SERMON XI
On the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist
The Second Sermon
How man must prepare himself and hold himself in readiness to
bear witness to the true Divine Light which shines into his heart, in the
lowest and highest powers, and on which depend his Salvation and
Blessedness.
Hic venit in testimonium, ut testimonium perbiberet de lumine
"This man came for a witness to give testimony of the light."[28]
To-day the Church celebrates the Feast of St John
the Baptist. To bless and to praise him in words only would be but a little
thing for us to do, because our Lord Himself has praised him worthily, and has
said of him: "There hath not risen among them that are born of woman a greater
than John the Baptist."[29] He also said of
him: "But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? or did ye go
out into the desert to see a reed shaken with the wind?" No, he was none of
these things. Jesus said of him: "He is a voice of one crying in the desert,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!"[30] We sing of him that he was a burning lamp. St John the
Evangelist, who is likened unto a soaring eagle, wrote of him that "he bore
witness to the light."
Dear children, how could we praise this exalted
prince of Heaven better, or more worthily, than with these words, "that he was
a witness to the true Light?" This true Divine Light shines into the very
depths of man's heart; and when this Divine Light and witness comes to man and
commends itself inwardly unto him, he turns quite away from the pure ground. He
ought verily to await it; but he does just the reverse, running first one way
and then another, so that he cannot receive the true witness because of his
shallowness. "He came unto His own, and His own received him not." Such men are
opposed to the true Divine Light. Their hearts are worldly; and, as the Baptist
said to the hypocrites: "They are a generation of vipers." These men are
opposed to all those who love the true Divine Light, and they give good cause
for alarm, for they seem, as it were, scarcely to hang by a thread to light and
faith.
Now, we must show here, how shortsighted and
diseased nature is, and how of itself it can do nothing that is good. God has
therefore given it supernatural help and strength, even the light of grace,
which lifts nature far up above itself, and supplies it with all it needs in
this way. The uncreated Light of Glory shines above, even the Divine Light; and
this Light is God Himself. Therefore, if we would truly know God, it must be by
God and with God, in God and by God. As the prophet says: "Lord, in thy light
we shall see light," that is a supernatural light. The same Divine Light,
"lightens every man who comes into the world," and shines on all men, both on
the evil and on the good, as the bright sun shines on all creatures. It is
their own fault if they are blind. For in the same way that a man in a dark
room could get light, if he found a window open, by putting his head outside,
so may men also come to this light, and bear witness to it.
Now, we must mark diligently how a man shall
first bear himself towards this witness, so that he may truly receive it. He
must flee and separate himself from all that is temporal and transitory; for
the true witness is given both to the lowest and highest powers of the soul.
The lowest power is that of passion and desire. Desire is the love of pleasure,
which this witness must take away. This power must first separate itself from
the lusts of the flesh, whatever they may be, in which the man finds
satisfaction; either in human beings or clothing; in short, in whatever his
senses find delight. God does not grudge man the necessaries of life; but this
is verily a wilderness in which the voice of God cries; and it is called a life
of seclusion. It is a separation from all the spiritual and natural pleasures,
both outwardly and inwardly.
Second, this witness is given in the power of
passion in the soul, that man may learn true steadfastness and strength; that
he may become, if he has received this witness aright, immovable as a mountain
of iron. As Christ testified of St John, man must not allow himself to be
shaken to and fro like a reed; neither must he be like unto one who wears soft
clothing; by which we may understand one who loves, desires and seeks his
bodily ease. Now, many a man may be found who despises all this for the sake of
God, but who is so like a bending reed that it is quite pitiful. Such a man is
as much moved and disturbed by some absurd mockery, or by a hard word, as the
reed is in the water. Now, dear friend, how can a word harm thee, which can in
nowise hurt thy soul? But then comes the Evil One and suggests first one thing
and then another to thee, till thou art sore troubled; but all this ought not
so to be, if otherwise thou wert firm in the faith. Later, this witness is
given in the highest power of all, in the reason, the will and the love of man;
for it is a prophet to the reason of man's soul; a prophet means one who sees
far off. Reason, in fact, sees so far that it is a perfect marvel. If an
enlightened man existed, who yet was not standing on this ground, who heard
secret, divine things, his heart would bear him witness thereof, and it would
speak to him within.
Now, Jesus Christ said that John was more than a
prophet, even in that ground where reason cannot come. For there truly man sees
light in light, in the inner light of the soul; for there the Divine Light may
be seen and understood by the light of grace. First, in a hidden way. The
powers of the soul cannot attain to this divine ground; and the great wastes to
be found in this divine ground have neither image, nor form, nor condition; for
they are neither here nor there. They are like unto a fathomless abyss,
bottomless and floating in itself. Even as water ebbs and flows, up and down,
now sinking into a hollow, so that it looks as if there was no water there, and
then again, in a little while, rushing forth as though it would engulf
everything, so does it come to pass in this Abyss. This, truly, is much more
God's Dwelling-place than heaven or man. A man, who verily desires to enter in,
will surely find God here, and himself simply in God, for God never separates
Himself from this ground. God will be present with him, and he will find and
enjoy eternity here. There is no past or present here; and no created light can
reach unto or shine into this divine ground; for here only is the
Dwelling-place of God and His sanctuary. Now this Divine Abyss can be fathomed
by no creatures; it can be filled by none, and it satisfies none; God only can
fill it in His Infinity. For this abyss belongs only to the Divine Abyss, of
which it is written: Abyssus abyssum incocat.
He who is truly conscious of this ground, which
shone into the powers of his soul, and lighted and inclined its lowest and
highest powers to turn to their pure Source and true Origin, must diligently
examine himself, and remain alone, listening to the voice which cries in the
wilderness of this ground.
This ground is so desert and bare, that no
thought has ever entered there. None of all the thoughts of men, which, with
the help of reason, have been devoted to meditation on the Holy Trinity, (and
some men have occupied themselves much with these thoughts), have ever entered
this ground. For it is so close, and yet so far off, and so far beyond all
things, that it has neither time nor place. It is a simple and unchanging
condition. A man, who really and truly enters, feels as though he had been here
throughout eternity, and as though he were one therewith; whereas it is only
for an instant, and the same glance is found and reveals itself in eternity. It
shines forth; and God thus bears witness that man existed in God from all
eternity, before his creation; that is, he was in God, and thus man was God in
God. For St John says: "All things were made by Him," that means one life in
Him. That which man was in himself when created, that he was eternally in God.
As long as a man does not attain to the purity with which he came forth, when
first created out of nothing, he will never truly come to God. For all
inclinations, propensities, and self-esteem, all that can defile the ground in
our own possession, must assuredly be cast out; and also, all that we have ever
possessed with delight and our own consent in soul and body; all that we have
ever received by knowledge or inclination, all, all must first be rooted out,
so that we may be as we were when we first came forth from God. Because we do
not act thus, we never return to the Source from which we sprang; neither is
purity enough, unless our spirits are transformed by the Light of Grace. Now,
if we willingly sought after this transformation, and communed with ourselves
in our inmost hearts, ordering our conversation aright, at such a time our
souls and spirits might well experience a bright glimpse of the highest
transformation; although no one can come to God, nor know God, except in
Uncreated Light, which is God Himself. The holy prophet says: Lord, "in Thy
light we shall see light." Therefore, if a holy man communes often in his
inmost heart in secret, many a glimpse will be vouchsafed to him in his inmost
heart; and what God is will be made much clearer and plainer to him, than the
natural sun is to his bodily eyes.
This pure ground was hidden from the heathen;
therefore they despised all temporal and transitory things, and went in search
of it. But afterwards the great masters, such as Proclus and Plato, arose, and
they gave a clear description of it, to those men who could not find it of
themselves. Therefore St Augustine said that Plato had fully taught the holy
Gospel, "in principio erat verbum," even unto the words: "Fuit homo
missus a Deo;" but this was in veiled words. These same heathen masters
discerned also the Holy Trinity; and all this came from the inmost ground, for
which they lived and waited. It is a great disgrace and shame, a miserable and
pitiful thing, that we, poor blinded people, who are left, should go on through
long years, even unto death, like blind creatures, not knowing ourselves, nor
what is concealed in us, knowing nothing about ourselves. Yet we are
Christians, and are so called, and have great and exceeding help from the Grace
of God, besides possessing the holy faith and the Blessed Sacrament, and many
other great and divine helps. Now this is caused entirely by the great
fickleness and superficiality, which pervert and trouble us. We are always
anxious to occupy ourselves with outward things; our own efforts, our many
prayers, readings, studies and so on, which are all of our own self-seeking,
with which we occupy ourselves, and which keep us back, so that we cannot
commune with ourselves, bare and empty in the inmost depths of our hearts. And
yet, he who does not fill the noble vessel of his soul with fine balsam, will
fill it with bad wine. Truly, if man would do this, it would be much pleasing
unto God, Who desires to receive from him his best and noblest works.
There is yet another witness in the highest
powers, the power of love, which is in the will. Have we not this week sung of
St John the Baptist: Lucerna lucens et arden, etc. "He was a burning and
shining light." A lamp gives heat and light; thou canst feel the heat with thy
hand; and yet thou canst not see the fire, unless thou lookest at it from
above; and thou seest not the light, unless thou seest it through the shade. He
who marked this meaning well, and was then conscious of the light and heat,
would know that this is wounded love, which shall truly guide thee into this
ground. Therefore, when thou comest into this ground, thou must wrestle and
struggle with love, and set thy bow upon the Most Highest.
But if thou comest into imprisoned love, into
that secret, deep abyss, thou must yield thyself in the depths of love
entirely; thou hast lost all power over thyself; for there thou wilt find
neither thought, nor exercise of power, nor the works of virtue. But, if thou
findest there so much space, and thou art so bare that a thought comes to thee,
and thou fallest again into imprisoned love, then thou must brace thyself at
once, and raise thyself up, and wrestle vehemently with love; and desire,
beseech and importune love. If thou canst not speak, think and long; and then
speak as St Augustine spoke: "Lord, Thou commandest me to love Thee with all my
heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind; therefore,
grant, O Lord, that I may love Thee above all things." If thou feelest so dull
that thou canst not think thus, open thy mouth and say so. Those men, who make
no effort, but sit down, as though all were accomplished, never attain to this
exalted love. After this comes the love which wells forth.
Fourthly comes stormy, raging love. Love has
perished quite, and reason has taken its place. Man is never so reasonable as
he now generally becomes; for stormy, raging love may be compared to a lamp;
man becomes conscious of the heat of that love, for it causes a disturbance in
all his powers. Man always longs for this love; and when he has it he does not
know it himself; for it consumes the blood and marrow in his bones. Therefore,
heed thyself diligently, that thou mayest not destroy thy natural powers with
all thy efforts. If love is to do her work, so that thou canst not withdraw
thyself from her, thou must follow her through all her storms, and in all her
external works. Some men say they will guard themselves from all these storms,
that they may not be disgraced; for such doings are not in keeping with their
position. Therefore, when irrational love comes, all human work is swallowed
up, and God comes and speaks to those men. This word is more useful than
hundreds of thousands of words that could be spoken by any man. St Dionysius
says: "When the external word has been uttered in the depths of the soul, and
the ground has been so prepared and made ready, that it can receive the word in
all its dignity and entirety, and can bring it forth, not only partially but
completely, that ground becomes one with the word; and yet it retains its own
essential being, even in that union." Our Lord Jesus Christ bore witness to
this when He said: "That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me and I
in Thee." As He also said to St Augustine: "Thou shalt be changed into Me, and
not I into thee." Dear children, I tell you of a truth, that none can attain to
this but by the path of love.
Now St John the Baptist said, that he was "a
voice in the wilderness, to prepare the way of the Lord;" that is, the path of
virtue; that path is very plain. He said also: "Make straight His paths." Paths
are often more even than ways. Therefore, whoever can really find the right
path, which leads to the true ground of God, while at the same time he is
conscious of his own ground, he must, before all things, remain alone, and
diligently seek the footpath, which is very wild, dark, rough, unknown, distant
and strange to him. For the man who diligently gives heed to all these things,
no calamity or perplexity, either external or internal, is too great or too
small; neither any infirmity which may befall him; for they will guide, allure
and urge him on to the right ground.
The paths must also be made straight from within;
we must seek them diligently; our spirits in God and God in us; for the paths
are dark and unknown. Many men go astray, running after external works and
discipline. They act like one who, in going to Rome, ought to ascend; whereas,
if the road diverged, the further he went, the further he would go astray. It
is thus that these men act; for often, when they come back from external
exercises, they have become old and ill, and their heads ache; and there is not
enough of this love in their works, because of their passions.
Therefore, when a man finds himself in this storm
of love, he must not think of his senses, or of humility, or of anything else,
but only, whether in his works he has enough love. Man struggles also in love
against coldness, indifference and harshness. Man should devote himself
entirely to love, and render full allegiance, being poor and miserable in all
that is not love. Herein must thou have a steady ardent desire and full trust
in God; and thou must keep thy heart pure for the Love of God; then thou wilt
find such great and noble things in the Love of God, that thou wilt not be able
to give utterance to them. Therefore, all men, whose faith and trust in God are
not quite pure, will sink lower; love will be extinguished in their hearts, and
their lives will be fruitless. I say unto thee, if thou hadst all the marks
thou couldest possess here below, and this witness to the Love of God was
wanting, all would be lost. Therefore the Evil One readily leaves all other
virtues to man, as long as he does not posses the witness of true love. He will
allow thee to have deceitful love, so that thou mayest imagine thou hast true
love; but, if thou couldest see into the depths of thy heart, thou wouldest
soon find out how it stood with thy love. Therefore, know, that all that is
lacking in you, is nothing else but that you have not entered into the right
ground; for, if ye truly entered there, ye would find the Grace of God, and it
would exhort you unceasingly to lift up your minds above yourselves. This
divine exhortation is constantly resisted by many men, and that so often, that
they become unworthy of Divine Grace thereby; so that perhaps they will never
become partakers of it; for they spoil it altogether with their lives which
seem to them so good. Were they obedient to the glance of the Grace of God,
they would be led thereby, and be brought into such Divine Union, that even in
this life they would experience that which they will enjoy everlastingly in the
life to come. This has been the experience of many holy men, who have been led
by God along this lofty way; and He still leads others by it, who open their
hearts to Him. God grant that this also may be our experience. Amen.
[28] John i. 7
[29] Matt. xi. II.
[30] Matt. iii. 3.