Latest / Spiritual Dialogues of St. Catherine of Genoa / 038 - Part 3 Chapter 6

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038 - Part 3 Chapter 6 · Spiritual Dialogues of St. Catherine of Genoa

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  Speaker 1: Part three, 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 three, Chapter six. O Sweet Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: my Love, What has brought THEE from Heaven to earth? Love?
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  Speaker 1: What has caused THEE to suffer such great and terrible
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  Speaker 1: torments even unto death? Love? What has induced THEE to
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  Speaker 1: give thyself as food to thy beloved soul? Love? What
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  Speaker 1: moved THEE to send us, which still continually moves THEE
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  Speaker 1: to send us the Holy Spirit for our support and guide? Love?
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  Speaker 1: Many other things can be said of THEE. Through love?
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  Speaker 1: Dost Thou appear in this world, so poor, so abject,
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  Speaker 1: and so humiliated in the eyes of men, that thou
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  Speaker 1: wast not esteemed a God, but scarcely as a man.
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  Speaker 1: A servant, however, faithful and loving, could not endure so
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  Speaker 1: much for his master, even were he to promise him
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  Speaker 1: heaven itself, Because without that interior love which Thou bestowest
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  Speaker 1: upon man, he cannot patiently suffer any torment, either of
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  Speaker 1: soul or body. But thou Lord, hast brought from Heaven
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  Speaker 1: the sweet Manna, this delicious food which has in itself
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  Speaker 1: such vigor that it gives strength for every trial, as
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  Speaker 1: we have witnessed, first in THEE, our most sweet Master,
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  Speaker 1: and afterwards in thy saints. Oh, how much they have
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  Speaker 1: done and suffered in the strength of the love infused
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  Speaker 1: by THEE into their hearts, and by which they were
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  Speaker 1: so inflamed and united to THEE, that no torment could
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  Speaker 1: separate them from THEE. For in the midst of their torments,
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  Speaker 1: a zeal was kindled that increased with their sufferings, and
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  Speaker 1: by it they were kept from yielding to the most
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  Speaker 1: cruel martyrdoms that tyrants could invent. The spectators saw only
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  Speaker 1: the weakness of the body, But the sweet and powerful
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  Speaker 1: love which God infused into the heart, and which is
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  Speaker 1: so vital and strong that he who abandons himself to
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  Speaker 1: it can never be lost, was hidden from them. There
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  Speaker 1: is no briefer or securer way of salvation than this
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  Speaker 1: sweet nuptial robe of charity, which gives such confidence and
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  Speaker 1: vigor to the soul that she enters the presence of
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  Speaker 1: God without misgiving. But if at depth she is found
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  Speaker 1: destitute of charity, she is left in such an abject
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  Speaker 1: and wretched condition that she would seek the gloomiest and
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  Speaker 1: most wretched spot rather than appear in the divine presence.
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  Speaker 1: For God, who is simple and pure, can receive into
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  Speaker 1: himself nothing but pure and simple love, and being a
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  Speaker 1: sea of love in which all the saints are plunged,
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  Speaker 1: it is impossible that even the slightest imperfection could enter
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  Speaker 1: Therein Hence, the soul, naked of charity, when she is
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  Speaker 1: separated from the body, aware of her condition, would cast
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  Speaker 1: herself into hell rather than to approach so bright and
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  Speaker 1: pure a presence, Oh, pure Love. Every stain of evil,
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  Speaker 1: even the least, is a great hell to THEE, and
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  Speaker 1: even by reason of thy vehemence, mere cruel than that
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  Speaker 1: of the damned. None but those who have experienced THEE
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  Speaker 1: can understand and believe this. This love of which I speak,
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  Speaker 1: although in itself infinite, can be described in its gracious
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  Speaker 1: and familiar action in the beloved soul, even as if
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  Speaker 1: it were one with her. End of Part three, Chapter six,