Chapter 27: Why God is pleased by images of Jesus crucified

ON the return of the community from a procession which had been ordered for fine weather, Gertrude heard the Son of God speak thus to His Father from a crucifix which had been carried before the procession : " Eternal Father, I come with My whole army to supplicate You, under the same form in which I reconciled You to the human race." And these words were received by the Eternal Father with as much complacence as if a satisfaction had been offered to Him which surpassed a thousand times all the sins of men. Then she beheld God the Father taking up the image of the crucifix into the clouds with these words : " This is the sign of the covenant which I have made with the earth" (Gen. ix.)

On another occasion, when the people were suffering exceedingly from the inclemency of the weather, the Saint often implored the mercy of God with others, but without effect. At last she addressed her Lord thus : " 0 charitable Lord, how canst Thou so long resist the desires of so many persons, since I, who am so unworthy of Thy goodness, have often obtained much more considerable favours merely by the confidence I have in Thee 1 " " Why be surprised," re plied our Lord, " that a father should allow his son to ask him repeatedly for a crown, if he laid by a hundred marks of gold for him each time the request was made ? Neither should you be surprised if I defer answering your petition ; because each time that you implore My aid by the least word, or even in thought, I prepare a recompense for you in eternity of infinitely greater value than a hundred marks of gold."