The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 21 of 124

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

Learn of Me, because I am meek and bumble of heart — Matt xi, 29.

Christ, our beloved Lord, true master of all wisdom and virtue, example of all perfection, came down from Heaven that He might teach us poor, ignorant men. And in doing so He did not use great subtility, nor did He address us in mysterious ways. No; He taught us our lesson in short sentences, and very plain words, at the same time giving us in His own blessed humanity a pattern to go by. He is Himself our book — open, easy to read and written with plainest letters. And His lesson — it reads thus: “Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart.”

What lesson could be more easily taught; what lesson more easily understood and learned than this? So, let us study it diligently, reading it over and over again, putting it in practice in our daily lives, keeping ever before our eyes as our model the life of Christ, so rich in the virtues He would teach us. His whole life was kindly and gently humble, and all His words ever taught this same holy lesson. It was for the sake of this virtue that he chose for His disciples and pupils men in a lowly state of life, apt to learn meekness and humility. Especially to elevate this lesson to the highest place, did He choose for His beloved mother one who, as she conceived Him in her womb, could say: “He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid.” (Luke i, 48.) And in today’s Gospel, He thanks His Father for this same virtue: “I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to little ones” (Matt.

Therefore, dear children, that we may the better learn our Lord’s lesson and acquire this beautiful virtue of His, let us consider certain signs of real humility, bearing in mind that gentle kindness is ever its close companion.

The first sign is this: A truly humble man never is ashamed to do any outward act because worldlings will think that it disgraces him, for it is a true sign of conversion from a sinful life, and of real pain of heart for past bad conduct, if a man is ready and willing to be thrust backward to the lowest place, so that this may help him to be advanced to true humility of heart and interior subjection of soul. Whosoever would make progress in God’s happy way of perfection, must keep a close watch on himself and avail himself of such opportunities, and for this God will give him such graces as he never had before.

The second sign of real humility, is that one is ready to blame himself to others, to look on all men as his superiors in virtue; one effect of which is to draw men’s hearts to him, enabling him to lead them onward in the practice of humility. And if it sometimes happens that a man is accused of what he is not guilty of, still let him bear himself meekly, and confess that if he happen to be guiltless, it is God alone that has saved him from this sin, as He had forgiven him other sins — the same grace both in pardoning and preventing.

The third work is this: The truly humble soul loves all men alike, showing no partiality for near friends or relatives over poor strangers. All men he loves in God; all are given him by God as his neighbors, and, according to their needs, he loves them all, whether good or bad, not from natural inclination, but rather from Christian principle.

In the fourth place, a truly humble man contents himself with a free and detached spirit; he is content with all circumstances of life. The merciful God may join him in closest union with another whose heart is entirely given to the world. In such a case, indeed, we see a man’s humility, for he is sunk under God and all creatures, self-effaced in spirit and in act, entirely resigned to his lot for God’s sake.

The fifth sign of true humility is patient endurance of suffering, offering everything up for God’s glory, and in deep love of God, in singlehearted trust entirely submitting to His will.

Herein you will perceive that progress in humility is marked by patience, by loving abandonment to God in all faith, and by steadfast