Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book IV — Of the Sacrament of the Altar·Chapter XIII. That The Devout Soul Ought With The Whole Heart To Yearn After Union With Christ In The Sacrament
XIII. Yearning after union with Christ in the Sacrament
On the devout soul's whole-hearted yearning after union with Christ in the Sacrament. Not merely receiving but desiring; not merely communicating but uniting. The Sacrament as the supremely intimate moment where the union of Christ and soul is offered.
Source context
- Theme
- total self-surrender of the soul in yearning for sacramental union with Christ
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
- GA 68b, 1905-12-09Steiner places the Imitation of Christ nearly on a par with the New Testament as a document of the soul's inner language, implying that its sacramental yearning chapters participate in genuine spiritual-scientific content.
- GA 53, 1905-03-16Steiner recommends the Imitation of Christ alongside the Gospel of John and the Bhagavad Gita as a text in which patient immersion yields direct spiritual insight, situating its devotional orientation as a legitimate path to higher knowledge.
- GA 10, l07Steiner cites Thomas à Kempis as one of several valid starting-points for the higher education of the soul, indicating that the work's intensive Christ-orientation serves as a preparatory exercise toward initiation.
Cross-tradition
- Sufi doctrine of fana (annihilation in the Divine)The chapter's insistence on whole-hearted self-annihilation before the sacramental presence shows cross-tradition congruence with Sufi accounts of fana, in which the lover is wholly consumed in longing before union with the Beloved is granted.
- Vedantic bhakti yoga (path of total devotion)The structure of the soul's utter yearning preceding divine reception parallels the bhakti-yoga teaching that complete surrender of the individual will is the precondition for the descent of divine grace.
Chapter XIII. That The Devout Soul Ought With The Whole Heart To Yearn After Union With Christ In The Sacrament
THAT THE DEVOUT SOUL OUGHT WITH THE WHOLE HEART TO YEARN AFTER UNION WITH CHRIST IN THE SACRAMENT
The Voice of the Disciple
Who shall grant unto me, O Lord, that I may find Thee alone, and open all my heart unto Thee, and enjoy Thee as much as my soul desireth; and that no man may henceforth look upon me, nor any creature move me or have respect unto me, but Thou alone speak unto me and I unto Thee, even as beloved is wont to speak unto beloved, and friend to feast with friend? For this do I pray, this do I long for, that I may be wholly united unto Thee, and may withdraw my heart from all created things, and by means of Holy Communion and frequent celebration may learn more and more to relish heavenly and eternal things. Ah, Lord God, when shall I be entirely united and lost in Thee, and altogether forgetful of myself? Thou in me, and I in Thee;(1) even so grant that we may in like manner continue together in one.
2Verily Thou art my Beloved, the choicest among ten thousand,(2) in whom my soul delighteth to dwell all the days of her life. Verily Thou art my Peacemaker, in Whom is perfect peace and true rest, apart from Whom is labour and sorrow and infinite misery. Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, and Thy counsel is not with the wicked, but Thy Word is with the humble and the simple. O how sweet, O Lord, is Thy spirit, who that Thou mightest manifest Thy sweetness towards Thy children, dost vouchsafe to refresh them with the bread which is full of sweetness, which cometh down from heaven. Verily there is no other nation so great, which hath its gods drawing nigh to them, as Thou, our God, art present unto all Thy faithful ones,(3) unto whom for their daily solace, and for lifting up their heart unto heaven, Thou givest Thyself for their food and delight.
3For what other nation is there so renowned as the Christian people? Or what creature is so beloved under heaven as the devout soul to which God entereth in, that he may feed it with His glorious flesh? O unspeakable grace! O wonderful condescension! O immeasurable love specially bestowed upon men! But what reward shall I give unto the Lord for this grace, for charity so mighty? There is nothing which I am able to present more acceptable than to give my heart altogether unto God, and to join it inwardly to Him. Then all my inward parts shall rejoice, when my soul shall be perfectly united unto God. Then shall He say unto me, "If thou wilt be with Me, I will be with thee." And I will answer Him, "Vouchsafe, O Lord, to abide with me, I will gladly be with Thee; this is my whole desire, even that my heart be united unto Thee."
(1) John xv. 4. (2) Cant. v. 10. (3) Deuteronomy iv. 7.