“"...Of the Abundant Virtue which Flows from the Heart of Jesus into the Faithful Souls."

Some days after, as the Saint reflected upon this stupendous favor with singular gratitude, she anxiously inquired of the Lord how long it would be continued to her. He replied: “As long as you desire to have it, for it would grieve Me to deprive you of it.” She answered: “But is it possible that Thy Deified Heart is suspended like a lamp in the midst of mine, which is, alas, so unworthy of its presence, when at the same time I have the joy of finding in Thyself this very same source of all delight?” “It is even so,” replied the Lord; “when you wish to take hold of anything, you stretch forth your hand, and then withdraw it again after you have taken it; so also the love which I bear toward you causes Me to extend My Heart to draw you to Me, when you are distracting yourself with exterior things; and then, when you have recollected yourself, I withdraw My Heart, and you along with it, so that you may enter into Me; and thus I make you taste the sweetness of all virtues.”

St. Gertrude the Great

Then, as she considered on the other hand, with exceeding wonder and gratitude, the greatness of the charity which God had for her, and, on the other hand, her own nothingness and the great number of her faults, she

retired with profound self-contempt into the valley of humility, esteeming herself unworthy of any grace; and having remained therein hidden for some time, He who loves to pour forth His gifts on the humble seemed to make a golden tube come forth from His Heart, which descended upon this humble soul in the form of a lamp, making a channel through which He poured forth on her the abundance of all His marvels, so that when she humbled herself at the recollection of her faults, Our Lord poured forth on her from His sacred Heart all the virtue and beauty of His Divine perfection, which concealed her imperfections from the eyes of the Divine Goodness. And further, if she desired any new ornament, or any of those things which appeared attractive and desirable to the human heart, it was communicated to her, with much pleasure and joy, by this same mysterious channel.

When she had tasted the sweetness of these holy delights for some time, and was adorned with all virtues – not her own, but those given her by God – she heard a most melodious sound, as of a sweet harper harping upon his harp, and these words were sung to her: “Come, O Mine own, to Me: enter, O Mine own, into Me: abide, O Mine own, with Me.” And the Lord Himself explained the meaning of this canticle to her, saying: “Come to me, because I love you, and desire that you should be always present before Me, as My beloved spouse, and therefore I call you; and because My delights are in you, I desire that you should enter unto Me. I desire that you should remain indissolubly united to Me, even as the body is united to the spirit, without which it cannot live for a moment.” This rapture continued for an hour, and the Saint was drawn in a miraculous manner into the Heart of Jesus, through this sacred channel of which we have spoken, so that she found herself happily reposing in the bosom of her Lord and Spouse. What she felt, what she saw, what she heard, what she tasted, what she learned of the words of life, she alone can know, and they who, like her, are worthy to be admitted to this sublime union with their Spouse Jesus, their soul’s true love, Who is God, blessed forever. Amen.                                       

(Source: THE LIFE AND REVELATIONS of ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT [TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS, Inc.])  .