Exclamación VIII
The Life-Giving Words of God
The soul acknowledges the power of God's words and prays for them to remain central to its thoughts.
O Lord, my God, what words of life you have—words in which every mortal will find what they desire, if only we’re willing to seek it! But it’s no wonder, my God, that we forget your words amid the madness and sickness caused by our evil deeds! O my God—God, God, maker of everything that has been created! And what is all creation, if you, Lord, should choose to create still more? You are almighty; your works are beyond comprehension. So, Lord, keep your words always in my thoughts.
The Tragedy of Misplaced Rest
The soul laments the confusion of humanity, which seeks rest in worldly things rather than in the comfort promised by God.
You say, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will comfort you.” What more could we want, Lord? What are we asking for? What are we looking for? What causes worldly people to lose their way, if not their search for rest? God help me—oh, God help me! What is happening, Lord? Oh, how tragic!
A Prayer for Spiritual Sight
The soul cries out for divine illumination, recognizing that humanity is blinded by its own refusal to see the truth.
Oh, what terrible blindness—to look for Him where He cannot possibly be found! Have mercy, Creator, on these creatures of Yours. See how little we understand ourselves: we don't know what we desire, or even grasp what we're asking for. Give us light, Lord; see how much more we need it than the man who was blind from birth, for he wanted to see the light but couldn't. But now, Lord, people don't want to see. Oh, what an incurable sickness!1 Here, my God, Your power must be revealed—here, Your mercy.
The Appeal to Divine Mercy
The soul pleads for God to look upon the blood of Christ rather than human wickedness, asking for mercy upon his creation.
Oh, what a difficult thing I ask of you, my true God: to love those who don't love you, to open the door to those who don't call on you, and to heal those who enjoy being sick and go about seeking sickness! You say, my Lord, that you come to seek sinners; these, Lord, are the true sinners. Do not look at our blindness, my God, but at the abundance of blood your Son shed for us. Let your mercy shine out amid such overwhelming wickedness; remember, Lord, that we are your handiwork. May your goodness and mercy come to our aid.
Read the original Latin
—¡Oh Señor, Dios mío, y cómo tenéis palabras de vida adonde todos los mortales hallarán lo que desean, si lo quisiéremos buscar! Mas ¡qué maravilla, Dios mío, que olvidemos vuestras palabras con la locura y enfermedad que causan nuestras malas obras! ¡Oh Dios mío, Dios, Dios hacedor de todo lo criado! ¿Y qué es lo criado, si Vos, Señor, quisiéreis criar más? Sois todopoderoso; son incomprensibles vuestras obras. Pues haced, Señor, que no se aparten de mi pensamiento vuestras palabras.
—Decís Vos: Venid a mí todos los que trabajáis y estáis cargados, que yo os consolaré. ¿Qué más queremos, Señor? ¿Qué pedimos? ¿Qué buscamos? ¿Por qué están los del mundo perdidos, sino por buscar descanso? ¡Válgame Dios, oh, válgame Dios! ¿Qué es esto, Señor? ¡Oh, qué lástima!
¡Oh, qué gran ceguedad, que le busquemos en lo que es imposible hallarle! Habed piedad, Criador, de estas vuestras criaturas. Mirad que no nos entendemos, ni sabemos lo que deseamos, ni atinamos lo que pedimos. Dadnos, Señor, luz; mirad que es más menester que al ciego que lo era de su nacimiento, que este deseaba ver la luz y no podía. Ahora, Señor, no se quiere ver. ¡Oh, qué mal tan incurable! Aquí, Dios mío, se ha de mostrar vuestro poder, aquí vuestra misericordia.
—¡Oh, qué recia cosa os pido, verdadero Dios mío, que queráis a quien no os quiere, que abráis a quien no os llama, que deis salud a quien gusta de estar enfermo y anda procurando la enfermedad! Vos decís, Señor mío, que venís a buscar los pecadores; estos, Señor, son los verdaderos pecadores. No miréis nuestra ceguedad, mi Dios, sino a la mucha sangre que derramó vuestro Hijo por nosotros. Resplandezca vuestra misericordia en tan crecida maldad; mirad, Señor, que somos hechura vuestra. Válganos vuestra bondad y misericordia.
Notes
- 1 ↩Rendered as “sickness” because the surrounding passage presents willful blindness as an incurable condition.
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