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Chapter 31SermC.1.31

Sermo 31

The Vision That Stands Firm

The Bridegroom Word appears in many forms because the blessed vision of God as he truly is has not yet been granted, reserved instead for eternity where only pure being remains.

Show me the one my soul loves, where you pasture, where you lie down at midday.✦ To eager minds the Bridegroom Word frequently appears, and not under just one form. Why is that? Surely because he is not yet seen as he truly is.✦ That vision stands firm, because the form stands that is then seen — it simply is. It undergoes no change arising from what it is, was, or will be.✦ Take away, then — 'Was' and 'Will Be' — and where is any change, or the shadow of alternation? Whatever comes forth from what Was does not stop pressing forward into what Will Be. It truly passes through an Is, but it is not ultimate at all. For how could it be, that it never remains in the same state?

The Unchanging Reward of Seeing God

Only what truly is can be eternal, and when God reveals himself as he is, the beholder finds complete and unending delight in a vision that neither tires nor diminishes.

Only that, then, is truly real which is cut off from neither 'It was' nor 'It will be,' but stands alone, unconquerable, in the 'It is,' and abides as that which is. For 'It was' does not take away from it being eternal, nor does 'It will be' threaten it; rather, through this it claims true being for itself — that is, what is uncreated, unending, and unchanging. Therefore when he who truly is — or rather, who neither is nor is not as things are — appears as he is, that vision, as I said, stands firm, because no changefulness ever interrupts it. And then that single reward from the Gospel is given to all who see in this way, in the one form that is offered to them.✦ For just as what appears is unchanging in itself, so it is present unchangingly to those who behold it; and those who behold it desire nothing more to see, and nothing could give them greater delight. When, then, will that vision ever tire the beholder's hunger, or withdraw its sweetness, or have truth deceive, or eternity run out? And if the power to see, and the will to see, are both stretched out into eternity — how would that not be complete happiness? For indeed, nothing is lacking to those who always see, and nothing remains unfulfilled for those who always desire.

Why God Is Not Yet Seen As He Is

The full vision of God is reserved for the life to come; in this mortal body no one sees God as he truly is, only through veiled, indirect manifestations analogous to seeing the sun's effects rather than its essence.

But a vision like this isn't for the present life; it's reserved for the last things, for those only who can say: We know that when he appears we'll be like him, because we'll see him just as he is.✦1 And now, in fact, he appears to whomever he wishes, but just as he wishes, not just as he is. No wise person, no saint, no prophet can see him just as he is — or has been able to in this mortal body — but they will be able to in the immortal one, when they're counted worthy. So he is seen even here, but only as he appears to the one seeing, not as he truly is. For you have never even seen this great luminary (I mean the sun that you see every day) as it truly is, but only insofar as it illuminates — the air, a mountain, a wall, for instance. You couldn't even perceive the sun itself at all, if the light of your own body weren't in some measure, by its native clarity and brightness, similar to the heavenly light. Indeed, no other part of the body is capable of light, because of its great dissimilarity. But even the eye itself, once it's clouded, won't draw near to the light — clearly because it has lost its likeness to it.

Likeness, Light, and the Pure Eye

The soul can see God only according to its inner purity and likeness to him; as one draws near and is enlightened by the Spirit, one is gradually transformed into the divine image, yet still not fully in this life.

So anyone who is inwardly troubled cannot see the clear sun at all, because of the lack of likeness; but someone who is clear-eyed can see it to some degree, because there is at least some likeness. Indeed, if the eye of the mind were completely pure, it would see him with an unoffended gaze, just as he is — because of a total likeness. And so someone who has been enlightened can see the Sun of righteousness — the one who enlightens everyone coming into this world — in this world, as it gives light, as if already somewhat like it; but see it as it truly is, they absolutely cannot, as long as they're not yet perfectly like it. That's why Scripture says: 'Come to him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be put to shame.'✦ So it is: but if we are sufficiently enlightened — so that, with face unveiled, we behold the glory of God — we are transformed into the same image from clarity to clarity, as if by the Spirit of the Lord.

Approaching God in Brightness, Not Place

One must approach God not spatially but through spiritual brightness and inner illumination, recognizing that the variety of created things reveals traces of the Deity without fully displaying him.

So you must draw near to him, not rush in—lest the irreverent investigator of majesty be overwhelmed by glory. And you must approach not places, but brightnesses—and not bodily ones, but spiritual ones, as from the Lord's Spirit. Clearly from the Lord, and not from our own—though it dwells within our own. So the brighter one is nearer; and to be at one's brightest is to have arrived. Furthermore, for those now present, to see as he is is nothing other than to be as he is, and not to be overwhelmed by any dissimilarity. But that, as I said, is for then. Meanwhile, is this great variety of forms and sheer abundance of species in created things anything other than certain rays of the Deity—showing indeed that it truly is from the one from whom they come, yet not fully defining what that one is? So you see something about him, but not him himself.

Two Ways of Seeking God

There is a common natural knowledge of God through reason and creation, but there is also a more intimate way by which the fathers experienced God's presence, granted not as he is but as he chooses to reveal himself.

And yet, when you see the rest about someone you yourself don't see, you know beyond doubt that the one you must seek truly exists, so that grace doesn't cheat the one who seeks, and ignorance doesn't excuse the one who neglects. But this kind of seeing is common. For it is readily available, as the Apostle says, to everyone who uses reason: to perceive the invisible things of God, understood through the things that were made.✦

God's Inward Coming as Fire

God reveals himself inwardly to the soul that seeks him wholly with desire and love, and his coming is experienced as a purifying, burning fire that consumes vice and inflames holy longing.

Another way, surely — the way by which the fathers were once frequently and eagerly granted that ambitious intimacy with God's presence — even though it wasn't granted to them as it truly is, but as God chose to grant it. And not in one way for everyone, but, as the Apostle says, in many ways and by many means; since God himself, in himself, is one, as he himself said to Israel: The Lord your God is one God.✦ And this showing is not, to be sure, something common; yet it happens outwardly — clearly displayed through images appearing externally or voices sounding aloud. But God's own looking is the more different from these things, the more inward it is, since God himself deigns through himself to look upon the soul that seeks him — the soul that, in seeking him, has devoted itself wholly, with all its desire and love. And this is the sign of his coming, of this kind, as we are taught by the one who has experienced it: Fire will go before him, and it will burn up his enemies all around him.✦ For the ardent heat of holy desire must go before his face, upon every soul to which he himself is coming — the one who will consume every rust of vice, and so prepare a place for the Lord. And then the soul knows that the Lord is near, when it feels itself set ablaze by that fire, and says with the prophet: From on high he sent fire into my bones, and it instructed me; and that other word: My heart has grown warm within me, and in my meditation a fire will burn.✦✦

The Soul's Sighing and the Angel's Joy

The longing soul prays without ceasing, and the angelic mediator rejoices in their mutual love, running between the Bridegroom and the bride to rouse her and bring gifts, urging trust and patience.

For a soul like this — sighing often, indeed praying without letup, tormenting itself with longing — when at times the one who is so desired, so sought out, in pity comes to meet it, I think it's only right that from her own experience she should say with holy Jeremiah: You are good, Lord, to those who hope in you, to the soul that seeks you.✦ But the angel too — the one appointed from among the bridegroom's companions for this very purpose — as indeed the minister and go-between of a secret, mutual greeting: that angel, I say, how he exults, how he rejoices and delights together with her, and turning to the Lord says: I give thanks to you, Lord of majesty, because you have granted her heart's desire, and you have not defrauded her of what her lips willed! It is he who, like a watchful attendant of the soul in every place, does not stop urging her on, and with constant promptings admonishes her, saying: Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the petitions of your heart; and again: Wait for the Lord, and keep his way; and likewise: If he should delay, wait for him, because he who comes will come, and will not tarry.✦✦ But toward the Lord: As the deer, it says, longs for streams of water, so this soul longs for you, God.✦ It longed for you in the night, but your spirit within its inner chambers kept watch for you from early morning. And again: All day long she stretches out her hands to you — forgive her, because she cries out after you: Turn toward her a little, and be merciful to her. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit the one who is desolate. The faithful bridesman, aware of their mutual love but not envious — who seeks not his own but the Lord's grace — runs back and forth between the beloved groom and the beloved bride, offering prayers and bringing gifts.

The Secret Mingling of the Word and the Soul

The angel sometimes presents the soul and Bridegroom to each other; their union is not physical but spiritual, a mutual indwelling in which the Word penetrates the soul's affections with transforming, inward delight.

He rouses her, he pleases him. At times too — though rarely — he presents them both before himself, snatching her or bringing him; for he is a familiar figure, well known in the palace, and he does not fear rejection, and daily he sees the face of the Father. But make sure you don't think we perceive anything physical or imaginary in this mingling of the Word with the soul. What we're talking about is what the Apostle says: whoever clings to God is one spirit. We express the going out of a pure mind into God, or God's gracious descent into the soul, using the words available to us, matching spiritual things with spiritual. So this union takes place in the spirit, because the Spirit is God, and he desires the beauty of the soul that he may have noticed walking in the spirit and not perfecting its desire in the care of the flesh—especially if he has seen it burning with love of him. So a soul thus affected and thus beloved won't be fully satisfied either by the many things done through what has been made, or by the few things the bridegroom has manifested through visions and dreams—unless by a special prerogative it also receives into the inmost affections and very marrow of the heart the one who descended from heaven, and has ready at hand the one it longs for: not figured but poured in, not appearing but inwardly affecting, and there's no doubt that it is the more delightful inwardly, not outwardly. For the Word isn't sounding but penetrating, not talkative but effective, not clamoring at the ears but caressing the affections. Its face isn't formed but forming, not striking the eyes of the body but gladdening the face of the heart—pleasing indeed by the gift of love, not by color.

The Changing Countenances of the Bridegroom

The divine Bridegroom adapts himself to the soul's needs, appearing now as a modest lover, now as a physician for the weak, now as a companion on the journey, and now as a wealthy king revealing his glory.

Still, I wouldn't say that he shows himself exactly as he is, though in this way he doesn't present something completely different from what he is. For even then he won't be continuously present, even to the most devoted souls, nor will he be present uniformly to everyone. For the taste of the divine presence must vary according to the soul's various desires, and the infused flavor of heavenly sweetness must delight the palate of the yearning mind in different ways. Finally, you've noticed in this love song how often he has changed his countenance, and in what abundance of his sweetness he has deigned to be transformed before his beloved; and how now, like a modest bridegroom, he seeks the secret embraces of a holy soul, and delights in her kisses; but then he appears as a physician offering oil and ointments—clearly because of the tender and weak souls of this kind who still need poultices and medicines. That is why they are designated by the delicate name of young girls.2 If anyone mutters about this, they'll hear that it isn't the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick.✦ Now again, like some traveler joining the bride and her young companions on their journey, he relieves the whole company from the weariness of the road with his most pleasant conversations, so that when he leaves them, they say: Was not our heart burning within us while Jesus talked with us on the road?✦ He is an eloquent companion who, through the sweetness of his words and ways, makes everyone run after him as if drawn by the fragrance of breathing perfumes. And so they say: We will run in the fragrance of your perfumes. Likewise, sometimes he comes to meet her like a very wealthy head of a household whose house abounds with bread—or rather, like a magnificent and powerful king, who seems to raise up the poor bride's timidity and provoke her desire, showing her all the desirable things of his glory: the wealth of his wine presses and storehouses, the abundance of his gardens and fields, and finally, even leading her into the very secrets of his chamber.

The Heart That Trusts and Burns

The Bridegroom continually appears to those who seek him, fulfilling his promise to be with us always, and the faithful soul rests in the confidence of his abiding presence.

Surely the heart of her husband trusts in her, and there is nothing at all among all those things he would think should be hidden from her — the one he redeemed when she was in need, proved faithful, and now embraces as beloved. And so he does not cease — whether in this way or that, inwardly — to keep appearing continually to the sight of those who seek him, so that the word may be fulfilled that he spoke: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

The Sweetness of the Word in Every Form

Throughout the Song, the Word is shadowed forth in varied likenesses; we now live in the shadow of faith, seeing through a mirror, while angels behold the full splendor of his face.

And in all these things he is sweet and gentle, and rich in mercy. For in his kisses he is indeed affectionate and tender, but in oil and perfumes and ointments he is merciful and overflowing with the depths of devotion and compassion; furthermore, along the way he is cheerful and approachable, full of grace and comfort; yet in the display of riches and possessions he shows himself generous and bountiful as a rewarder, according to royal liberality. So throughout the entire text of this song you'll find the Word shadowed forth by likenesses of this kind. This is why I think this is what the prophet meant when he says, The Spirit before our face, Christ the Lord; in his shadow we shall live among the nations: namely, that we now see through a mirror and in an enigma, and not yet face to face.✦✦3 But that is certainly the case only while we live among the nations; for among the angels it is different; when, in a state of undifferentiated and complete blessedness, we shall see him along with them, and ourselves as well, just as he is—that is, in the form of God, and not in shadow.✦ For just as we say that among the ancients there was indeed a shadow and a figure, but for us, through the grace of Christ present in the flesh, the truth itself shines forth on its own; so no one will deny that we too, with a view to the future age, live for now in a certain shadow of truth—unless it is someone who doesn't accept the Apostle saying, We know in part, and we prophesy in part; and also, I do not consider myself to have grasped it.✦✦ For how could there not be a distinction between the one who walks by faith and the one who walks by sight?✦ Therefore the righteous person lives by faith, the blessed person rejoices in sight: and so the holy person lives for now in the shadow of Christ, while the holy angel glories in the splendor of the face of glory.✦

The Good Shadow of Faith

Faith's shadow is not darkness but a protective veiling that guards and prepares the eye for the full light, as seen in the Virgin Mary who lived under the shadow of the Most High's power in the Incarnation.

And the good shadow of faith tempers the light for the dim eye, and prepares the eye for the light; for it is written: "Purifying their hearts by faith." So faith doesn't extinguish the light—it protects it. Whatever it is that the angel sees, the shadow of faith holds that for me, stored up in the faithful heart, to be revealed in its own time. Isn't it better to hold the gift wrapped, when you can't yet grasp it uncovered? And indeed, the Mother of the Lord lived in the shadow of faith, to whom it was said: "Blessed are you who have believed."✦ She also had a shadow regarding the body of Christ, when she heard: "And the power of the Most High will overshadow you." For this is no small shadow, formed out of the power of the Most High. And truly, the power in Christ's flesh that overshadowed the Virgin—so that what was impossible for a mortal woman, yet through the veil of a living body she could bear the presence of majesty and endure the unapproachable light.

Power That Shields and Refreshes

The power of Christ is both a conquering force and a cooling shadow that puts demons to flight and shields humanity, giving life and refreshment.

Clearly, a power before which every hostile force has been subdued — both a power and a shadow that puts demons to flight and shields human beings; or rather, a power that gives life and a shadow that cools and refreshes.

Fed in the Shepherd's Pasture

We live in Christ's shadow, feeding on his flesh as the true food; he is both the good shepherd and the pasture, the redemption and the nourishment, and the discourse pauses here to be resumed with the Lord's help.

So then we live in the shadow of Christ, since we walk by faith, and we feed on his flesh so that we may live. For the flesh of Christ is truly food. And see that this place not be described at this point as well, appearing as it were in a pastoral setting, where the bride seems to address him as if he were one of the shepherds, saying: Show me where you pasture your flock, where you rest at midday. The good shepherd who gives his own soul for his sheep: his soul for them, his flesh for them; the one as their ransom, the other as their food.✦ A wondrous thing! He himself is the shepherd, he himself the pasture, he himself the redemption. But the discourse runs on at length, since the passage is broad, containing great things that cannot be unfolded in a few words; and so this constraint seems to me one that must now be broken off rather than ended. But it is necessary — since the material is still before us — that memory stay alert, so that where we pause, the thread may soon be taken up again and carried forward, as the Lord grants: Jesus Christ, the bridegroom of the Church, who is God over all, blessed forever.✦

Amen

The sermon concludes with a single doxological 'Amen.'

Amen.

Read the original Latin

Indica mihi quem diligit anima mea, ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie. Studiosis mentibus Verbum sponsus frequenter apparet, et non sub una specie. Quid ita? Profecto quoniam nondum videtur sicuti est. Nempe illa visio stat, quia forma stat quae tunc videtur; est enim: nec ullam capit ex eo quod est, fuit, vel erit, mutationem. Tolle nempe: Fuit et Erit; unde iam transmutatio aut vicissitudinis obumbratio? At quidquid veniens ex eo quod Fuit non cessat tendere in id quod Erit, transitum sane habet per Est, sed omnino non est. Nam quomodo est, quod nunquam in eodem statu permanet?

Solum proinde vere est, quod nec a Fuit praeciditur, nec ab Erit expungitur; sed solum atque inexpugnabile remanet ei Est, et manet quod est. Nec fuit sane tollit illi esse ab aeterno; nec Erit esse in aeternum: ac per hoc sibi vindicat verum esse, id est increabile, interminabile, invariabile. Cum igitur ipse qui sic est, imo qui non sic aut sic est, videtur sicuti est; stat, ut dixi, illa visio, quia nulla eam interpolat vicissitudo. Et tunc ille de Evangelio unus omnibus, qui sic vident, denarius redditur in una specie quae offertur. Nam et quod apparet, ut invariabile in se est, ita invariabiliter intuentibus praesto est; et quibus apparet, nil videre desiderabilius volunt, nil possunt delectabilius. Quando ergo illa vel fastidiet aviditas, vel se subtrahet suavitas, vel fraudabit veritas, vel deficiet aeternitas? Quod si in aeternum extenditur videndi copia pariter et voluntas; quomodo non plena felicitas? Nil quippe aut deest iam semper videntibus, aut superest semper volentibus.

At talis visio non est vitae praesentis, sed in novissimis reservatur, his duntaxat qui dicere possunt: Scimus quia cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus, quia videbimus eum sicuti est. Et nunc quidem apparet quibus vult; sed sicuti vult, non sicuti est. Non sapiens, non sanctus, non propheta videre illum, sicuti est, potest, aut potuit in corpore hoc mortali; poterit autem in immortali; qui dignus habebitur. Itaque videtur et hic, sed sicut videtur ipsi, et non sicuti est. Nam neque hoc luminare magnum (solem loquor istum, quem quotidie vides) vidisti tamen aliquando sicuti est, sed tantum sicut illuminat, verbi causa aerem, montem, parietem. Quod nec ipsum quidem aliquatenus posses, si non aliqua ex parte ipsum lumen corporis tui, pro sui ingenita serenitate et perspicuitate, coelesti lumini simile esset. Non denique alterum membrum corporis capax est luminis, ob multam utique dissimilitudinem. Sed nec ipse oculus, cum turbatus fuerit, lumini propinquabit, nimirum ob amissam similitudinem.

Qui ergo turbatus, nullatenus serenum solem videt propter dissimilitudinem; serenus aliquatenus videt propter nonnullam similitudinem. Profecto si pari prorsus puritate vigeret, videret omnino inoffensa acie eum sicuti est, propter omnimodam similitudinem. Ita et solem iustitiae illum, qui illuminat omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum, videre in hoc mundo, sicut illuminat, illuminatus potest, tanquam iam in aliquo similis; sicuti est, omnino non potest, tanquam nondum perfecte similis. Propterea dicit: Accedite ad eum et illuminamini, et facies vestrae non confundentur. Ita sane, sed si quantum satis est illuminamur, ut revelata facie speculantes gloriam Dei, in eamdem imaginem transformemur de claritate in claritatem, tanquam a Domini Spiritu.

Ergo accedendum ad eum, non irruendum, ne irreverens scrutator maiestatis opprimatur a gloria. Nec locis sane accedendum, sed claritatibus; ipsisque non corporeis, sed spiritualibus, tanquam a Domini Spiritu. A Domini plane, et non a nostro, quamvis in nostro. Qui itaque clarior, ille propinquior; esse autem clarissimum, pervenisse est. Porro iam praesentibus non aliud est videre sicuti est, quam esse sicuti est, et aliqua dissimilitudine non confundi. Sed id tunc, ut dixi. Interim vero tanta haec formarum varietas, atque numerositas specierum in rebus conditis, quid nisi quidam sunt radii Deitatis, monstrantes quidem quia vere sit a quo sunt, non tamen quid sit prorsus definientes? Itaque de ipso vides, sed non ipsum.

Cum autem de eo, quem non vides, caetera vides, scis indubitanter existere quem oportet inquirere, ut inquirentem non fraudet gratia, negligentem ignorantia non excuset. Verum hoc genus videndi commune. In promptu enim est, iuxta Apostolum, omni utenti ratione, invisibilia Dei, per ea quae facta sunt, intellecta conspicere.

Alius procul dubio ille modus, quo quondam Patribus crebra illa atque ambitiosa divinae praesentiae familiaritas dignanter indulta est, quanquam nec ipsis sicuti est, sed sicut dignata est. Nec uno omnibus modo, sed, ut ait Apostolus, multifarie multisque modis; cum ipse in se sit unus, dicente ipso ad Israel, Dominus Deus tuus, Deus unus est. Et haec demonstratio, non quidem communis; sed tamen foris facta est, nimirum exhibita per imagines extrinsecus apparentes, seu voces sonantes. Sed est divina inspectio, eo differentior ab his quo interior, cum per se ipsum dignatur invisere Deus animam quaerentem se, quae tamen ad quaerendum toto se desiderio et amore devovit. Et hoc signum istiusmodi adventus eius, sicut ab eo qui expertus est edocemur: Ignis ante ipsum praecedet, et inflammabit in circuitu inimicos eius. Oportet namque ut sancti desiderii ardor praeveniat faciem eius ad omnem animam, ad quam est ipse venturus, qui omnem consumat rubiginem vitiorum, et sic praeparet locum Domino. Et tunc scit anima quoniam iuxta est Dominus, cum se senserit illo igne succensam, et dixerit cum propheta, De excelso misit ignem in ossibus meis, et erudivit me : et illud, Concaluit cor meum intra me, et in meditatione mea exardescet ignis.

Tali animae suspiranti frequenter, imo sine intermissione oranti, et afflictanti se prae desiderio, cum interdum desideratus ille, qui ita quaeritur, miseratus occurrit; puto illi de propria experientia convenire ut dicat cum sancto Ieremia: Bonus es, Domine, sperantibus in te, animae quaerenti te. Sed et angelus eius, qui unus est de sodalibus sponsi, in hoc ipsum deputatus, minister profecto et arbiter secretae mutuaeque salutationis; is, inquam, angelus quomodo tripudiat, quomodo collaetatur et condelectatur, et conversus ad Dominum dicit: Gratias ago tibi, Domine maiestatis, quia desiderium cordis eius tribuisti ei, et voluntate labiorum eius non fraudasti cam! Ipse est qui in omni loco sedulus quidam pedisequus animae non cessat sollicitare eam, et assiduis suggestionibus monere, dicens, Delectare in Domino, et dabit tibi petitiones cordis tui: et rursum, Exspecta Dominum, et custodi viam eius; item, Si moram fecerit, exspecta eum, quia veniens veniet, et non tardabit. Ad Dominum autem: Sicut cervus, inquit, desiderat ad fontes aquarum, ita desiderat anima ista ad te, Deus. Desideravit te in nocte, sed et spiritus tuus in praecordiis eius de mane vigilavit ad te. Et iterum: Tota die expandit ad te manus suas, dimitte illam quia clamat post te : convertere aliquantulum, et deprecabilis esto super eam. Respice de coelo, et vide, et visita desolatam. Fidelis paranymphus, qui mutui amoris conscius, sed non invidus, non suam quaerit, sed Domini gratiam: discurrit medius inter dilectum et dilectam, vota offerens, referens dona.

Excitat istam, placat illum. Interdum quoque, licet raro, repraesentat eos pariter sibi, sive hanc rapiens, sive illum adducens: siquidem domesticus est et notus in palatio, nec veretur repulsam, et quotidie videt faciem Patris.

Vide autem tu ne quid nos in hac Verbi animaeque commistione corporeum seu imaginatorium sentire existimes. Id loquimur quod Apostolus dicit, quoniam qui adhaeret Deo, unus spiritus est. Excessum purae mentis in Deum, sive Dei pium descensum in animam, nostris quibus possumus exprimimus verbis, spiritualibus spiritualia comparantes. Itaque in spiritu fit ista coniunctio, quia spiritus est Deus, et concupiscit decorem animae illius quam forte adverterit in spiritu ambulantem, et curam carnis non perficientem in desiderio, praesertim si sui amore flagrantem conspexerit. Non ergo sic affecta et sic dilecta, contenta erit omnino vel illa quae multis per ea quae facta sunt, vel illa quae paucis per visa et somnia facta est manifestatio sponsi, nisi et speciali praerogativa intimis illum affectibus atque ipsis medullis cordis coelitus illapsum suscipiat, habeatque praesto quem desiderat non figuratum, sed infusum; non apparentem, sed afficientem; nec dubium quin eo iucundiorem quo intus, non foris. Verbum nempe est, non sonans, sed penetrans; non loquax, sed efficax; non obstrepens auribus, sed affectibus blandiens. Facies est non formata, sed formans; non perstringens oculos corporis, sed faciem cordis laetificans: grata quippe amoris munere, non colore.

Non tamen adhuc illum dixerim apparere sicuti est, quamvis non omnino aliud hoc modo exhibeat quam quod est. Neque enim vel sic continue praesto erit, quamvis devotissimis mentibus, sed nec uniformiter omnibus. Oportet namque pro variis animae desideriis divinae gustum praesentiae variari, et infusum saporem supernae dulcedinis diversa appetentis animi aliter atque aliter oblectare palatum. Denique advertisti in hoc amatorio carmine quoties mutaverit vultum, et in quanta multitudine dulcedinis suae coram dilecta dignatus sit transformari; et quomodo nunc quidem instar verecundi sponsi sanctae animae secretos petat amplexus, et osculis delectetur; nunc vero in oleo et unguentis medicum exhibere appareat, nimirum propter teneras et infirmas animas istiusmodi adhuc indigentes fomentis et medicamentis: unde et delicato adolescentularum nomine designantur. Si mussitet quis, audiet quia non est opus sanis medicus, sed male habentibus. Nunc rursum quasi viator quispiam itinerantibus sponsae simul atque adolescentulis sese associans, iucundissimis confabulationibus suis a labore viae omnem relevat comitatum, ita ut eo discedente loquantur: Nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis de Iesu, dum loqueretur nobis in via? Facundus comes, qui in sermonum et morum suavitate suorum, tanquam in quadam suaveolentia spirantium unguentorum, post se currere faciat universos: unde et dicunt, In odore unguentorum tuorum curremus. Item aliquando occurrens, quasi praedives aliquis paterfamilias, qui in domo sua abundet panibus; imo tanquam rex magnificus et potens, qui sponsae pauperis videatur pusillanimitatem erigere, provocare cupiditatem, demonstrans illi omnia desiderabilia gloriae suae, divitias torcularium ac promptuariorum, hortorum et agrorum copias, demum etiam introducens eam in ipsa secreta cubiculi.

Nimirum confidit in ea cor viri sui, et non est ex omnibus quod ab illa existimet abscondendum, quam redemit inopem, probavit fidelem, amplexatur amabilem. Atque ita non cessat, sive hoc, sive illo modo interno, iugiter apparere conspectui quaerentium se, ut sermo impleatur, quem dixit: Ecce ego vobiscum sum usque ad consummationem saeculi.

Et in his omnibus suavis et mitis, et multae misericordiae. Nam in osculis quidem affectuosum et blandum, in oleo autem et in pigmentis atque unguentis clementem et affluentem visceribus pietatis et compassionis: porro in via hilarem, affabilem, plenum gratiae et solatii; in ostensione vero divitiarum ac possessionum munificum se ac largum pro regia liberalitate remuneratorem demonstrat. Ita per omnem huius carminis textum reperies Verbum istiusmodi similitudinibus adumbrari. Unde ego puto id significatum apud prophetam, ubi ait, Spiritus ante faciem nostram Christus Dominus; in umbra eius vivemus inter gentes : quod scilicet videamus nunc per speculum et in aenigmate, et necdum facie ad faciem. At istud sane donec vivimus inter gentes: nam inter angelos aliter; quando iam indifferenti omnino felicitate cum ipsis videbimus eum et nos, sicuti est, hoc est in forma Dei, et non in umbra. Quomodo namque apud veteres quidem umbram figuramque dicimus exstitisse, nobis autem per gratiam Christi in carne praesentis ipsam per se illucescere veritatem; ita nos quoque respectu futuri saeculi in quadam interim veritatis umbra vivere non negabit, nisi qui non acquiescit Apostolo dicenti, Ex parte cognoscimus, et ex parte prophetamus; et illud, Non arbitror me comprehendisse. Quomodo enim non est distinctio eius qui per fidem ambulat, et illius qui per speciem? Ergo iustus ex fide vivit, beatus exsultat in specie: et ideo sanctus homo vivit interim in umbra Christi, sanctus angelus in splendore vultus gloriae gloriatur.

Et bona fidei umbra, quae lucem temperat oculo caliganti, et oculum praeparat luci; scriptum est enim: Fide mundans corda eorum. Fides itaque lucem non exstinguit, sed custodit. Quidquid sane est illud quod videt angelus, hoc mihi umbra fidei servat, fideli sinu repositum, in tempore revelandum. Annon expedit tenere vel involutum, quod nudum non capis? Denique et Mater Domini vivebat in umbra fidei, cui dictum est: Et beata quae credidisti. Habuit et de Christi corpore umbram, quae audivit: Et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi. Nec enim vilis umbra, quae de virtute Altissimi formatur. Et vere virtus in carne Christi, quae virgini obumbravit, ut quod impossibile erat mortali feminae, obiectu tamen involucri vivifici corporis ferret praesentiam maiestatis, et lucem sustineret inaccessibilem.

Virtus plane, in qua omnis contraria fortitudo debellata est; et virtus et umbra fugans daemones, tutans homines; aut certe virtus vegetans, umbra refrigerans.

Vivimus proinde in umbra Christi, qui per fidem ambulamus, et carne ipsius pascimur ut vivamus. Caro enim Christi vere est cibus. Et vide ne propterea etiam nunc describatur hoc loco apparens, tanquam in schemate pastorali, ubi illum sponsa, quasi unum quempiam de pastoribus videtur alloqui, dicens: Indica mihi ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie. Bonus Pastor, qui animam suam dat pro ovibus suis : animam pro illis, carnem illis; illam in pretium, istam in cibum. Res mira! ipse pastor, ipse pascua est, ipse redemptio. Verum sermo in longum pergit, quoniam locus amplus est, et grandia continens, et non explicabitur paucis; atque hac necessitate videtur mihi iam rumpendus potius quam finiendus. Oportet autem, ut, quoniam materia pendet, memoria vigilet; quatenus ubi pausatum erit, inde mox resumatur et pertractetur, prout Dominus dabit, Iesus Christus sponsus Ecclesiae, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula.

Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Song.1.7 — Tell me, whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who wanders beside the flocks of your companions?
  2. ↩1Cor.13.12 — For now we see in a mirror, dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
  3. ↩Exod.3.14 — And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.'
  4. ↩Matt.20.9-Matt.20.10 — And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. Matt.20.10 — And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they also received each a denarius.
  5. ↩1John.3.2 — Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. We know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
  6. ↩Ps.34.6 — Look to him and be radiant, and let your faces not be ashamed.
  7. ↩Rom.1.20 — For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes have been clearly perceived, being understood through the things that have been made: both his eternal power and divine nature. So they are without excuse.
  8. ↩Deut.6.4 — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
  9. ↩Ps.67.2 — God be gracious to us and bless us, and let his face shine upon us. Selah.
  10. ↩Jer.20.9 — And I said, 'I will not mention him, nor will I speak in his name anymore.' But it was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it in, and I could not.
  11. ↩Ps.39.4 — My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue.
  12. ↩Lam.3.25 — The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
  13. ↩Ps.36.4;Ps.38.4 — The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely, to do good. Ps.38.4 — There is no soundness in my flesh because of your wrath; there is no peace in my bones because of my sin.
  14. ↩Hab.2.3 — For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it hastens toward the end and will not prove false. Though it tarries, wait for it — it will surely come; it will not delay.
  15. ↩Ps.41.2;Ps.43.1 — Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor; in the day of trouble, the LORD delivers him. Ps.43.1 — Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man.
  16. ↩Matt.9.12;Mark.2.17;Luke.5.31 — But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." Mark.2.17 — When Jesus heard this, he said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Luke.5.31 — And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do.
  17. ↩Luke.24.32 — They said to one another, "Was not our heart burning within us while he spoke to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"
  18. ↩Lam.4.20 — The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was caught in their pits — the one of whom we said, 'In his shadow we shall live among the nations.'
  19. ↩1Cor.13.12 — For now we see in a mirror, dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
  20. ↩Phil.2.6 — who, existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to exploit,
  21. ↩1Cor.13.9 — For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
  22. ↩Phil.3.13 — Brothers, I do not yet consider myself to have taken hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
  23. ↩2Cor.5.7 — for we walk by faith, not by sight
  24. ↩Hab.2.4;Rom.1.17 — Behold, his soul is puffed up—it is not upright within him; but the righteous one shall live by his faithfulness. Rom.1.17 — For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, 'The righteous one shall live by faith.'
  25. ↩Luke.1.45 — And blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment of the things spoken to her from the Lord.
  26. ↩John.10.11 — I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
  27. ↩Eph.5.25-Eph.5.32;Rev.19.7-Rev.19.9 — Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her. Eph.5.26 — in order that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, Eph.5.27 — so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, so that she might be holy and blameless. Eph.5.28 — In the same way, husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his own wife loves himself. Eph.5.29 — For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church. Eph.5.30 — because we are members of his body. Eph.5.31 — For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Eph.5.32 — This mystery is profound—and I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Rev.19.7 — Let us rejoice and be glad and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Rev.19.8 — And it was granted to her that she be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Rev.19.9 — And he said to me, "Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The quoted words echo 1 John 3:2.
  2. 2 ↩The subject of 'delectetur' (delights) is grammatically ambiguous: it could be the Bridegroom delighting in the kisses, or the soul delighting in them. The translation follows the primary active sense of the Bridegroom's actions in the sequence.
  3. 3 ↩Lamentations 4:20 (Vulgate) and 1 Corinthians 13:12 are quoted or echoed here; final resolution pending.

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