LXV. De poenilentia desperaiioniH.
LXV. De poenilentia desperaiioniH.
And from that living light, I heard a voice speaking to me again: "These things that you see are true." But for those who pile up despair for themselves, and who do not trust in the goodness of God, it’s as if God isn’t there for them; what else can they expect but death? But when evil spirits urge them toward despair, they should resist and strive to cast away that despair through pure prayers and sincere humility; however, if they take on heavy fasts and other burdensome labors, it won't benefit them, lest they fall into even greater despair, for many suffer deep pains in their hearts because of this vice, accompanied by bitter anguish.
Read the original Latin
Et de praedicta vivente luce vocem iterum mihi dicentem audivi: Haec quae videSy vera sunt.
Sed istis qui desperationem sibi accumulant, et qui bonitati Dei non confidunt, Deum habentibus quasi Deus non sit, quid aliud aderit, quam mors?
Sed ut malignis spiritibus, ad desperationem eos exhortantibus, resistant, ei ut desperationem de se abigant, puris orationibus et genuum flexionibus bona voluntate insistant; sed ut ponderosa jejunia et alios graves labores arripiant, eis non expedit, ne in majorem desperationem incidant, quia plurimos dolores in cordibus suis per hoc vitium cum acerrima amaritudine ferunt.
Liber Vitae Meritorum (Book of the Rewards of Life) companion
Examination is a habit, not an event
The free Chosen Portion app pairs daily readings from Hildegard with a fixed prayer rhythm
Hildegard's rhythm of naming a vice and answering it with virtue continues as short daily examen-style devotionals in the Chosen Portion app
- A weekly examen you can complete in 15 minutes using Hildegard's 35 pairs
- Daily readings from the full Book of the Rewards of Life, free in the app
- All six parts, translated into modern English, at no cost