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← Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy/Book 1 · Orationes sive Meditationes
Chapter 90Ansl.1.90

MEDITATIO XIV.

The Need for Constant Admonition

The author explains that because we live amid spiritual snares, we need continual exhortation to rekindle our love for God, and he offers this devotional work as a humble tool to that end.

PROLOGUE. Since we are placed in the midst of snares, we easily grow cold in our desire for heavenly things. Therefore we need constant admonition [or: protection] —so that, once roused, we might return to our God, the true and highest good, whenever we drift away. For this reason—not out of rash presumption, but out of great love for my God—I have devoted effort to this little work, to his praise, so that from the more elegant sayings of the holy Fathers I might always have with me a brief and handy word about my God; from the reading of which [ —love's fire—whenever I grow lukewarm, I might be kindled into love of him.

Calling Upon the God Who Dwells Within

The soul addresses God directly, expressing total devotion and the sweetness of remembering him, and reflects on the mutual indwelling of God and the soul.

Be present with me now, my God — the one I seek, the one I love, the one I confess with heart and mouth — and with whatever strength I have, I praise and worship you. My mind, devoted to you, kindled with love for you, breathing toward you, yearning toward you, longing to see you alone — it finds nothing sweet except speaking about you, hearing about you, writing about you, conversing about you, and often turning over your glory in my heart, so that the sweet memory of you might be some rest for me amid these turmoils.12 So I call upon you, most longed-for; I cry out to you with a great cry, with my whole heart. And when I call upon you, surely I call upon you in myself — because I would not exist at all unless you were in me, and unless I were in you, you would not be in me.3 You are in me, for you remain in my memory; I have known you through it, and I find you in it, when I remember you and delight in you — you from whom all things come, through whom all things exist, and in whom all things hold together.45

God's Transcendent Nature: Beyond All Categories

A sustained meditation on God's paradoxical attributes—omnipresent yet unconfined, at work and at rest, repenting without grief, angry yet calm, receiving without losing, giving beyond what is owed.

You, Lord, fill heaven and earth, carrying all things without being burdened, filling all things without being confined. Always at work, always at rest. Gathering all things, yet lacking nothing. Seeking, though nothing is lacking to you. Loving, yet not burning with restless desire; zealous, yet free from anxiety. You repent, yet you do not grieve.✦ You grow angry, yet you remain calm. You change your works, but you do not change your purpose. You receive what you find, and you have never lost it. Never poor, yet you rejoice in gain. Never greedy, yet you demand interest. You give beyond what is owed to one to whom you owe nothing — or else it is always given beyond what is owed to you, so that you may owe.6 And who has anything that is not yours? You repay what is owed, while owing nothing to anyone. You give what is owed, losing nothing. You who are everywhere, and everywhere whole.

God Present Yet Hidden: The Mystery of Divine Nearness

God is felt but not seen, near yet far from the wicked, present through judgment where grace is absent, and he teaches hearts without words, unconfined by space or time.

You can be felt, but you can't be seen. You are never absent, and yet you are far from the thoughts of the wicked. You are not absent even where you are far away — because where you are not present through grace, you are present through judgment. You are present everywhere, and yet you can scarcely be found. Whom we follow as he stands, and yet cannot lay hold of. You hold all things, you fill all things, you embrace all things, you surpass all things, you sustain all things. You teach the hearts of the faithful without the noise of words. You are not stretched across places, you are not changed across times, and you have no comings and goings.

Inaccessible Light and Unspeakable Knowledge

The meditation turns to God as dwelling in inaccessible light, truly one and indivisible, whose knowledge surpasses all books, whose being transcends all language, and whose will is identical with his power.

You who dwell in inaccessible light, whom no one among mortals has seen or can see.✦7 Remaining in you, at rest, I go about the whole of things everywhere.8 For you cannot be split apart or divided, because you are truly one. You are not broken into parts, but whole—you hold the whole, you fill the whole, you illuminate the whole, and you possess it all. Even if books covered the whole world, they still couldn't capture your unutterable knowledge. You are truly beyond all telling, so no writing can contain you, no words can hold you.9 You are the fountain of divine light, the sun of eternal brightness.✦ You are great beyond all measure, and so immeasurable. You are good beyond all reckoning, and so truly and supremely good; and no one is good but you alone.✦10 Your will is the deed itself; your willing is your power.11 Everything you created from nothing, you made by your will alone. You hold all your creation without needing anything, govern it without labor, rule it without weariness — and nothing exists that could disturb the order of your reign, whether in the highest things or the lowest.

God's Omnipresence and the Ordering of All Things

God is present everywhere without confinement, not the author of evil, governing all things without weariness, containing all things wholly, and inescapable—present in grace or in judgment.

You are present everywhere, yet confined to no single place. You hold all things without being bounded by them, and you are everywhere at once, without being located in any one spot or moved from place to place. You are not the author of evil, because You are incapable of it. You are capable of nothing that does not exist, and You have never once regretted anything You have done. By whose goodness we were made, by whose justice we bear our penalties, and by whose mercy we are set free. Whose omnipotence governs, rules, and fills all that He created. So we don't mean that You fill all things in the sense that they contain You, but rather that they are contained by You. Nor do You fill things piecemeal, nor should anyone think that each thing receives You in proportion to its own size — the greatest getting more of You, the least getting less. Rather, You are wholly present in all things, and all things are in You. Whose omnipotence encloses all things, and no one can find a way to escape Your power. The one who doesn't have you well-pleased will in no way escape you when you're angry.

Come Into My Soul: The Prayer of Desire

The soul begs God to enter and seal it, recalling that God sought us first, and pleads for increased desire, for God himself as the only sufficient gift, and for love that burns ever more fiercely.

So I call upon you, most merciful God, into my soul — the soul you are preparing to receive you, stirred by the very desire you breathe into it. Come into it, I beg you, and bind it to yourself, so that you may take full possession of what you have made and remade — so that I may have you as a seal upon my heart.✦12 I beg you, most holy one: do not forsake me as I call upon you — because before I ever called upon you, you called me, you sought me out, so that I, your servant, might seek you, and in seeking might find you, and having found you, might love you.✦ I have sought you and I have found you, Lord — and I long to love you. Increase my desire, and give me what I ask — because even if you gave me everything you have made for me, it would not be enough for your servant unless you gave me yourself. Give me yourself, then, my God — give yourself back to me. Look: I love you — and if that love is too weak, let me love you more fiercely. I am held by your love, I burn with your desire, I am delighted by the sweetness of remembering you.

The Soul's Refreshment in Contemplation

As the soul meditates on God's mercy, earthly burdens lighten, the faculties are elevated, and the spirit soars toward the heavenly house, finding rest and joy in God as hope, salvation, and future reward.

See, while my mind sighs for you and meditates on your unspeakable mercy, the very burden of the flesh weighs less heavily, the turmoil of my thoughts falls silent, the weight of mortality and of miseries does not, as usual, dull everything — all things are still, all things are at peace. The heart burns, the spirit rejoices, memory stays vivid, the intellect shines, and the whole spirit, kindled by longing for the sight of you, is carried away by love of invisible things — it sees itself ravished. Let my spirit take up wings like an eagle, let it fly and not fail; let it fly and reach all the way to the beauty of your house and the throne of your glory — and there, at the table of refreshment of the heavenly citizens, let it be fed from your eyes, in the place of pasture, beside the fullest streams.✦ Be our exultation — you who are our hope, our salvation, and our redemption. Be our joy — you who are our future reward. Let my soul always seek you, and do you grant that in seeking it may not fail.

Woe to the Soul That Does Not Seek Christ

A sharp contrast: the soul that does not love Christ is dry, wretched, dead, and tasteless, while the one who entrusts himself to God finds existence, life, wisdom, hope, and rest in him.

Woe to the wretched soul! The soul that doesn't seek or love Christ stays dry and wretched. Whoever doesn't love you, God, loses the very life they live.13 Whoever cares about living not for you, Lord, is nothing — and is as nothing. Whoever refuses to live for you is dead. Whoever has no taste for you is tasteless.14 Most merciful One, I entrust myself to you — I give myself back and yield myself. Through you I exist, I live, and I have wisdom. In you I trust, I hope, and I place my whole hope. Through you I shall rise, I shall live, and I shall rest.15

Longing for God Amid the Turmoil of Exile

The soul that loves the world never rests, but the one who sighs for God finds refuge under his wings, rest in him as a great sea, and is nourished by the rich provider of heavenly feasts.

I long for you, I love you, and I worship you. With you I will remain, with you I will reign, and I will be blessed. The soul that neither seeks nor loves you, but loves the world, serves sin, and is enslaved to vice — it never rests and is never secure.16 May my mind always be in your service, most devout one.17 May my pilgrimage always sigh for you; may my heart burn with love for you. May my soul rest in you, my God. May it contemplate you in ecstasy of mind and sing your praises with jubilation — and may this be my consolation in this exile.18 May my mind take refuge under the shadow of your wings, away from the searing heat of this age's thoughts.19 May my heart rest in you — a great sea, a heart swelling with waves.20 O rich provider of all good feasts, most wealthy giver of heavenly abundance — God, give food to the weary, gather what is scattered, free the captive, and restore what is torn.21

Christ Knocking at the Door

Drawing on Revelation 3:20, the meditation presents Christ standing at the door and knocking, and begs that the wretched soul be opened to receive him as bread, light, and fountain of life.

Look, he's standing at the door and knocking.✦ I beg you through the depths of your mercy — by which you visited us, rising from on high — command that the wretched one knocking be opened to you, so that with unburdened steps he may come to you, and rest in you, and be refreshed by you with the heavenly bread: for you are the bread and the fountain of life, you the light of eternal brightness, you everything by which the upright live, those who love you.✦✦✦222324

Prepare a Place for God in the Soul

The soul asks God to enter its heart, intoxicate it with divine pleasure, free it from shame at worldly suffering, enlarge its cramped house, restore what is ruined, and cleanse what offends God's eyes.

God, light of the hearts that see you, life of the souls that love you, strength of the thoughts that seek you — grant that I may cling to your holy love. Come, I beg you, into my heart, and from the abundance of your pleasure intoxicate it, so that I may forget these temporal things. I'm ashamed and disgusted to suffer the things this world inflicts. It saddens me what I see, and everything I hear about passing things weighs heavy.25 Help me, Lord my God, and give joy in my heart; come to me so that I may see you. But the house of my soul is cramped for me, until you come to it and it is enlarged by you. It is in ruins — restore it. It has very many things that offend your eyes — I confess and I know it. But who will cleanse it, or to whom other than you will I cry out?

Purification and Ordered Self-Governance

The soul prays for cleansing from hidden faults, the laying down of carnal desires, the proper ordering of soul over flesh and reason over soul under God's grace, whole-person praise, and liberation from all bonds to hasten to eternal wisdom.

Cleanse me, Lord, from my hidden faults, and spare your servant from the sins of others.✦ Make me, sweet Christ, good Jesus — I ask you — lay down, through love and longing for you, the burden of carnal desires and earthly lusts. Let the soul rule over the flesh, reason over the soul, and your grace over reason; and subject me, inwardly and outwardly, to your will. Grant me that my heart may praise you, and my tongue, and all my bones.✦ Expand my mind and lift up the gaze of my heart, so that even by a swift thought my spirit may reach you, eternal wisdom, abiding above all things. Loose me, I pray, from the bonds by which I am held constrained, so that leaving all these things behind, I may hasten to you, cling to you alone, and fix my attention on you alone.

The Blessed Soul in Glory

The released soul flies freely to heaven, beholds God face to face, fears neither enemy nor death, joins the hymn-singing choirs, is drunk with the abundance of God's house, and joins the heavenly citizens in eternal festivity.

Happy the soul that is released from its earthly prison, freely seeking heaven, beholding you, sweetest Lord, face to face, touched by no fear of death, but rejoicing in the incorruption of eternal glory.✦ Tranquil and secure, it no longer fears the enemy or death. It has you, gracious Lord, whom it long sought and always loved, joined to the hymn-singing choirs, singing the honey-flowing songs of everlasting festivity to the praise of your glory, King Christ, good Jesus, forever. For it is made drunk from the abundance of your house, and you give it to drink from the torrent of your pleasure.✦ Happy the society of the heavenly citizens, and the glorious solemnity of all returning to you from the sad labor of our pilgrimage here, to the pleasantness of beauty, to the loveliness of all splendor and the dignity of all elegance, where your citizens behold you continually, Lord. Nothing at all that would disturb the mind is found there, and it is granted to the ears to hear.26 What songs? What instruments?

The Songs and Peace of Heaven

The meditation explores the endless melodies of heaven—honey-flowing hymns, angelic songs—where bitterness has no place, no evil or temptation exists, and there is highest peace, full love, jubilation, and eternal praise.

What songs? What melodies are sung there without end? There the honey-flowing instruments of hymns resound forever, the most sweet melody of angels, the wonderful songs of songs, which are sung by the heavenly citizens to your praise and glory.✦ Bitterness and all the harshness of gall have no place in your region. For there is no evil there, and no malice. No adversary attacks, and there is no enticement of sin. There is no want there, no disgrace, no quarrel, no reproach, no accusation, no fear, no unrest, no punishment, no doubt, no violence, no discord; but there is highest peace, full love, jubilation and eternal praise of God, secure rest without end, and joy always in the Holy Spirit. O how fortunate I shall be, if I hear the most delightful songs of your citizens, honey-flowing hymns uttering praises to the highest Trinity with due honor!

The Sweet Songs of Zion

The soul expresses its deepest longing: to sing a song to the Lord Jesus Christ about the sweet songs of Zion.

And how exceedingly blessed I would be, if I myself should ever deserve to sing a song to the Lord Jesus Christ about the sweet songs of Zion.✦2728

The Fullness of Eternal Life

An extended vision of eternal life as the perfection of every good—joy without sorrow, life without death, blessedness without calamity—where the saints behold God face to face, are satisfied without weariness, shine with divine light, and are united in the Trinitarian communion according to Christ's high-priestly prayer.

O life that gives life, O everlasting life, eternally blessed! Where there is joy without sorrow, rest without toil, dignity without trembling, riches without loss, health without weakness, abundance without failure, life without death, perpetuity without corruption, blessedness without calamity; where all good things exist in perfect love, where there is the sight and vision of face to face, where knowledge is full in all things and through all things; where the highest goodness of God is discerned and the light that illuminates is glorified by the saints; where the present majesty of God is beheld, and by this food of life the mind of those who gaze upon it is satisfied without fail — they see always, and they long to see; they long without anxiety, and they are satisfied without weariness; where the true Sun of justice, by the wondrous vision of his beauty, restores all people, and so illuminates all the citizens of the heavenly homeland that they themselves shine — a light, namely, made bright through God, a light shining beyond all the splendor of our sun and the brightness of every star — as they cleave to the immortal deity, and through this have been made immortal and incorruptible, according to the promise of the Lord and Savior: Father, those whom you have given me — I wish that where I am, they may be with me, so that they may see my glory, so that all may be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, and they in us may be one.✦✦293031

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Victor's Crown

The kingdom of heaven is praised as the most blessed, deathless realm of continuous day where the victorious soldier receives ineffable gifts.

The kingdom of heaven — that most blessed kingdom, free from death and without end, where no seasons change through all eternity, where there is an unbroken day and no night, where time itself stands still, where the victorious soldier, after all his toil, is showered with ineffable gifts.

The Valley of Tears and the Consolation of Grace

The soul longs to be freed from the burden of sin and the flesh to enter the eternal joys of heaven, contrasting the misery of this life—where every human condition is a source of turmoil and death ends all empty joys—with the wondrous consolation of God's grace, which lifts the sorrowful mind to gardens of spices and sets it beside streams of sweet water at a table of rich abundance, granting true peace.

Noble is the head crowned with an unending diadem. Would that, once the weight of my sins is lifted, divine mercy would command me, the lowest of Christ's servants, to set down this burden of the flesh, so that, poised to rest, I might pass into the eternal joys of his city, take part in the most holy choirs of heaven, stand among the most blessed spirits of the glory of the Maker, behold the face of God as he is present, be touched by no fear of death, and rejoice untroubled in the imperishable life of immortality, and so, united to the one who knows everything, I might lose all the blindness of not knowing, hold every earthly thing in contempt, and no longer deign even to look back at or remember this valley of tears — a place where life is toil, life is decay, life is filled with every bitterness, life is the mistress of all evil and the slave of the pit, where the body's humors swell, pains waste away, fevers parch, the air breeds sickness, food floods in, fasts grind down, pleasures dissolve, griefs devour, and anxiety hems you in. Security dulls, riches make you boast, poverty casts you down, youth lifts you up, old age bends you over, weakness breaks you, grief weighs you down, the devil lies in wait, the world flatters, the flesh delights, the soul is blinded — the whole person is thrown into turmoil! And to so many and such great evils death, raging, comes hard on the heels of these empty joys, and imposes an end on them in such a way that when they have ceased to exist, they may as well never have been. But what praise, what thanksgiving can we offer you, our God, who even amid these so many hardships of our mortal life do not cease to console us with the wondrous visitation of your grace!32 Here I am, a wretched man filled with many sorrows: I fear the end of my life, I weigh my sins, I dread your judgment, I think on the hour of death, I shudder at the punishments of hell, I don't know by what strictness and scrutiny my works will be weighed by you, I have no idea by what end I am about to be enclosed — and while I turn these things and many others over within my heart, you will be there to console me with your customary mercy, Lord God. And amid these complaints, these excessive tears and deep sighs of the heart, you take up my sorrowful and anxious mind — up over the high mountain ridges to the little gardens of spices — and you set me down in a place of pasture beside streams of sweet water, where you prepare before my eyes a table of rich abundance to refresh my weary spirit and gladden my sad heart. At last, restored by these delights and forgetting my many miseries, raised above the height of the earth, I rest in you, in true peace.✦33343536

Read the original Latin

PROLOGUS. --Quoniam in medio laqueorum positi sumus, facile a coelesti desiderio frigescimus. Quapropter assiduo indigemus monimento [ al. , munimento], ut expergefacti ad Deum nostrum verum et summum bonum, cum defluimus, recurramus. Idcirco non praesumptionis temeritate, sed magna Dei mei dilectione huic opusculo ad laudem ejus operam dedi, ut ex elegantioribus dictis sanctorum Patrum breve et manuale verbum de Deo meo mecum semper haberem; ex cujus lectionis [ al. , dilectionis] igne, quoties tepesco, in ejus accendar amorem.

Nunc adesto mihi, Deus meus, quem quaero, quem diligo, quem corde et ore confiteor, et qua valeo virtute laudo atque adoro. Mens mea devota tibi, tui amore succensa, tibi spirans, tibi inhians, te solum videre desiderans nihil habet dulce nisi de te loqui, de te audire, de te scribere, de te conferre, tuam gloriam frequenter sub corde revolvere, ut tui suavis memoria sit inter hos turbines aliqua repausatio mea. Te ergo invoco, desideratissime, ad te clamo clamore magno in toto corde meo. Et cum te invoco, utique in meipso invoco; quoniam omnino non essem, nisi tu esses in me; et nisi ego essem in te, non esses in me. In me es, quoniam in memoria mea manes; ex ea cognovi te, et in ea invenio te, cum reminiscor tui, et delector in te de te, ex quo omnia, per quem omnia, et in quo omnia.

Tu, Domine, coelum et terram imples, omnia portans sine onere, omnia implens sine inclusione. Semper agens, semper quietus. Colligens et non egens. Quaerens cum nihil desit tibi. Amans, nec aestuans; zelans, et securus es. Poenitet te, et non doles. Irasceris, tranquillus es. Opera mutas, sed non mutas consilium.

Recipis quod invenis, et nunquam amisisti. Nunquam inops, et gaudes lucris. Nunquam avarus, et usuras exigis. Supererogas cui non debes, vel semper supererogatur tibi ut debeas. Et quis habet quidquam non tuum? Reddis debita, nulli debens. Donas debita, nihil perdens. Qui ubique es, et ubique totus.

Qui sentiri potes, et videri non potes. Qui nusquam dees, et tamen ab iniquorum cogitationibus longe es. Qui nec ibi dees, ubi longe es; quia ubi non es per gratiam, ades per vindictam. Qui ubique praesens es, et vix inveniri potes. Quem stantem sequimur, et apprehendere non valemus. Qui tenes omnia, imples omnia, circumplecteris omnia, superexcedis omnia, sustines omnia. Qui corda fidelium doces sine strepitu verborum. Qui locis non distenderis, nec temporibus variaris, nec habes accessus et recessus.

Qui habitas lucem inaccessibilem, quem nullus hominum vidit nec videre potest. In te manens quietus, ubique circuis totum. Non enim scindi et dividi potes, quia vere unus es; nec in partes efficeris, sed totus totum tenes, totum imples, totum illustras et possides.

Si totum mundum libri repleant, tua scientia inenarrabilis non potest enarrari. Quoniam vero indicibilis es, nullo modo scribi poteris, nec concludi. Tu es fons lucis divinae, et sol claritatis aeternae. Magnus es sine quantitate, et ideo immensus. Bonus sine qualitate, et ideo vere et summe bonus; et nemo bonus nisi tu solus. Cujus voluntas opus est, cujus velle posse est. Qui omnia quae ex nihilo creasti, sola voluntate fecisti. Qui omnem creaturam tuam absque indigentia aliqua possides, et sine labore gubernas, et absque taedio regis, et nihil est quod conturbet ordinem imperii tui, vel in summis, vel in imis.

Qui in omnibus locis sine loco haberis, et omnia contines sine ambitu, et ubique praesens es sine situ et motu. Qui nec mali auctor es, quod facere non potes. Qui nihil non potes, nec unquam quidquam te fecisse poenituit. Cujus bonitate facti sumus, et justitia poenas luimus, et clementia liberamur. Cujus omnipotentia omnia gubernat, regit et implet quae creavit. Nec ideo te implere omnia dicimus, ut te contineant; sed ipsa potius a te contineantur. Nec particulatim imples omnia, nec ullatenus ita putandum est, ut unaquaeque res pro magnitudine suae portionis capiat te, id est maxima majus, minima minus, cum sis potius ipse totus in omnibus, et omnia in te. Cujus omnipotentia omnia concludit, nec evadendi potentiam tuam quis aditum invenire poterit.

Qui enim te non habet placatum, nequaquam evadet iratum.

Te igitur, clementissime Deus, invoco in animam meam, quam praeparas ad capiendum te, ex desiderio quod inspiras ei. Intra, rogo, in eam, et coapta eam tibi, ut possideas illam quam fecisti et refecisti; ut habeam te velut signaculum super cor meum. Quaeso, piissime, invocantem te non deseras; quia priusquam te invocarem, me vocasti et quaesisti, ut ego servus tuus te quaererem, quaerendo invenirem, et inventum amarem. Quaesivi et inveni te, Domine, et amare desidero. Auge desiderium meum, et da quod peto; quoniam si cuncta quae fecisti mihi dederis, non sufficit servo tuo, nisi teipsum dederis. Da ergo teipsum mihi, Deus meus; redde te mihi. En amo te; et si parum est, amem validius. Tui ergo amore teneor, tui desiderio flagro, tui dulci memoria delector.

Ecce dum tibi mens mea suspirat, et tuam ineffabilem pietatem meditatur, ipsa carnis sarcina minus gravat, cogitationum tumultus cessat, pondus mortalitatis et miseriarum more solito non hebetat, silent cuncta, tranquilla sunt omnia. Cor ardet, animus gaudet, memoria viget, intellectus lucet, et totus spiritus ex desiderio visionis tuae accensus, invisibilium amore rapi se videt. Assumat spiritus meus pennas ut aquilae, volet et non deficiat; volet, et perveniat usque ad decorem domus tuae, et thronum gloriae tuae: et ibi super mensam refectionis civium supernorum pascatur de oculis tuis in loco pascuae juxta fluenta plenissima. Tu esto exsultatio nostra, qui es spes nostra, salus atque redemptio. Tu esto nostrum gaudium, qui es futurus praemium. Te semper quaerat anima mea, et tu praesta ut quaerendo non deficiat.

Vae miserae animae! quae Christum non quaerit nec amat, arida manet et misera. Perdit quod vivit, qui te Deum non diligit. Qui curat vivere non propter te, Domine, nihil est, et pro nihilo est. Qui tibi vivere recusat, mortuus est. Qui tibi non sapit, desipit. Misericordissime, tibi me commendo, reddo et concedo, per quem sum, vivo et sapio. In te confido, spero et totam spem meam pono, per quem resurgam, vivam et requiescam.

Te cupio, diligo et adoro; cum quo manebo, regnabo et beatus ero. Anima quae te non quaerit nec diligit, mundum diligit, peccatis servit et vitiis subjecta est, nunquam quiescit, nunquam secura est. Famuletur tibi semper mens mea, piissime. Suspiret tibi semper peregrinatio mea, ardeat in amore tui cor meum. Requiescat in te, Deus meus, anima mea, contempletur te in mentis excessu, cantet laudes tuas jubilatione, et haec sit in hoc exsilio meo consolatio mea. Confugiat mens mea sub umbra alarum tuarum ab aestibus cogitationum saeculi hujus. Repauset in te cor meum, cor mare magnum, tumens fluctibus. O dives omnium bonarum dapum, supernae satietatis opulentissime largitor Deus, da lasso cibum, collige dispersum, libera captivum et redintegra scissum.

En stat ad ostium et pulsat. Obsecro per viscera misericordiae tuae, quibus visitasti nos oriens ex alto, jube pulsanti misero aperiri, ut liberis gressibus ingrediatur ad te, et requiescat in te, et reficiatur de te pane coelesti: tu enim es panis et fons vitae, tu lumen claritatis aeternae, tu omnia ex quibus vivunt recti qui diligunt te.

Deus lumen cordium te videntium, et vita animarum te amantium, et virtus cogitationum te quaerentium, da ut sancto tuo amori inhaeream. Veni, rogo, in cor meum, et ab ubertate voluptatis tuae inebria illud, ut obliviscar ista temporalia. Pudet ac piget me talia pati, qualia mundus iste agit. Triste est mihi quod video, grave est omne quod de transitoriis audio. Adjuva me, Domine Deus meus, et da laetitiam in corde meo, veni ad me ut videam te. Sed angusta est mihi domus animae meae, quousque venias ad eam, et dilatetur a te. Ruinosa est, refice eam. Habet plurima quae offendant oculos tuos, fateor et scio; sed quis mundabit eam, aut cui alteri praeter te clamabo?

Ab occultis meis munda me, Domine, et ab alienis parce servo tuo. Fac me, dulcis Christe, bone Jesu, fac me, rogo, amore et desiderio tui deponere onus carnalium desideriorum, et terrenarum concupiscentiarum. Dominetur carni anima, animae ratio, rationi gratia tua, et tuae me interius et exterius subde voluntati. Tribue mihi ut laudet te cor meum, et lingua mea, et omnia ossa mea. Dilata mentem meam, et attolle intuitum cordis mei, ut vel rapida cogitatione spiritus meus attingat te aeternam sapientiam super omnia manentem. Dissolve me, oro, a vinculis quibus constrictus teneor, ut relinquens omnia ista tibi festinem, tibi soli inhaeream, tibi soli intendam.

Felix anima, quae terreno resoluta carcere libera coelum petit, quae te dulcissimum Dominum facie ad faciem cernit, quae nullo metu mortis afficitur, sed de incorruptione perpetuae gloriae laetatur. Tranquilla est et secura, jam non timet hostem nec mortem. Habet te pium Dominum, quem diu quaesivit, semperque amavit, hymnidicis sociata choris, melliflua perpetuae festivitatis carmina ad laudem gloriae tuae, Rex Christe bone Jesu, in aeternum concinit. Inebriatur enim ab ubertate domus tuae, et torrente voluptatis tuae potas eam. Felix societas supernorum civium, et gloriosa solemnitas omnium ad te redeuntium ab hujus nostrae peregrinationis tristi labore ad amoenitatem pulchritudinis, ad formositatem totius splendoris, atque dignitatem totius elegantiae, ubi te jugiter, Domine, tui cives cernunt. Nihil omnino quod conturbet n entem, ibidem auribus audire datur. Quae cantica? Quae organa?

Quae cantilenae? Quae melodiae ibi sine fine decantantur? Sonant ibi semper melliflua hymnorum organa, suavissima angelorum melodia, cantica canticorum mira, quae ad laudem et gloriam tuam a supernis civibus decantantur. Amaritudo et omnis fellis asperitas in regione tua locum non habent. Non enim est ibi malus neque malitia. Non adversarius et impugnans, nec est ulla peccati illecebra. Nulla est ibi indigentia, dedecus nullum, rixa nulla, nullum improperium, causatio nulla, nullus timor, nulla inquietudo, nulla poena, nulla dubietas, nulla violentia, nulla discordia; sed est ibi pax summa, charitas plena, jubilatio et laus Dei aeterna, sine fine secura requies, et gaudium semper in Spiritu sancto. O quam fortunatus ero, si audivero jucundissimas civium tuorum cantilenas, carmina melliflua laudes summae Trinitati debito honore promentia.

Sed et nimium felix, si ego ipse meruero cantare canticum Domino Jesu Christo, de dulcibus canticis Sion.

O vita vitalis, vita sempiterna et sempiterne beata! ubi gaudium sine moerore, requies sine labore, dignitas sine tremore, opes sine amissione, sanitas sine languore, abundantia sine defectione, vita sine morte, perpetuitas sine corruptione, beatitudo sine calamitate, ubi omnia bona in charitate perfecta, ubi species et visio facie ad faciem, ubi plena scientia in omnibus et per omnia, ubi summa Dei bonitas cernitur et lumen illuminans a sanctis glorificatur, ubi praesens majestas Dei conspicitur, et hoc vitae cibo sine defectu mens intuentium satiatur; vident semper, et videre desiderant, sine anxietate desiderant, et sine fastidio satiantur; ubi verus Sol justitiae mira suae pulchritudinis visione omnes reficit, et ita universos coelestis patriae cives illuminat ut luceant ipsi, lumen videlicet illuminatum per Deum, lumen illuminans ultra omnem solis nostri splendorem, atque cunctarum stellarum claritatem immortali adhaerentes deitati, ac per hoc immortales et incorruptibiles facti, juxta promissionem Domini Salvatoris: Pater, quos dedisti mihi, volo ut ubi ego sum, et illi sint mecum: ut videant claritatem meam, ut omnes unum sint, sicut tu Pater in me, et ego in te, et ipsi in nobis unum sint.

Regnum coelorum, regnum felicissimum, regnum carens morte, et vacans fine, cui nulla tempora succedunt per aevum, ubi continuus sine nocte dies nescit habere tempus, ubi victor miles post laborem donis ineffabilibus cumulatur.

Nobile perpetua caput amplectente corona. Utinam remissa peccatorum mole, me ultimum servorum Christi juberet divina pietas hanc carnis sarcinam deponere, ut in suae civitatis gaudia aeterna repausandus transirem, sanctissimis supernorum choris interessem, cum beatissimis spiritibus gloriae Conditoris assisterem, praesentem Dei vultum cernerem, nullo mortis metu tangerer, de perpetuae immortalitatis incorruptione securus gauderem, et scienti omnia conjunctus omnem ignorantiae caecitatem amitterem, terrena cuncta parvipenderem, convallem lacrymarum istam intueri vel reminisci ulterius non dignarer, ubi vita laboriosa, vita corruptibilis, vita omni amaritudine plena, vita domina malorum, ancilla infernorum, quam humores tumidant, dolores extenuant, ardores exsiccant, aera morbidant, escae influant, jejunia macerant, joci solvunt, tristitiae consumunt, sollicitudo coarctat. securitas hebetat, divitiae jactant, paupertas dejicit, juventus extollit, senectus incurvat, infirmitas frangit, moeror deprimit, diabolus insidiatur, mundus adulatur, caro delectatur, anima excaecatur, totus homo conturbatur! Et his tot et tantis malis mors furibunda succedit, vanisque gaudiis ita finem imponit, ut cum esse desierint, nec fuisse putentur.

Sed quas laudes, quasve gratiarum actiones tibi referre valeamus, Deus noster, qui nos etiam inter has tantas mortalitatis nostrae aerumnas non desinis consolari mira visitatione gratiae tuae! Ecce me miserum multis moeroribus plenum, dum vitae meae finem timeo, dum peccata mea considero, dum judicium tuum formido, dum mortis horam cogito, dum supplicia tartari horreo, dum opera mea qua districtione et discussione a te pensentur ignoro, dum quo fine illa clausurus sim penitus nescio, dumque haec et alia multa mecum sub corde retracto, consolaturus ades solita pietate, Domine Deus, et inter has querelas, nimiosque ploratus ac profunda cordis suspiria, assumis moestam et anxiam mentem super alta juga montium ad areolas usque aromatum, et collocas me in loco pascuae secus rivulos dulcium aquarum, ubi praeparas in conspectu meo mensam multiplicis apparatus, quae fatigatum spiritum repauset, et cor triste laetificet, quibus tandem refocillatus deliciis, et multarum miseriarum mearum oblitus, levatus super altitudinem terrae, in te vera pace quiesco.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Gen.6.6 — And the LORD regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
  2. ↩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.
  3. ↩Ps.35.10 — All my bones shall say, 'LORD, who is like You, delivering the poor from the one too strong for him—the poor and the needy from the one who robs him?'
  4. ↩Mark.10.18;Matt.19.17 — But Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.' Matt.19.17 — And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
  5. ↩Song.8.6 — Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion is fierce as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a flame of Yah.
  6. ↩1John.4.19 — We love because he first loved us.
  7. ↩Ps.104.5 — He set the earth on its foundations, so that it will not be moved forever and ever.
  8. ↩Rev.3.20 — Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me.
  9. ↩Rev.3.20 — Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me.
  10. ↩John.6.35 — Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will not hunger, and the one who believes in me will never thirst."
  11. ↩John.8.12 — Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'
  12. ↩Ps.19.12-Ps.19.13 — Even Your servant is warned by them; in keeping them there is great reward. Ps.19.13 — Who can discern their errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
  13. ↩Ps.103.1 — Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
  14. ↩1Cor.13.12 — For now we see in a mirror, dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
  15. ↩Ps.36.8 — How precious is your steadfast love, O God! And the children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
  16. ↩Song.1.1 — The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.
  17. ↩Ps.136.1;Ps.138.1 — Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Ps.138.1 — Of David. I will give thanks to you with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praise to you.
  18. ↩John.17.21-John.17.24 — that they all may be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you; that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. John.17.22 — And the glory that you have given me I have given to them, so that they may be one, just as we are one. John.17.23 — I in them and you in me, so that they may be perfected into one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them just as you loved me. John.17.24 — Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
  19. ↩1Cor.13.12 — For now we see in a mirror, dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
  20. ↩Ps.23.2-Ps.23.5 — He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. Ps.23.3 — He restores my soul; he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Ps.23.4 — Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me. Ps.23.5 — You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The ut clause is ambiguous between purpose and result; rendered as purpose ('so that') following the volitional/desiderative context, though a result reading is also possible.
  2. 2 ↩repausatio is a rare/medieval form; rendered as 'rest' in the sense of refreshment or respite.
  3. 3 ↩The cum clause is ambiguous between temporal ('when') and causal ('since'); rendered as temporal, though causal is also possible in context.
  4. 4 ↩The cum clause at 'cum reminiscor tui' is ambiguous between temporal ('when') and causal ('since'); rendered as temporal.
  5. 5 ↩The final triad (ex quo omnia, per quem omnia, in quo omnia) echoes the Pauline creation formula (Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6; Col 1:16); rendered with 'from whom / through whom / in whom' to preserve the traditional cadence.
  6. 6 ↩vel rendered as 'or else' to capture the disjunctive force; ut rendered as purpose 'so that.'
  7. 7 ↩Alludes to 1 Tim. 6:16 (lucem inaccessibilem, quem vidit nullus hominum nec videre potest).
  8. 8 ↩The subject shifts to the first person (circuis = 'you go around' per gloss, but the prayer context suggests the speaker is the one moving through creation while God remains the still center). The Latin is ambiguous: circuis is 2nd person ('you go around'), but the surrounding meditative context and the shift to first-person prayer in neighboring sections suggest the speaker may be describing their own movement through creation while resting in God. Rendered here with the speaker as subject to preserve the devotional logic of the meditation.
  9. 9 ↩indicibilis and inenarrabilis both stress God's transcendence of language; the distinction between 'unspeakable' (s1) and 'beyond all telling' (s2) is interpretive.
  10. 10 ↩nemo bonus nisi tu solus echoes Mark 10:18 / Matthew 19:17; Moses resolution needed.
  11. 11 ↩velle posse est: the identity of God's will and God's power is a dense theological claim; rendered to preserve the parallelism.
  12. 12 ↩coapta (rare verb, 'join to, unite') rendered as 'bind' to convey the sense of intimate union without losing the active, grace-driven force of the imperative.
  13. 13 ↩quod rendered as causal 'the very' to convey the force of 'loses that which they live' — the life they have is forfeit because they do not love God.
  14. 14 ↩sapio carries a double sense of 'is wise' and 'tastes/has flavor.' The translation 'has no taste for you is tasteless' preserves the wordplay: the person who finds no savor in God is themselves insipid.
  15. 15 ↩resurgam, vivam, requiescam are ambiguous between future indicative and present subjunctive. Rendered as future indicative ('I shall') to convey confident hope and eschatological expectation, which fits the devotional context.
  16. 16 ↩peccatis servit et vitiis subjecta est: 'serves sin' and 'is enslaved to vice' render dative/ablative plural; the sense is subjection to both sin and vices.
  17. 17 ↩piissime: vocative of address, superlative of pius; rendered 'most devout one' as a solemn form of direct address.
  18. 18 ↩in mentis excessu: 'in ecstasy of mind' renders a contemplative phrase; could also mean 'in a transport of the mind.'
  19. 19 ↩sub umbra alarum tuarum echoes Psalm 17:8 (Vulgate); candidate allusion preserved for later resolution.
  20. 20 ↩cor mare magnum, tumens fluctibus: the image layers 'heart' and 'sea'; rendered to preserve the appositional metaphor.
  21. 21 ↩dapum / satietatis: 'feasts' and 'abundance' render the imagery of divine provision; could also be 'banquets' and 'satiety.'
  22. 22 ↩'Viscera' (bowels/entrails/inner parts) is a visceral metaphor for tender mercy; rendered as 'depths of your mercy' to preserve the emotional force without the anatomical shock that would distract a modern reader.
  23. 23 ↩'Rising from on high' — the participle 'oriens' (rising/originating) applied to God's visitation; likely an echo of the rising sun as image of divine grace.
  24. 24 ↩'Heavenly bread' — Eucharistic resonance is strong in context (cf. 'panis et fons vitae'), but the passage is meditative rather than sacramental in the strict Book 4 sense. Kept as 'heavenly bread' rather than 'Eucharist' to respect register.
  25. 25 ↩The two quod clauses are causal/explanatory ('the fact that…'), rendered as indirect statements to keep the natural English flow.
  26. 26 ↩The source reading 'n entem' is textually uncertain (possibly a corruption of animantem or mentem). The translation renders the most plausible intended sense: 'the mind' (mentem).
  27. 27 ↩'Sed et' rendered as 'And' to capture the continuative force; the adversative 'sed' here functions more as a transition than a sharp contrast.
  28. 28 ↩'de dulcibus canticis Sion' — 'about the sweet songs of Zion' preserves the allusion to the Psalms of Zion (e.g., Ps 136:1 Vulg., 'super flumina Babylonis').
  29. 29 ↩The closing quotation (Pater, quos dedisti mihi … unum sint) is drawn from John 17:21–24 (Christ's high-priestly prayer). The Latin follows the Vulgate closely. Final verse resolution belongs to the Moses stage.
  30. 30 ↩charitate rendered as 'love' per default policy for charitas; the theological-virtue sense is preserved by context ('perfect love').
  31. 31 ↩Multiple ut-clauses: some function as purpose ('so that they may see'), others as complement clauses with volo ('I wish that…'). Rendered according to their syntactic role.
  32. 32 ↩aerumnas rendered 'hardships' rather than 'miseries' to capture the sense of toil and burden without overstating; mortalitatis nostrae kept as 'our mortal life' for natural English flow.
  33. 33 ↩The imagery of green pastures, still waters, and a prepared table strongly echoes Psalm 23 (Vulgate Psalm 22). The phrase 'in loco pascuae secus rivulos dulcium aquarum' and 'mensam' prepared 'in conspectu meo' map closely onto the psalm's pastoral and banquet imagery. Candidate allusion flagged for Moses resolution.
  34. 34 ↩tartari rendered 'hell' rather than 'Tartarus' for natural modern readability; the theological sense of infernal punishment is preserved.
  35. 35 ↩areolas aromatum rendered 'little gardens of spices' — a literal rendering that preserves the Song of Songs resonance in the original.
  36. 36 ↩multiplicis apparatus rendered 'rich abundance' to capture the sense of elaborate, abundant preparation without the stiffness of 'manifold apparatus' or 'multiplied preparation.'

Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy companion

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