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Chapter 2KazSwiet.1.2

Kazanie na Dzień św. Katerzyny

The Divine Invitation

The preacher introduces the Song of Songs as a divine call to the soul, exemplified by St. Catherine.

Arise, hurry, my beloved, and come!✦ These are the words wise Solomon writes, and they are the words of the Son of God, drawing this holy virgin Catherine into the glory of the heavenly King.1 Arise, he says, hurry, my darling, and come!2 And the Son of God spoke words of great weight, by which he stirs, entices, and draws every devout soul. He stirs the soul, saying: Arise! He entices it, saying: Hurry!3 He draws it, saying: And come! And the Son of God says: Arise!4

Fourfold Call to Conversion

God calls all sinners—those who sit, lie, sleep, or are dead—to rise from their spiritual states.

He says to leave behind the company of sin, to hurry from the good into the better, and to go toward the kingdom of heaven.✦5 And the Son of God says: Rise!✦6 But in Holy Scripture, to four kinds of people, as he rouses them, Almighty God says: Rise!7 I show that there are four kinds of sinners; for he speaks this word either to those who sit, or to those who sleep, or to those who lie down, or to the dead.8 Those who sit are the ones who are lazy about the good; those who lie down are the ones who take delight in evil; those who sleep are the ones who harden themselves in their sins; the dead are the ones who despair of God's love.910 And to all of these alike the merciful God says this, saying: Rise!11

Rising from Sloth

The preacher addresses those who are spiritually lazy, using the figure of the blind man to illustrate the need for movement toward God.

First, He says to those who are sitting: Arise!✦ They are lazy toward the good in four ways: they don't look to the good that is to come; they take pleasure in temporal good; they don't remember what is enough for them; and they take no care for themselves at all.1213 And for that reason—because they don't want to see God—they are lazy about rising to the good; therefore, through the blind man,14 .15 .]16 they are clearly signified.17 Saint Luke writes of him: A blind man sat by the roadside.✦18 He was blind because he didn't look to the good that is to come; he was sitting because he took pleasure in temporal good; he was by the roadside because he didn't remember what was enough for him; and he was poor because he had nothing good in himself.✦1920 And so, because Saint Catherine . . she was of good conscience, to rise at the voice of the Son of God . . she was.

Rising from Evil Deeds

The call to rise is extended to those who delight in evil, likened to the paralytic on his bed.

And second: Rise!21 says the merciful God to those who lie there, who delight in evil.22 People like that are well represented by the helpless paralytic, stricken with a severe illness, of whom Saint Luke writes: They brought to him a wretched paralytic lying on a bed.✦23 . . What does that infirm man lying on the bed signify for us?24 Truly, nothing other than a sinful person lying sunk in evil deeds—who, remembering none of the eternal good, has bound himself to what is temporal and is lazy about rising to do every good work.25 . . Saint Catherine did not delay toward the good!26 She stood firm; she did not lie in evil—and so also you27 . . As we read in her holy life, she led away those who were living in a false state through her teaching.28

Rising from Hardened Sin

The final exhortation calls those hardened in sin and those in despair to awaken and seek the kingdom of heaven.

And the third is this word: Arise! God says this to those who are asleep, who harden themselves in their sins; for a sinner hardened in sins is like a prisoner shackled in a dungeon.2930 Of such a person, Saint Luke says: In that very night Peter was sleeping.31 .32 .33 The fourth word God speaks is this: Rise!✦34 to the dead, who despair of God's love.3536 . . Rise from your sinful state, hurry from good to better, and come to the kingdom of heaven.✦373839 Amen.

Read the original Latin

Surge, propera, amica mea, et veni! Ta słowa pisze mądry Salomon, a, są słowa Syna Bożego tę to świętą dziewicę Katerzynę w sławę króla niebieskiego wabiącego. Wstań, prawi, pospiej się, miluczka m[oja], i pojdzi! I zmówił Syn Boży słowa wielmi znamienita, jimiż każda duszę zbożną pobudza, ponęca i powabia. Pobudza, rzeka: wstań! [Ponę]ca, rzekę ta: pospiej się! Powabia, rzeka: i pojdzi! I [mówi Syn Boży]: wstań!

otbądź, prawi, stadła grzesznego, pospiej się w l[epsze z do]brego, pojdzi tamce do krolewstwa niebieskiego. I m[owi Syn Boży:]- wstań! Ale w świętem pisani cztwiorakim ludziom, pobudzaję je, mówi [Bóg] wszemogący: wstań! , pokazuję, iż są grzesznicy cztwioracy; bo mówi to słowo albo siedzącym, albo śpiącym, albo leżącym, albo uma[rłymi]. Siedzący są, jiż się k dobremu obleniają; leżący są, jiż się w[e z]łem kochają; śpiący są, jiż się w grzeszech zapieklają; umarli są, jiż w miłości Bożej rozpaczają. A tym wszem tet to Bóg miłosciw mówi, rzeka: wstań!

I mówi pirzwiej siedzącym: wstań! , jiż się k dobrem[u] obleniają cztwiorodla: iż na będące dobro nie giądają, iż [w] wrzemiennem dobrze lubują, iż czego jim doje nie pamiętają, iż o sobie nijedne piecze nie imają. A togodla iż [Boga nie chcą uź]rzeć, k dobremu wstać się obleniają, przeto przez [ ślepego. . .] dobrze się znamionują. O jemżc pisze święty Łukasz: Cecus se[debat secus viam]. Ślepy, bo na będące dobro nie glądał; siedziesze, bo w doborze wrzemiennem lubował]; podle drogi, bo czego jemu było doje, nie pam[iętał]; ubogi bo u siebie niczs dobrego nie imiał.

A przeto iż święta Katerzyn[a . . . dobrego] sąmnienia była, ku głosu Syna Bożego wstać się . . . była.

A wtóre [wstań!] mówi Bóg miłościwy leżącym, jiż się we złem kochają. A tacy dobrze się przez onogo nicmocnego paralityka, trudną niemocą urażonego, znamionują, o jemże pisze święty Łukasz: Offerebant ei miserum paraliticum iacentem in lecto. . . Czso nam przez togo niemocnego na łóżku leżącego znamiona? Za wierne niczs inego kromie człowieka grzesznego we złych skutcech prześpiewającego, jenźe nic pamiętaję dobra wiekujego, obiązał się tomu, czsoż jeść wrzemiennego, leniw jeść ku wstaniu czynić każdego skutka dobrego. .

. Święta Katerzyna [k dobremu] nie mieszkać! jeść stała, we złem nie leżała, asi i ty [. . . jeż są] w błędnem stadle leżały, ty jeść swoją, nauką otwodziła, jakoż się czcie w je świętem żywocie.

A trzecie to to słowo: wstań! mówi Bóg śpiącym, jiż się w grzeszech zapieklają; bo grzesznik w grzeszech zapieklony jeść jako kłodnik w ciemnicy skowany. O jemże prawi święty Łuka]sz: In ipsa nocte erat Petrus dormiens. . .

A cz[twarte to to sło]wo mówi Bóg: wstań! umarłym, jiż w mi[łości Bożej] rozpaczają. . . surge [z] stadła grzesznego, propera w lepsze z dobrego, veni do krolewstwa niebieskiego. Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Song.2.10 — My beloved answered and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come away.'
  2. ↩Song.2.10 — My beloved answered and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come away.'
  3. ↩Song.2.10 — My beloved answered and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come away.'
  4. ↩Eph.5.14;Isa.60.1 — Therefore he says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Isa.60.1 — Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
  5. ↩Luke.18.35;Mark.10.46;Matt.20.30 — As he was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the roadside, begging. Mark.10.46 — And they came to Jericho. And as he was going out from Jericho, with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road. Matt.20.30 — And behold, two blind men sitting beside the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, 'Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!'
  6. ↩Luke.18.35 — As he was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the roadside, begging.
  7. ↩Luke.5.18;Mark.2.3;Matt.9.2 — And behold, men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and to place him before him. Mark.2.3 — And they came, carrying a paralytic to him, being carried by four men. Matt.9.2 — And behold, they were bringing to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, child; your sins are forgiven.'
  8. ↩Eph.5.14 — Therefore he says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'
  9. ↩Song.2.10-Song.2.13 — My beloved answered and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come away.' Song.2.11 — For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. Song.2.12 — The blossoms have appeared in the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. Song.2.13 — The fig tree has ripened its early figs, and the vines in blossom give off their fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Old Polish wabiącego ('drawing/enticing') is taken as modifying the Son of God: he is the one drawing Catherine into heavenly glory. 'a,' in the normalized text is read as the connective a ('and').
  2. 2 ↩Restored bracketed m[oja] as moja in 'miluczka moja' ('my darling / my dear one').
  3. 3 ↩Opening verb restored from damaged [Ponę]ca as ponęca ('entices / allures'), matching the triad in s4.
  4. 4 ↩Speaker tag restored from damaged [mówi Syn Boży]; next section continues the same imperative expansion.
  5. 5 ↩Reading follows editorial restoration l[epsze z do]brego as 'from the good into the better' (progress from good to better).
  6. 6 ↩Speaker restored from m[owi Syn Boży:] in the normalized reading.
  7. 7 ↩Subject [Bóg] is editorially supplied in the normalized text.
  8. 8 ↩Final category restored as uma[rłymi] ('the dead').
  9. 9 ↩zapieklają: Old Polish image of baking/hardening; rendered as 'harden themselves' in sins.
  10. 10 ↩w[e z]łem restored as 'in evil'.
  11. 11 ↩tet to taken as 'this same / this as well' (Old Polish też/to force), not a separate lexical item.
  12. 12 ↩Old Polish 'czego jim doje nie pamiętają': 'doje' is taken as 'enough/sufficient' (dość), so 'they don't remember what is enough for them'—contentment with sufficiency. Alternative: they don't remember the goods already granted them in enough measure.
  13. 13 ↩Normalized editorial restorations retained: 'dobrem[u]'; '[w] wrzemiennem'.
  14. 14 ↩Damaged reading restored in source as '[Boga nie chcą uź]rzeć' and incomplete 'przez [ ślepego.'; translation follows the editorial reconstruction and leaves the sentence open into the following lacuna.
  15. 15 ↩Source unit is only a period marker inside a larger editorial lacuna; no recoverable Polish wording.
  16. 16 ↩Source unit is only the closing editorial bracket/period '.]'; no recoverable Polish wording.
  17. 17 ↩Completes the damaged run begun in s3: roughly 'therefore through the blind man they are clearly signified.' 'Znamionują się' = are marked/figured/signified as a type.
  18. 18 ↩Latin quotation restored as 'Cecus se[debat secus viam]'; English renders the reconstructed Vulgate phrase rather than leaving untranslated Latin.
  19. 19 ↩Normalized text has an extra closing bracket after 'lubował];' and restores 'pam[iętał]'; translation ignores the stray bracket and follows the restored reading.
  20. 20 ↩'czego jemu było doje' parallel to s2: rendered as 'what was enough for him' (sufficiency/contentment). Could also be read as the goods already granted him in enough measure.
  21. 21 ↩Bracketed wstań! looks like an editorial restoration of the imperative in a damaged Old Polish witness; sense is secure from the surrounding exhortation to rise from sin.
  22. 22 ↩leżącym continues the bed/paralysis metaphor: not mere physical lying, but remaining prostrate in sin; kochają we złem = take pleasure / delight in evil.
  23. 23 ↩nicmocnego = powerless / strengthless (nie-mocny); znamionują = are signified / typified; Latin Gospel tag left as a quotation and rendered in modern English.
  24. 24 ↩Czso = Co (what); znamiona = signifies / marks as a figure; rhetorical setup for the allegoresis in the next sentence.
  25. 25 ↩Za wierne = truly / in faithful reading (standard medieval allegoresis formula). prześpiewającego is difficult Old Polish; sense in context is remaining/sleeping sunk in evil works (bed metaphor). wrzemiennego = temporal; dobra wiekujego = eternal good; skutka dobrego = good deed/work.
  26. 26 ↩Old Polish mieszkać can mean 'dwell/remain' or, in moral exhortation, 'delay/tarry'. With [k dobremu] (editorial ku dobremu), rendered as not delaying toward the good. Bracketed restoration is editorial.
  27. 27 ↩jeść = Old Polish jest ('is/was'); stała = 'stood' (firm). Sentence breaks off at open lacuna bracket asi i ty [.
  28. 28 ↩błędne stadło = erroneous/false estate or condition of life (not marital 'estate' alone). otwodziła = led/drew away (from error) by teaching. jeż są] closes the lacuna opened in s3.
  29. 29 ↩zapieklają / zapieklony: Old Polish for becoming hardened/obstinate in sin (literally 'baked hard'); rendered as 'harden themselves' / 'hardened'.
  30. 30 ↩kłodnik: prisoner (one bound to a log/block); ciemnica: dungeon; skowany: shackled/fettered.
  31. 31 ↩Source has editorial reconstruction 'Łuka]sz' (lacuna filled as Łukasz / Luke).
  32. 32 ↩Source sentence is a manuscript lacuna (only '.').
  33. 33 ↩Source sentence is a manuscript lacuna (only '.').
  34. 34 ↩Bracketed lacuna filled as czwarte to to słowo (‘fourth is this word’), continuing the numbered series from 1.2.7’s ‘third… word’.
  35. 35 ↩Bracketed lacuna filled as miłości Bożej (‘God’s love’).
  36. 36 ↩rozpaczają w miłości Bożej read as despair of God’s love/mercy (the classic sin of despair), parallel to 1.2.7’s address to the sleepers hardened in sin; less likely as ‘despair within’ that love.
  37. 37 ↩Optional bracketed z restored as ‘from’ before stadła grzesznego.
  38. 38 ↩stadło rendered ‘estate/condition’ (sinful state of life); Middle Polish can also mean a pair or household, but the moral-sermon sense fits best here.
  39. 39 ↩Latin imperatives surge / propera / veni kept as English Rise / hurry / come rather than left untranslated, matching the surrounding Polish glossing pattern.

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