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← Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy/Book 1 · Orationes sive Meditationes
Chapter 93Ansl.1.93

MEDITATIO XVII. Sive meditationis quintae decimae pars tertia.--De futuris beneficiis Dei.

Death as the Threshold of Eternity

Death is presented as the boundary between present suffering and future blessedness, and the soul is urged to overcome its natural dread through faith, hope, and a clear conscience.

But the one who gives his own so much in the present as he keeps for them in the future — who is this? Death is the beginning of things to come and the end of things present. Whose nature does not shrink from this? Whose heart is not terrified by it? For beasts avoid death by flight, by hiding places, and by a thousand other means — they guard their lives. Now, now — pay close attention: what does your conscience answer you? What does faith presume? What does hope promise? What does your heart desire? If your life is a burden to you, if the world disgusts you, if the flesh is in pain — then death is surely something you long for: it lays down the yoke of this burden, removes the weariness of the body, and takes the pain upon itself. This one thing I say: to surpass all the delights, honors, and riches of this world — do not fear death, if only for the sake of a clear conscience, the firmness of faith, and the certainty of hope.

The Two Deaths: Saints and Reprobates

The death of the righteous, attended by angels and welcomed into Abraham's bosom, is contrasted with the horrific death of the impious, dragged by demons into eternal torment.

And that person will be able to experience this most fully who, having sighed under this servitude for some time, has at last emerged into the freer air of a clear conscience.1 These are the wholesome first fruits of your future blessedness: that when death comes, faith may overcome natural dread, hope may temper it, and a pure conscience may drive it away. And so in a certain sense death is the beginning of rest, the goal of labors, the final destroyer of vices.2 For so it is written: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.✦3 Hence the prophet, distinguishing the death of the reprobate from the death of the elect, says: All the kings have slept in glory, each one in his own house; but you are cast out from your tomb like a useless, polluted, and disgraced branch.✦4 They have indeed slept in glory whose death is commended by a good conscience, for precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.✦5 Truly they have slept in glory whose passing is attended by angels, met by the saints, who offer help and share comfort with their fellow citizen; they set themselves against enemies, drive back those who resist, refute the accusers, and so, accompanying the holy soul all the way to the bosom of Abraham, they place it in a place of peace and rest.✦6 Not so the impious — not so. The worst spirits drag them from the body as from a stinking tomb, and with infernal instruments they hurl the lust-polluted, greed-shrouded souls into fires to be burned, to be torn apart by birds, and they consign them to eternal stenches to be suffocated.7 Truly, the expectation of the just is joy; but the hope of the impious will perish.✦8

Awaiting the Resurrection in Abraham's Bosom

The blessed who rest in Abraham's bosom await the full number of their brothers so that together they may receive the twofold joy of body and soul at the resurrection.

Truly, what kind of rest is that—what peace, what joy in the bosom of Abraham—which is promised and awaited as gladness by those who rest there? Because experience has not taught it, no pen will be able to explain it.✦9 The blessed await the full number of their brothers and sisters, so that on the day of resurrection they may enjoy a twofold robe—that is, the perpetual happiness of both body and soul.✦✦1011

The Terror of the Last Judgment

The awesome day of judgment is described in vivid cosmic terms, culminating in the separation of the wicked from the just by the angels.

Now consider the terror of that day, when the powers of heaven will be shaken, the elements will dissolve in the heat of fire, the depths below will lie open, and every hidden thing will be laid bare. The angry Judge will come from above, his fury burning, and like a storm his chariot will arrive, so that in wrath he may render vengeance and devastation in a flame of fire.✦✦✦ Blessed is the one who is prepared to meet him.✦✦ What then will become of those wretched souls? How wretched they will be then—those whom luxury now defiles, avarice scatters, and pride puffs up. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the just, placing them on his right hand and them on his left.✦

Standing Before the Tribunal: The Damned on the Left

The reader is invited to stand before Christ's tribunal and behold the wretched multitude on the left—shamed, helpless, and without excuse—and to marvel at God's grace in predestining the soul to be set apart from them.

Picture yourself standing before Christ's tribunal, caught between these two groups, not yet assigned to one side or the other. Now look to the Judge's left hand and behold that wretched multitude. What horror, what shame, what stench, what fear, what anguish! They stand there, wretched and miserable—gnashing their teeth, trembling, exposed, horrible in appearance, their faces twisted with shame, confounded by the disgrace and nakedness of their bodies. They want to hide, but they can't; they try to flee, but they're not allowed. If they look up, the fury of the Judge threatens from above; if they look down, the horror of the infernal pit stares back at them. No excuse for their crimes is available, nor will they be able to lodge any complaint about unjust judgment before God—whatever has been decreed, their own conscience will recognize as just, and that realization won't escape them.✦12 See now how deserving of your love is the One who set you apart from this damned company—who predestined you, called you to be separate, and justified you to make you pure.✦13

The Glory of the Elect on the Right

Turning to the right hand of the Judge, the reader beholds the radiant company of the elect, crowned with diverse merits and illuminated by the gentle face of Jesus.

Now turn your eyes to the right hand, and consider how he intends to glorify you. What beauty is there, what honor, what happiness, and what security? Some are raised high on the judgment seat, others shine with the crown of martyrdom, others are bright with the flower of virginity, others are fruitful in the bounty of almsgiving, others are distinguished by learning and scholarship — all joined together in one bond of love. The face of Jesus shines upon them — not fearsome, but lovable; not harsh, but gentle; not terrifying, but tender.

Between Fear and Hope: The Soul's Surrender

The soul stands in trembling uncertainty between the two companies, surrenders wholly to God's will, and is then invited to hear both the welcome of the blessed and the condemnation of the cursed.

Stand now as if in the midst of it all, not knowing which side the Judge's sentence will assign you to. What a harsh expectation! Fear and trembling came upon me, and darkness covered me.✦ If He assigns me to the left, I will not protest as though it were unjust; if He places me among the right, this is to be credited to His grace, not to my own merits.✦ Truly, Lord, life is in Your will. You see, then, how greatly your heart should be enlarged by His love — He who, though He could have turned back on you the sentence pronounced on the unjust, chose instead to graft you among the righteous for your salvation. Now imagine yourself joined to that holy fellowship, and hear the decree of that voice: 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'✦ Then, for the wretched who hear the word of the Lord full of wrath and fury: 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire.'✦

The Eternal Separation and the Kingdom of Glory

After the final sentence of eternal punishment and eternal life, the glorious procession of the saints with Christ their Head is described, and the kingdom is handed over to the Father in an incommunicable fullness of joy.

Then they will go, he says, into eternal punishment; but the just into eternal life.✦ O harsh separation! O miserable condition! For once the impious are removed, lest they see the glory of God — but as for the just, each one, according to their own rank and merit, having been placed within the angelic orders — that glorious procession will take place, with Christ our head going before and all his members following behind. And the kingdom will be handed over to God the Father, so that he himself may reign in them and they in him, receiving that kingdom which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world. The state of that kingdom cannot even be imagined by us, much less spoken of or written.✦✦ This I know: that nothing at all will be absent which you could wish to be present.

The Perfect Joy of Heaven: Absence of Every Evil

Through a series of rhetorical questions, the meditation catalogues every sorrow and defect that will be absent in heaven, and in each case draws out the corresponding positive perfection—joy, tranquility, security, love, and beauty.

There, then, there is no grief, no weeping, no pain, no fear. No sadness, no discord, no envy, no tribulation, no temptation, no change of air or corruption, no suspicion, no ambition, no flattery, no detraction, no sickness, no old age, no death, no poverty, no night, no darkness, no need at all for eating or drinking or sleeping, no weariness. What good is there, then? Where there is no grief, no weeping, no pain, and no sadness, what can there be but perfect joy? Where there is no temptation or tribulation, no change of the seasons or corruption of the air, no fiercer heat of summer or harsher winter, what can there be but a supreme tempering of all things, and a true and deepest tranquility of mind and body?14 Where there is nothing for you to fear, what can there be but perfect security? Where there is no discord, no envy, what can there be but the highest and truest love? Where there is no deformity, what can there be but the highest and truest beauty?

The Fullness of Heavenly Goods

The meditation continues its catalogue, showing that where there is no poverty, toil, burden, decay, darkness, or death, there will be fullness, rest, happiness, health, light, and eternal life.

Where there is no poverty, what can there be but utter fullness? Where there is no toil or failing, what will there be but the highest rest and strength? Where there is nothing to weigh you down or burden you, what will there be but perfect happiness? Where old age is not awaited and disease is not feared, what can there be but true health? Where there is no night and no darkness, what is there but perfect light? Where death and all mortality are swallowed up, what is there but eternal life?✦

The Beatific Vision: Seeing, Knowing, and Loving God

The supreme good surpassing all others is the vision, knowledge, and love of the Creator—the face longed for by angels, the mutual indwelling of the Trinity, the fulfillment of Christ's promise to reveal himself, and an eternal love in which fullness and desire increase together without limit.

What more could we possibly seek? Surely that which surpasses all of these — the vision, knowledge, and love of the Creator. He will be seen in himself; he will be seen in all his creatures — ruling all things without anxiety, sustaining all things without labor, imparting himself in a certain way to each one according to its own capacity, without any loss or division. That face will be seen — lovable and desirable, the face the angels long to gaze upon. Who can speak of its fullness, its light, its sweetness? The Father will be seen in the Son, and the Son in the Father, and the Holy Spirit in both. For he will be seen as he is, his promise now fulfilled — the promise in which he says: 'Whoever loves me is loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.'✦ From that vision comes the knowledge of which he himself speaks: 'This is eternal life — that they may know you, the only true God.'✦ From these things will be born such great love, such great ardor of devoted love, such great sweetness of charity, such great abundance of enjoyment, such great vehemence of desire, that neither fullness will hinder desire nor desire hinder fullness.

The Inexpressible Promise and the Closing Prayer

The meditation closes by confessing that these blessings surpass all human understanding, quoting Paul's words on the unseen things God has prepared, and offering a prayer that the seeds of meditation sown in the soul may bear fruit in divine love until the soul is received into the Beloved's embrace.

What is this? Certainly, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it risen up into the heart of any human being — these are the things God has prepared for those who love him.✦ Sister, I have taken care to sow beforehand in you certain seeds of spiritual meditation—drawn from the memory of Christ's past benefits, from the experience of his present ones, and from the expectation of things yet to come—from which a richer harvest of divine love may arise and grow: so that meditation may stir up affection, affection may give birth to desire, and desire may wring out tears; so that your tears may be your bread day and night, until you appear in his sight and are received into his embraces, and may say what is written in the Song of Songs: My beloved is mine, and I am his; he will linger between my breasts.✦✦ May he himself deign to grant this to you, who lives and reigns, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Read the original Latin

Qui autem praestat suis tanta in praesenti quanta illis servat in futuro? Principium futurorum et finis praesentium, mors est. Hanc cujus natura non abhorret? cujus non expavescit affectus? Nam bestiae fuga, latibulis, et aliis mille modis mortem cavent, vitam tuentur. Jam nunc diligenter attende quid tua tibi respondeat conscientia, quid praesumat fides, quid spes promittat, quid expetat affectus. Si vita tua tibi oneri est, si mundus fastidio, si caro dolori, profecto desiderio mors est tibi, quae jugum hujus oneris deponit, tollit fastidium, corporis dolorem assumit. Hoc unum dico omnibus hujus mundi praestare deliciis, honoribus atque divitiis, si ob conscientiae serenitatem, fidei firmitatem, spei certitudinem mortem non timeas.

Quod ille poterit maxime experiri qui, aliquo tempore sub hac servitute suspirans, in liberiores conscientiae auras evasit. Haec sunt futurae beatitudinis tuae primitiae salutares, ut morte superveniente naturalem horrorem fides superet, spes temperet, conscientia pura repellat; et inde quodammodo mors est principium quietis, laborum meta, peremptoria vitiorum. Sic enim scriptum est: Beati mortui, qui in Domino moriuntur. Unde propheta reproborum mortem ab electorum morte discernens, Omnes, inquit, reges dormierunt in gloria, unusquisque in domo sua; tu autem projectus es de sepulcro tuo, quasi stirpis inutilis, pollutus et obvolutus. Dormierunt quippe in gloria quorum mortem commendat bona conscientia, quia pretiosa est in conspectu Domini mors sanctorum ejus. Dormierunt sane in gloria quorum dormitioni assistunt angeli, occurrunt sancti, concivi suo praebentes auxilium, et impartientes solatium; hostibus se opponunt, obsistentes repellunt, refellunt accusantes, et sic usque ad sinum Abrahae sanctam animam comitantes in loco pacis collocant et quietis. Non sic impii, non sic, quos de corpore quasi de fetenti sepulcro pessimi spiritus cum instrumentis infernalibus extrahentes, pollutos libidine, obvolutos cupiditate injiciunt ignibus exurendos, avibus lacerandos, aeternis fetoribus deputant suffocandos. Vere exspectatio justorum laetitia; spes autem impiorum peribit.

Sane qualis sit illa requies, quae pax illa, quae jucunditas in sinu Abrahae, quae illis quiescentibus promittitur, et exspectatur laetitia, quia experientia non docuit, stylus explicare non poterit. Exspectant felices donec impleatur numerus fratrum suorum, ut in die resurrectionis duplici stola, scilicet corporis et animae perpetua felicitate fruantur.

Jam nunc intuere illius diei terrorem, quando coelorum virtutes movebuntur, elementa ignis calore solventur, patebunt inferi, occulta omnia nudabuntur; veniet desuper iratus Judex, ardens furor ejus, et ut tempestas currus ejus, ut reddat in ira vindictam et vastitatem in flamma ignis. Beatus est qui paratus est occurrere illi. Quid tunc miseris animabus erit? Quam tunc miseri erunt, quos nunc luxuria foedat, avaritia dissipat, extollit superbia. Exibunt angeli, et separabunt malos de medio justorum, illos a dextris, illos a sinistris statuentes.

Cogita te nunc ante tribunal Christi inter utramque hanc societatem assistere, et necdum in alteram partem separatam. Deflecte oculos nunc ad sinistram Judicis, et miseram illam multitudinem contemplare. Qualis ibi horror, quis pudor, quis fetor, quis timor, quis dolor? Stant miseri et infelices, stridentes dentibus, nudo latere palpitantes, aspectu horribiles, vultu deformes, dejecti prae pudore, prae corporis turpitudine et nuditate confusi. Latere volunt, et non datur; fugere tentant, nec permittitur. Si oculos levant desuper, Judicis imminet furor; si deponunt, infernalis putei eis ingeritur horror. Non suppetit criminum excusatio, nec de iniquo judicio erga Deum aliqua poterit esse causatio, cum quidquid decretum fuerit, justum esse ipsam eorum conscientiam non latebit. Cerne nunc quam amandus tibi sit, qui te ab hac damnata societate praedestinando discrevit, vocando separavit, justificando purificavit.

Retorque nunc ad dexteram oculos, et quibus te glorificando sit inserturus adverte. Quis ibi decor, quis honor et quae felicitas, et quae securitas? Alii judiciaria sede sublimes, alii corona martyrii splendentes, alii flore virginitatis candidi, alii eleemosynarum largitione fecundi, alii doctrina et eruditione praeclari, in unum charitatis foedus copulantur. Lucet eis vultus Jesu, non terribilis, sed amabilis; non amarus, sed dulcis; non terrens, sed blandiens.

Sta nunc quasi in medio, nesciens quibus te Judicis sententia deputabit. O dura exspectatio! Timor et tremor venerunt super me, et contexerunt me tenebrae. Si me sinistris sociaverit, non causabor injustum; si dextris ascripserit, gratiae ejus hoc non meis meritis est imputandum. Vere, Domine, vita in voluntate tua. Vides ergo quantum in ejus amore tuus extendi debeat animus, qui, cum injustis posset in te prolatam retorquere sententiam, justis te maluit ad salvandum inserere. Jam te puta sanctae illi societati conjunctam vocis illius audire decretum: Venite, benedicti Patris mei, percipite regnum quod vobis paratum est ab origine mundi. Inde miseris audientibus verbum Domini plenum irae et furoris: Discedite a me, maledicti, in ignem aeternum.

Tunc ibunt ii inquit, in supplicium aeternum; justi autem in vitam aeternam. O dura separatio! o miserabilis conditio! Sublatis enim impiis ne videant gloriam Dei; de justis vero singulis secundum gradum suum et meritum angelicis ordinibus insertis, fiet illa gloriosa processio, Christo praecedente capite nostro, omnibusque suis membris sequentibus, et tradetur regnum Deo Patri, ut ipse regnet in eis, et ipsi in eo, regnum illud percipientes, quod paratum est illis ab origine mundi, cujus regni status ne cogitari quidem a nobis potest, multo minus dici vel scribi. Hoc scio quod nihil omnino aberit quod velis adesse.

Nullus igitur ibi luctus, nullus fletus, nullus dolor, nullus timor. Non tristitia, non discordia, non invidia, non tribulatio, non tentatio, non aeris mutatio vel corruptio, non suspicio, non ambitio, non adulatio, non detractio, non aegritudo, non senectus, non mors, non paupertas, non nox, non tenebrae, non edendi vel bibendi vel dormiendi ulla necessitas, fatigatio nulla. Quid ergo ibi boni est? Ubi neque luctus, neque fletus, neque dolor, nec tristitia, quid potest esse nisi perfecta laetitia? Ubi nulla tentatio, vel tribulatio, nulla temporum mutatio, vel corruptio aeris, aestus vehementior, nec hiems asperior, quid potest esse nisi summa quaedam rerum temperies, et mentis et carnis vera et summa tranquillitas? Ubi nihil est quod timeas, quid potest esse nisi summa securitas? Ubi nulla discordia, nulla invidia, quid potest esse nisi summa et vera dilectio? Ubi nulla deformitas, quid potest esse nisi summa et vera pulchritudo?

Ubi nulla paupertas, quid potest esse nisi omnis plenitudo? Ubi nullus labor vel defectio, quid erit nisi summa requies et fortitudo? Ubi nihil est quod gravet vel oneret, quid erit nisi summa felicitas? Ubi nec senectus exspectatur, nec morbus timetur, quid potest esse nisi vera sanitas? Ubi nec nox, nec tenebrae, quid est nisi lux perfecta? Ubi mors et mortalitas omnis absorpta, quid est nisi vita aeterna?

Quid est ultra quod quaeramus? Certe, quod iis omnibus excellentius est, scilicet visio, cognitio et dilectio Creatoris. Videbitur in se, videbitur in omnibus creaturis suis, regens omnia sine sollicitudine, sustentans omnia sine labore, impertiens quodammodo se singulis pro sua capacitate, sine diminutione vel divisione. Videbitur ille vultus amabilis et desiderabilis, in quem angeli desiderant prospicere: de cujus plenitudine, de cujus lumine, de cujus suavitate quis dicet? Videbitur Pater in Filio, et Filius in Patre, Spiritus sanctus in utroque. Videbitur enim sicuti est, impleta ejus promissione qua dicit: Qui diligit me, diligitur a Patre meo, et ego diligam eum, et manifestabo ei meipsum. Ex hac visione illa procedit cognitio, de qua ipse ait: Haec est vita aeterna, ut cognoscant te solum verum Deum. Ex his tanta nascetur dilectio, tantus ardor pii amoris, tanta dulcedo charitatis, tanta fruendi copia, tanta desiderii vehementia, ut nec satietas desiderium, nec desiderium satietatem impediat.

Quid est hoc? Certe quod oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit quae praeparavit Deus diligentibus se.

Haec tibi, soror, de praeteritorum beneficiorum Christi memoria, de praesentium experientia, de exspectatione futurorum, quaedam meditationum spiritualium semina proseminare curavi, ex quibus divini amoris fructibus uberior oriatur et crescat: ut meditatio affectum excitet, affectus desiderium pariat, lacrymas desiderium extorqueat: ut tibi sint lacrymae tuae panes die ac nocte, donec appareas in conspectu ejus, et suscipiaris ab amplexibus ejus, dicasque illud quod in Canticis scriptum est: Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi; inter ubera mea commorabitur. Quod ipse tibi praestare dignetur, qui vivit et regnat Deus in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Rev.14.13 — And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'so that they may rest from their labors, for their works follow with them.'
  2. ↩Isa.14.18-Isa.14.20 — All the kings of the nations, all of them, lie in glory, each in his own house. Isa.14.19 — But you are cast out, away from your grave, like a rejected shoot, clothed with the slain, pierced by the sword, going down to the stones of the pit like a trampled corpse." The added comma after "cast out" improves oral pacing. Isa.14.20 — You will not be joined with them in burial, for you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. The seed of evildoers will never be renowned.
  3. ↩Ps.115.6 — They have ears, but they do not hear; they have noses, but they do not smell.
  4. ↩Luke.16.22 — And it happened that the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
  5. ↩Prov.10.28 — The hope of the righteous is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
  6. ↩Luke.16.22-Luke.16.23 — And it happened that the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. Luke.16.23 — And in Hades, while he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus at his side.
  7. ↩Rev.6.11 — And a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest yet for a little while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who were about to be killed as they also had been, would be fulfilled.
  8. ↩Rev.6.11 — And a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest yet for a little while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who were about to be killed as they also had been, would be fulfilled.
  9. ↩2Thess.1.7-2Thess.1.8 — and to give relief with us to you who are being afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with the angels of his power 2Thess.1.8 — in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
  10. ↩Isa.13.13 — Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will quake from its place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
  11. ↩Matt.24.29 — But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
  12. ↩Matt.25.6-Matt.25.10 — But at midnight a cry has gone out: 'Look! The bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Matt.25.7 — Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. Matt.25.8 — The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' Matt.25.9 — But the prudent ones answered, saying, 'No — there will not be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' Matt.25.10 — But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and the ready ones went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.
  13. ↩Amos.4.12 — Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel—because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.
  14. ↩Matt.25.32-Matt.25.33 — And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Matt.25.33 — And he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at his left.
  15. ↩Rom.2.15 — who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or even defending them
  16. ↩Rom.8.29-Rom.8.30 — For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Rom.8.30 — And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
  17. ↩Ps.54.6 — Behold, God is my help; the Lord is among those who uphold my life.
  18. ↩Matt.25.32-Matt.25.34 — And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Matt.25.33 — And he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at his left. Matt.25.34 — Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'
  19. ↩Matt.25.34 — Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'
  20. ↩Matt.25.41 — Then he will also say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'
  21. ↩Matt.25.46 — And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
  22. ↩Matt.25.34 — Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'
  23. ↩1Cor.15.24 — Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after he has abolished every rule and every authority and power.
  24. ↩1Cor.15.54 — But when this perishable puts on imperishability, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'
  25. ↩John.14.21 — The one who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.
  26. ↩John.17.3 — And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and the one you sent, Jesus Christ.
  27. ↩1Cor.2.9;Isa.64.4 — But as it is written: What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived—all that God has prepared for those who love him. Isa.64.4 — You meet those who rejoice and do righteousness; in your ways they remember you. But behold, you were angry, and we sinned — in those ways we have been for long, and can we be saved?
  28. ↩Song.2.16;Song.1.13 — My beloved is mine, and I am his — the one who grazes among the lilies. Song.1.13 — A sachet of myrrh is my beloved to me; between my breasts he will lie.
  29. ↩Ps.79.6 — Pour out your wrath upon the nations that do not know you, and upon the kingdoms that do not call upon your name.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩liberiores conscientiae auras — literally 'freer breezes of conscience'; rendered as 'freer air of a clear conscience' to capture the metaphor of emerging into spiritual openness.
  2. 2 ↩peremptoria vitiorum — 'destructive/deadly of vices'; rendered as 'final destroyer of vices' to capture the sense of death as the definitive end of vice's power.
  3. 3 ↩Cf. Revelation 14:13 (Vulgate: Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur). Candidate quotation pending Moses resolution.
  4. 4 ↩Cf. Isaiah 14:18–20. The quotation combines elements from Isaiah 14:18 (Omnes reges… dormierunt in gloria) and Isaiah 14:19–20 (tu autem projectus es… quasi stirpis inutilis). Candidate pending Moses resolution.
  5. 5 ↩quia pretiosa est in conspectu Domini mors sanctorum ejus — cf. Psalm 115:6 (Vulgate 116:15). Candidate pending Moses resolution.
  6. 6 ↩sinum Abrahae — 'bosom of Abraham'; traditional image of the blessed afterlife (cf. Luke 16:22).
  7. 7 ↩avibus lacerandos — 'to be torn by birds'; an eschatological image of punishment, echoing apocalyptic tradition.
  8. 8 ↩Cf. Proverbs 10:28 (Vulgate: Exspectatio iustorum laetitia, spes autem impiorum peribit). Candidate pending Moses resolution.
  9. 9 ↩The string of relative clauses (quae pax illa, quae jucunditas) is rendered as a single cumulative question to preserve the rhetorical force of the Latin, which piles up descriptors of the same promised rest.
  10. 10 ↩The purpose clause (ut...fruantur) is rendered with 'so that' to capture the teleological force: the waiting has a definite end—the completion of the communion of saints and the glorification of the whole person.
  11. 11 ↩Stola (robe) is rendered as 'robe' rather than 'garment' or 'vesture' to preserve the liturgical and eschatological resonance of the term, which evokes the baptismal garment and the wedding garment of the saved.
  12. 12 ↩The causal 'cum' clause grounds the impossibility of complaint in the damned's own conscience affirming the justice of God's decree — a strong statement about the transparency of divine justice to the inner self.
  13. 13 ↩The three ablative gerunds (predestinando, vocando, justificando) trace the ordo salutis — predestination, calling, justification — as the means by which God distinguished the reader from the damned. Theologically dense; rendered faithfully but accessibly.
  14. 14 ↩temperies rendered as 'tempering' to capture the sense of a balanced, harmonious ordering of things, not merely 'temperature.'

Orationes sive Meditationes — Collection for Princess Adeliza of Normandy companion

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