A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom [38]
sorrow? Blessed be that
heart compared to whose sorrow everything that ever was uttered of a heart's
sorrow is only as a dream to the reality. Blessed be Thou, O rising blush of
morning, above all creatures! And blessed be the flower-enamelled
rose-scented meadow of Thy fair countenance, adorned with the ruby red blood
of Eternal Wisdom! Alas! Thou affable countenance of beautiful wisdom, how
dost Thou fade in death! Alas! Thou beautiful body, how dost Thou hang
suspended! Woe is me, Thou pure blood, how hotly dost Thou run down on Thy
pure Mother who bore Thee! Lament, ye mothers, lament with me over this
affliction! All ye pure hearts, let this rose-coloured, pure blood which so
be sprinkles your pure Mother, go to your hearts! Behold, all hearts, ye who
ever had sorrow, behold and see, if ever there was sorrow like unto this
sorrow! Truly, it is a wonder that our hearts melt not here for pity and
compassion; so great, indeed, was this distress, that hard stones were rent
asunder, the earth trembled, the sun was extinguished, because they would
fain show compassion for their Creator!
CHAPTER XVIII. How It Was With Him At That Hour in Regard of His Interior
Man
The Servant.--Eternal Wisdom! the more one reflects on Thy measureless
Passion, the more unfathomable it appears. Thy extremity was so very great
under the cross, but still more so on the cross, according to Thy exterior
powers which, at that hour, felt all the pangs of bitter death. But, gentle
Lord, how was it with Thy interior Man, with Thy noble Soul? Had it no
consolation, no sweetness like other martyrs souls, so as to mitigate its
cruel sufferings? Or, when did Thy sufferings come to an end?
Eternal Wisdom.--Now, hearken to a misery of miseries, such as thou
never yet didst hear of. Although My soul, according to her highest powers,
was at that time wrapt in the vision and enjoyment of the pure divinity,
noble as, in truth, she is, behold, the lower powers of My exterior and
interior nature were yet wholly abandoned to themselves, even to the very
last drop of infinite bitterness of suffering, without any consolation, so
that no torment was ever equal to it. And as I was thus left entirely
helpless and forsaken, with running wounds, with weeping eyes, with extended
arms, with the veins of My body on the rack, in the agony of death, then it
was that I lifted up My voice in lamentation, and cried out miserably to My
Father: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? And still in all this, My
will was united in eternal conformity with His will. And when all My blood
was poured out, and all My strength exhausted, behold, I was seized by a
bitter thirst, because of My mortal agony. But I thirsted still more for the
salvation of man. Then did they reach Me vinegar and gall to quench the
burning thirst of My parched mouth. And when I had accomplished the work of
human redemption, I cried out: It is finished! I was entirely obedient to My
Father, even unto death. My Spirit I commended into His hands, saying: Into
Thy hands I commend My Spirit. And then My noble Soul separated from My
body, both of which yet remained unseparated from the divinity! After this a
sharp spear was thrust into My right side; forthwith a stream of precious
blood gushed out, and with it a fountain of living water. Behold, My child,
in an extremity so pitiable as this did I redeem thee, and all the elect,
and did save thee by the living sacrifice of My innocent blood from
everlasting death.
The Servant.--Alas! tender and loving Lord and Brother, with what
sorrowful, what bitter toil didst Thou not reap me in! Alas! noble Lord, how
ardently didst Thou love me, how generously didst Thou redeem me! Woe is me,
Thou fair Wisdom, how shall I ever be in a condition to acknowledge Thy
love, and Thy sufferings? If I had Samson's strength, Absalom's beauty,
Solomon's wisdom, and the riches and greatness of all kings, my only wish
would be to devote them to Thy praise and service. But, Lord,
heart compared to whose sorrow everything that ever was uttered of a heart's
sorrow is only as a dream to the reality. Blessed be Thou, O rising blush of
morning, above all creatures! And blessed be the flower-enamelled
rose-scented meadow of Thy fair countenance, adorned with the ruby red blood
of Eternal Wisdom! Alas! Thou affable countenance of beautiful wisdom, how
dost Thou fade in death! Alas! Thou beautiful body, how dost Thou hang
suspended! Woe is me, Thou pure blood, how hotly dost Thou run down on Thy
pure Mother who bore Thee! Lament, ye mothers, lament with me over this
affliction! All ye pure hearts, let this rose-coloured, pure blood which so
be sprinkles your pure Mother, go to your hearts! Behold, all hearts, ye who
ever had sorrow, behold and see, if ever there was sorrow like unto this
sorrow! Truly, it is a wonder that our hearts melt not here for pity and
compassion; so great, indeed, was this distress, that hard stones were rent
asunder, the earth trembled, the sun was extinguished, because they would
fain show compassion for their Creator!
CHAPTER XVIII. How It Was With Him At That Hour in Regard of His Interior
Man
The Servant.--Eternal Wisdom! the more one reflects on Thy measureless
Passion, the more unfathomable it appears. Thy extremity was so very great
under the cross, but still more so on the cross, according to Thy exterior
powers which, at that hour, felt all the pangs of bitter death. But, gentle
Lord, how was it with Thy interior Man, with Thy noble Soul? Had it no
consolation, no sweetness like other martyrs souls, so as to mitigate its
cruel sufferings? Or, when did Thy sufferings come to an end?
Eternal Wisdom.--Now, hearken to a misery of miseries, such as thou
never yet didst hear of. Although My soul, according to her highest powers,
was at that time wrapt in the vision and enjoyment of the pure divinity,
noble as, in truth, she is, behold, the lower powers of My exterior and
interior nature were yet wholly abandoned to themselves, even to the very
last drop of infinite bitterness of suffering, without any consolation, so
that no torment was ever equal to it. And as I was thus left entirely
helpless and forsaken, with running wounds, with weeping eyes, with extended
arms, with the veins of My body on the rack, in the agony of death, then it
was that I lifted up My voice in lamentation, and cried out miserably to My
Father: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? And still in all this, My
will was united in eternal conformity with His will. And when all My blood
was poured out, and all My strength exhausted, behold, I was seized by a
bitter thirst, because of My mortal agony. But I thirsted still more for the
salvation of man. Then did they reach Me vinegar and gall to quench the
burning thirst of My parched mouth. And when I had accomplished the work of
human redemption, I cried out: It is finished! I was entirely obedient to My
Father, even unto death. My Spirit I commended into His hands, saying: Into
Thy hands I commend My Spirit. And then My noble Soul separated from My
body, both of which yet remained unseparated from the divinity! After this a
sharp spear was thrust into My right side; forthwith a stream of precious
blood gushed out, and with it a fountain of living water. Behold, My child,
in an extremity so pitiable as this did I redeem thee, and all the elect,
and did save thee by the living sacrifice of My innocent blood from
everlasting death.
The Servant.--Alas! tender and loving Lord and Brother, with what
sorrowful, what bitter toil didst Thou not reap me in! Alas! noble Lord, how
ardently didst Thou love me, how generously didst Thou redeem me! Woe is me,
Thou fair Wisdom, how shall I ever be in a condition to acknowledge Thy
love, and Thy sufferings? If I had Samson's strength, Absalom's beauty,
Solomon's wisdom, and the riches and greatness of all kings, my only wish
would be to devote them to Thy praise and service. But, Lord,