Qualiter Christus similatur potenti domino, edificanti magnam ciuitatem et optimum palacium, per que mundus et Ecclesia designantur, et qualiter iudices et defensores et laboratores in Ecclesia Dei conuersi sunt in arcum prauum.
The Parable of the Lord's City
The Lord establishes a city and palace, organizing his people into judges, defenders, and laborers to serve his honor.
I am like a powerful lord who, while building a city, named it after himself. Then he built a palace inside the city, with various rooms for getting whatever was needed. But once the palace was finished and his affairs were in order, he organized his people into three groups and said: My ways lead to remote places. Stand firm and work manfully for my honor! For I have provided you with your necessities and provisions. You also have judges who may judge you. You have defenders who may protect you from your enemies. I have also appointed laborers to feed you, who will give me a tenth of their labor and reserve the rest for my benefit and honor.
The Initial Zeal of the Faithful
The judges, defenders, and laborers initially respond to the Lord's absence with vigilance, justice, and sacrificial love.
After a while, though, the name of the city was forgotten. Then the judges said, 'Our Lord has gone away to distant parts.' Let us judge with true judgment and act with justice, so that when our Lord returns, we won't be rebuked, but instead receive honor and a blessing.' Then the defenders said, "Our Lord trusts in us and has left the care of His house to us." Let us therefore abstain from excess in food and drink, so that we aren't unfit for the fight! Let’s also abstain from excessive sleep, so we aren’t caught off guard and deceived! Let’s be well-armed and constantly vigilant, so we aren’t found unprepared when the enemy comes! The honor of our Lord and the salvation of his people depend, to the highest degree, on us. Then the workers also said: 'Great is the glory of our Lord, and his reward is glorious.' Let’s work hard, then, and not just give him a tenth of our labor, but offer him everything that remains beyond our own living! For the reward will be all the more glorious, the greater the love he sees in us."
The Descent into Worldly Forgetfulness
As time passes, the inhabitants forget their Lord and begin to prioritize their own wills, comfort, and greed.
As time passed, the master of the city and the palace was forgotten. Then the judges said to themselves, "Our master has been gone a long time, and we don't know if he's coming back or not." Let's judge according to our own will and do whatever we please!" Then the defenders said, 'We're fools, because we labor and don't even know what reward we're working for.' Let's make a deal with our enemies instead; let's eat and drink with them!' For we don't need to worry about whose enemies they are.' Afterward, the workers said, "Why are we saving our gold for someone else?" And we don't even know who will get it after we're gone. It's better, therefore, for us to use it ourselves, spending it as we please." Let's give the judges a tenth part, and once they're appeased, we can do whatever we want.
The Corruption of the Church
The Lord interprets the allegory, revealing how the Church has abandoned divine wisdom for human pride, greed, and moral compromise.
I am truly like that powerful lord who built a city for himself—the world—in which I established a palace, the Church. The world was named divine wisdom, because from the beginning it held this name, since it was made in divine wisdom. This name was honored by everyone, and God was praised by His creation in His wisdom and was marvelously proclaimed. Now, however, the city's name is dishonored and changed, and a new name has arrived: human wisdom. For judges who once judged in justice and in the fear of the Lord have now turned to pride, and they trip up simple people. They crave being eloquent so they can have the praise of men; they speak what is pleasing so they can gain favors. They speak lightly so they'll be called good and gentle, and they accept gifts to twist justice. They're wise when it comes to their own worldly advantage and personal will, but they're mute when it comes to my praise. They trample the simple underfoot and silence them. They spread their greed to everyone, and they turn what is right into what is false. This kind of wisdom is loved now, but mine has been forgotten. But the defenders of the Church—the courtiers and soldiers—see my enemies and those who attack my Church, and they look the other way. They hear their insults and don't care. They understand and feel the actions of those who attack my commandments, yet they bear it patiently. They watch them commit all manner of mortal sins every day, yet they feel no compunction; instead, they sleep, associate with them, and bind themselves by oath to their company. The workers, however—who make up the entire community—reject my commands and keep my gifts and my tithes for themselves. They offer gifts to their judges and show them reverence, so they might find them well-disposed and easy to appease. I can say with bold confidence that the sword of my fear and of my Church has been cast aside in the world, and in its place, a money bag has been taken up.
Read the original Latin
"Ego sum similis potenti domino, qui edificans ciuitatem imposuit ei nomen ex suo nomine. Deinde construxit in ciuitate palacium, in quo mansiuncule diuerse pro necessariis capiendis erant. Constructo vero palacio et rebus suis ordinatis populum suum disposuit in tres partes dicens:
'Vie mee sunt ad remotas partes. State et laborate viriliter pro honore meo! Constitui enim vobis necessaria vestra et victualia. Habetis et iudices, qui vos iudicent. Habetis defensores, qui vos ab inimicis defendant.
Constitui et laboratores, qui vos pascant, et de labore suo decimam partem michi persoluent et utilitati mee et honori reseruabunt.'
Interiecto autem aliquo tempore nomen ciuitatis oblitum est. Tunc dixerunt iudices: 'Dominus noster ad remotas partes profectus est. Iudicemus rectum iudicium et faciamus iusticiam, ut redeunte domino nostro non arguamur sed reportemus honorem et benediccionem.'
Tunc dixerunt defensores: 'Dominus noster confidit in nos et reliquit nobis custodiam domus sue. Abstineamus ergo a superfluitate cibi et potus, ne ad pugnam simus inepti! Abstineamus et ab immoderato sompno, ne incauti decipiamur! Simus et bene armati et continue vigilantes, ne venientibus hostibus imparati inueniamur!
In nobis enim honor domini nostri maxime pendet et salus populi eius.'
Tunc et laboratores dixerunt: 'Magna est gloria domini nostri et remuneracio eius gloriosa. Laboremus ergo fortiter et demus ei non solum decimam partem laboris nostri sed et, quidquid ultra victum nostrum superfuerit, offeramus ei! Tanto enim gloriosior erit merces, quo maiorem caritatem nostram viderit.'
Post hec procedente iterum aliquo tempore obliuioni datus est dominus ciuitatis et palacii. Tunc dixerunt iudices ad se ipsos: 'Longa est mora domini nostri et nescimus, utrum reuertetur an non. Iudicemus ergo secundum voluntatem nostram et, quod nobis placuerit, faciamus!'
Deinde dixerunt defensores: 'Fatui sumus, quia laboramus et nescimus propter quam mercedem. Confederemus nos pocius inimicis nostris, dormiamus et bibamus cum eis! Non enim est curandum nobis, cuius fuerint inimici.'
Postea dixerunt laboratores: 'Quare seruamus aurum nostrum alteri? Et, quis reportet illud post nos, ignoramus. Melius est ergo, ut utamur eo nos ipsi disponendo ad voluntatem nostram.
Demus enim iudicibus decimam partem, et placatis eis facere possumus, quod volumus.'
Ego vere sum similis illi potenti domino, qui edificaui michi ciuitatem, idest mundum, in quo constitui palacium, idest Ecclesiam. Nomen mundi fuit diuina sapiencia, quia a principio mundus hoc habuit nomen, quod erat factus in diuina sapiencia.
Hoc nomen venerabatur ab omnibus, et laudabatur Deus a creatura sua in sapiencia sua et mirabiliter predicabatur. Nunc autem inhonoratum est nomen ciuitatis et immutatum et accessit nouum nomen, idest humana sapiencia.
Iudices enim, qui prius iudicabant in iusticia et in timore domini, nunc conuersi sunt ad superbiam et homines simplices supplantant. Appetunt esse eloquentes, ut habeant laudes hominum, loquuntur placencia, ut obtineant fauores.
Verba leuiter ferunt, ut boni et mites vocentur, recipiunt munera, ut peruertant iudicium. Sapientes sunt pro temporali utilitate sua et voluntate propria sed muti pro laude mea.
Simplices conculcant sub pedibus et obmutescere faciunt. Cupiditatem suam dilatant ad omnes et de recto faciunt falsum. Hec sapiencia nunc diligitur, mea autem data est obliuioni.
Defensores vero Ecclesie, qui curiales et milites sunt, vident inimicos meos et impugnatores Ecclesie mee et dissimulant. Audiunt verba improperii eorum et non curant.
Intelligunt et senciunt opera impugnatorum mandatorum meorum et tamen pacienter ferunt. Aspiciunt eos cotidie licite perpetrare omnia mortalia peccata et non compunguntur sed dormiunt et conuersantur cum eis et alligant se iuramento ad societatem eorum.
Laboratores vero, qui sunt communitas tota, respuunt mandata mea et retinent dona mea et decimas meas. Offerunt dona iudicibus suis et eis reuerenciam exhibent, ut eos beniuolos et placabiles inueniant.
Vere audacter dicere possum, quod gladius timoris mei et Ecclesie mee in mundo abiectus est et pro eo assumptus est sacculus pecunie."
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