vice and how to overcome them. If eternal goods and evils were taken to heart: all things of time would speedily vanish away. Those who are of the world speak of the world; and those who love Christ, think of heavenly things: and willingly discourse to others the heavenly things which they love. The foolish narrate things foolish and vain: and the light of heart willingly listen to frivolities. It is good, therefore, to be silent con- cerning frivolous things and uncertain happenings; and to commit to God all His secret judgements: without Whose Providence not even the leaf of a tree falls to the ground. Not without cause is the just oppressed: or the poor man robbed: or the guiltless slain. No man has wherewith justly to complain of God: for He disposes all things justly, wisely and providently: although Man does not understand the ways of His justice. For he who strongly sets his hope in God, stands well and shall not waver: however things may befall in this world. From whence then contentions and wars amongst men? Are they not from the con- cupiscence of the flesh and pride of the spirit? For the desire of money is the root of all evils. Which if it be not restrained: leads to innumer- able ills. For when the good things desired are refused, or possessed are taken away: the soul becomes sad, the hidden passion of strife rises in the heart: and anger appears upon the counten- ance, and a hard word breaks from the mouth. In us then is the material of strife and the hotbed of discord; to wit, the desire of a thing, love of possessing, fear of losing, grief for a good lost. But the wicked and impatient man hurts himself more than others: and is harmed more by himself within, than by others without. Every passionate NOVICES REGULAR man is a burden to himself and a disturbance of heart: wherever he may be, whether alone or with many others. A constant and domestic strife is this of ours: for our flesh is not subject to the spirit according to the right reason of a good life; nor is the spirit perfectly submissive to God: accord- ing to His every will to please Him alone within, here and for ever. But the maligious devil can- not rest: and where he does not come himself, he sends a messenger secretly: to disturb the peace of others, or cunningly deceive them. For he either withdraws from good, or urges to evil: or suggests false for true: or makes the true doubt- ful. But he is deceived who believes him. What else has he to do: but to run about through the world and tempt men, and annoy the good? But those who trust in God, and speedily have re- course to prayer: are able by the help of Christ to break all his designs as spiders’ webs: and ought to fear in naught the threats of the wicked. No one is more safe from the snares of tempta- tions than the truly humble,the perfectly obedient, and poor pilgrim; who seeks no earthly ease: nor desires the goods of the world. Who is he and we will truly praise him? O how praise- worthy a virtue is humility: which escapes all the nets of the devil. How precious and beautiful the virtue of chastity: which overcomes the seduc- tions of the flesh with all the pomps of the world. A great virtue is voluntary poverty: whereby Heaven is bought without money. A noble virtue patience: by which are overcome all the adver- sities of the world. A sublime virtue obedience: to which are often subject the elements and things that seem impossible to men.
SERMONS TO THE An EXAMPLE OF OBEDIENCE.
There was a certain devout Prioress in the Order of Regulars once very ill of a fever. Com- passionating whose sufferings a young sister even shed tears. Who secretly entering the choir, casting herself before the relics of the saints, prayed earnestly, that the mother might be cured: and she stricken with fever in her stead. And straightway so it was. For, her prayer finished, the young maiden began to be ill: and the Prioress the same day and subsequently recovered. But the most loving mother hearing that the young one is ill: called her, asking from her what she had done or eaten. Who answered: “I have eaten nothing evil. But I thought and asked the Lord that it would be better that I should be sick for you: and you should be well.” Then the devout mother with the good hope which she had in God said: “On the part of God I command thee by obedience: that thou be sick no longer.” And God hearing their prayers, gave them both health to the invocation, praise and honour of His name. Amen.
An EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE.
A certain Brother questioned a pilgrim coming from afar, saying: ‘Tell me, good friend, what good things have you heard and seen on the way?” He answered: “I have heard the patience of the poor praised enough by many: but I have seen it imitated by few.” ‘‘ What more?” He said. “ Amid delights I have found thorns; amid honours I have seen sorrows: and amid riches I have frequently found strifes, and great anxieties.”
NOVICES REGULAR “Is anyone free from these ills?” Quoth he, sadly. “ Very few in these days. And if there are many: I do not know them. Happy, therefore, the religious, who know how to be content with a little: and desire to be honoured, or praised by no man. For God shall be their reward. For seldom do I come across such an one, as does not grieve for his own loss: or complain for his neighbour. However, if peace is to be hoped for anywhere in this life: then the truly humble has it: who patiently bears wrongs and holds his peace.” He therefore who wishes to have peace, and a good conscience; let him forsake his own will for the love of God: and learn patiently to endure the injustice and contempt of men. For thus did Christ bearing for us the shameful cross: and obeying the Father even unto death.
‘Gawetaa @ PART Ii SERMON XX @e OF DAILY TAKING UP THE CROSS EMBRACED In RELIGION OD forbid that I should glory: save Gal. 6. 14. in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved brethren, blessed Paul the glorious beholder of hea- venly secrets, shows us in the above acme) words of the holy cross, the right path of a good life; a most excellent doctrine for bearing adversity: a most firm ladder to rise to Heaven by the ever unconquered sign of the holy cross, For this leads its lovers into the country of eternal light, of eternal peace and eternal bliss; which the world cannot give, nor the devil take away. Human weakness dreads to suffer poverty, abjection, lowliness, hunger, toil, pain, distress, mockery, which things often befall, and grieve and disturb a man; but all these things joined to- gether, sent to us bya dispensation of God, form a saving cross by manifold suffering: andopen to true cross-bearers, who take up their cross, the gate of the heavenly kingdom, make ready the palm of life for them that combat: and bestow on the conquerors the crown of everlasting glory.
SERMONS TO THE O truly blessed cross of Christ, which hast merited to bear the King of Heaven: and hast brought the joy of salvation to the whole world. By thee the devils are routed, the sick are healed: the fearful are comforted, the vicious are purified, the slothful are aroused; the proud are humbled, the hard are touched: and the devout are watered with tears. Blessed those who daily recall the Passion of Christ: and desire to carry their cross after Christ. Good and religious brothers stand- ing under obedience in daily affliction of the body and in resignation of their own will have now a cross outwardly hard and bitter; but within full of sweetness: because of the hope of eternal salva- tion, and the inflowing of divine consolation pro- mised to the troubled of heart. And if they do not constantly feel this, or find that it comes but slowly; nevertheless they must await with patience: and abandon themselves to the divine will. For He knows best the time for mercy and the manner of succouring the distressed: as a physician knows the art of healing: and a master the skill of ruling and the hour for reading. Interior bearers of the cross have great confidence and reason for glory- ing in the cross of Jesus Christ; for they do not trust and presume to be saved of their own merits and works: but of the mercy of God and the merits of Jesus Christ crucified for our sins; in Whom they faithfully believe, and heartily love: Whom they confess with the mouth, praise, preach, honour, and bless.
God is wont is prove His familiar friends by the holy cross whether they truly or feignedly seek and love Him: and whether they perfectly keep His commandments. But they are especially proved by the sufferance of wrongs, and the withdrawal NOVICES REGULAR of interior consolations: by the death of friends and the loss of things: by achings of the head and injuries of the limbs: by abstinence from food and coarseness of attire; by the hardness of bed and coldness of feet; by long watchings at night, and labours by day: by silence of the mouth, and the corrections of superiors: by biting worms and detracting tongues. But amidst these things they are comforted by devout meditation on the Lord’s Passion: as it has been in secret made manifest to many devout. For it is theirs to taste the honey hidden in the rock: and the oil of mercy distilling from the blessed wood of the holy cross: whose savour is most excellent, odour most sweet, touch most wholesome, fruit most happy. O truly most worthy and most precious tree of life, planted in the midst of the Church for the healing of the soul. O Jesus of Nazareth crucified; Thou dost loose the chains of sinners: dost free the souls of the saints, dost humble the necks of the proud: dost crush the might of the wicked, dost strengthen the faithful: dost put unbelievers to flight, dost lift up the pious; dost scourge the obstinate, dost over- come our foes: dost raise up the bruised, dost de- liver the oppressed; dost strike the guilty, dost protect the innocent: dost love the truthful, dost hate the lying; dost despise the carnal, dost re- gard the spiritual: dost receive them that come to Thee, dost conceal them that flee to Thee. Thou dost hear them that call upon Thee: dost rejoice them that visit Thee; dost aid them that seek Thee: dost comfort them that cry to Thee. Thou honourest them that honour Thee: praisest them that praise Thee; lovest them that love Thee: glorifiest them that worship Thee; blessest them that bless Thee: exaltest them that exalt Thee: Thou SERMONS TO THE lookest on them that look to Thee: kissest them that kiss Thee: embracest them that embrace Thee: leadest them to Heaven that follow Thee.
But woe to the lovers of the world, who do not heed the footsteps of Christ: nor walk by the way of the holy cross; but to fulfil their desires: heap up gold and silver: which they can by no means carry with them. Wo to the proud and great in their own eyes: who spurn the humility of the de- vout, deride simplicity: call poverty misery, make little account of obedience; drive patience from them, keep chastity ill: and live in a manner con- trary to the Crucified. Wo to the nice and par- ticular, who nurse their flesh too much and adorn it outwardly with raiment: and neglect their soul and stain it with sins. Wo to the avaricious and ambitious; who for earthly goods and honours labour much and often quarrel: and for heavenly goods and everlasting joys are able to do and suffer little. Therefore they often on a sudden lose the things of earth: and they gain not those of Heaven. For no man can rejoice here with the world: and reign there with Christ crucified for us. The ser- vant is not greater than his lord nor the disciple above his master: Whom it behoved to suffer the cross, and so enter into His glory. And assuredly after the most fleeting joys of this life: follow eternal lamentations. And then they shall be cruelly tormented in fire and sulphur: who now eat daintily and plentifully: and drink wine with laughter and pleasure. “For except you do penance.” saith the Lord: “ you shall all likewise perish.”
There are mortal men who do not consider their fraility nor think of the baseness of the clay whence they were made: but glory in the nobility of their NOVICES REGULAR race: swell with pride over wealthy parents, are puffed up for their knowledge and art, presume of their strength and beauty: exult in power and place, are lifted up because of their ornate and diversified garments: rejoice in the publicity and fame of their name, take pleasure in the visits of friends; are saddened at the loss of their honour: are tortured at the success and promotion of others their rivals. But alas, all these things carefully examined and truly weighed: are vain, and worth no esteem: for suddenly they shall fail, and be reduced to nothing. In sooth all flesh is grass; and all worldly state falls as the flower of the field, withers and rots: and becomes as if it had never been here.
There are also many others intent on vain amusements, at variance with the sign of Christ’s cross: and far removed in their ways and actions from the fellowship of the saints. Who as if mad rejoice in the various shows of the world, in psal- teries and citherns, bugles and organs: run and dance with their feet, clap with their hands: sing with their voices, laugh with their teeth; and for merriment of heart scarcely contain themselves in the motions of their body: because they set their supreme good in present amusements and plea- sures. Which if it were lasting and acceptable to God: would be very desirable and praiseworthy. But, alas, how greatly men are deceived, both kings and princes of the people: rejoicing in the vanities of this world. For vanity is every man living, passing as a shadow: and as the dew that goeth away in the morning. O how far these are from the supreme good, from the sweetness of God, from the melodies of the angels: from the paths of the just, from the holiness of religious: SERMONS TO THE SERMONS TO THE and from the spiritual joy of the devout. It shall come, it shall come speedily upon them, death, before they know it, who now rejoice as if they were safe: and all amusements and song shall cease in their houses and streets. And the poor shall rejoice, and the weak and despised of this world, with all true crossbearers, lovers of Christ: who have ercuified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences in this world: that they may not be condemned with the wicked in the judgement to come.
Wo also to wandering and dissipated monks, religious only in name and habit; who carry their cross with murmuring and obey unwillingly: keep their cell ill, easily break silence; shun toil, love idleness: shorten prayers, lengthen gossip: ready for exterior things, slow to interior; drowsy in meditating good things, inclined to think of evil: cheerful for eating and drinking, sorry to fast: easy in finding fault, weak for endurance; desirous of honours, ashamed of things lowly: disliking strictness of discipline, and always inclined to greater laxity. But alack, good God, that the children of this world are more prudent and eager in acquiring, increasing and preserving earthly things: than the children of light and the servants of the holy cross in gathering virtues and rooting out vices. O would that all would be wise and understand how delightful it is to be engaged in devout exercises, to search the hidden things of scripture: to meditate the words and works of Christ, often to read, often to pray, to ponder the things read and heard; daily to recall the favours of God: for all good gifts and creatures, even for the least to give thanks to God; ever to aim at better things, to sigh for heavenly: and to drive NOVICES REGULAR far from the heart all the things of earth. Of how holy it is to stand in careful guard over the heart: to shut out wanderings by fervent prayer and pure meditation; to conquer the imagery of the world by the image of the crucified: to drive away the temptations of the devil with the holy cross, the nails, and the lance: to quench the motions of the flesh with thorns and cutting scourges; to bear wrongs done with a patient soul, to reckon losses and reproaches a gain to the soul: and all present burdens to weigh as most light for the love of Christ. For attentively to think of these things and the like, and to strive to put them in practice, is to take up the cross: and to glory in the cross of Christ, and not in the flesh. For from the sweet wood of the cross, a sweet odour of heavenly grace breathes; which drives away all worldly joys, quenches all delights of the flesh: keeps down elation of the heart, brings the gifts of interior comfort to the sad; affords strength to them that suffer wrong: calms anxious souls in divers ways by the words and examples of Christ. O religious brother, why art thou sad and com- plainest of the weight of thy cross in long watch- ings, in many fasts, in toil and silence, in obe- dience and severe discipline: which have been profitably instituted by the holy fathers under the inspiration of God for thy progress and salvation of soul; that thou mayest walk thereby in safety and prudence: who canst not well and virtuously govern thyself. Dost think that thou in preference to all the saints shalt enter the kingdom of heaven without the cross and sorrow: a thing which Christ neither could nor would, and which none of His dearest friends and saints obtained? For He Himself said: “ Christ ought to suffer: and so Luke, 24. 26.
SERMONS TO THE enter into His glory.” Thou art certainly mis- taken in thy judgement: nor dost thou heed Christ’s footsteps shown to thee: Who by the cross passed from this world to His heavenly Father. Ask any one of the conquerors and citizens of the heavenly kingdom: how he came to possess for ever this glory of God. Was it not through the cross and suffering? Ah, beloved brethren, take the yoke of the Lord upon you, sweet and light to them that love; embrace with desire the holy cross flourishing in all virtues, full of heavenly unction: that it may lead you securely with the hope of glory unto life everlasting. What more do you want? This is the way and no other; the straight way, the holy way, the perfect way: the way of Christ, the way of the just, the way of the chosen ones who are to be saved. Walk therein, persevere therein; endure therein, live therein: die therein, expire therein. The cross of Christ overcomes all the wiles of the devil: the cross draws to it the hearts of all the faithful; the cross destroys all evils, and bestows upon us all goods: through Jesus Christ Who hung and died thereon. There is no armour so strong nor arrow so keen and terrible against the power and fury of the devil, which he fears so much as the sign of the holy cross: whereon he made the Son of God to be hanged and slain: Who was guiltless and pure of all blemish. O truly blessed cross of Christ most worthy of all honour, to be embraced with all love, to lovers light unto bearing burdens, to the sad comforting unto the endurance of reproaches, to the penitent indulgent unto the remission of debts for all offences. This is to the holy angels very honourable; to men very love- able, to demons most terrible, despised of the NOVICES REGULAR proud, acceptable to the humble: hard to the carnal, sweet to the spiritual, tasteless to the foolish, tender to the devout, affable to the poor, companionable to. the wayfarer, friendly to the afflicted, consoling to the sick, comforting to the dying. Store up then in the secret place of your heart all the sacred wounds of Jesus; which savour above all spices to the devout soul living in grief: and not seeking outwardly solace from men. Weigh also the sorrows of the blessed virgin Mother of Jesus standing by the cross; how many tears she then shed to intimate compassion with the many women weeping with her: that she also may be mindful of you in your distresses. Fol- low Christ by His Passion and cross which lead to eternal rest and light; for if now you are the companions of His tribulation: you shall hereafter be with Him fellows of the heavenly table and everlasting exultation.
Plant in the little garden of your memory the tree of the holy cross: bearing a powerful medi- cine against all the fatal suggestions of the devil. For the root of this most noble and most happy tree is humility and poverty: its bark toil and penance: its branches mercy and justice: its leaves truth and doctrine: its flowers probity and modesty: its odour, temperance and abstinence; its beauty, chastity and obedience: its glory, a right faith and a strong hope: its strength, mag- nanimity and patience: its length, longanimity and perseverance: its breadth, gentleness and concord: its height, charity and wisdom: its sweetness love and joy, its fruit salvation and life eternal. Well therefore and worthily in holy Church is it sung of the sacred cross: that no wood produces such a tree, full of leaf, flower, SERMONS TO THE seed. Yea, not even in the gardens of Solomon is found such a kind, nor a herb so powerful for the remedy of every sickness: as the tree of the holy cross bearing spices of divine virtue unto the re- storation of man’s salvation. This is the most fruit-. ful tree, blessed above all the trees of Paradise; reaching out with most beautiful branches, adorned with green leaves: extended through the world in its most abundant fruits; touching the heavens with its height: penetrating hell with its depth: in its breadth embracing mountains and hills: in its greatness filling the whole earth: in its strength overcoming wicked kings and persecutors of the faith: in its piety drawing the feeble, in its sweet- ness healing sinners. This is the God-bearing vine, the fruitful olive: the sweet fig-tree, rough without, as honey within; planted in the house of God, rooted in humility, proved in patience: con- summated in obedience, confirmed in charity. This is the beautiful palm, worthily called the Christ-bearer, borne on the shoulder of Jesus, raised on high on Mount Calvary; condemned by the Jews, defaced by the Gentiles: insulted by the wicked, denied by the faithless; lamented by the faithful, invoked by the pious: much loved by the devout, supremely reverenced by the reli- gious. This was shown from Heaven to the Em- peror Constantine: diligently sought by the holy queen Helena: and found with great joy. This was lovingly embraced by the same noble worshipper of Christ, watered with a tearful face: and most affectionately kissed with pure lips. This now by the marvellous dispensation of God in many places is resplendent with signs and powers: this is adored, sought and honoured by kings and princes of the world, by all the clergy and people: and is NOVICES REGULAR worshipped and reverenced with greater devotion by all the faithful of Christ for all the wounds and insults wrought it by the wicked. Nevertheless, by the hidden design and providence of God: all these things were done and ordained for the sal- vation of the world. This often touches the devout soul with the affection of pious compassion: often makes the tears flow when she looks upon the image of the Crucified: often wounds the heart ot the lover, when he thinks of Christ wounded for him. Happy man and faithful servant he: who constantly bears the sacred wounds of Jesus in his heart: and whatever adversity befalls him, accepts it from the hand of God and patiently endures: that he may be made like to the Cru- cified, at least in a little. For he is worthy to be visited and consoled by Christ: who endeavours to conform himself fully to His Passion in life and in death. This is the way of the holy cross, this the teaching of our Saviour; this the wisdom of the saints, this the rule of monks, this the life of the good: this the reading of clerics, this the meditation of the devout, humbly to imitate Christ: for Christ to suffer ills, to take bitter for sweet: to spurn honours, equably to endure contempt: to abstain from evil pleasures, to shun occasions of vice, to avoid dissipations: to mourn for his own and others’ shortcomings, to pray for the afflicted and tempted: to rejoice over them that do well, to sympathize with them that endure