Videbatur inter moniales vnus Ethiops habitu monachali vestitus. Que Christus exponens dicit, quod ille est demon cupiditatis, qui sub specie caritatis inducebat monachas ad congregandum diuicias, vt de illis facerent aliis largas elemosinas. Que Christus hic grauiter reprehendit et improbat.
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A vision of a demonic figure in a monastery prompts a warning from Christ about false appearances.
A hideous Ethiopian was seen in a monastery, moving among the veiled nuns while wearing a black veil and a monastic habit. Christ spoke to the bride who was wondering about this, saying: "It is written in my Gospel that you must be on guard against those who walk about in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."✦
The Trap of Greed
Christ exposes the demon of greed and warns against the pursuit of worldly wealth under the guise of charity.
I'm telling you now that the Ethiopian who appeared among the nuns wearing a habit is the demon of greed, who persuades them to accumulate property, estates, and more wealth. They do this so they can live more comfortably on those riches and give generous alms, and so that, under such a religious guise, they might gradually drift away from the poverty that is pleasing to me, becoming lax until, by breaking their rule and their former discipline, they lose their souls. You should know that unless they watchfully guard against this wolf of greed—by being content with what they have and wanting nothing more to increase their possessions and earthly wealth—even the healthy sheep of this flock will be dangerously infected by it, and later, they will be mercilessly torn apart by wolves. I am more pleased when they live contentedly in the quiet, holy poverty they professed than when they entangle themselves in the worldly care of managing temporal goods and take vain pride in distributing the alms of others.
Read the original Latin
Videbatur Ethiops teterrimus in quodam monasterio inter velatas moniales existere cum nigro velo et habitu monachali. De quo admirante sponsa Christus loquebatur dicens:
"Scriptum est in euangelio meo, quod cauendum est ab illis, qui ambulant sub vestimento ouium, intus autem sunt lupi rapaces.
Sic nunc dico tibi, quod ille Ethiops, qui apparebat inter moniales cum habitu monialium, ipse est demon cupiditatis, qui suadet eis aggregare possessiones et castra et plures diuicias,
vt ex illis laucius viuant et distribuant largas elemosinas, vt sub tali religiosa specie recedentes a paupertate michi grata dissoluantur paulatim, donec preuaricantes regulam et priorem obseruanciam perdant animas.
Ideo scias, quod, nisi vigilanter caueant ab isto lupo cupiditatis, scilicet contentando se de hiis, que habent, nichil plus volendo accrescere in possessionibus et terrenis diuiciis, inficientur ab eo eciam sane oues istius gregis dampnabiliter et postea a lupis dilaniabuntur immisericorditer.
Magis enim michi placet, quod in paupertate quieta et sancta, quam profitebantur, viuant et contententur, quam quod terrena cura regiminis temporalium implicantes se de distribucione elemosinarum bonorum aliorum inaniter glorientur."
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.7.15 — Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
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