Verba matris ad filiam sancti Benedicti vite magnificentiam et perfectionem per exemplum ostendentia, et quomodo anima fructificans mundo per lignum infructiferum, et superbia mentis per silicem, et anima frigida per cristallum designatur, et de tribus scintillis valde notandis ab hijs tribus, scilicet cristallo, silice et ligno ortis.
The Three Fires of Benedictine Life
The Mother describes the spiritual discipline of Saint Benedict through the metaphor of three fires that once ignited the religious life.
The Mother says, "I told you before that the body of blessed Benedict was like a sack; it was disciplined and governed, but it did not govern." Finally, his soul was like an angel, radiating great heat and fire, just as I show you by an example: imagine three fires, the first of which, kindled in myrrh, gave off a sweet scent. The second was kindled in dry wood, which produced burning coals and a shining light. The third was kindled in olive wood, which produced a flame, light, and heat. In these three fires I understand three persons, and in those three persons, three states in the world. The first state was that of those who, having considered the love of God, surrendered their own will into the hands of others; who, in place of the world's vanity and pride, embraced poverty and lowliness; and in place of intemperance, chose self-control and purity. They carried fire within the myrrh, because just as myrrh is bitter yet drives away demons and quenches thirst, so their abstinence was bitter to the body, yet it extinguished disordered desire and emptied out all the power of the demons. The second state was that of those who thought to themselves: 'Why do we love the honor of the world, when it's nothing but air beating against the ears?' Why do we love gold, when it's just red earth? And what is the end of the flesh, if not rot and ash? But what good does it do us to crave earthly things, since they're all vanity? Instead, we should live and work for this alone: that God may be honored in us, and that others may be set on fire for God by our words and our examples. These people found their fire in the dry wood, because the love of the world was dead to them, and each of them gave off burning coals of justice and the radiance of divine preaching. The third group consisted of those who, burning with love for Christ’s passion, longed with their whole heart to die for Christ. These people had their fire in the olive tree. For just as an olive tree holds oil within itself and burns with a more intense heat when it is set aflame, so these people were completely saturated by divine grace; from this, they gave off the light of divine knowledge, the heat of a more fervent love, and the strength of a most honorable way of life. These three fires spread far and wide. The first of these was kindled in hermits and those in religious life, just as Jerome describes—he who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, found their lives to be marvelous and worthy of imitation. The second fire was kindled in confessors and teachers. The third was in the martyrs, who despised their own flesh for God—and others would have despised it too, had they obtained help from God. To some of these three states and fires, therefore, blessed Benedict was sent; he fused these three fires into one, to such an extent that those who were foolish were enlightened, and those who were cold were set on fire. Those who were already fervent became even more so. And so, with these fires, Benedict’s religious life began, guiding everyone—according to their own disposition and mental capacity—along the path of salvation and eternal happiness.1
The Warning of Spiritual Decay
A lamentation on the current state of the monastic order, where the fire of the Holy Spirit has been replaced by the smoke of greed and impurity.
But just as the sweetness of the Holy Spirit once breathed from the habit of blessed Benedict, through which many monasteries were renewed, so now the Holy Spirit departs from the habits of many of his brothers, because the heat of the embers has gone out and the torches lie scattered, giving off neither heat nor light, but only the smoke of impurity and greed.2
Three Sparks for Renewal
God provides three new sparks—the crystal, the flint, and the fruitless tree—to illustrate how different souls can be transformed and the monastic life renewed.
Still, for the comfort of many, God has given me three sparks through which I understand many things. The first is drawn from crystal by the heat and brilliance of the sun, which has already settled into dry ground, so that a great fire may come from it. The second is drawn from hard flint; the third from a fruitless tree that grew with its roots and spread out its leaves. The crystal, being a cold and fragile stone, represents the soul that, though cold in the love of God, still strives toward perfection with its will and heart's desire, and asks God for His help. This desire, therefore, carries the soul toward God and earns for it an increase in temptations, through which it cools toward wicked temptations, until God, illuminating the heart, so fixes Himself within the soul, emptied of all empty pleasure, that it no longer wishes to live except for the honor of God. The flint represents pride. For what is harder than the pride of a mind that craves the praise of everyone, yet still longs to be called humble and seen as devout? What is more detestable than a soul that puts itself above everyone in its thoughts, and yet cannot bear to be corrected or taught by anyone? Yet, many who are that proud still humbly ask God to take pride and ambition out of their hearts. Because of this, with their good will cooperating, God removes from their hearts what is contrary to Him, and sometimes what is gentle, by which they are both drawn away from worldly things and stirred toward heavenly ones. The fruitless tree represents a soul that, nourished by pride, bears fruit for the world and longs to possess the world and all its honors. Yet, because it fears eternal death, it roots out many stumps of sin that it would otherwise commit if it weren't afraid. Because of this fear, God draws near to the soul and breathes His grace into it, so that a barren tree might become fruitful. Therefore, with sparks like these, the religious life of Saint Benedict must be renewed, which now seems to many to be desolate and cast aside.
Read the original Latin
Loquitur mater: "Dixi tibi prius, quod corpus beati Benedicti erat quasi saccus, qui disciplinabatur et regebatur sed non regebat. Denique eius anima erat quasi angelus, qui dedit ex se calorem magnum et inflammationes, sicut per exemplum ostendo tibi, quasi si essent tres ignes, quorum primus succensus in mirra dedit ex se odorem suauitatis.
Secundus erat succensus in arido, qui dedit ex se carbones ardentes et splendorem fulgentem. Tercius succendebatur in oliua, qui dedit ex se flammam, lumen et calorem. In hijs tribus ignibus intelligo tres personas et in tribus personis tres status in mundo.
Primus status erat eorum, qui considerata caritate Dei reliquerunt voluntatem propriam in manus aliorum, qui pro vanitate et superbia mundi assumpserunt paupertatem et abiectionem pro intemperantia dilexerunt continentiam et puritatem.
Isti habuerunt ignem in mirra, quia sicut mirra est amara sed tamen fugat demonia et extinguit sitim, sic abstinentia eorum amara erat corpori sed tamen extinguebat inordinatam concupiscientiam et omnem potestatem demonum euacuabat.
Secundus status eorum erat, qui cogitabant secum taliter: 'Ad quid diligimus honorem mundi, cum sit aliud nisi quasi aer verberans aures? Ad quid diligimus aurum, cum non sit nisi terra rubea? Quis vero finis carnis nisi putredo et fauilla?
Ad quid vero nobis prodest concupiscere terrena, cum omnia sint vanitas, propterea ad hoc solum viuere et laborare volumus, ut Deus honoretur in nobis et ut alij ex verbis nostris et exemplis ad Deum igniantur.'
Isti tales ignem habuerunt in arido, quia amor mundi fuit eis mortuus et quilibet eorum dabat ex se carbones ardentes iusticie et fulgorem diuine predicationis. Tercius status erat illorum, qui de amore Christi passionis feruentes toto desiderio affectabant mori pro Christo.
Isti ignem suum habuerunt in oliua. Sicut enim oliua in se habet pinguedinem et feruentiorem calorem cum incenditur, sic isti totaliter impinguati fuerunt diuina gratia, ex qua dederunt ex se lumen diuine scientie, ardorem feruentioris caritatis, robur honestissime conuersationis.
Isti tres ignes longe lateque se dilatauerunt. Quorum primus incensus fuit in heremitis et religiosis, sicut describit Ieronimus, qui vitas eorum inspiratus spiritusancto inuenit mirabiles et merito imitandas.
Secundus incensus fuit in confessoribus et doctoribus. Tercius in martiribus, qui carnem suam pro Deo contempserunt et alij contempsissent, si auxilium a Deo obtinuissent. Ad quosdam igitur istorum trium statuum et ignium missus fuit beatus Benedictus, qui conflauit tres ignes in unum in tantum quod qui insipientes erant illuminabantur, qui frigidi inflammabantur;
qui feruentes erant, feruentiores efficiebantur. Et sic cum hijs ignibus incepit religio Benedicti, que unumquemque iuxta dispositionem et capacitatem sensus sui dirigebat in viam salutis et eterne felicitatis.
Nunc autem sicut de sacco beati Benedicti spirabat dulcedo spiritussancti, per quem multa monasteria innouabantur, sic de sacco multorum fratrum eius discedit spiritussanctus, quia calor cineris extinctus est et faces iacent disperse nec dantes ex se calorem nec splendorem sed fumum impuritatis et cupiditatis.
Verumtamen ad solacium multorum dedit michi Deus tres scintillas, in quibus intelligo plures. Prima extracta est de cristallo per solis calorem et splendorem, que se iam in arido fixit, ut fiat ex ea magnus ignis.
Secunda extracta est de duro silice; tercia de ligno infructuoso, quod creuit cum radicibus suis et folia sua dilatauit.
Per cristallum vero, qui est lapis frigidus et fragilis, significatur anima illa, que licet frigida sit in amore Dei, tamen voluntate et affectu conatur ad perfectionem et rogat Deum sibi in adiutorium.
Ideo voluntas ista portat eum ad Deum et meretur, ut accrescant ei temptationes, per quas frigescit a temptatione praua, donec Deus irradians cor, sic figit se in anima a voluptate vacua, ut iam non velit viuere nisi ad honorem Dei.
Per silicem vero significatur superbia. Quid enim durius est superbia mentis illius, qui omnium desiderat laudes et tamen concupiscit vocari humilis et videri deuotus?
Quid abhominabilius anima illa, que omnibus in cogitationibus se prefert et a nullis patitur obiurgari nec doceri? Verumtamen multi sic superbi petunt humiliter a Deo, ut ab eorum cordibus auferatur superbia et ambitio.
Propterea Deus cooperante voluntate bona ammouet a cordibus eorum contraria et, quandoque mollia quibus et a mundialibus retrahuntur et ad celestia incitantur.
Per lignum vero infructuosum significatur anima illa, que nutrita in superbia fructificat mundo et desiderat habere mundum et omnem honorem suum. Attamen, quia timet mortem eternam multos stipites peccati extirpat, que aliter, si non timeret, perpetraret.
Propterea Deus propter istum timorem appropinquat anime et inspirat gratiam suam, ut lignum inutile fiat fructuosum. Itaque cum talibus scintillis religio beati Benedicti renouari debet, que modo videtur multis desolata et abiecta."
Notes
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