Quod amor perfectus unit Deo et inseparabilem reddit et memorabilem Dei facit; sed amor mundi in nihilum cadit. Et de natura ueri amoris stabili et perpetua, suaue, leui et utili, et de falso amore, uenenoso, turpi et putrido

Quod amor perfectus unit Deo et inseparabilem reddit et memorabilem Dei facit; sed amor mundi in nihilum cadit. Et de natura ueri amoris stabili et perpetua, suaue, leui et utili, et de falso amore, uenenoso, turpi et putrido

This act is perfect, namely, if we separate our minds from the love of created things and truly and inseparably unite them to God alone; and the more perfect we become in this work, the better we are. This act is above all others because everything we do should be directed toward this end, that we may be perfectly united with our God; but many things pull us away from this union, namely, the delightful appearances of the world, the vanity of men and women, wealth and honors, praise and favor of the people. Therefore, let us strive to fulfill this act, putting aside and forgetting everything that might hinder us. For love, to which we ascend in this work, is more fervent than burning coals, and it will produce its effect in us completely, because it will make our souls ardent and shining. This is the love that cannot be deceived by any creature, and it cannot be cheated out of eternal reward in heaven. But who could endure the flame of this love for long if it always remained the same? It often cools so that it doesn't consume the nature of the body, which is perishable, and it weighs down the soul, because this corruptible flesh does not allow the mind to be continually lifted up to God. The fervor of true devotion is often interrupted by sleep and the excessive demands of the body or labor, yet the passion is not extinguished; rather, it remains, though it may not be felt as strongly as before. It returns to us when we turn back to God, and it helps us recover from the weakness of our minds, granting us sweetness; it also frees the body from many kinds of ailments while keeping us in sobriety and temperance. It also lifts our spirits to heavenly desires, so that we do not fall. We delight in the lower things of the earth. This is the love that draws Christ into our hearts and makes our minds sweet, so that we may burst forth in hymns from within and rejoice as if we were filled with the Spirit. I don't consider any pleasure like this, because sincere sweetness intoxicates, and holy delight captivates. The soul that embraces sacred fires is purified; nothing rusty or dark remains in it, but it is entirely permeated with a sweet brightness, so that its inner nature may be seen transformed into divine glory and the song of love. Indeed, eternal love brings joy and pours out delightful abundance, so that His friends are not compelled to incline toward any affection for the things of this world, but may freely melt in praise and love for Christ Jesus. So learn to love your Creator if you want to live after you pass from here. So, do this: love God in your life if you want to live after your death; dedicate your mind to Him, who can protect it from eternal and temporal sufferings. Therefore, let your heart not be separated from Him, even if you find yourself in adversity and misery, because in this way you will be able to possess Him with joy and love Him without end. In this, you show yourself to be a true lover, if you don't allow the memory of God to wander from you, whether good things happen or bad. O good Jesus, who has given me life even in your love, lead me to you, who I long for, and take my whole intention to yourself, so that you may be my entire desire, and let nothing else affect my heart! May pain and hardness depart from me, and may what I desire come to me, if my soul has heard and accepted the song of your praise. May your love remain in us always and without fail, from which we can feel it; therefore, let my thoughts be firmly placed in your power, so that they may not vanish into empty and useless fantasies, nor be deceived by errors, and may not be inclined toward earthly happiness, whether to be loved or praised. Let my mind, purified by you, burn so intensely in your love that it may not cool suddenly or unexpectedly. If I love any creature of this world that pleases my will in every way, I will place my joy in that creature. I can fear the burning and bitter separation when my solace and desire come to an end, because all the happiness I have in such love is nothing but weeping and anxiety when it is near, which will torment my soul with the most bitter pain. Therefore, every pleasure that people have seen in this exile is compared to hay, which now blooms and thrives, but quickly vanishes as if it had never been. Indeed, the joy of this world appears rightly to those who consider it, but it never remains in the same state for those who are caught up in the fleeting comforts of the world; rather, it always passes away until it is reduced to nothing. In labor, however, everyone is caught up, and no one can escape it. The nature of true love is faithful and not fictitious; it is meant to remain in perpetual stability and should not change with any new successor. Thus, life that can find love will turn from pain into ineffable joy and will dwell in the mystery of melody. For love will cherish, and by joyfully singing in Jesus, it will be united with the little bird that sings until death; yet perhaps in death it will not lack the comfort of love's song, if it should happen to die, and not rather while living pass over to its beloved. After passing through, he will be wonderfully raised up in praise of the Creator, and he will abundantly flow with delights in singing, and he will quickly rise to the seraphic cry, so that he may shine in praise and serve continually without end. There, the embraces of love and the sweetness of affection will be present, united in the heart, and the bond of loved ones will endure forever. A sweet kiss will be given, and the love of both will never cease. For me, the presence of my beloved brings immense joy and security, and I don't recall any discomfort when I think of Him. All opposing forces fade away; all other affections and desires do not appear, but rather they are calmed and disappear. Only He alone restores and envelops me, whom my heart ardently longs for. But if you love Christ with all your will and hate every stain of wickedness, and give your heart to him who redeemed it, then he will be your possessor by grace, not the devil through guilt. Just as your soul seeks Christ truly and fearlessly, refusing to stop until it finds Him, so you will be led to eternal glory and stand before your God in the blessed seat. Therefore, I advise you to love as I have explained, and take your place among the angels. Be careful not to lose this glory and honor for the sake of worthless vanity and carnal pleasure. Look carefully so that the love of the creature doesn't exclude you from the love of the Creator. In this world, you shouldn't hate misery unless it could drive away and disturb your pure love, because strong love is as powerful as perfect death, hard like a true rivalry. Love is a light burden that doesn’t weigh down the bearer [REDACTED] lifts them up; it brings joy to the young and the old alike, in which victorious souls exult over the captured prey of demons, and in which those fighting against the flesh and the world are protected. Love is a spiritual wine that intoxicates the minds of the chosen, making them bold and strong, so that they forget the poisonous pleasures of the world and do not even care to think about them, but rather disdain them vehemently; thus, no one who truly loves can lose that holy love, but must gain much from it. If love is held faithfully in the heart, it remains without pain in the mind of the lover, just as lovers have declared, because love advances, while pain destroys; indeed, the advancing and the destroying are completely opposed. Therefore, a heart that loves perfectly feels neither pain nor sorrow; it is neither sad nor troubled. Indeed, perfect love and fallen sorrow do not coexist. What is done willingly is not done under compulsion. A person who loves acts willingly and gladly, so they don't experience misery in their work; rather, they are happy, not forced into anything, not groaning about it, but always showing themselves joyful and cheerful. Therefore, love is the sweetest and most useful thing that any rational creature has ever received. For love is the most acceptable and beloved thing to God, which binds not only with the ties of wisdom and sweetness but also connects flesh and blood, so that a person does not fall into deceptive sweetness and into various desires of error. In this love, may the heart be healed, strengthened, and our life sustained; indeed, I have never found a better or sweeter dwelling, because love unites me and my beloved, making us one from two. However, carnal love will flourish and perish just like a flower in the field during summer; it won't last any longer than a single day, and it will certainly exist only for a short time. But afterward, it will turn to sorrow, and without a doubt, it will become bitter for those who chase after empty things. Their pride and play in false beauty will be cast into decay and shame, for they have already fallen into torment, which will be with them forever. It won't last, just like their false happiness and joy, which they had, passed away in the splendor of their appearance in vain, and everything they delighted in quickly vanished. But God gives beauty to men and women, not so they can inflame each other by despising their Creator, as has nearly happened to everyone, but so that, recognizing the blessings of their Lord God, they may glorify Him with all their heart and love Him continually; and they should sigh for that eternal ugliness, to which all worldly beauty and glory is nothing in comparison. If an attractive form appears in the servants of the world, what will beauty be like in the children of God who are established in heaven? So let us love ardently, because if we have loved in sweet delight, we will sing to Christ with melody, whose love conquers all, and therefore let us live in love and in that love let us also die.