Transcription
April 11th, 1905 Volume 6
How perseverance is seal of eternal life and development of divine life. Being very afflicted because of the privation of my adorable Jesus, I was saying to myself, "How cruel he has become with me. I cannot understand how his good heart can reach the point of doing this. And then, if persevering pleases him so much, yet my persevering does not move his good heart." While I was saying this and other nonsense, all of a sudden he came and told me, "Indeed, that of the soul which pleases me the most is perseverance, because perseverance is seal of eternal life and development of divine life. In fact, just as God is ever old and ever new and immutable, in the same way, through perseverance, by having exercised it always, the soul is old, and by her attitude of exercising it, she is ever new. And each time she exercises it, she is renewed in God, remaining immutable and without realizing it. Since through perseverance she continuously acquires divine life within herself, by acquiring God she is sealed with eternal life. Can there be a seal safer than God himself?"
April 11th, 1924, Volume 16
In the state of the world which is threatened not only by chastisements, but by destruction, the state of Louisa is a great embankment, even when she is sleeping. Jesus does not like forced things, otherwise he moves on, just as he did when he was born in Bethlehem. I continued to feel dazed and sleepy. My powers no longer understand anything. And if I understand anything at all, in a moment of break, of vigil, then I feel a shadow around me, which concealing me completely, down to my most intimate fibers, makes me long and yearn for the holy will of God. Oh, how I fear that I might leave his most holy will.
Now, upset as I was by the chastisements which Jesus had talked to me about and by the sight of the turmoil of created things, I also heard from some people of the great evils that occurred during these last days in several parts of the world, up to the destruction of entire regions. But as I heard this, my Jesus moving in my interior told me, "My daughter, this is nothing yet. We will go further in purifying the face of the earth. I am so disgusted in looking at it that I cannot bear its sight." I remained oppressed more than ever, and the horrible picture of the turmoil of nature, which I had seen in the past days, became alive before my mind.
Then, going back to prayer according to my usual way, I said to my adorable Jesus, "Since you are determined to use chastisements, and I can no longer do anything, either suffer or let people be spared from the troubles they deserve, you could free me from this state of victim or suspend me for some time. I would at least spare others from the bother." And Jesus, "My daughter, I do not want to displease you. If you want me to suspend you, I will do it." And I, fearing that I might do my will, immediately added, "No, no, my love, you should not say to me, 'If you want,' rather you should say, 'I am the one who wants to suspend you from this state. It should not come from my will, but from yours. Then I would accept.' So, not to make me content, but to allow your will to be done in me."
And Jesus again, "I do not want to displease you. I want to make you content. If you want me to suspend you, I will do it. However, know that justice wants to follow its course, and you and I must surrender in part. There are certain rights of justice which one cannot do without. But since I placed you in the center of my will, in this state of victim, even though you should now sleep, now suffer, now pray, it is always an embankment for my justice in order to prevent the course of the almost total destruction of things. In fact, this is not only about chastisements, but about destruction. However, know that I do not want to force you. I have never liked force, so much so that when I came upon earth and I wanted to go and be born in Bethlehem, I went. Yes, knocking at door after door to have a place in which to be born, but I did not force anyone. If I wanted, with my power, I would have used force to obtain a place less uncomfortable in which to be born, but I did not want to do so. I contented myself with knocking and asking for shelter, and without insisting, I moved on to knock at other doors. And since no one wanted to receive me, I was content with going to be born in a cave, in which animals gave me free access and did their first adorations to their creator, instead of forcing anyone to let me enter. However, this refusal cost very much to the people of Bethlehem, because they never again received the good of my soul's treading their lands or of seeing me in their midst again. I like spontaneous things, not forced. I like that the soul make all that I want her own, as though it were hers and not mine, and that freely, with love, she give me what I want. Force is for slaves, for servants, and for those who do not love. This is why I move on from these souls, just as I did with the people of Bethlehem, who were not ready to let me enter into them and to give me full freedom to do whatever I wanted with them."
On hearing this, I said, "My love, Jesus, no, I do not want to be forced, but freely I want to remain in this state, even at the cost of mortal pains. And you, never leave me, and give the grace to always do your most holy will."
End of April 11th. Fiat.