Chapter XII — The Principal Oracles of Incarnate Wisdom that Must Be Believed and Practiced for Salvation

133. 1. If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross every day, and follow me. Lk 9 [23].

2. If anyone loves me, he will keep my commandments; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Jn 14 [23].

3. If you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go first to be reconciled. Mt 5 [23-24].

134. 4. If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father and mother, his wife, his children, his brothers, his sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Lk 14 [26].

5. Everyone who has left his home or his brothers, his children or his possessions, for love of me, shall receive a hundredfold and possess eternal life. Mt 19 [29].

6. If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have a treasure in heaven. Mt 19 [21].

135. 7. Not all who cry to me: Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my heavenly Father shall enter. Mt 7 [21].

8. Everyone who hears my words and acts upon them shall be like a man who built on solid rock. Mt 7 [24].

9. I say to you in truth: Unless you are converted and become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Mt 18 [3].

10. Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. Mt 11 [29].

136. 11. When you pray, take care not to be like those hypocrites who love to pray standing in the middle of their synagogue, so that men may see them. Mt 6 [5].

12. What good is it for you to speak many words in praying, since your heavenly Father knows your needs before you present them to him. Mt 6 [7-8].

13. When you prepare to say your prayers, forgive others the wrongs they have done you, so that your Father who is in heaven may show you mercy. Mk 11 [25].

14. Whatever you ask God for in your prayers, believe that you will receive it, and you shall indeed receive it. Mk 11 [24].

137. 15. When you fast, do not be like those sad hypocrites who show an emaciated face, so that men may know of their fast. I say to you in truth, they have already received their reward. Mt 6 [16].

138. 16. Heaven will rejoice more at seeing one sinner do penance than at seeing ninety-nine just who do no penance. Lk 15 [7].

17. I have not come to call the just, but to call sinners and draw them to penance. Lk 5 [32].

139. 18. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Mt 5 [10].

19. You shall be blessed when men hate you and hold you unworthy of their company on account of the Son of Man; rejoice, for your reward shall be great in heaven. Lk 6 [22-23].

20. If the world hates and persecutes you, know that it hated me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would have loved you as its own; but because I have chosen you, it hates you. Jn 15 [18-19].

140. 21. Come to me, all you who are afflicted and burdened, and I will console you. Mt 11 [28].

22. I am the bread of life who came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I give is my flesh. Jn 6 [51-52].

23. My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. Jn 6 [55-56].

141. 24. All men will hate you on my account; but I promise you that not a single hair of your head shall fall without my care. Lk 21 [17-18].

142. 25. No one can serve two masters; either he will hate one and love the other, or he will bear with one and despise the other. Mt 6 [24].

143. 26. The evil thoughts that come from the heart as from their source defile the conscience of man; but eating without washing one's hands cannot defile him. Mt 15 [19-20].

27. The good man draws from the good treasure of his heart what is good, and the evil man can draw from his evil treasure only what is not good. Mt 12 [35].

144. 28. No one is worthy of the kingdom of God who, putting his hand to the plow, looks back. Lk 9 [62].

29. All the hairs of your head are numbered; do not fear, you are of more value than the little birds. Lk 12 [7].

30. God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to save it. Jn 3 [17].

145. 31. Every man who does evil cannot endure the light, for fear that his works may be censured. Jn 3 [20].

32. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Jn 4 [24].

33. It is the spirit that gives life to all, and the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are words of life. Jn 6 [63].

34. Whoever commits sin makes himself the servant and slave of sin, and the servant shall not always remain in the house. Jn 8 [34-35].

35. He who is faithful in little things is faithful in greater ones, and he who is unjust in little things is still unjust when it is a matter of greater things. Lk 16 [10].

36. It is easier for heaven and earth to perish than for one iota of the law to be left unfulfilled. Lk 16 [17].

37. Let your actions be actions of light before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Mt 5 [16].

146. 38. Unless your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven. Mt 5 [20].

39. If your eye scandalizes you, pluck it out; for it is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body cast into hell. Mt 5 [29].

40. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and only the violent carry it away. Mt 11 [12].

41. Do not lay up treasures on earth, where moth and rust can corrupt them, where thieves can steal them; but lay up treasures in heaven, where thieves cannot take them from you. Mt 6 [19-20].

42. Do not judge, lest you be judged; the same judgment you pass on others will be passed on you. Mt 7 [1-2].

147. 43. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves; you will know them by their fruits. Mt 7 [15-16].

44. Take care not to despise one of these little children, for their angels see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Mt 18 [10].

45. Watch, for you know neither the hour nor the day when the Lord will come. Mt 25 [13].

148. 46. Do not fear those who can only kill the body; but fear him who can kill the body and cast the soul into hell. Lk 12 [4-5].

47. Do not worry about what you are to eat or what is to cover your body; your heavenly Father knows well what you need. Lk 12 [22,30].

48. There is nothing hidden that shall not be uncovered, and nothing concealed that shall not be revealed. Lk 8 [17].

149. 49. Whoever wishes to be the greatest among you must be the servant of all; and whoever wishes to be first must serve as the last. Mt 20 [26-27].

50. How hard it is for those who have money to enter the kingdom of heaven. Mk 10 [23].

51. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Lk 18 [25].

52. And I say to you: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you. Mt 5 [44].

53. Woe to you, rich, for you have your consolation in this world. Lk 6:24.

150. 54. Enter by the narrow gate, because the gate and the road that lead to perdition are wide and spacious, and there are many who enter by them. How narrow is the gate and the road that leads to life, and how few there are who find it. Mt 7 [13-14].

55. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last; for many are called and few are chosen. Mt 20 [16].

It is a greater honor to give than to receive. Acts 20 [35].

56. If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other, and to him who wishes to sue you for your coat, give him your cloak as well. Mt 5 [39-40].

57. One must always pray and never grow weary. Lk 18 [1].

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. Mt 26 [41].

58. All who exalt themselves shall be humbled, and all who humble themselves shall be exalted. Lk 14 [11].

59. Give alms, and all things shall be clean for you. Lk 11 [41].

60. If your hand or your foot is an occasion of sin, cut it off and cast it far from you. If your eye is an occasion of sin, pluck it out and cast it far from you; for it is better that you enter heaven with but one hand, one foot, and one eye, than to fall into hell with two hands, two feet, and two eyes. Mt 18 [9].

The Eight Beatitudes

151. 1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs;

2. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth;

3. Blessed are those who weep, for they shall be consoled;

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied;

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;

6. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God;

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God;

8. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs [Mt 5:3-10].

152. 62. I give you thanks, my Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent of this world, and have revealed them to the humble and the little ones; yes, my Father, because such has been your good pleasure [Mt 11:25-26].

153. Here is the summary of the great and important truths that Eternal Wisdom herself came to teach us on earth, after having practiced them first, in order to deliver us from the blindness and the errors into which our sins had cast us.

Blessed are those who understand these eternal truths.

More blessed are those who believe them.

But most blessed are those who believe them, practice them, and teach them to others; for they shall shine in heaven like stars for all eternity.