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divine vocation, even though you must respect him, do not follow his counsel.a
18But as a poor virgin
embrace the poor Christ.
19Look upon Him Who became contemptible for you,
and follow Him, making yourself contemptible in this world
for Him.
20Most noble Queen,
gaze,
consider,
contemplate
desiring to imitate Your Spouse,
[Who] though more beautiful than the children of men became, for your salvation, the lowest of men, was despised, struck, scourged untold times throughout His entire body, and then died amid the suffering of the Cross.b
21If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him.
weeping with Him, you will rejoice with Him;
dying on the cross of tribulation with Him,
you will possess heavenly mansions with Him
among the splendor of the saints
22and in the Book of Life your name will be called glorious among
the peoples.
23Because of this you shall share always and forever the glory of the kingdom of heaven in place of what is earthly and passing, and everlasting treasures instead of those that perish, and you shall live forever and ever.
24Farewell, most dear Sister and Lady, because of the Lord, your Spouse; 25commend me and my sisters to the Lord in your fervent prayers, for we rejoice in the good things the Lord works in you through His grace. 26Remember us warmly to your sisters as well.
- This may be a veiled reference to the letter of May 18, 1235, Cum relicta saeculi, in which Pope Gregory IX permitted Agnes to accept the possessions and revenues for the support of her monastery, cf. BF I, 156. Whatever the case, it echoes a final counsel of St. Francis for the Poor Ladies: “. . . keep most careful watch that you never depart from this [most holy life and poverty] by reason of the teaching or advice of anyone” (cf. RCI 6:7-9).
- These may be considered steps of prayer: intuere [gazing upon] the poor crucified Christ, considera [considering], and contemplare [contemplating] Him. Throughout all these expressions of prayer, the desire to imitate the poverty of Christ is present. The same formula also appears in a more complete way in Clare’s Fourth Letter to Agnes of Prague 54-58.
Epistola Ad Sanctam Agnetem De Praga II, Fontes Franciscani, p. 2270-2271
17Si quis vero aliud tibi dixerit, aliud tibi suggesserit, quod perfectionem tuam impediat, quod vocationi divinae contrarium videatur, etsi debeas venerari, nolitamen eius consilium imitari,
18sed pauperem Christum,
virgo pauper, amplectere.
19Vide contemptibilem pro te factum et sequere,facta pro ipso contemptibilis in hoc mundo. 20Sponsum tuum prae filiis hominum speciosum, pro salute tua factum virorum vilissimum, despectum, percussum et toto corpore multipliciter flagellatum, inter ipsas crucis angustias morientem, regina praenobilis, intuere, considera, contemplare, desiderans imitari.
21Cui Si compateris conregnabis,
condolens congaudebis,
in cruce tribulationis commoriens
cum ipso in sanctorum splendoribus
mansiones aethereas possidebis,
22et nomen tuum in libro (vitae) notabitur
futurum inter homines gloriosum.
23Propter quod in aeternum et in saeculum saeculi regni caelestis gloriam pro terrenis et transitoriis, aeterna bona pro perituris participes et vives in saecula saeculorum.
24Vale, carissima soror et domina, propter Dominum tuum sponsum; 25et me cum sororibus meis, quae gaudemus de bonis Domini, quae in te per suam gratiam, operatur, stude tuis devotis orationibus Domino commendare. 26Sororibus etiam tuis nos plurimum recommenda.