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027 - Part 2 Chapter 6 · Spiritual Dialogues of St. Catherine of Genoa

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  Speaker 1: Part two, Chapter six of Spiritual Dialog by Saint Catherine
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  Speaker 1: of Genoa. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain
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  Speaker 1: recording by Anne Boulay, Part two, Chapter six. The Lord,
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  Speaker 1: the cause of all the suffering through which you have
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  Speaker 1: to pass is better understood by experience than by reasoning.
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  Speaker 1: Yet know this, I make of the body a purgatory
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  Speaker 1: for the soul, and thus augment her glory by drawing
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  Speaker 1: her to me through this purgatory alone. And thus I
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  Speaker 1: am ever knocking at the door of the heart. And
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  Speaker 1: if man yields consent and opens to me, I lead
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  Speaker 1: him with continual and loving care to that degree of
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  Speaker 1: glory for which I created him. If he could see
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  Speaker 1: and understand the care with which I promote his salvation
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  Speaker 1: and his welfare, quitting and despising all ease, even were
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  Speaker 1: the universe at his command, he he would abandon himself
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  Speaker 1: without reserve to me. There is no martyrdom that he
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  Speaker 1: would not endure if it would preserve him from losing
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  Speaker 1: this loving care which is leading him to the highest glory.
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  Speaker 1: I would draw him to me by love and faith alone,
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  Speaker 1: to which fear and self interest are opposed, because they
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  Speaker 1: spring from the love of self, which cannot coexist with
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  Speaker 1: that pure and simple love which alone must absorb man.
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  Speaker 1: If he would cast off my care of him, without
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  Speaker 1: this aid, he could not enter into the clear depths
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  Speaker 1: of My love, for it would be a hell to
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  Speaker 1: him and man, having no other way and no other
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  Speaker 1: time but this life in which to purify his soul
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  Speaker 1: by love and faith and with the assistance of My grace,
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  Speaker 1: is it not a misery for him to occupy himself
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  Speaker 1: with aught beside, and thus lose the precious time which
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  Speaker 1: was given him for this work alone, past it will
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  Speaker 1: never more return. Listen, then, o, Soul, my beloved, listen
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  Speaker 1: to my voice. Open thine ears to thy Lord, who
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  Speaker 1: so much loves THEE, who is ever caring for THEE,
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  Speaker 1: who alone is thy salvation. Steeped in sin, as thou
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  Speaker 1: art sunk in such misery and weighed down by evil habits,
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  Speaker 1: thou wilt never know the greatness of thy woes until
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  Speaker 1: my light unveils them to THEE and frees THEE from them. Soul,
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  Speaker 1: Thou hast given me, Lord, many persuasive reasons why I
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  Speaker 1: should suffer as I have done and must still do.
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  Speaker 1: Yet I pray THEE if it please THEE, satisfy my
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  Speaker 1: understanding concerning the cause of this suffering, for I need
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  Speaker 1: it greatly when I am overpowered by the vehemence of
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  Speaker 1: thy love the Lord, Thou knowest that when thou didst
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  Speaker 1: yield up thy will to me, thou wert sunk sooh
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  Speaker 1: that had I not prevented THEE, thou wouldst have fallen
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  Speaker 1: into hell. Thou werst borne away into sin and misery
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  Speaker 1: like one bound hand and foot. I grant THEE light
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  Speaker 1: and contrition, by the help of which thou didst make
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  Speaker 1: thy confession. Thou hast performed many penances, and for a
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  Speaker 1: long time offered prayers and alms and satisfaction for thy sins.
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  Speaker 1: I left THEE to struggle and torment thyself until thou
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  Speaker 1: wert well established in virtue, that thou mightest not henceforward
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  Speaker 1: fall into sin. I allow THEE to practice various virtues
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  Speaker 1: in order that thou shouldst be confirmed and take pleasure
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  Speaker 1: in them, and never more turned to other enjoyments. And
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  Speaker 1: now the soul began to delight in spiritual things, and
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  Speaker 1: was assailed by many temptations, and was thus practiced in
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  Speaker 1: the ways of God. The providence of God was also
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  Speaker 1: made plain to her in many trials and persecutions which
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  Speaker 1: she endured from men, from devils, and from herself, for
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  Speaker 1: being accustomed to wrongdoing. It was necessary for her to
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  Speaker 1: combat all these enemies until she had destroyed them, inasmuch
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  Speaker 1: as it is they who were ever warring against her.
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  Speaker 1: If it were not for our evil habits, no one
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  Speaker 1: would ever be tempted except in consequence of the increase
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  Speaker 1: of grace. And this is a temptation which is without danger,
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  Speaker 1: because God sustains by his love those upon whom he
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  Speaker 1: permits it to fall. End of Part two, Chapter six,