I will give a brief parable to those who live in continual ebullitions
of love, in order that they may endure this disposition nobly and
becomingly, and may attain to a higher virtue.
There is a little insect which is called the ant; it is strong and
wise, and very tenacious of life, and it lives with its fellows in
warm and dry soils. The ant works during summer and collects food and
grain for the winter, and it splits the grain so that it may not become
rotten or spoiled, and may be eaten when there is nothing more to be
found. And it does not make strange paths, but all follow the same
path, and after waiting till the proper time they become able to fly.
So should these men do; they will be strong by waiting for the
coming of Christ, wise against the appearance and the inspiration of
the enemy. They will not choose death, but they will prefer God’s
glory alone and the winning of fresh virtues. They will dwell in the
community of their heart and of their powers, and will follow the
invitation and the constraint of divine unity. They will live in rich
and warm soils, or, in other words, in the passionate heat of love, and
in great impatience. And they will work during the summer of this life,
and will gather in for eternity the fruits of virtue. These they will
divide in two--one part means that they will always desire the supreme
joy of eternity; the other, that by their reason they will always
restrain themselves as much as possible, and wait the time that God has
appointed for them, and so the fruit of virtue shall be preserved into
eternity. They will not follow strange paths or curious methods, but
through all storms they will follow the path of love, towards the place
whither love shall guide them. And when the set time has come, and they
have persevered in all the virtues, they shall be fit to behold God,
and their wings shall bear them towards His mystery.