[V. Let No One Be Proud, but Boast in the Cross of the Lord]

¹Consider, O human being, in what great excellence the Lord God has placed you, for He created and formed you to the image of His beloved Son according to the body and to His likeness according to the Spirit. ^{Gn 1:27}

²And all creatures under heaven serve, know, and obey their Creator, each according to its own nature, better than you. ³And even the demons did not crucify Him, but you, together with them, have crucified Him and are still crucifying Him by delighting in vices and sins.

⁴In what, then, can you boast? ⁵Even if you were so skillful and wise that you possessed all knowledge, ^{1 Cor 13:2} knew how to interpret every kind of language, ^{1 Cor 12:28} and to scrutinize heavenly matters with skill: you could not boast in these things. ⁶For, even though someone may have received from the Lord a special knowledge of the highest wisdom, one demon knew about heavenly matters and now knows more about those of earth than all human beings.^a

⁷In the same way, even if you were more handsome and richer than everyone else, and even if you worked miracles so that you put demons to flight: all these things are contrary to you; nothing belongs to you; you can boast in none of these things.

⁸But we can boast in our weaknesses ^{2 Cor 12:5} and in carrying each day the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. ^{Lk 14:27}

[VI: Imitation of Christ]

¹Let all of us, brothers, consider the Good Shepherd Who bore the suffering of the cross to save His sheep.

²The Lord’s sheep followed Him in tribulation and persecution, in shame and hunger, in weakness and temptation, and in other ways; and for these things they received eternal life from the Lord.

³Therefore, it is a great shame for us, the servants of God, that the saints have accomplished great things and we want only to receive glory and honor by recounting them.

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[Caput V - Ut nemo superbiat, sed glorietur in cruce Domini]

¹Attende, o homo, in quanta excellentia posuerit te Dominus Deus, quia creavit et formavit te ad imaginem dilecti Filii sui secundum corpus et similitudinem secundum spiritum.

²Et omnes creaturae, quae sub caelo sunt, secundum se serviunt, cognoscunt et obediunt Creatori suo melius quam tu. ³Et etiam daemones non crucifixerunt eum, sed tu cum ipsis crucifixisti eum et adhuc crucifigis delectano in vitiis et peccatis.

⁴Unde ergo potes gloriari? ⁵Nam si tantum esses subtilis et sapiens quod omnem scientiam haberes et scires interpretari omnia genera linguarum et subtiliter de caelestibus rebus perscrutari, in omnibus his non potes gloriari ; ⁶quia unus daemon scivit de caelestibus et modo scit de terrenis plus quam omnes homines, licet aliquis fuerit, qui summae sapientiae cognitionem a Domino receperit specialem.

⁷Similiter et si esses pulchrior et ditior omnibus et etiam si faceres mirabilia, ut daemones fugares, omnia ista tibi sunt contraria et nihil ad te pertinet et in his nil potes gloriari ;

⁸sed in hoc possumus gloriari in infirmitatibus nostris et baiulare quotidie sanctam crucem Domini nostri Jesu Christi.

[Caput VI - De imitatione Domini]

¹Attendamus, omnes fratres, bonum pastorem, qui pro ovibus suis salvandis crucis sustinuit passionem.

²Oves Domini secutae fuerunt eum in tribulatione et persecutione, verecundia et fame,in infirmitate et tentatione et ceteris aliis; et de his receperunt a Domino vitam sempiternam.

³Unde magna verecundia est nobis servis Dei, quod sancti fecerunt opera et nos recitando ea volumus recipere gloriam et honorem.