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Chapter 34PsAugSoliloquia.1.34

Caput 34. Dei summa majestas. Lucis amplioris postulatio.

Adoration of the Divine Majesty

The soul adores God's immeasurable majesty and gives thanks for the initial gift of light, begging for it to increase.

Holy of Holies, God of immeasurable majesty, God of gods and Lord of lords—wonderful, beyond all telling, beyond all thought; before whom the angelic Powers tremble in heaven, whom Dominions and Thrones adore, and at whose sight all the Virtues quake; whose power and wisdom are without measure; who founded the world upon nothing and gathered the sea in the air as though in a wineskin; most almighty, most holy, most mighty God of the spirits of all flesh, from whose sight heaven and earth flee, at whose nod every element submits: may all your creatures adore and glorify you. And I, the son of your handmaid, through faith in you bend the neck of my heart under the feet of your majesty, giving thanks because through your mercy you have been pleased to enlighten me.1 True Light, holy Light, delightful Light, wonderful Light, Light beyond all praise—you who light every person coming into this world (John2 1:9), and even the eyes of the Angels—look, I see; I give thanks.3 Look, I see the light of heaven; a ray from above, from the face of your light, shines through the eyes of my mind, and it makes all my bones glad. Oh, if only it were made complete in me!4 Increase it, I beg you, Author of light—increase, I beg you, what shines through in me; let it widen, I plead, let it widen from you. What is this that I feel?

The Fire and Light of God

The soul marvels at the divine fire and light within, pleads to be kindled and illuminated, and pronounces woes on those who remain in darkness.

What is this fire that warms my heart? What is this light that shines into my heart? O fire that always burns and is never put out, kindle me! O light that always shines and is never darkened, illuminate me! O that I might burn from you! Holy fire, how sweetly you burn, how secretly you shine, how longingly you consume!5 Woe to those who do not burn from you; woe to those who are not enlightened by you, O light of truth, illuminating the whole world, whose light fills the world!6 Woe to blind eyes that do not see you, Sun who lights heaven and earth; woe to clouded eyes that cannot see you; woe to those who turn their eyes away so they will not see the truth; and woe to those who do not turn them away so they will not see vanity!7

From Blindness to Purification

The soul contrasts those who love darkness with the blessed pure of heart, and prays for cleansing and healing of its spiritual sight.

For eyes accustomed to darkness cannot look upon the rays of the highest truth, nor do they know how to judge anything about the light—eyes whose home is in darkness. They see darkness, love darkness, and approve of darkness; going from darkness into darkness, the wretched don't know where they'll fall, and they don't know what they're losing. Still more wretched, to be sure, are those who also know what they're losing—who fall with open eyes and go down into hell while they're still alive. O most blessed Light, whom only the most purified eyes can see! Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matt. 5:8). Cleanse me, cleansing Power; heal my eyes, so that with healthy eyes I may gaze on you—whom only healthy eyes can see. Take away the scales of ancient darkness by the rays of your illumination, inaccessible Splendor, so that I may be able to see you with an undazzled gaze, and in your light see light.8 I thank you, my Light; look—I see.9 Widen my sight, I beg you, Lord, from yourself; open my eyes, so that I may consider the wonders of your law (Ps.

Longing for the Beatific Vision

The soul gives thanks for seeing God through a mirror and in a riddle, and yearns for the face-to-face vision that will satisfy all desire.

(118:18)—you who are God, wonderful in your saints. I thank you, my light: look, I see—I see—but through a mirror, in a riddle; but when face to face (1 Cor. 13:12)? When will the day of joy and rejoicing come, when I will enter the place of the wondrous tabernacle, even to the house of God (Ps. 41:5)—so that I may see the One who sees me face to face, and my longing may be satisfied?✦10

Read the original Latin

Sancte sanctorum, Deus inaestimabilis majestatis, Deus deorum et Dominus dominorum, mirabilis, inenarrabilis, inexcogitabilis, quem tremunt in coelo angelicae Potestates, quem adorant Dominationes et Throni, et omnes Virtutes pavent a conspectu tuo, cujus potentiae et sapientiae non est numerus, qui fundasti mundum super nihilum, et mare colligasti in aere quasi in utre; omnipotentissime, sanctissime, fortissime, Deus spirituum universae carnis, a cujus conspectu fugit coelum et terra, ad cujus nutum omnia se subjiciunt elementa: te adorent et glorificent omnes creaturae tuae. Et ego filius ancillae tuae per fidem tuam flecto cervicem cordis mei sub pedibus majestatis tuae, gratias agens quoniam dignatus es per tuam misericordiam illuminare me. Lumen verum, lumen sanctum, lumen delectabile, lumen admirabile, lumen superlaudabile, quod illuminas omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum (Joan. I, 9), et etiam oculos Angelorum, ecce video; gratias ago. Ecce video lumen coeli, interlucet oculis mentis meae radius desuper a facie luminis tui, et laetificat omnia ossa mea. O si perficeretur in me! Auge, quaeso, luminis auctor, auge, quaeso, quod interlucet in me; dilatetur, obsecro, dilatetur ex te. Quid est hoc quod sentio?

quis est ignis qui calefacit cor meum? Quae est lux quae irradiat cor meum? O ignis qui semper ardes, et nunquam exstingueris, accende me! o lux quae semper luces et nunquam offuscaris, illumina me! O utinam arderem ex te! Ignis sancte, quam dulciter ardes, quam secrete luces, quam desideranter aduris! Vae his qui non ardent ex te, vae illis qui non illuminantur ex te, o lumen veridicum, illuminans omnem mundum, cujus lux implet mundum! Vae caecis oculis qui te non vident, sol illuminans coelum et terram; vae caligantibus oculis qui te videre non possunt; vae avertentibus oculos, ut non videant veritatem; et non avertentibus, ut non videant vanitatem!

Nequeunt enim oculi tenebris assueti summae veritatis radios intueri, nec sciunt de lumine aliquid aestimare, quorum est in tenebris habitatio. Tenebras vident, tenebras diligunt, tenebras approbant; de tenebris euntes in tenebras, nesciunt ubi corruant miseri, nesciunt quid amittunt; miseriores utique qui et sciunt quid amittunt, qui cadunt apertis oculis, et descendunt in infernum viventes. O lux beatissima, quae non nisi a purgatissimis oculis videri potes! Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt (Matth. V, 8). Munda me, mundans virtus, sana oculos meos, ut sanis te contempler oculis, quem non nisi sani oculi intuentur; aufer squamas caliginis antiquae radiis tuae illuminationis, splendor inaccessibilis, ut te videre valeam irreverberatis obtutibus, et in lumine tuo videam lumen. Gratias tibi ago, lux mea, ecce video. Dilatetur, obsecro, Domine, visus meus ex te; revela oculos meos, ut considerem mirabilia de lege tua (Psal.

CXVIII, 18), qui es Deus mirabilis in sanctis tuis. Gratias tibi ago, lumen meum, ecce video, video, sed per speculum in aenigmate; sed quando facie ad faciem (I Cor. XIII, 12)? Quando veniet dies laetitiae et exsultationis, in qua ingrediar in locum tabernaculi admirabilis usque ad domum Dei (Psal. XLI, 5), ut videam videntem me facie ad faciem, et satietur desiderium meum?

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩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.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩per fidem tuam rendered as 'through faith in you'; could also be heard as 'through the faith you give'.
  2. 2 ↩Printed citation is split across s3–s4; English preserves the open parenthetical break.
  3. 3 ↩Completes the John 1:9 citation opened in s3; et etiam oculos Angelorum continues the object of illuminas.
  4. 4 ↩Unexpressed subject continues the light/ray of s5: longing that the illumination be perfected.
  5. 5 ↩aduris can mean burn, sear, or consume; rendered as consume to keep the fire's active claim on the soul.
  6. 6 ↩Latin has lumen veridicum (truth-telling / truth-bearing), not the Johannine lumen verum; rendered light of truth to keep that nuance.
  7. 7 ↩Final pair is antithetical: woe for averting the eyes from truth, and woe for failing to avert them from vanity (vanitatem kept as vanity).
  8. 8 ↩irreverberatis obtutibus rendered as 'with an undazzled gaze' (a gaze not struck back / driven off by the light).
  9. 9 ↩Gratias tibi ago rendered as thanks (gratias agere), not divine grace.
  10. 10 ↩videntem me: rendered as “the One who sees me,” i.e., God as the seer of the soul, not a generic viewer.

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