The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 109 of 124

First Sermon for the Feast of the Exaltation of

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things unto Myself. — John xii, 32.

Today we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, on which our Lord Jesus Christ, the salvation of the whole world, suffered and died out of love for us. By the Cross of Christ we are born again into that high nobility in which God first created us. Let us love it well in this new birth of love, for its dignity cannot be expressed in words. Said our Lord: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,

Himself. He would draw us away from proud self-complacency, and from attachment to things of the senses. He would be lifted up in our hearts and be made great and powerful there. Wheresoever God is great there all creatures are little. In Him all transitory things are as nothing at all.

This blessed cross is nothing else but Christ crucified, who is exalted high above all saints and angels, all bliss and > happiness of all creatures taken together. And as His rightful place* is the highest, so will He dwell within us elevated to the highest place, the most interior, the most receptive place in our spirit. By that means He will draw the lowest powers of our nature into submission to the highest, and both highest and lowest He will draw into union with Himself. If we will but yield to Him in this, then will He draw^ us out of ourselves and into Himself, into His highest and most interior life. And that must needs be. For if I shall be drawn into His life, I must of necessity receive Him into mine; as much of mine, so much of His. Such is the even trade between Him and me.

But, alas, how much is this holy cross forgotten. How very generally is the interior ground of our hearts shut against it; it is barred out by love of created things. Love for created things rule souls in our day, souls of men in the world, and those even in more spiritual states of life. Many hearts are lost to God by loving creatures, the blindest love and the direst misfortune in the world. If we could but appreciate God’s anger over this when men’s souls are arraigned in His court, we should wither away with fear. But men go so far as to make jokes about this, doing it sometimes habitually. Disregard of eternal penalties is deemed a mark of honor — a misery over which God’s saints in heaven, were such a thing possible, would weep tears of blood. The wounds of Christ would bleed afresh over so awful a deed as shutting out Christ’s cross from our souls, for whose welfare He lived His Divine life on earth and suffered His cruel death. May God pity us all.

Children, this is no invention of mine, for you know that all holy Scripture holds up the supremacy of Christ’s cross. Says the Gospel: “No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will sustain the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt, vi, 24). And again does Christ teach: “If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee” (Matt, v, 29). And about fixing our heart on worldly goods, He says: “Where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also” (Matt, vi, 21). St. Augustine comments on this: “Dost thou love the earth? Then thou art of the earth earthly; for thy soul is more truly present with what it loves than it is present with the body to which it gives life.” And St. Paul teaches: “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels * * * and if I should distribute all my goods to feed

Now, my dear children, be very thankful to God for the wonderful privilege of receiving the body and blood of the Lord in Holy Communion, a favor often granted you as members of your order. For this brings you very close to the cross of Jesus crucified. Often receive our Lord. I trust with all my heart and soul that this devout practice of frequent communion shall not be discontinued in these dangerous times. Nature cannot stand alone; either it must fall lamentably, or with all its powers cling to God for support. And do not suppose that this is a question of perfection; no, but rather of preservation from help is seen in our times far and wide, and even among persons consecrated to God.

But let no one sit in judgment on those who are not perfect in their good works. If these observe the rules of their holy order as far as they are able, that is enough, so long as they have a good will to do all the rest, and are lawfully dispensed from stricter observance. It takes no great learning for this much. Let them cheerfully comply with their rule as far as they can, meanwhile keeping their eyes wide open against all deadly dangers. To this end let even our younger members often and gladly approach Holy Communion. I will answer for the older ones. They have communicated often and fervently in former years, when times were not so wicked. They have been devotedly attached to our order and lovingly obeyed its rules. They will, therefore, keep up their pious custom of fortnightly communion. It sufficed for their perfection in better days than these. But the degeneracy of our younger people calls for a yet more frequent use of Holy Communion on their part, in order to overcome their evil inclinations. We need more help of divine grace and more frequent Communion nowadays, if we would keep our footing in the higher ways of perfection. Alas, everything seems sinking down into the pit of beastly lust and sensual enjoyment.

I ask no greater perfection of you than that you love your holy order, and that you resolve to keep its sacred rules to the best of your ability. Observe strict silence in every place and time prescribed, but especially at table and in choir. Be on your guard against the least familiarity with any who may lead you away from God — the older members for the sake of edification and recollection, the younger ones on account of natural frailty. Do this with deep sincerity, and God will grant you His own familiar company, and then it will be easy enough to fly from all that may sully the purity of your heart. I assure you that the intolerable evils that have fallen on certain monasteries have come from neglect of this rule about dangerous association; and if this shall continue it will bring them to utter destruction.

Dear children, if in your spiritual life you do not feel sweetness of devotion, let that not distress you. What is worth more than all taste of sweetness is to do what good lies in your power, and to be interiorly detached from earthly things. Bitterness of soul suffered for

God’s sake will bring you nearer to Him in living truth than all manner of sensible devotion. Our Lord cried out on the cross: “My God! My God! why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matt, xxvii, 46). And in the agony in the garden He exclaimed to His Father: “Not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” (Mark, xiv, 36). Will you, dear children, be afraid to follow Him? Listen to Him again: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke ix, 23).

Children, the cross means Christ crucified. He must be born in us, and in all our soul’s powers, will, memory and understanding; yes, and even in our outward life of the five senses must Christ crucified be given full mastery. St. Paul teaches: “They that are Christ’s, have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences” (Gal. v, 24). That means the taming of our unruly sensual tendencies under the dominion of Christ crucified. And our irascible tendencies must also be subjugated. We must easily give up to others, and that in all lawful things whatsoever. We must easily believe others are right and ourselves wrong. We must abhor strife, and become kindly-mannered and good-natured, silent under insult, and as easily led by our neighbor as a feather is wafted by the wind.

If thou art in a gathering of men, and seest the others chattering and noisy, dear child, learn a lesson of silence from that, turn into thy own thoughts and sit still. If a man would learn a trade how is he going to do it if he will not let himself be taught?. If thou undertakest a fencing bout, thou shalt be worsted and suffer hurt unless thou dost practice beforehand under a master. Thus, also, in the Lord’s warfare we learn how to win the victory over ourselves by suffering contradictions. As to the two interior faculties, the understanding and the will, the powers of knowing and of loving, the cross of Jesus crucified must be taken up and carried in them most manfully, that the all-loving Eedeemer may be borne in our inmost spirit.

Thus it is that we are to be born again in God, to be made the fruit of His spirit. St. Peter says: “As new-born babes, desire the rational milk without guile” (I. Peter ii, 2). If thus you live to God, every day of yours is a day of the dedication of God’s living temple; all your sins will be forgiven by this new birth in Christ crucified. May God help us to His Son’s blessed cross, that we may be nailed to it and hang upon it, and that by it we may be Constantly born ihto newness of life. Amen.

interior life is a sweet and bitter crucifixion, followed by resurrection— The hard truth that not in joy but in pain we are joined to Ood — Warning against despondency.