Sermon 35 — The Lord says: stand at the gate of the Lord's house and proclaim this word

Pfeiffer Sermon 35Middle High German + EnglishAbout this edition

Original Source (Middle High German)

English Translation

Dominus dicit: sta in porta domus domini et prædica verbum istud (Jerem. VII, 2.).

Unser herre sprichet ‘in der porte des goteshûses stant und sprich ez ûz daz wort und bringe ez für daz wort!’ Der himelsche vater sprichet ein wort unde sprichet daz êwicliche und in dem worte verzeret er alle sîne maht unde sprichet sîne götliche natûre alzemâle in dem worte und alle crêatûre. Daz wort liget in der sêle verborgenlîche, daz man ez niht enweiz noch niht enhœret, ime werde danne gerümet in dem grunde des hœrennens, ê enwirt ez niht gehœret; mêr: alle stimme und alle lûte die müezent abe und muoz ein lûter stilnisse dâ sîn, ein stilleswîgen. Von dem sinne sprich ich niht mê.

Nû stêt in der porten. Swer dâ stêt, des lide sint geordent. Er wil sprechen: daz oberste teil der sêle sol stên ûf gerihtet stêticlîche. Allez daz geordent ist, daz muoz geordent sîn under daz, daz über ime ist. Alle crêatûre die engevallen gote niht, daz natûrlich lieht der sêle überschîne sie, in deme si ir wesen nement, unde des engels lieht überschîne daz lieht der sêle unde breite unde füege, daz daz götlich lieht dar inne gewürken müge; wan got enwürket niht in lîplichen dingen: er wirket in êwikeit. Dar umbe muoz diu sêle gesament sîn und ûf gezogen unde muoz ein geist sîn. Dâ würket got, dâ behagent alliu werc gote. Niemer enkein werc gevellet gote wol, ez enwerde dâ geworht.

Dominus dicit: sta in porta domus domini et prædica verbum istud (Jerem. VII, 2.).

The Lord says: “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim this word” (Jeremiah 7:2). Our Lord says: “Stand in the gate of God’s house, speak forth the Word, and bring the Word forward!” The heavenly Father speaks one Word, and he speaks it eternally; in that Word he expends all his power, and in the Word he speaks his divine nature entirely, and all creatures. The Word lies hidden in the soul, so that one neither knows nor hears it unless room is made for it in the ground of hearing; otherwise it is not heard. Rather, every voice and every sound must fall away, and there must be pure stillness, a keeping of silence. I shall say no more about this meaning.

Now stand in the gate. Whoever stands there has his members ordered. He means to say that the highest part of the soul must stand upright continually. Everything that is ordered must be ordered beneath what is above it. Creatures do not please God unless the natural light of the soul shines beyond them, in which they receive their being, and the angel’s light shines beyond the soul’s light and prepares and orders things so that the divine light may work within; for God does not work in bodily things: he works in eternity. Therefore the soul must be gathered together and raised up, and must be one spirit. There God works; there all works are pleasing to God. No work can ever please God unless it is wrought there.

Nû stêt in der porte in dem hûse gotes, daz ist diu einekeit sînes wesens. Daz ein ist, daz heldet sich aller beste aleine. Dar umbe diu einikeit stêt bî gote unde heldet got ze samne unde leget niht zuo. Dâ sitzet er in sîme nêhsten, in sîm isse, allez in sich, niergen ûzer sich. Aber dâ er smelzende ist, dâ smelzet er ûz. Sîn ûzsmelzen ist sîn güete, als ich nû sprach von bekentnisse unde minne. Daz bekentnisse daz lœset abe, wan dez bekentnisse ist heizer denne minne. Aber zwei sint bezzer dan ein. Dar umbe daz bekentnisse treget die minne in ime. Diu minne vertœret unde behanget in der güete, und in der minne sô behange ich in der porten und wære blint in verrem bekentnisse. Ein stein hât ouch minne unde des minne suochet den grunt. Behange ich in der güete, in dem êrsten smelzen, unde nime in, dâ er guot ist, sô nime ich die porten, ich ennime got niht. Dar umbe ist daz bekantnisse bezzer, wan ez leitet die minne. Aber minne wil begerunge, meinunge. Einen einigen gedanc enleget ez niht zuo, mêr: ez lœset allez abe unde scheidet sich abe unde loufet blôz unde rüeret got unde begrîfet in in sich.

Herre, ez zimet wol dîme hûse, daz ez heilig sî und sî ein betehûs. Waz ist daz gebete? Daz ist, daz man bekenne daz blôze wesen unde daz man sich dinne lobe. Waz ist daz lob? Daz man die glîcheit gotes an ime ûz trage. Wan die wîle iht bilde in der sêle ist, sô enmac got niht dinne gelobet werden, und daz ez sî ein betehûs in der lenge der tage. Ich meine niht die tage hie: swenne ich spriche lenge âne lenge, daz ist ein lenge; ein breite âne breite, daz ist ein breite. Swenne ich spriche: alle zît, sô meine ich oben zît, mêr: allez hie oben, als ich nû sprach, dâ weder hie noch nû enist.

Now stand in the gate, in God’s house, which is the oneness of his being. What is one holds itself best alone. Therefore oneness stands beside God and holds God together and adds nothing. There he dwells in what is nearest to him, in his is-ness, wholly within himself, nowhere outside himself. But where he is melting, there he melts outward. His melting outward is his goodness, as I have just said concerning knowledge and love. Knowledge loosens and releases, for knowledge is hotter than love. Yet two are better than one. Therefore knowledge bears love within itself. Love makes foolish and clings to goodness, and in love I would cling to the gate and would be blind to knowledge that reaches farther. A stone too has love, and its love seeks the ground. If I cling to goodness, to that first melting, and receive him where he is good, then I receive the gate; I do not receive God. Therefore knowledge is better, because it guides love. But love seeks desire and intention. Knowledge adds not a single thought; rather, it releases everything, separates itself from everything, runs forth bare, touches God and grasps him within itself.

Lord, it well befits your house that it should be holy and be a house of prayer. What is prayer? It is to know bare being and to praise oneself therein. What is praise? It is to bring forth the likeness of God in oneself. For as long as any image remains in the soul, God cannot be praised therein, nor can it be a house of prayer in the length of days. I do not mean these days here. When I speak of length without length, that is a length; of breadth without breadth, that is a breadth. When I speak of all time, I mean above time, or rather, wholly above here, as I have just said, where there is neither here nor now.

Ein vrouwe vrâgete unsern herren, wenne man beten solde. Dô sprach unser herre ‘diu zît sol komen und ist ieze niht, daz die wâren anbêtære sulen beten in dem geiste und in der wârheit.’ Wan got ist ein geist, dar umbe sol man beten in dem geiste und in der wârheit, diu diu wârheit selber ist. Des ensîn wir niht, mêr: wir sîn wol wâr, dâ bî ist etwaz unwâr. Alsô ensît ir in got niht in dem êrsten ûzbruche, dâ diu wârheit ûz brichet und enspringet. In der porten des goteshûses sol diu sêle stân und sol ûz sprechen unde für bringen daz wort. Allez daz in der sêle ist sol sprechen unde loben unde stên unde nieman enhœren in der stille und in der ruowe, als ich nû sprach von den engelen, die dâ sitzent bî gote. In dem kôre der wîsheit unde des brandes sprichet sich got in die sêle alzemâle unde versprichet sich alzemâle in die sêle. Dâ gebirt der vater sînen sun, als ich nû sprach, und hât sô grôzen lust in dem worte und im ist sô gar liebe dar zuo, daz er niemer ûf gehœret, er ensprichet alle zît daz wort, daz ist âne zît. Ez kumet wol zuo unsern worten, daz wir sprechen, daz hûs, dâ sich got ûz versprichet, daz sol sîn in einœde und ein lûter geist und ob zît. Dîme hûse zimet wol heiligkeit unde lop und daz niht anders dâ inne sî danne daz dich lobet.

Ez sprechent unser meister: waz lobet got? Daz tuot glîcheit. Alsô allez, daz glîch ist gote der in der sêle lebet, daz lobet got. Swaz iht ist ungelîch gote, daz enlôbet got niht; alse ein bilde lobet sînen meister, der im în gedrücket hât alle die kunst, die er in sîme herzen hât und iz ime sô gar gelîch gemachet hât. Diu gelîcheit des bildes lobet sînen meister âne wort. Daz man mit dem worte loben mac, daz ist ein kleine dinc, oder mit dem munde betet. Wan unser herre sprach ze einem mâle ‘ir betet, ir enwizet aber niht, waz gebet ist. Ez koment noch wâre betære, die betent mînen vater âne im geiste und in der wârheit.’ Waz ist gebet? Dionysius sprichet: ein vernünftig ûfklimmen in got, daz ist gebet. Ein heiden sprichet: wâ geist ist und einekeit und êwekeit, dâ wil got würken. Wâ fleisch ist wider geiste, wâ zerstœrunge ist wider einekeit, wâ zît ist wider êwekeit, dâ enwürket got niht: er enkan niht mite. Mêr: alle lust unde genüegede unde vröude unde welde, die man gehaben mac, daz muoz allez abe. Diu got loben wil, diu muoz heilig sîn unde gesament sîn und ein geist sîn unde niergen ûz sîn, mêr: allez gelîch ûf getragen in die êwige êwikeit her ûf oben al. Ich enmeine niht alle crêatûre, die geschaffen sîn, mêr: allez daz er vermöhte, ob er wolte, dâ ober sol diu sêle komen. Die wîle iht ob der sêle ist unde die wîle iht vor gote ist und in gote, sô enkunmet si in den grunt niht in der lenge der tage.

A woman asked our Lord when one should pray. Our Lord then said: “The time shall come, and it is not now, when true worshippers shall worship in spirit and in truth.” For God is a spirit; therefore one should worship in spirit and in truth, which is Truth itself. We are not that; rather, we are indeed true, but alongside that there is something untrue. Thus you are not in God in the first breaking-forth, where Truth breaks forth and springs forth. The soul must stand in the gate of God’s house and speak forth and bring forward the Word. Everything within the soul must speak and praise and stand, and hear no one, in stillness and rest, as I said just now of the angels who sit beside God. In the choir of wisdom and of the burning brand God speaks himself wholly into the soul and utters himself wholly into the soul. There the Father begets his Son, as I have just said, and takes such great delight in the Word and has such great love for it that he never ceases: he speaks the Word at all times, which is without time. It accords well with our words when we say that the house in which God speaks himself forth must be in solitude, and be a pure spirit, and be above time. Holiness and praise well befit your house, and nothing should be within it except what praises you.

Our masters say: What praises God? Likeness does so. Thus everything that is like God who lives in the soul praises God. Whatever is unlike God does not praise God, just as an image praises its master who has impressed upon it all the art that he holds in his heart and has made it so entirely like himself. The likeness of the image praises its master without words. To praise with words, or to pray with the mouth, is a small thing. For our Lord once said: “You pray, but you do not know what prayer is. True worshippers are yet to come, who worship my Father without, in spirit and in truth.” What is prayer? Dionysius says: An intellectual ascent into God, that is prayer. A pagan says: Where there are spirit and oneness and eternity, there God wills to work. Where flesh is opposed to spirit, where destruction is opposed to oneness, where time is opposed to eternity, there God does not work: he cannot do so. Rather, all delight and satisfaction and joy and pleasure that one may have must fall away. Whoever wishes to praise God must be holy and gathered together and be one spirit, and be nowhere outside, but wholly borne up in likeness into eternal eternity, high above all. I do not mean all creatures that have been created, but rather all that he could bring about if he wished: beyond that the soul must come. So long as anything is above the soul, and so long as anything is before God and in God, the soul does not come into the ground in the length of days.

Nû sprichet sant Augustinus, wenne daz lieht der sêle überschînet die crêatûre, daz heizet er ein morgen; alse des engels lieht überschînet daz lieht der sêle unde daz in sich sliuzet, daz heizet er ein mitentac. Dâvît sprichet ‘des rehten menschen stîc wehset und nimet zuo in einen vollen mitentac.’ Der stîc ist schœne unde behegelich unde lustlich unde heimlich. Mêr: alse daz götlich lieht der sêle unde des engels lieht sich sliezent in daz götlich lieht, daz heizet er den mitentac. Danne ist der tac imme hœhsten und imme lengesten und in dem vollekomensten, alse diu sunne stêt in dem hœhsten unde giuzet iren schîn in die sternen unde die sternen giezont in in den mânen. Daz ist geordent under die sunnen. Alsô hât daz götlich lieht des engels lieht unde der sêle in sich beslozzen, daz ez allez gereht geordent stêt, ûf gerihtet stête in dem tage, sô lobet iz alzemâle got; dâ ist niht mêr daz got niht enlobe unde stêt allez gelîch, ie mê gelîch ie voller gotes, unde lobet alzemâle got. Unser herre sprach ‘ich sol mit iu wonen in iuwerm hûse.’ Wir biten des unsern lieben herren got, daz er mit uns wone hie, daz wir mit ime êwicliche wonen müezen: des helf uns got. Âmen.

Now Saint Augustine says that when the light of the soul outshines creatures, he calls that a morning; when the angel’s light outshines the soul’s light and encloses it within itself, he calls that midday. David says: “The path of the righteous person grows and increases toward a full midday.” The path is beautiful and pleasing and delightful and intimate. Furthermore, when the light of the soul and the light of the angel are enclosed within the divine light, he calls that midday. Then the day is at its highest and longest and most perfect, just as the sun stands at its highest and pours its radiance into the stars, and the stars pour it into the moon. That is ordered beneath the sun. Thus the divine light has enclosed the angel’s light and the soul’s light within itself, so that everything stands rightly ordered, upright and steadfast in the day, and thus it praises God entirely. There is nothing left that does not praise God, and all stands in likeness: the more like, the fuller of God, and it praises God entirely. Our Lord said: “I shall dwell with you in your house.” We ask our dear Lord God to dwell with us here so that we may dwell with him eternally. May God help us to this. Amen.