Christus inducit sponsam id est animam ad conseruandum diligenter semper contricionem puram, caritatem diuinam et obedienciam firmam; condempnat eciam illos qui contempnunt obedienciam et abstinenciam et bonam pacienciam; auisat quoque hominem spiritualem, ne paulatiue sub specie lucis permittat ingrossare et obcecare conscienciam suam.
The Threefold Offering of the Soul
The Lord explains that a holy soul must offer the key of compunction, the vessel of divine love, and the crown of obedience.
An angel of wondrous appearance appeared, to whom other angels seemed to speak, saying, "O friend, why do you offer our God an empty nut?" He replied, "Even though you know all things, I am speaking for the sake of her who is standing here." I am never saddened by the presence of our God, because I serve His will for the progress of souls in such a way that I am never without His presence. Although I don't offer Him a nut of sweetness, I do offer something delightful: a key of purest gold, a silver vessel, and a crown of precious stones. The key represents pure compunction for sins, which opens the heart of God and brings the sinner into God's heart. The vessel is divine delight and love, in which God rests sweetly with the soul. The crown is firm and joyful obedience. For these three things my God requires from a holy soul. But even if this soul, entrusted to my care, has rejected these three things, I still present to God again what she offered Him, and her honor will remain nonetheless. For the key of compunction is so burdensome to them that they don't even want to think about it. The vessel of divine love is so bitter to them that they can't bear even to smell it. For how could spiritual sweetness taste sweet to them, where the pleasure of the flesh is rooted? After all, two opposites don't fit well together in the same vessel. The crown of obedience is also a heavy burden for them to carry, because they are so pleased by their own will that it seems sweeter to follow that than to follow God's. Then the angel, turning to God, said: "Look, Lord, at the vessel, the key, and the crown by which this soul has made itself unworthy; and that is why it has shattered like a clay pot and is filled inside with mud, when it should have been filled with the sweetest honey." Yet, in the middle of the broken pot, a serpent lies. The earthenware vessel is the heart, which, when it breaks through death, is full of the desires of the world, which are like mud. The soul, however, is the serpent; it ought to be brighter than the sun and more fervent than flame, but it has become a serpent full of poison, harmful to no one but itself, to its own destruction.
The Path of Divine Transformation
Christ describes a threefold way of life—obedience, abstinence, and patience—that leads the soul to union with Him.
The Lord then spoke to the bride, saying, "I'll give you a comparison to show you his situation: it's as if one person were standing still, and another were walking toward him." And when both were facing each other, the one who was walking said: Lord, there is almost a gap between us. Show me the way I should walk, for I see that you are beyond all comparison in your power, beyond all thought in your sweetness, and the very best—the one from whom all goodness flows, and without whom no one is good.1 He answered, "My friend, I will show you a threefold way that still leads to the same end." If you follow it, you'll find it rocky at the start but perfectly smooth at the end; it's dark at the beginning, but bright as you progress; it's bitter for a time, but most sweet in the end." He replied, "Just show me the way, and I'll gladly follow it." For I see that there's danger in delay, harm in wandering from the path, and a great reward if I follow the way. Therefore, fulfill my longing and show me the true way." I, therefore, the Creator of all things, am He who stands immutable and stable for eternity. That person drew near to Me when they loved Me and sought nothing but Me. I, too, turned My face toward them when I sent divine consolation into their soul, and the joy of the world—and every pleasure of the flesh—became hateful to them. I also showed that person a threefold way, not by speaking with a physical voice, but by secretly inspiring their soul in the same way that I am now inspiring your soul openly. First, I showed them that they should be obedient to Me, their God, and to their superiors; but they answered Me inwardly, thinking to themselves, 'I won't do it, because the superior is harsh and lacks charity, so I cannot obey them with a willing heart.' I also showed her a second way: namely, to flee from the pleasures of the flesh and follow my divine will, to flee from gluttony and follow abstinence. These are the paths that lead to true obedience, but she answered me: Not at all. My nature is indeed weak. Therefore, I’ll eat and sleep as much as I want, I’ll talk to find joy, and I’ll laugh for the sake of the world’s comfort. I also showed her a third way: to have good patience for My sake, her God, because this leads to abstinence and brings about holy obedience; but she answered Me: “I won’t do it.” “For if I endure those insults directed at me, I’ll be judged a fool; if I appear more contemptible than others in my appearance, I’ll be shamed by everyone; and if there is some deformity in my members, it’s necessary that some work of mine, pleasing to people, should make up for it and compensate.”2 "So then," the Lord says, "my conscience and I were struggling, until, distancing herself from me, she turned her back to me and not her face." But how did she turn?
The Dangers of Spiritual Blindness
The Lord warns against the devil's tactics of blinding, muting, and binding the soul through presumption and worldly attachment.
This happened when they only wanted to obey in matters that pleased them, and wanted to be patient in such a way that nothing of their friendship with the world would be lost. But now the devil is working to make them completely blind and mute, intending to bind their hands, tie their feet, and lead them into the darkness of hell. Then, however, he makes the person blind when they think like this: 'God redeemed me by His passion and won't lose me, because He is merciful; and God doesn't examine sin as strictly as a person offends at every hour.' These things prove that their faith isn't stable. Therefore, let them look into my Gospel, where I say that I will demand an account for words, and even more so for deeds. Let them also consider that the rich man wasn't buried in hell because of theft, but because he abused what had been granted to him. The devil silences you when, after hearing the examples and words of my friends, you say, 'No one can live like that anymore.' This proves that you have little hope. For I, who enabled my friends to live so fittingly and purely, am also powerful enough to grant the same to you, if you'll only place your hope in me. But the devil binds a person's hands whenever they love anything more than me, or when they're more fervently caught up in the world than in my honor. Therefore, the soul must stay watchful, so that while it seems focused on the world, it isn't tripped up by the Devil; for that is exactly where the Devil sets his hook—where one is least on guard. He also ensnares your feet when you don't pay attention to your thoughts and affections, when you don't consider the nature of your temptations, and when you focus so much on the needs of your neighbor and your own body that you neglect the salvation of your soul. So, let them reflect on what I said in the Gospel: anyone who puts a hand to the plow shouldn't look back, and whoever has begun something more useful shouldn't turn away.✦ The devil also shackles a person's heart when he inclines their will toward evil, so that they think about and desire to live for worldly honor and to persist in that state of mind. He also leads them into darkness when they think like this: 'Whether I end up with glory or punishment, it's of little concern to me.' Woe to the one who falls into such darkness! Yet, if they want to turn back to me, I'll meet them like a father. But how? By having the will to do as much as they possibly can. Just as it isn't right for a man to take someone into marriage against her own will, so too it isn't right for the Son of the Virgin. For the will is a kind of instrument through which divine love is brought into the soul. Just as a stonemason wanting to split a rock first looks for cracks where he can insert thinner tools, and then thicker ones, until the stone breaks apart, In the same way, I first look for a good will, into which I pour my grace; then, as your work grows and your will makes progress, my grace increases and grows greater, until your heart of stone is transformed and grows into a heart of flesh, and that heart of flesh into a spiritual heart.✦3
The Sanctity of the Apostles and the Call to Home
The Lord explains the hidden honor of the saints in the catacombs and calls a brother to his final rest.
This first took place in Sicily, near Mount Volcano, where this revelation was given once again. The Son of God says: "This brother wonders why my apostles, Peter and Paul, lay in the catacombs in this place for so long, as if they had been neglected." I answer you: the golden Scripture says that Israel stayed in the wilderness for a long time because the wickedness of the nations whose lands they were to possess had not yet reached its full measure. It was the same way with my apostles. It wasn't yet the time of grace for the bodies of my apostles to be exalted, because there first had to be a time of testing and afterward of crowning, and because those people were not yet born to whom that honor of the apostles' exaltation was owed. Now you might ask whether their bodies held any honor at the time they lay in the pit. I tell you that my angels were guarding and honoring those blessed bodies. Just as the ground where roses and plants are to be sown is carefully cultivated, this place of the catacombs was prepared and honored long ago, so that angels and men might rejoice in it. I tell you, there are many places in the world where the bodies of the saints rest, but none are like this place. If you were to count the saints whose bodies have been laid to rest here, you’d hardly believe it. Just as a sick person is restored by a pleasant scent and food, so those who come to this place with a sincere heart are spiritually refreshed and receive true forgiveness of their sins, each according to their own life and faith. Deeply moved by Lady Birgitta's words, this same brother heard a voice for three nights saying, "Hurry, hurry!" Come, come!" And on the fourth day, he fell ill, received the Sacraments, and died in Rome.
Read the original Latin
Apparuit angelus quidam mire speciei, ad quem alii angeli visi sunt loqui dicentes: "O, amice, cur offers Deo nostro nucem vacuam?" Respondit ille: "Licet omnia sciatis, tamen propter istam que astat loquor.
Ego ex presencia Dei nostri nunquam contristor, qui sic voluntati eius deseruio ad profectum animarum, quod nunquam eius careo presencia. Cui etsi non offero nucem dulcedinis, offero tamen aliquid delectabile scilicet clauem de auro purissimo, vas argenteum et coronam de lapidibus preciosis.
Clauis vero significat contricionem puram pro peccatis, que aperit cor Dei et introducit peccatorem in cor Dei. Vas vero est diuina delectacio et caritas, in qua Deus cum anima suauiter requiescit. Corona est obediencia firma et hylaris. Hec enim tria requirit Deus meus ab anima sancta.
Sed licet hec anima custodie mee deputata hec tria spreuerit, represento tamen iterum Deo illa, que ei obtulit, et nichilominus honor suus erit.
Nam clauis contricionis est ei onerosa in tantum, quod nec cogitare de ea velit. Vas vero dileccionis diuine est ei sic amarum, quod nullatenus illud odorare potest. Quomodo enim ei dulcescere posset suauitas spiritualis, ubi radicata est voluptas carnis?
Non enim duo contraria bene conueniunt in uno vase. Corona eciam obediencie grauis est ei ad portandum, quia propria voluntas tantum ei placet, quod dulcius ei videtur sequi propriam voluntatem quam Dei.
Tunc angelus conuertens se ad Deum dixit: "Ecce, Domine, vas et clauis et corona, quibus anima ista fecit se indignam; et ideo cum testa crepuit et intus plena est luto, que debuisset esse plena melle suauissimo. In medio vero teste iacet serpens.
Testa igitur est cor, quod, cum per mortem crepuerit, plenum est desideriis mundi, que sunt quasi lutum. Serpens autem est anima, que lucidior deberet esse sole, feruencior flamma, sed facta est serpens plena veneno nulli nociuo nisi sibi ipsi ad perdicionem."
Dominus autem tunc locutus est sponse dicens: "Ego dico tibi per similitudinem quandam, quomodo ille constitutus est, quasi si unus homo staret et alter eundo appropinquaret ei. Cumque ambo facies haberent alter ad alterum, dixit ille qui ibat:
'Domine, quasi unum intersticium est inter nos. Ostende michi viam per quam gradiar, quia video te potentissimum absque comparacione, suauissimum absque consideracione, optimum tanquam illum, a quo est omnis bonitas et sine quo nullus est bonus.'
Respondit ille: 'Amice, monstrabo tibi triplicem viam, que tamen ad unum tendit. Hanc si secutus fueris, petrosa est in principio sed in fine planissima, obscura est in capite sed lucida est in progressu, amara ad tempus sed suauissima in fine.'
Respondit ille: 'Tantum ostende michi viam et libenter sequar eam. Video enim periculum esse in mora, dampnum in errore vie, fructum maximum, si secutus fuero viam. Ideo imple desiderium meum et ostende michi viam veram.'
Ego igitur, creator omnium, ego sum ille qui sto immutabilis et in eternum stabilis. Tunc ille talis appropinquabat michi, quando me diligebat et nichil sicut me querebat. Ego quoque verti faciem meam ad eum, quando in animam eius misi diuinam consolacionem, et mundi gaudium erat ei odio et omnis voluptas carnis.
Ego eciam ostendi ei triplicem viam non loquendo voce carnis sed inspirando anime sue occulte eo modo, quo nunc inspiro anime tue in aperto.
Primum igitur ostendi ei, quod esset obediens michi Deo suo et prelatis suis, sed ipse respondit michi intus cogitando sic in mente sua: 'Non faciam,' inquit, 'quia durus est prelatus et non caritatiuus, et ideo non valeo ei obedire hylari voluntate.'
Ostendi eciam ei secundam viam scilicet fugere voluptatem carnis et sequi meam voluntatem diuinam, fugere crapulam et sequi abstinenciam. Hee enim vie sunt que ducunt ad obedienciam veram, sed ipse respondit michi:
'Nequaquam. Natura quidem mea est infirma. Ideo comedam et dormiam ad saturitatem, loquar ad habendum gaudium et rideam propter solacium mundi.'
Ostendi eciam ei terciam viam scilicet habere pacienciam bonam propter me Deum suum, quia hec est que ducit ad abstinenciam et inducit ad obedienciam sanctam; sed ipse respondit michi:
'Non faciam. Si enim illa contumeliosa michi suffero, arguar quod sum fatuus; si despeccior ceteris fuero in habitu, confundor ab omnibus; et si in membris meis est deformitas, necesse est, ut opus meum aliquod placitum hominibus hoc suppleat et recompenset.'"
"Sic igitur," ait Dominus, "ego et consciencia sua certabamus, usquequo elongans se a me vertebat occiput ad me et non faciem. Sed quomodo vertebat?
Quando scilicet voluit obedire in hiis tantum, que sibi placuerunt et sic voluit esse paciens, ut nichil minueretur de amicicia mundi. Nunc autem Dyabolus laborat, ut faciat eum totum cecum et mutum proponens ligare manus eius et pedes inuoluere et ducere ad tenebras inferni.
Tunc autem facit ipsum cecum, quando cogitat sic: 'Deus redemit me passione sua, non perdet me, quia misericors est; nec sic districte Deus examinat peccatum, sicut homo offendit omni hora.'
Ex istis probatur, quod fides sua non est stabilis. Ideo inquirat in Euangelio meo, quod ego racionem queram de verbis, quanto magis de operibus. Inquirat eciam, quod diues non pro rapina sepultus est in inferno sed quia abutebatur concessis.
Tunc vero facit Dyabolus eum mutum, quando audiens exempla amicorum meorum et verba dicit: 'Nemo poterit sic nunc viuere.' Ex isto probatur, quod habet modicam spem.
Ego enim, qui dedi amicis meis sic apte et caste viuere, ego et potens sum dare isti similia, si in me spem haberent. Tunc vero Dyabolus ligat ei manus, quando aliqua plus quam me diligit, quando feruencius implicatur mundo quam honori meo.
Ideo attendat, ne, dum mundo videtur intendere, supplantetur per Dyabolum, quia ibi Dyabolus ponit hamum, ubi minus precauetur.
Tunc eciam innectit pedes, quando cogitaciones et affecciones suas non attendit, quando modum temptacionum suarum non considerat, quando sic utilitati proximi et carnis intendit, quod de salute anime sue non attendit.
Propterea cogitet, quid ego dixi in Euangelio, quod homo ponens manum ad aratrum non respiciat retro, et qui magis utile inchoauerit non retrocedat.
Tunc quoque Dyabolus vinculum ponit super cor eius, quando voluntatem eius sic ad mala inclinat, ut cogitet et velit in seculi honore esse et in tali disposicione perseuerare.
Ducit eciam eum ad tenebras, quando cogitat taliter: 'Vtrum gloriam habeam vel supplicium, modicum est michi cure.' Ve ei, qui tales tenebras incurrit!
Verumptamen, si vertere se voluerit ad me, occurram ei quasi pater. Sed quomodo? Habendo scilicet voluntatem facere quantumcumque poterit.
Sicut enim non licet filio hominis recipere aliquam in coniugium contra voluntatem propriam, sic nec Filio Virginis licet. Voluntas enim est quoddam instrumentum, per quod caritas diuina introducitur in animam.
Sicut enim molendinarius volens prescindere lapides primo inquirit rimas, ubi imponit graciliora instrumenta, inde grossiora, donec lapis dissoluitur,
sic ego primo quero voluntatem bonam, in qua infundo graciam meam, deinde crescente opere et voluntate proficiente accrescit et maior gracia mea, donec cor lapideum conuertitur et crescit in cor carneum et cor carneum in cor spirituale."
Hic fuit prior in partibus Cicilie prope montem volcanum, ad quem facta est iterum ista reuelacio sequens.
Filius Dei loquitur: "Frater iste miratur, quare apostoli mei Petrus et Paulus in isto loco cathacumbas tanto tempore iacuerunt quasi neglecti.
Respondeo tibi: Scriptura aurea dicit, quod Israel diu stetit in heremo, quia malicia gencium, quarum terras possessuri erant, nondum completa fuit. Sic eciam erat de apostolis meis.
Nondum erat tempus gracie, quo corpora apostolorum meorum exaltanda erant, quia prius debuit esse tempus probacionis et postea coronacionis, et quia nondum erant illi nati, quibus honor ille exaltacionis apostolorum debebatur.
Nunc autem potes querere, si aliquem honorem corpora eorum habebant eo tempore, quo corpora eorum in puteo iacuerunt. Respondeo tibi, quod angeli mei custodiebant et honorabant corpora illa beata,
quia sicut locus ille diligenter excolitur, ubi rose et plante seminande sunt, sic iste locus cathacumbas diu ante preparabatur et honorabatur, de quo angeli et homines letarentur.
Ideo dico tibi, quod in mundo multa loca sunt, ubi corpora sanctorum quiescunt, sed non similia huic loco. Nam si sancti numerarentur, quorum corpora reposita hic fuerunt, vix crederetur.
Ideo sicut homo infirmus ex bono odore et cibo reficitur, sic homines venientes ad hunc locum mente sincera recreantur spiritualiter et recipiunt veram peccatorum remissionem, unusquisque secundum vitam suam et fidem."
Hic idem frater ex verbis domine Birgitte multum compunctus audiuit tribus noctibus vocem dicentem: "Festina, festina! Veni, veni!" Et quarta die infirmatus sumptis sacramentis Rome defunctus est.
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'absque consideracione' literally means 'without consideration,' but in this context of divine sweetness, it implies a sweetness that transcends human thought or comprehension.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'despeccior' is likely a variant or corruption of 'despectior' (more despised/contemptible). I have translated it according to the latter sense.
- 3 ↩The progression from 'heart of stone' to 'heart of flesh' echoes Ezekiel 36:26.
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