The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

October 6, 1921

The horror of man in the state of sin; the beauty of man in the state of grace.

I was praying and adoring the wounds of my Crucified Jesus, and I thought to myself: ‘How ugly sin is for reducing my Highest Good to such a harrowing state!’ And my always lovable Jesus, leaning His Most Holy Head upon my shoulder, sighing, told me: "My daughter, sin is not just ugly, but horrible. It is the black point of man! As he sins, he undergoes a brutal transformation: all the beauty I gave him is covered with such ugliness as to be horrible to the sight - and it is not only the sense which sins, but the whole of man runs along with it. So, sin is his thought, his heartbeat, his breath, his motion, his step. His will has dragged man to one single point, and from his whole being he emanates thick darkness that blinds him, and a poisonous air that poisons him. Everything is black around him - everything is deadly. And whoever approaches him puts himself in a state of danger. Horrible and frightening - such is man in the state of sin."

I remain terrified, and Jesus continued: "If man is horrible in the state of guilt, he is also beautiful in the state of grace and of doing good. Good, be it even the tiniest, is the bright point of man. As he does good, he undergoes a celestial, angelic and Divine transformation. His goodwill drags his whole being to one single point; therefore, good is his thought, his word, his heartbeat, his motion, his step - everything is light, inside and outside of him. His air is balmy and vital; and whoever approaches him places himself in safety. How beautiful, gracious, attractive, lovable, striking is the soul in grace, in doing good; so much so that I Myself remain enamored! Each good she does is one more shade of beauty that she acquires; it is a greater likeness to her Creator, which makes her be distinguished as His child; it is Divine Power that she puts in circulation. All the goods she does are spokesmen between Heaven and earth; they are the couriers, the electric wires which maintain the communication with God."