How we are to prepare an airy dwelling place for God in our hearts and are to drive out all melancholy.
Tu es, qui venturus est (Latin from Matthew 11:3).
Are you he, who is to come?
translator’s note: because this sermon is so long, I have decided to split it into two posts; this is the second part
Now, there are six things about these fearful individuals. The first is that they are completely insincere, and that they have little desire to believe someone in this. Those whom they want to believe, particularly those who tell them something comforting, they believe less than those who tell them something uncomfortable. This comes from a busy and sincere grief in which they dwell without interruption. They want to gladly grieve over their infirmities. If someone could come to their aid, he should not do this at all, for they do not care who is helped. The more they fight against it, the greater their suffering and their infirmities will be. They should choose a godfearing teacher who has experience with the holy scriptures. Then, they would be bound to believe him without any doubts. For God will hold him accountable on the day of judgment, and not them if they have done their best.
The other point is that they have a lot of wrong fears. They think that they can never confess correctly, regardless of how educated the confessor is or how much they exercise their capabilities. They still do not have a repentant or restful heart. This comes from the fact that they do not know how to confess those things for which they are expressly guilty. An individual is culpable alone (excepting mortal sins) to confess as he is able, and the daily sins in a communal confession. If then these individuals in the previous matters are not guilty of a mortal sin, then they are not permitted nor should they explicitly speak all their transgressions in a communal confession, in accordance with the counsel of a godly and humble confessor. An evil spirit confuses, in these matters, the heart’s peace and quiet. Therefore, one should resist him, for the more one entertains him, the more the conscience becomes confused.
The third thing is that they desire understanding in those things that one cannot understand. They pursue that which they desire to understand, namely, that they are without mortal sin. No individual on earth is so good, is so holy, or is so well-educated in the holy doctrines, that he can know if he is in God’s grace or not, except that such would be especially revealed to him. It is enough for an individual to endeavor not to fully grasp these things. This desire to understand comes from ignorance, as if a child desired to understand what the emperor had in his heart. Therefore, as the one with a bodily illness must trust his doctor, who better knows the nature of sickness than he does, so must the individual also trust his humble confessor.
The fourth thing is that they are impetuous towards God. This also comes from active and bitter sorrow in which they are constantly living. They are not experienced in other sorrows. They experience the natural consequences in a similar manner to the one who harnesses a young foal to a cart so that it becomes so tired and exhausted that it becomes weak. It then sees that its circumstances will not change, so it gives up its fight and begins to behave tamely. In the same way, it happens to these people for as long as they have the fight in themselves and do not completely bend and submit to the will of God. Until they desire to suffer anything for his sake, they will continue to suffer and must endure until the merciful God sees their need and patience. He knows when it is necessary for him to deliver them. Therefore, it is best to humbly endure the sorrow and submit to it for as long as God desires, and to patiently ask him for help.
The fifth thing is that these same individuals are not more mistaken here on earth than in believing and wanting to answer the evil ideas and whispers. Additionally, they want to humbly resist these ideas and discuss them. One should guard oneself against this, for in resisting, they will sink since they have no help. Instead, they should quickly (without first trying to fight) turn away to the nearest thing they can see, hear, or know. It is as if they would say, “Keep your whispers to yourself; they do not concern me. You are also too evil for me to answer you.” The less they pay attention to these ideas, the sooner they will escape them. They should continue to do this until they have gained a habit of turning away. No one can understand these kinds of words well, except for those individuals who are inclined to them.
The sixth is that the holier the time is and the individual sincerely desires to turn to God, the greater and more frequent the suffering will be. It reaches the point that they cannot even say a Pater Noster or an Ave Marie without the intrusion of the devil. This causes these individuals such discomfort that they throw prayer away. Instead, they say to themselves, “Why do you think that this prayer helps you, since it is so sullied?” This is the wrong response; for now, they are completely following the evil spirit who seeks nothing else but to drive people from spiritual practices. They do not know that their prayer with all the ideas (which are hideous to them) still tastes good and is completely pleasant in the eyes of God.
St. Gregory says that the human essence often comes to such grief that it cannot help itself, for it is only alert to distress and suffering. It is this discomfort that God ordains specifically for them, and the bitterness of their suffering is clear in his eyes. If God draws them nearer through other means, then they will quickly bend God towards themselves. Therefore, no one should let a good work pass them by, nor forsake their prayers, nor church attendance (which is especially distasteful to the evil spirit). For what someone releases through good conduct in prayer, that is contrary to his suffering, and is pleasant before God’s eyes. In the same way, we listen more to the one who rarely speaks than to the one who is healthy and strong. The more that we neglect prayer, the more we cling to the evil spirit.
As it is now established that in this matter there is no sin, the question arises why the merciful God allows such heavy suffering to hang over these individuals, such that they can hardly hear of a physical suffering without thinking it is their suffering. These same individuals and other simple individuals who do not carry such sufferings believe that they will carry them on their shoulders for the entirety of their lives. This, however, is not true, for many saintly individuals are tested hereby. We see this every day and find it also in the holy Scriptures. Additionally, unfair individuals are free of such suffering, and others overcome such suffering in their childhoods when they were still without great guilt. Where, however, such suffering and such strict penance are taken from an individual (in his delusion or in reality) off his shoulders, then he should fervently praise God for this relief. According to the Scriptures, it is a great sign of God’s love when he quickly punishes and atones for the sin with an accompanying suffering. Why, however, God allows the despair of some to be deepened through such suffering and more affected than with other suffering, is hidden in God’s mystery. They should receive it because God intimately knows the hearts, courage, and manner of all mankind, and knows what is best for each. He is like a faithful doctor who prescribes for each one what is best for him. Now, someone may ask, “What good lies in this?” To him I answer and say that unspeakably great good my lie in this. One thing is for certain: those individuals who are naturally inclined to pride are never brought to humility without the correct beginning of virtue. They think that the ugly shape of the idea is also the ugly shape of the sin, but that is not the case. An individual who is at good will with himself may be more sinful and uglier before God than one thousand of the evilest ideas. This is evident in the case of the highest angel who fell and did not have such ideas. Therefore, the individual who does not want to recognize himself in his arrogant thoughts will recognize himself in suffering. The one who scorns others will think it cheap if everyone else wants to scorn him. What is more useful to an individual and provides more access to God than this? It is impossible for a humble person to be lost forever. Truly, according to the holy writings and according to truth, such individuals should fall to their knees and should gild this uncreated suffering by cordially thanking God that it may bring them to such virtue. Suffering delivers them from hell, places them in heaven, and guards them against bodily harm and many sins. They have so much to do with their suffering that they forget all vanity, which is a noble outcome. In this way, these sufferings are beneficial in producing all virtues, for these individuals are so hurt that they seek out virtues. They are able to do all things, that they might come away from and forget their suffering.
As long as they are serious about this, God lets them dwell for a long while, so that the individual may collect many good works and become a vessel full of virtue and grace.
Now, note how friendly and pleasant the eternal wisdom can arrange all things. When individuals think that they have a great loss, God turns that into the best outcome for them. It reduces their time in purgatory and brings them great good and reward. They think they are great sinners, but in God’s eyes, they are great martyrs, for it is one thousand times more painful to be tortured every hour than to lose one’s head with one stroke. According to the holy writings and according to the truth, it is a true sign of God’s love that limitless grace and great secrecy quickly follow. Therefore, they should suffer willingly and cheerfully, for eternal bliss will follow after the bitterness.
A cloistered woman bore such a suffering. When she died, she came again and said that it had been her purgatory and that she had been received by God into eternity without any other means. May our lovely Lord Jesus Christ help us likewise.
Amen.
- translated from German to English by Laura Glassel
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