Mater Dei docet sponsam, qualiter resistendo respondeat dyaboli suggestionibus cupiditatis et amicicie mundialium et luxurie, qualiter eciam anima, que est coniuncta Deo per caritatem, licet inquietetur per cogitaciones varias, si tamen resistit, non imputatur ei ad peccatum sed ad meritum et coronam.
The Virgin's Counsel Against Temptation
The Virgin Mary instructs the bride on how to reject the devil's empty promises of worldly goods, friendship, and fleshly pleasure.
Mary spoke to the bride, saying: "Daughter, if your enemy tries to charm you with the pleasure of worldly goods, answer him: 'Enemy, you created nothing, so you can give nothing; and even if you could, those things are bound to fall away and end quickly.'" If it tries to flatter you with the friendships of the world, tell it: 'The world's friendship ends in woe.' But if it tries to flatter you with the pleasures of the flesh, answer it: 'I don't want any part of that, because in the end it's like poison, and it finishes in pain.' At that very moment, the devil appeared, and the blessed Virgin said to him, "Tell me, in her presence: where is what you created?" The demon replied, "I created nothing, because I was a good creature, and I became evil by my own doing." Then the blessed Virgin asked again, "Has your friendship ever had a happy ending, one filled with joy?" The demon replied, "It never has, and it never will." For the third time, the blessed Virgin said, "Answer me this: has your pleasure ever had a good end?" The demon replied, "It never has, and it never will, because it begins in evil and leads to evil."
The Indissoluble Union of Love
The devil admits he cannot separate the soul from God's love, so he resorts to planting distracting thoughts, which the Virgin promises will become a source of merit for the bride.
Then the demon replied to the Virgin, "You, Virgin, give me power over her!" And the Virgin said, "Why don't you take her into your own power?" The demon replied, "I can't do that, because I wouldn't be able to separate and divide a double blood once it's mixed together in one vessel." For the blood of God's love is mixed with the blood of the love in her heart." Then the blessed Virgin said again, "Why don't you let her be in her peace?" The demon replied, "I will never do that, because if I cannot kill her with a mortal sin, I will make sure she is tormented for a venial sin." And if I can't manage that, I'll cast my thorn into the hem of her garment. To make her pull it out, she'll be troubled in many ways—that is, I'll plant various thoughts in her heart, by which she'll be disturbed on every side. Then the Virgin said, "I want to help her." For as often as she casts them out and throws them back in your face, just as often will her sin be forgiven, and her crown and reward will be increased."1
Discerning the Spirit of Moderation
Through a vision of gluttony, the bride learns that true fasting is defined by intention and love rather than mere physical deprivation.
One day, the lady was tempted by gluttony. Then, caught up in spirit, she saw an Ethiopian holding what looked like a morsel of bread in his hand, and a young man holding a gilded vessel. Then the young man said to the Ethiopian: Why are you bothering her, when she's been entrusted to my care? The Ethiopian replied, "Because she's boasting about an abstinence she didn't actually possess, I'm offering her my morsel so that coarser things might taste sweet to her." For your Christ fasted at one time, eating nothing, and the prophets ate bread and drank only in moderation. That is why they earned such great rewards. And how will she earn them, when she always feels full? The young man replied, "Christ taught us to fast so that the body wouldn't be weakened." He doesn't ask for what's impossible for nature, but for moderation; nor does he ask what or how much someone eats, but with what intention and love they eat it. For a good habit of discipline must be maintained with thanksgiving, so that the flesh isn't weakened more severely." After this, the devil disappeared, and the lady was freed from the temptation.
Read the original Latin
Maria loquebatur ad sponsam dicens: "Filia, si inimicus tuus blanditur tibi in delectacione bonorum temporalium, responde sibi: 'Inimice, tu nichil creasti, ideo nichil dare potes, et eciam si possis, cicius casura sunt et finitura.'
Si vero blanditur tibi in amicicia mundialium, dic sibi: 'Amicicia mundi finitur cum ve.' Si autem blanditur tibi cum voluptate carnis, responde sibi: 'Hanc nolo habere, quia in fine est quasi venenum et cum dolore terminatur.'
Tunc in ipso momento videbatur dyabolus, cui dixit beata virgo: "Dic ista audiente, vbi est, quod creasti?" Respondit demon: "Nichil ego creaui, quia creatura fui bona et a me ipso malus."
Tunc iterum beata virgo dixit: "Numquid aliquando amicicia tua terminum habuit felicem et cum gaudio?" Respondit demon: "Numquam fuit hoc et numquam erit."
Tercio ait beata virgo: "Responde et dic, numquid aliquando voluptas tua habuit bonum finem?" Et demon: "Numquam habuit bonum finem et numquam habebit, quia in malo incipit et ad malum tendit."
Tunc demon subiunxit ad virginem: "Tu virgo, da michi potestatem super istam!" Et virgo: "Quare non recipis eam in potestatem tuam?"
Et demon: "Non", inquit, "hoc possum, quia duplicem sanguinem in vno vase commixtum ego non possem separare et diuidere. Quia sanguis caritatis Dei est mixtus sanguini caritatis cordis eius."
Tunc iterum ait beata virgo: "Quare non permittis eam esse in sua quiete?" Respondit demon: "Hoc numquam faciam, quia, si non potero interficere eam per mortale peccatum, tunc apponam curam, vt flagelletur pro veniali peccato.
Et si non potero hoc perficere, tunc in fimbriam eius iaciam palliurum meum. Quem vt euellat, multipliciter inquietabitur, hoc est diuersas cogitaciones cordi eius immittam, a quibus vndique perturbabitur."
Tunc virgo ait: "Ego volo adiuuare eam. Quociens enim ipsa euellit eas et in frontem tuam proicit, tociens dimittetur sibi peccatum et corona eius et premium augmentabitur."
Quodam die temptabatur domina de castrimargia. Tunc rapta in spiritu vidit Ethiopem habentem in manu quasi buccellam panis et iuuenem quendam habentem vas deauratum. Tunc dixit iuuenis Ethiopi:
"Cur sollicitas eam, que tradita est custodie mee?" Respondit Ethiops: "Quia gloriatur de abstinencia, quam non habuerat, ideo porrigo ei buccellam meam, vt dulcescant ei grossiora.
Nam Christus vester ieiunauit quodam tempore nichil comedens, propheteque comederunt panem et biberunt ad mensuram. Ideo promeruerunt sublimia. Et quomodo ista merebitur, que semper sentit sacietatem?"
Respondit iuuenis: "Christus docuit ieiunare, ne debilitetur corpus. Nec querit impossibilia nature sed moderanciam, nec querit, qualia et quanta quis sumit sed quali intencione sumit et caritate.
Quia consuetudo educacionis bone cum graciarum accione tenenda est, ne caro grauius infirmetur." Post hec disparuit dyabolus et domina liberata est a temptacione.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'in frontem tuam proicit' literally means 'throws into your forehead/face'. The translation 'throws them back in your face' captures the sense of the enemy's persistent, intrusive suggestions.
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