Verba monicionis Iohannis Baptiste ad sponsam in figura, in qua Deus per auem picam, anima per pullos, corpus per nidum, mundi delectaciones per animalia ferocia, superbia per aues rapaces, mundi leticia per laqueum designantur.
The Call to Spiritual Flight
God, like a mother bird, calls the soul out of the nest of the body to soar toward heaven through grace, reason, and the example of Christ.
John the Baptist spoke to the bride of Christ, saying: "The Lord Jesus has called you from darkness into light, from impurity into perfect purity, and from narrowness into breadth." How much, then, are you obligated to thank Him for these things? Who could ever explain it, or when would you ever be enough? Nevertheless, do what you can. There is a bird known as a magpie. It loves its chicks because the eggs they hatched from were once inside its own body. This bird builds its nest out of old, worn-out things for three reasons: first, for rest; second, for shelter from rain and extreme drought; and third, to nurture its young, which come from eggs. Out of love, the bird settles itself over them and warms the young. Once the chicks are born, the mother entices them to fly in three ways: first, by providing food; second, by her persistent calling; and third, by demonstrating how to fly herself. Because the fledglings love their mother and are accustomed to her food, they first venture out little by little, with the mother leading the way above the nest; then, according to their strength, they progress further until they are perfected by practice and skill. This bird is God, who exists eternally and never changes, and from the womb of His divinity all rational souls proceed. Every soul has a nest prepared from worn-out things, because the body, which is of the earth, is joined to the soul. In this nest, God nourishes the soul with the food of good affections, protects it from the birds of evil thoughts, and gives it rest from the rain of evil actions.1 Because the soul is joined to the body for this purpose—that it might rule the body rather than be ruled by it, and that it might stir the body to labor and provide for it reasonably—God, like a good mother, teaches the soul to advance toward better things and teaches it to move from the narrow into the spacious. First, by providing food, God gives understanding and reason according to each person's capacity, showing the mind what it should choose and what it should avoid. But just as a mother first leads her chicks out above the nest, so a person first learns to think about heavenly things, and also to think about how cramped and lowly the nest of the body is, how bright heavenly things are, and how delightful eternal things are. God also leads the soul out through His own voice, calling out: 'Whoever follows me will have life; whoever loves me will not die.' This voice leads to heaven. Anyone who doesn't listen to it is either deaf or ungrateful for a mother's love. Third, God leads the soul out through flight—that is, through the example of His humanity. This glorious humanity had, so to speak, two wings: first, because in Him there was every purity and nothing defiled; second, because He did all things well. On these two wings, the humanity of God flew through the world. Therefore, the soul should follow these as much as it can; and if it can't do so in deed, it should at least strive to do so in will.
Dangers on the Wing
The soul must exercise discernment to avoid the traps of worldly desire, pride, and empty joy that threaten its spiritual ascent.
But when the fledgling flies out, there are three things it must watch for. First, regarding the fierce animals: don't let the fledgling settle near them on the ground, because it isn't as strong as they are. Second, let the soul beware of greedy birds, because the fledgling itself isn't yet quick enough to fly away as those birds are, and therefore it's safer to stay in its hiding place. Third, you must be careful not to crave the prey that has a trap hidden inside it. The fierce animals I mentioned are the world's pleasures and desires. The fledgling must be on guard against them, because they seem sweet to the touch, good to possess, and beautiful to look at. But when they seem to be caught, they quickly slip away; yet when you think they're bringing you pleasure, they bite without mercy. Second, you must guard against greedy birds. These are pride and ambition. For these are the ones that always want to climb higher and higher, to get ahead of other birds, and to despise those below them. The soul, however, should be on guard against these things and long to remain in the hidden place of humility, so it doesn't grow proud of the grace it has been given, doesn't look down on those who are lesser or have received less grace, and doesn't think itself better than anyone else. Third, you must be on guard against prey that hides a trap. For this is what the joy of the world is. While it might seem good to have laughter on your lips and pleasure in your body, a sting lies hidden within them. Excessive laughter leads to excessive joy, and bodily pleasure leads to an unsteady mind; from these things, sadness follows—whether at the time of death, before it, or in the midst of tribulation.2 Hurry then, my daughter, and frequently leave your nest out of a longing for heavenly things! Watch out for the beasts of desire and the birds of pride! Beware the trap of empty joy!
Steadfastness in Divine Love
The bride is exhorted to reject worldly instability and praise, trusting in God's promise to sustain her until she reaches eternal rest.
Then the mother spoke to the bride and said, "Beware of the bird stained with pitch, because anyone who touches it gets stained." For this is the friendship of the world: as unstable as the air, and corrupt in its pursuit of favor and in its evil company. Don't worry about honors, don't pay attention to favors, and don't look for praise or blame. For from these things comes an inconstancy of soul and a diminishing of divine love. Stand firm, then! For God, who has begun to draw you out of the nest, will feed you until death. After death, however, you won't experience any hunger. He will protect you from pain, defend you in this life, and after death, you'll have nothing to fear.
Read the original Latin
Iohannes Baptista loquebatur ad sponsam Christi dicens: "Dominus Iesus vocauit te de tenebris in lucem, de immundicia in perfectam mundiciam, de angustia in latitudinem.
Quantum ergo sibi pro hiis regraciari teneris, quis explicare valet aut quando sufficeres? Verumptamen facito, quantum vales!
Est auis quedam, que dicitur pica. Hec enim diligit pullos, quia oua, unde processerunt pulli, fuerunt in ventre eius.
Hec auis facit sibi nidum de rebus inueteratis et attritis propter tria: primo propter requiem, secundo propter latibulum a pluuia et nimia siccitate, tercio, ut nutriat pullos suos, qui fiunt ex ouis; que auis ex caritate componendo se super ea fouet pullos.
Cum vero pulli nati sunt, mater allicit eos ad volandum per tria: primo per cibi administracionem, secundo per sedulam vocem, tercio per volatus sui exemplificacionem.
Pulli vero, quia diligunt matrem, assueti cibo matris ferunt se primo paulatim precedente matre supra nidum; inde iuxta vires progrediuntur ulterius, donec ex usu et arte sunt perfecti.
Hec auis Deus est, qui eternaliter est et numquam immutatur, et ex deitatis eius utero omnes anime racionales egrediuntur.
Cuilibet vero anime paratur nidus de rebus attritis, quia corpus de terra consociatur anime, in quo Deus animam nutrit cibo bonarum affeccionum, defendit ab auibus malarum cogitacionum et dat requiem a pluuia malarum accionum.
Quelibet vero anima quia tali de causa coniungitur corpori, ut ipsa corpus regat et nequaquam ab eo regatur et ut corpus ad laborem excitet et ei racionabiliter prouideat, ideo Deus tamquam mater bona docet animam proficere in meliora, docet exire de arto in laciora.
Primo per cibum dando intelligenciam et racionem iuxta capacitatem uniuscuiusque, indicando menti, quid eligendum sit quidue fugiendum.
Sed sicut mater primo educit pullos supra nidum, sic homo primo addiscit cogitare celestia, cogitare eciam, quam artus et vilis sit nidus corporis, quam lucida sunt celestia et quam delectabilia sunt eterna.
Educit eciam Deus animam per vocem suam, qua clamat: 'Qui sequitur me, habebit vitam; qui diligit me, non morietur.'
Hec vox ducit ad celum. Hanc qui non audierit, aut surdus est aut ingratus dileccioni matris.
Tercio educit Deus animam per volatum, idest per humanitatis sue exemplum. Hec humanitas gloriosa habuit quasi duas alas: primo, quia in eo erat omnis mundicia et nichil coinquinatum; secundo, quia omnia bona fecit.
Hiis duabus alis volabat humanitas Dei in mundo. Has ergo sequatur anima, quantum potest, et si non poterit opere, saltem conetur voluntate.
Cum autem euolat pullus, cauenda sunt sibi tria.
Primo pro animalibus ferocibus, ne resideat iuxta ea super terram, quia ipse pullus non est fortis sicut illa.
Secundo caueat ab auibus cupidis, quia ipse pullus adhuc non est celer euolare, sicut aues ille sunt, et ideo in latibulo tucius est morari.
Tercio caueat, ne concupiscat predam, in qua est laqueus.
Animalia ista ferocia, que dixi, sunt delectaciones et cupiditates mundi. Ab hiis enim sibi caueat pullus, quia dulces videntur sentiri, bone ad possidendum et pulchre ad videndum.
Sed cum putantur teneri, euadunt celeriter; cum vero creduntur delectari, mordent immisericorditer.
Secundo caueat ab auibus cupidis. Hee sunt superbia et ambicio. Iste enim sunt, que semper alcius et alcius desiderant ascendere et alias aues precedere et odire inferiores.
Ab hiis autem caueat pullus et desideret in latibulo humilitatis morari, ut non superbiat de data gracia, non contemnat inferiores et minoris gracie, non cogitet se aliquibus meliorem.
Tercio caueat a preda, in qua est laqueus. Hec enim est leticia mundi.
Nam bonum videtur habere risum in ore et delectacionem in corpore, sed latet in hiis aculeus.
Adducit enim immoderatus risus immoderatam leticiam, voluptas corporis adducit in constanciam mentis, ex quibus consequitur tristicia vel in morte vel ante seu in tribulacione.
Festina igitur, filia, et tu egredi frequenter de nido tuo per desiderium celestium! Caue tibi a bestiis cupiditatum et ab auibus superbie! Caue a preda leticie vane!"
Deinde loquebatur mater ad sponsam et ait: "Caue de aue, que tincta est pice, quia omnes, qui tangunt eam, maculantur.
Hec enim est amicicia mundi, instabilis ut aer, feda in acquisicione fauoris et societate mala.
Non cures de honoribus, non attendas ad fauores, non respicias ad laudem vel vituperium!
Nam ex hiis prouenit inconstancia animi et diminucio diuine caritatis. Sta igitur stabilis! Deus enim, qui te incepit extrahere de nido, pascet te usque ad mortem.
Post mortem vero non habebis famem. Custodiet eciam te a dolore, defendet te in vita, et post mortem nichil timebis."
Notes
- 1 ↩The term 'rebus attritis' (worn-out or rubbed-down things) suggests the humble, earthly, or transient materials from which the 'nest'—the body—is fashioned.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'in constanciam' is rendered here as 'unsteady mind' to capture the loss of interior stability or recollection caused by bodily indulgence.
Revelationes (Heavenly Revelations) companion
Keep going — one revelation a day
The full 496-chapter Revelationes lives in the Chosen Portion app, served as free daily portions.
Birgitta's revelations arrived over three decades of daily attentiveness, and the Chosen Portion app lets readers receive them the same way — one portion per day.
- Finish the guided path in 8 weeks at roughly 15 minutes a day
- All 8 books, 496 chapters, in modern English — the complete transmitted text
- Daily delivery so a 30-year masterwork becomes a sustainable habit