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← Pseudo-Augustine Soliloquia animae ad Deum (Meditations of the Soul to God)/Book 1 · Soliloquia animae ad Deum
Chapter 17PsAugSoliloquia.1.17

Caput 17. Lucis Dei ad eos cavendos necessitas. Diaboli versutia.

Prayer for Divine Light

The soul prays for God to open its eyes to see the light and walk in it, avoiding the snares of the father of darkness, for those who walk in the day do not stumble.

And indeed, Lord, my light, open my eyes, so that I may see the light and walk in your light, and not stumble into his snares.1 For who will escape these many snares unless they see them? And who will see, except the one you have illuminated with your light? For the father of darkness himself hides his snares in his darkness, so that all who are in their darkness may be caught in them—those who are children of this darkness, not seeing your light, in which whoever walks will not be afraid. For whoever walks in the day does not stumble; but whoever walks in the night does stumble, because the light is not in him (John✦2 11:9 and 10). You are Light, Lord; you are the light of the children of light; you are the day that knows no setting, in which your children walk without stumbling—and without which all who walk are in darkness, because they do not have you, the Light of the world. Look, every day we see that the farther anyone draws away from you, the true light, the more they are wrapped in the darkness of sins; and the deeper they are in darkness, the less they see the snares on their path; and so they understand less, and therefore they are caught more often and fall into them; and what is more horrible still, they do not even know they have fallen.

The Enemy's Fall and Our Plea for Protection

The soul acknowledges the danger of not knowing one's fall, describes the enemy's fall from pride and his relentless pursuit of God's children, and prays for God to crush the enemy and light up the way.

But the one who doesn't know he's fallen cares that much less about getting up, the more he thinks he's still standing. But you, light of the mind, Lord my God, light up my eyes now, that I may see and know, so I will not fall in the sight of my adversaries.✦ For our enemy works for our destruction—the one we ask you to make melt away from before us, as wax melts before the fire (Ps.✦ 67:3).✦3 For, Lord, he is the first thief and the last—the one who plotted to seize your glory, and when he was puffed up and lifted high he burst and fell into his own pit; and you cast him out from your holy mountain, and from the midst of the burning stones among which he walked.✦✦✦4 And now, my life, my God, from the moment he fell, he has not stopped pursuing your children. And out of hatred for you, O great King, he longs to destroy this creature of yours, whom your almighty goodness created in your image, so that it will not possess your glory—which he himself lost through his pride. But crush him, our Strong One, before us, your lambs; and light us up so that we may see the snares he has prepared, and escape to you, Joy of Israel.5

Discerning the Enemy's Disguises

The soul describes the enemy's craftiness in changing forms and hiding snares even under the appearance of light and virtue, and prays for deliverance from his many temptations.

And all this you know better, Lord — you who know his strife and his stubborn, hard neck. Nor do I say this to show you, who see all things, and from whom no thought is hidden. But I bring my complaint against my enemy before the feet of your majesty, eternal Judge, so that you may both condemn him and save us, your children, whose strength you are. This enemy is crafty, Lord, and devious: the twists of his path cannot easily be traced, nor can his face be known, unless you give light. For now he is here, now there; now a lamb, now a wolf; now darkness, now light — thus he reveals himself; but under every guise, place, and time, according to the shifting changes of things, he brings out varied temptations. For to deceive the sorrowful, he himself feigns sorrow; to mock those who rejoice, he pretends to rejoice as well; to cheat the spiritually minded, he transforms himself into an angel of light; to crush the strong, he appears as a lamb; to devour the gentle, he appears as a wolf. Indeed, all these things tend to operate in the form of various temptations — some by the terror of the night, some by the arrow that flies by day, some by the pestilence that walks in darkness, some by the assault, some by the noonday demon (Ps.✦6 90:5 and 6). And who is fit to understand these things? Who will reveal the look of his covering, and who has recognized the circle of his teeth?7 See: he hides his arrows in the quiver, and he hides snares too under the appearance of light, and this is harder to weigh carefully unless we take light from you, Lord our hope, so that we may see. For he hides subtle snares not only in the works of the flesh, which are easily recognized, and not only in the vices themselves, but even in spiritual exercises; and under the color of the virtues he clothes the vices themselves, and transforms himself into an angel of light. These things and many others this son of Belial — this Satan — strives to work against us, Lord our God. And now like a lion, now like a dragon, openly and in secret, within and without, day and night he lies in wait to seize our souls. And you, deliver us, Lord — you who save those who hope in you — so that he may grieve over us, and you may be praised in us, Lord our God.

Read the original Latin

Et quidem, Domine lux mea, revela oculos meos, ut videam lumen, et ambulem in lumine tuo, et non impingam in laqueos ejus. Quis enim evadet laqueos istos multos, nisi videat eos? Et quis videbit, nisi quem tu illuminaveris lumine tuo? Ipse enim pater tenebrarum laqueos suos abscondit in tenebris suis, ut capiantur in eis omnes qui sunt in tenebris suis, qui sunt filii tenebrarum harum, non videntes lumen tuum, in quo qui ambulat, non timebit. Qui enim ambulat in die, non offendit: qui autem in nocte ambulat, offendit, quia lux non est in eo (Joan. XI, 9 et 10). Tu lux, Domine, tu lux filiorum lucis, tu dies qui nescis occasum, in quo ambulant filii tui sine offensione et sine quo omnes qui ambulant, in tenebris sunt, quia te lucem mundi non habent. Ecce quotidie cernimus, quia quo magis a te vero lumine quis elongatur, eo magis peccatorum involvitur tenebris; et quo magis est in tenebris, eo minus videt laqueos in via sua; et ideo minus cognoscit, et idcirco saepius capitur, et cadit in eis; et quod est horribilius, etiam se cecidisse ignorat.

Qui vero suum casum ignorat, eo minus curat surgere, quanto se existimat adhuc stare. Tu vero, lux mentis, Domine Deus meus, nunc illumina oculos meos, ut videam et cognoscam, ne corruam in conspectu adversariorum meorum. Etenim in exterminium nostrum laborat inimicus noster, quem petimus ut facias liquefieri a facie nostra, sicut cera liquescit a facie ignis (Psal. LXVII, 3). Quoniam, Domine, ipse est latro primus et ultimus, qui consilium fecit ut raperet gloriam tuam, quando inflatus et elatus crepuit et cecidit in foveam suam, et ejecisti eum de monte sancto tuo, et de medio lapidum ignitorum, in quorum medio ambulavit. Et nunc, vita mea, Deus meus, ex quo cecidit, non cessat persequi filios tuos. Et in odium tuum, o rex magne, cupit perdere hanc creaturam tuam, quam creavit omnipotens bonitas tua ad imaginem tuam; ut non possideat gloriam tuam, quam ipse perdidit per superbiam suam. Sed contere eum, fortis noster, ante nos agnos tuos: et illumina nos ut videamus laqueos quos ipse paravit, et evadamus ad te, laetitia Israel.

Et haec omnia tu, Domine, melius nosti, qui nosti contentionem ejus, et cervicem ejus durissimam. Nec hoc dico ut ostendam tibi, qui omnia vides, et nulla te latet cogitatio. Sed ante pedes tuae majestatis de inimico meo querimoniam facio, judex aeterne, ut et ipsum damnes, et nos filios tuos salves, quorum fortitudo tu es. Versutus est, Domine, iste hostis et tortuosus: nec facile deprehendi possunt circuitus viae ejus, nec cognosci species vultus ejus, nisi tu illumines. Nam nunc hic, nunc illic; nunc agnum, nunc lupum; nunc tenebras, nunc lucem se ostendit; sed singulis quibuslibet qualitatibus, locis et temporibus, secundum varias rerum mutationes, varias exhibet tentationes. Nam ut tristes decipiat, tristatur et ipse; ut gaudentes illudat, fingit se et ipse gaudere; ut spirituales defraudet, in angelum lucis se transfigurat; ut fortes comprimat, apparet ut agnus; ut mites devoret, apparet ut lupus. Haec quidem omnia secundum similitudinem variarum tentationum effici habent, sicut alios a timore nocturno, alios a sagitta volante in die, alios a negotio perambulante in tenebris, alios ab incursu, alios a daemonio meridiano (Psal. XC, 5 et 6).

Et ad haec quis idoneus ut cognoscat? Quis revelabit speciem indumenti ejus, et gyrum dentium ejus quis agnovit? En abscondit sagittas suas in pharetra, et laqueos etiam abscondit sub specie lucis, et hoc difficilius perpenditur, nisi a te, Domine spes nostra, lumen assumamus, ut videamus. Nam non solum in carnis operibus quae de facili agnoscuntur, non tantum in ipsis vitiis, sed in ipsis quoque spiritualibus exercitiis laqueos abscondit subtiles; et sub virtutum colore ipsa vitia induit, et transmutat se in angelum lucis. Haec et multa alia nititur contra nos filius Belial, iste Satan, Domine Deus noster. Et nunc ut leo, nunc ut draco, manifeste et occulte, intus et extra, die ac nocte insidiatur, ut rapiat animas nostras. Et tu eripe nos, Domine, qui salvas sperantes in te: ut ipse de nobis doleat, et tu lauderis in nobis, Domine Deus noster.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩John.11.9-John.11.10 — Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world." John.11.10 — But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
  2. ↩Ps.12.4;Ps.14.3 — May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things. Ps.14.3 — Everyone has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
  3. ↩Ps.68.3;Ps.69.2 — As smoke is driven away, so may they be driven away; as wax melts before fire, so may the wicked perish before God. Ps.69.2 — Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
  4. ↩Ps.68.3 — As smoke is driven away, so may they be driven away; as wax melts before fire, so may the wicked perish before God.
  5. ↩Ezek.28.14-Ezek.28.16 — You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of stones of fire. Ezek.28.15 — You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. Ezek.28.16 — Through the abundance of your trade, violence filled your midst, and you sinned; so I profaned you from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire." "From among" reads more naturally aloud than "from the midst of" while preserving the spatial image.
  6. ↩Ps.7.16 — He dug a pit and hollowed it out, and he fell into the pit he had made.
  7. ↩Isa.14.12-Isa.14.15 — How you have fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who laid low the nations! Isa.14.13 — And you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; above the stars of God I will raise my throne, and I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north." Keep the quotation open into v.14 for continuity. Isa.14.14 — I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'" Close the quotation here so the transition to v.15 lands clearly. Isa.14.15 — But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.
  8. ↩Ps.91.5-Ps.91.6 — You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, Ps.91.6 — Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that ravages at midday.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩ejus ("his") has no named antecedent yet in this section; from the chapter theme (the devil's cunning) and the next section's "inimicus," it refers to the enemy/devil.
  2. 2 ↩Printed sentence breaks mid-citation before the chapter-verse close continued in s6.
  3. 3 ↩Citation continues the previous sentence's Psalm reference; Vulgate numbering LXVII, 3 (= modern Psalm 68:2).
  4. 4 ↩latro primus et ultimus rendered as 'the first thief and the last,' taking the devil as the original and final plunderer of God's glory; crepuit kept as the vivid 'burst.'
  5. 5 ↩ante nos agnos tuos taken as apposition: crush him before us who are your lambs. laetitia Israel retained as a divine title, Joy of Israel.
  6. 6 ↩Late Latin 'effici habent' rendered as 'tend to work'; ablative agents follow the Psalm catalogue of threats used as a likeness for varied temptations. 'negotio perambulante in tenebris' follows the familiar Psalm cadence 'pestilence that walks in darkness' rather than a wooden 'business walking in the dark'.
  7. 7 ↩speciem indumenti / gyrum dentium echoes the Leviathan description in Job; rendered concretely as covering and circle of teeth rather than paraphrased away.

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