09-08-2026, 10:27 AM
Chapter III. How, Being Lodged Within the Soul, God Worketh Alike upon the Understanding, the Affections, and the Will
The soul, therefore, heareth and understandeth only those matters into the inner meaning of which it can penetrate. For when the soul is illumined by the presence of God and doth repose in God's bosom and God in it, then is it exalted above itself and heareth and rejoiceth and doth rest in that divine goodness, concerning which none can report because it is above all intelligence and all manner of speech and above all words. But herein doth the soul swim in joyfulness and in knowledge, and, thus enlightened, it comprehendeth the meaning of all the difficult and obscure sayings of Christ. It doth likewise comprehend how and wherefore in the soul of Christ there existed suffering without any relief whatsoever. For which reason mine own soul (the which was illumined, as hath been already said, and wholly absorbed in the Passion of Christ) did likewise experience such great suffering that here, neither, was there any relief. When, therefore, it remembered the suffering of Christ's soul, it could find nowhere any more joy, which doth not happen when it remembereth the passion of the body, because then grief is followed by joy. It understandeth these reasonings by virtue of its aforesaid exaltation; it understandeth, moreover, that the sufferings in Christ's soul were sharp even while He was yet in His mother's womb, as sharp as were afterwards His sufferings upon the Cross, saving only that as yet He had had no experience thereof. Through the judgments and the unspeakable things of God doth the soul further understand that by the presence of God it is exalted even unto Himself.
Ofttimes doth God work within the soul in many marvellous ways, which none save He alone could perform. Sometimes the soul is suddenly exalted unto God with such joy that, if it were to endure, I do think that the body would not be able to bear it, but would lose all its members and its sensation. God doth ofttimes treat thus with the soul and in the soul, and when the soul desireth to hold Him fast He doth instantly depart. There remaineth, nevertheless, great joy and assurance in the soul, verily such great joy that it doth in no wise doubt that God is yet present, but there is naught which I can liken unto that seeing and hearing, nor am I able to describe it. These revelations, however, and exaltations and delights, or joys, do not always happen after the same manner, but in divers ways and almost always accompanied with some new thing; yet none of them can be described. The revelations and visions are at one time thus and different at another time; so is likewise the delight, the joyfulness, and the happiness. Of all this I can say no more — in truth, were I to speak of them, by reason of mine unworthiness it would be speaking ill, spoiling, faultily describing, yea, even reviling them rather than making them manifest as I should. I am blinded and darkened in spirit and without truth; wherefore, oh my sons, hearken unto my words with suspicion as unto the words of an evil person, and take ye good heed of everything, neither believe ye in any saying of mine save those which are like unto the sayings of Jesus Christ, and which do work inwardly and lead unto the imitation of Him.
For the present, oh my sons, I take no delight in writing, but do continually bewail my sins and their redemption, the which was effected through the Passion of Christ the Immaculate; yet am I constrained to write unto you because of the letters which ye send unto me. Wherefore do I now write unto you that which is newly impressed upon mine heart. Ye must know, therefore, oh my sons, that there is only one thing necessary unto us, which is God, to find God and wholly fix our minds upon Him. This is necessary unto us. But in order that our minds may be the better fixed upon God it is needful that we should cast off all perverse and useless habits, all superfluous familiarity with men and women of whatsoever nature, all superfluous knowledge and the desire to hear many new things, all superfluous labours and occupations. And, briefly, it is needful that man should put away from him all things which do distract his mind. Then must he instantly plunge into the abyss of his wretchedness and bethink him what things he hath done in times past, what he is doing in the present, and what he will do in the future, and how that his fate in the next world will be according unto his deserts. Then cometh death, which will be unto all eternity. And no day and no night must pass wherein he doth not think upon these things. Wherefore must he constantly think and meditate and use all his endeavour to comprehend the mercy of God, how that He did most mercifully ordain that Christ Jesus should suffer all this wretchedness with him, and he must take heed that he never forgetteth this great benefit.
The soul, therefore, heareth and understandeth only those matters into the inner meaning of which it can penetrate. For when the soul is illumined by the presence of God and doth repose in God's bosom and God in it, then is it exalted above itself and heareth and rejoiceth and doth rest in that divine goodness, concerning which none can report because it is above all intelligence and all manner of speech and above all words. But herein doth the soul swim in joyfulness and in knowledge, and, thus enlightened, it comprehendeth the meaning of all the difficult and obscure sayings of Christ. It doth likewise comprehend how and wherefore in the soul of Christ there existed suffering without any relief whatsoever. For which reason mine own soul (the which was illumined, as hath been already said, and wholly absorbed in the Passion of Christ) did likewise experience such great suffering that here, neither, was there any relief. When, therefore, it remembered the suffering of Christ's soul, it could find nowhere any more joy, which doth not happen when it remembereth the passion of the body, because then grief is followed by joy. It understandeth these reasonings by virtue of its aforesaid exaltation; it understandeth, moreover, that the sufferings in Christ's soul were sharp even while He was yet in His mother's womb, as sharp as were afterwards His sufferings upon the Cross, saving only that as yet He had had no experience thereof. Through the judgments and the unspeakable things of God doth the soul further understand that by the presence of God it is exalted even unto Himself.
Ofttimes doth God work within the soul in many marvellous ways, which none save He alone could perform. Sometimes the soul is suddenly exalted unto God with such joy that, if it were to endure, I do think that the body would not be able to bear it, but would lose all its members and its sensation. God doth ofttimes treat thus with the soul and in the soul, and when the soul desireth to hold Him fast He doth instantly depart. There remaineth, nevertheless, great joy and assurance in the soul, verily such great joy that it doth in no wise doubt that God is yet present, but there is naught which I can liken unto that seeing and hearing, nor am I able to describe it. These revelations, however, and exaltations and delights, or joys, do not always happen after the same manner, but in divers ways and almost always accompanied with some new thing; yet none of them can be described. The revelations and visions are at one time thus and different at another time; so is likewise the delight, the joyfulness, and the happiness. Of all this I can say no more — in truth, were I to speak of them, by reason of mine unworthiness it would be speaking ill, spoiling, faultily describing, yea, even reviling them rather than making them manifest as I should. I am blinded and darkened in spirit and without truth; wherefore, oh my sons, hearken unto my words with suspicion as unto the words of an evil person, and take ye good heed of everything, neither believe ye in any saying of mine save those which are like unto the sayings of Jesus Christ, and which do work inwardly and lead unto the imitation of Him.
For the present, oh my sons, I take no delight in writing, but do continually bewail my sins and their redemption, the which was effected through the Passion of Christ the Immaculate; yet am I constrained to write unto you because of the letters which ye send unto me. Wherefore do I now write unto you that which is newly impressed upon mine heart. Ye must know, therefore, oh my sons, that there is only one thing necessary unto us, which is God, to find God and wholly fix our minds upon Him. This is necessary unto us. But in order that our minds may be the better fixed upon God it is needful that we should cast off all perverse and useless habits, all superfluous familiarity with men and women of whatsoever nature, all superfluous knowledge and the desire to hear many new things, all superfluous labours and occupations. And, briefly, it is needful that man should put away from him all things which do distract his mind. Then must he instantly plunge into the abyss of his wretchedness and bethink him what things he hath done in times past, what he is doing in the present, and what he will do in the future, and how that his fate in the next world will be according unto his deserts. Then cometh death, which will be unto all eternity. And no day and no night must pass wherein he doth not think upon these things. Wherefore must he constantly think and meditate and use all his endeavour to comprehend the mercy of God, how that He did most mercifully ordain that Christ Jesus should suffer all this wretchedness with him, and he must take heed that he never forgetteth this great benefit.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre