Of actif lif and of the werkes of it.
The Outward Works of Charity
The active life is defined by the practice of outward works of mercy and charity, tailored to one's capacity and station in life.
The active life consists of love and charity expressed outwardly through good deeds: keeping God's commandments and performing the seven works of mercy, both bodily and spiritual, toward one's fellow Christian.✦1 This life belongs to all people in the world who have riches and plenty of worldly goods, and also to all others who hold rank, office, or charge over other people and have goods to spend—whether learned or unlearned, temporal or spiritual—and, in general, to all people living in the world.2 They are bound to carry this out with all their strength and skill, as reason and discretion require. If he has much, let him do much; if he has little, let him do little; if he has nothing, then let him have a good will. These are the works of the active life, whether they are bodily or spiritual.
The Discipline of the Body
Bodily penance and self-discipline serve as a necessary preparation for the contemplative life.
Also, part of the active life involves rigorous physical discipline—such as strict fasting, long vigils, and other harsh penance—intended to discipline the flesh with discretion for past sins, to restrain its lusts and pleasures through such penance, and to make it obedient and ready for the will of the Spirit.✦ These works, though active, are still a great help and prepare a person at the beginning to enter the contemplative life, provided they are used with discretion.3
Read the original Latin
Actif lif lieth in love and charité schewyd outward in good bodili werkes, in fulfillynge of Goddis comaundementes and of the sevene deedys of mercy, bodeli and goostli, to a mannys even Cristene. This lif longeth to alle worldeli men whiche han richesse and plenté of worldli goodes, and also to alle othere whiche eithir han staat, office, or cure over other men and han goodis for to spende, leryd or lewyd, temporal or spiritual; and generali alle worldli men. They aren bounden to fulfille up here myght and here connynge, as reson and discrecion asketh. Yif he mykil have, mykil doo; yif he litil have, litil doo; yif he nought have, that thanne he have a good wille. These aren werkes of actif lif, eyther bodili or goostli.
Also a partie of actif lif lieth in grete bodili deedes whiche a man dooth to hymsilf, as greet fastynge, mykil wakynge, and other scharp penaunce-doynge for to chastise the fleissch with discrecioun for trespaces that been bifore doon, and bi sich penaunce for to refreyne lustes and likynges of it, and make it buxum and redi to the wil of the Spirit. Thise werkes, though thei ben actif, not for thi they helpen mykel and ordaynen a man in the bigynnynge to come to contemplatif lif, yif thei ben usid bi discrecion.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.25.35-Matt.25.40 — For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me in; Matt.25.36 — I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. Matt.25.37 — Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?' Matt.25.38 — And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? Matt.25.39 — Or when did we see you sick or in prison, and did not come to you? Matt.25.40 — And the King will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
- ↩Gal.5.16-Gal.5.17;Rom.8.5-Rom.8.9 — But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desire of the flesh. Gal.5.17 — For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do the things you wish. Rom.8.5 — For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Rom.8.6 — For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. Rom.8.7 — Because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, for it is not able to do so— Rom.8.8 — But those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom.8.9 — But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to him.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME even Cristene = fellow Christian / neighbor in the faith; rendered as fellow Christian.
- 2 ↩ME leryd or lewyd = lettered/learned or unlettered; temporal or spiritual = secular or ecclesiastical status.
- 3 ↩ME 'not for thi' is concessive: 'for all that / nevertheless,' not a denial of their active character. Rendered as 'still'.
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