'Our Lord and Savior lifted up his voice and said with
incomparable majesty: "Let all men know that grace comes after
tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is
impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of
grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to
stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and
without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven." When I
heard these words, a strong force came upon me and seemed to place me in
the middle of a street, so that I might say in a loud voice to people
of every age, sex and status: "Hear, O people; hear, O nations. I am
warning you about the commandment of Christ by using words that came
from his own lips: We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions.
We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep appreciation in the
divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of
soul." "If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine
grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides
within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about
his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to
know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to
men."'
