Flower of Devotion

On Easter Monday, when the Gospel was read:
“Abide with us, Lord, for the evening is coming” (Luke 24:29), Saint Mechtilde said to the Lord: “O one of sweetness! I beg you to stay with me, for the day of my life has come to a head.” And the Lord said to her, “I will remain with you, first as a father with a son, and I will share with you the inheritance of heaven, which I have purchased for you by My precious blood, together with all the good things that I have obtained for you on earth for thirty-three years. I’ll give it all to you. Secondly, I will remain with you as a friend with a friend. Like a man who has a faithful friend, he has recourse to him in all his necessities, and is always attached to him; so you have with Me, who is your most faithful friend before all men, always a sure refuge. For I will always serve you faithfully to help you. Thirdly, I will be with you as a bridegroom with his bride. There is no separation between them, unless they are separated by illness. But if you get sick, I will be your physician and I will cure you of any disease. There will be no separation between us, but eternal marriage and inseparable union. Fourth, I will remain with you as comrade to comrade. If one carries a heavy burden, the other takes it upon himself and carries it with him. So I will faithfully bear all your burdens with you, and I will sustain you so that all things may be light for you.”
Then it seemed to the saint that the Lord had further said to her: “Behold, I give you My soul as your companion and guide, and to her commend all your affairs. When you are sad, she will comfort you and help you faithfully in all things.”
And the saint said to the Lord, “Ah, my Lord, the life of my soul! Forgive, Thou most gracious guide, that I have unfortunately invited such a companion as Thy Soul so little into my affairs and have not sought her help in all my needs.” The Lord answered, “I forgive you, My soul will remain with you to the end of your life, and then it will receive you in the union in which I gave My spirit, dying on the cross, into the hands of My Father, and will give you to My heavenly Father.”