The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 76 of 124
Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other It publican. — Luke xviii, 10. a
Let us take the temple here spoken of to mean the soul of man in its very depths. There, indeed, does the Holy Trinity love to dwell. He loves to inspire the soul’s activity, making it the place of His joy, the treasury of His gifts. For the soul is made in the image and likeness of the Triune God. Here then is the temple into which a man must enter to pray. And if he prays right he does so as two men; one the inward man and the other the outward man. What the outward man prays for is of little or no value. And let me tell you, my dear sisters, that if you would have help to pray and to make real progress in prayer, there is nothing better than the blessed body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Receive this at proper intervals and you will And yourself renewed, yes, newly born, in your spiritual life. That privilege is yours. Thank God for it with special fervor, and make good use of it in preference to any other spiritual help. Human nature is weak and much inclined to evil. We need great assistance if we shall be able to withdraw from evil; no help can compare with this divine nourishment. In the Lord’s parable, one of the men praying in the temple was a Pharisee. The other was a publican; that is to say, a notorious sinner. He stood afar off, not daring to lift his eyes to heaven, and he said: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” All went
But some enter on prayer with the spirit of this poor sinner, acknowledging indeed their wickedness, but in their humility they would fly from the face of God and from the Holy Sacrament — they dare not receive Communion. Not so, not so, my dear sisters. All the more eagerly should you go to Communion, so that the strength of your sins may fall away from you, saying to our Lord: O come quick, Lord, ere that my soul shall die in its sins. Let me assure you, that if I should find a man inspired with that publican’s spirit, deeply and most humbly conscious of his sinful state, and who would gladly be good but much overcome with this praiseworthy fear, yet anxious still to follow God’s blessed will and renounce the love of created things with all his might, I say that to such a one I would give the consolation of receiving onr Lord’s body and blood the very next day; and the prudence of this I am prepared to prove from holy scripture. When we received holy baptism and were dedicated to God, we received full right to Holy Communion; that right all creatures together cannot strip us of — except our own selves by refusing to be contrite for our sins.
Dear sisters, one need not have great sensible devotion in order to worthily receive Communion, nor need one have done great outward good works. It is enough if one be free from mortal sin, humbly stand in fear of God, and confess his unworthiness; all this is indeed necessary and it is at the same time very beneficial. If one will live free from mortal sin, then there is great need that he be fed by this divine food. It elevates us high towards the summit of the spiritual life. Instead of avoiding Communion because thou hast been sinful, rather shouldst thou hasten to receive it, as long as thou dost sorrowfully confess thy wickedness. For from this grace comes strength, holiness, consolation and sweetness. Of course thou shouldst not condemn those who do not go often to Communion, any more than sit in judgment on poor penitent sinners who do go. St. Augustine says: “Condemn no man on any account whatsoever, unless, indeed, Holy Church has already condemned him for his proud spirit and his open wickedness, and for being obstinately given up to his sinful practices.” As to whether any one receives unworthily, that is not our affair; they have their superiors who will certainly attend to that. Condemn not, dear children, lest you become like the proud Pharisee, who sat in judgment on the poor sinner who stood below him in the temple — beware of that as you would of the eternal loss of your soul. Meantime be not over anxious as to whether or not your past sins will be held against you; rather be anxious to avoid the sin of judging your neighbor.
Once it happened that I was with some brothers of our order who observed our rule with special strictness, and I was very desirous of doing as they did. But our Lord willed otherwise, for my health was too feeble to allow me to do so. This led me to suppose that God foresaw I should have fallen into Pharisaism if I had been permitted these austerities; I should have been given over to self complacency. Our Lord is so faithful to us, that sometimes he allows a man of God to fall into occasional notable faults of a venial nature his whole life long, because thereby he is constantly forced to enter into his soul and learn his own nothingness in all humility. Hence one should not refrain from Communion on account of such defects. Let him meekly exclaim: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof or into my heart; yet I implore thee to enter there out of regard for the overflowing riches of Thy merits and Thy boundless mercies. I am in sore need of contrition, charity and other graces, and all these are plentiful in Thee, in whom we find all virtue, all aspiration for good.
Children, the awful state of sin in which God found mankind in the time of our Father St. Dominic, and which almost provoked Him to once more destroy the world in His wrath, seems to be returned upon the race in our day. What will happen to us we know not; but we must seek anxiously for some means of obtaining God’s blessed mercy. And no means is better than for each of us to renounce and cast away all created things, turn inwardly to God, and invite ourselves to our Lord in the Sacrament of His body and blood. Dear sisters, adopt that holy method, observing due order, cultivating the right spirit. If you detect yourselves in faults, still cherish within you a hearty purpose to live according to God, regret your defects sincerely, avoid all dangerous occasions.
In the holy order of which you and I are members, and in which God calls us away from a perilous world, we ought to wait on Him and Him alone with the utmost fidelity of heart. Dear children, often ponder your holy vocation, mark carefully what progress you are making, and what example of virtue you are setting to others. All men should behold in your lives the fruit of your Communions, as well as the diligent observance of the holy rule. I do not mean to urge any unreasonable austerity, as that any aged and feeble sister should fast and toil and watch beyond her power of endurance; but all things to be done with discretion. Children, if you are thus fervent, the graces of Holy Communion will be inestimably great in you.
Futhermore, let all your words be sweet, kind and peaceful. What if hard words are spoken to you; suffer this meekly for the love of God, submissive to all men. To bitter words answer thou nothing but a few kindly sentences, spoken with a cheerful countenance.
Look closely to your interior. Have no joy in the possession of any thing whatsoever, or in its use. Make no effort to please self, or to win the favor of others. Be attached neither to clothing, ornaments nor books; no, nor to any particular companionship. Whatsoever is really needful for your wants God will provide for you through your superiors.
You ought to have great love for one another, should be subject one to another in all affection, abhoring overbearing manners, or anything that may in the least degree estrange sisterly affections, or disturb interior peace of mind. Be zealous for good works in the community, exhorting the sisters most affectionately and emulating one another. Lend a hand and a heart to help the weak and aged sisters, anticipating and relieving their necessities in all cheerfulness and love. And let this be done not only for members of your own community, but for all other persons whom you can induce to accept your good offices. “For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans this? And if you salute your brother only, what do you more? Do not also the heathens this?” (Matt, v: 46, 47).
But suppose that you should be ridiculed for doing good deeds, or for some devout practice? Answer never a word, make no sort of complaint. Meanwhile, strictly observe your holy silence in choir and in all other places in which it is prescribed. In choir, you should assist
One’s conscience is clear if one does not wilfully yield to distracting thoughts.
The gospel says: “Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know than’’ (Matt, vii: 20). And in your case, it must be by the outward appearing fruits of virtue that you shall know yourselves as God’s servants, and be known by others. To be equal to this test, no one is too feeble in body or too old, if they will but cherish mutual charity and practice patience and mildness of manner. These virtues one can have if he be bedridden. But, again, you shall be known by your interior fruits of grace — forfeiting no opportunity to love God, and totally disengaged from all that is not God. Be glad to pass your time alone with God, • united to Him, passive under His influence. Ascend the tree of Christ’s holy cross and passion, and hide in His glorious wounds — nay, go upward still, and be absorbed in the infinite Godhead itself. This is the way of the Good Shepherd, who leadeth His sheep back and forth through rich pastures. Thus in your Communions shall the adorable Sacrament give you the fruits of a holy life, and you shall make steady progress in grace.
It may be that some good souls will, out of reverence, receive Communion less often than thou dost, and this is also good; again there may be others who do not at all approve thy going to Communion often, and these will chide thee for thy boldness, or even visit thee with penances. But what then? I say to thee, bear this infliction with all meekness. Hardly any good thing can be done in this life without creating some trouble. It is indeed good that thou shouldst now and very presence is itself thy cure. Humble fear thou must not be without; which means that thou holdst up thy sins before thy sours sorrowful gaze. That is a sign that this adorable Sacrament has worked its ends within thee. But when the medicine has driven out the disease, then comes the time to nourish the patient with good food — he is going to be restored to health, and that soul is sound and well before whose eyes its sins stand out plain and clear. Another good sign is the sincere longing to lead a good life and obey God’s law; and if one is thus minded — not in fickleness or presumption, but because he has expelled all vice from his soul — then in this case also let him in all confidence approach the holy table. The more fruitful will his Communion be in proportion to the intensity of his sorrow for his sins.
It may occasionally happen that some of our sisters may have little or no time for thanksgiving immediately after Communion, being called away by community duty, or service in the choir. Let them not be anywise disturbed on that account — the Holy Sacrament will none the less do its work of grace in your soul if you be well prepared. Meanwhile our Lord can wait for your thanksgiving; give Him some time after dinner, even after vespers or compline, and that will please Him just as well as if done in the morning.
A word about venial sins and imperfections, faults that we cannot hope ever to be quite free from in this life. In case some of these escape your mind at confession, be not disturbed — confess them sorowfully to God; and even at confession, it is enough that one touch upon such things in a general way, rather than overtax one’s father confessor. As far as real obligation goes, it is only mortal sins that one is bound to tell in confession. Venial sins may be remitted by saying an Our Father, or using holy water, or by a genuflexion, supposing always that one’s heart is truly penitent for them. But suppose — you may ask — that we have no sorrow for our sins? I answer: Canst thou not desire to have soi/ow? If one is sorry that he is not sorry for his sins, then he is truly sorry. He that aspires after holy ambition is really ambitious to serve God. He that loves to be able to love God already loves God.
But incomparably the most precious virtue is practical, active love of God. This comes to our heart from meditating on all the good which
God has done us and all mankind, and rendering sincere thanks for the same. Concentrate all thy powers upon thoughts of the good things God has done thee, whether in joy or in sorrow, throughout thy entire life. Place all this over against thy pettiness, thy meanness, thy total unworthiness — and then invite all men and angels and all other creatures to join with thee in praising and thanking God, for thou shalt find thyself unequal to the task. Embrace in one single view all the members of Holy Church, both living and dead, and bid them all join with thee in this interior thank offering to God. Often repeat this flight of thy mind and heart to God, and fill it with real sentiments of love. Whatsoever a man has received from God, let him retain no part of it for himself, but return it wholly to the divine giver by frequent and most fervent thanksgiving. And put a stop to all questionings and all thy disputes, as to whether or not this or that interior feeling be from God; fall back constantly upon thy poverty of soul and thy essential nothingness. Leave God’s part to God, and as to thyself, consider thy origin, and imitate our Lord Jesus Christ in His constant elevation of His soul to His father. The man who follows Christ best is the best man.
What if one’s attention be sometimes relaxed; what if one’s soul be now and then preoccupied with creatures; bow down humbly and beg God’s pardon; then lift thy soul again to the heavenly Father. Do this and do all else in union with and in thoughts about the life and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus it will be best done in God’s j sight. Call to mind the feeling of the woman in the gospel: “If I shall ^ touch only His garment I shall be healed” (Matt. ix:21). And she touched the hem of His garment and was healed. Now we may consider His garment to mean His Holy Communion, and the hem of it any drop of His precious blood. Thou mayst think thyself so vile as to be unworthy to touch Him, but if thou shalt only have the courage to do so, without doubt thou shalt be healed of thy spiritual infirmity — and this touching of Him means approaching Holy Communion. But as to thy preparation, what is before all else most useful is falling back humbly on thy own nothingness.
If one has attained even to the very highest point of perfection, then, even then has he the very greatest need to sink the roots of humility deep down in the depths of his soul. The higher the tree, the deeper must be the roots. All the height of our perfection springs from the like manner as was this scandalous but penitent sinner — truly humbled, and thereby fully restored to God's favor. May this be mercifully granted us by God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.
therefore, of patience, to live and die well — Suffering God’s judgment meekly is the highest form of patience — Fatuity of seeking human comfort amid divine inflictions — Endurance of God’s delays is a noble virtue.