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Chapter 108

The Son speaks: ”There were three saints who were most especially pleasing to me. These were Mary, my Mother, John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene. My Mother, both at and before her birth, was so beautiful that there was no stain in her. The devils realized it and experienced such distress then that - figuratively speaking - it was as though their voices resounded from hell saying: 'A virgin has come forth so virtuously and miraculously that she excels everyone on earth and in heaven and reaches all the way to God's throne. Even if we attack her with all our snares, she destroys them all - they are broken like flax and fall apart like old ropes. If we come against her with all our evil and impurity, she cuts it all down, like grass cut down by a sickle. If we plant sensuality and worldly desires in her, they are extinguished like a spark by a torrent of water.'

When John the Baptist was born, it caused such displeasure in the devils that it was as though a voice resounded from hell saying: 'A miraculous child has been born. What shall we do? If we attack him with pride, he scorns to listen to us and much less wants to obey our suggestion. If we offer him riches, he turns his back on us and refuses to look, and if we offer him sensual pleasure, he is like a dead man and cannot feel it.'
When Mary Magdalene was converted, the devils said: 'How shall we get her back? We have lost a fat prize. She bathed herself so with the water of her tears that we do not dare to look upon her. She has covered herself so with good works that no sinful stain can come near her. She is so fervent and zealous in the service of God and in holiness that we do not dare to approach her.'
These three saints regarded the soul as ruler and the body as slave. The soul in each of them had three characteristics: First, it loved nothing but me; second, it would not act against my will; third, they each refused to neglect anything having to do with me. Although they had a soul such as this, still they did not despise the body or give it poison instead of food or thorns instead of clothing, nor did they lie down to rest on anthills. No, they had moderate nourishment for my glory and for the benefit of the soul, clothes for covering the body but not for proud display, and sleep for rest and a bed for comfort.
Nevertheless, if they knew it would have pleased me, and if I had given them my grace, they would have been happy to accept the bitterest substances for food and thorns for clothes, and they would have lain down on anthills. Considering, however, that I am just and merciful in all ways, they were just toward their bodies by restraining its illicit impulses, but they were also merciful in indulging the body so that it would not collapse or be destroyed due to harsh and severe labor.
You might ask: Since the holy hermits and fathers of old receive enough grace to enable them to eat but once a week, and others, too, have enjoyed the food and ministrations of angels, why did I not grant these three such a grace? I answer: Those holy fathers were granted such fasting for three reasons. The first was in order to exhibit my grace and power so that people might know that, if I should please, I can sustain the body without food just as I sustain the soul without corporal food. The second reason was in order to set an example to teach people that bodily toil and hardship lead the soul to heaven. The third reason was the avoidance of sin, since unrestrained sensual desires lead to punishment. In order, then, that people might learn temperance and moderation in living, I myself, God and man - though I could have lived in the world without food - made use of food and other necessities for the body, so that humankind might be thankful to me, their God, and possess moderate comfort in the world and perfect liberty with the saints in heaven.”

The Mother says that spiritual persons, once they have been converted through penance and charity and contrition and patience, ought to buy back all the time they have lost earlier so that they do not offer empty nutshells to God.

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