Chapter 9: Of another admirable manner in which St. Gertrude was closely united to God

Soon after, during the fast * when I was confined to bed for the second time by a severe sickness, and the other sisters were occupied elsewhere, so that I was left alone one morning, the Lord, who never abandons those who are de prived of human consolation, came to verify these words of the prophet: " I am with him in tribulation" (Ps. xc.). He turned His right Side towards me, and there came forth from His blessed and inmost Heart a pure and solid stream, like crystal ; and on His Breast there was a precious orna ment, like a necklace, which seemed to alternate between gold and rose-colour. Then our Lord said to me : " This sickness which you suffer will sanctify your soul ; so that each time you go forth from Me, like the stream which I have shown you, for the good of your neighbour, either in thought, word, or act, even then, as the purity of the crystal renders the colour of the gold and the rose more brilliant, so the cooperation of the precious gold of My Divinity, and the rose of the perfect patience of My Humanity, will render your works always agreeable to Me by the purity of your intention."

O greatness of this little bit of dust, which this celestial Lover has taken from the mire to encase in His jewels ! O excellence of this little flower, which the ray of the true Sun Himself has drawn from the marsh, to make it beauti ful as Himself ! O happiness of this blessed and favoured soul, which the Lord of glory has esteemed so highly, that though He can create whatever He pleases, He attracts it so sweetly and beautifies it by uniting it to Himself ! This soul, I say, though it is adorned with His image and likeness, is, nevertheless, as far from Him as the creature from the Creator. Therefore is he blessed a thousand times who has received the grace to persevere in this state, to which, alas ! I fear I shall never attain, even for a single moment.

O gift surpassing all gifts, to be satisfied with the sweet ness of the Divinity, and to be superabundantly inebriated with Divine charity in the cellar where it is reserved ; so that our feet are no longer free to roam to any place where its Divine fragrance is not perceived : unless, indeed, they are led forth by charity, when they pour out on others the wealth of the Divine faithfulness, and enable them to par take of their surpassing sweetness.

I hope, my Lord and my God, that Thou, in Thy most benign love, wilt grant me this grace, which by Thine almighty power Thou canst impart to all Thine elect. It is true Thine inscrutable wisdom alone knows how Thou canst do this, notwithstanding my unworthiness. But I honour and I glorify Thy wise and merciful almightiness ; I glorify and magnify Thy almighty and all-merciful wis dom ; I praise and adore Thy wise and omnipotent mercy ; I bless and thank Thy omnipotent and wise kindnesL, 0 my God, because Thou hast bestowed on me graces so far beyond my deserts, notwithstanding all the obstacles I opposed to Thy bounty.