Verba Iohannis euangeliste ad virginem gloriosam de quodam mero et iniquo ypocrita; et responsio virginis, qualiter talis sit constitutus; et de Dyaboli illusionibus ad ipsum; et quomodo ex septem signis spiritus bonus cognoscitur et ex totidem malus spiritus dinoscitur.
The Deception of the Hypocrite
John the Evangelist warns the Virgin of a hypocrite who is deeply deceived by the Devil.
John the Evangelist said to the Mother of God, "Listen, you who are Virgin and Mother of one Son, not of many; Mother of the only-begotten Son of God, the Creator and Redeemer of all." Listen, I say—just as you are listening—to how much this person has been deceived by the Devil, how hard he labors to achieve the impossible, how he has been shaped by the spirit of lies and in how many ways, and how far he has distanced himself from God, while wearing the appearance of a sheep but keeping the heart of a lion. I have taught that there are three who bear witness in heaven and on earth: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The evil spirit, however, testifies that those people have become entirely holy—those whom the Father doesn't strengthen with His power, whom the Son doesn't visit with His wisdom, and whom the Holy Spirit doesn't inflame with His love. It's no wonder; he aspires to power against the Father's power, he wants to be wise against the Son's wisdom, and he has a fire within him, but it's different from the way the Holy Spirit inflames. Therefore, ask your Son that he either remove him quickly, so that many others aren't lost, or that he be humbled more swiftly for his error."
The Virgin's Wisdom
The Mother of God responds to John, affirming his spiritual closeness and confirming that his prayer will be answered.
The Mother replied: "Listen, you virgin, yet a person of masculine, not feminine, character." You are the one whom it pleased God to call from the world through a most gentle death, to be closer to me." It was as if I fell asleep as my soul and body separated, and I awoke in perpetual joy. And it's no wonder; for I, more than others, suffered bitterly at the death of my Son, and so it pleased God to separate me from the world with a very light death. You, however, drew closer to me than the other apostles and experienced greater signs of love than they did; the passion of my Son became more bitter to you, as you saw it more clearly than the rest, and because you lived longer than your fellow brothers, you were a martyr in the death of them all. That is why it pleased God to call you from the world with a very gentle death to follow me, because a virgin was entrusted to a virgin. So, what you asked for will happen, and it won't be delayed.
Currency of the Soul
The Mother of God uses the metaphor of currency to distinguish between the soul marked by God and the soul corrupted by the Devil.
Still, I want to show my daughter how this person we're talking about is actually living. He is, in fact, like a minter’s servant—that is, the Devil’s—who melts down and strikes his own coin (meaning the person who serves him) with his suggestions and temptations, until he has shaped that person entirely to his own will. Once he has corrupted a person's will and inclined it toward the pleasures of the flesh and the love of the world, he soon stamps it with his own form and inscription; it then becomes clear enough from outward signs whom that person loves with their whole heart. But when someone acts on their heart's desires and gets more involved in the world than their life requires—and would do and want even more if they could—they prove themselves to be the Devil's perfect currency. Still, you should know that God’s currency is one thing, and the Devil’s is another. God’s currency is gold—it’s radiant, malleable, and precious. In the same way, every soul that bears the mark of God is radiant with divine love, malleable through patience, and precious because of its perseverance in good works. A good soul is forged by the power of God and tested through many temptations. As the soul considers its own origin and flaws, along with God’s mercy and patience toward it, it becomes all the more precious to God the more humble, patient, and watchful over itself it is found to be. The devil’s currency is copper and lead. It's copper because it has the appearance of gold; it has the hardness and the flexibility, but it isn't like gold. In this way, the soul of an unjust person considers itself righteous; it judges everyone else, puts its own interests above all others, is inflexible toward acts of humility, is soft and indulgent with its own deeds, is difficult to turn from its own ideas, and is admired by the world but contemptible to God. The Devil’s currency is also leaden, because it's misshapen, because it's soft and flexible, and because it's heavy. In the same way, the soul of an unjust person is deformed by sensual attachments, burdened by worldly greed, and as flexible as a reed toward whatever the Devil whispers to the mind—in fact, sometimes it’s even readier to act than the Devil is to tempt. This servant of the money-changer is just as misguided; tired of keeping the religious discipline he had vowed, he found ways to please people through a fake holiness, all to indulge his own flesh more luxuriously. The devil quickly planted night-time lies in his mind, and, deceived by them, he believed in impossible things that will never happen; but his life will be cut short, and he won't attain the honor he craves.
The Blindness of the World
The text critiques the world's inability to discern truth, noting that worldly gain is preferred over spiritual integrity.
However, whenever some new currency is found, it must be sent to someone wise who has sufficient knowledge of its weight and form. But where will we find him? If such a person is found, they care little—or rather, nothing at all—whether the currency is counterfeit or genuine. So, in these cases, there's only one piece of advice, which I'll illustrate with an example. If you offered a dog a gold coin, it wouldn't care to take it; but if you smeared it with a thick layer of fat, there's no doubt it would take it from you. It's the same way now. If you go to someone wise and say, 'That man is a heretic,' no one pays attention, because the love of God has completely grown cold.1 But if you were to say, 'He has a lot of money,' everyone would come running at once. Soon, what Paul says will come to pass: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will humble them, and I will exalt the humble.'
Signs of the Two Spirits
Seven signs are provided to distinguish the influence of the Holy Spirit from that of the evil spirit.
However, daughter, you'll be able to recognize the Holy Spirit and the unclean spirit by seven signs. For the first sign is that the Spirit of God makes the world seem worthless to a person, so that its honor is regarded in the heart as nothing more than air. Second, it makes God dear to the soul, and all fleshly pleasures grow cold. Third, it inspires patience and finding glory in God alone. Fourth, it stirs the mind toward love and compassion for your neighbor, even for your enemies. Fifth, it inspires a desire for total purity, even in things that are otherwise permitted. Sixth, it makes you trust in God during all your troubles and find glory in them. Seventh, it gives you a longing to be set free and to be with Christ, rather than to prosper and be stained by the world. The evil spirit, by contrast, does seven other things. First, he makes the world seem sweet and makes you find heavenly things distasteful. Second, he makes you crave honors and forget yourself. Third, he stirs up hatred and impatience in your heart. Fourth, he makes you bold against God and stubborn in your own ideas. Fifth, it makes you downplay your sins and offer excuses for them. Sixth, it inspires a lightness of spirit and every kind of impurity of the flesh. Seventh, it inspires the hope of living a long time and a sense of shame about going to confession. Therefore, be watchful over your thoughts, so that you aren't deceived by this spirit.
A Soul Restored
The teachings are applied to a specific Cistercian monk, who is moved to repentance and dies in the peace of the Church.
This was a Cistercian monk who, after eighteen years of apostasy, was moved by compunction and returned to his monastery. He claimed that it’s impossible for anyone to be damned, that God doesn’t speak with anyone in this world, and that no one can see the face of God before God’s judgment. When Lady Birgitta heard this, the Holy Spirit said to her, "Go to that brother and tell him: 'O brother, you don't see what I see—how the devil still holds your mind and your tongue bound in your old age.'" God is eternal, and His reward is eternal. So, turn back quickly with your whole heart to God and to the true faith, because you certainly won't rise from this bed, but will surely die. And if you believe, you will be a vessel of God in honor. Moved to tears and thanking Lady Birgitta, he corrected his life so completely that, when he had called his brothers together at the hour of his passing, he said:2 My brothers, I have been assured that a merciful God has accepted my compunction and is ready to grant me pardon. Pray for me, because I believe everything the holy Church believes. And so, having received the Sacraments of God, he fell asleep.
Read the original Latin
Iohannes euangelista dixit matri Dei: "Audi tu, virgo et mater unius filii non plurium, mater unigeniti filii Dei, plasmatoris et redemptoris omnium.
Audi, inquam, sicut et audis, quantum iste delusus est a Dyabolo, quantum laborat, ut obtineat impossibile, quantum informatus est et quantis rebus a spiritu mendacii, quantum eciam elongauit se a Deo in specie ouina et corde leonino.
Ego docui, quod tres sunt, qui testimonium dant in celo et in terra: Pater et Filius et Spiritus sanctus.
Isti vero testimonium perhibet spiritus malignus, quod totus est factus sanctus; quem Pater non fortificat potencia sua, Filius non visitat sapiencia sua, Spiritus sanctus non inflammat caritate sua.
Nec mirum; aspirat enim ad potenciam contra potenciam Patris, vult esse sapiens contra sapienciam Filii, habet inflammacionem sed aliter quam sicut inflammat Spiritus sanctus.
Ideo roga filium tuum, ut aut cicius subtrahatur, ne perdantur plures, aut humilietur celerius pro errato."
Respondit Mater: "Audi tu, virgo, sed tamen virilis non feminea persona. Tu es quem Deo placuit vocare cum leuissima morte de mundo propinquius michi.
Ego enim quasi obdormiui in separacione anime et corporis et vigilaui in gaudio perpetuo. Nec mirum; ego quippe pre ceteris amarius in morte filii mei dolui, et ideo placuit Deo me de mundo cum morte leuissima separare.
Tu vero inter apostolos vicinius michi appropinquasti, maioraque signa dileccionis expertus es pre aliis, et amarior tibi passio filii mei facta est, quam pre ceteris clarius aspexisti; et quia pre ceteris fratribus tuis longius vixisti, quasi in ipsorum omnium morte martir fuisti.
Ideo placuit Deo vocare te de mundo leuissima morte post me, quia virgo virgini fuit commendata. Ideo fiet quod petisti et non prolongabitur.
Attamen filie mee ostendere volo, quomodo iste de quo loquimur est constitutus. Ipse quippe est sicut seruus monetarii, id est Dyaboli, qui conflat et percutit monetam suam, id est seruientem sibi, suggestionibus et temptacionibus suis, donec perficit eam ad velle suum.
Cumque voluntatem hominis corruperit et ad delectaciones carnis et amorem mundi inclinauerit, mox quasi formam et superscripcionem ei imprimit, quia tunc ex signis exterioribus satis apparet, quem diligit toto corde.
Quando vero homo opere explet affectum mentis sue et plus implicare se vult mundo quam status suus requirit, pluraque faceret et vellet, si posset, tunc perfecta moneta Dyaboli comprobatur.
Verumptamen scito, quod alia est moneta Dei et alia moneta Dyaboli. Moneta Dei est aurea, id est fulgens, ductilis et preciosa. Sic omnis anima que habet impressionem Dei est fulgens diuina caritate, ductilis paciencia, preciosa boni operis continuacione.
Ergo anima bona conflatur virtute Dei et probatur multis temptacionibus, per quas anima considerans originem et defectuositates suas Deique circa se pietatem et pacienciam, tanto fit preciosior Deo, quanto humilior et paciencior et sui sollicicior inuenitur.
Moneta vero Dyaboli est cuprea et plumbea. Cuprea, quia habet similitudinem auri: habet duriciam, habet flexibilitatem sed non sicut aurum.
Sic anima iniusti videtur quippe sibi esse iustus, omnes diiudicat, omnibus sua prefert, inflexibilis est ad opera humilitatis, mollis in suis operibus, difficilis ad reuocandum a suis conceptibus, mirabilis mundo, contemptibilis Deo.
Est quoque moneta Dyaboli plumbea, quia deformis, quia mollis et flexibilis, quia ponderosa.
Sic anima iniusti deformis est in voluptuosis affeccionibus, onerosa in cupiditate mundi, flexibilis quasi arundo ad quecumque Dyabolus inspirat menti, ymmo quandoque facilior ad faciendum quam Dyabolus ad temptandum.
Sic eciam iste seruus monetarii est dispositus, qui attediatus stare in obseruanciis regularibus, sicut vouerat, cogitauit vias, quibus hominibus placeret per simulatam sanctitatem ad laucius nutriendam carnem suam.
Et mox Dyabolus immisit menti sue quedam mendacia nocturnalia, quibus delusus credebat impossibilia, que non euenient; sed vita eius abbreuiabitur, et honorem quem cupit non consequetur.
Verumptamen ubicumque aliqua moneta noua inuenitur, mittenda est ad aliquem sapientem, qui ponderis et forme scienciam habeat sufficienter. Sed ubi inueniemus illum?
Qui si inuentus fuerit, modicum curat, ymmo nichil, utrum moneta falsa sit aut vera. Ideo in talibus unicum est consilium, sicut per exemplum dico.
Si cani porrigeretur unus florenus, non attenderet ad recipiendum eum; si vero perunctus esset aliqua magna pinguedine, non dubium, quin tunc ab eo reciperetur.
Sic eciam est nunc. Si acceditur ad aliquem sapientem dicendo sic: 'Ille talis hereticus est', tunc non attenditur, quia caritas Dei refriguit tota. Si vero diceretur: 'Florenos habet multos', tunc omnes simul festinarent.
Propterea erit cito, quod dicit Paulus: 'Adnichilabo sapienciam sapientum et humiliabo, et humiles exaltabo.'
Attamen, filia, ex septem poteris cognoscere Spiritum sanctum et spiritum immundum. Primo enim spiritus Dei facit vilescere homini mundum, cuius honor reputatur in corde quasi aer.
Secundo facit Deum carum anime, et omnis delectacio carnis refrigescit. Tercio inspirat pacienciam et in Deo solam gloriacionem. Quarto incitat mentem ad proximi dileccionem et compassionem, ymmo eciam inimicorum.
Quinto inspirat ad omnimodam castitatem, ymmo eciam rerum licitarum. Sexto facit confidere in Deo in omnibus tribulaconibus et in eis gloriari. Septimo donat desiderium velle dissolui et esse cum Christo, magis quam in mundo prosperari et inquinari.
Ita econtra spiritus malus facit alia septem. Primo facit mundum esse suauem, et celestia fastidire. Secundo facit appetere honores et sui ipsius obliuisci. Tercio excitat in corde odium et impacienciam. Quarto facit contra Deum audacem et in conceptibus animi sui pertinacem.
Quinto facit leuigare peccata sua et excusare. Sexto inspirat leuitatem animi omnemque carnis impuritatem. Septimo inspirat spem diu viuendi verecundiamque confitendi. Ideo sollicita esto circa cogitaciones tuas, ne a spiritu isto decipiaris."
Hic fuit sacerdos ordinis Cisterciensis, qui post duodeuiginti annos apostasie compunctus reuersus est ad monasterium. Qui dixit impossibile esse aliquem dampnari, nec Deum loqui cum aliqua persona in hoc mundo, nec aliquem posse videre faciem Dei ante iudicium Dei.
Quod cum audisset domina Birgitta, dixit ei Spiritus sanctus: "Vade," inquit, "ad fratrem illum et dic ei: 'O, frater, non vides sicut ego video, quomodo Dyabolus adhuc in senectute tua tenet mentem et linguam tuam ligatam.
Deus eternus est, eterna est remuneracio eius. Ideo reuertere celeriter perfecto corde ad Deum et fidem veram, quia sine dubio non ascendes de lecto isto sed utique morieris. Et si credideris, eris vas Dei in honore.'"
Qui resolutus in lacrimas et domine Birgitte regracians, sic perfecte correxit vitam suam, quod conuocatis fratribus suis in hora resolucionis dixit:
"O, fratres mei, certificatus sum, quod Deus misericors recepit contricionem meam daturus veniam. Orate pro me, quia credo omnia, que sancta credit Ecclesia." Et sic sumptis sacramentis Dei obdormiuit.
Notes
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