Meister Eckhart's Christmas Sermon One. Where is the Word born and how?
Dec 14, 2024
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Delve into the profound insights of Meister Eckhart as he explores the eternal birth of God within humanity. Discover the significance of inner purity and the journey toward self-awareness amidst external distractions. Eckhart challenges us to seek the divine inwardly rather than focusing solely on external celebrations of Christmas. Emphasizing the necessity of silence and receptivity, he presents a transformative path for spiritual growth and deeper understanding, urging listeners to connect with their true essence.
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Quick takeaways
Meister Eckhart emphasizes the importance of recognizing the eternal birth of the divine word within each individual's soul rather than in historical events.
Eckhart highlights that love is an active pursuit aligned with the divine essence, contrasting it with the transient nature of emotional experiences.
Deep dives
The Eternal Birth in Human Nature
The concept of the eternal birth that Meister Eckhart discusses emphasizes the spiritual significance of recognizing that this birth occurs not in a historical context, but within each individual’s soul. By invoking St. Augustine, Eckhart stresses that the true importance lies in whether this transformative experience happens within oneself, rather than in the past events like the nativity of Christ. This understanding shifts the focus from external celebrations to an internal spiritual awakening, encouraging individuals to contemplate the depths of their own spirituality. Eckhart suggests that the birth of this divine word occurs in the purest part of the soul, which necessitates a conscious turning away from worldly distractions and sensory experiences to access this inner sanctum of spirituality.
The Role of the Soul and Love
Eckhart elaborates on the powers of the soul, including intellect, memory, and will, asserting that love is an activity manifested through the will rather than mere emotion. This perspective highlights the understanding that love aligns individuals with divine essence, allowing for a deeper connection beyond personal feelings. He contrasts this active love with the transient nature of emotional experiences, urging a potential shift in how love is perceived and practiced. Ultimately, by recognizing love as an active pursuit of God, individuals can cultivate a deeper sense of spirituality that transcends the struggles of everyday life and connects them to a higher purpose.
Silence, Stillness, and Receptivity
The importance of silence and stillness as prerequisites for spiritual practices is emphasized, with Eckhart advocating for a retreat from the incessant demands of external distractions and inner turmoil. He proposes that true receptivity to God’s word is found not through continuous effort but by embracing a state of unknowing, where individuals allow divine presence to enter their souls without interference. This approach asserts that communing with the divine requires an active relinquishing of images and thoughts that clutter the mind, fostering an environment where the silence itself can reveal deeper truths. Eckhart's teachings thus challenge the contemporary inclination towards constant activity by inviting individuals to find holiness in the act of waiting and being receptive to the divine wisdom that transcends articulate understanding.
Sermon One (in Walshe, Complete Mystical Works) has become known as capturing the essence of Meister Eckhart’s thought. “Here, in time, we are celebrating the eternal birth which God the Father bore and bears unceasingly in eternity, because this same birth is now born in time, in human nature.” And why does this lofty thought matter? “What does it avail me that this birth is happening, if it does not happen in me? That it should happen in me is what matters.” Eckhart, therefore, offers a corrective to the way Christianity and indeed Christmas is usually articulated today. Where does this birth take place? Not in Bethlehem, not in a stable, not around 4BC, not even from Mary, but primarily “in the very purest, loftiest, subtlest part that the soul is capable of”. Only, is this itself not only too rarefied a form of Christianity, but one inadequate to our times, in denial of moral imperatives or simply a gospel of spiritual bypassing? In fact, precisely the opposite is the case. Without that birth of the Word in the soul, Christianity’s moral meaning is lost, its injunctions become pathways to demoralisation, with the happiness promised transitory or elusive. Eckhart, therefore, has crucial things to say to a church dedicated to filling people up with experiences and demands, as well as a time keen on practices that miss the stillness and silence he argues is fundamental. Rather, alongside the author of The Cloud of Unknowing and Mother Julian, Eckhart preaches the direct and easy path, that depends not on our efforts but on a capacity to not know and stay before the ground from which the Word is born. Unity with God is the purpose and promise of life - the secret that I feel is regularly absent in presentations of Christianity, though so much sought and needed.
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