SR
Chapter 13Revel.1.13

Qualiter inimicus Dei habet tres demones in se et de iudicio contra ipsum a Christo illato.

The Three Demons of the Soul

The Lord describes three demons that inhabit the enemy of God, residing in the body, the heart, and the mouth.

"My enemy has three demons inside him." The first sits in his genitals, the second in his heart, and the third in his mouth. The first is like a sailor who lets water into the hull, which gradually rises and fills the ship. Because of this, the water overflows and the ship sinks. This ship is his own body, tossed about by the temptations of demons and his own desires as if by storms, into which his pleasure first entered through the keel—that is, the delight he took in such thoughts. And because he didn't resist through penance, nor reinforce it with the nails of abstinence, the water of pleasure rose daily as he gave his consent. Then, with the ship of his belly completely filled by concupiscence, the water overflowed and covered the ship with pleasure, so that it couldn't reach the harbor of salvation. The second demon, who sits in the heart, is like a worm inside an apple; it eats the core first, then, leaving its filth behind, it wanders through the whole fruit until it’s entirely hollow. That is how the devil works. First, he corrupts a person's will and good desires, which are like the core from which all the strength of the mind and every good thing subsists; then, once the heart has been emptied of these good things, he leaves in their place thoughts and worldly affections, as if the person had loved those more. Now it drives the body wherever it pleases, and because of this, a person's strength and intelligence are diminished, and a weariness of life sets in. Such a person is most certainly an apple without a core—that is, a human being without a heart—because he enters my Church without a heart, since he possesses no divine charity. The third demon is like an archer who looks through the windows and shoots at the unwary. How could a demon not be dwelling in someone who never speaks without one? For what is loved more is spoken of more often. Their bitter words, with which they wound others, are like arrows shot through so many windows—as often as the devil is named, as often as the innocent are wounded by their words, and as often as the simple are scandalized by what they say.

Judgment and the Call to Mercy

God declares the severity of His judgment while offering a path of repentance through humility and devotion.

Therefore, in my truth—for I am the Truth—I swear that I will judge him like a prostitute to sulfurous fire, like a traitor and a spy to the amputation of all his limbs, and like one who holds his Lord in contempt to eternal confusion. Nevertheless, as long as soul and body are together, my mercy is open to him. However, this is what I require of him: that he attend the divine offices more frequently, that he fear no shame and desire no honor, and that no evil name ever be mentioned by his lips.

The Error of the Cistercian Prior

The Lord rebukes a prior for burying an excommunicated man, explaining how this act violated the justice of the Father, the Spirit, and the Son.

This Cistercian prior buried the excommunicated man. And when he had finished reading the final commendation for him, the lady, caught up in spirit, heard: "He did what he could, and he buried him." Know for certain that he himself will be the first to be buried after this dead man. For he sinned against the Father, who said that He is no respecter of persons and does not honor the face of the rich against justice. Yet this man, for the sake of something small and corruptible, honored the unworthy and placed him—as he should not have—among the worthy. He also sinned against my Spirit, who is the Communion and fellowship of the just, when he buried the unjust alongside the just. He sinned against me, the Son, as well, because I said: 'Whoever rejects me will be rejected.' This man honored and exalted the one whom my Church and my vicar rejected. Upon hearing these words, the one who was previously struck with compunction died on the fourth day.

Read the original Latin

"Inimicus meus habet in se tres demones. Primus sedet in genitalibus, secundus in corde, tercius in ore. Primus est quasi nauta, qui facit aquam per carinam intrare, que paulatim inde crescendo replet nauem. Inde supereffluit aqua et nauis submergitur.

Hec nauis est corpus suum, temptacionibus demonum et cupiditatibus suis quasi procellis agitatum, in quod voluptas sua primo intrauit per carinam, idest delectacionem, qua delectabatur talibus cogitacionibus. Et quia non resistebat per penitenciam nec consolidabat clauis abstinencie, crescebat cotidie aqua voluptatis adhibendo consensum. Inde completa seu repleta naue ventris concupiscencia, effluebat aqua et operiebat nauem voluptate, ne veniret ad portum salutis.

Secundus demon, qui sedet in corde, est similis vermi iacenti in pomo, qui nucleum pomi primo comedit, inde, relictis ibi stercoribus suis, peruagatur totum pomum, donec totum fiet inane. Sic diabolus facit. Primo viciat voluntatem eius et desideria bona, que sunt quasi nucleus, unde omne robur mentis et bonum subsistit et, euacuato corde ab istis bonis, tunc relinquit pro eis in corde cogitaciones et affecciones mundi, quasi magis dilexit.

Nunc impellit ipsum corpus ad quod ei placet, et ex hoc minuitur ei fortitudo et intelligencia et accedit tedium vite. Ipse certissime est pomum sine nucleo, idest homo sine corde, quia sine corde intrat Ecclesiam meam, quia diuinam caritatem nullam habet.

Tercius demon est similis sagittario, qui, per fenestras circumspiciens, sagittat incautos. Quomodo non demon sedet in eo, qui numquam loquitur sine eo? Quod enim magis diligitur, frequencius nominatur. Verba sua amara, quibus alios vulnerat, sunt quasi iacula, que per tot fenestras emittuntur, quociens nominatur diabolus, quociens innocentes per verba eius vulnerantur, quociens simplices ex verbis eius scandalizantur.

Ideo in veritate mea, qui sum veritas, iuro, quod iudicabo eum sicut meretricem ad ignem sulphureum, sicut proditorem et insidiatorem ad omnium membrorum incisionem et sicut Domini sui contemptorem ad perpetuam confusionem. Verumptamen quamdiu anima et corpus insimul sunt, misericordia mea aperta est super eum.

Hoc est autem, quod requiro ab eo, scilicet ut frequencius intersit diuinis, nullum timeat obprobrium et nullum concupiscat honorem, et ut numquam nominetur in ore suo nomen sinistrum."

Hic prior ordinis Cisterciensis sepeliuit excommunicatum. Cumque legisset ultimam commendacionem pro eo, domina rapta in spiritu audiuit: "Iste fecit, ut potuit, et sepeliuit.

Iam scito pro certissimo, quod ipse post istum mortuum primus sepelietur. Nam peccauit in Patrem, qui dixit non esse acceptorem personarum nec honorare vultum diuitis contra iusticiam. Hic vero propter modicum corruptibile honorauit indignum et locauit, ut non debuit, inter dignos.

Peccauit eciam in Spiritum meum, qui est communio et communicacio iustorum, quando iniustum sepeliuit cum iustis. Peccauit et in me, Filium, quia ego dixi: 'Qui me spernit, spernetur.' Iste vero honorauit illum et exaltauit, quem Ecclesia mea et vicarius meus spreuit." Qui prior auditis verbis istis compunctus quarto die mortuus est.

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