SERMON XXVIII
On the Feast of the Holy Virgin, St Catherine
Of the great advantage and fruitfulness to which we may
attain, if we diligently meditate on, and exercise ourselves in, the Sufferings
of Christ. This may well be compared to a costly Pearl, which devout virgins
ought to seek everywhere diligently, to buy and to
possess.
Inventa una preciosa margarita, abiit et vendidit universa quae
habuit, et emit eam.
"And when he had found one pearl of great price, he went his way
and sold all that he had and bought it."
She found a costly pearl,
and therefore forsook everything, and parted with all her goods that she might
buy it. We may understand by this that the virgin of God has forsaken all
things for the sake of her purity, which she prizes like a precious stone, and
that she has preserved that only. Secondly, the virgin of Christ has found the
Sufferings of Christ, and has copied them, withdrawing from all earthly
pleasures, to thank Him for this suffering.
The simplest way in which we can serve God
consists of two things. The first is the ordinary discipline of the Holy
Church, and a life spent in subjection, in poverty, in purity and in other good
practices, such as were undertaken by the holy and gifted dwellers in
monasteries. This is a safe and good thing to do, in order to subdue the outer
man, and to turn to virtue.
The second point is, that we should exercise
ourselves in imitating the Sufferings of our Lord; endeavouring once every day
to consider them fully, and, as far as possible, to compare, in all points, our
lives with His, noticing, especially, all that God sends us, to which we must
submit, following after God. If we watch carefully, we shall find that God, in
His great and loving mercy, will unceasingly send us so much trouble, that we
shall not be able to exalt ourselves, or make ourselves equal with God. We must
meditate on all this suffering, learning and working with all our hearts, and
in all our work, striving to do all things to the glory of God. We must also
strive to gain such control over our senses, that, in a short time, the love of
the world will be quite extinguished in us. Thus the suffering of Christ may
well be compared to the precious stone or pearl, which a virgin of Christ
preserves, that she may adorn herself therewith. She must meditate every day on
the Sufferings of Christ, from the Last Supper to the Resurrection, and she
must buy that pearl with all that she has and can gather together, in all her
works, her thankfulness and longings. Herewith we ought to be able easily to
overcome all the evil inclinations of our nature and our evil thoughts;
herewith we ought soon to arrive at a heartfelt acknowledgement of our own
weakness and infirmities, and to attain to deep humility; and thus go on to an
inner, perfect sympathy with our Lord, and all men, in true love. He who does
not turn to this, can never really learn to know himself, but he will probably
remain outside, content with outward observances. Even though he forced himself
onwards through outward things and work, yet all cannot sweeten him within
unless he earnestly repents.
Good fruits proceed from these pearls of the
Sufferings of Christ, when men are enabled by grace to offer themselves to God
in all their sufferings, and to trust God in simplicity and not in wicked
cunning. God ordains all and bears the burden Himself, and thus men learn true
resignation, and God is able to help them in their infirmity. Thus God begins
to draw man by His love from the love of the creature, and they begin to learn
discrimination in all their actions, to trust God in all things, and to
understand that they must not think anything of themselves, nor trust to self,
nor rest in anything, but only in the Grace of God. Therefore they believe
fully that they will not be deceived; but he who trusts in himself will be
deceived. Now this results in yet more grace; and such men begin to distinguish
between Divine Grace and emotional feelings; for notice how many a man leads a
seemingly good life, and is outwardly humble and simple, and who yet thinks
much of himself in his heart.
Good virgins keep, both outwardly and inwardly,
and with all their might, all the ordinary, good and regular ordinances of the
Holy Church and the Holy Scripture. They commune with their own hearts, and
cleave to God, to Whom they may best pour out all their wants, and not to man.
When they thus turn away from man, they will have to suffer much oppression and
shame from him; and yet they will hold their peace in all their difficulties,
laying all before God and not before man, accustoming themselves to meditate
constantly on the Sufferings and Life of Christ. God gives them strength
through the Sufferings of Christ, so that they dare to stand alone, although
they are despised for it, and they dare to carry on their own meditations. But
this they do in fear and trembling before God, because it is counted wrong and
foolish by man. But God bears witness to their consciences, and that makes them
very thankful, so that they rejoice out of love to God. The Enemy cannot easily
ensnare such people by means of sorrow, because they have constant communion,
and hope for nothing from the light of nature, human wisdom, or things that
seem good. They do not depend only upon sweet communion and fervour; just as
though all must be well with them, and they must be united with God, because
things do go well with them. Those who imagine thus are the most deceived by
the Devil; but they must leave all to God, discipline themselves and examine
themselves, both outwardly and inwardly, and flee to God with all their might
without any delay. Though the body must sometimes rest outwardly from
discipline, the heart ceases not to give God thanks, to honour Him, and to
resist all that is inconsistent with the needs of the body. These people pray
that God will forgive them their sins, because they displease Him, and not in
order to escape the pains of hell, or to attain to everlasting life. They pray
that God will do what He wills with them and as He wills, till they come to
their End, and that here and hereafter God may be glorified in them. They pray
that they may not displease God by their sins, but that He will forgive them;
that they may not be prevented from receiving grace, so that they may learn to
continue in virtue. They pray for remission of sins, not for remission of pain;
that they leave to God. Mark, this it is to which man comes, if he exercises
himself in the Sufferings of Christ for this object, and if he perseveres to
the end.
Alas! how few men attain to this; and all because
of their superficiality, so that they do not turn simply to God in their
hearts. Therefore one man is very unlike another in this life; and this arises
solely from this reason, that the one cannot be content without external work
and internal discipline, while the other is quite content with external work:
this pearl is not therefore given alike to all. Thus it comes to pass that men
cannot understand one another; and at times they cause each other pain; but
when it is understood that it was done in ignorance, man should bear patiently
with them, while their blindness must also be borne patiently. By such
goodhearted men God desires to teach many other people, and to call them into
the right way, as they have well known in their hearts. For they who did not
give up self, before they entered in, or they who have not truly entered in,
are likely to fall into many errors, before they are aware of it; for they
easily find that which appeals to nature and which pleases their senses; and
thus they make no spiritual progress. If God suffers this carnal service, still
He is not pleased with it; for all the great fruitfulness, of which we have
already spoken, is checked in them, and in all those who might have been helped
by them, if they had taken the first course, and had cast off their carnal
desires and had then looked into their own hearts. But now they have remained
in this carnal service, which yields but little; but it would indeed be well if
those men were to turn, to submit, to the best of their power, to the blessed
Will of God, and thus to glorify God, and to be of use to those people with
whom God is angry, and who have brought many people into sin.
Now, as I have already shown, this pearl may,
perchance, become very fruitful, which was found first in sweetness, in
confession, in love and all kinds of discipline. But then man will have to come
down again from sweetness to bitterness, in resignation and suffering out of
love, and thus to die to self. The freer man is from self-pleasing, the freer
he will be from the snares of the Devil, from the temptations and misery of
these times, from hell and purgatory; neither will he be likely to fall again
into sin, unless he turns again with all his heart and soul thereto; and that
is not likely to happen. As the first state of fervour demands deeds of virtue,
done in sweetness, so this grade demands deeds of virtue, done in hard labour,
with gnawings of conscience and severe discipline; which must all be borne in
simple faith and trust in God, that He will not forsake him, either now or
hereafter. It it seems to him as though God would forsake him, he must stand
firm in hope, and trust in God in all that He may see fit to do with him, in
time and in eternity. See what comes of meditating on the Sufferings of God.
These men bear the pain of suffering according to their power; and it is to
such an end that the man comes, who first simply turns with all his thoughts to
the Sufferings and Life of Christ, so that at last he will even come to choose
bitterness. God grant that we also may find this precious pearl, and that it
may bring us to all the goodness of God. Amen.