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Chapter 22GradH.1.22

De gradibus humilitatis et superbiae

The Word Restores Reason as Judge

The Son of God finds reason weighed down by sin and flesh, raises it up, and establishes it as a judge over itself, so that reason becomes its own accuser, witness, and judge out of reverence for the Word.

The Son of God — that is, the Word and wisdom of the Father — first of all finds that power within our soul which we call reason, weighed down by the flesh, held captive by sin, blinded by ignorance, and given over to outward things. Taking it up with mercy, raising it up with power, instructing it with prudence, drawing it inward, and wondrously treating it as his own stand-in, he establishes it as a judge over itself, so that out of reverence for the Word to which it is joined, reason itself becomes its own accuser, witness, and judge, discharging the office of Truth against itself.12

Two Births: Humility and Love

From the Word joined to reason, humility is born; from the Holy Spirit joined to the will, love is brought forth; and when both parts are perfected—reason instructed by truth, the will inspired by the Spirit—the Father joins the soul as a glorious bride.

From this first joining of the Word and reason, humility is born. Next, the other part — the will, poisoned by the flesh to be sure, but now examined by reason — the Holy Spirit, graciously visiting, gently cleansing, and fervently stirring, makes merciful, so that like skin that stretches when anointed, it too, bathed in heavenly anointing, is extended even to enemies through love.3 And so from this second joining of the Spirit of God and the human will, love is brought forth. Both parts — reason, that is, and the will — the one instructed by the word of truth, the other inspired by the spirit of truth, the former sprinkled with the hyssop of humility, the latter kindled with the fire of love — at last, the soul now made perfect, spotless through humility, without wrinkle through love, since the will no longer resists reason and reason no longer hides the truth, the Father joins to himself a glorious bride, so that neither reason is allowed to dwell on itself, nor the will on the neighbor, but that blessed soul delights to say only this: The King has brought me into his chamber.✦✦45

The Soul's Worthy Ascent from Humility to Love

Having first learned self-knowledge in the school of humility under the Son, the soul is led by the Holy Spirit into the storehouses of love—the hearts of neighbors—and at last admitted into the King's chamber.

She is truly worthy—she who first learned, in the school of humility under the Son as her master, to enter into herself—worthy, therefore, in accordance with the threat pronounced against her: "If you do not know yourself, go out and feed your goats"—worthy, then, of being led by the Holy Spirit as guide from that same school of humility into the storehouses of love (which are, no doubt, to be understood as the hearts of her neighbors), and from there, propped up with flowers and laden with the fruit of good—that is, with holy ways and virtues—admitted at last into the King's chamber, with whose love she languishes.6789

The King's Chamber: Rest, Vision, and Ineffable Wisdom

In the King's chamber the soul rests briefly in longed-for embraces, her body asleep but her heart awake, probing the secrets of truth; there she sees invisible things and hears ineffable things surpassing all ordinary knowledge, yet among the wise spiritual wisdom may still be shared.

There, for a brief time — just about half an hour, as it were — with silence made in heaven, she rests sweetly in the longed-for embraces; her body indeed sleeps, but her heart is awake, and by that heart she meanwhile probes the secrets of truth, on which she may afterwards feed herself by memory, returning to them at once.✦ There she sees invisible things, hears ineffable things — things no human being is permitted to speak of.✦ They surpass, to be sure, all that knowledge which night declares to night; and yet day pours forth word to day, and among the wise it is permitted to speak wisdom, and with spiritual ones spiritual things may be shared.✦✦

Read the original Latin

Dei quippe Filius, Verbum scilicet ac sapientia Patris, primum quidem illam animae nostrae potentiam, quae ratio dicitur, cum reperit carne depressam, peccato captivam, ignorantia caecam, exterioribus deditam, clementer assumens, potenter erigens, prudenter instruens, introrsum trahens, ac mirabiliter utens tamquam pro se vicaria, ipsam sibi iudicem statuit, ita ut pro reverentia Verbi cui coniungitur, ipsa sui accusatrix, testis et iudex, contra se Veritatis fungatur officio.

Ex qua prima coniunctione Verbi et rationis, humilitas nascitur. Aliam deinde partem, quae dicitur voluntas, veneno quidem carnis infectam, sed iam ratione discussam, Spiritus Sanctus dignanter visitans, suaviter purgans, ardenter afficiens, misericordem facit, ita ut more pellis, quae uncta extenditur, ipsa quoque unctione perfusa caelesti, usque ad inimicos per affectum dilatetur. Et sic ex hac secunda coniunctione Spiritus Dei et voluntatis humanae, caritas efficitur. Utramque vero partem, rationem scilicet ac voluntatem, alteram verbo veritatis instructam, alteram spiritu veritatis afflatam, illam hyssopo humilitatis aspersam, hanc igne caritatis succensam, tandem iam perfectam animam, propter humilitatem sine macula, propter caritatem sine ruga, cum nec voluntas rationi repugnat, nec ratio veritatem dissimulat, gloriosam sibi sponsam Pater conglutinat, ita ut nec ratio de se, nec voluntas de proximo cogitare sinatur, sed hoc solum beata illa anima dicere delectetur: Introduxit me Rex in cubiculum suum.

Digna certe, quae de schola humilitatis, in qua primum sub magistro Filio ad seipsam intrare didicit, iusta comminationem ad se factam: Si ignoras te, egredere et pasce haedos tuos, digna ergo quae de schola illa humilitatis, duce Spiritu Sancto, in cellaria caritatis -quae nimirum proximorum pectora intelligenda sunt- per affectionem introduceretur, unde suffulta floribus ac stipata malis, bonorum scilicet moribus et virtutibus sanctis, ad Regis demum cubiculum, cuius amore languet, admitteretur.

Ibi modicum, hora videlicet quasi dimidia, silentio facto in caelo, inter desideratos amplexus suaviter quiescens ipsa quidem dormit, sed cor eius vigilat, quo utique interim veritatis arcana rimatur, quorum postmodum memoria statim ad se reditura pascatur. Ibi videt invisibilia, audit ineffabilia, quae non licet homini loqui. Excedunt quippe omnem illam, quam nox nocti indicat, scientiam; dies tamen diei eructat verbum, et inter sapientes sapientiam loqui, et spiritualibus spiritualia licet conferri.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Ps.50.9 — I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats from your folds.
  2. ↩Song.1.4 — Draw me after you—let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice and be glad in you; we will remember your love more than wine. The upright love you.
  3. ↩Song.5.2 — I am asleep, but my heart is awake. The voice of my beloved knocks: "Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one. For my head is drenched with dew, my locks with the drops of night."
  4. ↩2Cor.12.4 — that he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a person to speak.
  5. ↩Ps.19.2 — The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.
  6. ↩1Cor.2.13 — And these things we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩vicaria: the syntactic role of this word is uncertain — it may function as an ablative of manner ('as a substitute') or as a predicate nominative. The rendering 'stand-in' preserves the sense of the Word acting through reason in its place.
  2. 2 ↩fungatur officio: literally 'discharges the office/function.' The striking image is that reason, once restored by the Word, takes on the role of Truth's own prosecutor against itself — a vivid picture of compunction and self-knowledge.
  3. 3 ↩The skin/anointing image evokes Psalm 103:15 LXX (cutis/unctio) or similar biblical imagery of supple responsiveness to God; the precise referent is uncertain.
  4. 4 ↩Hyssop evokes Psalm 50:9 LXX (Psalm 51:7 MT) — 'Sprinkle me with hyssop and I shall be clean.' Fire of love is a traditional image for charity's purifying and enkindling work.
  5. 5 ↩The closing quotation 'Introduxit me Rex in cubiculum suum' is Song of Songs 1:4 (Vulgate). Resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses stage.
  6. 6 ↩Scripture allusion, candidate status. The quotation does not correspond to a direct Vulgate passage; it may echo or paraphrase a patristic or proverbial source. Final resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses check.
  7. 7 ↩Literally 'cellars/storehouses of charity.' The metaphor pictures the soul being led into the rich interior reserves of love.
  8. 8 ↩Parenthetical gloss: the 'storehouses of love' are to be understood as the hearts (breasts) of one's neighbors.
  9. 9 ↩mālum (apple/fruit), not malum (evil). The context of flowers and the cellar of charity favors 'fruit/apples' as a metaphor for the good works and virtues that fill the soul.

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