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Dear Readers,
This Message of Gold based on texts from the Lower Volumes of the “Book of Heaven” arose from a beautiful coincidence. The coincidence, a God inspired coincidence, I feel sure, happened when I received an email from a Japanese Lady, who has recently discovered the Writings of Luisa, shortly after I had the misfortune of a thought about myself, forgetting the terrible consequences of such thoughts.
I was so impressed with what I learned from the many short excerpts included in the Japanese Lady’s excerpts and the texts that I studied to answer her question (which is at the very beginning of the) Pearl of the New and Divine Holiness included below. Because the theme of this Pearl (not thinking about yourself) is so important and full of Divine Wisdom, I want to share it with all the Readers of the Messages of Gold.
Some of the paragraphs extracted from the “Book of Heaven,” are repeated in different places for emphasis.
Note: I make a lot of typos and other mistakes when writing these Messages of Gold and usually don’t catch them all before sending them to you. Please just ignore them, unless it somehow causes confusion.
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The Danger and Losses from Thinking about Yourself
Dear Mr. Fahy,
I would appreciate very much if you could you explain to me about ‘Recognize yourself in God’ (Vol.11 – November 2, 1912).
Thank you.
Nxxxxx
The following short quotes taken from the writings of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, Book of Heaven were included with the Email from the Japanese Lady, who lives in Canada.
(Jesus is speaking to Luisa)
Thinking of oneself (self-reflection)
p.85, vol.6 – going out of God and returning to live in oneself
p.25, vol.11 – July 4, 1912
And besides, every thought that regards oneself, even about virtues themselves, is always gaining for oneself and running away from Divine Life; while if the soul thinks only about Me and what regards Me, she takes Divine Life into herself, and by taking the Divine Life, she escapes the human, and takes all possible goods.
p.30-31, vol.11 – August 16, 1912
My daughter (Luisa), the thought of yourselves blinds your minds; it forms a sort of human enchantment in them, and this human enchantment forms a net around man.
This net is made of weaknesses, of oppressions, of melancholies, of fears and of everything evil contained in the human nature.
And the more one thinks about oneself, even under the aspect of good, the thicker the net becomes, and the blinder the soul.
On the other hand, not thinking of oneself, but thinking only of Me, and only of loving Me, whatever the circumstance, is light for the mind and forms a sweet divine enchantment.
This divine enchantment also forms its net, but this net is all made of light, of fortitude, of joy, of trust; in sum, of all the goods which I Myself possess.
And the less one thinks about oneself, the thicker that net becomes, to the point that one no longer recognizes oneself.
How beautiful it is to see the soul wrapped in this net which the divine enchantment has woven!
How delightful, gracious and dear to all Heaven!
The opposite for the soul who thinks about herself.
p.31, vol.11 – August 17, 1912
My daughter, the thought of oneself makes the soul smaller, and from her smallness she measures my greatness, almost wanting to constrain Me. (nxxxxx likes this quote)
On the other hand, one who does not think of herself, by thinking of Me expands within my immensity and renders Me the honor due to Me.
p.34, vol.11 – September 2, 1912
For one who truly loves Me, self-reflections, self-concerns, even in good, are many voids that she forms in love, therefore my life cannot fill the soul completely.
I am as though put aside, in a corner, and they give Me the occasion to make my little withdrawals.
On the other hand, if one is not prone to reflections on her own concerns but thinks only of loving Me, she takes care of Me, and I fill her completely
……My daughter, if souls knew how harmful self-reflections are!
They bend the soul, they lower her, they cause her to keep her face turned inward.
And the more they look at themselves, the more human they become; the more they reflect, the more they feel their miseries and become miserable
p.41, vol.11 –November 2, 1912
How the soul must recognize herself only in God.
………..If you want to recognize yourself, come into Me, to recognize yourself inside of Me.
If you come to recognize yourself in Me, you will put yourself in order, because in Me you will find your image, made by Me and similar to Me.
You will find everything that is needed to preserve and embellish this image.
As you come to recognize yourself in Me, you will also recognize your neighbor in Me; and in seeing how I love you, and how I love your neighbor, you will rise to the degree of true divine love, and everything, inside and outside of you, will take on the true order – which is the divine order.
But if you want to recognize yourself inside of yourself, first, you will not really recognize yourself because you will lack divine light; second, you will find all things in disorder and clashing among themselves: misery, weakness, darkness, passions, and all the rest.
It is disorder that You will find inside and outside of yourself, for these things will wage war not only against you, but also among themselves, to see which one can hurt you the most; and imagine, yourself, in what order they will put you with your neighbor.
Not only do I want you to recognize yourself in Me, but if you want to remember yourself, you must come and do it in Me; otherwise, if you try to remember yourself without Me, you will do more harm than good.
My Reply to the Japanese Lady: As Jesus was admonishing Luisa for thinking about herself. She asked Him if He thought about Himself.
Jesus replied: “No, I do not think about Myself. Those who need something think about themselves. I need nothing. I Myself am sanctity, happiness, immensity, the height and the depth. I lack nothing—nothing at all.
My Being contains all possible imaginable goods within Itself. If any thought absorbs Me, it is the thought of mankind, which I created out of Myself and which I want to draw back to Me. I place the souls who really want to do My Will in this same condition—because they are one single thing with Me. I make them co-owners of My goods because there is no slavery in My Will. What is Mine is theirs; what I want, they want. That is why if a soul becomes preoccupied with some need, this shows that she is not perfectly in My Will or that, at the very least, she makes some descents, just as you are doing right now—nothing less.
Doesn’t it seem strange to you that the one who formed one single thing—one single Will—with Me, asks Me for mercy, pardon, blood, and pains, when I made her co-owner with Me? I don’t know what mercy or pardon to give her, since I gave her everything. At the most, I should forgive Myself for some mistake, which can never be. That is why I recommend that you not leave My Will, otherwise you will become poor and will feel the need for everything.”
It seems to me that for one who continuously lives in the Divine Will and possesses the Divine Will must realize that he or she does not need anything, because living in and possessing the Divine Will, one truly lives in Jesus and does not need anything.
Adam and Eve in the beginning never prayed for anything, until after they separated from the Divine Will. Their prayers in the beginning were prayers of thanksgiving, love, praise, and glory.
Jesus doesn’t need anything, and those who live in Him with the Gift of the Divine Will do not need to pray for anything, but simply take what they already possess in Jesus.
When it comes to suffering, the soul must suffer in Jesus, not thinking of himself or herself.
When Jesus admonished Luisa for thinking of herself, she was in the 25th year of her life in the Divine Will, as she was first given the Gift of the Divine Will in September of 1888, but she only began to write the words of the Book of Heaven in February of 1899 as Jesus communicated the words to her.
Additional Texts from the Book of Heaven
Thinking of Yourself and Related Themes
Vol. 7
September 2, 1906
Luisa wants to settle accounts with Jesus. Jesus wants her to forget herself.
This morning, since I knew that I was going to be able to receive Holy Communion, I prepared to make a day’s retreat, to prepare myself for death. And after I had received Holy Communion, I said to blessed Jesus: “Let us settle accounts now, so as not to wait until the very end of my life. I myself have no idea where I stand; I do not reflect on myself, and since I do not reflect, I do not see myself as I am—and so I feel neither fears, nor scruples, nor disturbances. But I see that others, who are far better than I am—and even the very saints whose lives I read—they all reflect upon themselves: whether they are cold or warm, tempted or calm; whether they confess well or badly. And almost all of them are shy, agitated and scrupulous. But instead my whole attention is fixed on wanting You, loving You, and not offending You. As for the rest, I don’t worry about anything—I seem to have no time to think of anything else, and if I do, an interior voice shakes me, scolds me, and says: “Do you want to waste time? Focus on doing all that you do with God.” That is why I myself do not know what state I am in—whether I am cold, dry, or warm. And if anyone wanted me to tell them, I certainly would not be able to do it. I think I have done things all wrong. So, let us settle accounts now, so that I can correct what is wrong.”
And after I had begged Him over and over again, He said to me: My daughter, I keep you constantly on my lap, and I hold you so tightly so that you will never worry about yourself even for a moment. I hold you as a father holds his little child on his knees: Now he gives him a kiss, now a caress; now he feeds him with his own hands, and now, if the little child gets dirty without meaning to, the father takes charge of cleaning the child with his own hands.
And if the father shows that he is suffering, the little one consoles him and dries his tears. If he expresses irritation, the little one calms him down. In short, the father forms the life of the little one and does not let him worry the least little bit about himself—whether he needs to eat, whether he gets dirty, whether he needs to clothe himself, and not even whether he needs to sleep. Indeed, forming a cradle with his arms, the father rocks his child to sleep, and lets him sleep on his own lap. And the little one forms the father’s whole life and consolation, while the other grown-up children take care of reordering the house, of cleaning themselves on their own, and of all the other affairs. And I do the same with you: I keep you on my knees like a little daughter, so intimately united with Me that you are not even conscious of yourself. I think of you and take care of you completely. I clean you if you are stained, and I feed you if you need food; in short, I anticipate your every need, so that you yourself do not even know your needs. And, by holding you closely and intimately, I give you a great grace, because you avoid many, many defects, while if you thought of yourself—O into how many defects you would fall! That is why I tell you to think of fulfilling your duty as a little daughter toward Me, and give no thought to anything else.
Vol 11
June 6, 1915
In the Divine Will the soul must not think about herself, but only about God and her neighbor.
As I was in my usual state, my always adorable Jesus, while remaining hidden, wanted me to focus on Him, and to plead continuously for my brothers. While I was weeping and praying for the salvation of the poor soldiers, I wanted to cling to Jesus plead with Him that none be lost, and I reached the point of speaking nonsense to Him. Although He kept silent, Jesus seemed to be pleased with my petitions, and willing to grant what I asked. But a thought came into my mind—that I should think about my own salvation.
Jesus told me: My daughter, as you thought of yourself, you produced a human sensation, and my Will, being fully Divine, noticed it. In my Will all human actions turn into love for Me and for others. The soul who lives in this way contains nothing of her own, because she contains only my Will which bears every possible blessings within Itself. So, if she contains those goods, why should she ask Me for them? Wouldn’t it be just for her to attend to praying for those who lack those blessings? Ah, if you knew what calamities miserable humanity will pass through, you would be more active in my Will on their behalf! And while He said this, He showed me all the evils that the freemasons are plotting.
November 1, 1912
The thought of oneself impoverishes and degrades the soul. Only those who need something think about themselves. Those who live in the Divine Will are in the same condition as Jesus.
I was suffering intensely because of the abandonment of my adorable Jesus, and I was praying and making reparation for everyone. In my extreme bitterness, I examined myself and I said: ”Have mercy on me, Jesus. Forgive this soul! Aren’t your Blood and your pains mine, too? Are they really less worthy when offered for me?” And while I was saying this, my adorable Jesus spoke from my interior and said: Ah, my daughter, why are you thinking about yourself? You are pulling yourself down, lowering yourself from the place of a master to that of a miserable beggar! Poor daughter! By thinking of yourself you impoverish yourself, because in my Will you own everything and you can take anything you want on your own. If there is anything to do in my Will, it is to pray and repair for others.
And I answered: “Most sweet Jesus, You love for those who live in your Will not to think about themselves; but, You, do You think of Yourself?” (What an inappropriate question!)
And Jesus said: No, I do not think about Myself. Those who need something think about themselves. I need nothing. I Myself am Sanctity, happiness, immensity, the height and the depth. I lack nothing—nothing at all. My Being contains all possible imaginable goods within Itself. If any thought absorbs Me, it is the thought of mankind, which I created out of Myself and which I want to draw back to Me. I place the souls who really want to do my Will in this same condition—because they are one single thing with Me. I make them co-owners of my goods because there is no slavery in my Will. What is mine is theirs; what I want, they want. That is why if a soul becomes preoccupied with some need, this shows that she is not perfectly in my Will or that, at the very least, she makes some descents, just as you are doing right now—nothing less.
Doesn’t it seem strange to you that the one who formed one single thing—one single Will—with Me, asks Me for mercy, pardon, blood, and pains, when I made her co-owner with Me? I don’t know what mercy or pardon to give her, since I gave her everything. At the most, I should forgive Myself for some mistake, which can never be. Therefore, I recommend that you not leave my Will, otherwise you will become poor and will feel the need for everything.
November 2, 1912
One who wants to know herself must know herself in Jesus, and she will find her true image in Him, placing herself entirely in the divine order.
As I continued to suffer, I said to myself: “I no longer recognize myself! Sweet Life of mine, where are You? What shall I do to find you again? Without You, my Love, I cannot find the Beauty that adorns me, the Fortitude that strengthens me, or the Life that animates me. I lack everything—everything is death for me. Without you, life itself is more harrowing than any death. Ah, it is a continual death! Come, O Jesus, I cannot take it any more! O supreme Light, come—don’t make me wait any more! You let me feel the touch of your hands and then, as I try to grab You, You run away from me. You let me see your shadow, and as I try to look at the majesty in your shadow—the beauty of my Sun Jesus—I lose both shadow and Sun. Please, mercy! My heart is shredded, torn to pieces—I cannot live any more. Ah, if only I could die!”
As I was saying this, my always adorable Jesus came to me and said: My daughter, I am here, inside of you. If you want to recognize yourself, come into Me, to recognize yourself inside of Me. If you come to recognize yourself in Me, you will put yourself in order, because in Me you will find your image, made by Me and similar to Me. Indeed, you will find everything you need to preserve and adorn this image. As you come to recognize yourself in Me, you will also recognize your neighbor in Me; and when you see how much I love you and your neighbor, you will rise to the degree of true Divine Love. Everything inside and outside of yourself will take on the true order—the Divine order.
But if you want to recognize yourself within yourself, first, you won’t really recognize yourself at all, because you will lack Divine light; second, you will find everything in disarray and contradiction—misery, weakness, darkness, passions, and all the rest. You will find all these things in disorder within and outside of yourself, trying to wage war not only with you, but also with themselves, to see which one can harm you the most. And you—imagine what kind of relations they will foster between you and your neighbor.
Not only do I want you to recognize yourself in Me but, if you want to remember yourself, you must come and do it in Me; otherwise, if you try to remember yourself without Me, you will do more harm than good.
Vol. 12
May 10, 1919
The Divine Life remains in the soul as long as God’s Will is in her.
I was very afflicted and almost anxious about my poor state, and Jesus, wanting to distract me from thinking about myself, told me: My daughter, what are you doing? The thought of yourself makes you go out of my Will. Don’t you know that the Divine Life lasts in you as long as my Will is in you, and that as soon as my Will ceases, the Divine Life also ceases, and you take back your human life? A fine exchange you make! The same thing happens with obedience. As long as obedience continues, the life of the one in command continues in the one who obeys; but as soon as the obedience ceases, he takes back his own life.
Then, as though sighing, He added: Ah, you do not know what destruction the world will experience! All that has happened until now can be called a game, compared to the chastisements that are coming. I do not show all of them to you so as not to oppress you too much; and when I see the hardness of man’s heart I remain as if in hiding within you. And you, you must pray together with Me—and try not to think about yourself.
— submitted by Thomas Fahys