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Chapter 64

The Mother speaks: ”My Son is like a poor peasant who has neither ox nor donkey but instead carries the wood himself from the forest as well as the other tools needed to complete his work. Among his tools, he carries birch-rods. He needs these for two reasons: in order to flog disobedient children and to create warmth for cold people. My Son, the Lord and Creator of the universe, made himself most poor in order to so enrich everyone not with fleeting but with eternal riches. Carrying on his back the heavy weight of the bitter cross, he cleansed and obliterated everyone's sins with his blood. Among his various works, he selected tools of virtue, that is, virtuous persons through whom the hearts of many have been inflamed with the love of God through the operation of the Spirit of God, thus making the path of truth known.

He also selected birch-rods, which stand for the lovers of this world, through whom the children and friends of God are flogged for their own improvement and purification and for their greater precaution and reward. The rods also warm the cold children, and even God grows warm by their fire. How does this happen? Well, when the worldly cause trouble for God's friends as well as for those who almost only love God out of fear, these turn in their troubles to God with greater fervor, considering the emptiness of the world. Then God has compassion on their troubles and gives them encouragement and love.
But what will become of the rods once the children have been flogged? They will surely be cast into the burning fire. God certainly does not scorn his own people when he delivers them into the hands of the impious. Rather, he is like a father who raises his children and makes use in this way of the wickedness of the impious as a means to their reward.”

The Mother's admonishment to her daughter with a simile to show how God's friends should not weary of nor leave off their work of preaching; also, about the great reward for such preachers.

167.