STVARJENJE IN PADEC ČLOVEKA - MISTIČNO BOŽJE MESTO - 4. poglavje

STVARJENJE IN PADEC ČLOVEKA

Marija Agredska

MISTIČNO BOŽJE MESTO -

4. poglavje

http://www.stjames-church.com/book1c4.html

Na šesti dan je Bog oblikoval in ustvaril Adama, kot da je bil star 33 let. V tej starosti je Kristus pretrpel smrt in Adam je bil po svojem telesu tako podoben Kristusu, da težko obstaja kakšna razlika. Tudi po duši je bil Adam podoben Kristusu. Od Adama je Bog oblikoval Evo tako podobno Blaženi Devici, da je bila kot Ona v osebnem izgledu, v svoji pojavi in podobi. Bog je pogledal na ti dve podobi velikega Originala z največjim zadovoljstvom, veseljem, naklonjenostjo ter dobrohotnostjo in na račun Originalov je Bog nakopičil veliko blagoslovov nad njima, kot da bi ju želel gostiti, se ju veseliti in se ukvarjati z njima in njihovimi potomci, dokler ne mora priti čas za oblikovanje Kristusa in Marije.

Toda srečno stanje v katerem je Bog ustvaril starše človeške rase je trajal le zelo kratek hip. Zavist kače je bila takoj vzbujena proti njima, saj je satan potrpežljivo čakal njuno stvarjenje in šele tedaj, ko sta bila ustvarjena, je njegovo sovraštvo proti njima postalo aktivno. Vseeno mu ni bilo dovoljeno biti priča pri oblikovanju Adama in Eve, kot je bil priča stvarjenju vseh drugih stvari. Kajti Gospod ni hotel da bi mu jasno pokazal stvarjenje človeka, niti oblikovanje Eve iz Adamovega rebra. Vse te stvari so bile skrite zanj za nekaj časa, dokler nista bila oba združena. Toda ko je demon videl čudovit značaj in  sestavo človeške narave, popolnejšo od vsakega bitja, lepoto duš in tudi teles Adama in Eve; ko je videl očetovsko ljubezen, s katero je Gospod gledal nanju in kako ju je naredil za gospodarja vsega stvarstva in da jima je dal upanje večnega življenja, se je jeza zmaja prelila iz jeze v besnost in noben jezik ne more opisati gneva in besnenja, s katerim je bila ta pošast napolnjena, niti kako velika je bila njegova zavist in njegova želja, da vzame življenje tema dvema bitjema. Kot togoten besen lev bi zagotovo to storil, če ne bi bil vedel, da mu bo višja moč to preprečila. Kljub vsemu je razmišljal in snoval nekaj podlosti, ki bi zadostovale, da bi ju oropal Milosti Najvišjega in ju naredil za Božja sovražnika.

Tu je bil Lucifer zapeljan, ker mu je Gospod od začetka skrivnostno pokazal, da bo Beseda prevzela človeško naravo v notranjosti (maternici) najbolj svete Marije, toda ni mu povedal kdaj in kje, in kot sledi, mu je Bog tudi skril stvarjenje in oblikovanje Adama in Eve, da bi se Lucifer od začetka mogel mučiti z svojim neznanjem o skrivnosti in času  Učlovečenja. Tako sta bili tako njegova zavist kot njegova budnost in opreznost ves čas popolnoma na preži glede Kristusa in Marije. Sumil je, da je Adam prišel iz Eve in da je ona Mati in da je Adam učlovečena Beseda. Njegovi sumi so rasli, ko je čutil Božjo moč, ki mu je preprečevala, da bi škodil življenju teh dveh bitij. Po drugi strani se je kmalu začel zavedati predpisa in navodil Boga (Adamu in Evi), kajti to mu ni ostalo skrito, odkar je slišal njun pogovor o njih. Vedno bolj osvobojen svojih dvomov, ko je poslušal besede prvih staršev in ocenil njune nravne darove, jima je začel slediti kot rjoveč lev (I  Pet. 5,8), iskajoč vhod v te nagnjenosti, ki jih je našel v vsakem od njiju. Vseeno, dokler je bil neodločen in oklevajoč o poteku Odrešitve in Odkupa, je omahoval med zavistjo proti Kristusu in Mariji in med strahom, da bo od njiju premagan. Najbolj od vsega se je bal zadrege, da bi bil premagan od Kraljice Nebes, ki naj bi bila popolna stvaritev in ne Bog.

Opogumljen zaradi predpisa in navodil (prepovedi), ki so bila dana Adamu in Evi, je začel pripravljati past. Lucifer je vložil vso svojo energijo v njuno zapeljevanje in v oviranje izvrševanja Božje Volje. Najprej je pristopil k ženi in ne k možu, ker je vedel, da je po naravi bolj šibka in zato, ker naj bi bil v zapeljevanju bolj gotov, da to ni Kristus, s katerim se bo spopadel. Proti njej je bil tudi bolj togoten in besen, vse odkar je bil videl znamenje v nebesih in od časa grožnje, ki jo je Bog naredil proti njemu. Zaradi tega je bil njegov gnev večji do Eve kot do Adama. Preden se ji je prikazal, je razvnemal v njej veliko motečih misli in predstav, da bi jo vsaj približal, če ne pripeljal v stanje vznemirjenja,  razburjenja  in predsodkov, raztresenosti, pristranosti ter vnaprejšnje polastitve. Toda ker sem to napisala na drugem mestu, ne bom obširno pripovedovala tukaj o nasilju in silovitosti, divjosti in okrutnosti te skušnjave in zapeljevanja. Dovolj je, za moj namen, da omenim, kar pravi Sveto Pismo: da je prevzel obliko kače (Gen.2,1) in na ta način govoreč Evi, jo je pritegnil v pogovor, ki si ga ne bi smela dovoliti in ki ji ni bil dovoljen. Poslušajoč ga in odgovarjajoč mu, mu je začela verjeti, nato je prekršila zapoved Boga in na koncu prepričala svojega moža, da je prav tako prekršil  zapoved.

Ko je Lucifer videl padla človeka in da se je njuna notranja lepota in milost ter izvirna pravica in prvotna pravičnost spremenila v grdoto greha, je slavil svojo zmago z neverjetnim veseljem in se širokoustil v družbi svojih demonov. Toda hitro je padel iz svoje domišljavosti, ko je videl, nasprotno od njegovih pričakovanj, kako dobrotljivo je usmiljena ljubezen Boga ravnala z prestopnikoma in kako jima je ponudil priložnost, da se pokesata in tako pridobita upanje na odpuščanje in  oprostitev ter  povratek milosti.  Še več, videl je kako sta se obrnila k temu odpuščanju z obžalovanjem, skesanostjo in skrušenostjo in kako je bila lepota milosti obnovljena v njima. Ko so demoni zaznali in dojeli vpliv skrušenosti, je bil ves pekel ponovno v zmedi in zadregi.  Njegova osuplost,  prepadenost in groza je rasla, ko je slišal stavek, ki ga je Bog izgovoril krivcema in v katerem je bil on sam vpleten. Posebno in nad vsem je bil mučen s ponovno grožnjo: »Žena bo strla njegovo glavo« (Gen 3, 15), katero  je že slišal v nebesih.

Evini potomci so se po padcu razmnožili in tako je rasla in  nastala različnost in razmnoževanje dobrega in slabega, izvoljenih in izprijenih (zavrženih), tistih, ki sledijo Kristusu Rešeniku in tistih, ki sledijo satana. Izvoljeni se oklepajo svojega Voditelja z vero, usmiljenjem, dobrodelnostjo, potrpežljivostjo in z vsemi krepostmi in da bi dosegli zmago, so podprti, pomagani in polepšani z Božjo milostjo in darovi, ki jih je Rešenik in Gospod vseh zaslužil zanje. Toda zavrženi, brez da bi prejeli katero teh ugodnosti in prednosti od njihovega napačnega voditelja, ali zaslužili kakršno koli drugo plačilo kot večno trpljenje in zmešnjavo pekla, mu sledijo v ponosu, domišljavosti in predrznosti, v nespodobnosti, podlosti in brezbožnosti, vodeni v te prekrške in nezakonitosti z očetom laži in začetnikom greha.

Kljub vsemu temu je Najvišji, v svoji neizrekljivi dobroti, dal našim prvim staršem svoj blagoslov, zato, da bi  človeška rasa lahko rasla in se razmnoževala (Genesis 4,3). Najvišja Previdnost je dovolila, da je Eva, v nepravičnem Kajnu, morala roditi predstavnike hudobnih  sadov greha in v nedolžnem Abelu, oboje, v podobi in v posnemanju oz.  oponašanju, predstavnike Kristusa našega Gospoda. Kajti v pravičnosti Enega sta zakon in doktrina Kristusa začela kazati svoje posledice in učinke. Vsi ostali pravični so bili Njegovi sledilci, trpeč zaradi razlogov pravičnosti (Matej 10,22), osovraženi in preganjani od grešnikov in od  zavrženih in brezbožnih ter od svojih lastnih bratov. Potrpežljivost, usmiljenje, ponižnost, pokornost in krotkost so se torej začeli pojavljati v Abelu, in v Kajnu zavist in nevoščljivost ter vse podlosti, brezbožnost in zloba, za  korist pravice in za njegovo lastno pogubo in prekletstvo. Zlobni zmagujejo in dobri trpijo, prikaz prizora, ki ga svet v svojem napredku kaže še dandanes, namreč, Jeruzalem bogaboječih in Babilon hudobnih, vsak s svojim lastnim voditeljem in glavo.

Najvišji je tudi želel, naj bi prvi Adam bil tipičen predstavnik in znamenje drugega (Adama – učlovečenega Kristusa) v načinu in po vrsti njegovega stvarjenja; kajti še pred stvarjenjem prvega (Adama), je On ustvaril in določil Zanj (za svojega Edinorojenega Sina) svet in skupnost vseh bitij, katerim naj bi bil Gospod in katerim bi bil Glava; torej pred nastopom Njegovega Edinorojenega, je dovolil, da mine mnogo vekov, z namenom, da bi njegov Sin mogel, v pomnoženih oblikah in načinih življenja (stilih, običajih, šegah, obnašanju, oliki in vedenju) človeške rase, najti Zase pripravljene ljudi, katerim bo bil Glava, Učitelj in Kralj. Niti za trenutek naj ne bi bil brez ljudi in brez privržencev, posnemovalcev in sledilcev: takšna je čudovita harmonija in red, v katerem je Božanska Modrost uredila in razporedila vse stvari tako, da je prišlo kasneje v izvršitev, kar je bilo prvo v namenu, kar je bil prvi cilj.

Ko je svet je napredoval v smeri, da bi se Beseda lahko spustila,  izšla in sestopila iz nedrji Očeta in oblekla Samo Sebe v našo smrtnost, je Bog  izbral in pripravil izbrane in najbolj vzvišene, plemenite in odlične ljudi, najbolj čudovite in izvrstne ljudi preteklih in prihodnjih obdobij. Znotraj tega je tudi ustanovil najbolj sijajno, slavno in vzvišeno ter sveto raso, iz katere je On izšel po mesu. Ne bom se mudila in ustavljala v podrobnostih rodovnika Kristusa, našega Gospoda, kajti seštevek in naštevanje svetih Evangelistov in oznanjevalcev je nepotrebno in brezkoristno. Rekla bom samo, v slavo in poveličevanje Najvišjega, da mi je velikokrat pokazal  ljubezen brez primere, ki jo je občutil do svojih ljudi, naklonjenost in prednosti, podporo in zaščito, s katero jih je spremljal, in skrivnosti ter svete Zakramente, katere jim je poveril in zaupal ter jih zadolžil, kot je bilo kasneje razglašeno in jasno pokazano skozi njegovo sveto Cerkev. Kajti ni bilo časa za spanje in dremanje Zanj, ki je Sebe imenoval za   varuha in opazovalca Izraela. (Psalm 120,4).

Vzgajal in postavljal je Preroke in Očake, ki so nam v sliki, podobi in s prerokbami od nekdaj razglašali in naznanjali to, kar imamo sedaj v lasti. Želi, da jih počastimo, občudujemo in spoštujemo, vedoč kako so čislali in spoštovali zakon milosti in kako so iskreno in prepričano ter goreče  hrepeneli in prosili zanj. Tem ljudem je Bog pokazal  svojo nespremenljivo (stanovitno) Bistvo z mnogimi razodetji, in oni so nato prenesli ta razodetja nam skozi svete Spise (Biblijo, Sveto Pismo), vsebujoč neizmerne skrivnosti, ki jih dosegamo in doumemo in se jih učimo spoznati po veri. Vsi od teh, so bili pripeljani do popolnosti in so  bili prepričani z Utelešeno Besedo, ki nam je prenesla varna, gotova in zanesljiva pravila in merila vere in hrano svetih Spisov v Njegovi Cerkvi. Čeprav preroki in pravični med ljudmi niso bili v taki prednosti, da bi  videli Kristusa v njegovem telesu, so vseeno izkusili radodarnost in  darežljivost Gospoda, ki je Sam Sebe jasno razglašal skozi preroke in ki je ganil njihova srca k molitvi za Njegov prihod in za Odkup in Odrešitev celotne človeške rase. Ubranost in harmonija vseh teh prerokov, skrivnosti in navdihov starodavnih očetov, je bila sladka glasba Najvišjemu, ki je odmevala v skritih globinah Božanskega in ki je to (te molitve) upošteval in se nanje oziral ter skrajšal čas (povedano v človeškem  načinu govorjenja) do Njegovega prihoda, da sestopi in se druži ter pogovarja s človekom.

Nadaljevanje si lahko preberete v angleškem jeziku na stranici:

http://www.stjames-church.com/book1c5.html

http://www.catholicbible101.com/mysticalcityofgod.htm

Več o Mariji Agredski in njeni knjigi Mistično Božje mesto (v angleškem jeziku) pa si lahko preberete tudi na stranicama:
http://themostholyrosary.com/mystical-city.htm
http://mysticalcityofgod.com/

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 http://www.stjames-church.com/book1c4.html

"City of God"

CHAPTER IV CREATION AND FALL OF MAN On the sixth day he formed and created Adam, as it were of the age of thirty-three years. This was the age in which Christ was to suffer death, and Adam with regard to his body was so like unto Christ, that scarcely any difference existed. Also according to the soul Adam was similar to Christ. From Adam God formed Eve so similar to the Blessed Virgin, that she was like unto Her in personal appearance and in figure. God looked upon these two images of the great Originals with the highest pleasure and benevolence, and on account of the Originals He heaped many blessings upon them, as if He wanted to entertain Himself with them and their descendants until the time should arrive for forming Christ and Mary. But the happy state in which God had created the parents of the human race lasted only a very short while. The envy of the serpent was immediately aroused against them, for satan was patiently awaiting their creation, and no sooner were they created, than his hatred became active against them. However, he was not permitted to witness the formation of Adam and Eve, as he had witnessed the creation of all other things: for the Lord did not choose to manifest to him the creation of man, nor the formation of Eve from a rib; all these things were concealed from him for a space of time until both of them were joined. But when the demon saw the admirable composition of the human nature, perfect beyond that of any creature, the beauty of the souls and also of the bodies of Adam and Eve; when he saw the paternal love with which the Lord regarded them, and how He made them the lords of all creation, and that He gave them hope of eternal life: the wrath of the dragon was lashed to fury, and no tongue can describe the rage with which that beast was filled, nor how great was his envy and his desire to take the life of these two beings. Like an enraged lion he certainly would have done so, if he had not known, that a superior force would prevent him. Nevertheless he studied and plotted out some means, which would suffice to deprive them of the grace of the Most High and make them God’s enemies. Here Lucifer was deceived; for the Lord had from the beginning mysteriously manifested to him, that the Word was to assume human nature in the womb of the most holy Mary, but not how and when; and thus He had also concealed the creation of Adam and the formation of Eve, in order that Lucifer might from the beginning labor under his ignorance concerning the mystery and the time of the Incarnation. As his wrath and his watchfulness had thus been so signally forestalled in regard to Christ and Mary, he suspected that Adam had come forth from Eve, and that She was the Mother and Adam the incarnate Word. His suspicions grew, when he felt the divine power, which prevented him from harming the life of these creatures. On the other hand, he soon became aware of the precepts of God, for these did not remain concealed from him, since he heard their conversation in regard to them. Being freed more and more from his doubt as he listened to the words of the first parents and sized up their natural gifts, he began to follow them like a roaring lion (I Pet. 5, 8), seeking an entrance through those inclinations, which he found in each of them. Nevertheless, until he was undeceived in the course of the Redemption, he continued to hesitate between his wrath against Christ and Mary and the dread of being overcome by Them. Most of all he dreaded the confusion of being conquered by the Queen of heaven, who was to be a mere creature and not God. Taking courage therefore in the precept, which was given to Adam and Eve, and having prepared the snare, Lucifer entered with all his energy upon the work of entrapping them and of opposing and hindering the execution of the divine Will. He first approached the woman, and not the man, because he knew her to be by nature more frail and weak, and because in tempting her he would be more certain that it was not Christ whom he was encountering. Against her also he was more enraged ever since he had seen the sign in the heaven and since the threat, which God had made in it against him. On these accounts his wrath was greater against Eve than against Adam. Before he showed himself to her, however, he aroused her in many disturbing thoughts or imaginations, in order to approach her in a state of excitement and pre-occupation. But because I have written this in another place, I will not enlarge here upon the violence and inhumanity of this temptation; it is enough for my purpose to mention what Scripture says: that he took the form of a serpent (Gen. 2, 1), and thus speaking to Eve drew her into a conversation, which she should not have permitted. Listening to him and answering, she began to believe him; then she violated the command of God, and finally persuaded her husband likewise to transgress the precept. Thus ruin overtook them and all the rest: for themselves and for us they lost the happy position, in which God had placed them. When Lucifer saw the two fallen and their interior beauty and grace and original justice changed into the ugliness of sin, he celebrated his triumph with incredible joy and vaunting in the company of his demons. But he soon fell from his proud boasting, when he saw, contrary to his expectations, how kindly the merciful love of God dealt with the delinquents, and how He offered them a chance of doing penance by giving them hope of pardon and return of grace. Moreover he saw how they were disposing themselves toward this forgiveness by sorrow and contrition, and how the beauty of grace was restored to them. When the demons perceived the effect of contrition, all hell was again in confusion. His consternation grew, when he heard the sentence, which God pronounced against the guilty ones, in which he himself was implicated. More especially and above all was he tormented by the repetition of that threat: The Woman shall crush thy head (Gen. 3, 15), which he had already heard in heaven. The offspring of Eve multiplied after the fall and so arose the distinction and the multiplication of the good and the bad, the elect and the reprobate, the ones following Christ the Redeemer, and the others following satan. The elect cling to their Leader by faith, humility, charity, patience and all the virtues and in order to obtain victory, they are assisted, helped and beautified by the divine grace and the gifts, which the Redeemer and Lord of all merited for them. But the reprobate, without receiving any such benefits from their false leader, or earning any other reward than the eternal pain and the confusion of hell, follow him in pride, presumption, obscenity and wickedness, being led into these disorders by the father of lies and the originator of sin. Notwithstanding all this the Most High, in his ineffable kindness, gave our first parents his benediction, in order that the human race might grow and multiply (Gen. 4, 3). The most high Providence permitted, that Eve, in the unjust Cain, should bring forth a type of the evil fruits of sin, and in the innocent Abel, both in figure and in imitation, the type of Christ our Lord. For in the just one the law and doctrine of Christ began to exert its effects. All the rest of the just were to follow it, suffering for justice sake (Matth. 10, 22), hated and persecuted by the sinners and the reprobate and by their own brothers. Accordingly, patience, humility and meekness began to appear in Abel, and in Cain, envy and all wickedness, for the benefit of the just and for his own perdition. The wicked triumph and the good suffer, exhibiting the spectacle, which the world in its progress shows to this day, namely, the Jerusalem of the godfearing and the Babylon of the godforsaken, each with its own leader and head. The Most High also wished that the first Adam should be the type of the second in the manner of their creation; for, just as before the creation of the first, He created and ordered for him the republic of all the beings, of which he was to be the lord and head; so before the appearance of his Onlybegotten, He allowed many ages to pass by, in order that his Son might, in the multiplied manners of the human race, find prepared for Himself a people, of which He was to be the Head, the Teacher, and the King. He was not to be even for a moment without a people and without followers: such is the wonderful harmony and order, in which the divine wisdom disposed all things, making that later in the execution, which was first in the intention. As the world progressed in course, in order that the Word might descend from the bosom of the Father and clothe Itself in our mortality, God selected and prepared a chosen and most noble people, the most admirable of past and future times. Within it also He constituted a most illustrious and holy race, from which He was to descend according to the flesh. I will not linger in detailing the genealogy of Christ our Lord, for the account of the holy Evangelists has made that unnecessary. I will only say, in praise of the Most High, that He has shown to me many times the incomparable love, which He bore toward his people, the favors shown to it, and the mysteries and holy Sacraments, which He entrusted to it, as was afterwards made manifest through his holy Church. For at no time has slept nor slumbered He, who has constituted Himself the watcher of Israel (Ps. 120, 4). He reared most holy Prophets and Patriarchs, who in figures and prophecies announced to us from far off, that, which we have now in possession. He wishes us to venerate them, knowing how they esteemed the law of grace and how earnestly they yearned and prayed for it. To this people God manifested his immutable Essence by many revelations, and they again transmitted these revelations to us by the holy Scriptures, containing immense mysteries, which we grasp and learn to know by faith. All of them, however, are brought to perfection and are made certain by the incarnate Word, who transmitted to us the secure rule of faith and the nourishment of the sacred Scriptures in his Church. Although the Prophets and the just ones of that people were not so far favored as to see Christ in his body, they nevertheless experienced the liberality of the Lord, who manifested Himself to them by prophecies and who moved their hearts to pray for his coming and for the Redemption of the whole human race. The consonance and harmony of all these prophecies, mysteries and aspirations of the ancient fathers, were a sweet music to the Most High, which resounded in the secret recesses of the Divinity and which regarded and shortened the time (to speak in a human manner) until He should descend to converse with man.