De Gloria
The Nature of Divine Glory
Glory is defined as the eternal, self-sustaining blessedness found only in God, which He shares with His saints in paradise.
Glory, son, is continuous and free blessedness without any end, and it is in the One who gives glory: that glory is given by our Lord God, who glories in glory and gives glory to the saints of glory.1 So, my son, if you want to have glory, you must believe that God is the one who glorifies the blessed in paradise, that they are glorified in His glory, and that God glorifies them within His own glory.2 Just as fire heats itself by itself, so the divine King of glory, from himself, gives glory to the angels and the saints who are in glory. If God gives your body well-being in this world through these corruptible, temporal things that aren't glory and have no glory, how much more, my son, can the King of glory—who is glory itself—give glory to his friends in paradise!34 Know this, son: the glory of paradise is seeing God, loving God, and adoring and praising God—and each of the saints in paradise is glorified in the glory of the others.✦
The Vanity of Earthly Glory
The author contrasts the corruptible, fleeting nature of worldly honor with the radiant, eternal glory of the resurrected body.
Don't think, my son, that people in glory eat or drink, or that a man lies with a woman; all these things involve defects and uncleanness, and they belong to this world, which is filthy, corruptible, and full of failings.✦5 Do you see, son, the dead body of a just man, which rots in the earth when people bury it? That body will rise again on the day of judgment; it will be more radiant than the sun, it will never die, and it will possess more glory than all the glory found among the people of this world.✦ If you, son, value the glory of this world less so that you may have the glory of that other world, you'll have glory that will last as long as the glory of God: and so, remember and understand how, by despising a little glory that lasts only a short while, you can gain glory that will last as long as the glory of the Most High. Ah, my son—and how deeply cursed are those who, for a little temporal happiness, lose the heavenly glory that has no end, and go into lasting torments, to be subjected to endless afflictions!
The Presence and Pursuit of Eternal Life
True glory is found in the presence of the Lord, requiring a commitment to eternal values over the deceptive pleasures of this world.
If you enter into glory, my son, you will have glory and find glory wherever you are. And do you know why? Because in every place of glory, the Glorifier is there—the Lord of glory.6 Those in glory love as much as they understand, and understand as much as they love, and they possess everything they love and understand. So, my son, if you can't have all the worldly pleasures you reach for in this life, take care that you don't willingly lose the glory your understanding cannot grasp.7 If you, son, wouldn't give your hand for one coin or your head for two, take care not to lose heavenly glory for the glory of this world; and if for the glory of this world you undervalue the glory of the age to come, put your finger in the fire and try whether you can keep it there even for an hour; and if you can't, consider how you'll endure forever the fire of hell that the damned endure—for that fire is what you'll have to bear if you undervalue the glory of our Lord God.
Read the original Latin
Gloria es, fill, continua e franca benuhiransa sens nuyl cessament, e es en aquell qui dona gloria: la qual gloria es donada per nostro Senyor Deu qui glorieja en la gloria e dona gloria als sants de gloria. On si tu, fill, vols aver gloria, a creure te cové que Deus sia glorificador dels benuhirats de paradis e que aquells sien gloriejats en la sua gloria, e que Deus los glorieja en sa gloria metexa.
En axi com lo foch qui ab sí metex s escalfa, enaxí lo divinal Rey de gloria ab sí metex dona gloria als ángels e als sants qui son en gloria.
Si Deus en aquest mon dona a ton cors benuhiransa d aqüestes coses corrum pables temporals qui no son gloria ne han gloria, ¡quant més, fill, lo Rey de gloria, qui es gloria, pot donar a sos amichs en paradís gloria!
Sapies, fill, que la gloria de paradís es veer Deu e amar Deu e adorar e loar Deu: e cascun dels sants de paradís es gloriejat en la gloria del altre.
No crees, amable fill, que en gloria hom menuch ne beva ne jaga hom ab fembra; car totes estes coses han defalliment e sutzetat, e aqüestes coses se covenen ab aquest mon qui es sutze e corrumpable e pie de defalliments.
¿Veus tu, fill, lo cors mort del home just, lo qual podrex en térra con hom lo soterra? aquell cors resuscitará al dia del juy, e será pus resplendent quel sol, e no morrá, e aurá més de gloria que no es tota la gloria qui es en los homens d aquest mon.
Si tu, fill, menys prees la gloria d aquest mon per so que ajes la gloria d aquell altre, tu aurás gloria qui durerá aytant com la gloria de Deu: e donchs, remembra e entín com per menysprear poca gloria qui poch dura, pots gonyar gloria qui durará aytant com la gloria del Altisme.
¡Ah, fill, e con en gran malediccio son aquells qui per una poca de benuyransa temporal perden la celestial gloria que no ha fi, e van en turments perdurables a esser sotsmesos a infenits treballs!
Si tu, fill, entres en gloria, on que sies aurás gloria e atroberás gloria. ¿E sabs per que? per so car en tots los lochs de gloria es lo glorificador el senyor de gloria.
Aquells qui son en gloria, aytant amen com entenen, e aytant entenen com amen, e tot so han que amen e entenen. On si tu, fill, en aquest mon no pots aver tots los delits daquest mon que entens, guarda t que no perdes a ton voler la gloria que lo teu enteniment no pot entendre.
Si tu, fill, no daves la tua má per un diner nel teu cap per dos, guarda t que no perdes la celestial gloria per la gloria daquest mon: e si tu per la gloria daquest mon menys prees la gloria del altre segle, mit lo teu dit en lo foch, e assage si sempre lo hi porás sostenir una hora; e si no pots, guarda com porás sostenir lo foch infernal perpetualment, lo qual sostenen los dampnats; car aquell foch te covendrá a sostenir, si menys prees la gloria de nostro Senyor Deu.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Cor.13.12;1John.3.2 — For now we see in a mirror, dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1John.3.2 — Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. We know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
- ↩Matt.22.30;Mark.12.25;Luke.20.35-Luke.20.36;Rom.14.17 — For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Mark.12.25 — For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in the heavens. Luke.20.35 — But those who are counted worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Luke.20.36 — For they can no longer die, for they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Rom.14.17 — For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
- ↩Dan.12.3 — And those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Notes
- 1 ↩Catalan 'franca' is rendered as 'free' (unrestricted/open), not modern English 'frank'; 'benuhiransa' as 'blessedness' (beatitude).
- 2 ↩'On' taken as consequential 'So' (medieval Catalan unde/therefore), not locative 'where'. 'gloria metexa' = his own / very same glory.
- 3 ↩Catalan 'benuhiransa' is treated as a spelling of benaurança/benauiransa: well-being or blessedness granted to the body by temporal goods, not heavenly beatitude.
- 4 ↩Source spacing 'corrum pables' is read as corruptibles ('corruptible').
- 5 ↩Normalized reading has pie de defalliments; most plausible intended sense is Old Catalan ple ('full') of failings, not 'pious'.
- 6 ↩Catalan "lo glorificador" is rendered "the Glorifier" as a divine title paired with "el senyor de gloria" ("the Lord of glory"), not as a human agent who merely praises.
- 7 ↩Catalan 'On' here functions as a consequential connective ('so'/'therefore'), not spatial 'where'; 'a ton voler' rendered as 'willingly' (by your own will).
Doctrine for Children — Opening companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit