While I was in my usual state, I found myself outside of myself, and I saw a late confessor of mine. A thought flashed into my mind: “Ask about that thing which you have not told the confessor—whether you are obliged to say it and therefore write it, or not.” I asked him, telling him what the thing was, and he said to me: “Of course you are obliged.” Then he added: “Once you did for me a beautiful suffrage. If you knew the good you did to me, the refreshment that I felt, the years that I paid off….” And I: “I don’t remember. Tell me what it was, and I will repeat it for you.” And he: “You immersed yourself in the Divine Volition, and took Its power, the immensity of Its love, the immense value of the pains of the Son of God and of all the divine qualities. You came over me and poured them upon me; and as you poured them, I received the bath of the love that the divine power contains, the bath of the beauty, the bath of the Blood of Jesus, and of all the divine qualities. Who can tell you the good you did to me? They were all baths which contained a divine power and immensity. Repeat it for me—repeat it for me.” As he was saying this, I found myself back into myself.
From the Calendar--March 13, 1899 Volume 2
Then, in one instant, I also saw the confessor, and Jesus, sending forth a ray of intellectual light, spoke these words: “Charity. Charity is nothing other than an outpouring of the Divine Being, and this outpouring I have diffused over all Creation, in such a way that all Creation speaks of the love I have for man, and all Creation teaches the way in which he must love Me—from the largest being to the most tiny little flower of the field.
“‘See,’ it says to man, ‘with my sweet fragrance and by always facing the sky, I try to send an homage to my Creator. You too, let all your actions be fragrant, holy, pure; do not offend my Creator with the bad odor of your actions. O please! Oh man,’ the little flower repeats to us, ‘don’t be so senseless as to keep your eyes fixed on the earth; but raise them up to Heaven. See, up there is your destiny, your Fatherland—up there is my Creator and yours who awaits you.’
“The water that flows continuously before our eyes also says to us: ‘See, I have come out of darkness, and I must flow and run so much until I get to bury myself in the place from which I came out. You too, Oh man, run—but run into the bosom of God, from which you came out. O please! I beg you, do not run along the wrong paths, the paths that lead to the precipice; otherwise - woe to you!’
“Even the wildest animals repeat to us: ‘See, oh man, how wild you must be for all that is not God. See, when we see that someone gets close to us, with our roars we strike so much fear, that no one dares to come close to us any more, to disturb our solitude. You too, when the stench of earthly things—that is, your violent passions—are about to make you muddy and make you fall into the abyss of sins, with the roars of your prayers and by withdrawing from the occasions in which you find yourself, you will be safe from any danger.’ And so with all other beings, such that it would take too long to tell them all; with one voice they resound among themselves, and repeat to us: ‘See, oh man, our Creator has created us for love of you, and we remain all at your service. And you, don’t be so ungrateful—love, we beg you; love, we repeat to you; love our Creator.”
From the Calendar--March 12, 1921 Volume 12
I was saying to myself: “My Queen Mother provided to Him the blood in order to form the Humanity of Jesus in Her womb. And I—what will I give Him in order to form the Life of the Divine Will in me?” And my lovable Jesus told me: “My daughter, you will provide to Me the straw in order to form the ear, in which I will be the wheat, as I will give My Will as food for the nourishment of the souls who will want to feed themselves with My Will. You will be the straw that will preserve the wheat.” On hearing this, I said: “My Love, my office of serving You as straw is ugly, because the straw is thrown away and burned, and it has no value.” And Jesus: “Yet, the straw is necessary to the ear of wheat. If it wasn’t for the straw, the wheat could not mature, nor multiply. The poor straw serves as garment and defense for the wheat. If the scorching sun invests it, the straw defends it from the too much heat so as not to let it wither. If frost, rain or something else invade the wheat, the straw takes all these evils upon itself. So, it can be said that the straw is the life of the wheat; and if the straw is burned and thrown away, this is when it is detached from the wheat. The wheat of My Will is not subject to either increasing or decreasing; as much as they may take of it, it will not diminish by a single grain; so, your straw will be necessary to Me, for it will serve Me as garment, as defense, defending the rights of My Volition. Therefore, there is no danger that you may be separated from Me.”
From the Calendar--March 11, 1928
After this, I was following my Divine Fiat, doing my round in It; and as I arrived at the home of Nazareth in which my lovable Jesus had conducted His hidden life, in order to follow His acts, I was saying to Him: “My Love, there is no act You do in which my ‘I love You’ does not follow You, to ask You, by means of Your acts, for the Kingdom of Your Will. My ‘I love You’ follows You everywhere—in the steps You take, in the words You speak, in the wood You hammer; and while You hammer the wood, You hammer the human will, that it may be undone, and Your Divine Will may rise again in the midst of creatures. My ‘I love You’ flows in the water You drink, in the food You take, in the air You breathe, in the rivers of love that pass between You and Your Mama and Saint Joseph, in the prayers You do, in your ardent heartbeat, in the sleep You take. Oh! how I wish to be near You, to whisper to your ear: ‘I love You, I love You…. O please! let your Kingdom come.’”
Now, while I would have wanted my “I love You” to form a circle around all the acts of Jesus, He moved in my interior and told me: “My daughter, all of My hidden life, and such a long one, was nothing other than the recall of the Kingdom of My Divine Will upon earth. I wanted to redo within Myself all the acts which creatures were to do in It, to then hold them out to them; and I wanted to do this together with My Mama, I wanted Her always together with Me in mM hidden life, in order to form this Kingdom. Two people had destroyed this Kingdom of My Divine Fiat, Adam and Eve; and two more, Myself and the height of the Sovereign Queen, were to redo It. So, first I took care of the Kingdom of My Divine Will, because the human will had been the first to offend Mine by withdrawing from It; all other offenses came in the second degree, as the consequence of the first act. It is the human will that is the life or the death of the creature, her happiness or her tyranny and misfortune into which she hurls herself; her good angel that leads her to Heaven, or the one who, transforming into a demon, hurls her into hell. All evil is in the will, as well as all good, because the will is like the fount of life placed in the creature, which can spring joys, happiness, sanctity, peace, virtue, or spurts from itself little fountains of troubles, of miseries, of sins, of wars, which destroy all goods. …”
From the Calendar--March 10, 1927 Volume 21
I was following the acts of the Supreme Volition in the Creation according to my usual way, and as I arrived at the point when God issued the creation of man, I united myself with the first perfect acts which Adam did when he was created, in order to start together with him, and to continue there where he stopped loving Him and adoring Him, when he sinned, with that perfection with which he had started, in the unity of the Supreme Fiat. But while I was doing this, I thought to myself: “But, do we have the right to this Kingdom of the Divine Will?” And my sweet Jesus, moving in my interior, told me: “My daughter, you must know that, before sinning, Adam did his acts in the Divine Fiat. This meant that the Trinity had given him possession of this Kingdom, because, in order to possess a kingdom, it takes one who forms it, one who gives it, and one who receives it. The Divinity formed It and gave It; man received It. So, in his first period of creation, Adam possessed this Kingdom of the Supreme Fiat, and since he was the head of all human generations, all creatures received the right to this possession. …”
From the Calendar--March 9, 1926 Volume 19
My poor mind was swimming in the endless sea of the Divine Volition, and my always lovable Jesus made me see the whole Creation in act. What order, what harmony, how many different beauties! Each thing carried the seal of an uncreated love that ran toward creatures, and in descending into the depth of each heart, all things cried out in their mute language: “Love—love the One who so much loves you!” I felt a sweet enchantment in seeing the whole Creation. Its loving muteness, more than powerful voice, wounded my poor heart, to the point that I felt faint. And my sweet Jesus, sustaining me in His arms, told me: “My daughter, all Creation says: ‘Glory and adoration to our Creator—love to creatures!” So, Creation is a mute glory and adoration for Us, because no freedom was conceded to It—either to grow, or to decrease. We issued It from Ourselves, but We kept It within Us—that is, in Our Will—to sing, though mute, the praises of Our power, beauty, magnificence and glory. So, We Ourselves sing the praises of Our own power, of Our glory, of Our infinite love, power, goodness, harmony and beauty. Creation gives Us nothing by Itself; although, being the outpouring of all Our Divine Being, It serves man as mirror in order to look at and to know his Creator, and It gives to him sublime lessons of order, of harmonies, of sanctity and of love. One can say that the Creator Himself, assuming the attitude of Divine Master, gives as many lessons for as many things as He created—from the greatest to the littlest work which came out of His creative hands.”
From the Calendar--March 8, 1912 Volume 11
[Jesus speaking] “…My hidden life was victim for the whole interior life of man; so it satisfied for the bad thoughts, desires, tendencies and affections.
“Everything that man does externally is nothing other than the outpouring of his interior. If so much evil shows on the outside, what must the interior be like? Therefore, the redoing of the interior of man cost Me very much; it is enough to say that it took Me as long as thirty years. My thought, My heartbeat, breath and desire were always intent on running close to the thought, heartbeat, breath and desire of man, in order to repair them, satisfy for them and sanctify them. …”
From the Calendar--March 7, 1922 Volume 14
I was thinking about what is written, and I said to myself: “Is it really Jesus that speaks to me, or is it a trick of the enemy and of my fantasy?” And Jesus, on coming, told me: “My daughter, my words are full of truth and of light, and they carry with them the substance and the virtue of transmuting the soul into the same truth, into the same light, and into the very good which they contain, in such a way that the soul not only knows the truth, but feels within herself the substance of operating according to the truth that she has known. Moreover, My truths are full of beauty and of attraction, in such a way that the soul, taken by their beauty, lets herself be enraptured by them.
“In Me everything is order, harmony and beauty. See, I created the heavens; they alone could be enough—but no, I wanted to adorn them with stars, almost studding them with beauty, so that the human eye might enjoy more from the works of its Creator. I created the earth, and I adorned it with many plants and flowers. I created nothing which did not have its ornament. And if this is in the order of created things, much more so in My truths, which reside in My Divinity, such that, while it seems that they reach the soul, they are like solar rays which, while they hit and warm the earth, yet never depart from the center of the sun. And the soul remains so enamored with My truths, that she finds it almost impossible not to put into practice the truths that she has known, even at the cost of her life.
“On the other hand, when it is the enemy or the speculation of fantasy that want to speak about truths, they bring neither light, nor substance, nor beauty, nor attraction—they are empty truths, without life, and the soul does not feel the grace to sacrifice herself in order to put them into practice. So, the truths that your Jesus tells you are full of life and of everything that My truths contain. Why do you doubt?”
From the Calendar--March 6, 1937 Volume 34
I continue to swim in the immense sea of the Divine Volition; and I thought to myself: “But, how can the creature form this Life of the Fiat within her? I feel so small that it seems impossible to me. Perhaps to live inside of It is easier, because I find so much space that I cannot see where Its boundaries reach; but to enclose It inside of me, I feel I lack the space to be able to do this.” And my always lovable Jesus, with His usual goodness, told me: “My daughter, you must know that Our Power is so great, that We take delight in forming Our Life within the littleness of the creature, as long as it is not cluttered with other things that do not belong to Us. Even more, many times We do the greatest things over sheer nothingness, and since it is Our Will for the creature to form and possess this Life of Our Will in her soul, everything We have created and that exists in Heaven and on earth, they all have the mandate from Us to help and serve the creature as means in order to form and grow this Life in her.
“So, the first thing that is there to communicate and make the creature feel the Power, the Love of My Will, is the whole Creation. Creation has this virtue, given by Us: that while It increases, nourishes, helps and sustains the natural life, in the same way, penetrating inside the soul by means of the human acts, It penetrates into the soul and performs a double office; and if It finds the little Life of My Will, then My same Will that is found in the created things kisses My Will present in her, molds her, blows Its breath into her, expands her capacity, and finding Its little paradise, It rests and administers the aids and means which that created thing contains so that nothing may be lacking in order to raise and maintain the Life of My Will in the creature.”
From the Calendar--March 5, 1927 Volume 21
[Jesus speaking]“My daughter, do not fear, I am here with you. What I want is that you never go out of My Will, and that you continue your acts—always, without ever moving from the boundaries of the Kingdom of the Supreme Fiat. And this will give you the firmness which will make you be like your Creator, for once He has done an act, that act has continuous life, without ever ceasing. An act ever continuous is only of God, who suffers no interruption in His acts. This is why Our firmness is unshakeable, and extending everywhere with Our immensity, it renders Our acts uninterrupted; and whatever place We lean on, We find Our firmness, which gives Us the greatest honor—it makes Us known as the Supreme Being, Creator of everything, and it renders Our Being and Our acts unshakeable. In fact, whatever place We want to lean on, We find Our firmness that sustains everything. My daughter, firmness is of divine nature and a divine quality, and it is right that We give this participation and quality of divine nature to one who must be daughter of Our Divine Fiat and must live in Our Kingdom. So, your continuing your acts in It, without ever interrupting them, reveals that you are already in possession of the quality of Our firmness. How many things firmness says: it says that the soul moves only for God; it says that she moves with reason and out of pure love—not with passion and out of self-interest; it says that she knows the good she does, and therefore she remains firm in it, without ever interrupting it. Firmness says, with indelible characters: ‘Here there is the finger of God.’ Therefore, be firm in your acts, and you will have Our divine firmness in your operating.”
From the Calendar--March 4, 1904 Volume 6
As I was very afflicted and in suffering because of the loss of my good Jesus, I saw Him for just a little, and He told me: “My daughter, your soul must try to maintain the flight of an eagle—that is, to dwell up high, above all the low things of this earth; and so high that no enemy may harm it. In fact, one who lives up high can harm the enemies, but cannot be harmed. And she must not only live up high, but must try to have purity and sharpness of eyes, similar to those of an eagle. Though living up high, through the sharpness of her sight, she penetrates the divine things—not in passing, but by chewing them to the point of making of them her favorite food, despising any other thing. And she also penetrates the necessities of her neighbor, nor is she afraid to descend into their midst and do good to them; and if needed, she lays down her life. Through the purity of her sight, the love of God and the love of neighbor, from two she makes them one, rectifying everything for God. So must the soul be if she wants to please Me.”
From the Calendar--March 3, 1912 Volume 11
Continuing in my usual state, my adorable Jesus came and told me: “My daughter, one who does My Will loses her temperament and acquires Mine, and since in My temperament there are many melodies which form the paradise of the Blessed—such that music is My sweet temperament, music the goodness, music the sanctity, music the beauty, the power, the wisdom, the immensity, and so with all the rest of My Being—the soul, taking part in all the qualities of My temperament, receives within herself all the varieties of these melodies. As she goes along doing even the littlest actions, she makes a melody for Me, and as I hear it, I immediately recognize that it is music that the soul has taken from My Will—that is, from My temperament—and I run to listen to it, and I like it so much that I am amused and cheered of all the wrongs which the other creatures do to Me.
“My daughter, what will happen when these melodies will pass into Heaven? I will put the soul in front of Me; I will play My music, and she will play her own—we will dart through each other; the sound of one will be the echo of the sound of the other; the harmonies will mix together. In clear notes it will be known to all the Blessed that this soul is nothing other than the fruit of My Will—the portent of My Will; and all Heaven will enjoy one more paradise.
“These are the souls to whom I keep repeating: ‘Had I not created the heavens, for you alone I would create them.’ In them I lay the Heaven of My Will, and I make of them the true images of Myself; and within these Heavens I keep wandering about, amusing Myself and playing with them. To these Heavens I repeat: ‘Had I not left Myself in the Sacrament, for you alone I would have done it.’ In fact, they are My true hosts, and just as I could not live without a Will, in the same way I cannot live without these Heavens of My Will; rather, they are not only My true Hosts, but My Calvary and My very Life. These Heavens of My Will are more dear to Me and more privileged than the Tabernacles and the very consecrated Hosts, because in the Host My Life ends as the species is consumed, while in these Heavens of My Will My Life never ends; even more, they serve as My Hosts on earth and will be eternal Hosts in Heaven. To these Heavens of My Will I add: ‘Had I not incarnated Myself in the womb of My Mother, for these souls alone I would have incarnated Myself, and for them I would have suffered My Passion,’ because in them I find the true fruit of My Incarnation and Passion.”
From the Calendar--March 2, 1921 Volume 12
As I was in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus, on coming, told me: “My daughter, the third Fiat—My ‘Fiat Voluntas Tua on earth as It is in Heaven’—will be like the rainbow that appeared in the sky after the Flood, which, like iris of peace, assured man that the Flood had ceased. So it will be with the third Fiat. As It becomes known, and loving and disinterested souls come to live life in My Fiat, they will be like rainbows which, as irises of peace, will reconcile Heaven and earth, and will dispel the flood of so many sins that inundate the earth. These irises of peace will have the third Fiat as life; so, My ‘Fiat Voluntas Tua’ will have completion in them. And just as the second Fiat called Me upon earth to live among men, so will the third Fiat call My Will into souls, and in them It will reign ‘on earth as It is in Heaven.’”
Then, since I was sad because of His absence, He added: “My daughter, rise—come into My Will. I chose you amid thousands and thousands, so that My Will may have full completion in you, and you may be like an iris of peace which, from its seven colors, draws others to live life in My Will. Therefore, let us put the earth aside; up until now I have kept you together with Me to placate My Justice and prevent harder chastisements from pouring upon the earth. Now let us allow the current of human evil to run, and I want you together with Me, in My Volition, to occupy yourself with preparing the Era of My Will.
“As you go forward on the path of My Volition, the iris of peace will form, which will form the link of connection between the Divine Will and human will. From it, My Will will have life upon earth, and the fulfillment will begin, of My prayer and the prayer of the whole Church: ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as It is in Heaven.’”
From the Calendar--March 1, 1925 Volume 17
[Jesus speaking] “But do you know what true light is? True light is the truth. The truth, known, embraced, loved and put into practice by the soul, is the true light, which transforms her into light itself, and causes new and continuous births of light to be placed inside and outside of her. This truth forms the true Life of God within the soul, because God is truth, and the soul is bound to the truth—even more, she possesses it. God is light, and she is bound to the light, and is nourished with light and with truth. However, while I nourish the soul with truth and with light, she must keep the current of her will opened, in order to receive the current of the divine communication. Otherwise, it can happen as with the electric current, to which its own electrical characteristics are not enough—the light is lacking, the preparations are needed in order to receive it. And, still, the light does not reach everyone equally, but according to the light bulbs they have: those who have one, receive one light; those who have ten, receive light for ten. And if the light bulbs contain more electric filaments, the lamps appear as more full of light; if they have less filaments, even though there is room inside the glass, the light is small. And even if the place where the current comes from can give more light, one does not receive it, because the strength of the electricity in order to receive it is lacking in the light bulbs. Therefore, it takes the celestial current which wants to give, as well as the human current in order to receive it; and according to your operating, you will add more filaments to render more complete the light which I want to enclose within you.”
From the Calendar--February 28, 1899 Volume 2
Volume 2 was actually Luisa’s first written volume. She was later directed to write her earlier spiritual memories, which have now become known as Volume 1.
This passage is from Luisa’s very first writing, on the very first day.
Purity of intention.
While He [Jesus] was saying this, I don’t know how, I saw the confessor near Jesus; and the Lord told him: “See, everything you do passes into Heaven. Therefore, see with what purity you must operate, thinking that all your steps, words and works come before My presence, and if they are pure—that is, if they are done for Me—I take greatest delight in them and I feel them around Me like many messengers that remind Me continuously of you. But if they are done for low and earthly purposes, I feel bothered by them.” And as He was saying this, He seemed to take his hands, and lifting them up to Heaven, He said to him: “Your eye always on high; you belong to Heaven—operate for Heaven.”
While I was seeing the confessor, and Jesus saying this to him, in my mind it seemed to me that if one operated in that way, it would happen as when a person has to move out of one house to go to another. What does he do? First he sends all his things and everything he possesses, and then he goes himself. In the same way, we first send our works to take a place for us in Heaven, and then, when our time comes, we go ourselves. Oh! what a beautiful cortege they will make for us!
From the Calendar--February 27, 1919 Volume 12
[Jesus speaking] “Oh! what a free outpouring My love will have. I will have free field in everything—no more hindrance; as many tabernacles as I want, so many will I have. The hosts will be innumerable; at each instant we will communicate each other, together; and I too will cry out: ‘Freedom! Freedom! Come all into My Will, and you will enjoy true freedom!’ Outside of My Will, how many hindrances does the soul not find; but in My Will she is free. I leave her free to love Me as she wants; even more, I tell her: ‘Lay down your human guises—take the divine. I am not stingy and jealous of My goods; I want you to take everything. Love Me immensely; take—take all My love, make it your own; My power, My beauty—make it your own. The more you take, the happier your Jesus will be.’ The earth forms few tabernacles for Me; the hosts are almost numbered. And then, the sacrileges, the irreverences that they do to Me—oh! how offended and hindered is My love. In My Will, instead, no hindrance—there is not a shadow of offense; and the creature gives Me love, divine reparations and complete correspondence; and she substitutes together with Me for all the evils of the human family. Be attentive, and do not move from the point at which I call you and want you.”
From the Calendar--February 26, 1900 Volume 3
After going through several days of privation—at most, He came a few times like a shadow, and He ran away—I felt such pain that I consumed myself with tears. Having compassion for my sorrow, blessed Jesus came, and He looked and looked at me again; and then He said to me: “My daughter, do not fear for I do not leave you. However, when you are without My presence I do not want you to lose heart, but rather, from today on, when you are without Me, I want you to take My Will and to delight in It, loving Me and glorifying Me in My Will, and holding My Will as if It were My very Person. By doing so, you will hold Me in your own hands. What forms the beatitude of Paradise? Certainly My Divinity. Now, what would form the beatitude of My dear ones on earth? With certainty, My Will. My Will can never escape you; you will always have It in your possession, and if you remain in the circle of My Will, there you will experience the joys most ineffable and the pleasures most pure. By never going out of the circle of My Will, the soul becomes noble, divinized, and all of her operations reverberate in the center of the Divine Sun, just as the sun’s rays reverberate on the surface of the earth—not one of them goes out of their center, which is God. The soul who does My Will is alone the noble queen who nourishes herself from My breath, because she takes her food and her drink from no place but My Will, and by nourishing herself of My Will all Holy, a most pure blood will flow in her veins, and her breath will spread a fragrant perfume, which will cheer the whole of Me, because it is produced by My very breath. Therefore, I want nothing else from you but that you form your beatitude in the circle of My Will, without ever going out of It, not even for a brief instant.”
From the Calendar--February 25, 1928 Volume 23
[Jesus speaking] “… It wants to form Its Kingdom on earth, It wants to have Its chosen and faithful people; and therefore, even though It is present in the midst of creatures and lives unknown and suffocated, It does not stop, It does not depart for Its celestial regions, but persists in remaining in their midst to make Itself known. It would want to make everyone know the good It wants to do, Its celestial laws, Its insuperable love, Its heartbeat that palpitates light, sanctity, love, gifts, peace, happiness; and such does It want the children of Its Kingdom. And this is the reason for Its life in you, for Its knowledges—to make known what Divine Will means. And I enjoy and remain hidden in My very Will, to give It all the field and the carrying out of Its life in you.”
From the Calendar--February 24, 1912 Volume 11
After I saw various souls around Jesus, especially one who was more sensitive, Jesus told me: “My daughter, if the souls with sensitive temperament start doing good, they make more progress than the others, because their sensitivity leads them to arduous and great enterprises.” I prayed that He would take what was left of her human sensitivity away from that soul, and that He would clasp her more closely to Himself and tell her that He loved her, for He would conquer her completely, as she would hear that He loved her. “You will see that You will succeed. Have You not conquered me in this way, telling me that You loved me very, very much?” And Jesus: “Yes, yes, I will do it, but I want her cooperation—that she escape as much as she can from the people who excite her sensitivity.”
So I added: “My Love, tell me, what about my temperament—what is it?” And Jesus: “One who lives in My Will loses her temperament and acquires Mine. So, in the soul who lives in My Will one finds a pleasant, attractive, penetrating, dignified temperament, and simple at the same time—of a child-like simplicity; in sum, she looks like Me in everything. Even more, she keeps her temperament within her power as she wants and as is needed. Since she lives in My Will, she takes part in My power, so she has all things, and herself, at her disposal, and according to the circumstances and the people she deals with, she takes My temperament and applies it.”
From the Calendar--February 23, 1903 Volume 4
As I was outside of myself, I found myself near a garden which seemed to be the Church. Near it there seemed to be people plotting an attack against the Church and the Pope, and in their midst there was Our Lord, crucified, but without a head. Who can say the pity, the horror—to see His Most Holy Body in that state! I comprehended how men do not want Jesus Christ as their head, and since the Church represents Him on this earth, they try to destroy what stands in His place.
Then I found myself in another place in which I found other people who were asking me: “What do you say about the Church?” And I, feeling a light within my mind, said: “The Church will always be Church. At the most, She might be washed in Her own blood, but this bath will render Her more beautiful and glorious.” On hearing this, they said: “This is false—let us call on our god and see what he says.” So a man came out who surpassed everyone in height, with a crown on his head, and he said: “The Church will be destroyed, there will be no more public services—at the most, some hidden ones; and the Madonna will no longer be recognized.” On hearing this, I said: “And who are you to dare to say this? Aren’t you perhaps that serpent condemned by God to crawl on the earth? And now you are so daring as to make yourself believed a king, deceiving the people? I command you to let yourself be known for what you are.” While I was saying this, from tall he became very, very short; he assumed the shape of a serpent, and making a flash, he plunged himself down deep. Then I found myself inside myself.