Of the day of eternity and of the straitnesses of this life
1. Oh most blessed mansion of the City which is above! Oh most clear day of eternity which the night obscures not, but the Supreme Truth ever enlightens! Day always joyful, always secure and never changing its state into those which are contrary. Oh would that this day might shine forth, and that all these temporal things would come to an end. It shines indeed upon the Saints, glowing with unending brightness, but only from afar and through a glass, upon those who are pilgrims on the earth.
2. The citizens of heaven know how glorious that day is; the exiled sons of Eve groan, because this is bitter and wearisome. The days of this life are few and evil, full of sorrows and straits, where man is defiled with many sins, ensnared with many passions, bound fast with many fears, wearied with many cares, distracted with many questionings, entangled with many vanities, compassed about with many errors, worn away with many labors, weighed down with temptations, enervated by pleasures, tormented by poverty.
3. Oh when shall there be an end of these evils? When shall I be delivered from the wretched slavery of my sins? When shall I be mindful, O Lord, of You alone? When shall I rejoice in You to the full? When shall I be in true liberty without any impediment, without any burden on mind or body? When shall there be solid peace, peace immovable and secure, peace within and without, peace firm on every side? Blessed Jesus, when shall I stand to behold You? When shall I gaze upon the glory of Your kingdom? When shall You be to me all in all? Oh when shall I be with You in Your Kingdom which You have prepared from the foundation of the world for them that love You? I am left destitute, an exile in a hostile land, where are daily wars and grievous misfortunes.
4. Console my exile, mitigate my sorrow, for towards You all my desire longs. For all is to me a burden, whatsoever this world offers for consolation. I yearn to enjoy You intimately, but I cannot attain unto it. I long to cleave to heavenly things, but temporal things and unmortified passions press me down. In my mind I would be above all things, but in my flesh I am unwillingly compelled to be beneath them. So, wretched man that I am, I fight with myself, and am made grievous even unto myself, while the spirit seeks to be above and the flesh to be beneath.
5. Oh how I suffer inwardly, while with the mind I discourse on heavenly things, and presently a crowd of carnal things rush upon me while I pray. My God, be not You far from me, nor depart in wrath from Your servant. Cast forth Your lightning and scatter them; send out Your arrows, and let all delusions of my enemy be confounded. Recall my senses unto Yourself, cause me to forget all worldly things; grant me quickly to cast away and despise the imaginations of sin. Succour me, O Eternal Truth, that no vanity may move me. Come unto me, O Heavenly Sweetness, and let all impurity flee from before Your face. Pardon me also, and of Your mercy deal gently with me, whensoever in prayer I think on anything besides You; for truly I confess that I am wont to be continually distracted. For often and often, where in the body I stand or sit, there I myself am not; but rather am I there, whither I am borne by my thoughts. Where my thought is, there am I; and there commonly is my thought where that which I love is. That readily occurs to me, which naturally delights, or pleases through custom.
6. Wherefore You, who are the Truth, has plainly said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If I love heaven, I gladly meditate on heavenly things. If I love the world, I rejoice in the delights of the world, and am made sorry by its adversities. If I love the flesh, I am continually imagining the things which belong to the flesh; if I love the spirit, I am delighted by meditating on spiritual things. For whatsoever things I love, on these I readily converse and listen, and carry home with me the images of them. But blessed is that man who for Your sake, O Lord, is willing to part from all creatures; who does violence to his fleshly nature and crucifies the lusts of the flesh by the fervor of his spirit, so that with serene conscience he may offer unto You a pure prayer, and be made worthy to enter into the angelic choirs, having shut out from himself, both outwardly and inwardly, all worldly things.
IMAGE: John Martin, The City of God and the Waters of Life (c. 1851)
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