Capitulum III
The Agony of the Savior
The chapter opens with a vivid, visceral account of Christ's suffering from Gethsemane through his condemnation and journey to the cross.
Before the Passover feast, the Last Supper had already been celebrated with the disciples, and the time for my transition from this world to the Father was drawing near. I went out with the eleven to the Mount of Olives, where, in agony, I prayed more earnestly, and I understood that such cruel suffering was now threatening me. Then my sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. It would be hard for anyone living under heaven to believe the kind of anguish and the vehement, terrifying pressures of death that a delicate nature felt in the presence of such horror. Afterward, the sons of darkness came in hostility; they bound me cruelly and harshly and led me back to the city. That night, those sacrilegious men spent their time torturing me in various ways, and while satisfying themselves with my suffering, they afflicted me with mockery, blows, injuries, and countless reproaches. They shamefully spat upon my lovely face, covered my eyes, and struck my neck with mockery. In the morning, after I was brought into the courtyard of Caiaphas, they shouted that I was guilty of death. The very womb that bore me grieved for me, and she wept inconsolable tears when she saw me in such disgrace and distress. Then I was brought before the governor Pilate, accused and condemned. . My enemies stared at me with terrifying eyes, and they stood against me like giants. But I stood there meekly like a gentle lamb being led to the slaughter, with my head bowed and a patient heart. After this, I was dressed in a white robe by Herod, like a foolish mockery of a son. My beautiful body was scourged with the sharpest whips; my delicate head was pierced with thorny spikes; my lovely face was defiled with spit and flowing blood. And so, finally condemned, they led me away miserably with the cross laid on my shoulders to the place of execution, shouting boldly, "Take him away, take him away, crucify the evildoer."
The Necessity of the Passion
The disciple questions the necessity of such extreme suffering, and Wisdom explains that the path to divinity must pass through the bitterness of humanity.
Disciple: "O great piety, if the beginning of your passion was so bitter, what will the end of such great suffering be?" Indeed, it's human. It is irrational to endure such cruel suffering and to see misery; how much more so to sustain such immense torments and punishments, O Creator of all and most beautiful of men. Therefore, from the depths of my heart and with all my being, my soul rightly longs for you. But there is one thing I desire to know from you, about which I never cease to wonder. Behold, to me who ask about your divinity, you show your humanity; to me who seek sweetness, you offer bitterness; to me who ask to suckle, you give me the strength to fight bravely. Wisdom: Let it be known to you that one cannot reach the heights of divinity or experience its extraordinary sweetness unless one is drawn through a certain pious affection of faith and love, by way of the bitterness of my humanity and passion. And the more you neglect this, the higher you try to ascend, the deeper you fall. This is indeed the way by which one travels; this is the gate through which entrance to the desired end is granted. Therefore, cast aside all the fearful dread in your heart now, and put on a brave spirit. Act steadfastly and stand firm with me in the battle line; for it is not fitting for a servant to take delight where he sees his master striving so earnestly. So, be constant and stand strong with me in the fray; for it is not proper for a servant to indulge himself where he sees his master fighting so vigorously. Look with your mind's eye at the number of David's mighty men; if you want to serve the King spiritually, you must put aside your former laziness and, following the example of David's three mighty men, keep your composure in both prosperity and adversity. As you pass through the midst of your enemies, draw water from the well of Bethlehem to offer the desired drink to the King, exposing yourself to every labor so that you may please his will alone. Take up my armor like a warrior. Let not the squire precede but follow his lord; for from the cup from which I drank, you too will drink, and you will also suffer the adversities I have endured, as you too will bear them as much as you can spiritually. Indeed, your heart will be troubled by the daily mortification of sensuality that opposes reason, and by the onslaught of many tribulations that will weigh upon your love for me, and in a way, it will be drenched with sweat and blood. I desire to nourish the growth of your plantings with rose-colored flowers—that is, through trials and tribulations. By overcoming your long-standing habits, you will be captivated and, as it were, bound; from your adversaries, you will also endure hidden slanders, open injuries, and shame. But you will carry my passion in your heart, like a most faithful mother carries her child in her heart, continually. You will endure reproaches and unjust judgments from many; you will face many slanders from your rivals, and your head will be crowned with thorns, as if it were surrounded by thorns, when your spiritual exercises are suppressed by the stings of envy. After this, you will be led outside the camp with me, and you will bear my reproaches when you abandon yourself, your own will, and all creatures that hinder your salvation, just as a person about to die abandons everything at the final moment of their spirit. Therefore, be strong in spirit, and prepare your soul for temptation; for I have announced to you the things that are to come. Disciple: The abyss of God's judgments is unfathomable. Disciple: Oh, the fearsome decree of preordination! Why don't you say that you've decided to save humanity in a more peaceful way? If it were allowed to speak to you, the wretched: Why did you do it this way? Could it be that in your eternal wisdom you couldn't find another way to save the wretched and show us your love, so that you could spare yourself from such great suffering and us from such great pain? Surely, in the past, the holy prophet dared to challenge this hidden counsel, saying: Why will you be like a wandering man, like a strong man who cannot save? Wisdom: The divine essence surpasses every form that human understanding can grasp. Therefore, just as it cannot grasp the essence itself, it also cannot comprehend the depth of its judgments, through which all created things find their end. Therefore, regarding matters that depend entirely on the divine will and good pleasure, we must be careful not to inquire too curiously or excessively, lest the one seeking majesty be overwhelmed by glory. In this vastness, God could have restored human nature through His omnipotent power in many other ways; however, given the current conditions, no more fitting method existed. For the Author of nature does not consider what His power prevails over, but rather what is appropriate for each creature according to its nature. Moreover, when the way that leads to life is narrow and the path is difficult, and before the Incarnation it was less trodden, how could this way be made easier, except in this manner: that He who established it would go before and would alleviate the arduous path through bitter suffering, so that it might become easier for creatures, since He, the Creator, would tread it with such diligence? How can a person who has lost joy through disordered delight recover it, if not through the hardship of temporal tribulation? Furthermore, since the way that leads to life is narrow and difficult, and before the Incarnation it was less trodden, how could this way have been made lighter, except in this way: that He who established it would go before, and by suffering greatly would alleviate the arduous path, thus making it easier for creatures, since He, the Creator, would tread it with such diligence?
The Call to Spiritual Warfare
Wisdom invites the disciple to take up the armor of the cross, endure tribulations, and conform their life to the suffering of the Master.
Think about this for yourself. If you were to be judicially condemned to death, and someone were to take the blow meant for you in their own body, allowing you to escape unharmed, how could they show you greater love and affection, or make you their debtor, and urge you more to repentance? Ask each creature, and they will teach you; the order of the entire universe will respond to you, revealing that justice and mercy were to be upheld together in no more beautiful or fitting way than through the pain of such a great mediator and the bitterness of his death. Let not the labor of the elect terrify you, nor let adverse dangers break you. My own ineffable sweetness and the delightful sweetness of love will either make you not feel your adversities, or will allow you to bear them very lightly, through the anointing of the Master. For who, while enjoying the privilege of spiritual consolation or the grace of heavenly visitation, rejoices more than the one who endures the harshest tribulations for my sake? The bitterness of my passion will be lessened for the one who has frequently tasted the sweetness of my love. The athlete who is known to have a strong and favorable helper in conflict is already expected to have triumphed in a great part. Therefore, don't let your heart be troubled; always keep my passion in mind, write it on your heart as if in a book, and strive to conform to it as much as you can. Now, indeed, desiring to impress upon you the bitterness of my saving passion more deeply, we will further pursue the order of its narrative. They took me outside the camp and hung me on the cross between two thieves, just so my death would seem more disgraceful. As I remained fixed like this, surrounded by the most serious pains of death, my eyes were darkened, my ears were filled with divine derisions, my sense of smell was afflicted by a foul odor, and my sweetest mouth was made bitter by a drink of gall. They struck me, they wounded me, and with the harshest punishments they tore my flesh, so that the blood burst forth from the terrible blows and, flowing over my delicate body, revealed my bloodied self to everyone. If you had seen me hanging so miserably on the cross at that hour, your soul would have failed from grief. Behold, at that sorrowful hour and time, the vastness of the earth had failed me, so that I had nowhere to lay my weary head, but it hung down. My neck was struck by blows and punishments; my beautiful face was defiled with spittle. The pallor of death had seized my face, and all my beauty was so extinguished and dead that my proper appearance was no longer recognizable, but it seemed as if it had become the appearance of some leper. Disciple: Who will give me at this hour the ability to look upon your lovely face, to pour it out under this mournful form, and to do so with a heart resolved, in a most vehement shower of tears? O mirror of purity, the most beautiful object of all virtues and graces, in whom the angels desire to gaze, and whose joyful looks delight to fix their eyes in unceasing happiness: who will give my heart such an extraordinary and supreme affection of compassion, that it may surpass all the fervent motivations of singular love from its infinite abundance? If I could pour forth abundant tears from all my eyes, and have all the moving and sorrowful voices of every tongue, so that my passion might be repaid with such effectiveness, Wisdom: No one repays my passion better than the one who follows it not only with words but also with deeds; who continually bears the stigmata—that is, the works of the cross—in his body, humbly conforming himself to my footsteps, treading on the prosperous and not fearing the adverse; who always strives with burning desire toward the summit of spiritual perfection. I tell you that not even as many streams of tears as there are whirlpools of water would be so acceptable before me; even though pious tears that arise from the affection of compassion are lovely and pleasing before God. Disciple: Most beloved Wisdom, therefore I wish to be taught how I should conform myself to you in these passions. Wisdom: Turn your eyes away so they do not see harmful things, and your ears so they do not hear vain things, and instead of sweet things, take in bitter ones. Remove unnecessary and disordered pleasures from your body; seek peace and quiet for your heart in me alone. Receive all tribulations joyfully; endure the evils inflicted on you patiently, and desire to be seen as despicable by everyone. Learn to break your desires in everything, and continually mortify the cravings of your flesh for the love of the Savior who calls you. These are, my son, the first principles that eternal wisdom teaches you and the other lovers of her, which are inscribed in this open book, namely, my body crucified, as you see.
The Infinite Depth of Love
Wisdom reveals that the intensity of the Passion was driven by an unquenchable love for sinners, inviting the soul to find restoration through repentance at the foot of the cross.
Disciple: Your fidelity in redemption is so abundant and immense, exceeding the minds of all mortals, that even after considering all other multiple benefits, the sole vastness of your passion, arising from love, is so great and so pure that it rightly seizes the entire affection of love for itself. But now, eternal wisdom, my soul thirsts deeply to hear from you again that which is so sweet to the miserable. What is the meaning of such great love, and what were you thinking when you chose to suffer such bitterness? Why didn't you provide for yourself, and why were you so gracious to yourself? You could have done this much more easily, no doubt, if you had wanted to. Wisdom says: The greatness of love would not allow me to do so. The flame of love burned so intensely that it did not want to spare anything, nor did it allow for any condescension. This burned so intensely within me that no one ever thirsted so fervently for the clearest springs of water, or desired life so much, as I desired to save sinners out of love and to show myself as lovable to them. The days that have passed will be repeated, flowers that have withered since the beginning of the world will bloom again, and countless drops of rain will be gathered, the vastness of my love and affection cannot be measured or understood. Moreover, my beautiful body was marked by countless pains, as if it were branded with certain signs of love, such that not even a single point of space in my crucified body was found that was not marked by pain and singular love. And this, too, I allow you to see right now. Look now at my hands, long and beautiful, pierced deeply by nails; my arms stretched out in agony; my feet pierced; and my legs, utterly weary and constricted by a violent affliction. Consider the delicate members of my body, so beautifully crafted, marked by the art of suffering, sprinkled and drenched with blood. My body, youthful and beautiful in its grace, has fallen and withered away from its own flower. The most terrible wood of the cross was a resting place for the back. The heavy body was fixed down by nails, and because of its weight, the pain of my wounds increased. What more can I say? From the soles of my feet to the crown of my head, I was filled with the most severe wounds and bitter pains. They did not spare me, but they intoxicated me with bitterness and tormented the King of Glory with exquisite tortures. And I endured all these wounds of love with great longing of heart, so that I might heal the wounds of my sins with my own suffering, satisfy for the miserable sinners, and reconcile all who wish to return to the heavenly Father. Just as the soul that lost its beloved through sin finds him again under the cross through fervent repentance, aided by the passion of Christ.
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Ante diem festum pasche, ultima cena iam facta cum disdpulis, instante tempore transitus mei ex hoc mundo ad patrem, egressus cum undecim abii in montem Olyveti, ubi factus in agonia, cum prolixius orassem et intelligerem tam crudelia supplidorum genera michi iam inminere, tunc factus est sudor meus sicut gutte sangwinis decurrentis in terram. Vix enim credibile esset alicui homini viventi sub celo, quales angustias et quam vehementes et terribiles mortis pressuras natura delicata mortem horrendo in eius presencia tunc persensit. Postea venerunt filii tenebrarum hostiliter, qui me durissime captivantes et crudeliter ligantes-ad civitatem reduxerunt. Noctem illam sacrilegi diversis suppliciorum generibus in me expenderunt, et se penis meis satiantes, ludibriis et verberibus, iniuriis et obprobriis innumeris me afflixerunt. Faciem meam amabilem turpiter conspuebant, oculos velabant, collum cum subsannatione percutiebant. Mane facto in atrio Cayphe veritatem confitendo, reum mortis me esse conclamabant.
Maternis quoque visceribus ipsa que me genuit, super me doluit, et irremediabilibus lacrimis flevit, cum me in tantis obprobriis et angustiis positum vidit. Deinde ante presidem Pylatum fui adductus, accusatus, condempnatus. . Inimi ci mei terribilibus oculis me intuebantur, et tamquam gygantes steterunt contra me. Ego autem manswete tamquam agnus manswetus qui portatur ad victimam, stabam demisso capite, pacientissimo corde. Post hec ab Herode alba veste indutus, tamquam fatuus illusus fili. Corpus meum formosum flagellis acerrimis verberaverunt; caput delicatum spinis pungentibus perforaverunt; facies mea amabilis sputis et sangwine defluente sordebat.
Et sic tandem condempnatum miserabiliter cruce humeris propriis superposita, ad locum supplicii eduxerunt, clamantes valenter: Tolle tolle, crucifige maleficum. DISCIPULUS: 0 summa pietas, si tam amara fuit tue passionis inchoatio, heu qualis erit tanti doloris exitus et consumacio. Revera animal. irrationale tam crudelia pati esset michi videre miseria: quantomagis te omnium creatorem et speciosissimum hominem sustinere tam inmania tormenta et supplicia. Merito proinde ex intimo cordis affectu et totis precordiis meis conpacietur tibi anima mea. Sed unum est quod a te scire cupio, de quo etiam non desino mirari. Ecce querenti michi tuam divinitatem, ostendis humanitatem; querenti dulcedinem, profers amaritudinem; petenti mamillas sugere, das robusta certamina decertare.
0 etema sapiencia, cur hoc facis, vel quid per hoc vis ostendere? SAPIENCIA: Notum tibi sit, quod non datur perveniri ad divinitatis altitudinem, vel inusitatam dulcedinem, nisi tractis pio quodam fidei ac dileccionis affectu per humanitatis et passionis mee amaritudinem. Et quanto hac neglecta quis ascenderit alcius, tanto cadit profundius. Hec est enim via per quam itur, hec porta per quam introitus ad desideratum finem conceditur. Qua propter depone nunc omnem cordis tui formidolosum timorem, et indue animum virilem. Constanter age et in acie fortiter mecum consiste; quia non decet famulum deliciari, ubi viderit dominum suum tam strennue decertare.
Respice oculo mentali numerum fortium David; inter quos si spiritualiter etemo regi militaturus a nn umerari desideras, necesse est ut pristinam ignaviam deponas, et exemplo trium forcium David, inter prospera videlicet et adversa equanimiter te habendo, tamquam per mediam aciem inimicorum transeas, ac de cystema Bethleemitica aquam hauriendo, potum desideratum summo regi offeras, teipsum videlicet exponendo laboribus cunctis, ut eius solius pareas beneplacito voluntatis. Jnduere sicut gygas stola bellica; accipe armaturam meam. Non precedat sed sequatur armiger dominum suum; quia de calice de quo bibi potaberis, et adversa que pertuli, tu quoque pro posse spiritualiter patieris. Nempe cor tuum ob cottidianam mortificationem sensualitatis rationi contrariantis, et inpetum multarum tribulationum te dilectioni mee disponentium angustiabitur, et quodammodo sudore sangwineo perfundetur. Ortum quippe plantacionum tuarum roseis floribus, angustiis videlicet et tribulationibus inpinguare desidero. Jnveteratas namque in te conswetudines vincendo, captivaberis, et quasi ligaberis; ab adversariis quoque meis occultas calumpnias et manifestas iniurias ac verecundias sustinebis.
Sed et passionem meam in pectore tuo, tamquam mater fidelissima in suo pectore, iugiter portabis. Reprehensiones et iudicia iniusta a multis patieris; detracciones multas ab emulis habebis, et quasi spinis caput tuum coronabitur, cum spiritualia exercitia tua invidie stimulis subprimentur. Post hec mecum extra castra educeris, simulque inproperia mea portabis, quando teipsum et propriam voluntatem et omnes creaturas de salute te inpedientes deserueris pro posse tuo, velud homo moriturus cuncta deserit in ultimo exitu spiritus sui. Jgitur forti animo esto, et prepara animam tuam ad temptationem; quia que ventura sunt annuntiavi tibi. DISCIPULUS: 0 iuditiorum dei abyssus inperscrutabilis. 0 eteme preordinacionis sententia formidolosa.
Cur non si dicere licet decrevisti salvare genus humanum per alium modum magis quietum? 0 si liceret dicere miseris ad te: Quare sic fecisti? Numquid in tua eternasapientia non potuisti invenire alium modum, per quem et miseros salvares, et tuam nobis dilectionem ostenderes, ut sic et teipsum a tantis doloribus, nosque a conpassionibus tantis subportasses? Merito proinde olym propheta sanctus occulta animadversione consilium hoc quasi inpugnare ausus est dicens: Quare futurus es velud vir vagus, ut vir fortis qui non potest salvare? SAPIENCIA: Divina substantia omnem formam quam intellectus humanus attingit, sua virtute excedit. Unde sicut non potest ipsam apprehendere, ita nec profunditatem Judiciorum ipsius, per que creata omnia suum finem sortiuntur, poterit investigare.
Proinde a talibus que ex solo divine voluntatis beneplacito dependent, a nimia et curiosa inquisitione cavendum est, ne videlicet scrutator maiestatis opprimatur a gloria. Jn hac autem inmensitate deus per suam omnipotentem virtutem, humanam naturam multis aliis modis recuperare poterat; sed stantibus condicionibus ut nunc, nullus congruencior modus erat. Auctor enim nature in sua operacione non attendit quid sua virtus prevaleat, sed quid unicuique creature congruum secundum suam naturam existat. Cum autem homo paucissimas veritates rerum etiam naturalium et inferiorum deductionibus scientificis ob inperfeccionem intellectus humani sciat, et easdem non nisi cum maximo studio et diutino labore tandem conquirat^), itemque naturaliter de visibilibus ad invisibilia, de corporalibus ad spiritualia procedat: quomodo queso congruendus divina misteria sciri poterant, maximeque illa preclara fidei principia omnem facultatem intellectus excedencia, nisi ut ea sapiencia divina carne induta, utpote veritas infallibilis revelaret, ut sic invisibilia dei a creatura mundi per ea que facta sunt intellecta conspiceret, sempiterna quoque virtus eius ac divinitas per assumptam humanitatem nota fieret? Homo eciam qui per inordinatam delectacionem gaudia amiserat, qualiter ordinacius quam per temporalem tribulacionem amissa recuperare debuerat? Amplius autem, cum via que ducit ad vitam sit arta et semite anguste, et ante incamacionem fuerint minus trite: qualiter poterat hec via levior fieri, nisi hoc modo, ut ipse qui hanc tradidit preiret, et viam laboriosam amarissime paciendo alleviaret, et sic facilior creature fieret, cum ipsam creator precedendo tanta sedulitate calcasset?
Perpende adhuc ex temetipso. Si morti obnoxius iudicialiter plectendus fores, si quis ictum ferientis pro te exciperet in corpore suo, et te illesum abire permitteret: quomodo maiorem caritatem et dileccionem tibi ostendere posset, vel debitorem sibi constitueret, teque ad reamandum magis incitaret? Jnterroga singulas creaturas, et docebunt te; ordinem tocius universi, et respondebunt tibi, quod secundum nullum pulchriorem et congruenciorem modum servanda fuerat iusticia simul et misericordia ostendenda, natura humana exaltanda, bonitas divina effundenda, denique celum et terra pacificanda, quam cum dolore passionis tanti mediatoris, et amaritudine mortis ipsius. Nec te labor electorum terreat, aut adversa pericula frangant. Jpsa namque ineffabilis presencie mee suavitas, et amoris dulcedo ammiranda, aut non sentire aut levissime ferre faciet adversa omnia, unctione magistra. Quis enim privilegio spiritualis consolationis, aut gratia superne visitationis amplius gaudet, quam qui durissimas propter me tribulationes sustinet?
Amaritudinem teste minus curabit qui nuclei dulcedinem frequentius pregustaverit. Jtem athleta qui fortem et propitium adiutorem in conflictu habere dinoscitur, pro magna parte iam triumphasse speratur. Jgitur non concidat cor tuum; sed passionem meam semper in mente habeto, et eam in corde tuo quasi in libro scribe, et te ei quantum vales studeas conformare. Nunc vero amaritudinem salutifere passionis mee tibi affectuosius inculcare cupiens, ordinem narrationis ipsius ulterius prosequemur. Eductum me extra castra suspenderunt in crucis patibulo, inter duos latrones, ad hoc dumtaxat ut mors mea turpior appareret. Cumque sic fixus manerem, et serissimis doloribus mortis circumdatus essem, oculi mei luciferi fuerunt contenebrari, aures divine derisionibus replete, olfactus propter malum odorem afflictus, os meum dulcissimum felleo potu amaricatum.
Percusserunt me, vulneraverunt me, et durissimis castigationibus carnem meam laceraverunt, ita ut atroces ictus sangwinis unde erumpentes sequerentur, et per corpus delicatum sparsim decurrentes, ipsum cruentatum sangwine cunctis demonstrarent. 0 si vidisses me in illa hora tam miserabiliter pendentem in patibulo, defecisset tua anima pre dolore. En in hora et in tempore illo flebili, spatiosa terre latitudo michi defecerat, ita ut non haberem ubi caput miseriis fessum reclinarem, sed inclinatum dependebat. Collum meum alapis et percussionibus afflixerant; faciem meam elegantem sputis inmundam reddiderant. Pro vivido colore pallor umbrosus vultum occupaverat, et tota formositas mea in tantum extincta fuit et emortua, ut aspectus micbi debitus iam non esset, sed quasi leprosi alicuius aspectus viluisse putaretur. DISCIPULUS: 0 quis michi det iam in hac hora tuam hanc faciem amabilem, sub hac lugubri forma iuxta votum prospicere, ipsamque perfundere resoluto corde, vehementissimo ymbre lacrimarum.
0 speculum munditie, virtutum et gratiarum omnium pulcherrimum obiectum, in quem desiderant angeli prospicere, iocundissimisque obtutibus suos gaudent oculos defigere felicitate indefessa: quis dabit cordi meo tam eximium et precipuum conpassionis affectum, ut sua ex inmensitate omnium singulari amore flagrantium motivas superet conpassiones. 0 si possem omnium oculorum uberes lacrimas effundere, omniumque lingwarum motivas et flebiles voces habere, ut passioni tue tanto efficacius daretur rependere vices. SAPIENCIA: Nemo melius passioni mee rependit vices, quam qui non verbis solum, sed et factis ipsam prosequitur; qui stigmata, idest crucis opera iugiter in suo portat corpore, se meis humiliter conformando vestigiis, prospera videlicet calcans, adversa non formidans; qui ardenti semper desiderio ad culmen tendit spiritualis perfectionis. Dico tibi quod nec tot lacrimarum ymbres, quot aquarum sunt gurgites, coram me essent tam acceptabiles; quamvis etiam pie lacrime ex affectu conpassionis procedentes, amabiles et grate coram deo existant. DISCIPULUS: Amantissima sapienda, idcirco qualiter me tibi in predictis passionibus conformare debeam, cupio edoceri. SAPIENCIA: Averte oculos tuos ne videant nociva, aures ne audiant vana, et pro dulcibus sume amara.
Corporis tui superfluas et inordinatas amove delicias; cordis tui pacem et quietem in me solo requiras. Cunctas tribulationes gaudenter recipias; mala illata patienter sustineas, et despicabilis ab omnibus videri concupiscas. Disce voluntates tuas in omnibus frangere, et concupiscentias camis tue ob amorem salvatoris pro te monentis iugiter mortificare. Hec sunt fili my, hec sunt inquam prima principia, que tibi ceterisque amatoribus suis tradit etema sapientia, que in libro hoc aperto, videlicet corpore meo crucifixo, sicut vides sunt exarata. DISCIPULUS: Tam copiosa et inmensa est redemptionis tue fidelitas, et cunctorum excedens ingenia mortalium, ut eciam postpositis omnibus ceteris beneficiis multiplicibus, sola passionis ex amore procedentis tam larga inmensitas et tam pia fidelitas, sibimet totum iure rapiat dilectionis affectum. Sed nunc 0 etema sapientia, anima mea iterato a te audire vehementer sitit, hoc quod miseris tam dulciter sapit.
Quid obsecro sibi vult tantus amor, vel quid cogitasti quod tam amara pati voluisti? Quare tibi ipsi non providisti, et propicius tibi fuisti? Levius namque absque omni dubio hoc facere licuisset si placuisset. SAPIENCIA: Amoris magnitudo hoc me facere non permisit. Caritatis flamma in tantum desevit quod in nullo parcere voluit, nil condescendere admisit. Hec namque in tantum in me exarsit ut nullus umquam sitiens tam fervide limpidissimos aquarum fontes desideraverit aut moriturus vitam cunctis mortalibus optatam affectaverit, sicut ego ex amore sitivi peccatores salvos facere, et me eis amabilem exhibere.
Facibus dies iam preterita reiterabitur, flores ab initio mundi arefacti revirescent, pluviarum gutte innumerabiles recolfigentur, quam mensurari aut estimari possit caritatis et dilectionis mee inmensitas inconprehensibihs. Unde et corpus meum formosum doloribus innumeris tamquam quibusdam amoris signaculis tam multipliciter consignatum fuit, quod non inveniebatur nec spatium unius puncti in meo corpore crucifixo quod non dolore et amore singulari reluceret. Et hoc quoque iam in presenti tibi abquabter videre dispensative concedito. Vide nunc manus meas utrasque, longas et pulchras, clavis acerrime perfossas, brachia atrociter extenta, pedes perforatos, crura admodum fessa, et violenti quadam cancellacione constricta. Respice delicata corporis menbra, tam arte inclusioni mancipata, sangwine quoque respersa et perfusa. Corpus meum iuvenih decore venustum, a flore suo decidit et emarcuit.
Asperrimum crucis lignum erat dehcati dorsi reclinatorium. Corpus ponderosum clavis confixum deorsum sua mole trahebatur, et inde dolor vulnerum meorum augebatur. Quid plura? A planta pedis usque ad verticem sevissimis vulneribus et amarissimis doloribus repleverunt me; deduxerunt in lacum mortis vitam meam. Non pepercerunt, sed inebriaverunt me amaritudine, et exquisitis cruciatibus regem glorie vexaverunt. Et hec omnia amoris vulnera cum magno sustinui cordis desiderio, ut meo livore peccatorum vulnera sanarem, pro peccatoribus miseris satisfacerem, et omnes redire volentes patri celesti reconsiliarem.
Qualiter anima que sponsum per peccatum perdiderat, ipsum sub cruce per fervidam penitenciam invenit, Cristi passione adiuta.
Horologium Sapientiae (Clock of Wisdom) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent