1. When I was ready to present before the throne of
God the insignificant results of my labors in writing the
first part of the most holy life of Mary, the Mother of
God, I wished to subject it to the scrutiny and correction
of the divine light, by which I had been guided in my
shortcomings. I was very anxious to be consoled by the
renewed assurance, and benign approval of the Most
High, and to know, whether He wished me to continue
or to abandon this work, which is so far above my low
liness. The Lord responded saying: "Thou hast written
well, and according to our pleasure ; but We desire thee
to understand, that in order to manifest the mysteries
and most high sacraments of the rest of the life of our
only and chosen Spouse, Mother of our Onlybegotten,
thou hast need of a new and more exalted preparation.
It is our wish that thou die to all that is imperfect and
visible, and that thou live according to the spirit; that
thou renounce all the occupations and habits of an earthly
creature and assume instead those of an angel, striving to
attain in them a still greater purity and an entire con
formity with what thou art to understand and write."
2. In this answer of the Most High I understood, that
such a high perfection of life and habits and such an
unwonted exercise of virtues was proposed and required
of me, that, full of diffidence, I became disturbed and
fearful of undertaking a work so arduous and difficult
for an earthly creature. I felt within myself great re
pugnance rising up in the flesh against the spirit. The
spirit called me with interior force, urging me to strive
after the disposition, which was required of me, and
advancing as argument the pleasure of the Lord and the
benefits accruing to myself. On the other hand the law
of sin (Rom. 7, 23), which I felt in my members,
opposed the divine promptings and discouraged me by
the fear of my own inconstancy. I felt a great distaste,
which deterred me and a great pusillanimity which filled
me with fear. In this excitement I began to believe, that
I was not capable of treating about such high things,
especially as they were so foreign to the condition and
estate of a woman.
3. Overcome by fears and difficulties, I resolved not
to continue this work, and to use all possible means to
adhere to this determination. The common enemy knew
my fear and cowardice, and, as his utmost cruelty is
more aroused against the weak and disheartened, he made
use of this very disposition to attack me with incredible
fury. It seemed to him, that I was left without help in
his hands. In order to conceal his malice, he sought to
transform himself into an angel of light, pretending to
be very solicitous for my soul and for my welfare.
Under this false pretext he perfidiously deluged me with
his suggestions and doubts; he represented to me the
danger of damnation and frightened me with punish
ments similar to those of the chief of the angels
(Is. 14, 12), since I had sought in my pride to compre
hend, what was above my powers and in opposition to
God himself.
4. He pointed out to me many souls, who, professing
virtue, were deceived by some secret presumption and by
yielding to the insinuations of the devil ; and he made me
believe, that in so far as I sought to scrutinize the secrets
of the divine Majesty (Prov. 25, 27), I could not but be
guilty of pride and presumption, thus being already
judged. He urged very strongly, that the present times
were ill suited for such matters and sought to confirm
his assertion by what happened to some well known per
sons, who were found to labor under deceit and error.
He reminded me of the dread of the spiritual life in
others; how great would be the discredit, which would
arise by any mistake of mine and what evil effect it would
have on those of little piety; all this I would know by
experience and to my regret, if I persisted in writing
about this matter. And as it is true evidently, that all
the opposition to the spiritual life and the small esteem
in which the mystic virtues are held, is caused by that
mortal enemy, so, for the purpose of doing away with
Christian devotion and piety in many souls, he succeeds
in deceiving some and in sowing the cockle among the
good seed of the Lord (Matth. 13, 25). Thus he causes
confusion and obscures the true sentiment concerning it,
making it more difficult to distinguish the darkness from
the light. I am not surprised to see him succeed therein,
as the true discernment is the special work of God and of
those, who participate in his true wisdom, and do not
govern themselves only by earthly insight.
5. It is not easy during this mortal life to discern true
prudence from the false; for often also the good inten
tion and zeal warp the human judgment, when counsel
and light from on high are wanting. I had occasion to
learn this in the execution of that which I am about to
undertake : for some persons, well known as devout, not
only those who loved me on account of their piety and
desired my welfare, but also those who were less loving
and considerate : all alike at one time wished to deter me
from this undertaking, and also from the path, which I
was going, as if I was proceeding upon it by my own
choice. Their fear of drawing discredit or confusion
upon those who were striving after piety with me, or
upon religion or my neighbors, and especially upon the
convent in which I lived, caused them anxiety and to me,
affliction. I was much enamoured by the security, which
the ordinary paths of the other nuns seemed to offer; I
acknowledge, that this suited more my own insight and
my inclination and desires, and was urged upon me still
more by my timidity and my great fears.
6. Cast about upon these impetuous waves, my heart
sought to reach the port of obedience in order to re
assure me in the bitter sea of my confusion. To add to
my tribulation, it began to be rumored about in our
order, that my spiritual father and superior, who had for
many years directed my soul and who well understood
my interior trials, who moreover had commanded me to
write the preceding part of this history, who would most
likely encourage, quiet, and console me, was suggested
for removal to a higher office. The suggestion was not
acted upon, but it occasioned his absence for many days,
and the dragon took advantage of all this in order to
pour out against me the furious river of his wrath
(Apoc. 13, 15). Thus, though in vain, he exerted all
his malice, on this occasion and others, to entice me from
obedience and deprive me of the guidance of my superior
and master.
7. In addition to all the contradictions and temptations
already mentioned, and many others not possible to de
scribe, the demon sought to deprive me of my health,
causing many aches, indispositions and disorders of the
whole body. He harassed me with insurmountable sad
ness and conflicting thoughts ; he seemed to confuse my
understanding, hinder correct thinking, weaken my will
power, and sift me in body and soul. And it happened
that in the midst of this confusion I committed some
faults, which were serious enough in me, although they
were committed not so much in malice as from human
fraility. Nevertheless the serpent sought to use them
for my destruction more than any other means ; for thus
having interrupted the flow of good works, his fury was
let loose to cause still greater faults in this embarrass
ment by inveigling me to exaggerate my guilt. To this
he drove me by impious and most insidious suggestions,
seeking to persuade me, that all that I had experienced in
the path which I had trodden, was false and erroneous.
8. As these insinuations, on account of the faults com
mitted and on account of my continual consternation and
fears, began to appear plausible, I resisted them less than
others ; and it was only through the special mercies of the
Lord, that I did not fall entirely from all belief and hope
in a remedy. But I found myself so entangled in diffi
culties and surrounded by darkness, that I may say, the
groanings of death encompassed me and the sorrows of
hell engulfed me (Ps. 17, 5) inspiring me with dread of
extreme peril. I resolved to burn the manuscripts of the
first part of this divine history and to desist from writing
the second. The angel of satan, who inspired me with
this resolution, induced me also to withdraw myself from
the whole undertaking: to put an end to the pursuit of
the spiritual life, to neglect my interior life, and not to
communicate about it with any one. Thus would I be
able to do penance for my sins, appease the Lord, pro
pitiate Him, and retain his friendship. In order to make
sure of the effects of his concealed malice he proposed,
that I make a vow not to write any more on account of
the danger of being deceived and of deceiving; but that
instead, I amend my life, retrench my imperfections and
embrace penance.
9. With this masque of seeming virtue the dragon
pretended to establish his damnable counsels and cover
himself with the skin of a sheep, while in reality he acted
as a bloodthirsty and devouring wolf. He persevered
for some time in this attack and all alone I remained for
fifteen days in a night of darkness, without relief or con
solation either human or divine : without the former,
because I was without the help and the counsel of obedi
ence, and without the latter, because the Lord had inter
rupted the flow of his favors, his enlightenments and
continual inspiration. Above all was I distressed by
despair of salvation and in it, the persuasion, that death
and the danger of my eternal damnation was approach
ing; all this was instigated and fostered in me by the
enemy.
10. But as the aftertastes of his temptations are so
bitter and end but in despair, the very disturbance, by
which he upset the whole republic of my powers and
acquired habits, made me more wary of fulfilling any
thing which he urged on me and proposed to me. He
availed himself of the continual fear, which tormented
me with the dread of offending God and of losing* his
friendship and when, in my doubts, I applied myself to
works of piety, he sought to draw me away. This very
fear however made me hesitate at what the astute dragon
had tried to convince me of and in this uncertainty I
deferred giving assent to it. My high regard for obedi
ence also, by which I had been ordered to write, and the
contrariness of that which I felt in my interior, helped
me to resist and to recoil at his suggestions. Above all
the assistance of the Most High defended me and
permitted not the beasts to snatch my soul, which amid
sighs and groans confessed Him. I cannot describe in
words the temptations, combats, troubles, dismays and
afflictions, which I suffered in this battle: for I saw
myself placed in such a state, that in my judgment there
was really no greater difference between my condition
and that of the damned, except that in hell there is no re
demption, while in mine it was still possible.
11. One day, in order to get some respite, I cried out
from the bottom of my heart saying : "O woe is me, that
I have come to such a state! and woe to my soul, which
finds itself therein! Whither shall I turn, since all the
portals of my salvation are closed?" Immediately a
strong and sweet voice gave answer within myself:
"Whither dost thou wish to go outside of God himself?"
By this answer I perceived that my cure was at hand in
the Lord, and at the breaking of this dawn I began to
raise myself from the depth of the confusion, into which
I was cast, and I felt a powerful increase in the fervor of
my desires and in the acts of faith, hope and charity. I
debased myself in the presence of the Most High and, in
firm confidence in his goodness, I wept over my faults
with bitter sorrow. I confessed them many times and
sighing from the depth of heart, I began to seek again the
former light and truth. And as the divine Wisdom
comes forth to meet those by whom it is invoked
(Wis. 6, 17), it advanced toward me in delight and
cleared away the night of my confusion and tormenting
afflictions.
12. Presently that bright day broke, which I had de
sired so much; the quiet possession of peace returned;
I enjoyed the sweet love and vision of my Lord and
Master, and with it I again perceived, why I should
believe, accept and esteem the benefits and favors, which
his mighty arm wrought in me. I gave Him thanks as
far as was in my power ; and I saw, who I was and who
Cod is; that a creature by itself can do nothing, that it
is nothing, because sin is nothing. I saw also what man
can do when raised up and assisted up by the divine right
hand, being much more than can be imagined by our
earthly faculites. Humbled in the perception of these
truths and in the presence of the inaccessible light,
(which is vast and strong, without deceit or falsehood),
my heart flowed over in sweet affections of love, praise
and thanksgiving. For now I understood, that He had
guarded and defended me, so that in the confused night
of temptations my lamp might not be extinguished
(Prov. 31, 18) ; and in the depth of my gratitude I
annihilated myself to the dust and humiliated myself
as a worm of the earth.
13. To make this benefit more certain, I immediately
heard an interior exhortation, without knowing clearly
from whence it proceeded ; while it severely reprehended
me for my disloyalty and my wrongful ways, it at the
same time admonished and enlightened, instructed and
corrected me. It furnished me with a deep understand
ing of good and evil, of virtue and vice, of what was
secure, useful and beneficial, as well as their contraries;
it laid open to me the way of eternity, gave me a knowl
edge of the means and of the end, of the value of life
everlasting, and of the miserable unhappiness and the so
little considered ruin of endless perdition.
14. In the profound knowledge of these two extremes,
I confess that I was dumbfounded and cast about be
tween the fear of my dreadful infirmity and the desire
of reaching the happiness, of which I was unworthy on
account of my demerits. I was full of the thought of
the kindness and mercy of the Most High ; and the fear
of losing Him : I beheld the two different ends awaiting
the creatures: eternal glory and eternal misery; and it
seemed a small matter to me to suffer all the pains and the
torments of the world, of purgatory and hell itself, in
order to attain to the one and to avoid the other. And
although I perceived, that the divine help is assured
to those who seek to make use of it, yet as I also saw
by this light, that life and death are in our hands
(Eccli. 15, 18), and that our weakness or malice may
prevent the proper use of grace, and that the tree will
lie for all eternity as it once has fallen (Eccles. 11, 3),
on this account I was overcome by the deepest sorrow,
which penetrated my heart.
15. This sorrow was increased by a most severe
answer or inquiry, which came from the Lord. For
while I found myself thus annihilated in the conscious
ness of my weakness and danger and by the thought of
having offended his justice, so that I dared not raise my
eyes toward Him, He met my speechless sorrow by the
advances of his mercy, saying to me in answer to them :
"Which dost thou wish, my soul? Which dost thou
seek? Which of these ways wilt thou choose? What is
thy resolve ?" This question was an arrow to my heart :
for although I knew for certain, that the Lord knew my
desires better than I myself, the delay between the ques:
tion and the answer was incredibly painful to me; I
wished, if possible, that the Lord should anticipate my
answer and should not show Himself ignorant of the
response, which I would give. But, impelled by great
emotion, I made response in words coming from the in
nermost of soul, and said; "Lord and omnipotent God!
The path of virtue, the way of eternal life do I chose,
this do I desire, and in this do Thou place me ; and as I
do not merit it in thy justice, I appeal to they mercy, and
I offer for myself the infinite merits of thy most holy
Son and my Redeemer, Jesus Christ."
16. I was made aware, that this highest Judge re
membered the promise, which is given to the Church,
that He would grant all that is asked in the name of his
Onlybegotten (John 16, 23), that in Him and on his
account my petition was granted and its fulfillment
hastened according to my poor wishes. Certain conditions
were made and proposed to me by an intellectual voice,
saying to me interiorly: "Soul, created by the hand of
the Almighty, if thou wishest, as one of the elect, to
follow in the path of the true light and attain the position
of a most chaste spouse of the Lord, who calls thee, it
is befitting, that thou observe the laws and precepts of
love. The first thing required of thee is, that thou reject
entirely all earthly inclinations, renouncing all and every
affection toward the transient things, so that thou have
no love or affection toward any created being, no matter
how useful, beautiful or agreeable it may appear to thee.
Cherish no created image, harbor no earthly affection;
let thy will rest in no created object, except in so far as
thy Lord and Spouse shall command thee for the wellordering
of thy love, or in so far as thou canst be aided
thereby to love Him alone/
17. "And when, after thus reaching this perfect abne
gation and renunciation of thyself, thou shalt have freed
and disentangled thyself from all earthly things, seek
the Lord, raising thyself with the swift wings of the
dove toward the high habitation, in which He, in his
condescension, wishes to place thy spirit; so that there
thou mayest live in his presence and have a secure dwell
ing-place. This great Lord is a most jealous Spouse and
his love and emulation are strong as death (Cant. 8, 6).
He wishes to adorn thee and set thee in a secure place,
in order that thou mayest not issue from it, or leave his
presence for another, where thou findst Him not or enjoyest
not his caresses. He, with whom thou art to con
verse without mistrust, wishes to sign thee with his own
hand, and this is a most equitable law, which the spouses
of the great King must observe; for even those in the
world observe it, in order to show their faithfulness. It
is due to the nobility of thy Spouse, that thou observe
a behavior corresponding to the dignity and position
conferred by Him, wtihout descending to anything not
befitting this estate or making thee unworthy of the
adornment lavished upon thee for entrance into his bridal
chamber."
18. "Next I require of thee, that thou despoil thyself
with diligence of the vestments torn by thy faults and
imperfections, soiled by the effects of sin, and made
odious by the inclinations of nature. His Majesty wishes
to wash off the stains, to purify and renew thee with his
beauty, but under condition, that thou never lose sight
of the poor and despicable vestments of which thou hast
been divested, so that in the memory and knowledge of
this benefit, thou mayest spread the odor of sweetness
for this great King by the nard of thy humility
(Cant 1, 11), and so that thou mayest never forget the
return, which thou owest to the Author of thy salvation.
Thus will He, by the precious balsam of his blood, purify
thee, heal thy wounds and enlighten thee copiously."
19. "In addition to all this" (this voice continued to
say) "in order that thus forgetting all earthly things
thou mayest be coveted by the highest King, seek to
adorn thyself with the jewels, which He in his pleasure
has prepared for thee. The vestments, which shall cover
thee, are to be whiter than the snow, more brilliant than
the diamond, more resplendent than the sun and yet they
will be at the same time so delicate, that they will easily
be spoiled by any negligence, making thee abominable in
the sight of thy Spouse. But if thou preserve them in
the purity which He desires, thy steps will be beautiful
as the Prince s daughter (Cant. 7, 1), and his Majesty
will be pleased with thy sentiments and thy words. As a
cincture of thy vestment He will give thee the knowledge
of his divine power and his holy fear, in order that, hav
ing bound thy inclinations, thou mayest direct thyself by
his pleasure. The jewels of thy necklace, which adorn
thy neck, signifying thy humble submission, shall be the
costly stones of faith, hope and charity. As a clasp for
thy hair (which are the high and exalted thoughts and
thy heavenly intelligences), thou wilt have from Him the
infused science and wisdom, and the embroideries of thy
vestments shall be all the beauty and richness of the vir
tues. Thy diligence in performing what is most perfect
shall serve thee as sandals, and they laces shall be the
avoidance and restraints, that thou wilt use in order to
keep from evil. The rings, which will beautify thy
fingers, shall be the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost; and
the beauty of thy face shall be the participation of the
Divinity, which on account of his holy love, shall shine
therefrom. Thereto thou shalt add the coloring of con
fusion for having offended Him, in order that it may
make thee ashamed of offending Him in the future, com
paring at the same time the coarse and sordid habits of
the past with those that now adorn thee."
20. "And because thy own merits would make but a
poor and miserable return for such a high espousal, the
Most High wishes to ratify this contract by singling out,
as if for thee alone, the infinite merits of thy Spouse
Jesus Christ, and He makes thee a partaker of all his
possessions and treasures in the heavens and upon earth.
For all belongs to this supreme Lord (Esther 13, 11),
and of all this thou shalt be mistress as his spouse for
thy own use and for the greater love of Him. But
remember, soul, that in order to obtain such a gift, thou
must hide all this within thyself, without ever losing thy
secret; for I warn thee of the danger of soiling thy
beauty with the least imperfection; but if at any time
thou committest such an imperfection out of weakness,
rise from it at once, like a strong one, and acknowledg
ing it, weep over the small fault as if it had been, the most
grievous."
21. "And in order that thou mayest have a dwellingplace
and habitation befitting such a great estate, thy
Spouse does not wish to set thee any limit, but it is his
pleasure, that thou dwell in the infinite regions of his
Divinity and that thou roam about and disport thyself
through the illimitable fields of his attributes and perfections.
where the view of the intellect is without re
straint, where the will is delighted without shadow of
misgiving, and where the inclinations are satiated without
bitterness. This is the paradise always delightful, where
the most beloved brides of Christ find their recreation,
where they gather the fragrant flowers and myrrh, and
where the infinite is found for those that have renounced
the imperfect nothing. There will thy habitation be
secure ; and in order that thy intercourse and companion
ship may be in correspondence with it, I desire that thou
converse with the angels, holding them as friends and
companions, and copying from them, during their fre
quent conversations and intercourse with thee, their vir
tues by faithful imitation."
22. "Take notice" (continued the voice) "O soul of
the greatness of this benefit; for the Mother of thy
Spouse and the Queen of heaven adopts thee anew for her
daughter, receives thee as her disciple, and assumes the
place of a Mother and of a Teacher toward thee. Through
her intercession dost thou receive those special favors and
they are all granted to thee that thou mayest write her
most holy life. On this account thou hast been pardoned
without thy merit, and that, which otherwise thou
wouldst not have reached, has been conceded to thee.
What would become of thee, O soul, if it were not for
the Mother of mercy? Thou wouldst already have
perished, if her intercession had failed thee; poor and
useless would have been thy works, if, by divine con
descension, thou hadst not been selected to write this
history, but the eternal Father chose thee for his daugh
ter, in view of this work, and for a spouse of his Onlybegotten
Son ; and the Son received thee to his close em
braces, and the Holy Spirit selected thee for his enlight
enments. The document of this contract and espousal is
written and imprinted on the white parchment of the
purity of most holy Mary : there the finger and the power
of the Most High have written it ; the ink is the blood of
the Lamb; the executor is the eternal Father; the tie
which binds thee to Christ is the Holy Spirit ; the bonds
men are the merits of the same Jesus Christ and of his
Mother; for thou art but a vile worm, having nothing to
offer and being expected to give merely thy free consent."
23. So far the admonishing voice, which I heard. Al
though I judged it to be that of an angel, yet whether
such it was, I could not ascertain clearly, for I did not
perceive it in the same way as at other times. Such mani
festations and disclosures accommodate themselves to
the dispositions of the soul at the time of their reception,
as for instance it happened to the disciples at Emmaus
(Luke 24, 16). Many other experiences I had in order
to overcome the opposition of the serpent against the
writing of this history, but it would draw out this intro
duction too much to mention them now . I continued my
prayers for some days, asking the Lord to govern and
direct me in order not to make a mistake, and represent
ing to Him my incapacity and timidity. His Majesty
persisted in exhorting me to ordain my life toward all
purity and the greatest perfection, and in urging me to
continue in it after having begun. And especially the
Queen of the angels intimated to me her will many times,
and with great sweetness and tenderness commanded me
to obey Her as her daughter and write her most holy
life, which I had commenced.
24. To all this I wished to add the security of obedi
ence. Without saying anything of that, which I had
heard from the Lord and from his most holy Mother, I
asked my confessor and superior what he would direct
me to do in this matter. He answered by commanding
me under obedience to continue and to write the second
part of this history. Finding myself thus compelled both
by the Lord and by obedience, I returned again to the
presence of the Most High, where I found myself one
day in prayer, and, renouncing my whole self and recog
nizing my insignificance and liability to err, I prostrated
myself before his Majesty and said : "My Lord, my Lord,
what wishest Thou to do with me?" Whereupon I re
ceived the following intelligence.
25. It seemed to me, that the divine light of the blessed
Trinity showed me my own self full of poverty and
defects, and severely reprehending me for them, fur
nished me at the same time with the highest doctrine and
salutary directions for a perfect life, and for this purpose
God purified and enlightened me anew. I became aware
that the Mother of grace, most holy Mary, standing
before the throne of the Divinity, was interceding and
pleading for me. With such assistance my confidence
took new life and profiting by the clemency of such a
Mother, I addressed myself to Her and spoke to Her only
these words : "My Lady and my Refuge, consider, as a
true Mother, the poverty of thy slave." It seemed to me
as if She heard my prayer and speaking with the Most
High, She said: "My Lord, I wish to receive this use
less and poor creature anew as a daughter and adopt her
as my own." (Truly this was the act of a most liberal
and mighty Queen!) But the Most High answered:
"My Spouse, for such a great favor as this, what does
this soul bring in return ? She does not deserve it, being
a useless and destitute worm, and thankless for our
gifts."
26. O wonderful power of the divine word! How
shall I describe the effects produced in me by this answer
of the Allpowerful? I humbled myself to the depth of
my nothingness and I was filled with the knowledge of
the misery of creatures and of my own ingratitude
toward God. My heart sank within me in sorrow for my
sins and in the desire of obtaining the unmerited happi
ness of being the child of that Sovereign. I raised my eyes
full of dread to the throne of the Most High and my
visage was transported in fear and hope ; I turned toward
my Advocate, and desiring to be admitted as her slave,
since I did not merit the title of daughter, I spoke from
the bottom of my heart without forming any words ; and
I heard the great Lady say to the Lord :
27. "Divine Lord and my God, it is true, this poor
creature has nothing to offer to thy justice, but I offer
for her the merits and the blood, which my most holy
Son poured out for her and with it I present also the
dignity of Mother of thy onlybegotten Son, which I re
ceived from thy ineffable kindness, all the works, which
I performed in thy service in having borne Him in my
womb, and nourished Him with the milk of my breast,
and above all I offer Thee thy own bounty and Divinity ;
I earnestly entreat Thee to consider this creature as my
adopted daughter and disciple for whom I will stand
security. Under my guidance She will amend her faults
and perform her works according to thy pleasure."
28. The Most High, (may He be eternally praised for
hearing the petition of the great Queen interceding for
the least of his creatures), yielded to these prayers, and
immediately in the joy of my soul I felt immense effects,
such as are impossible to describe ; with my whole heart I
turned toward all the creatures of heaven and earth, and,
not being able to contain my exultation, I invited them to
exalt for me and with me the Author of grace. It seemed
to me that I addressed them in the following words : "O
ye inhabitants and courtiers of heaven and all ye living
creatures, formed by the hand of the Most High, behold
this marvel of his liberality and mercy and bless and
exalt Him for all eternity, since He has raised from the
dust the most vile of the universe and has enriched the
most destitute; He has honored the most unworthy,
though He is the highest God and the powerful King.
And since you, sons of Adam, here see the poorest orphan
succored, the greatest sinner pardoned ; issue forth from
your ignorance, raise yourself from your listlessness and
renew your hope; for if his powerful arm has assisted me,
if He has called and forgiven me, all of you can hope for
your salvation ; and if you wish to assure yourselves of
it, seek, seek the protection of the most holy Mary, ask
Her for her intercession, and you will find Her to be the
Mother of ineffable mercy and clemency."
29. I turned also to this most exalted Queen and said
to Her : "Aye, O my Lady, now I do not call myself an
orphan, since I have a Mother, and a Mother, who is the
Queen of all creation ; I shall not any more be ignorant,
since I have as Teacher the Mistress of divine wisdom,
not poor, since I have as Lord Him, who is Master of
all the treasures of heaven and earth; I have a Mother,
who protects me; an Instructress, who teaches and cor
rects me; a Mistress, who commands and governs me.
Blessed art Thou amongst all women, wonderful among
all creatures, admirable in heaven and on earth, and let
all confess thy greatness with eternal praises. Since it is
not easy or possible for the least among creatures, the
lowest worm of the earth to give Thee any return : re
ceive it then from the divine right hand and in the divine
vision, where Thou standest in the presence of God en
joying Thyself through all eternity : I shall remain thy
acknowledged and bounden slave, praising the Almighty
as long as my life shall last, since his liberal mercy has
so favored me, as to give me my Queen as my Mother
and Teacher. Let my loving muteness praise Thee, since
my tongue has not words or terms adequate for doing
it; for all of them are strained and limited."
30. It is not possible to describe what the soul feels
during such mysterious favors. They were the source
of great good to my soul, for immediately I was made
aware of a perfection of life, and of works for which I
fail to find terms. But all this, the Most High told me,
was given to me on account of the most holy Mary and in
order to write her life. It was intimated to me, that by
ratifying this blessing, the eternal Father chose me to
manifest the sacraments of his Daughter; that the Holy
Spirit poured out his light and inspirations that 1 might
declare the hidden gifts of his Spouse ; and that the most
holy Son appointed me to manifest the mysteries of his
most pure Mother Mary. And in order that I might be
come capable of this work, the Holy Trinity enlightened
and bathed my soul in a special light of the Divinity and
the divine power touched up my faculties as with a
pencil, furnishing them with new habits for the perfect
execution of this work.
31. The Most High also commanded me to strive to
imitate with all my heart, according to my weak powers,
all that I should understand and write about the heroic
virtues and the most holy operations of the heavenly
Queen, guiding my life according to her example.
Knowing how unfit I am for the fulfillment of this obli
gation, the same most kind Queen offered to me anew
her favor, help and instruction for all that the Lord
commanded and pointed out to me. Then I asked for
the blessing of the most holy Trinity in order to begin
the second part of this heavenly history. I felt that all
three persons of the Godhead conferred their blessing
upon me. Issuing from the trance, I sought to wash
my soul in the Sacraments and, full of contrition for
my sins, in the name of the Lord and of obedience, I
set myself about this work for the glory of the Most
High and for his most holy Mother, the ever immaculate
Virgin Mary.
32. This second part comprises the life of the Queen
of the angels from the mystery of the Incarnation to
the Ascension of Christ our Lord into heaven, which is
the principal and the most important part of this history,
for it includes the whole life and mysteries of the Lord
himself with his Passion and most holy Death. I wish
only to remark here, that the graces and blessings
conceded to most holy Mary in preparation for the
Incarnation, began to flow from the moment of her
Immaculate Conception; already at that time, in the
intention and the decree of God, She was the Mother of
the Word. But in the measure as the realization of the
Incarnation drew nigh, the favors and gifts of grace con
tinued to increase. Although they seemed to be all of
the same kind and nature from the beginning, yet they
continued to augment and increase; and there are not
terms new and varied enough to equal in their signifi
cance these increases and advances in the blessings con
ferred. Thus it becomes necessary in this narrative to
measure all by the infinite power of the Lord, who,
giving* much, retains enough to give infinitely more,
while the capacity of each soul, and especially the soul
of the Queen of heaven, is in its way infinite, being
able to receive ever more and more. And this happened
with the soul of holy Mary, until She arrived at a summit
of holiness and participation of the Divinity, to which no
other creature has attained nor will ever attain in all
eternity. May the Lord himself enlighten me, that I
may follow up this work according to his divine pleasure.
Amen.
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