Tuesday, March 23, 2010

In Him all men have their good

"Oh most profound mystery of God, that the Divine Word without beginning, eternal, incomprehensible, would unite Himself to that sacred humanity and He impassive would take it passible, so He could suffer  for men and redeem them!; this is so big that human understanding cannot reach it; only God could work it out with his excessive charity and immense wisdom; and, how justly He chastises ingrate man that does not recognize nor takes advantage of this benefit of his Creator, that not being content with having made him, seeing that He had lost him, He took such measure to redeem him and win him, so costly to compel him, and show him his [God's] love that he may not despair of his remedy, and teach him as a Teacher (putting Himself as example and model of virtues), what it should do for his eternal health, as Captain to animate him in the battle, and as God and King most powerful in his virtue conquer!; because man without God, what can he do? Nothing, and in God who comforts him he can do everything. And such is the strength of God made man that he is the mediator that in Him all men have their good, have authority [potestad in Spanish] being made children of God by grace and adoption and participants of his divine nature, and this most sacred humanity assumed in God won everything for us with the virtue of God and shedding of his precious blood and most copious Redemption. And being that that sacred Humanity united to the Word of God so perfectly is one person, this most Exalted Lord humiliated himself so, that He suffered it was under the power of Pontius Pilate, tiny man** most vile..."

-- Misterios de nuestra santa Fe by Cecilia del Nacimiento, ocd
translated by ocdsister

** In the original Spanish, Mother Cecilia uses the word hombrecillo, literally tiny man. Hombrecillo was, and still is, a strong insult to any man. The closest I can think of in modern language is dirtbag. Though this expression may raise some hairs, we must remember how passionate Spanish were in the Spanish Golden Age, particularly when it came to describing Christ's suffering in His Passion and Crucifixion.

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