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Chapter 51Imit.3.51

Quod humilibus insistendum est operibus, cum deficitur a summis.

The Burden of the Flesh

The soul must sometimes descend from higher contemplation to bear the weary weight of mortal life.

My son, you can't always remain in a more fervent desire for the virtues, nor on a higher step of contemplation; but sometimes, on account of your original corruption, you must descend to lower things and bear the burden of a corruptible life, even unwillingly and with weariness. As long as you bear a mortal body, you'll feel weariness and heaviness of heart. Therefore you must often groan in the flesh under the burden of the flesh, because you're not able to cling unceasingly to spiritual pursuits and to divine contemplation.

Refuge in Humble Works

In spiritual dryness, one should take refuge in humble outward works and await divine visitation with patient confidence.

Then it's good for you to take refuge in humble, outward works, to refresh yourself in good deeds, and with firm confidence to await my coming and my heavenly visitation — patiently bearing your exile and the dryness of your soul until you are visited by me again and set free from all your anxieties.12

The Promise of Interior Rest

God promises to replace labor with deep rest and to open the meadows of Scripture, leading the soul to run in the way of commandments.

For I will make you forget your labors, and enjoy deep interior rest.3 I will spread before you the meadows of Scripture, so that with an enlarged heart you may begin to run the way of my commandments, and you'll say: "The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."✦456

Read the original Latin

Fili mi, non semper vales in ferventiori desiderio virtutum stare nec in altiori gradu contemplationis, sed necesse habes interdum ob originalem corruptelam ad inferiora descendere, et onus corruptibilis vitæ etiam invite et cum tædio portare. Quamdiu mortale corpus geris, tædium senties et gravamen cordis. Oportet ergo sæpe in carne de carnis onere gemere, eo quod non vales spiritualibus studiis, et divinæ contemplationi indesinenter inhærere.

Tunc expedit tibi ad humilia et exteriora opera confugere, et in bonis te actibus recreare, adventum meum et supernam visitationem firma confidentia exspectare, exilium tuum et ariditatem mentis patienter sufferre, donec iterum a me visiteris, et ab omnibus anxietatibus libereris. Nam faciam te laborum oblivisci, et interna quiete perfrui. Expandam coram te prata scripturarum, ut dilatato corde currere incipias viam mandatorum meorum, et dices: Non sunt condignaæ passiones hujus temproris ad futuram gloriam quæ revelabitur in nobis.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Rom.8.18 — For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is about to be revealed to us.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Ariditas mentis rendered 'dryness of your soul' to capture the interior/spiritual sense of ariditas (spiritual aridity) combined with mens (mind/soul).
  2. 2 ↩The string of infinitives (confugere, recreare, exspectare, sufferre) linked by et is rendered with parallel English infinitives to preserve the additive force.
  3. 3 ↩Interna quies rendered 'deep interior rest' — quies carries the sense of repose/rest, and interna marks it as interior/spiritual.
  4. 4 ↩The form 'temproris' in the source is uncertain — likely a corruption of temporis ('of time'). Translated as 'of this present time' following the clear Pauline allusion (Romans 8:18).
  5. 5 ↩The quoted sentence is a direct echo of Romans 8:18 (Vulgate: Non sunt condignae passiones huius temporis ad futuram gloriam quae revelabitur in nobis). Marked as candidate scripture allusion pending tx-08 Moses resolution.
  6. 6 ↩Cor rendered 'heart' per lexeme policy; dilatato corde ('with an enlarged heart') is a biblical idiom (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:11).