Qjiomodo Dommus appoi-uit Marice '
The Sorrowful Vigil at the Tomb
Mary Magdalene's intense love and grief keep her at the sepulcher, where she persists in seeking her Lord despite her profound desolation.
Mary, however, was full of bitterness and burning with love. Not knowing what else to do because she couldn't live without her Master, and finding Him nowhere—not knowing where to look—she stood there in fervor and constancy. The power of love wouldn't let her sit or lie down, so she remained outside the tomb, just beyond it in the garden, before the small structure that held the sepulcher, weeping and lamenting for her Lord. She was driven by such a fire in her heart, moved by such sweetness of devotion, and pulled by such strong bonds of love that, forgetting her feminine weakness, she wasn't held back from visiting the sepulcher by the darkness of the night or the cruelty of those who persecuted Him. Instead, she stood outside, watering the tomb with her tears. Even as the disciples left, she didn't; she was so kindled by the fire of divine love, so burned by a growing longing, and so wounded by an impatient love, that nothing tasted right to her but weeping. She could truly cry out with the prophet: 'My tears have been my bread day and night, while it is said to me daily, Where is your God?' According to Augustine, she was more fervent and devout toward Christ than the other women, and an excessive ardor of love kept her restless. Whatever Mary wanted, she obtained by weeping: by weeping she obtained forgiveness for her sins; by weeping she obtained her brother's resurrection from the jaws of the underworld; by weeping she obtained consolation regarding the Resurrection. Therefore, she shed tears of compunction, compassion, and devotion. Hence Gregory says: 'In this matter, we must consider how great a power of love had kindled the mind of this woman, who didn't leave the Lord's tomb, even when the disciples were leaving.' Thus it happened that she alone saw Him then, because she was the one who remained to seek Him; for the virtue of a good work is perseverance. Augustine also says: 'While the men were returning, a stronger affection made the weaker sex stay in the same place. Her eyes, which had sought the Lord and hadn't found Him, were now calling out with tears, grieving more that He had been taken from the tomb than that He had been killed on the wood; for the memory of such a great Master, whose life had been taken from her, did not even remain.' She held to this. She was there, at the tomb. Now, this woman was more devout. And so, Origen says: We have heard, brothers, that Mary was at the tomb. We have heard that Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping. Love made her stand there; grief compelled her to weep. She stood and looked around, in case she might see the one she was seeking. Her pain was renewed because... . She grieved now that he had been taken away, just as she had previously grieved for his death. And this pain was greater because no... consolation. She had nothing left. The first cause of her pain, therefore, was that she had lost the living Christ; yet she had found some small consolation in that pain because she could see his dead body remaining. Now, however, she could not be consoled in this pain, because she could not even find the body of the one who had died. She feared, however, that her love for her Master might grow cold in her heart, and that by seeing him, it might grow warm again. And so, Mary wept. She wept intensely, for her grief was great. It was added to her previous sorrow. She carried two sorrows in one heart, which she tried to soothe with tears but couldn't; and so, entirely consumed by grief, she failed in both mind and body, not knowing what to do. She didn't know what to do. Peter and John were afraid, which is why they didn't stay; but Mary wasn't afraid, because she had nothing to fear for herself. She had nothing. She suspected that there was nothing left for her. She wept for Him. She ought to have feared. She had lost her Master, whom she loved so uniquely. She was so consumed that she couldn't love or hope for anything apart from Him. She had lost the life of her soul. She felt it was better to die than to live, thinking that perhaps in death she might find the One she couldn't find while living. She could not. For if love is death, what else could be happening in Mary? She had become lifeless; she had become insensible. She felt, yet didn't feel; she saw, yet didn't see; she heard, yet didn't hear; but she wasn't even there where she was. She was there, because she was entirely where her Master was, though she didn't know where he was. She couldn't find him, and for that reason... [Fragmentary text omitted.] ...at the tomb. She was entirely tearful and miserable. Certainly, Maria now tasted nothing but love, and sorrow for the Beloved. She had forgotten fear; in fact, she had forgotten everything except Him. The One she loved above all things. No sense remained in her; all counsel had perished from her, and hope itself had failed. It had failed. It had failed. Nothing remained but to weep, as Origen says.
The Persistent Search
Mary's repeated efforts to look into the tomb lead to a vision of angels, reflecting the necessity of constant, humble seeking in the spiritual life.
As she wept for the absence of Christ's body, she leaned over and looked into the tomb, because she always hoped to find him there. She sought him where she had seen him laid, and her love only intensified the search. For just as we do when we have lost something... we lose it, however much we may run here and there... searching for it, still... we look to him. We often look back to the place where we remember having had him; so this woman, although she was looking for the body of the Lord here and there, in her anxiety over his absence, kept looking into the tomb, where she knew he had been placed. As Gregory says, for a lover, it isn't enough to have looked once, because the power of love multiplies the intensity of the search. She searched first, and she came, and she persevered so that she might search; and from this it happened that she found him. The point is that desires are expanded so that they may grow. And by growing, they may take hold. Of what they have found. For holy desires grow through delay, but if they fade, those desires aren't real. They are nothing. Whoever has been able to reach virtue has burned with this love. . As Gregory says. Although... When she saw that the body of Christ was gone. She still wanted to see if she could find some trace of him; and for that reason, it wasn't enough for her to have looked just once. In this, however, that Magdalene bent down... ...and looked into the tomb. ... It is understood that we ought to look upon the death of Christ with humility of heart; and in the fact that she looked back again, we are given an example to keep the death of Christ constantly before the eyes of our mind. And Mary saw with her physical eyes those very angels mentioned before, sitting in white upon the tomb. And she saw the place of the body, one at the head and the other at the feet. At the feet. This was out of reverence for the place consecrated by his touch. For she had earned that vision through the fervor of the devotion she held for the Lord's body. The angel at the head reveals the mysteries of his divinity, because the Head of Christ is God; the angel at the feet teaches the service of his humanity in the redemption. Bestowed upon us.
The Recognition of the Beloved
Through the simple calling of her name, Mary recognizes the Risen Lord, transforming her sorrow into the joy of encounter.
They say to her, "Woman, why are you crying?" The angels were holding back her tears and, in a way, announcing the joy that was to come. It was as if they were saying, "Don't cry; you have no reason to weep." But— —rather, rejoice in the resurrection of Christ. This is not a time for weeping, but for celebration; this day— —is a day of joy, not of sorrow, that we have come to announce to you; so don't weep, but rather look to the One whom you desire so lovingly to see. But she, thinking they were asking as if they didn't know—and seeing them not as angels, but as men—reveals the cause of her tears: "They have taken my Lord," she says, "from the tomb, and—" "I don't know where they've put him," she said, fearing the guards or the Jews might have stolen him. Grief forced her to weep, and a great sadness constricted her very soul. She was afraid that the Jews might have taken the body of Christ and moved it to some dishonorable place out of envy. She was ashamed that his burial was so dishonorable, and she feared they might have done it to deny him any dignity in his death. Such was the power of love in her that she could not believe he was truly dead! It was this, and this alone, that caused her such anguish. Because she didn't know where to find him or how to perform the funeral rites, she didn't say 'the body of my Lord,' but rather 'my Lord.' She spoke of the whole by naming the part, as is common. We confess Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was buried; and when his own was buried, see here. A marvelous work of love. A little earlier she had heard from an angel that he had risen, and later from two others. He was alive—yet her heart didn't grasp it—and she says, 'I do not know.' Love caused this, because... Her soul was not where she herself was; but... It was where her Master was; for according to Origen, the spirit of Mary was more there. She could not think or speak of anything else in the body than in the soul. to hear nothing but about Him: "I don't know," she says, "where they've taken Him." That was the reason. It was the greatest cause of her sorrow and distress, because she didn't know where to go, or how to comfort her grief, or where He was. Mary, who saw the stone moved, believed Christ had been stolen and taken away; for when the stone is removed, the body is easily taken from the tomb, which cannot happen as long as the stone is in place. So, as long as the stone of the fear of God is in the heart, Christ cannot be taken away from it; but if it is removed, you lose Him. You lose Him. ... Then Christ appeared. ... . As Mary wept like this, and as her love for Him was being tested by the angels, she could no longer hold back her Master, and He gave Himself to her. He speaks to His mother and says that He wants to go to comfort her. . Taking leave of His mother, He departs. He goes. At that moment, He was where He was. Magdalene. She stands, she moves, she turns, and she weeps; she approaches. Jesus. Jesus, the consoler of the heart, sees the pious woman weeping, and through the angels he speaks to her as she turns back to look. He deigns to appear. This shows that... If anyone desires to see Christ, they must turn to God; for those who truly desire to see God arrive there, who... turn themselves entirely toward him through the soul. Chrysostom says: Why didn't she wait for their answer, but instead turned back, even though at least those men appeared with such reverence? Say it is because when Mary said, "Christ has arrived," and the angels revealed that Magdalene was wondering, she turned back to see what they had risen for. She didn't know it was Jesus because she saw him in a form that wasn't glorious—the same form that the angels were honoring as they saw him in his glory. For she didn't yet have faith in Christ's Resurrection, and so he appeared to her in the body just as he was in her mind. It wasn't that the Lord had changed his form or face—as some heretics claim—to appear different and varied according to his will, but rather that Mary was stunned by the miracle. Bernard says: Oh, what a delightful spectacle of piety! He who is sought and longed for hides himself and reveals himself; he hides so that he may be sought more ardently, held with care once found, and not let go once held. According to Gregory, Mary, who still doubted the Lord's Resurrection, turned back to see Jesus. This is because, through that same doubt, she had, as it were, turned her back on the face of the Lord, whom she did not believe had risen. But because she loved and doubted, she saw and did not recognize him; love showed him to her, and doubt hid him from her.
The Call to Higher Faith
Jesus instructs Mary to move beyond a carnal understanding of his presence, inviting her to a deeper, faith-based union with him.
And Jesus says to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" "Who are you looking for?" He doesn't ask because he's ignorant, but so that by her answer he might instruct her more fittingly. According to Gregory: Why? The cause of her sorrow is questioned so that her longing might be increased. She was asked so that she might name whom she was seeking; but she, not yet recognizing him, thought he was the gardener whose duty it was to care for the garden where the tomb was, because she saw him in the garden early in the morning. She assumed that no one would be busy in those places except the one who was their caretaker. Yet he was indeed spiritually a gardener to her, because he had already rooted out the thorns of faithlessness and vice, and was taking care to sow and plant the greening seeds of faith and virtue through the power of his love in her heart and the garden of her soul. Just as it's a gardener's job to pull up harmful weeds so that good plants can thrive, the Lord daily pulls up the weeds in His own garden—the Church—so that virtues may grow. Hence Origen says: 'O Mary, if you are looking for Jesus, why don't you recognize Him? Look, Jesus is coming to you—the very one you are seeking—and yet you think He is the gardener.' Your thought is true, but you're still wrong in this: you recognize Him as the gardener in that way. For Jesus is the gardener, because He Himself sows every good seed in the garden of the soul and in the hearts of His faithful; He Himself plants and waters every good thing in the souls of the saints, and He Himself is the Jesus who speaks to you—so says Origen. Jesus also appeared to Mary in the guise of a gardener, for that is His office, His act, His exercise, and the interpretation of the name that fits those who are beginning: for it is required that the penitent take on the manner of a gardener, namely, to pull up all that is harmful and plant what is good; if, therefore, you want to appear as a true gardener, you must... ...pull up harmful weeds and plant those that bring salvation. She, however, answered him as if he were the gardener, saying: "Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, for even in death he is my one and only treasure, and I will take him away with all my heart and receive him." She calls him 'Lord' to win his favor; she does not say, "If you have taken away Jesus the crucified," speaking specifically and naming him or otherwise identifying him, but she speaks of him in general terms, adding nothing, because the power of love and the affection of one who is seeking or fervently loving is accustomed to act in such a way in the soul that she assumes everyone thinks of the one she herself is seeking or thinking about, and she believes that no one else is unaware of him. She speaks as if he were already known, assuming everyone knew the one she loved. She didn't imagine that the one she was so constantly mourning and desiring could be unknown to anyone. "If, therefore, you have taken him away from here because of your fear of the Jews, tell me, so that I may take him away." She feared that the Jews might also mistreat his lifeless body, and so she wanted to move it to another, unknown place. What a marvelous boldness in a woman, whom the sight of the dead does not terrify, and whose strength to carry away the heavy funeral burden of the dead intends more than she could possibly do! Through the power of love, she believed she could carry even a dead body, because to one who loves fervently, nothing seems difficult. Although the female sex is fragile when it comes to carrying burdens and fearful of lifting the bodies of the dead, she considers whatever is impossible for others to be light and possible because of the magnitude of her love. Hence Origen says: "Joseph was afraid and didn't dare to take the body from the cross except at night, and only after he had requested it from Pilate; but Mary doesn't wait for night, doesn't ask permission, and doesn't fear, but boldly promises."1 Saying: "I will take him away." Oh, the marvelous boldness of this woman—oh woman, you are no longer just a woman! She leaves no place out, puts nothing before her goal, speaks without fear, and makes an absolute promise: 'Tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away.' Oh Mary, how great is your constancy, how great is your faith! So says Origen. Here, then, is shown Mary's great devotion and the fervor of her love; and because of this, she deserved to see and hear, alive, the one she was seeking as dead. Look closely at her, how she pleads with him with a tearful face, humbly and devoutly, so that he might show her the one she is looking for; for she was always hoping to hear some news about her Beloved, who is above all things. After he had called her by a common name based on her sex, as Gregory says, and was not recognized, he called her by her own name to make her more attentive, and he showed himself in such a way that she would know him, saying: "Maria." By not allowing her longing to be afflicted any further, he declares his knowledge of her through the open calling of her name. It’s as if he were saying plainly, "Recognize the one by whom you are recognized." Since the number of the elect is fixed before God, great grace is granted to some when they are shown to be known to God by their own names. Therefore, he calls Mary by her name to signify the special knowledge he has of his saints. She, however, having turned with her heart and the eyes of her mind just as she had previously turned with her body and the eyes of her flesh, recognized him by his voice, just as a good sheep recognizes her shepherd the moment she hears herself called by name. Before, when she turned with her body, she mistook him for someone else; now, having turned with her heart, she recognized who he truly was, and it was as if she were coming back to life. Adoring him with unspeakable joy, she said, "Rabboni," which means "Master." She had been accustomed to calling him that before his Passion, as teachers among the Jews were called masters. "You are the one I was looking for; why did you hide yourself from me for so long?" Because she had wandered in order to seek him, it happened that she found him. Hence Gregory says: "When she is called by name, she recognizes her Teacher, and she immediately calls him Rabboni, that is, Master—the very one who was being sought and who was doing the teaching." Hence also Origen: "O what a great change! Great sorrow is turned into great joy; the tears of sorrow and desolation are turned into tears of love and exultation!" So when she heard this word, "Mary"—for that was how the Master had been accustomed to call her—she felt in that very name a certain unique sweetness of being called, and through it she recognized the one by whom she was being called, her own Master. Hence Anselm also says: "Do not, Magdalene, weep with a troubled heart, but having finished your duties with her, remember to visit the Lord's tomb." Just as she did with her eyes, you must call her back in spirit from the tomb where the angel was sitting. Now, inside the tomb, at the feet of the Risen Rabboni, behold Christ the Lord looking upon the weeping, sad Mary with such a sweet gaze, saying in such a gentle voice: "Mary." They break to the surface, and tears are drawn from the very marrow; sobs and sighs are pulled from the deepest parts of the heart. Mary, O blessed one, who... ...was in your mind. Prostrating yourself and returning the greeting to him who greets you, you would cry out: "Rabboni?" With what affection, I ask? With what longing of the soul... ... Is it you? Now tears flow; they pour out when He calls, and they encompass all affections, and love absorbs every sense of the soul and body. And again: Oh, how the Lord calls by name, and she recognizes the voice of her Lord. I think, or rather I am certain, that she felt the familiar sweetness with which Mary was accustomed to being called. What delights, what tenderness, what love it tasted! Nor could this be expressed more quickly: I know who you are, and what you want. These crimes have been changed; I don't believe they were held back, but rather that the heart, having been crushed and tormenting itself, first pressed them out, and then, rejoicing, poured them forth. Oh, how different these things are! And: 'If you have taken him away, tell me.' Oh, how different they are: 'They have taken away the Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him,' and that other: 'Because I have seen the Lord, and he has said these things to me.' Running to the feet of Jesus, Mary adored his footprints; out of devotion, she immediately wanted to embrace the footprints she had just recognized and to touch his feet. It wasn't enough for her just to see Jesus and talk with him. She wouldn't be satisfied unless she also touched Jesus, for she knew that power went out from him and healed everyone. He, however, wanting to sow the seed in her heart like a gardener and to lift her soul to heaven... He says to her, 'Do not touch me'—that is, with the hands of the body—'whom you have not yet touched with the faith of the heart.' It was as if he were saying, 'I would rather you touch me with the touch of your mind.' She was believing him to be equal to the Father, but she was still thinking of him carnally, as Mary Magdalene had done. That is why she was weeping. She was forbidden, therefore, because she was unworthy due to a lack of faith. And so he adds: 'I have not yet ascended—that is, I have not yet been lifted up in your heart—to my Father.' He means, 'I have not ascended to the equality of the Father, because you don't believe that I have reached equality with him, and that I am the Son, equal and coeternal with the Father, who raised me from the dead; instead, you think I have been taken away like a mere corpse.' It is as if he were saying: 'Because you seek me in the tomb as if I were dead, and don't believe that I have risen, you don't deserve to touch the living one; for I have not yet ascended to the Father in you, whom you seek among the dead. When I have ascended to the Father in you, then you will deserve to touch me as equal to the Father.' . Hence Anselm says: 'But, O sweet Jesus, why do you keep one who loves you away from your sacred and most desired feet?' 'Do not touch me,' you say—why, Lord? And why should I not touch those desired feet of yours, pierced for me by nails and bathed in blood? Why shouldn't I touch and kiss him? Is he more hostile than usual because he's more glorious? Look, I won't let you go, and I won't turn away from you; I won't spare my tears, and my heart will break with sobs and sighs unless I touch you. And he said, "Don't be afraid; this good is not taken away from you." But it is deferred—so says Anselm—and thus Mary, full of doubts and restless with grief, needed preparation before she could approach to touch such holiness.
The Mission of the Apostle to the Apostles
Mary is sent to announce the Resurrection to the disciples, followed by a concluding prayer reflecting on the grace of seeking and finding Christ.
If, however, she who was the first to see the risen Lord... ...and who was so loved by the Lord, deserved this after his Mother, and... ...was she, who was so devoted to his service and freed by him from every sin, forbidden from touching his feet—how much more, then, should someone stained by vices fear to touch him, whether in making or receiving him? But go now, filled with joy, to my brothers—that is, the Apostles—and announce this to them: I am rising and ascending, which is to say, I will ascend to my Father by generation and nature, and to your Father by adoption and grace; to my God, because He created me as a man and I am a man under Him according to my humanity; and to your God, who created you and freed you from error, and among whom I am the mediator. As if to say: It is near, so that they may see me ascending. He speaks this way insofar as He is human, because ascending doesn't befit Him according to His divine nature, which is most high. This is also clear from the fact that He calls the Apostles brothers due to the similarity and conformity of human nature, the spirituality of friendship, and the adoption of grace, since they are the adopted children of the same Father whose Son He is. The natural Son. Natural. Hence Severianus says: He calls them brothers, those whom He made kin to His own body; He calls them brothers, those whom He adopted as children to His Father; He calls. brothers, those whom the kind Jesus has made His co-heirs; He calls them brothers because of the special nature of the friendship that... He had toward them. And so Ambrose says: 'You descended, Son of Man, yet you weren't absent from the Father when you did; rather, you descended to us so that we might see you with our eyes and minds, and believe in you. Therefore, ascend also for us.' So that we might follow you with our minds, whom we cannot see with our eyes. So much for Ambrose; therefore, let the beloved speak to one another with great joy and gladness, just as a friend speaks with a friend. Look, then, and see here the Paschal lamb. Thus, the Lord, returning from the Mother, appeared first to Mary Magdalene. To the Apostles themselves, or to some others. Hence Jerome says: 'He is shown first to Mary Magdalene because He cast seven demons out of her.' . . . For prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the kingdom of God ahead of the religious leaders. If the thief entered the kingdom of God before the Apostles, where does Luke say the Lord appeared to Magdalene? It's fifteen paces from the tomb. 9. What? Alas. The Lord and Christ—how he wept for us. He loved us with such great intensity. He sought us so gently; for this reason, we should practice seeking him with tears and perseverance, receiving from him the origin of our affection so that we may reach the goal. Let everyone weep for Jesus and seek him faithfully, because he is never absent, but is always found by those who seek him. Learn then, O sinner, from the woman who sinned, how to confess your sins. Learn, you sinful person, to weep for the absence of God and to desire his presence. Seek Jesus constantly, and as you seek, keep investigating; fear no adversity, accept no consolation outside of Jesus, and despise everything except him. Learn from Mary to seek Jesus in the monument of your heart; roll away the stone from the entrance, push aside the obstacles, and go in faith. . Take it, then. Cleanse yourself of all impurity, and diligently search for Jesus within; if you don't find Jesus in yourself, stay outside and weep, remain in faith, and look outside to others. If by chance you see Him in someone else, pray to Jesus with tears, asking that He deign to come to you and dwell there; don't push Him away from you, but humble yourself, and look again into the tomb of God. This is what should be in you; and if you see two angels there, one at the head and one at the feet—that is, if you recognize in your heart a longing for heavenly things, both for the contemplative life and for the virtues that keep you from seeing Jesus or having Him yet—don't be content with these, and don't rest in them; instead, weep and seek Jesus within you until you find Him. And if He happens to appear to you in some way and presents Himself to your longing, don't presume that He appeared to you because of your own desire or merit. Instead, acknowledge Him as He is; attribute it to His goodness and mercy, and ask Him, and pray that He reveal Himself to you. I dare to promise you confidently: if you stand in faith at the tomb of your heart, if you seek Jesus with tears and persevere in that search, if you humble yourself, and if you desire to receive no consolation from Jesus other than Himself—when He reveals Himself, you will without doubt find Him and recognize Him. Then you won't need to ask others where Jesus is; you will be the one to point Him out, saying, 'I have seen the Lord,' and He said these things to me—as Origen says. After a short while, however, the Lord departed, saying that He had to visit others as well. He said: Then Magdalene, having received his blessing. And as the Lord departed, she withdrew; and though she already believed and had brought the news, she was still grieving because they had not seen him. They went out quickly with her from the tomb—that is, from the place before the tomb—with great fear and joy, running to announce these things to the Lord's disciples about him. According to the Gloss, there was a twofold affection in them: fear and joy. One came from the magnitude of the miracle, the other from the longing for the One who had risen, and both quickened their pace. It was a womanly affection. PRAYER: O most loving Lord, O most sweet Master, how good you are to those who are upright in heart, how gentle to those who love you! O how happy are those who seek you, and how blessed are those who hope in you! It is certainly true that you love all who love you, and you never abandon those who hope in you. Look, this lover of yours sought you with a simple heart, and she truly found you. She hoped in you and wasn't abandoned by you; instead, she gained more through you than she ever expected from you. I beg you, therefore, Lord: grant me to love and seek you, and to hope in you, so that I may deserve to be loved by you, to find you, and never to be abandoned by you. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Maria autem, amari- ' tudine plena , aestuans amore , et nesciens quid aliud deberet facere, quia sine Magistro non poterat vivere, nec ibi eum inveniebat , et ubi eum quaereret ignorabat, stabat ex fervore et constantia, quia vis amoris nec sedere, nec jacere sinebat, ad monumentum foris , et *ab extra, scilicet in horto, et ante domunculam in qua erat -sepulchrum, ploranSy et lamentans Dominum suum. Tanto enim cordis ferebatur incendio, tanta pietatis afficiebatur dulcedine , tam validis trahebatur vinculis caritatis, ut femineae infirmitatis oblita, nec tenebrarum caligine, nec persecutorum immanitate retraheretur a sepulchri visitatione, quin potius foris stans, et lacrymis monumentum irrigans , recedentibus discipulis, non recedebat ; pro eo quod divinae dilectionis igne succensa, et tam invalescente urebatur desiderio et impatiente vulnerabatur amore, ut nihil ei saperet nisi flere, possetquft illud propheticum veraciter eructare : Fuerunt mihi lacrymce mece panes die ac nocte , dum dicitur mihi quotidie, ubi es, Deus tuus. Secundum Augustinum, ferventior et devotior erat ad Christum aliis mulieribus, et nimius ardor amoris eam sollicitabat. Maria enim quidquid voluit , flendo obtinuit veniam jSeccatorum ; flendo obtinuit fratris resuscitationem de faucibus infernorum ; flendo oblinuit consolationem de Resurrectione. Lacrymas ergo fudit compunctionis, compassionis, et devotionis. Unde Gregorius : Qua in re pensandum est, hujus mulieris mentem quanta vis amoris accenderat, quce a monumento Domini, etiam discipulis recedentibus, non recedebat. Unde contigit, ut eum sola tunc videret, quae remansit ut quaereret ; quia virtus boni operis perseverantia est. » Ubi et Augustinus : « Viris enim redeuntibus, infirmiorem sexum in eodem loco fortior faciebat affectus, et oculi qui Dominum quaesierant, et non invenerant lacrymis jam vocabant, amplius dolentes quod fuerat ablatus de monumento, quam quod fuerat occisus in ligno; quoniam magistri tanti, cujus ei vita subtracta fuerat, nec memoria remanebat.
Tenebat ita6&0O SECUNDiE PAam- GARUX LXXII. quik, ad monumentum. jam dcior istejmulierem. »^ Unde et Origenesr. tt Audivimus, fratres, Mariam ad. monumentum foris stantem, audivimus Mariam plorantem. Amor faciebat stare, dolor cogebat eam plorare. Stabat et circumspiciebat, si forte videret quem quaerebat.
Dolor renovatus erai ei, quia. . quem prius doluerat defunctum, nunc dolebat ablatum. Et iste dolor major erat, quia nuilam. cojisolationem. amplius habebat. Prima ergo ftiit causa doloris, quia vivum perdiderat, sed de hoc doiore aliquantulam consolationem habebat, qula morftuum remanere videbat; nunc autem de isto dolore consolari non poterat, quia nec corpus defuncti inveniebat. Metuebat autem ne amor Magistri sui in suo pectore refrigesceret, quo viso recalesceret.
Plorabat itaque Maria . vehementer, quoniam dolor. addltus erat super (folorem. Duos itaque dolore» exi*mibs uno gestabat corde, q^ios mitigare lacrymis volebat, sed non yalebat; ac ideo tota posita in dol6re, mente et corpore deficiebat, et quid. ag^ret, nesciebat. Petrus quidem et Joannes timuerunt, et ideo non steterunt ; Maria non timebat , quia. nihil. suspicabatui sibi super esse.
pro quo. timere deberet. Perdiderat enim Magistrum suum, quem ita singvdariter dilige? bat, ut praeter ipsum nihil posset diligere vel sperare. P6rdidferat vitam animas. suae, et jam melius ar'* bitrahatur fore- sibi mori, quam vivere, quia forsitan moriens ihveniret, quem vivfens invenire. non poterat. Forti& namq^ie ut mors dileciio, quidnam aliiid in Maria fiay ceret?
Facta erat exanimis, fkcta erat insensihilis. S&ntiens non sentiebat, videns non vidjehat, audiens non audiebat; sed neque ibi erat, ubi. erat, q}iia tota ibi erat, ubi Magister suus erat, d^ quo tamen ubi esset nesciebat; Quwnehati Mfe> tem. eum\s tt noo invenioba^; et ideo. . s/^<2/:a(ij monumenium. tv^i^ rabat, tota lacrymabiHs et miserabilis. Certe jam nihil sapiebat Maria nisi diligere, et pro dilecto dolere.
Oblita erat timorem, oblita erat denique omnia, praeter iUum . queuL- diligebat super omnia. Sensus nullus in ea remanserat, omne consilium ab ea perierat, spes om. nis. defecerat^. solummodo flere supererat : » haec Origenes.
DUm ergo fleret, propter corporis Christi absentiam, inclinavit se, corporaliter, et prospexit in monumentum, quia semper sgerabat ibi . eum invenire, ubi oum sepelieiat» et amor ihquisitibnem multip^cftbat. Sicut enim nos cum ab'(pi«m rem. perdimus , quamvis huc illiic q. uaerendo discurramus, tamea. ad eum. Ibcum saepe respicimus, uH eam habuisse meminimus; itaet hsec mulier quamvis huc iliuoyie corpus Domini quaereret, anzia ttr men de ejus absentia freq^ieiitiiit monumentum aspiciebat, . ubi' eom positum noverat.
Unde Gregoriuf: a Amanti semel' aspexisse noir sufficit, quia vis amoris ihtentidnem multiplicat inquisiti£au& Qiuesivit ergo prius, etminimeiO' venit , perseveravit ut quflezsret^ unde contigit ut inveniret;. actumr. que est ut desideria dilata creacftr rent,. et crescendo caperent. qpod ihvenissent. Sancta enim desideria dilatione crescunt, si autem dikti6n& deficiunt, desideria non. faer nint. Hoc amore arsit, qiusquistti virtutem pertingere potuit :.»
. bsec Gregprius. Quamvis er^. Mada vidisset corpus Christi abeste,. vor Ubat tamen adhuc videresi aliquod vestigiiim posset percipere;«et raeo non su£&ciehat sibi semel respexisr se. In hoc autem quod' incliiuafii se « MACDALENiE. 68i, et respexit in monmnentum^. da?
^ tur intelJigi quod cum hqmilitate cordis deb^mus prospicere mortem Ghristi; et in hoc qiioditerum pvQ* spexit , datur exemplum continuo oculo mentis mortem Christi prospicere. Et vidit Maria oculis coi:^ poris ipsos dms angelos pra&fatos» in albis sedentes, suprar sepulr chrum. ct locum corporls, unum ad, caput, alium ad. pede. s^ propter rfirverentiam loci consecrati ex tactu. corporis Dominici ; ex fervorai enim devotionis quam habebat,, ilr^ lam visionem meruerat. , Angelus ad caput est, revelans divinitatis: arcana, quia CAput Christi Deus* est; Angelus autem ad pedes est, docens humanitatis ejus obsequia: in redemptione. nobis imp^nsa.
Q.ui dicunt ei : Muiier, quid pio-rras? Angeli lacrymas probib^^hant et futurum qviodajnmodeo gaudiuna nuntiabant. Ac si dicerent : Plorar re noli, non habes causam flendi. , sed. magis gaudenc^, ex lit^sur-^ rectione Christi. Non estt plorandum, sed plaudendum ; hic dies. laetitias est, non moeroris^ la^ta^ ve-^ nimus nuntiare tibi, noli ergo ploirare, sed potius ad illum respice« quem tan(o amore desideras vide-' re. At illa putans interrogare quasi nescientes, et nofU Angelo^ ts»& sed homines, prodit lacrymarum causas : Quia tulerunt ,, inquit,, Dominum meum, de monuniento, et.
nescio ubi posuerunt eum,, 9X^ hitrans custodes, vei; JudaepS; eum, esse furatos, Magnu« ergp. dolor me flere compeJUt, magna tristitla viscera nwa ooarctiat. TimQbat; enira: ne ludaei oonpus Chriftti mi aliquem locu^m inhQnes^um profercissent, invidentcB. hontvpii sopulr*ttir» ejus; Mal ne fiptrte aftfiQ0d[0»^ dent, ut ei ignosntniam ia<»r«iti. i\gebat in ea vis amoris> ut noit inr veatum non credoret! ni^i: auyftrtum ; et hi£e anguetti» cau&t> erat,. quia nesciebat ubi inveniret, et of-v ficium funeris impenderet : no» dicit Qorpus Domini mei ; sed Dov minum,. a toto, designans partem,, sicut omnea.
confitemur Jesum Christum Filium Dei sepuUum» cum, soia eius», sepujta sit- eaw)^ Vide hic. mirabilem operationewi amoris. Paulo ante audierat ab una Angeio, quod resurrexit, et postea duobus,. quod vivebat; et non ror cordatur, et dicit : nescio. AmorA hoc faciebat, quia. anima suA non; erat, ubi ipsa erat ; sed. i\^ erat, ubi Magister suus erat» Nam« secundum Origmem, spiritus Mar rias magis, erat. in corpore Man gifirtri, quam in saio, Nesciehat cogitare^ loqui, vel.
audire, nisi de ipso : Etnescio, inquit, ubi pQr smrmt eim. Wcec erat. ci majpr cauaa doloris et desplationis, quia neaciebat: quo if et ad consolandum dolorem* et ubi. eum invfipiret, Ma» ria, qui^ vidit lapidem sublatumi credidit QhrisUim furatum et dc-» pprtatum, lapide enim sublato^, cprpus faciliter amovetur de mp^ numento, quod fieri non potest quandiu lapis superpositus est : sm; q^uandiu iapis timoris Dei m cprde est, Ghristus ab eo aufewi non potest» si autem ampvetur, a-' tp. ipsum perdit,. 3 QUAI. ITEUI Chwstus^ apparwt. MAGPALeif^fi.
. -^ Cum autem MariiE^ sic ploraret, aefi de Angejiis aliqui4 Quraret, amor suus>. Magister sjuua, ampliuA s<e, tenere non potuit, Dat miuus i^ur Jesu&, la^fer. i hoc Mat« tri suae,, et dicit quod vult ire 3ia\ Qousolandum eam. ,. valedicensq^ Matci,, venit. ifl. momentp in, hp'r-^ tum, ubi exat.
Mag^alena. Stat mv^ Ii»r et Blftrat; ade^. J. esusmoereu:^ tiuw congpJator, et; pias- mulieri* lacjrounaik iAtu^up, eique ah Angflh lis: se vertenti, ot retrosum conm \iei;8». a^parere dignatur. Per hsHi o&tfiiJidijur, quod. ai quis Christux»; esi videre desiderat , oporlct ut ad Deum convertftlur ; tjuia ilU ad Deum viiiendum ficrveniunl, qui S(! totaliter per aniQrcm in eum convertunt.
Ubi Chrysoslomus : H Cur nan exspectavit eorum responsum, sed conversa est relrovsum, cum ad minus homines mul~ ts reverentiec apparerent ; Dic , quia cum Maria illa dicerct Christus advenii , cui Angcli revequod Magdalena admirans , conversa esl retrorsum, ut videret ad quid assurrexerunt. n Et non sciebat quia Jesus est, quia videbat enim eum in specie non gloriosum, quem Angeli glorioBum videntcs honorabant. Ipsa enim nondum habebat fidem de Christi Resurrectione, et ideo talis apparuit in corpore, qualis apud eam erat in mente; non quod, juna htcreticos ibrmam Dominus vultumque mutasser, ut pro voluntaie divcrsus ac varius viderctur , sed quod Maria obstupefacta erat miraculo. Unde Bernardus : u O quam delectabile pietatis spectaculum ! Qui quD:ritur et deaideralur, occultat se ct tnanifestatur; occultal se, ut ardentius requiralur, et requisitus cum sollicitudine leneatur, tentusque non dimittatur. n Secundum Cregorium, Maria qufe adhuc de Domini Resurrectione dubitabat , conversa esl relrorsum, ut videret Jesum. quia videlicet per eamdem dubitationem suam, quasi tcrgum in faciem Domini roiserat, quem resurrexisse minimc credebat. Sed quia amabat et dubitabat, vidcbat et non cognoficebat ; eumque illi et amor oslcndebat, et dubietas abscondebat.
Et dicil ei Jesus : Mulier quid ploras? Quem quceris? Non petlt quasi ignorans, sed UE ejus responsione convcnientius eam instruat. Secundum Gregorium, . Qu. interrogatur doloris causa, ut augeatur desidcrium. quatenus cutll' nominarct quem quicreret , in' At iila eum adhuc non cognoscens, pulavit eum csse hortulanum , cui incumbat cura horii ilHus i^ quo monumentutri erat, eo quod mane primo eum in horto videbat; sestimabat enimnullum circa loca illa occupari , nisi eum qui illorum cultor erat. Bene autem spiritualiter hortulanus ei eral, quia sentcs pcrfidiseel vitiorum jam eradicaverat , ac vircntia semina fidei et virtutum per amoris buI vim in ejus peclorc et horto anima; seminare et plantare curabat.
Sicut enim ad hortulani officium pertinet noxias hcrbas eradicare, ut bonie possintprolicerc; ita Dominus de hortosuo, id esl de Ecclesia quotidic villa eradicBt, ut virtutes proticere' valeani. Unde Oriffenes : o O Maria, si qusens Jesum, quare noncognoscis; Ecce Jesus venit ad te, quem tu quiiBdE, et tu EBstimas hortulanum esse. Verum quidem est quod atstimas, sed tamen in hoc erras; dum cnim sic hOftulanum gnoscas. Est cnim Jesua , esl hortulanus , quia ip omne bonum semcn in horto anima: Kx, et in cordibus lideliuin suorum; ipse omnc bonuro planlat etrigal in animabus Sanctorum, et ipse cs, Jesus qui lecum loquitur : n hic Origenes. Marias etiam in specic hortulani apparuit, talent enim officium , lalis actus , lale eierciiium , talisque nominis interpretalio incipientibuE congruil : oponei enim ul posnitens geral modum hortulani, scilieel ul omnia nociva eradicet, et bona inserat; si ergo via ut appareai libl vcrus hortulanus, oportet NiE. 683 te herbas nocivas ejicere et salutiferas inserere.
Illa vefo ut cbria respondit ei sicut hortulano , dicens : Domine , si sustulisti eutn, dicito mihi, ubi posuisti eum, qui mihi cst singularis thesaurus etiam mortuus, et ego eum tollam, cum omni desiderio, et accipiam. Dominum vocat, ut benevolentiam ejuscaptet; non dicit, si sustulisti Jesum crucifixum, loquendo determinate et nominando eum , vel alias designando, sed dicit, eum in generali, nihil addendo, quia vis amoris, et afFectus cum desiderio quaerenlis, vel ferventer amantis, hoc agere in animo solet, ut quem ipse quaerit vel cogitat, omnes cogitare a^stimet, et nullum alium ignorare credat. Unde quasi de cognito loquitur, et quem ipsa diligebat, omnes scire cogitabat; nec putavit alteri incognitum, quem sic ipsa continue plangit desideratum. Si ergo tu propter timorem Judaeorum sustulisti eum Hinc, dicito mihi, ut ego eum tollam; timebat enim ne Jada;i etiam corpori insffivirent exanimi, et ideo volebat in alium locum incognitum illud transponere. Mirabilis mulieris audacia , quam mortui non terret aspectus, et cujus valitudo ad grave mortui funus tollendum plus intentat quam possit ! Ex virtute enim amoris credebat se posse tantum corpus etiam mortuum portare, quia ferventer amanti nihil videtur difficile; cum enim sexus femineus fragilis sit ad onera deferenda, et pavidus ad mortuorum corpora bajulanda, quidquid aliis impossibile est, haec propter magnitudinem amoris leve et possibilc arbitratur. Unde idem OingC" nes : u Joseph timuit, et ausus non fuit tollere corpus de cruce, nisi in nocte, et nisi hoc expetiisset a Pilato; Maria autem noctem non praestolatur, non postulat, nec vcretur, sed audacter promittil. dicens : Ego eum tollam.
O mirabilis mulieris audacia 1 O mulier , jam • non mulier ! NuIIum locum excipit, nihil anteponit, sine timore dicit, absolute promittit : Dicito mihi ubi posuisti eum, et ego eum tollam, O Maria , magna est constantia tua, magna est fides tua ! » haec Origenes. Hic ergo ostenditur magna Mariae devotio, et dilectionis fervor, et ideo meruit, quem mortuum quaerebat, vivum videre et audire. Rcspice bene eam, quomodo lacrymabili vultu suppliciter et devote ipsum exorat, ut sibi illum quem quaerit ostendat, semper enim sperabat audire aliqua nova, de suo dilecto super omnia.
PoStquam autem, ut ait Gregorius , eam communi vocabulo appellavit ex sexu, et agnitus non est; vocat ex nomine proprio ut eam magis intentam faciat, et talem se exhibet ut cognoscat, dicens : Maria, desidcrium ejus ulterius affligi non sincns , per vocationem nominis apertam sui declarat cognitionenj. Ac si aperte dicat : Recognosce eum , a quo recognosceris. Cum etenim apud Deum certus sit numerus electorum , magna gratia aliquibus datur quando propriis nominibus, Deo noti esse monstrantur; proprio ergo nomine vocat Mariam, ut designet specialem quam ad Sanctos habet notitiam« Illa vero conversa, corde et oculis mentis , sicut ante erat conversa corpore et oculis carnis, mox ut se suo nomine vocari audivit, eum in voce sicut ovis bona pastorem recognovit. Prius enim conversa corpore, Jesum esse quod non erat putavit; nunc conversa corde, quod erat agnovit, ac quasi reviviscens. et adorans eum cum indi(»4 ctbili gaudio, Dicft id cBi Magister ; sic enira Hnie Passionem eum vocare corsueverat, quia doctores apud Judteos toeaiMur magistri. Tu es quem qua:rebam , qiiare landiu te milii Cilasli ■■ Qula ergo peraereravit ut quEereret , contigit ut vnvenirer. Unde Gregtn-ius : u MariaquiaTocftlur ex nomine, recognoscit BUctorem , aique eum protinus Raiiotti, id est Magistrum vocat, qui^ Et ipse erflt qui queerebatur exiereret, docebat. " Unde et Origeyies : u O Hiycalio dexler^ Excelsi, converEUs esc dolor magnus in Sudium, magnum , inuiaKE sunt n^n«e doloria in lacryraas arooris et esBUliationis !
Ut ergo audivit hoc verbum, MariJ, sic enim conaueverat illam vocsre Magister anus , prassenBit in Ipao nomiive qaanMlam aingularem vocationis ddlcedinem, et per eam cognovii tpaum, a quo voeabatur, lease MagiBtrum suum. n Unde etiam An~ sHmus : " "Noli Magdalena dcMrero coraitatum , sed peractis Bwnnatibus cum oa , Dominicum eepulchrum visitare raemento. O Sicut illa oculis, tu in spiritu cerdem revoKitura ab oicio monunienli Angelura resideniem; nunc Intra monumentum unum ad ca1 peJes, Resurrectioni Rabboni Blo, Christujii Dominum Mariam flentem et tristem tam dnlci oculo Bpicientein, tamque suavi voce dicentem : Maris. Rumpuntur ad tfce, «b ipsis medullis eliciuniur hcrymx, singultus atque suspiria «b imis irahuntur visceribus. Maria, o beaia, qi. nd tibi mentis fuit. prosieinens, ei reddflns viccm salulanti clamares : Rabbotu? Quo rogo affectu.
quo mentis desiiierio cla. masli :;{aWo. ii? NuncpluradicCT lacryma; pfDhtbent , cum vocet encludant affecius , omnesque ( aniiiKe et corporis sensus nitnia amor absorbcat. Et iterum : o tio minat Domii nomen, ei cognosclt b sueiam Domini vocem. Puto vel certe affirmo, quia senslt solitam suaviTatem, qua vocari consuev rat Maria. voi delectabilia, quantum blandimenti , quantu sapuil amorie ! Nec celerius hoc exprimi poiuit, scio quie sis, et qute velis.
lUico mutatx Bunt H~ crjmiEe, non enim credo moi csse restrictas, sed quas contritum coc se torquendo prius exprimebat, eas posTmodum cor gaudens effundebat. O quam dissimilia sunt i Ratbcmi; et : Si tu sustvHstS eum, dicito mihi9 O quam dirnom suOt : Tulerimt Domirtum, scio ubi posverunt eum ; et lllud : Quia vidi Dominum, el hiEC dixlt mthi : « ha;c Anseli»us.
Et currens sc prooidena Maria ad pedes Jesu, vesiigia ujus adorando, statim voluit ex dewotione ampiecli vestigia elus quam rcco^novll, ac pedcstangere el . Ofli ipaliensl Non enim sutBdeMl el* videre Jesum, ct cum Jesu lo. n nisi etiam tangeret Jesum; scieb enim quia virtus de iHo exibal, et sanabat omnes. Ipse vero volen» lidcm in cordc illius ut horiulanw seminare, et animam ejus ad CC! >lestia elevare, dicit ei : Noli i langere, sciJicet manibuB corporis, quem nonduni tctigisli tide corUis. Quasi ilicerel : Potius volo ut langas me lactu tnentis. credens tnc fatri tequalem, quam tactu corpot^s, creilens rac hoinuiem putum et P»irc minorem; adhuc enini carnallter ia euLii credebai, quem sicitt homiQUOMODO IiE MAGDALENiE. OBS ncm flebat.
Prohibita est ergo, quia propter defectum iidei indigna erat. Et ideo subdit : Nondum enim asceadi, id est elevatus sum scilicet in corde tuo, ad Patrem meum, id. est ad sequaiitatem Patris, quia non credis me pervenisse ad aequallt^tem eju«, ac me Filium squalcm et coaetermim Patri, qui jne suscitasset a mortuis ; sed esse sublatum tanquam cadaver purum. Ac si diceret : Quia me tanquam mortuum in sepulchro quaeris, et resurrexisse non credis, ideo viventcm tangere non mereris ; tibi enim nondum ad Patrem ascetidi, quem viventem cum mortuis quaeris,cum tibiascendero ad Patrem, tunc mereberis me tangerc Patri aequakm. . Unde Anselmus : « Sed, o dulcis Jesu, ^ur a sacratis ac desidcratissi^ mis pedibus tuis sic arces amantcm ? Noii, inquis, me tangere, utquid Domine ? Et quarc non tangam illa desiderata vestigia tua pro me perforata clavis, p«rfusa san^[uine ?
Quare ca non tangam, et dcosculabor i An inimicitior es solito, quia gloriosior? Eccc non dimlttam te, nec recedam a te ; non parcam lacrymis, et pectus singultihus suspiriisque rumpetur , nisi tangam. Et ille inquit : Noli timere, non aufertur tibi hoc bonum, . sed differtur : » haec Anselmus, rSic ergo Maria dubiis plena, luctu inquieta , praeparatione indiguit,, antequam ad tangendum tantam sanctitatem accedcret. Si autem illa quae Dominum resurgentcm prima . post Matrem cjus vidcre meruit, quae tantum dilecta est a Domino, et . tanta e)us mancipata obsequio ab omni peccato ab eo iiberat^, a <tactu ;pedum ejus est prohibita ; jquanto magis poUutus vitiis nc cum totum tangat, conflciendQ, vcl ^^sumendo ?
Sed vade jam laetificata, adfratres meos, scilicct Apostolos, et nuntians dic eis : quia surrexi, et ascendo, id est ascendam, ad 'Patrem meum, per generationeni et naturam , et Patrem vestrum, per adoptionem et gratiam, Deum meum, quia me hominem creavit, ot sub quo ego homo sum, secundum humanitatem, et Deum vestrian, qiii vos creavit, et ab errore libcravit, inter quos et ipsuni, ego mediator sum. Quasi diceret : In . proximo est, ut videant ascendentem. Loquitur in proposito in quantum homo, ^uia ascendcre non competit ei secuVidum divinam naturam, quae est altissima; quod etiam patet ex hoc , quod vocat Apostolos fratres, propter similitudinem et conformitatem humanae naturae, et propter spiritualitatem amicitiae, et etiam propter adoptionem gratiae, quia ejus Patris sunt filii adoptivi, cujus ipse cst. Filius. naturalis. Unde Severianus : cc Vocat fratres, quos corporis sui fecit esse germanos; vocat -fratres, quos Patri suo adoptavit in fiiios; vocat. fratres, quos benignus Jesus sibi -praestitit coheredes; vocat fratres , , pTQpter specialitatem amicitiae quam .
habuit ad ipsos. » Unde et Ambrosius : ci Descendisti quidem Filius hominis, nec Patfi -cum descenderes abfuisti ; sed descendisti nobis, ut te oculis ac mentibus videremus, ut in te crcderemus ; er^go et ascende nobis, '. ut te -sequamur mentibus, quem oculis videre non . possumus : o> -haec Ambrosius, 3tant ergo dilecti cum jucunditatc et gaudio magno loquentes ad invicem, sicut amicus cumamico. Ecce igitur et hic similiter roagnum Pascha. Sic itaque Dominus a Matre rediens apparuit ,primo Marice Magddlence quam. ipsis JVpostoIis, vel aliquibus aliis. Unde Hieronymus : a Mariae'Magdaleniv primo ostcndilur de qxia ejecerdt septem deemonia ;.
. . . quia meretrket et publicani prcecedeni synagog. im in regnum Dei, ut latro pra:cessit Apustolos, n Lucus autem ubi Dominiis apparaic Magdalcno? , distat quindecim passibus a sepulchro. 9 Qu. EHE.
NDUS ET CHarSTUS - Hani igilur re flevii. ardcntissime dilexit, dii. gentissime quEesivil, et ideo prx ejusqua exereitium gerences cum 1acr}'mis ec pErseveranlia Domiirc, et ab eo Jnde Origeaffectum, uc pervcniamus ad efFetum. Ploret unusquisque ad Jesum, et quaerat lideliler Jeium , quia nunquam deest , sed boitus esl aiiiiJiiF quirrenli illum. Disce ergo, o horno pcccBtor, a muliere peccania peccata sua. dlsce, peccator homa, plorare Dei absentiam, ac '""'"" desiderare ejus prscsentiam. Di l Mai i Jeaui ncnter qurerere, et quierendo inTCEtigare ; nulla adversa formidare, nullam consolationem cxira Jesum reciperc, et omnia prsier ipsum contenmere. Disce a Maria quccrere Jesuro in monumento cordis cui, revolve lapidem ab ostio mo Dei ■'---■ repellt obstaci; i tide .
. Tolle ergo c: , . ,, , n immundit c Iqo, et diligenter pers it Jesua in eo; si autera non inveneris in tc Jesum, sla foris et plora, et permane in tide, et lespice foris ad aiios. si forle ali ec vidcaa in aliquo eum, et plorando ora Jesum, ut dignetur inirare ad le, cc habitare repeltas eum a te, humiliando inclinata te, et itcrum prospicc in monumenio Dei. quod debet esse in le, et si ibi viderjs duos Angelos, unum ad caput, et unum sd pedes, id est si cognoveris in corde tuo quasi ccelestia desideda, tam ad contemplativani vitam, quam ad Bctiram perlinenlia, pcr quiB adhuc non possis Jesum videre, nec Jesum habere, noli his contcntue esse, noli adhuc delicicndo quiescere ; sed plora et qua;rc Jcsum in le, donec invenias. Et si forte aliquo modo tibi apparuedl, et desidcrio tuo se repra:sentaverit, noli pra;suroere de te tanquam el tuo desiderio vel merito tibi apparuerit. et tanquam enm agnoscas ; sed bonitaei, pieiatique ejus attribuc, et inierroga illum, el ora ut indicet libi Bcipsuro : audeo enim tibi confidenter promiitere , si in fide ad monumentum cordis tui stete* ris, si plorando Jesuro qua;sierls, et quserendo perseveraveris, si cum humiliiate te inclinaveris, si eiempto Maria: nullam aliam consolationem d; Jesu, nisi ipsura recipere volueris, ipso rcvelante, ipstitn sinE dubio invenies , et ipsum agnoscea ; ita ut non sic libi necesse qua:rere ab aliis ubi esc Jcsus, sed tu magis indicabis eum, nuniians : Qiiia vidi Dominum, ei hccc dixit mei : « hiec Origenes. Post aliquantulam vero morttlain Dorainua discessit, dicens, quia et alios visitare eura oporleret.
DiT. — Tunc Magdalena, bencdiclione ab eo recepta. et Domino discedente, recesslt; et jam credens nuntiavii, lllffi vero de Resurrectiooe Domini gaudences, sed quod eum non viderani dolentes , exierunt 687 citt) cum ea, de monumento, id est de loco ante monumentum, cum timore et gaudio magno, currentes nuntiare haec discipulis Domini de ipso. Duplex, secundum Glossam, erat in eis affectus, scilicet : timoris, et gaudii ; alier de magnitudine miraculi, alter ex desiderio resurgentis, et uterque gressum coficita-. bat femineum. ORATIO O piissime Domine, o dulcissime Magister, quam bonus es tu his qui recto sunt corde, quam suavis his qui diligunt te ! O quam felices sunfr qui quaerunt te, et quam beati qui sperant in te ! Verum certe est, quod tu diligis omnes diligentes te, et nunquam derelinquis sperantes in te.
Ecce enim haec dilectrix tua simpliciter quaerebat te, et veraciter invenit te. Sperabat in te, et non est derelicta a te; sed plus est consecuta per te, quam exspectaret a te. Obsecro ergo te, Domine, da mihi diligere et quaerere te, ac sperare in te, ut et ego a te diligi, et te invenire merear, et a te nunquam derelinquar. Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩The source text contains a likely corruption 'OingC' nes' which has been rendered as 'Origen says' based on context and the previous section's attribution.
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