January 1—“My keynote for the year, Lord?”
“Submerge yourself in Me in life, and you will be engulfed in Me in death.” . . .
February 12—“When you pray, keep your eyes on Me. Enter into my eternal thoughts, otherwise you will find your own thoughts wandering.
“Keep in mind that you are all dependent on one another, so that if one of you does something perfectly, it adds to the treasury of the whole Church.
“My little child, don’t miss a single opportunity of enriching both yourself and others. Take a long look at your model—My life—just as you studied your notebooks when you were a little girl. And set to work to write on these last pages of your life more with the desire of pleasing Me than with any thought of winning a prize. And I who am always there watching you will lovingly accept this desire to please Me.
“Do you grasp what I’m saying? Don’t have a thought for yourself. With your whole being enfolded in Mine, think of Me. And then, scatter sunshine on everyone. It will be My sunshine, not yours.”
“Lord, I promise, I desire. But in reality, what do I do?”
“My compassionate heart is happy to accept promises and desires. Little by little they become acts. Promises and desires are acts in bud.
“Never be discouraged. Remind yourself often that I am with you. Can I be with you and not help you? Isn’t the creature infinitely precious to the Creator? If you only knew!
“Let your ear always be on the alert to listen to Me. You will hear. When John leaned on My heart, he heard its secrets. If he had not shown me this gesture of tenderness, would he ever have heard? I am like a shy person—I have to wait for you to make the first move.”
March 1—After Communion.
“It’s always possible to pray, no matter what you are doing. When I was covered with wounds and bruises, I recited psalms. And staggering up the hill to Calvary in the midst of the yelling mobs, and on the cross, My poor cross. And yet you find it difficult to pray while doing your comfortable little tasks. Oh! Merge with Me.”
March 24—“To give pleasure is to do good. Don’t be miserly with anyone, especially those who have been unkind to you. Merge with Me by saying:
“It is You who pray in me.
“It is You doing the work as I work.
“It is You speaking when I speak.
“And do everything with the utmost tenderness, My little girl.”
April 5—Easter.
“I rose from the dead for you. Not for My glory, but so that you might believe and live in the hope of your own resurrection.
“Never count on yourself, always count on Me, at every moment of your life. Allow Me to live in you at last, to take your place. Step outside of yourself. Be a completely new person—a soul gone bankrupt and then made rich.
“Look at My wounds as they are now—glorified. You have so often pictured blood flowing from them. After suffering, glory. Rejoice with all the heavenly hosts.”
April 11—“Don’t you understand that I prefer someone who has fallen many times but who despises himself at My feet, to the self-righteous person who thinks he is without fault. My little girl, tell Me every day how sorry you are for any way you have pained Me. Take a steady look at your failures and stains, and offer them to Me so that I may wash them away. Tell Me how weak you are and how often you fail. Say: ‘My great friend, help me. You know only too well how helpless I am, but with You I can do anything.’ And then go on your way again, trusting in Me day by day. You understand? Even if you see no progress at all, be more patient than ever. Be ready to persevere to the very end. Didn’t I need that kind of courage as I climbed up the hill to Calvary?” . . .
April 16—“Here’s something for you to say: May my understanding have true faith, my memory true hope, and my will true love.”
In the garden I said to Him, ‘I’m weeding so that You may come and walk on the terrace.’ And in the little narrow street—‘That’s like Your town, Nazareth.’ And I felt Him beside me and remembered what He had said: “So little hinders you from seeing Me.”
“At-onement, do you understand what this means? This is life, all of it. Nothing else counts. Your Christ, the life of your soul, what a beautiful thought! Often My children are not aware of My action. But you, child, believe with all your heart. Offer yourself unceasingly to our oneness, and My action will be even greater. You too will often be unaware of it, but try to stay always closely united to Me in love. Even if this were your only way of praying, your life would show no ordinary mark but one that is altogether supernatural and precious in the Father’s sight. Respond to My tender care for you by your own tender thoughts and gestures.
“Act toward Me as though I were shy; you take the first step. Try. How often I wait for My children and they don’t come. You remember that time when you got everything ready to receive someone you loved and that person said, ‘Oh, I forgot.’ You felt so hurt. But what are your human loves compared with Mine?
“Yes, ask My pardon for the meetings you have missed. My compassion will make Me forget. My darling child, I am always ready to forgive, to press you against My heart so that you’ll find courage there. Even when you are doing the most ordinary little things, be one with Me. There is never a single moment when you cease to be My little girl.
“Today, this week, this month—they are all filled with My love just like the other months and years. I’m loving you even when you are not thinking of loving Me, and I’m preparing blessings you never think to ask for. A look, a gesture for Me, and I give you everything, little child of My heart.”
April 23—“Even though you don’t always feel Me beside you, I never leave you. Sometimes I come nearer, as I did yesterday in the garden when you said, ‘Good morning, my darling God.’ It seemed to you almost as though I answered you, didn’t it? I hide behind a veil so that you may learn to walk by faith, and earn by learning. You are astonished by My love. There is only one explanation: God’s extravagance. So just believe in all simplicity in this love of an all-powerful being, a being totally different from you. And give yourself up to His infinitely delicate and tender omnipotence. Be taken captive by love, and ask for grace. Love Me with My love and be full of trust. . . .
“Be like an exile lost along the roads of life. Think only of heaven, where I am waiting for you to celebrate our wedding day. Tell Me of your impatience and submission, your eagerness under My control, your intense desire yielded to My will; and your humility will wash you ever more clean, will purify you. And your last days will pass by—everything passes . . . And you will come.”
May 21—Le Fresne. In my bedroom.
“Lord, when it comes to the extravagance of love, isn’t it foolish on my part to love You even without seeing You?”
“Can love’s folly in one of God’s children ever equal that of God Himself? Don’t be afraid of going too far. Seek Me. Call Me. You’ll find Me. I’ll answer. . . .
“Don’t ever grow weary of Me, My friend. Fall in love with Me over and over again, and let your way of loving Me always be new. Don’t worry if you don’t hear My voice. Don’t begin to think I am far from you. I’m in the very center of your being with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Give yourself to Us. Surrender by getting rid of your self-love and even your self-awareness. Never mind if you don’t understand very well.
“Everything you have is a gift from Me. You are absolutely nothing. Be sure that nothing is all Mine. I respect the human will—you know that. I wait.
“Later on when you understand My love, you will be ready to return to earth for the sole purpose of yearning for Me even for a single instant. Ready to suffer, too, to the very end of time. Don’t refuse Me anything. Say: ‘My beloved, just as you wish.’ This will make Me happy, and the thought of My happiness will help you. Do your very utmost to be one with Me.
“Come closer, always closer. Give up everything that separates us—the lack of confidence and hope. It is a great thing to hope. Hope for holiness. Would I ask every soul to be holy if it were not possible? Very well then, believe in My help. Call Me often, still more often. Don’t be afraid of being too insistent. Don’t you repeat the same prayer many times in the Rosary? You must persevere in your asking, poor finite one in the presence of the Infinite. And unite your words with the words I said to My Father in those nights spent on My knees in His presence. Let it be said of you, ‘She is a friend of Christ.’ The honor will be Mine and you will add to My glory.
“You forget what you do for Me and what you say to Me; you leave it in the past. But all these things are eternally present for Me, and you will find them again one day exactly as you gave them to Me. Always stay very near to Me. This will be a token of your love.”
June 7—At Mass.
“Forget all thoughts of the daily round. Enter deeper into Me. What are you waiting for to do better? To respond better?
“Haven’t you noticed the song of the birds in the nesting season? They haven’t the same voices. And you—as you receive grace upon grace, won’t there be some change in your song of love? Won’t you discover more piercing and poignant notes? Tell me about it. Prove it to Me.”
June 19—“Lord, shine through your little girl and leave a trail of Your light and goodness for everyone along her path.”
“Let Me come in and take over everything. Give yourself to Me. Don’t let anything in you hinder Me from working through you. I act through those who put their entire selves at My disposal. Give Me your voice, your look, and go on your way with the firm resolution to let Me do whatever I want, since I’m living in you. Think about this often.
“Make all the preparations for a new life within you. Didn’t I give you your life? Then give it back to Me as a charming gift from you. When you were taking lessons in painting, sometimes the teacher gave your work an expert touch and made it more beautiful. This is what I do on the canvas of your souls when you yield them to Me. But you must give them to Me without trusting in any of your own little talents. Oh, the masterpiece taking shape in My loving hands! Am I not eager for your perfection?
“For love I take you. Give yourself for love. My little girl, every one of your actions should begin and end in love as all Mine did. My life was a hymn of love. You didn’t hear it. But My Father does and so do all the saints in heaven. Adore each one of my loving impulses in Galilee, in Judea, on those roads you yourself have traveled. Never mind if you don’t understand very well.
“Already I loved you; I loved everyone without exception. Love Me for all of them—or at least offer Me your desire to do so.” . . .
June 20—In the country.
Climbing an old flight of stairs and offering each step. “Lord, how can You accept such tiny things?”
“You call them tiny, yet you use your memory, your understanding, and your will; in other words, your entire being. No matter where you give yourself to Me, I take you. Do you understand?”
June 25—Le Fresne church. Visit.
“If you could only see My splendor in the tabernacle . . . My power and My tenderness and the guard of honor formed by My hosts of angels burning with zeal. What reverence, what a sense of nothingness you would feel! . . . You would see the utter unimportance of everything that is not love. You would realize too, that nothing could possibly give you more joy than to give Me joy. And you could no longer cease to gaze on Me and on Me alone. For I am all attractiveness. I am Charm and the Charmer. I am Heaven itself.
“Heaven is inside the tabernacle. Adore with all the heavenly hosts. Love with them. Sing. Praise. Never can you overdo it, since all you have is what I have given you and all My merits are yours for the taking.
“Do you know about My merits? Only the Father knows them all. And do you realize that if it were necessary I would begin all over again? Find a new way of praising Me every day. Keep on exploring My hidden treasures. You can never come to the end of them. Discover, discover, until fires undreamed of are kindled within you, and you will say, ‘It was you, Lord. How blind I was! The best of me is always You.’
“And while you are talking to Me, I’ll continue to heap blessings upon you, for My heart is filled with them, and to give eases it of its burden. It takes a mere nothing from you to make it overflow. If you only knew! My poor little ones, wake up to your power over Me. Get to know Me a little better. Stammer out your words of love. I’ll complete them. You’ve seen the great sun dancing in tiny mirrors? Who can bear its dazzling brilliance? But what is a mirror without the sun?”
June 30—After Communion.
“Why not decide for the highest perfection? No need to make any vow; it might be a source of anxiety to you. Just make up your mind not merely to do things well, but as perfectly as you can. It would add to My glory. Sinners too would have their share of the benefit. Don’t be afraid; be daring. We’re together, you and I.”
July 2—“Yes, go to the train to meet her. Never miss a chance to be kind, and give pleasure as though it were I who gave and not you. A thoughtful gesture can do so much good. It can be the beginning of a miracle. It takes only a little kindness to melt a heart, you know.”
July 10— . . . “Begin afresh every day as though it were the very first. You are forever at the beginning. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you, and I know. Is there anything I don’t know? All the same, I like you to tell Me where you have failed and to explain yourself to Me. It brings out your confidence in Me. And what else would you speak to Me about if not your poverty. It’s the case of the beggar at the rich man’s door. If only you had seen the joy of those I healed on the roads of Judea. They left Me singing praises to God. Sing every day in your heart and make Me known to others through joy. You want to make Me known, don’t you? Satan uses others to act for him. Why not I? And since I live in you, don’t you see how simple it would be to express Myself through you? Your life is Mine.”
July 16—Visit.
“Come to Me. Show Me your poor soul. Do as the sick folk in Judea did as I passed by; talk to Me, beg Me. The gospel says, ‘He healed them all.’ Quicken your faith and confidence. Speak to My extravagance of love and long to respond with your own. Think of Saint Francis of Assisi, the saintly missionaries and martyrs. Didn’t they seem ridiculous in the eyes of the world? They were so engulfed in the love of their Savior that all things seemed as nothing to them. So don’t be afraid. Take great strides toward Me. You will be richly rewarded. I could never bear to be outdone in generosity, even though I owe you nothing. Oh, My dear little girl, moment by moment keep in tune with Me. Do everything for My watchful love, as though it were impossible for you to let your thoughts wander away from Me, your beloved.
“Speak in your own words; make up songs and prayers for Me as they come to your mind. Be My little companion; I am yours. I have never left you since you were born, and even before you ever came into the world, I thought of you with such tenderness. Thank your God for all that came from His heart for you, My little girl, and show your gratitude by asking Me to help you.”
July 23—“Here I am. I was waiting for you. When My children receive Communion in the morning, I wait during the day for their little visit of thanks. Haven’t I deserved it? Just think what it means to receive Communion. How heartless not to say thank you! I gave all of Myself to My little children. Whoever wants Me may take Me. And those who receive, receive all heaven, for heaven is your Christ. But don’t ever take such an immense favor for granted. Think of each Communion as a first Communion.
“You were wondering how to use those moments when you wake up in the night. Speak to Me of love, longing for your next Communion. Stretch out the arms of your heart to Me. Call Me by the gentlest names, even when you are half asleep. Be stirred to your heart’s depths as you yearn for My Host-Presence prepared for you since the Last Supper. Today’s Communion is different from yesterday’s and tomorrow’s; the grace I give is always unique. God’s love is infinite and creative. Give Me your unworthiness. Does your poverty make you sad? You are like a poor woman who, having shown her ugly dress to the king, received a beautiful new one from Him. Would He have given it to her if she had not humbled herself to show him her poverty? God is full of compassion. He does not even wait for the appeal for help to be put into words, so great is His thoughtfulness. Hasn’t He often made you feel this? Remember, you had scarcely taken a step when everything came to you in such abundance that you thought, ‘It is He.’
“Practice the presence of My love. I am everywhere. Put your head on My heart. Of course, since this pleases Me. If you only understood the gift of God and who it is speaking to you. . . . Come to Me then, and bring others in your heart. Can’t I heal at a distance? Just name them to Me. You know there are certain healers who don’t have to see the one who is ill, but when you talk to Me about them I see them, and am I not the great Healer?
“Yes, you too—I want to heal you of your weak faith, of your life lived apart from Me rather than in Me, of your shortsighted and rare view of My actual Presence. Think, ‘My great friend, My beloved is not absent. I cannot see Him or touch Him, but He is there with His extravagance of love.’ And then you will take My love and offer it to Me as though it were your own. Do you want this? Tonight . . . Right away . . . Ceaselessly?”
August 6—“Be transfigured, Lord. Be transfigured for my poor soul.”
“Look at Me more often. Gaze more often, loving Me more and more. You will see Me in an endless variety of new ways, loving you always, My poor little child. Above all, believe. Get used to making frequent acts of faith—in My presence, in My power, above all in My poor, tender love, so misunderstood. O try to please this love; you have so many chances, and I accept your little tokens with such tenderness. Since I am the Father, the bridegroom, neglect nothing. Take care of My heart. What a mission, My Gabrielle, to take care of My heart!”
August 18—“Of course. I always forgive if you tell Me of your neglect and feel truly sorry for it. I’m not one of those who spy on faults and failings, ready to be severe. I am all goodness. See how easily little children come to Me. Then keep your heart childlike and come. Try to understand My love better and give yourself to it wholly. You know how one decorates an altar with flowers and lighted candles. Make an altar to My love. Say, ‘My great friend, here is a sacrifice, a silence, a smile for love of You.’ Let everything you do celebrate love. That will console Me for many others who pass Me by. Love alone can comfort love.”
August 27—On the island of Milet, I offered Him a flower for His robe.
“Yes, adore Me. Think of Me everywhere, for I am in every place and your thought is sweet to Me. Aren’t you always before My face? You could never take Me by surprise, for I am there, waiting for you. What a happy meeting!” . . .
August 30—After a shower of rain.
“You see all these tiny pools of water mirroring the sky? Look thoughtfully and tranquilly at God. He alone is worthy of your contemplation. See Him only, and you will reflect Him.”
After Communion. As the Host came to my heart, I was thinking of the clothes strewn on the Savior’s path, and tried to lay down my understanding, my memory, and my will at His feet.
“Give all your loving attention to each little moment. Think of this all your life through. Nothing of the past. Nothing of the future. Only the present moment of love.”
September 10—Ingrandes church.
“Why should you begrudge the help you give your neighbors. Don’t forget that in serving them you are serving Me. That should give you courage, and you’ll need great courage to become holy. Never lose sight of the goal: holiness; that means to be always in readiness for Me, to belong to Me utterly. It’s so very simple; believe Me. Would I ever ask anything that was too difficult for you? Just live in My love—holy, one moment at a time. Drive out all worries, all idle dreaming. Don’t complicate things. Give Me your soul simply. I am all simplicity. Wasn’t I very simple in My prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? And in the hands of the men who put Me to death; even on My cross? Did I seem like a God? In the same way, My children, your only greatness is the love in the secret tabernacle of your heart. Nothing need be seen. You may always remain in My heart without anyone knowing, but this is the Father’s glory. . . .
“Don’t fail to supernaturalize everything, night and day. It is My life that is living in you now, not yours. Adore. Give thanks. And when I ask you to be simple, I mean above all in your relations with Me. Don’t get the idea that I need any special words or gestures; just be yourself. Who is closer to you than God?”
September 17—Le Fresne.
. . . “I never remember your faults when I have forgiven you. You are hidden beneath My white robe.”
September 24—Fainted in church.
“More and more, loosen your hold on the things of the world. Isn’t the Meeting day drawing near for you and Me? Little signs like this are like the three taps before the curtain rises. Make eager and joyful preparations to appear on that other stage beyond. Practice the role of the impatient lover about to possess the object of her dream—the most beautiful of all dreams sure that it will surpass all that you have ever imagined. . . .
“From now on, ask Me in your Communion to atone for any way in which you have grieved Me in your past life. When you receive Me like this, I penetrate every part of you, each one of your faculties, your blood—and I restore you according to your wish. I continue to be your brother-Savior because My love never ceases. And since I am action itself, I never come to you without acting. So thank Me for what I do in you and give yourself up to Me, wishing with all your heart that nothing in you escape My close embrace. Leaning on My heart say, ‘Beloved lover, give me one sinner a day so that I may give him to You.’ ”
September 30—Ingrandes church.
“In the Host My heart is beating as it did on earth, as it does in heaven. There are not many hearts of Christ. There is only one. Believe without the shadow of a doubt in My Presence here before you and comfort Me by bringing your heart close to Mine. Look how alone I am in this empty church. I knew it would be like this. And yet I instituted My Eucharist. I would feed even a single soul. Speak with the Host as with your most gentle and intimate friend. The Host is listening to you, and you may be sure that you are most dearly loved. Breathe freely. Relax. Leave the earth. Enter the realm of Spirit. Let yourself be carried away. Do you want to come? Tell Me about your impatience to join Me and your faithfulness to Me. You are Mine. How could you keep yourself to yourself?”
Absentminded.—“You see my Jesus, how my thoughts go skipping about.”
“Tell Me about it. Humble yourself. You are in My heart. Oh, if you only knew the power of humility!” . . .
And I asked His pardon for always saying the same things.
“What does that matter, since it’s all about love?”
October 8—Le Fresne church.
I said, “We are here all by ourselves, as though we were locked in.”
“All the month of the Rosary, call My mother ‘Our Lady of Love’ and say, ‘Our Lady of Love, give me love.’
“How can you make progress all by yourself? Let yourself be carried in stronger arms, just as you did when you were little. Don’t be ashamed of being weak and imperfect. Be smaller still; I’ll only love you the more. Don’t lose sight of the path of spiritual childhood. Cultivate your confidence; let it blossom as a flower. You can trust Me, can’t you? Look back . . . don’t you find that I’m worthy of it? My friend, don’t put any limits to your feelings for Me. I put none to Mine for you. Come to Me, little by little, your heart on fire at the moment of death. Find a sweeter name for death. Call it ‘The Meeting’ and even now, even though you can scarcely see Me in the twilight of time, you will stretch out your arms to Me. Oh, the charm of an impatient heart longing to be enfolded in Mine!”
“Lord, my little words for You are so poor. Get one of your angels to put them into poetry.”
“My love listening to them makes them sublime.”
October 20—Ingrandes church.
“Your home is also Mine. Put it in order; make it beautiful for both of us. Think of Me as always with you—even your dress, your gestures will show it. ‘Jesus is there’—only say this to yourself and you will be still, listening. Do it with love, not fear. You know one of the names Jesus gives Himself: a lamb, a poor Lamb of God. Don’t you like that name? It speaks of the gentleness of My heart, you remember? Gentle and humble. And since you should be like Me in the Father’s sight, practice these two qualities. Try again and again. Say to yourself, ‘I must go higher.’ Climbing is hard work, but you know I always help when you count on Me and not on yourself. Never alone. Work with Me, your friend, your brother, your bridegroom. O My Gabrielle, don’t lose a single minute of love; you will find it again eternalized.”
October 22—Ingrandes church.
. . . “This morning you discovered how a sacrifice joyously made is no longer a sacrifice. It is only what one refuses that is costly—what one does halfheartedly. So up with your cross on your shoulder, and on your way! Near Me, always nearer to Me. Each thought for Me; it’s like your gaze lost in Mine. Give Me a look of tender confidence. I have confidence in you, and yet, how little you are! So you may well put your trust in Me, the Infinite, the all Powerful. Remember that I can give you everything. But I like My children to ask Me; I love to feel your heartbeats because you are My little, My most beloved children.” . . .
November 12—“My little girl, you may be sure of this, that even though I am no longer on earth, your neighbor is there. And your desire to love Me, to receive Me, to serve Me, and to give Me rest, as in the home of Martha and Mary, may be realized in what you do for others. How ready you would be to smile at everyone if you could only see your Jesus in them. So remember this and don’t economize your kindness. It is I Myself who will receive it all. I have a thousand ways of responding to those who try to please Me.
“Don’t be astonished at your slowness to reach Me, but just keep asking for help from on high. On high—that’s where your heart should be. It should be always trying to take off, to wing its way upward. Don’t deprive it of its flights. Isn’t your life on earth drawing to a close? And don’t you need to warm your heart more often in the secret place of the Most High? When someone is about to make a last voyage to a particular country, doesn’t he live through it all in anticipation, holding the far horizons to his heart?
“Look forward to the departure then, since it is to take you to your beloved. Say to Him, ‘It’s time we saw one another. When will you unveil the sweetness of your face for me? Haven’t I been traveling long enough in the desert? May I not leave this cold and barren earth to throw myself into your arms? Quicken my longing. Hasten my steps. No longer can any earthly tie hold me back. Let my soul escape from its body as a bird from its cage, so that the breath you have given me may be lost in Your divine being.’
“I’ll listen to your voice, for I too am at work in you, preparing for our meeting. ‘Where is my beloved?’ you will ask, not yet seeing Me. But I’ll be there all the time, since I am everywhere.
“My child, wait upon Me in the silence. Offer yourself to the Father enfolded in My merits. Implore the Spirit of love to give you love, and abandon yourself forever as I did at Golgotha.”
November 19—“Appeal often to My sensitivity. I am the sensitive one, though most people think I am aloof and indifferent. I’m nearer to you than you are, and every tender word My children say to Me delights and charms My heart. Don’t ever doubt it. More often you will come to Me lovingly without seeing Me. And this blind faith in Me is a great gain both for you and for others.
“It’s so easy for you to speak to Me, as to the matchless one in your heart. A glance, an inward smile . . . Such simple things for you, and yet they mean so much to Me.
“Give. I’m like a beggar, am I not? My love devises all sorts of ways of winning you. Give to this beggar who is waiting and whom you love. Later on the roles will be reversed: it will be I who give and you will find all your gifts again in Mine. What an exchange!”
December 3—Le Fresne.
As I greeted Jesus in the Host.
“Think of this: I was already a Host in the Garden of Gethsemane. Be one with Me there. Say, ‘My poor love, I’m close beside you.’ And I’ll take you into My heart. We’ll offer ourselves to the Father. I need you so much in the garden. I was so lonely in My terrible anguish. Oh, My child, there, right inside My heart, pray for sinners and know that you save them, because My merits are infinite.” . . .
December 16—Le Fresne church.
“Don’t worry. Since you can’t do anything about these things, you don’t need to bother about them; they’re My concern. Just put them in My hands, and that’s all that matters. Don’t you need practice in trusting Me? You know how I love your childlike confidence in Me. These are moments to show how little you are and give Me a chance to take care of you as a husband takes care of his wife, who is weak and needs love and a strong arm to lean on.
“No, it’s not an illusion. You’re not in error, only in the shadow-land. Just feeling your way by faith. I planned it this way. So throw yourself into My arms. Say that you believe, that you hope, that you love, and commit your entire being to Me.” . . .