Visio Secunda
The Mountain of Faith and the Square City
The vision introduces a mountain of faith supporting a quadrangular building, symbolizing the historical progression of God's work in humanity.
Then I saw, between the curve of the circle that stretched out from the one sitting on the throne, a great mountain joined to the root of that immense stone upon which the clouds, along with the throne and the one sitting on it, were placed; so that the stone appeared raised in height, and the mountain appeared extended in breadth. And upon that mountain stood a kind of four-sided building, formed in the likeness of a square city, having a slightly slanted position, whose one corner faced the east, another the west, one the north, and another the south; the building, however, bore a single two-formed wall in its circuit, whose one shape was like a bright splendor, like the light of day, and the other like a joining of stones connected to one another at the eastern corner and at the northern corner, so that that bright part of the wall stretched from the eastern corner and ended at the northern corner, entirely whole and having no broken place, and the other part, namely the stone part, extended from the northern corner to the western corner and to the southern corner and ended at the eastern corner, having two broken places between the western corner, that is, and the southern corner. The building was one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and five cubits high, so that its two side walls were of equal length, and its front and back walls were of equal width. The four walls were of equal height all the way around, except for the battlements, which rose slightly above the rest of the structure. The width between the building itself and the splendor extending from the aforementioned circle into the depth of the abyss was, at the vertex of the eastern corner, one palm; elsewhere, however—that is, in the northern, western, and southern parts—the width between the same building and the splendor was so great on all sides that I could in no way comprehend its vastness. And while I was marveling at this, the one who sat on the throne said to me again: "Faith, which appeared in the ancient saints with the work of justice built from above through the goodness of the Father, as if in a pallor, appeared in the incarnate Son of God in an open manifestation, and it proceeded ardently into the light with burning works when the Son of God, not desiring fleeting things, taught by his own example that they should be trampled underfoot and that heavenly things should be loved; when the earlier Fathers, not fleeing the world nor separating themselves from it, worshiped God only with simple belief and humble devotion, because it had not yet been shown to them that they should abandon everything." Hence, also, what you see within the curve of the circle that stretches from the one sitting on the throne—the great mountain joined to the root of that immense stone upon which the clouds, along with the throne and the one descending on it, are placed, so that the stone appears raised in height and the mountain extended in breadth—this is that in the powerful and strong work of the power of the heavenly Father, who works powerfully, there stands a mountain signifying faith, which is great in virtue, rising openly in the circumcision of Abraham, and thus progressing even to the Son of the heavenly God after the ruin of the ancient serpent, inspired in men through the Holy Spirit so that, working faithfully in the goodness of the Father, they may believe him to be the omnipotent God who was able to overcome such a great enemy, so that through that same belief they may be lifted up and reach that glory from which the devil, cast down through his own pride, perished. And this same mountain is placed at the root of the aforementioned stone, which holds the mystery of the fear of the Lord, because faith is joined to the stability of the fear of the Lord, and the fear of the Lord is joined to the strength of faith—namely, when the Son was sent from the Father to be born of the Virgin, and when true faith first sprouted from the Son as the foundation of good work, which the fear of the Lord brings forth with all virtues, touching God in His height, so that in the wisdom of faithful minds, God, reigning over all, is faithfully worshipped: How? The fear of the Lord penetrates the secrets of heaven with the vision of sharp discernment, for it is the beginning of a righteous intention. With this, even blessed faith is extended before God into the breadth of perfection when it is expanded toward holiness in good works. But that a quadrangular building stands upon this mountain, formed in the likeness of a square city, means that the goodness of the Father, building good works upon faith, gathers many of the faithful through the four corners of the earth and draws them to heavenly things, so warned in the stability of virtues that the heavenly Father may kindly compose them in His bosom—that is, in His interior power and in His mystical counsel—with four squares in faith. How? I, who am the Most High, ordained in My work the first square of humanity: Adam. While he slept, his lineage weakened itself through a great schism and moved to the second square, that is, to Noah, under whom the flood occurred, where I also foreshadowed the mysteries of My Son in the ark. But in that square which is Noah, through My admonition I manifested that bright part of the wall of the aforementioned building. Because there, in the flood, while suffocating the sinners, I signaled to humanity that they should flee death and seek life, thus openly revealing to them the speculative knowledge of the two ways. What is this? Humanity flourishes and thrives in the living life which is the soul, through which it contemplates and knows two paths: good and evil. Since humanity is touched by one or the other of these, it works either good or evil with soul and body while remaining in the body. It begins this through the operation of its own mind, thus fulfilling its own will in the work.
The Four Corners of Salvation
The four corners of the building represent the unfolding of divine justice from the Old Testament through the incarnation of the Son of God.
And so, through my admonition, the speculative knowledge of the two paths has been shown to us—namely, the sharpest consideration of how to spurn evil and love the good. This knowledge, along with the emergence of circumcision, reaches forward in the anticipation of God's will as far as the third square, where Abraham and Moses were joined in circumcision and the Law. This circumcision and Law proceeded in this way until the fourth square of the Holy Trinity, in which the Old Testament was brought to an end in the Son of God, along with its outward significance. From this, an inner seed also arose through the Son of God in the Church. For He, having been born and having suffered for the salvation of humanity, and then rising again and returning to the Father, restored that corner which had been hidden and weakened in the fall of Adam, bringing it into salvation through the souls of men. The building is set at a slight angle, which signifies that humanity—God’s own work—is too fragile to walk firmly without sin or to boldly overcome the devil without fearing the weakness of the flesh. Instead, humanity must avoid him through humility and wisely dodge his traps to keep from sinning, while faithfully committing to good works. In this way, it stands firm in the Son of God, who sits as if in a corner and acts as the cornerstone, uniting the chosen work within humanity through this covenant. The fact that one corner faces east, another west, one north, and another south, means that the Son of God was born of a Virgin and suffered in the flesh so that, at the dawn of justice, humanity might be restored to the life to which all justice has been applied. This is the eastern corner, from which the salvation of souls arises, allowing God to complete in His Son all the justice prefigured from Abel down to Him. In Him, the structure of the carnal observance of the Old Testament was finished, as the salvation of faithful people now comes through the faith that the Son of God brought when He was sent by the Father into the world at the end of time, which is the western corner. Against the devil, justice also rose up in Abraham and Moses, who pointed toward the promised grace through which humanity—whom the devil had deceived and killed like a thief in Adam’s fall—was saved; this is the northern corner. From this, the miserable and mortal fall of the human race was later nobly and magnificently restored through heavenly grace with full fruit, in the burning work of God and humanity, which is the southern corner. There is also a southern corner, because the first human, Adam, was created by God. However, the speculative knowledge of the two ways does not begin to shine from this corner—that is, from Adam himself—because his lineage was disordered. It didn't honor God in its knowledge with the dutiful service of the law, but instead fulfilled its own will with the greatest evil. It shone neither in the right knowledge of God nor in true blessedness; rather, it lay in death, and what God had decided to do with humanity remained hidden only in the heart of the Father. The corner in the east also designates Noah, where justice began to show itself and where the prefigured speculative knowledge was openly manifested, showing all the holiness that was later to be perfected in the Son of God. And because every justice was beginning in the Son of God, who is the true East, this building must first be called toward the east in honor of the holiness that was also first truly declared in Noah. The corner in the north is also Abraham and Moses, who, against Satan, covered the aforementioned speculative knowledge with the execution of their work, as if they were building it up with precious stones and the gilded work of the clear justice of God above it—which was circumcision and the law. For justice before circumcision and the law was as if naked, without work. The fourth, western corner also prefigures the true Trinity, which was openly manifested at the Savior’s baptism; He raised up the full and holy city of Jerusalem with all His work, returning to heaven in the salvation of souls.
The Wall of Two Forms
The building's wall, composed of bright splendor and stone, signifies the duality of speculative knowledge and human action in the life of grace.
But the fact that this building has a single wall of two forms around its perimeter—one of which is like a bright splendor, like the light of day, and the other like a joining of stones fitted together at the eastern and northern corners—means that through the Father’s goodness, a kind of single security has been given to humanity from every side. This is a fortification and defense in good works, so that, surrounded and strengthened by them, people might abandon carnal desires and take refuge in the one God, who is their protection. This wall exists in two forms because one is like the speculative knowledge of the two paths, since a person possesses that knowledge through the sharpest and most certain investigation of their own soul's contemplation, so that they might be circumspect in all their ways; the other form is like the ash-colored flesh of humanity, because a person is created by God as a working being, a deed done in operation. This speculative knowledge shines with the brilliance of daylight; through it, people see and consider their own actions, for it is a radiant beam of the human mind that cautiously looks around itself. In a person, this remarkable knowledge appears like a bright cloud passing quickly through the minds of nations, just as a cloud is blown away in the air. Yet it shines like the light of day because it is revealed as bright on account of the most splendid work that God kindly performs in people—namely, that when they avoid evil, they perform the good that shines in them like the light of day. Every work in a person proceeds from this same knowledge. How so? A person has two paths. How so? The person is aware of good and evil with sensitivity; as they move away from evil and work toward the good, they imitate God, who does good within them and who is just, desiring no injustice. But while a person works evil, they are entangled in sins by the deceiver, the devil, who does not want to stop until he feels that person is bound in the chains of evil works, for the devil seeks iniquity, fleeing from holiness. If, however, a person draws away from evil and works the good, they receive the highest goodness, because they have overcome themselves for the love of God, who handed over His own Son for them to the death of the cross. This knowledge is also speculative, because it acts like a mirror; just as a person looks into a mirror to see if their face is beautiful or stained, so they look into this knowledge to see the good and evil in the deeds they consider within themselves, because this consideration exists in the rational sense that God breathed into man when He breathed the breath of life into his soul. The life of beasts fades away because it lacks reason, but the human soul never fades; it will live forever, because it is rational. Therefore, in considering good and evil, a person also senses whether their own work is rejected or chosen, having been formed and inspired by the grace of God with a rational sense at the dawn of their creation. That same grace restores them again in the election of baptism and in the salvation of the soul of the new covenant, as my most beloved Paul says about that election of grace: "The remnant according to the election of grace have been saved." If it's by grace, then it's no longer by works; otherwise, grace is no longer grace. This is how it is. The remnant that the snare of death didn't catch—so that they wouldn't turn toward the example of the devil—were saved by an open salvation when God sent His Son to be incarnate, which is the election of grace manifested for the salvation of humanity. How so? The grace of God established man, but he fell into wicked deeds. The choice of grace was then revealed in the chosen vessel when the Son of God was born of the Virgin, in whom it was impossible for any fall to occur. For if any person does something useful that is taken away from them by another, they then choose for themselves something more useful, which no one can take away from them and in which they can fully abound. Grace of God did just that. For it was grace that formed Adam, the first man, whom the devil drew away from the innocence of his work; but that same grace later brought about the fullness of good works through the Son of God for the salvation of souls. If the grace of God brought about salvation, then salvation wasn't achieved by human merit. How is that? The justice of work failed in Adam, so that man could never return to salvation through the merits of his own works unless he were recovered by that same grace in the most just Son of God through His works—because He was made obedient to His Father—and unless man were also cleansed through the baptism that the Son of God handed down to humanity with a good work, which is the work that the grace of God performs with man, and man performs that work with it. And so, the grace of God is with this work, and this work has its origin in grace. If salvation were based on human merit, and if a person's right action were something they owned by themselves—such that the grace of God did not ignite that action—then grace would not be grace. How so? Then a person would be self-sufficient and not from God; no creature would give thanks to God, and the grace of God would be nothing. Now, however, the grace of God establishes a person, supported by reason, so that they may perform justice with the knowledge of good and evil. Through this knowledge, they may desire the good and reject the evil, and in this way come to know life and death, choosing by this means the path in which they desire to remain—just as Solomon says in his understanding of wisdom: "He has set water and fire before you; stretch out your hand to whichever you choose." This is how it is. At the first awakening of the soul, God gave humanity a great and sharp power: the knowledge of good and evil, which are water and fire. For just as water floods and hides within itself many deadly creatures and countless useless things, so too is a person who overflows with their own evil deeds, hiding them so they aren't revealed. And just as fire burns, not tolerating any unburnt impurity within itself, and as a smith uses fire to make his jewelry purer by removing the rust, so too does the good make a person pure, pulling away from them the rust of wickedness. For water and fire are at odds, stifling and killing one another. The human person acts in the same way. For in evil, the person kills the good, and in good, they kill the evil; and in both, they always keep their desires silently hidden within, turning them this way and that. And in that very stirring of desires, a person has the option of choosing the path they long for; they turn themselves toward it with the intent to act, as if reaching out a hand to do so—accomplishing a good work with the help of God through grace, or committing an evil one through the devil’s subtle suggestions, while they themselves look on, aware of these things in the light of their own reason. For in that knowledge, they see both good and evil, and from this arises the desire to choose between the two paths—the path of good and the path of evil—according to their own will. What does this mean? The option is this: a person sees certain things in the desire of their soul as if in a mirror, saying to themselves, 'If only I could do this or that,' even though they haven't yet acted on it. They hold it in their knowledge, positioned as if at a fork in the road, aware of the opportunities for both good and evil; and so, according to their desire, they eventually move toward that work, whether upward or downward.
The Mystery of the Law and the Incarnation
The structure of the wall and the building's dimensions reveal the Father's meditation on justice and the restoration of humanity through the Son.
The other part of the wall you see, which looks like a stone structure representing the human race, also signifies the righteous teachings that have risen in people's minds—as seen in Abraham, Moses, and others who were the early seeds of God's law, along with all the additions of God's justice in the law down to the final age. How so? It means that God's work is in and through humanity, in such a way that God sent His Son for the salvation of people at the end of the law, without sin, working in a human body and laying the foundation of faith upon Himself. He did this by carrying the human race with the first man who was cast out of paradise for violating justice, performing all this wonder in humanity through His law, where you grasp the Christian multitude—which is this building in the goodness of the Father—and that humanity is to be restored in the heavenly Jerusalem. Hence, these two forms of the wall are joined together in the east and north, since in speculative knowledge and in human work there is a common end to injustice, in which the human race was entangled in the forgetfulness of God. This injustice first rose up from Adam with insane wickedness before the flood, so that it was crushed with all its people because of great iniquity in the flood of waters. Where speculative knowledge began to appear through my inspiration, the warning of God raised up the knowledge of good in Noah; yet the stubbornness and appetite for evil in the memory of it proceeded destructively toward the north, so that the iniquity of rebellion against God was not trampled down until Abraham, in whom it was suffocated as in a northern corner, when the sharpest edge of God's justice arose in him. The fact that this bright part of the wall extends from the eastern corner and ends in the northern corner, entirely whole and unbroken, means that speculative knowledge began to appear in the fortification of people's minds from the eastern corner—that is, from the days of Noah. Before Noah, iniquity strove to fulfill what it could perpetrate in the provocation of God, with people following their own desires more than loving the worship of God. Because the first generation of humanity from Adam, where speculative knowledge was hidden, was swallowed up by the devil in all his will until Noah, in whom that knowledge was openly shown, as has been said—nevertheless, the devil still trusted that he would have the whole human race, with iniquity thus proceeding in his command as far as the northern corner, that is, to Abraham and Moses. For before them, in speculative knowledge, iniquity was as if whole in its wickedness, and not yet interrupted or crushed by the established justice of God's law, because circumcision or the law had not yet been given. In those fathers, the devil himself began to be confounded, whereas before he had reigned in the world as if confidently, just as Paul, my bright vessel of election, reveals: 'Death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one to come.'✦ This is what it means: Death reigned with no one fighting against it, and no one overcoming it in battle, from Adam until Moses. How so? Because the austerity and culture of the law had not been given before Moses, except that circumcision, performed in Abraham by God's command, had lightly foreshadowed it; but the vice of death proceeded from error to error, just as it pleased itself. Then Moses, a strong soldier, rose up in the will of God and prepared powerful weapons of justice, through which death was destroyed in its own domain by the instruments of the Law. The Law held within itself the entire salvation of souls, along with the foreshadowing of the Son of God, because death had even held sway over the innocent, who, in the simplicity of their own moderation, did not know in their actions the work of Adam's transgression among the nations—the one who is the pattern of the one to come. How so? Adam was created by God just and innocent, free from any conception or beginning of sin; so too was the Son of God born of the Virgin Mary, coming without any stain of sin. You see that the stone section of the wall stretches from the northern corner to the western and southern corners, ending at the eastern corner. This signifies that the upright works of men, by which they are fortified in God, proceeded as if from the northern corner—that is, from the circumcision of Abraham, the law of Moses, and the additions of human justice—up to the western corner, where clear justice emerged in the incarnation of the Son of God. From there, it extended to the southern corner, where the burning work of baptism and the justice of the chosen new bride of the Son of God was kindled to restore Adam to salvation. It then extended further, setting a limit at the first eastern corner, thus returning to the highest Father. How so? The highest Father himself was in his mystery, ordaining every justice regarding how the fall of the first man ought to return to the salvation of souls by turning back to God. Because man had fallen, I rose up in mercy and sent my Son to restore the salvation of souls, just as my servant the psalmist David shows when he says: 'But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will meditate day and night.'✦ This means that in the law of justice which my Only-Begotten, born of the Virgin, demonstrated to the world—he who, as one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, rules over every age—the Son of the Father himself, incarnate and seen as a visible man, the Lord elevated in the flesh above every creature, was the will of the Father in salvation. How so? Because the Son of God, begotten by the Father before the ages and later born into the world from a mother at the end of time, remained invisible in the Father before he was incarnate—just as an invisible will exists in a person before it results in action—he then appeared visible in the flesh for the salvation of men. In this way, with his Son, the almighty Father meditates on every justice against the first fall of Adam. Where? It is in the love of the Son of God, who remained in the glory of the Godhead with the Father before time began, and who later, at the appointed time of the world, was miraculously incarnate; it is He whom the Father sent from His own heart into the world as the high priest above all justice. From this, the Son Himself gathered the law of justice, just as He received it from the Father, once the law of those who would believe in Him had been made by men. But in that law which the Father willed to establish and found in His Son, He meditates by day. How so? Clearly, in the day that He Himself is—before He created any creature of the ages, when there was no darkness of iniquity in any creature—He meditated on this law of His Son. And also in the night. How so? Because in the created creature, when it began to raise up the evil that is like the darkness of night—in both angel and man—the Father also meditates until the last day, to which His works reach, which He works ineffably, showing and opening the law of His Son, when in Him He perfects all the good things that must be perfected in man.
The Restoration of the Lost Drachma
The dimensions of the building and the parable of the lost drachma illustrate the recovery of the fallen human race through the virtues of Christ.
But as you see that the stone part of the wall has two broken places between the western corner and the southern corner, this means that the work of the human race in the fortification of its defense is still imperfect in two ways: first, because the members of the incarnate Son of God still stand as if imperfect in His chosen ones, which is the first broken place, as if from the west, since the Son of God was sent into the world at the end of time; and second, because the Church likewise is still as if imperfect in all its virtues, as it must stand and be built up in the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the other broken place, as if toward the south, when the Church will be perfected in the heavenly realm. The building's length of one hundred cubits means that the number ten was diminished in fallen humanity, but was recovered in my Son through the hundredfold of that ten, representing the manifold virtues in the salvation of souls. From this ten, through the hundred, the number one thousand ascends—a number perfect in all virtues—so that the thousand arts of the devil, with which he seduces the entire flock of those beloved by the almighty God, may be completely emptied of power. What is this? I, the Almighty, established burning and living lights in the beginning that would shine in their own splendor; some remained in my love, while others fell by despising their Creator. But it didn't befit me, the Creator, to leave my creation empty and void. How so? The angelic creature of the arrogant host took the good that its Creator had granted it for its own knowledge and claimed it as a deceptive glory, thinking it could be like its Creator, and so it fell into death. Then God foresaw that what had fallen in that lost host was to be restored more strongly in another. How so? Because He created man from the dust of the earth, alive in soul and body, so that he might reach that glory from which the traitorous devil and his followers were cast out. Man is very dear to God, since He made him in His own image and likeness, so that he might work all virtues in the perfection of holiness, just as God created all creatures. He was also to fulfill his order among the glorious angels by working in the humblest obedience and in the service of virtuous deeds, so that in this height of blessedness he might adorn the praise of the heavenly spirits who are constantly praising God with devoted hearts, and in that same blessedness of his, he might fulfill what the fallen angel, rushing headlong in his pride, had left empty. And so, man is the full number of ten, who accomplishes all these things through the power of God. The number ten, by its very nature, multiplies the hundred in this context: because man, having fallen through the devil's seduction, is finally admonished by God through divine mercy and inspiration, and begins to earnestly recognize God through the law and prophecy of the Old Testament, and then even more sharply through the holiness and all the ornaments of the Church's invincible constancy. And so man began to perform all virtues from Abel, perfecting them in this way up to the last just person, which is the hundred-fold number of the length of this building, which God shows to men in a mystical figure, so that those who have fallen into their own iniquities might not despair, but rising from them, might labor most strongly in the work of God; because even everyone who falls into sins, when he raises himself from them, will be stronger than he was before, just as God restores greater and stronger virtues in man—sending His Son into the world to raise up the fallen human race—than the first man performs. Hence man also works more strongly in soul and body than if he were without the burden of the body, because he fights within himself amid many dangers, accomplishing the strongest battles, and existing as a victor, faithfully fighting for his Lord God, knowing Him thus in his own warfare, and chastising his own body. An angel, lacking the burden of a terrestrial body, is only a soldier of heavenly harmony, lucid and pure, persevering in the vision of God; but man, burdened by bodily decay, is a strong, glorious, and holy soldier, with restored work, who works for the sake of God in soul and body, thus reaching through the hundred-fold number of present labor to the thousand-fold of future retribution—namely, when on the last day, receiving his full reward, he will rejoice without end in soul and body in the heavenly dwelling. Thus, therefore, the diminished number ten is recovered through my Son, who, born of a virgin and having suffered on the cross, brought man back to heavenly things, as He Himself says in the Gospel: 'What woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she finds it?' And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying: 'Congratulate me, because I have found the drachma which I had lost.' This is what it means: the holy Divinity had ten drachmas—that is, in the chosen angels and in man, ten orders of heavenly distinctions—but it lost one drachma when man, following diabolical seduction more than the divine commandment, fell into death. Hence He Himself, lighting a burning lamp—namely, Christ, true God and true man, and the most splendid sun of justice—swept the house through Him, that is, the Jewish people, and sought diligently among the law for all the sanctification that was in salvation, in which He instituted a new sanctification, and thus found His drachma, namely, the man whom He had lost. Then He called together His friends, that is, secular justices, and neighbors, that is, spiritual virtues, saying: 'Congratulate me laudably, and rejoice together, and build the heavenly Jerusalem out of living stones, because I have found the man who had perished by the deception of the devil.'
The Wounds of Christ and the Perfection of Faith
The building's width and height, linked to the wounds of Christ and the senses, call the faithful to ascend toward the heavenly Jerusalem.
But the fact that the width of this building is fifty cubits means that the entire breadth of the vices of those who were meant to build in the work of God—but who followed their own desires more than they cultivated God's work—is mercifully wiped away and forgiven in the five wounds of my Son, which He suffered on the cross. The wounds of His hands erased the works of the hands of Adam and Eve's disobedience, the wounds of His feet freed the paths of human exile, and the wound in His side, from which the Church was born, erased the guilt of Adam and Eve, since Eve was created from Adam's side. This is why my Son was fixed to the wood, so that He might abolish what was done through the wood of disobedience, and why He was given vinegar and gall to drink, so that the taste of the harmful fruit might be washed away. Its height is five cubits, representing the excellence of divine knowledge in the Scriptures, which exist for the work of God within the five senses of man. The Holy Spirit inspired these for the benefit of humanity, because man, with his five senses, looks toward the height of the divinity, discerning everything—that is, both good and evil. This is why its two walls on either side are of equal length; for in the building of God's goodness, man must labor most steadfastly, as if between the two walls of soul and body, on both sides—that is, in both prosperity and adversity. How? By avoiding evil and doing good. How? Because the profound and incomprehensible divine power established man so that he might worship God with all his strength and all his senses, with equal devotion in the length of intelligible rationality; for it is fitting that God, the Creator of all, should be worshipped most worthily before all things and above all things. Furthermore, its other two walls at the front and back are of equal width, because in the work of God, wisdom and discernment are like two walls—wisdom, as it were, in the upper part, and discernment in the lower—which God breathes into the breadth of the human mind by His fair and just gift, so that it may know Him. The fact that those four walls are of equal height all around the building, except for the battlements that rise slightly above them, means that a person placed within the four elements will, through the goodness of the Father, hold the Catholic faith everywhere with equal devotion and cultivation, worshiping the Son with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who works all His works within them. How is that? Every work that the Son of God has done and continues to do, He accomplishes through the goodness of the Father in the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? It means that according to the Father's will, the Son was the one redeeming humanity through His incarnation—which is a great goodness—because the Father ordained that His Son should be born of the Virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit, assuming humanity for the love of man, so that He might lead him back to the restoration of life, to the extent that man might have a share with God, through which he would enter into salvation through Him in the right and Catholic faith, in which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the one and true God, must be known. But there are also battlements of even greater height there. How is that? Because when a person looks toward the summit of a good mind, they build up the height of the walls of the faithful, ascending in the virtues of God's work above an intelligible faith, knowing that God is in the power of His divinity; and upon that faith, they construct the higher stature of the virtues of the most excellent battlements. How so? For a person builds higher virtues, not satisfied with merely having faith in God; instead, they ascend toward the flourishing palm, which is to go from strength to strength, by which the truest faith is exalted and adorned like a city with its battlements.1 At the peak of the eastern corner, the space between the building itself and the radiance extending from that circle into the depths of the abyss is only a palm's breadth. This signifies that the breadth of the higher mysteries lies between the work of the Son of God—which He demonstrated as a building by living bodily in the world without sin and performing many virtues in the goodness of the Father—and the power of the Father, which, like a radiance in His supreme virtue, extends into both the lower and higher realms. When He sent His Son into the world at the head of the corner facing east—that is, in the justice first prefigured in Noah through the warning of the Holy Spirit, which foreshadowed the perfect justice declared in the incarnation of the Son of God—there was in these mysteries a space like the span of a single stature, measured like an outstretched hand from thumb to fingers. This represents the time ordained in the Father’s heart when He willed to send His Only-Begotten with a mighty hand, so that He might encompass all things with the joints of His fingers—which are all His works in the Holy Spirit—to fulfill the will of His Father by suffering on the cross for the sake of the wretched and contemptible disobedience that the devil first instilled in man through his suggestion. Because of this, to redeem man, the mercy of God bowed down to the earth through the humanity of the Son of God in the incomprehensible height of the divinity. But the fact that elsewhere—that is, in the north, the west, and the south—the breadth between the building and the radiance is so vast on every side that you cannot grasp its scale in any way, means this: no one burdened by a mortal body can know the pride of evil in the depths of the northern devil, nor its limit in the working creature at the sunset of a falling human, nor the beginning or end of the burning noon that is supreme justice. Nor can anyone consider how these things are spread out and distinguished between the work and the power of my knowledge in all peoples—whether among the elect or the reprobate, all of whom are placed under the most equitable scrutiny, so that they will be examined with the sharpest and most diligent precision according to my commandments. Yet, all of them must confidently trust that I feed them in all their needs, because all these things are so hidden in my secrets that the breadth of their depth cannot be grasped or understood by human sense or intellect in any way, except as my permission allows. Whoever has the sharp ears of an interior intellect, however, and is here in the burning love of my mirror, should long for these words and write them into the conscience of their soul.
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Deinde vidi inter ambitum circuli qui protendebatur de sedente in throno quasi montem magnum conjunctum radici illius immensi lapidis super quem nubes cum throno et sedente in eo posita erant: ita quod lapis in altitudinem erectus et mons in latitudinem extensus videbatur. Et super ipsum montem stabat velut quoddam aedificium quadrangulum ad similitudinem urbis quadratae formatum, aliquantulum obliquum habens situm, cujus angulus unus respiciebat ad orientem, et alius ad occidentem et unus ad septentrionem et alius ad meridiem; aedificium autem circuitu suo murum unum biformem gerebat, cujus forma una erat quasi splendor lucidus ut lux diei, et altera quasi compaginatio lapidum adinvicem conjuncta in angulo orientali et in angulo septentrionali, ita ut pars illa lucida muri protenderetur ab angulo orientali et finiretur in angulo septentrionali, tota integra et non habens ullum locum interruptum, et pars alia scilicet lapidea extenderetur ab angulo septentrionali ad angulum occidentalem et ad angulum meridianum et finiretur in angulo orientali, habens duo loca interrupta inter angulum videlicet occidentalem et angulum meridianum. Longitudo autem aedificii erat centum cubitorum, et latitudo ejus quinquaginta cubitorum, et altitudo ipsius quinque cubitorum: ita ut ejus duo parietes in utroque latere ipsius essent unius longitudinis, et alii ipsius duo parietes in fronte et in fine ejus, unius latitudinis. Sed et idem quatuor parietes ubique in circuitu ipsius aedificii aequalis erat altitudinis, exceptis propugnaculis ejus quae aliquantulum eminebant altitudinem ipsius. Latitudo autem inter ipsum aedificium et splendorem ex praedicto circulo se in profundum abyssi extendentem erat in vertice orientalis anguli unius palmi, alibi autem, id est in septentrionali et in occidentali atque in meridiana parte tanta undique erat latitudo inter idem aedificium et splendorem, ut ejus amplitudinem nullo modo comprehendere possem. Et haec, me admirante, qui sedebat in throno iterum dixit ad me: Fides quae in antiquis sanctis cum opere justitiae per bonitatem Patris desuper aedificato, velut in pallore apparuit, incarnato Dei Filio, aperta manifestatione, cum ardentibus operibus ardenter in lucem processit, quando Filius Dei caduca non concupiscens, ea exemplo suo conculcari et coelestia amari perdocuit; cum priores Patres mundum non fugientes, nec se ab eo separantes Deum simplici tantum credulitate et humili devotione colebant; quia nondum ut omnia desererent eis ostensum fuerat. Unde etiam quod vides intra ambitum circuli qui protenditur de sedente in throno, montem magnum conjunctum radici illius immensi lapidis super quem nubes cum throno et descendente in eo posita sunt, ita quod lapis in altitudinem erectus et mons in latitudinem extensus videtur: hoc est quod in potente ac forti opere potestatis superni Patris qui potenter operatur, stat mons significans fidem, quae magna est in virtute, palamque surgens in circumcisione Abrahae, et ita proficiens usque in Filium superni Dei post ruinam serpentis antiqui per Spiritum sanctum inspirata hominibus, ut in bonitate Patris fideliter operantes illum credant omnipotentem esse Deum, qui tam magnum hostem superare potuit, ita quod per eamdem credulitatem sublevati ad gloriam illam pertingant, de qua diabolus per superbiam suam dejectus periit.
Atque idem mons positus est ad radicem praedicti lapidis mysterium timoris Domini habentis, quia fides conjuncta est stabilitati timoris Domini, et timor Domini etiam fortitudini fidei, scilicet cum de Patre missus est Filius nasci ex Virgine, et cum de Filio pullulabat vera fides primum in fundamentum boni operis, quam timor Domini profert cum omnibus virtutibus tangens Deum in altitudine sua: ita ut in sapientia fidelium mentium Deus super omnia regnans fideliter colatur: Quomodo? Quoniam timor Domini secreta coeli visu circumspectionis acute penetrat: quia ipse initium justae intentionis est, cum qua etiam beata fides apud Deum in latitudinem perfectionis extenditur cum in bonis operibus ad sanctitatem dilatatur. Sed quod super ipsum montem stat aedificium quadrangulum ad similitudinem urbis quadratae formatum, hoc est quod super fidem bonitas Patris bona opera aedificans, multos fidelium per quatuor angulos terrae colligens trahit ad coelestia, sic monitos in stabilitate virtutum ut coelestis Pater in sinu suo, hoc est in interiori potestate et in mystico consilio suo eos benigne componat cum quatuor quadris in fide. Quomodo? Ego, qui sum Altissimus, ordinavi in opere meo primum quadrum hominum, videlicet Adam, cujus genus ipso dormiente per magnum schisma se debilitans, processit usque ad secundum quadrum, id est ad Noe sub quo diluvium factum est, ubi et mysteria Filii mei in arca praemonstravi. Sed in eo quadro quae est Noe, per admonitionem meam manifestavi illam lucidam partem muri praedicti aedificii; quia ibi in diluvio suffocans peccatores, innui hominibus ut mortem fugerent et vitam appeterent, sic eis palam aperiens speculativam scientiam cognitionis duarum viarum. Quid hoc? Homo viret et viget in vivente vita quae anima est, per quam speculatur et cognoscit duas semitas videlicet bonum et malum, quoniam homo tangitur alterutra parte harum: ita quod manens in corpore sive bonum sive malum cum anima et corpore operatur, quod quidem ipse incipit per operationem animi sui, voluntatem suam ita in opere complens.
Et sic in nos ostensa est per admonitionem meam speculativa scientia duarum viarum, scilicet acutissima consideratione malum spernere et bonum diligere, quae ita cum emissione circumcisionis tendit in praecursu voluntatis Dei, usque ad tertium quadrum, in quo Abraham et Moses conjuncti sunt in circumcisione et lege; quae circumcisio et lex ita procedebat usque ad quartum quadrum sanctae Trinitatis: in quo Vetus Testamentum in Filio Dei finitum est cum exteriori significatione. Unde etiam surrexit interius germen per Filium Dei in Ecclesia: qui natus et passus pro salute hominum resurgens etiam et rediens ad Patrem, angulum illum qui in casu Adae absconsus et attenuatus erat restauravit in salvationem, per animas hominum.
Quod autem aedificium aliquantulum est in obliquum situm, hoc est quod homo qui opus Dei est, non potest prae fragilitate sua incedere firmiter sine peccato, et audacter sine timore fragilis carnis diabolum superando, sed eum oportet illum humilitate devitare, et insidias ejus sapienter fugere ne peccet, atque fideliter se conjungere bonis operibus, et sic constare in Filio Dei, qui quasi in angulo sedens lapis angularis est, hoc pacto opus electum in homine conjungens. Sed quod angulus unus respicit ad orientem et alius ad occidentem et unus ad septentrionem et alius ad meridiem, hoc est quod Filius Dei natus est ex Virgine et passus in carne, ut in ortu justitiae homo restauraretur ad vitam cui omnis justitia apposita est, quod est angulus orientalis inde surgente salvatione animarum, ut Deus complevit in Filio suo omnem justitiam quae ab Abel usque ad ipsum praefigurata est; in quo finita est constitutio carnalis observationis Veteris Testamenti, jam veniente salute fidelium hominum per fidem, quam Filius Dei attulit missus a Patre in mundum in fine temporum, quod est angulus occidentalis. Contra diabolum quoque in Abraham et in Mose elevavit se justitia qui praemonstrabant promissam gratiam per quam homo salvatus est quem diabolus deceperat, occidendo eum ut latro in lapsu Adae, quod est angulus septentrionalis; unde et miserabilis ac mortalis casus qui factus est in humano genere, postea per supernam gratiam nobiliter et magnifice restauratus est pleno fructu, in ardente opere Dei et hominis, quod est angulus meridianus. Angulus etiam meridianus est; quia primus homo Adam a Deo creatus est. Sed quod ab hoc angulo speculativa scientia cognitionis duarum viarum non incipit fulgere, id est ab ipso Adam; hoc ideo est, quia genus suum incompositum erat, non colens Deum in scientia sua officiosum servitute legis, sed tantum propriam voluntatem suam adimplens cum summo malo, ita ut nec in recta scientia Dei nec in vera beatitudine esset fulgens: imo in morte jacens, sed absconsum erat tantum in corde Patris, quid cum homine facere decrevisset. Angulus etiam in oriente designat Noe, ubi se justitia ostendere incoepit, et ubi etiam aperte manifestata est praemonstrata speculativa scientia, ostendens omnem sanctitatem quae postea in Filio Dei perficienda erat. Et quia unaquaeque justitia in Filio Dei qui est verus Oriens erat incipiens, ideo est hoc aedificium primum appellandum ad orientem in honore sanctitatis, quae primum etiam in Noe veraciter declarata est. Angulus quoque in septentrione est Abraham et Moses: qui adversus Satanam cum operis exsecutione praedictam speculativam scientiam circumtegebant quasi eam circumaedificarent cum pretiosis lapidibus, et cum desuper aurato opere perspicuae justitiae Dei quod erat circumcisio et lex; quia justitia ante circumcisionem et legem, quasi nuda erat absque opere.
Et quartus angulus occidentalis praefigurat etiam veram Trinitatem; quae palam manifestata est in baptismo Salvatoris, qui erexit plenam et sanctam civitatem Jerusalem cum omni opere suo, recurrens ad coelum in salvatione animarum. Sed quod ipsum aedificium in circuitu suo murum unum binae formae habet, cujus una est quasi splendor lucidus ut lux diei et altera quasi compaginatio lapidum adinvicem conjuncta in angulo orientali et in angulo septentrionali, hoc est quod per bonitatem Patris hominibus ex omni parte data est quasi securitas una, id est munitio et defensio in bonis operibus ut ipsis circumdati et confortati carnales concupiscentias deserant, et ad unum Deum qui munimentum eorum est confugiant. Qui murus in duabus est formis quia una forma muri est veluti speculativa scientia duarum viarum, quoniam illam scientiam in acutissima et certissima exquisitione speculationis animi sui habet homo, ut sit circumspectus in omnibus viis suis et etiam alia forma muri est veluti cinerea caro hominis, quia a Deo creatus est homo operans, factum opus in operatione.
Et haec speculativa scientia lucet in splendore lucis diei; quin per eam homines actus suos vident et considerant, quia splendidus radius est humanae mentis, se caute circumspicientis, in homine siquidem apparet haec praeclara scientia ut candida nubes permeans mentes populorum in celeritate sicut et nubes cito difflatur in aere, lucensque ut lux diei quoniam ipsa candida declaratur propter splendidissimum opus quod Deus benigne operatur in hominibus, scilicet ut cum ipsi devitant malum, perficiant bonum quod in eis quasi lux diei lucet. In ipsa quoque scientia procedit unumquodque opus in homine. Quomodo? Homo habet duas vias. Quomodo? Ipse est sciens bonum atque malum cum sensibilitate, qui, dum transit de malo, operando bonum, imitatur Deum faciens bonum in ipso, qui justus est nolens injustitiam. Sed dum operatur malum, implicatur per seductorem diabolum in peccatis, qui non vult desistere nisi sentiat illum in vinculo malorum operum, quoniam diabolus quaerit iniquitatem, fugiens sanctitatem. Si autem homo abstrahit se a malo et operatur bonum: tunc suscipit cum summa bonitas, quia seipsum propter amorem Dei superavit: qui Filium suum tradidit pro eo in mortem crucis.
Unde etiam scientia haec est speculativa: quia ipsa est quasi speculum hoc modo, quoniam ut homo aspicit faciem suam in speculo utrum sit in ea pulchritudo an maculositas; sic inspicit ipse in scientia bonum et malum in facto opere, quod considerat intra se, quia haec consideratio est in rationali sensu quae Deus inspiravit in homine, cum in faciem ejus inspiravit spiraculum vitae in anima. Nam vivere pecorum deficit; quia rationale non est, anima autem hominis nunquam deficit; quia in aeternum vivet, quoniam rationalis est. Unde etiam homo sentit in consideratione boni et mali quod ipse opus sit reprobum vel electum, per gratiam Dei formatus et inspiratus rationali sensu in ortu creationis suae, illa gratia eum iterum restaurante in electione baptismi, et in salvatione animae novi testimonii, ut dicit Paulus amantissimus meus de illa electione gratiae: Reliquiae secundum electionem gratiae salvae factae sunt. Si autem gratia, jam non ex operibus: alioquin gratia jam non est gratia . Hoc tale est. Reliquiae quas laqueus mortis non comprehendit, ut declinarent ad exemplum diaboli, illae salvae factae sunt aperta salvatione dum Deus misit Filium suum incarnari quod est electio gratiae pro salute manifestata hominum. Quomodo? Gratia Dei constituit hominem, sed ille lapsus est in pravis operibus.
Tunc ostensa est electio gratiae in electo vase, cum ex Virgine Filius Dei natus est, in quo possibile non erat fieri ullum lapsum. Nam si quisquam hominum rem aliquam utilem facit quae ipsi ab alio abstrahitur, tunc eligit sibi aliam utiliorem, quam ei nullus auferre possit, et in qua ipse plene abundet. Sic fecit gratia Dei. Ipsa enim formavit Adam primum hominem, quem diabolus abstraxit ab innocentia operis, sed eadem gratia fecit postea plenitudinem bonorum operum per Filium Dei in salvatione animarum. Si autem gratia Dei fecit salvationem, tunc salvatio non est facta ex merito hominum. Quomodo? Justitia operis defecit in Adam: ita quod homo nunquam rediret in salvationem per merita operum suorum, nisi recuperaretur per eamdem gratiam in justissimo Filio Dei per opera ipsius, quia obediens factus est Patri suo, et nisi homo etiam mundaretur per baptismum quod Filius Dei tradidit hominibus cum bono opere, quod opus gratia Dei operatur cum homine: et homo opus illud cum illa. Ideoque est gratia Dei cum hoc opere; et hoc opus ortum est de gratia.
Quod si salvatio esset ex merito hominum et rectum opus hominis esset proprium ei a seipso, ita quod gratia Dei opus illud non accenderet, tunc gratia non esset gratia. Quomodo? Tunc esset homo a seipso et non a Deo: et nulla creatura redderet gratias Deo, et gratia Dei nihil esset. Nunc autem gratia Dei constituit hominem rationalitate subnixum ut justitiam operetur in scientia boni et mali, quatenus hac scientia appetat bonum abjiciens malum et ut sic cognoscat vitam et mortem per hoc eligens in qua parte remanere desiderat, ut Salomon in intellectu sapientiae inquit: Apposuit tibi aquam et ignem: ad quod volueris porrige manum tuam . Hoc tale est. Deus apposuit homini in prima suscitatione animae vim magnam et acutam videlicet notitiam malorum et bonorum, quae sunt aqua et ignis. Nam sicut aqua semper inundat et celat in se multa mortifera animalia plurimaque inutilia, ita est etiam homo inundans in malis factis suis, celans ea ne divulgetur. Et ut etiam ignis urit non perferens intra se ullam impuritatem incombustam, et ut faber per ignem puriora facit monilia sua ablata rubigine, sic etiam bonum facit hominem purum, evellens ab eo rubiginem nequitiae.
Nam aqua et ignis dissentiunt, suffocantes et necantes se invicem. Sic etiam facit homo. In malo enim necat bonum, et in bono necat malum atque in utroque semper occultat intra se silenter sua desideria, hac aut illac versans illa.
Et in ipsa commotione desideriorum habet optionem voluntatis illius viae quam desiderat: et ad illam convertit se cum voluntate operis, quasi manum ad hoc porrigendo scilicet bonum opus perficiens adjuvante Deo per gratiam, et malum peragens insidiante diabolo per suggestionem artium suarum, ipso quidem homine haec inspiciente in scientia rationalitatis suae. Nam in illa scientia inspicit bonum et malum, et inde oritur in ipso desiderium optionis duabus viis boni videlicet et mali, secundum voluntatem ipsius. Quid hoc? Optio est quod homo videt in desiderio animi sui quasi in speculo res aliquas dicens intra se: Utinam possem hoc vel illud agere, ad quod nondum accedit per opus, sed habet illud in scientia sua, positus quasi in capite duarum viarum, quod est scientiam habens occasionum boni et mali, et ita secundum desiderium suum tendit tandem ad opus illud sive sursum sive deorsum.
Et altera forma muri quam vides quasi compaginationem lapidum ostendens genus humanum, designat etiam rectas institutiones quae surrexerunt in mentibus hominum, ut in Abraham et in Mose ac in caeteris, qui erant praecedens germen legis Dei, cum omnibus appendiciis justitiae Dei in lege usque in novissimum tempus. Quomodo? Scilicet quod opus Dei est in homine et per hominem, ita quod Deus misit Filium suum propter salvationem hominum in fine legis, sine peccato et operantem in humano corpore, atque ponentem fundamentum fidei super seipsum, hoc modo quod portavit genus humanum cum primo homine ejecto de paradiso propter praevaricationem justitiae, faciens omne hoc mirabile in homine per legem suam ubi comprehendis Christianam multitudinem quae haec aedificatio est in bonitate Patris, et quod homo reponendus est in coelesti Jerusalem. Unde et ipsae duae muri formae in unum coadunatae sunt in parte orientis et septentrionis, quoniam in speculativa scientia et in humano opere est communis terminatio injustitiae, in qua genus humanum erat in oblivione Dei implicatum, quae se erexit primum ab Adam cum insana injustitia ante diluvium: ita quod ipsa depressa est cum omni sua gente propter magnam iniquitatem in diluvio aquarum, ubi scientia speculativa apparere incoepit per inspirationem meam cum scientia boni in Noe admonitio Dei erexerit: tamen cervix et appetitus mali in recordatione ipsius processit exitialiter ad aquilonem, ita quod iniquitas rebellionis contra Deum non est conculcata usque ad Abraham in quo suffocata est ut in angulo septentrionali: cum in eo orta est acutissima acies justitiae Dei. Quod vero illa lucida pars muri protenditur ab angulo orientali et finitur in angulo septentrionali, tota integra, et non habens ullum locum interruptum, hoc est quod speculativa scientia in munitione mentium hominum ab angulo orientali, id est a diebus Noe incoepit apparere, cum prius ante Noc studebat iniquitas hoc adimplere quod perpetrare posset in irritatione Dei, hominibus magis concupiscentias suas sequentibus quam culturam Dei amantibus, quia primum genus hominum ab Adam ubi speculativa scientia absconsa erat, deglutivit diabolus in omni voluntate sua usque ad Noe, in quo illa scientia aperte ostensa est, ut dictum est, nihilominus tamen adhuc confidebat diabolus quod esset habiturus omne genus humanum: iniquitate ita in praecepto ejus procedente usque ad angulum septentrionalem, hoc est ad Abraham et Mosen; quoniam ante eos in speculativa scientia erat iniquitas quasi integra in sua nequitia, et nondum interrupta aut contrita per constitutam justitiam legis Dei, quia necdum circumcisio aut lex data fuerat, in quibus tunc Patribus ipse diabolus incoepit confundi, cum prius quasi confidenter in mundo regnaret, sicut aperit Paulus meum lucidum vas electionis: Regnavit mors ab Adam usque ad Mosen etiam in eos qui non peccaverunt, in similitudinem praevaricationis Adae qui est forma futuri . Hoc tale est: Mors regnavit nullo contra eam militante, nulloque eam superante bello, ab Adam usque ad Mosen. Quomodo? Quia austeritas et cultura legis ante Mosen data non erat: excepto quod circumcisio in Abraham jussione Dei facta, ipsam leviter praemonstraverat, sed mortis vitium processit de errore in errorem, ut sibi placuit.
Tunc surrexit in voluntate Dei fortis miles Moses, et praeparavit fortia arma justitiae, in quibus mors in suo cultu destructa est per instrumenta legis, quia lex abscondit in se omnem salvationem animarum, cum praesignificatione Filii Dei, quia etiam mors dominabatur in innocentibus: qui prae simplicitate moderationis suae nesciebant in actibus suis opus praevaricationis Adae in nationibus, qui est forma futuri. Quomodo? Adam a Deo fuit creatus justus et innocens ab omni conceptione et inceptione peccati: sic etiam Filius Dei natus est ex virgine Maria, veniens absque ulla macula peccati.
Sed ut vides quod illa lapidea pars muri extenditur ab angulo septentrionali ad angulum occidentalem et ad angulum meridianum, et finitur in angulo orientali; hoc est quod recta opera hominum cum quibus in Deum muniti sunt, processerunt quasi de angulo septentrionali, id est de circumcisione Abrahae cum lege Mosi et cum appenditiis justitiae eorum in hominibus usque ad angulum occidentalem, ubi surrexit perspicua justitia in incarnatione Filii Dei, ab inde ultra extensa usque ad angulum meridianum, ubi ardens opus per baptismum et per reliquam justitiam electae et novae sponsae ejusdem Filii Dei, ad restaurandum Adam in salvationem accensum est, iterum inde ultra prolongata terminumque ponens in primo angulo orientali, ita revertendo ad summum Patrem. Quomodo? Ipse summus Pater erat in mysterio suo unamquamque justitiam ordinans quomodo redire deberet primi hominis casus in salvationem animarum revertendo ad Deum. Quia homo ceciderat, ideo surrexi in misericordia et misi Filium meum in restaurationem salvationis animarum, sicut servus meus psalmista David ostendit dicens: Sed in lege Domini voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die ac nocte . Hoc tale est: In lege justitiae quam Unigenitus meus natus ex Virgine demonstravit mundo, qui cum Patre et Spiritu sancto unus Deus existens omni dominatur saeculo: ita quod ipse Filius Patris incarnatus et homo visibilis visus, Dominus et elevatus in carne super omnem creaturam fuit voluntas Patris in salvatione. Quomodo? Quia Filius Dei ante saecula a Patre genitus, postea in mundo natus ex matre in fine temporum necdum incarnatus manebat in Patre invisibilis, ut voluntas invisibilis est in homine antequam exeat in opus, visibilis deinde apparuit in carne pro salute hominum: ita ut cum Filio suo meditatur omnipotens Pater omnem justitiam contra primum casum Adae. Ubi?
In dilectione Filii Dei, qui ante tempora in divinitatis gloria manens in Patre mirabiliter postea sub statuto tempore mundi, incarnatus est, quem Pater de corde suo in mundum misit summum sacerdotem super omnem justitiam. Unde et legem justitiae ipse Filius collegit ut eam accepit a Patre facta lege hominum in eum crediturorum. Sed in illa lege quam Pater in Filio suo constituere atque condere voluit, meditatur in die. Quomodo? Scilicet in die quae ipse est, cum nulla obscuritas iniquitatis erat in ulla creatura priusquam ullam creaturam conderet saeculorum meditatus est istam legem Filii sui. Et etiam in nocte. Quomodo? Quia in facta creatura dum se incepit erigere malum quod est quasi obscuritas noctis, in angelo et in homine meditatur etiam Pater usque in novissimum diem in quem pertingunt opera sua quae ineffabiliter operatur, ostendens et aperiens legem Filii sui, cum in ipso perficit omnia bona, quae in homine perfici debent.
Sed ut vides quod lapidea pars muri habet duo loca interrupta inter angulum videlicet occidentalem et angulum meridianum: hoc est quod opus humani generis in munitione defensionis suae, duobus modis adhuc imperfectum est, cum membra incarnati Filii Dei constant adhuc quasi imperfecta in electis suis, quod est primus interruptus locus velut ab occidente, quoniam Filius Dei missus est in mundum in fine temporum, et cum deinde Ecclesia similiter adhuc quasi imperfecta est in omnibus virtutibus suis, ut consistere et aedificari debet in coelesti Jerusalem, quod est alter interruptus locus velut ad meridiem, cum Ecclesia perficietur in coelestibus. Quod autem longitudo ipsius aedificii est centum cubitorum, hoc est quod denarius numerus attenuatus erat in praevaricatore homine, et recuperatus est in Filio meo per multiplicem denarii centenarium numerum, multiplicium virtutum in salvatione animarum, de quo denario per centenarium deinde ascendit millenarius numerus perfectus in omnibus virtutibus, ut plane evacuentur mille artes diaboli, cum quibus seducit omnem gregem amabilium omnium omnipotentis Dei. Quid hoc? Ego Omnipotens constitui initio ardentia et viventia lumina quae lucerent in splendoribus suis; sed quaedam perstiterunt in amore meo, quaedam autem ceciderunt despiciendo Creatorem suum. Sed non decuit me Creatorem ut institutionem meam, vacuam et irritam relinquerem. Quomodo? Angelica scilicet creatura superbientis agminis hoc bonum quod Creator suus ipsi indulsit ad cognitionem suam; illud sibi ipsi deputavit in fallacem gloriam, se posse similem esse Creatori suo, unde cecidit in mortem. Tunc praevidit Deus, quia quod in perdito agmine illo cecidit, fortius restaurandum esse in alio.
Quomodo? Quia creavit hominem de limo terrae viventem in anima et corpore ut ad gloriam illam pertingeret, de qua praevaricator diabolus cum suis imitatoribus ejectus est; quoniam homo valde charus est Deo, cum et eum fecerit ad imaginem et similitudinem suam, ita ut in perfectione sanctitatis operaretur omnes virtutes, sicut et Deus condidit creaturas omnes, et ut etiam impleret operando in humillima obedientia et in opere virtutum subministratione laudis inter gloriosos angelos ordinem, ut in hoc beatitudinis culmine, adornaret laudem supernorum spirituum, qui assidua devotione sunt laudantes Deum, atque in eadem beatitudine sua hoc adimpleret, quod perditus angelus in praesumptione sua ruens evacuavit. Ideoque est homo plenus denarius numerus, qui haec omnia per virtutem Dei perficit.
Sed denarius numerus in sua natura multiplicat centenarium in hac intentione, quia homo diabolica seductione corruens, a Deo tandem divina miseratione et inspiratione admonitus strenue incipit Deum agnoscere cum lege et prophetia Veteris Testamenti, et deinde acutius cum sanctitate ac omnibus ornamentis invictae constantiae Ecclesiae. Sicque incepit homo operari omnes virtutes ab Abel ita eas perficiendo usque ad novissimum justum, quod est centenarius numerus longitudinis hujus aedificii, quod Deus in mystica figura demonstrat hominibus, ne desperent prolapsi in iniquitatibus suis; sed ut surgentes ab eis fortissime laborent in opere Dei; quia et unusquisque cadens in peccatis, cum se erigit ab eis, fortior erit quam prius esset, sicut et Deus majores et fortiores virtutes restituit in homine, Filium suum mittens in mundum ad erigendum collapsum genus humanum, quam primus homo operatur. Unde et homo fortius operatur in anima et corpore quam si esset sine corporali gravedine, quoniam militat in seipso in multis periculis perficiens fortissima bella, et victoriosus existens cum Domino Deo suo fideliter militans ei, sic ipsum cognoscens in militia sua, corpus suum castigando, quia angelus carens gravedine terreni corporis, est tantum miles coelestis harmoniae lucidus et purus perseverans in visione Dei; homo vero gravatus corporali putredine est fortis et gloriosus sanctusque miles, cum restaurato opere, qui operatur propter Deum in anima et corpore, ita per centenarium numerum praesentis laboris pertingens ad millenarium futurae retributionis, videlicet cum in novissimo die plenam mercedem accipiens sine fine in anima et corpore gaudebit in coelesti habitatione. Sic ergo denarius attenuatus numerus, recuperatus est per Filium meum, qui natus ex virgine et passus in cruce hominem reduxit ad coelestia, ut ipse in Evangelio dicit: Quae mulier habens drachmas decem, si perdiderit drachmam unam, nonne accendit lucernam et everrit domum, et quaerit diligenter donec inveniat? Et cum invenerit, convocat amicas et vicinas, dicens: Congratulamini mihi, quia inveni drachmam quam perdideram . Hoc tale est: Sancta divinitas habuit drachmas decem, id est in electis angelis et in homine decem ordines supernarum distinctionum, sed drachmam unam perdidit, cum homo magis diabolicam seductionem, quam divinum praeceptum secutus in mortem cecidit. Unde ipse accendens lucernam ardentem, scilicet Christum verum Deum et verum hominem, splendidissimumque solem justitiae, everrit per eum domum, id est Judaicum populum, et inter legem quaesivit diligenter omnem sanctificationem quae fuit in salvatione, in qua instituit novam sanctificationem, et sic invenit drachmam suam, hominem scilicet quem perdiderat. Tunc convocavit amicas, id est saeculares justitias et vicinas, id est spirituales virtutes, dicens: Congratulamini mihi laudabiliter et congaudete et aedificate coelestem Jerusalem ex vivis lapidibus, quia hominem inveni, qui perierat deceptione diaboli.
Sed ut vides quod latitudo hujus aedificii est quinquaginta cubitorum, hoc est quod omnis latitudo vitiorum hominum, qui in opere Dei aedificare debuerunt, magis tamen concupiscentias suas sequentium quam opus Dei colentium, in diffusis quinque vulneribus Filii mei quae in cruce passus est, misericorditer abstergitur et remittitur, ita quod vulnera manuum ejus opera manuum inobedientiae Adae et Evae deleverunt, et vulnera pedum ejus liberaverunt itinera humani exsilii, et vulnus lateris ejus de quo orta est Ecclesia, delevit culpam Adae et Evae, quoniam de latere Adae Eva creata est. Unde et Filius meus in ligno fixus est, ut ea aboleret quae per lignum praevaricatio facta est, atque aceto et felle potatus est, ut gustus pomi noxialis dilueretur. Et altitudo ejus est quinque cubitorum; qui est excellentia divinarum scientiarum in Scripturis quae propter opus Dei sunt in quinque sensibus qui sunt in homine; quos inspiravit Spiritus sanctus ad utilitatem hominum, quia homo cum quinque sensibus suis respicit ad altitudinem divinitatis, discernens unum quodque, bonum scilicet et malum. Unde et ejus duo parietes in utroque latere ipsius sunt unius longitudinis; quoniam in aedificio bonitatis Dei quasi in duobus parietibus animae et corporis utriusque lateris, prosperi scilicet et adversi, hominem constantissime oportet laborare. Quomodo? Ut devitet malum et operetur bonum. Quomodo? Quia profunda et incomprehensibilis divina potestas instituit hominem, ut totis viribus suis et toto sensu suo colat Deum aequali devotione in longitudine intelligibilis rationalitatis; quoniam dignum est ut Creator omnium, ante omnia, et super omnia dignissime colatur Deus.
Quapropter et alii ejus duo parietes in fronte et in fine ejus, unius sunt latitudinis, quoniam in opere Dei sapientia et discretio sunt velut duo parietes, videlicet sapientia quasi in superiori et discretio quasi in inferiori parte, quas Deus aspirat aequo et justo dono suo in magnitudinem latitudinis, humanae mentis; ad cognoscendum se.
Sed quod quatuor illi parietes ubique in circuitu ipsius aedificii aequalis sunt altitudinis, exceptis propugnaculis ejus quae aliquantulum eminent altitudinem ipsius; hoc quod homo in quatuor elementis positus, ubique fidem catholicam per bonitatem Patris aequali devotione et cultura in alto habebit, filium cum Patre et Spiritu sancto, videlicet colens, qui omnia opera sua operatur in ipsis. Quomodo? Omne opus quod Filius Dei operatus est et operatur, hoc perficit per bonitatem Patris in Spiritu sancto. Quid hoc? Quoniam secundum voluntatem Patris erat Filius redimens hominem per incarnationem suam, quae est magna bonitas; quia Pater sic ordinavit ut Filius ejus nasceretur ex Virgine de Spiritu sancto conceptus, humanitatem assumens propter amorem hominis, ut eum reduceret in restaurationem vitae, quatenus homo cum Deo partem haberet, cum qua intraret in salvationem per ipsum in recta et catholica fide, in qua Pater et Filius et Spiritus sanctus cognosci debet, unus et verus Deus. Sed et ibi sunt propugnacula praestantioris altitudinis. Quomodo? Quia, cum homo respicit in culmen bonae mentis, tunc aedificat altitudinem murorum fidelium, in virtutibus operis Dei ascendens super intelligibilem fidem, Deum videlicet sciens esse in potentia divinitatis suae, super quam fidem deinde construit altiorem staturam virtutum praestantissimorum propugnaculorum.
Quomodo? Nam aedificat altiores virtutes, sibi non sufficiens ut solummodo fidem habeat in Deum: sed ascendit in virentem palmam, quod est de virtute in virtutem quibus exaltata et decorata est rectissima fides quasi civitas propugnaculis.
Quod vero latitudo, inter ipsum aedificium et splendorem ex praedicto circulo se in profundum abyssi extendentem, est in vertice orientalis anguli unius palmi: hoc est quod amplitudo supernorum secretorum est inter opus Filii Dei quod demonstravit quasi aedificium, conversatus sine peccato corporaliter in saeculo, scilicet faciens virtutes multas in bonitate Patris et inter potestatem Patris quasi splendorem in maxima virtute sua se in inferiora et in superiora extendentem, cum Filium suum misit in mundum, in capite scilicet anguli qui respicit ad orientem, hoc est, in justitia quae primum praesignata est in Noe per admonitionem Spiritus sancti praefigurantem perfectam illam justitiam, quae declarata est in incarnatione Filii Dei, ita quod in his secretis erat quasi spatium unius staturae ut extenta manus est a pollice usque ad alios digitos; quod est ordinatum tempus in paternis visceribus quando Unigenitum suum mittere voluit in manu fortissima, ut ipse ita circuiret cum omnibus articulis digitorum qui sunt omnia opera ejus in Spiritu sancto ut perficeret voluntatem Patris sui passus in cruce propter miseram ac contemptibilem inobedientiam, quam diabolus primo homini instillavit in sua suggestione, cum propter hoc ad redimendum hominem misericordia Dei se inclinavit ad terram, per humanitatem Filii Dei incomprehensibili altitudine divinitatis.
Sed quod alibi, id est in septentrionali et in occidentali atque in meridiana parte, tanta undique est latitudo inter aedificium et splendorem ut ejus amplitudinem nullo modo comprehendere possis; hoc est quod nullus hominum mortali corpore gravatus poterit scire elationem mali in visceribus aquilonaris diaboli: nec finitum ejus in operante creatura in occasu cadentis hominis, nec initium aut finem ardentis meridiei quod est supernae justitiae, nec considerare quomodo haec dilatata et discreta sint inter opus et potestatem scientiae meae in omnibus populis, scilicet aut in electis aut in reprobis, qui omnes positi sunt in aequissima perscrutatione, ita quod acutissima et diligentissima districtione examinabuntur in praeceptis meis, cum tamen ipsi omnes accurate debent confidere, quod eos pasco in omnibus necessitatibus suis, quia haec omnia in secretis meis ita occultata sunt, quod amplitudinem profunditatis eorum, nec sensus aut intellectus hominis ullo modo comprehendere vel intelligere valeat, nisi quantum permissione mea conceditur. Qui autem acutas aures interioris intellectus habet hic in ardente amore speculi mei, ad verba haec anhelet, et ea in conscientia animi sui conscribat.
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩The phrase 'from strength to strength' echoes Psalm 84:7 (Vulgate 83:8).
Scivias (Know the Ways of the Lord) companion
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