The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 82 of 124

First Sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday after

If we live in the Spirit, let ub also walk in the Spirit Let us not be made if a man be overtaken in any fault you who are spiritual, Instruct such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens; and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ. For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let everyone prove his own work, and so he shall have glory In himself only, and not in another. For everyone shall bear his own burden. — Gal. v, 25, 26; and vi, 1-5.

All these words of St. Paul are full of wisdom, but especially the first ones: “If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit,” that is, in the Holy Ghost. For as our soul is the life of our body, so is the Holy Ghost the life of our soul. Now there are three ways in which we should walk in the Spirit. The first is in outward conduct as to ourself and our neighbor; the second way is after the likeness of our Lord; and the third is a way without any likeness.

St. Paul tells us how to walk according to the first way: “Let us not be made desirous of vain glory,” for worldly-minded men diligently occupy day and night in vainglorious thoughts. One can easily see how the Holy Ghost does not come into them. They are not members of God, but are separated from Him; He has no part in them. Then there are other men who, under an appearance of spirituality, carry worldly hearts within them, and are desirous of vainglory in everything— clothing, company, relatives and much besides. The longer they thus continue, the worse is their state. The Holy Ghost comes not into them, and their state is a more perilous one than they imagine. Vainglory is seeking anything in order to be honored and loved by other men. And this taint insinuates itself into all our good religious customs, into our conversation and manners, and into our good works, and this to such a degree that it behooves us all to be on our guard against it, praying God to save us from it; for of ourselves we are powerless to resist it.

And we should walk circumspectly towards our neighbor. We should not quarrel with him, nor in anywise annoy him, nor circumvert him, nor treat him harshly. On the contrary, we shotild bear ourselves towards our neighbor in the spirit of meekness. Consider thy own self, and meddle not with thy neighbor. Some there are who assail others with abusive language and scornful bearing, often enough about trifling things. Look to thyself in this, for where such conduct is there the Holy Ghost is not.

“Bear ye one another’s burdens,” and that will make us all one body in Jesus Christ. Superiors should instruct their subjects in all kindliness of spirit, and admonish them lovingly. Our holy Father St. Dominic was of so mild a spirit, joined to so deep an earnestness, that no matter how perverse any subject of his might be, he never failed to convert him. St. Paul teaches us how a gentle spirit can by Us patience soften a hard man — “in the spirit of meekness.” Let each of us thus deal with our neighbor, guarding ourselves carefully, lest we destroy God’s temple, that is to say, our neighbor’s soul, and thereby fall under God’s curse.

Now let us consider the second way of walking according to the Spirit, namely, after the sweet pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us set His life before us like a mirror, and conform to it to the utmost of our ability. Look at Him; see how patient He is, how kind, gentle and faithful to us; see how candid He is, how truthful; and O how overflowing with love His whole life long. Take all this to thyself after the manner of prayer and meditation, praying Him with the deepest fervor of thy heart that He would help thee to follow along tMs way in the footsteps of His virtues, bearing in mind that thou hast no power of thy own to do tUs, but recommending thyself with every

Son’s innocent thoughts, and words, and works; His bitter passion and death — all for thy guilty soul and those of all mankind living and dead.

Dear children, our Lord is so good! And whosoever would stand with Him in His goodness has but to beg Him for virtues as for favors, and all will be granted him. He is easily moved by our petitions, He hears His friends most gladly. Even our purgatory, He readily remits it all, if we but turn to Him with our heart’s deepest fervor. Then all our transgressions are pardoned, and the years that were wasted are quickly atoned for. But this transformation God alone can give, God alone can perfect. A man must pray for it day by day with love and humility. He will know that it is at hand, when he is interiorly admonished that he must now give up all hindrances to God’s action within him, and then he has but to wait.

Children, the prayer of the spirit pierces the heavens, for in this the soul follows in the steps of our Lord Jesus Christ; upon that rests all that I can teach, or all other teachers, namely, imitation of Christ St. Peter writes: “Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that thou shouldst follow His steps” (I Peter ii: 21) . No man can go so high as to reach beyond our Lord’s footsteps. The higher one ascends the plainer are Christ’s footsteps, who trod that way in His life and death and in His glory.

Here come virgins from the market place and sit them down content, as if the entering of this religious house was their perfection. No, it is by no means so; the way is not so short as that. They must, so St. Paul says, crucify their flesh with its vices and concupiscences. They complain of difficulties — they fall asleep at their prayers. But what wonder if they do? And they complain again that they have no sweetness of devotion. What! Wilt thou seek for sweet feelings forgetful of the awful bitterness of thy Savior’s passion and death? Thy slothfulness sets thee far off from His footsteps, for in all thy doings and devotions thou seekest only thyself. Seek nothing of pleasure, not in any mental state nor in its images. Prostrate thyself humbly before the remembrance of His life and death, and carefully consider thy own nothingness. The lower thou sinkest thyself the higher thou shalt stand, for they that humble themselres shall be exalted. Set thy nothingness in contrast with God’s infinite majesty, and then consider how He became, as it were, nothing for thy sake and through thy sinfulness; and do not again imagine that thy corrupt nature has yet been overcome. The war against it thou must bravely begin and carry on to victory, for victory will not fly down from heaven into thy bosom.

There are some men so given over to life’s pleasures, that God must deprive them of their means of enjoyment by main force. If they were but detached in spirit, even riches and honors might well be theirs, for they would still advance in perfection. But what costs nothing is worth nothing. Young and hearty and unmortified natures, living a life of flesh and blood, complain of hindrances to their spiritual life in their occupations and in distractions. All that may be true, for the reason that thou hast not as yet wisely chosen thy way. It must be another way from thy present one, if thou art going to arrive at perfection. Such souls are of the race of Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross of Christ by compulsion and not from love. One should under all circumstances offer to carry the holy cross of Christ out of love; he should constantly place himself at the disposal of Jesus crucified. Art thou retiring to sleep? Lay thee down on the cross of Christ, and pray and yearn that the blessed bosom of the crucified may be thy bed, His sweet heart thy pillow, His holy arms thy covering. Those wide open arms should be thy refuge in all thy necessities of soul and body, and well will they shield thee from harm. Art thou sitting down to eat? Dip every morsel in His holy wounds. When our sisters sing their psalms, they should place each holy canticle in His blessed wounds, considering what those wounds mean to us. So shouldst thou identify Him with thyself and thyself with Him in thy thoughts. What simple talk is this, that men boast that they recite the Lord’s prayer, and meanwhile fail to follow His example, fail to enter into the Lord’s spirit.

The third way of perfection is imageless — a high, short, darksome and sorrowful way is this, my children. Job speaks of it: “To a man whose way is hidden, and God hath surrounded him with darkness”

(Job iii: 21). Here it is that women are strengthened to be men and all men who here refuse to follow Qod are brought to naught O how dark is this way. For all that had been granted the soul in the other ways of perfection is now — so the soul feels — quite stripped of it. Whither it should turn for relief it knows not, and so it stands in the way in deep oppression of spirit encompassed by darkness, for light seems departed from it. St. Gregory says: “Many walk in darkness in this life, thinking to be saved and ending in eternal death.” But these are in the darkness of sin. The darkness we are considering is the road to eternal life. And this unknown and darksome way we must be willing to follow, rather than the broad road that leads to destruction, against which we are warned in the Gospel. This is God’s little path to paradise, and it lies between knowledge and ignorance; one must keep it in as plain sight as an archer does his target.

We must stop neither at ignorance nor at knowledge in treading this road, but keep on steadfastly guided by a simple faith. We must avoid both over security and despondency, trusting entirely to holy hope. 80 too we must avoid both false peace of soul and indolence of body, pressing onward under the guide of true self-renunciation. Excessive fear and rash presumption must both be avoided, the soul being led. on by unfeigned humility. But, dear children, remember that this narrow path can be understood only by knowledge of one’s inmost soul. As to our outer senses and the soul’s lesser powers, they are useful to inform us of the circumstancees of life that surround us, for it is a shame for a man to know many things and not to know himself.

By sticking to this road one is safeguarded against this terrible fate spoken of by St. Gregory. But one can go astray by knowledge when it generates pride, and by ignorance when that degenerates into silliness. But a humble sinking down into entire detachment of spirit, is a safeguard against any misfortune that may befall us — sinking down into thy own nothingness, with absorbtion in thy holy faith joined to living confidence in God. This saves one from tnose foul temptations to discouragement, a vice that has stagnated many spirits, and made them give up all progress, thinking it impossible to finally succeed. No, dear children; never allow yourselves to be driven backwards; press onward with love and with yearning of heart; lean confidently on thy good and faithful God. When natural goodness exists and grace is added, then one strides forward swiftly. I myself am it may happen that great spiritual advantages are forfeited. Meanwhile, it is a perilous thing to be associated with those who follow this spirit and to be made responsible for their guidance, because they may very easily go astray.

Children, three things are to be considered about this. The first is that it is God who does all these souls’ work, just in so far as they allow Him, and in these things they are of course good and praiseworthy. The second is this: If one is turned to God with all his spiritual life, cooperating with Him in love and in every purpose, just so far is such a soul good. Thirdly, if that man yields to self-content and thus gives up to his natural sense of proprietorship, then everything goes wrong with him, his darkness grows deeper and it lasts longer. This darkness casts the natural man into unrest and anguish of soul, for he is placed helplessly between enjoyment of the images of his imagination and deprivation and absence of them. All the sad things we have already spoken of happen to him, and he has no savor of any spiritual joy left to him. What he would enjoy he cannot have, seek it however eagerly he may; and thus he remains in deep desolation and constraint of spirit.

This state of suffering drives many a one away from home on pilgrimages to Aix-la-Chapelle or to Rome; sends many into monasteries. But the more eagerly they search for relief the lees they get of it. Others give up the struggle and go back to the lower spiritual methods of imaginative forms in their prayer; they have not the courage to suffer patiently to the end, but fall out of the narrow and rough way. But O children, how blessed are those noble spirits that persevere to the end in this painful darkness; they are God’s best beloved. But their poor nature suffers many a death agony before all their task is done. Once a hermit living in a forest had a novice, who asked him what he should do for his perfection. The holy father said: “Go into thy cell and sit there crying out with the Psalmist: ‘My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily, Where is

For what is the end? The Lord will come to thee at the appointed hour, and He will instantaneously manifest the hidden treasure of His love, the bright shining light of His truth heretofore covered from thy eyes. In thy innermost soul shalt thou know why and how thy God has led thee through darkness to light; thou shalt be fully repaid for thy steadfast fidelity to His guidance. Then more fully than ever before shalt thou be granted the gift of deep humility, the boon of entire self renunciation. The more profound has been thy sorrow, the richer shall be the gifts of the interior life now bestowed upon thee, and overflowing into all thy works in a most supernatural way. May we all have courage to follow God in this darksome way to the end; may He bring us all forth into everlasting light. Amen.