VISIO QUARTA, cap. XXXI
The Eyes and the Firmament
The forehead mediates between brain and eyes like the moon between heavens and earth, while the eyes themselves mirror the stars, air, and celestial moisture of the firmament.
But as was said above — from the forehead to the tip of the nose, where the air is pure and clear — the forehead, lying between the brain and the eyes, sustains the constitution of both brain and eyes, and absorbs the weakness that arises from the brain and the stomach into itself, just as the moon, surrounded by stars under the sun, often takes in both the things that descend from above and the things that rise up from below. For the eyes, which see a great many things, display the stars of the firmament that shine all around. For the white of the eyes represents the purity of the air; their brightness also represents its brilliance; the pupil, however, marks out the stars that are in that same air; and their moisture points to the moisture by which that same air is dampened from the waters below, so that it would not be harmed by the fire above.
The Soul's Repentant Gaze
The soul's movement toward repentance through grace is guided by modesty and circumspection, whose careful thought and keen insight purify the heart like the pupil of the eye washed by tears.
This, then, is what it is: the soul, placed in true repentance between knowledge and circumspection, drives its vessel — through the grace of God — toward repentance. Modesty too, dwelling between knowledge and circumspection, marks out their path — because it walks rightly when it loves chastity and, by keeping harmful things hidden within itself, reduces them to nothing so they do not break out into the open — just as the fear of the Lord, fortified by the strength of heavenly virtues, well moderates in itself things eternal and things fleeting. Circumspection, then — the means by which a faithful person foresees whatever good lies ahead for themselves — shows the burning desire it has for what is above. For the careful thought that comes through circumspection — by which a person diligently considers whatever things they see to be beneficial to their soul — seeks the sincerity of true repentance; but the keen insight that comes from that same thought loves the beauty of repentance itself, when a person looks upon themselves as cleansed from sins. And its intention — which is like the pupil of the eye — clarifies the burning and shining works that are within it; but the granting of pardon for sins — the groans and sighs by which repentance is broken apart by the moisture of tears, so that it would not be struck by the potential judgment of God — adorns it.
The Flesh's Resistance
Though the soul is fiery and rational, it is hindered by bodily infirmities and tempted by Satan to live according to the flesh, often being dragged down into evil.
For the soul looks around in every direction, beginning and working at each task, since it is fiery, and breathes with the air, and with knowledge and rationality accomplishes and discerns all things. For the soul, strengthened in the body, begins to work strongly and wants to do this; but very many infirmities of the flesh — in the marrows, in the blood, and in the stomach — meet it. For from the heat of the marrow a person's blood boils up, and from the weight of the stomach's food the blood burns; and these infirmities are a certain obstacle to the soul's strength, because from the burning of the flesh — the unchastity that Satan deceitfully wove — springs up, and rises to the soul from earthly things, and proposes to it that a person is flesh and ought to live according to the flesh. And so through the body, which is below, the soul itself is often compelled to work evil things with it.
The Soul's Celestial Works
The soul's works within the body shine like stars around the moon, while its knowledge, intellect, and rationality illuminate the inner person like the parts of the eye.
The works of the soul with the mobile body are, just as the moon is surrounded by stars, and the soul itself through knowledge is skillful with the rest of creation, so that the works of its art, whether they are from higher things or from lower things, are seen and known in its own vessel, just like stars — whether bright or dark — shining in the firmament. Bright knowledge, too, appears like the white of the eyes in a person, and intellect shines like their brightness in them, and rationality shines like the pupil of the eyes in them.
Tears of the Penitent
Burdened by sin, the person strives for heaven through groaning and weeping, producing tears from the body's humors just as rain is drawn from the lower waters.
Therefore a person is also compelled to strive toward heavenly things, groaning and weeping, where they judge themselves unworthy of the reward of eternal recompense, since they know themselves burdened with many sins, and so they strive only to escape the punishments of judgment. For these reasons, both tears—gathered from the body's humors, shed from the eyes—and rains—drawn upward from the lower waters, then flowing back down from the clouds—come to be, along with the careful expression of these things shaped by the soul's affections.
Read the original Latin
Ut autem praedictum est, a fronte usque ad extremitatem nasi puro aethere designato, frons inter cerebrum et oculos existens constitutionem cerebri et oculorum sustinet, et infirmitatem quae de cerebro et stomacho nascitur in se continet, velut ut etiam luna sub sole stellis circumdata, ea quae de superioribus descendunt, et quae de inferioribus ascendunt, multoties recipit. Oculi enim, qui plurima conspiciunt, stellas firmamenti, quae undique lucent, ostendunt. Nam albugo eorum puritatem aetheris, claritas quoque ipsorum splendorem illius, pupilla vero stellas, quae in eodem aethere sunt, designat; humor vero eorum, humorem quo idem aether a subterioribus aquis humectatur, ne a superiori igne laedatur, demonstrat. Hoc itaque est, quod inter scientiam et circumspectionem anima in vera poenitentia locata, vas suum per gratiam Dei ad poenitentiam impellit. Verecundia quoque inter scientiam et circumspectionem degens, viam illarum notat, quia recte incedit, cum pudicitiam amat, atque noxia quaeque in se occultando ad nihilum redigit, ne in palam prorumpant, sicut et timor Domini fortitudine coelestium virtutum vallatus, aeterna et caduca in semetipso bene moderatur. Circumspectio namque, qua fidelis homo quaelibet bona sibi praevidet, ardens desiderium ipsius quod ad superna habet demonstrat. Consideratio enim circumspectionis, qua homo ea diligenter considerat quae animae suae utilia videt, sinceritatem verae poenitentiae appetit; perspicacia autem ejusdem considerationis decorem ipsius poenitentiae diligit, cum homo a peccatis se purgatum aspicit. Intentio quoque ejus, quae quasi pupilla oculi est, ardentia et lucentia opera quae in illa sunt clarificat, sed indulgentia peccatorum, gemitus et suspiria, quibus poenitentia humore lacrymarum discutitur, ne potentiali judicio Dei feriatur, exornat.
Anima etenim undique circumspicit, unumquodque opus incipiens et operans, quoniam ignea est, et cum aere spirat, atque cum scientia et rationalitate omnia peragit et discernit. Nam anima in corpore roborata fortiter operari incipit, et hoc facere desiderat; sed quamplurimae infirmitates, carnis videlicet, in medullis, in sanguine et in stomacho ei occurrunt. Ex calore namque medullae sanguis hominis aestuat, et ex pondere ciborum stomachi sanguis ardet; istaeque infirmitates viribus animae quoddam obstaculum sunt, quia de ardore carnis incestus, quem Satan dolose texuit, pullulat, atque ad animam de terrenis ascendit, illique proponit quia homo caro sit et eum secundum carnem vivere oporteat. Unde et ipsa per corpus quod deorsum est, multoties cogitur mala cum illo operari. Opera quippe animae cum mobili corpore sunt, quemadmodum luna stellis circumdata est, ipsaque anima per scientiam artificiosa cum reliqua creatura est, ita ut opera artis ejus, sive de superioribus, sive de inferioribus sint, in vase suo videantur et cognoscantur, velut stellae aut lucidae aut obscurae in firmamento lucent. Candida etiam scientia quasi albugo oculorum in homine apparet, intellectusque velut claritas eorum in eo fulget, et rationalitas quemadmodum pupilla ipsorum in eo lucet. Quapropter etiam homo sic ad coelestia tendere gemendo et flendo cogitur, ubi se indignum praemio aeternae remunerationis aestimat, quoniam multis peccatis se oneratum novit, ideoque ut poenas judicii tantum evadat, contendit.
Quibus ex causis et lacrymae de humoribus corporis collectae ab oculis, et pluviae ab aquis inferioribus sursum tractae e nubibus defluant, et diligens horum secundum affectiones animae expressio.
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