Verba Christi ad sponsam, capituli immediate precedentis declaracionem inferencia, et de occursu diaboli ad supradictum militem et de eius horribili condempnacione per iusticiam.
The Abandonment of Spiritual Warfare
Christ explains how a soul abandons the shield of faith, the sword of fear, and the promise of charity to pursue self-will.
To me, this entire life is nothing more than a single hour. Therefore, what I’m telling you now has always been within my foreknowledge. I mentioned earlier that one person began the true spiritual warfare, while another miserably turned away from it. But the one who turned away from that true warfare cast his shield before my feet and his sword at my side when, in fact, he broke his holy promise and profession. And what does the shield he threw away signify, if not the true faith he should have used to defend himself against the enemies of his faith and his soul?✦ And what are my feet, which I use to go to a person, if not the divine delight with which I draw that person to myself, and my patience, with which I endure them patiently? But he threw away this shield when, entering my temple, he thought to himself: 'I want to follow this Lord who has required no self-denial of me, who gives me what I desire, and who lets me hear what pleases my ears.' And so, he threw away the shield of my faith when he chose to follow his own will rather than me, and when he loved the creature more than the Creator. If he had possessed true faith, if he had believed that I am almighty, that I judge justly, and that I am the giver of eternal glory, he would have desired nothing but me, and feared nothing but me. But he cast aside my faith—right before my feet—and by scorning it and treating it as nothing, he neither sought my joy nor paid any mind to my patience. Then he threw the sword at my side. What does the sword signify but the fear of God, which a true soldier of God must keep continually in his hands—that is, in his actions? And what does my side signify, if not my care and protection, under which I cherish and defend my children just as a mother does her chicks, so that the devil may not harm them, and so that unbearable dangers may not come upon them? But he cast aside the sword of my fear when he didn't care to think about my power, nor did he pay attention to my love and patience. But he cast it aside at my side, as if to say: 'I don't fear you, nor do I care about your protection.' 'Everything I have is due to my own industry and nobility.' He also broke the promise he made to me. What is the true promise that a person is bound to vow to God? It is certainly the work of charity, so that whatever a person does, they do it out of the love of God. But he provoked her when he turned the love of God back toward self-love, and preferred all his own pleasure to the joy that is future and eternal. See how he was separated from me and walked out of the temple of my humility. For the bodies of all Christians in whom humility reigns are my temple. But those who harbor pride aren't my temple, but the devil's; he rules them as he pleases, driving them toward the appetites of the world. But having left the temple of my humility, and having cast aside the shield of holy faith and the sword of my fear, he went out into the open field with all pride; he gave himself over to every pleasure and to the appetite of his own will, and by despising my fear, he advanced in his own sin and pleasure.
The Judgment of the Rebellious Soul
At the moment of death, the soul is confronted by demons and divine justice, which pronounce the eternal consequences of its pride and betrayal.
But when he reached the very end of his life and his soul was departing from his body, the demons met him with great violence. In response, three voices rang out from hell. The first said: "Isn't this the one who turned away from humility and followed us in every kind of pride?" And if he could have climbed even two feet higher in pride above us, to surpass us and hold the top spot in pride, he would have gladly done it." The soul answered him, "It is truly I." Justice answered him, 'This is the reward for your pride: you'll fall from one demon to another, until you reach the lowest depths of hell.' And just as there wasn't a single demon who didn't know the specific penalty and punishment due for every useless thought and deed, so you won't escape any punishment, since you are a participant in every malice and wickedness.' A second voice cried out, saying, "Isn't this the one who separated himself from the professed service of God and joined our ranks?"1 The soul answered, "It is truly I." And Justice said, "This is the lot of your reward: that everyone who follows your malice will, by their own malice and punishment, increase your sorrow and your penalty, and upon their arrival to you, will strike you as if with a lethal wound." Just as someone with a festering wound would be in unbearable pain if they were wounded over and over until their body was covered in them—crying out 'woe upon woe'—so will misery upon misery come to you. Your pain will be renewed beyond every other pain, your punishment will never end, and your woe will never be lessened. A third voice cried out: 'Isn't this the one who sold the Creator for a creature, and the love of the Creator for his own love?' Justice replied, "It is indeed him." So, in a way, two openings will be made for him. Through the first, every punishment will enter into him—from the one established for the smallest sin up to the greatest—because he sold his Creator for his own pleasure. Through the second, every labor and confusion will enter into him, and neither consolation nor divine charity will ever enter into him, because he loved himself instead of his Creator.2 Therefore, life will last forever, and punishment will last forever, because all the saints turn their faces away from him.
A Warning to the Bride
Christ concludes with a final exhortation to his bride to consider the vanity of fleeting worldly pleasures compared to eternal suffering.
Look, my bride, how miserable those who despise me will be, and what a great deal of pain they're buying for themselves for the sake of such a fleeting pleasure!
Read the original Latin
"Omne tempus huius vite non est nisi quasi una hora apud me. Ideo, quod dico tibi nunc, hoc semper fuit in presciencia mea.
Dixi prius, quod unus erat, qui incepit veram miliciam, alter, qui misere discessit ab ea. Ille vero, qui discessit a vera milicia, proiecit clipeum ante pedes meos, gladium ad latus meum, quando scilicet fregit promissionem et professionem sanctam.
Quid autem notat clipeus, quem proiecit, nisi fidem rectam, qua contra inimicos fidei et anime sue se defenderet?
Quid vero sunt pedes mei, quibus ad hominem vado, nisi diuina delectacio, qua hominem michi attraho, et paciencia mea, qua eum suffero pacienter?
Hunc autem clipeum proiecit, quando ingrediens templum meum cogitabat apud se: 'Hunc dominum sequi volo, qui consuluit michi nullam abstinenciam, qui michi dat, que desidero, qui permittit me audire, que delectant aures.'
Sic ergo proiecit clipeum fidei mee, quando magis sequi voluit voluntatem propriam quam me, quando plus dilexit creaturam quam Creatorem.
Si enim habuisset rectam fidem, si credidisset me omnipotentem, si iuste iudicantem et datorem eterne glorie, nichil nisi me desiderasset, nichil nisi me timuisset.
Sed fidem meam abiecit, et hoc ante pedes meos, quando, spreta fide mea et pro nichilo reputata, nec gaudium meum querebat nec pacienciam meam attendebat.
Deinde proiecit gladium ad latus meum. Quid notat gladius nisi timorem Dei, quem verus miles Dei debet habere continue in manibus, idest in operacionibus suis?
Quid vero significat latus meum nisi custodiam et proteccionem meam, sub qua filios meos sicut mater pullos suos foueo et defendo, ne diabolus noceat eis, ne pericula intolerabilia adveniant eis?
Sed ille abiecit gladium timoris mei, quando non curauit cogitare potenciam meam nec attendebat caritatem meam et pacienciam.
Proiecit autem ad latus meum, quasi dicat: 'Non timeo nec curo de defensione tua. Ex industria enim mea est et nobilitate, quod habeo.'
Fregit eciam promissionem michi factam. Que est promissio vera, quam homo tenetur vouere Deo? Utique opus caritatis, ut, quidquid fecerit homo, hoc ex caritate Dei faciat.
Sed hanc irritauit, quando caritatem Dei retorsit ad amorem proprium, omnem voluptatem suam preposuit delectacioni future et eterne.
Ecce sic separabatur a me et exiuit de templo humilitatis mee. Omnia quippe Christianorum corpora, in quibus regnat humilitas, templum meum sunt.
In quibus autem est superbia, non templum meum sunt sed diaboli, qui eos iuxta voluntatem suam regit ad mundi appetitum.
Egressus autem de templo humilitatis mee et, reiecto clipeo fidei sancte et gladio timoris mei, ascendit in campum cum omni superbia, exercuit se in omni voluptate et appetitu voluntatis proprie, contempto timore meo proficiens in peccato suo et voluptate.
Dum autem venisset ad extremum finem vite sue et anima exiret de corpore, demones occurrerunt ei cum impetu.
Contra quam tres voces de inferno sonuerunt. Prima dixit:
'Numquid non est iste, qui recessit de humilitate et sequebatur nos in omni superbia? Et si adhuc duobus pedibus alcius in superbia supra nos ascendere posset, ut excederet nos et primatum haberet in superbia, libenter fecisset.'
Cui anima respondit: 'Vere ego sum.'
Cui respondit iusticia: 'Hec est retribucio tue superbie, ut de uno demone cadas ad alium, usquequo venias ad nouissimum inferni.
Et sicut nullus demonum erat, qui non sciebat certam penam suam et supplicium pro omni cogitatu inutili et opere infligendum, sic nullius supplicium effugies, quin omni malicie et nequicie particeps sis.'
Secunda vox clamabat dicens: 'Numquid non est iste, qui de milicia Dei professa se separauit et adhesit milicie nostre?'
Respondit anima: 'Vere ego sum.' Et dixit iusticia: 'Hec est sors premii tui, ut omnis, quicumque maliciam tuam sequitur, malicia sua et pena dolorem tuum et penam augmentabit et in aduentu suo ad te quasi letali vulnere percuciet te.
Sicut enim ille, qui haberet vulnus seuum, si ei vulnus super vulnus, usquequo corpus vulneribus plenum esset, inferretur, intolerabiliter affligeretur et clamaret ve super ve, sic miseria super miseriam veniet tibi.
Dolor tuus super omnem dolorem renouabitur, pena tua numquam deficiet et ve tuum numquam minuetur.'
Tercia vox clamabat: 'Numquid non est iste, qui vendidit Creatorem pro creatura, caritatem Creatoris pro amore suo?'
Respondit iusticia: 'Utique ipse est. Ideo aperientur ei quasi due aperture.
Per unam ingredietur ei omnis pena, constituta pro minimo peccato usque ad maximum, quia vendidit Creatorem suum pro voluptate sua.
Per secundam ingredietur ei omnis labor et confusio nec umquam ingredietur ei consolacio et caritas diuina, quia dilexit se pro Creatore suo.
Ideo sine fine durabit vita et sine fine durabit pena, quia ab eo omnes sancti auertunt faciem suam.'
Ecce, sponsa mea, quam miseri erunt, qui me contempnunt, et quantum dolorem emunt pro modica voluptate!"
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eph.6.16 — In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Notes
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