Chapter 6: For the Feast of the Epiphany. Of the oblations which are acceptable to God

ON the Feast of the Epipbany this holy soul offered to God, in imitation of the three kings — for myrrh, the Body of Jesus Christ, with all the merits of His Passion, for the remission of all the sins of men, from the first to the last of the human race • for incense, the Soul of Jesus Christ, with all His holy actions, for the negligences of the whole world ; for gold, His Divinity, with all its perfections and joys, in satisfaction for the defects of all creatures. Then our Lord appeared, and presented her offering, as a most worthy new-year's gift, to the Most Holy and august Trinity. As He passed through the midst of heaven, all the celestial court inclined profoundly before Him to honour this gift, as men prostrate before the Holy Sacrament when it is present.

As she prayed devoutly for a certain person who had asked her to offer the oblation which she had made before the Epiphany for her, our Lord appeared to her, bearing this offering through the midst of heaven, to present it to God the Father ; and she saw that all the celestial court considered the offering of great value. From this she learned that when we offer our prayers, or any other gift, to God, the celestial court praises and extols Him for our devotion ; and when a soul, not satisfied with its own actions and prayers, offers with them those of Jesus Christ • — which are infinitely more perfect — the value of his offer ing cannot be increased, and is worthy to be presented to the Most Holy Trinity.

On another occasion, on the same feast, as the words of the Gospel were read, " And, falling down, they adored Him ; and opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts " (Matt. ii. 11), the Saint, animated by the example of the magi, and transported with zeal, rose to prostrate herself devoutly and humbly at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ ; adoring Him for all in heaven, on earth, and under the earth ; and, finding nothing worthy to offer Him, she Rough t anxiously and eagerly amongst all creatures to find something which she could present to her only Love. And as she thus searched, she beheld some vile and miserable creatures, who contributed nothing to the glory of the Saviour, and these she endeavoured to bring back to Him whom all creatures are bound to serve. Then, in the fervour of her desires, she gathered up in her heart all the fears, griefs, pains, and inquietudes which had been suffered by creatures, not for the Divine glory, but because of human infirmity ; and these she offered to the Lord as myrrh. Then she charged herself with all the pretended sanctity of hypocrites, Pharisees, heretics, and other such persons, and offered this to God as incense. Then she took on herself all the falsehood and impurity which had been in the hearts of men, and offered it to God as gold ; while her heart burned with desire to reduce all the insubordination of creatures into a profound subjection to their Creator. And as she offered these things to God, they appeared like shining gold purified in the furnace.

As our Lord accepted all this with great satisfaction, and collected these new year's gifts as if they were precious gems for His diadem, He said to the Saint : " Behold the gems which you have offered Me ; I consider them of great value, and I will always bear them on the diadem which adorns My Head, in memory of your singular affection for Me, that they may increase My glory in My celestial court even as an earthly monarch adorns himself with the rarest and most precious jewel * in his kingdom."

Then the Saint remembered a person who had often asked her to make some offering for her on that day ; and plie asked the Lord what He would wish her to offer. He replied : " Offer Me her feet, her hands, and her heart. The feet indicate the desires ; and as this person desires to make a return to Me for My Passion, let her endeavour to suffer patiently all pains of body or mind, in union with My Passion, for the glory of My Name, and the benefit of My Spouse, the Church ; and I will accept this as myrrh. As the hands indicate action, let her endeavour to unite all her actions, whether corporal or spiritual, to the perfect actions of My most holy Humanity, and all her actions will obtain thereby a most marvellous excellence ; and I will receive them as an incense of the most fragrant odour. As the heart indicates the will, let her always humble herself to all, and be guided by a prudent counsellor, that she may know My will, and then let her accomplish it freely and cheerfully : I will accept this union of her will with My Divine will as an amalgam t of pure gold, which can never be separated."

Then, as the Saint prayed for certain persons who had been specially recommended to her, she beheld our Divine t " Electrum."

Lord, with a kind of bag under His left arm, so arranged that He could easily put His right hand therein \ and here He placed the prayers which she had offered, to reserve them for the benefit of His special friends. And as she offered for each what they had requested, she beheld these petitions arranged before our Lord as so many beautiful new-year's gifts, with which He adorned the souls of those who approached Him with less perfect dispositions. She knew that the fidelity, or rather the confidence, of these persons, in recommending themselves to her prayers, had merited this special favour from God, inasmuch as they were not concerned whether she offered these prayers from herself or from them, provided that they were acceptable to God.