Caput 9
The Inquirer's Questions
A seeker presents a series of challenging questions to the Judge regarding divine partiality, the nature of angels versus humans, and the order of creation.
After these things, the religious man who was mentioned above appeared in his place and said, "Judge, I ask you: Why do you seem so partial in your gifts and graces, in that you have preferred Mary, your mother, to every other creature and exalted her above the angels?" Also, why did you give the angels a spirit without flesh, and the ability to stand in heavenly joy, while to man you gave an earthly vessel and a spirit, and the fate to be born with weeping, to live with labor, and to die with pain? Also, why did you give humans a rational mind and senses, but not give reason to the animals? And why did you give life to animals, but not to the rest of the inanimate creatures? And why isn't the light at night the same as it is during the day?
The Mystery of Divine Preference
The Judge explains that Mary was exalted not out of arbitrary partiality, but because her capacity for divine love was uniquely prepared and foreseen.
The Judge replied, "Friend, in my divinity, everything that is to be or is to be done, just like everything that has already been done, is foreseen and known from the beginning." Just as the fall of man was foreseen as permitted by the justice of God, but not caused by God nor made necessary by God’s foreknowledge, so too was the liberation of man foreseen from eternity as something to be accomplished through the mercy of God. You're asking, then, why I preferred Mary, my mother, above all others and loved her more than any other creature. It's because a special, remarkable sign of the virtues was found in her. Just as when a fire is lit with plenty of wood piled around it, whatever is most apt and effective for burning catches fire and is consumed more quickly, so it was with Mary. When the fire of divine love—which is in itself unchanging and eternal—began to ignite and appear, and the Godhead willed to be incarnate, no creature was more capable or effective at receiving this fire of love than the Virgin Mary, because no creature burned with such charity as she did. And although her love was revealed and shown at the end of time, it was nonetheless foreseen before the world began. It was ordained in the Godhead from eternity: just as no one has been found equal to Him in love, so no one was to be His equal in grace and blessing.
The Order of Spirits and Men
The Judge clarifies the distinction between the angelic nature and the human condition, explaining the necessity of the body and the purpose of earthly trials.
As for why I gave the angel a spirit without a body, I answer: In the beginning, before time and the ages, I created spirits so that, standing in free will, they might rejoice in my goodness and glory according to my will. Some of them, becoming arrogant about the good they possessed, brought evil upon themselves by moving their free will in a disordered way. And because there was nothing evil in their nature or creation except for the disorder of their own will, that is why they fell. Other spirits, however, chose to remain in humility under Me, their God; and because of this, they earned lasting stability. It is right and just that I, God—who am uncreated Spirit and the Creator and Lord of all—should also have spirits more subtle and agile than other creatures to serve me. But because it wasn't right for me to have a gap in my army, I created a new creature—man—to take the place of those who fell, so that through free will and good will he might earn the same dignity the angels abandoned. If a human being had only a soul and no body, they wouldn't be able to earn such a sublime good, nor would they be able to labor for it. That is why the body is joined to the soul, so that eternal honor may be attained. This is why trials are increased for him: so that a person might experience their own free will and weaknesses, and so that they won't become proud. Also, so that he might long for the glory for which he was created and pay the debt of the disobedience he willfully incurred, divine justice added a sorrowful birth, a sorrowful death, and a life of labor to him.
The Purpose of Creation
The Judge explains that the animal kingdom and inanimate world were created to serve humanity's needs and to maintain the proper hierarchy of the created order.
As for why animals don't have rational intellect like humans do, here is my answer: Everything created exists for the benefit of humanity: whether for our needs and sustenance, for our instruction and correction, or for our consolation and humiliation. If animals had the same intellect as humans, they would certainly cause us trouble, doing more harm than good. Rational intellect was not given to animals so that all things might be subject to man, for whom all things were made, and so that all things might fear him—while he himself fears no one except Me, his God. As for why things without sense don't have life, I answer: everything that lives is destined to die, and everything that lives moves, unless it's held back by some obstacle. If, then, inanimate things had life, they would move against humanity rather than for it.1 Therefore, so that all things might be a comfort to humanity, the higher beings—namely, the angels—have been given to us for our protection, and with them we share the gift of reason and the immortality of the soul.2 Lower things, however—both those that are sensible and those that are not—were given to him for his utility, sustenance, instruction, and exercise.
The Rhythm of Labor and Rest
The Judge uses the analogy of a carriage to explain why the cycle of day and night is a merciful provision for human weakness, pointing toward eternal rest.
As for why it isn't daylight every moment, I'll answer you with an example. Every vehicle—that is, a carriage—has wheels underneath so that its load can be moved more easily, and the back wheels follow the front ones. The same principle applies to spiritual matters. The world is a heavy burden, weighing humanity down with its anxieties and troubles. It's no wonder, then, that since humanity turned away from the place of rest, it was only just that we should experience a place of labor.3 So that the burden of this world might be easier for a person to bear, God mercifully introduced the cycle and change of seasons—day and night, summer and winter—for the sake of our work and our rest. It's reasonable that when opposites meet—the strong and the weak—the strong must accommodate the weak so that it can endure alongside the strong; otherwise, the weak is annihilated. It's the same with a human being. Even if a person could stand firm in contemplation and labor constantly through the power of an immortal soul, they would still fail because of the weakness of their physical body. Light was created so that humanity, sharing in both the higher and lower realms, might know how to endure by working through the day and remembering the sweetness of the eternal light it lost. Night was also made for the body's rest, so that you might long for that place where there is no night or labor, but only an everlasting day and eternal glory.
Read the original Latin
Hiis dictis apparuit religiosus qui supra in gradu suo dicens: "Iudex, quero a te: Cur tantum videris inequalis in donis et graciis tuis in eo, quod Mariam matrem tuam pretulisti omni creature et exaltasti eam super angelos?"
"Item cur dedisti angelis spiritum sine carne et stare in celesti gaudio, homini vero dedisti vas terrenum et spiritum et nasci cum ploratu, viuere cum labore et mori cum dolore?"
"Item cur dedisti homini intellectum racionabilem et sensus, animalibus vero racionem non dedisti?"
"Item cur dedisti animalibus vitam et non reliquis insensibilibus creaturis?"
"Item cur non est ita lux in nocte sicut in die?"
Respondit iudex: "Amice, in deitate mea omnia futura et facienda sicut et facta prescita et precognita sunt ab inicio.
Sicut enim prescitus est lapsus hominis ex iusticia Dei permissus, sed non ex Deo factus nec propter prescienciam Dei faciendus, sic ab eterno prescita est liberacio hominis ex misericordia Dei facienda.
Queris igitur, cur Mariam matrem meam pretuli omnibus et pre omni creatura dilexi eam. Hoc ideo est, quia in ipsa speciale insigne virtutum inuentum est.
Sicut enim, vbi ignis accenditur lignis plurimis circumpositis, illud cicius inflammatur et comburitur, quod habilius et efficacius est ad comburendum, sic et in Maria fuit.
Quando enim ignis amoris diuini, qui in se incommutabilis et eternus est, accendi et apparere cepit et deitas incarnari voluit, nulla creatura ad hunc ignem amoris percipiendum habilior et efficacior erat quam virgo Maria, quia nulla creatura tanta caritate arsit sicut ipsa.
Et quamuis caritas eius in fine temporum reuelata et ostensa sit, tamen ante principium mundi preuisa est.
Et sic in deitate ab eterno prefinitum est, quod, sicut nullus ei in caritate inuentus est similis, sic et nullus ei in gracia et benediccione esset equalis."
"Item, cur angelo dedi spiritum sine carne, respondeo: In principio et ante tempora et secula creaui spiritus, vt in libero arbitrio stantes secundum voluntatem meam gauderent de bonitate et gloria mea.
Quorum quidam superbientes de bono fecerunt sibi malum, voluntatem liberam mouentes inordinate. Et quia nichil malum erat in natura et creacione nisi inordinacio voluntatis proprie, ideo ceciderunt.
Alii vero spirituum elegerunt sub me Deo suo in humilitate stare; ideo et perpetuam stabilitatem meruerunt.
Quia dignum et iustum est, vt ego Deus, qui spiritus increatus sum et omnium creator et Dominus, habeam eciam spiritus subtiliores et agiliores aliis creaturis michi obsequentes.
Verum quia non decuit me habere diminucionem in exercitu meo, ideo creaui aliam creaturam, scilicet hominem, loco eorum, qui ceciderunt, que libero arbitrio et bona voluntate promereretur eandem dignitatem, quam angeli deseruerunt.
Itaque, si homo haberet animam et non carnem, non posset promereri tam sublime bonum sed nec laborare. Propterea ad optinendum eternum honorem coniunctum est corpus anime.
Ideo et augentur ei tribulaciones, vt homo experiatur liberum arbitrium et infirmitates suas, vt non superbiat.
Item, vt desideret gloriam, ad quam creatus est, et exsoluat inobedienciam, quam voluntarie incurrerat, ideo ex diuina iusticia additus est ei flebilis ingressus et egressus et vita laboriosa."
"Item, cur animalia non habent intellectum racionabilem sicut homo, respondeo tibi:
Omnia, quecumque creata sunt, ad vtilitatem hominis sunt aut ad necessitatem eius et sustentacionem aut ad informacionem et correpcionem aut ad consolacionem et humiliacionem.
Si ergo bruta haberent intellectum sicut homo, essent vtique homini in tribulacionem et pocius nocerent quam prodessent.
Ideo, vt omnia subiecta sint homini, propter quem omnia facta sunt, et omnia ipsum timeant, ipse vero neminem nisi me Deum suum, propterea animalibus non est datus racionabilis intellectus."
"Item, cur insensibilia non habent vitam, respondeo: Omne, quod viuit, moriturum est et omne viuens mouetur, nisi impediatur aliquo obstaculo.
Si ergo insensibilia haberent vitam, mouerent se pocius contra hominem quam pro eo.
Ideo, vt omnia sint homini in solacium, propterea superiora, scilicet angeli dati sunt ei in custodiam, cum quibus habet racionem et anime immortalitatem.
Inferiora vero, scilicet sensibilia et insensibilia, data sunt ei ad vtilitatem et sustentacionem et erudicionem et exercitacionem."
"Item, cur omne tempus non est dies, respondeo tibi per exemplum. Omni vehiculo, idest currui, subsunt rote, vt facilius onus impositum promoueatur, et rote posteriores subsequuntur priores.
Simile est in spiritualibus. Nam mundus magnum onus est, onerans sollicitudinibus et tribulacionibus hominem. Nec mirum, quia, cum homo locum quietis fastidiuit, iustum erat, vt locum laboris experiretur.
Vt ergo huius mundi onus facilius ab homine tollerari possit, ideo accessit misericorditer vicissitudo et mutacio temporum, scilicet dies et nox, estas et frigus, propter exercitacionem et quietem hominis.
Nam racionabile est, vt, vbi contraria conueniunt, firmum scilicet et infirmum, condescendendum est infirmo, vt cum forti possit subsistere; alioquin infirmum annichilatur.
Sic et de homine est. Quamuis ipse ex virtute anime immortalis stare posset in contemplacione et labore iugiter, tamen ex virtute corporis infirmi deficeret.
Ideo facta est lux, vt homo habens participacionem cum superioribus et inferioribus sciat subsistere, laborando per diem et rememorando dulcedinem eterni luminis, quod amisit.
Facta quoque est nox propter quietem corporis, habendo voluntatem veniendi ad locum, vbi non est nox nec labor sed dies perpetuus et gloria sempiterna."
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'insensibilia' refers to things lacking sense or consciousness; 'inanimate things' captures this in a modern, readable way.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'habet racionem et anime immortalitatem' implies a shared participation in these qualities with the angels.
- 3 ↩The Latin 'fastidiuit' implies a disdainful rejection or turning away from something once held in high regard.
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