The Dialogue

How, if God should manifest to a person, praying for another, the mind of that other full of darkness, he should not be judged on that account to be in a state of sin.

" IF at any time it should happen to thee, as in the case of which thou askest Me the explanation, that thou shouldst be praying in particular for one of My creatures, and that during thy prayer, thou shouldest see in him, for whom thou prayest, a ray of grace, and in another, none at all, both persons being servants of Mine, thou shouldest not judge him who appears to thee to have a confused and darkened mind, to be in a state of grave sin, because often thy judg ment would be false ; and I wish thee to know that often, when praying for one and the same person, thou wilt some times see him full of light, and of a holy desire before Me; (in so good a state will he appear to thee, that thy soul will grow fat therewith, which is the effect of love, by which you all participate in each other's good) ; and sometimes thou wilt see the same person, far away in mind from Me, and filled with darkness and temptations, so that it will seem to thee a weariness to pray for him — to hold him before Me. This happens sometimes through the defect of him for whom thou hast prayed, but more often, not through his defect, but because I, the Eternal God, have withdrawn Myself from that soul, as I often do, to bring that soul to greater perfection, according to what I told thee when speaking of the states of the soul. I may have withdrawn, not My grace, but the feeling of it, its sweetness and con solation, deprived of which the mind remains barren, dry, and in grief, which grief I manifest to the soul who is praying, on account of the grace and love which I have to the soul who receives the fruit of the prayer, so that he who is praying may help him to disperse the clouds which are in his mind.

" See then, sweetest and dearest daughter, how ignorant and worthy of reprehension would be the judgment which

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thou or another might make at the sight alone of this soul ; thou wouldst judge that vice was there because I showed her to thee full of darkness, whereas thou seest that such a soul is not deprived of grace, but only of the feeling of My sweetness which I have given her. I wish, therefore, thou and My other servants should also wish, that you should give yourselves up to perfect self-knowledge, so that you may perfectly recognise My goodness in you, and leave this and every other judgment to Me, for judgment is Mine and not yours.

" Abandon judgment, which is Mine, and take up rather compassion, with hunger for My honour and salvation of souls. Preach virtue with yearning desire, and reprove vice in thyself and in others, as I have shown thee. In this way wilt thou come to Me, in truth, and wilt show that thou hast kept in mind, and observed the doctrine, which was given thee by My Truth — namely, to make My will the subject of thy judgments, and not that of man.

"This must thou do if thou wilt possess virtue in all its purity, and wilt stand in the last and most perfect light, eating at the table of holy desire of the food of souls, to the glory and praise of My Name."