Ostenditur sponse in visione iudicium unius anime cuiusdam religiosi coram Christo iudice iudicante, pro quo beata Virgo interpellat, quem Dyabolus de grauibus peccatis crudeliter accusat.
The Principles of Divine Judgment
Christ outlines the nine qualities of a just judge before inviting the Mother of God to present her case.
The Mother of God says to the Son, "My complaint is great; although you know all things, I will speak it for the sake of the one standing here." The Son replied, "All judgment has been given to me, and I must judge each person individually." In truth, a just judge possesses nine good qualities. First, to listen attentively; second, to discern the matters presented; third, the will to judge justly; fourth, to inquire into the cause of the dispute; fifth, to inquire how long the conflict has lasted, because delaying judgment causes more serious harm. Sixth, to inquire what kind of witnesses there are, whether they're reliable, whether they've been sworn in, or if one of the litigants has more witnesses; seventh, not to be impulsive or timid in judgment, nor to fear power, loss, or disgrace when it comes to standing for the truth. Eighth, don't be swayed by anyone's requests or gifts; ninth, be impartial in your judgment, treating the poor just as you would the rich, and a brother or son just as you would a stranger, never acting against the truth for the sake of any worldly pleasure. Therefore, dearest Mother, say what you wish!
The Contention of Two Spirits
The Mother of God describes the struggle between good and evil spirits over a soul, leading to the definition of bodily and spiritual judgment.
The Mother replied, "Two are struggling against each other, and within them are two spirits: in one, a good spirit; in the other, an evil one." They are fighting over the purchase of your blood—one to destroy, the other to bring to life." In one is obedience and love; in the second, hatred and pride." Pass judgment, then!" The Son replied, "How many witnesses are with your friend, and how many are with the other?" The Mother replied, "My friend has few, but the other has many who know the truth and yet refuse to listen." The Son replied, "I will render a just judgment." And the Mother said, "My friend doesn't complain." For the substance of his own body is enough for him. But I, who am his Lady, complain, so that malice may not prevail." The Son replied, "I'll do what you wish." But as you know, the physical judgment must come before the spiritual, and no one should be judged unless the sin has been fully committed."1 And the Mother replied, "O Son, although we know all things, I ask for the sake of the one standing here: what is this bodily judgment, and what is it like, or what is the spiritual judgment?" And the Son said, "The bodily judgment is that his soul should quickly depart from the body, and his own hand will become his death." The spiritual judgment is this: that their soul be hung upon the gallows of hell—a gallows made not of ropes, but of most intense fire—because they are a sheep that has strayed from its flock.
The Accusation of the Religious
A religious figure and the Devil debate the state of the soul, with the Devil arguing that the soul's works were effectively his own.
Then one of the religious—an Augustinian—spoke to the Judge, saying, "Lord, you have nothing to do with this one." You called him to rest, but he's forgotten it; his obedience is broken, his name has been taken away, and his works are nothing." The Judge replied, "His soul is not present in this court to answer." The Devil said to him, "I want to answer: if you called him from the storms of the world to peace, I called him from the highest peak or summit down into the deepest pit." "He is always ready to obey me; his name is glorious in my sight." The Judge said to him, "Explain what you mean." The demon replied, "I will, though I do it unwillingly." You called him from the storms of worldly cares to the rest of the spiritual life, as if to a safe harbor, but he considers this nothing, because he prefers the anxieties of the world. The highest peak is true compunction and confession. Whoever holds to this perfectly speaks with you, who are most powerful, and reaches your majesty. I cast him down from this highest peak or summit when he intends to keep on sinning to the very end, when he treats his sins as nothing and your justice as vanity. Gluttony and greed are truly the deepest of pits, because just as a very deep pit isn't easily filled, so too is his greed insatiable. His name was 'monk,' and the name of a monk means guarding oneself and abstaining even from what is permitted; but in him these things have been wiped away, and now he is called Saul. For just as Saul turned away from obedience, so has this man. His obedience is broken, because just as the two ends of a broken stick cannot join together due to its rot, so neither heavenly longing nor divine love—which are like the two ends and bonds of obedience—can come together in his obedience; for he obeys only for worldly gain and his own self-will, and his works are in line with my works. Even if I don't celebrate Mass, sing, or perform the other things he does, when he carries them out according to my will, he is doing my work, and they can truly be called my works. For when he celebrates Mass, he approaches you out of presumption, and through that very presumption, he is filled with a greater malice of mine. He sings also for the praise of men, and when I turn my back to him, he turns his back to me; and when I want him to, he turns his heart toward mine—that is, he fulfills all his own pleasure according to my will, and everything he does, he does for the sake of this present life and his own self-will. Therefore, his works are my works.
The Soul's Self-Judgment
The soul appears before the Judge and is forced to confront its own failures, ultimately condemning itself before being cast away.
The same soul appeared blind and trembling, pursued by a certain Ethiopian until it reached the Judge, who seemed to be sitting on a great throne with a multitude standing by. The Ethiopian said, "Judge this soul for me, O Judge." For she is here in person, and her bodily judgment has already taken place." The Ethiopian said, "You said that his own hand would be his death." That has already happened." And the Judge replied, "This can be understood in two ways: either that his evil actions were the occasion of his death, or that his physical hand shortened the life of his flesh." The Ethiopian replied, "Both are true." For an impure life killed his soul, and impatience opened the wound in his flesh from which he died." The Judge replied to him, "You accused this soul first because she followed your will in everything, because you cast her down from the highest peak, and because she turned her belly toward you." So, let's hear what the soul herself has to say!" The Judge, turning toward the soul, said: "O soul, you had the reason to discern between good and evil." Why did you trample the honorable name of the priesthood under your feet?" The soul replied, "I had the capacity to discern, but I followed my own will instead, doubting that such great majesty could be hidden under such a humble form." The Judge said a second time, "You knew that the perfection of the religious life is humility and obedience." Why did you enter like a wolf in sheep's clothing?" The soul replied, "So that," it said, "I might escape the world's reproach and lead a quieter life." The Judge answered for the third time: "Oh, brother—but not my brother." If you saw the examples of holy brothers and heard the words of the saints, why didn't you follow them?" She replied, "All those good things I heard and saw were hateful and burdensome to me, because I had decided in my heart to follow my own will and my own ways rather than the ways of the saints." The judge asked a fourth question: "Didn't you practice fasting, prayer, and confession?" The soul replied, "I did practice them, but I acted like someone who talks about minor things to gain favor, while hiding the greater things so as not to cause offense." Then the Judge said, "Haven't you read that everyone must give an account even for a farthing—that is, for the smallest things?" Then the soul, with what seemed like a great cry of anguish, said: "It’s true, Lord; I read it and knew it in my conscience, but I thought your mercy was so great that you wouldn’t want to punish me eternally." I did intend to repent in my old age, but pain and death came upon me so suddenly that when I wanted to confess, I lost my memory, and my tongue was as if bound by some chain." Then the Devil cried out, "O Judge, I see something amazing: the soul is judging itself!" It's confessing its evil now, but to no avail; and yet, I don't dare lay a hand on it without your judgment." The judge replied, "It is done and finished." At these words, the Ethiopian and the soul vanished as if bound together, descending with a sound like a great thunderclap.2 The Judge also said, "All these things happened in a single moment, but for your sake they appear to happen in time, so that you may understand, see, know, and fear the justice of God."
Read the original Latin
Mater Dei loquitur Filio dicens: "Querimonia mea magna est; licet omnia scias, sed propter istam que astat proferam." Respondit Filius: "Michi omne iudicium datum est, et oportet me de singulis iudicare.
Verum ad iudicem iustum nouem bona pertinent. Primo attente audire; secundo discernere proposita; tercio voluntas velle iudicare iuste; quarto inquirere, qua de causa litigatur; quinto inquirere, quanto tempore lis durauerat, quia grauius dampnum est de iudicii dilacione;
sexto inquirere, quales testes, si probati, si affirmatiue coniurati aut si alter litigancium habet plures testes; septimo non esse preceps nec timidus in iudicio nec timere potestatem aut dampnum seu dehonestacionem propter veritatem;
octauo non curare preces seu dona aliquorum; nono esse equum in iudicando, sic iudicare pauperi sicut diuiti, ita fratri et filio sicut extraneo, non facere contra veritatem propter aliquod delectabile mundi. Ergo, Mater carissima, dicito que vis!"
Respondit Mater: "Duo certant inter se et in eis sunt duo spiritus, in uno bonus in alio malus. Certant vero de empcione sanguinis tui, alter ad occidendum, alius ad viuificandum. In uno est obediencia et dileccio, in secundo odium et superbia. Fac igitur iudicium!"
Respondit Filius: "Quot sunt testes cum amico tuo et quot cum altero?" Respondit Mater: "Amicus meus habet paucos, alter vero habet multos, qui sciunt veritatem et audire contempnunt." Respondit Filius: "Faciam iudicium iustum."
Et Mater ait: "Meus amicus non conqueritur. Sufficit enim sibi sola sui corporis substancia. Sed ego, que domina sua sum, conqueror, ne malicia preualeat."
Respondit Filius: "Faciam que vis. Sed sicut scis, iudicium corporale precedere debet spirituale et, nisi fuerit consumatum peccatum, non debet aliquis iudicari."
Et Mater: "O, Fili, licet nos omnia sciamus, propter astantem quero, quid et quale in isto sit iudicium corporale quidue spirituale?" Et Filius: "Iudicium," inquit, "corporale est, ut anima eius celeriter discedat a corpore et manus eius fiet mors eius.
Iudicium vero spirituale est, ut anima eius suspendatur in patibulo inferni, quod non est ex funibus sed ex igne ardentissimo, quia ouis degenerans est a grege suo."
Tunc unus de religiosis scilicet Augustini loquebatur ad iudicem dicens: "Domine, nichil tibi cum isto. Tu vocasti eum ad quietem et ipse eam oblitus est, obediencia sua fracta est, nomen eius ablatum est et opera eius nulla." Respondit iudex: "Anima eius non est presens in iudicio ad respondendum."
Cui Dyabolus dixit: "Ego volo respondere: Si tu vocasti eum a procellis mundi ad quietem, ego vocaui eum de altissimo vertice seu cacumine in profundissimam fossam. Obediencia eius promptissima est ad me, nomen eius apud me est gloriosum."
Cui iudex: " Expone," inquit, "que notas!" Et demon dixit: "Faciam, licet inuitus. Tu vocasti eum de procellis curarum mundi ad requiem vite spiritualis quasi ad bonum portum, sed ipse reputat hoc quasi pro nichilo, quia magis appetit sollicitudines mundi.
Altissimus vero vertex est contricio bona et confessio. Hanc qui perfecte tenet, ipse loquitur tecum, qui es potentissimus, et attingit ad tuam maiestatem.
De hoc vertice seu cacumine altissimo ego precipitaui eum, quando ipse peccare proponit usque in finem, quando peccata reputat pro nichilo et iusticiam tuam pro vanitate.
Profundissima vero fossa est gula et cupiditas, quia sicut fossa profundissima non de facili impletur, sic insaciabilis est cupiditas sua.
Nomen autem eius erat monachus, et nomen monachi est custodia sui et abstinencia eciam a licitis; sed hoc in eo abolita sunt et iam vocatur Saul. Sicut enim Saul recessit ab obediencia, sic et iste.
Nam obediencia sua fracta est, quia sicut due extremitates ligni fracti non conueniunt propter putredinem eius, sic nec desiderium celeste nec diuina caritas, que sunt tanquam due extremitates et uniones obediencie, conuenire possunt in obediencia sua, quia non obedit nisi ad mundanam utilitatem et voluntatem suam propriam, et opera sua sunt secundum opera mea.
Quia licet ego non legam missas nec cantem nec faciam reliqua sicut ipse, tamen quando omnia ista facit secundum velle meum, tunc facit opera mea et dici possunt opera mea. Nam cum celebrat missas, ex presumpcione accedit ad te et ex presumpcione illa impletur maiori malicia mea.
Cantat eciam pro laude hominum, et cum ego ostendo ei dorsum meum, ipse dorsum suum vertit ad me; et quando ego volo, vertit ventrem suum ad ventrem meum, id est omnem voluptatem suam perficit secundum voluntatem meam et omnia que facit, causa presentis vite et proprie voluntatis facit. Ideo opera eius sunt opera mea."
Item anima eadem apparuit ceca et tremens, quam Ethiops quidam insequebatur, usquequo veniret ad iudicem, qui residere videbatur in throno grandi multitudine astante.
Et dixit Ethiops: "O, iudex, iudica michi animam istam. Iam enim ipsa personaliter est presens et iam precessit iudicium eius corporale."
Et Ethiops: "Tu," inquit, "dixisti, quod manus eius fieret mors eius. Hoc iam factum est." Et iudex: "Hoc dupliciter potest intelligi, aut quia operacio mala fuit occasio mortis eius aut quia manus corporalis abbreuiabat vitam carnis eius.
Respondit Ethiops: "Vtrumque verum est. Nam vita impudica occidit animam eius et impaciencia aperuit vulnus carnis eius, quo mortuus est."
Cui iudex: "Tu," inquit, "accusasti animam istam prius, quia sequebatur in omnibus velle tuum et quia precipitabas eam de vertice altissimo et quia ventrem suum vertebat ad te. Ideo audiamus, quid dicit ipsa anima!"
Et iudex quasi vertens se ad animam dixit: "O, anima, tu habuisti racionem discernendi inter bonum et malum. Cur nomen sacerdocii honorificum strauisti sub pedibus tuis?"
Respondit illa: "Habui quidem racionem sed magis sequebar velle meum discredens, quod sub specie tam modica tanta magnitudo occultaretur."
Dixit iudex secundo: "Tu sciuisti, quod religionis perfeccio est humilitas et obediencia. Cur sub specie ouis ingressus es lupus?" Cui anima: "Vt," inquit, "effugerem obprobrium mundi et quieciorem ducerem vitam."
Respondit iudex tercio: "O, frater, sed non meus. Si vidisti exempla sanctorum fratrum et audisti verba sanctorum, cur non es illa sequtus?"
Respondit illa: "Omnia illa bona, que audiui et vidi, erant michi odiosa et onerosa, quia statui in corde meo magis sequi voluntatem meam et mores meos quam mores sanctorum."
Item iudex dixit quarto: "Numquid non frequentabas ieiunia et oraciones et confessiones?" Cui anima: "Frequentabam," ait, "ieiunia et oraciones sed feci sicut ille, qui dixit minima, ut placeat, sed, ne displiceat, abscondit maiora."
Item iudex: "Numquid," inquit, "non legisti, quod quilibet homo debet reddere racionem eciam de quadrante, hoc est de minimis?"
Tunc anima quasi cum maximo eiulatu ait: "Vere, Domine, legi et sciui in consciencia mea sed putaui misericordiam tuam esse ita magnam, quod nolles eternaliter punire.
Ideo habui velle penitere in senectute sed dolor et mors ita venerunt michi subito, quod cum vellem confiteri, perdidi memoriam et quasi vinculo quodam erat lingua mea ligata."
Tunc clamauit Dyabolus: "O, iudex, ecce mirabile video: anima iudicat se ipsam! Confitetur nunc infructuose malum suum; et tamen ego non audeo apponere ad eam manum meam sine iudicio tuo."
Respondit iudex: "Factum est et consumatum." Quibus dictis Ethiops et anima quasi colligati disparuerunt et quasi cum maximo tonitruo descenderunt.
Item dixit iudex: "Hec omnia in uno puncto facta sunt sed propter te, ut intelligas, facta videntur in tempore, ut videas et scias et timeas iusticiam Dei."
Notes
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