When he gave me the obedience no longer to stay in bed, I began to resist, and I said to the Lord: “What can I do? I can no longer stay, for obedience does not want it. If You want, give light to the confessor, and then I will be ready to do what You want.’ And I spent one entire night clashing with the Lord. When He would come, I would say to Him: ‘My dear Jesus, have patience, do not come, for obedience does not permit that You make me share in your sufferings.’ Up until the morning, I won – I felt I was inside myself and free of sufferings when, in one instant, the Lord came and drew me so much to Himself that I could not resist Him. I lost consciousness and I found myself together with Him, but so clasped to Him, that as much opposition as I made, I could not detach myself from Jesus. Being with Jesus, I felt all annihilated, and I felt a certain blushing for the many reproaches I had made during the night. I said to Him: ‘Holy Spouse, forgive me – it is the confessor that wants it so.’ And He told me: “Do not fear, when it is because of obedience I do not get offended.” He continued: “Come, come to Me. Today is the New Year, I want to give you a present.” (That morning was precisely the first day of the year). So, He drew His most pure lips to mine and poured a most sweet milk; He kissed me, He took a ring from within His side and said to me: “Today I want to show you the ring I have prepared for you, for when I espouse you.” Then He told me: “Tell the confessor that it is my Will that you continue to stay in bed, and as a sign that it is I, tell him that there is a war between Italy and Africa, and if he gives you the obedience to continue to suffer, I will not do anything on either side – they will reconcile.”
In the very act of these words being spoken, I felt surrounded by sufferings as if by a garment, and I was unable to free myself by myself. I thought to myself: ‘What will the confessor say?’ But it was no longer in my power. That milk which Jesus had poured into me produced in me such love for Him, that I felt languor; and I felt such satiety and sweetness, that after the confessor came and I came round from that state, and the family brought me food, I felt so full that the food would not go down. But in order to do the obedience, which wanted it so, I took a little bit, and I was immediately forced to bring it up - but mixed with that sweet milk that Jesus had given me. And Jesus, almost jokingly, told me: “What I gave you was not enough? You are not content yet?” I blushed all over, but immediately I said to Him: “What can I do? It’s the obedience.’
When the confessor came, he began to get upset, telling me that I was disobedient; or he would say to me: “This is an illness. If it were something from God, He would have made you obey. Therefore, instead of calling the confessor, you should call the doctors.” When he finished speaking, I told him everything that the Lord had said to me, which I mentioned above, and he told me that it was true that there was a war between Africa and Italy. “We’ll see if nothing happens”. And so he was persuaded to letting me continue to suffer.
One day, after about four months, the confessor came and told me that news had arrived about the war between Africa and Italy, and that without causing any damage to each other, they had reconciled. So the confessor was persuaded, and he let me stay there in peace.