Antonio Vivaldi - Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera, RV 630 - aria (1/3)
Aria
Nulla in mundo pax sincera
sine felle; pura et vera,
dulcis Jesu, est in te
Inter poenas et tormenta
vivit anima contenta
casti amoris sola spe,
Did not Mary Magdalen rise at once from her weeping
when Martha said to her: "The Master is come, and calleth for thee"? Happy
is the hour when Jesus calls one from tears to joy of spirit.
How dry and hard you are without Jesus! How foolish
and vain if you desire anything but Him! Is it not a greater loss than losing
the whole world? For what, without Jesus, can the world give you? Life without
Him is a relentless hell, but living with Him is a sweet paradise. If Jesus be
with you, no enemy can harm you.
He who finds Jesus finds a rare treasure, indeed, a
good above every good, whereas he who loses Him loses more than the whole
world. The man who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor, whereas no
one is so rich as the man who lives in His grace.
It is a great art to know how to converse with Jesus,
and great wisdom to know how to keep Him. Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus
will be with you. Be devout and calm, and He will remain with you. You may
quickly drive Him away and lose His grace, if you turn back to the outside
world. And, if you drive Him away and lose Him, to whom will you go and whom
will you then seek as a friend? You cannot live well without a friend, and if
Jesus be not your friend above all else, you will be very sad and desolate. Thus,
you are acting foolishly if you trust or rejoice in any other. Choose the
opposition of the whole world rather than offend Jesus. Of all those who are
dear to you, let Him be your special love. Let all things be loved for the sake
of Jesus, but Jesus for His own sake.
Jesus Christ must be loved alone with a special love
for He alone, of all friends, is good and faithful. For Him and in Him you must
love friends and foes alike, and pray to Him that all may know and love Him.”
From the Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.
Book 2 -
The Interior Life
The Eighth Chapter
On intimate friendship with Jesus
