The Sermons of Johannes Tauler · 91 of 124

Sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Finally, brethren, be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of His power. Put ye on the armor of God, that yon may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. Therefore take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect — Eph. vi, 10-13

Yesterday we spoke of the stripping of the soul of all things in preparation for the coming of the Bridegroom, who will then reclothe it with the true wedding garment. But this seems an awful task; the soul thinks it can never be done, and naturally falls into grievous doubt. And St. Paul’s encouraging words are therefore applicable: “Be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of His power.” As if to say: What thou canst not do by thyself, thou canst do by Him. Rely no more on thyself, but absolutely on Him. Rest all thy activity on Him as on a foundation; and thou canst then do all things. Look for success in His sovereignty, His power, His holy humanity. He will do all things for thee, if thou thus cleavest to Him in deepest sincerity and in all steadfastness. Draw all thy force from His hidden might, for His almighty power is secret and silent. But some take a perverse view of this. They act as if they themselves were God; they make no account of any power but what they personally possess, and this delusion extends to both the interior life and the exterior. They resent the exercise of authority of every sort over them, both of Church and state, and meanwhile they strive by every means to rule over one another. But you may be sure that God will not always be silent nor hide His power.

St. Paul says further: “Put ye on the armor of God,” which is a warning that we have a battle to fight. But do you know what that armor is? It is the splendid nuptial robe of the bride, made for her and given to her by her Spouse. And how noble a conflict is this, thus to be fought in the Bridegroom’s armor. But just what are these holy robes? Our Lord tells us: “Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart” (Matt, xi, 29). Thus armed, now let the soul practise itself in that most necessary of all the arts, how to fight and to overcome in the Lord’s battle. It is in temptation that we have our conflict for God, and the victory is that a man learns who and what he is. All the great ones of the earth who have been vanquished in life’s combat, failed only from lack of this art of holy warfare. They sometimes have done great things for as long as thirty or forty years; they seemed to be wonderfully virtuous; but when assailed by violent temptations, they were overcome because they lacked meekness and humility of heart, and they did not know their own weakness.

It is amid temptations that we discover our own miserable weakness. This knowledge taken alone is worth more to us than practising virtue without it. Just in proportion as grace is necessary to us, so are temptations necessary. In temptation virtues are rightly begun in us, and in the same are they perfected. And this is a necessary condition if virtue is to sink deep into our being. No matter what may be one’s vocation, whether to the contemplative or the active state, it is all one: he must needB be sorely tempted if he is to become perfect. A great spiritual teacher says: “As little can a man be preserved from degeneracy without temptation, as meat can be saved from rottenness without salt.” God communicates Himself to us through the virtues and through the sacraments; and He can do the same through temptations. Little spots are cleansed away by them; and imperfections are dug out by the roots; by them holy humility is generated and the deep fear of God. By these trials God admonishes us to constantly fly to Him for help, and to entrust the battle to His direction.

O beloved children, put on this noble armor of God, and without doubt you will conquer in your battle with temptations. Only be humble and mild, only subject yourselves under God and all creatures, and neither man nor devil can ever vanquish you. Let all of God’s enemies conspire together to overthrow you, you will put them all to flight. And any man who lacks this armor of humility, will never be victorious. Wrath and pride, the vices opposed to meekness and self will. The really humble man has no self will nor obstinate opinions: he is detached from his own will, is poor in spirit, and has Qod for his master and his support and his aim and purpose in all things.

O children, be humbled under the mighty hand of Qod and He will exalt you. Yield thyself meekly to be condemned by God to do penance, and let all His creatures condemn thee; nay condemn thy own self. Gladly suffer oppression; practise self-renunciation in all things and turn constantly to Qod: do all this, and without the least doubt it will turn out well with thee in thy temptations. But O children, where shall we find meekness among men? If any one hears a single sharp word, he answers back hotly with ten; immediately evil passions are aroused, and men are suddenly snarling at one another and biting one another like dogs. Meekness? It has vanished away from their souls. Thou shouldst rather be glad to suffer from men, having found out thy unwortftiness to receive any other treatment, remembering besides that virtue is born and is strengthened only by such trials. When one assails thee bitterly, quickly turn inward, and hold thyself for nothing; look on thyself as worse than thy assailant thinks thee. And, besides, thou shalt thereby cure his scorn of thee by thy meekness, curing his wounds and suffering none thyself. To overcome all these weaknesses, children, practice deep, earnest prayer in your inmost spirit, and stand fast in the truth unto the end.

Once Peter the Deacon, a disciple of St. Gregory the Great, said to his master: “This is a hard saying — that a man must be always engaged in conflict.” St. Gregory answered him: “It is not hard; nor is the victory doubtful, if a man will but place the combat and the victory entirely in the hands of God, receiving all assaults in that spirit arrayed meanwhile in the armor of humility and meekness.” Such a man does not strike back, but he quickly turns inward and grasps the buckler of holy faith, and receives all the strokes of his enemies on that.

Clad in this armor, we are “able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood.” Let all men who practise severe bodily mortifications, but fail to mortify the kinship to the demon that lurks in the bottom of our souls, lay these words to heart What evil thing has their poor flesh done? These men would break through a stone wall by casting themselves against it head first. Kill your vices and not your body.

St. Paul says that our wrestling is “against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness.” He means the devils; but he also means the human princes of this world. These should be the very best of men, but, alas, they are the very horses that the demons bestride, causing them to spread disturbance everywhere, and to oppress the people. They live in pride, they usurp power, they are in many ways wicked men, as is plain to be seen over the whole earth. “Against the rulers of the world of this darkness,” adds the apostle. What awful darkness overspreads the Christian world, enveloping both clergy and laity. We can measure its thickness by the fact that Jews and pagans, with all their blindness of heart, live up to their law and their natural reason far better than we Christians observe the gospel of Christ, the teachings of holy faith, and the example of the saints. Our souls are blinded by vice, we are full of vanity, and we are preoccupied with thoughts of created things. We do not sincerely love God nor regard God in our daily conduct. In the end we shall be judged and condemned along with the benighted and infidel nations.

There are those who have given up this darkness, turning away from all selfseeking and walking into the true light of God. They are immersed in their origin — God; they are melted into Him amid the deep stillness of all their mental faculties. It is the holy darkness of the divine solitude that they have sought and found, transcending all intelligence. They are cast away so far from self, that in their union with God they have lost self and all things else, and are conscious now of nothing at all but only God, in whom they are wholly absorbed. And because they are thus placed, all goes well with them; they do not go astray. Coming out of this state, however, and resuming their ordinary activity of mind, they sometimes do not comprehend how it all happened, for it is beyond and above reason’s grasp.

And then demons enter this paradise, the most cunning of them all and the most malignant. Well do they know that these godlike men will enjoy the places in heaven that they forfeited; hence they hate them most bitterly, and they give them no rest from temptation. Among other evil thoughts, they suggest to them that they are actually God Himself: for to yield to this illusion were the deadliest calamity of all. Now let the soul raise the shield of holy faith and hold it firmly, exclaiming: there is but one God; there can be but one God: who is like unto God? Upon these acts of true faith as upon an impenetrable shield, the soul receives the fiery darts of the enemy.

The apostle continues: “And take unto you the helmet ef salvation;” “ having your loins girt about with truth;” “having on the breastplate of justice,” which is made up of all the virtues welded together; and take in your hand “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. vi, 12-17). Thus armed and shielded, go forth gladly to the conflict with your enemies, to overthrow them and to confound their treason and rebellion against God, that you may “stand in all things perfect.” Thus are we to light in what St. Paul calls “the evil day.” We must all prepare for the evil days of the judgment of God, when the pillars of the world shall be moved from their place, and all things be overthrown and cast away. Then those who have built on this deep and hidden foundation of truth and of God, stand in security, liberated from all slavery to self or to other creatures, victorious over all enemies.

Into the inner sanctuary of their spirit these souls daily enter, drawing in with them all whom God has committed to their care; nor need these latter fancy that they are forgotten by such holy souls. No, O, no! All whom they love enter into God with themselves, yea, and they draw in all Christendom, fast bound to them in interior love. And they bring them out again into their external life, expending on them treasures of love in works of charity — to return with them back again into the abyss of divine love. All that comes to such souls in their outer life, they draw inward and place with God, retaining nothing for self — all is for God alone. Such souls are the strong walls of God’s Church; had we them not, all would go ill with us; be well assured of that

Therefore, dearest children, grasp firmly the shield of holy faith, wield manfully “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” And what if you should be stricken down? let it be but for an instant; rise up quickly and fight on bravely. Renew the battle a thousand times over, and stand your ground to the very end, when eternal salvation shall be your victory. God grant us all that victory. Amen.

directed to Qod love begins with self-condemnation — It then proceeds to entire abandonment to God’s guidance — What hinders love is any form of selfishness — Before this is fully cured painful trials must be endured — The more mystical states of love.