The Lord said to an angel who was praying for his Lord's bride: "You are like a soldier of the Lord who never takes off his helmet out of weariness and who never takes his eyes off the battle out of fear. You are as steadfast as a mountain, you burn like a flame. You are so clean that there is no stain in you. You beg me to have mercy on my bride. Even though you know and see all things in me, tell me, nonetheless, while she is listening, what sort of mercy you are asking for her. After all, mercy is threefold.

There is the mercy by which the body is punished and the soul is spared, as in the case of my servant Job whose flesh was subjected to all kinds of pain but whose soul was saved. The second kind of mercy is that by which body and soul are spared from punishment, as in the case of the king who lived in all kinds of lust and had no pain either in body or soul while he was in the world. The third kind of mercy is that by which body and soul are punished with the result that they experience both distress in their body and pain in their heart, as in the case of Peter and Paul and other saints.

There are three states for human beings in the world. The first state is that of those who fall into sin and get up again. Sometimes I permit these people to experience distress in their bodies in order that they may be saved. The second state is that of those who would live forever in order to sin forever. All their desire is directed toward the world. If they do anything for me from time to time, they do it in the hopes of their temporal advantages growing and prospering. Neither punishment of body nor very much pain of heart is given to these people.

Instead, they are allowed to follow their own power and desire, because they will receive their reward here below for the least little good they have done me, for theirs will be an everlasting punishment, inasmuch as their will to sin is everlasting. The third state is that of those who are more afraid of sinning against me and offending my will than they are of any punishment. They would rather be tortured with unbearable punishment in eternity than knowingly provoke me to anger. Distress of body and heart is given to these people, as in the case of Peter and Paul and other saints, so that they might make amends for their transgressions in this world; or else they are chastised for a time either for the sake of their greater glory or as an example to others. I have shown this threefold mercy to three persons in this kingdom whose names are known to you.

Now then, my angel and my servant, what kind of mercy do you ask for my bride?" And he said: "Mercy of soul and body, so that she may make amends for her transgressions in this world and so that no sin of hers will come under your judgment." The Lord answered: "Be it done according to your will!" Then he spoke to the bride: "You are mine and I will do with you as I like. Love nothing as much as me! Purify yourself constantly from sin at all times according to the advice of those to whom I have entrusted you. Hide no sin! Let nothing go unexamined! Do not think any sin to be light or negligible! Anything you neglect I will remind you of and judge. No sin of yours will come under my judgment if it has been expiated in this life through your penance. Those sins for which penance has not been made will be purged either in purgatory or by means of some secret judgment of mine, if satisfaction has not yet been made for them here on earth."