VISIO SECUNDA, cap. XXV
The Lion's Head and God's Judgment
Hildegard asks how these visions serve the soul's salvation and answers that the bright fire and lion's head signify God's terrible and all-examining judgment.
But how should a person understand that all these things bear on the soul's salvation? Because what is seen in the sign of a bright fire tracing divine power, like the head of a lion — that is, the judgment of God, which is terrible — this is so precisely because God, judging all things with righteous justice, leaves nothing unexamined.
Serpent Wisdom and Lamb Patience
God's judgment extends the serpent's head of wisdom to the prosperous and the lamb's head of patience to the suffering, calling each to fear rightly and endure faithfully.
This same judgment, stretching out on either side in its power toward uprightness, presents to a person walking prosperously the head of the serpent, which signifies wisdom; yet to one struggling in adversity it shows the head of the lamb — that is, the form of patience. For it is necessary that in prosperity a person wisely fear God's judgment, so that, fleeing the cunning and craftiness of the wicked, they do not abandon the way of truth for an empty sense of security; and that under adversity they endure with patience under that same judgment, knowing that God often tolerates the crookedness in human deeds by overlooking it.
Providence Born of Holy Fear
The serpent's perfaceted wisdom breathes forth providence, as the faithful soul, terrified by judgment and the prospect of hell, zealously provides good works that yield the crab-like constancy of trust.
And the head of the serpent — that is, wisdom in the fullness of perfection, which appears between God's judgment and the punishments of hell — makes proceed from itself, as it were, a breath, that is, providence; because while a person, terrified by God's judgment, wisely dreads the punishments of hell lest they suffer them as they deserve, they zealously provide through good works, which, stretching themselves in this way toward the perfection of uprightness, give rise to constancy — which comes from the head of the crab, that is, from the strength of trust — and this constancy is joined to both the punishments of hell and God's judgment, since the faithful person, in order to provide themselves with every good for eternal life, strives to be steadfast in this.
Gentleness Born of Patient Endurance
The lamb's perfected patience breathes forth gentleness, which unites with the constancy of true trust so that the blessed soul, patient and gentle under reproach, may reach a good end.
The head of the lamb, which signifies patience, appearing in the fullness of perfection between God's judgment and the fear of the Lord, produces, as it were, a breath — that is, gentleness — which, also arriving at true perfection, associates itself with the constancy that comes from true trust, which stands between the fear of the Lord and God's judgment; for the blessed person, when patient under reproach and also showing themselves, ought to embrace constancy so that they may be brought to a good end.
The Unity of All Virtue
No virtue is to be neglected, for the fruit of every virtue leads the soul toward justice and heavenly rectitude.
Because no order of virtues, set apart from itself or within itself, is to be neglected, since the effect of virtue leads a person to justice or to heavenly rectitude.
Read the original Latin
Quomodo autem omnia haec ad salutem animae respiciant homo intelligat, quia quod in signo lucidi ignis divinam potentiam designantis, velut caput leonis, id est judicium Dei, quod terribile est, aspicitur, hoc ideo est, quoniam Deus justa aequitate omnia dijudicans, nihil inexaminatum relinquit. Idem enim judicium in virtute sua ad rectitudinem se hinc et hinc extendens, homini prospere incedenti, caput serpentis, quod prudentiam significat, proponit, in adversitate autem laboranti, caput agni, scilicet formam patientiae demonstrat. Nam necesse est ut homo in prosperitate judicium Dei prudenter timeat, quatenus dolositatem astutiamque malorum fugiens, in vana securitate viam veritatis non deserat, et in adversitate sub eo judicio patientiam habeat, sciens quod Deus tortuositatem in operibus hominum dissimulando multoties tolerat. Et caput serpentis, videlicet prudentia in plenitudine perfectionis, quae inter judicium Dei et infernales poenas est apparens, velut flatum, id est providentiam, de se procedere facit, quia dum homo per judicium Dei exterritus, prudenti animo infernales poenas metuit, ne illas ex merito patiatur, per bona opera studiose providet, quae se hoc modo ad perfectionem rectitudinis extendens, constantiae, quae de capite cancri, id est de fortitudine fiduciae, oritur, quae inter infernales poenas et judicium Dei est conjungitur, quoniam fidelis ut ad vitam aeternam sibi quaelibet bona provideat, in hoc constans esse studet. Caput autem agni, quod patientiam designat, in plenitudine perfectionis, quae inter judicium Dei et timorem Domini est, apparens, quasi flatum, scilicet mansuetudinem producit, quae etiam ad rectam perfectionem perveniens, constantiae quae de vera fiducia quae inter timorem Domini et judicium Dei est se associat, quia beatus homo cum patiens ad opprobria est, et etiam mansuetum se in his ostendit, constantiam ut bono fine consummetur, amplecti debet.
Quia nulli ordo virtutum a se vel in se discretus negligendus sit, quoniam virtutis effectus homnem ad justitiam vel rectitudinem coelestium perducit.
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