The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

August 10, 1908

The work of Love.

Continuing in my usual state, but full of bitternesses and of privations, after I received Communion I was lamenting to blessed Jesus about the way He had left me, and about the uselessness of my state. And He, having compassion on my laments, told me: "My daughter, nothing has diminished the goods that exist between Me and you, because the whole of good is in the origin of its foundation. When two persons unite themselves with the bond of friendship or with the bond of marriage, and they have exchanged gifts besides, and have loved each other so much as to become inseparable, to the extent that one has taken and copied the other so much as to feel the being of the beloved within herself – if out of bare necessity they are forced to be far away from each other, are those gifts perhaps diminished, or does their love decrease? Not at all. On the contrary, being far away makes them grow more in love, and makes them keep the gifts received with greater care, waiting for some greater unexpected gift at the return of the other. But there is more; since one has copied her beloved within herself, it seems that there is no distance for her, because she feels the voice of the beloved flow within her voice, having imitated him. She feels him flow in her mind, in her works, in her steps… So, he is far and near, she looks at him and he escapes her, she touches him but cannot clasp him; therefore, the soul is in a continuous martyrdom of love. Now, if Justice forces Me to deprive you of Me and to be far away for some time, can you say that I have taken the gifts away from you, and that there is diminution of love?"

And I: ‘My state is too hard, my dear Life – and what am I here for if You do not let Me suffer to spare my neighbor the chastisements? You have said many times that You would not allow rain – and it is not raining; so, I cannot beat You in anything. Whatever You say, You do; while if I had You near Me like before, I would tell You so much that You would let me win. How can You say that distance is nothing?’

And He: "It is precisely because of this that I am forced to be far away – so as not to let you win, but give course to Justice. However, by keeping you here there is also some good, because the lack of water will call for famine; during this time the peoples will be humiliated, and after slaughters and wars have taken place, grace will find them more disposed to be saved. Is this not also a good, that while wars were about to overtake the famine, by keeping you here they will be postponed for a little longer, and so more souls will be saved?"

Then He added: "Love never says ‘enough’. Even if Love scourged the soul and tore her to pieces, those pieces would cry out Love. Love never says ‘enough’; It is not yet content – It pulverizes those pieces, It reduces them to nothing, and into that nothing It blows Its fire, and gives it Its own shape. It mixes nothing human, but only the divine; and it is then that Love sings Its glories, Its braveries, Its prodigies, saying: ‘I am content – my love has won; it has destroyed the human and built the divine.’ It happens to Love as to a talented artisan who, having many objects which are not to his liking, breaks them to pieces, puts them on the fire, and keeps them there until they melt, making them lose all of their shape; and then he forms from them many other objects, most beautiful and pleasant, worthy of his talent. It is yet true that for that which is human this action of Love is so very hard, but when the soul sees her gain, she will see how beauty has taken the place of ugliness, richness of poverty, nobility of roughness; and she too will sing the glories of Love."