Flower of Devotion

When Saint Mechtilde once wanted to praise God, who honors His loved ones with such reverence, God gave her the following teaching in this respect:

Glorify My goodness in the saints, to whom I have given such great happiness that not only are they rich in all good things in themselves, but the joy of each of them is increased by the joy of the other. So that each one rejoices more in the joy of the other than any mother in the exaltation of her only child, or any father in the triumph and honors of his son. Thus each one possesses the merits of all the saints as his own in joyful love.
Then the Lord said further:
On the feast of each saint, you should praise Me for having chosen and called saints from eternity. And I have strengthened them in such a way that even though those whom I have chosen for eternal happiness should be in great sins, I still perceive the glory they achieve as if they had never sinned.
Secondly: praise Me for the kind invitation by which I called them to the kingdom of glory. For who could expect to have access to My Divine Majesty if I did not demand it or draw them to Me?
Third: praise Me for faithfully sharing My kingdom with the saints. For I made them all kings with Me and gave them a happy and splendid kingdom, of which they did not take away half, but received the whole.
And first remind the saints of the joy they enjoy. Because now they know perfectly well and see in the fullest joy how I have loved them for centuries; and I have chosen them undeservingly for such happiness. No one can see through his friend’s heart as it is intended for him, as My chosen ones can; who see the inside of My Heart and feel with inexpressible joy My faithfulness and love for them.
Second: remind them of the sweetest taste they feel. Because when they praise and bless Me and see My love for them, it gives them the greatest joy.
Third: remind the saints how they enjoy complete freedom of will in all things they choose.
Remind the saints: first of all, this is the highest and most wonderful reward that God has prepared for them for centuries. Because they are where God is, they are co-heirs of His Only Begotten. And that they were granted residence in Himself, inside His Fatherly Heart. Secondly: remind the saints of this gentle communication when God pours himself into them with all His Divinity, and they flow back to Him with the greatest gratitude and happy acceptance. Third, remind them of the dignity and honor that God showed them when He made them fellow guests at His table. Feeding and saturating them constantly with the light of Your Face, filling them with streams of Your Divine joy and filling their desires with all goodness. Fourth: remind them of that most faithful reward; for nothing was so small that they did, forsook or suffered for My love that God would forget it. God remembered all this and rewarded them with the most worthy honor, surpassing all merit. Finally, remind the saints of eternal happiness; for they have this certainty that their honor and their happiness will never diminish, but indeed that the excess of their merits and joys is constantly increasing and will increase.