Undusted Texts

One of the greatest mystical poems of the Spanish Golden Age is the anonymous "Sonnet to Christ Crucified."  At one time or another, it has been attributed to practically every important spiritual writer of the time; one of the strongest cases is for St. John of Ávila (1500-1569), as some lines in his authentic works come very close to the themes and language of the poem. Over a decade ago , I posted the Spanish text and an English translation: the translation was off in a few spots, and it certainly did not flow as a poem.   The translation below certainly wouldn't pass scansion as a traditional English poem, and i have forgone attempts to match the Spanish rhyme scheme, but I think it has a rhythm of its own, and it gives a much better sense of the original poem than my translation a decade ago.  The odd syntax (where the verb "move" comes before its varied subjects) reflects the syntax of the Spanish original. Moves me not, my Lord, to love You the Heaven Yo...

 Introduction St. Simón de Rojas (1552-1624) was a Spanish Trinitarian priest.  After studying in Valladolid and Salamanca, he taught theology in Toledo before becoming a superior to various Trinitarian monasteries.  He also served at the Spanish court, as confessor to Queen Margaret and Queen Isabel, as well as preceptor to the Spanish princes.  He is known for his fervent devotion to Mary, being dubbed "Apostle of the Ave Maria ."  He was canonized in 1988, just before the close of the Marian Year. His life was mostly taken up with apostolic work; he left a handful of shorter writings, as well as one major work, the Treatise on Prayer and Its Grandeurs , left in manuscript upon his death and not published until 1939.  The below work is a collection of sayings he wrote to aid his students.   Sayings of Virtue for Gaining Perpetual Wisdom St. Simón de Rojas (1552-1624) He who knows much and speaks little, knows much; he who knows little a...

 Introduction In keeping with today's Roman Catholic reading regarding the various gifts given by the Spirit for varied tasks (1 Cor 12), I decided to post this little essay I wrote back in 2015, about the variety of vocations.  I may have gone a bit overboard in my quotations, and perhaps the style and precise formulations are not how I would word them now, but, overall, I think it's still a decent piece of writing. The Many-Lighted Stars of Vocation “One [is the] glory of [the] sun, and another [the] glory of [the] moon, and another [the] glory of [the] stars: therefore star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor 15:41).  Each of these has its own role, and usurping another’s role leads to chaos.  So if the sun were the moon, the earth would be consumed like a dry leaf in a bonfire; if the moon were the sun, the earth would be frozen.  Even having any other star replace the sun could have disastrous results: the star could be too large and engulf the solar system,...