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I always returned to my custom of rejoicing in this Lord, especially when I received Communion. I wanted to keep ever before my eyes a painting or image of Him since I was unable to keep Him as engraved in my soul as I desired.

Much will be asked of the one who has received much, and He as been so overwhelmingly generous to His little bride, but she abandons herself to His love and sings the hymn of His mercies while still on earth.

David in this night says of himself, “My heart is inflamed, and my reins are changed, and I am brought to nothing, and knew not.” That is,“my heart hath been inflamed” in the love of contemplation.”

It seems to me I have found my heaven on earth, since heaven is God and God is in my soul. The day I understood that, everything became clear to me, and I wish I could whisper this secret to those I love in order that they also might cling closely to God through everything.

Thus Jesus is pleased to shower His gifts on some of His creatures, but very often this is in order to attract other hearts to Himself, and then when His end has been attained, He makes those external gifts disappear, He despoils completely the souls dearest to Him.

God Himself teaches us to go forward with our hand in His by means of the Church’s liturgy.

By contrast with the lethargy that comes from lack of vital energy, resting in God is something completely new and unique. The former was dead silence. Now it is replaced by the feeling of being safe, of being relieved from all anxiety and responsibility and obligation to act. And as I surrender myself to this feeling, little by little new life begins to fill me, and to stimulate me – without any exercise of my will – to new activity.

When things that are irritable or disagreeable befall me, instead of assuming an air of sadness, I respond by a smile. At first I was not always successful, but now it is a habit which I am very happy to have acquired.

In fact God seems to be wholly occupied with overwhelming the soul with caresses and marks of affection like a mother who brings up her child and feeds it with her own milk.

Oh, how good it is to go and be saved by Him at the times when we feel only our miseries; I am so full of them, but God has given me a Mother, the image of His mercy, who, with a single word, can calm all the anguish in the soul of her little child and give her wings to fly away beneath the rays of the Creator Star.

In this night the soul obtains these four benefits here mentioned, namely, delight of peace, constant remembrance of God, purity and cleanness of soul, the practice of all the virtues of which I have just spoken.

I made the resolution never to consider whether the things commanded me appeared useful or not.... it is love alone that counts. Forget about whether something is needed or useful; see it (the demand, rule, obligation, etc.) as a whim of Jesus.