Having
closed this meeting, Lucifer sought permission to speak with God, and his
Majesty, for his own exalted ends, gave him permission. This was allowed in the
same manner in which satan spoke to God when he asked permission to persecute
Job (Job 1, 6), and it happened on the day which corresponds to our Thursday.
He addressed the Most High in the following words: “Lord, since Thou hast laid thy hand so heavily upon me in chastising me with so great cruelty, and since Thou hast predetermined all that Thou desirest to do for the men whom Thou art to create; and since Thou wishest to exalt and elevate so high Jesus Christ and enrich the Woman, who is to be his Mother, with all thy predestined gifts, be now equitable and just; as Thou hast given me permission to persecute the rest of men, give me also permission to tempt and make war against Christ, the Man-God and the Woman, who is to be his Mother; give me freedom to exert all my powers against Them.” Other things Lucifer said on that occasion, and, in spite of the great violence occasioned to his pride by the humiliation, he humbled himself nevertheless in order to ask for this permission. His wrathful anxiety to obtain what he desired was so great that he was willing to subdue even his arrogance, thus forcing one iniquity to yield to another. He knew too well that without the permission of the omnipotent Lord he could attempt nothing. In order to be able to tempt Christ our Lord, and his most holy Mother in particular, he was willing to humiliate himself a thousand times, for he feared the threat, which had been made, that She should crush his head.(Gen.3:15. Douay- Rheims Version)
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| God the Most High |
He addressed the Most High in the following words: “Lord, since Thou hast laid thy hand so heavily upon me in chastising me with so great cruelty, and since Thou hast predetermined all that Thou desirest to do for the men whom Thou art to create; and since Thou wishest to exalt and elevate so high Jesus Christ and enrich the Woman, who is to be his Mother, with all thy predestined gifts, be now equitable and just; as Thou hast given me permission to persecute the rest of men, give me also permission to tempt and make war against Christ, the Man-God and the Woman, who is to be his Mother; give me freedom to exert all my powers against Them.” Other things Lucifer said on that occasion, and, in spite of the great violence occasioned to his pride by the humiliation, he humbled himself nevertheless in order to ask for this permission. His wrathful anxiety to obtain what he desired was so great that he was willing to subdue even his arrogance, thus forcing one iniquity to yield to another. He knew too well that without the permission of the omnipotent Lord he could attempt nothing. In order to be able to tempt Christ our Lord, and his most holy Mother in particular, he was willing to humiliate himself a thousand times, for he feared the threat, which had been made, that She should crush his head.(Gen.3:15. Douay- Rheims Version)
The
Lord answered: “Thou must not, satan,
ask such a permission as due to thee in justice, for the incarnate Word (Jesus
Christ) is God and Lord most high and omnipotent, though He is at the same time
true man, and thou art his creature. Even if the other men sin and subject
themselves to thy will, this will not be possible in my Only begotten made man.
Though thou mayest succeed in making men slaves of sin, Christ will be holy and
just, segregated from sinners. He will redeem them, if they fall. And this
Woman against whom thou hast such wrath, although She is to be a mere creature
and a true daughter of man, is to be preserved by my decree from sin. She is to
be altogether mine forever and on no account or title shall anyone else be
allowed to have part in Her.”
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| He took permission to tempt Christ |
To
this satan replied: “But what wonder
that this Woman should be holy, since no one on this earth will be allowed to
draw Her to the contrary, or persecute Her and incite Her to sin? This cannot
be equity, nor just judgment, nor can this be proper and praiseworthy.”
Lucifer added yet other blasphemies in his arrogance. But the Most High, who
disposes all things with wisdom, answered him: “I will give thee permission to tempt Christ, so that He will be an
example and a teacher in this to all the rest of men. I also give thee
permission to persecute the Woman, but thou must not touch Her in regard to the
life of her body. It is my will, that Christ and his Mother be not exempt from
temptation, and that They be tempted by thee like the rest of men.” This
permission was more pleasing to the dragon than that of being free to persecute
all the rest of the human race. In this he resolved to use more care than in
the pursuit of any other project, as afterwards really happened. To no one else
than himself was he resolved to confide its execution. Therefore the Evangelist
proceeds to say:
“He persecuted the Woman, who brought forth
the man-child.” For with the permission of the Lord, he waged unheard of war
and persecution against Her, whom he thought to be the Mother of God incarnate.
