The Dialogue

Of the evils which proceed from the blindness of the intellect ; and how good works not done in a state of grace are not profitable for eternal life.

" I HAVE told thee this, so that thou shouldest know well how these, of whose delusion I have been speaking to thee, taste the earnest money of Hell. Now I will tell thee whence proceeds their delusion, and how they receive that earnest money. They are deluded in that they have blinded the eye of their intellect with infidelity, arising from self-love, because, as every truth is acquired by the light of Faith, so by infidelity is acquired every kind of lying deceit. I speak of the infidelity of those who have received holy baptism, through which the pupil of Faith was placed in the eye of their intellect, and as the result of which, on arriving at the age of discretion, if they have exercised themselves rightly in virtue, they have preserved the light of Faith. Where fore they give birth to living virtues, bringing forth fruit by means of their neighbour, like a woman, who, bringing forth a child alive, brings it living to her husband ; so should they bring their virtues living to Me, Who am the Husband of the soul. But these wretches do the contrary, for when they have arrived at the age of discretion, at which time they should, by the exercise of the light of Faith, bring their virtues living to the birth of grace, they bring them forth still-born. Their virtues are dead because all their works are dead, having been performed in mortal sin, and without the light of Faith. " Such as these have indeed the form of holy baptism, but not the light thereof, of which they have deprived themselves, through the cloud of sins they have committed, through self-love which has covered the pupil of their eye. To such as these is it said, Those who have faith without works are dead. Wherefore as the dead do not see, neither can such a man see, because the pupil of his eye has been darkened, as I have told thee, nor does he know that he remains in the sins which he has committed. He does not

104 THE DIALOGUE OF ST. CATHERINE

recognise in himself My goodness, whence he has received being and every other grace that he possesses. Where fore, not recognising Me in himself, he does not hate his own sensuality, but rather loves it, seeking to satisfy his appetite, and so brings forth the dead offspring of many mortal sins. He does not love Me, and not loving Me, does not love what I love, that is to say, his neighbour, and does not delight in doing what pleases Me, wherein consists true and real virtue, which it pleases Me to see in him, not because such virtue profits me, for nothing can profit Me, I being He without whom nothing is done except sin (which is nothing, inasmuch as it deprives the soul of grace and of Me, Who am Every Good.) It is rather on account of their own profit that the virtues of men please Me, for I have the wherewithal to reward them in ever lasting life. Thou seest, then, that the faith of these wretches is dead, because it is without works, those which they per form not meriting for them eternal life, because they are deprived of the life of grace. Nevertheless, a man should not leave off doing good, either with or without grace, for, just as every sin is punished, so is all good rewarded. The good which is done in a state of grace merits eternal life, and the good done out of grace is rewarded in various ways, as I told thee above ; for sometimes I lend them time for repentance, or put into the hearts of My servants to continue intercessions for them, by means of which they often escape from their sins and miseries. Sometimes, through the disposition of My grace, they receive neither prayers nor time, but are rewarded with temporal things, being treated like animals that are fatted for the slaughter. Therefore such as these, who, having always kicked against My goodness, nevertheless do some good, not in a state of grace, but in sin, and have not profited in their works either by time, or by prayers, or any of the other ways in which I have called them, being reproved by Me for their sins, (My goodness wishing nevertheless to reward their works, that is, that little service which they have done), they are rewarded by Me with temporal things on which they fatten, and, not correcting themselves, they arrive at

A TREATISE OF DISCRETION 105

eternal punishment. So thou seest they are deceived. Who has deceived them ? They themselves, because they have deprived themselves of the light of living Faith, and walk like blind men groping, and attach themselves to that which they touch. But, because they do not see, except with a blind eye, they place their affections on transitory things, therefore are they deceived and act like madmen, who look only at the glitter of the gold, and not at the hidden poison. Wherefore know, that the things of the world and all its delights and pleasures they have seized and possessed, without Me, but with disordinate love of self, and these things are like the scorpion which I shewed thee in the beginning, after the figure of the tree, telling thee that it carries gold in front and venom behind, and that the venom was not without the gold, nor the gold without the venom, but that the gold was seen first, and that no one preserved himself from the venom, except those who were illuminated by the light of faith."