by
St Bernardine of Siena, O.F.M.
Translated by
Campion Murray, O.F.M.
1998
The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Board of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.
A TREATISE ON INSPIRATIONS
Table of contents
Index iii
Preface vii
Introductory notes
The Background and Sources of St Bernardines treatise ix
Outline of the Treatise on Inspirations xiv
Section 1 xiv
Section 2 xvi
Section 3 xvi
Life xvii
Thoughts on the Treatise on Inspirations xx
Commentary xxvi
Conclusion xxxvi
SERMON 2: MONDAY AFTER THE FEAST OF PENTECOST
Introduction
The variety of inspirations 1
Section 1
The seven types of inspirations and their origin 2
Ch1 God alone inspires good inspirations without any
intermediary, changes the human will, while the will
remains free 4
Ch 2 How the holy angels inspire good thoughts in the soul 7
Ch 3 That inspirations sometimes come from virtue in the soul 10
Ch 4 On inspirations from the evil spirits, and how they stir
human thoughts 11
Ch 5 Sometimes evil inspirations arise from one's own malice 16
Ch 6 How inspirations sometimes arise from some human need 17
Ch 7 That sometimes inspirations come from a human custom 18
Section 2
The impossibility or difficulty in discerning the origin of inspirations 18
Ch 1 That it is impossible to discern some good inspirations 19
ch 2 That it is not possible in some evil inspirations to discern
from whom the inspiration comes 20
Ch 3 That it is difficult with some inspirations to discern
from where they come 20
Section 3
On all good or bad actions variously inspired and distinguished in
three ways 21
Ch 1 The triple difference in inspirations which delight and
which can be good or harmful 21
Ch 2 The triple difference in inspired works which can be good
or harmful 23
Ch 3 The triple difference in inspired actions which are
burdensome and pleasant and which can also be for harm
and for good 25
SERMON 3: TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST
ON THE DISCERNEMNT OF INSPIRATIONS
Introduction 28
SECTION 1
On the four rules for the discernment of inspirations which involve
effort 29
Ch 1 The first rule for discerning good inspirations which are
opposed to things pleasurable 29
Ch 2 The second rule of discernment, against those who afflict
the body with an immoderate severity 35
Ch 3 The third rule of a good inspiration is against those who
place an impossible burden on their soul 40
Ch 4 The fourth rule of discernment is stated, against those who
strive unreasonably in seven ways to acquire virtues 44
SECTION 2
On the four rules for the discernment of inspirations which give
pleasure 48
Ch 1 The fifth rule of discernment for a good inspiration when
the natural pleasure which is inspired should be accepted 48
Ch 2 The sixth rule for discernment of inspirations which concern
only spiritual pleasure 51
Ch 3 The seventh rule for discernment of good inspirations
concerns when the soul becomes more humble from the
spiritual delight 57
Ch 4 The eighth rule of good inspirations is to see if the soul
is more fully illuminated in faith and morals from the
spiritual delights 65
SECTION 3
The four last rules of discernment of inspirations which involve
effort and delight 69
Ch 1 The ninth rule for the discernment of inspirations.
How, without giving scandal to enlightened souls,
inspirations are to be heeded. A dispute concerning a triple
scandal 69
Ch 2 The tenth rule of discernment concerns when spiritual
Delight occurs in any action 80
Ch 3 The eleventh rule of discernment concerns which work is to
be done first and which postponed 83
Ch 4 The twelfth rule which concerns things difficult and dubious 86
SERMON 4: WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST
The multiple ways by which one can know which inspirations
are to be followed, why they are of value,
and what is their value 90
On inspirations which are valuable 96
Ch 1 On inspirations which are valuable when carried out in
Intention and deed 97
Ch 2 When inspirations are to be heeded in intention by not in
action, and on the value and causes of these 100
Ch 3 On inspirations which are to be acted on but not intended,
their causes and value 102
SECTION 2
Twelve reasons why it is valuable to act on holy inspirations 103
Ch 1 The first four reasons why holy inspirations which are
carried out are meritorious 104
Ch 2 The second group of four reasons why holy inspirations
which are carried out are meritorious 106
Ch 3 The third group of four reasons why holy inspirations
which are carried out are meritorious 108
SECTION 3
What can be merited from any inspiration be it good or bad 110
Ch 1 What are the inspirations rewarded with good and with
what good 110
Ch 2 Which inspirations merit punishment and what
punishments are merited 112
Ch 3 On the merit of inspirations which happen naturally,
and the kinds of inspirations which come from the
constellations or nature 114
Appendices 119
Abbreviations 119
Works quoted 119
Biblical references 124
Subject Index 129
St Bernardine of Siena lived from 1380 to 1444. He wrote his Treatise on Inspirations late in his life only completing it in 1443 or 1444. His renown was as a preacher but this work is a treatise, not a sermon. It was written to help the Friars in their lives and in their preaching.
Before 1980 Fr Damien Isabell O.F.M., member of the Sacred Heart Province in U.S.A., prepared a translation of the first two parts of the treatise and distributed photocopies of his work to the Franciscan public. I was fortunate to be given a copy. However, I have to confess it is only in recent years that I have studied his translation. Damien, as he notes in his Preface, worked from the Italian translation completed by Dionisio Pacetti, O.F.M., S. Bernardino da Siena, Trattato delle ispirationi, Milano: Vita e Pensiero, 1962. Inevitably, working from an Italian translation takes one away a little from the Latin text of Bernardine.
Damien offered his work to the Franciscan family and this translation is offered in the same way, acknowledging that it would never have been undertaken without his previous work. The present translation includes the whole treatise including the third part on the value of inspirations. It is a translation of the Quaracchi edition of the works of Bernardine in which the Treatise is found in Volume 6, pages 223-311. The translation does, I believe, express the meaning of the Latin text but in some places I have translated freely for the sake of greater clarity, and in a few places the translation is unsure and so conjectural.
Bernardine used the Latin Vulgate text of the Bible. Sometimes the text of the New Revised Standard Version, used in this translation, does not fit the text of Bernardine. Where this is so the text of the Douay Rheims translation, which corresponds closely to the text of the Latin Vulgate, has been used and this is indicated in the footnotes.
I express my gratitude to Fr Patrick Colbourne O.F.M.Cap for his valuable Introductory Notes and for his initiative to make this volume possible. I thank also Fr Christopher Goulding O.F.M. for his help in proof reading and for his help in improving the translation.
Campion Murray O.F.M.
Feast of St Francis
4 October 1998