De diuersis electorum donis, et quomodo sancti profecerunt ad amorem orando, meditando, diligendo, aduersa sustinendo, et uicia odiendo, et quod amor ex Deo procedit, et eius memoria amanti est necessaria; nee amans cadit temptacionibus carnalibus ut aliqui imperfecta nee leditur fomite licet duret

De diuersis electorum donis, et quomodo sancti profecerunt ad amorem orando, meditando, diligendo, aduersa sustinendo, et uicia odiendo, et quod amor ex Deo procedit, et eius memoria amanti est necessaria; nee amans cadit temptacionibus carnalibus ut aliqui imperfecta nee leditur fomite licet duret

The chosen ones, who are filled with abundant love and focus their whole mind on loving more than anything else, have wonderfully revealed to us the secret of lovers, as they fervently and supernaturally received the fire of love and burned with inestimable affection for their beloved Jesus. The chosen ones of God are given various gifts; some are called to act, others to teach, and still others to love. All the saints desire the same thing and pursue the same life, but they follow different paths, because each one predestined advances toward the kingdom through that path of virtue, in which they are further exercised; even if that virtue, in which they excel, adheres more ardently to the sweetness of divine love, which is indeed esteemed in the greatest peace. Indeed, he reaches God, receiving that eternal dwelling place and seat of glory, which Christ has ordained for the most perfect lovers to possess forever. So they said, those who sang glorious songs of love, that whoever is chosen to love with great distinction diligently cares for and cherishes that love, so that their heart never strays from the beloved, and that the memory of Jesus is like music at a feast, sweetening their mouth more than honey and the honeycomb. But the longer someone engages in spiritual studies, the sweeter it will appear. Then he withdraws his mind from empty and wicked thoughts, and directs it toward the desire of the Creator. He gathers his whole self in Christ, fixing his heart on the source of love, so that he may love Him alone and find delight in Him, praying without ceasing. Then sweet affections and wonderful meditations come into his soul, flowing solely from God. Those who meditate and extend their thoughts in this way are profoundly moved, and with great delight and sweetness of spirit, they are led to contemplate the heavenly things, purging themselves of the desire for worldly comforts, so that a lover of God seeks nothing in the world except to exist in solitude and to be free for the desires of their Creator. Then, strengthened and well-prepared, devoted to prayer and meditation, he completely destroys all impiety and impurity, taking up the challenging path with discernment, and he makes great progress in the virtue of eternal love, rising above his affections, where the entrance opens to his mental eye, in the contemplation of heavenly mysteries. The fervor that his mind had not felt before now begins to burn, and while he is occupied with useful things, he experiences a more intense or a more relaxed yearning, depending on how the frailty of his body allows the soul that is weighed down to respond, often burdened by various troubles, so that even the heavenly soul, delighted by sweetness, and breathing in the allure of the heavens, greatly stirs itself in the desire to break free, and even grows weary of remaining in mortal flesh. However, he willingly endures the adversities that come his way, because in the joy of eternal love he finds sweet rest, and nothing can take away the joy he has received in Jesus. Indeed, the ineffective schemes of the devil and the deceptive vanity of worldly honor lead to contempt, while carnal softness neither complains nor is loved. These things are indeed armed against the elect of God, so that they may unexpectedly rush together for their destruction, those who have their conversation in heaven. But they don't make progress; instead, they fall, because a holy lover of God, in the name of Christ, stands firm and, without any resistance, boasts, saying: "You, however, are my support, so that malicious attacks from my adversaries do not leave me restless." My glory is in you, Lord, because I boast in you, not in my own strength, which can only come from you. Therefore, all my worth is rightly directed to you, and nothing is given to me. As you lift my head, that is, the higher part of my soul, the lower parts are governed by you. To lift up to the joy and contemplation of the heavenly, don't allow yourself to be brought down or entangled in the lowly and worthless pleasures of this world. This is essential: you have enriched me with the oil of spiritual joy, so that it may be filled with love, and let it be for me a cup, that is, a drink of internal sweetness, intoxicating my soul with the love of the Creator, and let me lie down, at peace, completely turned away from the love of temporal things, and thus, as if with sweetness, feeling nothing of earthly delight or softness, may I be led to the glorious eternity. In this excellent sweetness of love, the conscience shines brightly because purity endures there, and the heart burns delightfully. The mind, filled with wondrous gifts, burns with desire and doesn't even care to look at the pleasures of this world; rather, it embraces the bitter things of life more willingly than the sweet ones, because, enjoying endless delights, it never ceases to cling to the ardent love of Jesus, so that you could easily and quickly overturn the order of the world, just as you could recall the mind from the love of its Savior. Indeed, one hates everything that opposes divine love, and tirelessly longs to fulfill what pleases God and knows Him. This love wouldn't be set aside for any punishment or misery, but rather it would burn even more intensely to do the will of the Lord. It wouldn't rush to avoid some hardship for the sake of this cause. He thinks of nothing else or desires nothing but to love Christ truly and to carry out His will in everything, constantly. Indeed, she received this ardent will for goodness from her beloved, and her mind, enriched by devotion from God, was chosen to be such that she would remain a perfect bride of Christ, and she would become a vessel of election, filled with the most noble sweetness of eternal life; and her name, which is chosen from the lowly, would continue in indelible and everlasting memory, and she would retain it within herself by continually reflecting on it. From there, with divine help, he will cast aside all obstacles to love, and he will find joy in God continually, because the enemies will not prevail against the arrows of such lovers. But he will also take on security in his conscience with an inestimable clarity of inner sweetness from the beloved, and he will long to send forth his spirit every hour, because, remaining in an intimate cry, he will be purified daily in the warmth of love, so that in it no spiritual decay will endure, while the ongoing thought of God drives out all iniquity that malice suggests, and the fire of love truly dwells in the mind, expelling all contagion that arises from innate desire. However, placed in the highest elevation, one is secure enough to completely avoid negligence and to expel it like a pestilent enemy. Let him not lose his diligence and fear while he lives here, because the better and more acceptable someone is to God, the more he burns with love, and he is stirred to work more earnestly and vigorously on those things that align with his purpose and life, even by the very impulses of love. And for this reason, he is always careful, and he should not let the memory of his most beloved slip from his mind, so that he holds and thinks of him not only in habit but also in action, knowing that it is commanded to love him with all his heart. And he fears greatly that he might at least be distracted by those things that are the least. Not only does one strive to love Christ with their whole mind to fulfill this, and exert their entire desire toward it, but they are also captivated by great delight, so that they never forget their beloved, nor do they wish to separate themselves from His love by turning aside to worldly pleasures, even if they could do so without penalty. For he has experienced that spiritual delights are sweeter than bodily pleasures; therefore, it would be surprising if he were to slip into such great delusions, preferring to grasp at these fictitious and almost fantastical joys, or if he were to desire to cling to something in a carnal way, which every true lover of God abhors. Some have indeed been shamefully deceived by the lust of the flesh, and the allure of visible things has even drawn wise and devout people into illicit embraces, because they were not perfectly grounded in love, nor did they adhere completely to eternal love. Therefore, driven by temptations, they seemed to be rising, but before they could reach the summit, they fell below. But without a doubt, a true lover of eternity remains calm amid temptations, and in this struggle, he earns a crown for himself, while others who are unstable fall. The beloved of Christ never cease to remove all obstacles, and they pour out their hearts completely before their Creator. And certainly those who haven't set their foot in love will wither away, having been cast down from the ascent of intention, while those who prepare themselves unchangingly for eternal joys will steadfastly persist in their beginnings, nourished and educated in the sweetness of heavenly flavor, so that they may shine as examples of holiness for those outside, and within themselves they may burn sweetly with the fire of love. The errors of carnal desires kill the appetite for purity, although no one in this life can completely extinguish the desire that has been generated, nor can anyone be so perfect as to live in the flesh without sinning. And through this, no one will be perfectly healed here, but in that homeland where glory strengthens the understanding to perceive God, and eternal peace invades all anxieties and troubles, driving them out completely, so that there will be no anxiety of corruption, since eternal happiness completes triumph. But before that. Meanwhile, let your mind awaken and yearn with a persevering love for the fire of love, and strive to avoid the tempting pleasures of visible vanity. For this reason, let it remain until death: but at death, the fuel of sin perishes, and the weakness of nature, so that each chosen one, enabled to love, strengthened by heavenly grace, armed against that very fuel with self-control, may engage in glorious contests and overcome all that assails lovers with hostility. Thus, while fighting, one conquers and is not conquered, and is lifted up to a marvelous delight, to which all his inner being applauds, because he perceives the mystery of love inspiring him, and in a sweet flow ascends above, contemplating with joy the sweet praises that flow forth for the lover, hastening toward destruction, indeed toward the nothingness of carnal impulses and affections. Many add that what sounds sweet and harmonious to the heart draws one in and soothes them; however, they haven't explained how thought transforms into song, or how sweetness lingers in the mind, or how prayers are shaped with joyful exultation.