Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book III — On Inward Consolation·Chapter X. That It Is Sweet To Despise The World And To Serve God
X. The sweetness of despising the world and serving God
On the contemptus mundi of which the Imitation is the great medieval handbook. The world's bitterness compared with the sweetness of God's service; once the soul has tasted the latter, the former is no longer attractive.
Source context
- Theme
- renunciation of worldly attachment as the condition for the sweetness of divine service
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Vedanta (vairagya)The Vedantic doctrine of vairagya holds that dispassion toward worldly objects is the necessary precondition for the soul's orientation toward Brahman — a structural parallel to the chapter's claim that despising the world releases an inner sweetness in service of God.
- Sufism (zuhd)Sufi ascetic teaching (zuhd) identifies withdrawal from worldly desire not as mere negation but as the opening of an interior space in which the sweetness of divine proximity (uns) becomes experientially accessible.
- Stoic philosophy (apatheia)The Stoic concept of apatheia — detachment from externally conditioned passions — exhibits cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's insistence that freedom from worldly solicitation is the precondition for stable interior joy.
Chapter X. That It Is Sweet To Despise The World And To Serve God
THAT IT IS SWEET TO DESPISE THE WORLD AND TO SERVE GOD
Now will I speak again, O my Lord, and hold not my peace; I will say in the ears of my God, my Lord, and my King, who is exalted above all, Oh how plentiful is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee!(1) But what art Thou to those who love Thee? What to those who serve Thee with their whole heart? Truly unspeakable is the sweetness of the contemplation of Thee, which Thou bestowest upon those who love Thee. In this most of all Thou hast showed me the sweetness of Thy charity, that when I was not, Thou madest me, and when I wandered far from Thee, Thou broughtest me back that I might serve Thee, and commandedst me to love Thee.
2O Fountain of perpetual love, what shall I say concerning Thee? How shall I be unmindful of Thee, who didst vouchsafe to remember me, even after I pined away and perished? Thou hast had mercy beyond all hope upon Thy servant, and hast showed Thy grace and friendship beyond all deserving. What reward shall I render Thee for this Thy grace? For it is not given unto all to renounce this world and its affairs, and to take up a religious life. For is it a great thing that I should serve Thee, whom every creature ought to serve? It ought not to seem a great thing to me to serve Thee; but rather this appeareth to me a great and wonderful thing, that Thou vouchsafest to receive as Thy servant one so poor and unworthy, and to join him unto Thy chosen servants.
3Behold all things which I have are Thine, and with them I serve Thee. And yet verily it is Thou who servest me, rather than I Thee. Behold the heaven and the earth which Thou hast created for the service of men; they are at Thy bidding, and perform daily whatsoever Thou dost command. Yea, and this is little; for Thou hast even ordained the Angels for the service of man. But it surpasseth even all these things, that Thou Thyself didst vouchsafe to minister unto man, and didst promise that Thou wouldest give Thyself unto him.
4What shall I render unto Thee for all these Thy manifold mercies? Oh that I were able to serve Thee all the days of my life! Oh that even for one day I were enabled to do Thee service worthy of Thyself! For verily Thou art worthy of all service, all honour, and praise without end. Verily Thou art my God, and I am Thy poor servant, who am bound to serve Thee with all my strength, nor ought I ever to grow weary of Thy praise. This is my wish, this is my exceeding great desire, and whatsoever is lacking to me, vouchsafe Thou to supply.
5It is great honour, great glory to serve Thee, and to despise all for Thy sake. For they shall have great grace who of their own will shall submit themselves to Thy most holy service. They who for Thy love have cast away every carnal delight shall find the sweetest consolation of the Holy Ghost. They who enter the narrow way of life for Thy Name's sake, and have put away all worldly cares, shall attain great liberty of spirit.
6Oh grateful and delightsome service of God, whereby man is made truly free and holy! Oh sacred condition of the religious servant, which maketh man equal to the Angels, well-pleasing unto God, terrible to evil spirits, and acceptable to all faithful ones! Oh service to be embraced and ever desired, in which the highest good is promised, and joy is gained which shall remain for evermore!
(1) Psalm xxxi. 21.