Book 1 - Chapter 39
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The Son said: "I had three virtues at my death. First, faith, when I bent my knees and prayed, knowing that the Father was able to snatch me from my suffering. Second, hope, when I persevered resolutely, saying: 'Not as I will.' Third, love, when I said: 'Thy will be done!' I also had physical agony due to the natural fear of suffering, and a sweat of blood left my body. Thus, in order that my friends should not tremble at being abandoned when the moment of trial comes to them, I demonstrated for them in myself that the weak flesh always runs away from pain. But perhaps you ask how my body gave off a sweat of blood. Well, in the same way as the blood of a sick person dries up and gets consumed in his veins, my blood got consumed because of the natural anguish of death. Wanting to show the way by which heaven would be opened and how people could enter it after their exile, the Father lovingly then delivered me over to my passion in order that my body would be gloriously glorified once the passion had been accomplished. For my human nature could not justly enter into its glory without suffering, although I was able to do so through the power of my divine nature.

Why then should people with little faith, vain hope, and no love deserve to enter into my glory? If they had faith in eternal joy and in the terrible punishment, they would desire nothing but me. If they really believed that I see and know all things and have power over everything and that I require a judgment for everyone, the world would seem repugnant to them, and they would be afraid of sinning in my presence due to fear of me rather than of human opinion. If they had a firm hope, then all their thought and understanding would be directed toward me. If they had divine love, their minds would at least think about what I did for them, the efforts I made in preaching, how much pain I had in my passion, how much love I had at my death - so much love that I preferred to die rather than lose them.

But their faith is weak and wavering, threatening a speedy fall, because they are ready to believe when the impulses of temptation are absent, but they lose confidence when they meet with adversity. Their hope is vain, because they hope that their sin will be forgiven without a trial and without a proper sentence. They are confident they will get the kingdom of heaven for free. They want to receive my mercy untempered by justice. Their love toward me is cold, for they are never on fire in seeking me out, unless forced to it by tribulation. How can I grow warm toward people who have neither an upright faith nor a firm hope nor a fervent love for me? Consequently, when they cry out to me and say 'God, have mercy on me!' they will not deserve to be heard or to enter into my glory. Since they do not want to accompany their Lord in suffering, they will not accompany him in glory. No soldier can please his lord and be welcomed back into favor after a lapse, unless he first humbles himself in order to make up for his disdain."