JOURNEY INTO THE DIVINE WILL

The virtue of sweetness.  Detachment from all things and from oneself.

By

Vol. 2 – May 23, 1899- The virtue of sweetness.  Detachment from all things and from oneself.

This time my adorable Jesus wanted to play a little bit.  He would come, He would show He wanted to listen to me, but as I would begin to speak, He would disappear from me like a flash.  Oh! God, what pain.  While my heart was swimming in this most bitter pain of Jesus’ distance, and it was still almost a little restless, Jesus came back again, telling me:  “What’s wrong?  What’s wrong?  More peaceful, more calm.  Speak, speak, what do you want?”  But the moment I spoke, He disappeared.

I did as much as I could to calm myself, but – no, after a while my heart returned to being unable to give itself peace, without its only and sole comfort; and maybe more than before.  Coming back again, Jesus told me:  “My daughter, sweetness has the virtue of making things change their nature; it knows well how to convert bitter into sweet.  Therefore, more sweet, more sweet.”  But He gave me no time to say a word.  This is how I spent this morning.

After this, I felt I was outside of myself, together with Jesus.  There were many people; some aspired to riches, some to honor, some to glory, and some even to sanctity, and many other things – but not for God, but rather, to be held in great esteem by creatures.  Turning to them, shaking His head, Jesus said to them:  “Foolish you are – you are working your own net to entangle yourselves.”

Then, turning to me, He told me:  “My daughter, this is why the first thing I so much recommend is detachment from all things, and also from oneself.  When the soul has detached herself from everything, she does not need to pluck up her strength in order to stay away from all the things of the earth which, of their own, come around her; but seeing themselves ignored – even more, despised – saying good-bye to her, they take leave of her to bother her no more.

Scripture Meditation- If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire. (Mark 9:43)

Prayer- O Lord we love You, we praise You and we bless You because today’s Gospel fits so well with this reading! The answer to cutting ourselves off from sin is detachment from all that is not You! Fiat Lord!