Flower of Devotion

On one occasion the Lord said to St. Bridget:

“I have shown you the conscience of a man whose sin, because I have exposed it, I have shown by manifest signs. And why did I do this? Couldn’t I have killed him personally?
Or couldn’t I knock him over the abyss in the twinkling of an eye if I wanted to? Without a doubt, I could. But to others to learn, and to prove the truth of my words, and to show how just and patient I am, and how miserable is he who is dominion by Satan; That is why I endure it patiently until then. For by the will which he has to persevere in sin, and by the pleasure with which he delights in it, the influence of Satan upon him has multiplied, to such an extent that neither gentle words, nor harsh threats, nor fear of hell will be able to convert him. And this will happen to him in perfect justice, for since he has always had the will to sin, even if he does not commit an act, he will rightly be eternally given over to Satan. For the slightest sin, when one falls in love with him, is enough to destroy a man’s soul.