Reuelacio terciadecima in libro questionum, in qua Deus Pater loquitur beate Birgitte subtiliter informans eam de virtute illorum quinque locorum sacrorum, que sunt in Iherusalem et Bethleem, et de gracia, quam recipiunt peregrini visitantes illa loca cum humilitate deuota et vera caritate, dicens, quod in dictis locis fuit vas clausum et non clausum, nascebatur leo, qui videbatur et non videbatur, fuit agnus tonsus et non tonsus, ponebatur serpens, qui iacuit et non iacuit, vbi eciam fuit aquila, que volauit et non volauit; et exponit omnia ista in figura. Et sequitur exposicio et declaracio predictorum verborum in figura.
The Call to Spiritual Preparation
God the Father instructs the soul to wait patiently for the harvest, preparing the heart for the grace found in sacred places.
God the Father says: "There was a master whose servant told him, 'Look, your fallow ground has been cleared, and the roots have been pulled up.'" "When, then, should the wheat be sown?" The Lord replied, "Even though the roots may seem to be pulled up, there are still old trunks and stumps left behind that must be broken down in the spring by the rain and the wind." So, wait patiently for the time to sow! The servant answered him, "What must I do between the time of spring and the harvest?" The Lord replied, "I know of five places." Everyone who visits them will receive a fivefold fruit, provided they come with a clean heart, free from pride, and burning with charity.1
The Fivefold Mystery of the Sacred Places
The Lord presents five paradoxical images representing the sacred sites of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
First, there was a vessel that was closed and yet not closed, small and yet not small, luminous and yet not luminous, empty and yet not empty, clean and yet not clean. In the second place, a lion was born that was seen and not seen, heard and not heard, touched and not touched, recognized and yet remained unknown, held and not held. Third, there was a lamb that was shorn and yet not shorn, a lamb wounded and yet not wounded, a lamb crying out and yet not crying out, a lamb suffering and yet not suffering, a lamb dying and yet not dying. In the fourth place, a serpent was set, which lay there and yet did not lie there, moved and yet did not move, heard and yet did not hear, saw and yet did not see, felt and yet did not feel. In the fifth place, there was an eagle that flew and yet didn't fly, that entered a place from which it never departed, that rested and yet didn't rest, that was renewed and yet wasn't renewed, that rejoiced and yet didn't rejoice, that was honored and yet wasn't honored.
The Vessel of the Mother
God explains the mystery of the vessel, identifying it as the Virgin Mary and detailing her virtues and purity.
The Father says, "That vessel I told you about, Mary, daughter of Joachim, was the mother of Christ's humanity." She was, in fact, a vessel both closed and not closed: closed to the devil, but not to God; for just as a torrent, wanting to enter a vessel that blocks its path but unable to do so, searches for other ways in and out, so the devil, like a torrent of vices, sought with all his schemes to approach the heart of Mary. Yet it could never sway her heart toward even the smallest sin, because it was closed against its temptations. For the torrent of my Spirit had flooded her heart and filled her with a special grace. Second, Mary, the mother of my Son, was a vessel small and not small: small and modest in the lowliness of her self-contempt, but great and not small in the love of my divinity. Third, Mary was a vessel both empty and not empty: empty of all worldly pleasure and sin, but not empty—rather, full of heavenly sweetness and every goodness. Fourth, Mary was a vessel of light and yet not of light: of light, because every beautiful soul is created by me, but Mary’s soul grew to such perfection of light that my Son fixed himself within her soul, and heaven and earth rejoiced in her beauty. But this vessel was not luminous in the eyes of people, because it despised the honors and riches of the world. Fifth, Mary was a vessel both pure and not pure: she was pure because she was entirely beautiful, and not even the smallest speck of impurity could be found in her, not even where the tip of a needle might touch. Yet it wasn't pure, because she came from the root of Adam and was born of sinners, even though she was conceived without sin, so that my Son might be born of her without sin. So, anyone who comes to this place—the very place where Mary was born and raised—will not only be cleansed, but will also become a vessel for my honor.
The Mystery of the Son's Journey
The Lord interprets the remaining four images as the life, death, burial, and ascension of Christ, promising grace to those who visit these places.
The second place is Bethlehem, where my Son was born as a lion; he was seen and held in his humanity, but in his divinity, he remained invisible and unknown. The third place is Calvary, where my Son, like an innocent lamb, was wounded and died in his humanity, but in his divinity, he remained impassible and immortal. The fourth place was the garden of my Son's tomb, where his humanity was laid and lay like a despised serpent, yet in his divinity, he was everywhere.2 The fifth place was the Mount of Olives, from which my Son ascended to heaven like an eagle in His humanity, while in His divinity He was always there. He was the One who was renewed and rested in His humanity, while in His divinity He remained always at rest and unchanged.3 Therefore, anyone who comes to these places with a pure, good, and perfect will, will be able to see and taste how sweet and gentle I, God, am. So, when you come to these places, I'll show you more.
Read the original Latin
Deus Pater loquitur: "Quidam dominus fuit, cui dixit seruus suus: 'Ecce nouale tuum excultum est et radices extirpate sunt. Quando ergo seminandum est triticum?"
Cui dominus: 'Licet', inquit, 'radices extirpate videantur, tamen adhuc inueterati trunci et stipites derelicti sunt, qui in vere ex pluuiis et ventis soluendi sunt. Ideo expecta pacienter tempus seminandi!
Cui respondit seruus: 'Quid michi faciendum est inter tempora veris et messis?' Cui dominus: 'Ego', inquit, 'scio quinque loca. Omnis, qui ad illa accesserit, habebit quintuplicem fructum, si tamen mundus venerit et vacuus a superbia et feruens caritate.
In primo loco fuit vas clausum et non clausum, vas paruum et non paruum, vas luminosum et non luminosum, vas vacuum et non vacuum, vas mundum et non mundum.
In secundo loco nascebatur leo, qui videbatur et non videbatur, qui audiebatur et non audiebatur, qui tangebatur et non tangebatur, qui agnoscebatur et incognitus fuit, qui tenebatur et non tenebatur.
In tercio loco fuit agnus tonsus et non tonsus, agnus vulneratus et non vulneratus, agnus clamans et non clamans, agnus paciens et non paciens, agnus moriens et non moriens.
In quarto loco ponebatur serpens, qui iacuit et non iacuit, mouebatur et non mouebatur, audiuit et non audiuit, vidit et non vidit, senciebat et non senciebat.
In quinto loco fuit aquila, que volauit et non volauit, que et venit in locum, vnde numquam recessit, que requieuit et non requieuit, que innouabatur et non innouabatur, que gaudebat et non gaudebat, que honorabatur et non honorabatur.'"
Pater loquitur: "Vas illud, de quo dixit tibi, Maria filia Ioachim, mater humanitatis Christi fuit.
Ipsa enim fuit vas clausum et non clausum: clausum dyabolo sed non Deo, quia sicut torrens cupiens ingredi vas oppositum sibi et non valens inquirit alios exitus et ingressus, sic dyabolus quasi torrens viciorum cupiebat totis adinuencionibus suis appropinquare cordi Marie;
sed numquam ad aliquod quantumcumque minimum peccatum valuit inclinare animum eius, quia clausum erat contra temptaciones eius. Nam torrens spiritus mei influxerat cor eius et speciali gracia repleuit eam.
Secundo fuit Maria, mater filii mei, vas paruum et non paruum: paruum et modicum in humilitatis sue contemptu, magnum et non paruum in caritate deitatis mee.
Tercio fuit Maria vas vacuum et non vacuum: vacuum ab omni voluptate et peccato, non vacuum sed plenum celesti dulcedine et omni bonitate.
Quarto fuit Maria vas luminosum et non luminosum: luminosum, quia omnis anima pulchra a mea creata est, sed anima Marie creuit ad omnem perfeccionem luminis in tantum, quod filius meus fixit se in anima eius, ex cuius pulchritudine gaudebat celum et terra.
Sed vas istud non luminosum fuit apud homines, quia mundi honores et diuicias contempnebat.
Quinto Maria fuit vas mundum et non mundum: mundum vero fuit quia tota pulchra, et tanta immundicia non inueniebatur in ea, vbi cuspis acus infigeretur;
sed non mundum fuit, quia de radice Ade processit et de peccatoribus nata est, licet sine peccato concepta, vt filius meus de ea sine peccato nasceretur.
Ergo, qui ad locum istum, scilicet vbi Maria nata et educata fuit, venerit, non solum mundabitur sed et erit vas in honorem meum.
Secundus locus est Bethleem, vbi filius meus tamquam leo natus est, qui videbatur et tenebatur secundum humanitatem, sed secundum diuinitatem inuisibilis et incognitus fuit.
Tercius locus est Caluarie, vbi filius meus tamquam agnus innocens vulneratus et mortuus est secundum humanitatem, sed secundum deitatem impassibilis et immortalis erat.
Quartus locus fuit ortus sepulchri filii mei, in quo quasi serpens contemptibilis ponebatur et iacuit humanitas eius, sed secundum deitatem vbique erat.
Quintus locus erat mons Oliueti, de quo filius meus quasi aquila euolauit secundum humanitatem in celum, vbi secundum deitatem semper erat. Qui innouabatur et quieuit secundum humanitatem, cum secundum deitatem semper quietus et idem erat.
Ergo, qui ad ista loca venerit mundus cum bona et perfecta voluntate, habebit videre et gustare, quam dulcis et suauis sum ego Deus. Itaque, cum veneris ad ista loca, ostendam tibi plura."
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'mundus' here carries the dual sense of 'clean' or 'pure' and 'world', but in this context of spiritual preparation, 'clean' or 'pure' is the intended meaning.
- 2 ↩The Latin 'quasi serpens contemptibilis' echoes the imagery of the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:9) and the suffering servant (Isaiah 53:3), emphasizing the humiliation of the humanity of Christ in the tomb.
- 3 ↩The Latin 'innouabatur' (was renewed) is unusual here; it may refer to the transformation of the human nature in the Resurrection and Ascension, or potentially a corruption for 'in nubibus' (in the clouds). I have translated it as written.
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