Chain Reading

Of course, we've all heard of chain smokers. Well, I'm a chain reader. Some of the posts I've made recently are from the work of Karl Rahner. Rahner happened to mention, or someone did, that Rahner was a big fan of John Ruusbroec, a 15th century mystic. So I couldn't resist the urge to grab a book written by John Ruusbroec. So now I am puffing on that and happen to inhale the following passage.

I found it interesting that human nature is assigned feminine pronouns. I don't know if I have ever heard of the incarnation of Christ referred to as a wedding of Christ with human nature. Even if I had, it struck me as poignant in this passage. What a striking encapsulation of man's fall and Christ's redeeming act this reading presents.

Ruusbroec writes:
"See, the bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet him" (Mt. 25:6). These words, written for us by St. Matthew the evangelist were spoken by Christ to his disciples and to all persons in the parable of the virgins. The Bridegroom is Christ and human nature is the bride, whom God created according to his own image and likeness. In the beginning he placed his bride in the noblest and most beautiful, the richest and most luxuriant place on earth, that is, in Paradise. He subordinated all other creatures to her, adorned her with grace, and gave her a commandment so that through obedience to it she might deserve to to be made firm and steadfast with her Bridegroom in eternal faithfulness and so never fall into any adversity or any sin. But then came the evildoer, the enemy from hell, who in his jealousy assumed the form of a cunning serpent and deceived the woman. They both then deceived the man, in whom human nature existed in its entirety. Thus did the enemy seduce human nature, God's bride, through deceitful counsel. Poor and wretched, she was banished to a strange land and was there captured and oppressed and beset by her enemies in such a way that it seemed that she would never be able to return to her homeland or attain reconciliation.

But when it seemed to God that the right time had come and he took pity on his beloved in her suffering, he sent his only-begotten Son to earth into a magnificent palace and a glorious Temple, that is, into the body of the glorious Virgin Mary. There the son wedded his bride, our nature, and united her with his own person through the purest blood of the noble Virgin. The priest who witnessed the bride’s marriage was the Holy Spirit. The angel Gabriel brought the message. The glorious Virgin gave her consent. Thus did Christ, our faithful Bridegroom, unite our nature with himself. He came to us in a strange land and taught us through a heavenly way of life and with perfect fidelity. He worked and struggled as our champion against our enemies, broke open the bars of our prison, won the struggle, vanquished our death through his own, redeemed us through his blood, freed us through his water in baptism, and made us rich through his sacraments and his gifts, so that, as he says, we might "go out" with all virtues, "meet him" in the palace of glory, and enjoy him forever in eternity.

The quote is taken from the Prologue to the Spiritual Espousals in the book,
John Russbroec the Spiritual Espousals And Other Works
translated by James A Weisman, O. S. B.