THOUGHTS ON THE MISERY OF MAN
WHEREVER you are, wherever you go, you are miserable unless you
turn to God. So why be dismayed when things do not happen as you wish
and desire? Is there anyone who has everything as he wishes? No --
neither I, nor you, nor any man on earth. There is no one in the
world, be he Pope or king, who does not suffer trial and anguish.
Who is the better off then? Surely, it is the man who will
suffer something for God. Many unstable and weak-minded people say:
"See how well that man lives, how rich, how great he is, how powerful
and mighty." But you must lift up your eyes to the riches of heaven
and realize that the material goods of which they speak are nothing.
These things are uncertain and very burdensome because they are never
possessed without anxiety and fear. Man's happiness does not consist
in the possession of abundant goods; a very little is enough.
Living on earth is truly a misery. The more a man desires
spiritual life, the more bitter the present becomes to him, because he
understands better and sees more clearly the defects, the corruption
of human nature. To eat and drink, to watch and sleep, to rest, to
labor, and to be bound by other human necessities is certainly a great
misery and affliction to the devout man, who would gladly be released
from them and be free from all sin. Truly, the inner man is greatly
burdened in this world by the necessities of the body, and for this
reason the Prophet prayed that he might be as free from them as
possible, when he said: "From my necessities, O Lord, deliver me."[6]
But woe to those who know not their own misery, and greater woe
to those who love this miserable and corruptible life. Some, indeed,
can scarcely procure its necessities either by work or by begging; yet
they love it so much that, if they could live here always, they would
care nothing for the kingdom of God.
How foolish and faithless of heart are those who are so
engrossed in earthly things as to relish nothing but what is carnal!
Miserable men indeed, for in the end they will see to their sorrow how
cheap and worthless was the thing they loved.
The saints of God and all devout friends of Christ did not look
to what pleases the body nor to the things that are popular from time
to time. Their whole hope and aim centered on the everlasting good.
Their whole desire pointed upward to the lasting and invisible realm,
lest the love of what is visible drag them down to lower things.
Do not lose heart, then, my brother, in pursuing your spiritual
life. There is yet time, and your hour is not past. Why delay your
purpose? Arise! Begin at once and say: "Now is the time to act, now is
the time to fight, now is the proper time to amend."
When you are troubled and afflicted, that is the time to gain
merit. You must pass through water and fire before coming to rest.
Unless you do violence to yourself you will not overcome vice.
So long as we live in this fragile body, we can neither be free
from sin nor live without weariness and sorrow. Gladly would we rest
from all misery, but in losing innocence through sin we also lost true
blessedness. Therefore, we must have patience and await the mercy of
God until this iniquity passes, until mortality is swallowed up in
life.
How great is the frailty of human nature which is ever prone to
evil! Today you confess your sins and tomorrow you again commit the
sins which you confessed. One moment you resolve to be careful, and
yet after an hour you act as though you had made no resolution.
We have cause, therefore, because of our frailty and
feebleness, to humble ourselves and never think anything great of
ourselves. Through neglect we may quickly lose that which by God's
grace we have acquired only through long, hard labor. What,
eventually, will become of us who so quickly grow lukewarm? Woe to us
if we presume to rest in peace and security when actually there is no
true holiness in our lives. It would be beneficial for us, like good
novices, to be instructed once more in the principles of a good life,
to see if there be hope of amendment and greater spiritual progress in
the future. |
On the contemplation of human misery
Thou art miserable wheresoever thou art, and
whithersoever thou turnest, unless thou turn thee to God. Why
art thou disquieted because it happeneth not to thee according to thy
wishes and desires? Who is he that hath everything according to
his will? Neither I, nor thou, nor any man upon the earth. There
is no man in the world free from trouble or anguish, though he were
King or Pope. Who is he who hath the happiest lot? Even he
who is strong to suffer somewhat for God.
2. There are many foolish and unstable men who
say, "See what a prosperous life that man hath, how rich and how great
he is, how powerful, how exalted." But lift up thine eyes to the
good things of heaven, and thou shalt see that all these worldly
things are nothing, they are utterly uncertain, yea, they are
wearisome, because they are never possessed without care and fear.
The happiness of man lieth not in the abundance of temporal things but
a moderate portion sufficeth him. Our life upon the earth is
verily wretchedness. The more a man desireth to be spiritual,
the more bitter doth the present life become to him; because he the
better understandeth and seeth the defects of human corruption.
For to eat, to drink, to watch, to sleep, to rest, to labour, and to
be subject to the other necessities of nature, is truly a great
wretchedness and affliction to a devout man, who would fain be
released and free from all sin.
3. For the inner man is heavily burdened with the
necessities of the body in this world. Wherefore the prophet
devoutly prayeth to be freed from them, saying, Deliver me from my
necessities, O Lord.(1) But woe to those who know not their own
misery, and yet greater woe to those who love this miserable and
corruptible life. For to such a degree do some cling to it (even
though by labouring or begging they scarce procure what is necessary
for subsistence) that if they might live here always, they would care
nothing for the Kingdom of God.
4. Oh foolish and faithless of heart, who lie
buried so deep in worldly things, that they relish nothing save the
things of the flesh! Miserable ones! they will too sadly
find out at the last, how vile and worthless was that which they
loved. The saints of God and all loyal friends of Christ held as
nothing the things which pleased the flesh, or those which flourished
in this life, but their whole hope and affection aspired to the things
which are above. Their whole desire was borne upwards to
everlasting and invisible things, lest they should be drawn downwards
by the love of things visible.
5. Lose not, brother, thy loyal desire of
progress to things spiritual. There is yet time, the hour is not
past. Why wilt thou put off thy resolution? Arise, begin
this very moment, and say, "Now is the time to do: now is the time to
fight, now is the proper time for amendment." When thou art ill
at ease and troubled, then is the time when thou art nearest unto
blessing. Thou must go through fire and water that God may bring thee
into a wealthy place. Unless thou put force upon thyself, thou
wilt not conquer thy faults. So long as we carry about with us
this frail body, we cannot be without sin, we cannot live without
weariness and trouble. Gladly would we have rest from all
misery; but because through sin we have lost innocence, we have lost
also the true happiness. Therefore must we be patient, and wait
for the mercy of God, until this tyranny be overpast, and this
mortality be swallowed up of life.
6. O how great is the frailty of man, which is
ever prone to evil! To-day thou confessest thy sins, and
to-morrow thou committest again the sins thou didst confess. Now
dost thou resolve to avoid a fault, and within an hour thou behavest
thyself as if thou hadst never resolved at all. Good cause have
we therefore to humble ourselves, and never to think highly of
ourselves, seeing that we are so frail and unstable. And quickly
may that be lost by our negligence, which by much labour was hardly
attained through grace.
7. What shall become of us at the end, if at the
beginning we are lukewarm and idle? Woe unto us, if we choose to
rest, as though it were a time of peace and security, while as yet no
sign appeareth in our life of true holiness. Rather had we need
that we might begin yet afresh, like good novices, to be instructed
unto good living, if haply there might be hope of some future
amendment and greater spiritual increase. |