Vincent Scully - A Mediaeval Mystic (John of Ruysbroeck), 1911

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http://archive.org/details/cu31924029356429


A MEDIAEVAL MYSTIC


NIHIL OBSTAT F.

Osmund Cooney, O.F.M. Provincial

Censor Deputa'us,

IMPRIMATUR Edmundus Canonicus Sukmont Vicarius Generalise

Westmonasterii Die

17

OcTOBRis 1910


A MEDIEVAL MYSTIC A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF BLESSED JOHN RUYSBROECK, CANON REGULAR OF GROENENDAEL A.D. 1293-1 381

DOM VINCENT

SCULLY,

C.R.L.

{Permissu Superiorum)

NEW YORK

BENZIGER BROTHERS 1911


/^

,^3/-^^-^-5"

PRINTED BV HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEV, FOR THOMAS BAKER,

72,

NEWMAN

LD.,

LONDON AND AYLESBURY,

STREET, LONDON, W.


TO

THE RIGHT REV. AUGUSTIN

H.

WHITE,

LORD ABBOT OF WALTHAM

C.R.L.



CONTENTS PiGJJ

INTRODUCTION I.

II.

ix

EARLY YEARS AND EDUCATION

,

AS A SECULAR PRIEST IN

BRUSSELS III.

I

FALSE MYSTICS

6 .

.

.

.10

IV.

THE HERMITAGE OF GROENENDAEL

I7

V.

THE CANONS REGULAR OF GROENENDAEL

25

PRIOR OF GROENENDAEL

33

VI. VII. VIII.

IX.

X. XI.

.

...

RUYSBROECK's TREE

A DIRECTOR OF SOULS

.

.

43 47

RUYSBROECK AND GERARD GROOTE

50

RUYSBROECK AND

58

WINDESHEIM

THE WRITINGS OF RUYSBROECK vii

.

6/


Contents

viii

PAGE

XII. XIII.

THE TEACHING OF RUYSBROECK

SOME APPRECIATIONS

XIV. LAST

XV.

.

.

93

.

.

DAYS

It8

THE CULTUS OF BLESSED

RUYSBROECK

I05

.

.

JOHN .

.124


INTRODUCTION The

object of the following unpretentious

little

volume

is

to give a simple

account in English of the

life

and readable and writings

of a remarkable Flemish Mystic of the four-

teenth century, a contemporary of our

Walter Hilton.

Though

honour have never faded

his

own

memory and

in his

own

native

Belgium, and though France and Germany

have vied with each other

in spreading his

teaching and singing his praises, the very

name

of Blessed

tically

unknown

John Ruysbroeck

is

this side of the water.

are acquainted with only one small

prac-

W^e

work

in

English dealing directly with the Saint or his

work

at

all, viz.

Reflections from the

Mirror


3ntvobuction

Mystic* giving the

of

life

briefest sketch of his

and some short extracts from

as translated

his writings

from the French rendering of

Ernest Hello.

The

original authorities for the history of

Ruysbroeck are practically reduced to one,

by Henry Pomerius,

the biography

a

Canon

Regular of Groenendael, entitled De Origine monasterii

monasterii

edited

primi

Rusbrochii

Joannis

una cum

Viridisvallis

et

aliqtiot

John

of

B.

hujus

ejus,

re-

Brussels, 1885.

It

certain that a disciple of

is

prions

coaetaneorum

by the BoUandists,

vitis

John Ruysbroeck,

Scoenhoven, also of Groenendael,

who undertook

the defence of Blessed John's

writings against Gerson, composed a short

biography, but this was embodied in the work of

Pomerius, and

volume fell out *

By

of use

Earle Bailie.

thereby

as

and memory.

London

:

a

separate

Pomerius

Thomas Baker.

1905.


3ntrobuction

had Scoenhoven's MS. some still

to

work upon, and

Ruysbroeck's contemporaries were

of

at

living

Groenendael when he com-

posed his biography there. ences

xi

The

brief refer-

by the Venerable Thomas a Kempis

his Vita Gerardi interest

and

Magni

in.

are likewise of great

intrinsic worth.

For the purposes of this brief biography,,

which lays no claim whatever to original

made very great Auger, De Doctrina

research, the compiler has

use of the labours of Dr. et

Mentis Joannis van Ruysbroeck, Louvain,

and Willem de Vreese, Jean de Ruysbroeck, an extract from the Biographie published

Nationale,

by I'Academie royale des

sciences,,

des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique,. Brussels, igog.

true of the

works

of

Later plete

This indebtedness is especially

summarised analysis

of the various

Ruysbroeck. it

and

may

be possible to give a com-

faithful English rendering of all


3ntvo&uction

xii

Ruysbroeck's Works from the

which

is

at present

where there this great

is

critical edition

preparing in Louvain,

an active revival

and holy Mystic

of interest in

of the Nether-

lands.

For the judgment as to the

of

competent witnesses

permanent value and extraordinary

sublimity of B. John's writings the reader is

referred to the

body

of

this

work under

the heading, Some Appreciations.

The usual

protest

is

made

according to

the Decrees of Urban VIII. concerning alleged miracles, etc., recorded in these pages. St. Ives,

Cornwall, Feast of Our Lady's Nativity, 1910.


I

Early Years and Education Blessed John Ruysbroeck, surnamed the Admirable and the Divine Doctor, by common consent the greatest Mystic the tries

at

Low Coun-

have ever produced, was born, a.d. 1293,

Ruysbroeck, a village some miles south

of Brussels, lying

between that

city

and Hal.

According to the fashion of those days, pecially with Religious,

es-

he was named after

his birthplace,

John van Ruysbroeck,

Ruysbroeck.

The Venerable a Kempis, the

Latinised form of

is

John

a case

Thomas was so named after his town, Kempen, though his patro-

in point

native

van Kempen,

or

;


U nymic

fiDebi^val nbi^Btie

Haemerken.

was

know

however, we

of

no other surname

neither do his biographers so his

father.

But

much

many

like

Ruysbroeck,

Of

;

mention

as

another great

servant of God, John was blessed with a

good mother, a devout

woman who

trained

her child from the cradle to walk in the paths of

Christian piety and perfection.

charged with only one her son too tenderly

fault, that

She

she loved

!

Perhaps we are to understand by that the poor aspirations

woman opposed

after

is

this

the boy's early

a more retired

life

than

could be found even in the peaceful shelter of his

own

pious home.

explain John's

first

of eleven years

How many himself

This would also

recorded act.

At the age

he ran away from home

a lad before

away from

and

a loving

!

since has torn

mother's too

fond embrace to quell the ardour of a restless spirit in the

quest of adventure

!

John


anb £bucation

£siv\^ l^eara

also

was eager and

dissatisfied

;

3

but the larger

sphere for which he sighed was to be sought along the unaccustomed ways which lead to the sublime heights and the rarified atmo-

sphere of mystic contemplation.

The pious truant made there to call

his

upon an uncle

way

to Brussels,

of his,

one John

Hinckaert, a major Canon of St. Gudule's.

The son and

heir of a wealthy magistrate of

the city, and possessed, moreover, of a rich benefice, for

many

years John Hinckaert had

been somewhat worldly

in his

ways

;

but one

day Divine grace found him out as he was listening to a sermon,

and strongly to a and

mortification.

followed

by a

life

and drew him sweetly of

His example was soon

fellow Canon,

van Coudenberg, a Master of considerable

by name Francis

of Arts, possessed

means, and a

repute with the people. for their

extreme simplicity

mutual

man

of great

These two agreed,

edification

and support,

to


H live

riDeMaeval HD^stic

together

common.

in

requirements were necessaries

;

material

Their

reduced to the barest

and the surplus

was distributed among the

of their

revenue

poor.

In this

devout household the lad John met with a kindly welcome

home

;

and there he found

at

own

heart in an atmo" sphere saturated with " other-worldliness

once a

and prayer.

after his

His good uncle also took charge

of his education.

For four years Ruysbroeck

followed the ordinary course of Humanities in the public schools of Brussels,

and then,

with a view to the priesthood, he devoted himself to the more congenial study of the

sacred sciences.

Meanwhile the bereaved mother had

dis-

covered the place of John's retreat and had quitted her village of Ruysbroeck to reside

with him at Brussels.

As, however, she was

not permitted to dwell in the Presbytery, she

made

her abode in a Beguinage hard by.


lEarl^ ll)ears

Thus she had

anb lEbucation

5

at least the consolation of seeing

She must have

her son from time to time.

been much comforted also for the deprivation of his of

his

company by

growing sanctity.

are assured that profit of her

own person and

the constant evidence

And,

further,

she set herself to

sacrifice

the holy

by emulating life of

make in her

her son John,

his saintly masters, Hinckaert

Coudenberg.

we

and van


II

As A Secular Priest In

in

Brussels

due course Canon Hinckaert procured

for his

nephew one

St. Gudule's,

of the lesser

prebends of

and John was ordained

priest

in the year 1317, at the age of twenty-four.

His good mother did not survive to witness this

happy event

in the flesh,

nevertheless

even beyond the grave she had good cause to rejoice this

son,

therein.

After her departure from

world she had often appeared to her

lamenting her

prayers,

pains,

beseeching

his

and sighing for the day when he would

be able to

offer for her

And John was

the holy Sacrifice.

unceasing in his supplications.

But immediately his first Mass, as

after

the celebration

of

he related to his Religious 6


Us a Secular pdcst Brethren of

Brussels

God granted him

later,

consolation

and thank him

her deliverance

for

The touching

worth recording,

if

oblation

mother came to

his

incident

of

visit

from

is

well

show that

only to

was through no lack

7

a vision full

when the sacred

:

was accomplished,

Purgatory.

in

it

natural affection

that the child John had so unceremoniously

forsaken

home and mother.

these two holy souls

it

was

Moreover, of singularly true

that having loved each other in they were not farted,

for

life,

in death

they were privi-

leged often to converse together, and finally it

was from

his

mother that Ruysbroeck

learned the date of his

own approaching

departure.

For twenty-six years

in all Blessed

lived as a secular priest in Brussels.

tent

with

Church

of

his St.

modest

chaplaincy in

John Conthe

Gudule, and with his holy

companions Hinckaert and van Coudenberg


a

8

riDebi^val flD^stic

happily in

continuing

apostolic

and poverty the Common he had entered a mere

on which

Life

child,

simplicity

Ruysbroeck

passed his days in peaceful retirement and uninterrupted prayer and contem-

almost plation.

A

characteristic

mean

us the

to

reveals

garb,

episode

man

period

this

as in a flash, his

emaciated

his

of

figure,

his

ab-

sorbed demeanour, his utter abandonment

God.

in

He was

of Brussels

as

was

passing through a square

one day, silent and recollected,

his wont,

when two laymen remarked

him. "

My

God," exclaimed one, " would

as holy as that priest " Nay, for " I

my

I

were

" !

part," returned the other,

would not be

in his shoes for all the

wealth of the world.

I

should never

know

a day's pleasure on earth." "

Then you know nothing

of the delights


Bs a Secular piicst which God bestows, or of the

in JBvussels

of the delicious savour

Holy Ghost," thought Ruysbroeck

himself,

for

9

to

he happened to overhear the

words, and he proceeded tranquilly on his

way.


Ill

False Mystics

But with

his love of peace

all

ment, when

it

was a question

and of

retire-

guarding

the integrity of the Faith and of warding peril

off

from immortal

souls,

Ruysbroeck

hesitated not to stand in the breach

though others the for

and

Church

chaplain

of

a

nor so

St.

higher

much

of

learning

theological

finger

much

of

;

even

position in

higher

than the

repute

obscure

Gudule's should raise not

much

as utter a warning

word.

The student

many and

of history is well

startling

dictions presented

was an epoch

contrasts

aware of the

and contra-

by the Middle Ages.

of magnificent virtues IQ

and

It

of


n

false flD^stics gross vices, of splendid heroism

and

of un-

speakable cruelty, of superb generosity and

meanness, and, which

of disgusting

is

more

to our point at present, of intense devotion

and

of the

most revolting vagaries

While also on the one hand

and morals.

was much genuine

there

in doctrine

zeal,

much

earnest

endeavour to reform crying abuses in Church

and State and

;

on the other hand hypocrites

fanatics abounded,

destruction

on the plea

of

at the

of

authority

amending those

in power,

the

of

who aimed

principle

who, the while they inveighed against

or

merely exterior religion

the

futility

of

and

insisted

on the supreme need

themselves

of

heart,

of

neglecting

times

all

a

all

fell

into

external

of purity

the

form,

excess

and

at

outward decency and observance

of morality.

In varying degrees these latter errors are to be encountered under one shape or another


a

12

in every age

ADeMj^val (ID^stic but at the period of which we

;

treat they were especially intense

treme.

The

Beghards

and

the

and exBcguines

(when and where these broke loose from ecclesiastical

control),

the

Flagellants,

the

Brethren of the Free Spirit were chief of a

group of extravagant sects which

afflicted

the Church in Italy, France, Germany, and the

Netherlands

;

while

England at the

same time was disturbed by the fanaticism the Lollards.

of

In general their peculiar tenets

were a strange admixture of pantheism,

false

mysticism, apparent austerity, and very real immorality.

The

following

is

one of their

propositions,

condemned by

Clement V. in the Council

of Vienna, a.d.

characteristic

1311-1312

;

"

That those who are

aforesaid grade of perfection

and

in

the

in the spirit

of liberty (contemplatives) are not subject to

human

authority and are not obliged to obey

any precepts

of the Church, because (as they


13

3fal0e flD^stlcs

say) where the spirit of the Lord

is,

there is

liberty." It so

happened that contemporary with our

Saint in Brussels

was a prominent leader

the heretics of the Free Spirit,

whose name

is

a

of

woman

given as Bloemardinne, a good

by the

type, to judge

description of Ruys-

broeck's biographer, of the whole genus of

such teachers in those days and in our own.*

So great was sanctity that

this creature's reputation for it

was commonly reported that

two Seraphim accompanied her

when

she approached to receive Holy

munion. ings,

of

Com-

She always delivered her teach-

whether by word or in writing, seated

on a throne chair

to the altar

of silver.

was presented

Brabant.

After

At her demise

this

to the reigning Duchess

Bloemardinne's

* Cf. the Polish sect of Mariavites, or

under the misguidance of the

death

Mystic Priests,

woman Mary

Frances,

whose extravagances were condemned by Rome, September 1904, and again April 1906.


a

14

also cripples

nn>ebi«v)al

came

^^5tic body

to touch her

in the

persuasion that they would be miraculously

Her teaching was

healed thereby.

of

the

kind indicated above, concerned chiefly with the so-called liberty of the spirit

the passion

;

of lust she

had the impudence

phic love.

She issued numerous pamphlets

remarkable

their

for

to call sera-

subtlety

;

and

by

one means and another she managed to win

and retain a very considerable number

of

disciples.

Moved by

zeal

and compassion on witness-

ing the ruin

and

loss of souls thus effected,

John Ruysbroeck

set himself to confute this

heretic's various publications point

as they appeared.

curred not a Possibly

it

In consequence, he

little hostility

was

by point in-

and persecution.

this opposition

which

finally

decided Ruysbroeck and his holy companions to quit Brussels for the

more peaceful

re-

tirement of the neighbouring forest of Soignes.


But meanwhile he never desisted Faith,

from

and

the

in the propagation of the doctrines

Of the

lished professedly against is

moment

in defence of

his efforts

sane mysticism.

of

a

for

pub-

Bloemardinne there

But

nothing extant.

treatises

in

works

his

all

Ruysbroeck keeps an eye on the errors of

He

the day.

returns to

them again and

again, analysing their sources, describing their characteristics, indicating the mischief they

work,

and

confutation.

rich

solid

time,

with

perspicacity,

from

a

reasoned

At

the

same

and

wondrous sureness the

and

offering

stores

his

of

perience, he points

own

intimate

ex-

out the safe and sure

paths which lead the soul to loving union

with God.

Some thirty years after Ruysbroeck's

death,

Cambrai

called

in 1410, the

Archbishop

his disciples, the

endael, to

of

Canons Regular

come and

aid

him

of

Groen-

in preaching


6

a

1

against

the

Bloemardinne

flDebia^val (^^etic

successors

—a

of

the

notorious

fact eloquent both of

the

obstinacy of this particular heresy and of Blessed John's reputation as

opponent.

its

most vigorous


IV

The Hermitage of Groenendael It appears that of Francis

was on the suggestion

it

van Coudenberg that the three holy

priests resolved to

abandon Brussels

to seek

elsewhere for themselves a refuge of greater security

and retirement.

was through

It

the influence also of van Coudenberg with

John

III.,

Duke

of

Brabant, that they ob-

tained the cession of an ideal property for their

purpose,

the

Groenendael, with

hermitage,

namely,

of

lands and lake.

its

The spot had already been

sanctified

by

the prayers and penances of holy recluses for

nigh forty years.

thither

The

first

to

had been one John Busch,

retire

of the

ducal house of Brabant, who, weary of the 17

2


a

i8

flDeM^val

frivolities,

strife,

and

flDi^stic

perils

court

of

obtained from his kinsman, John

II.,

life,

leave

to retire into the forest of Soignes, to build

himself a hut and enclose a space of land there to be cultivated with his his

The deed

support.

own hands

of gift

for

was dated

the Friday after the Assumption of Mary, 1304,

and

it

stipulated that on the death or

departure of the grantee,

another hermit

should take his place, and so on for ever. In

effect,

the noble John Busch was succeeded

by one Arnold

made

of Diest,

vow never

a

festivals for the

to sally forth save on

purpose of hearing Mass and

Holy Communion

receiving

Church

who, on entering,

of

St.

in

the Parish

Clement at Hoolaert.

God

generous sacrifice by a singular

rewarded

this

favour

Arnold was passionately devoted

to the

:

memory

of the

Holy Apostles and

Martyrs of Rome, and he was transported in spirit so

frequently thither that the shrines


trbc Ibermitage of (Broenenbael

and sanctuaries as familiar to

of the Eternal City

him

green old age he the bystanders

as to a native.

came

19

became

When

in a

to die, Arnold surprised

with the request that he

should be laid to rest in the hermitage grounds.

They

objected that the enclosure was not

consecrated

he responded that one day

:

would be the

site of a

it

monastery, the home

and the Mother-house

of

saintly Religious,

of

a holy congregation.

However, he was

buried in the Parish Church of Hoolaert before the

altar

of

St.

Lambert, the mits,

was

His successor,

Nicholas.

last of the

Groenendael her-

so poor in spirit

attached even

to his

as not

He

cell.

to be

cheerfully

yielded place to John Hinckaert, van Coudenberg,

and Ruysbroeck, and

which they had procured dael,

the modern Uccle.

handed over

Duke

of

to the three

retired to a cell

for

him

at Hoeten-

Groenendael was

companions by the

Brabant on Easter Wednesday, 1343,


a

20

fin>ebiftval fin>^0tic

on the condition that they should forthwith

accommodate

erect a hotise to of at least five,

two

of

community

a

whom should be priests

viventes religiose.

The taking

of

possession

recorded in

is

the Groenendael Chronicle thus

"In 1344

:

the aforesaid, with the bishop's consent, began to build a chapel in Groenendael.

And

the

Vicars of Lord Guy, then Bishop of Cambrai, inspected the building on March 13, 1344,

and decreed that together altars,

On

with

it

should be consecrated,

cemetery

a

adjacent,

two

and other necessary appurtenances.

the same day of the same year the said

Vicars conferred on

Dom

Francis the cure of

the brethren, the household, and the servants,

Priest.

him

their

Father

and Parish

Then the same

year, on

March 17, the

appointing

Venerable Lord Brother Matthias, Bishop of the Church of Trebizond (Coadjutor of brai),

by faculty and

licence

of

Cam-

the said


^be

Iberniitage of (Sroenenbael

21

Vicars of the Lord Bishop Guy, consecrated the aforesaid St.

first

church in the honour of

James, and erected

Church

for the

into a Parochial

it

same Dom Francis, his brethren

and household." For

five years

Dom

Francis van Couden-

bcrg and his companions continued to live thus in community, bound by no other rule

than their own profound

and intense they long

left to

company

enjoy alone the solitude of

Many ;

prayer

Nor were

desire of perfection.

their retreat.

their

of

spirit

still

sought admission into larger

numbers flocked

from Brussels and elsewhere to seek aid

and consolation.

his

own

inclination

If

spiritual

he had consulted

and bent, Ruysbroeck

would have denied himself to

all

;

but van

Coudenberg represented that they should not in charity refuse assistance to souls in need.

And

easily,

remarks one of his biographers, be-

Blessed John yielded the more


a

22

riDe&ifeval flDptic

cause for his part he was assured of being able

God amid

to repose in calls

the most distracting

and absorbing occupations.

One

of their earliest associates,

John van

Leeixwen,

attained

sanctity.

A

Aflflighem,

he had offered his services as their

domestic far

a

high

reputation

poor and ignorant layman of

gratis.

Before long he was

and wide as the " Good Cook

The multitude

dael."

of visitors

he was called to attend leisure,

for

left

of

known

Groenen-

whom

upon

him but

little

yet he found time not only to be

absorbed in prayer and contemplation, but

even

to

compose

spirituality.

Like

treatises

his

of

master Ruysbroeck,

whom he venerated profoundly, recollected

an exalted

he was deeply

amid the most exacting

duties,

and frequently he was favoured with heavenly visions.

It

was while

in a state of ecstasy

that the sublime gifts and heroic holiness of

Blessed John were revealed to him

;

ever

.after


tlbe Ibermitaoc of (Broenenbael

23

no terms seemed to him too exalted in which to describe the

worth

of the servant of

God.

which van Leeuwen

The general esteem

in

himself was held

sufficiently attested

the

inscription

is

on

tomb

his

:

by

" Reliquiae

Fratris Joannis de Leeuwis vulgo Boni Coci viri

a

Deo

clari obiit

illuminati

et

scriptis

mysticis

anno MCCCLXXVII. V. Februarii."

The Remains

commonly

called the

lightened by writings.

John van Leeuwen,

of Brother

Good Cook, a man en-

God and renowned

He

Much more

for his mystic

died February 5, 1377.

distracting to the recluses than

the frequent visits of pilgrim penitents or the arrival of fresh neophytes

coming and going

of

was the constant

huntsmen from the

household of the Duke of forest is

of

situate,

'chase, itself,

Soignes,

in

Brabant.

which

was a favourite

and the position

of

The

Groenendael

resort

for

the

the hermitage

within ^ few miles of the capital, niad§


a

24

it

flDeMjeval

flDi^stic

a very convenient place of rest and re-

freshment for the hunters and their hounds.

But the

noise

and bustle attendant on such

company were

scarcely

spirit of prayer,

and the demands thus made

on the hospitality

of the

were a heavy drain on

conducive

to

the

young Community Never-

its resources.

theless the solitaries were naturally fearful of giving offence

Patron the Duke

.

to the followers of

their

Moreover, since they were

not established as a regular Religious Com-

munity, they could not claim the privileges of the cloister.


V The Canons Regular of Groenendael The

inconveniences

just

together

noted,

with the continual increase in their numbers,

gave point and force to a strong remonstrance addressed to Francis

van Couden-

berg and his Brethren by Pierre de Saulx, Prior of the Canons Regular of St. Victor, Paris,

concerning

the

irregularity

unaccustomed manner good Prior was opinion of

many

among both

in

effect

rife in

mystics,

and

so

life.

their

Herein the

only voicing the

zealous and prudent leaders

clergy

were so

of

of

sects

much

and and

laity.

The times

societies of false

mischief was wrought

under the guise of piety, that any form of

community

life

outside the cloister and the 25


a

26

flDcMfeval flD^stic

vows was regarded with strong

three regular

and

suspicion

dislike.

A

few

Director of the Venerable

founded a lay association

and

Sisters

society also sition

of

the beaten track. to

Devout Brothers Life,

and

fierce

this

oppo-

from the same sentiment

distrust for all religious

able

of

was subjected to a

arising

spiritual

first

Thomas a Kempis,

Common

the

later

Ruysbroeck,

Gerard Groote, a disciple of

and Florence Radewyn, the

years

weather

movement

of

outside

Happily, the Brothers were the

storm by producing

irrefragable proofs of their orthodoxy,

and

of their entire submission to the ecclesiastical

authorities.

But

also,

by the advice and

according to the desires of Gerard Groote himself,

they placed themselves under the

protection

and guidance

of a Religious

Order

springing from their

own body, namely

Canons Regular

Windesheim,

of

of

the

which

congregation the Venerable a Kempis wa§


^be Canons one of the

IReanlar of (Broenenbael

earliest

members

27

as well as the

brightest ornament. Prior

dc

Pierre

Coudenberg and their

status,

many

the

present

Saulx

his associates

silence

they were

to regularise

suspicion,

inconveniences

to

exposed

van

on

urged

and escape which

at

by embracing

the Rule and adopting the habit of some

With

already established Religious Order.

humility the

edifying

Commtmity

enendael accepted the reproof and

companying counsel to

Peter Andrew,

the

necessary

St.

and applied

its

ac-

at once

Bishop of Cambrai, for

authorisation

Institute of the

Rule of

;

Gro-

of

to

adopt

the

Canons Regular under the

Augustin of Hippo.

This per-

mission the Ordinary granted most readily.

With

his

own hands he

van

Coudenberg,

their

companions

March

10,

1349,

^^d

Francis

Ruysbroeck

John in

clothed

the

canonical

^^^

following

and habit,

day


H

28

riDebia^val flDi^stic

Dom

he appointed

Francis

John Ruysbroeck he made

To

new Canonry. other

members

van

of the

professed

exception,

of

the

Coudenberg

the

Prior

Community, with one canonical

according to St. Augustin's Rule.

bestowed upon them

exemptions under

;

them with

many

while the

obedience,

The Bishop

sufficient

and

privileges

Duke took them

protection and

special

his

and

Provost,*

endowed

revenues for the upkeep

of a large establishment.

The one exception noted above was Ruysuncle

broeck's

and van Coudenberg's old

friend

and master, John Hinckaert.

date

John Ruysbroeck was

of

age,

fifty-six

this

years

and Francis van Coudenberg was

several years his senior.

have been men *

At

Provost

is

They must

of great zeal

certainly

and courage

to

the equivalent in a College of Clergy of the

though many Congregations of Canons Regular have borrowed the title and style of Abbot from the monastic institute.

Abbot

in a

Monastery

;


Canons IRcouIar

tEbe

undertake the

of (Broenenbae!

rigour and

29

discipline

of

the Canonical Life, as they understood

it,

full

advanced an

at so

age.

was much older than out

lest

powers

temper

the

the good old

observance,

them

in

can

be

his

man

induced

to

of their

resolved to

We

the profession of the vows.

what

picture

However,

must

a

source

of

regret

have been to

this

three.

all

Hinckaert remained as near his

friends as possible until the end.

was

failing

himself the happiness of joining

separation

cell

for fear

any degree the austerity

in

for

for

should

others

And

either.

consideration

of

forgo

Hinckaert, again,

A

built just outside the cloister,

little

and

there after a few years he peacefully passed

away, their predecessor to eternal glory as he had been their forerunner in the way of perfection.

The Canon Regular, had reason

Prior Pierre de Saulx,

to be well content with the issue


U

30

fiDeM^evat

fibi^stic

of his intervention in the affairs of

Seventeen years later we find him

dael.

addressing to the

Community another

formula of their profession, which ran

of the

follows

"

:

with

myself this

char-

This time he complained

acteristic rebuke.

as

Groenen-

Church

I,

N.

these of St.

,

gifts

offer

and deliver

the

to

service

James, Apostle.

of

And

I

promise God in the presence of clergy and people that the end of

will

I

my

abide here henceforth to

days without proprietorship, the

according to the rule of

Canons and

Blessed Augustin, to the best of ledge

and power.

I

nor shall

I

is

needful for

for

any way

my

any motion

soul

this

I

can

and body,

of fickleness or

under any pretext of a more change

know-

also promise stability

to this place as long as in

obtain what

my

strict

Order

habit or quit this cloister.

I

also promise obedience to all the prelates of

the aforesaid Church

whom

the better part


tlbe

Canons IReouIar

of the

Community

order that life

I

may

of (BroenenbacI

31

shall canonically elect, in

receive a hundredfold

and

everlasting."

As a matter fession

is

form

this

fact,

was quite adequate.

contained the tity

of

vow

Implicitly

it

chas-

of chastity, since

an integral part

the Canonical

of

However, the Prior

Rule.

pro-

of

of

Victor

St.

resided in Paris, the metropolis of scholasticism,

and

maintained the

of

he

whereas chastity

that,

three

argued

strenuously

essential

vows

of

is

and one

Religion,

and the formula made no mention

thereof,

the said formula was incomplete, erroneous,

contrary sanctions.

and in

to

the

And

decretals

again he urges the Provost

the Brethren this,

as

in

and canonical

to

all

authorised branch of

conform themselves else,

to

some

the institute

fully

of

the

Once more the good men humbly

ac-

Canons Regular.


a

33 quiesced

;

flDebia^vat flDi^Btic

and

it

seems that they modelled

their religious family

upon the famous Con-

gregation of St. Victor, of which their zealous counsellor

was then the

chief

Superior.


VI Prior of Groenendael

Meanwhile

Community

the

grew and

flourished,

tinued to

make

heroic

virtue,

of

Groenendael

The holy

Prior con-

progress in the practice of his

gifts

of

contemplation

became ever more sublime, and reputation for sanctity increased.

his

still

His con-

temporary biographers, after the fashion their day, catalogue the Christian virtues,

one by one show

Let

it

suffice

how they

here

to

virtues which he the

his

own

person.

and

excelled in him.

remark that those most earnestly com-

mends and the most highly writings, he the

of

exalts

in

most constantly exercised Chief of these

his

in

was humility,

which he terms everywhere the foundation 33

3


H

34

fll>et)i«v)al flD^stic

perfection

of

resignation

tender

then obedience to

;

the

to

will

towards

devotion

the Blessed Sacrament in

A

neighbour.

a

most

Christ

Jesus

the Altar,

of

an ardent love

fine,

God,

of

men and

of

few instances

and,

God and

may

in

the

be given

in illustration.

On ill

;

one occasion Blessed John was seriously

consumed by fever and tortured by an

intense thirst, he

begged the Brother In-

The Provost,

firmarian for a drink of water.

who happened draught, fearing

was

literally

to it

be present, forbade the

He

might do him harm.

dying of

thirst,

and

were

his lips

cracking, they were so parched, yet Ruys-

broeck humbly acquiesced. flecting

how

remorse of actually

marked

But

later,

great would be the grief his

and superior

friend

if

re-

and he

died of his agony, he quietly re:

" Father Provost,

a drink of water

now

I

if

I

have not

shall certainly not


prior of (5roenent>aeI recover from this malady." great alarm,

him

drink.

man began Another

Dom

35

Thereupon, in

Francis immediately bade

And from

moment

that

the holy

to regain his strength.

and a continual proof

of

his

humility was the willingness with which he

took part in the heavy manual labour of the

Community. his

His dignity, his advanced age,

inexperience in such

work,

other calls upon his time and strength

and the

exempt

should be

refused to listen.

Truth to

advantage from his

toil

tell,

was but

and in his ignorance he was liable,

weeds

!

up seedlings

But

the

in the

;

but he

little

:

his

austerities,

for instance,

garden instead of

spiritual

Brethren was incalculable

all this

the material

frame was enfeebled by years and

to root

urged as motives

like the brethren

wherefore he

many

the

;

gain

to

the

there was not

only the example of his humility, but of his unfailing recollection too.

In the midst of


H

36

fIDeDiaeval flDi^stlc

labour he never lost his sense of the

his

Indeed he was

nearness of God's presence.

wont to say that his soul to

it

was

God than

easier for

to

lift

his

him

to raise

hand

to his

forehead.

His humility also and his zeal for the regular observance prevented

him ever seeking

dispensation from the customary exercises of

community

the

any

of

life,

or exemption

the monastic austerities,

from

vigils,

or

fasts.

His love for the neighbour was shown by the readiness and affability with which he received

on

his

and welcomed innumerable claimants

sympathy,

help,

and counsel.

ever left his presence dissatisfied

went back from a edified

and

visit to

inwardly

;

No

soul

every one

Groenendael greatly refreshed.

On

one

occasion the Brethren were distressed for the

moment by an apparent

exception.

Parisian clerics had visited the holy old

Two man


prior of (Broenenbacl and had demanded some word

Ruysbroeck merely observed

you wish

sarcasm,

of

mortified,

the

who

as

cause

the

led

of

is it

?

?

You

Your good- will

wish.

to the

Canons

your sanctity.

Look

man

Learning

some

of

the

back to Blessed John

explain

not simple

not quite true

see

chagrin,

to

are

deeply

retired

to believe.

clerics

and begged him

But

You

disappointed in the

them

their

Brethren led the

"

strangers

much

"

:

evidently was not so saintly a

rumour had

for

Suspecting him

to be."

and they complained

that they were Prior,

motto

or

and encouragement.

their guidance

as holy as

37

"

he

his

meaning.

cried.

" Is

are as holy as is

into

the

it

you

measure of

yourselves

what good-will you have, and you

and will

behold also the standard of your holiness."

And

then the visitors retired appeased and

edified. .

Naturally his

own Brethren were

the

first


a

38

and chief

and

to benefit

zeal.

made

flDcM^eval flD^stic

He

himself

by the holy

Prior's charity

denied himself to none, he

all

to

Sometimes he gave

all.

a spiritual conference after Compline,

and

then perhaps he would be so carried away as he enlarged

and the

upon the goodness

bliss of

of

God

heaven, for instance, that

neither he nor his listeners would note the

The midnight

passage of time.

would surprise them words.

by

his

still

Office bell

hanging upon his

But such was the fervour infused burning eloquence that not one

felt

the loss of the three or four hours' accus-

tomed

sleep.

Ruysbroeck

always

immediate preparation teristic

of

the

by the Canons ference, all

he

man or

would

spoke ;

but

that

by

without it

any

was charac-

when requested

strangers for a Con-

sometimes

simplicity that inspiration

that he had nothing to say.

confess

in

was

lacking,

It

was the


prior of (Broenenbael

39

same with

his written treatises

of his life

he was able to declare that he

:

at the close

had never committed anything to writing save

under the immediate motion of the

Holy

Spirit.

As

so

often

happens with

the

Saints,

Blessed John's love for the neighbour over-

flowed in tenderness for his brothers and sisters of the

this trait, the

lower creation

poor

it is

little

Knowing

Canons would remark to him

on the approach Prior,

also.

of winter

:

snowing already. birds do

now?

"

" See,

Father

What will And with

the ex-

pressions of heartfelt compassion this sublime

mystic,

who was

habitually lost in dizziest

heights of contemplation, would give instructions that the feathered choristers outside the cloister

should not be abandoned to perish of

hunger.

Very frequently

in his

works Blessed Ruys-

broeck takes occasion to treat of the Holy


40

a

Sacrament

of the Altar,

of this sacred

vivid faith it

as a

flDeMa^val flD^stic

mystery

on a par with the

tell

in

terms of the most

and intense devotion, discussing

supreme proof

carnation,

and ever he speaks

of

God's love for men,

gifts of Creation, the In-

and Redemption.

His biographers

us of his personal love for the Blessed

Eucharist, and especially of his ecstatic devotion in offering the great Sacrifice. close of his long

sight could

life,

To the

even when his failing

no longer distinguish the

figure of

the Crucified stamped upon the Host, nothing

but grave sickness could hold him back from daily

celebration.

from the excess his soul

Sometimes he swooned

of the sweetness

with which

was inundated during the canon

of

the Mass.

On

one such occasion not only did he

faint,

but he seemed on the point of expiring, so that the terrified server reported the matter to

the Provost.

Attributing the faintnes§


prior of 0roenen^ael to advancing age

was about celebrate

and weakness, the Superior

any

more,

assuring

to forbear,

to the failing

but to the overpowering

of divine

non propter senium sed divinae

grace,

collatum xenium.

"

gratiae

Even to-day," he added,

" Jesus Christ appeared

to me,

and

filling

soul with a deliciousness all divine,

said to

my

heart.

to

when Blessed John

him that the swoon was due not

my

man

to forbid the holy old

humbly besought him

of years

41

Thou

art

Mine and I

He am

thine."

Such heavenly favours seem to have been

by no means

He was

rare with our Saint.

frequently ravished with

a

vision

Divine Lord in His sacred Humanity.

of

Our

Christ

appeared to him, accompanied by His Blessed

Mother and a numerous retinue

of Saints,

and conversed familiarly with him.

On

one

such occasion, penetrating his whole being

with

a

sense

of

wondrous sweetness,

He


a

42 greeted

thus

:

riDebiasval riDi^stic

him with

"Thou

well pleased."

art

ineffable

My dear

son, in

Then Jesus

him and presented him

to

condescension

Christ

My

chosen servant

!

I

am

embraced

Our Lady and the

attendant Saints with the words "

whom

:

" Behold


VII

Ruysbroeck's Tree

Whenever God

full

cloister

Blessed John

felt

upon him, even the was not

the Spirit of

solitude of the

sufficiently retired for the

intimacy of the divine union.

wander away into the depths

He would

of the forest

surrounding the monastery, there to abandon himself to the action of the Holy Ghost un-

On

disturbed.

wont

these occasions also he

to take with

him a

tablet, in order to jot

and

lights as

writing.

on

stylus

and a wax

down such thoughts

he was moved to preserve in

Of these notes a

fair

his return to the Priory.

of his days,

was

when

his sight

copy was made

Towards the end

was

failing

and

otherwise the effort of making these notes was 43


H

44 too

much

flDebi^val HD^stic

for him,

one of the Canons always

accompanied him into the

weeks would

down

whatever he was moved to

at his dictation

communicate.

forest to write

Sometimes

pass,

and

for

days

want

whole

or

of inspiration

not a line nor a word would be added to the treatise in

hand.

But when again the

Spirit

breathed, he continued from the very sentence or phrase where he

there

had paused,

just as

if

had been no interval between.

One day

the Saint had retired as usual

into the forest,

and the Brethren, knowing

his

But when

occupation, respected his privacy.

hours passed and there was no sign of his return, they

became alarmed and

scour the woods in search of him.

set out to

One

of the

Canons was especially intimate with Prior

and loved him most tenderly.

his anxiety

Perhaps

urged him ahead of the

rest.

a glade of the forest his eye lighted

wondrous scene.

He

perceived

the

a

In

upon a tree

as


s

IRu^sbroeck's (Tree it

On

were in flames.

discovered that

it

And under

fire.

was

nearer approach he

in fact encircled with

the tree, in the midst of the

John Ruysbroeck

mysterious conflagration,

was seated, manifestly rapt

The memory the

in

tree

45

in ecstasy.

of this miracle

Community.

For

was never

lost

the

generations

was known and venerated as Ruysbroeck'

At the

Tree.

the Prior,

James van Dynter, planted a

tree in the

respect

close of the fifteenth century

same

place,

shown hitherto

lime-

which received the which

to the original,

presumably had died down.

When

in

1577

the Canons were obliged to abandon Groenen-

on account

dael

religious wars,

away

it is

until only its

of

the

vexations

of

the

said that this tree withered

bark was

the

Community returned

and

flourished again.

left

;

but when

in 1607, it revived

This episode also has fixed the traditional representation of Blessed John Ruysbroeck.


a

46

He

is

flDeM^val dC^^etic

usually pictured seated under a tree,

a stylus in his

hand and a wax

tablet rest-

ing on his knee, while Saint and tree alike are

encircled

light.

in

brilliant

rays

of

celestial


VIII

A Director It

is

and

of Souls

no wonder that as the fame

these

of

similar marvels spread abroad,

multi-

tudes of the faithful, young and old, clergy

and

laity, flocked to see

Prior of Groenendael.

and hear the holy

They came

to

him

from Flanders, Brabant, Holland, Germany,

and France.

Ruysbroeck received

unvarying simple courtesy, and

all

his

with

unpre-

meditated words were ever found to meet exactly

the

needs of each.

Many

placed

themselves unreservedly in his hands, and frequently

sought

his

direction

by

corre-

spondence, or came long distances to consult

him

in person.

One

of these penitents 47

was the Baroness


H

48

van Marke,

fll>eM£evaI flDi^stic

of Rhode-St. -Agatha,

which

lies

midway between Groenendael and Louvain. This lady conceived such a veneration for the holy Prior that

when she went

to visit him,

she walked the journey, pilgrimwise, barefoot. Finally, his exhortations to flee

and despise

the passing vanities of the world prevailed so

much with

of

Poor Clares

her that she entered a Convent in Cologne,

bert joined the

We

and her son

Community

of Groenendael.

are told of another disciple,

into a grievous sickness

fell

time into a

still

She sent

spirit.

him to

visit her.

who once

and at the same

more grievous

affliction of

for Blessed John,

She told him

behold, she was abandoned

do

?

all

accustomed works

"

taste for prayer

You can do

!

;

by God, on the

and on the other hand physical

away

begging

of her distress

one hand no health or strength was to perform her

Ingel-

left

of

her

mercy,

suffering took

What was

she to

nothing more pleasing


a to God,

my

IXrectoi* of

Souls

49

dear child," responded the Saint,

" than simply and utterly to submit to His

holy

will.

and

to give

own

Strive to forsake your

Him

thanks for

desires

things."

all

Such unction accompanied these simple and characteristic

words that the good lady

felt

deeply consoled, and she repined no more.

Among

the

more famous

nendael, there to

Ruysbroeck,

is

German mystic

sit

to frequent Groe-

and learn

at the feet of

mentioned the well-known Tauler.

But

authorities are

divided at present as to whether or no these visits to

Groenendael can be

fitted

other ascertained facts of Tauler's ever,

it

is

certain that Tauler

life.

with

in

How-

was well

ac-

quainted with the writings of our Saint to a great extent he followed his method,

;

and

at times, in the free-and-easy style of those

days, he did not hesitate to transfer bodily

from Ruysbroeck's volumes into

his

own.


IX RUYSBROECK AND GeRARD GrOOTE

A

GREATER than Tauler, and one whose

fluence

was eventually

in-

more widespread,

far

undoubtedly owed much to the recluse

of

Groenendael and freely acknowledged Blessed

John

This was the famous Gerard

his master.

Groote, the founder, as already noted, of the

Devout Brothers and Sisters Life,

and through them

of

the

Windesheira

of the

Congregation of Canons Regular. sion

and circumstances

The passage that *

it is

is

occa-

by the Venerable

in his Vita Gerardi

so graphic

and

Magni.

characteristic

well worth transcribing.*

Translation by

Devotion.

The

of Groote's first visit

to Groenendael are narrated

Thomas a Kempis

Common

Kegan

J.

P. Arthur.

Paul.

1905.

50

The Founders

of the

New


— IRu^sbroech anb (Beratb (Broote "

5^^

The pious and humble Master Gerard,

hearing of the great and widespread fame of

John Ruysbroeck, a monk and Prior Monastery

of the

of Griinthal, near Brussels,

to the parts about Brabant,

went

although the

journey was long, in order to see in bodily presence this holy and most devout Father for

he longed to see face to

own

eyes,

only by

and

one

whom

common

face,

report and

own

a voice as gracious as the

if

by

his

books

;

ears that voice

human mouth

utter its words from a living

of

his

he had known hitherto

to hear with his

mouthpiece

and with

;

it

were the very

Holy Ghost.

He

took

with him therefore that revered man, Master

John

Cele,

the

director

ZwoUe, a devout and Christ

;

for their

in the Lord,

of

the

School of

faithful lover of Jesus

mind and heart were one

and the fellowship

of

each was

pleasant to the other, and this resolve was

kindled within them that their journey, which


a

52

flDcbi^val flD^stic

was undertaken

sake of spiritual

the

for

should redound in the case of

edification,

each to the Glory of God. "

There went also with them a faithful

and devout layman, named Gerard the shoemaker, as their guide upon the narrow way,

and

their

companion

inseparable

in

this

happy undertaking. "

When they came to

thal,

the place called Griin-

they saw no lofty or elaborate buildings

therein, but rather all the signs of simplicity of life

and poverty, such as marked the

footsteps of our

first

Heavenly King, when He,

the Lord of Heaven,

came upon

this earth as

a Virgin's Son, and in exceeding poverty.

As they entered the gate

of the

monastery,

that holy Father, the devout Prior, met them,

being a

man

of great age, of kindly serenity,

and one to be revered character. to see,

He

it

was

for his

whom

honourable

they had come

and saluting them with the greatest


IRu^sbroecR an& (Beiarb (Broote

53

benignity as they advanced, and being taught

by a

revelation from God, he called

upon

Gerard by his very name and knew him,

though he had never seen him before. this salutation

After

he took them with him into

the inner parts of the cloister, as his most

honoured guests, and with a cheerful countenance and a heart yet more joyful showed

them

all

due courtesy and kindness, as

if

he

were entertaining Jesus Christ Himself. " Gerard

abode there

ferring with this

man

of

for a

few days con-

God about

the Holy

and from him he heard many

Scriptures

;

heavenly

secrets

which,

he

as

confessed,

were past his understanding, so that

ment he

said with the

excellent Father, thy

Queen

of

hast

surpassed

;

for

amaze-

Sheba,

'

O

wisdom and thy know-

ledge exceedeth the fame which

mine own land

in

by thy

thy fame.'

I

heard in

virtues

After

returned with his companions to his

thou

this

own

he

city,


;

H

54

HDcDifeval flD^stic

greatly edified

and being as

;

it

were a puri-

fied creature,

he pondered over what he had

heard in

mind and

liis

in his heart

often dwelt thereon

committed some

also he

;

of

Ruysbroeck's sayings to writing, that they

might not be forgotten. " This sojourn on his visit to the Prior was

not a time of idleness, nor was the discourse of so holy a father barren

in a letter

of fresh zeal, as

commended

' :

both in this

my

other

he

testifies

is

men by

burn and sigh

and

life

heart

taker thereof.'

would

in the life to

and reverence.

Prior,

fain be

come

I

do

all still

your presence, to be renewed

and inspired by your "

I

and

welded to him beyond

love for

earnestly desire

I

to your director

the footstool of whose feet

for

fuller love

which he sent to these same brethren

in the Griinthal, saying

to be

but the instruction

gave nurture to a

of his living voice

and an increase

;

spirit

and

to be a par-


IRu^sbroecF^ anb 6erarb (Broote

other details of supplied

55

this interesting visit are

by the biographers

Ruysbroeck.

of

Speaking in the fullness of the intimacy that

had sprung up between them, Gerard Groote ventured to express surprise that, in dealing with

the

sublime

formed the subject

matters

which

usually

of his discourse, the holy

Prior should employ words and phrases which laid

him open

errors,

his

to the charge of those very

especially pantheism,

writings were

commonly

against which directed.

-

It

was then that Ruysbroeck declared that he had never. set down aught

by the

inspiration of the

in his

books save

Holy Ghost and

in

the presence of the Ever Blessed Trinity.

This solemn assurance the holy to his brother

On

Canons on

another point

man

repeated

his deathbed.

also, like the trained

and

exact theologian he was, Gerard Groote wished to correct his friend.

He

insisted that the

boundless confidence which Ruysbroeck ex-


a

56

.pressed in the

somewhat

flDeM^val nOi^stic mercy

of

God seemed

of presumption,

to quote the

most

to savour

and he proceeded from

terrifying passages

Scripture anent the penalties of the wicked.

John

Blessed Gerard,

I

quietly

assure

failed to inspire

replied

" Master

:

you that you have quite

me

with

fear.

I

am

ready

to bear with unruffled soul whatever the shall destine for

me

in life or in death.

can conceive of nothing better, nothing nothing more sweet.

All

stricted to this, that our

me

my

Lord

first visit

cordial

relations

Gerard Groote.

I

safer,

desires are re-

may

ever find

prepared to accomplish His holy

This

Lord

was the beginning

will."

of

most

between Ruysbroeck and

The

latter returned several

times to Groenendael and resided there for

months

together.

He

also corresponded fre-

quently with the holy Prior and the Canons

and translated some into Latin,

He

of

our Saint's works

read over his MSS. before


IRu^sbroech an& (Bcvarb (Brootc

and begged him

publication,

change or modify

at

57

times to

expressions which might

give a handle to the hostile or scandal to the

The

weak. likewise

writings

among

frequently

of

Ruysbroeck were

those which were the most

transcribed

and

multiplied

by

the copyists of the Devout Brothers of the

Common most

Life.

diligent

A and

few years later one of the skilled of these scribes

was

the future author of the Imitation of Christ.


X RUYSBROECK AND WiNDESHEIM In

fact,

widespread as was the influence of

Blessed

John Ruysbroeck on

poraries

and incalculable as was the

his writings in the

many

.

his

cloisters,

contemfruit of

through

which they were rapidly diffused, the means

by which Divine Providence chose to

chiefly

preserve and propagate his power was

precisely this friendship with Gerard Groote.

Gerard continually strove to imbue disciples with the spirit

own

his

which he had imFor

bibed from the Prior of Groenendael.

himself and for his followers he took as a rule of life the it

a chief

motto

study

Jesus Christ.

to

of Ruysbroeck, to

meditate

upon

the life of

"Let the fountain-head 58

make

of

thy


Min^e6beim

IRu^sbroecl? an^

study and thy mirror of

Gospel of Christ, for there

The

Christ."

than

rather

Scriptures

the

be

life

and

Testament more than the Old, the life of Christ.

And

and

of

read

the

New

for there is

what

is

spiritual life

is

herein again

profitable for a devout

life

be

should

Fathers,

the

first

the

is

59

to be sought rather than the subtleties of

theology and the schools.

When

a friend of Gerard's, Reinalt Minnen-

vosch, pro] ected the founding of a monastery,

Groote advised him to establish a Priory of

Canons Regular on the model

The Canonry the result. priest

the

and

of Groenendael.

of St. Saviour's at

At Groote's

Emstein was

request, a professed

came from Groenendael

new

initiate

Religious into the Canonical Life

later

members

to

it

was

at

of Gerard's

Windesheim made tory to Profession.

Emstein that the

first

own Congregation

their

;

of

noviciate prepara-


U

6o

flDeM^eval flD^stic

This was after Gerard Groote's death, but it

was

accord with his express desire.

in

Wishful to estabUsh a Rehgious Institute in connection Sisters

the

of

lay or

with

cleric,

his

Devout

Common

Life,

Brothers

and

who, whether

were dwelling together without

the binding force of the vows, Gerard fixed

upon the Order

of

Canons Regular

purpose, principally, so

for this

Thomas a Kempis

assures us, because of his profound veneration for the Prior "

endael. Ordei'

of

and Brethren

He was moved

of

Groen-

to institute this

Regulars chiefly by his singular

reverence and love for the venerable

Dom

John Ruysbroeck, the

Gro-

first

Prior

of

enendael, and of the other most exemplary

Brethren

living

there

religiously

in

the

Regular Order."

For further information

concerning

the

Devout Brothers and the Windesheim Canons the reader

is

referred to the various works


— IRu^sbioeck anb Min^esbeim which have been pubhshed

of late years

examples

living

on

Both Brothers

the Venerable a Kempis.*

and Canons were

6i

of

the

mystic teachings of Ruysbroeck put to the daily

of

test

pleasures

and vanities

from

the

world,

un-

Flight

practice.

the

of

bounded humility, constant meditation on the

life

Christ,

and

especially the Passion of Jesus

the

most

abandonment devotion

and

complete

to the Divine Will,

full of

absolute

an intense

the personal love of

God

these were the salient points of Blessed John's

example and doctrine, perpetuated and propagated by the works, words, and writings of the Windesheim Canons Regular and their * Especially

By

:

Outlines of the Life of

Francis Cruise.

Sir

By

of

C.T.S.

Thomas a Kempis. Thomas d Kegan Paul. Life

Ireland.

London Thomas A Kempis. By Dom Scully. Washbourne. Thomas A Kempis and the London Brothers of the Common Life. By Kettlewell. London Kegan Paul. Thomas A Kempis, His Age and His Book. By De Montmorency, London Methuen. Kempis. of

the

the same.

:

Venerable :

:

:


a

62

nl^ebi^\)a^ no^stic

secular associates, the Brothers of the

needful to remark also

It is scarcely

Life.

that

these

teaching

are

the

of

the

Imitation

little

treatise,

whole

spirit

of

light,

Christ,

of

the

of

that

which, embodying the

the School of Windesheim

Groenendael,

carries

features

chief

golden

and

Common

has

healing,

and

carried

still

and consolation to

thousands upon thousands who have never so

much

as heard of either

Windesheim or

John Ruysbroeck.* *

cism

Father Sharpe, in his recent admirable volume, Mysti:

Its

True Nature and Value, writes thus of the mystic

teaching, properly so called, of a Kempis's world-famous

masterpiece:

much

" The Imitation of Christ

.

.

.

probably owes

of its vast popularity to its constant recurrence to

the elementary duties of

religion

and morality, and

its

on the necessity of their performance as the prerequisite of the more exalted spiritual states. The purgative,' illuminative,' and unitive ways are seen, so to speak, together, and are dealt with as aspects insistence

'

'

'

'

or constituents of the Christian

completeness of which

all

ent ways,

importance.

of

equal

life

as a whole, to the

three are necessary and, in differ-

The purely mystical and the abun-

passages are comparatively few and short

;


IRupsDroecF^ an&

It

the

may

Min^e6be(m

63

be mentioned here that in 1409

Priory

of

Groenendael was instituted

the Mother-house of a congregation of that

name. tion,

But a few years

with

to the

its

dependent

Priories,

was

affihated

more numerous Windesheim Canons.

Thus the twin one,

later this congrega-

institutes

were merged into

and the Windesheim Congregation be-

dance of practical directions the book contains has sometimes caused looked.

its

mystical character to be entirely over-

This disproportion, however,

is

quite sufficiently

to be accounted for by the character of the work, which

such a book

life in general, and not a on any particular department of it. In attempts at describing the indescribable

phenomena

mysticism would obviously have been out

is

that of a directory of spiritual

scientific treatise

of

of place, whereas the practical details of the lower

and

preliminary states admit of and require minute explanation. But the tone of the whole book is mystical, and the most commonplace duties and the most humiliating strivings with temptation are in a manner illuminated and glorified by the brilliancy of the result to which they tend. Thus, in point of fact, the higher and lower elements, the

mystical and the non-mystical, the purgative, the illuminative and the unitive, are blended in actual perience " (pp. 188, 189).

human

ex-


;

64

a

came the

direct

nOebi^val ilD^stic heir

the

of

and

virtues

But

teaching of Blessed John Ruysbroeck.

Windesheim was aggregated to the

finally

Lateran Congregation of Canons Regular

and

thus

it

to-day

that

is

Canons

the

Regular of the Lateran are privileged, with the

clergy of Mechlin, to keep with proper

Office

and Mass the Feast

of Blessed

John

Ruysbroeck.

Connected

thus

Groote and Tauler,

it

is

Ruysbroeck shares with Kempis,

honour

Suso,

and

a precursor of

as

century

" Reformation."

this

these,

position

it

easy

is

for

the

and lax

mendicant

of

the

friars,

doubtful

in

certain

support

of

enough to gather

most

morality of

with a

the sixteenth-

In

together expressions of the

sorrow

as

the

others,

quarters

Gerard

not surprising that

proclaimed

being

of

with

intimately

most poignant bitter

clergy

invective

and

and highly placed

laity,

pre-


IRu^ebroecR anb Minbesbeim

But

lates.

same

the

argument

65

would

convict several Popes of being heralds of

Luther

Not

!

labour the point at un-

to

necessary length in a non-controversial work of

kind, let

this

it

touchstone which never

mention the

to

suffice

distinguish

fails to

the genuine reformer from the mere sectarian

those

while boldly attacking the vices of

:

in

office.

never assails the

Ruysbroeck

John

Blessed office

He always

itself.

speaks in the mqst submissive and reverent

terms of the authority of the Church and of

the

writings

dignity

of

without

the sacraments, etc. his

ardent

Blessed Eucharist.

the

in

treat

subject

We

of

this

the

grace,

have already

devotion

To

His

priesthood.

exception

orthodox sense on

marked

the

re-

towards the

may

be added

a most tender love for the Virgin Mother of

God.

Note,

finally,

his

frequent

and

fervent exhortations to the perfect observ-

5


a

66

riDeMfeval

flDi^stic

ance of the three vows of religion, and one

can imagine in

the

how comfortable he would

company,

renegade nun

!

say,

of

Luther and

feel

his


XI

The Writings of Ruysbroeck Blessed John's writings cannot be

called

voluminous, and yet for a purely contemplative

they

author

The

siderable.

list

of his

cated up to the present are at work,

discovered

comparatively

are

works authenti-

—for earnest students

and other MSS. may yet be

— comprises

the following,

an English equivalent or Latin titles

:

Lovers of God

;

for the

;

(7)

;

Old Flemish

The Kingdom

of

(2)

The Splendour

of the

;

(3)

The

Of Four Subtle Temptations Christian Faith

giving

(i)

Spiritual Espousals

nacle

con-

(6)

Brilliant ;

(5)

;

the

(4)

Of the

Of the Spiritual Taber-

Of the Seven

Mirror of Eternal Life, 67

Cloisters

or,

;

(8)

The

a Treatise on the


H

68

fiDcbi^eval flDi^stic

Blessed Sacrament Spiritual (11)

Love

(9)

;

(10)

;

The Seven Degrees

Of the Supreme Truth

And

The Twelve Beguines.

A Summary Canticles

(13)

A

all

;

;

(14)

(15)

Two

faithful English

these works, the following

descriptive analysis of the principal of

may

Of

Short Prayer.

Pending a complete and rendering of

(12)

:

Seven Letters

of the Spiritual Life

(16)

;

;

;

these others

are less certainly proved to be his

the Twelve Virtues

of

them

not prove unacceptable.

The Kingdom This treatise

and

a

mystic

is

of the Lovers of

a detailed interpretation application

adapted from Wisdom

Dominus per

God

x.

vias rectas

et

10

:

the

of

text

Justum deduxit

ostendit

illi

regnunt

Dei in the Breviary Office of a Confessor.

Upon these words Ruysbroeck bases of his

work

into five books.

The

a division first

book


:

^be treats

MvitiiiQS of IRu^sbroecl^

In

sovereignty.

explains

Dominus,

God,

of

how

power and

His

John

Blessed

second

the

69

Christ conducted, deduxit,

man

into the liberty of the children of God, chiefly

by redemption and by the seven Sacraments. of the just

In the third he treats

man, justum, and works out

items which render a active

institution of the

and

man

both in the

just,

the contemplative

in

eight

life.

The

fourth book expounds the right ways, vias rectus,

which lead to the Kingdom

the exterior way,

of three

heavens and four elements, the con-

praise of the Creator

;

the

way

man of

to the

natural

the acquisition of the seven virtues

finally, the

gifts of the

we have

;

supernatural and divine way, the

infusion of the supernatural virtues

God,

God

namely, the material universe

templation of which should excite

light,

of

Holy Ghost.

In the last book

a disquisition on the

ostendit

illi

and the

regnum Dei,

kingdom of

of

which we


a

70

flDeMa^val HOpstic

are told there are five aspects or divisions

the sensible kingdom,

which the author tion of the last

God,

to

in

finds scope for a descrip-

judgment and the

of risen bodies, the

kingdom

exterior

:

kingdom

qualities

of nature, the

of the Scriptures, the

kingdom

of

grace and of glory, and finally the Divine

Kingdom is

full

of

itself,

which

reflections

is

God.

This treatise

and considerations

the most elevated order, and there therein that

is

by no means easy

is

of

much

to grasp

or understand.

The Splendour For Ecce,

his text

sponsus

makes a

of the Spiritual

Espousals

Ruysbroeck takes Matt. xxv. venit,

exile

obviam

ei.

6,

He

division into three books, treating

respectively of the active, the interior,

contemplative

life.

Each book

is

and the further

subdivided into four parts, corresponding to


^be Mritings

of IRui^sDroecK

71

the four divisions of the text in each stage of

perfection

pounds and vision, ecce (2)

;

as

illustrates

man must

the

(i)

the

role of

turn his eyes to

God

;

the divers comings of the Bridegroom,

sponsus

venit,

the manner, namely, in which

God approaches and

the soul

;

on the path

of the soul (4)

Ruysbroeck ex-

follows.

finally,

going forth

(3) the

of the virtues, exite

;

the embrace of the soul and

the heavenly spouse.

In no one work does

Blessed Ruysbroeck give a complete account

mystic teaching

of his

;

but

his

if

system

were to be examined and explained by any

one book,

it

would certainly be

Espousals.

Spiritual

It

always

has

considered as his chief work, light

also

Ruysbroeck

have regarded himself

to

his

it.

He

friends

expressed the desire that plied

this of the

and

himself

been

in

this

seems

to

sent a copy of in it

Germany,

it

and

might be multi-

and ma,de known even

to

the

foot


a

72

flDeMa^val HD^stic

of the mountains.

the

of

book the author confutes

second

some current

In the four last chapters

errors of the day, apparently

the teachings of Bloemardinne and almost certainly of Eckart.

The Gerard Naghcl

Brilliant

tells

origin of this treatise.

us the story of the

One day Ruysbroeck

had been conversing with a on matters latter

spiritual,

certain hermit

when on

parting the

begged the holy Prior to commit the

matter of his discourse to writing edification of himself his

desire,

says

and

Naghel,

others.

for the

To

satisfy

Ruysbroeck com-

posed this work, which contains instruction sufficient to lead a

treatise

man

to perfection.

seems a supplement, and

in

The some

sense a corrective of the Spiritual Espousals.

After a brief description of the means by


^be Mritings which the just

and holy

rises

man

of IRu^sbroecf^

73

acquires the interior hfe

thence to the contemplative, the

man shows how

the precious stone, or

white counter, calculus candidus, of Rev. is

17,

ii.

Who

no other than Christ Himself,

gives Himself without reserve to contemplative

God

souls.

calls

union with Himself. to His appeal.

invitation

;

all

men

But not

to intimate

all

men respond

Sinners utterly despise the

while the just respond, though

Some keep

these again in varying degrees.

the

commandments

from

chiefly

fear

the penalties attached to transgression are

as

mercenaries.

Others

faithful servants.

;

the

is

the

these are the

However, these

many impediments from

en-

desires,

they have true faith in God, and God only motive of their actions

they

;

sincerely

deavour to conquer nature and unruly

of

still

suffer

exterior

life

which they lead, and a more intimate union is

attained

by the

intimate

friends,

whp


a

74

flDeM^val HDi^stic

observe the counsels as well as the precepts. the highest

Finally,

contemplation

who

is

degree of union

and

by the hidden

sons,

attained

are utterly divested of

self-seeking,

and whose

all self-love

life

is

and

hidden with

Christ in God.

Of Four Subtle Temptations In this tract Ruysbroeck inveighs against the chief errors and abuses of his

The

first,

says Ruysbroeck,

is

own

love of ease

and comfort, indolence, the source ality,

times.

of sensu-

and luxury, an abuse very prevalent

in monasteries

second

is

and among the

clergy.

The

hypocrisy, which, under the cloak

of a

seeming austerity, claiming even visions

and

ecstasies, conceals a corrupt interior

depraved morals.

The

third

is

and

the desire to

understand everything, to attain to the contemplation of the divine nature by the sheer


^be Mritinos

of IRui^ebroecft

75

force of the intellect, without the assistance of God's grace.

formidable

The fourth and the most

the so-called liberty of

is

spirit,

the error and heresy of those who, casting aside all interior effort, pretend to acquire

by

contemplation

ludicrous

by extravagant bodily senseless quietism.

mortifications,

posturing, and

The

third error

is

by

a

that of

Eckart, and the fourth was proper to the

Brothers and Sisters of the Free

Spirit.

Ruys-

broeck concludes his tract with a discussion of the

ways and means

snares, viz.

by

of

holiness of

avoiding these

life,

the practice

of all the virtues, obedience to superiors

and

the authority of the Church, and imitation of Jesus Christ.

Of

A

the Christian

Faith

dogmatic commentary on the Athana-

sian Creed.

Starting with the principle that


a

76

flDebifeval HD^stic

the true Christian Faith

is

indispensable for

the union of the soul with God, Ruysbroeck

proceeds to explain the chief tenets of our

and to show

belief,

interior

life.

His

their

bearing on the

explanations

his speculations sublime.

are

The more

brief,

forcibly

to exhort to the practice of virtue, he dwells at considerable length

on the rewards

of

on the

the

last

just,

judgment,

and on the

penalties decreed to each particular class of sinner.

His picture here of the happiness

heaven and the sufferings of

of

hell is

most

apt and striking.

Of

the Spiritual Tabernacle

The most lengthy works. tion,

the

It consists

a

this of all

of a mystic interpreta-

long-drawn-out

Tabernacle of

Ruysbroeck's

the

allegory,

in

which

Old Testament

is

considered as a type of the course of love.


^be

The outer and the of

n

iKHrittnas of IRui^sbroecFi

inner courts, the altar

the pillars and

the hangings,

sacrifice,

their sockets, the

rings,

names

the

of

the

workmen, the seven-branch candlestick, the brazen

the

laver,

ephod and the twelve

and the

ornaments, the

priestly

the holy

stones,

the table of

incense,

of proposition, the

different

the

oils

loaves

sacrifices

with

the distinction between the clean and the

unclean

animals,

ark and

its

holy

the

appurtenances,

with a wealth

of

detail,

of all

holies,

the

are applied

which,

however,

never lacks dignity, and with a wondrous skill

of

to Ruysbroeck's

the

exterior

usual three divisions

moral

life,

and the purely contemplative. nacle

was a subject

itself

to allegory

tion,

and Hugh

preceded our inspired

which

and

the

interior,

The Tabernaturally lent

to mystic interpreta-

of St.

Victor had already

author, as <ioubtless also he

him with

his

De Area

mystica.


;

a

78

riDebi^eval flDi^stlc

Though sometimes the thread

-

multiphcity of details, this treatise attractive

in the

is lost

and contains some

of

is

most

the best

pages of Blessed Ruysbroeck.

Of

the

Seven Cloisters

This was composed for a penitent of our

von Meerbeke, a Poor Clare

Saint, Margaret

and

of Brussels,

Religious.

order

of

need

the

it

gives a rule of

The holy the of

day,

life

for

Prior traces out

an

especially

on

insisting

the interior

cultivating

life

he mentions the virtues which his penitent should

exercise,

abuses

which

and inveighs against the

have

crept

into

convents,

pointing out the danger of communication

with the outer world. garet

should

imitate

foundress, St. Glare,

place

in

In the

all

things Mar-

example

who gained her

Heaven by shutting

of

her

glorious

herself

up


^bc Mntinoe within the seven

on these, of

close

79

After dwelhng

cloisters.

by expounding seven means

viz.,

retreating

of IRui^sbroecFi

from the

and

world

living

God, the author turns again

to

to

practical details

and condemns the softness

and luxury

certain

Each

dress.

of

with a peep into of

our

own

he

day,

Religious says,

in

their

should

close

three books

conscience,

which

shows

imperfections which must be purified

book

of

of

;

the the

the Life and Passion of our Lord,

which we should imitate

book

book

the

:

eternal

tend with

all

life,

;

and

to which

finally

we ought

the to

our strength.

The Minor

of Eternal Life

This also was addressed to a nun, probably the same Poor Clare.

It explains

three degrees of the mystic special reference

now

life,

again the

but with

to the cloister

and the


a

8o

flDcbia^val flD^stic

Some

Blessed Eucharist. tive

way

if

:

are in the purga-

they persevere in virtue and

progress in perfection, they shall partake of

the table, Ps.

xxiii.

than the banquet

which

5,

of

the

is

no other

Holy Eucharist.

Ruysbroeck dwells on the virtues necessary

worthy reception

for the

and narrates the manner

Sacrament,

of the

of its institution

by

our Divine Lord at the Last Supper, showing

what were the matter and form used by

He

Christ.

discourses

on the evidence

of

God's love to be found in this mystery of the altar

;

and then refutes objections as to the

manner teaching

of

the Divine Presence,

Transubstantiation.

approach the altar into seven classes,

rails are

expressly

Those

who

divided by him

and here the author shows

a wondrous and intimate knowledge of the

working

of the

human

heart.

The

treatise

closes with a description of the contemplative life.


;;

8i

tTbe Mritinas of IRu^sbroeck

The Seven Degrees

of Spiritual

Love

In a simile familiar to spiritual writers of all ages,

Ruysbroeck compares

life

leading up to

or stairway of seven steps,

perfection

and union with God.

are respectively

God

holy will of (3)

;

Voluntary poverty

(2)

Purity of soul and chastity of body

(4) Humility,

with her four daughters, obedi-

ence, gentleness, patience, of

self-will

glory,

(5)

;

involving

The

three

and

and the forsaking

desire

spiritual

supplication,

(6)

The contemplative and

man

the divine exercises,

acts

acts of thanksgiving

of

which

of

and adoration,

namely, acts of love

(7)

These stages

Conformity with the

(i)

:

to a ladder,

perfect

life,

;

by

finally attains the last stage of,

sublime

ignorance.

Walter

(Compare

Hilton's " darksome lightness " in his Scale of Perfection.)

6


a

82

flDeMaeval nOi^stic

Of

the

Supreme Truth

This treatise was issued by

some

tion of

difficult

way

passages in his

work, concerning especially the

and indeed of his

of explanafirst

gift of counsel,

as a kind of defence

whole mystic teaching.

and apology

He

protests

that he has never admitted that the creature

can be raised to a state of identity with God,

and once more he explains

his conception of

the union of the soul with her Divine Spouse.

There

is

a union

common

to all the just,

brought about by the grace of God, with the forsaking of vice, the practice of virtue, and

submission to the authority of the Church.

Then

there

unto that of

is

fire

a

more intimate union, hke

and

iron, which,

seem but one matter, though remain two distinct substances. attain this love

God and

live in

when

united,

in fact they

Those who His presence,

but as yet arrive not at a complete know-


tbe Mritings ledge of His essence. is

After this again there

whereby the

even a yet closer union,

Eternal Father and

83

of IRui^sbvoech

man become

not

one,

indeed with oneness of substantial unity,

but in a oneness of love and evident that language here

bliss.

It

is

the holy

fails

author to express the sublimity of his concept and his experience to

show the intimacy

union he

is

;

in his

of this last

endeavour

method

of

driven to use expressions which,

taken as they stand, have that pantheistic ring

which

it

is

his

first

object

here to

disclaim.

The Twelve Beguines After

the

Tabernacle,

this

is

lengthy of our Saint's works, and

the

it is

most

of great

importance as throwing considerable light

on Ruysbroeck's ideas and system.

We

are

introduced to twelve Beguines discoursing together on the love of Jesus Christ, whence


U

§4

an easy of

the

riDebiaeval fll^^stic

transit tract,

to the real subject-matter

the

contemplative

life.

To

attain the state of contemplation, four conditions are required

a ray of divine light,

:

producing illumination, whence, on the part of the soul, a looking at

God, or speculation,

passing into contemplation, and this stage

again merging into a state of sublime, ecstatic

There are four distinct acts or states

love.

corresponding respectively to each

of love, of

these

Ruysbroeck

stages.

also

shows

here the action of the Holy Ghost in forming the soul to a more intimate knowledge of

God.

The second part with

a

divides

fresh

mankind

wicked men. of

order

of the

of

into

are,

ideas.

Ruysbroeck

good Christians and

Holiness consists of the union

the active and the

There

book then opens

however, some

contemplative

life.

who practise neither

one nor the other and yet give themselves out


tTbe

as the

Mvitinss of

most holy

of

Among

all.

85

IRiv^sbroccf?

these Ruys-

broeck proceeds to distinguish four kinds of errors

or

Holy

Ghost

against

heresies

and

Humanity all

His

Errors against the

Grace

(2)

;

Errors

God the Father and His power God

Errors against

and

(i)

:

and

;

that

(3)

;

the Son and His Sacred

God

finally errors against

makes up Christendom, namely,

the Scriptures, the Church, and the Sacra-

ments. is

one

On the other hand, the good Christian who loves God with all his heart and

mind and

soul

and strength.

Blessed John then goes on to discourse of

He

the Divine Nature in Unity and Trinity. also discusses

man

spiritual nature.

in his material

The

in his

spiritual part of

him

alone, he says, can elevate life (of

and

man

to the mystic

which once more the three ways are

expounded), and alone also can show him the

reasons

universe.

wherefore

The

three

God

ways

created

of the

mystic

the life


a

86

ADeMa^val flD^stic

are symbolised stars

on

by the three heavens.

and the planets

exercise

terrestrial creatures, that

our bodies, for leading evil.

it

to

Thence

God

is

an influence to say,

it

from

Ruysbroeck describes the

men by

various temperaments of to the planets

upon

alone can touch the soul,

good and restraining also

The

and

reference

their conjunction with

the signs of the zodiac.

A

chapter on our Divine Lord, held up as

the Model Religious, serves as a transition to the third part, which

a treatise, largely

is

symbolical, on the Passion of Christ, divided

and subdivided according

to

the sequence

of the Canonical Hours.

This

is

perhaps the most discursive of Ruys-

broeck's works,

and

difficult to follow,

in that sense the

most

because of the number and

length of the digressions.

For instance, when

he comes to speak of the planet Venus, he

mentions the sign of the Balance, and

this


;

^be

whole

suggests

a

chapters

on the Balance

The

God

love of

spiritual

87

TKnritinGS of IRu^sbroecf^

of

treatise

for us,

Divine

of

and

thirty-nine

all

Love,

the blessings,

and temporal, which flow from

pan

cast into one

of the balance,

it,

are

and we must

weigh down the other pan with our virtues

and there follows a long virtues

we should

disquisition

practise,

prominent among

which, as usual, he ranks humility.

between the

able soul

spirit

his

and the reason-

and the whole digression

;

Here,

work out

further, he finds occasion to

distinction

on the

closes

with a sad and striking comparison between the fervour of primitive Christianity and the

own

laxity of his

days.

Bossuet very severely criticised this work, holding gories,

up

it

and

as

an example

so forth,

of forced alle-

and speaking

of

Ruys-

broeck as involved in the vain speculations of

astrologers.

surprising,

is

This

opinion,

though

not just, for the author

is

not

careful


a nDeM^val

88

flDptic

have not influence

to insist that the planets

on the

will of

man

But

as such.

it is

natural

that Bossuet should regard such works with suspicion

and

dislike, for

he had considerable

trouble with false mystics, the quietists of

own day

his

friends

and even Ruysbroeck's own

;

and contemporaries found much

in the

volume that was strange, even to

startling,

and Gerard Groote advised him not

to publish

it

in its entirety.

Of

The reader

the

will

Twelve Virtues

not be surprised to learn

that Blessed John coptrives here to speak of considerably

more virtues than

The

principal

and

this again twofold

and

first is

just twelve.

said to be humiUty,

— one humility inspired

by the contemplation

of the

power

of

God,

the other by the consideration of His goodness.

Tbe daughter

of

humihty

is

obedience, and


Mritino3 of IRu^sbrocck

ITbe

obedience naturally involves denial of will,

poverty of

He

versities.

beautifully

spirit,

and patience

self-

in ad-

then proceeds to treat very

and

at length of interior detach-

ment, remarking that to secure this necessary to

89

it is

not

external occupations, but

flee

that the attainment of perfection consists in a perfect

abandonment

to the will of

own

the forsaking of our

have arrived thus For past

sins there

far,

we

When we

will.

shall

God and

no longer

must be continued sorrow,

but external penances are not equally for

And

those

who cannot endure

must apply themselves

the austere

life of

These are

Christ

all.

great bodily

austerities

The

sin.

by interior

to imitate self-denial.

Letters of Ruysbroeck

spiritual letters, of course, con-

ferences in epistolary form.

The

first

is

addressed to Margaret van


go

£1

nOeM^val

flD^stic

Meerbeke, the Poor Clare of Brussels men-

Ruysbroeck writes

tioned above.

was at your convent peared sad friend

had forsaken you

;

some

or

special

therefore

And he

writing you as follows."

am

may

her against the dangers which cloister.

He

I

proceeds to

console his spiritual daughter, and to

even in the

I

summer, you ap-

last

methought God

;

"When

:

warn

be found

declaims against the

abuses which sometimes creep into monasteries,

and almost always through

self-will,

whereas every Religious should strive to have all

things in common, to be submissive to

superiors closes

and

with

affable to

a

all.

description

The holy author the

of

terrible

punishments to be meted out to those Religious

who

a holy

life.

to keep their rule

fail

The second, addressed

widow

of

portance,

John

of

After

treating

Matilda,

to

Culemberg, of

and lead

is

of

the

the

more imApostles'


^be Mritings

of

IRupbroeck

91

Creed, the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, the

Decalogue, the vows of religion and the prethe Incarnation and

cepts of the Church,

death of Christ, Ruysbroeck expounds the Catholic doctrine on the seven Sacraments,

and

especially

describes

the

He

the Blessed Eucharist.

which

fruits

worthy Communion, the three ways

of

and

flow

treats

from again

the contemplative

and describes the elements

a of

life,

of superessential

contemplation.

The

third

Cologne.

was sent

Blessed

to three Recluses of

John

persevere in their holy treats of the spiritual

exhorts

manner

life,

of

them life.

to

He

comparing Christ

to the precious pearl, the hidden treasure.

And

finally

he earnestly exhorts them to

constant meditation on the Passion of Our

Lord.

The fourth was addressed

to Catherine of

Louvaih, a devout young lady living in the


a

92

world

;

HDeMaeval fTD^stic

and the other three were hkewise

sent to persons in the world.

wise spiritual maxims, and

all

All are full of insist

on the

need of humility and the abnegation of will.

self-


XII

The Teaching of Ruysbroeck

*

In no one work, as already remarked, does Blessed John Ruysbroeck give a complete outline of his doctrines

;

are to be found dispersed

the elements rather

among

the various

treatises.

In

common

with

most

of

God and

mystics, Ruysbroeck starts from

comes down to man, and thence to God, showing

how

*

is

rises

again

the two are so closely

united as to become one.

God

German

the

In His essence

simple unity, the one supremely pure

The whole subject of mystic theology by Rev. A. B. Sharpe, M.A.,

well treated

entitled Mysticism:

Its

is

excellently

in a

volume

True Nature and Value, already

quoted, just published by Sands

&

Co.

reference to our Saint and his writings. 93

There

is

frequent


a

94

flDebiasval fTHj^stic

and supernatural being, devoid in

Himself

mode,

of all

and immovable, and yet

still

the same time the

cause and active

first

principle of all things.

at

This principle

is

the

divine nature, which does not in reality differ

from the essence, and which Trinity.

The Father

and yet He

is

is

fruitful in the

the essential principle,

is

consubstantial with the other

two Persons.

The Son, the uncreated Image

of the Father,

is

the Eternal

Wisdom.

The

Holy Ghost, proceeding from the other two,

and returning unto them,

is

the eternal Love,

which unites Father and Son. Persons,

God

essence,

He

is

eternally active

abides

in

As regards :

as regards

unbroken repose.

Creatures have been existing as ideas in

from

all eternity.

In man, whose body instrument, principle,

He.

God

In

there

like

this

is

is

a

merely a perishable spiritual,

unto God, though principle

immortal less

Ruysbroeck

than

distin-


^be teaching

of IRu^sbroecft

95

guishes, with a distinction of the reason, soul

and

spirit

the former

;

merely

human

powers

;

life,

uniting together the lower

the other

supernatural

life

is

:

the principle of man's

God, gathering together

in

The

his higher faculties.

powers

the principle of the

is

soul has four inferior

the irascible, and the concupiscible,

which two become bestial when not under the ruling of a virtuous will

man

is

choice,

faculty of the

and

reason,

by which

distinguished from the brute,

freedom of

superior

;

an exercise

The

will.

man

In every

triple unity,

of the higher

has the three

memory, understanding,

faculties,

will.

spirit

and

or oneness

likewise there :

is

a

the unity of the

lower faculties in the soul, the unity of the higher in the

spirit,

and the unity

whole being in God, on essentially

depend

Whom

all

of the

things

for their being.

Blessed John delivers the accepted teaching of the

Church on the

Fall, the

Incarnation and


a

96

riDebifeval V^^stic

Redemption, on the need and on the means of divine grace, the institution of the Sacra-

ments, the estabhshment of the Church, the gifts of

the Holy Ghost,

But coming now tical doctrine,

we

etc.

to his

more purely mys-

find that

Ruysbroeck

— the active

tinguishes three degrees, or states

the interior life, and the contemplative life.

life,

The sin

dis-

active

and

to

life

consists of the effort to conquer

draw nigh

Here

in Christ

in His

life

virtues

He

of

is

to

God by exterior works.

the Divine Exemplar, for

practised the three fundamental

humility, charity,

Humility

is

building,

and

the foundation it is

and patience. of

the

whole

exercised chiefly in obedi-

ence, which engenders the abdication of our

own

will,

and patience, or submission

things to the holy will of God.

has arrived so

shown

far,

When

in all

a

man

he can exercise charity,

at this stage chiefly

by compassion

Christ suffering on the Cross for

all

for

men, and


^be

tTeacbina of IRu^sbroeck

97

bringing with her the four cardinal virtues of

prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice,

whereby

also the Christian

and conquer

and the

in this active life is

enabled to fight

deadly enemies, the

his three

devil, the world,

is

flesh.

Perseverance

crowned by union with

God, a union wherein God alone as the exemplar

alone

is

and the

sought and loved.

become a Faithful

As

final end,

of

He man

wherein

Thus does a

Servant.

yet, however, there

knowledge

regarded

is

is

only an imperfect

God, and to become more closely

united with God, as an Intimate Friend, one

must

strive to attain the second stage of the

mystic way, namely the interior

life.

For

this three preliminary conditions are requisite.

On

the part of God, there must be a yet

stronger

movement

of divine grace,

and on

the part of man, an absolute recollection,

with freedom from sensible images, attachments, and cares, and then the gathering 7


H

gS together of

riDebi^val ni>^0tic

all

the powers in the unity of the

Spirit. Christ, then,

the Eternal Sun, enkindles

in the soul thus duly prepared a divine

which engenders a warm, sensible devotion

full of

fire,

love, a

ardent desires, with thankful-

ness for the divine mercies and affliction at one's

own

of the of

unworthiness.

sun draws up the moisture in the form

vapour, to

and

Then, as the action

fertilising

fall

back again

in refreshing

showers of rain, so

persevere Christ sends of consolations,

which

down fill

if

the soul

a fresh shower

the whole being

with a chaste pleasure and an indescribable sweetness, superior to

all

the delights of the

earth, rising even to a species of spiritual

intoxication,

outward trials for

acts.

which

may

manifest

As yet there

itself

in

are no severe

the soul, but she must beware of

pride and presumption, and of leaning too

much on the

these sensible delights instead of on

Divine Giver.

Meanwhile the Sun

of


Zlbe ^eacblnQ of IRu^sbroecft Justice

is

reaching

its

apogee in the heavens,

and Christ draws up

all

the powers of the

soul, so that the heart is enlarged

and

burst with love, and at the same time to suffer from the

99

wound

it

fit

to

begins

of love, because of

the urgency of the power drawing upward

and

its

own impotency

to follow

;

whence

also

a spiritual languishing, a very madness and impatience, or fever of love, capable even of

wasting the bodily strength.

Love

is liable

to be so intense at this stage, that visions

and

ecstacies are granted

;

but at the same

time care must be taken against the delusions of the evil one.

But thence the Sun enters on the the Virgin and

its

downward

Christ hides Himself of the

warmth

It is the

really

path, that

and the

of sensible love

and

lasting

soul a time of seeming

is,

and deprives the soul

autumn, the time

ripe

sign of

of

fruits

like.

gathering the ;

but to the

abandonment,

aridity,


a

100

flDebi^val flDi^etic

She must then beg the prayers

darkness, etc. of others,

be glad to leave herself in God's

hands, willing to suffer and to sacrifice sweetness.

must be

Likewise, she

all

careful

not to compromise God's favour by seeking

and

earthly pleasures

human

tions of

Then

there

is

delights, the consola-

and

friendship,

so forth.

a second coming of the Divine

Him the gifts of the whereby He adorns the three

Spouse, bringing with

Holy Ghost, supreme

faculties

of the

plicity empties the

images

and

spirit.

memory

renders

it

Pure sim-

of all external

Spiritual

stable.

brightness gives the intelligence a sure dis-

cernment

of

the virtues.

And

a

spiritual

fervour arouses the will to a boundless love for

God and men.

There

is

yet a third coming, which affects

the supreme union of the spirit with God. is

a species of intimate contact with

the very depths of the soul.

The

God

It

in

intellect


:

loi

tTbe tTeacbing of IRuipsbroecft

cannot comprehend the manner of this union,

can only witness

it

reason and the

effects

its

The power

will.

upon the of loving

increases with the intimacy of this union,

and the intimacy increases the power love

and hence

;

of

also a kind of loving strife

each wishing to possess the other

ensues,

and each wishing to give himself to the other utterly. life,

the

meeting, the union of the soul with God.

It

This

is

the apogee of the interior

may be brought about in three different ways (i)

Man, struck by a

God, forsakes

all

light

images

coming forth from he

;

the union of fruitive love

without

Him God,

;

it

;

any medium, a is

utter

other times

is

plunged into

he meets God

spirit

like

unto

the state of absolute repose in

emptiness

man

and

adores

leisure.

(2)

At

God and consumes

himself in continual love, which ceaselessly feeds on thepresence of

God

;

it is

the mediate


H

I02

fiDeM^eval CKi'^etic

stage, the state of affective love, needful for

the attainment of the preceding. it is

possible to unite

man

(3) Finally,

enjoyment with activity

:

enjoys a most profound peace and pro-

duces

the acts of love

all

and His

most perfect activity

Even

the superior faculties, images

gifts in

in the lower

and sensations

and

state,

powers

;

it is

the

the state of combined

repose.

so, it is

Above the

he receives God

;

not the most sublime state.

interior life there is the super-

essential contemplative life

;

above the

ful friends there are the Intimate

faith-

Sons of God.

This third stage of perfection can never be acquired by any act of the intelligence or will

;

and so sublime

has experienced

and then

in

it

is it

that he only

can attempt

its

who

description,

terms the most halting and im-

This contemplation consists in an

perfect.

absolute purity and simplicity of the under-

standing

;

it is

a knowledge and possession of


^be

103

CeacbiiiG of 1Ru\?0broecI\

God, without modes, without hmits, without

medium, without any consciousness difference of His qualities. is

not God,

It is

it is

the light

the

of

Nevertheless,

by which He

seen.

is

the death and destruction of

it

self

to

behold only the Being eternal and absolute. Its essence is

union with God, the

still

con-

templation of God, abandonment to God, so that

He

alone acts, and not the soul.

This

repose of the spirit engenders a supernatural

contemplation of the Trinity without any

medium, a

of

feeling

sublime ignorance

This soul, to

God and

and nothingness is

the

unspeakable, a

the last consciousness of

;

the difference between

—being

bliss

the creature

— disappears.

honeymoon

of Christ

with the

which the preceding stages are only

a preparation.

The

ness to brightness

comes between

it

;

spirit is led

and

since

from brightno medium

and the divine splendour,

since the brightness

by which

it

sees

is

the


I04

a

light itself

which

itself

flDcM^val

becomes

it

flDi^stic

sees, in a certain sense

this brightness

consciousness of

its

own

;

it

attains a

superessential beings

of the unity of its essence in

God.


XIII

Some Appreciations Arrived thus

at the

Ruysbroeck

lation,

confines

of

on the

between the created

Spirit Eternal.

Man, he

far as that

is

says,

possible it

not the difference of personality which

is

creature

destroyed,

it is

;

in the

only the difference of will and

of thought, the desire to

oneself which

clares

:

" There

one in God, sense that or

the

union with God

for the

in

on

we have already remarked,

must become deiform as

is

mystic specu-

However, he con-

essential difference

and the

of

himself

finds

pantheism.

stantly insists, as

spirit

summit

in

we

I

be anything apart

must disappear.

where

I

assert that

must be understood

He

de-

we

are

in this

are one in love, not in essence

nature."

His

own 105

strenuous oppo-


a

io6

flDeM^val riD^stic day proves

sition to the pantheists of his

orthodoxy in

this

matter

yet

;

it

his

must be

confessed again that from the very nature of his sublime discourse, his expressions are

times

at

The truth

unorthodox. of

bold

exceedingly

is

and seemingly

that the resources

human language prove inadequate

scribe even the foretaste

on earth

to de-

of that

" which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,

nor hath

it

entered into the heart of

man

to

conceive."

In B. John's

own

lifetime

was alarmed, and wrote once

Gerard Groote to the

Canons

Doctor in Theology, and

of

Groenendael

of

one Henry of Hesse, who had declared that

the

Spiritual

Twenty years

of a

Espousals

contained

errors.

after Ruysbroeck's death,

John

Gerson, the famous Chancellor of Paris, in a letter to

one Bartholomew, a Carthusian, who

had given him a copy the

first

of this treatise, praises

two books, but declares that the


Some third

teaches a

appreciations

107 This

kind of pantheism.

charge brought forth a lengthy and spirited defence from a Canon Regular of Groenendael,

named John Scoenhoven

;

and then

in

a

second letter Gerson maintained his objections,

but acquitted the holy author of

intentional error. later

A

similar stand

all

was taken

by Bossuet, who excuses Ruysbroeck

but condemns his manner of expression.

It

must be remembered that these two were engaged

in

confuting

false

mystics,

and

naturally they would discredit the writings of

even a holy man, however orthodox, which

would appear to favour the erroneous tenets of their opponents.

Once more, we remark

that not only was Ruysbroeck manifestly free

from

all

culpable error, but throughout in his

own mind he never distinctions,

must

lost sight of the essential

though at times

his

language

necessarily sound exaggerated to un-

accustomed

ears.


a

io8

On

flDe&t^val flD^stic

the other hand,

favourable

opinion

of

we have a host

critics,

broeck's

to'

outweigh the

French

two

these

utir

Ruys-

of writers of

own and subsequent days who not

only defend the orthodoxy of his writings,

but who also speak of them in terms of the deepest admiration, and regard their author

almost as inspired.

We

have already seen the esteem

in

which

the holy Prior of Groenendael and his writings

were held by Tauler, Gerard Groote, and the Venerable

Thomas a Kempis, and

with which his

John

of

memory was

Scoenhoven.

But

the vigour

vindicated by

advocates

his

were by no means confined to the limits of his

own

Order, period, or country.

Henry van Herp, a Franciscan, compiled a Mirror of Perfection, taken almost exclur sively

by

his

from the Spiritual Espousals

means the

Ruysbroeck

were

teachings

propagated

of

;

and

.Blessed

among the


Some

109

appreciations

Francis, particularly of the

followers of St.

Third Order.

Denys the Carthusian

He

praises.

calls

"I name him

unstinted in his

is

him the Divine

Doctor.

the Divine Doctor," he writes,

because his only master was the Holy Ghost.

''

Of

abundance

this the

he was gifted

man

a,s

is

I afti,

of

wisdom wherewith

a sure guarantee. I

.

.

Ignorant

confess that nowhere have

found such sublimity and such knowledge,

I

save in the works of Denys the Areopagyte.

But

iii

ally

from the

his writings the-difiiculty arises especistyle,

whereas

the Prior of GroenendaeL of

Hugh

I will

is

another

St.

say of Ruysbroeck that he

another Denys the Areopagyte."

Thomas De Divina

of

Jesus,

a

Carmelite,

his

his

in

Oratione, frequently quotes

Ruysbroeck and adopts '-

not so with

... As they say

of St. Victor that he

Augustin, so is

it is

from

method.

-The- Carthusian Surius translated ail the


no works

a ADeM^val

flDi^stic

Ruysbroeck into Latin, and

of

has

translation

this

been the chief source of

familiarity with the Belgian mystic for readers

and writers not acquainted with

The

his native

extracts

from the

Introduction to Surius's translation

seem worth

tongue.

following

quoting for the sake of some

who may imagine

that the works of Blessed John Ruysbroeck

can be of

profit

only to those

who

advanced

in the

contemplative

life

" I do not believe there

is

a

are far

:

man who can

approach these magnificent and simple pages without great and singular

Let none

profit.

excuse himself from reading this book on the plea of the inaccessible sublimity of Ruysbroeck.

The

himself to

man

great

all,

on earth may

has accommodated

and the most abandoned soul find again

on reading him the

path of salvation. Arrows dart from the pages of Ruysbroeck,

aimed by no hand

by the hand

God

of

;

of

man, but

and deeply they embed


Some

m

appreciations

themselves in the soul of the reader

is

a

Innocent reader, reader of unstained

sinner.

robe,

who

Ruysbroeck

most sublime.

at once

is

In

his

most lowly and

description

of

the

Spiritual Espousals he surpasses admiration,

he surpasses praise all

the progriess,

all

all

;

the commencement,

the height,

all

the trans-

cendent perfection of the spiritual

life

is

there." It

was from Surius that the Benedictine

know

Blosius, or Louis de Blois, learned to

and appreciate Ruysbroeck.

His works are

impregnated with the teachings of the Mystic of

Groenendael,

solatio

and

his

well-known Con-

Pusillanimum (Comfort

hearted)

is

for the Faint-

replete with extracts taken

from

Ruysbroeck. Lessius, of

the

Jesuit Theological Professor

Louvain University, used to say that he

read Blessed John Ruysbroeck daily

he would add that

if

his holy

;

and

works had


a

112

iTI>eMje\)aI fll>^0tic

emanated from the Society they would not have remained

in obscurity so long.

In more recent times Ernest Hello brought

France by a translation

our Saint to extracts,

prefaced by an

temporary 1869. "

life,

In his

Among

realms of

anonymous con-

which was

own

of

first

published in

Introduction, Hello writes

those

who,

human

light,

soaring

:

beyond the

have sought refuge

in

the shadow of the great altar, the grandest,

according to Denys the Carthusian, are St.

Denys the Areopagyte and John Ruysbroeck the Admirable.

St.

Denys

lays

down

the

general laws of mystic theology, John Ruys-

broeck

applies

them.

Denys presents

St.

the lamp, John Ruysbroeck kindles the flame.

Both are blind with excess

immovable with excess with them -of

charity.

beauty

is

of

a visit paid to Silence

of their

is

of

light,

motion.

Speech

men from motives

their native land.

language

both

is

The

the condescen-


Some

113

appreciations

dence of their goodness

;

the sacred darkness

which they spread their eagle wings

in

is

their ocean, their booty, their glory."

Reviewing the work lot,

of Hello, Louis Veuil-

the French Catholic publicist, remarked

" Ruysbroeck

humble Flemish

None the

was

illiterate.

He was

:

a

priest of the fifteenth century.

less, in

the order of genius the un-

cultured Ruysbroeck, as a theologian, and

consequently as a philosopher and a poet, is

is

as far above Bossuet as Dante, for instance,

Face to face with the

above Boileau.

mysteries that shroud

God and man, Bossuet

seeks, argues, and, so to speak, gropes

broeck knows, describes, or rather contemplates.

This

illiterate

obscure age finds himself at lime as in his is

familiar to

own sphere him

;

;

;

Ruys-

sings,

and

mystic of an

home

in the sub-

he speaks of what

the wise doctor of the

world remains without.

Bossuet does not

enter, he does not open, he

does not 8

see.


a

114

fTOeM^eval fll>^stic

Bossuet spins words, Ruysbroeck pours out streams of

It

light.

seems as

if

Bossuet

were that mighty wind which was heard in the

Upper Chamber

;

the brief words of Ruys-

broeck are the tongues of

fire,

living

and

enlightening flame."

Truly has Time brought a comparison

its

revenge in such

by a compatriot

of

Bossuet

with Ruysbroeck. Finally, Maeterlinck brought out his trans-

lation of the Spiritual Espousals in 1891 with

a characteristic appreciation of the Flemish mystic.

And

Maeterlinck's

name has given

a

strong impetus to the popularity, so to speak, of

Blessed Ruysbroeck in modern France.

But neither

of

these

translations can

be

regarded as authoritative or exact.

The

real, scholarly

work towards extending

and encouraging the

cult

of

Blessed John

Ruysbroeck, whether among the learned or the devout,

is

being performed, as

is

seemly,


^omc

appi*eciation0

115

in the Catholic University of his native Bel-

gium,

namely, at Louvain, where a Chair

has been instituted for the study of Old Flemish, chiefly for the sake of a correct un-

derstanding and rendering of the writings of the

And

Holy Mystic here

of Groenendael.

we may note

that while

customary with some to speak as illiterate, this term strictly limited sense.

have composed

of

it

is

Ruysbroeck

must be taken

in a

Possibly, he could not

in fluent

and elegant Latin

he was not a classical scholar

;

:

but certainly

the Latin of the Bible and the Fathers was quite familiar to him.

His writings, moreover,

display an intimate knowledge of the Scriptures, the Fathers, theology, liturgy, apologetics.

The natural science of the day was not

unknown, as witness astronomy, and, astrology.

With

it

his

applications from

must be confessed, from

St.

Denys the Areopagyte

he shows himself very intimate, and his pages


a

ii6

flDebi^Eval flD^stic

contain whole passages borrowed or adapted

from

St.

and

especially

Anselm,

own days seem

Ambrose,

St.

St.

Nearer his

Augustin.

St.

Bernard and Hugh

St.

Gregory,

of St. Victor

have influenced him very consider-

to

ably.

Experts in Old Flemish assure us that his style

and

most chaste,

is

He was

clear.

carried

language vigorous

his

away by the beauty

his subject,

When

in truth a poet.

or sublimity of

he indulges in a wealth of imagery,

comparison, metaphor, astounding at times in

and

boldness

originality.

even he lapsed into verse his verse

is

of less

his prose, as

aware.

On

Occasionally

but on the whole

;

beauty and strength than

he himself seems to have been

the other hand, his prose, after

the manner of

St.

Bernard,

the two Victors, and later

St.

Bonaventure,

Thomas a Kempis,

frequently gives evidence of deliberate

and rhyme.

rhythm

In a word, far from being

illite-


Some

117

Hppreciatione

rate in the strict sense of the word, Blessed

John was well acquainted with and

arts of rhetoric

them

;

and

;

he knew

all

how

the rules to

employ

for all the sublimity of his dis-

course he did not disdain the use of these aids to interest is

and persuasion.

we

to be noted that

by contemporaries

of

Finally,

it

are expressly informed

Ruysbroeck that he

wrote by preference in the vulgar tongue, the

more readily and

effectively

to

meet and

refute the erroneous doctrines published in

the language

of

the

mystics of his day.

people by the

false


XIV Last Days

Of

the

of our Saint there

life

remains httle

to be told save the record of the last days

and the

after glory.

good old age

He had

of eighty-eight,

attained the

when

his

mother

appeared in a vision to warn him to make ready for the approaching end. to us there

was

little

one whose whole

life

It

must seem

need for such warning to

had been one long

paration for the coming of the Spouse

!

pre-

He

was taken with dysentery, accompanied by fever,

and

for his greater comfort,

his lifelong friend

at

hand

him

to

van Coudenberg might be

to console

bed

and

assist him,

in the Provost's

the humble Prior besought as

any

and that

chamber.

them

of the lowliest brethren ii8

they put

to treat

and

But

him

to bear


ng

Xast 2>a^s him

to

common

the

accordingly done.

infirmary.

This was

There he lay

for a fort-

night, gradually wasting

ing fever,

and

still

away with the burn-

more, doubtless, with his

burning desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ, for

he was constantly heard murmur-

ing such ejaculations as that of the Psalmist, Sicut desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum.

received in

the

all

the last

greatest

and the end came

rites,

peace,

He

while

weeping

his

brethren prayed around him, on the Octave

day

of St. Catherine, V.M.,

December

2,

1381,

in the eighty-eighth year of his age, the sixty-

fourth of his priesthood.

That

same

night

the

Dean

of

Diest,

watching by the holy remains, seemed to behold our Saint, clad in the priestly vest-

ments and

all

altar steps as teries.

radiant with glory, ascend the if

to celebrate the sacred mys-

The Dean had always held Ruys-

broeck in fhg deepest yeneratign and, having


H

120

some

fii>et)ifeval

riD^stic

medicine, he had

skill in

come over

Groenendael on hearing of the Prior's to see whether he could administer

any

to

illness relief.

His charity was rewarded by the edifying sight of his

happy death, and by

this con-

soling vision after.

And, as the Venerable a Kempis informs us, "

God

also revealed to

Gerard [Groote]

the death of this most beloved Father, which revelation he of

many

bells

;

made

manifest in the hearing

of the citizens

by the

tolling of the

and more privately he made known

to certain of his friends that the soul of the Prior, after

but one hour of Purgatory, had

passed to the glory of Heaven."

We may

note here that a Kempis himself was a child of three years

to his reward. friend

and

when Ruysbroeck was

called

Gerard Groote followed his

spiritual father to the grave three

years later.

The Groenendael Canons

offered the holy


Uast Ba^s Sacrifice

and

all

121

the wonted suffrages for their

departed Prior's repose, but they prayed with the conviction that they needed his impetra-

They were

tion rather than he theirs.

eager to possess themselves of

which had been his hairy

Some

his.

and one managed

Appropriately enough, this

any

little

all

thing

cut off locks of

to secure a tooth relic later

!

cured a

Mechlin lady of a severe attack of toothache.

However,

Blessed John to rest in the his

Brethren laid

in all simplicity the

own hands had helped

little

chapel which

to raise.

Five years later his saintly associate, the

Provost Francis van Coudenberg, rejoined

him beyond the brai,

John

obsequies.

much

The Bishop

grave.

T'Serclaes,

During

came

his

of

Cam-

to assist at the

visit

he

heard

so

of the heroic virtues of the late Prior

that he ordered an exhumation of Ruysbroeck's

body with a view

able burial

by the

to a

more honour-

side of the Provost in the


a

122

new

church,

little

chapel.

and wonder

riDebi^val flD^stic

which had now replaced the

They were

all filled

with awe

to find the entire body,

save

only the tip of the nose, incorrupt, and the priestly

vestments intact.

Also a most sweet

odour exhaled from the holy remains. satisfy the devotion of the people, the

commanded

that the

To

Bishop

body should be

ex-

posed to their veneration for three days.

On

the third day, amid a vast concourse of

the faithful, Ruysbroeck was laid to rest by the side and in friend

the

tomb

van Coudenberg.

of

jacet translatus

inscription

Devotus Pater

D. Joannes de Ruysbroeck I.

Prior hujus monasterii

Qui

obiit

anno Domini

MCCCLXXXI II,

lifelong

Over the sepulchre

was placed the following simple

Hie

his

Die Decembris

:


"

Here

lies

Hast Daips

123

transferred the

Devout Father,

Dom John of Ruysbroeck, cloister,

who departed

Lord 1381, December

in

2."

First Prior of this

the year of the


XV The Cultus of Blessed John Ruysbroeck Numerous

now wended

pilgrims

to visit Ruysbroeck's tomb.

suspended favours

there

honoured

in

His

year on the

various

Monday

sung in

Ex-votos were

picture

churches.

assist the

his honour.

of

also

was

And

each

following Trinity

the Chapter of St. Gudule's

Groenendael to

way

acknowledgment

in

received.

their

Sunday

came over

to

Canons at a Mass

In a word, on

all sides

the holy Prior was regarded and, as far as possible, treated as a Saint in glory.

Yielding to representations and entreaties

from many quarters, James Roonen, Archbishop of Mechlin, ordered another translation of the remains,

November 124

1622.

This


tCbe Cuitue of IRu^sbroech

was duly performed with

The

formalities.

The bones were

carefully taken

The water used

the prescribed

skeleton was found entire.

washed and then placed

delicious odour,

all

125

and reverently

new

reliquary.

in this cleansing

emitted a

and

it

in a

was afterwards

instru-

mental in effecting many miraculous cures.

The Infanta

Isabella of Spain laid the founda-

tion stone of a chapel to be erected at her

expense near Ruysbroeck' s Tree as a suitable shrine for the

She also provided a

relics.

magnificent sarcophagus.

As

this chapel

was

outside the monastic enclosure, ladies were

now

able to

broeck's

pay

tomb

Ruys-

their devotions at

itself,

whereas hitherto they

had been able to reverence the

relics

only

from a distance. So far, however, no authoritative recognition of the heroic virtues of

come from Rome.

John Ruysbroeck had

In 1624 the Archbishop

commissioned the learned Albert

le

Mire to


126

21

riDcM^val fIDpstiC

draw up the necessary preliminary documents to be submitted to the Sacred ConThese were approved, and three

gregation.

were

commissioners

appointed

the apostohc process, so called.

were completed by 1627. of the

the

to

Their labours

Then, on account

wars and other troubles which

Low

initiate

afflicted

Countries at the time, the Cause

was suspended.

When

the French overran the Netherlands

in 1667, to prevent profanation of the holy relics,

they were carried to a place of greater

safety in Brussels in

1670.

;

they were restored again

In 1783 the Priory

the fate of so

many

itself

shared

other Religious Houses,

and was suppressed by the Emperor Joseph II.; whereupon the to Brussels

and

relics

were again transferred

laid to rest in a side-chapel

of St. Gudule's.

Another attempt was then made by the Chapter of

St.

Gudule's to obtain frcm

Rome


tlbe Cultus of ll^u^sbrocch

an authorised

Office

John Ruysbroeck. ably received

;

and Mass

The

in

petition

127

honour

of

was favour-

but once more there was a

violent interruption, this time from the up-

heaval of the French Revolution. St.

Gudule's

culottes in 1793,

was sacked

by the

and the reliquary

broeck was desecrated.

It is said,

of

sans-

Ruys-

however,

that the relics were not actually dispersed,

and that they were afterwards sealed up again by a Notary

named Neuwens

unhappily at the present day

all

;

but

trace of

them has disappeared. Finally, in 1885, the late Cardinal Goosens,

Archbishop

of Mechlin,

approached the Sacred

Congregation once more, and a tribunal was appointed to examine into the Cause, February 1900.

8,

This was brought to a happy issue in

igoS by a Decree of the Sacred Congregation,

and approved by His

dated December

ist,

Holiness, PiusX.,

December

9,

confirming the


a

128 cultus "

riDeMfeval CX^^3tic

shown from time immemorial

to the

Venerable Servant of God, John Ruysbroeck,

Canon Regular, August

24,

called the Blessed."

1909, the Congregation granted

and approved an

and Mass

Office

John Ruysbroeck

The

Later,

the

for

privilege of this Office

of Blessed

Mechlin clergy.

and Mass has

also

been extended to the Canons Regular

who

the Lateran, tives

of

the

of

arc the lineal representa-

Canons

of

Windesheim, and therefore

Groenendael

and

in a special sense

the children of Blessed John.

For the moment there but

little in

may seem

common between

to be

this Mediaeval

Mystic and the bustling modern world, so little

as to suggest the thought that Blessed

Ruysbroeck can have no message to deliver to our day.

On

the contrary, the Solitary

of the Forest of Soignes stands for a

truth, oblivion of

which

sick unto death to-day.

is

profound

rendering Society

John Ruysbroeck


^be dultus preaches

to

the

of IRu^sbroecfi

world

its

utter

129

need

of

God.

For the CathoHc he enforces

Unlike false mystics, who

a special manner. invariably pretend

and

from the

Ruysbroeck

themselves

chief

normal

namely the Sacraments,

grace,

of

dispense

to

their adherents

means

his lesson in

insists

upon frequent recourse

to the Sacraments, but

more

especially to the

Blessed Eucharist, as the speediest and most efiicacious

means

of bringing each soul into

union with God.

true

Our present Holy

Father, desirous and ambitious of " restoring all

things in Christ,"

same divine remedy souls.

May

providential

to

the

for the renewal of our

there not

reason

has pointed

be seen in this a

wherefore

solemn

the

beatification of this holy Religious has been

delayed six centuries, to be reserved to our

own days

?

The proper prayers

of

our Saint's Mass 9


a

130

riDebiaeval flD^stic

beautifully summarise the lessons of his life

as follows

:

Collect

Who

God,

Thy

Blessed John, holiness

of

vouchsafe to

didst

Confessor, with sublime

and with heavenly

life

adorn

gifts,

grant us, through his merits, and after his

example, to despise the fleeting things of the world, and to desire only the joys of

heaven. Secret

May who

the

in

intercession

offering

overflow

with

worthy,

we

the

of

Blessed

Sacrifice

John,

merited

to

heavenly delights, make us

beseech

Thee,

Lord,

of

the

bread of angels.

Post-Communion

We

beseech Thee,

O

Lord, by the inter-


^be dultus

of IRu^sbrocck

cession of Blessed John, grant to us

who

131 are

refreshed with the heavenly banquet, that, delivered from worldly desires,

ever fervent in

Thy

love.

FLXIS

we may be


PRINTED BY WATSON AND VIKEY, LONDON AND AYLESBURY.

IIAZELL,






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