De exitu anime
The Soul's Agony at Death
The soul, aware of its guilt and trapped between body and void, is paralyzed by terror and helplessness.
"When," he said, "my soul was leaving my body, and she knew it was dead, aware of her guilt. She began to be terrified, and she didn't know what to do. She was indeed afraid, but what she should do she both feared and did not know. She wanted to return to her body, but she couldn't go back in; she wanted to go outside as well, but she was terrified of where.
Tossed Between Guilt and Mercy
The wretched soul is tossed about, conscious of its guilt and clinging only to God's mercy.
And so the most wretched soul was tossed about, aware of its own guilt, trusting in nothing except the mercy of God.
The Host of Unclean Spirits Arrives
While the soul weeps and trembles, a vast multitude of unclean spirits surrounds it, filling every space.
While she was conducting herself in this way for so long, weeping, wailing, and trembling in terror, she didn't know what she ought to do; at last she saw coming toward her so great a multitude of unclean spirits that they filled not only the whole house and courtyard, but indeed every street and avenue of the city where the dead man was staying. There was no place to be seen that wasn't filled with them.
The Demons' Taunting Song
The demons refuse consolation, sing a song of death, and tear at the soul with accusations of darkness and discord.
When they had surrounded the wretched soul, they did not try to console her but strove only to grieve her deeply, saying, "Let's sing to this one," they say, "the song of death she so pitifully is owed, because she is a daughter of death. and food for an unquenchable fire. A friend of darkness; an enemy of the light." And all of them turned toward her and gnashed their teeth at her, and with their own foul claws, driven by excessive fury, they tore at her cheeks, saying, "Look at the wretched people you've chosen; with them you'll go down, burning, to the lowest depths of hell. Nurse of scandal. Lover of discord — why aren't you proud anymore?"
Where Is Your Vanity Now?
The demons mock the soul's former sins—adultery, vanity, laughter, and pride—now stripped of all power.
Why don't you commit adultery? Why don't you fornicate? Where is your vanity? And your empty joy? Where is your reckless laughter? Where is the strength you used to insult so many? Why don't you roll your eyes now as you used to? Don't you stomp your foot?
The Final Accusation
The demons conclude by accusing the soul of plotting evil with a crooked heart.
You won't speak with a finger; you won't plot evil with a crooked heart?'
Mercy Breaks Through the Darkness
Terrified and expecting death, the soul is met instead by God's mercy, who wills not the sinner's death and orders all things by hidden judgment.
Terrified by these visions and others like them, the wretched soul could do nothing but weep. She expected death to threaten her without delay from all who stood around her. But He who does not will the death of the sinner.✦ To Him alone it belongs to offer a remedy after death. Almighty, merciful, and compassionate God. Ordering all things well by His hidden judgment, He submitted even to that misery, just as He willed.
Read the original Latin
'Cum' inquid 'anima mea corpus exueret. et illud mortuum esse cognosceret; reatus sui conscia. cepit formidare. et quid faceret nesciebat. Et quidem timebat; sed quid faceret timebat et ignorabat. Volebat ad corpus suum redire. sed non poterat intrare; foras etiam ire volebat. sed ubi pertimescebat.
Et sic miserrima volutabatur anima. reatus sui conscia; in nullo confidens nisi in dei misericordia.'
Dumque se ita diutius ageret. flens et plorans tremebunda. quid deberet facere nesciret; tandem vidit ad se venientem tantam inmundorum spirituum multidudinem; ut non solum totam domum et atrium replerent. in quibus morabatur mortuus; verum etiam per omnes vicos et plateas civitatis. nullus locus appareret qui non esset eis plenus.
Ut autem ipsam miseram circumvenerunt animam; non eam consolari sed nimium contristare studuerunt dicentes. 'Cantemus huic' inquiunt 'misere debitum canticum mortis; quia filia est mortis. et cibus ignis inextinguibilis. amica tenebrarum; inimica lucis.' Et conversi omnes ad eam stridebant dentibus in eam; et ungulis propriis deterrimas pre nimio furore laniabant genas dicentes. 'Ecce misera populus quem elegisti; cum quibus arsura subibis ima cherontis. Nutrix scandali. amatrix discordie; quare non superbis?
Quare non adulteras? Quare non fornicaris? Ubi est vanitas tua. et vana leticia? Ubi est risus tuus inmoderatus? Ubi est fortitudo tua qua plurimis insultabas? Quare nunc non innuis oculis ut solebas? Non teris pede?
Non digito loqueris; non pravo machinaris corde malum?'
His et similibus perterrita nil aliud nisi plangere potuit misera. expectans mortem a cunctis qui aderant sibi sine mora minaturam. Sed qui non vult mortem peccatoris. cui soli competit medicinam prestare post mortem. omnipotens pius et misericors deus. occulto suo iuditio cuncta bene disponens; etiam istam prout voluit obtemperavit miseriam.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ezek.18.23 — Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord God. Is it not rather that he should turn from his ways and live?
Visions of Tondal (Les Visions du chevalier Tondal) companion
Tondal came back and changed how he lived daily. That's the whole point.
Chosen Portion builds the daily practice Tondal's vision demanded: a morning reading that keeps eternity in view.
The Visio was written 'for the edification of many' as a spur to daily amendment of life, and Chosen Portion supplies that daily spur with a morning reading and evening examen.
- A daily portion from historic texts on living well and dying well
- The complete 27-chapter Visions of Tondal in modern readable English
- A built-in daily examen prompt — 2 minutes at day's end