Virgo Maria narrat, qualiter natiuitas sua fuit per portam communem et fuit inicium verorum gaudiorum, quia tunc prodiit virgula, de qua processit flos desiderabilis cunctis gentibus. In qua natiuitate demones fremuerunt, iusti letabantur et angeli gauisi sunt. Et conqueritur de mulieribus, que cum deuocione talia non attendunt.
The Birth of the Morning Star
The Virgin Mary describes her natural birth and the fear it struck into the hearts of the demons.
The Mother says, "When my mother gave birth to me, I came through the common gate, because no one else was meant to be born in any other way, except for my Son. As the Creator of all nature, He chose to be born in a way that was both miraculous and beyond words." When I was born, the demons were not unaware of it; rather, speaking through a kind of likeness, they thought to themselves: 'Look, a certain virgin has been born.' What should we do? For something wonderful is seen to be in her future. If we were to set all the nets of our malice against her, she would break them like flax. If we examine all her inner depths, she is fortified by a strong defense, and no stain is found in her where the point of sin might take hold. Therefore, we must fear that her purity will torment us, her grace will crush whatever strength we have within us, and her constancy will cast us down beneath her feet.1
Heaven and Earth Rejoice
The friends of God and the angels celebrate the birth of the one through whom salvation and peace will come.
The friends of God, who had been waiting for so long, said as God inspired them, 'Why should we grieve any longer?' We ought to rejoice instead, because the light has been born that will illuminate our darkness and fulfill our longing.' The angels of God rejoiced—even though their joy was always found in the vision of God—saying, 'Something desirable has been born on earth, and a special lover of God.' Through her, true peace will be restored in heaven and on earth, and our ruins will be rebuilt.' Truly, daughter, I tell you that my birth was the beginning of true joys, because that is when the little branch came forth, from which the flower proceeded that kings and prophets longed for.
A Life of Pure Devotion
Mary reflects on her early years, characterized by a burning love for God and preservation by grace.
As soon as I was old enough to understand anything about my Creator, I was moved toward Him with an unspeakable love, and I longed for Him with all my heart. I was also preserved by a marvelous grace, so that even in my tender years I didn't consent to sin, because the love of God, the care of my parents, an honest upbringing, the company of good people, and a burning desire to know God remained with me.
A Call to Purity
Mary laments the impurity of those who live only for the flesh and warns of the consequences of neglecting spiritual purity.
But now I complain that women who are conceived and who conceive with horror, and who are born in impurity and take pleasure in it, don't pay attention to my most pure birth; instead, they are worse than beasts, because they live without reason.✦ They live entirely according to the flesh. Therefore, pleasure will pass away from them, the spirit of purity will withdraw from them, eternal joy will flee from them, and the spirit of impurity, which they were following, will intoxicate them.
Read the original Latin
Mater loquitur: "Quando mater mea me genuit, per portam communem exiui, quia alio modo aliquis nasci non debuit nisi specialiter filius meus, qui, sicut nature omnium est conditor, ita eciam mirabiliter et ineffabiliter nasci voluit.
Quando vero ego nata fui, non latuit dyabolos sed per quandam similitudinem loquendo sic ipsi cogitabant: 'Ecce nata est virgo quedam. Quid faciemus? Nam mirabile cernitur quoddam in ea futurum.
Si adhibuerimus ei omnia recia malicie nostre, confringet ea quasi stuppas. Si inuestigamus omnia interiora eius, munita est forti presidio nec inuenitur in ea macula, vbi cuspis peccati infigatur.
Ideo timendum est, quod mundicia eius torquebit nos, gracia eius comminuet, quidquid in nobis est fortitudinis, constancia eius deiciet nos sub pedibus suis.'
Amici vero Dei, qui in longa expectacione erant, dicebant inspirante eis Deo: 'Cur amplius dolemus? Gaudendum pocius est nobis, quia nata est lux, qua illuminabuntur tenebre nostre et desiderium nostrum perficietur.'
Angeli vero Dei gaudebant, licet eorum gaudium semper erat in visione Dei, dicentes: 'Natum est in terris desiderabile quoddam et specialis amatrix Dei. Per quod reformabitur in celis et in terris pax vera et ruine nostre restaurabuntur.'
Vere, filia, dico tibi, quod natiuitas mea inicium fuit verorum gaudiorum, quia tunc prodiit virgula, de qua processit flos ille, quem reges et prophete desiderabant.
Postquam vero tante etatis fui, quod aliquid intelligere potui de creatore meo, tunc indicibili amore ad eum affecta sum et desiderabam eum toto corde.
Mirabili eciam gracia conseruata fui, vt nec in tenera etate consentirem peccato, quia caritas Dei et sollicitudo parentum, educacio quoque honesta et conuersacio bonorum et feruor sciendi Deum perseuerabant mecum.
Nunc autem conqueror, quod ille femine, que generantur et generant cum horrore et nascuntur cum immundicia et delectantur in ea, non attendunt mundissimam natiuitatem meam sed peiores sunt iumentis, quia viuunt sine racione.
Viuunt omnino secundum carnem. Ideo transiet ab eis voluptas, recedet ab eis spiritus puritatis, fugiet ab eis gaudium eternum et inebriabit eos spiritus impuritatis, quem sequebantur."
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.49.12 — Their inward thought is that their houses are forever, their dwelling places for generation after generation; they have called out over the lands by their own names.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'torquebit' (will torment/twist) and 'comminuet' (will crush/grind down) describe the intense, transformative effect of the Virgin's holiness upon the soul, rather than mere physical pain.
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