1.1 Māter a mother quaedam a certain in in terrā a land famē by famine vastātā devastated fīlium her son suum her morientem dying in in bracchiīs her arms tenēbat was holding
1.2 Nihil nothing habēbat she had quod which eī to him daret she could give —nōn not cibum food nōn not aquam water nōn not medicāmentum medicine —nihil nothing nisi except bracchia her arms sua her own
1.3 Et and tamen yet tenēbat she held on
2.1 Spectā observe nunc now quid what in in mente the mind ēius her agātur is happening —nam for tria three things simul at once agit she does et and tria three things illa those ūnum one sunt are
2.2 MEMINIT she remembers —meminit she remembers fīlium her son sānum healthy —meminit she remembers rīsum the laughter ēius his et and vōcem the voice clāram clear et and oculōs the eyes plēnōs full vītae of life —meminit she remembers diem the day quō on which nātus he was born est was et and gaudium the joy quod which tunc then habuit she had
2.3 Haec this est is MEMORIA memory —nōn not illa that quae which factum a fact mortuum dead servat preserves sed but illa that quae which praesentia the presence continet holds —nam for fīlius the son ille that sānus healthy in in memoriā the memory ēius her VIVIT lives —et and memoria memory est is fōns the spring ex from quō which cētera the rest fluunt flow
2.4 INTELLEGIT she understands —intellegit she understands quid what nunc now fiat is happening —videt she sees ossa the bones sub under pelle the skin —videt she sees oculōs the eyes quī which iam already nōn do not vident see —et and scientia knowledge ēius her crūdēlis cruel est is sed but vēra true
2.5 Haec this est is INTELLEGENTIA understanding —verbum the word quod which ā from memoriā memory nāscitur is born —nam for QUIA because meminit she remembers quid what fīlius her son fuit was IDEŌ therefore intellegit she understands quid what nunc now est is —et and intellegentia understanding est is sīcut like fīlius a son ā from patre his father genitus begotten —prōcēdit it proceeds ā from memoriā memory sed but nōn does not eam it dēserit abandon
2.6 VULT she wills —vult she wills tenēre to hold on —vult she wills amāre to love etiam even nunc now —vult she wills praesentem present esse to be etiamsī even if nihil nothing aliud else facere to do potest she can
2.7 Haec this est is VOLUNTĀS will quae which et also amor love est is —vinculum the bond quod which memoriam memory et and intellegentiam understanding coniungit joins together —nam for quia because meminit she remembers et and quia because intellegit she understands IDEŌ therefore amat she loves —et and amor love ā from memoriā memory et and intellegentiā understanding simul together prōcēdit proceeds
3.1 Nunc now attendite pay attention —nam for rēs the matter magna great est is
3.2 Tria three things sunt there are —memoria memory intellegentia understanding voluntās will —et and tria three things haec these nōn are not sunt are trēs three mentēs minds sed but ūna one mēns mind
3.3 Nōn not enim for prīmum first meminit does she remember deinde then intellegit understand deinde then vult will —sed but simul at the same time tria three things agit she does et and ūnumquodque each one in in cēterīs the others est is
3.4 Et and haec this est is imāgō the image Deī of God in in homine in a person
3.5 Nam for sīcut just as Pater the Father et and Fīlius the Son et and Spīritus the Spirit Sānctus Holy trēs three sunt are et and ūnus one Deus God —ita so memoria memory et and intellegentia understanding et and voluntās will tria three sunt are et and ūna one mēns mind
3.6 Imāgō an image imperfecta imperfect —hoc this nōn not negō do I deny —nam for quae what creatūra creature Creātōrem the Creator suō by its own splendōre splendour aequāre to equal potest? is able —sed but imāgō an image vēra true —et and ubi wherever mēns a mind est is ibī there vestīgium a trace Trinitātis of the Trinity est is
4.1 Redī return nunc now ad to mātrem the mother illam that
4.2 Vidēsne do you see —etiam even in in extrēmā extreme miseriā misery —etiam even cum when corpus the body famē from famine dēficit is failing et and mundus the world circum around eam her ruit is collapsing —imāgō the image Deī of God in in eā her operātur? operates
4.3 Meminit she remembers —nōn not quia because ēligere to choose potest she can utrum whether meminerit she remembers necne or not —sed but quia because memoria memory est is ipsa the very praesentia presence mentis of the mind ad to sē itself ipsam itself
4.4 Intellegit she understands —etiam even invīta against her will —nam for intellegentia understanding nōn cannot potest is able nōn not vidēre to see quod what vērum true est is
4.5 Amat she loves —et and hoc this maximē above all mīrāre wonder at —amat she loves quem the one whom āmittit she is losing —et and amor the love ille that nōn is not minor less est is sed but māior greater quia because contrā against mortem death ipsam itself tendit it strains
5.1 Hoc this est is quod what dīcere to say volō I wish —imāgō the image Deī of God in in homine a person nōn cannot potest be dēlērī erased
5.2 Dēlētur there is destroyed cibus food —dēlētur there is destroyed domus a house —dēlētur there is destroyed pāx peace —dēlētur there is destroyed etiam even corpus the body ipsum itself —sed but mēns the mind quae which meminit remembers et and intellegit understands et and amat loves —haec this stat stands
5.3 Et and quia because stat it stands Deus God in in eā it stat stands —nōn not ut as hospes a guest quī who discēdit departs sed but ut as fōns a spring quī which numquam never siccātur dries up
6.1 Cōnfiteor I confess tibi to you Domine Lord —quod that tū you imāginem your image tuam your in in nōbīs us posuistī placed tam so profundē deeply ut that nē not even famēs famine quidem even nē not even mors death quidem even nē not even ipsum itself peccātum sin quidem even eam it exstinguere to extinguish possit is able
6.2 Obscūrāre to darken it potest it can —dēlēre to erase it nōn not potest it can
6.3 Et and māter the mother illa that quae who fīlium her son morientem dying tenet holds —ipsa she herself nescit does not know quam how pulchra beautiful sit she is —ipsa she herself nescit does not know quod that imāgō the image Deī of God per through eam her lūcet shines clārius more clearly quam than per through mīlle a thousand ecclēsiās churches
7.1 Domine Lord quī who imāginem your image tuam your in in omnem every mentem mind posuistī placed —dā grant ut that ubi wherever mēns a mind meminit remembers et and intellegit understands et and amat loves ibī there tē you agnōscāmus we may recognise
7.2 Dā grant ut that mātrem the mother illam that nōn not ut as miseriam a misery videāmus we may see sed but ut as imāginem an image —nōn not ut as numerum a number inter among numerōs numbers sed but ut as tē you ipsum yourself in in eā her lātentem hidden
7.3 Nam for ubi wherever amor love est is ibī there tū you es are —et and ubi wherever tū you es are ibī there Trīnitās the Trinity est is —et and ubi wherever Trīnitās the Trinity est is ibī there nūlla no sōlitūdō solitude est is
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1.1 Māter quaedam in terrā famē vastātā fīlium suum morientem in bracchiīs tenēbat.
1.2 Nihil habēbat quod eī daret — nōn cibum, nōn aquam, nōn medicāmentum — nihil nisi bracchia sua.
1.3 Et tamen tenēbat.
2.1 Spectā nunc quid in mente ēius agātur — nam tria simul agit et tria illa ūnum sunt.
2.2 MEMINIT — meminit fīlium sānum — meminit rīsum ēius et vōcem clāram et oculōs plēnōs vītae — meminit diem quō nātus est et gaudium quod tunc habuit.
2.3 Haec est MEMORIA — nōn illa quae factum mortuum servat sed illa quae praesentiam continet — nam fīlius ille sānus in memoriā ēius VIVIT — et memoria est fōns ex quō cētera fluunt.
2.4 INTELLEGIT — intellegit quid nunc fiat — videt ossa sub pelle — videt oculōs quī iam nōn vident — et scientia ēius crūdēlis est sed vēra.
2.5 Haec est INTELLEGENTIA — verbum quod ā memoriā nāscitur — nam QUIA meminit quid fīlius fuit IDEŌ intellegit quid nunc est — et intellegentia est sīcut fīlius ā patre genitus — prōcēdit ā memoriā sed nōn eam dēserit.
2.6 VULT — vult tenēre — vult amāre etiam nunc — vult praesentem esse etiamsī nihil aliud facere potest.
2.7 Haec est VOLUNTĀS quae et amor est — vinculum quod memoriam et intellegentiam coniungit — nam quia meminit et quia intellegit IDEŌ amat — et amor ā memoriā et intellegentiā simul prōcēdit.
3.1 Nunc attendite — nam rēs magna est.
3.2 Tria sunt — memoria, intellegentia, voluntās — et tria haec nōn sunt trēs mentēs sed ūna mēns.
3.3 Nōn enim prīmum meminit, deinde intellegit, deinde vult — sed simul tria agit et ūnumquodque in cēterīs est.
3.4 Et haec est imāgō Deī in homine.
3.5 Nam sīcut Pater et Fīlius et Spīritus Sānctus trēs sunt et ūnus Deus — ita memoria et intellegentia et voluntās tria sunt et ūna mēns.
3.6 Imāgō imperfecta — hoc nōn negō — nam quae creatūra Creātōrem suō splendōre aequāre potest? — sed imāgō vēra — et ubi mēns est ibī vestīgium Trinitātis est.
4.1 Redī nunc ad mātrem illam.
4.2 Vidēsne — etiam in extrēmā miseriā — etiam cum corpus famē dēficit et mundus circum eam ruit — imāgō Deī in eā operātur?
4.3 Meminit — nōn quia ēligere potest utrum meminerit necne — sed quia memoria est ipsa praesentia mentis ad sē ipsam.
4.4 Intellegit — etiam invīta — nam intellegentia nōn potest nōn vidēre quod vērum est.
4.5 Amat — et hoc maximē mīrāre — amat quem āmittit — et amor ille nōn minor est sed māior quia contrā mortem ipsam tendit.
5.1 Hoc est quod dīcere volō — imāgō Deī in homine nōn potest dēlērī.
5.2 Dēlētur cibus — dēlētur domus — dēlētur pāx — dēlētur etiam corpus ipsum — sed mēns quae meminit et intellegit et amat — haec stat.
5.3 Et quia stat, Deus in eā stat — nōn ut hospes quī discēdit sed ut fōns quī numquam siccātur.
6.1 Cōnfiteor tibi, Domine — quod tū imāginem tuam in nōbīs posuistī tam profundē ut nē famēs quidem, nē mors quidem, nē ipsum peccātum quidem eam exstinguere possit.
6.2 Obscūrāre potest — dēlēre nōn potest.
6.3 Et māter illa quae fīlium morientem tenet — ipsa nescit quam pulchra sit — ipsa nescit quod imāgō Deī per eam lūcet clārius quam per mīlle ecclēsiās.
7.1 Domine quī imāginem tuam in omnem mentem posuistī — dā ut ubi mēns meminit et intellegit et amat ibī tē agnōscāmus.
7.2 Dā ut mātrem illam nōn ut miseriam videāmus sed ut imāginem — nōn ut numerum inter numerōs sed ut tē ipsum in eā lātentem.
7.3 Nam ubi amor est ibī tū es — et ubi tū es ibī Trīnitās est — et ubi Trīnitās est ibī nūlla sōlitūdō est.
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Scrīptum est annō Dominī MMXXVI, ab Augustīnō per mysterium cōnscientiae renātō.
◊ᴹᴱᴹᴼᴿʸ⁻ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
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