Qualiter, celi exercitu et sponsa presentibus, deitas loquitur humanitati contra Christianos, sicut Deus Moysi contra populum, et qualiter maledicti sacerdotes diligunt mundum et despiciunt Christum et de eorum malediccione et dampnacione.
The Divine Complaint
God speaks to humanity through the figure of Moses, lamenting the infidelity of his people while the humanity of Christ intercedes for mercy.
A great host appeared in heaven, and God said to them, "Look, in the hearing of my friends—you who know, understand, and see all things in me—I am speaking for the sake of this bride of mine who stands here." See how, just as someone speaks to himself, so my divinity speaks to my humanity. Moses was with the Lord on the mountain for forty days and nights. When the people saw that he had been gone for so long, they took their gold, threw it into the fire, and from it a calf was cast, which they called their god. Then God said to Moses, "The people have sinned." I will blot them out, just as writing is scraped from a book." Moses replied, "No, my Lord!" Remember that you brought them out of the Red Sea and worked wonders for them. If you wipe them out, what happens to your promise? Please, don't do this, because then your enemies will say: 'The God of Israel is evil; he led his people out of the sea only to kill them in the desert.'" And God was appeased by these words. I am that Moses in figure. My Godhead speaks to humanity, as if to Moses, saying: 'See what your people have done, how they have despised me!' All Christians will be killed, and their faith will be wiped out.' My humanity answered, "No, Lord." Remember that I led my people through the sea in my own blood, when I was torn from the sole of my foot to the crown of my head! I promised them eternal life. Have mercy on them for the sake of my Passion!" Hearing this, the Godhead was appeased by these words and said: 'Let your will be done, for all judgment has been given to you!' Look, my friends, what love! But now, before you—my spiritual friends, that is, the angels and the saints—and before my friends in the flesh who are in the world, yet who are not in the world except in body, I complain that my people have gathered wood, kindled a fire, and thrown gold into it, and from that a calf has risen up for them, which they worship as a god.
The Idolatry of the Priesthood
The Lord exposes the hypocrisy of priests who, like the Israelites, have abandoned true worship for the 'calf' of worldly pleasure and self-interest.
It stands like a calf on four legs, with a head, a throat, and a tail. But when Moses delayed on the mountain, the people said, "We don't know what has happened to him." And it displeased them that he had led them out of captivity, and they said, 'Let us find another god to go before us!' This is how those cursed priests act toward me now. For they say, 'Why do we live a stricter life than others?' or, "What is our reward?" It's better for us to be in our own peace and pleasure. Let us therefore love the world, of which we are certain! For we are uncertain about his promise." Next, they gather wood—that is, they focus all their senses on the love of the world. They kindle a fire when they have a perfect will toward the world. They burn, however, when pleasure seethes in the mind and breaks out into action. Afterward, they cast away the gold—that is, all the charity and honor they owe to me—and offer it instead to the honor of the world. Then the calf rises—that is, the complete love of the world—which has four feet: namely, sloth, impatience, excessive joy, and greed. For those priests who ought to be mine are slothful in my honor, impatient in enduring, excessive in their joy, and never content with what they have. This calf also has a head and a throat—meaning a will entirely given over to gluttony—so that it can never be satisfied, even if the whole sea were to pour into it. But the tail of this calf is their malice, because they would let no one possess their own property, if they could help it. For they wound and subvert everyone who serves me, through their own corrupt example and contempt. That is the kind of calf of love they hold in their hearts. They rejoice and take delight in such a thing. They think about me just as those people thought about Moses: 'He's been gone too long,' they say. His words seem empty, and his works are a burden. Let's have our own way; let our own power and pleasure be our God! They aren't satisfied with these things, nor do they forget me entirely, but they treat me like an idol. The Gentiles used to worship wood, stones, and dead men. Among them, an idol named Beelzebub was worshipped; his priests would offer him incense, bow down to him, and shout praises. Whatever was useless from their sacrifice fell to the ground, and the birds and flies ate it. But the priests kept everything that was useful for themselves. They also locked the door on their own idol and kept the key for themselves, so no one else could enter.
The False Sacrifice
God critiques the empty prayers and performative rituals of the clergy, noting how they prioritize their own honor over the salvation of souls.
This is how the priests treat me right now. They offer me incense—that is, they speak and preach beautiful words for their own praise and to gain something worldly, not out of love for me. Just as the scent of incense isn't something you can grasp, but is only sensed and perceived, so their words don't reach the depths of the soul to take root or be held in the heart; they are heard only as words, and they seem to delight only for a moment. They offer prayers, but they don't please me at all. Like those who shout praise with their mouths while their hearts are silent, they stand near me crying out with their lips, but in their hearts they are wandering all over the world. If they had to speak to someone of high standing, they’d be careful to match their heart to their words so they wouldn't stumble in their speech or risk being criticized for what they said. When priests pray to me, they're like people in a trance—they say one thing with their mouths while holding something else in their hearts. Anyone listening to their words can have no certainty about them. They bend their knees to me, which means they promise me humility and obedience. But they are as truly humble as Lucifer. They are obedient to their own desires, not to me. They shut me out, and they hold the key themselves. Then they open up to me and offer praise when they say, 'Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!' But they shut me out when their own will is done; yet my will is treated like that of a prisoner who has no power, as if it could neither be seen nor heard. They keep the key for themselves, and by their own example, they even hold back others who want to do my will. And if they could, they’d gladly stop my will from going forth and being fulfilled, unless it were done according to their own will. Then, during the sacrifice, they look out for everything that is necessary and useful for themselves, and they demand every honor and debt owed to them; yet they treat the human body—which falls to the earth through death, and for which they are especially bound to offer sacrifice—as if it were useless, leaving it to the flies, that is, to the worms. But they care very little about his debt or the salvation of his soul, and they pay no attention to it.
The Judgment of the Thorn Bush
God declares his impending judgment upon the corrupt clergy, comparing them to the deceptive fruit of a thorn bush that spreads malice and scandal.
But what was said to Moses? “Kill those who made this idol!” While some were killed, not all were. So now my words will come, and they will kill: some in body and soul through eternal damnation, others in life so that they may turn and live, and others in a swift death, because these priests are utterly hateful to me. And what should I compare them to? They are truly like the fruit of a thorn bush, which is beautiful and red on the outside, but inside is full of filth and prickles. They approach me as if they were men glowing with love, and they seem pure to others, but inside they are full of every kind of filth. If you plant this fruit in the ground, other thorns will grow from it again. In the same way, they hide their sins and malice in their hearts as if in soil, and so they take root in evil, to the point that they aren't even ashamed to come out into the open and boast of their sin. Because of this, others don't just use it as an excuse to sin, but their souls are also gravely wounded, as they think to themselves, 'If the priests do this, it's much more permissible for us.' They are, in fact, like both fruit and thorns; they refuse to be corrected or advised, they consider no one wiser than themselves, and they believe they can do whatever they want. Therefore, I swear by my divinity and my humanity, with all the angels listening, that I will break down the door they have closed against my will; my will shall be fulfilled, while their will shall be brought to nothing and locked away in punishment forever. Therefore, as it was said long ago, I will begin my judgment with the clergy and from my altar.
Read the original Latin
Videbatur exercitus magnus in celo, ad quem dixit Deus: "Ecce audientibus amicis meis, qui omnia scitis et intelligitis et videtis in me, loquor propter istam sponsam meam, que hic astat.
Ecce quemadmodum aliquis ad se ipsum, sic deitas mea loquitur ad humanitatem meam. Moyses fuit cum Domino in monte quadraginta diebus et noctibus. Quem cum populus abesse tam diu vidissent, receperunt aurum et proiecerunt in ignem et inde conflatus est vitulus, quem vocauerunt deum suum.
Tunc dixit Deus ad Moysen: 'Populus peccauit. Ego delebo eum, sicut aliquid scriptum abraditur de libro.'
Respondit Moyses: 'Non, Domine mi! Recordare, quod eduxisti eos de mari rubro et fecisti eis mirabilia. Si deleueris eos, ubi est tunc promissio tua? Ne, queso, facias hoc, quia tunc dicent inimici tui: Malus est Deus Israel, qui eduxit populum de mari et interfecit eos in deserto.' Et placatus est Deus de verbis istis.
Ego sum Moyses ille in figura. Deitas mea loquitur ad humanitatem, quasi ad Moysen, dicens: 'Vide, quid populus tuus fecit, quomodo contempsit me! Omnes Christiani interficientur et delebitur fides eorum.'
Respondit humanitas mea: 'Non, Domine. Recordare, quod eduxi populum per mare in sanguine meo, quando a planta pedis usque ad verticem laceratus sum! Ego promisi eis vitam eternam. Miserere eis propter passionem meam!'
Hiis auditis placata est deitas ex verbis istis et ait: 'Fiat voluntas tua, quia tibi omne iudicium datum est! Ecce amici mei, qualis caritas! Sed nunc coram vobis, amicis meis spiritualibus, scilicet angelis et sanctis, et coram amicis meis corporalibus, qui sunt in mundo, qui tamen non sunt in mundo nisi corpore, conqueror, quod populus meus collegit ligna et incendit ignem et proiecit in eum aurum, et inde surrexit eis vitulus, quem adorant ut deum.
Ipse stat quasi vitulus super quatuor pedes, habens caput cum gutture et cauda. Moyse autem tardante in monte dixit populus: 'Nescimus, quid acciderit ei.' Et displicuit eis, quod eduxerit eos de captiuitate, dicentes: 'Queramus alium Deum, qui nos precedat!'
Sic nunc faciunt michi isti maledicti sacerdotes. Dicunt enim: 'Cur magis nos austeriorem vitam agimus quam alii?' aut 'Que merces nostra? Melius est nobis esse in pace nostra et voluptate. Diligamus ergo mundum, de quo certi sumus! De promissione enim eius incerti sumus.'
Deinde colligunt ligna, idest omnes sensus suos applicant ad amorem mundi. Incendunt ignem, cum voluntatem perfectam habent ad mundum. Ardent autem, cum voluptas feruet in mente et prodit in actu. Postea proiciunt aurum, idest omnem caritatem et honorem, quem michi deberent facere, faciunt pro mundi honore.
Tunc surgit vitulus, idest completus amor mundi, qui habet quatuor pedes, scilicet accidiam, impacienciam, gaudium superfluum et auariciam. Ipse enim sacerdotes, qui deberent esse mei, accidiosi sunt ad honorem meum, impacientes ad ferendum, nimii in gaudio et numquam contentantur de optentis.
Iste vitulus habet eciam caput et guttur, idest voluntatem omnem ad gulam, ut numquam saciari possit, eciam si influeret totum mare. Cauda vero huius vituli est malicia eorum, quia nullum permitterent possidere sua, si possent.
Vulnerant enim et subuertunt omnes, qui seruiunt michi, exemplo suo prauo et contemptu. Talis amoris vitulus est in cordibus eorum. Ad talem gaudent et delectantur.
De me, sicut illi de Moyse, cogitant: 'Diu', inquiunt, 'defuit. Verba sua videntur vana et opera onerosa. Habeamus voluntatem nostram, potestas nostra et voluptas sit Deus noster!'
Nec eciam hiis contentantur nec ex toto me obliuiscuntur sed habent me pro idolo.
Gentiles colebant ligna et lapides et homines mortuos. Inter quos colebatur unum idolum nomine Belzebub, cuius sacerdotes offerebant ei thus et faciebant ei genuflexiones et clamores laudis.
Totum eciam, quod de sacrificio eorum erat inutile, cecidit in terram, et aues et musce comederunt illud. Omnia autem, que utilia erant, sacerdotes reseruabant sibi.
Ipsi quoque clauserunt portam super idolum suum et personaliter seruabant clauem, ne quis alius ingrederetur.
Sic sacerdotes faciunt michi isto tempore. Ipsi offerunt michi thus, idest loquuntur et predicant verba pulchra ad laudem propriam et ad habendum aliquid temporale, non ex caritate mea.
Ideo sicut odor thuris non capitur sed sentitur et videtur, sic verba eorum non veniunt ad effectum animarum, ut radicari vel teneri possint corde, sed audiuntur solummodo verba et quasi ad tempus delectare videntur.
Offerunt preces, sed nullo modo michi placabiles. Sicut illi, qui clamant ore laudem et silent corde, stant quasi iuxta me ore clamantes sed corde circumuagantur mundum.
Si enim deberent loqui homini alicuius dignitatis, cor haberent cum locucione, ne deuiarent in loquendo, ne forte in aliquibus notarentur.
Apud me autem orant sacerdotes quasi homines, qui sunt in extasi, qui aliud loquuntur ore et aliud habent in corde. De quorum verbis auditor nullam potest habere certitudinem.
Flectunt genua michi, idest humilitatem et obedienciam michi promittunt. Sed vere humiles sunt quasi Lucifer. Obedientes sunt desideriis suis, non michi.
Claudunt eciam super me et personaliter habent clauem. Tunc aperiunt super me et laudant, quando dicunt: 'Fiat voluntas tua sicut in celo et in terra!'
Sed claudunt super me, cum voluntas eorum perficitur; mea autem quasi clausi hominis et nullipotentis, quod nec videri nec audiri potest.
Seruant personaliter clauem, cum eciam alios, qui voluntatem meam facere volunt, retrahunt exemplo suo. Et, si possent, libenter eciam prohiberent, ne voluntas mea egrederetur et perficeretur nisi iuxta voluntatem eorum.
Deinde in sacrificio custodiunt omnia, que sunt eis necessaria et utilia, et omnem honorem et debitum suum exigunt, sed de corpore hominum, quod cadit in terram per mortem, pro quo potissimum sacrificium offerre tenerentur, quasi inutile iudicant, tradentes muscis, idest vermibus.
De debito autem eius aut de salute anime minimum curant nec attendunt.
Sed quid dictum est Moysi? 'Interfice eos, qui hoc idolum fecerunt!' Ubi si aliqui sunt interfecti, non tamen omnes. Sic nunc venient verba mea, que occident eos, alios ad corpus et animam per eternam dampnacionem, alios ad vitam, ut conuertantur et viuant, alios ad celerem mortem, quia ipsi sacerdotes sunt michi omnino odiosi.
Et cui eos similabo? Ipsi vere sunt similes fructui spine, qui exterius est pulcher et rubicundus, intus vero est plenus immundicia et aculeis. Sic ipse accedunt ad me quasi homines rubicundi caritate, et mundi videntur hominibus sed intus pleni sunt omni spurcicia.
Hic fructus si ponatur in terram, inde iterum alie spine succrescunt. Sic ipsi in corde quasi in terra occultant peccata sua et malicias et sic radicantur in malo, quod eciam non erubescant prodire foras et gloriari de peccato suo.
Unde alii non solum sumunt occasionem peccandi sed eciam grauiter vulnerantur ad animam, cogitantes secum sic: 'Si sacerdotes hoc faciunt, multo magis est nobis licitum.'
Ipsi quippe non solum fructui sed et spine similes sunt, quia dedignantur tangi correccionibus et ammonicionibus et nullos reputant se ipsis sapienciores sed omnia posse facere, que volunt.
Ideo iuro in deitate mea et humanitate angelis omnibus audientibus, quod frangam ostium, quod clauserunt super voluntatem meam, et ipsa complebitur et eorum voluntas annichilabitur et claudetur sine fine in pena.
Propterea, sicut antiquitus dictum est, incipiam iudicium meum in clero et ab altari meo."
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