Verba Christi ad sponsam, condiciones magni regis Christo appropriancia, et de duobus gazophilaciis, per que amor Dei et amor mundi designantur, et de doctrina proficiendi in hac vita.
The King and His Two Treasuries
Christ reveals Himself as a King possessing four virtues and describes two contrasting treasuries: one of divine love and one of worldly vanity.
I am like a great and powerful king. Four things belong to a king: first, he must be rich; second, gentle; third, wise; and fourth, charitable. I am truly the King of angels and of all people. I also possess those four qualities I just mentioned. First, I am most wealthy, because I give what is necessary to everyone, and I have no less after giving. Second, I am most gentle, because I am ready to give to all who ask. Third, I am most wise, because I know what is owed to each person and what is beneficial for them. Fourth, I am also full of charity, because I am more ready to give than anyone is to ask. I have, in a sense, two treasuries. The first treasury holds things as heavy and burdensome as lead, and the room where they are kept is surrounded by sharp, stinging thorns. But anyone who begins to turn these things over, to reflect on them, and then learns to carry them, will find that they eventually feel as light as a feather. And so, what once seemed heavy becomes very light, and what once was thought to sting becomes sweet. In the second treasury, there appears to be shining gold, precious stones, and fragrant, sweet-tasting cups. But in truth, that gold is just mud, and those cups are poison.
The Three Responses to Truth
Three types of people are presented at the crossroads of life, each responding differently to the call of divine truth.
There are two paths to these treasuries, though before there was only one. At the crossroads—that is, at the entrance to the two paths—a man stood and called out to three people who were walking along the other path, saying: 'Listen, listen to my words, and if you won't listen, at least see with your own eyes that what I'm saying is true.' But if you won't listen or see, at least touch it with your own hands, and you'll prove there's no falsehood in my words.' Then the first of them said, "Let's listen and see if his words are true." The second man said, "Everything he says is false." The third said, "I know that what he says is true, but I don't care."
The Path of Love and the Burden of Grace
Christ explains that the path to His love requires self-denial, transforming the initial burden of discipline into a sweet and light yoke.
What are these two treasuries, if not my love and the love of the world? But there are two paths leading to these two treasuries: self-abasement and the perfect denial of your own will, which leads to my love; and the pleasure of the flesh, which leads to the love of the world. For some, however, my love feels like a burden of lead, because when they are expected to fast, keep watch, or restrain their flesh, they feel as though they are carrying lead themselves. If they hear words of criticism or insults, or if they spend time in religious discipline and prayer, they feel as if they are sitting among thorns and are distressed at every hour. But anyone who wants to live in my love should begin by shifting the burden—that is, by striving to do good through their own will and a constant desire. From there, let them lift it little by little—that is, let them do what they can, thinking to themselves, 'I can do this well, if God gives me the help.' As you persevere in this commitment with such eagerness, you begin to carry the very things that once seemed burdensome, so that every labor in fasting, vigils, and any other hardship becomes as light as a feather. And it is in such a place that my friends find rest; for the wicked and the lazy, it is as if surrounded by thorns and briars, but for my friends, it is a place of perfect peace, soft as a rose. The direct path to this treasury is to reject your own will. This happens when a person, having considered my passion and my love, no longer cares to follow their own desires, but resists them with all their strength and always strives for greater things. And although this way may be a little difficult at first, it becomes deeply delightful as you go along, to the point that what once seemed impossible to bear becomes very light, so that you can rightly say to yourself: 'The yoke of God is sweet.'
The Deception of Worldly Pleasures
The second treasury, representing the world, is exposed as a source of bitterness and death, fueled by the indulgence of self-will.
The second treasury is the world, which holds gold, precious stones, and cups that look fragrant, but once you taste them, they're as bitter as poison. For anyone who carries gold, it happens that when their body weakens and their limbs fail, and when their marrow is destroyed and their body falls into the earth through death, they then leave behind their gold and stones, and they're worth no more to them than mud. The world's cups—that is, its pleasures—seem delightful, but once they reach the stomach, they weaken the head, weigh down the heart, and overturn every limb; and afterward, a person withers away like grass. And as the pain of death draws near, all those delights turn bitter, like poison. Self-will leads to this treasury when a person doesn't care to resist their own corrupt impulses, nor do they reflect on what I have commanded and done; instead, whatever comes into their mind—whether lawful or unlawful—they do it immediately.1
The Call to Faith and Discernment
Christ calls humanity to recognize His truth through faith and the observation of the natural order, even when intellectual grasp is weak.
Three types of people walk along this path, by whom I mean all those who are rejected, who love the world and their own self-will. I called out to them as I stood at the crossroads or the entrance to the paths, because by coming in human flesh, I showed people two ways—that is, what should be followed and what should be avoided—and which path led to life and which to death. For before my coming in the flesh, there was only one way, by which everyone, both good and bad, went down into the underworld. I am the one who called out, and I called out like this: 'O people, listen to my words, for they lead to the way of life because they are true; and by your own sense you can perceive that what I say is true.' And if you don't hear them, or can't hear them, at least see—by faith and by your intellect—that my words are true. For just as visible things are perceived by the eyes of the flesh, so invisible things can be perceived and believed by the eyes of faith. Finally, there are many simple people in the Church who do few good works, yet they are saved through the faith by which they believe that I am the Creator of all things and their Redeemer. There is, in fact, no one who cannot understand that I am God and believe it, if they only consider how the earth bears fruit and how the sky gives rain, how trees grow green, how every animal survives in its own kind, how the stars serve humanity, and how things happen that are contrary to human will. From all these things, a person can see that they are mortal, and that God is the one who arranges everything. For if God did not exist, all these things would fall into disorder. Therefore, all things come from God, and everything is reasonably arranged for the edification of humanity. There is nothing so small in the world that exists or continues to exist without a reason. Therefore, if a person cannot grasp or understand my power as it truly is because of their own weakness, they can still see it through faith and believe. If you aren't willing to consider my power with your intellect, you can still touch with your own hands the works that I and my saints have done. For they are so plain that no one can doubt they are the works of God.
Judgment of the Three Responses
Christ evaluates the three responses to His truth, warning of the consequences of half-hearted service, denial, and willful contempt.
Who raised the dead and gave sight to the blind, if not God? Who cast out demons, if not God? And what have I taught, if not things useful for the salvation of soul and body, and things easy to carry? But the first man says—or rather, some people say—'Let’s listen and test whether these things are true!' These people stay in my service for a time, not out of love, but for the sake of experience and the imitation of others; they don't abandon their own will, but try to make it work alongside mine. These people are in a dangerous position because they want to serve two masters, even though they can't serve either one well. But when they are called, they'll be rewarded by whichever master they loved more. A second person says—that is, some people—'Whatever He speaks is false, and Scripture is false.' I am God and the creator of all things, and without Me nothing was made. I established the new law and the old, and it proceeded from My mouth; there is no falsehood in it, because I am the truth. Therefore, those who say that I have spoken falsely and that Holy Scripture is false will never see My face, because their conscience tells them that I am God, since all things happen according to My will and My arrangement. Heaven illuminates them, yet they cannot illuminate themselves; the earth brings forth fruit, the air makes the earth fertile, all animals have their set order, demons confess me, and just people suffer incredible things for the sake of my love. They see all these things, yet they don't see me. They could also see me in my justice, if they would only consider how the earth swallowed up the wicked and fire burned the unrighteous. Likewise, they could see me in my mercy: when water flowed from the rock for the righteous, when the sea parted for them, when fire did not harm them, and when the sky fed them as if it were the earth. And because they see these things and still call me a liar, they will never see my face. The third type of person says—that is, some people—'We know well that He is the true God, but we don't care.' They will be tormented forever because they despise Me, their God and Lord. Isn't it a great contempt that they use My gifts, yet refuse to serve Me? If they had these things by their own industry and not entirely from Me, their contempt would be a light matter.
The Reward of the Faithful
Christ promises grace and strength to those who persevere in His love, identifying them as His dearest friends.
But to those who begin to turn my burden—that is, who willingly and with fervent desire strive to do the little they can—to them I will give grace. However, for those who carry my weights—that is, those who progress from day to day for the love of me—I work with them; I will be their strength, and I will set them on fire so that they may desire even more. Those who sit in the seat that seems to prick—though it's actually the most peaceful—are those who labor and endure with patience night and day; they don't grow weary, but instead burn all the more, and their work feels like a small thing to them. These are my dearest friends, and they are very few, because the cups of the second treasury delight others more.
Read the original Latin
"Ego sum sicut unus rex magnus et potens. Ad regem enim pertinent quatuor: primo debet esse diues, secundo mitis, tercio sapiens, quarto caritatiuus. Ego vere sum rex angelorum et omnium hominum. Ego eciam habeo illas quatuor proprietates, quas dixi.
Primo namque sum ditissimus, quia omnibus do necessaria, nec minus habeo post datum. Secundo sum mitissimus, quia omnibus petentibus paratus sum dare. Tercio itaque sum sapientissimus, quia scio, quid unicuique debetur et expedit. Quarto eciam sum caritatiuus, quia paracior sum dare quam aliquis petere.
Ego habeo quasi duo gazophilacia. In primo enim gazophilacio sunt reposita ponderosa et grauia quasi plumbum, et cella ista, ubi ista sunt, est circumsepta acutis aculeis pungentibus. Sed qui hec primo incipit vertere et reuoluere et deinde portare didicerit, leuia videntur sibi postea quasi pluma. Et sic leuissima fiunt, que antea ponderosa videbantur, et suauia, que prius pungere credebantur.
In secundo gazophilacio videtur esse aurum resplendens et lapides preciosi et pocula odorifera et dulcia. Sed vere aurum illud est luteum et illa pocula sunt venenum.
Ad hec namque gazophilacia sunt due vie, sed ante erat unica via. In competis, idest in ingressu duarum viarum, stabat unus homo et clamabat ad tres homines, qui incedebant per viam aliam, dicens: 'Audite, audite verba mea, et si non audieritis, saltem videte oculis vestris, quia vera sunt, que loquor. Si autem non audieritis nec videritis, saltem attrectate manibus, et probabitis, quod in verbis meis nulla est falsitas.'
Tunc ait primus illorum: 'Audiamus et videamus, si verba eius vera sunt.' Secundus homo ait: 'Falsum est, quidquid dicit.' Tercius dixit: 'Scio, quod vera sunt, que dicit, sed non curo.'
Quid sunt ista duo gazophilacia nisi amor meus et amor mundi? Sed ad hec duo gazophilacia sunt due vie: abieccio et perfecta abnegacio proprie voluntatis, que ducit ad amorem meum, et carnis voluptas, que ducit ad amorem mundi.
In amore autem meo videtur aliquibus esse onus quasi plumbum, quia, cum ieiunare debent et vigilare seu refrenare carnem, quasi plumbum portare sibi videntur. Si autem verba et contumelias audierint, si in religione et oracione morantur, quasi inter aculeos resident et in omni hora angustiantur.
Sed qui in amore meo esse vult, incipiat primo vertere onus, idest conetur ad faciendum bona per voluntatem et continuum desiderium. Inde leuet modice et paulatim, idest faciat ea, que potest, cogitando sic: 'Hoc bene possum facere, si Deus dederit michi auxilium.'
Deinde perseuerans in incepto cum tanta alacritate ea, que videbantur sibi prius esse onerosa, incipit portare, quod omnis labor in ieiuniis seu vigiliis et aliis laboribus quibuscumque est sibi tam leuis quasi pluma. Et in tali sede quiescunt amici mei, que est malis et desidiosis quasi circumsepta aculeis et spinis, sed amicis meis est summa quies et lenis quasi rosa.
Ad hoc gazophilacium est via recta contemptus proprie voluntatis, quando homo, considerata passione et caritate mea, non curat facere voluntatem suam et resistit totis viribus et conatur semper ad maiora.
Et licet ista via in principio sit aliquantulum grauis, tamen in processu multum delectat, in tantum, quod ea, que prius videbantur ad ferendum impossibilia, fiunt postea leuissima, ut merito dicat intra se: 'Iugum Dei suaue est.'
Secundum gazophilacium est mundus, in quo sunt aurum, lapides preciosi et pocula, que videntur odorifera, sed tamen degustata amara sunt ut venenum. Omnis enim, qui portat aurum, contingit ei, quod, cum debilitatur eius corpus et deficiunt membra et cum eius annichilatur medulla et corpus ipsius cadit per mortem in terram, tunc relinquit aurum et lapides et non valent sibi plus quam lutum.
Pocula eciam mundi, idest delectaciones, videntur delectabilia, sed cum veniunt in ventrem, debilitant caput, grauant cor et omnia membra euertunt, et postea quasi fenum homo arescit. Et appropinquante dolore mortis omnia delectabilia fiunt amara quasi venenum.
Ad hoc gazophilacium ducit propria voluntas, quando homo non curat resistere affeccionibus suis prauis neque meditatur, que ego precepi et feci, sed quidquid venit in eius cogitacionem, siue licitum siue illicitum, hoc statim facit.
Per hanc viam tres viri ambulant, in quibus intelligo omnes reprobos, qui diligunt mundum et omnem voluntatem propriam. Hiis ego clamaui, qui stabam in competis seu in ingressu viarum, quia veniens in carne humana ostendi hominibus quasi duas vias, scilicet quid sequendum esset quidue fugiendum, que via scilicet ducebat ad vitam et que ad mortem. Nam ante aduentum meum in carne non erat nisi una via, qua omnes boni et mali ibant in infernum.
Ego autem sum ille, qui clamabat, et clamabam sic: 'O homines, audite verba mea, que ducunt ad viam vite, quia vera sunt, et sensu proprio percipere potestis illa esse vera, que loquor. Et si non auditis ea vel non potestis audire, saltem videte, scilicet fide et intellectu, quia vera sunt verba mea. Sicut enim oculis carnis cernitur visibile aliquid, sic oculis fidei cerni possunt inuisibilia et credi.
Multi denique sunt simplices in Ecclesia, qui pauca bona operantur, per fidem tamen saluantur, qua credunt me creatorem omnium et redemptorem. Nullus quippe est, qui me non possit intelligere esse Deum et credere, si considerat, quomodo terra fructificat et quomodo celum dat pluuias, quomodo arbores virent, quomodo animalia unumquodque in genere suo subsistunt, quomodo sydera homini seruiunt, quomodo contraria eueniunt voluntati hominis.
Ex hiis omnibus potest homo videre, quod mortalis est et quod Deus est ille, qui omnia ista disponit. Si enim non esset Deus, omnia ista irent inordinate. Ergo omnia sunt a Deo et omnia racionabiliter propter edificacionem hominis sunt disposita. Nec minimum est in mundo, quod sine racione sit vel subsistat. Ergo si homo non potest propter infirmitatem virtutem meam, sicut est, capere vel intelligere, potest tamen videre per fidem et credere.
Si autem, o homines, nolueritis considerare intellectu potenciam meam, potestis tamen attrectare manibus vestris opera, que ego feci et sancti mei. Quia sic aperta sunt, quod nullus dubitare potest esse opera Dei.
Quis suscitauit mortuos et illuminauit cecos nisi Deus? Quis expulit demones nisi Deus? Quid autem docui nisi utilia ad salutem anime et corporis et leuia ad portandum?' Sed primus homo ait, idest aliqui dicunt: 'Audiamus et probemus, si vera sunt!' Hii ad tempus stant in seruicio meo, non causa dileccionis sed experiencie et imitacionis aliorum, nec relinquendo voluntatem propriam sed suam faciendo cum mea voluntate.
Hii periculose positi sunt, quia duobus dominis seruire volunt, licet neutri bene seruire possint. Cum autem vocati fuerint, quem magis dominum dilexerint, ab eo remunerabuntur.
Secundus homo dicit, idest aliqui: 'Falsum est, quidquid loquitur, et falsa est Scriptura.' Ego sum Deus et creator omnium, et sine me nichil factum est. Ego condidi nouam legem et veterem et de ore meo processit, nec in ea est aliqua falsitas, quia ego sum veritas. Ergo qui me falsum dixisse dicunt et Scripturam sacram falsam dicunt, ipsi numquam videbunt faciem meam, quia consciencia eorum dicit eis me esse Deum, quia omnia fiunt secundum voluntatem meam et disposicionem meam.
Celum illuminat eos nec ipsi se illuminare possunt, terra fructum gignit, aer fecundat terram, omnia animalia habent certam disposicionem, demones confitentur me, iusti homines paciuntur incredibilia propter amorem meum. Hec omnia vident nec tamen vident me.
Ipsi eciam possunt videre me in iusticia mea, si considerarent, quomodo terra absorbuit impios, ignis combussit iniquos. Sic eciam possunt videre me in misericordia mea, quando aqua de petra fluxit iustis et aqua maris cedebat eis, quando ignis non ledebat eos, quando celum quasi terra nutriebat eos. Et ideo quia ista vident et adhuc dicunt me mentiri, numquam videbunt faciem meam.
Tercius homo dicit, idest aliqui: 'Bene scimus eum esse verum Deum, sed non curamus.' Isti in eternum cruciabuntur, quia contempnunt me Deum et Dominum suum. Numquid non est magnus contemptus, quod utuntur donis meis, et tamen ipsi contempnunt seruire michi? Si enim haberent ipsi ex industria propria et non totum ex me, leuis esset contemptus.
Qui autem onus meum vertere incipiunt, idest voluntarie et ex feruenti desiderio conantur ad faciendum illud modicum, quod ipsi possunt, hiis ego dabo graciam. Qui autem leuant pondera mea, idest pro amore meo de die in diem proficiunt, cum eis laboro et fortitudo illorum ero et inflammabo eos, ut amplius velint.
Qui autem sedent in sede, que pungere videtur - quietissima tamen est -, hii sunt in laboribus et paciencia nocte et die nec attediantur sed eo magis ardent, et modicum eis videtur esse id, quod agunt. Hii sunt amici mei carissimi, et hii valde pauci sunt, quia pocula secundi gazophilacii magis alios delectant."
Notes
- 1 ↩The term 'gazophilacium' (treasury) is used here metaphorically to describe the storehouse of the heart or the repository of one's actions, contrasted with the treasury of God's love.
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