Christus prohibet sponse audire noua et opera mundanorum et bella procerum sed dicit, quod consideret opera Dei, que stupenda et admiranda sunt. Reprehendit eciam illos, qui solum intendunt ad diuicias et honores et delectaciones dicens, quod numquam intrabunt in terram illam fluentem lac et mel, idest in celestem gloriam, nisi conuertantur et iuste viuant secundum statum suum, sed intrabunt iusti et exultabunt.
The Vanity of Worldly Distractions
Christ rebukes the soul for focusing on worldly news and the ambitions of the powerful rather than the marvelous works of God.
Why does it delight you to hear about the works of worldly people and the wars of the powerful, and why do you occupy yourself with such empty talk, when I am the Lord of all, and no pleasure is worth anything without me? If you really want to hear about the deeds of worldly leaders and consider their great works, you should be hearing and considering my works instead—works that are beyond human understanding, stunning to contemplate, and marvelous to hear. Even though the devil may move the lords of this world to do his will, and even though they may prosper by my hidden justice, I am still their Lord, and they will be judged by my judgment. They have started to establish their own new law, which contradicts my law. They focus all their energy on how to be honored by the world, how to acquire wealth, how to carry out their own will, and how to expand their own lineage.
The Promise of Heavenly Glory
Those who prioritize worldly gain over God forfeit the promise of eternal life, while the faithful are filled with divine sweetness.
Therefore, I swear by my divinity and my humanity that if they die in such a state, they'll never enter the land promised to the children of Israel as a symbol—the land flowing with milk and honey—any more than those who longed for the pots of meat and died a sudden death.1 Just as those people died a physical death, so too will these people die the death of the soul. But those who do my will shall enter the land flowing with milk and honey—that is, into heavenly glory, where there is no earth below nor heaven above.2 But I myself, the Creator and Lord of all, am beneath and above, outside and inside, for I fill all things. I won't satisfy my friends with the sweetness of honey, but I will fill them with an ineffable and admirable sweetness, so that they desire nothing but me, and need nothing but me, in whom is every good. My enemies will never taste this good, unless they turn away from their wickedness. If they would only think about what I've done for them and consider what I've given them, they'd never provoke me to anger like this.
Living Righteously in One's Station
God explains that wealth, honor, and pleasure are permissible if held with moderation and lived according to one's station in life.
For I have given them all things necessary and desirable to have with temperance. I have allowed them to have honors, riches, and pleasure, as long as they are held in moderation. Whoever, therefore, is placed in a position of honor and thinks to themselves, 'Since I have been placed in a position of honor, I want to conduct myself honestly according to my station.' 'I will show reverence to my God, I will oppress no one, I will cherish those who are lesser, and I will love everyone'—such a person is pleasing to me in their position of honor. But if someone has wealth and thinks, 'Since I have wealth, I won't take anything from anyone unjustly, I won't harm anyone, I'll guard myself against mortal sin, and I'll help the poor,' that person is pleasing to me in their wealth. But someone caught up in pleasure might think to themselves, "My flesh is weak, and I don't expect that I can stay pure." "Yet, because I have a lawful wife, I won't crave others; for I will keep myself from all filth and disorder"—such a person can be pleasing to me.
The Call to Reform
Christ warns that those who prioritize their own laws and excesses over His will must reform to enter the land of spiritual fulfillment.
But most people put their own law ahead of mine. For they want no one to be their superior in honor, they can never get enough of wealth, and in their pursuit of pleasure, they want to go beyond all moderation and reasonable limits. Therefore, unless they reform themselves and begin a different way of life, they won't enter my land, where there is spiritual milk and honey—that is, sweetness and fulfillment; those who receive this desire nothing more and lack nothing, except what they already have.
Read the original Latin
"Cur delectat te audire opera mundanorum et bella procerum et cur tali inani auditu occuparis, cum ego sum omnium Dominus et nulla delectacio est sine me reputanda?
Si vero tu velles audire facta dominorum, si considerare opera magnalia, deberes vtique considerare et audire facta mea, que intellectu incomprehensibilia sunt, cogitacione stupenda et auditu admiranda.
Quamuis autem dyabolus mouet dominos mundi ad voluntatem suam, quamuis prosperantur ex occulta iusticia mea, attamen ego sum Dominus eorum et iudicio meo iudicabuntur.
Ipsi inceperunt sibi nouam legem contra legem meam. Curam quippe omnem apponunt, quomodo possint a mundo honorari, quomodo diuicias acquirere, quomodo voluntatem suam perficere, quomodo progeniem suam dilatare.
Ideo iuro in deitate et humanitate mea, quod, si in tali statu moriantur, numquam intrabunt in terram illam, que promittebatur filiis Israhel sub figura, que fluebat lacte et melle, non magis quam illi, qui desiderabant ollas carnium et subitanea morte moriebantur.
Sicut enim illi morte corporali moriebantur, sic et isti morientur morte anime.
Ille vero, qui voluntatem meam faciunt, ipsi intrabunt in terram, que fluit lac et mel, idest in celestem gloriam, in qua non est terra subtus nec celum superius.
Sed ego ipse, creator omnium et Dominus, ego sum subtus et supra, ego extra et intra, quia ego impleo omnia, ego saciabo amicos meos dulcedine non mellis, sed ineffabili suauitate et admirabili replebo eos, vt nichil desiderent nisi me, nullo egeant nisi me, in quo est omne bonum.
Hoc bonum inimici mei numquam gustabunt, nisi conuertantur a prauitate sua. Si enim ipsi cogitarent, quid ego feci pro eis, si considerarent, quid dedi eis, numquam me sic ad iram prouocarent.
Ego namque dedi eis omnia necessaria et desiderabilia habere cum temperancia. Ego permisi eis moderate habere honores, habere eciam diuicias et habere voluptatem moderate.
Quicumque ergo in honore positus cogitat sic apud se: 'Ex quo sum in honore positus, honeste iuxta statum meum volo me habere. Exhibeam Deo meo reuerenciam, nullos opprimam, minores fouebo, diligam omnes', iste talis in honore suo michi placet.
Qui vero diuicias habet et cogitat apud se: 'Ex quo diuicias habeo, nullius rem accipiam iniuste, nemini faciam iniuriam, cauebo michi a mortali peccato, pauperibus subueniam', iste talis in diuiciis suis gratus est michi.
Qui autem in voluptate est et cogitat apud se: 'Caro mea infirma est nec spero me posse continere. Ideo, ex quo legittimam vxorem habeo, non concupiscam plures; conseruabo enim me ab omni turpitudine et inordinacione', iste talis michi placere potest.
Sed plerique legem suam preponunt legi mee. Nam in honore suo nullos volunt habere superiores, de diuiciis numquam possunt saciari, in voluptate sua vltra modum et laudabilem constitucionem volunt excedere.
Ideo, nisi se emendauerint et viam aliam inceperint, non intrabunt in terram meam, in qua lac et mel spirituale est, idest dulcedo et sacietas; quam qui accipiunt, nichil amplius desiderant nec aliquo indigent, nisi quod habent."
Notes
- 1 ↩The reference to the 'pots of meat' alludes to Exodus 16:3, where the Israelites in the desert complained and longed for the food of Egypt.
- 2 ↩The phrase 'no earth below nor heaven above' describes the transcendence of the beatific state, where the created distinctions of the physical cosmos are superseded by the immediate presence of God.
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