Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book IV — Of the Sacrament of the Altar·Chapter XVIII. That A Man Should Not Be A Curious Searcher Of The Sacrament, But A Humble Imitator Of Christ, Submitting His Sense To Holy Faith
XVIII. Not a curious searcher of the Sacrament, but a humble imitator
The closing chapter of the entire Imitation. Against speculative curiosity about the manner of Christ's presence in the Sacrament. Submit thy sense to holy faith. The crowning exhortation: be not a curious searcher, but a humble imitator of Christ — the work's title resolved into its closing word.
Source context
- Theme
- submission of rational inquiry to faith as the proper disposition before the sacramental mystery
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Apophatic theology (Pseudo-Dionysius / Meister Eckhart)The apophatic tradition holds that the divine mystery exceeds conceptual grasp and that the intellect must yield to a supra-rational mode of knowing — a cross-tradition congruence with Kempis's injunction to set aside curious investigation of the sacrament.
- Vedantic epistemology (shraddha / faithful receptivity)Vedantic pedagogy distinguishes between pramana-bound reasoning and the shraddha (faithful receptivity) required for transmission of the highest teaching, a cross-tradition congruence with the Kempisean call to humble imitation over speculative scrutiny.
Chapter XVIII. That A Man Should Not Be A Curious Searcher Of The Sacrament, But A Humble Imitator Of Christ, Submitting His Sense To Holy Faith
THAT A MAN SHOULD NOT BE A CURIOUS SEARCHER OF THE SACRAMENT, BUT A HUMBLE IMITATOR OF CHRIST, SUBMITTING HIS SENSE TO HOLY FAITH
The Voice of the Beloved
Thou must take heed of curious and useless searching into this most profound Sacrament, if thou wilt not be plunged into the abyss of doubt. He that is a searcher of Majesty shall be oppressed by the glory thereof.(1) God is able to do more than man can understand. A pious and humble search after truth is to be allowed, when it is always ready to be taught, and striving to walk after the wholesome opinions of the fathers.
2Blessed is the simplicity which leaveth alone the difficult paths of questionings, and followeth the plain and firm steps of God's commandments. Many have lost devotion whilst they sought to search into deeper things. Faith is required of thee, and a sincere life, not loftiness of intellect, nor deepness in the mysteries of God. If thou understandest not nor comprehendest the things which are beneath thee, how shalt thou comprehend those which are above thee? Submit thyself unto God, and humble thy sense to faith, and the light of knowledge shall be given thee, as shall be profitable and necessary unto thee.
3There are some who are grievously tempted concerning faith and the Sacrament; but this is not to be imputed to themselves but rather to the enemy. Care not then for this, dispute not with thine own thoughts, nor make answer to the doubts which are cast into thee by the devil; but believe the words of God, believe His Saints and Prophets, and the wicked enemy shall flee from thee. Often it profiteth much, that the servant of God endureth such things. For the enemy tempteth not unbelievers and sinners, because he already hath secure possession of them; but he tempteth and harasseth the faithful and devout by various means.
4Go forward therefore with simple and undoubting faith, and draw nigh unto the Sacrament with supplicating reverence. And whatsoever thou art not enabled to understand, that commit without anxiety to Almighty God. God deceiveth thee not; he is deceived who believeth too much in himself. God walketh with the simple, revealeth Himself to the humble, giveth understanding to babes, openeth the sense to pure minds, and hideth grace from the curious and proud. Human reason is weak and may be deceived; but true faith cannot be deceived.
5All reason and natural investigation ought to follow faith, not to precede, nor to break it. For faith and love do here especially take the highest place, and work in hidden ways in this most holy and exceeding excellent Sacrament. God who is eternal and incomprehensible, and of infinite power, doth great and inscrutable things in heaven and in earth, and His wonderful works are past finding out. If the works of God were of such sort that they might easily be comprehended by human reason, they should no longer be called wonderful or unspeakable.
(1) Proverbs xxv. 27 (Vulg.)