The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

April 16, 1902

How to deal with passions. Everything is in repressing the first motions.

This morning my adorable Jesus was not coming. So, not seeing Him come, I said: ‘What am I still doing in this state, if the object that held me captured does not come any more? It is better if I finish it once and for all.’ As I was saying this, my sweet Jesus came for a little while, and told me: "My daughter, everything is in repressing the first motions; if the soul is attentive in this, everything will go well; but if she is not, at the first motions which are not repressed, passions will come out and break the divine fortress which surrounds the soul like a hedge in order to keep her well guarded, and to move away from her the enemies which always try to lay traps for her, and to harm the poor soul. However, if as soon as she perceives it, she enters into herself, humiliates herself, repents, and remedies it with courage, the divine fortress closes again around the soul; if on the other hand she does not remedy it, the divine fortress, broken as it is, will let all vices rush in. Therefore, if you want the fortress not to leave you alone even for one instant, be attentive to the first motions, thoughts and words which are not upright and holy, because once the first ones have escaped you, it is no longer the soul that reigns, but rather, passions dominate."