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RE: The Book of Divine Consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno - Stone - 10-14-2026
Chapter XXVII. Of Charity, and How That We Should Fear Our Love Is Not of the True Kind and Doth Not Fulfil the Conditions Needful
Charity and the love of God is the greatest of all virtues; without it prayer is of no account, neither pleasing unto God, and all the other virtues are without profit whatsoever. That ye may believe this is true, hearken unto the Book of the Life of Jesus Christ, which saith, "If thou bring thy gift to the altar and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way and first be reconciled to thy brother." For the gift of prayer is nothing worth if it be not offered in the bonds of charity. Moreover, when in the Lord's prayer we are taught to ask for the remission of our sins, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us," it meaneth that our debts will be forgiven us in prayer according as we have forgiven our brothers the injuries and offences they committed against us, and if we forgive them we shall attain unto the state of charity in unity.
Know ye, my children, that like as love containeth all worth and goodness, so hate containeth all unworthiness, sin, and evil. Wherefore, my dear children, there is nothing in this world, neither man nor devil nor any other thing, which I do fear as greatly as I fear love. For love penetrateth the soul more than any other thing, neither is there anything which doth so fill the mind and the whole heart as doth love; so that if the soul hath not the arms wherewith to protect itself, it may easily fall into evil and suffer great ruin. I am not speaking here of wrongful love, the which must be eschewed by all and shunned as a thing perilous and diabolical, but I am speaking of good and spiritual love, such as existeth betwixt God and the soul, or betwixt one neighbour and another.
That this is true is plainly proved. For if the love which the soul beareth unto God be not armed with great wisdom and discretion, but moveth with undue fervour, then doth it either presently cease, or it is deceived, or it tendeth unto some unseemly end. For things wherein is no order are neither good nor healthful; and for this reason are there many persons who believe they are filled with the love of God, whereas they are filled with hatred of Him and do love instead the world, the flesh, and the devil.
When, therefore, any man loveth God because He can save him from bodily infirmities and tribulations and from temporal perils, he loveth himself and God in a manner unbefitting, placing himself before God, who should be loved before all other things. One man loveth everything for himself and thus maketh a god of himself and his own heart, not loving God save for his own sake. Another loveth all worldly things for himself and for the profit of himself and his body; he loveth his kindred for his own profit and for the honour which they do him. He loveth men, and saintly and spiritual persons in order that he may cover himself with the mantle of their holiness, albeit He loveth them not for their goodness. Verily, such love is not pure, because the fruit thereof is the delighting of the flesh and the body, with all manner of vice and concupiscence. Others are there who love bodily attainments and talents, and would know how to read and sing for the pleasure of others. They delight, moreover, in great and profound learning, in order that in argument they may overcome learnedly and with much reasoning; yet not out of charity, but that they may with pride correct others and be exalted in their eyes. There are also some who believe they love God, and who do love Him, but with a feeble and imperfect love. These love God in order that He may forgive them their trespasses and liberate them from hell and give them the glory of Paradise, and not because of His goodness. Others love God for the sake of having divine consolation and sweetness, spiritual thoughts, and delights. Others love Him in order that He may love them. Some love their kindred and friends from a desire that they should be spiritual and good, that they may not be ashamed because of them, but may derive profit and honour. Some love God in order that He may give them understanding, knowledge, and intelligence of books, and that they may be able to speak spiritually, yet not for the honour and profit of others, but that they themselves may be more loved and honoured. They love to be spiritual that they may be esteemed spiritual and be beloved of the spiritually minded, but it is for their own spiritual honour and profit that they do this. They love to be poor, patient, obedient, and outwardly humble and virtuous, in order that they may appear more virtuous than other persons, desiring that none may seem better than themselves, or even approach unto their perfection. And inasmuch as they desire to have none equal unto them, they are in this matter like unto Lucifer, who desired that no creature should be equal unto him.
Others there are who desire that their fame should be noised abroad in order that they may be commended as saints alike by good and evil persons. They do praise both those who are spiritual and those who are not, in order that they may not be accused of judging boldly.
Some do love the devout persons who come unto them with a spiritual and perfect love, wholly loving them in God. Nevertheless, this love doth sometimes increase too greatly, and if it be not armed with the weapons of discretion it turneth unto evil. Sometimes it becometh carnal love and unprofitable; then is it very hurtful for them to converse together and they do uselessly lose their time, inasmuch as their hearts are united in an unseemly bond. This love increaseth and ever desireth the presence of the beloved, and falleth sick if it hath it not. And if the beloved is there, the love groweth too great and the lover becometh one with the beloved, so that what pleaseth one pleaseth likewise the other, and what displeaseth one displeaseth the other. Therefore, if the soul be not so fortified that it can control the ardour of this love, which ever increaseth and hath not perfect order or discretion, it must needs fall at last into disorder.
And if when this disorder cometh about, the beloved hath not the aforesaid weapons for protection, and is likewise wounded by the sword of love, then is it very much more dangerous, because they do then begin to disclose their secrets one unto the other. Amongst other things, they disclose how greatly they love each other, saying one unto the other, "There is no person in all the world whom I so greatly love, nor whom I do bear so entirely in mine heart." These and many other things do they say, because they must needs speak of that which they feel.
Thus they still desire to love each other for devotion's sake and for the spiritual profit which they believe they do obtain from such love, but they are in peril of being tempted unto unlawful things which might be occasioned by their love. At first, reason doth dissuade them therefrom, for as yet it hath not been entirely overcome by love; but love groweth and reason beginneth to be obscured and the spirit is weakened and commenceth to believe that it is no sin and in no wise hurtful unto the soul to touch the thing beloved. Wherefore doth it permit this, and so doth it begin to do wrong and to fall from the state of perfection little by little, as reason is obscured by love. And according as it sinketh it beginneth to esteem as naught those things which are dangerous, and to say, "This may we do, for we mean no evil and it is not a great sin." So gradually these things come to be considered lawful, and, the love increasing more and more, one submitteth entirely unto the will of the other, each doing what the other desireth and not opposing any reason to the contrary. Hence it followeth that the lover obtaineth all his desire, and because of the aforesaid disorder he cannot refuse if he be invited unto evil-doing; and if he be not invited then doth he invite, knowing that it is pleasing unto the beloved.
Then do they refrain from prayer, from abstinence, from solitude, and from all the other virtues which they did formerly practice, imitating divine love in this most miserable worldly love. And sometimes this love increaseth to such a degree that neither the words nor the presence of the beloved do give the satisfaction they did at first. But loving more ardently, each desireth to know if the beloved be wounded by the sword of love as deeply as is the lover, and then it is that they fall into peril. Then are they confident and sure one of the other, and because they are satisfied neither with words nor with presence, both lover and beloved are inclined unto all evil.
For this reason do I say that I fear love more than all things, for herein are all evils committed. Wherefore take ye heed thereof, as of a serpent.
Because of evil love, therefore, do I fear good love betwixt one person and another, for good love oft turneth into evil in the aforesaid manner.
RE: The Book of Divine Consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno - Stone - 10-15-2026
Chapter XXVIII. The Soul Is United with God in Three Several Ways, Whereby It Is Furnished with a Weapon to Control the Love of God and of Its Neighbour
If the love of God be not directed with discretion and protected by its weapons, it turneth unto evil. The weapons wherewith the good love of God and one's neighbour may be controlled are given unto man in the transformation of the soul.
Now this transformation is a threefold one: sometimes the soul is transformed in the will of God, sometimes with God, and sometimes within God and God within it.
The first transformation is when the soul useth all its endeavour to imitate the life of Christ crucified, for herein is made manifest the will of God Himself.
The second is when the soul is united unto God and loveth God; not only because it so willeth, but because it hath great knowledge and joy of God, the which, however, it is able to explain and set forth in words.
The third is when the soul is so entirely made one with God and God with it, that it knoweth and enjoyeth with God the most high things, the which cannot possibly be set forth in words, nor imagined save by him who feeleth them.
Therefore, the first doth not control the love of lovers as perfectly as it should (albeit it hath much control), because it can still be deceived. The second, if it be very alert, is sufficient to control love. But the third is supreme in the ruling of love, because this third, together with the second, is perfectly instilled into the soul and is given unto it by grace. And this third and the second (albeit not perfect), do nevertheless produce certain wisdom by means of which the soul is enabled to control both the love of God and of the soul. For the knowledge and the sweetness and the fervour which came of the grace of God do so rule the soul and fill it with this wisdom that love endureth and doth continue as it began, and doth not show itself forth as an example with laughter and dancing or other like gestures.
In like manner doth it behave wisely and soberly in the love of neighbour or penitent, showing when and how we must condescend unto our neighbour and when not.
It is assuredly in its union with God that the soul doth acquire the aforesaid knowledge with a certain maturity and gravity of wisdom, with fair discretion and enlightenment, so that with these things the soul is enabled so to control the love of God and its neighbour, that it can neither be deceived nor can it fall.
Whosoever doth not feel himself to be filled with this wisdom should never unite himself in cordial and singular love with any person whatsoever, however much he might do it for God's sake, and with good intentions of avoiding those perils which do proceed from such love. Neither should any man ally himself with any one for love's sake, unless he hath first learnt those things whereby he is enabled to separate himself easily from any person whenever he shall choose.
RE: The Book of Divine Consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno - Stone - 10-16-2026
Chapter XXIX. Of the Various Properties of Love
In order to understand how the aforesaid wisdom ruleth the love of God, ye must know that love hath various properties. Firstly, it maketh tender; secondly, it maketh sick; and thirdly, it maketh strong.
When the soul feeleth divine love it crieth aloud and maketh a noise like unto a stone which is placed in a furnace to be turned into lime. If the stone be touched by the fire it cracketh noisily, but if it be baked it maketh no noise. Thus the soul doth in the beginning seek divine consolation, but when it hath been overwhelmed thereby, it groweth weak and crieth out against God, lamenting and saying, "Lord, why hast Thou sent this weakness upon me?"
Great audacity, however, is born of that assurance which the soul hath of God. It knoweth of a certainty that God loveth it deeply and doth sometimes favour it by giving it marvellous and ineffable consolations; but these must not be demanded with importunity. Nevertheless, if God giveth them they are not to be refused, for they draw the soul nigh unto the beloved, they are its food, they do cure its weariness, and through them is it uplifted and drawn unto seeking, loving, and being united with its beloved.
In this state is the soul contented with consolations, but through the deprivation thereof doth love increase and begin to seek for the beloved. And when it findeth him not it falleth sick and is no more contented with consolations, because it seeketh its beloved alone. And the more consolation, knowledge, and other such things that it hath, the more doth love increase, and the more sick and weary doth it become if it be not in the presence of its beloved.
But when the soul is united and placed in the seat of truth, which truth is the seat of the soul, it crieth no more, neither doth it murmur against God; it groweth no more weak, nor falleth sick, but is filled with marvellous wisdom and ripeness and becometh stable and orderly, and is so strengthened that for love of its beloved would it go even unto death, inasmuch as it possesseth in abundance the qualities needful for that union.
And God Himself maketh the soul to grow, in order that it may hold all that which He desireth to put into it. And the soul beholdeth this thing, and perceiveth that all other things are as nothing if they come not from this.
Then the soul esteemeth as nothing all that it had been heretofore in comparison with what it is now; it regardeth not anything created, it careth neither for death nor infirmity, neither for honour nor disgrace, and so peaceful and full of comfort is it that nothing can rouse it; it hath lost all desire and it cannot work, for when it seeth the aforesaid visions it can do nothing whatever.
Thus it appeareth that God doeth all things according to His wisdom and in an orderly and seemly manner; for we fall not sick even when He is absent, and thus do we conform unto His will. Although He be absent we seek Him not, but are satisfied with what He hath ordained and trust wholly in Him.
But when these visions are withdrawn from the soul (because none are allowed in this present life to continue therein), there is given and doth remain unto it a new and ardent desire to perform without trouble the works of penitence more vigorously than heretofore, and assuredly this state is more sublime than was the other.
And the love now kindled is perfect and causeth the loving soul to imitate its Beloved, Christ crucified, whose sufferings did endure all the time that He lived this mortal life. Thus He began, continued, and ended; He was ever upon the Cross of poverty, grief, contempt, and obedience, and all the other hard deeds of penitence. Whosoever loveth another perfectly useth all his endeavour to make himself one with that person, following his example and doing those things which please him. Likewise whosoever loveth Jesus, God and Man, will endeavour to transform himself in Him, following His example and doing that which he believeth will please Him, and in his manner of life seeking to be as like unto Him as possible.
RE: The Book of Divine Consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno - Stone - 10-17-2026
Chapter XXX. The More Perfect Man Is, the More Earnestly Doth He Endeavour to Do That Which Is Desired, Ordered, and Counselled of God
The more perfect a man is and the more he loveth God, the more doth he strive to do these things which God did, which He desireth, commandeth, and counselleth should be done, and to avoid those things which displease Him. And he must do this all the days of his life, for when the Man of Sorrows lived this mortal life He was ever upon a bitter cross of penitence. The length of time, therefore, ordained for penance, is as long as a man shall live. The amount and severity thereof must be according as a man can with discretion perform. And this is unity with the will of God, a unity which He hath ordained should not be only in words, but in doing the works of the Cross and of penitence, such as Christ Himself performed.
When the soul is transformed in God and is in God, and hath that perfect union and fulness of vision, it is quiet and worketh nothing whatsoever. But when it cometh again to itself it striveth to transform itself in the will of God in order that it may behold again that vision wherewith it directeth the love of God and of its neighbour as though with arms. For herein doth the soul behold the Being of God, and how all creatures have their being from that Supreme Being, and it perceiveth that there existeth nothing which doth not derive its being from that same Supreme Being.
From this vision doth the soul, thus instructed, draw marvellous learning, ineffable wisdom, and ripe gravity, and from this vision it draweth likewise the true knowledge of the perfection of all things appertaining unto that Supreme Being; and it cannot doubt it, for it perceiveth how that all things made by Him are well made. Bad are they only when we ourselves destroy what the Supreme Being hath made well.
This vision of the Supreme Being awakeneth a love corresponding unto itself. The Supreme Being inciteth us to love everything which hath its being from Him, all good things and well made things, and teacheth us to love all creatures, rational and irrational, for love of Him; and everything, whatsoever it may be, which hath its being from Him and which He loveth, doth He incite us also to love. Especially doth He teach us to love those creatures in which we perceive He taketh an especial delight; for when the soul findeth that Supreme Being yearneth in love towards His creatures, then will it also yearn towards them.
The sign manifest of those who stand in the friendship of the Supreme Being is, that they are true followers of His only Son, that they keep the eyes of their mind ever fixed upon Him, ready to love and follow Him, and in all things to transform themselves in the will of the Beloved, namely, the only begotten Son of the Supreme Being.
RE: The Book of Divine Consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno - Stone - 10-18-2026
Chapter XXXI. How That Love Created and Excited by the Vision of the Supreme Being Doth Make Us to Love God and His Creatures According unto Their Conditions
Thus the love created and excited by the vision of the Supreme Being maketh us to know and love Him, to know and love His creatures according unto their conditions, and more or less according unto the inclination of the Supreme Being, for in no wise may it overstep the bounds of His will. Yet everything that is love is to be feared unless this love is given unto the soul by the Supreme God; but when God sendeth the vision of the Supreme Being, together with love due and sufficient unto Him, then is it safe, and even though it have other visions and revelations it doth not change.
Moreover, those who have had this ineffable vision of God are not only able to resist the sword of every unlawful love, but this close thinking upon God sufficeth to cast out the wickedness of every other kind of love.
The aforesaid vision of the Being uncreate doth not only bestow love uncreate, but it leaveth within the soul a love uncreate which preventeth the soul from working, inasmuch as it is wholly absorbed by the vision; but that which worketh is the love uncreate. It should be supposed that when this vision is given unto the soul, the soul worketh and desireth to be united as closely as possible with the Supreme Being; but then the love uncreate worketh within the soul and persuadeth it to forsake all creatures that it may be more closely united with itself. Wherefore doth this love uncreate do the works of the other love. The principle of such a love is to illuminate, and to awaken fresh desire. And, verily, the new love is the stronger, and for this the soul worketh nothing. But the love uncreate is the one which worketh all the good which we perform, whilst the evil which we do cometh of ourselves. All goodness cometh from love uncreate, not from ourselves.
And this is true humility and undoing of ourselves, that we should verily realise that we ourselves can work no good thing; and whosoever feeleth this hath the spirit of truth.
RE: The Book of Divine Consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno - Stone - 10-19-2026
Chapter XXXII. The Love of God Is Never Idle, and Persuadeth Us to Do Penance as Long as Life and as Harsh; It Telleth Us to Do It as Often as Is Convenient, and Doth Perform Many Other Profitable Things
The love of God is never idle, for it constraineth us to follow in the way of the Cross. And the sign of the working of true love is that it suggesteth unto the soul the way of the Cross, and maketh it to do penance long and hard as life itself, the which it must bear as it conveniently can.
This true love hath no smile upon its lips; it behaveth not unseemly in eating and drinking, nor doth it exhibit any vain joyfulness or say, "I am under no law," but it is always subject unto the law; and where there is none, then doth it make one for itself.
When love shall have followed the way of the Cross and shall have done penance unto the utmost of its power, it will perceive itself to be unprofitable and not working according to the truth; and it will know God to be all love and itself all hatefulness. Having attained unto such knowledge, it is needful that it do bodily penance; and whether it be easy or difficult for man to do this, it is all ordained by the love uncreate for the good of the soul. Be ye not troubled, therefore, by the workings of penitence, for it is God who worketh within you. And in order to induce your will to consent to God working within you, your Master is come to do penance for you and to give you an example thereof, for all the days of His life did He live in most bitter penance.
And those who have been exalted unto the vision of the Uncreate and of the Being of God do rest in the Cross and in virtuous works, and with a new and burning love are they inspired, the which doth incite them unto good works. But those in whom is not this spirit of truth do make idols of good works, attributing unto themselves the glory.