Vita Sancti Emerici
A Royal Bride, A Virgin's Vow
Blessed Henry, though betrothed to a noble maiden of royal lineage, chose spiritual virginity over carnal union, mortifying his body through fasting and feeding his soul on God's word.
Meanwhile, when by his father's arrangement a noble maiden — born, as she was, of royal lineage — had been betrothed and brought to blessed Henry, so that from both royal lines a royal succession might follow in the future, he himself, setting aside the carnal union that belongs to this corruptible life in favor of the spiritual purpose of virginity, mortified his body through fasting and filled his soul with the bread of God's word; and lest any fleshly stirring gain mastery over him, he kept the virginity of his chaste bride uncorrupted.✦
The Marvel of Youthful Self-Restraint
The narrator marvels that Henry quenched the fires of love with tears, carrying a flame in his breast yet remaining unburned.
O marvelous self-restraint of youth! He quenched the fires of love with a fountain of tears, and though he carried a flame in his breast, he was not burned by its blaze.
The Heroic Labor of Chastity
The narrator extols the near-superhuman virtue of subduing bodily desire, scorning married comforts and earthly advantages for the hope of future blessedness, declaring it worthy of tremendous reward.
For it is a great thing — almost beyond mortal nature — to subdue bodily desire and to extinguish the flame of lust, kindled by the torches of youth, through the strength of the soul; and by spiritual effort to shut out the force of a twofold pleasure; to live against the way of the human race; to scorn the comforts of married life; to despise the sweetness of children; and to count whatever advantages this present life can offer as nothing in view of the hope of future blessedness. Great, as I have said, and admirable is this virtue — and not without reason destined for a tremendous reward in proportion to the greatness of its labor.
Temporal Guard, Eternal Crown
The labor of chastity is great, but its reward is greater—a temporal guardianship yielding an eternal recompense.
Great indeed is the labor of chastity, but greater is the reward; it is a temporal guardianship, but an eternal recompense.
Following the Lamb: The Reward of Virgins
Citing Revelation, the narrator declares that virgins follow the Lamb wherever he goes, and every dwelling of the heavenly mansions is thrown open to them.
Concerning these, John says in the Apocalypse: 'These follow the Lamb wherever he goes.' This, I believe, is to be understood to mean that no place in the heavenly court is to be closed to them, and that every dwelling of the divine mansions is to be thrown open to them.✦
Christ and Mary: The Double Example of Virginity
The narrator reflects that the Incarnation itself commends virginity, since the Son chose a virgin womb and remained a virgin himself, setting an example for both men and women in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells.
But so that the merit of virginity may shine more clearly, and how worthy it is of God may be more plainly understood, let us reflect on this: that when our Lord and Savior deigned to take on flesh for the salvation of the human race, he chose no womb but a virgin's — to show that this kind of virtue was especially pleasing to him, and to commend the good of chastity to both sexes. He had a virgin for his mother; he himself remained a virgin — in himself setting an example of virginity for men, and in his mother for women. By this it was shown that in either sex the blessed and undivided fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell — since all that dwelt in the Son was wholly present in the mother.✦
Hidden Sanctity Revealed at Last
After Henry's death, his bride and his servant at last bear witness to the virginal life he had kept hidden, and he receives his inheritance in the land of the living.
But when, his body having been laid to rest, the inheritance in the land of the living was given to him while still in the flower of youth, his bride bore witness to his virginal life; and that familiar servant, who had often seen and heard what passed between them, no longer kept it hidden.✦
Read the original Latin
Interea cum ex paterna dispositione virgo nobilis, utpote orta de regali prosapia, beato Henrico desponsata esset et adducta, ut ex utraque regali linea regia posteritas succederet in posterum, ipse carnalem generationem, quae corruptibilis est, spirituali proposito virginitatis postponens, ieiuniis corpus maceravit, animam autem pane verbi Dei saturavit, et, ne qua carnis titillatio ei dominaretur, intactae suae coniugis incorruptam servavit virginitatem. O miranda iuvenis continentia, quae fonte lacrimarum restinxit amoris incendia, flammamque portans in gremio, non urebatur eius incendio. Grande est enim, et paene ultra mortalem naturam corpoream sopire luxuriam et concupiscentiae flammam, adulescentiae facibus accensam, animi virtute restinguere, et spirituali conatu vim geminae oblectationis excludere, vivere contra humani generis morem, despicere solacia coniugum, dulcedinem contemnere liberorum, et quaecumque praesentis vitae esse commoda possunt, pro nihilo spe futurae beatitudinis computare. Magna haec, ut dixi, et admirabilis virtus est et non immerito pro magnitudine laboris sui ingenti praemio destinata. Magnus quidem est pudicitiae labor, sed maius praemium; temporalis custodia, sed remuneratio aeterna. De quibus Iohannes in apocalypsi ait: Hi sequuntur agnum quocumque ierit; quod ita intellegendum puto, locum nullum eis in caelesti aula claudendum et cuncta eis divinarum mansionum habitacula reseranda. Sed ut illustrius virginitatis meritum clareat, et quam Deo digna sit, manifestius possit intellegi, illud recogitetur, quod Dominus et Salvator noster, cum propter humani generis salutem carnem dignaretur assumere, non alium quam virginalem elegerit uterum, ut virtutem huiusmodi plurimum sibi complacere monstraret, et ut pudicitiae bonum utrique sexui intimaret, virginem habuit matrem; virgo ipse mansurus, in se viris et in matre feminis praebuit virginitatis exemplum, quo demonstraretur in utroque sexu beatam et integram divinitatis habitare plenitudinem meruisse, dum totum in matre fuit, quicquid habitaret in filio. Verum ubi, corpore dissoluto, in aetate adhuc iuvenili data est ei hereditas in terra viventium, sponsa sua testimonium virginalis vitae ei perhibuit, familiarisque ille minister, quae viderat frequenter et audiverat, ultra non abscondit.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Deut.8.3;Matt.4.4 — He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, in order to make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD does man live. Matt.4.4 — But he answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
- ↩Rev.14.4 — These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
- ↩Col.2.9 — For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
- ↩Ps.141.6 — When their judges are thrown down beside the Rock, then they will hear my words, for they are sweet.
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