Verba maximi amoris Christi ad sponsam in figura mirabili de castro nobili, per quod Ecclesia militans designatur, et qualiter precibus gloriose Virginis et sanctorum adhuc Dei Ecclesia reedificabitur.
The Castle of the Church Under Siege
Christ describes the noble castle of the Church, which has been undermined and its inhabitants tormented by enemies.
I am the Creator of all things; I am the King of glory and the Lord of the angels. I have founded a noble castle for myself, and I have placed my chosen ones within it. My enemies have undermined its foundation and have prevailed against my friends to such an extent that the marrow has been forced out from the feet of my friends, who were bound in wood—that is, in the stocks. Their mouths are crushed with stones, and they are tormented by hunger and thirst. Furthermore, they persecute their Lord as well. My friends are already seeking help with their groans; justice cries out for vengeance, yet mercy says to spare them.
The Heavenly Council of Justice and Mercy
God the Son asks the heavenly host and the Virgin Mary to judge the state of the Church, leading to a plea for mercy.
Then God himself asked the heavenly host standing by, "What do you think of these people who have taken over my castle?" They all answered as if with one voice: "Lord, in you is all justice, and in you we see all things." You exist without beginning and without end, Son of God; to you all judgment has been given, and you are their judge." And he said, "Even though you know and see all things in me, still, for the sake of this bride who stands here, speak a just judgment!" And they said, "This is justice: that those who have undermined the wall be punished as thieves, that those who persist in malice be punished as invaders, and that those who are captives be set free and the hungry be satisfied." Then the Mother of God, Mary, spoke in a quiet voice: "My Lord and dearest Son, You were true God and man in my womb." By Your grace, You sanctified me, though I was only an earthly vessel.1 I beg You: have mercy on them once more!" Then the Lord answered his mother: "Blessed be the word of your mouth!" It rises to the Godhead like a most sweet fragrance. You are the glory and queen of all the angels and saints, because the Godhead has been comforted by you, and all the saints have been made joyful. And because your will has been like mine from the beginning of your youth, I will do what you want one more time."
The Promise of Restoration
Christ promises to rebuild the wall of the Church and reward his faithful friends for their endurance.
To the army, however, he says: "Because you have fought bravely, I will be appeased for the sake of your charity." Look, I will rebuild my wall because of your prayers. I will save and heal those who have been oppressed by force, and I will honor them a hundredfold for the insults they have endured. But if the violent ask for mercy, I will grant them peace and mercy. Those, however, who have shown contempt will experience my justice. Then He said to the bride: "My bride, I have chosen you and brought you into My spirit." You hear My words and the words of My saints, who—though they see all things in Me—have spoken for your sake, so that you might understand that while you are still in the flesh, you cannot see in Me as they do, who are spirits.
The Meaning of the Fortress
Christ explains that the fortress is the Church, whose foundation of faith is currently undermined by a false understanding of divine justice.
Now I will also show you what these things mean. The fortress I mentioned earlier is the holy Church itself, which I built from my own blood and the blood of my saints, joined together with the cement of my love, and in which I have placed my chosen ones and my friends. The foundation of this is faith—specifically, believing that I am a just judge and a merciful one. But that foundation has been undermined, because while everyone believes in and proclaims my mercy, it’s as if no one preaches or believes that I am a just judge. They treat me as if I were an unjust judge. It would be an unjust judge who, out of mercy, let the wicked go unpunished just so they could oppress the just even more. But I am a just and merciful judge, in such a way that I won't leave the smallest sin unpunished or the smallest good unrewarded.
The Blasphemy of the Wicked
Christ laments the pride and blasphemy of those who have entered the Church to persecute the faithful and deny God's authority.
Through the undermining of this wall, those who sin without fear have entered into the holy Church—those who deny that I am a just judge and who trouble my friends just as they trouble those who are in the stocks. These same friends of mine have no joy or consolation; instead, every reproach and every pain is heaped upon them, as if they were possessed. If they speak the truth about me, they're refuted and accused of lying. They have a desperate thirst to hear or speak what is right, but there's no one to listen to them or to speak what is right to them. I, too, as God and Creator, am blasphemed. For they say, 'We don't know if there is a God.' And if there is, we don't care.' My banner is cast down and trampled upon, as they say, 'Why has He allowed this?' What good is it to us? If He's willing to give us our own way, that's enough for us, and He can keep His kingdom and heaven!' I, too, want to enter into them, but they say, 'We will die before we give up our own will.' Look, my bride, at what they have become! I made them, and with a single word I could destroy them. How they pride themselves against me! Yet now, because of the prayers of my Mother and all the saints, I am still so merciful and patient that I want to send them my words—the ones that have come from my own mouth—and offer them my mercy.
The Final Judgment and Comfort
Christ warns the wicked of their coming punishment while promising eternal comfort and strength to his faithful friends.
If they are willing to receive it, I will be appeased; but if not, they will feel my justice, so that they will be shamed publicly before the angels and all people, and judged by everyone. For just as men hanging on a gallows are devoured by crows, so these will be devoured by demons, yet they will not be consumed. Just as those who are punished in the wooden stocks find no rest there, so these people will have nothing but pain and bitterness on every side. A river of intense fire will flow into their mouths, yet their hunger won't be satisfied; instead, they will be renewed day by day for their punishment. My friends, however, will be saved, and they'll be comforted by the words that come from my mouth. They will see my justice joined with mercy. I'll clothe them in the armor of my love and make them so strong that the enemies of the faith will fall backward like mud and be shamed forever when they see my justice, because they abused my patience.
Read the original Latin
"Ego sum creator omnium, ego rex glorie et dominus angelorum. Ego fundaui michi castrum nobile et posui in eo electos meos.
Cuius fundamentum inimici mei perfoderunt et preualuerunt in amicos meos in tantum, quod de pedibus amicorum meorum, ligno, idest cippo, constrictis, exiit medulla.
Os eorum contunditur lapidibus et fame et siti cruciantur. Insuper et dominum eorum persequuntur. Iam amici mei petunt gemitibus auxilium, iusticia clamat vindictam, misericordia tamen dicit parcendum."
Tunc et ipse Deus ait ad exercitum celestem, qui astabat: "Quid videtur vobis de istis, qui castrum meum occupauerunt?"
Qui quasi una voce responderunt omnes: "Domine, in te est omnis iusticia et in te omnia videmus. Tu existens sine principio et sine fine filius Dei, tibi datum est omne iudicium, tu iudex es eorum."
Et ille ait: "Licet omnia scitis in me et videtis, tamen propter hanc sponsam, que astat, dicite iudicium iustum!" Et illi dixerunt: "Hec est iusticia, ut, qui suffoderunt murum, puniantur ut fures, et qui in malicia persistunt, puniantur ut inuasores, et qui captiui sunt, liberentur et famelici saturentur."
Tunc loquebatur mater Dei, Maria, tacens in voce priori, dicens: "Domine mi et fili carissime, tu fuisti in utero meo verus Deus et homo. Tu me, que eram vas terrenum, dignacione tua sanctificasti. Supplico: miserere eis adhuc semel!"
Tunc respondit Dominus ad matrem: "Benedictum sit verbum oris tui! Hoc quasi odor suauissimus ascendit in deitatem. Tu angelorum et omnium sanctorum gloria es et regina, quia a te deitas consolata est et omnes sancti letificati sunt. Et quia tua voluntas a principio iuuentutis tue erat sicut mea, ideo faciam adhuc semel, quod vis."
Ad exercitum autem ait: "Quia vos viriliter certastis, ideo propter caritatem vestram placabor adhuc. Ecce, ego propter preces vestras reedificabo murum meum.
Saluabo et sanabo eos, qui vi oppressi sunt, et in centuplum honorificabo illos pro contumelia, quam passi sunt. Violentis autem, si misericordiam pecierint, pacem et misericordiam dabo. Qui autem contempserint, iusticiam meam sencient."
Deinde ait ad sponsam: "Sponsa mea, ego elegi te et induxi te in spiritum meum. Tu audis verba mea et sanctorum meorum, qui, licet omnia vident in me, tamen propter te locuti sunt, ut tu intelligeres, quia tu, que adhuc es in carne, non potes ita videre in me, sicut hii, qui spiritus sunt.
Nunc eciam ostendam tibi, quid ista significent. Castrum illud, quod supra dixi, est ipsa sancta Ecclesia, quam de sanguine meo et sanctorum meorum edificaui et cemento caritatis mee coniunxi, et posui in ea electos meos et amicos.
Fundamentum huius est fides, scilicet credere me iustum iudicem et misericordem. Sed nunc suffossum est fundamentum, quia omnes credunt me et predicant misericordem, sed quasi nullus predicat nec credit me esse iuste iudicantem.
Ipsi habent me quasi iniquum iudicem. Iniquus enim esset iudex, qui ex misericordia dimitteret iniquos impunitos, ut iniqui iustos eo magis opprimerent. Sed ego sum iustus iudex et misericors, ita quod nec minimum peccatum relinquam impunitum nec minimum bonum irremuneratum.
Per huius muri suffossionem intrauerunt illi in Ecclesiam sanctam, qui absque timore peccant, qui me iustum esse negant et amicos meos sic conturbant, quemadmodum illos, qui sunt in cippo. Non enim est eisdem amicis meis gaudium nec consolacio, sed omne obprobrium et omnis dolor eis imponitur tamquam demoniacis.
Si veritatem de me dixerint, confutantur et mendacii arguuntur. Vehementer siciunt audire vel loqui recta, sed non est, qui eos audiat vel eis recta loquatur.
Ego quoque, Deus et creator, blasphemor. Dicunt enim: 'Nescimus, si est Deus. Et si est, non curamus.' Vexillum meum prosternitur et conculcatur, dicentes: 'Quare passus est? Quid prodest nobis? Si velit dare nobis voluntatem nostram, sufficit nobis, et habeat ipse regnum suum et celum!' Ego quoque ad eos ingredi volo, sed ipsi dicunt: 'Ante moriemur, quam voluntatem nostram relinquamus.'
Ecce, sponsa mea, quales ipsi sunt! Ego feci eos et uno verbo possem delere. Quomodo superbiunt contra me! Nunc autem propter preces matris mee et omnium sanctorum adhuc ita misericors sum et paciens, quod mittere eis volo verba mea, que de ore meo processerunt, et offerre eis misericordiam meam.
Si recipere voluerint, placabor, sin autem, sencient meam iusticiam ita, quod sicut fures publice coram angelis et hominibus confundentur et ab omnibus diiudicabuntur. Sicut enim homines, in furca suspensi, deuorantur a coruis, sic isti a demonibus deuorabuntur nec consumentur.
Sicut eciam illi, qui puniuntur in cippo ligneo, nullam requiem inueniunt ibidem, sic isti habebunt undique dolorem et amaritudinem. Fluuius ardentissimus fluet in os eorum nec implebitur venter, sed ad supplicium de die in diem renouabuntur.
Amici autem mei saluabuntur et de verbis, que procedunt de ore meo, consolabuntur. Iusticiam meam cum misericordia videbunt. Induam eos armis caritatis mee et sic fortes eos faciam, quod aduersarii fidei cadent retrorsum quasi lutum et erubescent perpetuo, cum videbunt iusticiam meam, ex eo quod paciencia mea abusi sunt."
Notes
- 1 ↩The term 'dignacione' is rendered here as 'grace' to reflect the divine favor and condescension implied in the context of sanctification.
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