The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 65 of 124

Sermon for the Second Sunday after Trinity

A certain man made a great supper and Invited many. And he sent his servant at the hour of supper to say to them that were invited, that they should come, for now all things were ready. And they began all at once to make excuse. The first said to him: I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out to see it: I pray thee, hold me excused. And another said: I have bought five yoke of

St. Gregory says that we may understand this supper, to which we are all invited, as a most interior self-knowledge, a most clear knowledge of that inmost depth of our soul which is God’s kingdom. And also the very taste of how it is that God dwells and works there, experiencing the same knowledge and love. In another sense, this supper means the holy Sacrament. In yet another meaning it is eternal happiness, which is the true supper of our souls, and compared with which all banquets of soul or body which the whole world could set before us, would be no more than a single morsel of bread.

Insight

Three meanings of the supper: an interior self-knowledge of the soul's depths where God dwells; the holy Sacrament; eternal happiness in heaven. Tauler is reading Luke 14's great-supper parable on three layers simultaneously — and notice the order. The first supper is interior, the second is sacramental, the third is eschatological. The standard medieval exegetical pattern reads from literal up to anagogical, but Tauler reverses the pull: the heavenly supper that is the soul's final destination is the one that gives the other two their meaning. Whoever attains the banquet of eternal life in heaven must have had a foretaste of it in this life. Without the interior supper now, the eternal one later does not become available — not because God withholds it but because the soul that never learned to taste cannot.Luke 14:16-24; on the fourfold exegesis (literal, allegorical, moral, anagogical) see Aquinas, ST I q.1 a.10; cf. Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospels XXXVI.

Whatsoever man would come to this last-named glorious supper, must diligently take into account the other two. For devout writers tell us that whosoever attains to the banquet of eternal life in heaven, must have had a foretaste of it in this life. But inasmuch as the foretaste is different in different men, so very truly shall the enjoyment

The second supper is that of the holy Sacrament, bringing such grace and joy as no words can explain. And we should be all the more gratified for it because it is a holy feast that we can enjoy every day.

One might enquire how it happens to be necessary that we should daily renew in the Eucharist the commemoration of our Lord’s death, since on Good Friday our Lord was offered up once for all, and for all the world, and, if it were needed, for a thousand sinful worlds besides. The answer is that our Savior devised this blessed way of daily renewing His death, out of pity for our human weakness and our daily necessity. He would give us His adorable sacrifice of Cavalry newly offered up every day for the sins and miseries of mankind. It is thus that St. Thomas teaches: “All the fruitfulness, all the benefit that God granted us the day He died, is found every day in every mass that is celebrated; and all this grace is received by every man each time he worthily receives the Lord’s body and blood.”

This holy Sacrament banishes sin. It puts sin to death, and causes a man to grow strong in a virtuous life, imparting new graces. It safeguards him from future dangers, and from the snares of the enemy, snares incessantly being laid for us. Without its strong help one may easily fall, either by inner or outer sinfulness. Besides this, the holy Sacrament is a great grace when offered for the souls in purgatory; many souls would suffer there till the last day were it not for holy mass, especially when offered by very devout priests. This blessed observance works wonders in purgatory, especially during this part of the year. Each one should assist at mass with deep longings of spirit, uniting his fervent intention with every mass offered in the whole world, especially remembering those who are dear to him, whether living or dead. We thus feel ourselves present not only at the mass

What is the reason that so many who receive this holy Sacrament; full of graces as it is, show little or no sign of improvement, even though they remain in the state of grace? The blame is their own. They take no diligent account of their venial sins; they do not look on themselves with disfavor. These defects hinder the influence of grace. A man must scrutinize his life closely and watch his conduct strictly, and take measures to stop any habitual venial sins. Especially should he guard against idle words — and all words are idle that are not spoken thoughfullv. This he should do to the best of his ability.

Another obstacle to the practical working of the grace of holy Communion, is when one interrupts and omits his regular and daily devotional practices. Many a one has no steady religious observance, runs after every distraction, will not wait with a recollected spirit for God’s grace to work within him. But it must be remembered that the graces of this Sacrament often become active in a willing soul only after two or three days have passed.

Whosoever will experience these benefits, must journey out of the land of Egypt and out of the land of darkness, ere he can eat the bread of heaven, whose sweetness is proportioned to our heart’s desires. The bread of heaven was not given to the chosen people, as long as the flour lasted that they had brought with them out of Egypt. But when that was gone, the manna came to them, full of every sweetness their hearts desired. So it happens to us.

When we have gone forth out of Egypt, out of the world and its ways, and when we have become spiritualized, we are fed with heavenly graces — but not before: not while we feast on the bread of nature and of creatures, that is to say, our evil and imperfect tendencies. For while that is the case we can never interiorly enjoy the divine nourishment of the Sacrament. All who would interiorly receive the fruits of Communion will not allow the world, creatures or their own weakness to cleave to their souls. They will not approach the Sacrament trusting to their own perfection, but rather to strengthen their weakness. They feel as weak as a man reduced so low by illness that his life is despaired of — who, if he were able, would purchase the medicine needed for his recovery with an immense amount of gold and jewels.

The wise Christian does not receive Communion for the joy of it, but out of dire necessiay, so that his very life may be preserved. In no other spirit should we receive Communion, than to strengthen our weakness and save ourselves from death, that is to say, from the love of created things. With some it is as if you poured water on fire — such is the effect of their conduct after Communion. For after receiving it they open their soul to the images, the fooleries of the world, which absorb it in thoughts of outward things. These cool the warmth of love. The soul is incapacitated to receive the graces of the Sacrament. It is incapable of waiting in recollection the action of God upon the soul.

But when one is in a frame of mind to give up attachment to creatures, then it sometimes happens that the enemy says to him: This is foolish; thou canst not keep this up. Then this deluded soul does what the people of Israel did. As Moses led them forth out of Egypt, they looked backwards and saw their pursuers coming with their six hundred chariots, and they exclaimed: “Why wouldst thou do this, to lead us out of Egypt? . . . For it is much better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” (Exod. xiv: 12). Thus act these fainthearted men, men of little faith. As they hear the enemy coming on, hear the noise of his many chariots, as it were, rolling over the stones, feel the attacks of temptation, they begin to think: O, this is all foolishness; it is much better to be back in Egypt, in the world, busy with creatures, full of their love, rather than to lose it all. Thus it is with many a mqn who trusts not God. Fall at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, and beseech Him to plead for you with His eternal Father, that He may bestow on yon great confidence in Him.

Insight

The Israelites, looking back and seeing Pharaoh's chariots, said: it is much better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. Tauler is reading Exodus 14 as the standard temptation of every soul that has begun the inward turn. You leave Egypt — the old attachments, the consoling small life — and within a few days hear the wheels of the old life rolling up behind you, the imagined regret of having left, the question whether you have made a mistake. The voice in your head sounds like prudence. Tauler names it correctly: it is the enemy. The way out is not to argue with the voice but to fall at the feet of Christ and ask for greater confidence. The Buddhist account of leaving the householder's life describes the same crisis: a few days into renunciation, the mind rehearses everything it gave up, and the practice is to recognize the rehearsal as a stage of the path rather than a sign that the path was wrong.Exodus 14:11-12; cf. Bhagavad Gita 2.7 on Arjuna's collapse at the start of battle; Dhammapada 153-154 on the seeker who turns back.

We shall draw lessons from the third supper when we come to consider it, and meanwhile may God help us thereto. Amen.

virtue of hope — An exhortation to earnestness and courage, springing from love and hope — Detachment, inwardly practiced, is entire obedience — Many reasons for pmising this high virtue — De- * tachment also shown by patience.