Verba Matris et Filii benediccionis et laudis adinuicem et qualiter Virgo figuratur per archam, ubi erant virga, manna et tabule legis, in qua figura multa mirabilia continentur.
The Mutual Praise of Mother and Son
Mary and her Son exchange words of blessing, establishing the foundation for the chapter's theological reflections.
Mary spoke to her Son: "Blessed are You, my Son, my God and Lord of the angels!" You are the One whose voice the prophets heard, whose body the apostles saw, and whom the Jews and Your enemies felt. You are one God, with your divinity, your humanity, and the Holy Spirit. For the prophets heard your Spirit, the apostles saw the glory of your divinity, and the Jews crucified your humanity. Therefore, may you be blessed, without beginning and without end! The Son answered: "Blessed are you, for you are both virgin and mother!"
The Virgin as the Ark of the Covenant
Christ explains the typology of the Ark, identifying Mary as the vessel containing the rod, the manna, and the law.
You are that ark which was in the Law, in which were three things: the rod, the manna, and the tablets. Three things were done with the rod. First, it was changed into a serpent that had no venom. Second, the sea was divided by it. Third, water was drawn from the rock. I am the rod in symbol, who lay in your womb and took on humanity from you. At first, just as the serpent was to Moses, so I am terrifying to my enemies. They flee from me as if from the sight of a serpent; they dread me and loathe me as if I were a serpent, even though I am without the poison of malice and am full of every mercy. I let them hold onto me if they want, and I return to them if they seek me. I run to them like a mother to a lost and found son, if they call upon me. I show them my mercy and forgive their sins if they cry out. I do this for them, and yet they still loathe me as if I were a serpent. Second, through that rod the sea was divided, just as the way to heaven, which had been closed by sin, was opened through my blood and my sorrow. Then the sea was truly broken and a way was made where there was none, when the pain of all my limbs reached my heart, and my heart was broken by the violence of that sorrow. After the people were led through the sea, Moses didn't take them straight into the promised land, but into the desert, so they could be tested and instructed there. In the same way, even now, once faith and my command have been received, people aren't immediately brought into heaven; instead, they must be tested in the desert—that is, in the world—to see how they love God. But the people provoked God in the desert in three ways. First, because they made an idol for themselves and worshipped it. Second, because they craved the meat they had in Egypt. Third, through pride, when they wanted to advance and fight their enemies without God’s will. This is how people still sin against me in the world today. First, they worship an idol, because they love the world and everything in it more than they love me, their Creator. But in reality, the world is their god, not I. For I said in my Gospel: 'Where a person's treasure is, there is their heart.' So the world is their treasure, because they’ve set their heart on it rather than on me. Just as those in the desert fell by the sword in their bodies, so these will fall by the sword of eternal damnation in their souls, where they will live without end. Second, they sinned through the cravings of the flesh. For I gave humanity everything necessary for decency and moderation, yet they want to have everything immoderately and without restraint. If nature were left to itself, it would want to indulge constantly, drink without restraint, and crave without limit. For as long as it could sin, it would never stop sinning. So, it will happen to them just as it did to those in the desert: they will die a sudden death. For what is the life of this time but a mere point compared to eternity? Because of the brevity of this life, they will die a sudden death in the body, and they will live in pain for their soul without end. Third, they sinned in the desert through pride, because they wanted to go into battle without God's will. In the same way, people try to ascend to heaven through their own pride; they don't trust in me, but in themselves—doing their own will and abandoning mine. Therefore, just as those people were killed by their enemies, so these will be killed by demons in their soul, and their torment will be eternal. They hate me like a serpent; they worship an idol in my place; they crave their own desires more than me; and they choose their own pride over my humility. Yet I am still so merciful that if they turn back to me with a contrite heart, I turn to them like a loving father and welcome them home. A third time, the rock yielded water through that rod. This rock is the hard heart of a person. For if it's struck by fear and by my love, tears of compunction and penance flow out immediately. No one is so unworthy, no one so evil, that if they turn to me, deeply consider my passion, pay attention to my power, and ponder my goodness—just as the earth and the trees bring forth fruit—their face won't stream with tears and all their members won't be stirred to devotion. Second, the manna lay within the ark of Moses. In the same way, the bread of angels—the bread of holy souls and of the righteous on earth—lay within you, my mother and virgin. These are the ones to whom nothing is pleasing except my sweetness, to whom the whole world is dead, and who would gladly live without physical food if it were my will. Third, the tablets of the law were in that ark. In the same way, the Lord of all laws rested within you. Therefore, may you be blessed above all things created in heaven and on earth!
The Purpose and Reception of Divine Words
Christ instructs the bride on how His words should be shared, emphasizing the necessity of love, justice, and spiritual discernment.
Afterward, He spoke to the bride, saying, "Tell my friends three things!" When I lived in the world in the flesh, I tempered my words so that the good would become stronger and more fervent through them. The wicked, however, became better, as was evident in Magdalene, Matthew, and many others. I also tempered my words so that my enemies couldn't weaken them. Therefore, those to whom my words are sent should work fervently, so that the good may become more ardent in goodness through my words, the wicked may repent of their evil, and they may be on guard against my enemies, so that my words aren't hindered. I certainly don't do the devil any greater injustice than I do the angels in heaven. If I wanted to, I could easily speak my words so that the whole world would hear them. I could even open up hell so that everyone might see its torments, but that wouldn't be justice, because then a person would serve me out of fear, whereas they ought to serve me out of love. For no one will enter the kingdom of heaven unless they have love. I would be doing the devil an injustice, then, if I were to take back from him someone who had been handed over to his authority without that person having any good works. I would also be doing an injustice to an angel in heaven if I were to equate the spirit of an unclean human with one who is pure and most fervent in love. Therefore, no one will enter heaven unless they've been tested like gold in the fire of purgatory, or have been so exercised in the world through good works and long-term discipline that there's no stain left in them that needs to be purged. If you don't know who should receive my words, I'll tell you. The person worthy of my words is someone who wants to earn them through their actions to reach the kingdom of heaven, or someone who has already earned them through past good works; to them, my words will be opened, and they will enter into them. For those who find my words sweet, and who humbly hope their names are written in the book of life—these are the ones who hold fast to my words. But for those to whom they do not taste sweet, they may indeed consider the words, but they immediately cast them aside and vomit them out.
Read the original Latin
Maria loquebatur ad filium: "Benedictus sis tu, fili mi, Deus meus et dominus angelorum! Tu es ille, cuius vocem prophete audierunt, cuius corpus apostoli viderunt, quem Iudei et inimici tui senserunt.
Tu es cum deitate et humanitate et Spiritu sancto unus Deus. Nam Spiritum audierunt prophete, deitatis gloriam viderunt apostoli, humanitatem tuam crucifixerunt Iudei. Ideo sis tu benedictus sine principio et sine fine!"
Respondit filius: "Benedicta sis tu, quia virgo es et mater! Tu es archa illa, que erat in lege, in qua erant tria, scilicet virga, manna et tabule.
Cum virga facta sunt tria. Primo mutata est in serpentem, qui erat sine veneno. Secundo per eam mare diuisum est. Tercio de petra educta est aqua.
Ego sum virga illa in figura, qui in ventre tuo iacui et humanitatem de te accepi. Ego primo, sicut serpens Moysi, sic terribilis sum inimicis meis. Ipse quippe fugiunt a me quasi a conspectu serpentis, pauent a me et abhominantur quasi serpentem, cum tamen ego sim sine veneno malicie, plenus omni misericordia.
Ego pacior me teneri ab eis, si voluerint, ego reuertor ad eos, si me quesierint. Curro ad eos quasi mater ad filium perditum et inuentum, si me inuocauerint. Exhibeo eis misericordiam meam et dimitto peccata eorum, si clamauerint. Hoc facio eis, et adhuc abhominantur me quasi serpentem.
Secundo per virgam istam diuisum est mare, quando via ad celum, que clausa erat per peccatum, per sanguinem et dolorem meum aperiebatur. Tunc certe rumpebatur mare et inuium factum est via, quando dolor omnium membrorum meorum accessit ad cor et cor pre violencia doloris ruptum est.
Postea traducto populo per mare non duxit eos Moyses statim in terram promissionis sed in desertum, ut ibi probarentur et instruerentur.
Sic et nunc accepta fide et mandato meo non statim introducitur populus in celum, sed necesse est, ut in deserto, idest in mundo, probentur homines, quomodo diligunt Deum.
Sed per tria prouocauit populus Deum in deserto. Primo quia fecerunt sibi idolum et adorauerunt ipsum. Secundo quia concupierunt carnes, quas habuerant in Egypto. Tercio per superbiam, quando sine voluntate Dei ascendere voluerunt et pugnare cum inimicis.
Sic nunc eciam peccat homo contra me in mundo. Primo colit idolum, quia plus amat mundum et que in eo sunt quam me, qui eorum creator sum.
Sed mundus quippe est deus eorum, non ego. Ego enim dixi in euangelio meo: 'Ubi est thesaurus hominis, ibi est cor eius.' Sic thesaurus hominis est mundus, quia ad hunc habet cor suum, non ad me.
Ideo, sicut illi in deserto corruerunt gladio in corpore, sic isti cadent in gladio eterne dampnacionis ad animam, in qua sine fine viuent.
Secundo peccauerunt per concupiscenciam carnium. Ego enim dedi homini omnia necessaria ad honestatem et ad moderanciam, sed ipse omnia vult habere immoderate et indiscrete.
Ipse enim, si sufficeret natura, sine cessacione vellet commisceri, sine refrenacione bibere, sine modo concupiscere. Quamdiu enim posset peccare, numquam cessaret a peccato.
Ideo continget eis, sicut illis in deserto, quod morientur subitanea morte. Quid enim est vita istius temporis nisi quasi quidam punctus ad eternitatem? Propterea quasi subitanea morte morientur in corpore propter breuitatem huius vite et viuent in pena ad animam sine fine.
Tercio peccabant in deserto per superbiam, quia sine voluntate Dei volebant ascendere in pugnam. Sic homines per superbiam suam volunt ascendere in celum et non confidunt in me, sed in se, facientes voluntatem suam et meam relinquentes.
Propterea, sicut illi ab hostibus, sic isti interficientur a demonibus in anima, et cruciatus eorum erit sempiternus. Sic ergo odiunt me quasi serpentem, colunt pro me idolum, affectant concupiscenciam suam plus quam me, diligunt superbiam suam pro humilitate mea.
Verumptamen adhuc sic misericors sum, quod, si conuersi fuerint ad me cum contrito corde, ego conuerto me ad eos sicut pater pius et suscipio eos.
Tercio per virgam istam petra dedit aquam. Petra hec est cor durum hominis. Hoc enim, si percutitur timore et amore meo, statim effluunt lacrime contricionis et penitencie.
Nullus sic indignus, nullus sic malus, si vertit se ad me, si passionem meam intime considerat, si potenciam meam attendit, si bonitatem meam, qualiter terra fructificat et arbores, perpendit, quod non fluunt ora eius lacrimis et omnia membra eius ad deuocionem excitantur.
Secundo in archa Moysi iacuit manna. Sic in te, mea mater et virgo, iacuit panis angelorum et sanctarum animarum et iustorum in terra, quibus nichil placet nisi dulcedo mea, quibus mundus omnis mortuus est, qui libenter, si esset voluntatis mee, essent sine corporali cibo.
Tercio in archa illa erant tabule legis. Sic in te iacuit dominus omnium legum. Ideo benedicta sis tu pre omnibus, que sunt in celo et in terra creata!"
Postea loquebatur ad sponsam dicens: "Dic amicis meis tria! Ego, cum corporaliter conuersabar in mundo, sic temperaui verba mea, quod boni fiebant ex ipsis forciores et feruenciores. Mali vero fiebant meliores, ut patuit in Magdalena, Matheo et aliis multis.
Sic eciam temperaui verba mea, ut inimici mei non possent infirmare ea. Propterea laborent illi feruenter, quibus verba mea mittuntur, ut boni ex verbis meis fiant ardenciores in bono, mali resipiscant a malo et ab inimicis meis caueant, ne verba mea impediantur.
Ego quippe non maiorem iniuriam facio diabolo quam angelis in celo. Si enim vellem, bene possem loqui verba mea, ut totus mundus audiret.
Ego sufficerem eciam aperire infernum, ut omnes viderent penas eius, sed hoc non esset iusticia, quia tunc homo seruiret michi ex timore, sed ex caritate deberet michi homo seruire. Nam nullus, nisi qui caritatem habet, intrabit in regnum celorum.
Tunc denique iniuriam facerem diabolo, si iuri eius mancipatum reciperem ab eo sine bonis operibus. Angelo in celo eciam facerem iniuriam, si ei, qui mundus est et caritate feruentissimus, spiritus hominis immundi coequaretur.
Ideo nullus intrabit in celum, nisi qui quasi aurum in igne purgatorio probatus est aut bonis operibus sic diutina probacione in mundo exercitatus est, quod non sit in eo macula, que debeat purgari.
Si ignoras, quibus mitti debeant verba mea, ego dicam tibi. Ille dignus est habere verba mea, qui promereri vult operibus, ut veniat ad regnum celorum, vel qui operibus bonis precedentibus promeruerat; illis aperientur verba mea et in illos ingredientur.
Nam illi, quibus sapiunt verba mea et qui nomen suum humiliter sperant scriptum in libro vite, hii tenent verba mea. Quibus autem non sapiunt, considerant quidem verba et statim proiciunt et euomunt."
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