第三章

處理同一主題以及天主有時樂意與靈魂交談的方式。在這種情況下我們應該如何行事，在這種情況下我們不能聽從自己的意見。給出跡象表明如何發現這種恩惠是否是欺騙：這是非常值得注意的。

1. 措辭。 2.有時由憂鬱症引起。 3. 首先需要小心。 4.祈禱時常出現的話語。 5.抵制那些含有錯誤教義的內容。 6. 真正的慣用語的第一個跡象。 7. 這句話的效果：「不要煩惱。」8. 「是我，不要害怕。」9. 「保持平靜。」10. 第二個標誌。 11.第三個標誌。 12.魔鬼對真實的說法表示懷疑。 13. 靈魂的信心得到回報。 14.看到神的話應驗了就喜樂。 15. 對神的榮耀的熱心。 16. 想像中的措詞。 17. 想像中的祈禱得到的答覆。 18. 應向告解神父諮詢有關措詞的意見。 19. 內部用語。 20. 真正的室內場景的第一個跡象。 21.第二個標誌。 22. 第三個標誌。 23.第四個標誌。 24.第五個標誌。 25.真實用法的結果。 26.他們應該消除警報。 27. 對反對意見的答覆。

1. 1. 天主以另一種方式喚醒靈魂，雖然在某些方面顯然比上述方式有更大的恩惠，但可能證明更危險，因此我將給出一些關於它的細節。他透過多種不同方式向靈魂訴說的話語來做到這一點。有時它們似乎來自外部；有時來自靈魂深處；或再次，從其上部；而其他的言語則非常外在，耳朵聽起來就像真實的聲音一樣。

2. 2. 有時，事實上很多時候，這可能只是一種幻想；尤其是對於那些想像力豐富或患有明顯憂鬱症的人來說。我認為，當這兩類人說他們看到、聽到或學到任何超自然的東西時，都不應該關注他們。不要說它是來自魔鬼來打擾他們，²³⁸ 但要像病人一樣聽他們說話。讓他們講故事的女修道院院長或告解神父吩咐他們不要再想了，因為這些事情對於侍奉天主來說並不重要：魔鬼已經這樣欺騙了許多基督徒，儘管對他們來說也許並非如此；因此他們不必為此煩惱。因此，我們必須適應他們的幽默：如果我們告訴他們，他們的幻想源於憂鬱，那麼事情就沒有結束，因為他們將堅持認為他們已經看到和聽到了這些事情，因為在他們看來是這樣的。

3. 3. 事實是，應該注意防止這些人過多祈禱，並儘可能勸說他們不要理會自己的幻想：魔鬼利用這些軟弱的靈魂來傷害別人，即使他們自己毫髮無傷。首先，無論是軟弱的靈魂還是堅強的靈魂，都需要小心謹慎，直到確定這些事情是出於何種精神而發生的。我認為，在一開始，抵制這些交流總是更明智的做法。如果它們來自天主，這就是獲得更多的最佳方式，因為它們在灰心時會增加。同時，靈魂也不應該受到太嚴格的控製或不安，因為它在這件事上無法幫助自己。

4. 4. 回到討論靈魂的話：我提到的任何一種都可能來自天主、魔鬼或想像。在天主的幫助下，我將盡力描述區分兩者的標誌，而這些說法是危險的，因為許多讚美祈禱的人都會想到這些。姊妹們，我不希望你們認為相信或忽視它們有什麼壞處。當它們只是安慰你，或警告你你的錯誤時，它們來自哪裡或它們是否只是幻想並不重要。

5. 5. 我警告你一點－雖然它們可能來自神，但你不要自視過高，因為祂常對法利賽人說話²³⁹－所有的善都在於從祂的話中獲益。不要再留意你所聽到的任何與聖經不符的言論，就像你聽從撒但本人所說的話一樣。儘管它們可能只是從你生動的想像中產生，但請將它們視為對信仰的誘惑。永遠抵制他們；然後他們就會離開你並停止，因為他們自己的力量微乎其微。 ²⁴⁰

6. 6. 現在讓我們回到第一點——這些交流無論是來自靈魂的低級部分還是高級部分，還是來自外部，都不影響它們源自天主。

7. 7. 在我看來，這些是他們神聖的最確定的標誌。第一個也是最真實的是他們所攜帶的力量和權威，因為這些話是有效的。 ²⁴¹例如：一個靈魂正在遭受我所描述的所有悲傷和不安：心靈黑暗和乾燥；但只要聽到“不要煩惱”這句話，它就會處於平靜之中，擺脫所有麻煩，充滿光明。這些話將它從所有痛苦中解救出來，儘管它感覺好像，如果整個世界和所有神學家聯合起來試圖說服它沒有理由悲傷，儘管他們付出了一切努力，它也無法擺脫它的痛苦。 ²⁴²

8. 8. 再者，當一個人被她的懺悔神父和其他人告知她的靈魂受到邪惡者的影響時，她會感到困擾和極大的恐懼：她聽到一句話說：“是我，不要害怕”，²⁴³並且立即擺脫了所有恐懼並充滿了安慰；事實上，她相信任何人的信心都不可能。 ²⁴⁴

9. 9. 再一次，當她為重要的事情而極度焦慮，不知道它是否會成功時，聽到吩咐她「保持平靜；不要害怕」的話。一切都會順利，」她感到放心，並且不再關心此事。²⁴⁵可以提到許多其他類似的例子。

10. 10. 第二個徵兆是心靈的極度平靜和虔誠、平和的回憶，以及讚美天主的渴望。他們說，無論如何，在這棟居所中的交流，都不是天主直接說出的，而是由天使傳遞的。 ²⁴⁶那麼，我的天主啊，如果您透過您的使者向我們發送的一句話具有如此的力量，您不會在與您相互聯繫的靈魂中留下什麼影響？愛嗎？ ²⁴⁷

11. 11. 第三個證據是，這些話並沒有從記憶中消失，而是保留了很久；有時他們永遠不會被忘記。但人們所說的話卻並非如此，無論他們的言論多麼嚴肅和博學，我們的記憶中都不會留下深刻的印象。如果它們預言了未來的事情，我們也不會像我們做這些神聖的話語那樣相信它們，這些神聖的話語讓我們如此確信它們的真實性，儘管它們的實現有時似乎完全不可能，我們對它們猶豫不決和懷疑，但在靈魂中仍然保留著它們的真實性的確定性，這是無法摧毀的。也許一切似乎都與所聽到的相悖，歲月流逝，但精神從未失去信念，即天主會使用人類未知的手段來達到目的，並且最終所預言的事情一定會發生；確實如此。 ²⁴⁸

12. 12. 然而，正如我所說，在實現預言的道路上看到許多障礙，靈魂感到不安。這些話語、它們的效果以及它們所帶來的保證在那一刻就使人確信它們來自天主。然而，後來，人們懷疑這些說法是來自魔鬼還是來自想像，儘管聽到這些話的人會為了捍衛自己的真理而死。 ²⁴⁹但是，正如我所說，這些疑慮一定是邪惡的人暗示的，以折磨和恐嚇她，特別是如果通過執行如此給予的命令會給靈魂帶來巨大的好處，並且完成一些工作特別有助於榮耀和侍奉天主，為此必須克服巨大的困難。在這種情況下，撒但會在哪裡停下來呢？至少，他削弱了信心，懷疑天主是否有能力以遠遠超出我們理解的方式行事，這是一種可怕的罪。

13. 13. 儘管有所有這些困難，儘管就這些問題諮詢過的懺悔神父們說這些話只是幻想，而事態的發展如此不利，使這些預言的實現似乎不可能，但心中仍然存在著如此活躍的確定性火花（我不知道它從何而來），儘管所有其他希望都消失了，但它不能（如果股的話）熄滅這火花。最後，正如我所說，我們的主的話已經實現了，此時靈魂是如此的滿足和喜樂，以至於除了讚美他的陛下之外別無他法——更多的是因為它看到他的話被證明是真實的，而不是因為事情本身，即使這可能對有關的人來說很重要。

14. 14. 我不知道為什麼靈魂如此重視這些被驗證的通信。我想，如果這個人自己說假話被發現，她不會像這些言論被證明是不真實的那樣感到悲傷——彷彿除了重複對她說過的話之外，她還能在這件事上做任何事情！先知乔纳斯的这种情况经常提醒某人，当他发现尼尼夫不应被摧毁时。 ²⁵⁰

15. 15. 事實上，由於這些話來自天主的靈，因此我們應該相信這些話，並希望至高真理的主不被認為是一個騙子。因此，當經過千百次的拖延和巨大的困難之後，他們的聽眾終於完成了，他們會感到高興。儘管這一成功可能會給她自己帶來巨大的痛苦，但她寧願它也不願實現她所知道的我們的主最肯定的預言。也許每個人都沒有這麼軟弱，如果這確實是一種軟弱的話，儘管我自己不能譴責它是一種邪惡。

16. 16. 如果這些說法是來自想像²⁵¹，它們就不會表現出這樣的跡象，既不會帶來信念、平安，也不會帶來內心的喜悅。但在某些情況下，我遇到過，由於體質非常虛弱，想像力豐富，或者由於其他我不知道的原因，人們在全神貫注於安靜的祈禱和精神睡眠時，完全被他們深刻的回憶狀態所控制，以至於對任何外部事物都沒有意識。他們所有的感官都處於休眠狀態，彷彿睡著了——事實上，有時他們確實是這樣——因此，他們在一種夢中，幻想著有人對他們說話，或者看到他們想像的來自天主的事物，但這不會比夢境產生更多的效果。

17. 17. 再一次，一個非常親切地向我們的主祈求某事的人可能會幻想答案來自於他。 ²⁵²這種情況經常發生，但我認為習慣於接受神聖交流的人在這一點上不會被想像力所欺騙。

18. 18.魔鬼的欺騙更危險；但是，如果存在上述跡象，我們就可以相當確信這些說法是來自天主，雖然不是那麼肯定，但是，如果它們涉及一些需要我們採取行動的重大問題，或者如果它們涉及第三人，我們應該在嘗試或考慮對它們採取行動之前諮詢一些既博學又是天主僕人的懺悔它們重複了真實性和確信它們的真實性，並且確信它們的真實性和性。起源。 ²⁵³ 陛下希望我們採取這條路線；這並不是違背他的命令，因為他已吩咐我們讓告解神父作為他的代表，即使毫無疑問這些信息是來自他：這樣，如果事情非常困難，我們就會獲得勇氣。我們的主會向我們的告解神父保證，當他如此選擇時，他會激發他們相信這些話語是來自聖靈。 ²⁵⁴如果沒有，我們就不再需要承擔這件事上的所有進一步的義務。我認為在這樣的事情上違背我們懺悔神父的建議並傾向於我們自己的意見是非常危險的。因此，姊妹們，我奉主的名告誡你們，千萬不要做這樣的事。

19. 19. 天主以另一種方式透過某種理智的視覺對靈魂說話，我認為這種視覺無疑是來自於祂。 ²⁵⁵ 8 它發生在靈魂的最深處，靈魂似乎以一種最神秘的方式，用它的靈性聽力，清楚地聽到我們的主親自對它所說的話。聖靈感知這些話語的方式以及它們所產生的結果，使我們相信它們無論如何都不可能來自魔鬼。它們強大的後遺症迫使我們承認這一點，並清楚地表明它們並非源自於想像。 ²⁵⁶仔細考慮將使我們確信這一點，原因如下；——

20. 20. 首先，不同類型的措詞的語言清晰度有所不同。那些神聖的東西是如此清晰，以至於聽者即使說出了整個句子，也能記住是否缺少一個音節，以及使用了什麼單字。但如果演講只是一種幻想，那麼它就不會那麼清晰，單字也不會那麼清晰，而只是一半清晰。 ²⁵⁷

21. 21. 第二個原因是，人們常常沒有想到所聽到的內容；有時，這個說法甚至在談話中出乎意料地出現，儘管有時它指的是一些快速閃過腦海的想法或之前討論過的主題。通常，它所涉及的事物的存在，聽者一無所知，甚至無法想像此類事件會發生。因此，想像力不可能建構出這樣的言論，並透過幻想來欺騙心靈，想像它從未希望過、沒有尋求過、甚至沒有想過的東西。 ²⁵⁸

22. 22. 第三個原因是，在真實的情況下，靈魂似乎在聆聽話語，而當想像力發揮作用時，它會一點一點地組成人希望聽到的內容。 ²⁵⁹

23. 23. 第四個原因是因為神聖的措詞與其他措詞有很大不同，一個字包含了深刻的意義，而我們的理解無法如此迅速地濃縮成一個片語。 ²⁶⁰

24. 24. 第五，因為，以一種我無法解釋的方式，這些通信在沒有任何進一步解釋的情況下，常常讓我們理解的內容遠遠超過文字本身所暗示的內容。我將進一步談論這種理解隱藏事物的方式，這種方式非常微妙，是我們應該感謝天主的恩惠。有些人對這些以及其他同類通訊非常懷疑。我特別談到一些自己經歷過的人²⁶¹，儘管可能還有其他人無法理解它們。我知道她很仔細地考慮過這個問題，天主常常賜給她這樣的恩典。她的主要困難是發現這些措詞是否只是想像出來的。儘管他很狡猾，但他可以輕鬆地模仿光之精靈，但更容易知道它們何時來自魔鬼。然而，他會以一種發音如此清晰的話語形式來做到這一點，以至於人們不會懷疑它們的真實性，就像它們來自真理的精神一樣，而來自想像的話語則讓我們不確定我們是否聽到了這些話語。 但撒但永遠無法偽造我所說的效果；²⁶²他既不給靈魂留下平安，也不留下光明，只留下焦慮和困惑。無論如何，他對那些謙虛的人以及正如我所建議的不按所聞而行的人幾乎不會造成傷害。

25. 25. 如果靈魂從我們的主那裡得到恩寵和愛撫，讓它仔細檢查是否因此而對自己評價更高；除非神表達愛而使人更加自卑，否則它們就不是來自聖靈。不可避免的是，當它們是神聖的時，恩惠越大，靈魂就越不尊重自己，並且越強烈地記住自己的罪過。 ²⁶³它變得更加忘記自身利益：意志和記憶變得更加熱衷於只尋求天主的榮耀而不考慮自我。它也變得不斷小心，不要故意偏離天主的旨意，並更加強烈地相信，它不應該得到這樣的恩惠，而應該下地獄。

26. 26.當這些結果隨之而來時，在祈禱期間收到的恩寵或禮物不需要驚動靈魂，而應該相信天主的憐憫，天主是信實的，不會讓魔鬼欺騙它；但保持警惕總是好的。

27. 27. 那些我們的主不引導走這條路的人可能會認為，靈魂可以避免聆聽這些言語，即使它們是內在的，至少可以分散注意力，以免聽到它們，從而逃脫危險。這是不可能做到的：我所說的不是幻想的怪異，這種幻想可以透過停止對某些事物的渴望或不注意它的發明來預防。當這些交流來自聖靈時，這是不可行的，當他說話時，他會停止所有其他想法並迫使頭腦去傾聽。 ²⁶⁴ 標記這一點：我相信對於一個耳朵非常敏銳的人來說，避免聽到大聲的聲音會更容易，因為他可能會在其他事情上佔據他的思想和頭腦。這裡不是這樣；靈魂什麼也做不了，耳朵也沒有辦法停下來，除了對它說的話之外，也沒有能力去思考任何事情。因為他能夠讓太陽保持在其軌道上（在若蘇埃的祈禱中，²⁶⁵我相信）可以使精神的能力和內部安靜下來，使其認識到另一個比自己更強大的主統治著這座城堡； 因此，它會受到深深的奉獻和謙卑的影響，因為它不得不傾聽。願神聖的陛下保證，忘記我們自己，我們唯一的目標可能是取悅他，正如我所說的。阿門。天主保佑我已經成功地解釋了我的願望，並且它可以為那些可能經歷這種恩惠的人提供一些指導。

TREATS OF THE SAME SUBJECT AND OF THE WAY GOD IS SOMETIMES PLEASED TO SPEAK TO THE SOUL. HOW WE SHOULD BEHAVE IN SUCH A CASE, IN WHICH WE MUST NOT FOLLOW OUR OWN OPINION. GIVES SIGNS TO SHOW HOW TO DISCOVER WHETHER THIS FAVOUR IS A DECEPTION OR NOT: THIS IS VERY NOTEWORTHY.

1. Locutions. 2. Sometimes caused by melancholia. 3. Caution needed at first. 4. Locutions frequently occur during prayer. 5. Resist those containing false doctrine. 6. First sign of genuine locutions. 7. Effect of the words: ‘Be not troubled.’ 8. ‘It is I, be not afraid.’ 9. ‘Be at Peace.’ 10. Second sign. 11. Third sign. 12. The devil suggests doubts about true locutions. 13. Confidence of the soul rewarded. 14. Its joy at seeing God’s words verified. 15. Its zeal for God’s honour. 16. Locutions coining from the fancy. 17. Imaginary answers given to prayer. 18. A confessor should be consulted about locutions. 19. Interior locutions. 20. First sign of genuine interior locutions. 21. Second sign. 22. Third sign. 23. Fourth sign. 24. Fifth sign. 25. Results of true locutions. 26. They should remove alarm. 27. Answer to an objection.

1.

1. GOD arouses the soul in another manner which, though in some ways apparently a greater favour than the above mentioned, yet may prove more dangerous, therefore I will give some particulars about it. He does this by means of words addressed to the soul in many different ways; sometimes they appear to come from without; at other times from the inner depths of the soul; or again, from its superior part; while other speeches are so exterior as to be heard by the ears like a real voice.

2.

2. At times, indeed very often, this may be only a fancy; especially with persons of a lively imagination or who are afflicted with melancholy to any marked extent. I think that no attention should be paid to either class of people when they say they see, hear, or learn anything supernaturally. Do not disturb them by saying that it comes from the devil,²³⁸ but listen to them as if they were sick persons. Let the prioress or confessor to whom they tell their story bid them think no more of it as such matters are not essential in the service of God: the devil has deceived many Christians thus, although perhaps it is not so in their case; therefore they need not trouble themselves about it. Thus we must accomodate ourselves to their humour: if we tell them their fancies proceed from melancholia, there will be no end to the matter, for they will persist in maintaining they have seen and heard these things, for so it seems to them.

3.

3. The truth is, care should be taken to keep such people from too much prayer and to persuade them, as far as possible, to take no notice of their fancies: the devil makes use of these weak souls to injure others, even if they themselves escape unhurt. There is need for caution both with feeble and strong souls at first, until it is certain from what spirit these things proceed. I maintain that, in the beginning, it is always wiser to resist these communications; if they come from God this is the best way to receive more, for they increase when discouraged. At the same time the soul should not be too strictly controlled or disquieted, for it cannot help itself in the matter.

4.

4. To return to discuss the words addressed to the soul: any kind I mentioned may come either from God, the devil, or the imagination. By the help of God I will endeavour to describe the signs distinguishing the one from the other, and when these locutions are dangerous, for they occur to many persons who praise prayer. I do not wish you to think, sisters, that there is any harm either in believing or in disregarding them. When they only console you, or warn you of your faults, it matters not whence they come or whether they are only fancies.

5.

5. I caution you on one point—although they may come from God, you must not esteem yourself more highly, for He often spoke to the Pharisees²³⁹ —all the good consists in profiting by His words. Take no more notice of any speeches you hear which disagree with the Holy Scriptures than if you heard them from Satan himself. Though they may only rise from your vivid imagination, look upon them as a temptation against the faith. Always resist them; then they will leave you, and cease, for they have little strength of their own.²⁴⁰

6.

6. Now let us return to the first point—whether these communications come from the inferior or the superior part of the soul, or from without, does not affect their originating from God.

7.

7. In my opinion these are the most certain signs of their being divine. The first and truest is the power and authority they carry with them, for these words are operative.²⁴¹ For example: a soul is suffering all the sorrow and disquiet I have described: the mind is darkened and dry; but it is set at peace, freed from all trouble and filled with light merely by hearing the words: ‘Be not troubled.’ These deliver it from all its pains, although it felt as though, if the whole world and all its theologians had united in trying to persuade it there was no cause for grief, it could not, in spite of all their efforts, have been delivered from its affliction.²⁴²

8.

8. Again, a person is troubled and greatly terrified at being told by her confessor and other people that her soul is under the influence of the evil one: she hears a single sentence which says, ‘It is I, be not afraid,’²⁴³ and is at once freed from all fears and filled with consolation; indeed, she believes it would be impossible for any one to disturb her confidence.²⁴⁴

9.

9. Again, when exceedingly anxious about important business, not knowing whether or not it will be successful, on hearing words bidding her ‘Be at peace; all will go well,’ she feels reassured and free from all care in the matter.²⁴⁵ Many other instances of the same sort could be mentioned.

10.

10. The second sign is a great calm and a devout and peaceful recollection which dwell in the soul together with a desire to praise God. They say that communications, at any rate in this mansion, are not uttered direly by God but are transmitted by an angel.²⁴⁶ Then, O my God, if a word sent to us by Thee through Thy messenger has such force, what effects wilt Thou not leave in the soul united to Thee in a mutual bond of love?²⁴⁷

11.

11. The third proof is that these words do not pass from the memory but remain there for a very long time; sometimes they are never forgotten. This is not the case with what men may utter, which, however grave and learned they may be, is not thus impressed on our memory. Neither, if they prophesy of things to come, do we believe them as we do these divine locutions which leave us so convinced of their truth that, although their fulfilment sometimes seems utterly impossible and we vacillate and doubt about them, there still remains in the soul a certainty of their verity which cannot be destroyed. Perhaps everything may seem to militate against what was heard and years pass by, yet the spirit never loses its belief that God will make use of means unknown to men for the purpose and that finally what was foretold must surely happen; as indeed it does.²⁴⁸

12.

12. Still, as I said, the soul is troubled at seeing many obstacles in the way of the accomplishment of the prophecy. The words, their effects, and the assurance they carry with them convinced the soul at the moment that they came from God. Afterwards, however, doubts arise as to whether the locutions came from the devil or from the imagination, although while hearing them the person would have died to defend their truth.²⁴⁹ But, as I said, these misgivings must be suggested by the evil one to afflict and intimidate her, especially if by carrying out a command thus given great good will result to souls and some work be done conducing notably to the honour and service of God, concerning which great difficulties have to be overcome. In such cases, where will Satan stop short? At least, he weakens faith, and it is a terrible evil to doubt that God has power to work in a way far beyond our understanding.

13.

13. Despite all these difficulties and although the confessors consulted on these matters say the words were but fancies, while events take such an unfavourable turn as to make the realization of these predictions seem impossible, yet there remains so lively a spark of certainty in the mind (I know not whence it comes) that, although all other hopes die out, it cannot, if it would, quench this ardent spark of confidence. At last, as I said, our Lord’s words are accomplished, at which the soul is so satisfied and joyful that it can do nothing but praise His Majesty—more because it sees His words prove true than on account of the thing itself, even though it may be of consequence to the person concerned.

14.

14. I know not why the soul attaches such importance to these communications being verified. I think that if the person herself were detected in telling falsehoods, she would not be so grieved as at these locutions proving untrue—as if she could do anything in the matter beyond repeating what has been said to her! A certain person was frequently reminded in such a case of the Prophet Jonas, when he found Ninive was not to be destroyed.²⁵⁰

15.

15. In fact, as these words come from the Spirit of God, it is right thus to trust them and to desire that He Who is supreme truth should not be thought a deceiver. Justly, therefore, does their hearer rejoice when, after a thousand delays and enormous difficulties, they are accomplished. Although this success may entail great suffering on herself, she prefers it to the nonfulfilment of what she knows our Lord most certainly foretold. Possibly every one is not so weak as this, if indeed it is a weakness, though I cannot myself condemn it as an evil.

16.

16. If these locutions proceed from the imagination²⁵¹ they show no such signs, bringing neither conviction, peace, nor interior joy with them. But in some cases I have come across, on account of a very weak constitution or vivid imagination or of other causes I do not know, persons while absorbed in the prayer of quiet and in spiritual slumber are so entirely carried out of themselves by their deep state of recollection as to be unconscious of anything external. All their senses being thus dormant, as if asleep—as indeed, at times they really are—they thus, in a sort of dream, fancy they are spoken to or see things they imagine come from God, but which leave no more effect than dreams.

17.

17. Again, one who very lovingly asks something of our Lord may fancy that an answer comes from Him.²⁵² This often occurs, but I think that no one accustomed to receive divine communications could be deceived on this point by the imagination.

18.

18. The devil’s deceptions are more dangerous; but if the foregoing signs are present, we may feel fairly confident that these locutions are from God, though not so certain but that, if they refer to some weighty matter in which we are called upon to act or if they concern a third person, we should consult some confessor who is both learned and a servant of God, before attempting or thinking of acting on them, although we may have heard them repeated several times and are convinced of their truth and divine origin.²⁵³ His Majesty wishes us to take this course; it is not disobedience to His commands, for He has bidden us hold our confessor as His representative even where there is no doubt that the communications come from Him: thus we shall gain courage if the matter is a very difficult one. Our Lord will reassure our confessor, whom, when He so chooses, He will inspire with faith that these locutions are from the Holy Ghost.²⁵⁴ If not, we are freed from all further obligations in the matter. I think it would be very dangerous to act against our confessor’s advice and to prefer our own opinions in such a matter. Therefore, sisters, I admonish you in the name of our Lord, never to do anything of the sort.

19.

19. God speaks to the soul in another way by a certain intellectual vision which I think undoubtedly proceeds from Him; it will be described later on.²⁵⁵ 8 It takes place far within the innermost depths of the soul which appears to hear distinctly in a most mysterious manner, with its spiritual hearing, the words spoken to it by our Lord Himself. The way in which the spirit perceives these words and the results produced by them, convince us that they cannot in any way come from the devil. Their powerful aftereffects force us to admit this and plainly show they do not spring from the imagination.²⁵⁶ Careful consideration will assure us of this for the following reasons;—

20.

20. Firstly, the clearness of the language varies in the different kinds of locutions. Those that are divine are so distinct that the hearer remembers if there were a syllable missing, and what words were made use of even though a whole sentence was spoken. But if the speech were only a freak of fancy, it would not be so audible nor would the words be so distinct but would be only half articulated.²⁵⁷

21.

21. The second reason is that often the person was not thinking of what is heard; sometimes the locution even comes unexpectedly during conversation, though at times it refers to some thought that passed quickly through the mind or to a subject it was before engaged upon. Frequently it concerns things of whose existence the hearer knew nothing nor even imagined such events could ever come to pass; therefore it is impossible for the imagination to have framed such speeches and deceived the mind by fancies about what it had never wished, nor sought for, nor even thought about.²⁵⁸

22.

22. The third reason is that in a genuine case the soul seems to listen to the words, whereas when the imagination is at work, little by little it composes what the person wishes to hear.²⁵⁹

23.

23. The fourth reason is because divine locutions differ immensely from others, a single word comprising a depth of meaning which our understanding could not thus quickly condense into one phrase.²⁶⁰

24.

24. Fifthly because, in a manner I cannot explain, these communications, without any further explanations, frequently give us to understand far more than is implied by the words themselves. I shall speak farther on of this way of understanding hidden things which is very subtle and a favour for which we should thank God. Some people are exceedingly suspicious about these and other communications of the same kind. I speak particularly of some one²⁶¹ who experienced them herself, though there may be others who cannot understand them. I know that she has considered the subject very carefully, God having often bestowed this grace on her. Her principal difficulty was to discover whether the locutions were merely fancied. It is easier to know when they come from the devil although being so wily, he can with facility imitate the spirit of light. However, he would do this in a form of words pronounced so distinctly that there would be no more doubt as to their reality than if they came from the spirit of truth, while those coming from the imagination leave us uncertain whether we heard the words or not. But Satan could never counterfeit the effects I spoke of;²⁶² he leaves neither peace nor light in the soul, only anxiety and confusion. In any case, he can do little or no harm to one who is humble and who, as I advised, does not act on what is heard.

25.

25. If the soul receives favours and caresses from our Lord, let it examine carefully whether it rates itself more highly in consequence; unless self-abasement increases with God’s expressions of love, they do not come from the Holy Spirit. Inevitably, when they are divine, the greater the favours, the less the soul esteems itself and the more keenly it remembers its sins.²⁶³ It becomes more oblivious of self-interest: the will and memory grow more fervent in seeking solely God’s honour with no thought of self. It also becomes unceasingly careful not to deviate deliberately from the will of God and feels a keener conviction that instead of meriting such favours, it deserves hell.

26.

26. When these results follow, no graces or gifts received during prayer need alarm the soul which should rather trust in the mercy of God, Who is faithful and will not allow the devil to deceive it; but it is always well to be on one’s guard.

27.

27. Those our Lord does not lead by this path may suppose that the soul can avoid listening to these locutions and that even if they are interior it is at least possible to distract the attention from them so as not to hear them and thus escape danger. This cannot be done: I am not speaking of freaks of fancy which may be prevented by ceasing to desire certain things or by paying no attention to its inventions. This is not feasible when these communications come from the Holy Ghost Who, when He speaks, stops all other thoughts and compels the mind to listen.²⁶⁴ Mark this: that I believe it would be easier for a person with very keen ears to avoid hearing a loud voice, for he could occupy his thoughts and mind in other things. Not so here; the soul can do nothing, nor has it ears to stop, nor power to think of aught but what is said to it. For He Who could stay the sun on its course (at the prayer of Josue,²⁶⁵ I believe) can so quiet the faculties and the interior of the spirit as to make it perceive that another and a stronger Lord than itself governs this castle; it is thus affected with profound devotion and humility, seeing that it cannot but listen. May the divine Majesty vouchsafe that, forgetting ourselves, our only aim may be to please Him, as I said. Amen. God grant I have succeeded in explaining what I wished and that it may be some guide to those who may experience such favours.