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Chapter 77

“Honor to God almighty for all his creation! Praise to him for all his virtue! May glorious service be rendered him for all his charity! I, unworthy person, who have sinned so much against you, my God, from my youth, I thank you, my most sweet God, and especially because there is none so criminal that you deny him mercy, provided he asks you for mercy with love and true humility and a purpose of amendment.

O God most loving and sweetest of all! What you have done for me is wonderful for all those who hear of it. Whenever you please, you put my body to sleep - yet not with a bodily sleep but with a spiritual rest. Then you rouse my soul to life as though from sleep so that I hear and feel in a spiritual way. O, Lord, how sweet are the words of your mouth! It truly seems to me, as often as I hear the words of your Spirit, that my soul within me swallows them with an indescribably sweet sensation like that from the sweetest food that seems to drop into my heart with great joy and indescribable consolation. It seems wonderful to me that while I listen to your words, I am made both fully satisfied and yet still hungry. I feel satisfied because nothing else pleases me but your words. Yet I feel hungry because my appetite for them keeps increasing. So, blessed are you, my God, Jesus Christ! Give me your help, Lord, so that I may be able all the days of my life to do the things pleasing to you!”
Christ answered, saying: ”I have neither beginning nor end. All things were created by my power and arranged by my wisdom. Everything is governed by my decision, and nothing is impossible for me, and all my works have been established with love. For this reason, that heart is exceedingly hard that does not want to love or fear me, although I am the nourisher and judge of all. Yet people do the will of the devil, my own executioner and the betrayer of humankind. He has given them such pestilent poison to drink in this world that a soul, once tasting it with pleasure, cannot live but falls down dead to hell and yet will live forever in misery. This is the poison of sin that, though it tastes sweet to many, yet in the end it will turn out to be horribly bitter. This venom is most assuredly drunk with pleasure all the time from the devil's hand. Who ever heard of such a strange thing? People are offered life, and yet they choose and voluntarily embrace death.
However, I, the most powerful being of all, have compassion on their great misery and anguish. I acted like a rich and loving king who sent expensive wine to his intimate servants, saying: 'Give this wine to many others besides yourselves to drink, for it is very healthful. It grants health to the sick, comfort to the downhearted, and a brave heart to those who are healthy.
Nor is the wine sent without a flask. This is indeed what I have done in this kingdom. To my servants I sent my words, which can be compared to the best of wine, and they shall give them to others, because my words are healthful.
By the flask I mean you, who are hearing my words. You have done both things, for you have heard and delivered my words. You are my flask. I shall fill you whenever I like and drain you whenever I please. Thus, my Spirit will show you where you should go and what you should say. May you fear no one but me. You must gladly go anywhere I wish and boldly say whatever I command you, for nothing can withstand me. I will be there with you.”
Then the bride said: ”I heard this voice, and I answered with tears: O, my Lord God, I who am like the least little midge in the face of your majesty, I ask your permission to reply to you.” The voice answered, saying: ”I knew your reply before you yourself thought of it. But I give you my permission to speak.” The bride then said: ”I answered: King of all glory, infuser of all wisdom, worker of all virtue, indeed virtue itself, why for such a mission do you wish to select me, who have wasted my body in sin, who am no wiser than a donkey and incapable of virtuous action? Please do not be angry with me, sweet Lord Jesus Christ, because I put such a question to you. One should never be surprised about anything from you, for you are able to do whatever you want, but I am surprised concerning myself, for I have offended you in many ways and made but little reparation.”
The voice answered, saying: ”I will answer you with a comparison. If various coins were offered to a rich and powerful king, and the king was then to have them melted down and recast into whatever shape he wanted, such as crowns or rings from the coins of gold, plates and drinking glasses from the coins of silver, pots and pans from the coins of copper, which the king could then use for his own comfort and adornment, why should you be surprised if he had done so? Therefore you should not be any more surprised if I take the hearts of my friends, which they have freely offered to me, and make what I want out of them. Though some of them have more sense and others less, still, when they offer me their hearts, I use some of them for one thing, others for another, but all of them for my glory and honor, for the righteous heart is a coin that pleases me greatly.
Thus do I arrange the things that are mine in whatever way I like. And, since you are mine, you should not be surprised at the things I want to do with you. Rather, be steadfast and firm in perseverance and willing to do whatever I command. I am powerful enough to provide you everywhere with all the things you need.”

The bride's divinely revealed words or, rather, words from the sweet mouth of the glorious Virgin, promulgated clearly, directly, and in an unveiled manner, instructing and comforting the bride, and about how these words must be transmitted to the pope, the vicar of the Lord, and how they warn of the downfall of the church.

180.