Verba Filii, presente sponsa, de quodam rege existente in campo cum amicis ad dexteram et inimicis ad sinistram et qualiter per talem regem Christus, habens Christianos ad dexteram et paganos ad sinistram, designatur et qualiter reiectis Christianis suos mittit predicatores ad paganos.
The King and the Blinded Soldiers
Christ illustrates the spiritual blindness of those who turn away from His truth to follow the deceptions of the world.
The Son said, "I am like a king standing in a field, with his friends on his right and his enemies on his left." As they stood there, the voice of someone crying out came to the right side, where all those who were well-armed were standing. They had their helmets fastened and their faces turned toward the Lord. But a voice cried out, "Turn to me and believe me!" I have gold to give you." Those who heard it turned toward him. Once they had turned, the voice said a second time: 'If you want to see the gold, take off your helmets; and if you desire to possess it, I will bind your helmets again according to my will.' As they favored him, he fastened their helmets on backward, so that the front openings through which they were meant to see were at the back of their heads, and the rear of the helmet obscured their eyes so they couldn't see. And so, calling out, he led those blind men after him.
The Rejection of Grace
The King attempts to call His blinded people back to Him, but they mock His messengers and refuse to repent.
After this happened, some of the king's friends reported to their lord that his people had been tripped up by his enemies. He said to his friends: Go among them and call out: Take off your helmets and see, for you've been deceived! Turn back to me, and I'll receive you in peace! They refused to listen and instead treated it as a joke.
A New Call to the Nations
Having been rejected by His own, the King extends an invitation of peace and salvation to those on the left, the pagans.
The servants heard this and reported it to their lord, who said: 'Since they have rejected me, go quickly to the left and tell those standing there these three things: The way that leads you to life is prepared for you.' The door is open. And the Lord himself wants to meet you in peace. Therefore, believe firmly that the way is prepared for you. Trust steadily that the door is open and that his words are true. Go to meet the Lord with love, and he himself will receive you with love and peace, and lead you into everlasting peace. Those who heard the messengers' words believed, and they were welcomed in peace.
The Anatomy of Spiritual Pride
The King explains the nature of the Christians' fall, detailing how pride and worldly affection have inverted their spiritual vision.
I am the King who kept Christians at my right hand, because I prepared an eternal good for them. Their helmets were then fastened and their faces turned toward me, when they had a perfect will to do my will, to obey my commands, and their whole desire was set on heaven. At last the voice of the devil—that is, pride—sounded in the world, showing off the world's riches and carnal pleasure. They turned toward it when they gave their affection and consent to pride. Because of this, they took off their helmets when they acted on their desires, putting worldly things before spiritual ones.1 Having therefore cast aside the helmets of divine will and the armor of the virtues, pride has now so prevailed in them and has so bound them to itself that they willingly desire to sin until the very end, and they would gladly live forever, so that they might be able to sin forever. It has even so clouded them that the openings of their helmets, through which they ought to see, are at the back of their heads, while in front there is only darkness. For what are the openings in these helmets, if not a consideration of things to come and a watchful circumspection of the present? Through the first opening, they ought to consider the eternal rewards and how delightful they are, the future punishments and how horrible they are, and how terrible the judgments of God are. Through the second opening, they should consider what God has commanded and what He has forbidden, how far they've strayed from God's commands, and how they might make amends. But these openings are at the back of the head, where nothing is seen, because the contemplation of heavenly things has been given over to oblivion. The love of God has grown cold, but the love of the world is considered and embraced so sweetly that it leads them along just like a well-greased wheel, wherever it wants.
The Mission of the Faithful
The King commissions His faithful friends to intercede and preach to the pagans, promising His presence and protection in their labor.
Yet my friends, seeing my dishonor, the fall of souls, and the devil's dominion, cry out to me daily in their prayers on their behalf. Their prayers have pierced the heavens and entered my ears, and moved by their petitions, I have sent them my preachers daily, shown them signs, and multiplied my grace for them. But they rejected everything and added sin upon sin. Therefore, I will now say to my servants, and I will fulfill it in truth: 'Go, my servants, to the left—that is, to the pagans—who until now have been held in contempt as if they were on the left.' Go, I say, and say this: The Lord of heaven and Creator of all things has this message for you: the way to heaven is open to you. Be willing to enter with firm faith. The gate of heaven stands open for you. Hope firmly, and you'll enter in. The King of heaven and Lord of the angels wants to come to you personally to give you peace and an everlasting blessing. Go out to meet Him and receive Him with the faith He shows you, for it's the way the path to heaven is prepared! Receive him with the hope you already have, since he now intends to give you heaven! Love him with your whole heart and with complete devotion, and enter the gates of God—gates from which Christians who refuse to enter, and who make themselves unworthy through their own actions, will be turned away. I tell you the truth: I will fulfill my words and will not let them go. I will receive you as my children and be a father to you—the one whom Christians have so contemptuously spurned. You, therefore, my friends who are in the world, go forward with confidence and cry out; announce my will to them and help them, so that they may be able to fulfill it. I will be in your heart and on your lips. I will be your guide in life and your protector in death. I won't abandon you. Move forward boldly, because glory grows out of labor. I could do everything in a single moment and with a single word, but I want your reward to grow out of your struggle, and my honor to grow out of your strength.
The Urgency of Salvation
The King reveals the vast number of souls lost to hell and explains that His urgent call is intended to diminish the devil's harvest.
Don't be surprised that I speak. If the wisest person in the world could see how many souls descend into hell every day, they would outnumber the grains of sand in the sea or the pebbles on the shore. This, in fact, is justice: that they have separated themselves from God and their Lord. I speak so that the devil's number may be diminished, the danger may be known, and my army may be filled, in case they might listen and come to their senses.
Read the original Latin
Filius loquebatur: "Ego sum quasi rex, qui stabat in campo, ad cuius dexteram stabant amici et ad sinistram inimici. Quibus stantibus vox una cuiusdam clamantis venit ad dexteram, ubi omnes bene armati stabant.
Galeas habebant ligatas et facies conuersas ad dominum. Clamabat autem vox sic: 'Vertite vos ad me et credite michi! Ego habeo aurum dare vobis.'
Qui audientes verterunt se ad eum. Quibus versis dixit vox secundo: 'Si volueritis videre aurum, soluite galeas vestras, et si possidere desideratis, ego iterum ligabo galeas vestras ad voluntatem meam.'
Quibus fauentibus ei, ligauit galeas eorum ex transuerso ita, quod anteriora foramina, per que videre debebant, erant in occipite, et posteriora galee obumbrabant oculos, ne viderent. Et sic ille clamans cecos duxit eos post se.
Quibus gestis nunciauerunt amici quidam regis domino suo, quod homines sui ab inimicis suis essent supplantati. Qui ait ad amicos suos:
'Exite inter illos et clamate sic: Soluite galeas vestras et videte, quia decepti estis! Conuertimini ad me, et ego recipiam vos in pace!'
Qui noluerunt audire sed habuerunt pro derisu.
Quod serui audientes, nunciauerunt hoc domino suo, qui ait: 'Ergo quia ipsi contempserunt me, cito procedite ad sinistram et dicite eis, qui ad sinistram stant, hec tria: Via, que ducit vos ad vitam, parata est vobis. Porta aperta est. Et dominus personaliter cum pace vult occurrere vobis.
Ergo credite firmiter viam esse paratam! Sperate stabiliter portam esse apertam et verba eius esse vera! Occurrite cum caritate domino, et ipse cum caritate et pace suscipiet vos et ducet in perpetuam pacem!'
Qui audientes verba nunciorum crediderunt et suscepti sunt in pace.
Ego sum ille rex, qui Christianos habui ad dexteram, quia eis eternum bonum preparaui. Quorum galee tunc ligate et facies ad me verse erant, quando voluntatem perfectam habuerunt facere voluntatem meam, obedire mandatis meis et desiderium totum erat ad celum.
Tandem vox diaboli, idest superbia, sonuit in mundo, que ostendit mundi diuicias et carnalem voluptatem. Ad quam tunc se verterunt, cum affectum et consensum superbie dederunt.
Pro qua et tunc galeas deposuerunt, cum affectum opere compleuerunt et temporalia spiritualibus preposuerunt.
Depositis ergo galeis diuine voluntatis et armis virtutum, tantum nunc superbia preualuit in eis et tantum eos sibi obligauit, quod libenter usque in finem volunt peccare, et libenter in eternum vellent viuere, ut in eternum possent peccare.
Que eciam sic obumbrauit eos, quod foramina galearum, per que videre deberent, stant in occipite et in fronte tenebre sunt.
Que enim sunt foramina galearum nisi consideracio futurorum et prouida circumspeccio presencium?
Per primum foramen deberent considerare premia eterna, quam delectabilia sunt, et futura supplicia, quam horribilia sunt, ac Dei iudicia quam terribilia.
Per secundum foramen deberent considerare, que essent precepta a Deo et que prohibita, quantum excederent a mandatis Dei et quomodo emendarent.
Sed hec foramina stent in occipite, ubi nichil videtur, quia consideracio celestium tradita est obliuioni. Amor Dei refriguit, amor autem mundi tam suauiter consideratur et amplectitur, quod eos ducit tamquam rotam bene unctam ad quodcumque velit.
Verumptamen amici mei, videntes dehonestatem meam, animarum casum et diaboli dominium, cotidie pro eis ad me precibus suis clamant.
Quorum preces penetrauerunt celum et intrauerunt aures meas, et flexus precibus eorum misi eis cotidie predicatores meos, ostendi signa et multiplicaui eis graciam meam. Sed omnia spernentes, peccata peccatis addiderunt.
Propterea dicam nunc seruis meis et in veritate complebo: Procedite, serui mei, ad sinistram, idest ad paganos, qui tamquam ad sinistram in contemptu usque huc fuerunt! Procedite, inquam, et dicite sic:
'Dominus celi et creator omnium facit vobis dici: Via celi aperta est vobis. Habete voluntatem intrandi cum firma fide! Porta celi stat vobis aperta. Sperate firmiter, et intrabitis in eam!
Rex celi et dominus angelorum vult personaliter occurrere vobis et dare pacem et perpetuam benediccionem. Occurrite ei et suscipite eum cum fide eius, quam vobis ostendit, qua via celi preparatur!
Suscipite eum cum spe, qua speratis, cum ipse habet iam velle dare vobis celum! Diligite eum toto corde et opere complete, et ingredimini portas Dei, a quibus Christiani, qui eas ingredi nolunt et se indignos per opera sua faciunt, repellentur!'
In veritate mea dico vobis, quod complebo verba mea et non dimittam. Suscipiam vos in filios et ero vobis in patrem, quem Christiani contemptibiliter contempserunt.
Vos ergo, amici mei, qui estis in mundo, procedite securi et clamate, annunciate eis voluntatem meam et iuuate, ut possint complere! Ego ero in corde et in ore vestro. Ego ero dux vester in vita et conseruator in morte.
Non relinquam vos. Procedite audacter, quia ex labore crescit gloria! Omnia enim possem in uno puncto et verbo, sed volo, ut ex certamine crescat vobis merces et ex virilitate vestra crescat honor meus.
Nec miremini, quod loquor! Nam si sapientissimus in mundo posset considerare, quot anime descendunt cotidie in infernum, plures essent quam arena maris dinumerata et lapilli riparum.
Hec enim est iusticia, quia se a Deo et Domino suo separauerunt. Propterea ut minuatur numerus diaboli, sciatur periculum et impleatur exercitus meus, loquor, si forte audierint et resipiscant."
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'galeas' (helmets) is used here metaphorically for the defenses of the soul or the armor of virtue mentioned in the surrounding context.
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