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Chapter 61SermC.1.61

Sermo 61

The Call to Rise in Love

The bridegroom stirs his beloved to labor in the vineyards and reveals that their union is not fleshly but spiritual, in one spirit.

Rise up, my beloved, my bride, and come. The bridegroom entrusts his great love to her by repeating the words of love. For repeating affection expresses it, and the fact that he again stirs his beloved to the labor of the vineyards shows how concerned he is for the salvation of souls. For you've already heard that the vineyards are souls. Let's not dwell unnecessarily on what's already been said. Look at what follows. Nowhere, as far as I recall, has he openly named the bride in this whole work until now—only when we go out to the vineyards, when we draw near to the wine of love. When she has come and is made complete, she will bring about a spiritual union, and the two will be, not in one flesh, but in one spirit, as the Apostle says: Whoever clings to God is one spirit with him.✦✦

The Dove in the Rock

The beloved is invited out of hiding into intimate encounter, with playful imagery of vineyards, walls, and secluded love.

Then it continues: 'My dove, in the holes of the rock, in the clefts of the wall, show me your face, let your voice sound in my ears.'✦ She loves, and she keeps on speaking lovingly. With coaxing, she calls her beloved again, calls him her own, and claims him for herself; and what he himself used to earnestly ask of her, now — the roles reversed — she demands the sight of him and conversation with him. He acts the part of a bridegroom, but like a shy one — he blushes in public, and decides to enjoy his delights in a secluded place, indeed in the holes of the rock and in the clefts of the wall. Imagine the bridegroom saying something like this: 'Don't be afraid, beloved — as if these works of the vineyards to which we urge you could hinder or interrupt the business of love.' There will certainly also be some benefit in it, toward that which we equally desire. Vineyards, you see, have walls, and these walls offer pleasant lodging for the bashful. Here is the literal playfulness.

Seeing the Word and the Soul

The preacher warns against carnal readings and teaches that the lovers signify Christ and the soul, or Christ and the Church.

Why shouldn't I call it play? What's so serious about this sequence of letters? What sounds on the outside isn't even worth hearing, unless the Spirit strengthens from within the weakness of our understanding. So let's not stay on the outside, and let's not deal in shameful things either—God forbid! Lest we seem to be recounting the seductions of love affairs, bring modest ears to the discourse on love that's in our hands; and when you picture the lovers themselves, you should perceive not a man and a woman, but the Word and a soul. And if I speak of Christ and the Church, it's the same thing—except that by the name 'Church' what's signified is not one soul but the unity, or rather the shared purpose, of many souls. And don't think the openings in the rock, or the caves in the wall, are hiding places for people who work iniquity—may no suspicion whatsoever arise about works of darkness.

The Wounds of Christ as Openings of the Rock

The openings of the rock are interpreted as the wounds of Christ, the safe refuge where faith is built and the dove shelters fearlessly.

Another writer explained this passage in the same way, interpreting the openings of the rock as the wounds of Christ. And rightly so, for the rock is Christ.✦ These are good openings, which build up faith in the resurrection and in the divinity of Christ. My Lord, he says, and my God.✦ Whence was this oracle brought back, except from the openings of the rock? In these the sparrow finds a home for itself, and the turtledove a nest where she may place her young; in these the dove shelters herself, and fearless looks at the circling hawk.✦ And so she says: My dove, in the openings of the rock.✦ The voice of the dove: He has lifted me up on the rock; and again: He has set, he says, my feet upon the rock.✦

Security Founded on the Rock

To build on the rock is to stand secure above earthly instability, finding in Christ a firm and heavenly refuge.

A wise person builds a house on rock, because there the damage of winds and floods holds no fear.✦ What good isn't found on the rock? Exalted on the rock, secure on the rock, on the rock I stand firm.✦ Secure from the enemy, strong against misfortune; and this is because I am lifted up from the earth.✦ Everything earthly is uncertain and fleeting, for it is bound to fall.1 Let our home be in the heavens, and we don't fear falling or being cast down.✦2 In the heavens is the rock; in it is firmness and security. The rock is a refuge for hedgehogs.3

Shelter in the Savior's Wounds

The weak find safety in Christ's wounds, where sin is overcome and no malice of disease can finally frighten the believer.

And truly, where can the weak find safety and security, if not in the wounds of the Savior? The more securely I dwell there, the more powerful he is to save. The world rages, the body weighs me down, the devil lies in wait — yet I do not fall, because I have been founded on the firm rock. I have sinned a great sin — my conscience will be troubled, but it will not be shaken, because I will remember the wounds of the Lord. He was wounded on account of our iniquities. What is so bound for death that it cannot be loosed by the death of Christ? If, then, so powerful and effective a remedy has come to mind, I can no longer be frightened by any malice of disease.

Mercy Flowing from the Pierced Side

The pierced Christ becomes the source of confidence, grace, and sweetness, unlocking the hidden will of God for the believer.

And so it's clear that whoever says, 'My iniquity is greater than I deserve forgiveness,' has gone astray. Unless it was not from the members of Christ, nor did it pertain to him regarding the merit of Christ, so as to presume for his own what was his own, and claim as his own what belonged to that one — as a member belongs to the head. But I confidently claim for myself what I lack from the heart of the Lord, because mercy abounds, and there's no shortage of openings through which it can pour out. They dug into his hands and feet, and pierced his side with a spear; and through these cracks I'm allowed to suck honey from the rock, and oil from the hardest stone — that is, to taste and see that the Lord is sweet.✦✦ He was thinking thoughts of peace, and I didn't know it. For who has known the mind of the Lord?✦ Or who has been his counselor?✦ But the unlocking key, the piercing nail, has become for me a way to see the will of the Lord.

The Heart of Mercy Laid Open

Through Christ's wounds the inner mercy of God is revealed, showing him gentle, humble, and rich in compassion.

Why shouldn't I look through the opening? The nail cries out, the wound cries out, that God was truly in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The iron pierced his soul and drew near his heart, so that it could no longer be unaware of suffering with my weaknesses. The secret of the heart lies open through the openings of the body; that great sacrament of devotion lies open; the inward parts of the mercy of our God lie open, in which the rising from on high has visited us. Why shouldn't the inward parts lie open through the wounds? For in what could it have shone more clearly than in your wounds, that you, Lord, are gentle and humble and rich in mercy? No one has greater compassion than to lay down his own soul for those condemned to death and the damned.

Our Merit Is the Lord's Compassion

The believer's righteousness rests not on personal merit but on the overflowing mercies of the Lord, which cover sin with grace.

So my own merit is simply the Lord's compassion. I'm not completely without merit, as long as he won't be without compassions. And if the Lord's mercies are many, then I too am rich in merits nonetheless. What if I'm aware of many sins in myself? Well, where sin increased, grace also overflowed.✦ And if the Lord's mercies stretch from eternity to eternity, then I too will sing of the Lord's mercies forever.✦ My own righteousness? Lord, I will remember only your righteousness.

Christ's Eternal Justice Covering Us

Christ himself becomes the believer's justice, an ample, eternal righteousness that covers both sinner and Savior together.

It's mine — and it truly is mine — for God himself has made you my justice.✦ Should I be afraid that one justice wouldn't be enough for both of us? It's not a short cloak that, as the prophet says, can't cover two.✦ Your justice is justice for eternity. What is farther than eternity? And the ample, eternal justice will cover you and me together in full measure. In me, it covers a multitude of sins; but in you, Lord — what does it hold except the treasures of loving devotion, the riches of goodness?✦ These are stored up for me in the clefts of the rock.✦

Sweetness Hidden and Revealed

God's sweetness is hidden from the perishing yet revealed by the Spirit to those led into the holy places through open clefts.

How great is the abundance of your sweetness in those hidden places—hidden, yes, but still present even among those who are perishing!✦4 For why should what is holy be given to dogs, or pearls to pigs?✦ But to us God has revealed it through his Spirit, and he has even led us into the holy places through open clefts.✦5 How great in these places is the abundance of sweetness, the fullness of grace, and the perfection of virtues!

Dwelling on the Rock with Moses

The soul leaves the cities to dwell on the rock, longing to see God's back parts in the cleft, hoping for blessing and final salvation.

I will go to those storehouses, filled as they are, and at the prophet's admonition I will leave the cities behind and dwell on the rock.✦ I will be like a dove nesting at the mouth of the highest crevice, so that when Moses was placed in the cleft of the rock, as the Lord passed by, I might at least deserve to look upon his back.✦6 For who can see the face of the one who stands — that is, the unchangeable brightness — unless the one who has already deserved to be led, not into the holy place, but into the Holy of Holies?✦78 Nor is the contemplation of his back parts cheap or to be despised.✦9 Let Herod despise it. I despise it all the less, the more despicable he shows himself to be to Herod.10 The back parts of the Lord also have something that delights to see.✦ Who knows whether God may turn and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him?✦11 It will be when he shows his face, and we will be saved.✦

Blessings Left Behind as He Passes

God anticipates us with humble blessings as he passes, promising later the full vision of his glorious face.

But in the meantime, may God come ahead of us with blessings of sweetness — indeed, with those blessings he usually leaves behind as he passes on. Now he shows the lesser things of his condescension; at another time he will show the face of his glory in the splendor of his majesty.12 He is exalted in his kingdom, but gentle in his suffering. May he come ahead of me in this vision, and fulfill me in that one. You will fill me with joy in your presence. Each vision is salutary, each is sweet — but the one in majesty, the other in humility; the one in splendor, the other in paleness.

The Pale Gold of the Cross

Christ's suffering turns his golden divinity pale, and the unashamed bride delights in the dark, bruised beauty of the cross.

In short, it says, 'And the back parts of his back in the paleness of gold.'✦ How could it not turn pale in death? But pale gold is better than gleaming aurichalcum, and what is foolishness of God is wiser than men.✦ The Word is gold, Wisdom is gold. This gold discolored itself, hiding the form of God and holding forth the form of a servant.✦ He also discolored the Church, who says, 'Do not consider me because I am dark, because the sun has discolored me.'✦ Therefore also the back parts of him in the paleness of gold — she who didn't blush at the dark thing of the cross, didn't shudder at the burning of the passion, didn't shrink from the bruise of wounds. She even takes pleasure in these things, and desires that her last things may be like them.

Boldness Before the Wounded Lord

The dove absorbed in Christ's wounds gains fearless confidence, for the Lord himself invites the beloved to show him their face.

This is why the dove finally hears: 'My dove, in the holes of the rock' — because she is wholly absorbed in devotion to the wounds of Christ and lingers there in unceasing meditation.✦ From there comes endurance in martyrdom; from there comes great confidence before the most high God. There's no reason for the martyr to fear — bloodless and bruised as he is — to lift his face toward the one by whose bruise he has been healed, representing the glorious likeness of his death, surely in the pallor of gold. Why should he fear, when even the Lord says to him: 'Show me your face'?✦ For what purpose? As it seems to me, he wishes to show himself more fully. That's so: he wishes to be seen, not to see. For what is it that he does not see?

The Soldier Lifted to the Wounds

The kindly leader wants the soldier's eyes fixed on his wounds, to lift the spirit and strengthen endurance by his own example.

He doesn't need someone to show himself to him from whom nothing is unseen, even if he hides himself. So he wants to be seen; the gracious leader wants the devoted soldier to lift his face and eyes to his own wounds, so that by this the soldier's spirit may be raised up and, through his own example, he may be made stronger for what he must endure.

The Martyr's Soul in the Rock

The martyr's soul, hidden in Christ's open wounds, feels no pain amid torments, made hard as rock and overcome by love.

And yet, while gazing on his wounds, one will not feel one's own. The martyr stands exulting and triumphing, though the whole body is torn open; and with the sides gaping from the iron, not only bravely but eagerly watches the sacred blood bubble up from his own flesh.13 Where, then, is the martyr's soul? Surely in a safe place — surely in the rock — surely in the wounds of Jesus, the open wounds, that is, for entering in.14 If it were in its own entrails, searching them, the iron would certainly feel pain; it would not endure it, it would give way, and it would deny. But now, dwelling in the rock, is it any wonder if it has grown hard like rock? But neither is this surprising: if an exile from the body does not feel the body's pains. This is not caused by numbness, but by love.

Joyful Strength in the Lord's Cup

Pain is present yet defied; the martyr draws strength from the rock, rejoicing in the splendid intoxication of the Lord's cup.

Our capacity to feel is diminished, but it isn't lost. Pain isn't absent, but it's overcome, defied. So the martyr's strength comes from the rock, and from it, plainly powerful enough to drink the cup of the Lord.15 And this cup—how splendid it is in its intoxication! Splendid, I say, and no less delightful to the emperor watching than to the soldier triumphing. For the joy of the Lord is our strength.✦ Why shouldn't it rejoice at the voice of the most courageous confession? And indeed it seeks that voice with longing: 'Let your voice sound,' it says, 'in my ears.'✦

The Promise of Christ's Confession

Christ promises to confess before the Father those who confess him before men, and the sermon closes with doxological praise.

Nor will he hesitate to repay according to his own promise: so that the moment you have confessed him before men, he too will confess you before his Father.✦ Let me break off this discourse, for it can't be finished within bounds—and it shouldn't be without restraint, if I wanted to take in everything still remaining from the proposed chapter in a single treatment. So let me keep what remains for a next beginning, so that the bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is God over all, blessed forever, may take delight in my word and manner—and indeed he surely can. Amen.

Read the original Latin

Surge, amica mea, sponsa mea, et veni. Commendat sponsus multam dilectionem suam iterando amoris voces. Nam iteratio affectionis expressio est: et quod rursum ad laborem vinearum sollicitat dilectam, ostendit quam sit de animarum salute sollicitus. Nam vineas animas esse iam audistis. Non immoremur supervacue in his quae dicta sunt. Videte sequentia. Sponsam tamen nusquam, ut memini, in toto hoc opere aperte adhuc nominarat, nisi modo cum ad vineas itur, cum vino charitatis appropinquatur. Quae cum venerit et perfecta fuerit, faciet spirituale coniugium; et erunt duo, non in carne una, sed in uno spiritu, dicente Apostolo: Qui adhaeret Deo, unus spiritus est.

Sequitur: Columba mea in foraminibus petrae, in cavernis maceriae, ostende mihi faciem tuam, sonet vox tua in auribus meis. Amat et pergit amatoria loqui. Columbam denuo blandiendo vocat; suam dicit, et sibi asserit propriam: quodque ipse rogari obnixius ab illa solebat, ipsius nunc versa vice et conspectum postulat, et colloquium. Agit ut sponsus; sed ut verecundus, publicum erubescit, decernitque frui deliciis suis in loco sequestri, utique in foraminibus petrae, et in cavernis maceriae. Puta ergo sic dicere sponsum: Ne timeas, amica, quasi haec, ad quam te hortamur, opera vinearum negotium amoris impedire seu interrumpere habeat. Erit certe et aliquis usus in ea ad id quod pariter optamus. Vineae sane macerias habent, et hae diversoria grata verecundis. Hic litteralis lusus.

Quidni dixerim lusum? Quid enim serium habet haec litterae series? Ne auditu quidem dignum quod foris sonat, si non intus adiuvet Spiritus infirmitatem intelligentiae nostrae. Ne ergo remaneamus foris, ne et turpium, quod absit! amorum videamur lenocinia recensere, afferte pudicas aures ad sermonem qui in manibus est de amore; et cum ipsos cogitatis amantes, non virum et feminam, sed Verbum et animam sentiatis oportet. Et si Christum et Ecclesiam dixero, idem est; nisi quod Ecclesiae nomine non una anima, sed multarum unitas, vel potius unanimitas designatur. Nec sane foramina petrae, aut cavernas maceriae, latebras putetis operantium iniquitatem, ne qua prorsus suspicio subeat de operibus tenebrarum.

Alius hunc locum ita exposuit, foramina petrae vulnera Christi interpretans. Recte omnino; nam petra Christus. Bona foramina, quae fidem astruunt resurrectionis et Christi divinitatem. Dominus meus, inquit, et Deus meus. Unde hoc reportatum oraculum, nisi ex foraminibus petrae? In his passer invenit sibi domum, et turtur nidum, ubi reponat pullos suos; in his se columba tutatur, et circumvolitantem intrepida intuetur accipitrem. Et ideo ait: Columba mea in foraminibus petrae. Vox columbae, In petra exaltavit me; et item: Statuit, inquit, supra petram pedes meos.

Vir sapiens aedificat domum suam supra petram, quod ibi nec ventorum formidet iniurias, nec inundationum. Quid non boni in petra? In petra exaltatus, in petra securus, in petra firmiter sto. Securus ab hoste, fortis a casu; et hoc quoniam exaltatus a terra. Anceps est enim et caducum, terrenum omne. Conversatio nostra in coelis sit, et nec cadere, nec deiici formidamus. In coelis petra, in illa firmitas atque securitas est. Petra refugium herinaciis.

Et revera ubi tuta firmaque infirmis securitas et requies, nisi in vulneribus Salvatoris? Tanto illic securior habito, quanto ille potentior est ad salvandum. Fremit mundus, premit corpus, diabolus insidiatur: non cado; fundatus enim sum supra firmam petram. Peccavi peccatum grande: turbabitur conscientia, sed non perturbabitur, quoniam vulnerum Domini recordabor. Nempe vulneratus est propter iniquitates nostras. Quid tam ad mortem, quod non Christi morte solvatur? Si ergo in mentem venerit tam potens tamque efficax medicamentum, nulla iam possum morbi malignitate terreri.

Et ideo liquet errasse illum qui ait: Maior est iniquitas mea, quam ut veniam merear. Nisi quod non erat de membris Christi, nec pertinebat ad eum de Christi merito, ut suum praesumeret, suum diceret quod illius esset; tanquam rem capitis membrum. Ego vero fidenter quod ex me mihi deest usurpo mihi ex visceribus Domini, quoniam misericordia affluunt; nec desunt foramina, per quae effluant. Foderunt manus eius et pedes, latusque lancea foraverunt: et per has rimas licet mihi sugere mel de petra, oleumque de saxo durissimo; id est, gustare et videre quoniam suavis est Dominus. Cogitabat cogitationes pacis, et ego nesciebam. Quis enim cognovit sensum Domini? aut quis consiliarius eius fuit? At clavis reserans, clavus penetrans factus est mihi, ut videam voluntatem Domini.

Quidni videam per foramen? Clamat clavus, clamat vulnus, quod vere Deus sit in Christo mundum reconcilians sibi. Ferrum pertransiit animam eius, et appropinquavit cor illius, ut non iam non sciat compati infirmitatibus meis. Patet arcanum cordis per foramina corporis; patet magnum illud pietatis sacramentum, patent viscera misericordiae Dei nostri, in quibus visitavit nos oriens ex alto. Quidni viscera per vulnera pateant? In quo enim clarius quam in vulneribus tuis eluxisset, quod tu, Domine, suavis et mitis, et multae misericordiae? Maiorem enim miserationem nemo habet, quam ut animam suam ponat quis pro addictis morti et damnatis.

Meum proinde meritum, miseratio Domini. Non plane sum meriti inops, quandiu ille miserationum non fuerit. Quod si misericordiae Domini multae, multus nihilominus ego in meritis sum. Quid enim si multorum sim mihi conscius delictorum? Nempe ubi abundavit delictum, superabundavit et gratia. Et si misericordiae Domini ab aeterno et usque in aeternum, ego quoque misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo. Nunquid iustitias meas? Domine, memorabor iustitiae tuae solius.

Ipsa est enim et mea; nempe factus es mihi tu iustitia a Deo. Nunquid mihi verendum, ne non una ambobus sufficiat? Non est pallium breve, quod, secundum prophetam, non possit operire duos. Iustitia tua, iustitia in aeternum. Quid longius aeternitate? Et te pariter et me operiet largiter larga et aeterna iustitia. Et in me quidem operit multitudinem peccatorum; in te autem, Domine, quid nisi pietatis thesauros, divitias bonitatis? Hae in foraminibus petrae repositae mihi.

Quam magna multitudo dulcedinis tuae in illis, opertae quidem, sed in his qui pereunt! Utquid enim sanctum detur canibus, vel margaritae porcis? Nobis autem revelavit Deus per Spiritum suum, etiam et apertis foraminibus introduxit in sancta. Quanta in his multitudo dulcedinis, plenitudo gratiae, perfectioque virtutum!

Ibo mihi ad illa sic referta cellaria, atque ad admonitionem prophetae relinquam civitates, et habitabo in petra. Ero quasi columba nidificans in summo ore foraminis, ut cum Moyse positus in foramine petrae, transeunte Domino, merear saltem posteriora eius prospicere. Nam faciem stantis, id est incommutabilis claritatem, quis videat, nisi qui introduci iam meruit, non in sancta, sed in sancta sanctorum? Nec vilis tamen aut contemnenda posteriorum contemplatio. Contemnat Herodes; ego tanto magis non contemno, quanto magis contemptibilem se ostendit Herodi. Habent etiam aliquid et posteriora Domini quod videre delectet. Quis scit si convertatur et ignoscat Deus, et relinquat post se benedictionem? Erit cum ostendet faciem suam, et salvi erimus.

Sed interim praeveniat nos in benedictionibus dulcedinis, illis utique quas post se relinquere consuevit. Nunc dignationis suae posteriora demonstret, alias in gloria dignitatis faciem suam demonstraturus. Sublimis in regno, sed suavis in cruce. In hac me visione praeveniat, in illa adimpleat. Adimplebis me, ait, laetitia cum vultu tuo. Utraque visio salutaris, utraque suavis; sed illa in sublimitate, ista in humilitate; illa in splendore, haec in pallore est.

Denique inquit, Et posteriora dorsi eius in pallore auri. Quomodo non in morte pallescat? Sed melius pallens aurum quam fulgens aurichalcum, et quod stultum est Dei sapientius est hominibus. Aurum Verbum, aurum Sapientia est. Hoc aurum semetipsum decoloravit, abscondens formam Dei, et formam servi praetendens. Decoloravit et Ecclesiam, quae ait: Nolite me considerare quod fusca sim, quia decoloravit me sol. Ergo et posteriora ipsius in pallore auri, quae fuscum non erubuit crucis, ustionem passionis non horruit, livorem vulnerum non refugit. Etiam complacet sibi in illis, et optat novissima sua fore horum similia.

Idcirco denique audit: Columba mea in foraminibus petrae, quod in Christi vulneribus tota devotione versetur, et iugi meditatione demoretur in illis. Inde martyrii tolerantia, inde illi magna fiducia apud Deum altissimum. Non est quod vereatur martyr exsanguem lividamque levare ad eum faciem, cuius livore sanatus est, gloriosam repraesentare similitudinem mortis eius, utique in pallore auri. Quid vereatur cui etiam a Domino dicitur: Ostende mihi faciem tuam? Ad quid? Ut mihi videtur, se magis ostendere vult. Ita est: videri vult, non videre. Quid enim ille non videt?

Non est ei opus ut quis se ostendat, a quo nil non videtur, nec si se abscondat. Vult ergo videri, vult benignus dux devoti militis vultum et oculos in sua sustolli vulnera, ut illius ex hoc animum erigat, et exemplo sui reddat ad tolerandum fortiorem.

Enimvero non sentiet sua, dum illius vulnera intuebitur. Stat martyr tripudians et triumphans, toto licet lacero corpore; et rimante latera ferro, non modo fortiter, sed et alacriter sacrum e carne sua circumspicit ebullire cruorem. Ubi ergo tunc anima martyris? Nempe in tuto, nempe in petra, nempe in visceribus Iesu, vulneribus nimirum patentibus ad introeundum. Si in suis esset visceribus, scrutans ea ferrum profecto sentiret; dolorem non ferret, succumberet, et negaret. Nunc autem in petra habitans, quid mirum si in modum petrae duruerit? Sed neque hoc mirum, si exsul a corpore dolores non sentiat corporis. Neque hoc facit stupor, sed amor.

Submittitur enim sensus, non amittitur. Nec deest dolor, sed superatur, sed contemnitur. Ergo ex petra martyris fortitudo, inde plane potens ad bibendum-calicem Domini. Et calix hic inebrians quam praeclarus est! Praeclarus, inquam, atque iucundus non minus imperatori spectanti, quam militi triumphanti. Gaudium etenim Domini, fortitudo nostra (I. Quidni gaudeat ad vocem fortissimae confessionis? Denique et requirit eam cum desiderio: Sonet, inquiens, vox tua in auribus meis.

Nec cunctabitur rependere vicem secundum suam promissionem: continuo ut se confessus fuerit coram hominibus, confitebitur et ipse eum coram Patre suo. Rumpamus sermonem, nec enim potest finiri modo; ne sit sine modo, si cuncta quae adhuc ex proposito capitulo restant, uno isto velimus sermone complecti. Ergo quod superest servemus principio alteri, ut de nostro sane et verbo et modo gaudeat sponsus Ecclesiae Iesus Christus Dominus noster, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula. Amen

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩1Cor.6.17 — But the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
  2. ↩Gen.2.24 — Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
  3. ↩Song.2.14 — O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding place of the steep path, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
  4. ↩1Cor.10.4 — and they all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
  5. ↩John.20.28 — Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!'
  6. ↩Ps.84.3 — My soul yearns and even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
  7. ↩Song.2.14 — O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding place of the steep path, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
  8. ↩Ps.40.2 — I waited patiently for the LORD, and he inclined to me and heard my cry.
  9. ↩Matt.7.24-Matt.7.25 — Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matt.7.25 — And the rain came down, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
  10. ↩Ps.27.5;Ps.26.5 — For in the day of trouble he will hide me in his shelter; in the hidden place of his tent he will conceal me; upon a rock he will lift me high. Ps.26.5 — I hate the assembly of evildoers, and with the wicked I will not sit.
  11. ↩John.12.32 — And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
  12. ↩Phil.3.20 — For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
  13. ↩Ps.33.9 — For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
  14. ↩Deut.32.13;Song.5.1 — He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the produce of the field; and he nursed him with honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty crag. Song.5.1 — I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; drink, and be drunk with love.
  15. ↩Rom.11.34 — For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his counselor?
  16. ↩Rom.11.34 — For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his counselor?
  17. ↩Rom.5.20 — The law came in alongside so that the trespass might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
  18. ↩Ps.88.2 — O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you.
  19. ↩Jer.23.6;1Cor.1.30 — In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our Righteousness. 1Cor.1.30 — But from him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom for us from God—both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
  20. ↩Isa.59.17 — He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself with zeal as a cloak.
  21. ↩Jas.5.20;1Pet.4.8 — Let the one who turns a sinner from the error of his way know that he will save a soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins. 1Pet.4.8 — Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, for love covers a multitude of sins.
  22. ↩Exod.33.22 — And when my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
  23. ↩1Cor.1.18 — For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
  24. ↩Matt.7.6 — Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.
  25. ↩1Cor.2.10 — But to us God has revealed it through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
  26. ↩Exod.33.21-Exod.33.23 — And the LORD said, "See, there is a place beside me, and you shall stand upon the rock." Exod.33.22 — And when my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exod.33.23 — And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.
  27. ↩Exod.33.21-Exod.33.23 — And the LORD said, "See, there is a place beside me, and you shall stand upon the rock." Exod.33.22 — And when my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exod.33.23 — And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.
  28. ↩Exod.26.33-Exod.26.34 — And you shall hang the veil beneath the clasps, and bring in there, inside the veil, the Ark of the Testimony; and the veil shall separate for you between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Exod.26.34 — And you shall place the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony, in the Holy of Holies.
  29. ↩Exod.33.23 — And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.
  30. ↩Exod.33.23 — And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.
  31. ↩Exod.33.23;Joel.2.14 — And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen. Joel.2.14 — Who knows whether he will turn and relent, and leave behind a blessing—a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?
  32. ↩Ps.80.3;Rev.22.4 — Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your strength; come and save us. Rev.22.4 — And they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
  33. ↩Exod.33.23 — And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.
  34. ↩1Cor.1.25 — For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
  35. ↩Phil.2.6-Phil.2.7 — who, existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to exploit, Phil.2.7 — but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness, and appearing as a human being.
  36. ↩Song.1.5 — I am dark and lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
  37. ↩Song.2.14 — O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding place of the steep path, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
  38. ↩Ps.27.8 — My heart says of you, 'Seek my face.' Your face, LORD, I will seek.
  39. ↩Neh.8.10 — Then he said to them, "Go, eat rich food and drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those for whom nothing has been prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
  40. ↩Song.2.14 — O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding place of the steep path, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
  41. ↩Matt.10.32 — So then, everyone who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Latin 'anceps est enim et caducum, terrenum omne' uses 'anceps' (two-sided/uncertain) and 'caducum' (falling/transient) to describe all earthly things. Rendered to capture the transience and instability.
  2. 2 ↩Latin 'conversatio' often denotes citizenship, way of life, or dwelling; rendered as 'home' to fit the preceding house/rock metaphor naturally.
  3. 3 ↩Latin 'herinaciis' (hedgehogs) is a rare term in this context; likely a metaphor for the small and vulnerable finding shelter in Christ the rock.
  4. 4 ↩The Latin 'opertae' (hidden/covered) modifies 'foraminibus' (clefts/openings) from the previous section, while 'in his qui pereunt' echoes the perishing of 1 Corinthians 1:18. The translation preserves both the hiddenness and the paradox of presence among the lost.
  5. 5 ↩The 'open clefts' (apertis foraminibus) contrasts with the 'clefts of the rock' (foraminibus petrae) from the previous section, signifying a movement from hiddenness to revelation and access to God.
  6. 6 ↩posteriora eius ('his back') alludes to Exodus 33:23 — God shows Moses his back parts as he passes by. The Latin plays on the tension between what can be seen of God and the unseeable divine face.
  7. 7 ↩faciem stantis, id est incommutabilis claritatem: 'the face of the one who stands, that is, the unchangeable brightness.' The participial phrase 'of the one who stands' evokes God's immutability; 'brightness' (claritatem) suggests the divine glory.
  8. 8 ↩non in sancta, sed in sancta sanctorum: 'not into the holy place, but into the Holy of Holies.' The contrast moves from the outer sanctuary to the innermost, echoing the Levitical sanctuary typology applied to contemplative access.
  9. 9 ↩posteriorum contemplatio: 'contemplation of his back parts.' The term carries forward the Exodus 33 allusion — what God shows as he passes by is partial, yet still a genuine gift.
  10. 10 ↩The sentence is compressed and the Latin is difficult. contemptibilem se ostendit Herodi is unusual; the sense appears to be: the more contemptible Herod shows himself, the less the speaker despises the gift. Some manuscripts vary; the reading is plausible but compressed.
  11. 11 ↩si convertatur et ignoscat Deus, et relinquat post se benedictionem: the subjunctives may express a wish or a real possibility. Rendered as an open question ('whether') preserving the uncertainty.
  12. 12 ↩dignatio suae: 'his gracious condescension' — the 'posteriora' of God's humble self-abasement are contrasted with the future revelation of glory.
  13. 13 ↩rimante: rare verb (from rimo, 'to split open'); rendered as participial ablative absolute with latera ferro.
  14. 14 ↩tuto: ablative of tutus used substantively ('a safe place'); could also be dative but parallel with in petra favors ablative of place.
  15. 15 ↩'ex petra martyris fortitudo' is compressed: the sense is that the martyr's strength comes from the rock (Christ); the Latin is elliptical and the supplied phrasing fills the gap.

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