The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

December 22, 1899

How God draws us to love Him in three ways, and how He manifests Himself to the soul in three ways.

This morning my adorable Jesus was not coming.  After much waiting and waiting He made Himself just barely seen several times, like a lightning that flashes by.  But I seemed to see a light rather than Jesus, and in this light, a voice which, the first time it came, said:  “I draw you to love Me in three ways:  by dint of benefits, by dint of sympathies, and by dint of persuasions.”

  Who can say how many things I comprehended in these three words?  It seemed to me that in order to attract my love and also that of the other creatures, blessed Jesus makes benefits rain down for our good, and in seeing that this rain of benefits does not reach the point of gaining our love, He reaches the point of rendering Himself sympathetic.  And what is this sympathy?  It is His pains suffered for love of us, to the point of dying, deluging blood upon a cross, where He rendered Himself so sympathetic as to enamor of Himself His very executioners and His fiercest enemies.  Even more, in order to attract us more and render our love stronger and more stable, He left us the light of His most holy examples, united to His celestial doctrine, which, like light, dispel for us the darkness of this life and lead us to eternal salvation.

The second time it came, it said to me:  “I manifest Myself to the soul in three different ways:  by power, by news and by love.  The power is the Father, the news is the Word, the love is the Holy Spirit.”  Oh, how many more things I comprehended!  But too little is that which I am able to manifest.  It seemed to me that God manifests Himself to the soul, by power, in the whole of creation; from the first to the last being is the omnipotence of God manifested.  The heavens, the stars and all the other beings speak to us, though in a mute language, of a Supreme Being, of an Uncreated Being, of His omnipotence.  In fact, the most learned man, with all of his science, cannot arrive at creating the most wretched mosquito, and this says that there must be a most powerful uncreated Being who created everything, and gives life and preservation to all beings.  Oh, how the whole universe, in clear notes and with indelible characters, speaks to us of God and of His omnipotence!  Therefore, one who does not see Him is voluntarily blind!  By news:  it seemed to me that blessed Jesus, in descending from Heaven, came upon earth in person to give us news of what is invisible to us; and in how many ways did He not manifest Himself?  I believe that everyone can comprehend the rest by himself, therefore I will not go on speaking.