The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

October 16, 1905

The closer the soul draws to the love of God, the more she loses her own virtues.

Having read a book which dealt with the virtues, I was concerned in looking at myself, for I could see no virtue in me.  If it wasn’t that I just want to love Him, that I want Him, that I love Him, and that I want to be loved by blessed Jesus, nothing – nothing of God would exist in me.  Now, as I was in my usual state, my adorable Jesus told me:  “My daughter, the closer the soul comes to the end, so as to draw near the fount of every good, which is the true and perfect love of God in which everything will remain submerged and love alone will float, to be the engine of everything, the more she loses all the virtues she has practiced along the journey, to enclose everything in love and rest from everything - to love only.  Do the Blessed in Heaven not lose everything to love only?  In the same way, the more she advances, the less she feels the varied crafting of the virtues, because, investing them all, love converts them all into itself, keeping them at rest within itself like many noble princesses, working, itself alone, and giving life to all of them.  And while the soul does not perceive them, in love she finds them all, but more beautiful, more pure, more perfect, more ennobled; and if she does perceive them, it is a sign that they are separated from love.  For example, a soul receives a command, and she exercises obedience to obey that person in order to acquire virtue, to sacrifice her own will, and for many other possible reasons.  Now, by doing so, she already perceives that she is exercising obedience; she feels the toil, the sacrifice that this virtue brings with itself.  Another then, obeys, not to obey that person, nor for other reasons; but knowing that God would be displeased by her disobedience, she looks at God in the one who commands her, and for love of Him she sacrifices everything, and obeys.  In this, the soul does not perceive that she obeys, but only that she loves, because she has obeyed only out of love, otherwise she would have disobeyed anyway - and so with all the rest.  Therefore, courage along the journey, because the more you move forward, the sooner you will enjoy in advance, also down here, the eternal beatitude of sole and true love.”