The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

July 22, 1899

How the cross renders the soul transparent. How to avoid the precipice.

This morning my adorable Jesus made Himself seen with a golden cross, all shining, hanging from His neck, and in looking at it, He was immensely pleased. In one instant the confessor was present, and Jesus said to him: "The sufferings of these past days have increased the splendor of the cross; so much so, that in looking at it, I take great delight."

Then He turned to me and told me: "The cross communicates such splendor to the soul as to render her transparent. Just as one can give all the colors he wants to an object which is transparent, in the same way, with its light the cross provides all features and the most beautiful shapes that can possibly be imagined, not only by others, but by the very soul who experiences them. Furthermore, on a transparent object one can immediately detect dust, little stains, and even a shadow. Such is the cross: since it renders the soul transparent, it immediately reveals to the soul the little defects, and the slightest imperfections, so much so, that there is no hand of master more capable than the cross in keeping the soul prepared, to make of her a residence worthy of the God of Heaven." Who can say what I understood of the cross, and how enviable is the soul who possesses it?

After this, He transported me outside of myself, and I found myself at the top of a most high staircase. There was a precipice under it, and what is more, the steps of this staircase were movable and so narrow that one could barely put the tips of his toes on it. What terrified the most was the precipice, and the fact that one could find no support whatsoever, and if one tried to cling to the steps, they would come out. The sight of other people, almost all of them falling, made one’s bones shiver. Yet, there was no way other than going up those stairs. So I tried. But after I did just two or three steps, in seeing the great danger for me of falling into the abyss, I started to call Jesus, to come to my aid. Not knowing how, I found Jesus close to me, and He told me: "My daughter, what you have seen is the path which all men cover on this earth. The movable steps, on which they cannot even lean to find support, are the human supports, the earthly things; if one tries to lean on them, instead of giving him help, they give him a push to fall more quickly into hell. The safest means is to climb, almost flying, without touching the ground, by force of one’s arms, with the eyes all fixed on oneself - without looking at others - and also by keeping them all intent on Me, in order to receive help and strength. In this way one can easily avoid the precipice."