Doctrina Christi ad sponsam de modo viuendi et qualiter diabolus Christo fatetur sponsam ipsum Christum super omnia diligere et de questione facta per diabolum Christo, cur tantum ipsam diligeret, et de caritate per diabolum patefacta, quam Christus habet ad sponsam.
The Bride's New Way of Life
Christ instructs his new bride on the necessary disciplines of speech, humility, time, and moderation required for her new life.
I am the Creator of heaven and earth, who in the Virgin's womb was true God and true man, who died, rose again, and ascended into heaven. You, my new bride, have arrived in an unknown place. Therefore, you must have four things: first, to know the language of this place; second, to wear the proper clothes; third, to know how to arrange your days and times according to the rule of this place; and fourth, to grow accustomed to new food.1 Since you have come from the instability of the world to stability, you must also adopt a new way of speaking—that is, abstaining from useless words, and at times even from those that are permitted, for the sake of the gravity of silence and quiet. Your clothing should be an inner and outer humility, so that you don't puff yourself up as if you were holier than others on the inside, nor be ashamed to show yourself humble before people on the outside. Third, you need to manage your time so that, just as you once spent plenty of time on your body's needs, you now set aside time for your soul, specifically so that you never desire to sin against me. Fourth, a new food is abstinence from gluttony and from more delicate things, practiced with every discretion, as far as your nature can bear it. For any abstinence practiced beyond the capacity of nature doesn't please me, because I require what is reasonable, and I want your desires to be tamed.
The Devil's Testimony
Christ questions the devil regarding the bride's devotion, forcing the enemy to acknowledge her love and the intensity of Christ's own affection for her.
Then, at that very moment, the devil appeared. The Lord said to him, "You were created in me, and you saw all justice in me." Answer me: is this new bride legitimately mine, and is she with approved justice?" I am letting you see her heart and understand it, so you'll know how to answer me." Does she love anything as much as she loves me, or would she be willing to accept anything in exchange for me?" The demon answered him, "She loves nothing as much as you, and she would rather suffer any torment than be without you, if only you would give her the virtue of patience." I see a kind of burning bond descending from you into her, which so binds her heart that she thinks of or loves nothing but you. Then the Lord said to the devil, "Tell me, how does this great love of mine, which I have for her, sit in your heart, or how does it please you?" The devil replied, "I have two eyes. One is physical—even though I'm not a physical being—and with it I see worldly things so clearly that nothing is so hidden, nothing so dark, that it can conceal itself from me." The second eye is spiritual, and with it, there is no punishment so slight that I don't see it, and I understand exactly which sin it belongs to. There isn't any sin, however light or small, that hasn't been purged by penance, which I don't see. But even though no part of the body is more sensitive than the eyes, I would most willingly suffer two burning torches to pierce my eyes without ceasing, so that she might not see with her spiritual eyes. I also have two ears: one is physical, through which no one speaks so secretly that I don't hear and know it. The second is spiritual, through which no one thinks or longs for any sin so secretly that I don't hear it, unless it has been wiped away by penance. One kind of hellish pain is like a boiling torrent, flowing out with the most intense heat. I would willingly let this flow into my ears without stopping, so that she might hear nothing else with her spiritual ears. I, too, have a spiritual heart, and I would gladly let it be cut to pieces over and over, constantly renewed for the sake of torment, if only her heart would grow cold in its love for you.
The Fall and the Mystery of Love
The devil recounts his prideful fall, while Christ explains how his own humility and love for sinners serve as a direct response to demonic malice.
Now, however, because you are just, I ask one word from you so that you might answer me: Tell me, why do you love her so much, or why didn't you choose for yourself someone holier, wealthier, and more beautiful?2 The Lord answered him, "Because justice demanded it." After all, you were created in me, and you saw all justice in me. Tell me, with her listening, what justice was there in your falling so miserably, or what kind of thought was in you back then when you fell!" The devil replied, "I saw three things in you: I saw your glory and honor above all things, and I began to think of my own glory." So, in my pride, I decided not only to be your equal, but even to be above you." Second, I saw that you were more powerful than everyone else. That’s why I still wanted you to be more powerful. Third, I saw what was to come, and because your glory and honor are without beginning and would be without end, I envied you and thought that I would gladly suffer any most bitter pain if only you would die.3 And in that thought, I fell. And that is how hell was made. The Lord answered: "You asked me why I loved her like this." It is certainly because I turn all your malice into good. For because you became proud and refused to have me, your Creator, as your equal, I therefore humble myself in all things, gathering sinners and comparing myself to them by giving them my glory. Second, because you had such a wicked desire to be more powerful than me, I make sinners powerful over you, and powerful with me. Third, because you envied me, I am so full of love that I offered myself for everyone.4 Then the Lord said, "Now, devil, your dark heart is illuminated." Tell her, while she's listening, what kind of love I have for her!" And the devil replied, "If it were possible, you would most willingly suffer a pain like that in every one of your limbs—just as you once suffered in all your limbs on the cross—before you would lose her."
The Hardened Heart and Final Exhortation
After the devil refuses mercy, Christ warns the bride of the enemy's hardened state and calls her to steadfast love and holy fear.
Then the Lord answered: "If I am so merciful that I deny forgiveness to no one who asks, then you, too, should humbly ask for mercy from me, and I will give it to you." The devil answered him, "I'll never do that." For when I fell, a penalty was established for every sin—whether an idle thought or a spoken word—and every one of the spirits who fell will have his own penalty. So, before I would ever bend my knee before you, I would rather endure every punishment myself, for as long as a mouth could open and close to suffer, so that I would be perpetually renewed for punishment. Then the Lord said to his bride, "Look at how hardened the prince of this world is, and how powerful he is against me because of my hidden justice!" I could certainly destroy him with my power in a single moment, but I do him no more injury than I do to a good angel in heaven." But when his time comes—which is now drawing near—I will judge him along with his followers." Therefore, my bride, always keep moving forward in good works. Love me with your whole heart. Fear nothing but me. For I am Lord over the devil and over all things that exist.
Read the original Latin
"Ego sum creator celi et terre, qui in utero virginis verus Deus et verus homo fui, qui mortuus fui et resurrexi et ascendi in celum.
Tu, noua sponsa mea, venisti in ignotum locum. Oportet ergo te habere quatuor: primo scire loquelam loci, secundo habere vestes debitas, tercio scire disponere dies et tempora iuxta constitucionem loci, quarto nouis cibis assuescere.
Sic tu, quia de mundi instabilitate venisti ad stabilitatem, ideo oportet te eciam habere loquelam nouam, idest abstinenciam ab inutilibus verbis et quandoque eciam a licitis propter grauitatem silencii et taciturnitatis.
Vestes tue debent esse humilitas interior et exterior, ut nec extollas te quasi aliis sancciorem interius nec erubsescas coram hominibus exterius exhibere te humilem.
Tercio moderacio temporis tui est, ut, sicut ad corporis necessitatem habuisti plura tempora, sic nunc unum tempus habeas ad animam, ut scilicet numquam contra me velis peccare.
Quarto nouus cibus est abstinencia a gula et a delicacioribus cum omni discrecione, prout natura ferre possit. Quidquid enim fit abstinencie ultra possibilitatem nature, michi non placet, quia racionabilia requiro et ut voluptas edometur."
Tunc in eodem momento apparuit diabolus. Cui dixit Dominus: "Tu fuisti creatus in me et vidisti omnem iusticiam in me. Responde michi, si ista noua sponsa est legitime mea et cum approbata iusticia! Permitto enim te videre cor eius et intelligere, ut scias, quid respondeas michi. Numquid ipsa diligit aliquid sicut me, aut vellet aliquid cambii recipere pro me?"
Cui demon respondit: "Nichil diligit sicut te et, antequam te careret, omne supplicium magis pateretur, si dares ei virtutem paciencie.
Ego video quasi quoddam ardens vinculum descendere de te in eam, quod sic alligat cor eius, ut nichil aliud cogitet vel diligat nisi te."
Tunc Dominus ait ad diabolum: "Dic michi, quomodo sedet in corde tuo aut quomodo tibi placet ista tanta dileccio mea, quam habeo ad eam?"
Et diabolus ait: "Ego", inquit, "habeo duos oculos, unum corporalem, licet non sim corporalis, quo temporalia cerno ita clare, quod nichil est sic occultum, nichil sic tenebrosum, quod occultare se possit a me.
Secundus oculus est spiritualis, cum quo nulla est pena tam modica, quam non video et intelligo, ad quod peccatum pertineat.
Et nullum eciam peccatum tam leue et modicum, quod penitencia non purgatum est, quod non video. Sed licet nulla membra passibiliora sint oculis, libentissime tamen paterer, ut due ardentes faces penetrarent oculos meos sine intermissione ad hoc, ut ipsa oculis spiritualibus non videret.
Ego eciam habeo duas aures, unam corporalem, qua nullus loquitur sic secrete, quod non audio et scio. Secunda est spiritualis, qua nullus cogitat vel affectat ad aliquod peccatum tam occulte, quod non audiam, nisi penitencia deletum sit.
Una est pena inferni, ebulliens quasi torrens, emanans ardore vehementissimo. Hanc libenter paterer influere et sine cessacione effluere in aures meas ad hoc, ut nichil audiret ipsa spiritualibus auribus.
Ego eciam habeo spirituale cor, quod libenter paterer in frusta sine cessacione incidi et semper renouari ad supplicium ad hoc, ut eius cor frigesceret in amore tuo.
Nunc autem, quia tu iustus es, quero a te unum verbum, ut respondeas michi: Dic michi, quare tu in tantum diligis eam aut quare non elegisti tibi sancciorem, diciorem et pulchriorem?"
Cui respondit Dominus: "Quia sic exigebat iusticia. Tu quippe fuisti creatus in me et vidisti omnem iusticiam in me. Dic michi, ista audiente, que fuit iusticia, ut sic male caderes, au qualis fuit cogitacio tua tunc, cum cecidisti!"
Respondit diabolus: "Ego vidi in te tria: ego vidi gloriam tuam et honorem super omnia et cogitabam gloriam meam. Ideo superbiens proposui non tantum tibi esse par sed eciam super te.
Secundo vidi te esse potenciorem pre omnibus. Ideo cupiebam adhuc te esse potencior. Tercio vidi, que futura erant, et quia gloria tua et honor est sine principio et esset sine fine, inuidebam tibi et cogitabam, quod libenter cruciarer semper omni pena amarissima ad hoc, ut tu morereris. Et in tali cogitacione cecidi. Et ideo infernus est factus."
Respondit Dominus: "Tu quesisti a me, quare istam sic dilexerim. Certe quia omnem maliciam tuam commuto in bonum. Tu enim quia superbus factus es et noluisti me, creatorem tuum, habere parem, ideo ego, humilians me in omnibus, peccatores colligo et me eis comparo, dando eis gloriam meam.
Secundo, quia tu tam prauam cupiditatem habuisti, ut velles esse potencior me, ideo ego peccatores potentes facio super te et potentes mecum.
Tercio, quia tu inuidisti michi, ego sic caritatiuus sum, ut me pro omnibus offerrem."
Deinde et Dominus ait: "Nunc, diabole, illuminatum est tenebrosum cor tuum. Dic, ista audiente, qualem caritatem ego habeo ad illam!" Et diabolus: "Si possibile esset", inquit, "libentissime patereris unam penam talem in quolibet membro tuo specialiter, qualem semel in cruce in omnibus membris passus es, antequam ea careres."
Tunc respondit Dominus: "Si ergo sic misericors sum, ut nulli petenti veniam denegem, pete humiliter et tu misericordiam a me, et dabo tibi."
Cui respondit diabolus: "Nequaquam hoc faciam. Nam quando cecidi, ad quodlibet peccatum, siue cogitatum inutile siue dictum, statuta est pena, et unusquisque de spiritibus, qui ceciderunt, penam suam habebit.
Igitur antequam curuarem genu meum coram te, magis vellem omnes penas glutire in me, quamdiu os aperiri et claudi posset ad penam, ita ut semper renouatus essem ad penam."
Tunc ait Dominus ad sponsam suam: "Ecce quam induratus est princeps mundi et quam potens contra me ex occulta iusticia mea! Ego quippe possem delere eum ex potencia mea in uno puncto sed non facio ei maiorem iniuriam quam angelo bono in celo. Cum autem tempus eius venerit, quod nunc appropinquat, iudicabo eum cum sequacibus suis.
Ideo, sponsa mea, procede semper in bonis operibus! Dilige me toto corde! Nichil timeas nisi me! Ego enim sum dominus super diabolum et super omnia, quecumque sunt."
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'constitucionem' here refers to the established order or rule of the spiritual life/monastic setting.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'sancciorem, diciorem et pulchriorem' reflects a series of comparative adjectives. 'Diciorem' is likely a variant or scribal form of 'divitiorem' (wealthier/richer).
- 3 ↩The Latin 'ad hoc, ut tu morereris' expresses the devil's intent for the destruction of the divine order.
- 4 ↩The term 'caritatiuus' is rendered as 'full of love' to capture the active, sacrificial nature of the divine charity described in this context.
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