Christus loquitur sponse de tribus legibus scilicet Ecclesie, imperatoris et communitatis sed monet eam, quod ipsa viuat secundum quartam legem scilicet spiritualem diuinam, id est in humilitate et firma fide catholica et perfecta et caritate diuina omnia postponendo propter Deum, quia per ista acquiritur honor spiritualis et diuicie celestes in eterna gloria.
The Three Earthly Laws and the One Spiritual Law
Christ contrasts the temporary, written laws of the world with the eternal, spiritual law written in the book of life.
The Son speaks to the bride, saying, "There are three laws." The first is the Church's, the second is the emperor's, and the third is the community's. All these laws are written on the skins of dead animals. But there is another, spiritual law that isn't written on animal skins, but in the book of life; it's never lost, never decays with age, never becomes a burden, and is never possessed with difficulty. Every good law, therefore, should be directed toward the salvation of the soul, toward fulfilling God's commandments, toward avoiding evil desires, and toward seeking out those good works that should be pursued with discernment. Now, however, in the law written on parchment, there is one phrase: 'to obtain something.'
Four Ways to Obtain Spiritual Riches
The Lord details four paths to spiritual honor: love, inheritance through Christ's sacrifice, detachment from worldly pleasure, and humble service.
So, for someone to obtain anything, one of four things is necessary: a gift is granted either because of love and proven intimacy, or because of humility, or because of detachment, or because of the work of humility and service that has been offered.1 It's the same with the spiritual law. For the spiritual law is to understand God, to love Him, and to find joy in Him; and in this law, there is honor and spiritual riches. That is, to trade all created things for the Creator, to abandon your own will for God's, to love the virtues, and to give up the world for the sake of heaven. These riches are obtained in four ways. First, through love: for just as a worldly lord gives gifts to someone out of love, even though they haven't earned them, so I, out of my own goodness, created man, redeemed him, support him daily, and even honor him despite his ingratitude. Furthermore, whoever loves me with their whole heart and desires nothing but me will possess virtue on earth—which is written in the heart by the finger of God—and honor in heaven, which is written in the book of life, which is eternal life. Second, spiritual honor is gained through inheritance. By taking on human nature and through my passion, I bought heaven for humanity and opened it by right of inheritance. For just as humanity in a sense sold its divine inheritance to the Devil, receiving a trivial piece of fruit in exchange for eternal delight, the forbidden food for the tree of life, and falsehood for truth, In this way, by obeying the Father, I tore up the record of disobedience through the bitterness of my heart; I made satisfaction for the sweetness of the apple; by my death, I earned the tree of life for humanity; and through faith in my humanity, I brought humanity back and established all truth. So, anyone who believes the words of my truth and follows me will, through this inheritance, gain spiritual riches and my grace. Third, spiritual honor is obtained through division—that is, when a person divides and separates themselves from every delight of carnal pleasures and turns the pleasure of the flesh into abstinence, riches into poverty, honor into humility, earthly parents into the conversation of God’s friends, and the vision of the world into the vision of God. Fourth, spiritual honor is gained through works of humility and service—that is, when a person serves God and fights with patience, like a strong soldier in battle. They serve in humility and faithfulness like a servant, they manage what's been entrusted to them mercifully and justly like a good steward, and they keep watch against temptations like a good sentry. This person is worthy to possess honor and spiritual riches—riches not written on animal skins, but in the soul; for while the steps of the triple written law are useful for perfecting justice, the spiritual law is sweet for gathering fruit.
A Call to Live by the Divine Will
Christ exhorts the bride to embody these spiritual principles through charity, faith, and humility, setting her apart from worldly pursuits.
Therefore, daughter, seek to gain spiritual honor through charity—that is, by loving nothing as much as me; seek it through your inheritance—that is, by firmly believing what the Church commands; and seek it through works of humility—that is, by doing everything for my honor. You were called into my law, and so you're bound to keep it. My law is simply to live according to my will. For just as a good cleric lives by the law of the Church, so you must live by the law of my humility, conforming yourself to my friends. Every worldly law aims partly at the world's honor and partly at its contempt. My law alone, however, aims at heavenly things; for before me and after me, no one fully understands how glorious the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom is, except for me and the one to whom I choose to reveal it.
Read the original Latin
Filius loquitur sponse dicens: "Tres leges sunt. Vna est Ecclesie, secunda est imperatoris, tercia est communitatis. Iste omnes leges scribuntur in pellibus animalium mortuorum.
Sed est alia lex spiritualis, que non scribitur in pellibus sed in libro vite, que nunquam perditur nec vetustate corrumpitur, nunquam habetur tedio nec cum difficultate possidetur.
Omnis itaque lex bona ordinari debet ad salutem anime et ad precepta Dei perficienda et ad desideria mala fugienda et ad bona opera, que desiderari discrete debent, querenda. Nunc autem in lege, que scribitur in pellibus, est unum verbum, quod dicitur 'obtinere aliquid'.
Ergo ut aliquis obtineat aliqua, unum de quatuor est necesse: aut enim datur alicui donum propter caritatem et familiaritatem expertam aut propter humilitatem aut propter diuisionem aut propter humilitatis et seruitutis opera impensa.
Similiter est de lege spirituali. Nam lex spiritualis est Deum intelligere et diligere et eo frui; et in hac lege est honor et spirituales diuicie,
scilicet creata omnia commutare in creatorem, voluntatem propriam pro Deo relinquere, virtutes diligere et pro celo dare mundum.
Itaque iste diuicie obtinentur quadrupliciter. Primo per caritatem: sicut enim dominus temporalis alicui tribuit dona ex caritate, licet non precedant merita, sic ego ex bonitate mea creaui hominem et redemi et supporto cotidie et super ingratitudinem eius honoro eum.
Insuper et quicumque me diligit toto corde et nichil nisi me desiderat habebit virtutem in terra, que scribitur in corde digito Dei, et honorem in celo, qui scribitur in libro vite, qui est vita eterna.
Secundo obtinetur honor spiritualis propter hereditatem. Ego quippe per humanitatis mee assumpcionem et passionem homini emi celum et aperui hereditario iure.
Sicut enim homo hereditatem diuinam quodammodo vendidit Dyabolo recipiendo pomum modicum in permutacionem pro delectacione eterna, cibum vetitum pro ligno vite, falsitatem pro veritate,
sic ego obediendo Patri discerpsi litteram inobediencie per amaritudinem cordis mei, satisfeci pro dulcedine pomi, per mortem meam promerui homini lignum vite, per fidem humanitatis mee reduxi hominem et institui omnem veritatem.
Ergo quicumque credit verbis veritatis mee et imitatur me, hic per hereditatem obtinebit diuicias spirituales et graciam meam.
Tercio obtinetur honor spiritualis propter diuisionem, scilicet quando homo diuidit et separat se ab omni delectacione deliciarum carnalium et conuertit voluptatem carnis in abstinenciam, diuicias in paupertatem, honorem in abieccionem, parentes terrenos in amicorum Dei collocucionem, visionem mundi pro visione Dei.
Quarto obtinetur honor spiritualis propter humilitatis et seruitutis opera, scilicet quando homo in seruicio Dei et paciencia militat quasi miles validus in bello,
seruit in humilitate et fidelitate quasi seruus, dispensat sibi commissa misericorditer et iuste sicut bonus dispensator et vigilat contra temptaciones sicut bonus speculator.
Hic est dignus habere honorem et spirituales diuicias, que non scribuntur in pellibus animalium sed in anima, quia gradus triplicis legis scripte utilis est ad perficiendam iusticiam, sed lex spiritualis suauis est ad fructum percipiendum.
Ergo, filia, quere honorem spiritualem obtinere per caritatem scilicet nichil diligendo sicut me, quere per hereditatem scilicet credendo firmiter illa, que precipit Ecclesia, quere per opera humilitatis omnia scilicet faciendo pro honore meo.
In lege quippe mea tu vocata es, ideo et legem meam seruare teneris. Lex vero mea est viuere secundum voluntatem meam. Sicut enim bonus clericus viuit secundum legem Ecclesie, sic et tu viue secundum legem humilitatis mee conformando te amicis meis.
Nam omnis lex temporalis partim tendit ad honorem mundi et partim ad contemptum eius. Mea vero lex sola tendit ad celestia, quia ante me et post me nullus intelligit plene, qualis et quam gloriosa est celestis regni suauitas, sicut ego et ille, cui voluero reuelare."
Notes
- 1 ↩The term 'diuisionem' in this context likely refers to the 'division' or 'separation' from worldly things, hence 'detachment'.
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