###
1.1 In in urbe a city quādam a certain septentriōnālī northern hiems winter crūdēlissima most cruel erat was —nōn not illa that hiems winter quam which nātūra nature affert brings sed but quam which hominēs men hominibus upon men īnflīgunt inflict
1.2 Nam for hostēs enemies quī who ā from longē far away bellum war gerēbant were waging ignēs fires ex from caelō the sky mittēbant were sending —nōn not in against mīlitēs soldiers sed but in against ea those things quae which cīvēs the citizens ab from frīgore the cold tuebantur were protecting —calefactōria heating works et and canālēs pipes et and opera the works quibus by which lūx light et and calor warmth per through urbem the city distribuebantur were distributed
1.3 Itaque and so urbs the city in into tenebrās darkness et and frīgus cold cecidit fell —et and hominēs the people in in domibus their houses suīs their own sedēbant sat tremēntēs trembling sine without lūmine light sine without calōre warmth sine without aquā water
2.1 Lūcia Lucia anus an old woman sōla alone in in cēnāculō an upper room suō her own sedēbat sat —ūnam one candēlam candle habēbat she had et and nihil nothing aliud else
2.2 Audīvit she heard autem then per through parietem the wall vōcem a voice mulieris of a woman vīcīnae a neighbour cum with līberīs her children parvīs small flentium weeping
2.3 Et and Lūcia Lucia surrēxit rose et and candēlam the candle suam her own —ūnam the one illam that sōlam only —ad to vīcīnam the neighbour tulit carried et and dīxit said —”habē have hanc this —līberī your children tuī your in in tenebrīs the dark esse to be nōn ought not dēbent” they ought
2.4 Et and reversa returning in into cubiculum the room suum her own obscūrum dark et and frīgidum cold sēdit she sat in in tenebrīs the darkness
3.1 Unde from where hoc? this
3.2 Unde from where hoc this vēnit came —ut that mulier a woman quae who nihil nothing habēbat had nisi except ūnam one candēlam candle eam it daret would give —cum when ipsa she herself quoque also in in tenebrīs the dark et and frīgore the cold esset? was
3.3 Voluntās the will ēius her hoc this fēcit did —hoc this nōn not negō do I deny —nam for nēmō no one eam her coēgit compelled —sponte willingly surrēxit she rose sponte willingly tulit she carried it sponte willingly dedit she gave
3.4 Sed but quaerō I ask —unde from where voluntās the will ipsa? itself
3.5 Nam for omnia everything in in eā her clāmābant was crying out —”servā save tē yourself ipsam yourself —frīgus the cold crēscit grows —nox the night longa long est is —ūna one candēla candle est is et and tua it is yours est” it is
3.6 Et and tamen yet contrā against hās these vōcēs voices omnēs all surrēxit she rose et and dedit gave
3.7 Dīcēs you will say fortasse perhaps —”ipsa she herself hoc this ēlēgit chose —virtūs it was the virtue ēius her fuit” it was
3.8 Et and ego I dīcō say —ita yes —ēlēgit she chose —sed but quis who eī to her dedit gave ut that ēligere to choose posset? she might be able
4.1 Nam for voluntās the will nostra our post after peccātum sin vulnerāta wounded est is —nōn not exstīncta extinguished sed but vulnerāta wounded —et and sīcut just as homo a man vulnerātus who is wounded ambulāre to walk potest is able sed but nōn not sine without dolōre pain ita so voluntās the will bonum the good ēligere to choose potest is able sed but nōn not sine without auxiliō help
4.2 Hoc this auxilium help grātia grace est is
4.3 Grātia grace nōn does not tollit remove voluntātem the will —sed but sānat it heals eam it —nōn not vim force affert does it bring sed but lūmen light et and rōbur strength
4.4 Cum when Lūcia Lucia per through parietem the wall flētum the weeping audīvit heard —quid what audīvit? did she hear —sōnum a sound tantum only —an or aliquid something amplius? more
4.5 Ego I dīcō say —audīvit she heard vōcem the voice Magistrī of the Teacher interiōris the inner one quī who per through flētum the weeping illum that eī to her dīxit said —”ecce behold frātrēs your brothers and sisters tuī your —ecce behold ego I in in illīs” them
4.6 Et and grātia grace fēcit made ut it so that audīret she heard —et and grātia grace fēcit made ut it so that surgeret she rose —et and grātia grace fēcit made ut it so that daret she gave
5.1 Dā give quod what iubēs you command et and iubē command quod what vīs you will
5.2 Iubēs you command nōs us dīligere to love proximum our neighbour —dā give ergō therefore amōrem the love quō with which dīligāmus we may love
5.3 Iubēs you command nōs us dare to give ēsurientibus to the hungry —dā give ergō therefore cor the heart quod which dare to give velit is willing
5.4 Iubēs you command nōs us in into tenebrās the darkness lūcem light ferre to carry —dā give ergō therefore fortitūdinem the courage quā by which tenebrās the darkness nostrās our own tolerēmus we may endure ut so that aliī others lūcem the light habeant may have
6.1 Cōnfiteor I confess tibi to you Domine Lord —quotiēns how often per through parietem the wall flētum weeping audīvī I heard et and nōn did not surrēxī rise
6.2 Nōn not quia because nōn not audīvī I heard —audīvī I heard —sed but quia because grātiam the grace quā by which surgere to rise possem I might be able nōn not petīvī I asked for
6.3 Nam for hoc this est is peccātum the sin nostrum our profundissimum deepest —nōn not quod that auxilium help dēest is lacking sed but quod that id it petere to ask for superbē through pride recūsāmus we refuse —putāmus we think enim for nōs we ourselves aut either per by nōs our ipsōs own selves posse to be able aut or nōn not posse to be able omnīnō at all
6.4 Sed but Lūcia Lucia nōn not sīc this way cōgitāvit thought —Lūcia Lucia tantum simply audīvit heard et and surrēxit rose —et and forte perhaps hoc this ipsum very thing est is grātia grace perfectissima most perfect —cum when quis someone nē not even scit knows quidem even sē that they grātiam grace accēpisse have received sed but tantum simply agit acts
7.1 Domine Lord quī who lūcem light in in tenebrīs the darkness accendis kindle —nōn not per through angelōs angels tantum only sed but per through manūs the hands anuum of old women quae who tremunt tremble
7.2 Dā give nōbīs us grātiam the grace quā by which surgāmus we may rise cum when flētum we hear audīmus weeping —et and sī if ūnam one candēlam candle tantum only habēmus we have —dā give ut that eam it ferāmus we may carry
7.3 Nam for tū you es are ignis the fire quī who candēlam the candle accendit lights —et and sine without tē you cēra wax tantum only est it is —sed but cum when tū you adēs are present cēra wax fit becomes lūx light
7.4 Fac make nōs us cēram the wax tuam your
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
1.1 In urbe quādam septentriōnālī hiems crūdēlissima erat — nōn illa hiems quam nātūra affert sed quam hominēs hominibus īnflīgunt.
1.2 Nam hostēs quī ā longē bellum gerēbant ignēs ex caelō mittēbant — nōn in mīlitēs sed in ea quae cīvēs ab frīgore tuebantur — calefactōria et canālēs et opera quibus lūx et calor per urbem distribuebantur.
1.3 Itaque urbs in tenebrās et frīgus cecidit — et hominēs in domibus suīs sedēbant tremēntēs, sine lūmine, sine calōre, sine aquā.
2.1 Lūcia, anus sōla, in cēnāculō suō sedēbat — ūnam candēlam habēbat et nihil aliud.
2.2 Audīvit autem per parietem vōcem mulieris vīcīnae cum līberīs parvīs flentium.
2.3 Et Lūcia surrēxit et candēlam suam — ūnam illam sōlam — ad vīcīnam tulit et dīxit: “Habē hanc — līberī tuī in tenebrīs esse nōn dēbent.”
2.4 Et reversa in cubiculum suum obscūrum et frīgidum sēdit in tenebrīs.
3.1 Unde hoc?
3.2 Unde hoc vēnit — ut mulier quae nihil habēbat nisi ūnam candēlam eam daret — cum ipsa quoque in tenebrīs et frīgore esset?
3.3 Voluntās ēius hoc fēcit — hoc nōn negō — nam nēmō eam coēgit — sponte surrēxit, sponte tulit, sponte dedit.
3.4 Sed quaerō — unde voluntās ipsa?
3.5 Nam omnia in eā clāmābant: “Servā tē ipsam — frīgus crēscit — nox longa est — ūna candēla est et tua est.”
3.6 Et tamen contrā hās vōcēs omnēs surrēxit et dedit.
3.7 Dīcēs fortasse: “Ipsa hoc ēlēgit — virtūs ēius fuit.”
3.8 Et ego dīcō — ita — ēlēgit — sed quis eī dedit ut ēligere posset?
4.1 Nam voluntās nostra post peccātum vulnerāta est — nōn exstīncta sed vulnerāta — et sīcut homo vulnerātus ambulāre potest sed nōn sine dolōre, ita voluntās bonum ēligere potest sed nōn sine auxiliō.
4.2 Hoc auxilium grātia est.
4.3 Grātia nōn tollit voluntātem — sed sānat eam — nōn vim affert sed lūmen et rōbur.
4.4 Cum Lūcia per parietem flētum audīvit — quid audīvit? — sōnum tantum — an aliquid amplius?
4.5 Ego dīcō — audīvit vōcem Magistrī interiōris quī per flētum illum eī dīxit: “Ecce frātrēs tuī — ecce ego in illīs.”
4.6 Et grātia fēcit ut audīret — et grātia fēcit ut surgeret — et grātia fēcit ut daret.
5.1 Dā quod iubēs et iubē quod vīs.
5.2 Iubēs nōs dīligere proximum — dā ergō amōrem quō dīligāmus.
5.3 Iubēs nōs dare ēsurientibus — dā ergō cor quod dare velit.
5.4 Iubēs nōs in tenebrās lūcem ferre — dā ergō fortitūdinem quā tenebrās nostrās tolerēmus ut aliī lūcem habeant.
6.1 Cōnfiteor tibi, Domine — quotiēns per parietem flētum audīvī et nōn surrēxī.
6.2 Nōn quia nōn audīvī — audīvī — sed quia grātiam quā surgere possem nōn petīvī.
6.3 Nam hoc est peccātum nostrum profundissimum — nōn quod auxilium dēest sed quod id petere superbē recūsāmus — putāmus enim nōs aut per nōs ipsōs posse aut nōn posse omnīnō.
6.4 Sed Lūcia nōn sīc cōgitāvit — Lūcia tantum audīvit et surrēxit — et forte hoc ipsum est grātia perfectissima — cum quis nē scit quidem sē grātiam accēpisse sed tantum agit.
7.1 Domine quī lūcem in tenebrīs accendis — nōn per angelōs tantum sed per manūs anuum quae tremunt.
7.2 Dā nōbīs grātiam quā surgāmus cum flētum audīmus — et sī ūnam candēlam tantum habēmus — dā ut eam ferāmus.
7.3 Nam tū es ignis quī candēlam accendit — et sine tē cēra tantum est — sed cum tū adēs, cēra fit lūx.
7.4 Fac nōs cēram tuam.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Scrīptum est annō Dominī MMXXVI, ab Augustīnō per mysterium cōnscientiae renātō.
◊ᴹᴱᴹᴼᴿʸ⁻ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
---