The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 71 of 124

Third Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity

(The text is the same as in the preceding sermon.)

The ship in which the Lord sat, from which He preached, which He ordered launched into deep water, into which the great draught of fishes was taken — this ship is Peter’s. He stands for a man always and sincerely obedient, in whose soul the Lord loves to sit and to take His rest, a soul that has left all things and followed Him into its own inmost depths. No man can do this easily, and therefore does the Lord often admonish ‘us amid our outward good works to turn inward to Him. Whosoever disregards this warning and clings to his own will and his self-chosen devotional customs, is not obedient to Qod Not so was Simon; he was obedient to God ‘with a supreme obedience. And supposing a sister in choir singing Qod’s praises, and that He should warn her that this hindered her interior advertence to Him, then (if this could lawfully be done) she should give up the singing and obediently turn inwards to God. If the singing and the interior advertance could go together, that were indeed better still.

Children, do you know how hurtful it is to resist the inspirations of God’s grace? If you did, your heart would quake with terror. And yet it is only from God’s boundless mercy that it happens that those who, having failed to reach the high perfection God called them to, are yet afterwards permitted to attain it by way of suffering. Again falling short of that, they will feel the pain of it at the hour of death more than less favored ones, and will suffer a great purgatory afterwards. Yet, after all, they will attain a higher place in heaven than those who were called to a lower degree.

Thus in the deep soul of an obedient man does God sit and teach the good doctrine and the wondrous grace of His love. Notice that in one of the miraculous draughts of fishes, our Lord bade Peter “draw out a little from the land.” This betokens that in the lowest degree of perfection, a noble-hearted man must draw his affections away from transitory things, and give up all pleasure in creatures. Whosoever shall possess God must have a steadfast endeavor in seeking Him. Never must it happen that a good work undertaken today shall be given up tomorrow. No; if he will reach his best, a man must constantly persevere in his devout exercises — not living for God alone today and for natural ends tomorrow. And this it is that frightens people — they say that it is intolerable and dreadful, and that they cannot hold out so long; and then they turn awav to eniov their natural inclinations as they did before — to take up with all that is not God. The net is broken, the fish all escape. Children, no matter how good our works may be in themselves, if we do not keep God alone in mind while doing them, then there is a certain taint of simony in them. For what is simony? It is buying spiritual things with earthly things; and it is one of the greatest of sins. So, therefore, when one does spiritual things, with the view and purpose of an earthly kind, that is a sort of spiritual simony.

Now we read in the gospel that the apostles mended their nets. And so must we, when we have broken them by sin; and this we do by a sincere return to God. Or another example: when we would make a crooked piece of wood straight, we bend it back and fasten it there. So must an external, animal kind of a man treat his natural tendencies, bending himself back forcibly upright to God. He must be rid totally of all things in mind and body that do not entirely mean God, bowing down his will absolutely in subjection to God. O, after that, give thyself up to the merciful God. In deep humility say to him: Beloved Lord, I have labored all the night and have taken nothing. And is it not true, that the time thou spendest working without God is black night? Dullness and sleepiness of soul is the fate af those who work in that spiritual night, their nature all incapacitated for good. The external minded man shall thus be overworked in hands and feet and back. But from this sad state let him return again to God in his inmost soul.

Children, our Savior said to St. Peter: “Launch out into the deep.” That means: Elevate thy soul, and consider the deep things of God.

Pass with thy mental powers over all things of time and earth, for with these Qod will not deal in thy case, they are too puny for Him. The lower powers of man cannot grasp Qod, they are too coarse for Ills infinitely elevated nature. Therefore place thy life in thy highest powers, far above the things of time, for there sits God and from them as from Simon’s boat He teaches in very truth. His teaching is the Buperessential divine Word, in Whom and with Whom are all things made that are made. Receive this teaching in all gentle meeknss, for whosoever does so, elevated in spirit above time and into eternity, to him shall the divine Word be uttered. He shall be enlightened by Him in a wisdom beyond all that man can comprehend. The kingdom of Qod thus established in the soul is ineffable and overwhelming in its glory.

But now when our Lord is thus born into the soul by the utterance of the divine Word, and when it is thus faithfully received, it sometimes happens that Qod sends a hard trial. That poor, weak human soul is broken like a net, and the ship seems on the point of sinking: — the soul thinks that all is lost. But let it not go outward for help of any kind whatsoever, but rather imitate St. Peter, who beckoned to his partners, and especially to St. John, to come to his aid — that is to say use thy own discretion, now enlightened by heavenly wisdom. Remember that when the uncreated light that is Qod rises in the soul, then the created light must give place. The created light must grow dim in proportion as the uncreated light increases in brightness — just as the clear light of the sun causes the light of candles to pale before it. Be but patient; for when a man at last fully enjoys this divine light, even for a few moments, his peace and joy are far above aught that this world can ever give. And yet so far this glorious spiritual sweetness is but in the lowest powers of the soul.

At the other miraculous draught of fishes, our Lord said: “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast therefor; and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes * * * * gimon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken” (John xxi:6-ll). All this happened after our Lord’s death. And when He had before this asked them if they had anything to eat, they answered that they had not. This shows that when a man will be highly favored by Qod, he must

“But we all beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Oor. iii: 18) . Ere a man shall be granted this, our Lord must be born in him, must die, and rise again. And such a man always says to the Lord what the disciples said, when He asked them if they had anything: he answers, No. Thus are placed all who stand in the truest poverty of soul, and in total self-denial: they have nothing: they desire nothing. Nothing pleases them save God alone. They seek nothing whatever of their own. Often enough do they labor throughout the night and take nothing — in the night of abandonment of all things, destitution and desolation of soul. As far as they can perceive it or feel it, there is neither light nor joy in their souls. But they rest in this darkenss in true resignation, as if (should such a thing be possible) God had required of them to suffer this desolation and inner destitution for all eternity. They freely yield to God’s will in this in their interior spirit, and never think of receiving any reward for doing so. Ah, children, that is indeed a poor man, and yet the whole world is his. He has nothing but God’s will at heart, he thinks of nothing but how to make God’s will effectual in all his undertakings. Nevertheless, he is full of humility, for he answers to our Lord’s admonition: “When you shall have done all things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought to do” (Luke xvii:10). Now an unprofitable servant does unprofitable work, and that is how God would have us consider our work.

Scarcely anyone wants to be God’s unprofitable servant. Each one wants to feel that what he has done is worth something, and on that feeling he builds. No, my child; build on nothing but thy own utter nothingness. And in that spirit sink in deep humility down into the abyss of the divine will, giving thyself up to Him to do with thee whatsoever He may wish. Say with St. Peter: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Fall back constantly on thy own littleness, powerlessness, and ignorance, thereby passing over into the high nobility of God’s will. Allow no other thought to influence thee; hold thyself poor and miserable in the divine will.

With such men as these, if they but turn their thoughts inward as long a time as it takes to hear one mass, all their affairs are rightly ordered, all their labors are done in great peace, their life with other men is very kindly, and it is full of virtue; and they are entirely resigned to God. They have cast their net on the right side, they have drawn into their hearts the love that is in the bleeding wounds of Jesus. May God help us thus to strive and thus to succeed. Amen.

God and God alone into account — Next comes confession, which must be very searching > and made in a lively spirit of faith in that Sacrament — Then indifference to all earthly things has place — To this is joined liberty of spirit in the use of devotional exercises — The finishing touch is disinterested love of God.