PRIMA VISIO, cap. XII
The Sunlit Garment of Love
The Son of God clothes human flesh in sinless love like the sun's untouchable splendor, and from that love draws sinners into the light of faith and heavenly harmony.
But the garment is clothed in a splendor like that of the sun — that is, the Son of God clothes the human body in love, without any trace of sin, in the likeness of the sun's beauty — because just as the sun shines at such a height above other creatures that no human being can touch it, so too no human knowledge can grasp how the humanity of the Son of God is, unless it takes hold of it by believing. And in its hands it holds a lamb splendid as the light of day, because the love at work in the works of the Son of God brought forth the gentleness of true faith, shining above all things — where from tax collectors and sinners it chose martyrs and confessors and penitents, and where from the ungodly it made the just, as from Saul it made Paul — so that they might fly on the wings of the winds, that is, into heavenly harmony.
Love's Patient Work and the Soul's Growth
Divine love completes its work gradually and fully, unlike human impatience, and the soul must learn to wait for its wings before attempting to fly.
In this way love completes its own work gradually and distinctly, so that there would be no weakness in it but only fullness — something a person does not do, because when that person has had even a modest ability to accomplish something, they can scarcely endure until it is finished without being noticed by others. Let a person consider these things within themselves, because even a winged creature coming out of an egg, lacking wings, does not yet hasten to fly — but after it has received its wings, it flies to whatever place it sees is suitable for itself.
Trampling the Ancient Deceiver
The imitation of Christ's cruciform love now crushes discord, every vice, and the ancient deceiver himself among the faithful.
That the imitation of the love of the Son of God — who on his cross crushed the devil — now also tramples down discord and every other vice among his faithful ones, and that it may trample underfoot that ancient deceiver of the human race and reduce him to nothing.
Read the original Latin
Quod autem tunica fulgori solis simili induitur, hoc est quod Filius Dei in charitate humanum corpus absque omni contagione peccati in similitudine pulchritudinis solis induit, quia ut sol prae aliis creaturis in tanta altitudine lucet, ut a nemine hominum tangi possit, ita etiam humanitatem Filii Dei quomodo sit, nulla humana scientia nisi credendo capere valet. Et in manibus suis agnum velut lucem diei splendidum habet, quoniam charitas in operibus Filii Dei mansuetudinem verae fidei super omnia lucentem protulit, ubi de publicanis et peccatoribus martyres et confessores atque poenitentes elegit, et ubi de impiis justos fecit, quemadmodum de Saulo Paulum, quatenus super pennas ventorum, hoc est in coelestem harmoniam volarent. Sic charitas opus suum paulatim et distincte perfecit, ita ut nulla imbecillitas, sed omnis plenitudo in eo esset, quod homo non facit, quia cum ille modicam possibilitatem aliquid faciendi habuerit, vix sustinet, quousque illud perficiat, quin ab aliis videatur. Haec homo intra se consideret, quia etiam volatile de ovo egrediens, et pennis carens, volare nondum properat, sed postquam pennas acceperit, volat quo sibi congruum viderit.
Quod imitatio charitatis Filii Dei cruce sua diabolum conterentis etiam nunc in suis fidelibus discordiam et caetera vitia, ipsumque humani generis antiquum deceptorem conculcet et ad nihilum redigat.
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