Responsio Ihesu Christi ad sponse preces pro infidelibus, scilicet quod Deus ex malicia malorum hominum honoratur, licet non ex virtute eorum et voluntate, quod sibi probat per exemplum, in quo ecclesia vel anima per Virginem, et nouem ordines angelorum per nouem fratres Virginis, Christus per regem, tres status hominum per tres filios regis designantur.
The Mystery of Divine Honor
Christ addresses the soul's concern regarding the honor of God amidst the prevalence of human malice.
"O Lord my Jesus Christ, I ask you that your faith may be spread among the faithless, that the good may be set more ablaze by your love, and that the wicked may truly be made better." The Son replied: "You're troubled because God receives less honor." Yet you desire with all your heart that the honor of God be made complete. I'll give you an example so you can understand how God is honored even by the malice of wicked people, though not by their virtue or their will. For there was a certain virgin who was wise, beautiful, wealthy, and well-mannered, and she had nine brothers, each of whom loved their sister as their own heart, and each one's heart was, as it were, in her. In the kingdom where the maiden lived, the law stated that whoever honored her would be honored, whoever robbed her would be robbed, and whoever violated her would be beheaded.
The Parable of the King's Sons
Through the allegory of a king and his three sons, Christ illustrates how God judges different states of the human soul.
The king of the realm had three sons; the first loved the virgin and presented her with gilded shoes, a golden belt, a ring for her hand, and a crown for her head. The second, however, coveted the virgin's possessions and plundered her. The third coveted the virgin's purity, working to violate her. The king's three sons were captured by the virgin's nine brothers and brought before the king. The brothers told him, "Your sons have lusted after our sister." The first one honored her and loved her with his whole heart. The second despoiled her. The third one, however, would have gladly given his life if he could have violated her. The moment they were seized, they had a complete will to carry out the things already mentioned. Hearing this, the king replied, "They are all my sons, and I love them all equally." Nevertheless, I cannot and will not act against justice, but I intend to judge the sons just as I judge the servants.' Therefore, my son, you who have honored the virgin, come and receive honor and a crown with your father. But you, son, who coveted the possession of the virgin and took her by force, you will indeed enter prison until what was stolen is restored. I have heard the testimony against you: that while you were repentant for your actions and wanted to make restitution for what you took, you were cut off by a swift and sudden judgment before you could finish; therefore, you will remain imprisoned until the last penny is paid. But you, my son, who used every effort to violate the virgin and have felt no repentance for your actions, Therefore, for every way you dishonored the virgin, your punishment will be increased in just as many ways. All the brothers of the virgin replied, 'Praise be to you, Judge, for your justice.' If virtue hadn't been in you, and fairness in your justice, and indeed charity in your fairness, you would never have judged in such a way.'
Interpreting the Allegory
Christ explains the symbolic meaning of the virgin, the king's sons, and the angelic orders.
This virgin represents the holy Church, whose character is excellent in faith, beautiful in the seven Sacraments, praiseworthy in its conduct and virtues, and lovable in its fruit, because it shows the true way to eternity. This holy Church has, as it were, three sons, in whom many others are represented. The first are those who love God with their whole heart. The second are those who love temporal things for their own honor. The third are those who put their own will before God. But the virginity of the Church and the soul are the people created by the power of the Godhead alone. The first son offers gilded shoes when he feels compunction for the negligence and sins he has committed. He offers garments when he attends to the precepts of the law and keeps the evangelical counsels as best he can. They put on the belt when they firmly resolve to persevere in self-control and chastity. They also place the ring on their hand when they firmly believe what the holy Catholic Church teaches—namely, the coming judgment and eternal life. The stone of the ring is hope, which trusts steadily that no sin is so abominable that it can't be wiped away by repentance and the will to make amends. The crown is placed on the head when one possesses true charity. For just as there are various stones in a crown, so there are various virtues in charity. My body is the head of the soul, or of the Church. Whoever loves and honors this is deservedly called a child of God. So, whoever loves the holy Church and their own soul in this way has nine brothers—that is, the nine orders of angels—because they will be a participant and companion with them in eternal life. The angels themselves embrace the holy Church with such complete love, it's as if it were in the heart of each one of them. For the holy Church isn't made of stone and walls, but of the souls of the just; and that's why the angels rejoice in their honor and progress as if it were their own.
Justice, Mercy, and the Sovereignty of God
The chapter concludes by clarifying how God permits evil to exist while remaining perfectly just and worthy of praise.
The second brother or son represents those who, while scorning the order of the holy Church, live for worldly honor and fleshly desires; they distort the beauty of the virtues and live according to their own will, yet toward the end, they repent and are pierced with compunction for their evil deeds. These people are owed a time of purification until they are reconciled to God through the works and prayers of the Church. The third son represents those who scandalize their own soul and don't care if they perish eternally, as long as they can satisfy their own pleasure. The nine orders of angels seek justice against these people, because they refused to turn to repentance. Therefore, when God executes justice, the angels praise Him for His inflexible fairness. When the honor of God is truly fulfilled, they rejoice in His power, because He even uses the malice of the wicked for His own honor. So, when you see the wicked, have compassion on them, but rejoice in the eternal honor of God. For God, who wills no evil—because He is the Creator of all and truly good in Himself alone—still permits many things to happen as the most just Judge, through which He is honored in heaven and on earth for His fairness and hidden goodness.
Read the original Latin
"O, Domine mi Ihesu Christe, rogo te, ut fides tua dilatetur super infideles, boni accendantur caritate tua amplius, mali vero meliorentur." Respondit filius: "Tu turbaris ex eo, quod Deus minorem habet honorem. Desideras vero toto corde, ut perficiatur honor Dei.
Ideo do tibi unum exemplum, quo intelligere poteris, quod Deus eciam ex malicia malorum honoratur, licet non ex virtute et voluntate eorum. Nam virgo quedam erat sapiens et decora, diues et morigerosa, que habebat nouem fratres, quorum quilibet diligebat sororem suam, sicut cor suum et uniuscuiusque cor erat quasi in illa.
In regno vero, ubi virgo erat, tale erat statutum, quod, quicumque honoraret, honoraretur, qui depredaret, depredaretur, qui vero violaret, decapitaretur.
Rex vero regni habebat tres filios, quorum primus diligebat virginem et presentauit ei calceos deauratos cum cingulo aureo, anulum in manu et coronam super caput. Secundus vero concupiuit possessionem virginis et depredatus est eam. Tercius concupiuit virginitatem virginis laborans, ut eam violaret.
Isti vero tres filij regis capti sunt a nouem fratribus virginis et presentati regi. Cui dixerunt fratres: 'Sororem nostram concupierunt filij tui. Primus quidem honorauit eam et dilexit toto corde. Secundus spoliauit eam. Tercius vero libenter dedisset vitam suam, si valuisset violare eam.
In illo vero puncto rapti sunt, quo voluntatem completam habuerunt ad ista iam dicta perficienda.' Quibus auditis respondit rex: 'Omnes', inquiens,' filij mei sunt et omnes equaliter diligo. Verumtamen contra iusticiam facere non possum nec volo sed ita de filijs sicut de seruis intendo iudicare.
Itaque, tu fili mi, qui honorasti virginem, veni et accipe honorem et coronam cum patre tuo. Tu vero fili, qui concupisti possessionem virginis et rapuisti, intrabis quidem carcerem, donec restituantur ablata.
Audiui enim testimonium super te, quod penitens de facto tuo voluisti reddere ablata, sed quia preuentus celeri et inopinato iudicio non perfecisti, ideo manebis incarceratus, donec restituatur quadrans. Tu vero, fili mi, qui ad violandum virginem omnes adhibuisti conatus nec de facto tuo penituisti,
ideo quot modos adhibuisti ad dehonestationem virginis, tot modis aggrauabitur pena tua. Responderunt omnes fratres virginis: 'Laus sit tibi iudex pro iusticia tua. Nisi enim virtus fuisset in te et in iusticia tua equitas, in equitate tua vero caritas, numquam taliter iudicasses.'
Hec autem virgo significat ecclesiam sanctam, cuius dispositio est excellens in fide, pulcra in septem sacramentis, laudabilis in moribus et virtutibus, amabilis in fructu, quia demonstrat veram viam ad eternitatem.
Hec sancta ecclesia quasi tres habet filios, in quibus significantur plures. Primus sunt illi qui diligunt Deum toto corde. Secundus sunt illi, qui temporalia diligunt ad honorem suum. Tercius sunt illi qui preponunt Deo voluntatem suam. Virginitas vero ecclesie anime sunt hominum a sola deitatis potentia create.
Primus ergo filius presentat calceos deauratos, quando contritionem suscipit pro commissis negligentijs et peccatis. Presentat vero vestes, quando precepta legis attendit, quando consilia euangelica seruat in quantum potest.
Componit cingulum, quando in continentia et castitate firmiter proponit perseuerare. Anulum quoque mittit in manum, quando firmiter credit, que precipit sancta ecclesia catholica, iudicium scilicet futurum et vitam sempiternam.
Lapis vero anuli spes est sperans constanter nullum peccatum esse tam abhominabile, quod penitentia et voluntate emendandi non deleatur. Coronam vero imponit capiti, quando caritatem veram habet. Sicut enim diuersi lapides sunt in corona, sic diuerse virtutes sunt in caritate.
Caput vero anime siue ecclesie corpus meum est. Hoc quicumque diligit et honorat merito filius Dei appellatur.
Ergo quicumque tali modo sanctam ecclesiam et animam suam diligit, hic nouem fratres habet, idest nouem ordines angelorum, quia eorum particeps et socius erit in vita eterna.
Ipsi enim angeli sanctam ecclesiam toto amore amplectuntur quasi in corde cuiuslibet eorum esset. Non enim ecclesia sancta saxa et parietes sunt sed anime iustorum et ideo de earum honore et profectu tamquam de proprio angeli gratulantur.
Secundus autem frater vel filius signat illos, qui constitutionem sancte ecclesie contemnentes viuunt ad honorem mundi et amorem carnis, qui virtutum pulcritudinem transformantes viuunt secundum voluntatem suam, attamen circa finem penitent et conteruntur de factis suis malis.
Istis debetur purgatio, donec operibus et orationibus ecclesie Deo reconcilientur. Tercius filius significat illos qui animam suam scandalizantes non curant, si eternaliter pereant, dummodo perficere possint voluptatem suam.
Super tales nouem ordines angelorum petunt iusticiam, quia ad penitentiam conuerti contempserunt. Ergo cum Deus facit iusticiam, laudant eum angeli propter equitatem inflexibilem.
Cum vero perficitur honor Dei gaudent de virtute eius, quod eciam malorum malicia utitur ad honorem suum. Ideo, cum videris prauos, compatere eis, gaude vero de honore Dei eterno.
Nam Deus, qui nichil mali vult, quia creator omnium et vere ex se solus bonus, permittit tamen multa fieri tamquam iustissimus iudex de quibus in celestibus et in terris propter equitatem suam et occultam bonitatem honoratur."
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