131. The dream of innocence, 1884
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It seemed to me that I was in a beautiful garden full of gorgeous flowers and illuminated by a light more beautiful than the sun.
It looked like paradise.
At the entrance to the garden there was a phrase from Sacred Scripture: “Blessed are those who walk in the Law of the Lord with a pure heart.
And in the middle of the field there was a banner with this sentence from the Gospel: “My son, you have always been with me, and all my goods are yours” (Luke 15).
And in the garden there were two young girls, each about twelve years old, dressed in a very white tunic that reached down to their feet, and with a face that showed great purity and enormous goodness. They were adorned with roses, lilies and white daisies, as white and beautiful as one cannot imagine greater whiteness.
The two began the following dialogue with each other: the one said one sentence and the other added the following: - What is innocence? It is the fortunate state of one who has the sanctifying grace in his soul and preserves it through the exact fulfillment of the laws of God.
- To preserve innocence and purity is the source and origin of all science and of all virtue.
- How brilliant, how glorious, how excellent virtue is achieved by living with a soul free from sin, among evil and wicked people, and knowing how to preserve innocence and purity of morals.
One of them stood up and recited Psalm 1: “Blessed is he who does not follow the counsel of the wicked, nor go in the evil way of sinners, nor attend the gatherings of the shameless, but whose joy is the law of the Lord and meditates on it night and day. He will be like a tree planted by a spring of water: it bears fruit in its season, and its leaves do not wither, and everything he undertakes has a good end.” And so saying, she pointed to the beautiful trees in the garden, all full of pleasant fruit.
The other young woman added: “He who lives with his soul in the grace of God can repeat the words of the Song of Songs: ‘He is like a lily among thorns’; and he can say to his God: ‘My beloved for me and I for my beloved, for the Lord lives among lilies’. And saying this, she pointed to a great number of white lilies that adorned that garden.
Her companion added those words from the Book of Sirach: “Blessed is he that is found blameless: who shall he be, and shall we congratulate him? He could have sinned and did not sin. He could have done evil and did not do it. Therefore his good conduct will be remembered for a long time.
- Who can describe the beauty of a soul in the grace of God and without sin? She shines full of beauty, she walks swiftly towards Heaven; the Holy Spirit lives in her as in a Tabernacle; she shines with greater light than the sun itself; Heaven is open waiting for her; she is admired by the angels and the Saints who await her in Paradise: God points out to her the crown of glory destined for her and prepares for her all the treasures of eternity”.
- Oh if young people only knew the immense value of living with a soul in the grace of God and without sin. How they would take pains to guard themselves against all sin. But unfortunately they do not realize its value and easily lose grace or friendship with God.
- The grace of God, living with a sinless soul, is like a precious treasure that is carried in a very fragile vessel, which easily breaks and the treasure is spilled on the floor and lost.
- The soul in grace is like a mirror that reflects the image of God. But that mirror is easily tarnished by sin.
- The soul in grace is like a lily, like a white lily, but that lily, when treated by indelicate hands, withers and loses its beauty.
- The soul in grace is like a white silk garment. But a stain is enough to make it lose its beauty. That is why we must proceed with great caution and great care.
- A grave sin, an accepted and consented sin, is enough to take away from the soul the beauty of God's grace.
- What a great misfortune when a person loses the life of grace because of a grave sin. God withdraws. The Blessed Virgin and the guardian angel also depart. The road that led to Heaven becomes a road that leads to damnation. The promises and favors of Heaven are changed into threats and punishments by Divine Justice. Satan becomes his boss and can say to him: “I have defeated you. Now you belong to me”, and his joy turns into sadness.
- Fortunately the one who has sinned can rise up, because God's mercy is infinite. If the sinner repents and proposes to begin to be better and if he makes a good confession, he can regain friendship with Our Lord.
- But he who sins is left with evil inclinations to sin. After each sin he will feel weaker in spiritual battles and more inclined to evil. And remorse may continue to torment him.
- Oh, what a terrible crime is committed by those who teach evil to children, and by those who teach evil to those who do not know it. Jesus says to the one who takes away the innocence of a child: “Woe to the one who scandalizes one of these little ones: it would be better for him if a great stone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the depths of the sea”. Woe to the world because of scandals.
There will always be scandals, but woe to those who scandalize others. “Be very careful never to go and scandalize one of these little ones, for their angels continually see the face of my heavenly Father.” (Lk. 17:2).
And the two young girls continued to walk in the garden and to converse: - It is a great mistake for young people to imagine that penance and mortifications and sacrifices are things that only great sinners should practice. If St. Aloysius Gonzaga had not done penances and sacrifices, he would have fallen into mortal sins. This must be repeated to young people. If they would make sacrifices, many more would be able to keep themselves without sin.
- The apostle already said: “We must bear in our body the mortification of Christ, so that the wonders of Jesus may be manifested in us”.
Jesus was so holy and so pure, and how many sacrifices and mortifications He made. And so did the Blessed Virgin and the Saints. And this is a lesson and an example for our young people.
- St. Paul said: “If you live by indulging the desires of the flesh you will die. But if with the spirit you overcome the passions of the flesh, you will live” (Rom. 8:13).
Therefore he who does not make sacrifices and mortifications will not be able to keep himself without committing serious sins. And yet many want to remain sinless but live without doing penances and sacrifices.
- That is foolishness. The Book of Wisdom says: “Seduction leads the soul to wickedness and concupiscence perverts the innocent soul”. By which it means that the grace of God in the soul has two enemies: evil people and the passions that one feels.
That is why the same Book of Wisdom says that for many it is truly fortunate that death comes to them when they are still very young: “Because he pleased the Lord he was preferred by Him and because he lived among sinners he was taken to another place”.
And the Holy Book adds: “Having died at a very young age, he nevertheless managed to travel a long road of holiness. Because God loved his soul He took him out of the midst of this world so full of wickedness. He was taken away so that malice would not harm his spirit and so that the attraction to evil would not lead his soul into error”. (Wis. Ch. 4).
- Young people need a spirit of sacrifice to overcome the laziness and reluctance they feel towards prayer. And let them not forget that everyone who asks receives.
They need a spirit of sacrifice to be able to obey their superiors. Mortification to dominate their pride, for “God humbles the proud, but elevates the humble”.
They need mortification to know how to always speak the truth and to dare to ask advice from those who know.
They need to mortify their hearts: loving everyone with charity, but separating themselves from those who endanger their chastity. Jesus already said: “If anything is as important to you as an eye, or a foot or a hand, but it causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it out, for it is better to enter the Kingdom of God one-eyed or one-armed than to be thrown into hellfire with both eyes and both feet and both hands” (Heavenly Mother. 9,43 [??¿]).
Let them mortify themselves by accepting to be mocked for being believers. Jesus said: “If anyone declares himself in my favor before the people of this world, I declared myself in his favor before my Heavenly Father. But if anyone is ashamed of me before the people of this earth, I will be ashamed of him before the angels of heaven” ( St. Matthew 10:32).
It is necessary that each one mortifies himself in his eyes: taking care when looking and reading. To look away from every image, from every reading that is a danger to chastity (Jesus said: “The windows and lamps of the soul are its eyes. But if your eyes become impure, your whole person becomes impure” ( St. Mt. 6,22). The prophet Job left a resolution that is essential: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look at the beauty of a young person” (Jb. 31:1). And the Psalm recommends: “Take heed to your eyes, lest they behold vanity, that which is not good for you to look upon”.
To mortify oneself in hearing and listening. Be careful not to listen to bad conversations, or words against other people, or conversations against religion. (The Book of Proverbs advises that when we hear any such thing we should put on a face as sad as one who will weep). The Book of Sirach advises: “Put a fence of thorns in your ears so that they do not hear what does not do you good to hear. Try never to listen to the tongue that speaks of evil things”.
To mortify oneself in speaking, so as not to say vain things.
Repeat what the Holy Book says: “Lord, put a lock on my lips and a bridle on my tongue so that they do not turn to evil”. Beware: lest the enemies of the soul defeat us through the misuse of the tongue.
(Jesus said: “For every harmful word a person speaks, he will have to give an account to God on the day of judgment....
By your words you will be saved, or by your words you will be condemned").
Mortify oneself in eating and drinking. Gluttony in eating and drinking have been the cause of terrible spiritual evils for many people (St. Paul said: “I control my body, lest, in teaching others the way to heaven, I fall by the wayside”).
Mortify oneself by accepting the sufferings of each day, as Our Lord has allowed them to happen. (“For a few short moments of suffering on this earth we gain an immense amount of joy in Heaven,” said St. Paul). Let us remember that the first condition Jesus set for us to follow Him and become His disciples is to mortify ourselves: “If anyone would come with Me, let him deny himself” (S. Lk. 9:23).
- God himself, who is so kind, allows his friends to suffer many hardships (the Book of Proverbs says: “The Son he loves the most, the more he makes him suffer”). So it was with the Holy Job, with Joseph in Egypt, with Tobit and other Saints. To Tobit the angel Saint Raphael said: “Because you were acceptable to God, it was necessary for you to be purified by suffering. [(Tobit 12:13)]
Those who wish to remain in the grace of God need to receive frequently Holy Communion, which is the Bread that makes people strong. Those who receive Holy Communion fervently will be able to repeat the words of Psalm 23: “You have prepared a table for me before my adversaries”, and those of the beautiful Psalm 91: “A hundred shall fall at your right hand and a thousand at your left, but the enemy shall not be able to harm you”.
May he who wishes to live without sin in his soul remember that the Blessed Virgin is his Mother. She speaks to him the words of Wisdom: “I am the Mother of love and of the fear of displeasing God, the Mother of holy Hope and of true knowledge. I love those who love Me. Those who honor Me shall possess Eternal Life. I am terrible to the enemies of the soul as an army in battle array.”
The two young women got up and began to climb a slope and one of them repeated those words of Holy Scripture: “The salvation and sanctification of the righteous comes from the Lord. He is their protector in times of trouble and tribulation.
The Lord will help them and deliver them. He will deliver them from the hands of sinners and save them because they waited for Him.”
The other replied: “Yes, to keep oneself without sin and also to do penance, this is the highest in virtue.
The other added: “Oh, how pleasant are the people who keep their souls without sin. Their memory will be immortal and pleasing in the sight of God, and admirable in the sight of the people of this earth. Many imitate them when they are present and remember them with veneration when they have gone to Heaven. And in eternity they will receive a crown of glory, after winning the battles to preserve chastity. What a joy, what a glory, what a triumph, to be able to present themselves before God with their souls without grave sins, after so many battles! Then I saw an immense legion of angels appear, singing those words of the Apostle Paul: “Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, because He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him, choosing us beforehand to be His adopted sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
Then an immense choir of heavenly spirits intoned with beautiful voices the following phrases from the letter of St. Jude Thaddeus: “To him who is mighty and able to keep you without sin and to present you before His presence spotless and full of joy, to the One God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, glory, majesty, strength and might, as He was in the beginning for ever and ever”. Amen.
And at the end of such a beautiful song... I woke up.