Lest You Remain

2 Out of the love of God, you will perform every good, and escape every evil; you will exercise every virtue possible, and detest every vice and sin. Out of the love of God, you will bear with willingness and fortitude mortifications, afflictions, reproofs, injuries, calumnies, labors, pains, destitution, austerity, and other situa- tions like these. Out of the love of God you will carry out in a most perfect way, your exercis- es, duties, jobs entrusted to you, and whatever concerns your state and vocation. You will consecrate to divine Love, all of your entire life, daily actions and suffer- ings, and each and every moment, details, circumstances, changes. Each and every action and suffering by due submission, confidence, and piety [will be consecrat- ed] for all eternity on the altar of love, by a pure heart joined to the merits of Christ the Lord, his Immaculate Mother, all of the Saints, and the universal Church. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Dt 6:5; Mt 22:37) This, which Divine Wisdom wanted to be most recommended in both [the Old and New] Testaments, (Mk 12:30, Lk 10:27) should be your common rule and the safest way to heaven. ( Norma vitae ) 3 On all (Mt 25:31-46) occasions you will not neglect to show outsiders every possible love. You will surround with devoted love not only those you find benev- olent to you, but adversaries as well, and enemies (whom our Lord rightly com- manded us to love). These works alone will triumph at the final Judgement. (cf. Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27-35) ( Norma vitae ) 4 Now, contemplate the virtue, thanks to which everything was created: Heaven and earth came into being, and man was made, God became a man and, although not prone to suffering, suffered in the body and was savagely killed, and though immortal, He died for you, not as God but as man. Thanks to this love, the Apostles and other disciples received the Light from Heaven, the Teacher of Truth and the Spirit of all knowledge. And thanks to this love, the one Body of God’s Church, was created out of many peoples, as of different limbs; and many holy Communities, L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 138