Chapter XL

How, by always living in the love and fear of God, we shall be safe among these temptations. Treats of fear.¹

1. Divine love and holy fear are our safeguards. 2. The love and fear of God are unmistakably shown. 3. Temptations experienced by contemplatives. 4. Apprehensions raised in their souls by Satan. 5. Weakness of human compared with divine love. 6. Signs of love for God. 7. The death of one who loves God. 8. Contrasted with that of a sinner.

1. Give us, O our good Master! some safeguard against surprise in this most dangerous warfare. The weapons which we may use, daughters, and which His Majesty has given us, are love and fear. Take this advice: it is not mine, but your Teacher's. Try to keep them by you on your journey. Love will quicken your footsteps and fear will make you look where you set your foot down, lest you should trip against the many stumbling-blocks on that road by which all men must pass in this life. Thus armed, you will be secure from pitfalls.

2. You will ask me: 'Can I tell whether I possess these two very, very great virtues?' You are right, for there can be no absolutely certain proof of this; if we were sure we possessed charity, we should be sure we were in a state of grace. But, sisters, there are some signs which are at once apparent, and which, as they say, the blind can see. There is no secret about them; although you may not wish to hear them, they cry aloud, for few souls have these virtues in perfection: therefore they call the more for notice. The love and fear of God need not advertise themselves! They are two strong fortresses from whence war is waged on the world and the devils. The soul that truly loves God loves all good, seeks all good, protects all good, praises all good, joins itself to good men, helps and defends them, and embraces all the virtues: it only loves what is true and worth loving. Do you think it possible that any one who loves God cares, or can care, for vanities, or riches, or worldly things, or pleasures and honours? Neither can such a soul quarrel nor feel envy, for it aims at nothing save pleasing its Beloved. It dies with longing for His love and gives its life in striving how to please Him better. But a hidden love indeed! as if a real love for God could possibly be hidden! Look at St. Paul or the Magdalen — in three days he found he was sick with love,² but she knew it the first day. And how sure they were of it! A love for God may be great or small and shows itself according to its strength. If it is weak it is little seen, and if it is strong it appears more clearly; but small or great, love for God can never be concealed.

3. The illusions and temptations the devil plots against contemplatives are numerous.³ Such souls love fervently or they would not be contemplatives, and this is plainly shown in many ways, for a large fire throws a bright and clear flame. If they are wanting in love, let them be apprehensive and think they have good cause for fear: they should try to find out what is amiss and pray fervently. They must be very humble and must ask God not to lead them into temptation, into which I fear they will fall if they have not this token. But if they are lowly and try to find out the truth — if they submit to their confessor and are frank and outspoken with him,⁴ then — God is faithful. Let them feel assured that, if there is neither malice nor pride in them, the devil will gain them life by the means whereby he sought to kill them. There is no need for fear while they keep to the guidance of the Church; but Satan's bug-bears and deceits will soon be found out.

4. But if you feel the love for God I have described besides the fear of which I am about to speak, you may feel happy and at peace. In order to disturb the soul and to prevent its enjoying these great graces, the evil one will himself suggest, and will make other people arouse in you a thousand false fears,⁵ for if he cannot win you for himself at least he will try to snatch something from you and to cause some loss to souls who might have benefited greatly by believing that the favours shown to such a miserable wretch came from God: he will also suggest that it is impossible for such things to be, for nowadays we sometimes seem to forget His mercies in the past.⁶

5. Do you fancy that the devil wins but little through these fears? No indeed, he gains immensely. He thus harms us in two well-known manners as well as in many other ways. First, he frightens those who listen to him from practising prayer by making them dread deception: secondly, he deters many others from devoting themselves to God as they were inclined to do when witnessing the immense goodness which leads Him to communicate Himself so fully to sinners. Such souls think He would console them in the same way and long that He should. They are right in this: I know certain persons who thus encouraged have given themselves to prayer and in a short time have become thorough contemplatives, receiving great graces from God. Thank Him warmly when you see any one among you favoured in this way, knowing that she feels this fervent love for Him. But you must not imagine that she is safe: rather, you must aid her the more with your prayers, for no one can be free from danger while living involved in the perils of this tempestuous sea.

6. You will be sure to discover this love immediately: indeed I do not know how it could be concealed. They say it is impossible to hide a human love for some poor foolish man or woman, but that the more we strive to conceal it, the more clearly it is seen — although a thing so base, felt for a mere worm undeserving of any regard, does not merit the name of love, being founded upon nothingness: indeed I loathe to make the comparison. Then, could a love so strong, so just, ever growing while it lives, which never discovers any cause why it should cease, but finds as many reasons for its being as does the love of God, built as it is on the firm foundation of a love which is returned — can such a love as this be hidden? And that it is returned we cannot doubt, for the bitter sorrows, the trials, and blood-shedding which cost our Lord His life were known to men and prove His love beyond all question. In short, a love for God is real love and merits its name, and the vanities of this world should be looked upon as thieves that would steal it from us.

7. O God! what a vast contrast between the one love and the other must be felt by the soul that has tried them both! May His Majesty give us grace to prove it before He takes us from this life! What a boon it will be, at the hour of death when we are going we know not where, to think that we are to be judged by Him Whom we have loved above all things,⁷ with an ardour that has crushed self-love. We may feel safe concerning the acquittal of our debts: we shall not be going into a foreign country but into our fatherland, for it belongs to Him Whom we love so dearly and Who loves us in return. For this affection excels all earthly fondness, because if we love Him we are assured of His love for us.

8. Oh, my daughters! think of what we gain by this love! what, then, do we lose for the want of it which delivers us into the hands of the tempter — into hands so cruel — hands which are the foes of all good and the friends of every evil thing! What will become of the poor soul which has just passed through the pains and anguish of death, when it falls at once into the clutches of Satan? What a frightful fate! How it is torn and lacerated as it falls to hell! what a brood of different kinds of serpents swarm around it! How appalling is the place and what a miserable reception! A self-indulgent person, such as are most of those of the lost, can hardly bear to pass the night in a bad inn, yet here he will lodge for ever, for ever, to endless ages! What do you suppose will be the feelings of this unhappy soul? Let us not look for luxuries, daughters: we are well enough off here — it is only one night in a bad inn — thank God! Let us force ourselves to do penance in this life. How sweet death will be to her who has expiated all her sins and who needs no purgatory! She may begin to enjoy glory even in this world, and will fear nothing, but will be in perfect peace. Although we should not attain to this, sisters, let us beg God, that, if we must suffer pain after death, it may be where it can be endured willingly with the hopes of deliverance, and where we shall forfeit neither His friendship nor His grace; and may He grant them to us in this life, so that we may not fall into temptation unknowingly. Let us praise the Lord, and persevere in begging Him to keep us and all sinners in His hands, and not to lead us into these hidden temptations.