Transcription
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The topic from volume 1 lesson 24 is the three theological virtues. Thank you, and let's begin with our prayer.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Most Holy Trinity, recognizing our nothingness, we want to offer you our whole life, our worries and sufferings, our entire being, body and soul, mind, and especially our will to unite ourselves to your divine and eternal will, the source of all good, and to give you the glory and joy of fulfilling the purpose of our life, to carry out all our actions in your divine will, and thus live in it. Come, Divine Will, with all the angels and saints, especially with our sweet mother and with Luisa, to touch our forehead and imprint upon it the Holy Spirit, and to instill in us the light so that we may understand the truths and the blessings found writings. Amen. Fiat.
All right, then. So, let us continue a little bit further with the reading. And that is exactly where we will come across it together. Today, Jesus teaches her about the three theological virtues, which are faith, hope, and charity. We were at the point where Jesus had promised her by then the betrothal, the mystical marriage had already taken place with Luisa. So, what happened next?
From that moment on, she began to participate more in what Jesus does. That is in the churches, in Holy Mass, in sinners, and in trying to save them, and so on, right? In other words, how does he make her go beyond her own limits? It's not just I am united with Jesus here within my human limits in my personal life. Not even just in my family life, and that's it. No, he makes us step out of that reality to see the universal reality, right? And to begin to act together with Jesus outside of herself as well, beyond her own limits.
Luisa says, "In this state, I spent about 3 years. And I continue to be in bed. When one morning Jesus granted me the profound understanding that he wanted to solemnly renew our sacred betrothal. That is to say, our marriage. But not here on Earth as it was the first time. But rather in the heights of heaven before the glorious gaze of the entire heavenly court. And that I should be prepared for such a great grace." Let us remember that he had also taken her to heaven many times to familiarize her with the life of heaven, which is the life of Jesus. But rather to live it here on Earth. So, also with the marriage Jesus wanted to renew it in heaven in the presence, as he says, of the most holy Trinity and the entire heavenly court.
I did, Luisa explains in her own words, as much as I possibly could to properly prepare my heart and soul, but since I am so deeply wretched and utterly insufficient to be even a faint shadow of what is good, the powerful hand of the almighty and divine craftsman of all creation was needed to prepare me. Because on my own, I would never have managed to truly purify my soul and enrich it with grace.
So, here we see how God is the one who continues working in Luisa's soul, and that's how it is with us, as well. We work together with him, and he works in us, alongside us. In other words, the spiritual life is a joint effort. It's not just the soul striving, performing its acts, its prayers, but through them, it opens up space for him, so that God can act, enlighten it, purify it, fill it with his graces, and so on, right? And with his will, of course. So, it's always a joint effort. Let this really center us, because sometimes we also think that it's just us doing things. Most of the time, that's not the case. We do our part, and it should be everything, giving everything to God. We must do everything on our part, but that's where God acts. Likewise, it's not just up to God. Sometimes we leave many things for God to do. If God wills, when God wills, in the sense that we remain static, just waiting for him to do things. But no, we have to do our part, and he does his. Together. For example, take purification. We believe that God is the one who does the work. No, it's a joint effort. The same goes for learning and enlightening ourselves. We do our part by reading, meditating, reflecting, praying, and God enlightens us. And it's the same with our acts in the divine will. We have to give our attention, perform our actions, and make space for the divine will to act in our deeds together with us. So, the spiritual life is lived together, God and the soul.
One morning, on the eve of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mary, my ever kind Jesus himself came to prepare me. He did nothing but come and go continuously. At times, he would speak to me about faith and then leave me. And I felt infused in my soul a life of faith. So, let us remember that when Jesus speaks, he not only explains, but also communicates what he is talking about, what he is explaining. So, that's why Luisa says this here. At times, he would speak to me about faith, and I felt a life of faith being infused into my soul. So, then my soul no longer felt coarse as before, rough, but after Jesus spoke, I felt it extremely light, so much so that it penetrated into God and contemplated now his power, now his holiness, now his goodness, and so on. And my soul was left stupefied in a sea of wonder.
All right. Here I'm going to pause because now it starts to talk about what faith is, the first theological virtue. Let's first base ourselves on what the church teaches us to understand what Luisa is talking about and what Jesus wants to communicate to her. This doesn't mean that Luisa didn't have faith before this. Obviously, she had all three virtues. In fact, God gives them to us as a gift from our baptism. These virtues Let's go to the catechism to understand the catechism of the Catholic Church. Look.
Virtues in general, here it's going to start explaining the human virtues. Human virtues acquired through education, deliberate actions, and sustained perseverance in effort are purified and elevated by divine grace. So, we already have human virtues as a foundation. What are human virtues? They are those that any being, if they make an effort, any human being, even a pagan, even a sinner, if they strive, can possess. For example, being disciplined, being hard working, appreciating your family, respecting others, respecting other people's property, and so on. These are virtues that can be found even in people who do not believe in God. But well, also in us, of course. So, these are human virtues that each person acquires through their own effort. These human virtues have no value before God. They have no supernatural value. Let's say they have a natural value. Nothing more. But they need to be elevated by the grace of God so that they have value in the eyes of God. That is why there is a need to live in grace, to be in a state of grace. So, when one opens oneself to receive grace, we already know how grace is received. First through baptism and then if we lose it through sin, we regain it through a good confession. And grace also continues to grow. Well then, it says here that they are purified and human virtues are purified and elevated by divine grace. With God's help, they shape character and provide ease in the practice of good. So, human virtues elevated by divine grace forge character. And they provide ease in the practice of good. They make it easier for you. It's no longer so hard to do good. A virtuous person is happy when practicing them. Well, that's so we can understand human virtues.
Then it says human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues. Precisely, the state of grace is like a state. But to practice the virtues, human virtues are required now in a supernatural way. The theological virtues are needed. Which adapt the faculties of the human person to a fuller participation in the divine nature. So, look at what a phrase this is. That enlighten us, that instruct us. I repeat this. Human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt the faculties of man to participate in the divine nature.
The theological virtues refer directly to God. That's why they are called theological, from God. In other words, here they do not refer to work to one's neighbor, no. But directly to God. Faith. Well, now we are going to look at this little by little so that we understand. Faith, hope, and charity. They prepare Christians to live in relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have as their origin, motive, and object the one and triune God. Not only Jesus Christ made man, but God. One and triune. So, see how important it is for us to be able to act as children of God on the supernatural level, to be able to relate to God, to participate in his divine life. The foundation, that is what enables us for this and makes us act. That is how the three theological virtues are. As we say, as was understood here, they are not natural virtues that one can attain by oneself. They surpass our human nature. Yes, that's why they are not natural, inherent to our nature. Therefore, God has to give them to us. And God gives them to us along with sanctifying grace in baptism. It is like a seed that he instills in us, God. But that seed then has to grow and develop. But it is already a habit. That is, it is something that is infused into our soul, which enables us to carry out even our human virtues on a supernatural level. And then to direct them to God. That is what gives them supernatural value. To direct them, your work for example, the disciplines you practice, right? Your human virtues, you will now refer them to God, do them for God. And all of this already gives them a supernatural value. If not, they remain merely human virtues. Why are there so many people like that? Well, little by little we are going to understand more about this difference between human virtues and supernatural virtues, which are based on the theological virtues.
The theological virtues establish and animate. And they characterize the moral actions of the Christian. They inform and give life to all the virtues, moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and deserving eternal life. That is, to have merits for eternal life. They are the guarantee of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. In other words, it means that God, the Holy Spirit, through these three virtues, is working within us, is actively at work, and making our actions supernatural. So, there are three theological virtues, faith, hope, and charity. So, let's say they are the foundation of our Christian life. They are what set us apart from those who do not live in grace and do not act for God, but act only in a human way. They are also the foundation for spiritual life. In other words, the Christian life, well, it seems like I'm how do you say it? Differentiating between Christian life and spiritual life, but the Christian life, when it is well developed, that's what is called spiritual life. That is truly living in the spirit and giving it much more priority than material things here, setting our sights there, focusing on God, and well, everything that has already been said. So, they are also the foundation for the divine will. That is why Jesus helps Luisa to develop them much more, to live by them continuously. They are infused as such, but with a greater development, not just as in baptism, but as it is said, a life of faith. Well, so pay attention to this. Well, I would like to wrap up a bit to round things off. The importance of these virtues is so that we can understand more. We also have to avoid the sins that go against these virtues. Because then, obviously, they take us out of our relationship with God, out of the supernatural value of our actions. You see? So, yes, there are sins that go specifically against the three theological virtues. Let's see, for example, all of this is in the catechism. It's just that here I'm giving you a summary.
What are the sins against faith? Voluntary doubt, not the kind of doubt that truly you can't resolve it, but you search and ask God to help you solve it, and you look for the answer, right? But rather that voluntary rational doubt, just for the sake of doubting the truths of faith, questioning them, because that leads people to unbelief, which is the next sin. Not having faith is precisely unbelief, renouncing faith, denying faith. Heresy as well, denying truths of faith that have not only been revealed, but also clearly defined by the church. That goes against the virtue of faith and is called heresy. Apostasy is denying all the truths of faith and the entire religion, that is [clears throat] abandoning it, that is apostasy. And also schism, which is something that goes directly against the virtue of faith, because not only is one disobeying the Pope, but one is precisely going against what Jesus taught in this regard. So, schism goes directly against faith. That is why it is so serious. All these sins are described by the church as extremely grave sins. And even more so if they are made public and cause scandal to more people, leading more people into those sins. So, it is serious.
And now serious sins committed against hope. These are despair and presumption. Despair is precisely not having hope, in other words, lacking it. So many people despair in the sense that they no longer hope for salvation, no longer expect help from God. In short, this goes against hope. And presumption here refers to the presumption that since God exists, he is so good that he will give to me anyway, whether I behave well or badly, in any case I will receive God's blessings. In other words, let's say it's an excess where it's no longer trust, but rather it's presumption when you don't do your part and you're not acting according to what God wants, arrogantly assuming that God in any case has to save you. It's not like that, or that he has to give you the blessings he has promised. So, those are sins against hope.
And against charity, which is the greatest of the virtues. As we know, we will now go on to analyze each virtue, but the sins against charity are indifference. In other words, indifference against love, love for God and love for our neighbor. Ingratitude, not recognizing and not being thankful for the blessings that God or our neighbor gives us. Lukewarmness. Remember that God does not want us to be lukewarm, but rather to be fervent in love and charity. Accidia, which is like that indifference in action, where everything feels the same to you, where you find it hard to act. Hatred of God. Well, that's already the worst degree, isn't it? They're not just indifferent or lukewarm anymore, but exactly the opposite. Hating God, hating goodness, and hating everything related to God. In short, well, may God protect us from all of this. And may we instead grow in the theological virtues, which are such a beautiful gift that he gives us as we can see to act.
Now, let's see how each theological virtue works in Luisa. Well, through Luisa, we are going to analyze this and also in ourselves. So, here I continue with Luisa's case. He spoke to me about faith and then left me. In other words, why did he leave her? So that she could continue thinking and acting. That is, he gave her space to act on her own. So, my soul. And I felt that a life of faith was being infused into my soul. So, my soul no longer felt rough as before, but after Jesus spoke, I felt it was very light to the point that it could penetrate into God. There it is.
Faith, specifically, what is it for? It is to believe in everything that God has revealed and has established through his church. That is, it is deposited in his church and the church teaches us in what sense we must believe, right? It explains it to us. So, that appeals quite directly and profoundly to the human intellect. Faith serves to enlighten and illuminate our intellect and empowers us with the capacity to understand profound spiritual truths and realities and to believe in them wholeheartedly. That is why here Louisa says she felt that effect. She penetrated into God and contemplated his power, his holiness, his goodness. That is, it made her understand divine things directly with her intellect. And my soul was left astonished. In other words, to such an extent that not only she believed with a certain darkness like sometimes we do in our journey, maybe at the beginning of our journey. Later, if there was a conversion, well, it's kind of in shadows, not with clarity. And here Louisa is already saying that she saw God clearly and what is in him, right? So, faith helps us to remove those veils that we have in order to understand the things of God. In other words, it's not a blind faith. No, it's an enlightening of your intellect so that you can see things, see God intellectually, and so you believe in that. But because you see it as totally convincing, not the opposite. And each time the growth in faith gives you even more of that brightness, that clarity to see that this is the truth. And my soul, says Louisa, was left stunned in a sea of wonder. And she said, "Almighty God, what power before you does not come undone? Immeasurable holiness of God, what holiness, no matter how sublime, could make you appear before your presence?" She was there contemplating, let's say, an understanding a little of God himself and his characteristics, his divine qualities.
Then I felt myself descending within myself, and then I saw my nothingness, the nothingness of earthly things. I saw how everything is nothing before God. I saw myself like a little worm all covered in dirt, and I dragged myself to take a step, dragging myself just to take a step. And that to destroy me, it would only take someone to step on me, and that would be enough. In other words, she realized her limitation, her nothingness, especially before the immensity of God. So, seeing myself so ugly, so limited, I hardly dared to go before God. But in my mind, his goodness appeared. And then I felt drawn as if by a magnet to go toward him. And I would say to myself, "If he is holy, he is also merciful. If he is powerful, he also contains within himself complete and supreme goodness." It seemed to me that goodness surrounded him on the outside and flooded him on the inside. In other words, these are words in which Luisa wants to, that is, in which she wants to describe and help us understand what she understood about God, that essence of divine goodness that is that God is goodness. So, she says that she saw everything as goodness inside and out, in other words. When I contemplated the goodness of God, it seemed to me which surpassed all the other attributes. In other words, she saw him as so good, so good that it seemed to be more than anything else. But then, when contemplating the other attributes, she saw them all as equal in themselves, immense, immeasurable. Incomprehensible to human nature. That is balancing each other out in perfect harmony and perfect equilibrium. It's not that suddenly God is more of one thing and less of another. No, he is always then in the perfect measure that is infinite in everything.
While my soul was in this state, Jesus returned and spoke to me about hope. All right? So, faith Well, according to what is being said here. It's like this. To sum up what the catechism says, it is the virtue by which we believe in God and in all that he has revealed because he is the truth itself. Itself. So, look, this is precisely what Luisa was already confirming. She didn't see it as something veiled, but much clearer. So, here I want to make a point. We believe in God not just because, well, I don't know, he spoke to us, but because we know that he is the truth itself. Itself. In other words, the only one we can blindly trust in what he tells us is God because he will not deceive us because he is the truth. And he will not deceive himself either because he is the truth. That is he cannot be mistaken. Nor will he deceive us. So that's why faith is so steadfast. That's what it is. And therefore he does not make mistakes, not even one. You see? How wonderful. How many people even now days don't even know what to believe. They keep investigating, searching when Jesus already said that he is the truth and he came and spoke to us. Why not believe him? Right? If only they would read the gospel with simplicity, openness and humility, they would find that the truth is there and what's more that Jesus is the truth. And so that gives us that firmness and solidity in our lives which is not that Well, we keep doubting. Is it this way? Is it that way? Is it or isn't it? Firmness means this way, period. Why? Not because I say so but because Jesus says so and he is the truth. So faith is the foundation of the entire Christian life. And it must be professed not only internally but everywhere, right? It must always be nourished. And it must be put into practice. We must make it grow. So if someone wants to keep growing in faith and also in hope and charity, then we'll find that the divine will in the writings of Luisa will help us a great deal. They will help us grow admirably in these three theological virtues and in everything else related to our faith. But right now we are talking about these three virtues.
Next, hope. What is hope according to the Catechism? It is the virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. Because we trust in the promises of Christ precisely. In other words, that we are going to possess what he has promised, he has acquired us. And that refers to everything, not just eternal life. It even refers to the graces for this life, right? That we may reach perfection, that we may possess the kingdom of God here on earth. Everything that Jesus teaches us. So, hope makes us desire to possess those goods and strive to acquire them.
And charity is what makes us love God above all things and our neighbor for the love of God. This charity is the most profound and supreme of all virtues. It is what compels us to take righteous action. What binds our souls eternally to the divine until we truly become one with him. Not only in the kingdom of heaven, but also in this earthly life. And it is what bestows both the essential form and the ultimate perfection to all the other virtues. So, as we can see, these virtues all refer to God. That is everything is directed toward God, toward the divine. And on that supernatural level, they make us live a supernatural life. Well, so, faith serves to illuminate and clarify the intellect. Hope, which is firmly anchored and sustained by memory, also powerfully directs our human will toward the promised good. And charity perfectly joins and unites the soul with God. Well, also faith, notice this, a life of faith, what does that mean? Does it mean that only when I meditate or only when I pray, when I go to mass, that's when I'm living my faith? No. Faith is going to, how should I put it? It will keep growing until it fills our entire life and we see everything with these eyes of faith, we see everything in God and for God, right? Everything, every event in our lives, all circumstances. Hope means that in all events, we are not only waiting for good things, but also moving toward them and striving to attain them even in this life. And charity means that in all our events, actions and so on, we are doing them out of love for God. So, you see, these are virtues that must be active throughout our entire life, in all our actions and in all our circumstances. So, this is what God wants and this is what prepares us and enables us to live in the divine will.
Well, then, let us continue our journey together. Because right now, we are actually going to talk about the powerful concept of hope. Jesus would return, since he left all this space for time and meditation to Luisa and wanting her to act in this way, she says very little, right? That then he would make her, like seeing God, throwing herself into God, verifying the things of God and then he would return and speak to me about hope. I remember something vaguely, because after so much time it's impossible to recall everything clearly, but to fulfill obedience as it is required, I will say what I can.
So well, going back to faith, Jesus would say to me, "To obtain, you need to believe." Just as Here he returns to faith, right? Just as in the body, without the sight of the eyes, everything is darkness, everything is confusion. So much so that if I wanted to walk, I would stumble here or there and end up falling completely. In much the same manner, the human soul, when it is without faith, does absolutely nothing but continue to fall from one tragic downfall to another, from one steep precipice to the very next, because faith serves as the soul's essential sight and as the radiant light that steadfastly guides it forward to everlasting eternal life, to a higher supernatural life, and to a truly divine spiritual life. Hm? But what serves to nourish and sustain this inner light of spiritual faith? Hope. What is the substance of this light of faith and this nourishment of hope? Charity. So, these three virtues are grafted into each other in such a way that one cannot exist without the others. Therefore, it is useless for us to have only faith if we do not have hope, and if we do not act in charity. In that case, our faith is completely incomplete, very much at the beginning, or even deformed, right? Remember, as the Bible says, "Faith without works is dead." So, what makes us act, what drives us, is hope, and then charity is what actually makes us act. No, faith alone is not enough. There are three. That's why God gives us all three because all three are needed. And the three complement each other. What good is it for a man to believe in the immense riches of faith if he does not hope for them for himself? He will see them, yes, but with an indifferent gaze because he knows they are not his. On the other hand, hope, by graciously giving powerful wings to the radiant light of faith, patiently waits, placing all its trust and expectation in the infinite and sacrificial merits of Jesus Christ, sees the eternal riches of faith as his very own divine inheritance, and eventually comes to deeply love and cherish them with a profound and transformative devotion that fills the entire soul.
Jesus said to me, "Hope provides the soul with a garment of strength like iron soul, that is firm, strong, so that all enemies with their weapons cannot wound it." That is spiritual enemies. Obviously, all of these are figures of speech to help us understand, right? In other words, any temptation, any vice, anything, what we're seeing and everything else. So, that's what gives you a garment like iron, a breastplate like iron, so that all enemies with their weapons cannot wound it. And not only can they not wound it, but they can't even cause it the slightest discomfort. When the soul already lives with these three virtues actively, this is what happens. I mean, let's see. Imagine this happening to Let's picture Luisa, right? Suppose she suddenly got a temptation of doubt like, "Hey, maybe Jesus isn't God." Do you really think that doubt would get through to her? Well, no. I mean, she have just turned away and paid no attention to it. It's such a foolish and senseless thought that she wouldn't even bother with it. As it says here, it doesn't even cause her the slightest discomfort or anything against hope or anything against charity. You see? So, but it does require being very firm in the three virtues. Everything in her is tranquility, everything is peace. That is the peace of God that he gives us, the inner peace, the strength that us, the tranquility, the security. In other words, the world may be in turmoil and full of vices, but the soul remains firm, strong, and knows where it is going. You see? That is, God doesn't need to remove evil from the outside. What is needed is for you to remove evil from yourself and for you to stand firm in this. You see? So, this is to help us better understand what it means to live in the divine will. In other words, let's stop focusing on what's outside because what's outside will stay the same or get worse. I mean, evil exists Evil exists because of free will and it will continue to exist. There are temptations, the devil exists, and so on and so forth, right? But that's not the problem. The problem is each one of us. And God is giving us everything. Since redemption, he has given us so much. And now with the light of the divine will, he gives us the fullness of everything. So, we just need to keep immersing ourselves in all of this and living it, practicing it. And here we are going to live precisely the kingdom and heaven on earth. How did Luisa do it? Or did Luisa need God to remove all evil from around her? Mhm, remember her times, the two world wars. She also saw so much even within the church, right? It wasn't just the evil in the world, right? But also the evil among good people in the mystical body. Not that the church itself was bad, but the members of the church Well, yes, and it will continue. So, we shouldn't be scared by that, nor should it affect us either. That's just how the church is. We have to understand that the real church, the one God intended and that is as it is, is also sinful, that it has limits. I mean, that's how Jesus chose the apostles. Or what? Did he choose only perfect people? No. He chose human beings with flaws, even sinners with limitations. And why did he choose them? Well, so that in the church they too could become sanctified and grow. So, wishing for a church that never sins, that is perfect, that never makes mistakes, that that's utopian, that doesn't exist. That that idealized church doesn't exist. The church that God wants us to love and live in is this one, just as it was with the apostles, okay? So, God chose the 12, and we already know that all or most of them sinned, even there was a Judas, right? But the others also failed at certain moments. Yet they remained the heads of the church, the apostles, and they continued to have God's powers to keep passing them on until they themselves also reached their own sanctification. We are all walking together as the church, all sanctifying ourselves, except for the Judases who do not want to and who will separate themselves at some point. But then, I mean, let's be realistic about the reality of the mystical body, and let's not, I mean, firm in faith and all, and not scared because it's like those those kinds of fallacies, deceptive arguments make people lose Well, they make many people lose faith, hope, and charity precisely. And then they end up living in a sort of little sect thinking, "Oh, here is the best." No, sir. The church is as God intended it, and that's how it is. Luisa herself, look, see in Luisa's writings how it was. She never lost that communion with the church either, nor her direct faith in God, or in everything that God left us, which is also the church. You see? Well, that's just to help us understand better.
I'll repeat this last part. The virtue of hope, as Jesus once said, provides the human soul with a protective garment of strength that is like solid iron, so that all of its enemies with their various weapons cannot possibly wound or harm it. And not only can they not wound it, but they can't even cause it the slightest discomfort. Everything within it is calm, everything is peace. How beautiful it is to see this soul clothed in hope, completely leaning on her beloved, entirely distrustful of herself, and fully trusting in God. She defies even the fiercest enemies. She's queen over her passions. Do you see where we must reign? Within ourselves. She is queen over her passions. She meticulously regulates her entire inner world, her deepest personal inclinations and natural tendencies, her most profound and secret desires that drive her, the rhythmic steady heartbeats within her chest, and the complex and ever-shifting thoughts that occupy her mind. That is her heartbeats, her thoughts, her desires. Look, even her desires. With such mastery that I myself says Jesus, I myself am captivated because I see that this soul acts with great courage and strength. But she draws all this courage and strength from me and expects it all from me. So much so that I, seeing this steadfast hope, cannot deny this soul anything. Well, there you have it. Hope makes us steadfast in doing good and helps us uh to to master ourselves. So, you see, it's important. Hopefully, each of you can read this again and try to apply it personally, that is to yourself, right? In other words, it challenges even the fiercest enemies. She reigns. She is queen over her passions. She regulates her entire inner world, her I'm going to say her thoughts. Look, many times all kinds of thoughts come to us. Like I just gave you the example of Luisa, for instance, when she gets a thought of doubt about Jesus. Well, she didn't pay any attention to it. I mean, she didn't even bother to argue with it. At least that's how I imagine it. So, it's the same for us. How many thoughts come to us? Some of them are still just human. So, sometimes we have to make that discernment. Let's see, does this thought align with what I already know spiritually or not? If it doesn't, discern it, dismiss it, and move on. In other words, that's what it's telling us, that we have to regulate our inner selves, master it, remove what doesn't belong, keep what does, encourage what is right, and go towards what is right, and not get distracted, not let other kinds of things, desires, or inclinations get inside us. So, faith, hope, and charity will also help us in discerning these kinds of things, the personal inner matters of each person. Well, may God help us with all of this, right? So that all of this doesn't remain just theory. You'll see that as these points come up in life, in the circumstances or moments when we have to do this, if we pay attention and remember, God will help us to apply it correctly and to put it into practice as well. And each time it gradually becomes a habit. And then each time it becomes easier to discern almost at a glance, oh no, not this, no, I won't even pay attention to it and I'll just keep going my way, right? All of this about the spiritual life together with Jesus is very beautiful.
Well, when Jesus had finally finished speaking about that beautiful hope, he withdrew quietly for a little while, leaving a bright lingering light within my mind. Who is truly able to say, oh, what I have understood about hope? Uh I'm going to try to explain, right? All the other virtues serve to beautify the soul, but they can make us waver, make us inconstant. Hope, on the other hand, makes the soul steadfast. Oh, sorry. Hope makes the soul firm and stable, like those high mountains that cannot be moved even a little. It seems to me that for the soul clothed in hope, it is like those very high mountains, which all the harshness of the weather cannot harm in any way. In these mountains, the snow does not penetrate, even though it falls on them from the outside, but inside, it doesn't dig in like that. Neither snow, nor winds, nor heat can penetrate them. And whatever is placed upon them, you can and sure that even if a hundred years go by, whatever was put there will still be found in the same place. That is how the soul clothed in hope is. Nothing can harm or move it, not even tribulation. That is move it from there, from that faith. Not even tribulation. See, that's where you can tell if someone is truly firm in their faith. When suffering or tribulation comes and that soul remains unmoved, it means that person truly lives in faith, hope, and charity. That is how the soul clothed in hope is. Nothing can harm it, not tribulation, not poverty, nor the various adversities of life. At most it may feel discouraged for a moment as we can sometimes feel a little sad, that pain. But it says to itself, I can do everything, I can endure everything, I can suffer everything hoping in Jesus. That is relying on Jesus, who is the object of all my hopes and from whom I receive everything. Mhm, and knowing that it is for their own good. And that it is something that will bring them uh provide them with eternal riches. In short, faith keeps working there and uh so does hope and everything else. And and in fact it becomes even stronger. In fact, I would say these things help to strengthen it, don't they? In all of this and in order to grow. Hope makes the soul almost omnipotent, invincible, and provides it with final perseverance. Remember what final perseverance is? It means that you continue, continue, continue in this life of faith, hope, and charity and your life ends without having strayed or wavered. So, hope is active hope, not a vague hope. You know, very very uh how should we say it? Not something just in its early stages, no. It's already a living and firm hope, right? Very active. It makes the soul almost omnipotent, invincible, and provides it with final perseverance, and it only stops hoping and persevering when it takes possession of the kingdom of heaven. At that point, there's no need to hope anymore because you've already arrived. Then hope is left behind, and the soul is completely immersed in the immense ocean of divine love, of God's love. Well, for now, we'll stop here because we still have charity left to discuss. But notice how even Jesus gave Luisa space so that she could meditate on it, absorb it, and apply it. From the things that Jesus told her, Luisa later added more examples in her mind and applied them to her own circumstances, right? She performed her acts truly desiring to live in that hope in every act, in every circumstance. So, we too are going to to give this uh So, this this week, let's say, so that we continue uh meditating and applying faith, hope, and what we have understood so far about charity. Well, also even though we will discuss charity more next time. Well, how beautiful, isn't it? That it helps us develop in everything. Well, in what exists in our in our in faith, in religion. Mhm?
Well, let's finish with a prayer, and then we'll look at the chat. Thank you, Jesus. In your divine will, we thank you because you give us, through Luisa and her experience, her life, these teachings that help us to acquire faith, hope, and charity as you desire, so that we may come to live in the kingdom of the Divine Will here on Earth. We ask that you help us to grow in all of this, to actively put these things into daily practice, and to develop it in the way you specifically desire and intend for each one of us. Most Holy Virgin, help us in all of this. And dearest Luisa, you who have already gone through all this, this spiritual development, also give us your help, your accompaniment, so that we too may achieve it. So be it.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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