Verba Christi ad sponsam de modo et respectu, quos debeat in oracione tenere, et de tribus generibus hominum in hoc mundo Deo seruiencium.
The Discipline of Prayer
Christ instructs the soul to align its will with His own in prayer, emphasizing that true petition seeks divine wisdom rather than personal desire.
I am your God, who was crucified on the cross; I am true God and true man in one person, and I am daily in the hands of the priest. Whenever you offer me a prayer, always conclude it this way: that you desire my will to be done always, not yours. For when you pray for the damned, I do not hear you. Sometimes you even ask for things that are against your own well-being, which is why you need to entrust your will to me—I know everything, and I provide you with nothing but what is useful. Many people pray without the right intention, and that is why they don't deserve to be heard.
Three Paths of Service
The Lord categorizes those who serve Him into three groups: those seeking temporal gain, those motivated by fear, and those moved by divine love.
There are three types of people who serve me in this world. The first are those who believe that I am God, the giver of all things, and all-powerful. These people serve me with the intention of gaining temporal things and honor; they consider heavenly things to be worth nothing, and they gladly let them go to gain what is present. For them, worldly prosperity comes in everything according to their own desires. And so, having lost the eternal, I reward them with temporal comfort for whatever good they have done for me, down to the very last penny and the final detail. The second group consists of those who believe I am an all-powerful God and a strict judge; they serve me out of fear of punishment, not out of love for heavenly glory. If they didn't fear, they wouldn't serve me. The third group are those who believe I am the Creator of all things and the true God, and who believe I am both just and merciful. They don't serve me out of fear of punishment, but out of divine love and charity. In fact, they would rather endure any punishment, if they could, than provoke me to anger even once. These truly deserve to have their prayers heard, because their will is in harmony with my own.
The Fruits of Intent
Christ concludes by outlining the eternal consequences for the first two types of servants, highlighting the necessity of penance for those who serve only out of fear.
The first will never escape punishment, nor will he see my face. The second, however, won't suffer such great punishment, yet he won't see my face unless he corrects that fear through penance.
Read the original Latin
"Ego sum Deus tuus, qui in cruce crucifixus verus Deus et verus homo in una persona sum cotidie in manibus sacerdotis. Cum michi aliquam oracionem facis, conclude sic semper oracionem tuam, ut scilicet velis fieri semper voluntatem meam, non tuam. Quia cum pro dampnatis exoras, non exaudio te.
Quandoque eciam contra salutem tuam optas fieri, et ideo necesse est tibi voluntatem tuam michi committere, qui omnia scio, qui prouideo tibi nichil nisi utile. Multi quippe orant non recta intencione, et ideo non exaudiri merentur.
Tria namque sunt genera hominum seruiencium michi in hoc mundo. Primi sunt, qui me credunt esse Deum et largitorem omnium et super omnia potentem. Hii seruiunt michi hac intencione, ut scilicet temporalia et honorem optineant, sed celestia sunt eis pro nichilo et gaudenter ea amittunt, ut optineant presencia. Hiis iuxta voluntatem eorum prosperitas seculi in omnibus accedit. Et sic amissis eternis, in temporali commoditate remunero eos, quidquid boni fecerint pro me, usque ad ultimum quadrantem et usque ad nouissimum punctum.
Secundi sunt, qui credunt me Deum omnipotentem et districtum iudicem, et isti seruiunt michi ex timore pene, non autem ex amore celestis glorie. Nisi enim timerent, non michi seruirent.
Tercii sunt, qui credunt me omnium creatorem et verum Deum, qui credunt me iustum et misericordem. Et seruiunt michi non ex timore alicuius pene sed ex diuina dileccione et caritate. Et mallent quippe omnem penam, si sufficerent, magis ferre quam me semel ad iram prouocare. Isti vero merentur audiri in prece sua, quia voluntas eorum est secundum voluntatem meam.
Primus enim numquam exiet de supplicio nec videbit faciem meam. Secundus autem tam magnum supplicium non habebit nec tamen faciem meam videbit, nisi correxerit illum timorem penitencia."
Revelationes (Heavenly Revelations) companion
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