Verba increpacionis Domini ad quendam sacerdotem, qui in paciencia mortuus est, presente sponsa; et qualiter cum septem plagis spiritualibus et septem corporalibus Christus veniet ad iniquos sacerdotes; et qualiter illa anima propter pacienciam et cetera obtinuit gloriam.
The False Priest and the True Judge
The Lord rebukes a priest for his worldly conduct and lack of spiritual integrity in his ministry.
As a priest was burying a man who had been bedridden for three and a half years, the bride heard the Spirit say, "My friend, what are you doing?" Why do you presume to touch the dead when your hands are stained with blood? Why do you cry out to the Almighty for him, when your voice is like the croaking of frogs? Why do you presume to appease the Judge on his behalf, when your own manner and way of life are more like a jester’s than a devout priest’s? Therefore, it’s the power of my words, not your work, that will benefit the dead man; it’s his own faith and long-suffering patience that will lead him to the crown. The Spirit also said to the bride: "That man's hands are bloodstained because all his works are carnal; he has no power to touch the dead, because he cannot help them by his own merits, but only by the dignity of the Sacrament." Good priests benefit souls in two ways: through the power of the Lord's Body and through their own, with which they burn in love. Their voice is like that of frogs, because it's entirely made up of muddy works, all directed toward the pleasure of the flesh. Therefore, it doesn't ascend to God, who desires to be appeased by the voice of humble confession and compunction. Their ways are like those of a court jester. After all, what does a jester do but conform to the ways of the world? And what does he sing, if not, "Let's eat and drink and enjoy the pleasures of this life"?
The Danger of Spiritual Mediocrity
Christ warns against the attitude of those who seek only the bare minimum of salvation rather than perfection.
This is how he acts: he conforms himself to everyone in dress and behavior so that he might please everyone, and by his own example and excess he encourages others toward superficiality, saying: 'Let us eat and drink, for the joy of the Lord is our strength; let it be enough for us to come to the gate of glory, and if I am kept from entering, let it be enough for me to sit by the gate.' I don't want to be perfect.' This voice and this life are heavy, because no one will come to the gate of glory unless they are perfect or perfectly purified. And no one attains glory unless they desire it perfectly or, when they are able, work for it perfectly.
The Sacrament and the Coming Judgment
The Lord explains His presence in the Sacrament despite unworthy ministers and warns of the coming plagues for the wicked.
Yet I, the Lord of all, enter into that priest, but I'm not contained by him, nor am I stained by him. I enter as a bridegroom, but I depart as a judge ready to pass sentence, having been treated with contempt by the one receiving me. Therefore, as I have said, I will come to the priests with seven plagues. They will be deprived of everything they loved; they will be cast out from the sight of God and judged in His wrath; they will be handed over to demons, suffer without rest, be despised by everyone, lack all good things, and abound in every evil. They will be scourged with seven other bodily evils, just as Israel was. Therefore, you shouldn't be surprised if I tolerate the wicked, or if some unworthy things are shown in my Sacrament; for I endure them until the end to demonstrate my patience and the ingratitude of men. Don't think that such an indignity—like the vomiting you heard about—actually happens to my Body; rather, those sensory appearances show what is their own, namely, their own failure. Yet, they clearly reveal the ingratitude of men and expose those who are guilty and unworthy as they approach such a holy Communion.✦
The Reward of the Faithful Soul
The Spirit comforts the deceased soul, affirming that faith, simplicity, and patience have secured its eternal reward.
The Spirit said to the soul of the deceased, "O soul, rejoice and exult, because your faith has separated you from the Devil, your simplicity will shorten the long road of purgatory for you, your patience has led you to the gate of glory, and my mercy will bring you in and crown you."
Read the original Latin
Cum quidam sacerdos sepeliret quendam mortuum, qui tribus annis cum dimidio iacuit in lecto, tunc audiuit sponsa, qualiter dixit Spiritus: "Amice, quid facis? Cur presumis tangere mortuum, cum manus tue sanguinolente sunt? Cur clamas pro eo ad Omnipotentem, cum vox tua est quasi ranarum?
Cur presumis placare pro eo Iudicem, cum gestus tui et mores similiores sunt ioculatori quam deuoto sacerdoti? Propterea virtus verborum meorum et non opus tuum proficiet mortuo, fidesque sua et paciencia longa introducent ipsum ad coronam."
Item dixit Spiritus sponse: "Manus istius sunt sanguinolente, quia omnia opera eius sunt carnalia, quibus tangere non valet mortuum, quia iuuare eum non poterit meritis suis sed dignitate sacramenti. Nam boni sacerdotes dupliciter prosunt animabus, scilicet virtute corporis dominici et propria, qua ardent caritate.
Vox quoque eius est quasi ranarum, quia tota est de lutosis operibus, tota ad voluptatem carnis. Ideo non ascendit ad Deum, qui placari desiderat voce humilis confessionis et contricionis.
Mores eciam sui sunt quasi ioculatorum. Quid enim facit ioculator, nisi quod conformat se moribus mundialium? Quid vero cantat, nisi 'Comedamus et bibamus fruamurque in hac vita deliciis'?
Sic facit iste: Conformat enim se veste et actu cum omnibus, ut omnibus placeat omnesque exemplo suo et excessu ad superflua incitat dicendo: 'Comedamus et bibamus, quia gaudium Domini est fortitudo nostra; sufficiat nobis venire ad portam glorie; et si prohibear ab ingressu, sufficiat michi residere iuxta portam. Nolo esse perfectus.'
Hec vox et vita grauis est, quia nemo veniet ad portam glorie nisi perfectus aut perfecte purgatus. Et nemo apprehendet gloriam nisi perfecte desiderando eam aut perfecte, cum poterit, pro ea laborando.
Attamen ego, Dominus omnium, ingredior ad sacerdotem istum sed non includor et commaculor. Ingredior ut sponsus, egredior ut iudex iudicaturus, contemptus a sumente.
Propterea, sicut dixi, veniam sacerdotibus cum septem plagis. Priuabuntur enim omnibus, que dilexerunt, eiicientur a conspectu Dei et iudicabuntur in ira eius, tradentur demonibus, pacientur absque requie, contempnentur ab omnibus, egebunt bonis omnibus malisque omnibus habundabunt.
Similiter eciam aliis septem corporalibus malis sicut Israhel flagellabuntur. Ideo non debes mirari, si malos tolero, aut si aliqua indigna ostenduntur in sacramento meo, quia ad ostendendam pacienciam meam et ingratitudinem hominum suffero usque in finem.
Nec cogitare debes, quod talis indignitas, sicut audisti de vomitu, fit in corpore meo, sed species ille sensuales ostendunt quod suum est, scilicet deficiendo; et tamen transparenter manifestant hominum ingratitudines et produnt homines ad tam sanctam sumpcionem reos et indignos."
Item dixit Spiritus ad animam mortui: "O, anima, gaude et exulta, quia fides tua separauit te a Dyabolo, simplicitas tua abbreuiabit tibi viam longam purgatorii, paciencia tua duxit te ad portam glorie, misericordia mea introducet te et coronabit te."
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Cor.11.27 — So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
Revelationes (Heavenly Revelations) companion
Keep going — one revelation a day
The full 496-chapter Revelationes lives in the Chosen Portion app, served as free daily portions.
Birgitta's revelations arrived over three decades of daily attentiveness, and the Chosen Portion app lets readers receive them the same way — one portion per day.
- Finish the guided path in 8 weeks at roughly 15 minutes a day
- All 8 books, 496 chapters, in modern English — the complete transmitted text
- Daily delivery so a 30-year masterwork becomes a sustainable habit