Christus loquens sponse de modo liberacionis cuiusdam demoniaci dicit ei, quod sicut corpus habet membra extra corporaliter, sic anima habet eciam membra intus spiritualiter; et declarat illa Dominus valde pulchre.
The Divine Order of Justice
The Lord explains the reasons behind the delayed judgment of the soul and the role of the devil as a lictor.
The Son says, "You are like a wheel following the one in front of it." That is how you must follow my will. I told you before about someone whose soul the devil possesses; now I will tell you which member he is trapped in." I am like a man who says to his guard, 'There are three holding cells in your house.' In the first are those who deserve to lose their lives. In the second are those who must be deprived of one of their limbs. In the third stand those who must be flogged and stripped of their skin.' The officer says to him, 'Lord, if some are to be deprived of life, and others to be mutilated and whipped, why is the judgment delayed?' For if they were judged sooner, their pain would be forgotten.' The Lord answered: "I don't do anything without a reason." For those who are to be deprived of life must be held back for a time, so that the good, seeing their misery, may become better, and the wicked may be afraid and become more cautious in the future.' Those who need to be pruned must first be troubled, so that they might rethink the evil they've done in their hearts and grieve over what they've committed. But those who need to be scourged must also be tested through pain, so that they might recognize themselves in their suffering—having neglected themselves in their joy—and be all the more careful not to commit such things again, the more laboriously they were set free.' I am, therefore, that Lord who holds the Devil as a lictor to punish the wicked according to the merits of each; he has been given power over this person's soul, but I will now show you in which member.
The Anatomy of the Soul
The Lord compares the spiritual structure of the soul to the physical body, highlighting memory, conscience, and intellect.
Just as the body is organized externally through its members, so the soul must be organized internally in a spiritual way. For just as the body has marrow, bones, and flesh—and within that flesh, blood, and within that blood, flesh—so the soul must have three things: memory, conscience, and intellect. For there are some who understand deep things from the Scriptures but have no sense of reason; one member is missing in them. Others, however, have a reasonable conscience but no understanding. Others have understanding but lack memory, and they are seriously infirm. But those are healthy in soul who possess sound reason, memory, and understanding. The body also has three receptacles. The first is the heart, which is covered by a thin membrane to protect it so that nothing unclean can touch it. For if even the smallest stain were to reach the heart, a person would die immediately. The second receptacle is the stomach. The third is the bowels, through which harmful things are purged.
Spiritual Receptacles and Movements
The Lord details the spiritual receptacles of desire, discernment, and compunction, alongside the movements of charity, faith, and hope.
In the same way, the soul must also have three spiritual receptacles. The first is divine desire, which acts like the heart, so that the soul desires nothing more fervently than me, its God. Otherwise, if any corrupt attachment—however slight—enters in, the soul is immediately stained. The second is the stomach, which represents a discerning organization of your time and your work. Just as all food is broken down and digested in the stomach, so should every moment, every thought, and every task be ordered according to God’s design—usefully, wisely, and in good order. The third vessel is the inner self—that is, divine compunction—through which everything unclean is purged, and the food of divine wisdom tastes all the better. The body also has three things by which it moves itself: the head, the hands, and the feet. The head represents divine charity. For just as all five senses are in the head, so in divine charity, whatever is said, heard, or seen regarding God tastes sweet to the soul, and whatever is commanded is faithfully carried out. Just as a person is dead without a head, so the soul is dead toward God—whose own life is God—without charity. The hands of the soul, however, represent faith. For just as there are many fingers on a hand, so there are many articles of faith, even though the faith itself is one. Therefore, through faith, every divine will is brought to completion, and faith itself ought to work alongside every good work. Just as work is done outwardly through the hands, so the Holy Spirit works inwardly through faith. Faith is the foundation of all virtues, because where faith is absent, charity and good works come to nothing. Hope is the feet of the soul, for through it, the soul advances toward God. Just as the body moves forward on its feet, so the soul approaches God by the steps of divine desire and hope. The skin, which covers all the members, signifies divine consolation, which comforts the soul with an unshakeable peace. Even though the devil is sometimes allowed to disturb the memory, or at other times the hands and feet, God always defends the soul like a champion, comforts it like a loving father, and heals it like a physician, so that it doesn't die.
Restoration and Penance
The Lord prescribes specific acts of restitution and absolution for the liberation of the captive soul.
So the soul of that man I spoke to you about was taken captive when it became worthy of being deprived of its hands because of the instability of its faith, since it did not have a right faith. But because it's now time to show mercy for two reasons—first, because of my love, and second, because of the prayers of my chosen ones—my friend should read the words mentioned earlier over him. He must do three things: first, he must make restitution for what he has wrongly acquired; second, he must obtain absolution from the Roman Curia for his disobedience; and third, he must not receive my Body in the Sacrament of Communion before he has received that absolution.
Read the original Latin
Filius loquitur: "Tu es quasi quedam rota, que precedentem sequitur. Sic tu voluntatem meam sequi debes. Dixi tibi prius de quodam, cuius animam Dyabolus possidet; nunc dicam tibi, in quo membro captiuatus est.
Ego sum similis homini, qui dicit lictori suo: 'Tres sunt in domo tua custodie. In prima sunt illi qui digni sunt carere vita. In secunda sunt illi qui priuandi sunt aliquo membrorum. In tercia stant illi qui flagellandi sunt et priuandi cute.'
Cui dicit lictor: 'Domine, si aliqui priuandi sunt vita, alii mutilandi et flagellandi, cur differtur iudicium? Si enim cicius iudicarentur, obliuiscetur eorum dolor.'
Respondit dominus: 'Illa que ego facio sine causa non facio. Nam qui priuandi sunt vita, expectandi sunt ad tempus, ut boni videntes miserias eorum meliores fiant, et mali timeant et de cetero fiant cauciores.
Qui vero mutilandi sunt, necesse est ut tribulantur prius, quatenus retractent in corde sua mala que fecerant et doleant de commissis. Qui autem flagellandi sunt eciam debent dolore probari, ut cognoscant se in dolore, qui se in leticia neglexerunt, et tanto sollicicius talia committere caueant, quo laboriosius sunt liberati.'
Ego igitur sum dominus ille qui Dyabolum habeo tanquam lictorem ad vindictam malorum iuxta merita singulorum; cui potestas super animam istius data est, sed in quo membro indicabo tibi nunc.
Sicut enim corpus per membra dispositum est extra, sic anima disponi debet intus spiritualiter. Nam sicut corpus habet medullam, ossa et carnem, in carne vero sanguinem et carnem in sanguine, sic anima debet habere tria, scilicet memoriam, conscienciam et intellectum.
Sunt enim quidam qui sublimia de scripturis intelligunt sed nullam habent racionem; hiis deficit unum membrum. Alii vero sunt qui racionabilem habent conscienciam sed nullam intelligenciam.
Alii vero habent intellectum sed non memoriam; et isti grauiter infirmantur. Sed illi sani sunt in anima, qui racionem habent sanam et memoriam et intellectum.
Item corpus habet tria receptacula. Primum est cor, super quod est una membrana gracilis defendens, ne aliquid immundum attingat ad cor. Si enim minima macula ad cor attingeret, statim homo moreretur. Secundum receptaculum est stomachus. Tercium sunt viscera, per que purgantur nociua.
Sic eciam anima spiritualiter debet tria habere receptacula. Primum est desiderium diuinum tanquam cor, ut anima nichil feruencius desideret quam me, Deum suum. Alioquin, si aliquis prauus affectus quamuis minimus intrauerit, statim anima maculatur.
Secundum est stomachus, id est discreta disposicio temporum et operum. Sicut enim omnis cibus liquescit et digeritur in stomacho, sic omne tempus et cogitatus et opus secundum diuinam constitucionem disponatur ordinate, utiliter et sapienter.
Tercium receptaculum sunt viscera, id est diuina contricio, per quam purgantur immunda et cibus diuine sapiencie melius sapit.
Item corpus habet tria, quibus se promouet, scilicet caput, manus et pedes. Caput notat diuinam caritatem. Sicut enim in capite sunt omnes quinque sensus, sic in diuina caritate dulciter sapit anime quidquid dicitur et auditur et videtur de Deo, quidquid eciam iubetur constanter adimpletur.
Itaque sicut sine capite homo est mortuus, sic sine caritate mortua est anima ad Deum, cuius vita est Deus. Manus vero anime significant fidem. Sicut enim in manu plures sunt digiti, sic in fide multi articuli, quamuis sit una fides. Itaque per fidem omnis diuina voluntas perficitur et omni operi bono ipsa cooperari debet.
Sicut enim per manus opus fit abextra, sic per fidem Spiritus sanctus operatur intus. Ipsa quippe fides est sustentamentum omnium virtutum, quia ubi fides non est annichilatur caritas et opus bonum.
Pedes vero anime sunt spes; per hanc enim anima procedit ad Deum. Sicut enim corpus procedit pedibus, sic anima passibus diuini desiderii et spei Deo appropinquat. Cutis vero, que est super omnia membra, significat consolacionem diuinam, que animam imperturbabilis consolatur.
Et quamuis Dyabolo permittatur quandoque perturbare memoriam, quandoque manus et pedes, tamen Deus semper defendit animam quasi pugil et consolatur eam quasi pius pater et quasi medicus medetur, ne moriatur.
Itaque anima istius hominis, de quo tibi dixi, tunc captiuata fuit, quando digna fuit priuari manibus propter fidei instabilitatem, quia non habuit fidem rectam.
Sed quia iam est tempus miserendi duplici de causa, primo propter caritatem meam, secundo propter preces electorum meorum, ideo amicus meus legat super eum prius dicta verba.
Tria vero ille facturus est, primo restituat male acquisita, secundo procuret sibi absolucionem de Romana curia de inobediencia sua, tercio quod ante absolucionem non recipiat corpus meum in sacramento communionis."
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