The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 105 of 124

Sermon for the Feast of St. Timothy

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. — II Tim. iv, 2.

Thus does St. Paul instruct his beloved disciple St. Timothy, whom he had set over men to rule them in Christ’s name. And the apostle’s words apply to all who hold office, including father confessors.

First, they are to discipline open sinners, if they may hope to reform them, especially those who are committed to their pastoral care. Furthermore, many good books tell how pastors should teach their people, and correct and admonish them, each according to his needs; especially St. Gregory’s Liber Pastoralis.

But we should more attentively consider the second point, which applies the apostle’s injunction, given elsewhere, to all men, and even directs us to admonish ourselves in a very interior spirit. It inculcates that any one who aspires to be an interior man shall keep his eyes off other men’s conduct, and especially shall not sit in judgment on their sins, lest he fall into bitterness of spirit and rash judgment. Oh, children, this fault does a lamentable amount of harm in men’s souls. For the love of God turn away from rash judgment of your neighbor, and keep your keen eyes fixed wholly on your own life. Now you may have committed sins in your past life, and indeed you may have your faults at the present time. Be sure that one reason why God has permitted these, is that when you see the like things done by your neighbor, you may be stung with remorse for your own bad conduct, led to deeper penance, and be more entirely reformed: meanwhile praying for your poor neighbor that God may change him as He has done you.

Insight

Tauler turns the apostolic exhortation to Timothy — preach the word, reprove, rebuke — into an interior instruction. The aspiring inward man, he says, should keep his eyes off other people's conduct and shall not sit in judgment on their sins. When you see someone else doing what you yourself have done or are prone to do, the right movement is remorse and prayer for them, not condemnation. This isn't quietism — Tauler will allow that those in office must judge — but it is a sharp limit on lay or community fault-finding. The Desert Fathers said it more starkly: when Abba Moses was asked to attend a council of brothers judging a sinner, he came carrying a leaking jug of sand on his back. Why? My sins are running out behind me, and I do not see them, and I have come to judge another.Tauler ch105 ¶3 — interior reading of pastoral epistle; Apophthegmata Patrum, Abba Moses 2.

In this way is a kindly heart made better by other people’s sins. Of course this supposes a close guard against uncharitable thoughts. It is a bad heart that sits in judgment on a sinful neighbor. The sins of others sink him deeper by adding uncharity to his other vices, causing him to make the worst of any bad act he sees. A good man has true love for and faithful trust in his fellow man. His gentle heart makes him think other men blameless in their lives. If he cannot help noticing wicked things in his neighbors’ conduct, he manages to believe that they are not as bad as they look; that however ugly they seem his poor neighbor may have meant well; or that bad as these deeds are, God allowed that man to do them to admonish him of his weakness, and thereby to save him from more fatal falls.

The sight of other men’s sins, makes a good man anxious to die to himself in holy penance for his own and his neighbors’ sake both; makes him realize better God’s constant presence, and His great patience with sinners. All this helps one’s neighbor, for it is an offering to God; it often serves a better purpose than admonitions and punishment, even though these be lovingly administered. Sometimes a man fancies that he corrects his neighbor out of charity, but it is not really so. And I say to thee, dear child, that if thou wilt but conquer thyself by patience and by peace of soul, establishing thereby purity of heart Within thee, thou shalt have overcome all thy enemies. This is a higher victory than to subdue the whole world with the scripture’s best wisdom, losing mastery of thyself meanwhile by injurious thoughts against thy neighbor, for the Lord says: “Why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye; and seest not the beam that is in thy own eye?” (Matt, vii, 3).

As to prohibition of judging others, we of course except those whose office in holy Church requires them to judge. And these must prudently examine persons and cases; they must avoid an overbearing manner, hot words, or anything that provokes resistance or unnecessarily troubles hearts. Their discipline is intended by God for the reformation of their subjects. Alas, superiors fail in this often and seriously, and instead of bettering the lives of their wayward subjects, they but fill them with bitterness, and turn their hearts yet further away. If one should but guide his subjects into the fear of God with mildness, how different would be the results. The guilty ones would plainly see that the sole purpose of their superior was their soul’s welfare, they would receive correction peacefully and would much

I beg thee to closely examine thy heart and find out whether or not true charity dwells there, kindly feelings towards those whom thou hast so bitterly pained by thy correction. I fear that instead of true zeal for right order, it is only violent impatience that controls thee: I am speaking especially of those superiors who have little interior life, and have not yet tasted the sweetness of divine love in their souls: these are the ones who storm at their subjects, and agonize them with sour looks and cutting words. The soul that knows nothing of God’s interior sweetness of love, cannot command prudent ways and kindly words in correcting others. How to deal with delinquents, is a lesson to be learned only from genuine love of God.

Whosoever feels called on by his office to correct others, should bear in mind how easily God may be dishonored by faulty exercise of this duty, and how easily souls may therein be injured. Let him use kindly words, let him cultivate gentle manners and a patient bearing: so that weak spirits may plainly see that the one only object in view is their happiness. It may happen that God will allow thy subjects to revile thee and heap dishonor on thee. Take no notice of this, and never repay it with any sort of discipline, as far as is consistent with the common good. If thou actest otherwise, it is likely that thou thyself shalt become sorely embittered; and, besides, it is likely that thou canst never make any good out of thy subjects. The worse thou art treated by any one, the more sweetly shouldst thou feel and act towards him, in all patience, and with friendly words. Such trials ns these are commonly sent by God as His hardest test of superiors, by which they shall either win or lose the merit of martyrdom. Be ever eager to suffer such things; for meekness, and forgiveness of injuries are the best virtues of superiors.

Insight

Tauler's instructions for superiors who must correct subordinates are remarkably modern in temper. Watch for the moment when sharp correction is actually impatience dressed as zeal. Notice that the soul without inner sweetness of God cannot command kindly words. Receive insults from your subjects without retaliating. Treat the worst-behaving with the gentlest hand. Whoever has ever had authority over another adult will recognize the temptation he is describing and the discipline he is recommending. The Stoic Marcus Aurelius, in the Meditations, gives himself a structurally similar instruction every morning — meet the difficult people of the day with patience because their faults are like your own, given other circumstances.Tauler ch105 ¶8 — gentleness in correction; cf. Gregory the Great, Pastoral Care III; Marcus Aurelius, Meditations II.1.

They should avoid flattery. They should shun all partiality in thought or conduct, holding all their subjects equally dear to their hearts, as a true mother does her children. But if any difference may be allowed, then they should love with the deepest affection and treat this they should, with prudent safeguards, manage to show. Meanwhile they should lift up their hearts to Qod, and ever earnestly entreat Him to keep watch and ward over their subjects, and that He may save themselves from all self-love. Again, they should, as far as is at all possible, do first themselves the tasks they impose on their subjects. For all goes well when superiors are manifestly full of love and of virtue: — God then guides the community and helps it. The superior’s example constrains subjects to do right, even if these are hostile in spirit and inclined to evil doing.

As to those who hold no office over others and are simply members of the community, it behooves them secretly to sit in judgment over themselves and condemn themselves and nobody else. They should refrain strictly from judging anyone else, or criticising the order and arrangement of the community affairs. As a rule, a man goes astray from truth in such judgments, things being quite otherwise than he supposed: sad experience often proves this. There is a motto that says, that that man has true wisdom who finds good in everything. May God help us to this state of brotherly love. Amen.

Separation and solitude are the sum total of the negative side of perfection — Attachments breed unrest and falsehood — The folly of a half-hearted spirit in spiritual conduct — A good description of perseverance — The penitential aspect of detachment.