Chapter 32: How God corrects the past negligences of a soul who loves Him, &ud remedies those which may occur in future

ON a Feast of the Blessed Virgin, on which Gertrude had re ceived some special and admirable gifts, she began to enter into herself, and considering her ingratitude and negligence, she became dejected, because she had shown so little devo tion towards the Mother of God, and the Saints who were honoured on that day, on account of the singular favours which they had received. But our Lord, desiring to console her, with His ordinary goodness, said to His Blessed Mother and the Saints : " Have I not satisfied for her by communicat ing Myself to her with all the sweetness of My Divinity in your presence ? " They replied : " The goodness with which Thou hast supplied what she owed to us truly surpasses all our merits." Then our Lord conversed sweetly with this soul, and said : " Are you satisfied with this reparation 1 " " I should be so indeed, my God," she answered ; " but one thing is wanting to me ; I fear, now my past negligences are effaced, that I shall begin to commit new ones, — I am so in-

Blined to evil." He replied : " I will give Myself to you in BO efficacious a manner, that I will efface entirely, not only the faults which you have committed, but even those which you may commit ; only be careful to preserve yourself from any stain of sin after you have received the most holy Sacrament." As He said these things, she replied : "Alas, Lord ! I fear that I shall not even fulfil this duty as I ought : therefore, O most charitable of all Masters, teach me, I beseech Thee, how I may purify myself from the stains which I may contract." He replied : " Do not allow them to remain long in you, but as soon as you perceive them say, with all the fervour of your heart : ' Lo; 1, have mercy on me ! ' or, ' Jesus Christ, who art my only hope, grant that all my sins may be effaced by the merit of Thy saving Death ! ' "

The Saint then approached to receive the Body of Christ, and she perceived that her soul had become as clear as transparent crystal, and that the Divinity of Jesus Christ, whom she had just received, was miraculously en cased therein like gold shining through the crystal, and producing such sweet, amazing, and inconceivable effects, that the adorable Trinity and all the saints were thereby filled with joy. From this we may know that every spiritual loss can be repaired by worthily receiving the Body of Christ. For in truth the effects produced in her Boul by God were so excellent, that it appeared as if the whole celestial court testified that their greatest delight was to behold a soul in whom such marvels were per formed.

The promise which God made her in regard to her future faults must be understood thus : that as one sees equally well on every side an object which is contained in crystal, so also the Divine operations were seen in this soul, unless they were obscured by the cloud of sin, for this aloiie could prevent their being discerned.