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1701-1750
1701 I asked the Lord today that He might deign to teach me about the interior life, because of
myself I can neither understand nor conceive anything perfectly. The Lord answered me, Iwas your Teacher, I am and I will be; strive to make your heart like unto My humble and gentle Heart. Never claim your rights. Bear with great calm and patience everything that befalls you. Do not defend yourself when you are put to shame, though innocent. Let others triumph. Do not stop (73) being good when you notice that your goodness is being abused. I Myself will speak up for you when it is necessary. Be grateful for the smallest of My graces, because your gratitude compels Me to grant you new graces…..
1702 Towards the end of the Way of the Cross which I was making, the Lord Jesus began to
complain about the souls of religious and priests, about the lack of love in chosen souls. I will allow convents and churches to be destroyed. I answered, “Jesus, but there are so
many souls praising You in convents.” The Lord answered, That praise wounds My Heart, because love has been banished from convents. Souls without love and without devotion, souls full of egoism and self-love, souls full of pride and arrogance, souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just enough warmth to keep them alive: My Heart cannot bear this. (74) All the graces that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot stand them, because they are neither good or bad. I called convents into being to sanctify the world through them. It is from them that a powerful flame of love and sacrifice should burst forth. And if they do not repent and become enkindled by their first love, I will deliver them over to the fate of this world…… How can they sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart especially chosen by Me, were you chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through…….
1703 When I tried to intercede for them, I could find nothing with which (75) to excuse them and,
being at the time unable to think of anything in their defense, my heart was seized with pain,
and I wept bitterly. Then the Lord looked at me kindly and comforted me with these words: Do not cry. There are still a great number of souls who love Me very much, but My Heart desires to be loved by all and, because My love is great, that is why I warn and chastise them.
1704 + Struggle with a certain temptation. There was a person who kept accosting me with
flattering words, and since he knew when I went out to go to the chapel or to the veranda, he
would bar my way. Since he did not dare approach me by himself, he found another person
like himself, but neither of them dared approach. As I was on my way to the May devotions,
they were already standing there where I had to pass. I hadn't yet reached them when I
heard enticing words, (76) directed at me. And the Lord permitted me to know the intentions
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of their hearts, which were not good. I felt they would block my way after the service, and
that I would have to talk to them, for up to that time I hadn't said a word,
When I left the chapel, they were there, armed and waiting for me to pass. This time, I was
overcome with fear. Then Jesus stood by me and said, Do not fear. I am with you. Then I
felt an extraordinary strength in my soul, which I cannot describe and, being a few steps from
them, I said boldly and loudly, “Praised be Jesus Christ.” And they, stepping aside,
responded, “For ever and ever, Amen.” As if struck by lightning, they bowed their heads, not
even daring to look at me. After I had passed, I could hear some malicious comments. Ever
since that time, when this person sees me, he runs away in order not to meet me and I,
thanks to the Lord, have been left in peace……
1705 (77) After Holy Mass, I went out to the garden to make my meditation, since there were not
yet any patients in the garden at this time, and so I felt at ease. As I was meditating on the
blessings of God, my heart was burning with a love so strong that it seemed my breast would
burst. Suddenly Jesus stood before me and said, What are you doing here so early? I
answered, “I am thinking of You, of Your mercy and Your goodness toward us. And You,
Jesus what are You doing here?” I have come out to meet you, to lavish new graces on you. I am looking for souls who would like to receive My grace.
1706 During Vespers today, the Lord gave me to know how very pleased He is with a pure and
free heart. I felt that it is God's delight to look into such a heart…. But such hearts are
knightly hearts; their life is a constant battle…… 1707 (78) + On my way to the veranda, I went into the chapel for a moment. My heart was
plunged in profound adoration, praising God's incomprehensible goodness and His mercy.
Then I heard these words in my soul: I am and will be for you such as you praise Me for being. You shall experience My goodness, already in this life and then, to the full, in the life to come.
1708 O Christ, I am most delighted when I see that You are loved, and that Your praise and glory
resound, especially the praise of Your mercy. O Christ, to the last moment of my life, I will
not stop glorifying Your goodness and mercy. With every drop of my blood, with every beat
of my heart, I glorify Your mercy. I long to be entirely transformed into a hymn of Your glory.
When I find myself on my deathbed, may the last beat of my heart be a loving hymn in praise
of Your unfathomable mercy.
1709 (79) + Today the Lord said to me, You shall make a three-day retreat before the coming of the Holy Spirit. I Myself will direct you. You shall not follow any of the rules required for retreats or use any books for meditation. Your task is to listen attentively to My words. For spiritual reading you shall read one chapter from the Gospel of St. John.
[Here occurs a space of a half page
in the original Notebook]
1710 (80) May 26, [1938 – Feast of the Ascension]. Today I accompanied the Lord Jesus as He
ascended into heaven. It was about noon. I was overcome by a great longing for God. It is
a strange thing, the more I felt God‟s presence, the more ardently I desired Him. Then I saw
myself in the midst of a huge crowd of disciples and apostles, together with the Mother of
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God. Jesus was telling them…. Go out into the whole world and teach in My name. He
stretched out His hands and blessed them and disappeared in a cloud. I saw the longing of
Our Lady. Her soul yearned for Jesus, with the whole force of Her love. But She was so
peaceful and so united to the will of God that there was not a stir in Her heart but for what
God wanted.1711 When I was left alone with the Blessed Virgin, She instructed me concerning the interior life.
She said, The soul’s true greatness is in loving God and in humbling oneself in His presence, completely forgetting oneself and believing oneself to be nothing, because the Lord is great, but He is well-pleased only with the humble, He always opposes the proud.
1712 (81) A certain person whom I have mentioned before visited me again. When I saw that she
was beginning to get entangled in her own lies, I let he know that I knew she was lying. She
became very embarrassed and stopped speaking. Then I spoke to her about the great
judgments of God, and I also remarked that she was leading innocent souls astray and along
dangerous roads. I uncovered before her everything that was in her heart. Since I had to
overcome my own feelings in order to talk to her, to prove to Jesus that I love my enemies, I
gave her my afternoon snack. She went away enlightened in soul, but action is still far
away……
1713 There are times when the Lord Jesus fulfills my smallest wishes. Today I remarked that I
would like to see some ears of grain, but that they cannot be seen from our sanatorium.
However, one of the patients heard this remark and, on the following day, he went out into
the field and brought me several beautiful (82) ears of grain. My room is always adorned
with fresh flowers, but my spirit finds satisfaction in nothing. More and more, I year for God.
1714 Today I interceded earnestly with the Lord Jesus for our house, that He might deign to take
away the cross which has touched our convent. 252 The Lord answered me, Your prayers are accepted for other intentions. I cannot take away this cross until they recognize its meaning. Nevertheless, I did not stop praying.
1715 A strong temptation. The Lord gave me to know how pleasing a pure heart is to Him, and
thereby I was given a deeper knowledge of my own misery. When I began to prepare for
confession, strong temptations against confessors assaulted me. I did not see Satan, but I
could sense him, his terrible anger. – “Yes, he‟s an ordinary man.” – “Not ordinary, because
he has the power of God.” – Yes, (83) it is not difficult for me to accuse myself of my sins.
But to uncover the most secret depths of my heart, to give an account of the action of God‟s
grace, to speak about God‟s every demand, about all that goes on between God and
myself…. To tell that to a man is beyond my strength. I felt I was fighting against the powers
and I cried out: “O Christ, You and the priest are one; I will approach confession as if I were
approaching, not a man, but You.” When I entered the confessional, I began by disclosing
my difficulties. The priest replied that the best thing I could have done was to disclose these
temptations from the outset. However, after the confession, they took flight, and my soul is
enjoying peace.
1716 Once during recreation, one of the sister directresses said that the lay sisters were without
feelings, and so could be treated stiffly. I was sorry to see that the sister directresses know
so little about the lay sisters and judge them only from appearances.
375 1717 (84) Today, I was talking with the Lord, and He said to me, There are souls with whom I can do nothing. They are souls that are continuously observing others, but know nothing of what is going on within their own selves. They talk about others continually, even during times of grand silence, which is reserved for speaking only with Me. Poor souls, they do not hear My words; their interior remains empty. They do not look for Me within their own hearts, but in idle talk, where I am never to be found. They sense their emptiness, but they do not recognize their own guilt, while souls in whom I reign completely are a constant source of remorse to them. Instead of correcting themselves, their hearts swell with envy, and if they do not come to their senses, they plunge in even deeper. A heart, which thus far is envious, now begins to be filled with hate. And they are already at the edge of the precipice. They are jealousof my gifts in other souls, but they themselves are unable and unwilling to accept them.
1718 (85) To stay at Your feet, O hidden God,
Is the delight and paradise of my soul.
Here, You give me to know You, O incomprehensible One,
And You speak to me sweetly: Give Me, give Me your heart.
Silent conversation, alone with You,
Is to experience what heavenly beings enjoy,
And to say to God, “I will, I will give You my heart, O Lord,”
While You, O great and incomprehensible One, accept it graciously.
Love and sweetness are my soul‟s life,
And Your unceasing presence in my soul.
I live on earth in constant rapture,
And like a Seraph I repeat, “Hosanna!”
O You Who are hidden, body, soul and divinity,
Under the fragile form of bread,
You are my life from Whom springs an abundance of graces;
And, for me, You surpass the delights of heaven.
When you unite Yourself with me in Communion, O God,
I then feel my unspeakable greatness,
(86) A greatness which flows from You, O Lord, I humbly confess,
And despite my misery, with Your help, I can become a saint.
1719 + During Holy Mass, I came to know that a certain priest does not effect much in souls
because he thinks about himself and so is alone. God‟s grace takes flight; he relies on trifling
external things, which have no importance in the eyes of God; and, being proud, he fritters
away his time, wearing himself out to no purpose.
1720 There are moments when Jesus gives me knowledge within my soul, and then everything
that exists on earth is at my service: friends, enemies, success, adversity… . All things,
willing or not, must serve me. I do not think of them at all; I strive to be faithful to God and to
love Him to the point of complete forgetfulness of self. And He Himself looks after me and
fights against my enemies.
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1721 (87) After Holy Communion, when I had welcomed Jesus into my heart, I said to Him, “My
Love, reign in the most secret recesses of my heart, there where my most secret thoughts
are conceived, where You alone have free access, in this deepest sanctuary where human
thought cannot penetrate. May You alone dwell there, and may everything I do exteriorly
take its origin in You. I ardently desire, and I am striving with all the strength of my soul, to
make You, Lord, feel at home in this sanctuary.” 1722 I heard these words: If you did not tie My hands, I would send down many punishmentsupon the earth. My daughter, your look disarms My anger. Although your lips are silent, you call out to Me so mightily that all heaven is moved. I cannot escape from your requests, because you pursue Me, not from afar but within your own heart.
1723 (88) When the soul of a certain young lady came to me one night, she made me aware of
her presence, and made known to me that she needed my prayer. I prayed for a while, but
her spirit did not leave me. Then I thought to myself, “If you are a good spirit, leave me in
peace, and the indulgences I will gain tomorrow will be for you.” At that moment, the spirit
left my room, and I recognized that she was in purgatory.
1724 Today I felt the Lord's Passion in my body more than at any other time. I felt this was for the
sake of a dying soul. 1725 Today, the Lord has been teaching me, once again, how I am to approach the Sacrament of
Penance: My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a (89) priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light.
1726 Christ and Lord, You are leading me over such precipices that, when I look at them, I am
filled with fright, but at the same time I am at peace as I nestle close to Your Heart. Close to
Your Heart, I fear nothing. In these dangerous moments, I act like a little child, carried in its
mother‟s arms; when it sees something which menaces it, it clasps its mother‟s neck more
firmly and feels secure.
1727 + I often see snares laid for me by souls who should not do so. I do not defend myself, but
entrust myself all the more to God, who sees within me. And I see how these souls become
entangled in their own snares. O God, how just and good You are!1728 (90) Write: I am Thrice Holy, and detest the smallest sin. I cannot love a soul which is stained with sin; but when it repents, there is no limit to My generosity toward it. My mercy embraces and justifies it. With My mercy, I pursue sinners along all their paths, and My Heart rejoices when they return to Me. I forget the bitterness with which they fed My Heart and rejoice at their return.