Informacio Filii ad sponsam contra diabolum et responsio Filii ad sponsam, qualiter non subtrahit malos, antequam veniunt in peccatum, et qualiter baptizatis morientibus infra annos discrecionis datur regnum celorum.
Defending Against the Accuser
The Son instructs the bride on three foundational truths to use when facing the devil's temptations.
The Son spoke to the bride, saying: "When the devil tempts you, tell him these three things: 'God's words cannot be anything but true.'" Second: 'Nothing is impossible for God.' Third: 'Even you, devil, cannot give me the kind of fervor of charity that God gives me.'"
The Divine Perspective on Human Life
God explains how He observes the human heart and why He allows the natural order of life and death to unfold according to justice.
The Lord spoke again to the bride, saying: "I see a person in three ways: first, the body on the outside, and how it is ordered." Second, the conscience within, what it tends toward and how. Third, the heart, and what it desires." Just as a bird, seeing a fish in the sea, considers its depth and watches for the storms, so I know and consider everyone's path, and I attend to what is owed to each person, because my vision and consideration are far more perceptive in knowing what concerns a human being than they are at knowing themselves. Since I see and know all things this way, you might ask why I don't pull the wicked back before they fall into the depths of sin. To this, I myself—the one who was asking—now answer you: I am the creator of all things, and everything is in my foreknowledge; I know and see all things, both what has been done and what is yet to come. But although I can do all things and know all things, out of justice I don't act against the natural disposition of the body any more than I do against the disposition of the soul. Every person, in fact, exists according to the natural disposition of their body, which is in my foreknowledge and has existed from eternity. As for why one person lives a longer life and another a shorter one, that depends on the strength or weakness of their nature and how their physical constitution happens to be. But the fact that one person is born blind, another lame, or something of that sort, isn't because of my foreknowledge; for I foresee all things in such a way that no one is made worse by it, nor does my foreknowledge harm anyone.1 It doesn't happen because of the movement and position of the elements, but because of hidden justice, and the disorder and failure of nature to sustain itself. For sin and the disorder of nature bring about the deformity of the limbs in many ways. It doesn't happen because I will it, but because I allow it to happen out of justice. Although I have the power to do all things, I don't resist justice. Therefore, whether someone lives a shorter or longer life depends on the disposition of their weak or strong nature, which exists in my foreknowledge—a foreknowledge that no one can oppose.
The Crossroads of Choice
Through the allegory of two paths, the Lord illustrates the transition from childhood to the age of moral discretion and the necessity of choosing between good and evil.
You can understand this by way of a comparison. Suppose there were two paths, and a single road led to both of them. Yet along those paths there were countless pits, one against another and one on top of another. The end of one of those two paths led straight down into the depths, while the end of the other led upward. At the crossroads, it was written: 'Whoever travels this way begins with delight and the pleasures of the flesh, but ends in great misery and confusion.' But whoever travels this other way begins with little and bearable labor, and ends with the greatest joy and consolation.' The person walking along that first path was completely blind. But when he reached the crossroads, his eyes were opened, and he saw that writing which contained the end of those two paths. As he focused on this writing and thought it over, two men appeared right beside him, the ones responsible for those two paths. Watching the traveler at the crossroads, they spoke among themselves and said: Let's consider carefully which path he prefers to walk, and he will belong to the one whose path he chooses. The traveler, however, considering the ends of the paths and their rewards, used prudent judgment to choose the path that began with a little pain but ended in joy, rather than the one that began in joy and ended in pain. He believed it was wiser and more tolerable to be worn out by a little labor at the start, so that he could rest securely in the end. Do you know what these things mean? I'll certainly tell you. These two paths, good and evil, lie before every person. Once a person reaches the age of discretion, it's within their own power and free will to choose which one they prefer. There is one path that leads to these two ways—the choice between good and evil—and that is the age of adolescence, which leads toward the years of discretion. Anyone walking this first path is like a blind person, because from adolescence until a person reaches the years of discretion, they are like a blind person, unable to tell the difference between good and evil, between sin and virtue, or between what's commanded and what's forbidden. Therefore, a person walking in only one way—that is, in childhood—is like someone who is blind. But when they reach the crossroads of life, that is, the years of discretion, the eyes of their understanding are opened. For then they know how to consider what is better: to have a little sorrow and eternal joy, rather than a little joy and eternal sorrow. And then, whatever path you choose, there will be no lack of those who will carefully count your steps.
Justice, Mercy, and the Timing of Death
The Lord clarifies that while death often follows natural laws, He also intervenes in mercy for the innocent and in justice for the wicked, all within His eternal foreknowledge.
In these paths, however, there are many pits, one after another and one before another, because in the age of youth and in the age of old age, one person dies sooner and another later—one in youth, another in old age. Therefore, the end of this life is well represented by these pits, which everyone will encounter—some in one way, others in another—just as their natural disposition requires and as it exists in my foreknowledge. If I were to take someone away against the natural order of their body, the devil would immediately have an opportunity to use it against me. And so, to ensure the devil doesn't find even the slightest thing in me that goes against justice, I act no differently toward the natural order of the body than I do toward the soul. Still, consider my goodness and my mercy! For, as the Master says, I provide virtue to those who don't have it. Out of great love, I give the kingdom of heaven to all those who have been baptized and die before the age of discretion, just as it is written: 'It has pleased my Father to give the kingdom of heaven to such as these.' I still show mercy to the infants of pagans out of my own compassion. For any of them who die before the age of discretion—because they cannot come to the knowledge of my face—will come to a certain place, which it is not permitted for you to know, where they will dwell without suffering.2 But those who have moved past that first stage and reached the age of discretion—the age of knowing good and evil—now have the power to choose whatever pleases them most; and according to how they then bend their will, their reward follows, because they were then able to read the writing inscribed at the crossroads of their lives: that it's better to endure a little pain at the beginning and have joy in the end, than to have joy at the beginning and pain in the end. Sometimes, however, people are taken before their natural time—due to murder, drunkenness, or something similar—because the devil's malice is so great that the sinner would suffer too long a punishment if they were to remain in the world any longer. And so, because justice and their sins demand it, some are taken away before their natural time. This removal was already in my foreknowledge from eternity, and it's impossible for anyone to go against it. In the same way, good people are sometimes taken away before their time because of the immense love I have for them, and because of the fervor of their own love and the hard work of self-denial they offer me. As I foresaw from eternity, justice sometimes requires that they be taken away. Therefore, I don't act against the natural order of the body any more than I do against that of the soul.
Read the original Latin
Filius loquebatur ad sponsam dicens: "Quando diabolus temptat te, dic ei ista tria: 'Verba Dei non possunt esse nisi vera.' Secundo: 'Deo nichil est impossibile.' Tercio, quod 'eciam tu, diabole, non poteris michi dare talem feruorem caritatis, qualem dat michi Deus.'"
Item ait Dominus ad sponsam dicens: "Ego video hominem tripliciter: Primo corpus extra, qualiter dispositum est. Secundo conscienciam intus, ad quid tendit et qualiter. Tercio cor eius, quid desiderat.
Sicut enim auis, que, videns piscem in mari, considerat profunditatem, attendit et procellas, sic ego vias omnium scio et considero et, quid unicuique debetur, attendo, quia perspicacioris visus et consideracionis sum ad sciendum, que sunt circa hominem, quam ipse sit ad cognoscendum se.
Ergo, quia omnia sic video et scio, potes querere a me, quare non subtraho malos, antequam venerint in profundum peccati. Ad quod ego personaliter, qui querebam, respondeo tibi:
'Ego sum creator omnium, et omnia sunt in presciencia mea, et que facta et que futura sunt, omnia scio et video. Sed licet omnia possum et scio, ex iusticia tamen non facio magis contra naturalem disposicionem corporis quam contra disposicionem anime. Omnis quippe homo secundum naturalem disposicionem corporis, que est in presciencia mea et erat ab euo, subsistit.'
Quod autem unus longioris vite erit, alter breuioris, hoc est secundum fortitudinem et infirmitatem nature et secundum quod corporalis disposicio habet se.
Quod autem unus cecus, alter claudus efficitur, vel aliquid huiusmodi, hoc non est propter prescienciam meam, cum omnia ita prescio, quod nullus fiet ex ea deterior vel aliquibus obsit presciencia mea.
Nec fit ex elementorum cursu et stacione sed ex occulta iusticia, indisposicione et inconseruacione nature. Peccatum enim et indisposicio nature multipliciter deformitatem adducunt membrorum.
Nec ideo fit, quia volo, sed quia ex iusticia permitto fieri. Quamuis enim omnia possim, iusticie tamen non resisto. Ergo, quod aliquis minus vel plus viuit, hoc est secundum nature infirme vel fortis disposicionem, que in presciencia mea est, contra quam venire nullus potest.
Similiter per similitudinem intelligere potes. Dato, quod essent due vie et ad eas una sola via duceret. In illis autem viis essent innumerabiles fosse, una contra aliam et super aliam. Finis vero unius illarum duarum viarum directa tendebat in infimum et finis alterius tendebat sursum.
In compitis vero viarum sic erat scriptum: 'Quicumque vadit per istam viam, incipit eam cum delectacione et voluptate carnis et terminat eam in magna miseria et confusione. Qui autem vadit per istam aliam viam, incipit cum modico et tolerabili labore et terminatur cum maximo gaudio et consolacione.'
Ille vero, qui incedebat primo per illam unam viam, cecus ex toto erat. Sed cum venisset ad compita viarum, aperiebantur oculi eius et videbat scripturam illam, in qua continebatur finis illarum duarum viarum.
Quam quidem scripturam cum ille attenderet et secum deliberaret, apparuerunt statim duo viri iuxta eum, ad quorum custodiam pertinebant ille due vie. Qui, considerantes viatorem in compitis, loquentes inter se dixerunt:
'Consideremus diligenter, per quam viam magis incedere voluerit, et eius, cuius viam magis elegerit, proprius erit.'
Viator autem, considerans secum fines viarum et merita, prudenti usus consilio eligebat magis viam, cuius principium erat modici doloris et finis gaudium, quam illam, que in gaudio incipiebat et terminabatur in dolore.
Tolerabilius enim credebat et sanius fore modico fatigari labore in principio et in fine quiescere secure.
Numquid scis tu, quid ista significent? Ego certe dicam tibi. Due iste vie sunt bonum et malum, quod ante hominem est. Quod magis eligere velit, in potestate sua et libero arbitrio suo constitutum est, cum venerit ad annos discrecionis.
Ad has duas vias, scilicet eleccionis boni et mali, una via ducit, scilicet etas adolescencie, ducens ad annos discrecionis. Qui hanc viam primam ambulat, quasi cecus est, quia ab adolescencia, usquequo homo venerit ad annos discrecionis, quasi cecus est, nesciens discernere inter bonum et malum, inter peccatum et virtutem, inter mandata et prohibita.
Ergo homo, ambulans in una sola via, scilicet in etate puerili, similis ceco est. Cum autem venerit ad compita viarum, idest ad annos discrecionis, tunc aperiuntur ei oculi intelligencie. Nam tunc scit considerare, quid sit melius, modicum habere dolorem et eternum gaudium quam modicum gaudium et eternum dolorem.
Et tunc, quamcumque viam elegerit, non deerunt illi, qui gressus eius diligenter numerabunt.
In istis autem viis multe sunt fosse, una contra aliam et una ante aliam, quia in etate iuuentutis et in etate senectutis unus moritur cicius, alter tardius, unus in iuuentute, alter in senectute. Ergo finis huius vite bene in fossis significari potest, quem habebunt omnes, unus sic, alius vero sic, prout naturalis disposicio exigit et prout in presciencia mea est.
Si enim aliquem contra naturalem disposicionem corporis subtraherem, statim contra me occasionem haberet diabolus. Et ideo, ne diabolus in minimo inueniat in me aliquid contra iusticiam, non magis facio contra naturalem disposicionem corporis quam anime.
Attamen considera bonitatem et misericordiam meam! Ego enim, sicut dicit magister, facio illis virtutem, qui non habent virtutem. Ego ex multa caritate omnibus illis, qui baptizati sunt et infra annos discrecionis moriuntur, do regnum celorum, sicut scribitur: Complacuit Patri meo talibus dare regnum celorum.
Adhuc eciam ex pietate mea facio cum infantibus paganorum misericordiam. Nam quicumque eorum infra annos discrecionis moriuntur, quia ad cognicionem faciei mee venire non possunt, venient in locum quendam, tibi non licitum scire, ubi sine cruciatu morabuntur.
Qui autem ab una via progressi veniunt ad illas, duas, idest ad annos discrecionis boni et mali, tunc in eorum potestate est eligere, quod magis eis placuerit, et secundum quod tunc flectunt voluntatem suam, talis eorum sequitur remuneracio, quia tunc sciebant legere scripturam scriptam in compitis viarum, scilicet, quod melius esset modicum habere dolorem in principio et in procinctu gaudium quam in principio gaudium et in fine dolorem.
Verumptamen contingit quandoque, quod ante naturalem disposicionem corporis aliqui subtrahuntur, utputa per homicidium, ebrietatem et aliquid huiusmodi, quia diaboli malicia tanta est, quod nimis longam peccator ille haberet penam, si diucius perseueraret in mundo.
Et ideo, exigente iusticia et peccatis, aliqui ante naturalem disposicionem corporis subtrahuntur. Que quidem subtraccio in presciencia mea ab euo fuit, contra quam aliquem venire impossibile est.
Sic eciam quandoque boni ante naturalem disposicionem corporis subtrahuntur, quia ex nimia caritate, quam ad eos habeo, et ipsi ex feruore dileccionis et ex labore refrenacionis corporis, quam habent ad me, sicut in presciencia mea ab euo fuerat, exigente iusticia quandoque subtrahuntur.
Ergo non magis facio contra naturalem disposicionem corporis quam anime."
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'prescienciam' and 'prescio' are rendered as 'foreknowledge' and 'foresee' to maintain the theological distinction between God's eternal knowledge and the causality of human events.
- 2 ↩The term 'age of discretion' (annos discrecionis) refers to the traditional theological threshold of moral accountability.
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