Quod non habitus sed virtus obediencie et obseruancia regularis facit monachum; et quod vera cordis contritio cum proposito emendandi eripit animam de manu Dyaboli, licet non perfecte peniteat.
The True Habit of the Soul
The devil reveals that true monasticism consists of inward virtue and the intention to amend one's life, rather than outward appearances.
The Devil appeared and said, "Look, the monk has flown away, and only the shell remains." And the Lord said to him, "Explain," he said, "what you mean." The devil replied, "I'll do it, but against my will." A true monk is someone who guards himself; his habit is obedience and the observance of his profession. Just as the body is covered by clothing, so the soul is covered by virtues. Therefore, an outward habit is of no value unless the inward one is maintained, because it isn't the clothing that makes a monk, but virtue. This monk escaped when he thought this: 'I recognize my sin, and by the grace of God, I will amend my life and never sin again.' Because of that intention, he has turned away from me and is now yours." The Lord asked him, "How does the image remain?" And the demon replied, "When he doesn't bring his past sins to mind, and doesn't feel the contrition for them that he should."1
The Holy Life of Brother Gerechinus
A historical account of the holy brother Gerechinus, his visions of Christ, and his prophetic death.
During the elevation of the Body of Christ, this brother saw our Lord Jesus Christ in the priest's hands, appearing as a little child and saying to him: I am the Son of God and the Son of the Virgin. He also foresaw his own death and the exact time of it a year in advance, as is recounted in many chapters of that holy lady's life. This brother was actually named Gerechinus. He also lived a life of the strictest self-denial, and as he was about to die, he saw a golden inscription containing three golden letters: “p,” “o,” and “t.” Sharing this with the brothers, he said, "Come, Peter, hurry; Olaf and Thordo." Once he had called them, he fell asleep. But those three who were named followed him within a week. Regarding this same brother, it's recorded elsewhere in chapter 55: 'A certain monk of holy life, etc.'
Read the original Latin
Apparuit Dyabolus et dixit: "Ecce auolauit monachus et sola remanet effigies." Et Dominus ait ad eum: "Expone," inquit, "que notas."
Respondit Dyabolus: "Hoc faciam sed inuitus. Monachus verus est custos sui; huius habitus est obediencia et obseruancia professionis sue.
Sicut enim corpus tegitur veste, sic anima virtutibus. Ergo non valet habitus exterior, nisi interior seruetur, quia monachum non facit vestis sed virtus.
Hic monachus auolauit, quando cogitauit sic: 'Ego cognosco peccatum meum et emendabo de cetero nunquam amplius peccaturus gracia Dei.' Ex ista enim voluntate recessit a me et iam est tuus."
Cui Dominus: "Quomodo," inquit, "remanet effigies?" Et demon: "Quando," inquit, "non reducit ad memoriam peccata commissa nec perfecte, ut deberet, penitet de commissis."
Hic frater vidit in manu sacerdotis tempore eleuacionis corporis Christi in specie pueruli Dominum nostrum Ihesum Christum dicentem sibi:
"Ego sum Filius Dei et Filius Virginis." Hic eciam obitum suum et horam ad unum annum preuidit, de quo habetur in multis capitulis in legenda sancte domine. Qui quidem frater vocabatur Gerechinus.
Hic eciam fuit vite continentissime, qui moriturus vidit scripturam auream, in qua continebantur tres littere auree: "p" et "o" et "t".
Qui narrans hec fratribus dixit: "Veni, Petre, festina, Olaue et Thordo." Quibus vocatis obdormiuit. Illi vero tres nominati in una septimana sequebantur eum.
De eodem fratre habetur extra LV capitulo: Quidam monachus sancte vite et cetera.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'penitet' here refers to the act of contrition or repentance. I have rendered it as 'feel the contrition' to maintain the theological weight of the term while keeping the sentence flow natural.
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