God invites us to repentance. But in his desire to save humanity, and seeing that his invitation is nothing to them, what does he do? He stops them and puts them in a sickbed with infirmities and diseases. This is the ordinary way of God to bring people back through their mistakes, diseases, and afflictions. This brings the person back to his duties and obliges him to necessary repentance when he did not embrace God’s will voluntarily.
God assures us that he is the searcher of hearts and minds. O Lord, you are the judge of all! Ah, we are blind about ourselves! We hide our true heart under another heart. We cover ourselves with worldly excuses and hide our wrong intentions. We act out of self-love and yet persuade ourselves and others that we are working for God. However, God gives each of us what our works deserve. Those who have a great multitude of works and hope for a great reward will be astonished to see that God, who searches the hearts and minds, will find these works empty. Our works are not counted by their number but by their goodness. That is why they are weighed on the scale and not by numbers. O how the world will be surprised! Those who have a great number of works and have worked well will be found without works. Others that have seemed very useless will have a heavy weight of good works. O God, it is very good that you have a reason to reserve for yourself justice in all things!
“But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,’ to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden; 25 only hold fast to what you have until I come.” (Rev 2:24–25)
God is wonderful, for though he seems to reproach this good pastor for what is done in the church, God promises him that he will not carry the burden of the iniquities of others. Since God is exact and pure, he is full of goodness and compassion for the weakness of creatures.
He adds, Only hold fast to what you have, that is to say, hold on to my grace so that you persevere in faith, love, patience, and service to the flock. My God, you are admirable! You beautifully soften the wounds that you seem to make.
“To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end, I will give authority over the nations; 27 to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are shattered—28 even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star. 29 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” (Rev 2:26–29)
God reserves a wonderful advantage for those who conquer by the interior death, in which all is destroyed, because the believer does not rest in propriety. In this soul, Jesus reigns solely. The souls faithful to Jesus give him all the glory of the victory, without attributing anything to themselves. This is good justice, because he only has the victory in us. This shows that nothing in this world, either exterior or interior, has been able to prevent this victory in those emptied and annihilated souls. These people who do not oppose Jesus in anything are quite rare! I will give them authority over the nations.
They have authority over the nations in many ways. First, they have very great authority over both souls and bodies. Secondly, they have authority over themselves, because they no longer find resistance to Jesus within themselves. Thirdly, because they are annihilated, God frequently uses them for the governance of his church. God makes these people pastors, when the church seems at the height of destruction.
We must see all the circumstances. God wants souls to faithfully keep his will to the end, that is to say, they become united at their end and he gives them power among the nations. As he has said, To rule them with an iron rod, with authority so strong that nothing can resist it. Because these souls are annihilated, they have not a rigorous authority, but they have divine power. They dispose of things as it pleases them and reveal even things that are most interior and hidden. This makes it clear that divine power is communicated to them. As Jesus Christ says, I received authority from my Father. The same power is communicated is to them. The same power I have received from my Father works in them.
Jesus Christ adds, I will also give them the morning star. The star of the morning precedes the dawn. The morning light brings pink light and this rosy light falls almost as soon as it is lifted. These people have a right and advantage that God gives them, that is, when they instruct docile souls in the interior way, the true spirit of Jesus Christ. Like a beautiful dawn, Jesus Christ does not fail to shine in them the beautiful day of his grace. Like a beautiful rose, he sends at the same time into hearts a very abundant consolation and divine unction. It is the same star of the morning, which announces the day to the travelers who want to walk in the way of perfection.
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.” (Rev 3:1–2)
How many of these pastors are dead but appear to be alive? They are dead lacking the vigor and life to keep their flocks. Also, they are not animated by the interior Spirit and pure love. Through their actions they seek the vain illusion of reputation.
Whoever has the Spirits of God, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and the seven stars of divine lights, discovers what is most hidden. They find the One who reveals that you were dead, although you appear alive to all others. Wake up to get out of this death. Strengthen what remains and let those escape the debris that your lack of vigilance has caused. Strengthen them, so they do not perish like the others because they are on the point of dying through your fault. How many negligent pastors are there, from whose hands the wolf takes away the sheep? It is quite a horror to eat the butter and milk of the flock, and to be clothed with their wool, but not to keep, defend, and support the flock.
Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (Rev 3:3)
As the evil of this pastor is personal, he must repent. A true repentance is to do the contrary action changing what was done before. The pastor should now watch for the source of the evil and fill the fold with good dogs who take away the power of vice. God asks for specific remedies, but they cause pain while healing. This is what the repentance of God asks for with justice. O negligent pastors, who should be attending! The Master will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. But who do you think he will take away? It will not only be your flock exposed to danger for a lack of a vigilant pastor, but it will be yourself. He will ask you for your soul and the soul of your brother.
“Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels.” (Rev 3:4–5)
All towns have some holy people. Frequently the most corrupt places have the greatest saints. Have not soiled their clothes is to have not lost the grace of their baptism, which is a great advantage. Those who are walking with Jesus Christ in white clothes include those who have not been unfaithful since their conversion.
Those who conquer have been entirely destroyed, died, and annihilated, where the new Adam has conquered and destroyed the first Adam. They are restored to the first grace more perfect than the state of innocence. According to Paul, our redemption is abundant and superabundant, and restores human beings to its first state with all the advantages this has. Otherwise, redemption would not be equal to the grace of creation, so it would not be abundant. The soul in whom the grace of redemption has expanded receives the state of innocence more perfect than the first. Those who have conquered in him and through him participate in his happiness. This is why their robes are white because they are dressed in vestments of innocence, their name will never more be blotted out of the book of life and they will never have mortal faults anymore. Jesus Christ has confessed them,
