Who schulde blame mennys defautis and deme hem, and who not.
The Contemplative's Call to Interiority
The author distinguishes between the duties of those in active ministry and those called to contemplation, using the example of Saint John to illustrate the priority of interior love.
But now you ask: How can this be, since it's an act of charity to correct people for their faults, and judging them for their own improvement is an act of mercy? To this I answer, as it seems to me, that for you or for anyone else who has the state and purpose of the contemplative life, it is not fitting to leave off the keeping of yourselves in order to reprove other people for their faults—unless it were a case of very great need, where a person would perish unless you reproved him. However, for those who are active and hold authority over others—like prelates and pastors—they are bound by their office and by charity to notice, seek out, and justly judge the faults of others. They shouldn't do this out of a desire to punish, but only out of necessity, with the fear of God and in His name, for the love and salvation of their souls.1 Other active people who have no authority over others are only bound to correct faults out of charity when the sin is deadly and cannot be easily corrected by anyone else, and when they believe the sinner will actually change because of the correction. Otherwise, it's better that they refrain. That this is true is shown by Saint John, who lived the contemplative life, and Saint Peter, who lived the active life. At the Last Supper, when our Lord told Saint John how Judas would betray Him—at Saint Peter's private request—Saint John didn't tell Peter what he had asked. Instead, he turned and leaned his head on Christ's breast, carried away by love into the contemplation of God's secrets. For his own spiritual profit, he forgot both Judas and Peter. This serves as a sign and a lesson for those who would be contemplative: they should strive to do the same.✦2
Humility Toward the Active Life
The reader is encouraged to avoid judging those in the active life, recognizing instead the hidden virtues and struggles of those laboring in the world.
So here you see the point: you shouldn't judge others or willfully harbor any evil suspicions against them. But you should love them in your heart—those who live the active life in the world and endure many troubles and great temptations that you, sitting in your house, do not feel. They work hard to provide for their own livelihood and for others, and many of them would much rather serve God, if they could, in the bodily rest that you enjoy. Even so, in their worldly busyness, they avoid many sins that you would fall into if you were in their position, and they perform many good deeds that you couldn't do.3 There's no doubt that many live this way; you just don't know who they are.
Read the original Latin
But now seist thou, hou mai this bee, sithen it is a dede of a charité for to undirneme men of here defautis, and for to deme hem for here amendynge, it is a dede of merci. As to this I answere as me thenketh, that to thee or to ony othir which hath the staat and the purpos of lif contemplatif it fallith not for to leve the kepynge of youresilf and underneme othir men of here defautis, but it were in wel greet nede, that a man schulde perische but yif he undernemyd hym. But to men which aren actif and han sovereynté and cure of othere, as prelatis and curates and swich othere, thei aren bounden bi there office and by wai of charité for to see and seke and deme rightfulli othere mennys defautis, not of desire and delite for to chastise hem, but oonli for nede, with drede of God and in His name, for love and savacioun of here soulis. Othere men that aren actif and han no cure over othere men, thei aren boundyn for to undirnyme othere men of her defautis bi wei of charité, oonly thanne whanne the synne is deedli and may not wel be correctid bi noon othir man, and whanne he troweth that the synnere schulde be amendid bi undirnymyng. Ellis it is betere that he cese. That this is sooth, it semeth bi Seynt Joon, which hadde the staat of contemplatif lif, and Seynt Petir, whiche hadde the staat of actif lif. Whanne oure Lord in His laste sopeer with His disciples, atte the pryvey stirynge of Seynt Petir to Seynt Joon, toolde Seynt Joon how Judas schulde bitraie Hym, Seynt Joon tolde it not to Seynt Petir, as he askide, but he turnede him and leide his heed upon Cristis brest and was raveschid bi love into contemplacion of Goddis privetees, and so medfulli to hym he forgaat bothe Judas and Petir - in tokenynge and in techynge of othere men which wolden ben contemplatif that thei schulden dispose hem for to doo the same.
Thanne seest thou heere sumwhat that thu schalt neither deme othere men, ne conceyve agens hem wilfulli noon evel suspicion. But thu schalt love hem in thyn herte, sich as leden in the world actif lif and suffren many tribulacions and greet temptaciones which thu sittynge in thyn hous felist not of. And thei han wel mykil travaile for here owen and othir mennys sustenaunce, and manye of hem hadde wel lyvere serve God, yif thei myghten, as thou doost in bodili reste; neverthelees thei in here worldli bisynesse fleen many synnes, which yif thou were in here astaat schuldest falle in, and thei doon many good deedes whiche thou kowdest not doo. It is no doute that many doon thus; whiche thei are, thou wost not.
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.13.21-John.13.26 — After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, saying, "Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me." John.13.22 — The disciples looked at one another, uncertain about whom he was speaking. John.13.23 — One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining at Jesus' side. John.13.24 — So Simon Peter motioned to him and said to him, 'Tell us who it is he is speaking about.' John.13.25 — So after reclining back against Jesus' chest, that one says to him, 'Lord, who is it?' John.13.26 — Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.' So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
Notes
- 1 ↩Middle English curates means those with the cure (care) of souls; rendered as "pastors" for modern clarity.
- 2 ↩Middle English medfulli (medefully) means with merit or spiritual profit; rendered as "to his own spiritual profit."
- 3 ↩Bodily rest here means the contemplative's outward quiet and freedom from worldly labor, not mere physical ease.
Scala Perfectionis (The Scale of Perfection) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent