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Chapter 89Ansl.1.89

MEDITATIO XIII. De Christo.

The Soul's First Cry to Christ

The soul addresses Christ with bold love, lamenting his absence and longing to behold the beauty of his heavenly dwelling.

A secret word is spoken within me, reaching toward you, my Lord, King of the ages, Christ Jesus. By the boldness of love I presume to address you — this work of your own hand, longing to behold your beauty, and yearning to hear you. Longed-for one of my heart, how long must I endure your absence?✦ How long must I groan, and my eye weep after you?✦ Lovely Lord, where do you dwell? Where is your dwelling, where you recline in joy among your most beloved, and fill them with the revelation of your glory?✦ How blessed, how glorious, how holy is that place of deifying delight — that place of everlasting joys, to be desired with all eagerness! My eye has not reached it, nor has my heart come close to the abundance of your sweetness, which you have hidden within for your children.✦

Sustained Only by Fragrance

Far from Christ's presence, the soul is sustained only by a distant fragrance that kindles burning desire and compels the confession that Christ alone is its treasure and joy.

Out here, I'm sustained only by the fragrance of him, such as it is. The breath of your sweetness reaches me from far away — something to me beyond the fragrance of balsam, the aroma of incense and myrrh, and every kind of sweet perfume. It produces pure desires in me, and their burning is sweet — yet barely bearable, all the same. What do I have in heaven? Who is my treasure in that heavenly chamber? Who is my inheritance in the land of the living? Isn't Christ my Lord — my only salvation, my complete good, my full joy? And how, Lord, will I be able to hold my heart back so that it doesn't love you?

Nowhere Else to Love

The soul reasons that apart from Christ love has no worthy object, since all beauty flows from him and he surpasses even the sun he clothed with light.

If I don't love you, what will I love? If I turn my love away from you, where will I place it worthily? O desirable Lord, where could my desires find rest apart from you? If my love should stray anywhere beyond you, it will be defiled; if my desires should turn aside from you, they will be empty. Are you not lovable and desirable above all things that can be loved and desired? From you every creature derives whatever beauty and worth it possesses. And what wonder is it, if you alone excel all things? Among the stars you clothed the sun with brightness, and you are brighter than the sun itself.

Christ Surpasses All Created Beauty

Created light, adornment, sweetness, and precious metals are darkness and nothing compared to Christ, the fount of all beauty whom angels long to behold.

Indeed, what is the sun, what is all created light compared to you — if not darkness? You have adorned heaven with stars, the empyrean with angels, the air with birds, the waters with fish, the lands with plants, and flowers with shrubs. But beyond all these there is no beauty, no splendor — compared with you, O fount of all beauty, Lord Jesus. To honey you have granted its own sweetness, and you are sweeter than honey. To oil you have given its own fragrance, and you are more fragrant than oil. To all spices you have assigned their own scents, and, O Jesus, your fragrance above every spice is sweet and welcome. Gold among all metals is precious and beautiful, created by you with a singular excellence all its own. And what is all this, compared to the priceless Lord, to that immense brightness which angels long to gaze upon?

The Living Gems of Heaven

Even the most precious stones are straws before Christ, yet the living, immortal gems of his heavenly court adorn the supernal palace to the Father's praise.

Every precious stone is the work of your hands, and a delight to behold: sardius, topaz, jasper, chrysolite, onyx, beryl, amethyst, sapphire, carbuncle, emerald.✦ And what are these things but straws compared to you, O King of surpassing beauty, greatly to be loved?✦ The gems of your workmanship are living and immortal, with which, O wise Architect, in the beginning of the ages you beautifully adorned the supernal court, to the praise and glory of the Father.

Angelic Service and Worship Through Christ

Through Christ, myriads of angels stream between heaven and earth in eager service, stand gazing on the divine Majesty, and the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones fulfill their orders.

Through you, thousands upon thousands continually stream back and forth between heaven and earth with eager haste to fulfill the Father's mysteries, like busy bees arranging all things sweetly between the hive and the flowers — a people girded for service, knowing neither stain nor the delay of disobedience.✦ Through you, hundreds of thousands upon thousands stand in the sanctuary of the heavenly temple, gazing with a clear and unwavering gaze upon the face of the bright and steadfast Majesty, and resounding with the harmony of the unceasing hymn to the glory of the threefold and simple Divinity.✦ Through you the seraphim burn, through you the cherubim shine, through you the thrones judge.✦

The Angelic Hierarchies Ablaze with Christ

Christ sets the seraphim ablaze, illuminates the cherubim, sits upon the thrones in judgment, and is worshipped by Dominions, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, and Archangels in a descending catalogue of heavenly praise.

You, our Lord, are a fire that burns without harm, and by the nearness of your divinity drawing close, the whole sacred order of seraphim is set ablaze with love and clothed in a blazing radiance, and they pour out the overflow of their sweet fire upon the other hosts who serve you — and from their fullness we too taste, though we do not yet have our fill. You, our God, are the true light, and the mountains receive light for your people, while you pour out generously from the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge stored within you upon the eyes of the cherubim gazing upon you from near at hand, and you cause that light to flow down to the chosen lamps set beneath them — the wondrous lights of your tabernacle — which shine before your face, Lord, and are never extinguished.✦ You are the King of kings and the Judge of judges, great and awesome, and you sit upon the lofty thrones — living and gentle seats, most peaceful, bound together in the unity of the highest tranquility, having no loftiness but your own — discerning through you the ways of truth, and through you rendering the judgments of justice.✦✦ O Ruler, Lord, the holy sublimity of the Dominions worships you, stretching the soul toward the divine with singular generosity, and among the noble heroes of your court, through you they exercise the primacy of high dominion — without the pride that comes from exaltation. Noble glory of the Principalities, through you, Lord my God, the exalted order of Principalities rules over the host of heaven without any envy in its preeminence, and to carry out the divine mysteries, it offers the guidance of its gentle teaching according to the inner disposition of your heart, perceived from within. Yours is the power, O Lord of the Powers, pressing down the necks of the princes of hell beneath your fiery dart, and the demons fear you in their own realm, lest they be able to carry out as much evil as they wish, to our destruction. Yours is the wonder-working power, O strength of the Father, of all the blessed virtues, whose ministry is at work so that every age may marvel at you, and struck silent by your wonders, may cry out and say: "Whatever the Lord has willed, he has done, in heaven and on earth, in the sea and in all the depths."✦ Yours is the magnificence, O gentle Jesus, of the archangels, in whom your kindness works a deed of great dignity, since you do not refuse to send such glorious satraps of your palace into the weakness of this world, to come to the aid of our littleness — we who are like mud, and no better than ash and cinders.✦✦

The Angels' Ministry to Human Frailty

Through the archangels, especially Michael, salvation's mysteries reach humanity; the blessed angels, adorned with innocence, cling to Christ and serve as guardians who guide, defend, and carry prayers to the Father.

Through these, by your command, the highest matters of our salvation are carried out, and the deepest secrets of heaven's counsel are brought to us; through these, the healing of mortals is brought forth; through these, the kingdoms and empires of the world stand firm. Among them we know as chief your Michael, noble standard-bearer, citizen of heaven, who stands before the battle line of the living God, extending his sword of defense and thundering with a terrifying voice — who is like God?1 over those who are on the opposing side. But also — is not that lovely innocence of the blessed angels a precious work of your fingers, O Wisdom of God?2 From this you adorned them as if with an incorruptible garment on the day you created them, for the work of your sacred ministry. They are the living stars of the upper heaven, lilies of the inner paradise, roses planted above the water of Siloe, which flows in silence; to you they cling immovably by the roots of their minds.3 O river of peace, O fragrance of the field of delights, O Wisdom alone, circling the circuit of heaven — from you they shine, glow white, and blush red: in wisdom and in much learning, in virginal chastity, in the eternal ardors of love.4 This flourishing youth, Lord, serves you faithfully in our weakness: it guides our steps through the darkness of this world with a tutor's gentle leading, it drives back hostile attacks from us, it announces to us the secrets of your will, it strengthens dissolute minds toward all that is good, it transfers the incense of our prayers to the golden altar, and it always entreats the face of the merciful Father on our behalf.56

The Tenth String: Earth Among the Nine

Even at a distance, the Father cares for humanity as the lost coin and the tenth string of the psaltery; Christ is urged to strike the nine heavenly strings and the tenth earthly one that sounds both joy and mourning.

So it is, holy Father — even while we are still far off and living at a distance, you still have some concern for us. And if the tenth drachma — once it slipped from your fold and has at last been recovered through your labors — has any worth at all, this, good Jesus, is a gift of your own devout generosity.✦ If this tenth string of divine praise has any sweet-sounding voice, it is your own gentle touch upon it that produces the effect, as you play the glory of the Father on the ten-stringed psaltery. Play so that you may play on, Lord — sound a sweet melody to the Father with swift fingers, a melody of many-formed graces. Strike those nine purest strings in heaven, which have never once sounded a note of sorrow. And strike that tenth, heavy string as well — whose upper portion, now already drawn across, sounds joy to you, while the lower portion, still bound to the earth, knows only how to strengthen mournful sounds.

Creation Proclaims, Yet the Soul Has Strayed

All creation proclaims Christ's glory and is as nothing compared to him, yet the soul laments that it was cast down from heaven and has loved and desired anything apart from Jesus its God.

When I consider all the works of your power, O Only-begotten of God, with an attentive mind, I tremble in astonishment, because in every way you appear gloriously in them. For they are indeed great, beautiful, and very good, but compared to you they are reckoned as nothing and emptiness. The heavens and the earth, and all their splendor, subsist with you as their maker and governor, and all things proclaim you powerful and awe-inspiring, wise and beautiful, good and lovely — and as far as light surpasses darkness, so far do you alone surpass all things. And you are kept in heaven, my God, as the reward of your servant — yourself the giver and the gift of salvation, which my soul awaits from you. And what did he will from you upon the earth? Why was I rolled down from heaven to the depths?7 What better thing, what more lovable thing did I judge to exist on earth, that I should tear my heart away from you, to desire anything in the world apart from you? Why did I love, why did I desire anything in all my life, except you, Jesus my God?

Where Was I When Not With You?

The soul reproaches itself for delaying devotion to Christ and asks where its mind and desires wandered when they were not fixed on him.

Why have I put it off, why have I neglected at any time at all, Jesus, to turn you over in my heart, to embrace you with my whole mind, and to delight in your sweetness — all the deepest places of my spirit? Where was I, when I was not with you in my mind? Where have my desires drifted away to, when they have not held you alone as their object?

Lost Time and the Plea for Mercy

The soul grieves over wasted years and fruitless hours, trembles at the thought of judgment, begs the Father to forget lost time, and resolves at last to run to the Lord Jesus with burning desire.

God of my life, how vainly my years have been consumed, how fruitlessly the time you gave me has slipped away — time I should have spent doing your will, and I didn't. How many years, how many hours have been lost on my watch, in which I lived before you without any fruit? And how will I stand? How will I be able to lift my eyes to your face in that great reckoning of yours, if you should call to mind all my sins — or my wasted time — and require an accounting for each one? Most patient Father, may this not happen — but let the time I've lost be forgotten before you. Oh! Far too many things. And if, with your help, I have kept any time usefully — and their number is small, O Lord — make them last in eternal memory. Grant it, beloved Father: at least let what remains of my time be fruitful and made holy by your grace, so that in the days of eternity it may find a place and be counted in your sight. From this moment on, let all my desires grow hot and pour themselves out into the Lord Jesus. Run — you've been slow enough for long enough!

The Crucified One Ascended

The soul is urged to seek Jesus the crucified, who is no longer found in any station of his Passion but has ascended above all heavens to the Father's right hand, where all angels and saints worship him.

Hurry — where are you going? Seek the one you're looking for! You're looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified one. He has ascended into heaven — he's not here. He's not where he once was. He's not where he had no place to lay his noble head. He's not where he walked in the midst of suffering, filled with contempt. He's not where he stood to be judged before the face of Pilate. He's not where he stood despised and mocked before Herod. He's not where he hung — spat upon, beaten, wounded, drenched in blood — in the midst of evildoers. He's not where he lay sealed behind a stone, guarded by a company of soldiers.✦✦✦✦ But where, then, is the most loving Lord? He dwells in confidence, and no scourge comes near his dwelling. Above the height of the heavens, above all the excellence of the angels, he ascended by his own power, above the throne of singular glory, at the right hand of the Father — he to whom he is co-eternal and consubstantial — and clothed in divine light, crowned with glory and honor, as befits the Only-begotten of God: serene in joy, filled with omnipotence, Lord in heaven and on earth.✦✦✦ There all the angels of God worship him, and the whole company of the citizens of heavenly Zion.✦✦

The Joy of the Heavenly City

In Christ all hearts rejoice, all longings converge, and the heavenly city raises a joyful shout, magnifying him in every splendor.

In him all hearts rejoice as one; in his lovely face the eyes of all the good are fed. Into him the longings of all the saints flow together from every side; to him the whole heavenly city raises a joyful shout, applauds him, magnifies him — glorious in every way through his splendors.

Rejoice, All You Saints in Christ

Patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs are called to rejoice in Christ, whose exaltation fulfills all their hopes and who now shares his glory with those who suffered with him.

Rejoice and praise, O dwelling-place of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.✦ Rejoice in your noble Son, you illustrious patriarchs, for in him all your expectation has been fulfilled; and he himself is exalted greatly, and in him — in your seed, that is — all nations will be blessed, for so the divine word promised.8 Rejoice in Jesus the great prophet, you truthful prophets, for wonderfully and gloriously you see fulfilled all the things concerning him that you proclaimed in the Holy Spirit, and through him you have been found faithful in all your words. Rejoice in the Lord Jesus your teacher, you renowned princes of heaven, blessed apostles; rejoice in him — and again I say, rejoice — with Christ in intimate joy. For behold, the one you saw among you — hungry and thirsty, weary, enduring the weaknesses of the flesh and all that goes with them, rejected by all, and reckoned among the wicked — see how he conquered, how he reigns, how all things are under his feet; how glorious he shines in the light of his dominion; and now he has you as companions in his joy and his ineffable glory, you who once remained with him in his temptations and were sharers in his sufferings.9 Now adore those tender knees that bent themselves before you, all the way to the ground, while you sat at the most holy supper.10 Now adore those most sacred hands with which the King of kings deigned to wash and wipe the dust from your feet. Rejoice in Jesus, the prince of your warfare, you victorious martyrs, for you now possess — him, I say, Jesus, the Son of God — as the reward of your contest, for whom you handed over your lives unto death.11

Confessors, Virgins, and the Blessed Mother

Confessors and virgins rejoice in Christ their teacher and spouse; above all, the Virgin Mary rejoices in her Son, whom she nursed as man and now adores as God, seeing every enemy crushed beneath his feet.

Rejoice in Jesus, the highest teacher of truth, O venerable confessors and teachers, because the one you once confessed with sacred teachings and just works before men is now confessing you before his Father and his holy angels. Rejoice in Jesus, virgin and sanctifier of virgins, you paradise-dwellers, you who are like angels, because see: the one you loved, the one you desired, the one you sought with burning desires — for whose love you despised earthly husbands and all the adornment of the world — the Son of the highest King you now see, you now hold, now rest in his chaste embraces, and no deceit of the deceiver can tear him away from you. Yet among all the citizens of heaven, may the fullest joy be yours, O Mary, virgin of virgins, singular rose of heavenly beauty, bright star among the ancient lamps that received the divine light. Rejoice in your sweetest Son Jesus, alone above all others, with great joy, because the one you bore as a man and nursed at your own breasts, that same one you now adore with the angels and all the citizens of heaven as the living and true God.✦ Rejoice, blessed mother, because the one you saw hanging on the wood of the cross, you now see reigning in heaven with great glory; you see every height of heaven, earth, and the world below bowed down before his majesty, and every strength of his enemies crushed to nothing.✦✦ The joys of joys are yours, the fullness of all the saints, blessed Jerusalem our mother, you who are above: celebrate a glad and unceasing feast in the peaceful sight of your Jesus, the author of your freedom.✦

Rise Up and Kiss His Wounds

The soul is urged to rise into the heavenly rejoicing, direct its mind to Christ's light, kiss his blessed wounds with devotion, and declare that whoever does not love him is cursed.

And now, my soul, rise up again: with all the effort you can, throw yourself in among the thousands rejoicing in the Lord Jesus. Go there on the vehicle of faith and hope; stay there in the fire of love, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.12 Direct the eye of your mind toward the light of his face. Survey and kiss, with joyful devotion, each of his blessed wounds, from which those precious streams of holy blood came forth, by which the only-begotten of God valued you and sanctified you for eternal life.13 Jesus — whoever does not love you, let that one be cursed.14 Whoever does not love you, let that one be filled with bitterness. Your love, Lord, is chaste, and admits no impurity. The taste of your love is sober, and it alienates no mind from what is right.

The Invincible Sweetness of Divine Love

Christ's love is chaste, sober, and sweet; it is unconquered by hardship, death, or sorrow, and surpasses every earthly delight for the soul that loves him.

Your love is sweet, and has nothing bitter in it: for it softens even the bitter things of the world, and renders its sweet things bitter. Among straits it is not narrowed, among pressures it is not crushed; it does not perish under want, it is not diminished by sorrow. In manual labor, it stays steady; in the face of threats, it is unafraid; amid flattery, it is uncorrupted; under torment, it perseveres unconquered; in death it is always alive. Just as a greedy person rejoices over a treasure, and just as a mother is delighted by the love of her only son; so in your love, sweet Jesus, joy and delight are welcome to the soul that loves you. The sweetness of honey, the pleasantness of milk, the heady taste of wine, and all delights — they do not so delight the palates of those who taste them as your love delights the minds of those who love you.

A Perfect Fire Upon the Altar of the Heart

In a great litany of titles, the soul asks that a living coal of Christ's love burn within it, clothing it on the last day, driving out alien fire, and plunging it into divine light, closing with a Trinitarian doxology.

O sweet Jesus, living bread most desirable, sweet cluster of grapes, oil well-blended, gentle lamb, strong lion, beautiful panther, guileless dove, swift eagle, morning star, eternal sun, angel of peace, fount of light for everlasting lights — may every good sense love you, delight in you, and marvel at you, as befits the praise of you, O God of my heart and my portion, Christ Jesus. May my heart not fail through its own spirit, nor my flesh through its own desires; but may you live in me, and may a living coal of your love glow within my spirit, and grow into a perfect fire.✦✦✦ May your grace cherish and nourish that fire within me, so that it burns continually on the altar of my heart, seethes in my deepest parts, and blazes in the hidden places of my soul; and on the day of my completion, may I be found perfected before you. On the day when you see me delivered from this mortal garment that I now wear, may your love clothe me and be for my soul like a robe of beauty, so that it is found not naked but clothed — and may it have by which its weaknesses are hidden from your eyes.✦✦✦ May the fervor of your love drive far from me the alien fire — the fire that burns through your adversaries. May it lift my soul up to you, its Creator, and plunge it as fully as need be into your divine light. Lord Jesus, may all who love you be filled with your blessings. May those who draw near to you be enrolled in heaven, so that peace is theirs beneath the shelter of your wings for ever.✦ And to you, only-begotten of God, with the eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, may there be unfailing praise, inviolable honor, and a firm kingdom, enduring through the ages of ages.✦✦ Amen.

Read the original Latin

Verbum secretum mihi est ad te, Domine mi, Rex saeculorum, Christe Jesu. Ausu charitatis alloqui te praesumit factura manus tuae, concupiscens decorem tuum, et audire te gestiens. Desiderate cordis mei, usquequo sustinebo absentiam tuam? Usquequo ingemiscam, et stillabit post te oculus meus? Amabilis Domine, ubi habitas? Ubi est diversorium tuum, in quo laetus recumbis inter charissimos tuos, et satias eos manifestatione gloriae tuae? Quam felix, quam illustris, quam sanctus, quanta appetendus aviditate locus ille deificae voluptatis, locus perennium deliciarum! Non accessit oculus meus, neque appropinquavit cor meum usque ad multitudinem dulcedinis tuae, quam intrinsecus abscondisti filiis tuis.

Solo ejus odore foris utcunque sustentor. Spiramentum suavitatis tuae de longinquo venit ad me, quae est mihi super odorem balsami et fragrantiam thuris ac myrrhae, omnisque generis suavia odoramenta. Concupiscentias mundas parit in me, quarum est adustio dulcis, vix portabilis tamen. Quid enim mihi est in coelo? Quis est thesaurus meus in illa coelica cella? quae est haereditas mea in terra viventium? Nonne Christus Dominus meus, unica salus mea, totum bonum meum, plenum gaudium meum? Et quomodo potero continere cor meum, Domine, ut non amet te?

Si non amavero te, quid amabo? Si transtulero amorem meum a te, ubi ipsum digne collocabo? Desiderabilis Domine, ubi extra te requiescerent desideria mea? Si uspiam extra te pedem extendat amor meus, pollutus erit; si a te declinaverint desideria mea, vana erunt. Nonne tu amabilis et desiderabilis es super omnia quae amari possunt et desiderari? abs te habet quidquid habet omnis creatura decoris et pretii. Et quid mirum, si omnia solus praecellis? Tu inter astra excellenti solem claritate vestisti, et clarior sole tu es.

Imo quid est sol, quid est omnis creata lux ad tui comparationem, nisi tenebrae? Ornasti coelum sideribus, empyreum angelis, aera volucribus, aquas piscibus, terras herbis, floribus virgulta. Sed non est species ultra, neque decor omnibus iis, in tui comparatione, o fons universae pulchritudinis, Domine Jesu. Melli dulcedinem suam praestitisti, et dulcior melle tu es. Oleo suavitatem suam dedisti, et suavior oleo tu es. Aromatibus cunctis odores suos tribuisti, et est, o Jesu, odor tuus super omnia aromata suavis et gratus. Aurum inter omnia metalla pretiosum et pulchrum in singulari excellentia a te conditum est. Et hoc quid est, comparatum impretiabili Domino, et immensae claritati, in quam desiderant angeli prospicere?

Opus manuum tuarum est omnis lapis pretiosus, et desiderabilis ad videndum, sardius, topazius, jaspis, chrysolitus, onyx, beryllus, amethystus, saphirus, carbunculus, smaragdus. Et haec quid sunt, nisi festucae, ad tui comparationem, o Rex decorus nimis et multum amande? Tuae operationis sunt gemmae vigae et immortales, quibus, o sapiens Architecte, in exordio saeculorum aulam superaetheream pulchre distinxisti, ad laudem et gloriam Patris.

Per te millia millium, ad complenda Patris mysteria, alacri discursu jugiter meant inter coelum et terram, quasi apes negotiosae inter alvearia et flores disponentes omnia suaviter; populus accinctus, nesciens labem vel inobedientiae moram. Per te centena decies millies millena assistunt in sanctuario uranici templi, intendentes in vultum majestatis claro et inflexibili visu, ac personantes harmoniam incessabilis hymni, in gloriam trinae et simplae divinitatis. Per te seraphim ardet, per te cherubim lucet, per te throni judicant.

Tu Dominus noster, ignis es innocue ardens, et a tuae divinitatis immediata approximatione totus charitate ignitur, et flammea coruscatione vestitur sacer ordo seraphim, qui et sui suavis incendii exuberantiam spargit in caeteras tibi militantes phalangas, de quarum plenitudine gustamus et non. Tu Deus noster, vera lux es, et suscipiunt montes populo tuo lucem, dum thesauros sapientiae et scientiae in de reconditos ad intuentes te e vicino oculos cherubim, per te ipsum large effundis, et derivari facis ad illuminandas subordinatas illis electas lampades admirabilis tabernaculi tui, quae ante faciem tuam, Domine, inexstinguibiliter lucent. Tu Rex regum, et Judex judicum magne et metuende, excelsos insides thronos, solam super se habentes celsitudinem tuam, sedes vivas et suaves, pacatissimas, summaeque tranquillitatis uniformitate compactas, per te discernentes vias veritatis, per te judicantes judicia aequitatis. Dominator Domine, te dominationum sublimitas sancta adorat, singulari liberalitate animum in divina extendens, atque inter praenobiles aulae tuae heroes, per te primatum agens alti dominii sine altitudine fastus. Nobile decus principum, per te, Domine Deus meus, celsus ordo principatuum sine invidiosa praecellentia principatur super militiam coeli, cui ad explenda divina mysteria, juxta perceptam intrinsecus cordis tui dispositionem, dulcis magisterii praebet ducatum. Tua est potentia, potestatum Domine, prementium in flammeo telo colla tartaricorum principum, et te in illis metuunt ne, quantum volunt, valeant perficere malum ob perniciem nostram. Tua est, o virtus Patris, omnis mirificentia beatarum virtutum, quarum agitur ministerio, ut te miretur omne saeculum, et obmutescens in mirabilibus tuis exclamet et dicat: Omnia quaecunque voluit Dominus, fecit in coelo et in terra, in mari et in omnibus abyssis. Tua est, o dulcis Jesu, magnificentia archangelorum, in quibus multae dignationis opus operatur benignitas tua, dum tam gloriosos palatii tui Satrapas destinare non spernis in haec mundi infirma, ad suffragandum parvitati nostrae, qui comparati sumus luto, et assimilati favillae et cineri.

Per hos quippe tuo jussu summa nostrae salutis administrantur negotia, summaque superni consilii ad nos deferuntur arcana; per hos sanitates mortalium procreantur; per hos consistunt regna et imperia mundi. Inter quos praecipuum novimus tuum Michaelem, signiferum nobilem, coeli civem, qui stat pro acie Dei viventis extendens romphaeam propugnationis, ac voce terrifica intonans, quis ut Deus? super eos qui ex adverso sunt. Sed et illa felicium angelorum amabilis innocentia, nonne pretiosum opus digitorum tuorum est, o Dei sapientia? Unde exornasti eos quasi incorruptibili vestitura in die qua condidisti eos, in opus sacri ministerii tui. Hi sunt viva sidera superioris coeli, lilia interioris paradisi, rosae plantatae super aquam Siloe, quae fluit cum silentio, tibi mentium radicibus immobiliter haerent. O flumen pacis, o deliciarum agri odor, o sapientia sola gyrum coeli circuiens, ex te lucent, candent, rubent in sapient a multa, in castitate virginea, in charitatis ardoribus sempiternis. Florida haec juventus, Domine, fideliter tibi in nostra infirmitate deservit, dum in his tenebris mundi gressus nostros paedagogica manuductione dirigit, dum hostiles incursus a nobis repellit, dum voluntatis tuae secreta nobis nuntiat, dum ad bona quaeque mentes dissolutas roborat, dum orationum nostrarum thymiamata ad aram auream transfert, et faciem pii Patris pro nobis semper exorat.

Ita, pie Pater, de nobis longe adhuc agentibus aliqua tibi cura est. Et si quid pretii habet drachma decima olim e sinu tuo elapsa, et nunc tandem in laboribus tuis requisita, hoc tui, bone Jesu, pii est muneris. Si quid dulcisonae vocis habet haec decima chorda divinae laudationis, hoc tuus in ea suavis contactus operatur, dum in psalterio decachordo psallis gloriam Patris. Psalle ut psallis, Domine, modulare dulce melos Patri velocibus articulis multiformium gratiarum. Tange novem illas purissimas chordas in coelo, quae nihil triste unquam sonuerunt. Tange et istam decimam gravem, cujus superior quidem portio jam pertracta ad te laetitiam sonat, inferior adhuc terrae astricta moestos novit roboare sonos.

Cuncta virtutis tuae opera, o Dei Unigenite, dum attenta mente considero, stupens expavesco, quia multum per omnem modum in eis gloriosus appares. Magna enim, pulchra et bona sunt valde, sed ad tui comparationem, quasi nihilum et inane reputantur. Coeli et terra, et omnis ornatus eorum, te auctore et gubernatore subsistunt, et te potentem et metuendum, sapientem et pulchrum, bonum et amabilem omnia praedicant, et quantum lux tenebras, tantum cuncta solus praecedis. Et tu in coelo servatus es, Deus meus, merces servi tui, ipse dator et donum salutis, quam a te exspectat anima mea. Et a te quid voluit super terram? Quid volvor de coelo in centrum? Quid melius, quid amabilius te existimavi super terram, ut abstraherem cor meum a te, ad concupiscendum quidquam in mundo absque te? Cur amavi, quare concupivi in omni vita mea quidquam, praeter te Jesum Deum meum?

Quare distuli, cur intermisi ullo tempore te, Jesu, versare in corde, te tota mente amplecti, et delectare in tua dulcedine omnia interiora spiritus mei? Ubi eram, quando tecum mente non eram? Quo defluxerunt, quando non te solum habuerunt desideria mea?

Deus vitae meae, quam vane consumpta sunt, quam infructose elapsa sunt tempora mea, quae dedisti mihi ut facerem voluntatem tuam in eis, et non feci? Quanti anni, quot horae perierunt apud me, in quibus sine fructu vixi coram te? Et quomodo subsistam? Quomodo levare potero oculos meos in faciem tuam in illo magno examine tuo, si rememorari jusseris omnia peccata mea, vel tempora mea, et fructum requisieris singulorum? Patientissime Pater, non fiat hoc, sed sint in oblivione coram te, quae perdidi tempora, heu! multa nimis. Et si quae te juvante utiliter servavi, quorum, o Domine, numerus brevis est, in memoria aeterna fac permanere; fiat, amande Pater, saltem hoc residuum temporis mei fructuosum et sanctificatum in gratia tua, ut in diebus aeternitatis inveniat locum, et computabile sit ante te. Jam ex hoc nunc omnia desideria mea incalescite, et effluite in Dominum Jesum; currite, satis hactenus tardastis?

properate quo pergitis, quaerite quem quaeritis. Jesum quaeritis Nazarenum crucifixum. Ascendit in coelum, non est hic. Non est ubi erat; non est ubi nobile caput suum reclinare non poterat; non est ubi ambulavit in medio tribulationis, repletus despectione; non est ubi stetit judicandus ante faciem Pilati; non est ubi stetit spretus et illusus coram Herode; non est ubi pependit consputus, caesus, vulneratus, et cruore perfusus in medio sceleratorum; non est ubi jacuit lapide clausus, et gentium militia custoditus. Ubi vero est amantissimus Domini? habitat confidenter et flagellum non appropinquat tabernaculo ejus. Super altitudinem coelorum, super omnem excellentiam angelorum, propria virtute ascendit, super solium singularis gloriae in dextra Patris, cui coaeternus et consubstantialis sedet, et divino amictus lumine, coronatus gloria et honore, ut decet Unigenitum Dei, serenus in laetitia, plenus omnipotentatu, Dominus in coelo et in terra. Ibi adorant eum omnes angeli Dei, et universa multitudo civium coelestis Sion.

In ipso unanimiter laetantur omnium corda, in ejus desiderabili facie pascuntur omnium oculi bonorum. In ipsum undique confluunt desideria omnium sanctorum, ipsi jubilat, ipsi applaudit, ipsum magnificat tota uranica civitas, gloriosa per omnem modum in splendoribus ejus.

Exsulta et lauda, habitatio Sion, quia magnus in medio tui sanctus Israel. Exsultate in nobili filio vestro, vos illustres patriarchae, quia impleta est in eo omnis exspectatio vestra, et ipse sublimis est valde, et benedicentur in ipso, vestro videlicet semine, omnes gentes; sic enim pollicitus est sermo divinus. Gaudete in Jesu propheta magno, vos prophetae viri veraces, quia mirifice et gloriose impleta videtis omnia, quae de ipso annuntiastis in Spiritu sancto, et fideles inventi estis per ipsum in cunctis sermonibus vestris. Gaudete in Domino Jesu magistro vestro, vos inclyti proceres coeli, beati apostoli, gaudete in ipso, et iterum dico, gaudete cum Christo familiari laetitia. Ecce enim quem vidistis in medio vestri esurientem et sitientem, fatigatum, et iis similia carnis infirma tolerantem ab omnibus reprobari, et cum sceleratis reputari, quomodo vicit, quomodo regnat, quomodo ei omnia sub pedibus sunt, quam gloriosus in suo dominio lumine fulget, et sui gaudii; suae ineffabilisque gloriae nunc vos socios habet, qui olim permansistis cum ipso in tentationibus suis, et vexationum ejus consortes fuistis. Adorate nunc dulcia illa genua quae se curvaverunt ante vos usque ad terram, sedentibus vobis ad sanctissimam coenam. Adorate nunc sacrosanctas illas manus, quibus pulverem pedum vestrorum Rex regum lavare et extergere dignatus est. Gaudete in Jesu, principe militiae vestrae, vos martyres victoriosi, qui ipsum pro quo tradidistis in mortem animas vestras, ipsum, inquam, Jesum, Filium Dei, possidetis praemium certaminis vestri.

Gaudete in Jesu summo doctore veritatis, o venerandi confessores et doctores, quia quem olim doctrinis sacris et operibus justis confessi estis coram hominibus, nunc confitetur vos coram Patre suo et sanctis angelis ejus. Gaudete in Jesu virgine et virginum sanctificatore, vos paradisicolae virgines, vos angelis similes, quia ecce quem amastis, quem optastis, quem ardentibus desideriis expetistis, pro cujus amore terrenos sponsos et omnem ornatum saeculi contempsistis, summi Regis Filium nunc videtis, nunc tenetis, nunc in ejus castis amplexibus quiescitis, et divelli a vobis nulla insidiatoris fraudulentia potest.

Verum inter omnes coelicolas uberrimum tibi gaudium sit, o Maria, virginum virgo singularis, rosa coelicae amoenitatis, praelucidum sidus inter primaevas lucernas divini luminis susceptivas. In tuo Jesu filio dulcissimo sola prae omnibus gaude gaudio magno, quia quem ut hominem peperisti, et propriis uberibus enutristi, ipsum cum angelis et universis civibus coeli adoras ut Deum vivum et verum. Gaude, felix mater, quia quem vidisti in ligno crucis pendentem, vides in coelo regnantem cum gloria magna, vides omnem altitudinem coelestium, terrestrium, et infernorum majestati ejus inclinatam, et omne robur inimicorum ejus attritum. Gaudia gaudiorum sunt tibi, omnis plenitudo sanctorum, beata Hierusalem mater nostra, quae sursum es: festivitatem age laetabundam, et indesinentem in visione pacifica tui Jesu libertatis tuae auctoris.

Et tu nunc rursum elevare, anima mea, quali potes conatu, et sanctis te ingere millibus laetantium in Domino Jesu. Illuc fidei et spei vehiculo perge, ibi per charitatis ardorem conversare, ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens. Intende mentis oculum in lumine vultus ejus. Lustra ac deosculare gratulabunda devotione singula loca felicium plagarum ejus, de quibus egressi sunt pretiosi illi liquores sanguinis sancti, quo te appretiavit unigenitus Dei, et sanctificavit in vitam aeternam. Jesu, qui non amat te, anathema sit. Qui te non amat, amaritudinibus repleatur. Castus est amor tuus, Domine, et nihil impuritatis admittit. Sobrius est sapor amoris tui, et nullam mentem alienat a recto.

Suavis est amor tuus, et nihil habet amari: nam et quae amara sunt mundi, indulcat; et dulcia ejus, reddit amara. Inter angustias non coarctatur, inter pressuras non comprimitur; non perit sub inopia, non moerore contrahitur. In laboribus manuum aequanimis, inter minas securus, inter blandimenta incorruptus, inter tormenta perseverat invictus, in morte semper est vivus. Sicut in thesauro cupidus gaudet, et sicut in amore unici filii delectatur mater; ita gaudium et delectatio est grata in charitate tua, dulcis Jesu, animae amanti te. Dulcedo mellis, suavitas lactis, vini inebrians sapor, cunctaeque deliciae non sic oblectant fauces gustantium se, ut tuus amor mentes diligentium te.

O dulcis Jesu, vive panis nimis concupiscibilis, botre suavis, oleum mistum, mitis agne, fortis leo, formosa panthera, simplex columba, velox aquila, stella matutina, sol aeterne, angele pacis, fontale lumen sempiternorum luminum, te amet, in te delectetur, te admiretur omnis sensus bonus tuae conveniens laudi, Deus cordis mei, et pars mea Christe Jesu, deficiat cor meum spiritu suo, et caro a concupiscentiis suis, et vivas tu in me, et concalescat in spiritu meo vivus carbo amoris tui, et excrescat in ignem perfectum. Foveat et enutriat illum in me gratia tua, ut ardeat jugiter in ara cordis mei: ferveat in medullis meis, flagret in absconditis animae, in die consummationis meae consummatus inveniatur apud te. In die qua erui me videbis a tunica ista mortali quam nunc circumfero, circumdet me dilectio tua, sit animae meae quasi vestimentum decoris, ut non nuda sed vestita inveniatur, et habeat unde abscondantur infirma ejus ab oculis tuis. Ignem alienum, ignem qui per adversarios tuos ardeat, Dilelectionis tuae fervor elonget a me: animam meam ad te Creatorem suum attollat; et quantum satis est, tuo divino lumine eam immergat. Domine Jesu, omnes qui te diligunt, repleantur benedictionibus tuis. Accedentes ad te, in coelo scribantur, ut sit pax eis in velamento alarum tuarum per aevum. Tibi autem, unice Dei, sit cum aeterno Patre et sancto Spiritu laus indeficiens, inviolabile decus, et solidum regnum, permanens in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Ps.13.2 — How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
  2. ↩Ps.6.7;Ps.13.4 — I am worn out with my groaning; I flood my bed every night, drenching my couch with my tears. Ps.13.4 — Look at me, answer me, O LORD my God; give light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.
  3. ↩John.14.2-John.14.3 — In my Father's house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you? I go to prepare a place for you. John.14.3 — And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, you also may be.
  4. ↩Ps.31.20 — How abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the children of man.
  5. ↩Rev.21.19-Rev.21.20 — The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, Rev.21.20 — the fifth foundation stone was sardonyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst.
  6. ↩1Cor.3.12 — Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
  7. ↩Exod.12.11;1Pet.1.13 — This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste — it is the LORD's Passover. 1Pet.1.13 — Therefore, preparing your minds for action, be sober-minded and set your hope fully on the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
  8. ↩Rev.4.8;Isa.6.3 — And the four living creatures, each having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. And they have no rest day and night, saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.' Isa.6.3 — And one called to another and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the fullness of the earth is his glory.
  9. ↩Isa.6.6-Isa.6.7 — Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. Isa.6.7 — and he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is removed, and your sin is atoned for."
  10. ↩Col.2.3 — in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
  11. ↩Rev.19.16 — And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.
  12. ↩Ps.47.2 — For the LORD Most High is awesome, a great King over all the earth.
  13. ↩Ps.135.6 — Whatever the LORD pleased, he did—in the heavens and in the earth, in the seas and all the deeps.
  14. ↩Gen.18.27 — Then Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have now ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes."
  15. ↩Ps.103.14 — For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
  16. ↩Luke.15.8-Luke.15.10 — Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? Luke.15.9 — and having found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost.' Luke.15.10 — In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
  17. ↩Matt.8.20;Luke.9.58 — And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Luke.9.58 — And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
  18. ↩John.19.1-John.19.17 — Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and had him flogged. John.19.2 — And the soldiers, having woven a crown of thorns, placed it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe. John.19.3 — And they kept coming up to him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' and striking him with their hands." Completes the sentence and gives the repeated action a clearer spoken rhythm. John.19.4 — And Pilate went out again and said to them, 'See, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no charge against him.' John.19.5 — So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said to them, "Behold, the man." John.19.6 — So when the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, "Crucify! Crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him." John.19.7 — The Jews answered him, 'We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.' John.19.8 — When therefore Pilate heard this word, he feared the more. John.19.9 — He went back into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. John.19.10 — So Pilate said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you?" John.19.11 — Jesus answered him, 'You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.' John.19.12 — From that moment Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, 'If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.' John.19.13 — When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement — in Hebrew, Gabbatha. John.19.14 — It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, 'Behold, your King!' John.19.15 — So they cried out, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." John.19.16 — So then they took him away to be crucified. So they took Jesus. John.19.17 — Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place called the Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.
  19. ↩Matt.27.29-Matt.27.30;Mark.15.19 — And they twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' Matt.27.30 — And they spit on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. Mark.15.19 — And they kept striking his head with a reed and spitting on him, and kneeling down they bowed before him.
  20. ↩Matt.27.57-Matt.27.66 — When evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself had been a disciple of Jesus. Matt.27.58 — This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. Matt.27.59 — And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Matt.27.60 — and he laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock; and having rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, he departed. Matt.27.61 — Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. Matt.27.62 — Now on the next day, which is after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate Matt.27.63 — Saying, 'Sir, we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said, "After three days I am raised.' Matt.27.64 — Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come, steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead.' And the last deception will be worse than the first. Matt.27.65 — Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you know how." Matt.27.66 — So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone with the guard.
  21. ↩Eph.1.20-Eph.1.21;Phil.2.9 — which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places Eph.1.21 — far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come Phil.2.9 — Therefore God also exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name,
  22. ↩Heb.1.3 — He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's own being, and he upholds all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
  23. ↩1Tim.6.15-1Tim.6.16 — which he will display in his own time—the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of those who reign and Lord of those who rule. 1Tim.6.16 — He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no one among human beings has seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
  24. ↩Heb.12.22-Heb.12.23 — But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, Heb.12.23 — to the assembly and festival gathering of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
  25. ↩Heb.1.6;Phil.2.10-Phil.2.11 — But again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'And let all God's angels worship him.' Phil.2.10 — so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Phil.2.11 — and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  26. ↩Isa.12.6 — Cry out and shout, O dweller of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
  27. ↩1Thess.1.9;Jer.10.10 — For they themselves report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God Jer.10.10 — But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.
  28. ↩Phil.2.10-Phil.2.11 — so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Phil.2.11 — and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  29. ↩Gen.3.15;Ps.110.1 — I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Ps.110.1 — The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool."
  30. ↩Gal.4.26;Rev.21.2 — But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. Rev.21.2 — And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
  31. ↩Song.1.13-Song.1.14 — A sachet of myrrh is my beloved to me; between my breasts he will lie. Song.1.14 — My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.
  32. ↩Isa.6.6-Isa.6.7 — Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. Isa.6.7 — and he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is removed, and your sin is atoned for."
  33. ↩Rev.1.16 — And he had in his right hand seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength.
  34. ↩Isa.61.10 — I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with garments of salvation, a robe of righteousness he has wrapped around me, as a groom wears a priestly crown, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
  35. ↩2Cor.5.2-2Cor.5.4 — Indeed, in this body we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. 2Cor.5.3 — since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 2Cor.5.4 — For indeed, while we are in this tent, we groan under the weight of it — because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
  36. ↩1Pet.4.8 — Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, for love covers a multitude of sins.
  37. ↩Phil.3.20;Heb.12.22-Heb.12.23 — For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Heb.12.22 — But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, Heb.12.23 — to the assembly and festival gathering of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
  38. ↩John.1.14 — And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
  39. ↩Heb.12.28 — Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold fast to grace, through which we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩'quis ut Deus' is the etymological meaning of the name Michael, rendered here as an exclamatory question preserving the wordplay.
  2. 2 ↩'nonne' is a rhetorical question expecting a yes-answer: the speaker affirms that angelic innocence is indeed God's precious handiwork.
  3. 3 ↩Siloe (Siloam) is a pool in Jerusalem (John 9:7); here it serves as a contemplative image of silent, flowing grace.
  4. 4 ↩The phrase 'in sapient a multa' is textually uncertain; rendered here as 'in wisdom and in much learning' following the most plausible reading. The three colors — shining, white-glowing, and red-blushing — suggest purity, wisdom, and burning love.
  5. 5 ↩'Florida haec juventus' — 'this flourishing youth' — refers collectively to the angelic host as a vigorous, youthful company serving God on behalf of human beings.
  6. 6 ↩'paedagogica manuductione' evokes the image of a pedagogue or tutor guiding a child, rendered here as 'a tutor's gentle leading.'
  7. 7 ↩Centrum rendered as 'depths' to capture the sense of the earth's lowest point in contrast with heaven; could also mean 'center.'
  8. 8 ↩Vestrum semen ('your seed') applied to Christ as the promised offspring of the patriarchs; the Abrahamic covenant promise (Genesis 22:18) is understood as fulfilled in him.
  9. 9 ↩The shift from Christ's humiliation to his exaltation is presented as a single contemplative movement: the apostles are invited to behold both the suffering they witnessed and the glory he now possesses.
  10. 10 ↩The knees are Christ's, bowed in humble service at the Last Supper (cf. John 13). The passage invites the apostles to venerate the humility of their Lord.
  11. 11 ↩Principe militiae rendered 'prince of your warfare' to preserve the military metaphor applied to Christ as leader of the martyrs' spiritual combat.
  12. 12 ↩vehiculum (vehicle) is metaphorical: faith and hope as the conveyance of the soul toward heaven.
  13. 13 ↩appretiavit (valued / prized): rare verb; sense is that Christ 'priced' or 'treasured' the soul through his blood.
  14. 14 ↩anathema sit: jussive/optative subjunctive; a solemn imprecation echoing Pauline language (cf. Gal 1:8–9).

Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy companion

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