Fear nothing from henceforth; be consoled, take courage, and be at rest. I am the Lord thy God; I am thy Beloved, who has created thee by a pure effect of My love; I have chosen thee to make thee My abode by My grace, and to take My delight in thee; therefore, I will reply truly by thee to those who seek Me through thee with fervor and humility. I promise you also, that I will never permit anyone whom I consider unworthy of receiving My Body and Blood to ask your advice on that matter. Therefore, send forward the scrupulous and timorous in the greatest security, because for your sake, I will exclude none of them from My paternal affection; but I will rather embrace them in the tenderest charity, and refuse them not My sweetest kiss of peace."

Once, as she prayed for a certain person, and felt ashamed that this person had not greater faith in obtaining even more than she had asked, our Lord said to her, with great kindness: "Whatever any person hopes to obtain through your intercession, they shall certainly receive from Me; and further, whatever you shall promise to anyone in My name shall certainly be done for them, for though the suppliant, through human infirmity, may not perceive what I have done, I will nevertheless fulfill My promise, and produce the desired effect in his soul."

After some days, as the Saint reflected in amazement how such great promises could be made to one so unworthy, and inquired of her Spouse how He could bestow His graces in so vile a creature, He replied to her: "Does not the Universal Church allow that I formerly said to Peter alone,....'Whatever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed in heaven' (Matt. 16:19), and at the same time believe that the ministers of the Church exercise the same power now? Why, then, do you not believe that I can and will carry out whatever Divine love prompts Me to promise you?" He then touched her tongue, and said: "Behold I have given My words in thy mouth" (Jer. 1:9): "And I truly confirm whatever you may say to others at My suggestion and in my name: to whomsoever you shall promise anything through My goodness upon earth, I will make it sure and ratify it in Heaven." To these marvelous promises the Saint replied: "Lord, I would grieve were anyone thus to incur eternal loss, as they would were I to say no crime would escape unpunished, or anything of that kind". He replied: "Whenever the love of justice or of souls shall prompt you so to speak, My clemency will previously admonish the sinner thus address to repent of his sins, so that may not deserve vengeance or punishment by making light of your instructions." The Saint answered: "If it be really true, my God, that Thou in Thy goodness, dost speak thus through me, how is it that my words have so little effect on some persons, not withstanding the ardent desire I have to lead them to glorify Thee and to save themselves?" Our Lord replied: "Marvel not if your words are sometimes fruitless, and produce no effect, since when I dwelt among men, My own words, though uttered with the fervor and power of the Godhead, produced not the fruit of salvation in the hearts of all. It is through My Divine Providence that all things are arranged and perfected in the fitting time, as appointed by Me."

Soon after, having occasion to reprove a person for a fault, she feared she had acted indiscreetly, and with too much severity. She turned immediately to her Spouse and implored Him that she might never say anything to anyone that would not be according to His Heart. "Fear nothing, My daughter," " replied our Savior, "but rather be filled with a holy confidence; for I will give you this special grace, that when anyone shall have recourse to you with faith and humility, in order to consult you on any subject whatsoever, the light of My truth shall discover to you the most hidden obscurities in the matter, and you will judge of them as truly as I Myself, according to the matter in hand, and the circumstances of the persons. You will reprehend severely, from Me, those whose conduct I make known to you and to have been guilty; and, on the contrary, you will be sweet and affable to those whose faults have been less serious." "King of Heaven and earth", she exclaimed, "withhold the torrent of Thy mercies, for a fragment of dust and ashes such as I am is unworthy to receive such great favors." "Why be so amazed My daughter?" replied our Lord, sweetly soothing her, if I make you a judge of the causes of My enmities, when I have so often communicated to you the secrets of My friendship?" Then He added these words: "All those who, when overcome with sadness, and having their hearts oppressed with any affliction, go with deep humility and true sincerity to obtain counsel and consolation from you, shall never be disappointed; for I the Lord, dwelling in thee, on the impulse of the exuberance of My love, desire to make you the medium of saving many, and it is\certain that all the joy that your heart will experience in this is drawn from the fruitful source of My Heart."

St. Mechtilde once beheld the heart of the Saint forming, as it were, a firm and stable bridge, the sides of which appeared to her to be bordered, the one with the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and the other with His holy Humanity, as with two walls. After beholding this, she heard these words: "Those who come to Me by this bridge need to have no apprehension of wandering or of falling; that is to say, all those who receive her counsels, and execute them faithfully, shall never wonder from the right path, which leads to the life of a blessed eternity."

When our Divine Lord revealed to the Saint that it was His Will she should commit her revelations to writing, her humility was exceedingly amazed. But her heavenly Spouse thus instructed and consoled her: "For what purpose has it been committed to writing that I visited St. Catherine in her prison and encouraged her by these words: 'Be firm and immovable, My daughter, for I am with you?' What purpose does it serve that it should be known how I visited John, My favorite, and said to him 'Come to Me, My beloved?' What purpose does it serve that these and many other things concerning them and others of My Saints are known, unless it be to enkindle the zeal of those who read and hear them, and to manifest to all men the greatness of My love? In this manner" added the Savior, the desire of obtaining the same favors as those which they shall see have obtained from Me will produce devotion in the hearts of those who, considering the effusion of My grace and the excess of My mercy, shall endeavor to change their present life for one more perfect."

On another occasion, as the Saint marveled why God urged her so strongly to make known her revelations, since He knew that the majority of mankind are so weak and unspiritual, that, far from finding in them any example for their edification, they would more probably find a subject of contempt and railery, she heard the Lord saying to her: "I have so planted my grace in you, that I expect it will bear Me immense fruit; therefore it is My desire that all those who receive similar favors, and who despise them by their negligence, shall learn from you on what conditions I have given them these gifts, in order that My grace may be increased in them in proportion as their gratitude increases. But should there be any sufficiently malicious to defame the sanctity of these works, the penalty of their sin shall fall on themselves, and you will not be accountable for it. For the Prophet Ezechiel has said from Me: 'I will lay a stumbling block before him' (Ez. 3:20); that is to say, I dispose, permit, and even command many things for the salvation of My elect, although they are a subject of scandal to the reprobate."

From these words St. Gertrude understood that God often inspired His elect to do what was an occasion of scandal to others, though not with the design of giving them scandal, and that we should never abstain from performing any good work in order to maintain a false peace with such persons; a lesson indeed, worth treasuring and observing at every period of the Church's history - for what has the Church or the world ever gained by unholy compliances, by timid concealment of miraculous supernatural occurrences, the truth of which they dare not altogether deny? If the world is scandalized, let it be scandalized, since even Eternal Truth Himself was not spared its censures.



Chapter 4

On one occasion St. Gertrude implored St. Mechtilde to obtain by her prayers two graces of which she believed herself to stand greatly in need. These graces were patience and mildness. As St. Mechtilde prayed, Our Lord spoke thus to her: "The sweetness which fills Gertrude with a perfect tranquility, and which pleases Me infinitely, results from My making my abode in the peace of her heart, and because I dwell constantly in her, she of necessity must dwell in Me, or if she is obliged sometimes to go out, let her do what the loving bride does when in the company of her spouse - if she is called away from him, she takes him by the hand and brings him with her; thus if she judges it necessary to leave the sweet repose of contemplation, in order to labor for the salvation of her neighbor, let her make the saving Sign of the Cross upon her heart; let her utter My name once before she speaks; and after that, let her say all that My grace inspires her with. In like manner, the patience of this Saint, to be agreeable to Me, must proceed from the peace and science of her heart; that is to say, she must be equally tranquil and enlightened, and must have, on the one hand, such a care of possessing her peace, that no adversity may be able to deprive her of it; and, on the other hand, let the motive for which she suffers be always present to her mind, and let her have no other motive in suffering but love alone, that she may give Me a proof of her perfect fidelity".

A person to whom the Saint was entirely unknown, but who had been asked to pray for her, received the following communication from Our Lord: I delight so much in her that I have chosen her as My abode. All that others see and love in her is My work, and whoever loves My work in her, loves Me; it is for this reason that those who are not capable of perceiving the interior gifts of her mind, admire her address, her eloquence, and all the other exterior qualities with which I have endowed her. And I desire that they should know that I have withdrawn her from her parents and all her friends, that none may love her from ties of consanguinity, but that I Myself may be the only cause of her love and esteem which they have for her.

When St. Gertrude was informed of these and other revelations which had been made concerning her, she exclaimed: "O my Beloved! how is it that Thy mercy bears with my iniquity, for the sole reason that Thy providences and infinitely perfect and adorable works are always agreeable to me? - since this does not result from my virtue, but from the attractions of Thy perfections and Thy adorable goodness, which does nothing unjust, nothing which is not perfectly good and perfectly adorable." The Lord made use of this simile in reply: When a person cannot read some small writing, she uses glasses, in order to make the characters appear larger; this is accomplished, not by any alteration in the writing, but by the quality of the glasses. In like manner, My daughter, if I find any imperfections or defects in you, I efface them and repair them by the abundant liberality of My mercy."

As the Saint was deprived for some time of the accustomed visits of her Spouse, she ventured to inquire why the favor was withheld, though she neither felt discouragement or depression in consequence. When a person looks at anyone who is close to them, replied Our Lord, the two greatly proximity often prevents them from seeing distinctly; as, for example, when a friend meets his friend and embraces him, this close union deprives him of the pleasure of looking at him. St. Gertrude understood by these words, that we often merit more when deprived of sensible grace, provided that we do not become less fervent in the practice of good works.

In the early years of the Saint's spiritual life, Our Lord often spoke to her in an audible voice, but later these communications assumed a different character. The Saint inquired the reason, and received this reply: In former years I oftener instructed you by giving you various answers that you might know, and that you might make known, the designs of My will to others; but now I only make Myself known to you in spirit, and I give you inspirations by lights which would be difficult to express in words. For I have chosen you for this purpose that I may use you as the repository of My treasures, wherein I may repose the riches of My grace, providing that every one should find whatever he needs in you, as in the spouse who knows all the secrets of her Bridegroom, and on account of her Divine union with Him, acknowledges His wishes and His Will in all things. And it was even so. For when the Saint prayed for anything, even if she received no reply from Our Lord, as she had done formerly, she nevertheless felt equal consolation, and a certain assurance that her prayer was heard. Also, when anyone came to ask counsel or consolation of her, she at once felt her heart filled with the necessary light and inspired what to say, without a moment's reflection - and with so much assurance and certainty, that she would have given her life for the truth of the inspiration.



Chapter 5

According to the calculations of Campacci, the Saint was elected Abbess on May 3, 1294, and governed her monastery for forty years, six months, and fourteen days. In the exercise of her charge she conducted herself with great wisdom, sweetness and prudence, coupled with a marvelous discretion, and for the glory of God and the benefit of mankind, in charity and love towards God, in piety and vigilance towards her neighbor, in profound humility and mortification towards herself. The sick had special occasion to extol her charity and her care, for she visited them assiduously, supplied them with every necessary, and, far from contenting herself with consoling them merely by words, she served them with her own hands, comforting them in their necessities, and providing even for their repose and recreation. Her religious, indeed, were often obliged to interfere in these exercises of devotion, lest their beloved Superior should exceed her strength and exhaust an already enfeebled frame in these ministries of love. Even in her dying moments, her thoughts, as we shall see later, were constantly occupied with a sick sister, nor could she be satisfied until she was carried to her to console her. So true a mother was this blessed Saint to the children whom God had given her!

"While, then, she thus flourished in all kinds of virtue, and, like a mystic rose, emitted a sweet odor of sanctity, agreeable alike to God and man, when she had concluded the fortieth year and eleventh day of her administration of the charge of Abbess, she was attacked with an illness, usually called the little apoplexy. This illness was for her a favorable touch of the Almighty hand, who willed to free her from the ties of the flesh and the miseries of earth and to draw to Himself this noble and generous soul, who, having nourished herself so long with the fruit of the most excellent virtues, had acquired an extraordinary vigor and strength; but for her religious, it was a dart which pierced their hearts and filled them with exceeding sadness. They could not but be deeply moved and feel most acutely at beholding themselves on the point of losing so gifted a Superior, who, in their opinion at least, had no equal in the world, such benedictions and favors had God poured forth on her, both in the order of nature and grace. She had brought up in the monastery and received to profession, more than a hundred religious, but of this great number we never knew one who had the same esteem and veneration for any person as for their incomparable Abbess. Her power of winning others was so great and so engaging, that even the young children who were placed in the convent conceived so tender and strong an affection for her, that as soon as they were instructed in the things of God, and learned that she was their spiritual mother, they would have considered it a fault and a disrespect to say that they loved either father or mother or any other relative more than the Saint.

"So dangerous an attack of illness made the religious fear that this star, which shone so brightly by the light of the Sun of Justice, was about to set; and, as they apprehended, when they were no longer guided by the wisdom of so amiable and holy a mother, nor animated by the brilliancy and force of her example, that they might stray from the strictness of the narrow path of holy religion, they had recourse to the Father of Mercies and addressed to Him their earnest prayers for her recovery. And He who is sovereign good despised not the sighs and tears of these poor children, but because it was not convenient that He should grant them what was contrary to the immutable decrees of His Providence, He heard them in another manner, and in the way which was most useful and advantageous for their salvation; since, by making them consider the approaching decease of their mother as the commencement and her happiness, He filled them with consolation and enabled them to rejoice in her joy."

The religious of whom mention has already been made, as one singularly fervor for her dying Superior. Our Lord replied to her: I have waited with inexpressible joy for this moment, that I might lead My elect into solitude, and there speak to her heart. I have not been disappointed in My expectation, for she conforms herself in all things to My Will, and obeys Me in the manner which is most agreeable to Me. The holy Benedictine understood that by solitude Our Lord meant the illness of the Saint, in which He spoke to the heart of His beloved, and not to herear; for His language is such as cannot be understood in an ordinary manner, just as those things which are spoken to the heart are rather felt than heard. Tribulations and afflictions of heart are the Lord's language to His elect; when one who suffers thus reflects that they are useless, that they are spending their time uselessly - that others are laboring for them, and laboring in vain, inasmuch as they are never to recover their health through this labor - the soul answers to such thoughts, that, that which is most pleasing to God is to maintain interior patience, and to desire that the entire Will of God may be accomplished in them. Such an answer does not reach Heaven in the usual manner of human communications, but resounds, as it were, through that sweetest Divine organ, the Heart of Jesus, which is the ecstatic joy of the entire Trinity and the heavenly host. He continued thus: My beloved affords Me the most intense and agreeable delight, because she despises not the afflictions of infirmity, as Queen Vasthi despised the orders of King Assuerus, when he commanded her to appear with a diadem in her head, that she might exhibit her beauty to his nobles. So, when I take pleasure in displaying the beauty of my chosen one in the presence of the ever-adorable Trinity and the heavenly host, I oppress her with sickness and infirmity; and she carries out My intentions to My perfect satisfaction, when, with all patience, she the more willingly and discreetly receives the relief and comfort I choose to give her body; and it adds to her glory that she sometimes does this with inconvenience to herself: but it should be her consolation to recollect that all things work together unto good to those that love God. (Rom. 8:28).

On another occasion, while the same religious was praying for her, the Lord said to her: It is a pleasure to Me to have My chosen one prepare a lodging for Me and then to bestow on her pearls and flowers of gold. By pearls I mean her senses, by flowers of gold her leisure, with which, when she has time, and her strength is somewhat restored, she discharges her duty as well as she can, in preparing most becoming and acceptable ornaments for Me: being solicitous how she may so arrange everything that can tend to increase and preserve religion, so that after her death her rules and examples may be as a firm pillar to support religion in eternal praise. But, in the height of her labors, if she feels that she is injuring her health, she immediately desists, and leaves Me to finish the work: for the real fidelity that moves My Heart consists in persons discharging their duty when they find themselves in good health, and immediately desisting and intrusting all to Me when they find themselves indisposed.

As the illness of the Saint increased, she became incapable of the least manual labor, and her tender conscience was filled with fear lest there should be any imperfection even in this compulsory inactivity; she therefore requested the religious who had received so many revelations for her consolation to pray for her. Our Lord replied: A good king never takes it ill of his queen if she neglects bringing forward at a given hour the ornaments that he is most gratified at receiving, but he is much more pleased at finding her always ready to comply with his wishes; and the sweetness of My most benign Heart delights more in the patient endurance with which My chosen one bears her infirmity, on the relief of which she resumes her labors for the extension of religion, so far as she can without injuring her health."

As the Saint found herself daily more and more unequal to the important duties of her office, she became anxious to resign her charge; but even this desire she was unwilling to put into effect, until assured that it was the Will of God. Fearful lest her own inclination might deceive her, even in the interpretation of heavenly communications, she requested her favored daughter to ask the counsel she needed from the Source of all wisdom. Our Lord condescended to reply - may we not hope for the consolation and help many of His chosen ones, as well as of the soul so singularly favored thus specially to know His Will? - By this illness I sanctify My chosen one, to make her a fit habitation for Myself - as a church is sanctified by the blessing of a bishop. In like manner as a church is secured with locks, to prevent the entrance of the unworthy, so I, by that infirmity, seal her up so that her mind cannot be occupied by externals, which tend to disturb the heart and distract it from Me, and in which there is sometimes no great utility. Thus, as 'My delight is to be with the children of men' (Prov. 8:3). as I have said in the Book of Wisdom, I exercise and purify Gertrude by sickness, that she may merit to become My dwelling and my temple; according to the word of My Prophet: 'The Lord is nigh unto those who are of a contrite heart'. (Ps. 33:19). I continue also to embellish and adorn her with the rich and precious gifts of a good will and a right intention, which produce and animate all her actions, that I may erect My throne and repose in her, as a king who is seated on his couch of justice, and that I may therein take My delight as long as she is on earth, until I call her to abide with Me in Heaven, where I will share My eternal delights with her; but in the meanwhile I have not entirely deprived her of health, and I have left her the use of her exterior senses, desiring still to employ her to make known My Will and My answers to the community which she governs, as formerly I gave the people of Israel the Ark of the Covenant, where I delivered My oracles and received their respect and adoration. Therefore, as Gertrude is a spiritual ark, I desire that she should contain manna - that is to say, the sweetness and tenderness of charity to console the souls under her guidance, and to solace their griefs as far as she can. I desire also that she should possess the Tablets of the Law - that is to say, that she should declare or forbid what should be done or not done, in order to please Me, and that in so doing she should be guided by the lights and discernment with which I have enlightened her. But I desire also that she should be the rod of Aaron - that is to say, the authority and zeal of justice, to correct those persons who stray from their duty, to prescribe and impose salutary penances, and to decide and regulate everything with a fervent and even mind. She should consider that I could easily reform what needs reform, or what is ill-regulated, by simple inspirations, or by trials and disgraces; but I effect these things through her to increase her merit. And if anyone fails to profit by her warnings and corrections, it shall be no prejudice to Gertrude, since she has done her duty and has employed all the care and vigilance possible to convert the sinner: Man may plant and water, but I only can give the increase (CF. 1 Cor. 3:6).

As the Saint now became troubled because she could not approach Holy Communion as frequently as she had been accustomed to do, and also because she feared to approach it without her usual preparation, which her sickness rendered impossible, she made known her trial to the beloved companion who had so often obtained counsel to the beloved companion who had so often obtained counsel for her. She was also grieved because the religious took so much trouble to serve her, and devoted so much time to her, since every effort to procure her recovery seemed of no avail. To the first difficulty the Lord replied: When it is purely for Me that Gertrude abstains from Communion or from any other good work which she would willingly practice, if it could be accomplished without increasing her illness or injuring her health, then the liberality of My goodness will impart to her a share in all the goodness will impart to her a share in all the good which is done by the faithful; for all the good which is done in the Church belongs to Me, and I dispose of it as I will - and this because it is from pure intention, and for Me only that she has not participated in the graces of those holy exercises which she has omitted.

To the other inquiry Our Lord answered: You must serve her with respectful charity, cheerfully and promptly, to love and honor Me, because I dwell in her, and I have made her the head of this community; therefore let each assist her, as the members assist the head. Let her refer to My honor and glory the service which is rendered to her, and rejoice that I employ her as one who is united to Me by a constant and faithful friendship to increase the merit of My elect; for I will reward all the good that is done for her, not only in act, but by words of affection, as if it had been done to Myself.

On the Feast of St. Lebuin, as the sisters prayed in common, with special fervor, for the recovery of their beloved mother, the religious invoked the Saint with great earnest; and he relied: "When a king is engaged with his queen, do you not think that it would be most unbecoming in a private soldier to interrupt him, by asking him to give his family the pleasure and consolation of seeing her? - thus, it is most unbecoming that anyone should pray for the recovery of others, for their own views, when they are united by patience and good will to the very King of Heaven Himself." Whence we are to learn that when those who glorify God by sickness ask the prayers of the Saints, they merit thereby to become more patient and obtain more abundant and valuable fruit from their infirmity.



Chapter 6

For several months before her death, St. Gertrude entirely lost the use of her speech, and was only able to articulate the words "my spirit" Those who attended her in vain endeavored to ascertain what she meant; indeed it appeared almost miraculous that she was able to pronounce them, while otherwise totally deprived of utterance. As she repeated them constantly, the religious before mentioned, inquired of her heavenly Spouse if they contained any spiritual signification. Our Lord replied: Because I the Lord God, dwelling in her, have drawn and united her spirit to Mine, that she sees Me alone in every creature, therefore in her words, in her answers, and in her prayers, she makes mention of Me as the Person in whom her spirit lives. And whenever she acts thus, I intimate to the whole heavenly host that it to Me alone she looks, and for this she will have everlasting glory in Heaven.

The Saint still listened with the utmost attention when anyone spoke to her of God; and so great was her fervor, that she insisted on being brought daily to assist at the Adorable Sacrifice, although one of her limbs was perfectly useless, and the other was in such a state that she could not bear it to be touched, even in the gentlest manner, without suffering most acute pain. Still she took the greatest care to conceal her real state, and avoided the least gesture of pain, lest she should be deprived of her highest consolation. Her life - long devotion to the Office, now manifest itself to all. At the times at which she had been so long accustomed to watch and pray, she remained wakeful and alert, although even when taking necessary food she was constantly overcome by sleep, consequent on the languor of her disease. It was remarked also that the last time she uttered the words: "My spirit", it appeared as if she intended it as an offering of the Office of Compline, after which she fell into her agony.

Her singular charity and tender affections were manifested with peculiar sweetness during this long last illness. As she could not speak to the sisters who visited her, she exerted her failing strength to testify the pleasure she found in their presence and the depth of her material love, which could not bear to leave one unconsoled. To each she would sweetly use the one _expression, "My spirit", and to each extend her hand caressingly, though she could not move it without severe pain, so like was she to her beloved Spouse, so utterly regardless of her own suffering, when even a passing consolation could be bestowed upon another. And each time the religious left her, she again raised the suffering hand in benediction, well knowing with what devotion that favor had often been sought by her faithful children.

One sister, however was unable to visit her dying Superior: she was herself confined to a bed of suffering; but she was not forgotten. The Saint made such earnest entreaties by signs to those who attended her that at last they compiled with the request and carried her to the religious. She could only say the words so often uttered, but expressed her sympathy and affection for the poor sister by such gentle and tender signs and caresses, that those who stood by could not refrain from tears.

A month after the Saint had lost the use of her speech, she appeared so ill that it was considered necessary to administer the last anointing without delay. As the religious were preparing for the holy rite, Our Divine Lord appeared to St. Gertrude under the form of a Spouse of exceeding beauty, and extended His arms to her, as if to invite her to Himself, moving in whatever direction she turned her face. It was revealed to the religious before mentioned that Our Lord had so much love for His faithful servant, that He ardently desired to receive her into the arms of His mercy, and to put her in possession of the glories of Heaven. The religious inquired how it could be that her beloved mother equaled in merit those virgin Saints whom the Church had canonized because they had shed their blood for the Faith. She received this reply: Since the first year in which she held office as Abbess, she united and conformed her will so perfectly to Mine as to have merited an equal reward. But now that her virtues have increased with her years, I have given her a yet greater share of glory and merit.

When the happy day of release came, which the Saint had so long and so ardently desired, Our Lord appeared to her with His Divine countenance radiant with joy. On His right hand stood His ever blessed Mother, and on His left the beloved disciple John. An immense multitude of Saints attended the King of Saints, and among their glorious ranks were seen a band of virgins, who appeared to the religious of the monastery and joined themselves with them. Our Divine Lord approached the of the dying Saint, showing such marks of tenderness and affection as were more than sufficient to sweeten the bitterness of death. When the Passion was read, at the words, "Et inclinato captite emisit spiritum," Our Lord inclined towards His faithful spouse and opened wide His adorable Heart, as if transported with love, pouring forth all its tenderness on her. It might have seemed enough; but even on earth there was yet more consolation reserved for her who had been faithful (usque ad mortem_ - even until death.

As the sisters prayed and wept around her bed, the religious so favored by Our Lord ventured to address Him thus: "O most sweet Jesus! We beseech Thee, by the goodness which prompted Thee to give us so dear a mother, that, as Thou art about to take her from this world, Thous wouldst condescend to our prayers, and receive her with the same affection as Thou didst Thy Blessed Mother, when she went forth from the body". Then Our Lord, with exceeding clemency turned to His Blessed Mother and said to her; Tell Me, My Mother, what I did most pleasing to you when you were leaving the world, for they ask Me to bestow a similar favor on their mother. My Son, replied the Holy Virgin sweetly, My greatest joy was the grace which You showed Me of receiving Me in the secure asylum of Your holy arms. Our Lord replied: I granted this because My Mother, when on earth, ever remembered My Passion with such intense anguish. Then He added: I granted this favor to My chosen one in recompense for the care which you had, while yet on earth, to meditate often in your mind, and to revere by your grief and your tears, the mystery of My Passion. Gertrude must therefore render herself in some sort worthy if this favor, by the pain and difficulty which she will suffer today in breathing. The patience which she will thus be called to exercise will place her in a state somewhat similar to that to which You were often reduced by the recollection of My sufferings.

St. Gertrude accordingly continued in her agony the entire day, but Our Lord did not leave her to suffer alone. His Heart had already been opened to her, and from thence she drew the help and consolation she needed. Celestial spirits also surrounded her bed, and she beheld them inviting her to Paradise, and heard their celestial harmony as they sung continually: "Come, come, come, O lady! The joys of Heaven await thee! Alleluia Alleluia!"



Chapter 7

The moment of release came at last, and Gertrude passed to the eternal embraces of her Spouse. The religious, whose revelations seemed scarcely less wonderful than those of her saintly Superior, heard Our Divine Lord address her thus: Behold, now, you are to be united to Me, and to become My own forever, by the sweet embrace which I will give to your soul, and in which I will present you to My eternal Father by the close embrace of My Heart, as if Our Lord would say that though His almighty power had detained her until that moment on earth in order that she might amass a greater fund of merit, His extreme goodness, and the impatience of His love, if we may be permitted so to speak, could no longer defer her happiness, or leave His treasure in the mire of earth, but that He desired to transport her without delay to Paradise, and to have the satisfaction of seeing her enjoy eternal blessedness.

"And now this happy and a thousand times blessed soul took her flight to Heaven, and retired into the sanctuary of the Divinity - I mean, into the sweetest Heart of Jesus, the faithful and magnificent Spouse who had opened it to her by so great an excess of His bounty. Who can imagine the feelings which so extraordinary a favor excited in this holy soul, the wonders which she discovered, the glories with which she was enlightened, and the avidity with which she drank in the pure and holy delights which flowed upon her from the Divinity as from a fountain. We will not undertake to speak here of the welcome or of the caresses which she received from her Divine Spouse, which the excellence of His bounty and His infinite perfections rendered so amiable, nor of the joy and the thanksgivings with which the Angels and Saints attended her triumph, nor of the praise which they gave to her eminent virtue - for our mind is too weak and our pen too poor in eloquence to relate such things, and it is both more safe and more agreeable to our duty to content ourselves with sharing in the common joy of the Blessed who assisted at her entrance into glory, and to sing canticles of thanksgiving to God, who by His mercy, has raised her to such a high honor.

"This sun of the religious life, which had shed abroad so far the light of good example, shining no more on earth, and this soul, which was but as a little drop of water in comparison with God, having entered happily into the infinite ocean of the Divinity, from whence she had come forth by creation, the daughters of her monastery were at first quite cast down, and plunged into the obscurity of a dark sadness. They endeavored nevertheless, to rise from this depression, looking with the eyes of faith, as it were across little openings, at the sublime land of glory in which they believed their mother had been placed. But, on the other hand, as they considered the greatness of their loss, and that they had been deprived of so excellent an Abbess, whose like had never been nor could ever hope to be seen by them, they fell again into deep grief and poured forth torrents of tears. But in the end, the hope of their mother's happiness increasing more and more in their souls, they began to rejoice with her, and to beseech her to console them herself with her maternal tenderness and affection, and then they began to manifest their joy by singing the responsory surge, Virgo, et, nostras, which was commenced by that religious who had the greatest share in the confidence of S. Gertrude and in the favors with which Heaven had honored her, and who was therefore the more obliged to interest herself in triumph.

"Thus this virginal body, which had been the temple of Jesus Christ, was borne by the hands of these virgins into the chapel and placed before the altar. Then, all the community, being prostrated in prayer around the corpse, beheld the soul of the Saint, radiant with glory, standing before the throne of the most Holy Trinity, and praying for the salvation of all those who had been formerly under her guidance".

While the Mass was being said for the repose of her soul, the religious who had been so dear to her poured forth her heart to God and represented the excess of her affliction to Him. Our Lord deigned to console her by this reply: Why are you so afflicted for the death of Gertrude? If I have taken her from you, am I not able to supply what is wanting to you? If, after the decease of a gentleman, the lord to whom his lands belong takes possession of them, and unites them to his own domains by a just right, and if this lord has a high reputation for equity, there may well be confidence in him that he will not abandon the children of the deceased, and that he will give them what will be necessary for their subsistence - how much more just is it, then, that you should confide in Me, who am goodness itself, and that you should hope firmly, if you turn to Me with your whole heart, that I will be to you all which she has been, and that I will give to each of you that which you think you have lost in her?

On the following day, when they were preparing to inter the body, before the first Mass, this servant of God offered the Heart of Jesus, with all its marvelous gifts and graces, for the repose of the soul so dear to her. Our Lord received this offering as a vase in the form of a human heart, filled with the most precious wines. Having placed it in His bosom, He called the Saint to Him thus: Come to Me, My little one, and dispose of the goods which your children have sent you". Then the Saint turned to her Beloved, and found in His Heart treasures of all virtues and of all good; she took several, as it were with her hand, and, moved by the tenderness and goodness with which God had filled her, she said: "O my beloved Lord, this grace would be most suitable for the Prioress, and this for another religious, and this for another;" even as when on earth she had known the need of each, which now she desired to supply from the inexhaustible treasures of His Divine Heart.

Then Our Lord, looking at her sweetly said: Come yet nearer to Me, My beloved. The Saint rose joyfully, and placed herself at the left side of Our Lord, who made her look into His Heart, saying: Behold Me now, as I behold you. By this she learned that, in her desire to obtain graces and gifts for others, there had been formerly some natural affection; but this intimate communication with God changed her first desire into a perfect conformity to His Will, for though He loves men far more than they can possibly conceive, He nevertheless, in infinite wisdom, permits that many should continue in certain defects and imperfections, from which He could easily deliver them by His grace.

At the elevation of the Host, the same religious, in offering the Host cojointly with the priest, offered also for the deceased all the movements of filial affection which the Heart of Jesus Christ had for His holy Mother; then Our Lord said lovingly to the soul: Approach, O daughter, that I may manifest to you the filial affection of My most loving Heart. The Blessed Virgin then took this soul in her arms and brought her to her Son, who inclined towards her and testified a filial affection for her with the tenderest charity. The religious renewed the offering at other Masses; but as there were more than twenty celebrated, she desired to offer something still more precious, to increase the merit of her beloved mother. She therefore offered the filial affection which Our Lord had for His Father in His Divinity, and for His Mother in His Humanity. When she made this offering, the Son of God arose, stood before His Father, and called the soul of the deceased to Him, saying: Come hither, lady and queen; for now a greater offering is sent to thee. The Mother of God led her to a more sublime degree of glory, and the religious said to her, "O my venerable mother, I can no longer see you, nor can I know anything of the rank to which your merits have raised you." The Saint replied, "You can still ask me whatever you desire." The religious then said: "My good mother, why do you not pray to God that we may be able to restrain our tears, when you know that many of us have suffered in consequence of our grief, and you could never bear to see us afflicted when on earth?" The Saint replied: "My Lord has so tender and condescending an affection for me, that He makes even those things tend to my advantage and glory which would avail but little for others; and, in recompense for the vigilance and discretion with which I formerly guided you, He permits me to present your tears to Him in a chalice of gold, and in exchange He gives me to drink of the living waters of His Divine sweetness. Therefore it is that, having tasted so agreeable beverage, I sing to My Beloved a canticle of thanksgiving for my daughters and myself."

The religious then inquired if this favor was granted only for the tears they shed purely for God, and from their apprehension that regular observance should suffer by her decease. She replied: "For all the tears, even when caused by human love and tenderness, but when these tears are shed for the glory of God, the Son of God Himself sings thanksgivings with me, and this affords me a joy as great as the difference between the creature and the Creator." Then calling the religious by name, she said to her "My daughter, I have received a particular recompense from God for the fidelity and zeal with which I led you to act for the glory of God in the matter you know of. For my beloved Lord Jesus sings continually in my heart a song of love, for which I am glorified by the whole court of Heaven. My ears are entertained with a ravishing melody; my eyes behold a glorious light; I inhale and taste a most sweet fragrance, but there are other pleasures which I could have enjoyed, and of which I am deprived because I had been a little negligent in this affair, although I did all with a good intention and to promote peace."

When the bell was rung at the elevation of the Host, the religious offered It to supply the deficiencies of the deceased; when she had done so, It appeared to the soul of the deceased in the form of a radiant scepter, which seemed to move before her in a marvelous manner. But when she desired to touch it, she was unable, because what is neglected in this life cannot be repaired or supplied perfectly in the other. Nevertheless, as the Saint, by a special gift of God, excelled in gratitude and thankfulness, she prayed for all who had come to assist at her obsequies; and she obtained for many the pardon of their sins, and an increase of grace to regulate their lives better and to perform good works.

When the priest was giving the Benediction at the end of Mass, the religious beheld her blessed mother standing before the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, where she prayed thus: "Giver of gifts, grant, I beseech Thee, that whenever any of my daughters shall go my tomb to make known theirs griefs to me, or their imperfections and defects, that they may receive such consolation and support as to know that I am still their mother." This prayer was heard, for God, by His almighty power, His wisdom, and His goodness, granted special favors there to each religious. When the body if the Saint was placed in the tomb, Our Lord, to confirm His promise, was seen to make the Sign of the Cross on the body each time that earth was cast on it; and after it was entirely covered, the Blessed Mother of Our Lord also made the Sign of the Cross on the tomb, as a further assurance that her Son had granted this favor to the Saint.



Chapter 8

After the corpse had been interred, while the response Regnum mundi was being sung, wonderful signs of the beatitude of Gertrude were beheld in Heaven, and the very walls and pavement of the monastery seemed to thrill with joy. The Saint appeared, with a troop of virgins of admirable beauty. She held a lily and other flowers in her right hand, and on her left conducted the religious of her community who had already attained eternal beatitude.

In this glorious triumph they came before the throne of God, and when the words quem vidi were chanted, God the Father bestowed gifts on them; at the words quem amavi, God the Son bestowed His liberality on them; and at the In quem credidi, the Holy Spirit granted similar favors. When they had sung quem dilexi, St. Gertrude turned towards her heavenly Spouse and saluted Him with ardent love. As they chanted the response Liberame, Domine, many souls were seen entering Heaven with great joy, who had been released through the Masses said that day, and by the merits of the Saint. Among others was a lay brother who had been somewhat negligent in spiritual things, but who had been much relieved by the intercession of the Saint.

On the thirtieth day St. Gertrude appeared again to this religious, but with a splendor which far surpassed the visions she had seen before. The reason for this was that God willed that the merit which she had acquired by His grace in suffering her infirmities and sickness with so much patience should appear exteriorly, and that the beauty of her soul should shine forth visibly. A book of gold, richly adorned, was seen before the throne of God, in which were written all the instructions she had given to those persons who had been under her guidance while she was on earth, to which was yet to be added all the advancement in virtue which they had attained either by her teaching or example.

At Mass, the religious prayed with great fervor that Our Lord would reward her blessed mother for her maternal love and care. Our Lord replied: I grant your prayer, and consent that each of you should make a similar petition to Me, for I have such a good will for this soul, that there is scarcely any gift or grace which I am not disposed to grant her. Then, looking at the Saint lovingly, He said: You have bestowed your benefits well, since they are returned to you so gratefully. Gertrude then prostrated before the throne of His glory to thank Him for the fidelity of those who had been formerly under her guidance, and said: "Eternal, boundless, and unceasing praise be to Thee, my sweetest Lord, for all Thy benefits; and blessed be the moment in which Thou didst will to prepare and sustain me to receive such rewards. O God of my life, do Thou answer them for me". Our Lord replied: I will fix the eyes of My mercy upon them. He then made the Sign of the Cross twice with His most holy hand, and by this He gave to each member of the community the grace of giving good example and the grace of having a pure intention of Divine love in their hearts.

Twelve days after the death of St. Gertrude, one of her spiritual daughters was also called to her eternal reward. Her death added much to the affliction of the religious, for her innocence and purity of heart had made her singularly beloved. As for the favored religious wept and prayed for her, and thought of how much her sisters had been deprived in losing her good example and her wise counsels, she ventured to exclaim: "Ah, my beloved Lord! Why have You taken her so suddenly from us?" Our Lord replied: While you were burying Gertrude, My beloved, I was taking My delight among your devoted community, where I had descended to feed upon the lilies; and as I beheld this lily, which pleased Me exceedingly, I took it in My hand, and as I held it therein for eleven days before breaking it from the stem, it increased marvelously in beauty and in the odor of sanctity, and then I took it to Myself for My own special delight. He then added: When any of you reflect on the pleasure you found in the society and desire to enjoy it again, if you offer that desire to Me, it renews the pleasure I find in the fragrance of this lily, and I will return it a hundredfold.

As the religious, like a faithful and loving sister, offered the Host at the Elevation for her soul, with all the fidelity of the Heart of Jesus, she saw her elevated to a higher and yet more sublime degree of glory, where her garments shone marvelously, and she was honored by blessed spirits. And this she beheld whenever she made this offering for her.

Then, as she inquired of our Divine Lord why the sister had appeared in great fear and alarm during her agony, she received this reply: It was for her own good and an effect of My mercy. For during her sickness she desired very much to be assisted by your prayers, so that she might be admitted in to Heaven immediately. I promised you this favor, which she believed she would obtain from Me. I was pleased with her confidence and determined to do her yet more good than I had before purposed. But as young persons seldom purify themselves from slight negligences such as seeking too much amusement, and taking pleasure in what is useless - and as it was necessary that she should be purified from these little stains by the inconveniences and pains of sickness, before I could bring her to Heaven, I could not bear that, after having endured all with so much resignation and patience, she should still be unable to enjoy this blessedness. I therefore permitted her to be further tried by fear, caused by the sight of evil spirits; and thus she became perfectly purified, and merited eternal glory. "But where wert Thou, then, O Lord?" inquired the religious. Our Lord replied: I was hidden on her left side; and as soon as she was sufficiently purified, I showed Myself to her, and took her with Me to eternal rest and glory.



Chapter 9

Another religious died soon after, who from her infancy had been specially devoted to the Mother of God. After she had received the last Sacraments, and when she appeared almost dead, she gave singular edification to the religious by the affection and compunction with which she kissed the wounds of a crucifix which was presented to her, addressing it in tenderest words. After pouring forth the most ardent and fervent ejaculations for pardon of her sins, for the protection of her Spouse in her last moments and for the assistance of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels and Saints, her strength failed, and she passed as in a quiet sleep to her eternal reward. As the community were reciting the usual prayers for the repose of her soul, Our Lord appeared to a religious with the deceased in His arms, saying to her, caressingly, So you know Me, My child? Then she who was favored with this vision prayed that Our Lord would specially reward that soul for her humble and efficacious charity in having served her on many occasions, and for having been specially earnest in doing service to those religious who were most holy and devoted to God, in order that she might share in their merits and graces. Our Lord therefore presented His deified Heart to her, saying: Drink freely from Me a reward for all which thou didst when on earth for My elect.

On the following day, at Mass, the soul appeared as if seated in Our Lord's bosom and His Blessed Mother appeared to rejoice this soul by a communication of her merits. This was specially the case whole the community recited the Psalter for her, with the Ave Maria, so that at each word the Mother of Our Lord appeared to make presents to this soul, who received them to increase her merit before God. While they prayed thus, the religious desired much to know what faults the deceased had committed, from which it had been necessary to purify her before her death, and she prayed God to make this known to her. As her prayer was the result of a Divine inspiration, and not of an idle curiosity, it was heard; and Our Lord replied: She took some complacence in her own judgment; but I purified her from this, by causing her to die before the community had finished the prayers which they were offering for her. This troubled her much because she feared it would prove an obstacle to her happiness by depriving her of the assistance which she hoped to derive from the prayers of others.

To this the religious replied: "Lord, could she not have been purified from this by the sentiments of compunction which she had in imploring pardon for all her sins at the last moment of her life?" Our Lord replied: This general contrition was not sufficient because she still had some confidence in her own judgment, and was not perfectly docile to those who instructed her; and therefore, it was necessary that she should be purified by this suffering." He added: She also needed purification for having sometimes neglected the grace of Confession, but My goodness remitted this fault to her for the sake of some persons whom I honor with My friendship, and of others who had charge of her, and for the pain and mortification I caused her by obliging her to confess against her inclination on the day of her death; and then I pardoned her all the omissions she had been guilty of in this matter.

At the Mass, when they sung at the offertory Hostias ac-preces, Our Lord elevated His right hand and shed forth from it a marvelous light, which illuminated the whole Heaven, but especially this soul, which was in the bosom of Our Lord. Then the Saints approached, each according to their rank, and placed their merits as an offering on the breast of Jesus to supply for the deficiencies of this soul. The religious knew that they acted thus because, when that soul was on earth, she had been accustomed to pray that the Saints would give this assistance to the souls of the deceased. The Saints then testified their affection for her by endeavoring to increase her happiness, and the virgins caressed her specially, as having, in common with them, the excellent grace of virginity.

On another occasion, when the religious prayed for this soul, with few but ardent words, it appeared to her that all her words were engraven on the bosom of Jesus, and formed there so many little windows, which opened into the Heart of Jesus. Then she heard Our Lord say to this soul: Look through Heaven , and see if there is any grace in the Saints which you would desire to have, and draw it from My Heart through these little openings.

The religious knew, further, that each prayer which was made devoutly for her produced the same effect. At the Elevation of the Host, Our Lord appeared to present His sacred Body to this soul, under the form of a spotless lamb; having embraced it devoutly, she became entirely changed in this embrace because she obtained new joys and a more clear knowledge of the Divinity. Then the religious begged her to pray for those who were under her guidance, and she replied: "I will pray for them, but I can desire nothing except what I see to be conformable to the Will of my beloved Lord." The religious replied: "Is it not advantageous to them to hope in your prayers?" She answered: "It will avail them much for Our Lord to behold their earnest desire for our intercession." "But" continued the religious, "can you not pray especially for your special friends, if they have not asked your prayers?" She replied:"Our Lord, of His infinite charity, grants them particular favors for our sake." "Since this is the case, pray specially for the priest who communicates for you." The soul answered: "He will afford me double advantage, because, as the Lord receives it from him and returns it to me, so will He return to him what I have gained thereby, as gold appears to greater advantage when contrasted with colors."

"From what you say" continued the religious, "it would appear that it is more salutary to celebrate Mass for the dead than for any other intention?" She replied: "When this is done through charity, it is of more avail than if the Mass were said merely as a sacerdotal duty." "And how know you all these things?" inquired the religious, "since you appeared to know so little when on earth?" The soul replied: "I know it from the Source of which St. Augustine speaks. When God looks into the soul, it learns all things."

Once, as the religious beheld this soul clothed with a scarlet robe, and in a high degree of glory, she inquired of Our Lord how she had merited such favors. He replied: I have done for her what I have promised through you, by clothing her with My Passion to reward her for an occasion on which her heart was greatly depressed, and yet she did not exempt herself from the ordinary duties of the order, and although she had to do more than her strength allowed, she did not complain much of it. He added: And for the weakness and exhaustion which she suffered in her sickness, I have caused her to be accompanied by the princes of My kingdom, who make her find a special satisfaction in the glory which she enjoys: and I have recompensed her so abundantly for what she endured, that she desires to have suffered a hundred times more.

The religious also beheld many souls kneeling before her to testify their gratitude for their deliverance from Purgatory, through the prayers which had been offered for her, and which she had not needed. She inquired if the community would obtain any advantage from this, and they replied: "It is certainly very advantageous to you, for Our Lord will pour forth grace on you for each." In another Mass, which was not for the dead, the religious inquired of this soul what fruit she could obtain thereby, as it was not for the dead. The soul replied: "And what share has a queen in the possession of the king her lord? Know that I am so closely united to the King my Lord and my beloved Spouse, that I share in all His goods, as a queen is admitted to the table of the king; for which, may the King of kings be eternally praised and glorified!"



Chapter 10

St. Gertrude was never formally canonized. Benedict X1V says, that her cultus was first permitted on the 7th of October, 1606, four centuries after her death, when, by a degree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, an office was granted to the nuns of the monastery of St. John Evangelist, of the city of Licia. Onthe 20th of June, 1609, the nuns of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin of Mexico obtained a similar favor, the Office being a double. The Benedictine monks and nuns of the Congregation of Cassiensis were granted a double, ad lib., on the 19th of December, 1654. The beautiful Office of the Saint, at present in use, was composed by Dom G. H. Vaillant. In the Bibliotheque Generale des Ecivains de l'Ordre de St. Benoit t. iii, p. 170, we find the following details: "Dom Bernard Audebert, Superior General of the Congregation of st. Maur, having established the Feast of St. Gertrude in 1673, whose cultus was already famous in Rome, Spain and the Indies, Dom Vaillant, of the same Congregation, composed the Office of the holy Benedictine Abbess, which was chanted from this year in the monasteries of the congregation. The author uses the most tender expressions of the Canticle of Canticles - a language which only suits a small number of holy souls, who are elevated above earthly things."

It is more difficult to ascertain why the Office was transferred to March. The Maurist fathers made this change in a general chapter, possibly because there are so many feasts in November; but again the question arises why they chose a day already occupied by St. Gertrude of Nivelle. As far as we have been able to ascertain, the Feast is celebrated on the 15th of November by the Benedictine Order, with the exception of this congregation. The 17th of November was the day first appointed for the festival, but, as Benedict X1V quaintly observes, it was found that this day was already occupied by a Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and as St. Gregory Thaumaturgus had in his life time moved mountains from their place, it was not seemly that after his death he should be removed out of his place by a woman, or give precedence to a virgin. Moreover the days of St. Gertrude's decease was doubtful; it occurred soon after the Feast ofSt. Lebuin (November 12), and this was the only guide to a decision. A decree was then published, urbis et orbis (sic). The Sacred Congregation of Rites, at the instance of the King of Poland, approved an Office conformable to the Roman Breviary for "Christians of both sexes, secular as well as regular, who are bound to the Canonical Hours" This was authorized by His Holiness Clement X11, on March 9, 1739.

The questions of the Saint's canonization had been raised previously. In the year 1677, the insertion of her name in the Roman Martyrology was proposed. Bothinius, Archbishop of Myra, then Promoter of the Faith, declared that there was no document warranting either her canonization or beatification. "However," Benedict X1V adds, "I find the following note in his own hand writing: 'After writing the above, a plenary indulgence, authorized by a brief, was obtained on the Feast of the Saint, which carries much weight with it, because according to the decrees of Alexander V11, of happy memory, such indulgence is not granted to anyone not previously named in the Martrology; and at present (whatever may have been the case previous to the decree aforesaid), it is generally refused. But the official secretaries stated that they found St. Gertrude described in their books as la magna, and therefore entitled to be inserted in said Martyrology.'"

The name was therefore inserted on the 22nd of January, 1678, but without any special eulogium. The words "who was remarkable for the gift of revelation" were added afterwards. It is generally believed that the five books known as the Insinuationes Divinae Pietatis were first translated from the original German by Lanspergius. Benedict X1V mentions a previous work by Lamberto Luscorino, written in 1390; "but this," he adds "as far as I know was never published." Lanspergius says, at the conclusion of his Preface, that after a most diligent search he could obtain only one copy in Latin, the first book of which was so torn and mutilated that he was obliged to translate the same from the German into Latin and adopt the Latin copy for the remainder. From this it may be reasonably inferred that the work had been already translated and edited, but there is no doubt the edition of Lanspergius was the first to bring the Revelations into general notice. How one longs to know if the "Teutonic" copy which he used was the original manuscript of the Saint, and where he obtained it!

Lanspergius wrote at the close of the fifteenth and at the commencement of the sixteenth century. He was born at Lansburg, in Bavaria, and entered the Order of Carthusians at Cologne while still young. His piety and devotion procured for him the distinctive appellation of "the Just". He died in 1539, before he had attained his fiftieth year. His works, which are principally ascetical, breathe a singularly devout and pious spirit; they were published at Cologne, in five quarto volumes, 1693.

The Preface which he prefixed to the Insinuationes has been republished by all who have since edited the work. The title of Insinuationes, so expressive in the Latin, so impossible to be translated into English, which he was the first to prefix to the Revelations of St. Gertrude, has also been retained. Lanspergius commences his Preface by observing "that no one should be surprised if, in the present day, when the Holy Scripture is inquired for by all", he should have brought out a book of revelations; and he anticipates objection to the work by observing that even those who carp at such disclosures when made to religious, cannot deny that the Old Testament itself is entirely a volume of revelations. He suggests that objectors to such Divine manifestations must be of the number of those from whom Christ Himself declares His secrets to have been hidden by the Father, as being the "wise and prudent" of the world. It is for the "little ones" that he uncovers his candle, which has been too long hidden under a bishel; but considering himself a debtor to all, he feels bound to declare that nothing shall be found in this volume which is contrary to Scripture, or which may not be proven thereby. He continues:

"Let the reader further learn that we possess the profoundest veneration for the Scripture, so that we do not attribute equal authority to any other work, however sublime; but we must confess - such is the kindness and profuseness of Divine love - that there is no sex, age, condition, which it will not condescend to illuminate, or entice and invite, according to its capacity or its power of being so attracted. And thus God has established in His Church, not only various ecclesiastical writers, but also various methods of teaching, of phrase and of _expression, and that in both sexes, so that everyone may be instructed, illuminated and edified according to his taste.

"But some will perhaps object that these revelations were made to a woman, and either despising or suspecting the whole female race, will think that, no matter how holy a virgin or woman may be, she must of necessity be frail and unstable, having nothing manly (which means perfect) about her - as if holy women have not often been more constant in virtue, more ready for martyrdom, more chary of their chastity, more full of mercy, more intent in averting God's anger, than many men, and have given us examples of virtue which are very often superior to those of men. We men, therefore, should rather be confounded when we reflect on them, and look up to the whole sex with veneration.

"I will not deny that the same sex, that is, certain pious virgins or women devoted to God, when left to themselves, and unaided by any help from God, are by no means beyond suspicion; for vainglory, to which females are very much exposed, or a vain complacency in themselves, leads them to believe that what was entirely human was really a Divine inspiration; and at other times, delighted with the applause and esteem of men, they have considered themselves far better and superior to what they are in reality.

"Such people, however, are easily detected. An impostor, especially a female one, cannot escape very long, because wherever the deepest foundation of humility is not laid, the whole edifice falls ignominiously. But where real humility exits, such humility as those possess, and as all should possess, who cling to God alone from pure, simple and chaste affection, whatever sex such belong to, they will neither be deceived nor will they wish to deceive others. For though they may feel some heavenly motion, or receive some unusual celestial grace, it troubles them, it raises much doubt in their mind, how such can come from God - how such can happen to them, weak, contemptible mere nothings as they are - how God could come to know them at all; and they look upon it as nigh absurd for God, by such singular gifts, to prefer them to others, or to do any such thing for them in preference to others."

He then speaks of the humility of the Blessed Virgin when saluted by the Angel and says that those who are truly humble and holy will not believe any revelations or vision until assured by those who direct them. God speaks to whom He pleases, and makes no distinction of sex, unless indeed it be given more abundantly to the weaker when they deserve it by humility and devotion. But though he chose to speak through Balaam's ass, we are not therefore to call the ass blessed. But we call St. Gertrude blessed, such was her sanctity, purity and sincerity in seeking God's glory and His Will in all things, as to merit being the medium of revealing His secrets to us.

Lanspergius then shows that the character of these Revelations is such as to make them of general utility to the Church, as there is "nothing obscure, nothing doubtful; no prophecy of the future; nothing but what we can desire and wish for - namely, the extent of God's kindness, clemency and compassion"; and that "they show with what a most benign Providence He deals with His singular friends, who, renouncing their own desires, seek His Will alone, and how He promotes them to salutary, then to better, and then to the choicest gifts".

He then enumerates the various women mentioned in Scripture who have either prophesied or even had rule over God's people, commencing with Debbora and ending with Elizabeth and Anna. "I say nothing if the Female, the Virgin Mary, the most worthy, not only of women, but also of all created beings, for it is not seemly to compare her with anyone, since she excels them all as the sun outshines the stars."

The good Carthusian returns again to what seems a favorite theme, and says he passes over the details which he might have given of the glorious triumphs, the constancy and the endurance of female martyrs, and, with a brief condemnation of those ecclesiastics who because they are, or think themselves, "men of great importance, and high in the esteem of the people, despise the weaker sex", and restrain the devout from communicating as frequently as they desire, he passes on to a panegyric on the learning of the Saint and her sanctity: " As regards her sanctity, she so abounded in the virtues, that you could not say which was most prominent. Look at her humility - you can find nothing like it; at her chastity - you would say she excelled in it; observe her mildness and kindness - you would put them before the others; for she was so advanced in each virtue, you would say each was her principal one".

He next considers the practices of devotion which she saw proposes, especially that of uniting all our actions, however trifling, to those of Our Divine Lord: "Oh, the bargain!" he exclaims; "would he not be considered a fool who would not give a peace of copper for a heap of gold, or a flint for a pearl?" Thus are all our good actions turned to immense account, and become of great value to us, inasmuch as by our intention of uniting them with the oblation of Christ, they become part and parcel of His merits. Further, if we do all this not merely for ourselves but for others, and above all for Holy Church, our gain is increased, God is more glorified and the Church is strengthened and supported: "for all property, the more common it becomes, the more heavenly it becomes" - words surely worth noting and treasuring in every stage of our spiritual life.

The testimonies of various divines and doctors who had examined the Revelations are next adduced. The most approved theologians among the Dominicans and Franciscans were employed upon it; among others, Brother Henry of Mulhusen, and a certain Father called a Burgo, belonging to the Friars Minors at Halbustat, a person highly esteemed for his learning about the year 1300. He also observes: "There were many other learned persons, especially among the Friars Preachers, who conversed with her in her lifetime and testified to her learning and sincerity. The testimony of one who sent the following, after a most accurate revision of the book, I cannot withhold: 'I consider that no one having the Spirit of God in him can either find fault with or impugn anything written in this book. Nerved by the Spirit of Truth, from who all wisdom emnanates, I offer and hold myself bound unto death to meet anyone in defense of the holy and Catholic doctrine contained in it".

Such a testimony from a member of an Order ever distinguished for its theological learning and calm judgment will carry a weight with it which renders further observation unnecessary; and as the arrangements of the work has been fully explained elsewhere, we will conclude in the graceful and holy words of our author: "Farewell, therefore, courteous reader; we ask for your forgiveness for any oversight herein, for none certainly has been deliberate. Here look for and study what is right and perfect; and may God, through the intercession of the same pious virgin and the prayers of all pious readers hereof, have mercy upon me".

End Book 1





Book 2: The Revelations of Saint Gertrude.
Written by the Saint Herself.



Chapter 1

Let the Abyss of Uncreated Wisdom invoke the Abyss of Omnipotent Power to praise and extol the amazing charity which, by an an excess of Thine infinite mercy, O most sweet God of my life and only Love of my soul, hast led Thee through a desert, pathless, and dry land - that is, through the many obstacles I have placed to Thy mercy - to descend into the valley of my miseries.

I was in the twenty - sixth year of my age when, on the Monday before the Feast of the Purification of Thy most chaste Mother, in a happy hour, after Compline, at the close of day, Thou the true Light, Who art clearer than any light, and yet deeper than any recess, having resolved to dissipate the obscurity of my darkness, didst sweetly and gently commence my conversion by appeasing the trouble which Thou hadst excited my soul for more than a month, which Thou didst deign to use, as I believe, to destroy the fortress of vainglory and curiosity which my pride had raised up within me, although I bore the name and habit of a religious to no purpose. But Thou didst will to use this means, that Thou mightest thereby show me Thy salvation.

Being, then, in the middle of our dormitory at the hour I have named, and having inclined to an ancient religious according to our rule, on raising my head I beheld Thee, my most loving Love and my Redeemer, surpassing in beauty the children of men, under the form of a youth of sixteen years, beautiful and amiable, and attracting my heart and my eyes by the infinite light of Thy glory, which Thou hast the goodness to proportion to the weakest of my nature; and standing before me, Thou didst utter these words, full of tenderness and sweetness: Thy salvation is at hand; why art thou so changed by sadness? When Thou hadst spoken thus, although I knew that I stood corporally in the place I have mentioned, it seemed to me, nevertheless, that I was in our choir, in the corner where I had been accustomed to offer up my tepid prayers, and that there I heard these words: I will save thee, I will deliver thee; fear not; and after I had heard them, I saw Thee place Thy right hand in mine, as if to ratify Thy promise.

Then I heard Thee speak thus: You have licked the dust with My enemies, and you have sucked honey amidst thorns; but return now to Me - I will receive you,, and inebriate you with the torrent of My celestial delights. When Thou hadst said these words, my soul melted within me, and as I desired to approach Thee, I beheld between Thee and me (I mean, from Thy right hand to my left hand) a hedge of such prodigious length that I could see no end to it either before or behind, and the top of it appeared so set with thorns that I could find no way to return to Thee, Thou only consolation of my soul. Then I paused to weep over my faults and crimes, which were doubtless figured by this hedge which divided us. In the ardor of the desires with which I desired Thee, and in my weakness, O charitable Father of the poor, "whose mercies are over all Thy works", Thou didst take me by the hand, and placed me near Thee instantly without difficulty, so that casting my eyes upon the precious Hand which Thou hadst extended to me as a pledge of Thy promises, I recognized, O sweet Jesus, Thy radiant wounds, which have made of no effect the handwriting that was against us.

By these and other illuminations Thou didst enlighten and soften my mind, detaching me powerfully, by an interior unction, from an inordinate love of literature and from all my vanities, so that I only despised those things which had formerly pleased me; and all that was not Thee, O God of my heart, appeared vile to me, and Thou alone wert pleasing to my soul. And I praise, bless, adore and thank from my inmost, as far as I am able, but not as far as I ought, Thy wise mercy and Thy merciful wisdom, that Thou, my Creator and Redeemer, didst endeavor in so loving a manner to submit my unconquerable self - opinionatedness to the sweetness of Thy yoke, composing a beverage suitable to my temperament, which has infused new light into my soul, so that I began to run after the odor of Thy ointments, and Thy yoke became sweet and Thy burden light, though a little while before they had appeared hard and almost unbearable.



Chapter 2

Hail, Salvation and Light of my soul! May all that is in Heaven, in earth, and in the abyss return thanks to Thee for the extraordinary grace which has led my soul to know and consider what passes within my heart, of which I had no more care formerly than (if I may speak) of what passes within my hands or feet. But after the infusion of Thy most sweet light, I saw many things in my heart which offended Thy purity, and I even perceived that all within me was in such disorder and confusion that Thou couldst not abide therein. Nevertheless, my most loving Jesus, neither all these defects, nor all my unworthiness, prevented Thee from honoring me with Thy visible presence nearly every day that I receive the life giving nourishment of Thy Body and Thy Blood, although I only beheld Thee indistinctly, as one who sees at dawn: Thou didst endeavor by this sweet compliance to attract my soul, so that it might be entirely united to Thee, and that I might know Thee better and enjoy Thee more fully. And as I disposed myself to labor for the obtaining of these favors on the Feast of the Annunciation of Thy Mother, when Thou didst ally Thyself with our nature in her virginal womb - Thou who saidest: Here I am before I called Thee Thou didst anticipate this day by pouring forth on me , unworthy though I am, on the Vigil of the Feast, the sweetness of Thy benediction, at Chapter, which was held after Matins, on account of the Sunday following.

But since it is not possible for me to describe in what manner thou didst visit me, O Orient from on high, in the bowels of Thy mercy and sweetness, permit me, O Giver of gifts, to immolate a sacrifice of Thanksgiving to Thee on the altar of my heart, in order to obtain for myself and for all Thine elect the blessedness of experiencing frequently this union of sweetness and this sweetness of union, which before this time was utterly unknown to me. For when I reflect on the kind of life which I led formerly, and which I have led since, I protest in truth that it is pure of Thy grace, which Thou hast given me without any merit of mine.

Thou didst give me from henceforward a more clear knowledge of Thyself which was such that the sweetness of Thy love led me to correct my faults far more than the fear of the punishments with which Thy just anger threatened me. But I do not remember ever to have enjoyed so great happiness at any other time as during these days I speak, in which Thou didst invite me to the delights of Thy royal table; and I know not for certain whether it is Thy wise Providence which has deprived me of them, or whether it is my negligence which has drawn on me this chastisement.



Chapter 3

Whilst Thou didst act so lovingly towards me and didst not cease to draw my soul from vanity and to Thyself, it happened on a certain day, between the Festival of the Resurrection and Ascension, that I went into the court before Prime and seated myself near the fountain; and I began to consider the beauty of the place, which charmed me on account of the clear and flowing stream, the vendure of the trees which surrounded it, and the flight of the birds, and particularly of the doves - above all, the sweet calm - apart from all, and considering within myself what would make this place most useful to me, I thought that it would be the friendship of a wise and intimate companion, who would sweeten my solitude or render it useful to others: When Thou, my Lord and my God, who art a torrent of inestimable pleasure, after having inspired me with the first impulse of this desire, Thou didst will to be also the end of it, inspiring me with the thought that if by continual gratitude I return Thy graces to Thee as a stream returns to its source; if, increasing in the love of virtue, I put forth, like the trees, the flowers of good works; further more, if despising the things of the earth, I fly upward, freely, like the birds, and thus free my senses from the distraction of exterior things, my soul would then be empty and my heart would be an agreeable abode for Thee.

As I was occupied with the recollection of these things, during the same day, having knelt after Vespers for my evening prayer before retiring to rest, this passage of the Gospel came suddenly to my mind: If any man love Me, he will keep My word and We will come to him and will make Our abode with him. (John 14:23). At these words my worthless heart perceived Thee, O my sweet God and my delight, present therein. Oh, that all the waters of the sea were changed into blood, that I might pass them over my head, and thus wash away my exceeding vileness, which Thou hast chosen for Thine abode! Or that my heart might be torn this moment from my body and cast into a furnace, that it might be purified from its dross, and made at least less unworthy of Thy presence! For Thou my God, since that hour, hast treated me sometimes with sweetness and sometimes with severity, as I have amended or been negligent; although, to speak the truth, when the most perfect amendment which I could attain, even for a moment, should have lasted my whole life, it could not merit to obtain for me the most trifling or the least condescending of the graces which I have ever received from Thee, so great are my crimes and sins. The excess of Thy goodness obliges me to believe that the sight of my faults rather moves Thee to fear Thou wilt see me perish than to excite Thine anger, making me know that Thy patience in supporting my defects until now, with so much goodness, is greater than the sweetness with Thou didst bear with the perfidious Judas during Thy mortal life; and although my mind takes pleasure in wandering after and in distracting itself with perishable things, yet, after some hours, after some days, and, alas, I must add, after whole weeks, when I return into my heart, I find Thee there, so that I cannot complain that Thou hast left me even for a moment, from that time until this year, which is the ninth since I received this grace, except once, when I perceived that Thou didst leave me for the space of eleven days, before the Feast of St. John Baptist - and it appeared to me that this happened on account of a worldly conversation the Thursday preceding, and Thy absence lasted until the Vigil of St. John, when the Mass Ne timeas, Zacharia, is then said. Then Thy sweetest humanity and Thy stupendous charity moved Thee to seek me, when I had reached such a pitch of madness, that I thought no more of the greatness of the treasure I had lost, and for the loss of which I do not remember to have felt any grief at that time, nor even to have had the desire of recovering it.

I cannot now be sufficiently amazed at the mania which possessed my soul, unless, indeed, it was that Thou didst desire me to know by my own experience what St. Bernard said: "When we fly from Thee, Thou pursuest us; when we turn our backs, Thou dost present Thyself before us; when we despise Thee, Thou dost entreat us; and there is neither insult nor contempt which hinders Thee from laboring unweariedly to bring us to the attainment of that which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and which the heart of man cannot comprehend."

As Thou didst bestow on me Thy first graces without any merit on my part, so now that I have had a second relapse, which is worse than the first, and renders me yet more unworthy to receive Thee, Thou hast deigned to give me the joy of Thy presence without interruption, until this very hour: for which be praise and thanksgiving to Thee as the Source of all good; and that it may please Thee as the Source of all good, and that it may please Thou to preserve this precious grace in me, I offer Thee that excellent prayer which Thou didst utter with such amazing fervor when sweating blood in agony, and which the burning love of Thy Divinity and Thy pure devotion rendered so efficacious, beseeching Thou, by virtue if this most perfect prayer, to draw and unite me entirely to Thyself, that I may remain inseparably attached to Thee, even when I am obliged to attend to exterior duties for the good of my neighbor, and that afterwards I may return again to seek Thee within me, when I have accomplished them for Thy glory in the most perfect manner possible, even as the wind, when agitated by a tempest, return again to their former calm when it has ceased; that Thou mayest find me as zealous in laboring for Thee as Thou hast been assiduous in helping me: and that, by this means, Thou mayest elevate me to the highest degree of perfection to which Thy justice can permit Thy mercy to raise so carnal and rebellious a creature, so that Thou mayest receive my soul into Thy hands when I breathe my last sigh, and conduct it with a kiss of peace where Thou dwellest, who reignest indivisibly and eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit for endless ages Amen.



Chapter 4

I believe it was during the winter of the first or second year, when I began to receive these favors, that I met the following prayer in a book of devotions: "O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, grant that I may aspire towards Thee with my whole heart, with full desire and with thirsty soul, seeking only Thy sweetness and Thy delights, so that my whole mind and all that is within me may most ardently sigh to Thee, who art our true Beatitude. O most merciful Lord, engrave Thy Wounds upon my heart with Thy Most Precious Blood, that I may read in them both Thy grief and Thy love; and that the memory of Thy Wounds may ever remain in my inmost heart, to excite my compassion for Thy sufferings and to increase in me Thy love. Grant me also to despise all creatures, and that my heart may delight in Thee alone, Amen.

Having learned this prayer with great satisfaction, I repeated it frequently, and Thou, Who despisest not the prayer of the humble, heard my petitions; for soon after, during the same winter, being in the refectory after Vespers, for collation, I was seated near a person to whom I had made known my secret. I relate this things for the benefit of those who may read what I write, because I have often perceived that the fervor of my devotion is increased by this kind of communication; but I know not for certain, O Lord my God, whether it was Thy Spirit , or perhaps human affection , made me act thus, although I have heard from those experienced in such matters that it is always better to reveal these secrets - not indifferently to all, but chiefly to those who are not only our friends, but to who we are bound to reverence; yet, as I am doubtful, as I have said, I commit all Thy faithful Providence, whose spirit is sweeter than honey. If this fervor arose from any human affection, I am even more bound to have a profound gratitude for it, since Thou hast deigned to unite the mire of my vileness to the precious gold of Thy charity, so that they precious stones of Thy grace might be encased in me.

Being seated in the refectory, as I said before, I thought attentively on these things, when I perceived that the grace which I had so long asked by the aforesaid prayer was granted to me, unworthy though I am; for I perceived in spirit that Thou hadst imprinted in the depth of my heart the adorable marks of Thy sacred Wounds, even as they are on the Body, that Thou hadst cured my soul, in imprinting these Wounds on it, and that to satisfy its thirst, Thou hadst given it the precious beverage of Thy love.

But my unworthiness had not yet exhausted the abyss of Thy mercy, for I received from Thine overflowing liberality this remarkable gift - that each time during the day in which I endeavored to apply myself in spirit to those adorable wounds saying five verses of the Psalm Benedic, anima mea, Domino (Ps. 102), I never failed to receive some new favor. At the first verse, "Bless the Lord O my soul," I deposited all the rust of my sins and my voluptuousness at the Wounds of Thy blessed Feet; at the second verst, "Bless the Lord, and never forget all He hath done for thee". I washed away all the stains of carnal and perishable pleasures in the sweet bath of Blood and Water which Thou didst pour forth for me; at the third verse, "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities," I reposed my spirit in the Wound of Thy Left Hand, even as the dove makes its nest in the crevice of the rock; at the fourth verse, "Who redeemeth thy life from destruction," I approached Thy Right Hand, and took from thence all that I needed for my perfection in virtue; and being thus magnificently adorned, I passed to the fifth verse, "Who satisfieth thy desire with good things", that I might be purified from all the defilement of sin, and have the indogence of my wants supplied, so that I might become worthy of Thy presence - though of myself I am utterly unworthy - and might merit the joy of Thy chaste embraces.

I declare also that Thou hast freely granted my other petition - namely, that I might read Thy grief and Thy love together. But, alas, this did not continue long, although, I cannot accuse Thee of having withdrawn it from me, but I complain of having lost it myself by my own negligence. This Thine excessive goodness and infinite mercy has hidden from itself, and has procured to me, without any merit on my part, the greatest of Thy gifts - the impression of Thy Wounds - for which be praise and honor, glory, dominion and thanksgiving to Thee for endless ages!



Chapter 5

Seven years after, a little before Advent, by Thine ordinance, Who art the Source of all good, I engaged a certain person to say this prayer every day for me before a crucifix, "O most Loving Lord, by Thy pierced Heart, pierce her heart with an arrow of Thy love, so that nothing earthly may remain therein, and that it may be entirely filled with the strength of Thy Divinity". Being moved, as I believe, by these prayers, on the Sunday when they sang the Mass Gaudete in Domino, Thy infinite liberality having permitted me, by an excess of mercy, to approach the Communion of Thy adorable Body and Blood, Thou didst infuse a desire in me when I approached It, which broke forth in these words: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive the least of Thy gifts: but I beseech Thee, by the merits and prayers of all here present, to pierce my heart with the arrow of Thy love." I soon perceived that my words had reached Thy Divine Heart, both by an interior effusion of grace, and by a remarkable prodigy which Thou didst show me in the image of Thy crucifixion.

After I had received the Sacrament of life, and had retired to the place where I pray, it seemed to me that I saw a ray of light like an arrow coming forth from the Wound of the right side of the crucifix, which was in an elevated place, and it continued, as it were, to advance and retire for some time, sweetly attracting my cold affections. But my desire was not entirely satisfied with these things until the following Wednesday, when after the Mass, the faithful meditated on Thy adorable Incarnation and Annunciation, in which I joined, however imperfectly. And, behold, Thou camest suddenly before me, and didst imprint a wound in my heart, saying these words: May the full tide of your affections flow hither, so that all your pleasure, your hope, your joy, your grief, your fear, and every other feeling may be sustained by My love! And I immediately remembered that I had heard a wound should be bathed, anointed and bandaged. But Thou didst not teach me then in what manner I should perform these things, for Thou didst defer it to discover it to me more clearly in the end by means of another person, who had accustomed the ears of her soul to discern far more exactly and delicately than I do the sweet mummers of Thy love.

She advised me to reflect devoutly upon the love of Thy Heart when hanging on the Cross, and to draw from this fountain the waters of true devotion, to wash away all my offenses; to take from the unction of mercy the oil of gratitude, which the sweetness of this inestimable love has produced as a remedy for all adversities, and to use this efficacious charity and the strength of this consummate love as a ligament of justification to unite all my thoughts, words and works, indissolubly and powerfully to Thee. May all the deprivation of those things which my malice and wickedness has caused be supplied through that love whose plenitude abides in Him Who being seated on Thy right hand, has become "bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh!" As it is by Him, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, that Thou hast placed in me this noble virtue of compassion, humility and reverence, to enable me to speak to Thee, it is also by Him that I present to Thee my complaint of the miseries I endure, which are so great in number, and which have caused me to offend Thy Divine goodness in so many ways by my thoughts, words and actions, but principally by the bad use which I have made of the aforesaid graces, by my unfaithfulness, my negligence and my irreverence. For if Thou hast given to one so unworthy even a thread of flax as a remembrance of Thee, I should have been bound to respect it more than I have done all these favors.

Thou knowest, O my God, from Whom nothing is hidden, that the reason why I have written these things, so much against my inclination, is that I have profited so little by Thy liberality, that I cannot believe they were made known to me for myself alone, since Thine eternal wisdom cannot be deceived. Grant, then, O Giver of gifts, Who hast so freely and unreservedly bestowed them on me, that whoever reads these things may be touched with tenderness and compassion for Thee: and knowing that the zeal which Thou hast for the salvation of souls has induced Thee to leave such royal gems so long in my defiled heart, they may praise, adore and extol Thy "Praise and honor, glory and benediction be to Thee, O God the Father from whom all things proceed," thus to supply for my deficiencies.



Chapter 6

O unattainable height of surpassing excellence! O profound abyss of inscrutable wisdom! O immense extent of most desirable charity! How powerfully and exuberantly are the most delicious torrents of Thy most sweet Divinity pouring themselves forth on me, vile worm that I am, crawling in my negligences and sins, since it is permitted to me, even while wandering in exile, to speak, according to my poor capacity, of the ravishing sweetness and inconceivable delights by means of which those who unite themselves to God become one spirit with Him; which blessedness is poured forth on me with such abundance, who am but a little dust. Since after having permitted me to drink of this precious beverage. I am still privileged with the remembrance of it, I will use such words as I can to describe it.

It was on that most sacred night in which the sweet dew of Divine grace fell on all the world, and the heavens dropped sweetness, that my soul, exposed like a mystic fleece in the court of the monastery, having received in meditation this celestial rain, was prepared to assist at this Divine Birth, in which a Virgin brought forth a Son, true God and Man, even as a star produces its ray. In this night, I say, my soul beheld before it suddenly a delicate Child, but just born, in whom were concealed the greatest gifts of perfection. I imagined that I received this precious deposit in my bosom with the tenderest affection. As I possessed it within me, it seemed to me that all at once I was changed into the color of this Divine Infant, if we may be permitted to call "color" that which cannot be compared to anything visible.

Then I understood the meaning contained in those sweet and ineffable words: "God will (erit) be all in all" (1Cor. 15:28); and my soul, which was enriched by the presence of my Beloved, soon knew, by its transports of joy, that it possessed the presence of its Spouse. Then it received these words with exceeding avidity, which were presented as a delicious beverage to satisfy the ardor of its thirst: As I am the figure of the substance of God, My Father, in His Divinity, so also you shall be the figure of My substance in My Humanity, receiving into your defiled soul the infusions of My Divinity, as the air receives the brightness of the solar rays, that these rays may penetrate you so intimately as to prepare you for the closest union with Me.

O most noble balsam of the Divinity, pouring Thyself out like an ocean of charity, shooting forth and budding eternally, diffusing Thyself until the end of time! O invincible strength of the Hand of the most High, which causes so frail a vessel, and one which should be cast away in contempt, to receive within it so precious a liquor! O evident testimony of the exuberance of Divine goodness, not to withdraw from me when I wandered in the devious ways of sin, but rather to unite me to itself as far as my misery would permit!



Chapter 7

The day of the most holy Purification, as I was confined to bed after a severe illness, and as I was troubled in my mind about day break, fearing that my corporal infirmity would deprive me of the Divine visit with which I had been so often consoled, on the same day the august mediatrix, the Mother of God, the true Mediator, consoled me by these words: As you never remember to have endured more severe corporal sufferings than those caused by your illness, know also that you have never received from my Son more noble gifts than those which will now be given to you, and for which your sufferings have prepared you.

This consoled me exceedingly; and having received the Food which gives life, immediately after the Procession, I thought only of God and myself; and I beheld my soul, under the similitude of wax softened by the fire, impressed like a seal upon the bosom of the Lord; and immediately I beheld it surrounding and partly drawn into this treasure house, where the ever peaceful Trinity abides corporally in the plenitude of the Divinity, and resplendent with its glorious impression.

O ardent fire of my God, which contains, produces and imprints those living ardors which attract the humid waters of my soul and dry up the torrents of earthly delights, and afterwards soften my hard self- opinionatedness which time has hardened so exceedingly! O consuming fire, which even amid ardent flames imparts sweetness and peace to the soul! In Thee, and in none other, do we receive this grace of being reformed to the image and likeness in which we were created. O burning furnace, in which we enjoy the true vision of peace, which tries and purifies the gold of the elect, and leads the soul to seek eagerly for its highest good, even Thyself, in Thy eternal truth.



Chapter 8

On the following Sunday, at the Mass Esto mihi, Thou didst enkindle my spirit, and increase my desires to receive yet more noble gifts which Thou wert about to bestow on me; especially by these two of the first response: "Benedicens benedicam tibi" - With blessings I will bless thee, and the versicle of the ninth response: "Tibi enim et semini tuo dabo universas regiones has" - To thee and to thy seed I will give all these countries (Gen 26:3). For then Thou did show me what were these countries which Thy boundless liberality had promised, O blessed country, where blessings flow upon blessings! O field of delights, whose least grain is capable of satisfying the hunger which any of the elect may have for those things which the human heart considers desirable, delightful, amiable, sweet and joyful. While I attended to these things as well as I could, though not as well as I ought, the sweetness and charity of my Savior and my God was made known to me, not as an act of justice, for I was far from meriting such favors, but as an act of His ineffable mercy, fortifying me by an adoptive charity, and rendering my extreme vileness - all unworthy, miserable and detestable as it is - capable of receiving a more super celestial and super inestimable union with Him. But, my God, how have I merited this inestimable gift from Thy justice? Surely it proceeds from this love, which observes no rule - this ardent love, which is not limited by reason, and which has inebriated Thee, my sweetest Lord, if I may dare say so - causing Thee, as if devoid of wisdom, to unite what is so dissimilar; or, to speak more correctly, the tenderness of Thine essential goodness, and Thy nature, being inwardly moved by Thy sweetest charity (which causes Thee not only to love, but to be all love, and the torrent of which Thou hast turned toward the salvation of the human race), having inclined Thee to draw from the depths of misery the least of Thy creatures, deficient in all good, contemptible on account of her life and conduct, to elevate her to a share in Thy kingdom, or rather in Thy Divine Majesty, in order by this to confirm the confidence of all who are in the Church - so that I have hope for all Christians, and can believe that there will not be even one who will abuse the gifts of God as I have done, or give such scandal to their neighbor.

But since we may understand the invisible things of God, in some measure, by those which are visible - as I have before remarked - I saw (to express as far as I can that which is inexpressible) that the part of His blessed Heart where the Lord received my soul on the Feast of the Purification, under the form of wax softened by the fire, was, as it were, dropping a sweat, which came forth with violence, even as if the substance of the wax was melted by the excessive heat hidden in the depth of this Heart. This sacred reservoir attracted these drops to itself with surprising force, powerfully and inexpressibly, and even so inconceivable, that one saw evidently that love, which could not be hindered from communicating itself, had an absolute power in this place, where it discovered secrets which were so great, so hidden and so impenetrable.

O eternal solstice! Secure mansions, containing all that is desirable! Paradise of unchanging delights, continual fountain of inestimable pleasures, wherein there is eternal spring-time, soothing by its sweet song, or rather by its delicious and intellectual melodies, rejoicing by the odor of its vivifying perfumes, inebriating by the soothing sweetness of its mystic liquors, and transforming by its sweet caresses!,

O thrice blessed, thrice happy, and, if I may so speak a hundred times holy, is he who allows himself to be guided by this grace, and who, having clean hands, and a pure heart, and spotless lips, merits to be thus united to and incorporated with his God! What does he not see and hear and feel and taste? How can my stammering tongue speak of it?

For although the Divine Mercy has made me experience this by a particular favor, nevertheless the obstinacy of my sins, and the thick covering of negligence with which I am encompassed, hinders me from fully understanding it. For if all the science of men and Angels were united together, it would not be capable of making us understand, even in the least degree, the sublime majesty of so high a subject.



Chapter 9

Soon after, during the fast when I was confined to bed for the second time by a severe sickness, and the other sisters were occupied elsewhere, so that I was left alone one morning, the Lord, who never abandons those who are deprived of human consolation, came to verify these words of the prophets: "I am with him in tribulation." (Ps. 90:15). He turned His right Side towards me, and there came forth from His blessed and inmost Heart a pure and solid stream, like crystal, and on His Breast there was a precious ornament, like a necklace, which seemed to alternate between gold and rose color. Then Our Lord said to me: This sickness which you suffer will sanctify your soul, so that each time you go forth from Me, like the stream which I have shown you, for the good of your neighbor, either in thought, word, or act, even then, as the purity of the crystal renders the color of the gold and the rose more brilliant, so the cooperation of the precious gold of My Divinity, and the rose of the perfect patience of My Humanity, will render your works always agreeable to me by the purity of your intention.

O greatness of this little bit of dust, which this celestial Lover has taken from the mire to encase His jewels! O excellence of this little flower, which the ray of the true Sun Himself has drawn from the marsh, to make it beautiful as Himself! O happiness of this blessed and favored soul, which the Lord of glory has esteemed so highly, that though He can create whatever He pleases, He attracts it so sweetly and beautifies it by uniting it to Himself! This soul, I say, though it is adorned with His image and likeness, is, nevertheless, as far from Him as the creature from the Creator. Therefore is he blessed a thousand times who has received the grace to persevere in this state, to which, alas, I fear I shall never attain, even for a single moment.

O gift surpassing all gifts, to be satisfied with the sweetness of the Divinity, and to be superabundantly inebriated with Divine charity in the cellar where it is reserved, so that our feet are no longer free to roam to any place where its Divine fragrance is not perceived: unless, indeed, they are led forth by charity, when they pour out on others the wealth of the Divine faithfulness, and enable them to partake if their surpassing sweetness.

I hope, my Lord and my God, that Thou, in Thy most benign love, wilt grant me this grace, which by Thine almighty power Thou canst impart to all Thine elect. It is true Thine inscrutable wisdom alone knows how Thou canst do this, notwithstanding my unworthiness. But I honor and I glorify Thy wise and merciful almightiness; I glorify and magnify Thy almighty and all - merciful wisdom; I praise and adore Thy wise and omnipotent mercy; I bless and thank Thy omnipotent and wise kindness, O my God, because Thou hast bestowed on me graces so far beyond my deserts, notwithstanding all the obstacles I opposed to Thy bounty.



Chapter 10

I considered it so unsuitable for me to publish these writings, that my conscience would not consent to do so; therefore I deferred doing it until the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On that day, having determined before Mass to apply myself to other occupations, the Lord conquered the repugnance of my reason by these words: Be assured that you will not be released from the prison of the flesh until you have paid this debt which still binds you. And as I reflected that I had already employed the gifts of God for the advancement of my neighbor - if not by my writing, at least by my words - He brought forward these words which I had heard used at the preceding Matins: If the Lord had willed to teach His doctrine only to those who were present, He would have taught by word only, not by writing. But now they are written for the salvation of many. He added further: I desire your writings to be an indisputable evidence of My Divine goodness in these latter times, in which I purpose to do good to many.

These words having depressed me, I began to consider within myself how difficult and even impossible it would be to find thoughts and words capable of explaining these things to the human intellect without scandal. But the Lord delivered me from this pusillanimity by pouring out on my soul an abundant rain, the impetuous fall of which weighed me down like a young and tender plant - vile creature that I am! - instead of watering me gently, so as to make me increase in perfection; and I could find no profit from it, except from some weighty words, the sense of which I was unable perfectly to penetrate. Therefore, finding myself still more depressed, I inquired what would be the advantage of these writings, and Thy goodness, my God, solaced my trouble with Thy usual sweetness, refreshing my soul by this reply: Since this deluge appears useless to you, behold, I will now approach you to My Divine Heart, that your words may be gentle and sweet, according to the capabilities of your mind. Which promise, my Lord and my God, Thou didst most faithfully fulfill. And for four days, at a convenient hour each morning, Thou didst suggest with so much clearness and sweetness what I composed, that I have been able to write it without difficulty and without reflection, even as if I had learned it by heart long before - with this limitation, that when I had written a sufficient quantity each day, it has not been possible for me, although I applied my whole mind to it, to find a single word to express the things which on the following day I could write freely: thus instructing and refraining my impetuosity as the Scripture teaches: "Let none so apply himself to action as to omit contemplation." Thus art Thou jealous for my welfare, and whilst Thou givest me leisure to enjoy the embraces of Rachel, Thou dost not permit me to be deprived of the glorious fruitfulness of Lia. May Thy wise love deign to accomplish in me these two things!



Chapter 11

Since, Lord, Thou hast so often diversified the salutary taste of Thy presence, and that Thou hast prevented my baseness so assiduously with the sweetness of Thy benedictions, especially when I was admitted to the participation of Thy adorable Body and Blood - since I can make no return to Thee for this, even by a single thanksgiving for a thousand favors - I remit the thanksgivings which I owe to that eternal, infinite and incommunicable gratitude by which, O ever - peaceful and resplendent Trinity, Thou dost fully satisfy all our debts of Thyself, by Thyself and in Thyself. And I, who am but dust, offer my thanksgivings to Thee, through Him who stands by Thee, clothed with my substance, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, for all the benefits which I have received from Thee, principally for having instructed my ignorance by so evident a sign, that Thou hast shown me clearly how I corrupt the purity of Thy gifts.

On one occasion, when I assisted at a Mass at which I was to communicate, I perceived that Thou wert present, by an admirable condescension, and that Thou didst use this similitude to instruct me, by appearing as if parched with thirst, and desiring that I should give Thee to drink; and while I was troubled thereat, and could not even force a tear from my eyes, I beheld Thee presenting me with a golden cup with Thine own Hand. When I took it, my heart immediately melted into a torrent of fervent tears. Then I saw a certain despicable creature at my right hand, who was secretly putting something bitter and venomous into it, and inciting me to put it in this cup. But as this was followed by an instant motion of vainglory, I easily understood that it was a stratagem of that ancient enemy, who turns against us all his rage when he sees us enriched with Thy gifts.

But thanks be to Thy faithfulness, my God, thanks to Thy protection, Who art one and true God, Trinity in Unity, Unity in Trinity, Who permittest not that we should be tempted beyond our strength, although Thou sometimes permittest us to be tempted for our advancement in virtue; and, when Thou seest that we confide in Thee, Thou undertakest our cause, and, with boundless generosity, dost win the victory for us, and then allow us the merit of it, if only we will to do right - and Thou dost procure us this advantage to increase our merit, that, as Thou dost not permit our enemy to interfere with our free will so neither dost Thou interfere with it Thyself in any way.

Thou didst teach me also, on another occasion, that to yield easily to the enemy makes him insolent in attacking us again on the same subject; therefore, Thy justice requires that Thou shouldst sometimes conceal the greatness of Thy mercy in pardoning our negligence, because we resist evil more certainly, more usefully, more efficaciously, and more happily, when we resist it with all our might.



Chapter 12

I render Thee thanks also for another revelation, which was no less advantageous and acceptable to me, by which I was shown with what benign patience Thou dost bear our defects, that, by correcting us thus, Thou mightest insure our happiness. For one evening, having allowed myself to give way to anger, and on the following morning, before break of day, finding myself disposed to pray, Thou didst present Thyself to me under so strange a form, that it seemed to me on beholding Thee that Thou wert not only deprived of all kind of good, but even of strength. Then, my conscience being touched for my past fault, I began to reflect with grief how improper a thing it had been for me to trouble the Supreme Author of peace and purity by my ill- regulated passion. I thought it would have been better that Thou shouldst have been absent from me when I failed to repel Thine enemy, while he solicited me to do that which was so contrary to Thy Will.

Thou didst apply this to me: Even as a poor invalid who has been brought out to enjoy the sunshine by the assistance of others, with much difficulty, when he sees a storm coming on has no other consolation than the hope of soon seeing fine weather again - thus, under the influence of your love, I prefer dwelling with you in all the temptests of vice, hoping to behold the calm if your amendment, and to see you enter the port of humility.

Since my tongue is too feeble to explain the abundance of the graces which thou didst pour forth on me during the three entire days in which this apparition lasted, permit me, O my God, that my heart may supply for its weakness, and teach me how to render a thanksgiving of gratitude for the depths of the humility to which Thy love then abased itself for this charity, so amazing and so tender, which Thou hast for us.



Chapter 13

I confess also before Thy goodness, God of mercy, that Thou didst use another means to animate my languor; and though at first Thou didst commence Thy work by the intervention of a third person, Thou didst will nevertheless to consummate it Thyself with mercy and condescension. This person proposed to my consideration the Gospel which relates that after Thy Birth Thou wert found b shepherds; she added that Thou hadst made known to her that if I would truly find Thee, I must watch over my senses, as the shepherds over their flocks. I had some difficulty in believing this, and there seemed to me but little reason in it, knowing that Thou hadst given other capabilities to my soul than those serving Thee as a hired shepherd would his master; so that from morning until evening, I was full of discouragement. After Compline, as I was in the place where I pray, Thou didst solace my grief by this comparison: If a bride prepare food sometimes for her bridegroom's falcons, she will not on this account be deprived of his caresses, so if I occupied myself for love of Thee in watching over my affections and senses, I should not on this account be deprived of the sweetness of Thy graces.

Thou didst give me for this purpose the spirit of fear, under the figure of a green rod, in order that, remaining always with Thee, and never leaving the shelter of Thine embraces even for a single moment, I might without danger extend my care to all the windings and ladyrinths in which human affection so often loses itself. Thou didst add that when anything presented itself to my mind which sought to turn my thoughts to the right, as to joy or hope; to the left, as to fear, grief, or anger - that I should threaten them with the rod of fear, and that afterwards, by the restraining of my senses, I should immolate this affection like a newborn lamb, by the fire of my heart, and offer it to Thee as a feast.

But, alas, how many times when the opportunity has come have I not snatched, as if from Thy very lips, by a malicious lightness, or by a passionate word or action, that which I had given Thee, and presented it to Thine enemy! And even then Thou hast looked on me with tenderness and sweetness, as if Thou hadst not perceived my infidelity, and thereby Thou hast often excited transports of sweetness in my soul, which have served to make me correct and watch over myself far more than the threats and fear of Thine anger.



Chapter 14

The Sunday before Lent, while they chanted the Esto mihi, Thou didst make me understand by the words of this Introit, O only Object of my love, that, being wearied by the persecutions and outrages which so many persons inflict on Thee, Thou didst ask for my heart, that Thou mightest repose therein. Therefore each time that I entered during these three days, Thou didst appear to me as if lying down there like a person exhausted by extreme languor, and I could find no greater solace of Thy woe during this period than to pray, keep silence, and perform other exercises of mortification in Thine honor for the conversion of worldly persons.

Thy grace makes me know further, by frequent revelations, that the soul, dwelling in the body of frail humanity, is darkened in the same manner as a person who stands in a narrow space, and is surrounded on all sides by a vapor exhaling from a cooking vessel. And when the body is afflicted by any evil, the part which suffers is to the soul as a beam from the sun which enlightens the air, and from which it receives marvelous clearness; therefore, the heavier one's sufferings are, the purer is the light the soul receives. But afflictions and trials of the heart in humility, patience and other virtues impart the greatest luster to the soul, as they touch it more keenly, efficaciously and intimately; works of charity, above all, give it an admirable serenity and brightness.

Thanks be to Thee, O Lover of men, that Thou hast sometimes led me by this means to patience! But alas! - and a thousand times, alas! - how seldom have I listened to Thy counsels, or rather, how seldom have I done what I ought to have done! O Lord, Thou knowest the grief, the shame and the dejection of my soul for this; Thou knowest the desire of my heart to apply to Thee for my deficiencies.

On another occasion, when I was about to communicate at Mass, being filled abundantly with Thy Spirit, and seeking within myself what I could do in return for so great a favor, Thou didst propose to me, as a Master full of wisdom, these words of the Apostle: "For I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my brethren...." (Rom, 9:3). And although Thou hadst taught me before that the soul had its abode in the heart, Thou didst make me know also that it resided in the brain; and this truth, of which I had been ignorant until then, was confirmed to me afterwards by a testimony of Scripture. Thou didst teach me also, that the great perfection of a soul consists in relinquishing the pleasure which it finds in the affections, in order to occupy itself, for the love of Thee, in watching over its exterior senses, and in laboring in works of charity for the salvation of its neighbor.



Chapter 15

The day of Thine adorable Nativity, I took Thee from the crib, wrapped in swathing clothes, like a little infant newly born and placed Thee in my heart, that I might make a bouquet of myrrh of all Thy infant sufferings and incommodities, to place it in my breast, that I might drink therefrom a libation of Divine sweetness. but as I considered this the greatest favor Thou couldst bestow on me, Thou, Who when we least expect it, accompaniest Thy first graces by others yet more precious, didst will to diversity the abundance of Thy graces in this manner.

For on the same day, the following year, as the Mass Dominus dixit was said, I received Thee, coming forth from the virginal womb of Thy Mother as a feeble and delicate Infant, and carried Thee for some time in my arms. It seemed to me that the compassion which I had shown before the Feast, by some special prayers for a person in affliction, had obtained this favor for me; but, alas, after having obtained it, I did not receive it with the devotion I ought! I know not if it were an act of Thy justice, or a chastisement of my negligence; I hope, never the less that Thy justice, by the intermission of Thy mercy has so ordered it, to make me known more clearly the greatness of my unworthiness, and to make me less negligent in putting away idle thoughts. But it is for Thee, O Lord, to say to which of these causes I ought to refer this effect.

Nevertheless, as I gathered up all my strength to make a last effort to gain Thee by my loving caresses, I perceived that all this was of no avail, until I commenced praying for sinners, for the souls in Purgatory, or for those who were in any affliction, when I knew that I was heard; but still more one evening, when I formed the resolution of commencing the prayers which I say for the deceased offering them for those most beloved by Thee, with the Collect, Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, cui nunquam sine spe, instead of commencing, as I had been accustomed to do, by praying for those related to me, with the Collect, Deus, qui nos patrem et matrem, and it seemed to me that this change was very pleasing to Thee.

I believed also that it pleased Thee much, when I chanted as loud as I could, and at each note fixed my intention on Thee, as one fixes his eye on his book, who has not yet learned the chant perfectly. Still I know that I have been negligent in this and in other things which concerns Thy glory; and I confess it to Thee, the Father of mercy, asking pardon through the bitter Passion of Thy blameless Son Jesus Christ, in whom Thou didst declare Thyself well pleased, saying: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 17:5); through Him I ask the grace of amendment and atonement for my negligences.



Chapter 16

On the Feast of the Purification, at the Procession, when Thou, our Salvation and Redemption, wert borne as an offering to the Temple, at the Antiphon, Cum inducerent, Thy Virgin Mother told me to give her, her Child, the blessed Fruit of her womb; and she demanded Thee again from me with a severe countenance, as if she was not pleased with my care of Thee, Who art the honor and joy of her spotless virginity.

Then, remembering the grace which she had received from Thee of being the hope of the despairing and the reconciler of sinners, I exclaimed: "O Mother of mercy, was not the Fount of forgiveness given to thee as thy Son, that thou mightest obtain all grace for us from Him, and that the multitude of our sins and our deficiencies might be covered by thy abundant charity?" The She looked on me more with a serene and loving countenance so that I might know that if my fault obliged her to appear severe to me, she was, nevertheless, full of the most consummate tenderness, and penetrated to her inmost heart with the most sweet and Divine charity. I soon beheld the tokens of it, since a few words removed her anger, and her sweetness shone forth resplendently. May this abundant tenderness of Thy Mother intercede with Thee, and obtain pardon for my faults!

And I know, by a testimony clearer than light itself, that no obstacle could have arrested the torrent of Thy sweetness, when, on the Feast of Thy Nativity, the preceding year. Thou didst grant me a yet greater favor, though in a similar manner, s if I had merited it by the fervor of my zeal the year before, when, far from meriting a new grace, I was justly worthy of chastisment for having lost the first.

For when these words of the Gospel were read, "Peperit filium suum primogenitum, Thy spotless Mother presented Thee to me with her pure hands. And Thou, O amiable Infant, didst endeavor to embrace me with all Thy might; I, though utterly unworthy, received Thee, and Thou didst put Thy little arms around my neck, exhaling on me from Thy mouth a breath so full of sweetness, that I was nourished and abundantly satisfied therewith. For this, O Lord my God, may my soul and all that is within me adore and bless Thy Holy Name! And when Thy Blessed Mother sought to wrap Thee in Thy swathing clothes, I desired to be wrapped up in them also, for fear of losing the company of One whose smiles and favors exceed the sweetness of honey and the honeycomb. Thou wert then clothed in the fairest robe of innocence, and cinctured with the golden cincture of love; and I felt that if I wished to be so clothed and so cintured, I should seek to have more purity of heart, and to abound more in love.



Chapter 17

I give Thee thanks my Creator of the firmament, Fashioner of its celestial lights and of the flowers of spring, because, although Thou needest now my goods, Thou, for my instruction, didst order me to clothe Thee with the garments of an infant on the day of Thy Purification, before Thou wert carried into the Temple. And this is the manner in which Thou dost desire me to draw from the hidden treasures of Thy love - namely to extol with all my powers the innocence of Thy Holy Humanity, but with such faithfulness and devotion, that if I could receive in my own person all the glory due to Thy blessed innocence, I would nevertheless, freely renounce it, inorder to enhance thereby the praise of Thy innocence. It seemed to me that this pure intention clothed Thee with a white robe, such as infants wear; Thou whose omnipotence "calleth those things that are not as those that are". (Rom. 4:17).

So, also, when I endeavored to penetrate devoutly into the abyss of Thy humility, I saw thee clothed in a green tunic, as a sign that Thy grace is ever flourishing, and that it never withers in the valley of humility. Then contemplating the fire of love, which has made Thee produce all which Thou hast produced, I beheld Thee clothed in purple, to indicate that charity is truly a royal mantle, without which none can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

As I admire the same virtues in Thy glorious Mother, she appeared to me clothed in the same manner, and as this Blessed Virgin flourishes like a rose without thorns, and a lily without spot, being adorned with the flowers of all virtues, I besought this most benign Mother to intercede continually with Thee for our necessities.



Chapter 18

One day, after I had washed my hands, and was standing round the table with the community, perplexed in mind, considering the brightness of the sun, which was in full strength, I said within myself: "If the Lord, Who has created the sun, and Whose beauty is said to be the admiration of the sun and moon - if He, who is a consuming fire, is as truly in me as He shows Himself frequently before me, how is it possible that my heart continues like ice, and that I lead so evil a life?"

Then Thou, whose words, though always sweet, were now much sweeter, and therefore the more necessary for my heart in its state of agitation - Thou, I say, didst reply thus to me: In what should My omnipotence be extolled, if I could not contain Myself within Myself whatever I am, so that I am only felt or seen as is most suitable for the time, place and persons? For since the creation of Heaven and earth I have worked for the redemption of all, more by the wisdom of My benignity than by the power of My Majesty. And this benignity of wisdom shines most in My tolerance towards the imperfect, leading them, even by their own free will, into the way of perfection. Seeing also, on a certain feast day, that many who had recommended themselves to my prayers were going to Communion, and that I was deprived of It by sickness - or rather, prevented on account of my unworthiness - and reflecting in my mind on the numerous benefits I had received from God, I began to fear the wind of vainglory, which might dry up the waters of Divine grace; and I desired to have some reflection in my mind that might prevent its recurrence. Then Thy paternal goodness instructed me thus; that I should consider Thy affection toward me under the similitude of a father of a family, who being delighted at seeing so many beautiful children receiving admiration from his neighbors and servants, had, amongst others, a little one who was not so beautiful as his companions, whom he, nevertheless, often took in his bosom, moved by paternal tenderness, and consoled him by gentle words and kind gifts; and Thou didst add, that if I had this humble esteem of myself, so as to believe myself the most imperfect of all, the torrents of Thy celestial sweetness would never cease to flow in my soul.

I give thanks to Thee, most loving God, Lover of men by the merit of the reciprocal gratitude of the adorable Trinity, for this and for many other salutary instructions by which Thou hast instructed my ignorance so many times as the best of masters - I offer my sighs to Thee through the bitter Passion of Jesus Christ Thy Son; I offer to Thee His pains and tears and dolors, in expiation of all the negligences by which I have so often stifled the Spirit of God in my heart. I beseech Thee, in union with the efficacious prayer of this Thy beloved Son, and by the grace of the Holy Ghost, to amend my life, and to supply for my deficiencies. This I beseech Thee to grant by that love which arrested Thine anger when Thy only Son, the object of Thy complacence, was reputed a criminal.



Chapter 19

I give thanks to Thy loving mercy and to Thy merciful love, most loving Lord, for the revelations by which Thy goodness satisfied my weak and wavering soul when I so ardently desired to be released from the chains of the flesh: not that I might suffer less, but that I might release Thy goodness from the debt which Thy exceeding love has undertaken for my salvation, although Thy Divine omnipotence and eternal wisdom were not obliged to grant me this favor - but Thou didst bestow it on my unworthiness and ingratitude of Thy superabounding liberality.

When, therefore, I desired to be dissolved, Thou, my God, Who art the honor and glory of Heaven, didst appear to me, descending from the royal throne of Thy majesty, and approaching to sinners by a most obliging and favorable condescension; and then certain streams of precious liquor seemed to flow through Heaven, before which all Saints prostrated themselves in thanksgiving; and having satisfied their thirst with joy in this torrent of delights, broke forth in canticles of praise for all Thy mercy towards sinners. Whilst these things happened I heard these words: Consider how agreeable this concert of praise is, not only to My ears, but even to My most loving Heart; and beware for the future how you desire so importunately to be separated from the body, merely for the sake of being delivered from the flesh, in which I pour so forth so freely the gifts of My grace; for the more unworthy they are to whom I condescend, the more I merit to be glorified for it by all creatures.

As thou didst give this consolation at the moment when I approached Thy life giving Sacrament, as soon as I had recollected myself and formed my intention, as I was bound to do, Thou didst make known to me further in what manner, and with what intention, each one should approach to unite themselves to Thy sacred Body and Blood; so that, even if this Sacrament served for our condemnation, were it possible, the love and of Thy glory would cause us to think nothing of this, provided that thereby Thy mercy shone forth still more in not refusing to give Thyself to those who are so utterly unworthy. Then I inquired concerning those who, from a consciousness of their unworthiness, abstain from Communion, fearing to profane by a presumptuous irreverence the sanctity of this Sacrament; and I received this blessed answer from Thee: He who communicates from a pure desire of My glory, as I have said, can never communicate with irreverence. For which may eternal praise and glory be given to Thee for endless ages!



Chapter 20

May my heart and my soul, with all the substance of my flesh, all my senses, and all the powers of my body and my mind, with all creatures, praise Thee and give Thee thanks, O sweetest Lord, faithful Lover of mankind, for Thy signal mercy, which has not only dissimulated the utterly unworthy preparation with which I have not feared to approached the super celestial banquet of Thy most sacred Body and Blood, but has added this gift to me, the most utterly vile and perfectly useless of Thy creatures. First, of having been assured by Thy grace that all who desire to approach this Sacrament, and who are restrained by fear from a timid conscience, who come to me, who am the least of Thy servants, led by humility, to receive this Sacrament with fruit to eternal life. Thou hast also added that Thou wilt not permit anyone whom Thy justice deems unworthy to abase themselves to ask counsel of me, O Supreme Ruler, Who, through Thou dwellest on high, regardest the humble. (CF. Ps. 112:5).

What prompted Thy mercy, when Thou sawest me approach so often unworthily, to suspend Thy judgment, and not to inflict on me the punishment I deserve? Thou willest to make others worthy by the virtue of humility; and though Thou couldst do so more effectually without my assistance, Thy love, looking upon my misery, made Thee effect this through me, so that thus I may be a sharer in the merits of those who, through my admonitions, enjoy the fruit of salvation.

But, alas this is not the only remedy which my misery requires; nor will one remedy satisfy Thy mercy, O most kind Lord! For (secondly) Thou didst assure my unworthiness that Thou wouldst consider whoever should expose their defects to me, with a contrite and humble heart, guilty or innocent, as I had declared them more or less guilty, and from henceforward Thy grace would so sustain them that They should never again be in such danger from their faults as they had been previously. And thus Thou hast relieved my indigence, which is so great that I have never even for a single day corrected myself as I ought, and yet Thou dost permit me to participate in the victories of others, when Thou, my good God, dost condescend, to give the grace of victory to Thine other more deserving friends through my words.

Thirdly. The abundant liberality of Thy grace has enriched my poverty of merit by this assurance - that whenever I promise a favor to anyone, or the pardon of any fault, through confidence in Thy mercy, Thy benign love will ratify my words and execute my promise as faithfully as if it has been confirmed by an oath of the Eternal Truth. Thou didst add further, that if anyone found that the salutary effects of my promises were deferred, they should continually remind Thee that I had promised this grace from Thee. Thus dost Thou provide for my salvation according to the words of the Gospel: "With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matt. 7:2). And as, I alas, continually fall into the greatest faults, Thou desirest by this means to remit the punishment I deserve.

Fourthly. To solace my miseries, Thou hast assured me, amongst other things, that whoever recommend themselves humbly and devoutly to my prayers will certainly obtain all the fruits which they hoped to obtain by the intercession of any other person: in which Thou hast provided for my negligence, which prevents me from satisfying, not only for the prayers which are made gratuitously for the Church, but also for those of obligation; and Thou hast found the means of applying the fruit of them to me, according to the words of David "My prayers shall be turned into my bosom" (Ps 34: 13); making me participate in the merits of Thine elect, who shall ask these graces of Thee through my intermission, although I am utterly unworthy of it, and granting me a share in them to supply for my indigence.

Fifthly. Thou hast further promised my salvation by conferring these special favors on me, that whom ever with a good will, a right intention and a humble confidence, shall come to speak to me upon their spiritual advancement, should never leave me without being edified or receiving spiritual consolation. In this also Thou hast most suitably supplied for my indigence: for alas, I have wasted the talent Thou didst so liberally bestow on me by my useless words, but now I may gain some merit by what I confide to others!

Sixthly. Thy liberality, O Lord, has bestowed on me thus gift, more necessary than all - certify to me that whoever, in their charity, will either pray for me - the vilest of God's creatures - or perform any good works, either for the amendment of my life, or the forgiveness of the sins of my youth, or the correction of my iniquity and malice, shall receive this reward from Thy abundant liberality - namely, that they shall nit die until, by Thy grace, their lives have been pleasing to Thee; and that Thou wilt dwell in their souls by a special friendship and intimacy.

And this Thou hast granted of Thy paternal tenderness, to assist my extreme indigence, as Thou knowest how many great corrections are needed for my innumerable sins and negligences. Thus, as Thy loving mercy will not permit me to perish, and, on the contrary by reason of justice, will not permit me to be saved with all my imperfections, Thou hast provided for me by means of the gains and merits of others.

Thou hast added to all these favors, my kind God, by an abundant liberality - that if anyone, after my death, considering with how much familiarity Thou didst communicate with my unworthiness while in this life, should recommend themselves humbly to my prayers, Thou wouldst hear them as willingly as if they invoked the intercession of any other person, provided that they had the intention of repairing their faults and negligences, and that they humbly and devoutly thanked Thee for five special benefits which Thou didst grant me.

First. For the love by which Thou didst freely choose me from all eternity, and which I declare to be the greatest of all the benefits which Thou hast bestowed on me: for as Thou wert not ignorant of, or rather didst foresee, the corrupt life which I should lead, the excess of my ingratitude, and how I should abuse Thy gifts, so that I deserve to have been born a pagan, and not an enlightened human being - Thy mercy, which infinitely exceeds our crimes, has chosen me, in preference to many other Christians, to bear the holy character of a religious.

Secondly. Because Thou hast drawn me blessedly to Thee; and I acknowledged it to be an effect of the clemency and charity which is natural to Thee, Who hast won, by the attractions of Thy caresses, this rebellious and stubborn heart, which deserves to be loaded with fetters and chains; and it has seemed as if Thou hadst found in me the faithful companion of Thy love, and that Thy greatest pleasure was to be united to me.

Thirdly. Because Thou hast united me so intimately to Thee; and I declare, as I am bound, that I am indebted for this only to Thy signal liberality, as if the number of the just was not great enough to receive the immense abundance of Thy mercies, not that I had better dispositions than others, but, on the contrary, that Thy charity might be the more signalized in me thereby.

Fourthly. That Thou hast taken pleasure and delight in dwelling in my soul; and this, if I may so speak, proceeds from the ardor of Thy love, which has deigned to testify, even by words, that it is the joy of Thy all - powerful wisdom to stop to one so dissimilar to Thee, and so utterly ungrateful.

Fifthly. That it has pleased Thee to accomplish Thy work happily in me; and, it is a favor which I have hoped with humble confidence from the tenderness of Thy most benign charity, and for which I adore Thee with gratitude, declaring, O sovereign, true, and only treasure of my soul, that I have in no way contributed to it by my merits, but that it is a true gift of Thy liberality.

All these benefits coming from Thine immense charity, and being so far above my nothingness, I am unable to give thanks for them worthily; but Thou has further assisted my misery, in exciting others, by the most condescending promises, to render thanksgivings to Thee, the merit of which may supply my deficiencies. For which may all creatures in Heaven, on earth and under the earth, glorify Thee and thank Thee continually!



Chapter 21

Among other things, it has pleased Thee, my Lord in the abundance of Thine inestimable charity, to ratify and confirm these favors. On a certain day, as I meditated on and compared Thy mercy and my malice, I was filled with extreme joy, even to such presumption as to complain that Thou hadst not assured me of these favors by solemn contrast, when Thy sweet and affable charity agreed to satisfy my objections saying to me Do not complain of this; approach and receive the confirmation of My promises. And immediately Thou didst open to me, with both hands, the ark of Thy Divine love and infallible truth, namely, Thy Defied Heart; and Thou didst command me to extend my hand - I, perverse creature as I am, seeking like a Jew for a sign; and then, drawing back Thy Sacred Heart, with my hand enclosed therein, Thou saidst: Behold, I promise to preserve inviolate the gifts which I have bestowed on thee; however, if I suspend their effects for a time, by way of dispensation, I oblige Myself, by the omnipotence, wisdom and love of the Trinity, in which I live and reign true God through all ages, to recompense thee afterwards threefold.

After these most sweet words, as I withdrew my hand, I perceived thereon seven golden circlets in the form of rings, one on each finger; which indicated that the seven privileges were confirmed to me, as I had asked. Then Thy loving mercy added these words: Each time that you acknowledge your unworthiness of My gifts, and confide fully in my mercy, each time you acquit yourself of the debts you owe Me for these benefits.

O, how ingenious is Thy Paternity in providing for Thy children, notwithstanding their vile degeneracy, and the manner in which they have squandered Thy substance, falling from innocence, and depriving Thee of Thy rightful worship! Yet hast Thou deigned to accept as an offering the reflection I make on my miseries. Do Thou, the Giver of gifts, the Source of all good, without whom nothing is good and nothing is holy - do Thou, for Thy glory and the salvation of my soul, grant me grace to know my unworthiness of all Thy gifts, whether great or little, whether exterior of interior, and in all things to have the most perfect confidence in Thy mercy.



Chapter 22

I should be unjust in recalling the gratuitous gifts which I have received from Thy charitable clemency, if I ungratefully passed over what was granted to my unworthiness, by Thy most loving clemency, during a certain Lent. For on the second Sunday, as they sang at Mass before the procession, the response which commences Vidi Dominum facie ad faciem, a marvelous and inestimable coruscation illuminated my soul with the light of Divine revelation, and it appeared to me that my face was pressed to another face, as St. Bernard says "Not a form, but forming; not attracting the bodily eye, but rejoicing the heart; giving freely gifts of love, not merely in appearance but in reality."

In this most enchanting vision, Thine eyes, bright as the solar rays, appeared opposite to mine, and Thou alone knowest how Thou, my dearest Lord, affected not only my soul, but even my body and all my strength. Grant, therefore that as long as I live I may prove myself Thy humble and devoted servant.

But even as the rose is more beautiful and gives forth a sweeter fragrance in the spring, when it flourishes, than in the winter, when it is dried up, and, like the remembrance of a joy that is past, rekindles in us some pleasure to think of it, so I desire, by some comparison, to declare what I felt in this most joyful vision, to extol Thy love, so that if those in this most joyful vision, to extol Thy love, so that if those who read this receive similar or even greater favors, they maybe thereby excited to acts of thanksgiving; and I myself, by recalling them frequently will inflame the negligence of my gratitude beneath the rays of this burning glass. When Thou didst display Thy most adorable Face - the source of all blessedness, as I have said, embracing me, unworthy - a light of inestimable sweetness passed through Thy Defiled eyes into mine, passing through my inmost being, operating in all my members with admirable power and sweetness: first it appeared as if the marrow were taken from my bones; then, my flesh and bones appeared annihilated, so much so, that it seemed as if my substance no longer had any consciousness save that Divine Splendor, which shone in so inexplicable and delightful a manner that it was the source of the most inestimable pleasure and joy to my soul.

Oh, what shall I say further of this most sweet vision, if I may so term it? For all the eloquence in the world, if employed daily to persuade me, could never convince me that I should behold Thee more clearly even in glory, O my God, the only salvation of my soul, if Thou hadst not taught me by experience. I will dare say that if anything human or Divine, can exceed the blessedness of Thy embrace in this vision, as I consider, I may truly say that, unless Thy Divine virtue possessed that person, the soul would never remain in the body after a momentary taste of this blessedness.

I render thanks to Thee through the union of mutual love which reigns in the adorable Trinity, for what I have so often experienced, and that Thou hast deigned to favor me with Thy caresses; so that while I sat meditating, or reading the Canonical Hours, or saying the Office of the Dead, Thou hast often, during a single Psalm, embraced my soul many times with a kiss, which far surpasses the most fragrant perfume or the sweetest honey; and I have often observed Thou didst look on me favorably in the condescending caresses Thou didst give to my soul. But though all these things were filled with an extreme sweetness, I declare, nevertheless, that nothing touched me so much as this majestic look of which I have spoken. For this, and for all other favors, whose value Thou alone knowest, mayest Thou rejoice forever in that ineffable sweetness surpassing all comprehension, which the Divine Persons communicate mutually to each other in the bosom of the Divinity!

May a like thanksgiving - or, if possible, one even greater - be rendered to Thee, for an extraordinary favor Thou hast granted me, of which Thou alone knowest, and which is so great, that I can neither fully express it by my feeble words, nor altogether pass it over in silence; and lest I should lose the remembrance of it through my frailty, I write this to recall it to my memory and to excite my gratitude. But, my God, do not allow the meanest of Thy servants to be guiltily of such an excess of madness as voluntarily to forget, even for a single instant, the gratitude which she is bound to have for the visits with which Thou hast honored her of Thy pure and gratuitous liberality, and which she has received for so many years without meriting them. For, although I am the most unworthy of all creatures, I declare, nevertheless, that these visits with which Thou hast favored me far surpasses anything that could be merited during this life. I, therefore, implore Thy sweetest mercy to preserve this gift to me for Thy glory, with the same goodness with which Thou hast so liberally bestowed it, without any merit on my part, so that all creatures may glorify Thee eternally for it, since the more my unworthiness is made known, the more resplendently Thy mercy will shine forth.



Chapter 23

May my soul bless Thee O Lord God, my Creator, from the inmost depths of my heart; and let it declare the mercies with which Thy charity has abounded and encompassed me, O my sweetest Love! I give thanks, as far as I am able, to Thine immense mercy; I praise and glorify the longanimity of Thy patience, which has borne with me, while I passed the years of my infancy, childhood, and youth, even until my twenty- fifth year, in such blindness and folly, that if Thou hadst not preserved me, either by the natural dread which Thou didst give me for evil, and an inclination for good, or by the reproofs of others, and by so many aids, and if Thou hast not saved me by Thy pure mercy, it appears to me that I would have sinned at every opportunity, either by my thoughts, my words or my actions, even as if I had been an infidel in the midst of infidels, and as if I had not know my God, that Thou wert the rewarder of good and the avenger of evil, although Thou didst choose me even from my infancy - that it - from the age of five years - to live in the bosom of holy religion, among Thy most faithful friends.

Although, Thy felicity, O Lord, can neither increase nor diminish, and Thou needest not our goods, nevertheless, neither my negligences nor my faults have diminished Thy praises, if I may so speak - I who am so justly bound to glorify Thee continually, with all creatures, and with all the powers of my soul. Thou alone knowest what I feel concerning this matter, and how profoundly my soul is touched by Thy condescension toward it.

Therefore, O loving Father, I offer Thee, for the remission of my sins, all the sufferings which Thy beloved Son endured, from the hour when He wept on straw in a manger - all the sufferings of His infancy, the privations of His childhood, the griefs of His youth, and the bitter sufferings of His Manhood, until the hour when He bowed His Head upon the Cross, and gave up the ghost with a loud cry. Further more, in satisfaction for all my negligences, I offer to Thee, O loving Father, the life of Thy Divine Son, which was so perfect in every thought, word and action, from the time when He came down from Thy celestial throne to the Virgin's womb, and thence came forth into this world, until the hour when He presented Thy Fatherly regard His victorious and glorified Body.

And because it is just that the heart which loves Thee should compassionate all Thy afflictions, I beseech Thee, for the love of Thy only Son, and by the virtue of the Holy Spirit, that whoever, by my request, or from any other motive, shall desire to supply for my deficiencies, either during my life or after my death, for Thy glory, even by a sigh or by a good work, that Thou wilt receive for them also, and for the remission of their sins and negligences, sufferings of Thy Divine Son; and that I may effectually obtain my request, I conjure thee to perpetuate my desire to all eternity, and even when I shall reign, by Thy grace, with Thee in Heaven.

I adore and bless with thanksgiving, and with all humility, Thy ineffable charity, O Father of mercies, by which, notwithstanding the disorders of my life, Thou hast had thoughts of peace towards me, and not of severity, overwhelming me with the greatness and multitude of Thy benefits, even as if I had led the life of an angel among men. Thou didst commence this work in me during Advent, before I had attained my twenty- fifth year, and consummated it on the Epiphany by a certain fear, by which I was so agitated that I began to have distaste for all the pleasures of youth, so that thus my heart became in some sort prepared to receive Thee.

Having entered on my twenty- sixth year, the second feria before the Feast of the Purification, at the close of day, after Compline, Thou Lord, Who art the true Light shining in darkness - Thou didst put an end to my spiritual obscurity and darkness, and to my youthful vanities. For at this time Thou didst give me evident tokens of Thine amazing charity and of Thine amiable presence; and Thou didst teach me, by a loving reconciliation, to know Thee and to love Thee; and having made me enter into my interior, which was until then unknown to me, Thou didst act toward me in marvelous and hidden ways, so that thou didst seem to take the same delight in dwelling in my soul as a friend in living with his friend or a bridegroom with his bride.

Thou didst visit me, then, at different times, and in different ways, to preserve this commerce of charity; but especially on the Vigil of the Annunciation, and before the Ascension, commencing Thy work on that day in the morning, and completing it after Compline, by granting me that favor which ought to be a subject of admiration and reverence to all creatures - namely, that from that hour until now I never found Thee absent from my heart for a single instant when I entered therein, except once, when Thou wert absent for eleven days.

As I cannot express by my words either the number or the value of gifts Thou hast bestowed on me, permit me, O Giver of gifts, to offer Thee in thanksgiving a sacrifice of joy in a spirit if humility, especially for having prepared a dwelling place in my heart, according to Thy desire and mine; so that I have neither heard nor read anything of the Temple of Solomon or the palace of Assuerus which seemed to me to be preferable to the delights which, thanks to Thy grace, have been placed in me, and which Thou hast permitted my unworthiness to share with Thee, as a queen with the king. But there are two favors which I especially esteem. The first is that Thou hast imprinted on my heart the glorious marks of thy saving Wounds, and that Thou hast truly and deeply pierced this same heart with the wound of Thy love; so that, even if Thou hadst Thou never granted me a greater consolation, either exteriorly or interiorly, Thou hast conferred such happiness on me by these two alone, that even if I lived for a thousand years, I should find each hour more consolation, thanksgiving and instruction than I could possibly contain.

Besides these things, Thou hast also granted me Thy secret friendship, by opening the sacred ark of Thy Divinity - I mean Thy Deified Heart - to me in so many manners, as to be the source of all my happiness, some times imparting it freely, sometimes as a special mark of our mutual friendship, exchanging it for mine. Thou hast also revealed to me hidden mysteries concerning Thy judgments and Thy beatitudes; and Thou hast so often melted my soul by Thy loving caresses, that if I did not know the abyss of Thy overflowing condescension, I should be amazed were I told that even Thy Blessed Mother, who reigns with Thee in Heaven, had been chosen to receive such extraordinary marks of tenderness and affection.

By all these marks of Thy gentle love Thou hast led me to a salutary knowledge of my faults, and at the same time spared my shame with so much charity, that - pardon me for saying it - it would seem as if the loss of half Thy kingdom were less to Thee than to cause me a momentary confusion for my imperfections. Therefore, in order to make them known to me, Thou didst use this wise expedient - discovering to me the defects which displeased Thee in others, and of which, when I entered into myself, I found I was more guilty than they were, although Thou didst not give me the least sign of having perceived them in me.

Further, Thou hast won my soul by Thy faithful promises of benefits at my death and after it; and if I had only obtained this favor from Thee, it would be sufficient to fill my heart with the most lively hope and desire. But the ocean of Thy infinite mercy was not yet exhausted, for Thou hast heard the frequent prayers which I addressed to Thee for sinners for their souls, or for other considerations; and so great have been these favors, that I have not yet found one to whom I could discover them, as I know them myself, on account of the pusillanimity of the human heart, which is slow of belief. To crown all these benefits, Thou hast given me Thy sweetest Mother, the Blessed Virgin, for my advocate, and Thou hast lovingly recommended me to her many times with the same ardor as a faithful bridegroom would recommend his beloved bride to his own mother. Thou hast also often sent me the princes of Thy court to minister to me, not only from the choirs of Angels and Archangels, but even those of higher rank, as Thy kindness, my God, judged it expedient for my advancement in spiritual excerises. But when, for my soul's good, Thou hast deprived me for a time of some of Thy delights, I have yielded to a weak and shameful ingratitude, and have forgotten Thy gifts, as if they had been of no benefit to me; and if by Thy grace I discovered what I had lost, and asked Thee to restore it, or grant me some other favor, Thou didst immediately give me all, as if it had been a deposit which I had entrusted to Thy keeping.

Besides these favors, Thou didst grant me others of the utmost value, especially on the day of Thy Nativity, the Sunday Esto mihi; and also another Sunday after Pentecost Thou didst elevate me, or rather Thou didst ravish me, to so close a union with Thyself, that I marvel more than at a miracle how I lived since then as a creature among creatures, and am even more amazed and even horrified, that I have not amended my faults as I was bound to do. Nevertheless, the fountain of Thy mercy has not dried up for me, O Jesus, of all lovers the most loving - or rather, the only One who loves the ungrateful truly and disinterested. For after a time, having forgotten my vileness, unworthy that I am, and having begun to disrelish those things which are the joy and praise of Heaven and earth - if it were only because an infinite God had abased Himself unreservedly toward a vile and abject worm - Thou, the Giver, Renovator and Preserver of every good - Thou didst arouse me from my torpor and excite me to gratitude by revealing to a certain person, who was very devout to Thee and familiar with Thee, some particulars of the gifts which Thou hast bestowed on me, which they could not have known by human means, since I had not revealed them to any human being, so that I heard from their lips what was only known to my secret heart.

As I recall these words and others, the glory of which is due to Thee alone, I will sing a canticle on a harmonious instrument, which is none other than Thy Divine Heart, by the virtue of the Spirit of consolation. Eternal Father, may all that is in Heaven, on earth or in the deep - may all things which have been, which are, or which will be - render Thee thanks and praise! Even as gold shines most clearly when surrounded by various colors - even as black appears darker by contrast with them - so is the blackness of my ungrateful life, when compared with the splendor of the Divine benefits so abundantly bestowed on me. For Thou couldst not grant any favors that were not commensurate with Thy royal liberality, I have only received them in my boorish ignorance, and as an unfortunate abuser of Thy graces. This Thou didst, as it were, dissimulate by an effect of Thy natural clemency, so that it appeared as if Thou never didst more for me than when I did least for Thee. And when Thou didst seek hospitality in my poor dwelling - Thou, Who reposest in the loving bosom of Thy celestial Father - I have been so negligent and so careless in entertaining Thee, that I should even from natural humanity, have been bound to tend a leper with more care who had asked a shelter under my roof after overwhelming me with outrages and injuries. Far, O Lord, Who adorned the stars with beauty - far from recognizing the graces Thou didst bestow on me - whether by filling me with interior consolation, or by imprinting on me Thy sacred Wounds, or by revealing to me Thy secrets, and even those of Thy friends, or by giving me marks of Thy friendship and tenderness greater than could have been found had the earth been traversed from east to west - I have been so ungrateful as to outrage Thee by despising these things, by seeking strange pleasures, and by preferring the bitterness of exterior things to the sweetness of Thy celestial manna. I have distrusted Thy promises, O God of truth, as if Thou wert a man who could lie, or fail in Thy fidelity!

Alas! I have also offended the goodness with which Thou hast heard my unworthy prayers so favorably by hardening my heart against Thy Will, and as I ought to declare with tears in my eyes, sometimes pretending not to understand Thy Will, lest the reproaches of my conscience should oblige me to obey it.

I have also despised the aid of Thy most glorious Mother, and that of the blessed spirits whom Thou hast sent to me; and I have been so unhappy as to prove an obstacle even to my earthly friends, on whom I have leaned, instead of relying on Thee alone; and far from increasing my gratitude and my vigilance over my faults, on seeing that Thy charity continued Thy favors, notwithstanding my negligence, I, on the contrary, returned Thee evil for good, like a tyrant, or rather like a demon, and had the hardihood to live even more carelessly,

But my greatest fault is, that after the incredible union which I have had with Thee, and which is known to Thee alone, I have not feared to sully my soul again with the same defects, which Thou hast permitted to continue in me in order that I might conquer them, and thus obtain greater glory with Thee in Heaven. I have sinned also, in that when Thou didst discover to my friends Thy hidden favors, to excite my gratitude, I failed in accomplishing Thy designs therein, by rejoicing in a human manner, and neglecting to correspond with Thy designs by the duty of gratitude.

And now, O adorable Creator of my soul, permit the groans of my heart to rise even to Heaven in expiation of all these faults, and of others which Thou mayest yet bring to my recollection. Accept my grief for the immense number of offenses which I have committed against the nobleness of Thy Divine goodness. I offer it to Thee, with all the gratitude and all the reverence which Thou hast enabled me, for all in Heaven, on earth and in the deep, through the merit of Thy beloved Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Since, then, I am altogether incapable of producing worthy fruits of penance I implore Thy mercy, O my sweetest Love, to inspire those hearts which have sufficient fidelity and zeal to appease Thee by a sacrifice of propitiation, to repair for my defects by their signs, their prayers, and other good works, and to pay the debt of praise which I owe to Thee alone. O Lord my God, because, as Thou seest the bottom of my heart, Thou knowest that I have only written these things from a pure love of Thy glory, in order that many who shall read them after my death may be touched by Thy sweetness and clemency, considering the greatness of Thy love, which has abased itself so low for the salvation of mankind as to permit such numerous and precious gifts to be abused, as I, alas, have abused them!

But I give thanks with all my might, O Lord, my Creator and re- Creator, to Thine infinite mercy, that from the abyss of Thy overflowing goodness, Thou hast made known to me that whosoever shall remember me as I have said above, for Thy glory, either by praying for sinners, or by giving thanks for the elect, or by any other good works, shall not leave this world until Thou has granted him the grace to become pleasing to Thee, and so order his heart that Thou mayest find joy and pleasure therein. For which may eternal praise be given to Thee which shall return without ceasing to the increased Love whence it proceeded.



Chapter 24 Conclusion of the Book.

Behold O loving Lord, I offer Thee the talent of Thy condescending intimacy, which Thou hast confided to me, vile creature that I am. I have traded with it for love of Thy love in that which I have written, or which I may yet write. And I can boldly declare, by Thy grace, that I have had no other motive in saying or writing these things, except that of obeying Thy Will, of promoting Thy glory and of zeal for the salvation of souls. I desire, therefore, that all should praise Thee and give Thee thanks, that my unworthiness has not caused Thee to withdraw Thy mercy from me. I desire also that Thou shouldst be praised for those who, reading these things, are charmed with the sweetness of Thy charity, and inwardly drawn to desire the same; and also for those who, studying them as students, commence with the alphabet, and attain to philosophy - thus being led by the perusal of these things, as by pictures and images, to search for the hidden manna, which increases the hunger of those who partake of it, and which is not found in corporal substances.

Therefore, since Thou, the Almighty Dispenser of all good things, dost vouchsafe to pasture us during our exile until "beholding the glory of the Lord with open face are transformed into the same image from the glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord". (2Cor, 3:18); meanwhile according to Thy faithful promises and the humble desire of my heart, grant, I beseech Thee, to all who read these writings with humility, the peace of Thy love, compassion for my miseries, and a salutary compunction for their furtherance in perfection, so that, elevating their hearts toward Thee with burning love, they may be like so many golden censers whose sweet odors shall abundantly supply all my negligence and ingratitude. Amen.

End Book 2





Book 3: The Revelations of Saint Gertrude.
Compiled by the Religious of Her Monastery.



Chapter 1

St. Gertrude, having learned by Divine revelation that she was about to endure some trial for the increase of her merit, began to fear through human weakness; but the Lord had compassion on her infirmity, and gave her His most merciful Mother, the Empress of Heaven, for her mother and for her dispenser, so that, when the burden of her grief appeared beyond her strength, she might always have recourse to this Mother of mercy, and by her intervention obtain relief. Some time after, as she was much grieved because a devout person obliged her to reveal the singular favors with which God had honored her on the preceding feast, she had recourse to the Mother of the afflicted, in order to learn from Her what she ought to do on this occasion: Give freely what you possess, She replied; for My Son is rich enough to repay all that you expend for His glory. But as the Saint desired to conceal as much as possible the great favors granted to her, even while she partly revealed them, she desired to know from her heavenly Spouse how far her conduct was agreeable to Him. Prostrating herself at His feet, she implored Him to make known His Will to her, and to give her the desire of accomplishing it. Her confidence merited for her this reply, which she received from the Divine Mercy: Give My money to the bank, that when I come I may receive it with usury. (CF. Luke 19:23).And thus she learned that the reasons which she had considered good, and even inspired by the Spirit of God, were merely human, so that from henceforth she imparted more freely what was revealed to her, and not without reason; for Solomon has declared: "It is the glory of God to conceal the word, and the glory of kings to search out the speech" (Prov. 25:2).



Chapter 2

As Gertrude offered to God in her prayers all that she suffered in body and mind, and all the pleasures of which she had deprived herself, whether in the flesh or the spirit, Our Lord appeared to her, and showed her the pleasures and the pains which she had offered to Him under the form of two rings, enriched with precious stones, which He wore to adorn His hands. The Saint, perceiving this, repeated the offering frequently; and when she suffered a corporal affliction some time afterwards, she beheld Jesus her Lord touch her left eye with the ring which He carried in His left hand, and which represented corporal afflictions and sufferings; and from this moment she felt extreme suffering in this eye, which she had beheld Our Lord touch in Spirit, and this pain was never entirely removed.

She knew from this that, as the ring is a sign of espousal, so also sufferings in body or mind are testimonies of the spiritual espousal of the soul with God; so that whoever suffers may say confidently, with all truth: "My Lord Jesus Christ has espoused me to Him with His ring"; and if he recognizes in those afflictions the graces which he as received, and returns thanks, he may add: "He has adorned me with a crown as His spouse", because thanksgiving in tribulation is a crown of glory more brilliant than gold, and incomparably more precious than topaz.



Chapter 3

Gertrude received another plain testimony, although she did not understand it very well at first, that contradictions and privation of consolation in suffering greatly increase merit. On a certain day, about the Feast of Pentecost, as she suffered such severe pain in her side that those who were present feared her last hour had arrived, her Beloved, the true Consoler of her soul, retired from her, and this increased her suffering, although the cares and attentions of those who surrounded her were redoubled; whereas, when she was less carefully attended, this loving Lord remained near her, to solace the severity of her pain by His presence, thus making her understand, that when we are deprived of human consolation, the Divine Mercy regards us most favorably.

Towards evening, as the Saint was worn out by acute suffering, she sought to obtain some mitigation of it from Our Lord, but He raised His right arm, and showed her the pain she had endured all day as a precious ornament on His bosom. As this ornament appeared so perfect and so complete in every part, she rejoiced, hoping that her suffering would now cease; but Our Lord replied: What you suffer after this will add brightness to this ornament. And certainly, although it was garnished with precious stones, the gold appeared dark and dull. What she suffered afterwards was not so grievous in itself, but she was more tried by being deprived of consolation, than by the acuteness of the pain.



Chapter 4

About the Feast of St. Bartholomew, Gertrude felt herself overwhelmed with an exceeding sadness and a temptation to impatience. This caused such darkness in her soul that she appeared insensible to all the pleasures which the presence which the presence of God imparted to her and light was not restored to her until the following Saturday through the intercession of the Mother of God, when they sang in Her honor the Antiphon which commences "Mary, Star of the sea." The following day, as she rejoiced inwardly at the sweetness and the tenderness with which God treated her, she began to reflect in her late impatience and her other faults; then, feeling exceedingly displeased with herself,s he prayed to God for her amendment, but with such discouragement, that, beholding the enormity and the multitude of her faults, she cried out in despair: "God of mercy, set abounds to my malice, since I place neither end nor measure to it! Deliver me, O Lord, and set me beside thee, and let any man's hand fight against me" (Job 17:3).

Our Lord, compassionating her extreme affliction, showed her a small narrow garden, filled with many beautiful flowers, but surrounded with thorns, through which a little stream of honey flowed. He said to her: Would you prefer the pleasure which you might enjoy here to Me? She replied: " Assuredly not, O Lord my God". Then He showed her another little garden, filled with mire and dirt, but covered with some verdure, and containing a few common flowers. Being asked likewise if she would prefer this, she turned away from it to show her aversion, and exclaimed "May I never prefer the fearful illusion of an apparent good, which conceals a real evil, to Him who is the only sovereign, true, unchangeable, and eternal Good!" Our Lord replied: Why then do you mistrust, as one deprived of charity, since the favors with which I overwhelm you are a proof that you possess it? And why do you speak despairingly because of your sins, since Scripture testifies that charity covers a multitude of sins, when you do not prefer your will to Mine, although by following it you might live without trouble, and in honor, in the esteem of men, and with a reputation for sanctity? I have represented this self- will to you under the figure of a garden filled with flowers, and the pleasures of a sensual life by the verdure which covered the mire". She relied: "Oh, would to God a thousand times that, by the contempt of the garden of flowers, which Thou hast shown me, I may have altogether renounced my own will, but I fear the insignificance of the place disposed me to do so more easily!" It is thus, Our Lord replied, that, in guiding the consciences of My elect, I only let them see temporal advantages to a small extent, in order to avoid exposing their weakness to great temptation, and to inspire them more easily with contempt for the false pleasures of earth.

Then Gertrude renounced entirely all the pleasures of Heaven and earth, and cast herself with such constancy and fervor into the bosom of her Beloved, that she believed no creature would now be able to remove her for a single moment from His arms, where she tasted with joy that life giving draught which flowed from the wounded Side of her Lord, and whose sweetness infinitely surpassed that of the most precious balm.



Chapter 5

On the Feast of the Apostle St. Matthew, Our Lord having prevented her by the sweetness of His frequent benedictions, she offered the chalice in thanksgiving at the Elevation; and having reflected that her oblation would be of little value if she did not willingly offer to bear all kinds of suffering for the love of Christ, she rose, in the fervor of her zeal, from the bosom of her Spouse, in which all her delight, and threw herself on the ground as a vile carcass, exclaiming: I offer myself to Thee O Lord, to endure all that may promote Thy glory." Then the Lord hastened quickly to her, and placed Himself on the ground beside her, as if to support her, saying: This is Mine. "Yes", exclaimed the Saint, turning toward God, and animated with fresh courage; "I belong to Thee - I am the work of Thy hands". It is true, replied Our Lord; but this grace is singularly yours, that I am so closely united to thee by love, that I would not willingly enjoy beatitude without thee.

Being amazed at the exceeding condescension of these words, she exclaimed: Why dost Thou speak thus to me, O Lord, since Thou hast such an infinite number of friends in Heaven and on earth, with whom Thou couldst share Thy happiness, even had I never been created?" Our Lord replied: He who has always wanted a limb does not feel the same privation as one who loses it in advanced years; in like manner, I have so placed My love in thee, that I could not bear that we should be separated from each other.



Chapter 6

On the Feast of St. Maurice, as the celebrant pronounced the secret words of Consecration, St. Gertrude said to Our Lord: "Lord, the mystery which Thou dost now operate is so tremendous and so great, that I scarcely dare to breathe or speak; it is enough for me to hide myself in the deepest valley of humility which I can find, expecting my share in the salvation which Thou dost there impart to Thine elect". Our Lord replied: When a mother wishes to do some work with pearls and precious stones, she sometimes places her child in an elevated place to hold her thread or her pearls, or to do some other service; so I have placed you in an eminent position to dispose of the merits of this Mass; and if you elevate your will even to desire willingly to suffer all kinds of labor and pain, in order that this sacrifice, which is so salutary for all Christians, whether living or dead, may be fully accomplished in all its excellence, you will then have contributed, according to the extent of your ability, to the accomplishment of My work.

Once, when the Saint was confined to bed, and unable to assist at Mass, at which she had hoped to have communicated, she said to God with a troubled spirit: "To what must I attribute my hindrance from assisting today at the Holy Mysteries, if not to Thy Providence, my Beloved? - and how shall I prepare myself to receive the Communion of Thy adorable Body and Blood, since my intention at Mass always seemed to me my best preparation?" Since you attribute the cause to Me, replied Our Lord, to console you, I will make you hear the songs of joy with which Heaven resounds when I espoused a soul.

Hear, then, from Me, that my Blood is your redemption; meditate on those three and thirty years during which I labored for you in exile, and sought only to ally Myself with you; and let this serve for the first part of Mass

Hear Me telling you how I have dowered you with the riches of My Spirit, and that even as I endured so much bodily labor during the three and thirty years in which I sought you, so also My soul feels an ineffable joy at the union and spiritual marriage which we have contracted; and let this be your consolation during the second part of Mass.

Listen then to Me, while I tell you how you are replenished with My Divinity, which has the power to make you taste the purest delights and the most ravishing sweetness inwardly, whilst exteriorly you are suffering the severest pain. This will serve for the third part of the Mass.

Hear, further, how you are sanctified by My love; know that you have nothing of yourself, and that all which renders you agreeable to Me comes from Me. Occupy yourself with these thoughts during the fourth part of Mass.

Lastly, hear that you have been united to Me in the sublimest manner; and know that, as all power has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth, I cannot be hindered from exalting you, as a king exalts his queen to his throne, and consequently renders her an object of respect. Rejoice, then in reflecting on these things, and do not complain again that you have been deprived of hearing Mass.



Chapter 7

As Gertrude prepared herself for Communion on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, she found herself distracted by a crowd of importunate thoughts; and having implored the Divine assistance, Our Lord, in His exceeding mercy, spoke thus to her; If anyone, when encompassed by temptation, throws himself on My protection with a firm hope, he is of the number of those whom I can say: 'One is My dove, chosen amongst a thousand; he has pierced My Divine Heart with one glance of His eye; so that if I thought I could not assist him, my Heart would be so desolate that even all the joys of Heaven could not alleviate my grief, because he is a part of My Body, and is united to My Divinity; and I am ever the advocate of My elect, full of compassion for their every need.

"Lord", replied St. Gertrude, "how is it that Thy immaculate Body, in which Thou never hadst any contradition, enables Thee to compassionate our many weaknesses?" He replied You may easily convince yourself of this. Has not My Apostle said: 'It behooved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be able to succor them also that are tempted?' He added: This eye of My beloved, which pierces My Heart, is the confidence which she ought to have in Me that I know, that I am able, and that I am willing to assist her faithfully in all her miseries; and this confidence has such power over My goodness, that it is not possible for Me to abandon her. "But, Lord," replied the Saint, "since confidence is so great a gift that none can have it unless Thou dost bestow it, what merit have those who are deprived of it?" He replied: Each can at least overcome his difference, in some degree, by the testimony of Scripture, and say, if not with his whole heart, at least with his lips: 'If I should be cast into hell, Thou O Lord will deliver me' , and again, 'Although he should kill me, I will trust in Him'.



Chapter 8

God having revealed to a certain person that He willed to deliver a great number of souls from Purgatory, through the prayers of the community, a general prayer was enjoined for all the religious. As St Gertrude prayed one Sunday in the manner prescribed, she pleaded most fervently with God for the deliverance of these souls, and being rapt in spirit, she beheld the Lord, like a king in the midst of His glory, occupied in distributing rewards and gifts; not being able to discern exactly why He was thus so greatly occupied, she said to Him: "Most loving Lord, since you made known to me last year, on the Feast of St. Mary Magdalen, notwithstanding my unworthiness, that Thine own goodness had obliged Thee to grant mercy to those who approached Thy sacred Feet, since so many persons prostrated themselves before Thee on this day, to imitate the blessed sinner, Thy faithful lover, do me the further grace to discover to the eyes of my soul the meaning of Thy present employment, which I do not understand".

Our Lord replied: I am distributing gifts. The Saint knew by these words that God was applying the prayers of the community to the souls, whom, however, she was not permitted to see, although they were present. Then He added: Will you not offer Me your merits to increase My gifts? At these words she was deeply moved: and not knowing that the community was then occupied in the same way, she was filled with gratitude, believing that something special was required of her, and replied joyfully: "Yes, Lord; I offer Thee not only my merits, which are worth nothing, but I offer Thee all the good done by my community, which I attribute entirely to the union which I have, by Thy grace, with my sisters; and I offer it to Thee of my free will, and most gladly, for the honor of Thy majesty and Thine infinite perfections." And the Lord graciously accepted her offering.

Then Our Lord appeared as if disengaged, and, covering Himself and Gertrude with a light cloud, He inclined lovingly toward her, and said: Listen to Me only, and taste the sweetness of My grace. She replied: "My God and my Beloved, why hast Thou deprived me the favor Thou hast bestowed on another, of revealing to her with so much clearness the mercy which Thou didst desire to exercise towards those souls, since Thou hast discovered to me so many secrets? He replied: Reflect frequently that My graces usually serve to humble you, because you believe yourself unworthy of them, and that you believe that they are only given to you as a servant who is engaged for daily labor, and as if you could not be faithful to Me without this reward; and hence you prefer others who serve Me faithfully without these favors. And I have willed to render you like them in this, so that while you did not know more than others of the mercy which I desired to exercise towards those souls, you labored for them with equal zeal; therefore you are not deprived of an advantage you value so much for others.

At these words she was exceedingly moved, marveling at the amazing and ineffable condescension of the Divine goodness toward her, in pouring forth on her such abundant favors; and, when giving less, acting thus to preserve that humility which is the foundation of all graces. She learned then how God arranges, for the good of those whom He loves, the bestowal or the refusal of His favors; and being ravished out of herself in an excess of adoration and gratitude for the infinite goodness of God toward her, she cast herself, fainting away in utter self - annihilation, into the arms of her Lord, saying to Him; "My God, my weakness is unable to bear the excess of Thy mercy". Then the Lord moderated in her a little the overwhelming power of this great thought, and, as she recovered her strength, she said to Him: "Since Thy inexplicable and incomprehensible wisdom wills that I should be deprived of this gift, I will desire it no longer. But, my God, wilt Thou not hear my prayers for my friends?" Then Our Lord confirmed His words as with an oath, replying: I will, by My Divine power. The Saint replied: "Here, then, my petition for the persons so often recommended to my prayers." And immediately she beheld a stream, pure as crystal, flowing forth from the Heart of the Lord into the person for whom she prayed. She then asked: "Lord, what will this person gain by this, since she does not see it flowing into her?" He replied: When a physician gives a draught to a sick person, those who are present do not see him recover his health the moment he takes the remedy, nor does the sick man himself feel cured; nevertheless, the physician knows well the value of the remedy, and how salutary it will prove to the patient. "But why, Lord, dost Thou not deliver her from the ill-regulated habits and the other defects from which I have implored Thee so many times to deliver her?" He replied: It is said of Me, when I was in my Childhood, that I advanced in wisdom, and in age, and in grace with God and man'. So will this person advance from hour to hour changing her faults into virtues; and I will deliver her from all the infirmities of nature, so that after this she may possess the blessedness which I have prepared for man, whom I have exulted above the Angels.

At the hour at which the Saint was to communicate was now near, she prayed God to show mercy to as many sinners as would be saved (for she dared not to pray for the reprobate) as He had that day delivered souls from Purgatory by the merit of the prayers which had been offered. But Our Lord reproved her timidity, saying: Is not the offering of My spotless Body and My precious Blood sufficient merit to recall even those who walk in the ways of perdition to a better life? Then Gertrude, reflecting on the infinite goodness testified by these words, exclaimed: "Since Thine ineffable charity will condescend to my unworthy prayers, I beseech Thee to deliver as many persons who live in sin and are in peril thereby as Thou hast delivered souls in Purgatory, without preferring those who are my friends with we by consanguinity or proximity". Our Lord accepted this petition graciously and certified its acceptance to her. "I would know further, I Lord," she continued, "what I shall add to these prayers to make them yet more efficacious?" Then, as she received no answer, she continued: "Lord. I fear that my unfaithfulness does not merit a reply to this question because Thou, who seest the hearts of all, knowest that I will not comply with Thy command." Then Our Lord, turning towards her with a countenance full of sweetness, replied: Confidence alone can easily obtain all things, but if your devotion urges you to add anything further, say the Psalm Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes three hundred and sixty-five times, in order to supply for those praises which men fail in offering Me.



Chapter 9

On the Feast of St. Matthias Gertrude resolved, for many reasons, to abstain from Holy Communion. But as her mind was occupied with God and herself during the first Mass, Our Lord presented Himself to her, with such marks of affection as a friend might manifest to his friend. Nevertheless, as the Saint was accustomed to such favors, she desired yet more, and wished to pass entirely into her Beloved, so that she might be wholly united to Him and consumed in the fire of His love. But as she could not obtain this, she began to occupy herself with the Divine praises, which was one of her ordinary exercises. First, she glorified the goodness and mercy of the ever- adorable Trinity for all the graces which had flowed forth from its deep abyss for the salvation of all the elect; secondly, she returned thanks for all the favors which had been bestowed on the august Mother of God; thirdly, for all the graces infused into the sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ; imploring all the Saints in general, and each in particular, to offer individually in sacrifice to the effulgent and ever- peaceful Trinity, in satisfaction for her negligence, all the dispositions and zeal with which they were adorned on the day of their elevation into glory, and the consummation of their perfection, and of their eternal reward. For this intention she said the Psalm Laudate Dominum thrice: first, in honor of all the Saints; secondly in honor of the Blessed Virgin; and thirdly, in honor of the Son of God.

Our Lord then said to her: How will you recompense My Saints, who have made such offerings to Me for you, since you intend to omit your usual offering of thanks-giving for them? The Saint did not reply. At the oblation of the Host she desired greatly to know what offering of eternal praise she could make to God the Father. If you prepare yourself to approach the life giving Sacrament of My Body and Blood today, said Our Lord, you will obtain this triple favor which you have desired during Mass - namely, to enjoy the sweetness of My love, and to become united to Me by the power of My Divinity, even as gold is united to silver, and thus will possess a precious amalgam, which will be worthy to offer to the eternal praise of God the Father, and acquit yourself of the gratitude which you owe all the Saints.

These words kindled in her so ardent a desire for Communion, that even if she had to force her way to it across drawn swords, it would have appeared little to her. Afterwards, when she had received the Body of the Lord, as she made her thanksgiving, this Lover of men spoke thus to her: You have resolved of your own will to serve Me today with others by brick, straw and stubble, but I have chosen to place you amongst those who are replenished with the delights of My royal table.

On the same day another person abstained from Communion without any reasonable cause. She said to her Lord: "Most merciful God, why have you permitted her to be thus tempted?" What can I do for her, He replied: Since she has herself so covered her eyes with the veil of her unworthiness that she cannot possibly see the tenderness of My paternal Heart?



Chapter 10

As the Saint learned that an indulgence of many years was published on condition of the usual offerings, she said, with her whole heart: "Lord, if I were rich I would willingly give a large sum of gold and silver, that by this means I might be absolved by these indulgences for the praise and glory of of Thy name." To this the Lord replied lovingly, saying: I grant you, by My authority, a full remission of all your sins and negligences" and at the same moment she saw her soul without a spot, and as white as snow.

But sometime after, entering into herself and finding her soul still adorned with the same purity, she feared what she had seen before had been an illusion, as it seemed impossible that it had not been in some degree tarnished by the negligences and faults into which her weakness caused her to fall so often. But the Lord consoled her affliction by these words: Dost thou think that I possess less power than I have bestowed on my creatures? If I have given to the material sun such virtue that if a discolored garment is exposed to its rays it will recover its former whiteness, and even become brighter than before, how much more can I, who am the Creator of the sun, by directing My looks upon sinner, remove all his stains, purifying him, by the fire of My love, from every spot?

On another occasion she was so discouraged by her unworthiness and weakness, that she seemed to have no power to praise God, nor to taste the sweetness of contemplation. But the Lord, by a pure effect of His mercy, so restored her courage, by communicating to her the most holy conversation of Jesus Christ, that all her desires were satisfied, and she seemed to be presented to the King of kings, her Spouse, with the same beauty as Esther was presented to Assuerus. As she appeared so adorned, the Savior, in loving condescension, addressed her thus: What dost thou desire, O queen? "I beseech and implore Thee, O Lord," she replied, "with all my heart, that Thy adorable and Divine Will may be accomplished in me, according to Thy good pleasure." Our Lord then named different persons who had recommended themselves to her prayers, and asked what she desired for each individually. "Lord, " she replied, "I ask that Thy most peaceful Will may be perfectly accomplished in them". Our Lord inquired further: And what do you desire that I should do for you? "I have no other joy", she answered, "than to desire that Thy amiable and peaceful Will may always be accomplished in me, and in all creatures; and I am ready, for this end, to offer every member of my body to be exposed, one after the other, to the acutest suffering". God, who had granted her the grace to speak these words, rewarded her for them afterwards, saying to her: Since you have desired with such ardor to see the designs of My Will executed, I will reward you with this recompense, that you shall appear as agreeable in my eyes as if you had never violated My Will, even in the most trifling matter.



Chapter 11

While the Antiphon In lectulo meo was chanted, in which the words quem diligit anima mea are repeated four times, she reflected on four different manners in which the faithful soul may seek God.

By the first words: "By might I sought Him who my soul loveth," she understood the first ways of seeking God, by the praises and blessings which are offered to Him on the sacred court of contemplation. Hence the words, "I sought Him, and found Him not," follow immediately, because while the soul is imprisoned in the flesh she can not praise God perfectly.

She understood the second manner of seeking God in the words, "I will rise, and will go out about the city: in the streets and the broadways I will seek Him whom my soul loveth"; because the various thanksgivings which the soul renders to God for all the gifts with which He enriches His creatures are expressed by the words, "the streets and broadways". And as we cannot praise God in this world as He should be praised for all His gifts, the words "I sought Him, and found Him not", are added.

By these words, "The watchmen found me" she understood the justice and mercy of God, which cause the soul to enter into herself, and then to compare her unworthiness with the benefits which she has received from God; so that she begins by her grief and repentance for her faults to seek His mercy, saying: "Have you seen Him whom my soul loveth?" And thus, as she has no faith in her own merits, she turns with humble confidence to the Divine Mercy, and by the fervor of her prayers, and the inspiration of grace, she at last finds Him whom the faithful soul seeks.

This Antiphon being concluded, she felt her heart deeply moved by all the sweetness with which the Divine Mercy had filled it during this time, and with many other graces which it would be impossible to describe, so that even her bodily strength failed her. Then she said to God: "It seems to me that I can truly say to Thee now, 'Behold, my Beloved Lord, not only my inmost soul, but every part of my body is moved toward Thee!"' - "I know and feel it perfectly," replied Our Lord, "because these graces have flowed from Me and returned to Me. But as for you who are held captive in the chains of mortality, you can never understand all the reciprocal sweetness which My Divinity feels towards you. He added: Know, however, that this movement of grace glorifies you, as My Body was glorified on Mount Thabor in presence of My three beloved disciples; so that I can say of you, in the sweetness of My charity: 'This is My beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased.' For it is the property of this grace to communicate to the body as well to the mind of a marvelous glory and brightness.



Chapter 12

It happened one day that, in preparing for Mass, a host fell from some fold, and all were in doubt whether it had been consecrated or not. The Saint had recourse to God; and having learned that the wafer had not been consecrated, she rejoiced much that no irreverence had been committed. Yet, as all her care was to promote the glory of God, she said to Him: "Although Thy infinite goodness has not permitted that Thou shouldest receive so great an outrage in this place, and in the Sacrament of the Altar - nevertheless, O Lord of the Universe, because Thou wert treated with a like indignity and irreverence, not only by Thy enemies the heathen and the Jews, but alas, even by Thy most faithful friends, whom Thou hast redeemed by the price of Thy most Precious Blood, and I weep to say it, sometimes even by priests and religious, I will not make it known that this host was not consecrated, in order that Thou mayest not be deprived of the satisfaction that will be offered to Thee" Then she added: O Lord my God, make known to me what satisfaction is most agreeable to Thee for each offense which is committed against Thee, because I will try to accomplish it for love of Thy honor and glory, even if I consume my whole strength in doing it." Our Lord then made known to her that He would accept the recital of the Lord's Prayer two hundred and twenty-five times, in honor of His sacred Limbs; and of as many acts of charity toward her neighbor, in thanksgiving to Him who has said: "So long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me". (Matt.25), and in union with that love which made God become Man for us; and that she should deprive herself as many times of the vain and useless pleasures of earth, and occupy herself only with zeal and true pleasures of the Divinity.

Oh how great and effable is the mercy and kindness of our most loving God, which accepts and rewards as of our most loving God, which accepts and rewards as offerings what we should deserve most just punishment for if we omitted!



Chapter 13

The Lord, who is ever jealous of the salvation of His elect, sometimes makes the most trifling thing appear full of difficulty, for the increase of our merit. It was with this intention that He once allowed St. Gertrude to feel the duty of Confession so burdensome that it seemed as if she could never perform this duty by her own strength. She therefore addressed herself to God with all the fervor she could command, and He replied: Why do you not confide this Confession to Me, with such confidence that you need think no more of your own labor or exertion to make it perfect? She replied: "I have full and superabundant confidence in Thy mercy and omnipotence, my loving Lord; but I think it is only just, as I have offended Thee by my sins, that I give Thee some tokens of my amendment, by reflecting on the disorders of my life in the bitterness of my soul." Our Lord having manifested to her that her design was agreeable to Him, Gertrude occupied herself entirely with the recollections of her sins, and it appeared to her as if her skin were torn in several places, and as if it had been pierced with thorns; then having discovered her wounds and miseries to the Father of Mercies as to a wise and faithful Physician, he inclined lovingly toward her, and said: I will warm the bath of Confession for you by My Divine breath; and when you have bathed yourself in it, according to My desire, you will appear without a spot before Me. Then she prepared in all haste to plunge into this bath, saying: "Lord, I renounce every sentiment of human respect for love of Thee; and even should I be obliged to publish my crimes to the whole world, I am ready to do so." Then Our Lord covered her with His mantle, and allowed her to repose upon until this bath was prepared for her.

When the time came for Confession, she she was more tried than before. "Lord", she exclaimed, "since Thy paternal love knows all I suffer about this Confession, why dost Thou permit me to be weighed down by this trial?" Those who take a bath, replied Our Lord, are accustomed to have themselves rubbed, in order to purify themselves more completely: thus the trouble of mind which you suffer will serve to purify you. Then, having perceived on the right side of her Spouse a bath which exhaled a thick vapor, she saw on the other side a delicious garden, enameled with flowers, of which the most remarkable were roses without thorns, of rare beauty, which emitted a sweet and vivifying odor, attracting all who approached thither. The Lord made a sign to her to enter this garden, if she preferred it to the bath which she feared so much. "Not this, O Lord," she exclaimed, "but the bath which Thou hast warmed for me by Thy Divine Breath." Our Lord replied: May it avail for your eternal salvation!

Gertrude then understood that the garden represented the interior joys of Divine grace, which expose the faithful soul to the south wind of charity, water it with the loving dew of tears, and in an instant makes it whiter than snow, assuring it not only of a general pardon of all its faults, but even of a new increase of merit. But she doubted not God was better pleased that for love of Him she had chosen what was painful and refused what was consoling. Then, having retired to pray after her Confession, she felt a most powerful assistance from God in this exercise, so that what He had formerly made so painful to her now appeared light and easy. It must be observed here that the souls is purified from the stain of sin principally in two manners: first, by the bitterness of penance, which is represented under the figure of a bath; and secondly, by the sweet embrace of Divine Love, which is figured by the garden. Before Confession, the Saint had occupied herself in contemplating the Wound of the Left Hand, so that after this bath she might rest therein until she could accomplish the penance enjoined by the Priest. But as it was such that she was obliged to defer it for some time, she was extremely afflicted that she could not converse familiarly and freely with her faithful and amiable Spouse until she had paid this debt. Therefore, during Mass, as the priest immolated the Sacred Host, which truly and efficaciously blots out all of the sins of men, she offered to God thanksgiving for all that He had done for her in the bath of penance, and in satisfaction for her faults. This the Eternal Father accepted and received her into His bosom, where she learned that "this Orient from on high" had visited her in the plenitude of mercy and truth.



Chapter 14

On the following day, as the Saint heard Mass, she was overcome by weariness; but the sound of the bell aroused her, and she beheld Jesus Christ, her Lord and King, holding a tree in His hand, which was covered with the most beautiful fruit, and whose leaves shone like so many stars, shooting forth rays of admirable brightness; and having given of these fruits to the Saints who composed His celestial court, they found a marvelous sweetness therein. Soon after, Our Lord planted this tree in the garden of her heart, that she might make it more fruitful by cultivation, that she might repose under it and be refreshed there. Having received this deposit, she began to pray for a person who had persecuted her a short time before, asking to increase its fruitfulness, that she might suffer again what she had already suffered, to draw down more abundant grace on this person. At this moment she beheld a flower, of a most beautiful color, burst forth on the top of the tree, which promised to change into fruit if she executed her good intention. This tree was the symbol of charity, which bears not only the abundant fruit of good works, but also the flowers of goodwill and the bright leaves of holy desires. Therefore, the citizens of Heaven rejoice greatly when men condescend toward their brethren and endeavor with all their power to solace them in their needs. At the moment of the elevation of the Host, Our Lord adorned the Saint with various graces which He had communicated to her on the preceding day.

On the same day, at noon, our Lord appeared to her under the form of a beautiful youth, and asked her to gather nuts for Him from the tree before mentioned; and for this purpose He raised the tree up, that she might place herself in the branches. "But my sweet Lord," she replied, "why do You ask me to do that which is far beyond the weakness of my virtue and my sex, and which Thy condescension would rather incline Thee to do for me?" He replied: Should not the spouse act more freely in her own house, amongst her friends and domestics, than a respectful bridegroom who only enters occasionally to pay her a visit? But if she grant anything to the timidity of her bride groom while he is with her, he will not fail to have some consideration for her when she visits him. By this she understood what reasonable excuses persons make when they say: "If God wills me to do this or that He will give me the grace necessary to do it"; whereas it is only just that men should bend their wills entirely to God's, and never seek their own convenience on any occasion, and then they will enjoy hereafter an eternal recompense.

As Gertrude now desired to present her Divine Spouse with the nuts for which He has asked, He ascended the tree, and seated Himself near her, commanding her to peel them and prepare them for eating, teaching her by this parable that it is not sufficient for us to overcome our aversion to do good to our enemies, if we do not also seek to do so in a perfect manner. He thus deigned to teach her, by ordering her to pull and prepare those nuts, that we should do good to our persecutors; and it is for this reason that nuts, whose shell is hard and bitter, were mingled with the soft and delicious fruit of this tree, in order that we might understand that charity toward our enemies should be seasoned with the sweetness of Divine grace, which makes men ready to endure death itself for Jesus Christ.



Chapter 15

While the Mass, Salve, Sancte Parens, was said in honor of the Mother of God, being the last day on which the Holy Sacrifice was allowed to be celebrated, on account of an interdict, St Gertrude addressed God thus: "How wilt Thou console us, most kind Lord, in our present affliction?" He replied: I will increase My joys in you; for as a spouse entertains himself more familiarly with his bride in the retirement of his house than in public, so will I take My pleasure in your retreat. My love will increase in you, even as fire which is enclosed burns with great force; and the delight which I find in you, and the love which you will have for Me, will be like a pent up ocean, which seems to increase by the impediments placed to its progress, until at last it breaks forth impetuously. "But how long will this interdict continue?" inquired the Saint. The Lord replied: The favors which I promise you will last as long as it does. She replied: "It appears a degradation to the great ones of earth to reveal their secrets to those beneath them; is it not then, unworthy of Thy Majesty, Who art the King of kings, to reveal the secrets of Thy Divine Providence to me, who am the shame and rebuke of all creatures? It is on this account, doubtless, that Thou dost not make known to me when this interdict will terminate, although Thou knowest the end of all things before they have commenced." It is not so, replied the Lord; I conceal the secret from you for the furtherance of your spiritual welfare; for if I sometimes admit you to My secrets in contemplation, I exclude you from them also to preserve your humility, that by receiving this grace you may know what you are in Me; and by being deprived of it, you may know what you are of yourself.

At the Offertory of the Mass, Recordare, Virgo Maria, as the words ut loquaris pro nobis bona ("to speak good things for us") were repeated, the Saint raised her heart toward the Mother of all grace, and the Lord said to her: Even should there be none to speak good things for you, I am already Myself to favor you. But as St. Gertrude reflected on the multitude of her own faults, and those of some others, she was doubtful whether she was entirely reconciled with God; but He said to her tenderly: My natural goodness obliges Me to have regard to those amongst you who are most perfect; and as all are encircled by My Divinity, the perfections hide the imperfection. "O bountiful Lord!" inquired Gertrude, "how canst Thou give graces so full of consolation to one so unworthy to receive them?" He replied: My love compels Me. Where then she inquired, " are the stains which I contracted lately by my impatience, and which I manifested by my words?" The fire of My love. He replied, has consumed them entirely; for I efface all the stains which I meet with in the souls whom I visit by My free and loving grace.

"O God of mercy!" continued Gertrude, "since Thou hast so often assisted my misery with Thy graces, I desire to know if my faults, such as my late impatience and other similar ones, will be purified in my soul before or after my death?" Then, as Our Lord lovingly made as though He heard her not, she added: "If Thy justice demanded it, I would freely and willingly descend even into Hell, to make a more condign satisfaction to Thee. But, if it is more glorious to Thy natural goodness and mercy to consume my imperfections by the fire of Thy love, I will venture to implore Thee that this same love may efface all the stains from my soul, and make it purer than I could merit." And this appeared agreeable to Our Lord in His goodness and tenderness.

On the following day, as Mass was celebrated for the people in the parish church, she said to God at the time of Communion: "Dost Thou not compassionate us, most loving Father, for being deprived, on account of these goods, of this most precious good, the Sacred Food of the Body and Blood?" How can I feel it more? replied the Lord; if I conduct My spouse to a banquet, and I perceive, before she enters, that her attire is disarranged, will I not draw her aside to a retired place, and arrange it with My own hands, that I may introduce her with honor? "But, my God," she inquired, "how can they have this grace who suffer this evil through us?" He replied: Do not think of them; I will settle this matter with them.

Then, at the oblation of the Host, as she offered It to the Lord for His eternal praise and the welfare of her community, the Lord received It in her, communicating to her its vivifying sweetness, and saying: I will nourish them with this Divine Food. "Wilt Thou not communicate Thyself, my God, to all the community?" She inquired. No, He replied: only to those who have the desire of communicating, or the will to desire it; but for the rest who belong to the community, they shall have the advantage of feeling themselves excited to partake of this celestial food, even as persons who have no thought of eating are attracting by the odor of some viand, and begin to desire to partake of it.

On the Feast of the Assumption she heard Our Lord say, at the elevation of the Host: "I am going to immolate Myself to God My Father for my members." She said: "Most loving Lord, wilt Thou permit us, who are cut off from Thee by the anathema of those who would take our goods from us, to be joined to them?" The Lord replied: If anyone could take away from you the intimate union by which you are united to Me, then indeed you would be separated from Me. But as for the excommunication which is inflicted on you, it will make no more impression on you than a blunt knife would be upon a tree, which it could not penetrate, and at best could but mark slightly. She replied: "My Lord and my God, Who art the infallible Truth, Thou hast made known to me, although unworthy of such a revelation, that Thou wouldest increase Thy consolations in us and redouble Thy love: and yet there are some amongst us who complain that their charity is becoming cold. I contain all good in Myself, replied Our Lord; and I distribute to each in season what they need.



Chapter 16

On a Sunday on which fell both the Feast of St. Lawrence and that of the dedication of the church of the monastery, the Saint having begun to pray during the first Mass for some persons who had recommended themselves to her prayers, perceived a green vine-branch which came forth from the throne of God, and descended to the earth; and by its foliage, as by the steps, one could ascend from the bottom to the top. She understood that this mystic ladder was a symbol of faith, by which the elect mount up to Heaven; and as she saw many of her sisters assembled at the summit of this vine, on the left side of the throne of God, amongst whom Jesus Christ stood with extreme pleasure in presence of His heavenly Father, the hour approached at which the community would have communicated, if they had not been hindered by the interdict; and she desired ardently that she and those present might receive this life - giving Sacrament, which by an incomprehensible secret of the Divine goodness, gives life to men, despite all the obstacles which are opposed to it.

After this, she saw Jesus Christ holding a Host in His hand, which He plunged into the Heart of God His Father; and when He drew it forth, it seemed as if colored vermilion or tinged with blood. Gertrude was amazed at this, and marveled much what it might signify, the more so because red is a symbol of the Passion, and the Eternal Father could never have any marks of suffering. Being thus entirely absorbed in meditating on what she saw, she forgot to ask for the accomplishment of her desires; but soon after she knew without perceiving in what manner it was effected, that the Lord had chosen for the place of His dwelling and repose the hearts and souls of all her sisters whom she had seen assembled around the throne of God. The Saint now remembered a person who had recommended herself to her prayers before Mass with great humility and devotion, and she prayed God to grant her a share in these favors. He replied, that no one could ascend thus unless she was elevated by confidence, of which the person for whom she prayed had but little. The Saint replied: "It seems to me, my God, that the want if confidence in this person proceeds from a humility, on which Thou dost usually pour forth Thy most abundant graces." Our Lord answered: I will descend now, and communicate Myself to this soul and to all who are in the valley of self abasement. Then the Son of God, the Lord and Master of all virtues, appeared to descend suddenly by a crimson ladder, and soon after she beheld Him at the altar of the church of the monastery, clothed with pontifical vestments, and bearing in His Hands pyx like those in which the consecrated Hosts alone are reserved, and He remained seated before the priest until the Preface of the Mass.

A multitude of Angels attended Him, so that the whole church on the northern side, which was to the right side of the Lord, seemed filled with them; and these blessed spirits testified a particular joy in visiting the place where their fellow citizens, the religious of the monastery, had so often addressed their prayers to God. On the left - that is, on the south side - there was but one choir of Angels, who were followed by a choir of apostles, a choir of martyrs, a choir of confessors, and a choir of virgins, each part. Gertrude, beholding so august an assembly, and reflecting that, according to Scripture, it is purity which brings us nearer to God, perceived between the Lord and the choir of virgins more closely than the other Saints to their Spouse, by the ravishing sweetness of His caresses and intimacy.

She also perceived rays of a most brilliant light, which were shed upon some members of the community, as if there were no obstacles between them and God; although they were materially separated from the church where she beheld this mysterious apparitions. And though the Saint was filled with an extreme joy during this rapture, she was still solicitous for the sisters, and said to God: "Lord, since Thou hast been pleased to pour forth on me the free gifts of Thine ineffable love, what wilt Thou give to those who are engaged in exterior duties?" He replied: I will anoint them with balsam, though they seem to sleep. Gertrude was surprised at this, and could not understand how those who did not give themselves to a contemplative life should receive nevertheless the same reward as those who were devoted to it. Then, as she began to examine into the quality of these perfumes of which the Son of God had spoken by comparing them to balm and aromatic ointments - a small portion of which will suffice to preserve the body from corruption, whether it is embalmed before or after the sleep of death, so that it has received this unction - she was enlightened in her difficulty by this familiar compassion: namely, that when anyone partakes of food, every member of his body is strengthened and nourished by it, although the mouth alone perceives the delicacy of the viand; so when God, by an excess of His mercy, grants any special grace to one of His elect, all participate in it; and principally those who are united by the ties of community, where they receive an increase and superabundance of merit; and they only are excluded from this benefit who exclude themselves by their jealousy or ill will.

Then, as the Gloria in excelsis was intoned, the Sovereign Pontiff, Our Lord Jesus Christ, breathed toward Heaven to the honor of His Eternal Father, a breath like a burning flame. And at the words: Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis, He breathed upon those who were present a white light, bright as snow. At the words of the Preface, Sursum, corda, the Son of God arose, and by an efficacious attraction drew towards Himself all who were present. Then turning toward the east, assisted by an infinite number of Angels, He stood and raised His hands, and offered to God His Father, through the words of the Preface, the prayers of the faithful. After this, when they began the Agnus Dei, the Lord rose before the altar, with all the power of His majesty; communicating Himself, at the second Agnus Dei, by an impenetrable effect of His wisdom, to the souls of all the assistants; at the third Agnus Dei, withdrawing into Himself, He offered in His own person to God His Father all their prayers and desires. Then pouring forth again His sweetness, He gave the pax with His own blessed lips to all the Saints who were present; honoring with singular favor the company of virgins, offering this kiss both to their lips and their hearts.

After this, pouring forth the torrents of His love, He gave Himself to the community, with these words: I am all yours; therefore, let each enjoy Me as she desires. Then Gertrude replied to her Spouse:"Lord, now that I am satisfied with Thy incredible delights, it seems to me that Thou art still too far from me when Thou reposest on the altar; therefore, for the benediction of this Mass, unite my soul so to Thee that I may feel it is bound to Thee." This the Lord accomplished in such a manner that she knew by her union with her Spouse how pleasing her desire was to Him.



Chapter 17

As the Saint approached to receive the Sacrament of Life - when they sang the Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, the Antiphon Gaude et laetare - she prostrated herself on the ground, praying to God with her whole heart that He would be pleased to prepare her worthily to participate in the celestial Food, for His glory and for the advantage of others. The Son of God then abased Himself quickly towards her, and embracing her soul while they sang the word sanctus, said: At the word sanctus, which is referred to My Person, I will give you all the sanctity of My Divinity and My Humanity, as a worthy preparation to approach these Holy Mysteries.

The following Sunday, as she returned thanks to God for this favor, she beheld the Son of God, more beautiful than a million Angels, presenting her condescendingly to God His Father, clothed with His own holiness, which He had given to her. The Eternal Father took such great pleasure in the soul, for the sake of His only Son, that not being able to refrain from pouring forth His graces, He granted to her, with the Holy Spirit, the sanctity which is attributed to Them as holy (sanctus), as well of that which emanates from Omnipotence as of that which emanates from wisdom and love.

(St. Gertrude, preparing for Communion, receives the assurance from Jesus Christ that He will never depart from her, and that for her sake He will do good to others)

On another occasion, when she was about to communicate, and perceived that many were abstaining from it for different reasons, she rejoiced in spirit, and being touched to the heart, said to God: "I give Thee thanks, my most loving Love and my God, that Thou hast placed me in this happy state, in which neither my relations nor earthly consideration can prevent me from approaching Thy banquet of delights" To which the Lord replied with His usual sweetness: Since you have declared that there is nothing which can separate you from Me, know also that there is nothing in Heaven or earth, neither judgment nor justice, which can hinder Me from doing all the good for you which My Divine Heart desires.

On another occasion, as St. Gertrude approached the Holy Communion, and desired ardently that the Lord would prepare her worthily, this sweet and loving Lord consoled her by these tender words: I will clothe Myself with your person, in order that I may be able to extend My Hand to do good to sinners without being wounded by the thorns which surround them. And I will also clothe you with Myself, in order that all those whom you remember before Me, and even those who are naturally like you, may be raised to this high dignity, that I may do good to them according to My royal munificence.

(St. Gertrude is presented to the Holy Trinity by Jesus Christ. She obtains joy for the blessed, grace for the just, repentance for sinners, and release for the souls in Purgatory).

One day when the Saint was about to partake of the Divine Food, she reflected on the graces which God had bestowed on her, and recalled this passage in the Book of Kings: 'Who am I and what is my father's family?' cf:(1 Kings 18:18), Then turning from these last words, as only proper for those who had always served God, she considered herself as a little plant, which, on account of its proximity to the inextinguishable fire of the Divine Heart, received its benefits; and she saw that she saw that she wasted it, hour after hour, by her faults and negligences; and that being reduced as it were to ashes, she resembled a burned out coal, which had been cat away. Therefore she turned toward Jesus Christ, her beloved Mediator, and besought Him to present her to God the Father, and to reconcile her to Him; and it appeared to her that her dear Spouse drew her to Him by the vapor of the love which came forth from the Wounds of His Heart, and that He washed her in the water which flowed from it, watering her with the life - giving Blood which was contained therein; so that, by degrees, she was transformed from the burned out coal to a tree covered with verdure, whose branches were divided into three parts, like a lily; and the Son of God, having taken it, presented it, with marks of honor and thanksgiving, to the most holy and adorable Trinity; who received it with such love and tenderness, that the Eternal Father, by His omnipotence, attached to the highest branches of this tree all the fruit which the soul of the Saint might have produced is she had corresponded as she ought with the commands of the Divine Omnipotence. The Son of God and the Holy Spirit, in like manner, placed on two other parts of its branches the fruits of wisdom and charity.

Having, therefore, received the Body of Jesus Christ, and contemplating her Lord, as we have said, under the similitude of a tree, whose root was in the Wound, of the Side of Jesus Christ, it seemed to her that a kind of sapformed of the Humanity and Divinity of Jesus Christ, came forth in a miraculous manner from this sacred Wound, and passed through the stem of this tree into all its branches, producing flowers and fruit, which appeared as bright, in comparison with her ordinary life, as gold exceeds crystal in its brightness. This gave pleasure and an indescribable joy, not only to the Most Holy Trinity, but even to all the blessed, who, having risen out of respect, presented their merits to her individually, in the form of crowns, and suspended them on the branches of this tree, to His praise and glory who had given them new joy through her merits.

Then Gertrude prayed to God that all who were in Heaven, on earth, or in Purgatory, and who ought without doubt to have reaped some fruit from her works, had she not been so negligent, might at least receive some advantage from the graces which His Divine goodness had communicated to her. Then these good works which were figured by the fruit tree, began to distill a liquor of extraordinary virtue: a part of which evaporated on high, filling the blessed with joy; another portion flowed down into Purgatory, soothing the pains of those who suffered there; and part, spreading itself forth upon the earth, augmenting the sweet ness of grace in the just, and in sinners the bitterness of penance.

How advantageous it is to hear Holy Mass.

As Gertrude offered the adorable Host to the Eternal Father, at the moment of the Elevation, in satisfaction for all her sins, and in reparation for all her negligences, she beheld her soul presented before the Divine Majesty with the same sentiments of joy in which Jesus Christ - who is the splendor and living image of the glory of His Father, and the Lamb of God without spot - offered Himself on the altar to God His Father for the salvation of the whole world, because the Eternal Father considered her as purified from all sin by the merit of the spotless Humanity of Jesus Christ, and enriched and adorned with all the virtues which, through the same Holy Humanity, adorned the glorious Divinity of His Son.

As the Saint returned thanks to God for these graces with all her power, and took pleasure in considering the extraordinary favors which He had communicated to her, it was revealed to her that whenever anyone assists at Mass with devotion, occupied with God, who offers Himself in this Sacrament for the whole world, he is truly regarded by the Eternal Father with the tenderness merited by the Sacred Host which is offered to Him, and becomes like one who, coming out of a dark place into the midst of sunlight, finds himself suddenly surrounded by brightness. Then the Saint made this inquiry of God: "Is not he who falls into sin deprived of this good, even as one who goes from light into darkness loses the favor of beholding the light?" The Lord replied: No; for although the sinner hides My Divine light from him, still My goodness will not fail to leave him some ray to guide him to eternal life; and this light will increase whenever he hears Mass with devotion or approaches the Sacraments.

The spiritual vestments with which the soul should be adorned to receive the Holy Communion, and of the necessity of sanctifying the tongue which has touched the Body of Christ.

As Gertrude was about to communicate, and feared she was not sufficiently prepared, though the moment was at hand, she addressed her soul thus: "Behold, thy Spouse calls thee: and how canst thou dare to appear before Him without being adorned as thou shouldst be?" Then, reflecting more and more on her unworthiness - entirely distrusting herself, and placing her confidence in the mercy of God alone - she said to herself: "Why defer longer, since, even had I a thousand years, I could not prepare as I ought, having nothing which could serve to promote the right dispositions in me. But I will meet Him with confidence and humility; and when my Lord beholds me from afar, He can fill me with all grace and the attractions with which His love desires that I should appear before Him". And, approaching the Holy Mysteries in this disposition, she thought only of her negligences and imperfections. But as she advanced, she perceived Our Lord regarding her with an eye of compassion, or rather of love, and sending her His innocence, that she might be adorned therewith as with a white garment. He gave her His humility, which made Him converse with creatures so utterly unworthy of such a favor; and this served her for a purple tunic. He filled her with that hope which would make her sigh ardently for Him Whom she loved, to add the beauty of green to her garments. He presented her with His love of souls for a vestment of gold. He inspired her with the joy which He takes in the hearts of the faithful for a crown of precious stones. And, lastly, He gave her for sandals that confidence with which He deigned to rest on the inconstancy of human frailty, and which made Him find His delights with the children of men. And thus she was worthy to be presented to God.

After her Communion, as she recollected herself interiorly, Our Lord appeared to her under the form of a pelican, as it is usually represented, piercing the heart with its beak. Marveling at this, she said: "My Lord, what wouldst Thou teach me by this vision? - I wish, replied Our Lord, that you would consider the excess of love which obliges Me to present you with such a gift; for after having thus given Myself, I would rather remain dead in the tomb, so to speak, than deprive a soul who loves Me of the fruit of My liberality. Consider also, that even as the blood which comes from the heart of the pelican gives life to its little ones, so also the soul whom I nourish with the Divine Food which I present to it, receives a life which will never end.

On another occasion, after Communion, as the Saint was considering with what circumspection she should use that tongue, honored above all the members of the body in being the depository of the most precious mysteries of Jesus Christ, she was instructed by this comparison: That one who does not abstain from vain, idle or sinful discourse, and who approaches the Holy Communion without repentance, is like a person who gathers a heap of stones at the threshold of his door to thow at his guest when he comes to visit him, or beats him cruelly on the head with a rod.

Of the ineffable love of God in the Sacrament of the Altar.

Gertrude, having one day heard a sermon on the justice of God, was so overcome by fear, that she dared not approach this Divine Sacrament; but God, in His mercy, reassured her by these words: If you will not look with the eyes of your soul on the many mercies which I have bestowed on you, open at least the eyes of of your body, and behold Me before you enclosed in a little pyx, and know assuredly that the rigor of My justice is even thus limited within the bounds of the mercy which I exercise toward men in the dispensation of this Sacrament.

On a similar occasion, the sweetness of the Divine goodness urged her to a participation in the Holy Mysteries, by these words: Consider in how small a space I give you My entire Divinity and My Humanity. Compare the size of this with the size of the human body, and judge then the greatness of My love. For as the human body surpasses my Body in size - that is to say, the quantity of the species of bread under which My Body is contained - so My mercy and charity in this Sacrament reduce Me to this state, that the soul which loves Me is in some sort above Me, as the human body is greater than My Body.

On another day, as she received the saving Host, Our Lord addressed her thus: Consider that the priest who gives you the Host touches it with his hands, and the vestments with which he is clothed, out of respect, do not reach beyond his arms; this is to teach you, that although I regard with pleasure all that is done for My glory, as prayers, fasts, vigils and other like works of piety, still (those who have little understanding will not comprehend it) the confidence with which the elect have recourse to Me in their weakness touches Me far more sensibly; even as you see My flesh is nearer to the hands of the priest than his vestments.

That humility is more agreeable to God than sensible devotion; and how much Our Lord desires to give Himself to the soul who loves Him.

Once, when Gertrude heard the bell which called her to Communion, and the chant had already commenced, as she felt that she was not sufficiently prepared, she said to Our Lord: Behold, Lord, Thou art coming to me; but why hast Thou not granted me the grace of devotion, so that I might present myself before Thee with a better preparation?" He replied: A bridegroom admires the personal beauty of his bride more than her ornaments; and in like manner I prefer the virtue of humility to the grace of devotion.

Once, when many of the religious had abstained from Communion, Gertrude returned thanks to God, saying: "I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast invited me to Thy Sacred Banquet." To which Our Lord replied, with words full of sweetness and tenderness: Know that I have desired thee with My whole Heart. "Alas, Lord!" she exclaimed, "what glory can accrue to Thy Divinity when I touch this Sacrament with my unworthy lips?" He replied: Even as the love which we have for a friend makes us take pleasure in hearing him speak, so alas the charity which I have for My elect makes Me sometimes find satisfaction in that which they find none.

Once, as the Saint ardently desired to see the Sacred Host as the priest communicated the people, but could not do so on account of the crowd, she heard Our Lord saying to her: A sweet secret shall be between us, which is unknown to those who absent themselves from Me; but thou, if thou wouldst enjoy it, approach; and thou shalt not see, but taste and prove, the sweetness of this hidden manna.

That it is not wrong to abstain from Communion through reverence.

As Gertrude saw one of her sisters approaching the Holy Eucharist with extreme emotions of fear, she turned from her with a feeling of indignation; but the Lord charitably reproved her by these words saying: Do you not know that I am honored by reverence as well as by love? But as human weakness is not able to combine the two at one moment, and all are the members of one body, those who have less should take from those who have more. For example, let her who is more moved by the sweetness of My love think less of the duty of respect, and be thankful that another supplies for her deficiency, by being more exact in testifying her reverence; and let that other desire that she should obtain the joy and consolation that a soul possesses who is full of the Divine function.

Once also, as Gertrude prayed for a sister under similar circumstances, Our Lord replied: I would that My elect should not consider Me so severe, but rather believe that I should receive as a benefit the least service they render Me at their own expense. For example, she makes a sacrifice to God at her own expense who, although she finds no sweetness in devotion, never omits the service of God, either by prayers, prostrations, or other acts of devotion, still hoping, in His mercy, that He will accept the fulfillment of these duties.

Whence it is that we sometimes feel less fervor at the moment of Communion than at any other time.

As Gertrude prayed for a person who complained of having less devotion on the days on which she communicated than on others, Our Lord said to her: This has not happened by chance, but by a particular Providence, which inspires feelings of devotion at unexpected times, to elevate the heart of man, which is so enslaved by the body; but on festivals and at the time of Communion I withdraw this grace, preferring to occupy the hearts of My elect with good desires or humility; and this may be more advantageous to their welfare than the grace of devotion.

God permits the just to fall for their humiliation.

As the Saint prayed for a person who had abstained from receiving the Body of the Lord, fearing to be an occasion of scandal, Our Lord made known His Will by this comparison: As a man who washes his hands to remove a stain, removes at the same time not only what he has seen, but also cleanses his hands perfectly, so the just are allowed to fall into some trifling faults, that they may become more agreeable to Me by their repentance and humility; but there are some who contradict My designs in this, by neglecting the interior beauty which I desire to see after their penance, thinking of the exterior, and of the judgment of men, and this they do, when they deprive themselves of the grace which they might receive in the Sacrament, from the fear of scandalizing those who do not think them sufficiently prepared.

Jesus Christ Himself prepares the Saint for Communion.

As the Saint was about to receive Holy Communion, she felt herself invited by Jesus Christ Himself. It appeared to her that she was in the celestial kingdom, and that she was seated in glory near the Eternal Father, to eat with Him at His table. But as she considered that she was neither properly attired nor sufficiently prepared, she endeavored to withdraw. Then the Son of God came to her, and led her to a retired place to prepare her for this banquet. And first, He remitted her sins by washing her hands, offering His Passion for her amendment. Then He gave her a necklace, bracelets and rings; and having thus adorned her, He desired her to walk discreetly, as one so adorned should do, and not like a foolish person, who, even when thus attired, would be despised rather than honored.

She understood by these words, that they walk like fools who, after they have been cured of their defects, are as pusillanimous as ever, because they have not an entire confidence that Jesus Christ will supply for their defects.

Of the value of communicating for the souls in Purgatory.

One day, after Communion, the Saint offered the Host which she had just received for the souls in Purgatory; and perceiving the great benefit they obtained thereby, she was amazed, and said to her Spouse: "My God, since I am obliged to declare for Thy glory that Thou dost honor me continually with Thy presence, or rather, that Thou abidest in my soul, unworthy as I am, how is it that Thou dost not work through me as Thou hast done today after I have received Thy adorable Body?" He replied: It is not easy for everyone to approach a king who remains always in his palace; but when his love for his queen induces him to go forth, then all may behold, through her kindness, his pomp and magnificence; thus, when, moved by My love, I visit one of the faithful (who is free from mortal sin) in the Sacrament of the Altar, all who are in Heaven, on earth, or in Purgatory, receives immense benefits thereby.

On another occasion the Saint humbled herself deeply before approaching the Holy Communion, in honor and in imitation of the humility of the Son of God in descending into limbo. Then, uniting herself with His descent, she found herself descending to the very depths of Purgatory; and humbling herself still lower, she heard Our Lord say to her: I will draw you to Me in the Sacrament of the Altar in such a manner that you will draw after you all those who shall perceive the odor of your desire.

Having received this promise from Our Lord, she desired after Communion this promise from Our Lord, she desired after Communion that He would release as many souls as she could divide the Host into particles in her mouth; but as she tried to effect this, He said to her: In order that you may know that My mercy is above all My works, and that the abyss of My mercy cannot be exhausted, I am ready to grant you, through the merit of this life - giving Sacrament, more than you dare ask Me.



Chapter 18

As Gertrude offered herself to God during her prayer, and inquired how He desired her to occupy herself at this time, He replied: Honor My Mother, who is seated at My side, and employ yourself in praising Her. Then the Saint began to salute the Queen of Heaven, reciting the verse, Paradisus voluptas, ect - "Paradise of delights"; and extolling her because she was the abode full of delights which the impenetrable wisdom of God, Who knows all creatures perfectly, had chosen for His dwelling; and she besought her to obtain for her a heart adorned with so many virtues that God make take pleasure in dwelling therein. Then the Blessed Virgin inclined towards her and planted in her heart the different flowers of virtue - the rose of charity, the lily of chastity, the violet of humility, the flexibility of obedience and many other gifts, thus showing how promptly she assists those who invoke her assistance.

Then the Saint addressed her thus: 'Gaude, morum disciplina - "Rejoice, model of discipline:"' praising her for having ordered her desires, judgment and affection with more care and circumspection than the rest of mankind, and for having served the Lord, who dwelt in her, with such respect and reverence, that she had never given Him the least occasion of pain in her thoughts, words or actions. Having besought her to obtain for her also the same grace, it appeared to her that the Mother of God sent her all her affections under the form of young virgins, recommending each in particular to unite her dispositions to those of her client, and to supply for any defects into which she might fall. By this also she understood with what promptitude the Blessed Virgin assists those who invoke her. Then the Saint besought Our Lord to supply for her omissions in devotion to His Blessed Mother, which He was pleased to do.

The following day, as Gertrude prayed, the Mother of God appeared to her, in the presence of the ever - adorable Trinity, under the form of a white lily, with three leaves, one standing errect, and the other two bent down. By this she understood that it was not without reason that the Blessed Mother of God was called white lily of the Trinity, since She contained in herself, with more plenitude and perfection than any other creature, the virtues of the Most Holy Trinity, which she had never sullied by the slightest stain of sin. The upright leaf of the lily represented the omnipotence of God the Father, and the two leaves which bent down, the wisdom and love of the Son and the Holy Spirit, to which the Virgin approaches so nearly. Then the Blessed Virgin made known to her that if anyone salutes Her devoutly as the white lily of the Trinity and vermilon rose of Heaven, She will show how She prevails by the omnipotence of the Father, how skillful She is in procuring the salvation of men by the wisdom of the Son, and with what exceeding love her heart is filled by the charity of the Holy Ghost. The Blessed Virgin added these words: I will appear at the hour of death to those who salute me thus in such glory, that they will anticipate the very joys of Heaven. From this time the Saint frequently saluted the Holy Virgin or her images with these words: "Hail white lily of the ever peaceful and glorious Trinity! Hail, effulgent rose, the delight of Heaven, of whom the King of Heaven was born and by whose milk He was nourished! Do thou feed our souls by the effusions of thy Divine influences."



Chapter 19

As St Gertrude was accustomed to refer all that was sweet and agreeable to her Beloved Virgin when she heard or read the praise of the Blessed Virgin or of the Saints, and was more than usually moved thereby, she raised her heart to God, so that she thought more of Him than of the Saint whose memory was honored; and as she heard a sermon on the Feast of the Annunciation, in which the Blessed Virgin was spoken of exclusively, and no mention was made of the Incarnation of the Son of God, she was so grieved, that as she passed the altar of the Blessed Virgin, returning from the sermon, she did not salute her with her usual devotion, but rather offered her salutation to Jesus, the blessed Fruit of her womb. But after wards she feared she had displeased this august queen, until Our Lord consoled her by these loving words: Fear not, Gertrude, My beloved; for although you have referred the honor and praise which you usually render to My dear Mother exclusively to Me, it will not be less agreeable to Her.



Chapter 20

On one occasion, when the Saint was prevented from assisting at Vespers, by some infirmity, she exclaimed: "Lord, wouldst Thou not be more honored if I were in choir with the community, engaged in prayer, and fulfilling the duties of my Rule, than by my being here, passing my time uselessly, in consequence of this illness? Our Lord replied: Be assured that the bridegroom takes more pleasure in conversing with his bride familiarly in his house, than when he displays her before the world, adorned with her richest ornaments. By these words she understood that the soul appears in public, and clothed with all her state, when she occupies herself in good works for the glory of God; but that she reposes in secret with her Spouse, when she is hindered by any infirmity from attending to those exercises, for in this state she is deprived of the satisfaction of acting according to her own inclination, and she remains abandoned entirely to the Will of God; and therefore it is that God takes most pleasure in us when we find least occasion of pleasing and glorifying ourselves.



Chapter 21

As the Saint heard Mass one day with the greatest fervor, it appeared to her that her guardian Angel took her in his arms as if she were a little child, at the Kyrie Eleison, and presented her to God the Father, to receive His benediction, saying: "Eternal Father, bless Thy little child." And because for a time He replied not, as if He would testify by His silence that so miserable a creature was unworthy of this favor, she began to enter into herself, and to consider her unworthiness and nothingness with extreme confusion. Then the Son of God arose, and gave her the merits of His most holy life to supply her defects, so that she appeared as if clothed with a rich and shining robe, and as if she had attained to the full age and strength of Jesus Christ.

Then the Eternal Father inclined lovingly toward her, and gave her His absolution thrice, as a sign of the triple remission of all the sins which she had committed against His omnipotence in thought, word and deed. The Saint offered in thanksgiving the adorable life of His only Son; and at the same time the precious stones with which her garments were adorned emitted a harmonious concert to the eternal glory of God, which testified how agreeable it is to Him to offer Him the all perfect and holy life of His Son. The same Angel then presented her to God the Son, saying: "Bless Thy sister, O King of Heaven"; and having received from Him a triple benediction, to efface all the sins she had committed against the Divine Wisdom, he then presented her to the Holy Spirit, with these words: "O Lover of men, bless Thy spouse"; and she received from Him also a triple benediction, in remission of all the sins which she had committed against the Divine Goodness. Let those who read this reflect on these three benedictions at the Kyrie Eleison.



Chapter 22

Once, as the Saint was reciting the Divine Office with extraordinary fervor, on the Feast of a Saint, each word which she uttered appeared to dart like an arrow from her heart into the Heart of Jesus, penetrating it deeply, and filling it with ineffable satisfaction. From one end of these arrows rays of light shot forth like stars, which seemed to fall on all the Saints but especially on the one whose festival was celebrated; from the lower end of the arrows drops of dew flowed forth, which fertilized the souls of the living, and refreshed the souls in Purgatory.

As the Saint endeavored on another occasion to attach some particular intention to each note and each word of her chant, she was often hindered by the weakness of nature, and at last exclaimed with much sadness: "Alas, what fruit can I obtain from this exercise, when I am so unstable?" But Our Lord, Who could not endure to behold the affliction of His servant, with His own hands presented her with His Divine Heart, under the figure of a burning lamp, saying to her: Behold, I present to the eyes of your soul My loving Heart, which is the organ of the Most Holy Trinity, that it may accomplish all that you cannot accomplish yourself, and thus all will seem perfect in you to My eyes, for even as a faithful servant is always ready to execute the commands of his master, so, from henceforth, My Heart will be always ready, at any moment, to repair your defects and negligences.

Gertrude wondered and feared, because of this amazing goodness of her Lord, thinking that it was not becoming for the adorable Heart, which is the treasure- house of the Divinity, and the fruitful source of every good, to remain continually near so miserable a creature, to supply for her defects, even as a servant attends on his master. But the Lord consoled and encouraged her by this comparison: If you have a beautiful and melodious voice, and take much pleasure in chanting, will you not feel displeased if another person, whose voice is harsh and unpleasant, and who can scarcely utter a correct sound, wishes to sing, instead of you, and insists on doing so? Thus My Divine Heart, understanding human inconstancy and frailty, desires with incredible ardor continually to be invited, either by your words, or at least by some other sign, to operate and accomplish in you what you are not able to accomplish yourself; and as its omnipotence enables it to act without trouble, and its impenetrable wisdom enables it to act in the most perfect manner, so also its joyous and loving charity makes it ardently desire to accomplish this end.



Chapter 23

Some days after, as the Saint reflected upon this stupendous favor with singular gratitude, she anxiously inquired of the Lord how long it would be continued to her. He replied: As long as you desire to have it, for it would grieve Me to deprive you of it. She answered: "But is it possible that Thy Deified Heart is suspended like a lamp in the midst of mine, which is alas, so unworthy of its presence, when at the same time I have the joy of finding in Thyself this very same source of all delight?" It is even so, replied the Lord; when you wish to take hold of anything, you stretch forth your hand, and then withdraw it again after you have taken it; so also the love which I bear toward you causes Me to extend My Heart to draw you to Me, when you are distracting yourself with exterior things; and then, when you have recollected yourself, I withdraw My Heart, and you along with it, so that you may enter into Me; and thus I make you taste the sweetness of all virtues.

Then, as she considered in the one hand, with exceeding wonder and gratitude, the greatness of the charity which God had for her, and, on the other, her own nothingness and the great number of her faults, she retired with profound self-contempt into the valley of humility, esteeming herself unworthy of any grace; and having remained therein hidden for some time, He who loves to pour forth His gifts on the humble seemed to make a golden tube come forth from His Heart, which descended upon this humble soul in the form of a lamp, making a channel through which He poured forth on her the abundance of all His marvels, so that when she humbled herself at the recollection of her faults, Our Lord poured forth on her from His sacred Heart all the virtue and beauty of His Divine perfection, which concealed her imperfections from the eyes of the Divine Goodness. And further, if she desired any new ornament, or any of those things which appeared attractive and desirable to the human heart, it was communicated to her, with much pleasure and joy, by this same mysterious canal.

When she had tasted the sweetness of these holy delights for sometime, and was adorned with all virtues - not her own, but those given her by God - she heard a most melodious sound, as of a sweet harper harping upon his harp and these words were sung to her. "Come O Mine own, to Me: enter, O Mine own, into Me: abide O Mine own, with Me." And the Lord Himself explained the meaning of this canticle to her, saying: Come to Me, because I love you, and desire that you should be always present before Me, as My beloved spouse, and therefore I call you; and because My delights are in you, I desire that you should enter into Me. Furthermore, because I am the God of love, I desire that you should remain indissolubly united to Me, even as the body is united to the spirit, without which it cannot live for a moment. This rapture continued for an hour, and the Saint was drawn in a miraculous manner into the Heart of Jesus, through this sacred channel of which we have spoken, so that she found herself happily reposing in the bosom of her Lord and Spouse. What she felt, what she saw, what she heard, what she tasted, what she learned of the words of life, she alone can know, and they who, like her, are worthy to be admitted to this sublime union with their Spouse Jesus, their soul's true love, Who is God, blessed forever. Amen.



Chapter 24

On Good Friday, as they made a commemoration of Our Lord's burial, after the Office, Gertrude implored Him to bury Himself in her soul, and to abide therein forever. Our Lord replied, with infinite charity: I will serve as a stone to close the gates of your senses; I will place My affections there as soldiers to guard this stone, to defend your heart against all hurtful affections, and to work in you My Divinity power, for My eternal glory.

Then, fearing that she had judged a person harshly for something which she had seen her do, she said to God: "Lord, Thou hast placed soldiers to guard the entrance of my heart; but alas, I fear they have withdrawn, since I have judged my neighbor so harshly." How can you complain that they have withdrawn, replied Our Lord, when at this moment you experience their assistance? for it is a sign that one desires to be united to Me when they cannot take pleasure in what displeases Me.

While they sang the Antiphon at Vespers, Vidi aquam egredientem - "I saw water springing forth" - the Lord said to Gertrude: Behold My Heart - let it be your temple; then go through the other parts of My Body, and arrange for the other parts of a monastery wherever it seems best for you; for I desire that My sacred Humanity should henceforth be your cloister. "Lord" replied the Saint, "I know not how to seek or choose, because I have found such sweetness in Thy Heart, which Thou hast deigned to give me for a temple, that I can find neither repose nor rest out of it - two things which are absolutely necessary in the cloister". If you desire it, said the Savior, you can still find these two things in My Heart; for have you not heard that there are persons that never leave My house even for food and rest, like St. Dominic? Nevertheless, choose in the other parts of My Body the places which you have need of for this spiritual monastery.

Then Gertrude, obeying the commands of God, chose the Feet of her Spouse for the lavatory ( wash room); His Hands for her work room; His Mouth for her reception room; His Eyes for her school, in which she could read; and His Ears for her confessional. Then the Lord taught her that whenever she committed any fault, she should ascend to this sacred tribunal by the five degrees of humiliation, which are expressed in those five words: "I come to Thee vile, sinful, poor, wicked and unworthy, O Abyss of overflowing goodness, to be cleansed from every stain, and purified from all sin."



Chapter 25

As Gertrude reflected on different instances of instances of instability, she turned to God, and said: "It is my only to be united to Thee alone, My Beloved". The Lord, inclined toward her and embracing her tenderly, said: And it is always sweet to Me to be united to thee, My beloved. As He said these words, all the Saints arose and offered their merits before the throne of God for her soul, that it might become more worthy of being His abode. Then she knew how prompt God is in inclining toward the soul that calls upon Him, and with what joy all the blessed contribute their merits to supply for our unworthiness.

The Saint then exclaimed, in the fervor of her desires: "I salute Thee, my most loving Lord, although I am but a vile and abject creature." And she received this reply from the sweetest mercy of God: And I salute you also in return, My beloved spouse. By this she knew that each time a soul says to God: "My Beloved, my most dear Lord, my sweetest Jesus," or any other words which express her ardent devotion, He often replies to her in a manner which obtains for her a special privilege of grace in Heaven, like the special glory which St. John the Evangelist obtained on earth of being called "the disciple whom Jesus loved".



Chapter 26

At the Mass Veni et ostende, the Lord appeared to St. Gertrude, full of sweetness and grace, breathing forth a holy and vivifying odor, and pouring forth from the august throne of His glory the influences of His love for the sweet Feast of His Nativity.

Then, the Saint having prayed Him to enrich all who had been recommended to her prayers with special grace, He said to her: I have given to each a tube of pure gold, of which such is the virtue, that by it they may draw forth all they need from My sacred Heart. By this mystic tube she understood that good will by which men may acquire all the spiritual riches which are in Heaven and on earth. For example: if anyone, burning with the fire of pure and holy desires, endeavors to give God as much thanks and praise and as many testimonies of service and fidelity as certain of His Saints have rendered to Him, the infinite goodness of God regards this good will as if it had really been effected. But this tube becomes more brilliant than gold when men thank God for having given them so noble and elevated a will, that they might have acquired infinitely greater advantages by it than the whole world could bestow.

She knew, also, that all her sisters who surrounded Jesus Christ received Divine grace by similar tubes. Some appeared to receive it directly from the Heart of Jesus Christ, others from His Hands; but the farther from His Heart they drew these graces, the more difficulty they had in obtaining them; whereas those who drew them from His Divine Heart obtained them more easily, more sweetly and more abundantly. Those who drew directly from His sacred Heart represented those persons who conform themselves entirely to the Divine Will, who desire above all things that this Will should be accomplished in them, both in regard to spirituals and temporals. And these persons touch the Heart of God so powerfully, and render it so favorable to them at the time that God has determined, that they receive the torrent of Divine sweetness with as much abundance and pleasure as they have abandoned themselves perfectly to His holy Will. But those who endeavor to acquire virtue according to their natural inclinations; and the fear and difficulty they experience is proportionate to the extent to which they have relied on their own judgment, and have failed to abandon themselves to Divine Providence.

(1) Of the Most perfect manner of offering our hearts to God.

As Gertrude offered her heart to God in the following manner - "Lord, behold my heart, which is detached from all creatures; I offer it to Thee freely, beseeching Thee to purify it in the sanctifying Waters of Thy adorable Side, and to adorn it with the Precious Blood of Thy sweetest Heart, and to unite with it to Thee by the odors of charity" - Our Lord appeared to her, and offered her heart to His Eternal Father, united to His own, under the form of a chalice, the two parts of which were joined together by wax. The Saint, perceiving this, said, with extreme fervor: "Grant me the grace, most loving Lord, that my heart may be always before Thee like the flasks which princes use, so that Thou mayest have it cleansed and filled and emptied, according to Thy good pleasures, whenever and however Thou willest." This request being heard favorably by the Son of God, He said to His Father: Eternal Father! May this soul pour forth for Thy infinite glory what Mine contains in My Humanity! And from that moment, whenever the Saint offered her heart to God, saying the words above mentioned, it seemed to her so filled, that it poured itself forth in thanksgiving and praises, augmenting the joy of the blessed in Heaven, and contributing to the adornment of the just on earth, as will be seen hereafter. From this moment the Saint knew that God willed her to commit to writing what He had revealed to her, that it might be for the benefit of many.

(2) Of confidence in God, and of reparation for the contempts offered to Him.

In Advent, by the response Ecce venit, she knew that if anyone formed in their heart, with a firm purpose, a perfect desire of submitting in all things to the adorable Will of God, alike in prosperity as in adversity, they would, by His grace, render the same honor to God by this thought as if they crowned Him with a royal diadem.

And by these words of the Prophet Isaiah: "Arise, arise! stand up, O Jerusalem;" she understood the advantage which the Church Militant receives from the devotion of the elect. For when a soul, full of love, turns to God with her whole heart, and with a perfect will of repairing, were it possible, all this dishonor done to Jesus Christ, she appeases His anger by her loving charity, so that He is willing to pardon the sins of the whole world.

By the words, "That hast drunk the cup of His wrath even to the bottom" (cf, Is. 51:17), may be understood how she has averted the severity of Divine Justice. But by the following words, "That hast drunk even to the dregs", she knew that the reprobate have the dregs of this chalice for their portion, and can never obtain redemption.

(3) Of refraining from useless words.

By these words of Isaiah, "Thou dost not thy own ways, and thy own will is not found to speak a word" (is 58:13), she knew that he who regulates his words and actions thoughtfully, and abstains even from those that are lawful when they are not necessary, will obtain a triple advantage: first, he will find a greater pleasure in God, according to these words, "Thou shalt be delighted in the Lord"; secondly, bad thoughts will have less power over for him, for it is said, "I will lift thee above the high places of the earth;" and thirdly, in eternity the Son of God will communicate the merits of His most holy life more abundantly to him than to others, because by it he has been victorious over every temptation and gained a glorious victory, as these words express: "I will feed thee with the inheritance of Jacob thy father." (Is. 58:14).

God made known to her also by these words, "Behold, his reward is with him" (Is. 40:10), that Our Lord Himself, by His love is the reward of His elect: and He insinuates Himself into their souls with such sweetness, that they may truly say they are rewarded beyond all their deserts. "And his work is before him:" that is to say, when we abandon ourselves entirely to Divine Providence, and seek only the accomplishment of the Will of God in all things, grace has already rendered us perfect in the sight of God.

By these words," Be ye holy, children of Israel," Gertrude learned that those who repent promptly of the sins they have committed and set themselves with a sincere heart to keep the commandments of God, are as truly sanctified and as promptly cured as the leper to whom Our Lord said: "I will: be thou made clean." By the words, "Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle" (Ps, 149:1), she knew that he sings a new canticle who sings with devotion, because, when he has received the grace from God to understand what he sings, his chant becomes agreeable to God.

(4) God sends afflictions to cure our souls.

By the words, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me....He hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart" (Is. 61), she understood that the Son of God, having been sent by His Father to heal contrite hearts, was accustomed to send some affliction to His elect, even if it should be only exterior, in order to heal them. But when this happens, He does not always deliver them from the affliction which has made them contrite, because it is not hurtful to them; for He prefers to cure that which might cause them eternal death.

By the words, In splendoribus sanctorum - "In the brightness of the saints"(ps. 109:3), she knew that the light of the Divinity is so great and so incomprehensible, that even if each Saint who has lived or who will love from the time of Adam to the end of the world, were given a special knowledge of it, as clear, as elevated, and as extended as could be given to any creature, so that none should be able to explain it to the other, nor to share in their knowledge - even should the number of Saints be a thousand times greater than it is - the Divinity would still remain infinitely beyond their conception. Thus it is not written splendore, but in splendoribus - "In the brightness (plural) of Thy saints; from the womb, before the day - star, I begot Thee."

(5) How we must carry our cross after Jesus Christ, and how the mercy of God chastises the elect.

At Antiphon Qui vult - "If any man will come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow Me" (cf, Matt, 16) - Gertrude beheld Our Lord walking on a road which seemed pleasant because of the beauty of the verdure and flowers which covered it, but which nevertheless was narrow, and rough with thorns. Then she beheld a cross which went before Him, and separated the thorns from one another, making the road wider and more easy; while the Savior turned to those who came after Him, and encouraged them, looking at them with a sweet and loving countenance, and saying Let him that will come after Me, take up his cross, and deny himself, and follow Me". By this she knew that our temptations are our crosses. For example: it is a cross to one person to be obliged by obedience to do what she dislikes; to another to be restrained. Now, each ought so to carry his cross as to be willing to suffer with a good heart all that crosses him, and yet to neglect nothing which he thinks may be for the glory of God.

As they chanted this verse, "The words of the wicked have prevailed over us" (Ps, 64), she knew that when anyone who had sinned through human frailty is too severely reprehended for it by another, this excessive severity draws down the mercy of God on him, and increases his merit.

As they sung the Salve Regina, at the words, "Turn on us those merciful eyes if thine" as the Saint desired that Our Lord would cure her of a bodily infirmity, He said to her, with sweet familiarity: Do you not know that I look on you with eyes of mercy whenever you suffer any pain of body or mind?

On another occasion, as they sung the words Gloriosum sanguinem ("glorious blood") on the Feast of some Martyrs, she knew that even as blood, which naturally inspires a feeling of horror when considered in itself, is nevertheless praised in Scripture when it is poured forth for Jesus Christ, so omission of religious duties, from charity or obedience, are so agreeable to God, that they may be justly termed glorious. She knew also, on another occasion that God by a secret dispensation of His judgments, sometimes permits sinners to receive a reply which serves only to harden them in their obstinacy, when they seek by artifice to ascertain from the elect what is hidden from them. Even as the Prophet Ezekiel writes: "He that shall place his uncleannesses in his heart, and set up the stumbling block his iniquity before his face, and shall come to the prophet, inquiring of Me by him; I, the Lord, will answer him according to the multitude of his uncleannesses" (Ezech 14:4).

(6) That without the consent of the will we do not sin, and how we are obliged to reprove evildoers.

As they sung these words in honor of St. John, Haurit virus hic letale, she understood that, as the virtue of faith preserved John from the poison, so the action of the will which resists sin preserves the soul pure, however mortal the venom may be which glides into the heart against its will. By the versicle Dignare, Domine, she knew that when man has recourse to God, and beseeches Him to preserve him from sin, even though he should seem afterwards, by a secret permission of Providence, to fall into some considerable fault, his fall nevertheless will not be nearly so great as it would otherwise have been, and the grace of Jesus Christ will so sustain him that he will easily repent.

When they chanted the Response Benedicens, she stood demanding the benediction in the person of Noah. In receiving it, the Lord in His turn seemed to ask hers. By this she understood that man blesses God when he repents for having offended his Creator, and when he asks His help to avoid sin for the future. By the words, Ubi est (Gen4), she knew that the Lord would demand an account from every religious of the sins which her neighbor had committed, and which she might have prevented, either by warning the person herself or by informing her superior; and that the excuse of those who say, "It is not my place to correct others"; or "I am as bad as they are," will be no more accepted by God than the words of Cain: "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9).

For each is obliged before God to turn his brother from sin, and to assist him to advance in virtue; and he who neglects this duty against his conscience offends God. It is useless for him to pretend that he has received no commission, for his own conscience will teach him that God requires it from him; and if he neglects it, God will demand an account from him even more strictly than from a superior who was absent when the evil was committed, or who did not notice it when present. Thus we find these words in Scripture: "Woe to him who sins, but a double woe to him who assists in sin". We make ourselves guilty of the sin of others, if we consent to it by concealing it when we might procure glory to God by discovering it.

(7) They who labor for the advancement of religion are rewarded as if they had clothed the Savior - Angels encompass the blest.

By the Response which commences Induit me, Gertrude learned that he who labors by his works and by his words for the advancement of religion and the defense of justice, acts as if He clothed God Himself with a magnificent and sumptuous garment; and the Lord will recompense him in the life eternal, according to the riches of His royal liberality, by clothing him with a robe if gladness, and crowning him with a diadem of glory; but above all, that he who suffers for the promotion of good, or for religion, is as agreeable to God as a garment which warmed and covered him would be to a poor man; and that he who labors for the good of religion makes no progress on account of the obstacles he meets with, his reward will not be the less for this before God.

While they chanted the Reponse Vocavit angelus, she knew that the choirs of Angels, whose assistance is so powerful, surrounded the elect to defend them. But God, by His paternal Providence, sometimes suspends the effect of this protection, and permits the just to be tempted, that He may recompense them gloriously when they have gained a victory with less help from on high and from their Angels.

At the Response Vocavit angelus Domini Abraham, she learned that as Abraham satisfied the claims of obedience by raising his arm, and merited to be called by an Angel, so, when the elect bend their minds and their wills to perform any painful work for the love of God, they merit to taste at that moment the sweetness of grace, and to be consoled by the testimony of their own conscience. And this is a favor which the infinite liberality of God bestows even before those eternal recompenses which shall be given to each according to the measure of his works. As the Saint reflected on some trials which she had formerly suffered, she inquired of God why she had been thus tried by these persons. When the hand of a father wills to chastise his child, replied Our Lord, the rod cannot oppose itself. Therefore, I desire that My elect should never attribute their sufferings to those whom I should make use of to purify them; but rather let them cast their eyes on My paternal love, which would not allow even a breath of wind to approach them unless it furthered their eternal salvation; and therefore they should have compassion on those who stain themselves to purify them.

(8) Of offering our actions through the Son to the Eternal Father.

One day the Saint offered a painful duty to the Eternal Father, saying "Lord, I offer Thee this action through Thy only Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for Thy eternal Glory." And it was made known to her that this intention gave an extraordinary value and price to her work, and elevated it above a mere human action; and that this offering was very agreeable to God the Father. And even as objects appear green when seen through green glass, or red when seen through red glass, so all that is offered to the Eternal Father through His only Son becomes most pleasing and acceptable to Him.

(9) Of the utility of prayer when it does not produce sensible fruit.

Gertrude inquired of God what advantage some of her friends had gained by her prayers, since they did not seem better for them. The Lord instructed her by this comparison: When a child returns from visiting an emperor, who has enriched him with vast possessions and an immense revenue, those who behold him in the weakness of childhood little imagine the treasures of which he is in possession, although those who have been present are well aware how powerful and important his wealth will render him hereafter. Do not, therefore, be surprised if you do not see the fruits of your prayers with your bodily eyes, since I dispose of them, according to My eternal Wisdom, to greater advantage. And know that the more you pray for anyone, the happier they will become, because no prayer of faith can remain unfruitful, although we do not know in what manner it will fructify.

(10) Of the eternal recompense of directing our thoughts to God.

Gertrude desired to know what advantage there was in referring our thoughts to God, and she received this instruction: that when man raises his mind to Heaven by meditation or reflection, he presents, as it were, before the throne of God's glory a bright and shining mirror, in which the Lord beholds His own image with pleasure, because He is the Author and Dispenser of all good. And the more difficulty anyone finds in this elevation of soul, the more perfect and agreeable this mirror appears before the Most Holy Trinity and the Saints, and it will remain for the eternal glory of God and the good of this soul.

(11) That the adversity prevents occasion of sin, and of the good effects of a good will.

On a fast day, when the Saint was unable to chant from severe indisposition and headache, she inquired of God why He so often permitted these infirmities to visit her on festivals. Our Lord replied: It is to prevent you from dissipating yourself by the pleasures of the harmony of the chant, and so being less disposed to receive grace. "But", she inquired, "could not Thy grace prevent this misfortune?" To this Our Lord answered: It is a greater advantage to men to turn away occasions of falls by trials, because then they have a double-merit - that of patience and that of humility.

Once also the Saint exclaimed with ardor: "O my Savior! Why have I not found a fire sufficiently strong to melt my heart, so that I might pour it forth entirely into Thee?" Your will, replied the Lord, will be to you the fire which you desire. And from this she knew that by the effort of his will man may fully accomplish all that he desires to do for the glory of God.

As the Saint often sought by her prayers to obtain the extinction of all vices, both in herself and in others, it appeared to her that this favor could only be obtained by the removal of inclination to evil, so that the soul should be enabled to resist evil as easily as she is inclined to it. But she perceived the admirable wisdom of Divine Providence for the salvation of mankind, which for the increase of our eternal glory, permits us to combat with our vices that we may be crowned more gloriously in Heaven.

(12) Of the effects of Divine love.

Having heard a preacher declare that no person could be saved without the love of God, and that all must at least have so much of it as would lead them to repent and to abstain from sin, the Saint began to think that many when dying, seemed to repent more from the fear of Hell than from the love of God. Our Lord replied: When I behold anyone in his agony who has thought of Me with pleasure, or who has performed any works deserving of reward, I appear to him at the moment of death with a countenance so full of love and mercy, that he repents from his inmost heart for having ever offended Me, and he is saved by this repentance. I desire, therefore, that My elect should acknowledge this mercy by thanksgivings, and that they should praise Me for this amongst the great number of benefits which they receive from Me.

Once, also, as Gertrude meditated in her own sinfulness and depravity, she began to marvel how she could be agreeable in the sight of God, who must behold a thousand imperfections where she saw only one. But Our Lord consoled her by this reply: Love makes all agreeable. And she learned that if on earth love has such power that it makes even deformity pleasing, how much more easily can that of God who is Love render those pleasing to Himself by love whom He loves!

(13) The merit of conforming one's will to God for life or death.

As the Saint desired, like the Apostle, to be dissolved and to be with Christ, and poured forth many sighs to God for this end, she was consoled by this reply: Whenever anyone desires with all their heart to be delivered from the prison of the body, and yet, at the same time, is perfectly willing to remain therein so long as it shall please God, Jesus Christ unites the merit of His adorable life to theirs, which renders them marvelously perfect in the sight of the Eternal Father.

(14) That God does not always expect a full return for the graces He bestows, and of the value of fervent desires.

As the Saint reflected on the little profit she had gained, either for herself or for others from the many graces which had been bestowed on her, she was consoled by this assurance: "That God does not bestow His graces on His elect in such a manner as to expect a perfect return, as human frailty often prevents this; but His excessive liberality cannot contain itself, though He knows that man cannot exercise himself in all; nevertheless, He continually communicates new graces of supererogation, in order to raise him thereby to the highest blessedness in the world to come. And even as wealth is bestowed on a child so that he may profit by it hereafter, though he knows not as yet the value of it, so the Lord communicates His grace to His elect in this life, that He may amass treasures for them, the enjoyment of which will render them happy in Heaven."

(15) Our Lord prefers suffering without devotion to devotion without suffering.

On another occasion, as the Saint grieved in her heart that she could not form as ardent desires for the glory of God as she wished to do, she was taught by God that He is perfectly satisfied with our desires when we are not able to do more; and that they are great in proportion to our desire that they should be great. When, therefore, the heart forms a desire, or wishes to have a desire, God takes the same pleasure in abiding therein as men do in dwelling where flowers are budding forth in the spring time. Once also, when she found herself negligent and distracted from infirmity, and, entering into herself, began to confess her faults to Our Lord with humble devotion - though she feared that it would be long before she should recover the sweetness of Divine grace of which she had been deprived - the infinite mercy of God was moved toward her, and He said to her: My daughter, thou hast been always with Me, and all that I have is thine. Then she knew by these words, that when, through frailty , we fail to refer our intentions to God, His mercy still esteems our will worthy of eternal recompense, provided only that our will has not strayed from Him, and that we often makes acts of contrition for our sins.

As the Saint felt an illness coming on her immediately before a festival, she desired that Our Lord would preserve her health until it was over, or at least permit her to have sufficient strength to assist at it; still, she abandoned herself entirely to the Will of God. Then she received this reply from the Lord: In asking Me these things, and at the same time in submitting entirely to My Will, you lead Me into a garden of delights, enameled with flowers, which is most agreeable to Me. But I know that if I grant what you ask, and allow you to assist at these services, I shall be obliged to follow you into the place which pleases you; whereas, if I refuse you this, and you still continue patient, you will follow Me into the place which I prefer, because I find more pleasure in you if form good intentions in a state of suffering, than if you have devotion accompanied by pleasure.

(16) The pleasure of the senses deprives of spiritual pleasures.

As the Saint one day reflected on the arrangements of Providence, by which some are filled with consolation, while others experience only dryness, God made known to her that He had created the human heart to contain pleasure, as a vase contains water. But if this vase lets out the water by little holes, it soon becomes empty; or if any water remains, it will eventually dry up. So, if the human heart, when filled with spiritual delights, pours itself out through the bodily senses, by seeing, hearing ect., it will at last become empty, and incapable of tasting the pleasures which are found in God, as each may know by his own experience. If we give a glance or say a word without reflection, it passes away like water emptied from a vessel. But if we do ourselves violence for the love of God, celestial sweetness will so increase in our hearts that they will seem too small to contain it. Thus, when we learn to restrain the pleasures of the senses, we begin to find pleasure in God, and the more this victory costs us, the more joy we find in God.

Once, as the Saint was exceedingly troubled about a matter of little consequence, and offered her trouble to God, for His eternal glory, at the moment of the Elevation, it seemed to her that Our Lord drew her soul by the Host as if by a ladder, until He made it repose on His bosom, and then He spoke thus lovingly to her: In this sacred couch you shall be exempt from every care; but whenever you leave it, your heart will be filled with a bitterness as an antidote against evil.

(17) Of the caresses with which God favors a faithful soul, and of the esteem we ought to have for patience.

Gertrude, finding herself one day depressed by weakness, said to God: "Lord, what will become of me, and what dost Thou design to do with me"? I will comfort you, He replied, even as a mother comforts her child. He added: Have you never seen a mother caress her child? As she did not reply, because she did not remember a circumstance of the kind, Our Lord showed her a mother whom she had beheld caressing a little child about six months before, and He made her notice three things which she had not observed.

First, that this mother often offered to embrace this child, and that the child rose up to come to her, though still weak and frail. He added that thus she ought to rise up by the love of contemplation to the enjoyment of the Adorable Object of her love.

Secondly, that the mother often tried her child, asking him would he have this or that, and yet not giving him what she offered. Thus God sometimes tempts man be allowing him to fear afflictions which never happen; and yet, if he submits freely, God is satisfied with his resignation, and it obtains an eternal reward for him.

Thirdly, that none of those who were present except the mother: understood what the child said, because he could not speak plainly. Thus God alone knows and understands the intentions of men, and judges them accordingly; in which He acts very differently from their fellow creatures, who only consider the exterior.

Gertrude inquired one day of Our Lord how He desired her to employ her time at that hour. I will that you should learn patience, He replied, for at the time she was very much disquieted. "But", she replied, "how and by what means, can I learn it?" Then Our Lord, like a charitable master who takes up his little scholars in his arms, began to teach her three different letters by which she might learn patience. Consider, He said, in the first place, how a king honors those who are most like him with his friendship; and learn from this how the love which I bear you is increased when, for love of Me, you suffer contempts like those which I endured. Secondly, consider how much the court respects him who is most like the king, and is most intimate with him: and judge from what this glory is prepared for you in Heaven as the reward of your patience. Thirdly, consider what consolation the tender compassion of a faithful friend gives to his friend, and learn from this what compassion I feel in Heaven for even the least thought which afflicts you here.



Chapter 27

On the return of the community from a procession which had been ordered for fine weather, Gertrude heard the Son of God speak thus to His Father from a crucifix which had been carried before the procession: Eternal Father, I come with My whole army to supplicate You, under the same form in which I reconciled You to the human race. And these words were received by the Eternal Father with as much complacence as if a satisfaction had been offered to Him which surpassed a thousand times all the sins of men. Then she beheld God the Father taking up the image of the crucifix into the clouds with these words: This is a sign of the covenant which I have made with the earth. (Gen. 9).

On another occasion, when the people were suffering exceedingly from the inclemency of the weather, the Saint often implored the mercy of God with others, but without effect. At last she addressed her Lord thus: "O charitable Lord, how canst Thou so long resist the desires of so many persons, since I, who am so unworthy of Thy goodness, have often obtained much more considerable favors merely by the confidence I have in Thee?" Why be surprised, replied Our Lord, that a father should allow his son to ask him repeatedly for a crown, if he laid by a hundred marks of gold for him each time the request was made? Neither should you be surprised if I defer answering your petition; because each time that you implore My aid by the least word, or even in thought, I prepare a recompense for you in eternity of infinitely greater value than a hundred marks of gold.



Chapter 28

While the Psalm Sicut cervi was chanted in the Office for the Dead, Gertrude, hearing these words, My soul thirsteth, endeavored to reanimate her fervor, and said to Our Lord: "Alas, Lord, how feeble are the desires I have for Thee, Who art my true and only Good, and how seldom I can say to Thee, My soul thirsteth for Thee!" You tell Me, replied Our Lord, not seldom, but without ceasing, that your soul thirsteth after Me; for the exceeding love which makes Me seek the salvation of men obliges Me also to believe that in all the good which My elect desire Me, because all good proceeds from Me. For example: if anyone desires health, rest, wisdom, conveniences, or any other advantages, My goodness often makes believe it is Me whom they seek in these things, that I may give them a greater reward; unless they deliberately turn their intention from Me, as by desiring wisdom that they may satisfy their pride, or health that they may commit some sin. And it is for this reason that I am accustomed to afflict those who are dearest to Me with corporal infirmities, with mental depression, and other trials, so that when they desire the goods which are opposed to these evils, the ardent love of My Heart may reward them with greater profusion.

Gertrude also learned that "He whose delight is to be with the children of men" (Prov 8: 31), when He finds nothing in them worthy of His presence, sends them sufferings either of body or mind, that He may be able to abide with them, as Holy Scripture says: "The Lord is nigh unto those that are of a contrite heart" (Ps 33:19); and, "I am with him in tribulation." (Ps. 90:15). Let such considerations excite our gratitude, and teach us to exclaim, with the Apostle, and with the whole affection of our souls: "Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!" (Rom, 11:33) - which He has discovered to save men.

One night, while the Saint was sleeping, Our Lord visited her with so much sweetness, and she felt so consoled with His Divine presence, that it seemed to her as if she had been refreshed by some delicious feast. When she awoke, she returned thanks to God, exclaiming: "How have I merited this, my Lord and my God, more than others, who are so often tormented by horrible dreams, that their very cries terrify those who hear them?" Our Lord replied: When those persons whom I have determined to sanctify by suffering seek bodily comforts while they are awake, and thus deprive themselves of occasions of merit, I, in My love, send them sufferings during their sleep, that they may have an opportunity of acquiring merit. "But Lord", replied the Saint, "how can they merit by this when they suffer without any intention, and against their will?" It is an effect of My mercy, replied Our Lord; for the same things happens to these persons as to those who adorn themselves with waxen ornaments, and who appear well attired, although those who wear gold and precious stones are esteemed more wealthy.



Chapter 29

As Gertrude recited her Hours without much attention, she perceived our ancient enemy mocking her at the Psalm Mirabilia, cutting each word short and then exclaiming: "Your Creator, your Savior and your Redeemer has well bestowed on you the gift of speech, since you can recite so glibly that even in a single Psalm you have omitted so many letters, so many syllables and so many words!" She knew from this, that if this treacherous enemy had counted so exactly even the least letter of syllable of the Psalm which she had omitted or uttered carelessly, what terrible accusations he would bring after death against those who were in the habit of reciting their Office hurriedly, without any intention.

On another occasion, as the Saint was occupied in spinning wool, she allowed some little tufts to fall on the ground, thinking only of recommending her work to God with great fervor. In the meanwhile she perceived the demon busily occupied in gathering up the tufts, as if for a testimony of her fault; but the Saint invoked the assistance of the Lord, who chased away the evil spirit with indignation, for daring to interfere in a work which had been recommended to God at its commencement.



Chapter 30

One day, as Gertrude felt herself enkindled with extraordinary desires, she said: "Lord, may I pray to Thee now?" You may, My beloved one, He replied tenderly, because I will comply with your will in all things, as a servant would obey the commands of his master. "I am well assured" replied the Saint, "O God, full of charity, that Thy words are always true; but since Thou dost manifest such condescension towards me, although I am so unworthy of it, whence comes it that my prayers she so often remain without effect?" Our Lord replied: If a queen desires her servant to give her some thread, which she supposes, because she is unable to see behind, is hanging from her left shoulder, and he finds it at her right, does he not equally fulfill her intention if he hands it to her from the place he finds it in, as if it were from the place she supposed it to be? So also, if in My inscrutable wisdom I do not hear your prayers exactly as you desire, I do so in a manner more useful for you, though human frailty prevents you from seeing this.

As the Saint was about to communicate on one occasion, she felt grieved that she not made sufficient preparation, and she besought the Blessed Virgin and all the Saints to offer to God for her all the dispositions which each had entertained in receiving the various graces which had been granted to them. She then besought Our Lord Jesus Christ that He would be pleased also to offer for her the perfection with which He appeared on the day of His Ascension, when He presented Himself to God the Father and entered into eternal glory. Afterwards she desired to know of what avail this prayer had been to her, and Our Lord replied: It has enabled you to appear before the whole court of Heaven with all the ornaments you have desired. He added: Why should you distrust Me, who am all powerful and all merciful, since there is not one upon the earth who could not clothe his friend in his own ornaments and garments, and thereby make him appear as gloriously attired as himself?

As she remembered afterwards that she had promised to communicate that day for some persons who had recommended themselves to her prayers, she besought God with great fervor to grant them the fruit of this Sacrament, and received this reply: I will grant them this favor: but I leave it to their free will to avail themselves of it as they wish. She then inquired how these souls should be prepared to receive this grace, and Our Lord answered: Whenever, from this time, they turn to Me with a pure heart and a perfect will, invoking the assistance of My grace, if only by a single word or the least sigh, they will immediately appear clothed with the ornaments that you have obtained for them by your prayers.



Chapter 31

Once also, as the Saint was about to communicate she said: "O Lord, what wilt Thou give me?" I will give Myself to thee entirely, He replied, "with all the virtue of My Divinity, even as My Virgin Mother received Me. "But what shall I gain by this?" inquired Gertrude," more than persons who received Thee yesterday with me, and who will not receive Thee today, since Thou dost always give Thyself entirely and without reserve?" Our Lord replied: If people in the world honor one who has been a consul twice more than a person who has only once filled that office, how shall he fail of greater glory in eternity who has received Me more frequently on earth? Then she exclaimed sighing: "How far above me in beatitude will those priests be who communicate every day to fulfill their ministry!" It is true, relied Our Lord, that those who celebrate worthily shall shine in great glory; but the love of him who commincates with pleasure should be judged of very differently from the exterior magnificence which appears in this mystery. There will be one reward for him who approaches with fear and reverence; and another for him who is very diligent in his preparation. But those who habitually celebrate through custom only, shall have no share in My gifts.

As the Saint prayed that God would permit her to receive the holy Viaticum as her last nourishment immediately before her death, she was informed interiorly that her desire was not a good one; for the effect of the Sacrament could not be lessened by the trifling refreshment taken in sickness, merely to preserve life, for the glory of God. Everything good in man is ennobled by participation in the Sacrament which unites him to God; but particularly at the moment of death, after he has received the Bread of Life, he may merit by all that he does with a pure intention, such as performing acts of patience, eating, drinking ect., by which he accumulates eternal beatitude from his union with the Body of Christ.



Chapter 32

On a Feast of the Blessed Virgin, on which Gertrude had received some special and admirable gifts, she began to enter into herself, and considering her ingratitude and negligence, she became dejected, because she had shown so little devotion towards the Mother of God, and the Saints who were honored on that day, on account of the singular favors which they had received. But Our Lord, desiring to console her, with His ordinary goodness said to His Blessed Mother and the Saints: Have I not satisfied for her by communicating Myself to her with all the sweetness of My Divinity in your presence? They replied: The goodness with which Thou hast supplied what she owed to us truly surpasses all our merits. Then Our Lord conversed sweetly with this soul, and said: Are you satisfied with this reparation? "I should be so indeed, my God, " she answered; "but one thing is wanting to me; I fear now (that) my past negligences are effaced, that I shall begin to commit new ones - I am so inclined to evil". He replied: I will give Myself to you in so efficacious a manner, that I will efface entirely, not only the faults which you have committed; only be careful to preserve yourself from any stain of sin after you have received the most holy Sacrament. As He said these things, she replied: "Alas Lord, I fear that I shall not even fulfill this duty as I ought: therefore, O most charitable of all Masters, teach me, I beseech Thee, how I may purify myself from the stains which I may contract." He replied, Do not allow them to remain long in you, but as soon as you perceive them say, with all the fervor of your heart: Lord have mercy on me! or, Jesus Christ, Who art my only hope, grant that all my sins may be effaced by the merit of Thy saving Death!"

The Saint then approached to receive the Body of Christ, and she perceived that her soul had become as clear as transparent crystal, and that the Divinity of Jesus Christ, whom she had just received, was miraculously encased therein like gold shining through the crystal, and producing such sweet, amazing and inconceivable effects, that the adorable Trinity and all the Saints were thereby filled with joy. From this we may know that every spiritual loss can be repaired by worthily receiving the Body of Christ. For in truth the effects produced in her soul by God were so excellent, that it appeared as if the whole celestial court testified that their greatest delight was to behold a soul in whom such marvels were performed.

The promise which God made her in regard to her future faults must be understood thus: that as one sees equally well on every side an object which is contained in crystal, so also the Divine operations were seen in this soul, unless they were obscured by the cloud of sin, for this alone could prevent their being discerned.



Chapter 33

This holy spouse of Jesus Christ had usually an extreme and ardent desire to receive the Body of Christ, and it happened that once, when she prepared for Communion with more than ordinary devotion, she found herself so weak on Sunday night, that she feared she would not be able to communicate: but, according to her usual custom, she consulted her Lord, to know what would be most pleasing to Him. He replied: Even as a spouse who was already satisfied with a variety of viands would prefer remaining near his bridge to sitting at table with her, so would I prefer that you should deprive yourself of Communion through holy prudence, on this occasion, rather than approach it. "And how, my loving Lord can You say that You are thus satisfied?" The Lord replied: By your moderation in speech, by your guard over your senses, by all your desires, by all your prayers, by all the good dispositions with which you have prepared to receive My adorable Body and Blood - these are to Me as the most delicious food and refreshment.

When she came to Mass, though still in a state of extreme weakness, and had prepared for spiritual Communion, she heard the sound of a bell announcing the return of a priest who had gone to a village to give Communion to a sick person."O Life of my soul!" She exclaimed: "how gladly would I receive Thee spiritually if I had time to prepare myself worthily!" The looks of My Divine Mercy, replied the Lord, will impart to you the necessary preparations; and at the same time it seemed to the Saint that the Lord cast a look upon her soul like a ray of sunlight, saying: "I will fix my eyes upon thee" (ps.31). From these words she understood that the look of God produced three effects in our souls similar to those that the sun produces in our bodies, and that the soul ought to prepare in three ways to receive it. First, the glance of Divine mercy searches the soul, and purifies it from every stain, making it whiter than snow; and we obtain this favor by a humble acknowledgement of our defects. Secondly, this look of mercy softens the soul and prepares it to receive spiritual gifts, even as wax is softened by the heat of the sun, and becomes capable of receiving any impression; and the soul acquires this by a pious intention. Thirdly, the glance of Divine mercy on the soul makes it fruitful in the different flowers of virtue, even as the sun produces and ripens different sorts of fruit; and the third effect is obtained by a faithful confidence, which causes us to abandon ourselves entirely to God, confiding assuredly in the superabundance of His mercy, believing that all things will contribute to our eternal welfare, whether they appear favorable or adverse. Then, as some of the community commincated at Mass, Our Divine Lord appeared to give Himself to each with His own Hand, making the Sign of the Cross as the priest does; the Saint, marveling at this, said to Him, "Lord, have not those who have received Thee in this Sacrament obtained greater grace than I, whom Thou hast gratuitously favored with so many benefits? " Who is esteemed most worthy, replied Our Lord, he who is adorned with pearls and precious stones, or he who has an immense treasure of pure gold hidden in his house? making her understand by these words that while he who communicates sacramentally receives without doubt immense grace, both spiritually and corporally, as the Church believes, still he who abstains from receiving the Body of Christ through obedience and holy discretion, and purely for the glory of God, and who, being inflamed with Divine love, communicates spiritually, merits to receive a benediction like that given to the Saint, and obtain from God more abundant fruit, although the order and secret of this conduct is entirely hidden from the eyes of men.



Chapter 34

On a certain Friday, in the evening, Gertrude cast her eyes on a crucifix, and, being penetrated with grief, she exclaimed: "Ah my Creator and my Beloved, what cruelties hast Thou not suffered on this day for my salvation, while I alas, have been so occupied that I have not devoutly recalled what Thou didst suffer for me each hour, when Thou, Who art the Life which vivifies all things, didst will to die for love of me". To which Our Lord answered from the Cross: I have supplied what you neglect, for I have accumulated each hour in My Heart what you ought to have accumulated in your heart; in consequence, it is so inflamed with love, that I have ardently desired this hour in which you have addressed this prayer to Me, in union with which I will offer to God My Father all that I have done for you during this day, and without which even that could not be so advantageous for your salvation.

We may learn from this the faithful love of God toward man, since He satisfied His Eternal Father by a single intention which He excites in them, and this in so sublime and excellent a manner that it merits the everlasting praises of men.

As this Saint touched the crucifix devoutly, she learned that if anyone only looks on the image of the cross of Jesus Christ with a holy intention, God regards him with such goodness and mercy that he receives in his soul, as in a spotless mirror, an image which is so agreeable that the whole court of Heaven delights therein; and this serves to increase his eternal glory in the life to come in proportion as he has practiced this act of devotion in this life.

On another occasion she learned that when anyone turns towards a crucifix, he ought to persuade himself that Our Lord speaks thus lovingly to his heart: "Behold how, for your love, I have been fastened to this cross, naked, despised, torn and wounded in My Body, and in all My Members; and still My Heart has such tender charity for you, that were it necessary for your salvation, and were there no other means of saving you, I would even at this moment suffer for you alone all that I have suffered for the whole world." By this reflection man ought to excite himself to gratitude, because it never happens that anyone looks at a crucix without a particular providence. There is no Christian, therefore who is not guilty, if he is so ungrateful as to neglect the adorable price of salvation since we can never look at a crucifix thoughtfully without receiving great benefit thereby.

On another occasion, as she occupied in considering the Passion of Our Lord, it was made known to her that there is infinitely more merit in meditating attentively on the Passion of Jesus than in any other exercise. For as it is impossible to handle flour without attaching it to yourself, so also it is impossible to meditate devoutly on the Passion of the Lord without deriving great fruit thereby. And when anyone reads anything concerning the Passion, they at least dispose their souls to receive the fruit of it, as it is more meritorious to meditate in it than on any subject. Let us, then, endeavor to reflect constantly on it, that it may be honey to our lips, music to our ears, and joy to our hearts.

As the Saint endeavored to choose, among the different favors which Our Lord had bestowed upon her, the graces which would be most for the benefit of others, if revealed to them, Our Lord spoke thus to her: It is most advantageous to men to make known to them that it would be of extreme utility to remember constantly that I, Who am the Son of the Virgin, stand before God the Father for the salvation of the human race, and that whenever they commit any fault in their hearts through human frailty, I offer My spotless Heart to the Eternal Father in satisfaction for them; when they sin by their actions, I offer my pierced Hands; and so regard to the other faults that they commit. Thus My innocence appeases Him, and disposes Him to pardon those who do penance for their faults. And therefore it is that I desire My elect should return to Me thanks whenever they have obtained pardon for their faults, because it is through Me that they have obtained it so easily.



Chapter 35

One night a crucifix, which the Saint had near her bed, seemed to bow down towards her, and she exclaimed: "O my sweet Jesus, why dost Thou thus abase Thy Self? He replied: The love of My Divine Heart attracts Me to you. Then she took the image and placed it on her heart, caressing it tenderly, and saying: "A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved to me." (Cant. 1: 12); to which Our Lord replied, interrupting her: I will carry Him in my bosom; making her understand by this that we ought to hide in His adorable Passion all the pains we suffer, whether of the body or mind, as we would place a prop in a bundle of sticks. Thus those who are tempted to impatience by adversity should recall to mind the adorable patience of the Son of God, who was led like a meek lamb to the slaughter for our salvation, and never opened His mouth to utter the least word of impatience. And when anyone is disposed to revenge the ill that has been done to him, either in word or deed, he should endeavor to recall to himself with what peace of heart his beloved Jesus suffered, not rendering evil for evil, nor testifying the least resentment by His words, but, on the contrary, rewarding those who made Him suffer by redeeming them by His sufferings and His death; and thus let us endeavor, according to the example of Our Lord, to do good for evil. So also, if any one entertains a mortal hatred towards those who have offended him, he ought to remember the exceeding sweetness with which the Son of God prayed for His executioners, even when enduring the very torments of His Passion, and in agony of death praying for His crucifiers with these words: Father, forgive them, ect. (Lk 23:34); and in union with this love, let us pray for our enemies. Our Lord then said: Whoever hides his sufferings and adversities in the bouquet of My Passion, and joins them on to such of My sufferings as they seem most to resemble, he truly reposes in My bosom, and I will give him, to augment his merits, all that My singular charity has merited by My Patience and by My other virtues.

The Saint inquired: "How Lord, do You receive the special devotion which some have for the image of Your Cross?" Our Lord replied: It is very acceptable to Me; nevertheless, when those who have a special devotion to these representations of My Cross fail to imitate the example of My Passion, their conduct is like that of a mother who, to gratify herself and for her own honor, adorns her daughter with different ornaments, but refuses her harshly what she most desires to have. While this mother deprives her child of what she wishes for, the child cares little for all else that is given to her, because she knows it is done through pride, and not from affection. So all the testimonies of love, respect and reverence which are offered to the image of My Cross will not be perfectly acceptable to Me unless the examples of My Passion are also imitated.



Chapter 36

As Gertrude once sought, with some anxiety, for an image of the holy Cross, that she might often honor it for love of her Lord, she began to fear that this exterior exercise might hinder her from enjoying the interior favors of God. But Our Lord said to her: Fear not, My beloved; for this cannot hinder your spirituality, since I alone will occupy you; for I am not a little pleased with those who honor the image of My crucifixion very devoutly; and as it often happens that, when a king has a spouse with whom he cannot always remain, he leaves one who is most dear to him to take charge of her in his absence, and regards all the duties of friendship and affection which she renders to him as if they had been offered to himself, because he knows that this proceeds from her love for him - so I take pleasure in the veneration offered to My Cross, when it is offered purely for My love - when the Cross is not desired for itself, but that it may serve to renew the memory of the love and fidelity with which I endured the bitterness of My Passion, and when there is an ardent desire to imitate the example of My Passion.

One night, as the Saint was occupied in meditating on the Passion, she found that the fervor of her zeal had affected her body, and caused an inflammation in the side; when she addressed herself thus to God: "Most sweet Love, if some persons knew what I now suffer they would think that I ought to interrupt this exercise, in order to recover my bodily health; although Thou knowest - Thou who beholdest clearly that which is most hidden with in me - that all my strength and my senses could not resist the most passing movement of Thy grace." To which Our Lord replied: Who could be ignorant of this, without altogether insensible that the sweetness of My Divinity surpasses incomparably all the pleasures of the flesh and the senses? Since all earthly and corporal pleasures is but as a drop of dew to this great ocean. And yet these sensible pleasures often draw men away irresistibly, though they know how they endanger, not only their bodies, but even their souls. How, then, should a soul penetrated with the sweetness of My Divinity be able to hinder itself from being carried away by the attractions of love which will constitute its eternal felicity?

She replied: "But perhaps they would say that, as I am professed in a religious Order, I ought to moderate the ardor of my devotion that it may not prove a hindrance to my observance of the rule". Then the Lord deigned to instruct her by this comparison: If a chamberlain had been placed at the table of a king, in order to serve his majesty with the respect due to him, and if this king, from age or infirmity, required one who stood by to support him, would it not be an extreme incivility if this chamberlain rose hastily and allowed his master to fall, because he had been so specially chosen to stand and serve at his table? So would it be far more uncourteous if one whom I called in My gratuitous mercy to the enjoyment of My contemplation should withdraw from it to satisfy the requirements of the Order in which he was professed; since I, the Creator and Framer of the universe, take infinitely more pleasure in loving souls, than in any labors and corporal exercises performed without love and without pure intention. But, if any person is not really called by My Spirit to repose of contemplation, and yet neglects the observance of his Rule to occupy himself therein, he is like those who place themselves at the table of the king without being invited, although they were only destined to serve at it. And, as a servant who sat at the king's table without being asked would receive contempt instead of honor, so he who neglects his Rule, and endeavors in his own strength to obtain the gift of contemplation, which none can obtain without a special gift from Me, would receive more disadvantage than profit; making no progress in what he has undertaken, and becoming tepid in his duty. But, as for him who, without any necessity, and merely for his bodily convenience, neglects the exercises of his Order, and seeks satisfaction in exterior things, he acts as one would do who, being destined to serve at the king's table, should go out to his stables and defile himself shamefully in cleansing them.



Chapter 37

One Friday, when the Saint had spent the whole night in meditation, and had been prevented from sleeping by the ardor of her love, she remembered with what tenderness she had snatched the iron nails from a crucifix which she had always kept near her, and replaced them by nails of sweet - smelling cloves, and she said to God "My Beloved, how didst Thou accept my drawing the iron nails from the Sacred Wounds of Thy Hands and Feet, to place these cloves therein, which give an agreeable odor?" Our Lord replied: It was so agreeable to Me, that in return for it I pour forth the noble balsam of My Divinity into the wounds of your sins. And for this all the Saints will praise Me eternally; for your wounds, by the infusion of this liquor, will become agreeable. "But, Lord" inquired the Saint, "wilt Thou not grant the same grace to those who perform the same action?" Not to all, He replied; but those who do it with the same fervor will receive a similar reward; and those who following your example, do likewise with all the devotion of which they are capable, will receive a lesser recompense.

Gertrude then took the crucifix and clasped it in her arms kissing it tenderly, until she felt herself growing weak from her long vigil, when she laid it aside, and taking leave of her Spouse, asked His permission to go to rest, that she might recover her strength, which was almost exhausted by her long meditation. After she had spoken thus, she turned from the crucifix and composed herself to sleep. But as she reposed, Our Lord stretched forth His right Hand from the Cross to embrace her, and whispered these words to her: Listen to Me, My beloved; I will sing you a canticle of love. And then He commenced in a tender and harmonious voice, to sing the following verse to the chant of the hymn Rex Christe, factor omnium: "Amor meus continuus. Tibi languor assiduus: Amor tuus suavissimus: Mihi sapor gratissimus."

Having finished the verse, He said: Now, My beloved, instead of the Kyrie eleison, which is sung at the end of each verse of the hymn Rex Christe, ask what you will, and I will grant it to you. The Saint then prayed for some particular intentions, and her prayers were favorably heard. Our Lord again chanted the same verse, and at the end again exhorted Gertrude to pray. This He repeated many times, at different intervals, not allowing her a moment's rest until she became completely exhausted. She then slept a little before day break: but the Lord Jesus who is always near those who love Him, appeared to her in her sleep. He seemed to prepare a delicious feast for her in the sacred Wounds of His adorable Side, and He Himself placed the food in her mouth in order to refresh her; so that when she woke, she found that she had been marvelously strengthened during her sleep, for which she returned most humble and ardent thanks to God.



Chapter 38

One night, as Gertrude kept vigil, and was occupied with the remembrance of the Lord's Passion, as she felt much fatigued, although she had not yet recited Matins, she said to God: "Ah, my Lord, since Thou knowest that my weakness requires rest, teach me what honor and what service I can render to Thy Blessed Mother, now that it is not in my power to recite her Office. Glorify Me, replied Our Lord, through My loving Heart, for the innocence of that spotless virginity by which she conceived Me, being a virgin; brought Me forth, being a virgin; and still remained pure and spotless virgin after childbirth; imitating thus My innocence when I was taken at the hour of Matins for the redemption of the human race, and was bound, struck with rods, buffeted, and overwhelmed pitilessly with every kind of misery and opprobrium. While she did this, it appeared to her that the Lord presented His Divine Heart to the Most Holy Virgin His Mother, under the figure of a golden cup, that she might drink from it; and that, being satiated with this sweet beverage - or rather abundantly inebriated thereby - her very soul might be filled with exceeding gladness.

Then Gertrude praised the Blessed Virgin, saying to her: "I salute thee, Most Blessed Mother, august Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, through the sweetest Heart of Jesus Christ, thy Beloved Son and the Son of the Eternal Father, beseeching thee to assist us in all our necessities, both now and in the hour of our death. Amen." She knew when anyone glorified the Lord in these words, and added in praise of the blessed Virgin, " I praise and salute thee, O mother," ect., at each time He presented her his divine Heart to satisfy her thirst in the manner above described, it gave exceeding satisfaction to the queen of Virgins to be saluted thus, and that she would recompense if according to the extent of her liberality and maternal tenderness .

Our Lord than added: "At the hour of Prime, praise Me, though My sweetest Heart, for the most peaceful humility with which the Immaculate Virgin disposed Her self and more to receive Me, and imitated the humility with which I, who am the judge of the living and the dead, willed at the same hour to submit myself to a gentile, to be judged by him for the redemption of mankind.

"At Terce, praise me for the fervent desires by which the Blessed Virgin drew me down into her Virginal whom from the blossom of my Eternal Father, and imitated Me in the ardor and zeal with which I desired the salvation of men, when, being torn with whips and crowed with thorns , I bore, at the third hour, a shameful and infamous Cross on My shoulders with extreme weakness and patience.

"At Sext, praise Me for the firm and assured hope with which this celestial Virgin thought only of glorifying Me by the purity of Her intentions; in which She imitated Me when I, being suspended on the Tree of the Cross, in all the bitterness and anguish of death, longed with My whole soul for the redemption of the human race, crying out, 'I thirst!'- that is, for the salvation of men; so that, it was necessary for Me to suffer more bitter or cruel torments I would willingly have borne them for the redemption.

"At None, praise Me for the ardent and mutual love which untied My Divine Heart to that of the spotless a Virgin, and which united and inseparably conjoined my all glorious Divinity with my Humanity in Her chaste womb, Imitating Me in My mortal life until I expired on the Cross at the ninth hour for the salvation of men.

"At Vespers, Praise Me for the constant faith of My Blessed Mother at My death during the desertion of My Apostles, and the despair of all; in which She imitated the fidelity with which iIdescended into limbo after My death, that I might withdraw those souls by My all-powerful hand and mercy, and bring them to the joys of Paradise.

"At Compline, Praise Me for the incomparable perseverance with which My sweetness Mother preserved in every virtue even to the end, and imitated Me in the work of mans redemption, which I accomplished with so much care, that after I had obtained their perfect redemption by a most cruel death, I nevertheless allowed My incorruptible body to be laid in the tomb, to show that there is no degree of contempt or humiliation to which I would not submit the welfare of man."



Chapter 39

It was always a trial to the Saint to be obliged, even for a time, to occupy herself with exterior things; and often when this occurred she would rise suddenly in the fervor of her spirit, and, hastening to the place where she was accustomed to pray, would exclaim: "Behold Lord, how I am wearied with creatures! I would have no other companionship and no other conversation except Thine - I leave them all to seek Thee, sole and only Good and delight of my heart and soul." Then, kissing the Wounds of Christ five times, she would say each time: "Hail, Jesus, my loving Spouse! - I embrace Thee respectfully in the joy of the Divinity, with the whole universe, and with all the affection of which I am capable; and I embrace Thee in the Wounds of Thy love". Thus did she pour forth all her griefs into the Wounds of her Lord, and find therein all her consolation and all her joy.

As she frequently acted thus, she inquired one day of Our Lord if it were agreeable to Him, because it only occupied her for a few moments. Our Lord replied: Each time that you turn thus to Me, I accept it as a friend would accept kindness of his friend, who frequently through the day endeavored to show him the greatest hospitality by word and act. And even as such a person would consider how he could repay this kindness when his host came into his house, so do I reflect continually, with the greatest pleasure, how I shall repay you, and recompense you in glory, according to the royal liberality of My omnipotence, of My wisdom, and of My mercy, by testimonies of charity and sweetness multiplied a hundredfold, for each offering that you have made Me on earth.



Chapter 40

Once, as the Community feared an armed attack upon their monastery, they recited the entire Psalter, and at the end of each psalm, the verse, "O Lux beatissima" with the Antiphon, "Veni Sancte Spiritus". Gertrude, who was praying fervently with her sisters, knew interiorly that Our Lord, by this prayer, had moved the souls of some by the Holy Spirit to perceive their negligences, and to repent. And they felt these movements of compunction, the Saint saw a kind of vapor exhaling from the hearts of those who were thus moved, which covered the monastery and the places around it, and drove away every enemy. And in proportion as the heart of each was moved to compunction and inclined to good, the vapor appeared more powerful in expelling evil. Thus she knew that this fear was designed by the Lord to draw to Himself the hearts of His elect congregation, that, being proved by affliction and purified from their negligences, they might take refuge under His paternal protection, and find more abundant succor and consolation. Having perceived this, she said to the Lord "Whence comes it, my loving Lord, that the revelations which Thou has made to me in Thy gratuitous mercy are so different from those which Thou hast made to others, that persons may often know them, although I so much desire to conceal them?" Our Lord replied, If a master, when questioned by persons who speak different languages, answered each in the one tongue, his discourse would only profit those who understood it; but if he speaks to each in his own tongue - in Latin to him who understands Latin and in Greek to him who understands Greek - then each can comprehend what is said. Thus the greater the diversity with which I communicate My gifts, the more My impenetrable wisdom is displayed which replies to each according to their comprehension and the understanding with which I have gifted them - speaking to the simple by plain and sensible parables, and to the enlightened in a more sublime and hidden manner.



Chapter 41

On a similar occasion, as the Community recited the Canticle Benedicite, adding to each verse prayers proper for the occasion, Gertrude perceived Our Lord standing before her; and at each verse which they recited, prostrate and imploring pardon, He appeared to raise His left arm, and offer her the Wound of His adorable Side to kiss. As the Saint embraced it several times, Our Lord testified that this mark of her love was extremely agreeable to Him. Then she said to Him: "Since I perceive, my most loving Lord, that Thou art pleased with this devotion, do me the favor of teaching me some little prayer which Thou wilt receive with a like charity, when it shall be addressed to Thee devoutly by anyone". Then she knew by inspiration, that if anyone shall say these words five times with devotion: "Jesus, Savior of the world, have mercy on me! - Thou to whom nothing is impossible, save to refuse mercy to o the wretched," or "O Christ, Who by Thy Cross hast redeemed the world, hear us!" or "Hail, Jesus, my loving Spouse! I salute Thee in the ineffable joys of Thy Divinity; I embrace Thee with the affection of all creatures and I kiss the Sacred Wound of Thy love"; or "The Lord is my strength and my glory: He is my salvation" - If these words are recited in honor of the Five Wounds of the Lord, kissing them devoutly, adding some prayers or good works, and offering them through the sweetest Heart of Jesus Christ, which is the organ of the Most Holy Trinity, they will be as acceptable to God as the most arduous devotion.

On another occasion, also, when they recited the same Canticle, Our Lord appeared to her, making burning flames, to pour forth from the crucifix which was usually exposed before the community, and sending them up to God for them; manifesting to her the excessive love and ardent desire of His Heart, when He interceded with His Father for the well glory, be so opposed to Thy fare of this congregation.



Chapter 42

On one occasion, when the Saint was prevented by illness from communicating, and she felt her devotion also languishing, she addressed herself thus to God: "O sweetness of my soul, knowing - alas, only too well - how unworthy I am to approach the Sacrament of the Body and Blood, I would abstain from Communion, if I could find consolation in any creature out of Thee; but since I can behold nothing from east to west, nor from north to south, in which i can find any consolation or pleasure, either for body or soul, except in Thee alone, and as i am parched and thirsty, and breathless from desire, i come to Thee, the fountain of living water ." Our Lord, in His benign love, replied thus:"As you assure Me that you can find no pleasure apart from Me, so i assure you also that I do not wish to find pleasure in any creature apart from you." But as the Saint reflected, that although the Lord had promised this at the time, still at some future period it might be otherwise, He answered her thoughts thus: "My will is the same as My power, and therefore i can do nothing except what i Will." "But , O most loving Lord," replied the Saint, "what subject of complacence canst Thou find in one who is the repulse and shame of all creatures?" "The eye of My Divinity," He replied, "takes extreme pleasure in regarding you, on account of the various great gifts which i have bestowed on you. Your words are as a concert of sweet music to My Divine ears, whether you utter them to offer Me your love, to pray for sinners or for the souls in Purgatory, to instruct or to correct others, or when you speak in any manner for My glory: and though men may obtain no advantage from your words, and they may remain without effect, still the good intention which prompted them, and which has Me only for its object, makes them resound sweetly in My ears, and will cause them to touch even My very inmost heart. The hope with which you sigh after Me ascends as a fragrant odor before Me: your prayers and desires are sweeter to Me than any perfume; and in your love i find the greatest pleasure."

Then the Saint began to desire ardently a restoration of her former health, that she might be able to observe the austerities of her Order with more exactness. But Our Lord replied lovingly: "Why does My spouse become importunate to Me, as if she would oppose My Will?" "What, Lord!" she replied, "how can a desire, which seems to me to be only for Thy Will?" "From the manner in which you ask it," " replied Our Lord, "I consider it only as the desire of a child; but if you should ask it more earnestly, I should not be pleased at your request."

From these words the Saint knew that the desire of health, from a pure intention of serving God, is indeed good; but that it is far more perfect to abandon oneself entirely to the Divine Will, and to believe that all which God ordains for us, whether of prosperity or adversity, cannot but be for our advantage.



Chapter 43

As Gertrude saw one of her sisters hastening to the sermon, she said to God complainingly "Thou knowest, my Beloved, with what pleasure I would now hear this sermon, were I not hindered by sickness." Our Lord replied: Wilt thou, my dear spouse, that I should preach to thee Myself? and she answered: "Very willingly". Then Our Lord made her rest on His Heart, so that her soul touched it; and as she remained there sometime, she felt two most sweet and admirable movements therein. Then the Lord said to her: Each of these movements operates the salvation of man in three different manners. The first operates the salvation of sinners; the second, that of the just. By the first, I converse continually with My Eternal Father - I appease His anger against sinners, and I incline Him to show them mercy. By the second, I speak to My Saints, excusing sinners to them, and urging them with the zeal and fidelity of a brother, to intercede with God for them. By the third, I speak to sinners themselves, calling them mercifully to penance, and awaiting their conversation with ineffable desire.

By the second movement of My Heart, I invite My Father to rejoice with Me for having poured forth My Precious Blood so efficaciously for the just, in whose merits I find so many delights. Secondly, I invite all the heavenly host to praise My providences, that they may return Me thanks for all the benefits which I have granted them, and that I may grant them more for the future. Thirdly, I speak to the just giving them many salutary caresses, and warning them to profit faithfully by them, from day to day, and hour. As the pulsations of the human heart are not interrupted by seeing, hearing, or any manual occupation, but always continue without relaxation, so the care of the government of Heaven and earth, and the whole universe, cannot diminish or interrupt for a moment these two movements of My Divine Heart, which will continue to the end of ages.



Chapter 44

It happened some time after, that Gertrude passed an entire night without sleeping, which so weakened her that her strength entirely failed; and she offered her prostration as usual, for the glory of God and the salvation of men. Then Our Lord, charitable compassionating her weakness, taught her to invoke Him by these words: "I beseech Thee, O most merciful God, by the most tranquil sweetness with which Thou hast reposed from all eternity in the bosom of the Father, by Thy peaceful abode of nine months in the womb of a virgin, and by all the holy delights which Thou hast ever enjoyed in souls filled with Thy love, to grant me some rest - not for my own satisfaction, but for Thy eternal glory - in order that the strength of my wearied body may be restored, and that I may be able to fulfill my duties." And as she said these words, she saw herself coming nearer to God, as if she ascended by steps. Then Our Lord showed her a place at His right hand, and said to her: Come, My beloved repose on My Heart, and see if My anxious love will permit you to rest without anxiety. As she reclined thus on the loving Heart of Jesus, and felt its sweet pulsations more sensibly, she said to Him "O my Beloved, what wouldst Thou say to me by those pulsations?" He replied: I would say, that when anyone finds herself exhausted and deprived of strength by long wakefulness and addressed to Me the prayer with which I have just inspired you, that I may grant them the strength they need for My service - if I do not hear them, and they bear their weakness with patience and humility, I will console them with the same tenderness and charity as a friend would his friend, who rose from his bed with alacrity, although over powered with sleep, merely for the sake of enjoying the pleasure which he found in his conversation. And as this compliance would be even more agreeable to him than if it were offered by a person who usually passed the night without sleeping much, so also is he more infinitely more pleasing to Me who, having exhausted all his strength by vigils, offers Me his weakness, and bears it with humility and patience, than he who being more robust, is able to remain entire nights in prayer, without suffering much inconvenience.



Chapter 45

Gertrude being once ill of a fever, which sometimes increased after perspiration and some times diminished, finding herself one night bathed in perspiration, began to desire very anxiously to know if she would be better or worse after it. Then our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to her radiant with beauty and bearing health in His right hand and sickness in His left: He presented them to her, that she might choose whichever she preferred. But the Saint refused both, and casting herself into the arms of her Lord, she approached His loving Heart, in which the plenitude of all good abides, that she might learn His adorable Will. Our Lord received her with much sweetness, and embraced her lovingly, allowing her to rest on His bosom; but she turned her face away from Him, and inclining her head backwards, exclaimed: "I turn my face from Thee, and I entreat Thee with my whole heart not to consider my inclination in anything in anything, but to accomplish Thy adorable Will in all that concerns me."

From this we may learn that the faithful soul ought to confide all that concerns her to God with perfect confidence, and that she should prefer being ignorant of His designs towards her, so that His Will may be more fully accomplished in her.

The Lord then poured into the bosom of the Saint two streams of living water, which came forth from the two sides of His Heart, as from a mystic vessel, and said to her: Since you have turned your face from me, and renounced your own will in all things, I will pour forth on you all the sweetness of My Divine Heart. "My sweet Lord" replied Gertrude, "since Thou hast so often, and, in such different ways bestowed Thy Deified Heart on me, I desire to know what I shall gain from this new gift" He replied: Does not the Catholic faith teach you that I bestow Myself, with all the riches that are contained in the treasures of My Divinity and My Humanity, for the salvation of those who communicate, even once? - and that the oftener men communicate, the more their beatitude is increased and perfected?



Chapter 46

As many persons advised the Saint to refrain from meditation until she recovered her health, she complied with their desire, being always anxious to do the will of another rather than her own; but on condition that she should be allowed to occupy herself in adorning the crucifixes and other holy images, so that she might at least preserve a perpetual remembrance of Jesus Crucified by these exterior representations. One night as she was occupied in thinking how she could arrange some straw as a sepulcher for the crucifix, on Friday evening, at the commemoration of the Passion after Vespers, the God of Love, who regards the intention rather than the works of those who love Him, insinuated Himself into her thoughts thus: Rejoice in God My beloved, and He will give you all your heart's desires. By these words she understood, that when we take pleasure in such things for the love of God, His Divine Heart is pleased thereby; even as the father of a family engages an excellent concert of music, which entertains those who are seated at table with him as well as himself.

"But, my most loving God" inquired the Saint: "What glory can this exterior satisfaction give Thee, which satisfies the senses more than the soul"? He replied: Even as an avaricious would be sorry to lose the opportunity of gaining a single penny, so I, who find all my joy in you, do no intend to allow even your least thought, nor a single movement of your finger, which you have done for love of Me, to pass by without using it for My glory and your eternal welfare. She replied: "If Thine immense goodness can find pleasure in this, what dost Thou say of the verses in which all Thy Passion is commemorated?" I take the same pleasure in them, replied the Lord, as a person would who was conducted by his friend, with marks of tenderness and friendship, to an agreeable garden, where, while breathing the fresh air and sweet odor of the place, he would also have the pleasure of admiring its beautiful flowers, hearing a concert of exquisite music, and of refreshing himself with the rarest and most exquisite fruits. And I promise you, My beloved, recompense for the satisfaction you have given Me by your verses, and also those who read them often with devotion, while they live in this life of sorrow, which leads to life eternal.



Chapter 47

Soon after, during the seventh illness of the Saint, as her mind was occupied with God, on a certain night, Our Lord approached her, and said to her, with extreme sweetness and charity: Tell Me My beloved, that you languish for love of Me. She replied "How can I, a poor sinner, presume to say that I languish for love to Thee?" Our Lord answered: Whoever offers himself willingly to suffer anything in order to please Me, he truly glorifies Me, and, glorifying Me, tells Me that he languishes for love of Me; provided that he continues patient, and that he never turns his eyes away from Me. "But what advantage canst Thou gain from this assurance, my beloved Lord?" inquired the Saint. The Lord answered: This assurance imparts joy to My Divinity, glory to My Humanity, pleasure to My eyes, and satisfaction to My ears. Further, the unction of My Love is so powerfully moved thereby, that I am compelled to heal the contrite heart - that is to say, those who desire this grace; to preach to those who are in captivity - that is, to pardon sinners; to open the door to those who are in prison - that is to release the souls in Purgatory.

Gertrude then said to the Lord: "Father of mercies! after this sickness, which is the seventh that I have had, wilt Thou not restore me to my former health?" Our Lord replied: If I had made known to you at the commencement of your first illness that you would have to endure seven, perhaps you would have given way to impatience through human frailty. So, also, if I now promised you that this would be the last sickness, the hope with which you would look forward to its termination might lesson your merit. Therefore the paternal providence of My uncreated wisdom has wisely ordained that you should remain ignorant on both subjects, that you might be obliged to have recourse to Me continually with your whole heart, and to commend your troubles, whether exterior or interior, to My fidelity; since I watch over you so faithfully and lovingly that I would not permit you to be tried beyond your strength, knowing how much your patience can bear. This you can easily understand, if you remember how much weaker you were after your first sickness than you are now after your seventh; for although human reason might have considered this impossible, yet nothing is impossible to My Divine omnipotence.



Chapter 48

As the Saint offered various testimonies of her love to God during the night - asking Him, among other things, how it happened that she had never wished to know whether her sickness would end in life or death, though it had lasted so long, and how it was that she felt indifferent to either - Our Lord answered her thus: When a bridegroom conducts his bride into a garden of roses to gather them for a bouquet, she takes so much pleasure in his sweet conversation, that she never pauses to inquire which of the roses he would wish her to gather, but she takes whatever flower her bridegroom gives her; and places it in her bouquet. So also the faithful soul, whose greatest pleasure is the accomplishment of My Will and delights in it as in a garden of roses, is indifferent whether I restore her health or take her out of the present life, because, being full of confidence, she abandons herself entirely to My paternal care.

One night also, when the Saint was much exhausted by her spiritual exercises, and by the interior converse she had, had with her Lord, she took a few grapes with the intention of refreshing her Spouse in herself. The Lord received them with much gratitude, and said to her: I am now compensated for the bitter draught offered me in a sponge as I hung on the Cross for your love, because I now taste in your heart an ineffable sweetness; and the more purely you recreate your body for love of Me, the sweeter is the refreshment I find in your soul.

As she had thrown from her the skins and stones of the grapes which she had in her hands, she saw the devil - the persecutor of all good - trying to gather them up, as if to reproach her for all the dispensation which her infirmity had made her take, by eating after Matins, contrary to the Rule. But the moment he attempted to touch one of the skins, he was so scorched and burned, as if devouring flames, that he fled from the house uttering fearful cries, and taking care for the future how he uttered anything that could cause him such frightful torments.



Chapter 49

One night, as Gertrude was occupied in examining her conscience, she remarked that she had a habit of saying "God knows", without reflection and without necessity; and having blamed herself very severely for this fault, she besought the Divine Majesty never to permit her to use His sweet name lightly again, Our Lord replied lovingly to her: Why would you deprive Me of the glory and yourself of the immense reward which you acquire every time you perceive this fault, or any similar one, and seriously endeavor to correct it? For when anyone exerts himself to overcome his faults for love of Me the same testimony of fidelity and respect as a soldier would do to his captain when he courageously resisted his enemies in battle, overcoming them all, and casting them to the ground with his own arm.

After this, as the Saint rested on the bosom of her Lord, she felt a great weakness of heart, which she offered thus to Him: "My Beloved Spouse! I offer Thee this debilitated heart, with all its affections and desires, that Thou mayest take pleasure therein according to Thy Will". He replied: I accept your offering of this weak heart and prefer it to a strong one; even as the hunter prefers what he has taken in the chase to tame animals.

Although the infirmities of the Saint prevented her from assisting in choir, still she often went to listen to the Office, in order thus to exercise her body in some manner in the service of God; and reflecting that she was not as attentive or recollected as she desired, she manifested her grief to her Divine Spouse, saying to Him, with a dejected heart: "What glory canst Thou receive, my loving Lord, from my sitting here in this idle and negligent manner, paying so little attention to what is said or chanted to Thy glory?" Our Lord replied: And what satisfaction would you not have if your friend presented you with a draught of newly - made -mead, which you thought would strengthen you? Be assured, then, that I find infinitely more pleasure in every word, and even every syllable, to which you listen attentively for my glory.

At the Mass which was celebrated after, Gertrude, felt unable to rise at the Gospel, and she doubted whether to spare herself or not on such occasions, as she had no hope of her recovery; but she asked God, according to her custom, what would be most for His glory. He replied: When, for love of Me, you do anything with difficulty, and which is beyond your strength, I receive it even as if I had absolute need of it; but when you omit anything to take due care of your body, referring all to My glory, I consider it in the same manner as an infirm person would consider some relief that it was impossible for him to do without; thus I will recompense you for both according to the greatness of My Divine munificence.



Chapter 50

As Gertrude examined her conscience one day, she discovered some faults which she was extremely anxious to confess; but as she could not have recourse to her confessor at the time, she began as usual to discover her grief to Our Lord, Who consoled her thus: Why, He inquired, are you troubled, My beloved, since I am the sovereign Priest and true Pontiff, to whom you can have recourse; and I can renew in your soul with greater efficacy the grace of the Seven Sacraments, by a single operation, than either priest or Bishop could by conferring each separately? For I will baptize you in My Precious Blood; I will confirm you in My victorious strength; I will espouse you in My faithful love; I will absolve you from all your sins by the charity of My heart; I will feed you Myself by My overflowing tenderness, and I will feed Myself also on you; I will purify you inwardly by so powerful an anointment of the sweetness of My spirit, that all your senses and your actions will breathe the most fervent piety, which pouring down on you like holy oil, will sanctify you more and more unto life eternal.

Once when the Saint had risen to say Matins, although in a state of extreme weakness, and had already finished the first nocturne, another religious, who was also ill, came to her, and she immediately recommenced the Matins with her, with great charity and devotion. Afterwards, being occupied with God during holy Mass, she perceived that her soul was magnificently adorned with precious stones, which emitted a most admirable brightness, Our Lord then made known to her that she had received those gifts in recompense for her humble charity in having recommenced her Matins for the convenience of a younger sister; and that she had received as many different ornaments as she had repeated words. The Saint them remembered some negligence of which she had not been able to accuse herself in Confession, on account of the absence of her confessor; and as she mourned over this to Our Lord, He said to her: Why do you complain of your negligences- you who are so richly clothed with the robe of charity, which covers a multitude of sins? "How can I console myself," she replied, "when I still perceive that I am stained by them?" But Our Lord answered: Charity not only covers sins, but, like a burning sun, consumes and annihilates the slightest imperfections, and overwhelms the soul with merit.

Gertrude once perceived that a person neglected some observances of the Rule, and feared that she would be guilty in the sight of God if she did not correct it, as she knew of it; but she also apprehended that some who were less strict might think she interfered more than was necessary in trifling matters. This trouble, however she offered, according to her custom, to our Lord, Who, in order to show how agreeable her devotion was to Him, said to her: Each time that, for love of Me, you suffer this reproach, or any similar to it, I will strengthen you mightily, and will encompass you, as a city is encompassed with trenches and walls, so that no occupation will be able to distract you, or separate you from Me; and further, I will add to your merit that which anyone might have acquired if they had submitted themselves with humility to your admonitions.



Chapter 51

As it usually happens that the injuries which we receive from a friend are more difficult to bear than those which we receive from an enemy, according to the words of Scripture, "If my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it" (Ps 54:13) - Gertrude, knowing that a certain person, for whose welfare she had labored with extreme solicitude, did not respond with the same fidelity to her care, and even, through a kind of contempt, acted contrary to what she advised, had recourse to Our Lord in her affliction, who consoled her thus: Do not be grieved , My daughter, for I have permitted this to happen for your eternal welfare, that I may the oftener enjoy your company and conversation, in which I take so much pleasure. And even as a mother who has a little child whom she loves specially, and therefore desires to have always with her, places something that will alarm her, and oblige her to come back into her arms, when she has strayed from her, so also desiring to have you always near Me, I permit your friends to contradict you in some things that you may find no true fidelity in any creature, and therefore have recourse to Me with all the more eagerness, because you know that I possess the plenitude and stability of all contentment.

After this it seemed to her as if Our Lord placed her in His bosom like a little child, and there caressed her in many ways; and, approaching His adorable lips to her ears, He whispered to her: As a tender mother soothes the troubles of her little one by her kisses and embraces, so do I desire to soothe all your pain and grief by the sweet murmur of My loving words. After the Saint had enjoyed these and many other consolations for some time, Our Lord offered her His Heart, and said to her: Contemplate now, My beloved, the hidden secrets of My Heart, and consider attentively with what fidelity I have ordered all that you have ever desired of Me for your benefit and the salvation of your soul; and see if you can accuse Me of unfaithfulness to you, even by a single word. When she had done this, she beheld Our Lord crowning her with a wreath of flowers, more radiant than gold, as a reward for the trial of which we have just spoken.

Then the Saint, remembering some persons who, she knew, were tried in other ways, said to God: "Surely these persons merit to receive from Thy liberality, Father of mercies, a richer recompense, and to be adorned with more splendid ornaments than I, since they are not assisted by the consolations which I receive, though so unworthy, and since I do not bear what happens to me with the patience I ought?" Our Lord replied: In these things, as in all others, I manifest the special charity and tenderness which I have for you; even as a mother who loves her only child wishes to adorn her with ornaments of gold and silver, but, knowing that she could not bear their weight, decks her with different flowers, which without incommoding her, do not fail to add to her attractions. So, also, I moderate the rigor of your sufferings, lest you should fall under the burden, and thereby be deprived of the merit of patience.

Then, as the Saint reflected on the great care of the Divine Mercy for her salvation, she began to praise Him with great gratitude; and she perceived that those flowers with which her sufferings had been mystically rewarded expanded more and more as she returned thanks. She understood also, that the grace that God had given her, of praising Him in adversity, was as much more excellent as an ornament of solid gold is to one which has merely been gilt.



Chapter 52

A certain nobleman having sent to the Monastery to ask the religious to found a convent, Gertrude - who was always anxious to accomplish the Will of God, though she was unable to comply with this request - cast herself before a crucifix, and offered herself to God with her whole heart, praying that His holy Will might be accomplished. It seemed to her that Our Lord was so deeply touched by this offering, that He descended from the Cross to embrace her with extreme affection and gladness, and received her with marks of ineffable joy - even as a sick person who had been given over by the physicians would receive a remedy which he had long desired, and which he hoped might restore his health - and having then gently approached her to the adorable Wound of His Side, He said to her: You are welcome, My beloved, you are the balm of My Wounds, and the sweetener of all My griefs. Gertrude knew by these words that when anyone abandons His Will without reserve to the good pleasure of God, whatever adversity may be impending, Our Lord receives it as if he had anointed His Wounds, even at the very hour of His Passion, with the most precious and healing ointments.

After this as Gertrude prayed, she began to think of many things by which she hoped to procure the glory of God and the advancement of religion. But after a time she reproached herself for these reflections, which perhaps could never bear any fruit, because she was so weak that she seemed more likely to die than to be able to undertake any laborious work. Then the Lord Jesus appeared to her in the midst of her soul, radiant with glory, and adorned with roses and fair lilies; and He said to her: Behold how I am adorned by your good will, even as I was by the stars and the golden candlesticks, in the midst of which St John in the Apocalypse, declares that He saw the Son of Man standing and having seven stars in His right hand; and know that I have received as much pleasure from the other thoughts of your heart as from this sweet and agreeable garland of lilies and roses.

"O God of my heart!" exclaimed the Saint, "Why dolt Thou embarrass my soul with so many different desires, which are all without effect, since it is so short a time since Thou didst give me the thought and desire of receiving Extreme Unction, and disposed my soul to receive it by filling me with such joy and consolation? And now on the contrary, Thou dolt make me desire the establishment of a new monastery, although I am still so weak that I am scarcely able to walk." I do this, replied Our Lord, to accomplish what I have said at the commencement of this book, that,' I had given you to be the light of the Gentiles'; that is, to enlighten many people: therefore it is necessary that your book should contain information in many subjects, for the consolation and instruction of others. And as two persons who love each other often find pleasure in conversing on subjects which do not specially concern them - as a friend often proposes to a friend the most difficult and intricate questions - so do I take pleasure in proposing many things to My elect which will never happen to them, in order to prove their love and fidelity for Me, and to reward them for many purposes which they cannot carry into effect, counting all their good intentions as if they had been carried into action. So I inclined your will to desire death; and, consequently, made you feel this wish to receive Extreme Unction. And I have preserved in the depth of My Heart, for your eternal salvation, all that you have done in thought or act to prepare yourself for this Sacrament. Thus you may understand these words: 'The just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be in rest.' For if you were deprived of thin Sacrament by sudden death, or if you receive it after you had lost consciousness - which often happens to My elect- you would not suffer any loss thereby, because all the preparation for death which you have made for so many years is preserved in the unfading spring time of My Divinity, where, by My cooperation, it always remains green and flourishing and fructifying for your eternal salvation.



Chapter 53

Gertrude was requested by a person, when she offered to God all the gratuitous gifts with which He had favored her, to ask that she might have a share in their merit. As she prayed thus, she perceived this person standing before the Lord, who was seated upon His throne of glory, and held in His hand a robe magnificently adorned, which He presented her, but still without clothing her in it. The Saint, being surprised at this, said to Him: "When I made a similar offering to Thee, a few days since, Thou didst at once take the soul of the poor woman for whom I prayed to the joys of Paradise; and why, most loving Lord, dolt Thou not now clothe this person with the robe which Thou halt shown her, and which she so ardently desires, through the merits of the graces Thou halt bestowed on me, though so unworthy of them?" Our Lord answered: When anything is offered to Me for the faithful departed, I immediately use it for them, according to My natural inclination to show mercy and pardon, either for the remission of their sins for their consolation or for the increase of their eternal felicity, according to the condition of those for whom the offering is made. But when a similar offering is made for the living, I keep it for their benefit, because they can still increase their merit by their good works, by their good desires, and by their good will; and it is only reasonable that they should endeavor to acquire by their labor what they desire to obtain through the intercession of others.

Therefore if she for whom you pray desires to be clothed with your merits, she must study these three things: First, she must receive this robe with humility and gratitude - that is to say, she must acknowledge humbly that she has need of the merits of others - and she must render Me fervent thanksgivings for having deigned to supply her poverty out of their abundance, secondly, she must take this robe with faith and hope, that is, hoping in My goodness, she must believe that she will receive thereby a great assistance to her eternal salvation; thirdly, let her clothe herself in charity, exercising herself in this and in other virtues. Let all those who desire a share in the merits and virtues of others act in like manner, if they would profit thereby.



Chapter 54

Gertrude having been bled some time after the Fast, she was frequently heard uttering these words: "O King, of all kings the most excellent! O illustrious Prince!" with other of similar import; and as she recollected herself one morning in the place where she usually prayed, she said to God: "O most Loving Lord, what wilt Thou that I should do with these words which so often present themselves to my mind and my lips?" Then Our Lord showed her a golden collar, composed of four parts, which He held in His Hands. But as the Saint did not know what these four parts signified. He made known to her in spirit that the first part represented the Divinity of Christ; the second the Soul of Christ; the third, every faithful soul whom He had espoused in His own Blood; and the fourth, the pure and immaculate Body of Christ. She knew also that the reason why the faithful soul was placed in this collar, between the Soul and the Body of Jesus Christ, was to show with what indissoluble love the Savior had united the faithful soul to His own Body and Soul. and suddenly she was inspired with these words in rapture, at the sight of this collar.

Prayer "Thou art the life of my soul! May all the desires of my heart be united to Thee by Thy burning love! May they languish and die whenever they turn to any object apart from Thee; for Thou art the beauty of all colors, the sweetness of all taste, the fragrance of all odors, the harmony of all sounds, the charm of all embraces! In these is the voluptuousness of delight; from Thee flows forth a torrent of love; to Thee are all drawn by Thy powerful attractions; and by Thee all receive the sweet influences of love! Thou art the overflowing Abyss of the Divinity! O King, greater than all kings! Supreme Emperor, sovereign Prince, peaceful Ruler, faithful Protector! Thou art the vivifying gem of human nobility with the noblest sentiments! Thou art Worker full of skill, a Master of full clemency, a Counselor full of wisdom, a Defender full of kindness, a Friend most faithful! Thou art the sweet savor of all delights! O gentle caresser, whose touch imparts healing! O ardent Lover, sweet and chaste Spouse! Thou art the Spring-flower of unchanging beauty! O Loving Brother, beautiful Youth, joyful Companion, liberal Host, careful Admisinstrator! I prefer Thee to every creature; for Thee I renounce all pleasures; for Thee I seek all adversity; and in all this I desire only Thy glory. My heart and lips testify that Thou art the quickener of all good. I unite, by the merit of Thy love, the fervor of my devotions to the virtue of Thy prayers, so that by the power of this Divine union I may be raised to the highest perfection, and all rebellious movements may be calmed within me."

All these sentences seemed like so many brilliant stones separately enchased in the gold of this collar. On the following Sunday, as Gertrude assisted at the Mass at which she was to communicate, and recite this prayer with much devotion, she perceived that Our Lord was pleased with it, and she said to Him: "O most loving Lord, since I perceive that these words are so agreeable to Thee, I will advise as many persons as I can to offer it to Thee devoutly, as a precious collar of pearls." Our Lord replied: No one can give Me what is Mine, but whoever recites it devoutly shall feel his knowledge of Me increase, and shall receive light from My Divinity, which shall be showered down on him by the efficacy of these words; even as they who hold a plate of polished metal to the sun behold therein the reflection of its light. The Saint immediately felt the effect of these words, for as soon as she had recited this prayer she perceived that the surface of her soul became radiant with Divine light, and she found an increase of sweetness and pleasure in Divine things.



Chapter 55

Jesus Christ once appeared to the Saint, and showing her His Heart, said to her: My beloved, give Me your heart; and as she presented it to Him with profound respect, it seemed to her that He united it to His by a canal which reached to the ground, through which He poured forth abundantly the effusions of His infinite grace, saying to her: Henceforth I shall use your heart as a canal through which I shall pour forth the impetuous torrents of mercy and consolation which flow from My loving Heart on all those who shall dispose themselves to receive it by having recourse to you with humility and confidence.



Chapter 56

As the Saint prayed one day for some persons who had formerly injured the convent seriously by their thefts, and were again committing depredations, Our Lord appeared to her as if suffering much pain in one of His arms, which was so drawn back that the nerves were seriously injured, and He said to her: Consider what torment he would cause Me who should strike Me with his closed hand (fist), on this suffering arm; and reflect that I am outraged in like manner by all those who, without compassionating the danger to which the souls who persecute you are exposed, do nothing else but talk maliciously of their (the persecutors) sins and what they (the victims) have suffered in consequence, without reflecting that these unhappy people (the persecutors) are members of My Body; while all those who touched by compassion implore My mercy for them, that I may convert them, act toward Me as if they soothed the pain of My arm with healing ointments: and I consider those who, by their counsels and charitable warnings, try to induce them to amend their lives, as wise physicians who endeavor to restore My arm to its proper position.

Then Gertrude, admiring the ineffable goodness of God, said to Him "But how, Lord, can these unworthy persons be compared to Your arm?" He replied: Because they are members of the body of My Church, of which I glory in being the Head. "But My God" exclaimed Gertrude, "they are cut off from the Church by excommunication, since they have been publicly anathematized for the violence they have done to this Monastery". Nevertheless, replied the Lord, as they can be restored to the bosom of the Church by absolution, My natural goodness obliges Me to care for them, and I desire with incredible ardor that they should be converted and do penance.

The Saint then prayed that the Monastery might be defended from their snares by His paternal protection, and she received this reply: If you humble yourselves under My might Hand, and acknowledge before Me in the secret of your hearts that your sins have merited this chastisement, My paternal mercy will protect you from all the efforts of your enemies: but if you rise up proudly against those who persecute you, wishing them evil for evil, then, by My just judgment, I will permit them to become stronger than you, and to afflict you still more.



Chapter 57

One year, when the convent was much burdened by a heavy debt, the Saint prayed to God with more devotion than usual that the convent procurators might be able to pay their debts. He replied tenderly: What advantage shall I gain if I assist them in this? The Saint replied: "They will be able to occupy themselves with more fervor and recollection in their spiritual duties." And what will this advantage Me, continued Our Lord, since I have no need of your goods, and it is equally the same to Me whether you employ yourselves in bodily or mental exercises or mental exercises, provided you refer your intention to Me? For if I only took pleasure in spiritual exercises, I should have so reformed human nature after the Fall that it would no longer have needed food, or clothing, or any other necessaries of life, which are now obtained with so much labor. And as a powerful emperor is pleased, not merely with bringing up noble ladies in the court of his empress, but also brings up his own court nobles, captains and soldiers, who are employed in different ways, that they may serve him when any occasion presents itself, so also I take pleasure, not only in the interior delights of contemplation, but also in the different exterior affairs and occupations of the children of men, with whom I love to dwell when they labor in them for My love and for My glory, because in these occupations they have much exercised in charity, patience, humility and the other virtues.

After this the Saint beheld the person who had the principle charge of the temporal affairs of the Monastery as if he were resting on the left Hand of the Lord; and it appeared to her that he often rose with great pain, and offered Him a piece of gold enriched with a precious stone. Our Lord then said to her: Know that if I lessened the troubles of him for whom you pray, I should also be deprived of these precious stones which are so acceptable to Me; and he would lessen the recompense which he will receive; for then he would only be able to offer Me with his right hand this piece of gold without any ornament. He presents Me with a piece of gold, who without suffering any adversity, refers all his actions to God according to His adorable Will. But he who is constantly suffering, and still conforms himself to the decrees of Providence, offers Me gold enriched with very rare and precious stones.

Nevertheless, the Saint still continued to pray that the convent procurator might be relieved from his difficulties. But Our Lord said to her: Why dolt it seem hard to you that anyone should suffer these inconveniences for love of Me, since I am the one true Friend whose faithfulness never changes? For when anyone is deprived of all human help and consolation and is driven to the last extremity, those who have formerly received kindness from them are sorry for their misfortunes, and yet their sorrow is often fruitless, and can afford no assistance to their friend. But I am the only true Friend who, in such dive necessity will console the afflicted with the merit and glory of all the good works they have practiced during their whole life, whether by thoughts, words or actions, and these shall appear scattered over My vestments like roses and lilies; while this delightful vision shall revive in the soul its hopes of eternal life, to which it beholds itself invited in recompense for its good works. Then the soul disposes itself in holy contentment to depart from its mortal body and to enter eternal felicity, so that amidst its joys it may say: 'Behold the smell of my beloved is as the smell of a fertile field. (cf. Gen 27:27). For even as the body is composed of many members united together so also the soul consists of affections, such as fear, grief, joy, love, hope, anger, modesty, in the exercise of each of which the more man acts for My glory the more he will find in Me that incomprehensible and ineffable joy, and that secure delight, which will prepare him for eternal happiness. For in the resurrection, when the body will be raised incorruptible, each of its members will receive a special recompense for the labors and actions which it has performed in My name and for My love. But the soul will receive an incomparably greater reward for all the holy affections it has entertained for My love, for its compunction, and even for having animated the body for My service.

Once again, as the Saint prayed that the faithful procurator might receive the full reward of his troublesome labors for the temporal good of the community, Our Lord said to her, His body , which is wearied by so many labors for Me, is like a treasure house, in which I place as many drachmas of silver as his limbs make movements to fulfill his duties with which he is charged: and his heart is like an ark, in which I place in reserve as many drachmas of gold as he has had thoughts of providing carefully, for love of Me, for those persons under his care. Then the Saint exclaimed, in surprise: "It seems to me, O Lord, that this man is not so perfect as to undertake all that he does purely for Thy glory; for I believe he also thinks of the temporal profit he obtains thereby, and consequently of his bodily convenience. How then, canst Thou, My God, find such pleasure as Thou sayest in his heart and in his body?" Our Lord condescended to reply thus: It is because his will is so entirely submitted to Mine that I am always the principle cause of his actions; and for this reason he will merit an inestimable recompense for all his thoughts, his words and his works. If he applies himself to each action with a still greater purity of intention, he will increase his merit even as gold exceeds silver in value and if he endeavors to refer all his thoughts and anxieties to Me with a yet purer intention, they will become as much more excellent as refined gold is in comparison of that which is allowed with a baser metal.



Chapter 58

It happened one day that a person was injured from an accident which occurred during some employment, and Gertrude, compassionating her suffering, prayed that the limb, which had been injured in a holy occupation, might not be endangered. Our Lord replied: It will not be endangered; but on the contrary, the pain will bring down on her soul a recompense of inestimable value. And further, all those who endeavor to soothe or cure her pain shall receive an eternal reward: for even as a piece of cloth which has been dipped in saffron imparts the same color to whatever it touches, so, when one member suffers, all the members who serve her shall be crowned with her glory. "But, my God" inquired the Saint, "how can those who thus assist each other render themselves worthy of so great a recompense when they labor thus, not that she who is wounded may suffer longer or more patiently for love of Thee, but merely to lesson her pain?" To this Our Lord vouchsafed a reply full of ineffable consolation: The patience with which anyone endures an evil for My love and for My glory, which cannot be remedied by any human means, is not a patience which I condemn; on the contrary, having sanctified it by these words which I addressed in My agony to My eternal Father, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass from Me' (Matt 26:39), it becomes of incomparable merit and value. "But" inquired Gertrude, "is it not better to endure patiently every evil which happens, than merely to bear it because we cannot prevent it?" Our Lord answered: This is a secret hidden in the abyss of My Divine perfection, and which surpasses human understanding; but to speak according to the manner of men, there is the same difference between these two kinds of sufferings as between two beautiful colors, which are both so brilliant and attractive, that it is difficult to give preference to either. Then Gertrude prayed that Our Lord would make this known to this person Himself. and thus give her effectual and true consolation; but He answered: This must not be; but know that I refuse her this by a secret dispensation of My Divine Wisdom, in order to prove her further, and to give her the merit of three virtues - patience, faith and humility: patience, because if she found such consolation in these words as you now experience, all her pains would be so sweetened that the merit of her patience would be thereby much diminished; faith in order that she may believe on the word of another what she has not experienced herself, since faith remains without merit and unfruitful when human reason has perceived what it believes; humility, that she may believe that others excel her, because they know by Divine inspiration what she does not merit to know.



Chapter 59

As the Saint prayed for a person for whom she had great compassion, because she knew that in a moment of impatience she had asked why God had permitted her to be tried in a way which she thought she had not deserved, Our Lord said to her: Ask this person why these trials are not proportioned to her; and tell her, that since the kingdom of Heaven cannot be obtained without suffering, that she shall choose herself whatever suffering she thinks most suitable for her; and when it happens to her, let her bear it with patience. She understood by these words, that the most dangerous kind of impatience is that in which persons imagine that they would be patient under other trials, but that they cannot be patient under what God sends them; whereas, on the contrary, they ought to be firmly persuaded that all which comes from God is most advantageous to them, and that when they do not receive it with patience, they ought to at least make it an occasion of humiliation. Our Lord then addressed His faithful spouse thus: And what do you think of My conduct in your regard? Do you think that I have sent you suffering which is beyond your strength? "Assuredly not, my God," she replied; "but I sincerely confess and will acknowledge to my last breath, that Thy Providence has governed me, both spiritually and temporally, in prosperity and adversity, in so prudent a manner, that all the wisdom of the world from its commencement even until now could not have acted thus, and that Thou only, my sweetest Lord, Who art the Uncreated Wisdom, wert capable of it; 'Who reaches from end to end mightily, and orderest all things sweetly'." (Cf Wis 8:1).

Then the Son of God led her to His Father, and asked her what she would say to Him, "I render Thee thanks Holy Father," she exclaimed, "with all my power, through Him that sittest at Thy right hand, for all the magnificent gifts which I have received from Thy bounty, knowing that this could be effected by any creature, and could only be accomplished by Thy Divine omnipotence, Who causest all things to exist." Then He led her to the Holy Spirit, that she might offer her thanksgiving to Him for all His benefits; and she said: "I give Thee thanks O Holy Ghost the Comforter, through the merit of him who, by Thy cooperation, was made Man in the womb of a Virgin, that Thou halt, charitably prevented me in all things with the gratuitous benediction of Thy sweetness, though I am so unworthy; and I am convinced that Thine ineffable charity alone could have bestowed such benefits on me, in which resides, from which proceeds, and through which we receive every good."

Then the Son of God addressing her with the greatest possible tenderness, said to her: I take you under My protection more especially than any other creature; and I shall have a greater care of you than I owe to them by right of creation, redemption, or even of My own free choice. From this the Saint knew that when anyone renders similar thanksgiving to the Divine Goodness, and abandons himself with confidence and gratitude to His holy Providence, that the Lord takes a particular care of him even as a Superior is obliged to watch specially over one whose vows he has received.



Chapter 60

As Gertrude prayed for a person with special affection, and said to Our Lord, "Hear me, O loving Lord, according to the sweetness of Thy paternal love, for her whom I pray," Our Lord answered: I usually hear when you pray for her. "Why then," replied Gertrude, "does she so often entreat me to pray for her alleging always her unworthiness and nothingness, as if she never received any consolation from Thee?" This, answered the Savior, is the sweetest way in which My spouse could gain My affection; this ornament becomes her best, and in this she pleases Me most, because thus she is displeasing to herself, and this grace increases in her in proportion as you pray for her. On another occasion, when she prayed at the same time for this person and also for another, Our Lord said to her: I have brought her nearer to Me, and therefore it is necessary she should be purified by some little trial; even as a young girl who, on account of her love and tenderness for her mother wishes to seat herself beside her, although she may be more unconvinced thereby than her sisters, who take their proper seats round their mother - the mother also cannot look so easily and lovingly on the child beside her as on those who sit opposite to her.



Chapter 61

As Gertrude once prostrated at the feet of Our Lord Jesus, and kissed His Wounds with all possible respect and devotion, before praying for several persons and several affairs which had been recommended to her, she saw a stream breaking forth from the Heart of Jesus, which appeared to water all the placed where she was. She understood that this stream was the efficacy of prayers which she had offered at His feet, and said to Him: "My Lord, what advantage will those persons receive for whom I have prayed, since they cannot feel the effect of my prayers, and consequently cannot expect any consolation therefrom?" Our Lord answered by the following similitude: When a king makes peace after a long war, those who live at a distance cannot be made aware of it until a favorable opportunity occurs; thus they who separate themselves from Me by their diffidence or other defects cannot perceive when others pray for them. "But, Lord" she replied, "Thou halt Thyself made known to me that some of those for whom I have prayed are not separated far from Thee." It is true, answered Our Lord; but to he whom the king gives his orders personally, and not through his officers, must wait for the convenience of his prince. And thus I Myself make known to them the effect of your prayers, when I find it will be most advantageous to them to do so.

Gertrude then prayed specially for a person who had persecuted her formerly, and received this reply: As it would be impossible for anyone to have his foot pierced through without his heart sympathizing in its suffering, so My paternal goodness cannot fail to look with eyes of mercy on those who, while they groan under their infirmities and feel their need of pardon, are nevertheless moved by a holy charity to pray for the welfare of their neighbor.

What we should ask for the sick.

As it is a duty of humanity to pray often for the sick, the Saint inquired of God what would be most for the advantage of an invalid for whom she prayed. Our Lord replied: Say two words for her with devotion - first, pray that she may preserve her patience; and secondly, pray that I may make every moment of suffering serve for her spiritual advancement and for My glory, according as the charity of My paternal Heart has ordained from all eternity for her salvation. And know that each time you pray thus, you will increase your merit and that of the sick person, even as an artist makes the colors brighter by retouching his painting.

How we should pray for those who occupy elevated positions in the Church.

As Gertrude prayed for a persons in office, she understood that what God desired most from them, and especially from prelates, was, that they should possess these dignities as if they possessed them not - that is to say, that they should use their authority as if it had only been granted to them for a day or an hour, and that they should be ready at any moment to resign their charge, yet without ceasing to do all in their power for the glory of God, saying to themselves continually in their hearts:" Courage! Let us neglect nothing which may procure the honor of Our Lord in these matters, that we may at last lay down our burden without fear, when we have promoted His glory and the advantage of our neighbor."

Of the value and importance of recommending ourselves to the prayers of others.

As the Saint prayed for a person who had requested her prayers with great humility, both personally and through others, she saw Our Lord approach this person, encompassing her with celestial light, and pouring forth on her in the midst of this splendor all the graces which she had hoped to receive through the merits of the prayers of Gertrude. Our Lord taught her by this, that when anyone confides in the prayers of another, with a firm confidence that through their intercession they will receive grace from God, the Lord in His goodness pours forth His benedictions on them according to the measure of their desires and they will place your faith, even when he to whose prayers they have recommended themselves neglects to pray for them.



Chapter 62

As Gertrude prayed for a person who had an ardent desire to advance in perfection, she received this instruction: Tell her from Me, that if she desires to unite herself to Me by the tie of special love, she must, like a noble bird, make a nest at My feet of the branches of her own nothingness and the palm of My greatness, where she may repose by a continual remembrance of her unworthiness, because man is always inclined to evil of himself, and not to good, unless he is prevented by My grace. Let her often reflect on My mercy, and then on the paternal goodness with which I am ready to relieve men when they have fallen, if they return to Me by penance. When she desires to leave this nest in order to seek food, she must fly into My bosom wherein, with affectionate gratitude, she must reflect on the different blessings with which I have enriched her by My super abundant kindness. If she desires to fly further, and to ascend higher on the wings of her desires, she must rise with the swiftness of an eagle to the contemplation of heavenly things, which are above her; she must fly around my face, supported like a seraph on the wings of charity, and gaze with the piercing eyes of her spirit upon the glory of the King of kings.

But since it is impossible for her during this life to continue long in this high contemplation, even for an hour, she must depress her wings, by thinking frequently of her own nothingness, and return to her nest, remaining there in repose until she is able again to renew her flight by acts of thanksgiving and gratitude; then let her seek once more her pasture, and elevate herself again in ecstasy to the highest contemplation of the Divine Majesty. Thus by repeating frequently these difficult movements, entering into her nest by considerations of her unworthiness, and coming forth from it by meditating on My benefits, she will elevate herself to heavenly contemplation, and she will always taste celestial joys.

Gertrude now prayed for another person who had been particularly recommended to her, and who, having renounced the world after passing the flower of her youth in it, had consecrated herself to God in religion. She besought Him by the same love with which He had promised her that He would use her heart as a canal through which to pour forth His grace on others, that He would now accomplish this promise for His own glory, and for the satisfaction and advantage of this person; and as she prayed thus, she saw her heart united, under the form of a little canal, to the loving Heart of Jesus, the Son of God, who appeared seated on His royal throne.

Then Gertrude also saw the person for whom she prayed prostrating humbly before God; she beheld Our Lord offering her His left hand, and saying to her; I will place you under the protection of My incomprehensible omnipotence, My inscrutable wisdom, and My ineffable goodness - at the same time presenting to her three fingers of His left hand, with which He touched hers; thus indicating three different manners in which she should endeavor to regulate her life. First, that when she commenced any duty, she should always submit herself humbly to the Divine omnipotence, acknowledging herself a useless servant, since she had passed her best years unfruitfully, without thinking of God her Creator; praying fervently that the Almighty would give her grace to act as she ought therein. Secondly, that she should protest before the impenetrable wisdom of God, that she was unworthy to receive any effusion of Divine knowledge, because she had not accustomed her senses from her infancy to occupy themselves with Divine things, but rather had used them for human pride and vainglory. Thus abasing herself in profound humility, she should detach herself from everything earthly, and apply herself solely to the contemplation of God; and that she should according to the circumstances of time and place, endeavor to impart to others the effusions of Divine grace which were poured forth on her. Thirdly, that she should receive with great thanksgiving the good will which the Lord had freely bestowed on her, by means of which she would be enabled to observe the two preceding counsels.

It appeared to the Saint, also, that Our Lord wore a ring on the ring finger of His left hand, the material of which was of little value, thought it contained a very rare and precious stone of the color of fire; and it was revealed to her that this ring symbolized the imperfect life of this person, which she had offered to God by forsaking the world, and enrolling herself under the Divine standard; and that the precious stone signified the mercy and ineffable liberality whereby Our Savior had inspired her with a good will, so that all her works might become perfect before God. Therefore the voice - that is to say the intention - of this person ought to be a continual thanksgiving and praise to God for this immense grace. She knew also, whenever this person performed any good work by Divine assistance, that Our Lord placed it on His right hand as a ring of great value, displaying it before all the heavenly court, and appearing to take satisfaction in having received the gift from His spouse - that is, from the soul of this person. They gave all the blessed souls a love for her, as princes have for the spouse of their king; and they rendered their services to this person, whenever God desired it, with all the fervor and devotedness which the Church Triumphant in Heaven renders to the Church Militant on earth.

As the Saint prayed with much devotion for another person, she received this instruction for her: that she was to make her nest in the hole of the rock - that is, in the adorable Side of Jesus Christ - so that, reposing there, she should suck honey from the rock - that is, the sweetness of the intention of the Defiled Heart of Jesus - and this she might learn to imitate His example, according to the instruction of Holy Scripture; but especially in three things. First: as Our Lord frequently passed whole nights in prayer, she should imitate Him by having recourse to prayer in every trial and adversity. Secondly: that as Jesus Christ preached in the towns and villages, she should endeavor to edify her neighbor, not only by word, but by works; by her conduct, and even by the least movement of her body. Thirdly: that as Our savior was always ready to assist the needy, she should also render service to her neighbor by word and act, that whenever she was about to perform any action, she should always recommend it to God, uniting it to His most perfect works, that it might be accomplished according to His adorable Will, for the salvation of the world; and at its conclusion she should again offer it to the Son of God, that He might amend its defects, and present it to God His Father for His eternal glory.

Whenever this person came forth from her nest, she was to use three supports; one to assist her in walking and the other two to support her on either side. The first support was to be a fervent charity, by which she was to endeavor with all her might to draw all kinds of persons to God, and to be useful to them for the glory of God, inconsideration to that divine Love by which He had labored for the common salvation of the whole human race. the second support, which she was to use on the right side, was a humble subjection, by which she was to submit herself to all for the love of God, and to take the utmost care that neither her superiors nor her inferiors should be scanderlized by her words or actions. The third support, which she was to use on the left side, was an exact vigilance over herself, by means of which she should endeavor to preserve herself from all sin, and to avoid the stains which she might contract by thought, word or action.

As Gertrude prayed for another person, her spiritual life was thus represented to her: She appeared before the throne of God as if engaged in building a magnificent throne of precious stones, the cement of which was pure gold. Sometimes she rested on this throne and then rose up again to resume her labor with greater fervor. The Saint understood that these precious stones represented the different afflictions by which the grace of God was preserved and strengthened in the soul of this person; for the Lord leads His elect through this life by rough and difficult paths, lest pleasures here should make them forget the pleasures of their father land. The gold which cemented these precious stones together represented the habitual grace which this soul possessed, and by means of which, with a lively faith, she made such profit of all the trials she suffered, whether exterior or interior. The repose which she took when sitting on this throne signified the sweetness of Divine consolation which she enjoyed; and the rising again, the good works in which she preserved continually, and by which she profited so much that she daily rose to a higher degree of perfection..

As the saint prayed for another person, her life was thus represented to her: she beheld before the throne of the Divine Majesty a very beautiful tree, the trunk and branches of which were green and flourishing, the leaves shining like gold. The person for whom she prayed appeared to ascend into this tree, and to cut off some little branches which had commenced to wither; and she had no sooner effected this, than Gertrude beheld the same number of branches coming forth from different parts of the throne of God, which were presented to this person to take the place of those which she had cut off; and when these were grafted on the tree, they appeared to bring forth fruit of a red color which she gathered and presented to God, Who received the offering with much pleasure.

The tree represented the religious life into which this person had entered to serve God; the gold colored leaves the good works which she practiced in her Monastery - and these were rendered of still more value by the prayers of one of her relatives, who had induced her to become a religious, and had recommended her to God with much fervent prayer. The instrument with which she cut off the withered branches represented the consideration of her own defects, in order to extirpate them by penance. The branches which came forth from the throne of God to replace those which she had cut off signified the perfect and holy life of Jesus Christ, who, through the merit and prayers of her relation, was always ready to supply her defects. Lastly, the fruit which she gathered and presented to God signified the good will she had to correct her faults, which was more acceptable to the Lord, who thinks more of the good will of a sincere heart than of great actions without pure intention.

As the Saint prayed fervently for two persons who had been recommended to her prayers, but of whom she knew nothing, she besought Our Lord to reveal their spiritual state to her. Our Lord then desired her to inform them of two revelations which had been made to her for two other persons for whom she had been praying previously, one of whom was learned and the other illiterate; and, He added, that all persons, whatever might be their state or condition, would find instructions in the preceding revelations, as well as in those which follow. Of the learned person Our Lord said: I have taken her up, with My Apostles, on the mountain of new light, therefore, in regulating her conduct, let her be instructed by the meaning of the names of the Apostles who were led to that mountain. Now Peter, according to the interpreters signifies 'knowledge' let her then endeavor, in all her reading, to attain to herself - knowledge. For example, when she reads of vices or virtues, let her examine if she has any of these vices and see what progress she has made in virtue. Then, when she has obtained a more perfect knowledge of herself, let her follow the signification of the name James which is interpreted 'supplanter, and endeavor to fight courageously against her vices and to advance in virtues. And since the name John signifies 'grace' let her endeavor, at least for one hour each day, in the morning or evening, or whenever she finds it more suitable, to separate herself from all exterior things and to recollect herself interiorly, to think of me and know my Will; and let her thus let her exercise herself devoutly, as far as she can during the time which she has chosen, in all that I inspire her with, whether it be praise, thanksgiving for all the special favors I have bestowed on her, or for those which I have granted to others, or prayers for sinners, or for the souls in purgatory.

The following instruction was given for the unlearned person because she was much troubled that she could not apply to prayer as she desired being hindered by the duties of her office: I have not merely chosen her to serve Me for an hour in the day, but that she may be continually with Me - that is, that she may perform all her actions for My glory, and with the same intention with which she should desire to pray. Let her also practice this devotion in all the trouble which she finds in her employment - namely, to have a constant desire that all those who benefit by her labor may not only find bodily refreshment, but also that they may be incited to love Me interiorly, and be strengthened in all good; and each time that she acts thus, her labors and works will be to Me as if she presented Me with so many different and delicious viands.



Chapter 63

As the Saint prayed for another person, the Lord Jesus, the King of Glory, appeared to her, showing her, under the figure of His natural Body the mystical Body of His Church, of which He is the Head and the Spouse. He appeared to have the right side of His Body magnificently clothed with a royal and Divine habit, but the left was uncovered, and seemed all over ulcers. The Saint was instructed by this, that the right side of Our Lord signified the elect who are in His Church, and who have been prevented by special gifts of grace; the left side represented the imperfect, who are still full of vices and imperfections. The ornaments with which the right side of Our Lord was adorned represented the benefits and services which some had rendered by a singular zeal to those whom they knew to be more advanced in virtue than others, and to enjoy more familiarity with God, because, whenever they acted thus, they bestowed, as it were, a new ornament on the Lord. But there are also those who, while they willingly do service to virtuous persons for the love of God, reprehend the faults of the wicked and imperfect with such severity that they increase these wounds instead of healing them.

Our Lord then spoke to Gertrude: Let all learn from My example in this matter how they should heal the wounds of the Church, which is My mysterical Body - that is, how they should correct the faults of their neighbors. First, they must touch them gently, and endeavor by their kindness and charitable advice, to withdraw them from their imperfections. When they see that these means are ineffectual, then, in the course of time, they may use stronger remedies to effect their cure. Those who care nothing for My words are they who, while they know of the faults of others, concern themselves so little about them, that they would not correct them, even by a word, for fear of giving themselves the least trouble, saying with Cain, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' They plaster over My wounds who, instead of trying to heal them, draw them out, and cause them to become corrupt, by allowing the imperfections of their neighbors to continue by their silence, when they might cure them by their words.

There are others who discover the faults of their neighbors, but give way to anger if they are not corrected and chastised for them at the moment, according to their fancy; and such persons resolve in their hearts never again to advise or reprehend another, imagining that their advice has been disregarded; and yet they will be condemn others harshly themselves, even injuring them by untruths, without giving them one word of advice for their amendment. And they who act thus seem as if they placed a plaster on My wounds exteriorly, while interiorly they tear them with their burning irons.

They who neglect to correct the faults of others more from negligence than from malice act as they trod on My feet. And those who follow the impulses of their own will, without caring how they scandalize My elect, so that they gratify their inclinations, seem to pierce My hands with red hot needles.

There are others, also, who sincerely love, as they ought, good and holy Superiors, and, who show them every respect by their words and actions, and yet despise those who appear less perfect, and condemn their actions in their own minds too rigorously; and these acts as if they adorned the right side of My head with pearls and precious stones, and, at the same time, struck the other side violently and without mercy when I desire to lay it down upon them to rest. There are some also who applaud the ill-regulated actions of their Superiors, in order to insinuate themselves into their friendship, and thus to be permitted more easily to follow their own will; and these act as if they dragged My head back rudely, insulting Me in My suffering, and finding pleasure in My wounds.



Chapter 64

As the Saint prayed for another person who had been devoutly recommended to her prayers, she commenced by asking God to allow her to participate in all the good which she might effect, however unworthy, by her vigils, her fasts, her prayers and other good works. Our Lord replied: I will communicate to her all the favors which the gratuitous goodness of My Divinity has operated or will operate in you even to the end. The Saint then asked: "Since Thy holy and universal Church participates in all the good which Thou dost operate in me, by me, and by all Thine elect, what particular advantage will this person receive from Thy bounty, in consequence of my ardent desire that she should share in all the graces which Thou conferrest on me? Our Lord answered by this comparison: Even as a lady of rank, who understands the art of skillfully arranging pearls and precious stones to adorn herself and her sister does honor to her house and her parents, and though she is thus skilled obtains the greatest applause, still those whom she adorns are more admired than those who are altogether deprived of such jewels; so also the Church shares in what is granted to each individual; but they who have received them, and those whom they desire to participate in them, receive the greatest profit from them.

Then the Saint told Our Lord that a person who had attended Dame Mechtilde in her illness complained that she had not attended her as she wished; above all, she grieved that she had not spoken to her about her soul as she had desired, fearing, if she did so, that she might incommode her. Our Lord replied: She serves Me daily at My table, as a prince would his emperor, by the good will with which she so often served My spouse with such alacrity and liberality; for I take pleasure in all the services which she has rendered to her, whether by serving her with food and drink, or soothing her sufferings by her words or actions. And as for the complaint which she makes of not having spoken to her often enough of spiritual things, I will supply for this Myself, as a charitable bridegroom, who, seeing that his bride from respect refrains from asking him for something that she ardently desires, grants double to her modesty. Further more, on account of the joy which she feels for all the favors which I have granted to My spouse, her soul will receive in Heaven an inestimable delight for all the graces which have been poured forth on her from the incomprehensible source of light. For as the rays of the sun, when they fall on the surface of the water, reflect themselves again on some other surface, so the brightness of My grace, which shines into the souls of those whom I have presented on earth with sweetness of My benediction, will cast their light through eternity upon the souls of those who have rejoiced in their happiness, and form an image brighter than that of the most highly-polished mirror.



Chapter 65

As Gertrude prayed for a person who was greatly tried by temptation, she received this reply: It is I who have sent this temptation, and who permit it, that she may thus perceive and repent of her defects and efface those defects which she does not see; as it usually happens that, when men perceive any stain on their hands, they wash them, and thus thoroughly cleanse away lesser stains, which they would not have perceived or removed if they had not seen a greater one.



Chapter 66

A certain person, moved by a zeal for justice, sometimes exclaimed against those whom she thought approached the Holy Communion with too little preparation and fervor, and rendered them so fearful, that they dare not communicate. On this account Gertrude prayed for this person and inquired how Our Lord received her zeal, He replied: Since I find My delight in dwelling with the children of men, and have left this Sacrament by an excess of love, for a remembrance of Me, that by this they remember Me frequently; and, finally, have obliged Myself to remain in this mystery until the consummation of ages - all who, by their words or persuasions, drive away those who are not in mortal sin, and thus hinder and interrupt the delight which I find in them, act like a severe master, who forbids the children of the king to speak to those their own age who may be poor or beneath them in rank, because he considers it more correct that his pupils should receive the honor due to their dignity than to permit them this enjoyment. "But, Lord" inquired the Saint, "if this person formed a firm resolution not to commit this fault any more, wouldst Thou not pardon her for the past?" I would not only pardon her, Our Lord replied: but her actions would be as agreeable to Me as it would be to the king's son if his master allowed him to play with those children from whom he had previously driven him away with such severity.



Chapter 67

As Gertrude prayed for a person whose conscience was troubled, fearing that she was guilty before God for not having borne with sufficient patience the negligence of some persons by whose bad example she feared religious discipline would become relaxed, Our Lord, who is the best of all masters, instructed her thus: If anyone desires that her zeal should be an acceptable sacrifice to Me and useful to her own soul, she should have a special care of three things; first, she should show a gentle and serene countenance toward those whom she desires to correct for their faults, and even, when opportunity offers, she should manifest her charity toward them by her actions as well as by her words; secondly, she should be careful not to publish these negligences in places where she neither expects amendment in the person corrected nor caution in the listeners; thirdly, when her conscience urges her to reprehend any fault, no human consideration should induce her to be silent, but, from a pure motive of giving glory to God and benefiting souls, let her seek an opportunity of correcting these imperfections with profit and charity. Then she will be rewarded according to her labor, not according to her success: for if her care entirely fails of effect it will not be her fault, but the fault of those who refuse to hear her.

As the Saint prayed again for two persons who had a verbal disagreement, one anxious for the maintenance of justice, and the other for charity. Our Lord said to her: When a father Who loves his little children sees them playing together and disporting merely for amusement, he appears not to notice it; but if he perceives that one rises up against the other too harshly, then he immediately reprehends severely the one who is at fault. Thus also I, who am the Father of mercies, when I see two persons arguing together with a good intention, appear not to perceive it, though I would much prefer to see them enjoy an entire peace of heart; but if one becomes angry with the other, she shall not escape the rod of my paternal justice.



Chapter 68

As another person complained that she did not receive the fruit of the prayers which were offered for her, the Saint laid the matter before God, and received this reply: Ask this person what she would think most advantageous to a cousin or any other relative for whom she ardently desired a benefice - whether the right to it should be conferred on him as a child, or whether he should be allowed the revenues also, and permitted to use them as he pleased? According to human prudence, she could only reply that it would be more advantageous to confer on him the right to the benefice, and the revenue when he could use it properly, than when he might squander it wastefully. Let her, then confide in My wisdom and My Divine mercy, since I am her Father, her Brother, and her Spouse, and I will obtain what will be advantageous for her body and soul with far more care and fidelity than she would for any relative; and let her believe that I preserve carefully the fruit of all the prayers and desires which are addressed to Me for her, until a suitable time comes to permit her to the enjoyment of them; then I will commit them to her entirely, when no one will be able to corrupt them, or to deprive her of them by their importunities. And let her be persuaded that this is far more useful to her than to pour into her soul some sweetness which might, perhaps, be an occasion of vainglory to her, or become tarnished by her pride; or than to grant her some temporal prosperity, which might prove an occasion of sin.



Chapter 69

As the Hebdomadaira recited the chapter at Matins by heart, it was revealed to Gertrude that she acted thus to satisfy a precept of the Rule which requires that it should be recited thus, and that she acquired as much merit by this as if as many persons as there were words in what she chanted interceded for her with God. She remembered what St. Bernard has said will happen at the hour of death, when our actions will address us thus: "You have produced us; we are your work; we will never leave you, but will abide continually with you, and appear with you at judgment." Then God will permit all the actions of the obedient to appear as so many persons of distinction, who will console him, and intercede for him with God, so that each good action performed through obedience, with a pure intention, will obtain the pardon of some negligence, and thereby afford extreme consolation to persons in their agony.



Chapter 70

Another Hebdomadaria, who was appointed to read the Psalter, having recommended herself to the prayers of the Saint, she began to intercede for her, and saw in spirit the Son of God elevating this person before the throne of His Eternal Father, praying Him to grant her a share in the zeal and fidelity with which He had desired the glory of God His Father and the salvation of the human race. After He had prayed thus for this person, she appeared clothed with ornaments like His. Therefore, as the Son of God is said to stand before His Father to render Him favorable to His Church, so this person, like another Esther, stood with the Son of God before the Eternal Father praying for her people, that is to say, for her community. And as she thus acquitted herself of the obligation of reciting the Psalter, the heavenly Father in two different manners, like a lord who receives a debt by the person who has entered bail for his debtors, and like a sum of money given by his steward to distribute amongst his friends. It appeared, also that Our Lord gave this person all she desired to obtain by her prayers for the community, and that he had granted them all they asked.

As St.Gertrude prayed to God to correct a fault in one of her superiors, she received this reply: Do you not know that not only this person, but also all those who have charge of this My beloved community, have some defects, since no one can be entirely free from them in this life? And this happens by an excess of My mercy, tenderness and love with which I have chosen this congregation, that by this means their merit may be greatly increased. For it is far more virtuous to submit to a person whose faults are apparent, than to one who always appears perfect. To this the Saint replied: "Although I am full of joy in perceiving great merit in inferiors, I ardently desire that superiors should be free from faults, and I fear they contract them by their imperfections." Our Lord answered: I, who know all their weaknesses, sometimes permits them, in the diversity of their employments, to be sullied by some stain, because otherwise they might never attain so high a degree of humility. Therefore, as the merit of inferiors is increased both by the perfections and imperfections of their superiors, so the merit of superiors increases by the perfections and imperfections of inferiors, even as the different members of the same body contribute to mutual increase.

From these words Gertrude learned to admire the infinite wisdom of God, who arranges all things for the perfection of His elect, with such care, that He even uses their defects for their increase in perfection; so that, were there no other subject than this wherein the mercy of God shone forth, the united thanksgivings of all His creatures would not suffice to praise Him for it.

As the Saint prayed for a person who was in trouble, she received this reply: Do not defide (sic) in Me, for I will never permit My elect to be tried beyond their strength; and I am always with them to moderate the burden of their adversity, even as a mother who wishes to warm her little child at the fire always holds her hand between the fire and her child; so, when I know that it is necessary to purify My elect by sufferings, I send them not for their destruction, but to prove them and to contribute to their salvation. As she prayed afterwards for a person whom she had seen commit a fault, she said in the fervor of her desires: "Lord, although I am the least of Thy creatures, since what I ask for this man is for Thy glory, why dost Thou not hear me, Thou art almighty, and canst do all things?" The Lord answered: As My omnipotence can do all things, so does My wisdom discern all things; therefore I do nothing that is not suitable. And as an early monarch who had the power and will to cleanse his stables would not do so himself, because it would be unsuitable, so I do not withdraw persons from the evil into which they have fallen of their own will, if they do not change their will, and render themselves agreeable in My sight, and worthy of My love.

As the Saint watched a person who went around the choir during Matins to remind the sisters of some observance which had been forgotten, and thereby caused some confusion, she inquired of God if this action was agreeable to Him. He answered: Whosoever endeavors to prevent any neglect in the Divine Office for My glory, and admonishes others for the same purpose, I will supply what he has omitted in this duty of piety and devotion which he is obliged to practice.



Chapter 71

As the Saint prayed for a person who was grieved at the illness of a friend whose death she expected, she received this instruction from God: When anyone has lost, or fears to lose, a faithful friend in whom they find not only the consolation of friendship, but also great assistance for their advancement in virtue, if they offer Me this affliction, and would rather My Will should be accomplished than their friend should live, they may be assured, if they form this desire in their hearts even for a single hour, that I will preserve their offering in the same beauty and freshness as it was presented to Me; and all the afflictions which may happen to them afterwards through human weakness will contribute to the advancement of their salvation in such a manner, that all thoughts which may grieve them - as, for example, when they remember such or such a consolation which they might have found in this person, and of which they are now deprived - all those griefs and inquietudes which overwhelm man through the weakness of his human nature - will only serve to make place in their souls for Divine consolations, after the offering of which I have spoken; for I will bestow on them as many consolations as they have suffered afflictions. And I will act toward them even as a lapidary who is obliged to place in his work of gold or silver as many precious stones as he has made niches to receive them. Now, My Divine consolation is like a precious stone, because precious stones are said to have strength, or so the Divine consolation which man obtains by enduring a passing affliction has such efficacy, that there is nothing which can be renounced in this life, however great, which will not be restored a hundred fold in this life, and a thousand fold in eternity.



Chapter 72

As Gertrude prayed once for a person who ardently desired to have the merit of virginity before God, but who feared to have tarnished its brightness by some human weakness, she appeared in the arms of the Lord, clothed modestly in a snow-white robe, and He gave this instruction: When virginity receives some slight stain through human weakness, and this becomes the occasion of exercising a true and solid penance, I cause these stains to appear as ornaments on the soul, and they adorn it as folds adorn a robe. Nevertheless, as Scripture, which cannot be in error, assures us 'that incorruption bringeth near to God' (Wis 6:20), it must be observed, that if these stains were caught by great sins, they would impede the effusions of Divine Love.

As she prayed for another person who desired Divine consolation, she received this reply: She is herself the obstacle which prevents her from receiving the sweetness of My grace; for when I draw My elect to Me by the interior attractions of My love, they who remain obstinate in the exercise of their own judgment place the same impediment to it as one would who closed his nostrils with his robe to prevent himself from smelling a delicious perfume. But he who, for love of Me, renounces his own judgment to follow that of another, acquires a merit all the greater for acting contrary to his inclination, because he is not merely humble, but perfectly victorious; for the apostle says none will be crowned 'except he strives lawfully'. (2Tim 2:5).

As the Saint prayed for a person who found great difficulty in a work which had been commanded her, Our Lord instructed her thus: If anyone desires, for love of Me, to undertake any painful work, by which he fears to be hindered from his devotions, if he prefers the accomplishment of My Will to his souls good, I will so esteem the purity of his intention, as to consider it as if it had really been carried into action; and even if he never commences what he has undertaken, he will not fail to obtain the same reward from Me as if he had accomplished it, and had never committed the least negligence in the matter.

On another occasion, when the Saint prayed for a person who was troubled about some subject of which she was herself the cause, she received this reply: By these pains I purify the negligences which she has contracted by preferring, from human motives, an exterior utility to her interior advancement. "But since she cannot live without the exterior goods," replied the Saint, "what fault can she have committed by this foresight, which is a necessity of her office?" Our Lord answered: It is an honor and an ornament to a lady of rank to wear a mantle lined with furs; but if she turned it inside out, what was suitable for her rank would become a subject of confusion, so that her mother, to prevent such an exposure, would cover her with another mantle, lest she should be considered to have lost her senses. Thus I, who tenderly love this person as My own child, cover her defects with different kinds of afflictions, and I permit them to happen to her for this reason, without any fault of hers. Further, I have adorned her with patience as a special ornament; for I have recommended in the Gospel that men should seek first the kingdom of God and His justice - that is the perfection of the interior man - and then, not that they should seek exterior things, for I have promised that they shall be added to them. These words should be carefully considered by all religious who desire to be friends of God.

End Book 3





Book 4: The Revelations of St. Gertrude
Compiled by the Religious of Her Monastery



Chapter 1

As the Saint was watching during the greater part of the night which preceded the Vigil of Christmas, before Matins, and had occupied herself entirely in meditating on the Response De illa occulta, in which she took great pleasure, she was suddenly ravished in spirit, and in her rapture she beheld Jesus Christ reposing sweetly and peacefully in the bosom of His Father; and the desires which were addressed to Him by those who wished to spend this feast with great devotion appeared under the figure of a certain vapor. Then this beautiful and gentle Jesus sent forth from His Divine Heart a light which spread itself over this vapor, which showed them the way in which they should come to Him. As each approach to God, she perceived that those who had recommended themselves humbly to the prayers of the others were led by the hand by persons who surrounded them, and thus they went direct to God in the splendor of this light, which came forth from His Heart: whereas, those who had confided merely in their own efforts and prayers wandered from this path, but arrived at last at the term by a light which came to them from God.

As the Saint desired to know with what special grace it had pleased God to communicate Himself to each of her sisters, she immediately beheld them all responding in the bosom of the Son of God, where each was filled with joy according to her capacity and desires. She observed that none hindered the other, but that each enjoyed God as fully as if He had given Himself to each individually; that some embraced Him lovingly, as a Child about to be born for us; that others regarded Him as a faithful Friend to Whom they could therefore disclose every secret of their hearts; while others, pouring forth the whole joy of their souls, caressed Him as a Spouse chosen among a thousand, and more beloved than all- so that each found in Him, in a most pure and holy manner, the accomplishment of her individual desires.

Then the Saint came forward, according to her usual custom, and cast herself at the feet of her Lord, saying to Him "O most loving Lord, what should my dispositions be, and what devotion can I offer to Thy most Blessed Mother at this Divine birth, since my bodily infirmity prevents me even from reciting the Hours to which my profession obliges me?" It appeared to her then, Our Lord, moved by compassion for her poverty, gathered together all that she had said for the glory of God or the good of souls during Advent, and offered it lovingly to His sweetest Mother, who was seated in glory at His Side; and to this He joined all the fruits which her words might have produced, even to the end of ages, to supply for any negligence which she might have committed in her service. The Mother of God, having received this offering, appeared as if adorned b it: and Gertrude approached her, beseeching Her to intercede for her with Her Son. Then the Blessed Virgin turned toward Him with a loving countenance, and, after embracing Him, addressed Him thus: "My Beloved Son, I beseech Thee to Thy affection to mine, and to grant to the prayers of this soul, who loves Thee with so much fervor, all she asks of Thee. Then the Saint addressed Our Lord thus: "O Sweetness of my soul! O Jesus, most loving and most desirable! O Dearest of all who are dear"! After having said these and many similar words, she exclaimed: "What fruit can there be in these words, uttered by one so vile?" Our Lord replied: What does it matter what kind of wood is used to stir up perfumes and vases of incense, they always emit the same odour? Thus whenever says to Me 'My sweetest Lord.' ect., what does it matter if they think themselves vile, since My goodness, like perfume stirred up, exhales an odour in which I take extreme pleasure, and which gives to those who move it by their words a sweetness which is to them a foretaste of eternal life?





Chapter 2

The next day, the Saint watched for some time before Matins, and occupied herself with reflecting, in the bitterness of her heart, on some impatience to which she had been given way on the preceding evening, in consequence of a negligence of those who attended her. As she heard the first signal for Matins, she was filled with joy, praising God for the announcement that the Feast of the most sweet Nativity of her Lord was so, near at hand. Then the Eternal Father addressed Himself lovingly to her, saying : Behold, I am going to send into your soul the affection which I sent before the face of My only Son to purify the world from in its sins, and I will enkindle it in your soul, that you also may be purified from all the sinful stains of your past negligence, and thus you may be prepared to celebrate the approaching feasts worthily. After this favour, she reflected bitterly on the faults which she had committed, and considered herself a creature altogether unworthy of the graces of God, since a trifling negligence in one of His servants had caused her to give way to such great impatience.

But the Divine Mercy instructed her that all the reflections which men made with sorrow for their faults, after they had done penance for them, will serve to prepare them for receiving the grace of God, as scripture teaches: "If the wicked do penance for all his sins... he shall live, and shall not die" (Ezech 18:21).

At the second bell for Matins, the Saint again began to praise God; and God the Father spoke thus to her: Behold I will again place in your soul that which I sent before My Son to correct the defects and weaknesses of man, that those defects may be amended which are not for your perfection; for their are certain faults in men, the knowledge of which serves to humble them, and causes holy compunction, and these faults further their salvation; and I permit these defects even in those whom I love most, in order to exercise their virtue. But there are other faults of which they think little, and, what is still worse, they defend them as if they were virtues, and will not be corrected for them. These faults place the soul in great peril of eternal damnation; but from these your soul is now purified.

At the third toll of the bell, as she continued to praise God, the Eternal Father filled her soul with all the virtues which had been found in the souls of the Patriarchies, Prophets and the Faithful before the advent of His Son - such as humility, desire, knowledge, love, hope, ect., - that she might celebrate so great a feast worthily. The Lord then adorned her with these virtues as so many brilliant stars, and stood before her saying: My daughter, which would you prefer - that I should serve you, or that you should serve Me? For she enjoyed God in two ways - first by rapture which absorbed her entirely in God, so that she could not explain much of what she learned therein for the edification of others; and secondly; by a grace which God conferred on her of instructing her in Holy Scripture, of what He imparted to her the spirit and meaning, so that it seemed to her as if she conversed with God familiarly, as a friend would with his friend; and this enabled her to be extremely useful to others. God then asked her which she preferred - that He should serve her in the first manner, or that she should serve Him in the second? But as she sought not only her own things, but those of the Lord Jesus, she preferred having the labour of instructing her neighbour for the glory of God, to seeking her own satisfaction by tasting His sweetness; and God appeared well pleased with her choice.

As matins commenced, she implored the Divine assistance by the words 'Deus in adjutorium; by the Domine labia mea aperiis, which is repeated three times, she saluted and adored, with her whole heart, her whole soul and all her strength, the infinite power of the Father, the impenetrable wisdom of the Son, and the ineffable goodness of the Holy Ghost - adoring the Blessed Trinity in Unity, and the Unity in Trinity; then at least the first five verses of the Psalm 'Domine quid multiplicati suntm' she approached in spirit to the holy Wounds of Jesus Christ, and embraced them lovingly; at the sixth verse of this Psalm, she prostrated at the Feet of Our Lord, to adore and thank Him for the remission of all her sins; at the seventh, she approached His sacred Hands, and thanked Him for all the favours which she had received during her whole life from His goodness; at the eighth she inclined profoundly before the loving Wounds of His Sacred Side; at the ninth (the Gloria Patri), she united with all creatures in adoring the effulgent and ever peaceful Trinity, and approaching the Heart of Jesus, she saluted it with the deepest affection, extolling it for having hidden within it all the incomprehensible riches of the Divinity.

At the first verse of the Psalm Venite, having prostrated once more to adore the Wound of the Lord's Left Foot, she obtained through it a full remission of all the sins which she had committed by thoughts or words. Then she adored the Right Foot at the second verse, and obtained pardon of all the sins of omission by which she had failed in the perfection of her thoughts and words; at the third verse, she turned to the Blessed Wound of the Left Hand and received the remission of all the sins she had committed by act; at the fourth, she received from the Right Hand of the Lord what supplied for all the omissions in her good works; lastly, at the fifth verse she approached the most holy Wound of the Side of her Beloved (which abounds and superabounds in all good), and having kissed it very devoutly in the place from whence the Precious Water sprang forth at the touch of the soldiers lance, she was purged from every stain, made whiter than snow, and adorned with every virtue by His Precious Blood; then chanting the Gloria Patri, and honouring the adorable Trinity as at the preceding Psalm, when singing the Sicut erat, she concluded all in the Heart of Jesus, which contains all that is Divine and satisfying. During the Invitatory Hodie scientis, which is repeated five times in the Venite and twice after it, God purified seven affections in her, which became marvellously ennobled by being united with the affections of Jesus Christ.

While they sang the other Psalms, she remained in the presence of the Lord clothed with virtues, as with so many brilliant stars. At this moment, as all her desires tended towards God, she prayed that all which she might do whether exteriorly or spiritually, on the day of the Nativity of her sweet Jesus, might be done to the honour and the glory of the most Holy and Adorable Trinity. When the bell rang for Lauds, Our Lord said to her: As the sound of these bells announce the Feast of My Nativity, I will grant that all which you do on this festival - whether by chanting, reading, praying, meditating, or even by exterior exercises, such as eating and sleeping - shall resound to the praises of the Most Holy Trinity, by union with My desires and love, which were ever in harmony with the Will of God the Father.

When they lit the seven candles, she received from God the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, as far as she was capable, and in proportion even as Jesus Christ was filled with them Himself. As she besought Our Lord, by the condescension with which He willed to be born in a stable, to prepare her heart for His birth, this most clement Lord compiled with her desire, and made a stable in her heart, giving her His omnipotence, wisdom and benignity for a roof and walls.

She now beheld with great joy and admiration all the good works which God enables men to perform by His goodness and power; and in which He allowed her to share as a preparation for this feast, attached to these walls like little bells. Then she beheld the Lord Jesus, who imparted new joys and gifts to her, while he was attended by the princes of Heaven

After this as the Saint repeated, two hundred and twenty times, "I adore Thee, I love Thee", ect., it seemed to her that at each prayer His members were presented to her to use as instruments of Divine praise; and that afterwards Jesus Christ purified, in a marvellous manner, all her senses, exterior and interior, and renewed them in purifying them, so that they became sanctified by union with His. As the bell rang for Chapter, she again praised God for His Goodness in assisting thereat in person, as had been revealed to Mechtilde her sister; and she knew that He was present by the devotion which she observed in the sisters who assisted at Chapter, and who burned with ardour to see this revelation accomplished, because it seemed as if Our Lord waited with extreme joy until all the community were assembled, being seated in the place of the Lady Abbess, in whose person He appeared to pre- side, but with a marvellous glory, and accompanied by a great number of blessed spirits, who surrounded the throne of His Majesty.

When the religious were seated, Our Lord said, as if in a transport of joy: Behold My friends who have assembled here! One of the religious then having said the Jube Domine, and another replying: 'In viam mandatorum suorum,', Our Lord extended His venerable Hand and blessed the convent, saying: I consent to all which shall be done or enacted, reposing on the omnipotence of My Father. Then the religious commenced the words, JESUS CHRISTUS, FILIUS DEI VIVI, IN BETHLEHEM JUDA NASCITUR, all choirs of Angels, hearing the announcement of the birth of their Lord and King were filled with ineffable joy, and fell prostrate on the ground to adore Him. The sisters then commenced the Miserere, according to custom. The Angel Guardian of each religious presented her heart with joy to God; and it seemed as if Our Lord received from each a certain kind of knot or twisted cord, which He placed in His bosom. When those who loved God with the greatest fervour offered Him their hearts, the Angels of the choir of Seraphim, who attended Our Lord and supported Him, disposed those religious for their offering. When the hearts of those who were most enlightened in the knowledge of God were offered, the angels of the Choir of Cherubim came to present their homage. When the hearts of those who exercised themselves most in virtue were offered, the Angel of the Choir of Virtues came to their assistance; and thus also the outer Angels exercised their ministry, according as those whose corresponded to their nature came to offer their hearts to Our Lord. But as for those in whom this revelation excited no more devotion than usual, they were offered to God by the Angels; but their bodies appeared at the same time as if prostate on the ground.

Then Gertrude approached her Spouse, and offered Him the first Miserere, which was said for her, exclaiming "O my Loving Spouse, I renounce my own interest in this and I offer it to Thee for Thy eternal praise, that it may please Thee to grant some grace to Thy special friends or mine, as it shall please Thy mercy." Our Lord then received this Miserere as a brilliant and beautiful pearl, placing it in a ring which He had before Him, which was marvellously embellished with precious stones and flowers of gold, saying: Behold, I have placed this pearl which you have offered Me in the center of this ring, that all those who recommend themselves to your prayers or who merely implore your assistance by a look, may derive the same advantage from it as the Jews drew from looking at the brazen serpent, which I caused to be lifted up in the wilderness by Moses.

When the Psalms were finished, and the sisters had accused themselves of their faults, two princes appeared, who bore a tablet of gold, which they held before Our Lord. He then opened the knots, which had been hidden in His bosom; and all the words of the Psalms and prayers which had been said were seen under the form of a brilliant and beautiful pearls, each of which shone marvellously, and gave forth a sweet and melodious sound. This brilliancy was an indication of the zeal and love with which these souls endeavoured to please Our Lord and the melodious sound a prediction that the fruit which the whole Church will gather from their prayers would be rendered to them twofold.

Gertrude perceived that the Lord effected all these marvels in consequence of the particular devotion which the community had, expecting that He would preside that day at the Chapter. While the names were read from the tablet of those who were to chant of read at Matins, Our Lord looked at them with pleasure, and inclined His Head to those who listened attentively to what was prescribed them with such sensible marks of tenderness, that the tongue of man would fail to describe it; and He consoled those who were grieved that nothing was given them to chant in an ineffable manner. Gertrude who beheld all this in spirit, said to Our Lord: "O Lord, if this community only knew what extreme tenderness Thou hast for them, how those sisters would be grieved whose names were not read out". Our Lord replied: All those who have the desire of singing or reading, although they do not do so, will be treated by Me with the same goodness as if they did; for their will pleases Me as much as their action, and it will be equally rewarded. And all those who listened to what was prescribed them, and received it with an inclination of the head, desiring to accomplish it for My glory, and beseeching Me to aid them to perform it worthily, will so draw down the sweetness of My love upon them, that I will not defer bestowing on them new graces on them as a mark of My approbation.

When the Prioress, according to the rules of the Order, accused herself if negligence in the name the Community, before the Lady Abbess, Our Lord spoke thus: I absolve you, by the power of My Divinity, from all the negligence of which you have accused yourself before Me; and whenever you fall again through human frailty, I will pardon you and show you mercy.

As they read the seven Penitential Psalms as a penance for their sins of negligence and inattention, each word appeared on the same tablet in the form of pearls; but they were of a dark colour, and arranged near the brilliant ones of which we have already spoken; because these Psalms were repeated through custom, not from special devotion: from whence we may learn, that what is done through custom contributes in some degree to our merit. through custom contributes in some degree to our merit, though God regards as infinitely more excellent and agreeable what is done through devotion.

As the verse Gloria tibi, Domine, was chanted at Vespers, the Saint beheld a multitude of Angels flying around the convent, and singing the same words in loud and joyful accents. She then inquired of Our Lord what advantage men gained when the Angels joined thus in their Psalmody. As He did not reply, and she continued to desire this information, she was interiorly told, by Divine inspiration that when Angels are present at our solemnities, they pray to God that those who imitate them in their devotion may imitate them in purity of body and soul.

Then she begun to be doubtful, as often happens, whether this thought had come from God, or whether it preceded merely from her own imagination. But Our Lord consoled her by this reply: Do not fear; for your will is so perfectly united to Mine, that you can only will what I do, and consequently you desire only My glory. Be assured the holy Angels are so submissive to your good desires, that if until now they have not prayed for you as you wish, they will henceforth do so with the greatest fervour. And because I, as their King, have made you in some sort a queen they are so supposed to obey you, that if you anything from them, they will endeavour to accomplish it the moment you desire it.

After Vespers, as the relics of the convent and the image of the Blessed Virgin were carried in procession as usual, the Saint felt grieved that her illness had prevented her from reciting a number of prayers and performing some acts of devotion which she wished to offer to the Mother of God on this solemn Feast; but she found herself at the same time filled with an unction of the Holy Spirit, so that she offered her the sweetest and most noble Heart of Jesus Christ to supply for all her negligence. The Blessed Virgin received this offering with great satisfaction and pleasure, because she considered this Heart as the most honourable gift which could be offered her, as it contained every good.





Chapter 3

On the night of the Nativity, at Matins, as the Saint continued these exercises, Our Lord, to correspond with her movements of fidelity and devotion, drew her entirely to Himself, so that, by a sweet influence of His Divinity in her soul, and by a reflux of knowledge which passed from her soul to God, she knew all that was chanted at Matins, whether Responsories or Psalms; and this knowledge gave her ineffable and incomprehensible joy. While this continued, she beheld all the Saints standing before the throne of the King of kings, reciting Matins with great devotion, for His Divine honour and glory.

Remembering several persons who had been recommended to her prayers, she said, with great humility "How can I, who am so unworthy, pray for persons who stand praising Thee with such labour and devotion, since my infirmity prevents me from following their example?" Our Lord replied: You can very well pray for these persons, for I have hidden you in the bosom of My Paternal goodness that you may ask and obtain from Me, whatever you will. "But my Lord" replied the Saint, since it pleases Thee that I should pray for them, I beseech Thee to appoint a time in which I nay do so with fidelity, in a manner worthy of Thee, and with utility to them without losing the happiness with which Thou dost honour me in partaking of Thy celestial joys". To this Our Lord replied: Recommend each to My Divine Kindness and Love, since it is this Love that has made Me descend from the bosom of My Father to serve men. When she had named each individually, Our Lord won by His tender love, supplied the needs of each by a most loving compassion.

After this, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her seated honourably near her Divine Son; and while the Dedcendit de caelis was chanted, Our Lord appeared to recall the extreme goodness which had made Him descend from the bosom of the Father into that of the Virgin, and He looked so lovingly upon His Mother as to mover her very heart; and by His embrace He renewed all the joys which she had when in the world in His holy Humanity.

She also beheld the sacred and virginal womb of the Mother of God, which was clear as crystal, and in which Our Lord appeared in the form of an Infant, and flew promptly and lovingly to her heart; by this she understood that, as the Humanity of Christ fed upon her virginal milk, so did His Divinity feed on the purity and love of her heart. At the response, Verbum caro factum est, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, she heard Him saying Whenever anyone inclines at these words, from gratitude and devotion, giving Me thanks for having become Man for his sake, I also incline to him, by a pure movement of My goodness; and I offer, from My inmost Heart, al the fruit and merit of My Humanity to God the Father, that the eternal beatitude of this person may be doubled.

At the words et veritatis, the Blessed Virgin came forth with the double ornament of her virginity and her maternity, and accosting the first sister on the right side of the choir, She embraced her closely, presenting Her Divine Son, whom She held in Her arms; and in this manner She proceeded to each sister, allowing each to embrace this incomparably amiable Child. Amongst those who were thus favoured, some held Him in their arms most carefully appearing very anxious that He should suffer no inconvenience; others on the contrary, neglected these precautions and permitted His head to hang down in a very painful manner. By this she understood that those who had no will but that of God rested the Head of the loving Jesus on a soft pillow, that supported Him, by their goodwill; while those whose wills were inflexible and imperfect allowed the Head of the Infant Jesus to hang down inconveniently. Therefore , my beloved let us empty our hearts and consciences of all self-will, and offer our hearts to Our Lord with full and entire obedience to His good pleasure, since He only seeks our spiritual advancement; why should we, even by the merest trifle, the repose and consolation of so delicate and tender an Infant, who comes to us with such goodness and love?

At the Mass Dominus dixit, Our Lord again imparted to her a knowledge of all that was said, which gave her ineffable joy.

Then from the Gloria in excelsis to the words Primogenitus Mariae viginis matris, she began to think that the title of only Son was more suitable than that of first born, because the Immaculate had only brought forth this Son, whom she merited to conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost; but the Blessed Virgin said to her sweetly: Call My Beloved Jesus My first born rather than My only begotten, for I brought Him forth first; but after him, or rather by Him I have you His brethren and My children when I adopted you as such by the maternal affection which I have for you.

At the Offertory, the Saint, in spirit beheld the sisters offering to Our Lord all the devotions which they had performed during Advent. Some placed them in the bosom of the Divine Infant, whose image had been impressed on their souls; and the Blessed Virgin inclined toward each with unparalleled condescension, placing her Divine Son so that He could receive His Hands what they offered: others appeared to advance toward the altar, and remained in the center of the choir, where they offered their prayers to the Blessed Virgin and to Her Son; but He was not placed so that He could receive them, and made signs to that effect. She understood from this, that those who placed their offerings in the bosom of the Child Jesus, were they who were united to the Lord with their whole hearts, wherein He was spiritually born, and that the Blessed Virgin assisted them in this with all Her power, rejoicing with them in their devotion and spiritual advancement; but those persons who had offered their gifts in the center of the choir were they who only thought of the Birth of Our Lord on the Festival, and because they were reminded of it by the special devotion of the Church.

Then this blessed soul approached the King of Glory, to present Him the good will of those who would have accomplished many things had they not been hindered by a lawful cause. And she was instructed in spirit that all the prayers which had been made with devotion were placed as pearls in the tablet, and that the goodwill of those who would have performed the same devotions, had they not been occupied, and who grieved and consequently humbled themselves for this omission, should be placed in the chain with which Our Lord's bosom was adorned, and that they would obtain such advantage from this nearness to the Heart of Jesus, that they would be as if they had the key of a treasure which contained all they could desire.





Chapter 4 For the Feast of St. John the Evangelist

The Apostles and Evangelist St. John appeared to this virgin as she prayed one day during Advent. He was clothed in a gold collared habit, covered in golden eagles, which signified that, though this Saint was elevated to the highest contemplation, even while in the body, he always sought to humble himself by the consideration of his own unworthiness. As Gertrude began to consider these ornaments, she perceived a red light shining from under the golden eagles, from which she learned that St. John always commenced his contemplation by the remembrance of the Passion of the Lord, which he has beheld with his own eyes, and which he had never ceased to mourn in his inmost heart; and thus by degrees to the sublimity of the Divine Majesty, which he contemplated without pain by the eyes of the soul, as far as it is possible for man to do. He had also two golden lilies on his two shoulders - on the right was written, in marvellous characters, the words of the Gospel: Discipulus quem diligebat Jesus; and on the left: Iste custos Virgin; to mark the singular advantage which he enjoyed of being called, and of being the disciple whom Jesus loved above the rest of His Apostles, and of having been found worthy by Christ Himself to receive from Him the charge of His Mother before He expired, on account of his surpassing purity.

The Apostle had a magnificent rational on his breast, to indicate his prerogative of having reposed on the bosom of Jesus during the last Supper. The words: In principio erat verbum (In the beginning was the Word) were written in letters of living gold, to show the marvellous virtue of the words contained in his Gospel. Then St. Gertrude said to Our Lord: "O most loving Lord, why is Thy beloved one manifested to a creature so unworthy as I am?" Our Lord answered: If any person says a Paster noster daily in honour of this Apostle, reminding him of the sweet fidelity with which his heart was filled when I taught him this prayer, he will not fail to obtain for whoever prays thus the grace of persevering faithfully in virtue, even to the end of his life.

This Apostle also appeared to the Saint as she assisted at Matins, on His Feast, when she applied with special fervour to her usual exercises. Gertrude then recommended some of the religious of whom she had charge very fervently to him; he received her prayer very lovingly, and said. "I am like my Master in this - that I love those who love me" The Saint inquired: "What grace, then and what benefit can I hope for, who am so unworthy on your dear Feast?" "Come" he replied: "come with me, thou elect one of my Lord. and let us repose together on the sweetest bosom of the Lord, in which all the treasures of beatitude lie hidden". Then taking her up in spirit, he presented her to our living Saviour; and having placed her on His right, he placed himself on the left, and reposed there. Then he exclaimed, pointing reverently to the bosom of Jesus: "Behold, this the Saints of saints, who draws to Himself all that is good in Heaven and on earth!"

Then she inquired of St.John why he had placed himself on the left hand, and had given the right to her. He replied: "It is because I have become one spirit with God and am able to penetrate where flesh cannot enter; but you are not yet able to penetrate into such high things, because you are still in the flesh. I have therefore placed you at the opening of the Divine Heart, from whence you may drink in all the sweet consolations which flow from it with such impetuous abundance, that is capable of satisfying all who desire to taste thereof. " Then, as she felt the constant pulsations of the Divine Heart, and rejoiced exceedingly thereat, she said to St. John: "Beloved of God, didst thou feel those pulsations when you wert lying on the Lord's breast at the Last Super?" "Yes" he replied; "and this with such plenitude, that liquid does not enter so rapidly into bread than the sweetness of those pleasures penetrated my soul, so that my spirit became more ardent than water under the action of a glowing fire."

"And why" she inquired: "have you neither said nor written anything of this for our edification?" He replied: "Because I was charged with instructing the newly formed Church concerning the mysteries of the uncreated Word, that those truths might be transmitted to future ages, as far as they would be capable of comprehending them, for no one can comprehend them entirely; and I deferred speaking of these Divine pulsations until later ages, that the world might be aroused from its torpor, and animated when it had grown cold, by hearing of these things". Then as she contemplated St. John reposing on the bosom of Our Lord, he said to her: "I now appear to you in the same form as when I lay on the bosom of My beloved Lord and only Friend at the Last Supper; but if you wish it, I will obtain for you the favour of beholding me in the form in which I now enjoy the delights of Heaven". And as she desired this favour very ardently, she beheld an immense ocean within the Heart of Jesus, in which St John appeared to float with ineffable joy and perfect freedom; and she learned that the Saint became so filled and inebriated with the torrent of pleasure which he tasted in God that a vein came from his heart, whereby he poured forth the sweet waters of the Divinity - that is to say, his instructions, and above all, his Gospel - over the face of the earth.

On another occasion during the same feast, as the Saint took great satisfaction in the frequent praises which were given to the Apostle for his perfect virginity, she asked this special friend of God to obtain by his prayers that we might preserve our chastity with such care as to merit a share in his praises.

St John replied:"He who would participate in the beatitude which my victories have won, must run as I ran when on earth" Then he added: "I frequently reflected on the sweet familiarity and friendship with which I was favoured by Jesus, my most Loving Lord and Master, in reward for my chastity, and for having watched so carefully over my words and actions that I never tarnished this virtue in the slightest degree. The Apostles separated themselves from such company as they considered doubtful, but mixed freely with what was not (as it is remembered in the Acts, that they were with the women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus); I never avoided women when there was an opportunity of rendering them any service, either of body or soul; but I still watched over myself with extreme vigilance, and always implored the assistance of God when charity obliged me to assist them in any way. Therefore these words are chanted of me: In tribulatione invocasti me et exaudivi te (Psalm 80:8). For God never permitted my affection to render anyone less pure; wherefore I received this recompense from My beloved Master, that my chastity is more praised than any other Saint; and I have obtained a more eminent rank in Heaven, where, by a special privilege, I receive with extreme pleasure the rays of this love, which is as a mirror without spot and the brightness of eternal light. So that, being placed before this Divine love, whose brightness I receive each time that my chastity is commemorated in the Church my loving Master salutes me in a most sweet and affable manner, filling my inmost soul with such joy, that it penetrates into all its powers and sentiments like a delicious beverage. And thus the words, Ponan te sicut signaculum in conspectu meo, are sung of me; that is, I am placed as a receptacle for the effusions of the sweetest and most ardent charity."

Then St. Gertrude, being raised to a higher degree of knowledge, understood by these words of Our Lord in the Gospel, "In My Father's house there are many mansions" (John 14:2); that there are three mansions in the heavenly kingdom, which correspond with three classes of persons who have preserved their virginity.

The first mansion is for those who like the Apostles, fly from what is doubtful, but associate freely with others, who vigorously resist all temptations, and if they fall perform worthy fruits of penance.

The second mansion is for those who avoid alike the doubtful and that which appears safe; carefully shunning what might prove an occasion even of temptation; and chastise their flesh, subduing it so that it can no longer rebel against the spirit; to this rank belong St. John the Baptist and other spiritual persons, who are also placed in the second mansion after they have been prevented gratuitously by the mercy of God and have cooperated faithfully with His graces, so as to avoid evil and to exercise themselves in the practice of good.

The third mansion is for those who, prevented by the sweetness of the benedictions and grace of God, have a natural horror of all evil; but who nevertheless, in the different accidents of life, find themselves sometimes with the wicked, but always detest evil and adhere to good, endeavoring to render both their own conduct and that of others perfectly irreproachable. Such persons draw marvellous fruit from the human affections, which they have in common with others, since they fear because of their affections, and humble themselves, watching over their hearts with greater diligence; as St Gregory says: "It shows a good conscience to fear a fault where there is none." In this class St John obtained the first rank.

Hence these words are chanted on his Feast: 'Quivicerit, factiam illum columnam in templo meo,' for whoever conquers nature - that is, his affections - becomes as a pillar whereon God can repose while pouring forth the abundance of His sweetness, Et scribam super eum nomen meum; that is, to imprint him upon the visible marks of His Divine friendship. Et nomen civitatis novae Jerusalem; that is, he shall receive, both exteriorly and interiorly, a particular recompense for each person whose spiritual welfare he has procured on earth.

St Gertrude was favoured also with another vision, referring to the same subject; for as she began to consider why the Church extolled the virginity of St John the Evangelist more than that of St John the Baptist, God who knows the thoughts of men, caused her to see the two Saints in a vision. St. John the Baptist was seated on the elevated throne, in the middle of the sea, separated from all the world; St John he Evangelist stood in the midst of a furnace, surrounded on all sides by flames. As the Saint beheld this, and marvelled thereat, Our Lord said to her, for her instruction: Which do you consider most wonderful to see - the Evangelist not burning, or the Baptist not consumed? From this she learned that there will be a great difference between the reward of these whose virtue has been assaulted and of those who have preserved it in peace.

One night, also when the Saint was engaged in prayer with great devotion, she beheld St John approaching Our Lord, resting upon Him, and embracing Him very lovingly and ardently. Then, as she cast herself humbly at the feet of Our Lord, to implore pardon for her sins, St John said to her with great condescension: "Do not let my presence trouble you; behold one whose love will suffice for thousands; behold a mouth in which each will find a special sweetness; behold an ear which will guard inviolably all the secrets confided to it."

As they chanted the words, Mulier ecce filius tuus, Gertrude beheld a marvellous light, which came forth from the Heart of God, and shone upon St John, obtaining for him the respect and veneration of all the Saints. She also saw the Blessed Virgin manifesting a special joy toward him when she was called his mother; and the beloved disciple saluted her also with the deepest respect and affection. Also, when the words were chanted which referred to the particular privileges of friendship which the Saint had received from His Divine Master, such as these: Iste est Joamnnes, qui supra pectus Domini in caena recbuit,, and Iste est disciplulus quem diligebat Jesus, as he appeared surrounded with a new light of glory, which distinguished him from the other Saints; and for this they praised God with their whole souls, which caused the blessed John to rejoice greatly.

At the words Apparuit caro suo, she understood that by the form under which Our Lord visited St John He renewed in him all the sweetness of that mutual friendship which he had enjoyed during his mortal life. Therefore the Apostle, changed as it were into a new man, tasted in some degrees the joys of eternity; and this principally in in three things, for which he thanked God when he was dying. For he said first: "I have seen Thy face, and I am renewed thereby." Secondly: "The sweetness of Thy perfumes, Lor