Oh, are Christ’s enemies still and always treating Him like this?57 Are Science and Heresy Hatred and Envy, and the enemies of Humanity, issuing forth from Humanity itself like poisoned branches from a good plant, still doing all of this so that Humanity will die - those who hate it even more than they hate Christ, for they hate it actively in depriving it of its joy by dechristianizing it, whereas they can’t take anything away from Jesus because He is God and they are dust? Yes, they are doing so. But Christ takes refuge in faithful hearts, and observes, speaks, and blesses Humanity therefrom, and then... and then He gives Himself to these hearts, and they... they touch Heaven with its blessedness, though remaining here, but burning to the point of being delightfully tormented throughout their being: in their senses and organs, in their feelings and thought, and, finally, in their spirit....
Tears and smiles, moans and song, and exhaustion at the same time as a vital urgency are our companions - more than companions, they are our very being, for, as the bones are in the flesh and the veins and nerves are under the epidermis and everything forms a single man, so all of these burning realities arising from Jesus’ giving Himself are in us, in our poor humanity. And what are we in those moments, which could not last forever because if they lasted for more than seconds, we would die, incinerated and broken? We are no longer human. We are no longer animals endowed with reason living on the earth. We are, we are - oh, Lord! Let me say it once, not out of pride, but to sing your glories, for your gaze burns me and makes me delirious.... We are then seraphim. And I am amazed that flames and blazes do not issue forth from us with physical effects on people and objects, as occurs in apparitions of the damned. For, if it is true that the fire of Hell is such that merely a reflection of it given off by one of the damned can burn wood and turn metals into drops of liquid, what must your fire be like, O God, who possess all that is infinite and perfect?
We do not die of fever, no. We do not burn because of it. We are not consumed by a fever proper to fleshly maladies. You are our fever, Love! And we burn and die from and are consumed by this, and because of this the fibers of our hearts, which cannot withstand so much, are lacerated. But I have not said enough, for love is a delirium; love is a cascade breaking dikes and descending, demolishing everything which is not love; love is a teeming of sensations in one’s mind which are all true, all present, but the mind is so swift in translating the feeling experienced by the heart into thought that the hand cannot transcribe them. It is not true that we die. We live. With a life multiplied tenfold. With a double life: living as humans and as blessed ones, the life of earth and the life of Heaven. We reach and surpass - oh, I am sure of this! -the life without defects, handicaps, and limitations which You - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – You - God the Creator, Triune - had given to Adam as a prelude to Life after assumption to Yourself, to be enjoyed in Heaven after a placid passage from the earthly Paradise to the heavenly one, and a crossing over in the living arms of the angels, just like the sweet sleep and sweet elevation of Mary into Heaven to come to You, You, You!
We live true Life. And then we find ourselves here again, and, as I am doing now, we are amazed and ashamed about going so far beyond, and we say, “Lord, I am not worthy of so much. Forgive me, Lord,” and we beat our breasts because we are terrified about committing an act of pride, and a thicker veil falls over the splendor, which, if it does not continue to flame out with a supercomplete burning, out of mercy on our limitedness, nonetheless gathers in the center of our heart, ready to burst into flames powerfully again for a new moment of blessedness willed by God. A veil falls over the sacrarium where God burns with his fires, lights, and loves... and, exhausted, but regenerated, we resume our journey..., drunk with a strong, soft wine which does not obscure reason, but preserves us from having eyes and thoughts for what is not the Lord, You, my Jesus, the ring joining our wretchedness and the Divinity, the means of redemption for our sin, and the creator of blessedness for our soul - You, the Son, who with your wounded hands place our hands in the spiritual hands of the Father and the Spirit so that we may be in You, now and forever. Amen.
But where have I gone off to while Jesus is burning me by burning the citizens of Jutta with his gaze of love? You must have noticed that I no longer speak, or speak very rarely, about myself. How many things I could say. But weariness and physical weakness, which oppress me immediately after the dictations, and spiritual modesty, which the more I write, becomes more intense, convince me and force me to remain silent. But today... I rose too high, and, as you know, the air in the stratosphere makes you lose control.... I went far beyond the stratosphere... and could no longer control myself.... And, furthermore, I think that if we always kept silent when seized by these whirlwinds of love, we would end up bursting like projectiles, or, rather, like overheated, closed cauldrons.
Forgive me, Father. And now let us proceed.58
57 We pass over about one handwritten page, dated July 8, which is an introduction to the episode “Preaching in Isaac’s House in Jutta,” wherein there is reference to a crowd gathering around Jesus, not only with the love of the good, but also with the hostile curiosity of the wicked. This context helps to understand the commentary which follows.
58 We pass over about six handwritten pages which continue the episode mentioned above, dated July 8.