Beati pauperes

“Beati pauperes spiritu quoniam ipsorum est regnum celorum.”¹ Inter hos iterum qui Dei potius quam mundi sunt pauperes, nonnulla est differentia, cum alii plus egeant, alii minus! Alii obsequio Dei magis occupati sunt, alii minus.² Hii quidem qui, sęculo penitus abrenuntiantes, apostolicam imitantur vitam, veriores sunt pauperes et Deo propinquiores. Sed sunt hujus professionis non solummodo viri, sed et feminę. Quę cum sint fragilioris sexus et infirmioris naturę, tanto est earum virtus Domino acceptabilior atque perfectior, quanto cum natura infirmior, juxta illud apostoli: “Nam virtus in infirmitate perficitur.”³ Iste cum terrenis conjugiis vel carnalium voluptatum illecebris spretis, sponso immortali se copulant, summi regis sponsę effectę, omnium ejus servorum efficiuntur dominę. Quod diligenter beatus Hieronimus adtendens, cum ad unam harum sponsarum. Eustochium scriberet, ait: “Hęc idcirco domina mea Eustochium, Dominam quippe debeo vocare sponsam Domini mei.”⁴ Quod si tantus ecclesię doctor veraciter profiteri non erubuit, et vos eas dominas vestras rebus ipsis magis quam verbis recognoscentes, ne differatis earum inopie subvenire, et vos longe amplius Domini vestri sponsis debere quam servis! Et eas apud sponsum proprium plus posse quam servos agnoscatis.⁵ “In carcere eram, Dominus inquit, et venistis ad me.”⁶ Nonnulla misericordia est eis subvenire, qui in carceribus hominum inviti tenentur. Sed maxima est subvenire his, quę se sponte Domini carceribus in perpetuo mancipaverunt, donec sponso occurrentes cum ipso intrent ad nuptias, sicut ipse met sponsus asserit dicens: “Et quę paratę erant intraverunt secum ad nuptias.”⁷ Ut illic videlicet quasi uxores assidua cohabitatione fiant, quę hic extiterunt tanquam sponsę. Ad quam quidem celestium societatem nuptiarum et ęterna tabernacula,⁸ ipsę vos meritis et intercessionibus suis, secum introducant, ut illic per eas percipiatis ęterna, quę hic a vobis suscipiunt temporalia, prestante ipso earum sponso Domino Jesu Christo, cui est honor et gloria, in sęcula sęculorum. Amen.

Translation

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Again, among the poor who belong to God rather than to the world, there is a difference, because some are more in need and others less! Some are occupied more in the service of God, others less. Those who imitate the apostolic life, renouncing the world utterly, are more authentically poor and closer to God. To this profession belong not only men, but also women. Because these women are of the more fragile sex and a more infirm nature, their virtue is all the more gratifying and perfect to God as their nature is weaker, as the apostle writes: “For virtue is made perfect in weakness.” These women have rejected earthly unions and the enticements of carnal pleasures. They join themselves to a heavenly bridegroom and, made brides of the highest king, become mistresses (dominae) of all his servants. Blessed Jerome noted this, when he wrote to Eustochium, one of these brides, saying: “For this reason is this woman Eustochium my mistress, because I am duty bound to call the bride of my Lord ‘mistress.’ ” But if the great doctor of the church was not embarrassed to profess this truly, you should not delay in assisting their poverty, recognizing them as your mistresses by your actions more than by your words. Acknowledge that you owe more by far to the spouses of your Lord than to his servants and that they have greater influence with their own Spouse than do his servants. “For I was in prison,” the Lord says, “and you came to me.” It is a mercy to assist them who are held in prisons of men against their wishes, but it is most merciful to succour these who have voluntarily surrendered themselves in perpetuity to the cloisters of God, until meeting the Groom they enter into marriage with him, just as the Bridegroom himself confirms, saying, “And those who were ready entered with him into the nuptials.” Thus those they who have lived here as brides shall become, as it were, wives in that place, dwelling together always. May those very brides, through their merits and prayers, lead you with them to that fellowship of the celestial marriage feast and to the eternal tabernacles, so that there you may reap eternal rewards through those women who here receive temporal goods from you, by the gift of their bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and glory, for ever. Amen.