The Dialogue

Of those who, in order not to lose their own peace of mind and consolations, do not succour their neighbour in his necessities.

" I HAVE told thee how they are deceived who desire to taste and receive Me mentally in their own way, and now I wish to tell thee of the second mistake they make, who have placed all their delight in the receiving of mental consolation. They will ofttimes see their neighbour in necessity, spiritual or temporal, and they will not succour him, under pretence of virtue, saying, ' If I do so I shall lose my peace and quiet of mind, or I shall not be able to say my Hours at the right time' For they think that if they receive no consolation, I am thereby offended, but they are deceived by their own mental and spiritual delight, for they offend Me more by not relieving their neighbour's necessity, than if they had abandoned all those things whereby they receive consolation ; for all vocal and mental exercise is ordained by Me to bring the soul to perfect love of Me, and of the neighbour, and to preserve her in this love. Therefore, in failing in love to his neigh bour, a man offends Me more than if he had abandoned his ordinary exercise and lost his peace of mind ; and, moreover, he would truly find Me in exercising love towards his neigh bour, whereas, in seeking delight in his own consolation, he is deprived of Me, for by not succouring his neighbour immediately, his love for, him diminishes, and his love for his neighbour diminishing, My affection towards him also diminishes, and thus is his consolation diminished too. So that, thinking to gain, he loses, and where he would think to lose, he gains. That is, being willing to lose his own

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consolation for his neighbour's salvation, he receives and gains Me, and the neighbour too, succouring him and serving him charitably, and tasting each time he does so, the sweetness of My love. But, not doing so, he suffers pain, for it sometimes happens that he will be obliged, either through love or force of circumstances, to help his neighbour either for some spiritual or corporal infirmity, and, doing it in this way, he does it with mental tedium, being pricked by conscience, and becomes insupportable to himself and to others. And should any one ask him : ' Why dost thou feel this pain ?' He would reply : ' / seem to have lost all peace and quiet of mind, and many things that I used to do I have left off, and I think that thereby I have offended God.' But he is mistaken. He has placed the vision of the eye of his intellect on his own delight alone, and therefore he dis cerns not, nor knows where his offence truly lies. Because, could he discern, he would see that his offence does not con sist in not having his customary mental consolation, or in having abandoned the exercise of prayer in the time of his neighbour's need, but in having been found without true love for his neighbour, whom he should love and serve through love of Me.

" So that thou seest how spiritual self-love alone is capable of deceiving the soul."