VISIO SECUNDA, cap. XLV
The Faithful Follower Adorned with Virtue
The faithful follower of the Son of God is defended by the glory of virtues and will behold the King in His beauty, as Isaiah testifies.
And in this way, as was said before, this image is interwoven with and surrounded by these signs, because the faithful person who faithfully follows in the footsteps of the Son of God is defended and adorned by the glory of blessed virtues in this way — surrounded, that is, so as to be carried safely, once snatched from the devil's snares, to the blessedness of heavenly joys, where that person will rejoice forever, with Isaiah my servant bearing witness, who says: 'This one will dwell in the heights; the fortresses of rocks will be his high place; bread is given to him; his waters are faithful.'✦ His eyes will see the King in his beauty, beholding the land from far away.✦
Turning from Darkness to Light
The soul turns from darkness to light, recognizing God's gift of discernment, confessing shame done in darkness, and breaking free from the devil's entrapment.
This becomes clear to the understanding in this way: whoever turns from the left side to the right is attending to the fact that God rests upon the one who is humble and calm in heart — that person overcomes the proud devil, crushing himself and saying: 'God has lit my two eyes, through which I consider what glory light holds in the darkness, where I can choose which path to walk, since I will either be seeing or blind; and knowing also which guide I should call upon for the day or for the night.' For by hiding in darkness I am able to do shameful deeds that I would not dare commit in the light, because I am watched by everyone standing around there; yet in darkness there is no reward — only a damnable punishment that I will receive. And so I will wound the heart's pressure by which I delight in my sins, and I will call upon the living God to lead me onto the path of light and heal my wounds, so that I am not put to shame in the light because of them. When I do this, the ropes of my entrapment will be broken, since I will in this way hold captive my enemy whose suggestion I consented to in the darkness, because he was deceived in me.
Christ the Fortress and the Bread of Life
The redeemed soul dwells in the heights with Christ as its fortress and receives the bread of life, while the Holy Spirit's living waters flow unceasingly through all its works.
For the one who acts in this way will dwell in the highest heavens, and the fortress of rocks — which is Christ — will be his high place, where the bread of life is given to him, a refreshment he can never tire of, because he always delights in the sweet taste of true love.✦ And so a stream flowing from living water is made into a rivulet, and through the gift of the Holy Spirit all its works flow in holiness in such a way that the dove-like eyes of the Holy Spirit look upon them — whence these waters are also faithful, because they will not be drained dry, they will not be exhausted, and no person will be filled to satiety, since they flow from the east; nor will any person, as long as they remain in the body, see their depth or find their bottom, because even the waters in which a person is reborn are poured out through the Holy Spirit.✦✦
Beholding the Land of the Living
The faithful person sees the King in blessedness and discerns the land of the living by separating from all sin.
In this way too the faithful person will see the King in the beauty of blessedness, and in their knowledge they will discern the land of the living as they separate themselves far from sins of heart and body — and from there they will also consider what to choose.✦
The Bright Light from the Image
A transition to the mystical meaning of the bright light proceeding from the image bearing the wheel in its breast, which measures all the signs shown forth.
About the brightest light coming from the mouth of the image that bears the wheel within its breast, in the likeness of sons — by which the signs of the image itself, and of the wheel, and of the circles displayed seem to be measured out — and the mystical meaning of these things.
Read the original Latin
Et hoc modo, ut praefatum est, imago haec signis istis implexa et circumdata est, quoniam homo fidelis, qui vestigia Filii Dei fideliter subsequitur, claritate beatarum virtutum defensus et ornatus, hoc modo circumdatur, quatenus eum diabolicis insidiis ereptum, ad beatitudinem supernorum gaudiorum feliciter perducant, ubi in aeternum gaudebit, Isaia servo meo attestante qui dicit: « Iste in excelsis habitabit, munimenta saxorum sublimitas ejus, panis ei datus est, aquae ejus fideles sunt. Regem in decore suo videbit, oculi ejus cernent terram de longe . » Hoc sic intellectui patet: Qui de sinistra parte ad dexteram declinat, attendens quia Deus requiescit super humilem et quietum corde, superbum diabolum superat, cum se ipsum conterit dicens: Deus oculis duobus me illuminavit, quibus considero quantam gloriam lux in tenebris habet, ubi eligere possum qua via incedam, quoniam aut videns, aut caecus ero, cognoscens etiam quem ductorem ad diem vel ad noctem invocem. Ego enim in tenebris me abscondendo, lasciva opera facere possum, quae in luce perpetrare non valeo, quia ab omnibus ibi astantibus inspicior; sed tamen in tenebris nullum praemium, sed damnabilem poenam consequar, et ideo cordis pressuram, qua peccatis oblector vulnerabo, vivumque Deum invocabo, quatenus in viam lucis me ducat, et ut ulcera mea curet, ne in luce pro his erubescam. Quod dum fecero, funes captionis meae rumpentur, quoniam inimicum meum, cujus suggestioni in tenebris consenseram, captum hoc modo tenebo, quia in me illusus est. Ille namque qui sic operatur in excelsis coelorum habitabit, atque munimentum saxorum, quod Christus est, sublimitas ejus erit, ubi panis vitae ei datur, cujus nunquam refectionem fastidire potest, quoniam in dulci gustu verae charitatis semper delectatur. Quapropter et sic fluens rivulus de vivente aqua efficitur, et per donum sancti Spiritus omnia opera sua in sanctitate ita fluunt, ut columbini oculi Spiritus sancti illa inspiciant, unde et aquae istae fideles sunt, quia nec evacuabuntur, nec exsiccabuntur, nec homo eis saturabitur, quoniam ab oriente fluunt, nec altitudinem eorum homo quandiu in corpore manet, videbit, nec profunditatem ipsarum inveniet, quia etiam aquae in quibus homo ad vitam renascitur Spiritu sancto perfunduntur. Isto quoque modo fidelis homo regem in decore beatitudinis videbit, et in scientia sua cernet terram viventium cum de peccatis corde et corpore longe segregat se, unde etiam consideret quid eligat.
De luce clarissima ex ore imaginis rotam in pectore gestantis in similitudine filiorum procedente, quibus signa ipsius imaginis et rotae et circulorum praeostensorum dimetiri videtur, et mystica horum ratio.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Isa.33.15-Isa.33.16 — Whoever walks in righteousness and speaks uprightly, who refuses gain from oppression, who shakes his hands free from holding a bribe, who stops his ear from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil — Isa.33.16 — He shall dwell on the heights; his refuge shall be the rocky fortresses; his bread is given, his waters are sure.
- ↩Job.33.17;Isa.33.17 — to turn a person from their deed, and to cover the pride of a man Isa.33.17 — Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; they will behold a land of far distances.
- ↩Isa.33.15-Isa.33.16 — Whoever walks in righteousness and speaks uprightly, who refuses gain from oppression, who shakes his hands free from holding a bribe, who stops his ear from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil — Isa.33.16 — He shall dwell on the heights; his refuge shall be the rocky fortresses; his bread is given, his waters are sure.
- ↩Ezek.47.1-Ezek.47.12 — Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and behold, water was flowing out from under the threshold of the temple eastward, for the face of the temple was toward the east, and the water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. Ezek.47.2 — Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces east; and behold, water was flowing from the right side. Ezek.47.3 — As the man went out toward the east, with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water—water reaching to the ankles. Ezek.47.4 — Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water — water up to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water — water up to the waist. Ezek.47.5 — And he measured a thousand — a river that I could not cross, for the waters had risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. Ezek.47.6 — Then he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" And he led me back to the bank of the stream. Ezek.47.7 — When I returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on this side and on that side. Ezek.47.8 — Then he said to me, "These waters are going out toward the eastern region and will go down into the Arabah; and when they come to the sea, to the sea of the outlets, the waters will be healed." Ezek.47.9 — And it shall be that every living creature that swarms, wherever the streams shall come, shall live; and the fish shall be very abundant, for these waters shall come there and shall be healed, and everything shall live wherever the river goes. Ezek.47.10 — And it shall be that fishermen will stand beside it, from En-gedi even to En-eglaim; they shall be places for spreading nets. Their fish shall be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly abundant. Ezek.47.11 — but its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they are given over to salt. Ezek.47.12 — And along the river, on its bank on this side and on that side, every kind of food tree shall grow; its leaves shall not wither, and its fruit shall not fail. It shall bear new fruit every month, for its waters come from the sanctuary. Its fruit shall be for food, and its leaves for healing.
- ↩Song.2.14 — O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding place of the steep path, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
- ↩Ps.27.13;Ps.53.7 — Had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living... Ps.53.7 — Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
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