There is another thing which is wont to comfort us in any tribulation. It is the certainty that the just and virtuous man delights unspeakably, incomparably more in doing right than he or even the chief angel delights and rejoices in his natural economy or life. The saints will gladly sacrifice their lives for right.
Supposing now that when outward ills befall the good and righteous man he keeps his even temper and his peace of mind, this only proves my argument that the righteous man is proof against external happenings. But suppose he is perturbed by these mishaps then it stands to reason that God is only just in sending trials to a person who while pretending to be righteous and fondly thinking himself so is yet upset by so small a thing. Since it is fair of God, he has no cause to mind but rather to rejoice, far more than he does at his own life, at what rejoices ’ man and is of more good to him than this world all told ; for what profits a man the whole world when he is no more ?
The third important thing for us to understand is the elemental truth that the fount and living artery of universal good, essential truth and perfect consolation is God, God only, and everything not God has in itself a natural bitterness, discomfort and unhappiness and does not make for good which is of God and is the same as God, but lessens, dims and hides the sweetness, Joy and comfort that God gives.
And further I maintain, all sorrow comes from love of that whereof I am deprived by loss. If I mind the loss of outward things it is a certain sign that I am fond of outward things and really love sorrow and discomfort. Is it to be wondered at that I am unhappy when I like discomfort and unhappiness ; when my heart seeks and my mind gives to creature the good that is God’s own? I turn towards creature, whence there comes by nature all discomfort, and turn my back on that which is the natural source of happiness and comfort: what wonder I am woebegone and wretched! The fact is, it is quite impossible for God or anyone to bring true solace to a man who looks for it in creatures. But he who loves only God in creatures and creatures in God only, that man finds real and true and equal
comfort everywhere.
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Sister Katrei
MEISTER ECKHART’S STRASBURG DAUGHTER z
Blessed and praised be the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who has provided for us an image of the truth, himself namely, wherein is no possibility of error !
We read in the gospel that our Lord fed the multitude with five loaves and two roast fishes. The first loaf we interpret to mean the knowledge of what we have always been in God and what we are in God now. The second loaf is the scrutiny of our life in time : seeing how our time has been spent. And for this we need help in the shape of a trusty confessor. A confessor we judge of in this way. If he has what is true we may safely confide in him. There are three signs of this. First, he is a true priest. Secondly, he is confirmed in the perfect life. And thirdly, he has the authority which stamps the true priest. Him seek where- soever thou shalt find him. It is well worth any trouble. Go to him and solemnly kneeling before him as Mary Magdalene knelt at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, earnestly entreat him for God’s sake to hear thee. Then open thy heart to him as thou shalt appear in the eyes of our Lord Jesus Christ at the day of judgment when all things are revealed intruth. Discard shame in the knowledge that God has seen and heard all thy sins, and so too have those who are reflected into God from the face of the mirror of truth; they know thy shortcomings better than thou dost thyself. Be not ashamed before thy confessor, be ashamed before God and the friends of God, acquiring godly fear in the realization that God’s divine glance has seen thy every will, word and act; and opening thy heart pour out thy sins till, the whole tale being told, thou dost fervently pray him: ‘Sir, ghostly father, I entreat thee by the love that bound Christ on the cross, show me the nearest way to my eternal happiness.’
Upon this it is open to thy confessor to indicate three ways with which it behoves thee to be quite familiar. Setting thee thy penance, he instructs thee to repair wrongs done ; he bids thee restore goods not thine own ; he enjoins thee to make amends for aught thou hast done to another that thou wouldst not he should do unto thee. Word, will, and act: what was willed without effect must be willed to more purpose, thy will being such that thou wouldst sooner die a thousand deaths than plan a mischief to thine evenchristian. Thy wicked will, which is toward evil
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deeds, endeavour to cörrect. Where thou wast haughty now walk humbly for all the world to see thou repentest thee of thy pride. Pride I single out, knowing it for a temporal fault most fatal to our eternal happiness. False pride robs spiritual no less than worldly folks of their eternal bliss. Dost know what pride is ? Flattery of yourself or other people is false pride which cheats you of eternal happiness.
Next, examine yourselves for sloth in God’s service. Not \ doing thy best is sloth in God’s service. To meet this, set to and do good, showing by diligence thy sorrow for thine egregious dereliction ; yet remaining detached withal and regardless of aught but God and the friends of God.
Thereafter it behoves thee to check thy third sin. Where thou wast greedy now be liberal and let thy bounty attest thy whole- _ hearted abhorrence of greed. Dost. know what greed is? Desire of anything not God is evil greed. “
The fourth sin is envy and hate: bearing malice and hatred towards any with intent to do unto him what thou wouldst not he should do unto thee. Hast injured any man by act of thine, repair the injury at any cost. Hast tarnished his fair name by word of thine, thy words must brighten it again : abasing thyself before him, entreat him humbly for God’s sake to forgive thee and reiterate thy rueful supplication till he grant thee his free pardon. Call people’s attention to this, withal speaking so well of the man that thou dost win him back honour no less than thou didst filch from him. Know forsooth, ere thou canst find favour with God thou must needs pay in full for wrongs done to thine evenchristians. Disparagement is mischievous. Worldly goods we can replace but stolen honour cannot be restored save by the payment of our own. So weigh thy words well, friend.
The fifth sin is anger. Reckon up words and deeds done in anger and cancel them with kindness. Peradventure thou hast . spoken in anger words which, if adhered to, shall doom thee to eternal death. A word said here may reach to Rome, and from Rome to overseas: how then recall it? Thus: man pays his debts through God. Saying, Shall I not tell the truth? folks canvass the failings of their evenchristians and forget their own. I say, though thou seest and hearest the faults of thine even- christians, betray them not. If so be that thou canst not for- bear the mention of them, then go and see the person privately, just you and he together; point out his faults to him in a friendly manner and invite him by thine own excellent precept and example to eschew his vicious habits. If he will not forswear them, acquaint the right authorities and leave it at that, allowing nothing of it to escape thy lips however much he vex thee. For know, to rebuke
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: him for sin in thine anger is to commit mortal sin : raising him out of sin thou dost fall in thyself. The sinner of to-day is the saint of to-morrow. Wherefore, unmindful of the sins and short- comings of our evenchristians, let us look to our own imper- fections, surely forgetting what God has forgotten: sins truly repented, which God has forgotten, ’tis no business of ours to remember.
The sixth sin is eating and drinking to excess: eating, perhaps, two regular meals or three while thine evenchristian goes hungry and thirsty, who is nigher to God than thou art, and liker to boot ; for he is poor while thou art rich in temporal things. Christ said, ‘ Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ These frailties it behoves thee to amend so thoroughly that God must needs forgive them thee.
The seventh sin in unchastity. Concerning this a heathen master says: ‘ All superfluity, anything unnecessary in word or deed, is unchastity.’ The traverner sets his hoop to a mark when he goes to sell wine. When the wine is sold, he takes off the hoop. So let them do who are minded to cure the sin of unchastity : let them avoid excess in word and deed and walk right humbly and soberly before the world, so all shall say that anything to be called excess offends them.
Thy next care, daughter, is whether thou hast kept the ten commandments all thy days. To take one that Christ mentions, ‘Thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength,’ thou canst be shown to have broken this frequently. And breaking this commandment thou dost break them all. It behoves thee to tell thy confessor how often thou hast broken it from childhood up. It would take too long to go through all the ten commandments and say what thou must tell to thy confessor. Thou wilt see that for thyself better than we can tell thee.
Then, the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost : how often thou hast resisted them and hast failed to practise the seven works of mercy, wherefor God shall arrantly upbraid thee at the day of judgment. Make a fresh start, my daughter, so mending thy ways that God is obliged to forget thy shortcomings.
Such is the first counsel of the worthy confessor and the first way. To the question : ‘ Sir, is it the best way ? ’ he will answer, “No, but what I am telling thee is indispensable.’ Says she, ‘Then, sir, tell me the best way.’ He answers, ‘ Bide till thou hast made thine own this counsel I have given thee ; bide till thou hast cast thy sins ; and meanwhile come often to see me.’
Obedient to her revered confessor, the daughter does this. She often comes back to him and says, ‘Sir, I will obey you to
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the death if you will help me so to live that I am bold to die.’ — “ Hast cast thy sins?’ he asked. ‘ Aye,’ she replied, ‘so far as I shall ever do it here in time ; and will do till I die.’—‘ Then I will redirect thee, and give thee fresh instructions. Keep a truthful tongue, a pure body and a loving soul. A code that may b: construed thus : A truthful tongue means that the lips utter only the intentions of the heart. Thus thou shalt speak the truth, daughter. God is truth, so thy whole conversation shall be of God ; not praying nor thinking of God thou thus speakest of God, and art ever receiving from God.
“ A pure body means that, pierced with godly fear, thou sufferest naught save God to dwell in thee.
“ A loving soul is one that loves her likes, God namely. Unite thyself with him until thee thinks thy heart is fit to burst with too much love.” Whereat the daughter cried, ‘ And I an utter stranger to it! Sir,’ she said, ‘shall I ever come acquainted with it ?’ He said, “Yes. Do as I bid you: discard the things that are darkening thy soul, and let the light of truth in. Then thy soul can retrace the road she came.’