Quod amatores Dei cum ipso iudicabunt, et de amore sciencie adquisite et Dei, et quod uerus amator nee ieiuniis nee abstinencia seu consiliis aut presumpcione non errat nee fallitur

Quod amatores Dei cum ipso iudicabunt, et de amore sciencie adquisite et Dei, et quod uerus amator nee ieiuniis nee abstinencia seu consiliis aut presumpcione non errat nee fallitur

A human soul, which is capable of God alone, cannot be filled with anything less than God. Therefore, earthly lovers will never be satisfied. The rest of Christ's lovers is found when their hearts are united in God's love through desire and contemplation, and the one who loves and burns with passion sings while contemplating. Indeed, this peace that the spirit embraces is the sweetest: — while the most delightful grace descends from heaven, it finds joy, and in a lyrical and playful spirit, the mind is caught up in singing the delights of eternal love. The praise of God and the Blessed Virgin now resonates in our hearts, in which it glorifies inestimably. And this indeed happens when the heart of the singer is completely consumed by the heavenly fire, and it is shaped in the likeness of that which is sweet and delightful, in which there is a heavenly flavor that intoxicates the heart, from which flow internal delights and joyful thoughts in the fervor of love. This is truly invaluable for all mortals; no one thinks it possible for a person still living in a corruptible body to perceive something so sweet and so honeyed, unless they are alien to it. He marvels at this and, possessing it, rejoices in the ineffable goodness of God, who gives generously and does not hold back, from whom he receives what he feels. Moreover, when someone has that great and truly great love, which is almost unknown to mortals, they never think they can prosper without it; they always languish in love, constantly awake, singing, or thinking about love and their beloved; but if they are alone, they sing more freely. Indeed, whoever receives this never fully turns away from it, but always remains in a fervor of song or sweetness, unless all these things are absent; yet all these can be captured together unless one is overtaken by excessive weakness of heart or side, or by excessive hunger or thirst that breaks the flesh, or hindered by too much cold or heat or travel. Therefore, anyone who wants to sing or rejoice in divine love must exist in solitude, and should not live in excessive abstinence or present themselves to any kind of excess. It would be better for him if he exceeded the measure a little, not knowing, as long as he does it with good intention to sustain his nature, than if he began to fail from too much fasting and, due to weakness of the body, could not sing. But without a doubt, those who are chosen for this are not overcome by the deceit of the devil, neither in eating nor in abstaining. A true lover of Christ, taught by Christ, avoids excess with no more effort than he avoids deficiency. Indeed, one will be rewarded incomparably more with joyful singing, prayer, contemplation, reading, and meditation, while eating well but with restraint, than if one were to always fast without it and only eat bread or herbs, praying and reading constantly. So I ate and drank what seemed better; not because I loved delicacies, but so that nature might be sustained in the service of God and in the joy of Jesus Christ, conforming myself to those with whom I lived well for Christ, and to avoid pretending to holiness where there is none, and to prevent people from praising me too much where I would be less than commendable. I withdrew from many not because they treated me harshly or in a difficult manner, but because we did not agree in our ways, or for some other reasonable cause. I dare to say, along with the blessed Job, that the foolish despised me, and when I withdrew from them, they slandered me.^✦ But they will be ashamed when they see me, those who said I would never want to stay anywhere except where I could be pampered. It’s better to see what I despise than to desire what I cannot see. Fasting is indeed effective for restraining the desires of carnal pleasures and for taming the untamed restlessness of the mind. In those who ascend the path of contemplation through joy and the fervor of love, the carnal desires lie as if extinguished. For the death of harmful affections pertains to the one who is devoted to contemplation, whose inner self is already being transformed into another glory and another form. He lives not himself anymore; rather, Christ lives in him, so that he melts away in His love and grows weak within himself, almost failing for sweetness, barely surviving for love. His soul says, "I announce my beloved because I languish with love; I desire to die, I long to be dissolved, I burn to pass away; Behold, I die of love!" Come down, Lord. Come, my beloved, and lift my heart from languor. Look, I love, I sing, I burn within myself! Have mercy on the miserable, allowing me to be presented before you. Whoever has this joy and boasts in this life is inspired by the Holy Spirit. One cannot go wrong; they will do whatever they please, and they are secure. No mortal can give him such a wholesome counsel as that which he has from the immortal God. If others want to give him advice, they will undoubtedly go astray, because they do not know it. He will not go astray because, even if he wants to yield to their persuasion, he will not be allowed by God, who constrains him to his own will, so that he does not stray from it. Therefore, it is said that the spiritual person judges all things and is judged by no one. However, no one should be so presumptuous as to quickly suspect themselves of being such, even if they have perfectly left the world, lived a blameless solitary life, and have ascended in contemplation of the divine. This grace is not granted to all contemplatives, but only to a rare few who attain the highest peace of mind and body, chosen solely for the work of divine love. It's difficult to find such a person, and because they are rare, they are valued and desired, and they are lovely in the sight of God and people. Even the angels rejoice at their departure from this world, for they are worthy of angelic companionship. Many are those who often offer their prayers to God with great devotion and sweetness, and who can savor the sweetness of contemplation through prayer or meditation, remaining in quietness rather than wandering about.