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← The Imitation of Christ/Book 4 · On the Blessed Sacrament
Chapter 18Imit.4.18

Quod homo non sit curiosus scrutator Sacramenti, sed humilis imitator Christi, subdendo sensum suum sacræ fidei.

The Danger of Curious Scrutiny

The reader is warned against probing the Eucharistic mystery with restless curiosity, and instead commended to humble, teachable inquiry grounded in the tradition of the Fathers.

You must guard against a curious and useless scrutiny of this most profound Sacrament, if you don't want to be plunged into the depths of doubt.1 "Whoever searches into majesty will be overwhelmed by glory."✦2 God is able to do more than man can understand. A pious and humble inquiry into truth is tolerable — one always ready to be taught, and eager to walk in line with the sound opinions of the Fathers.3

Blessed Simplicity and the Call to Humility

The author extols the blessedness of simple faith that follows God's commandments rather than tangled questions, and promises divine light to the humble who submit to faith.

Blessed simplicity, which leaves behind the difficult paths of questions, and proceeds on the level and firm way of God's commandments. Many have lost their devotion by trying to examine higher things. What is asked of you is faith and a sincere life, not a height of understanding, nor a depth of the mysteries of God. If you don't understand or grasp the things beneath you, how will you comprehend the things above you? Submit yourself to God and humble your mind to faith, and the light of knowledge will be given to you, as far as it is useful and necessary for you.

Temptations Against Faith and How to Resist Them

Temptations concerning the Sacrament are attributed to the enemy, not to the tempted soul, and the faithful are counseled to cling to God's word rather than engage the devil's arguments.

Some people are grievously tempted about the faith and the Sacrament, but this is not to be charged to them — rather, it belongs to the enemy.4 Don't be anxious, don't argue with your own thoughts, and don't answer the arguments and doubts the devil sends at you.5 But believe the words of God. Believe his saints and prophets, and the wicked enemy will flee from you. For it is often very beneficial for a servant of God to endure such things. For he does not tempt unbelievers and sinners — those he already possesses securely. But the faithful and devout he tempts and torments in various ways.

Simple Faith Before the Inscrutable God

The reader is urged to approach the Sacrament with undoubting faith, entrusting what is beyond understanding to God, who reveals himself to the humble and hides grace from the proud.

Go forward, then, with simple and undoubting faith, and with simple reverence draw near to the Sacrament. Whatever you cannot understand, entrust it securely to almighty God. God does not deceive you; the one who trusts too much in himself is deceived.✦ God walks with the simple, reveals himself to the humble, gives understanding to the little ones, opens the mind to pure hearts, and hides his grace from the curious and the proud.✦6 Human reason is weak and can be deceived; but true faith cannot be deceived.

Faith Above Reason: The Inscrutable Works of God

Faith must govern all reasoning, especially in the Sacrament where God's inscrutable and wonderful works surpass every capacity of human understanding.

All reasoning and natural investigation ought to follow faith, not precede it, nor break against it. For faith and love especially excel there, and by hidden ways work in this most holy and most surpassing Sacrament.7 God, eternal and immense, of infinite power, works great and inscrutable things in heaven and on earth; there is no searching out the wonders of his works.✦8 If God's works were such that they could easily be grasped by human reason, they would not be called wonderful or inscrutable. Amen.

Read the original Latin

Cavendum est tibi a curiosa et inutili perscrutatione hujus profundissimi Sacramenti, si non vis in dubitationis profundum mergi. Qui scrutator est majestatis, opprimetur a gloria. Plus valet Deus operari, quam homo intelligere potest. Tolerabilis est pia et humilis inquisitio veritatis, parata semper doceri, et super sanas Patrum sententias studentis ambulare.

Beata simplicitas, quæ difficiles quæstionum relinquit vias, et plana ac firma pergit semita mandatorum Dei. Multi devotionem perdiderunt, dum altiora scrutari voluerunt. Fides a te exigitur et sincera vita, non altitudo intellectus, neque profunditas mysteriorum Dei. Si non intelligis nec capis quæ infra te sunt, quomodo comprehendes quæ supra te sunt? Subdere Deo et humilia sensum tuum fidei, et dabitur tibi scientiæ lumen, prout tibi fuerit utile et necessarium.

Quidam graviter tentantur de fide ac Sacramento, sed non est hoc ipsis imputandum, sed potius inimico. Noli curare, noli disputare cum cogitationibus tuis, nec ad immissas a diabolo disputationes et dubitationes responde. Sed crede verbis Dei. Crede Sanctis ejus et prophetis, et fugiet a te nequam inimicus. Sæpe enim multum prodest, quod sustinet talia servus Dei. Nam infideles et peccatores non tentat, quos secure jam possidet: Fideles autem devotos variis modis tentat et vexat.

Perge ergo cum simplici et indubitata fide, et cum simplici reverentia ad Sacramentum accede. Quidquid intelligere non vales, Deo omnipotenti secure committe. Non fallit te Deus; fallitur qui sibi nimium credit. Graditur Deus cum simplicibus, revelat se humilibus, dat intellectum parvulis, aperit sensum puris mentibus, et abscondit gratiam curiosis et superbis. Ratio humana debilis est, et falli potest; fides autem vera falli non potest.

Omnis ratio et naturalis investigatio fidem sequi debet, non præcedere, nec infringere. Nam fides et amor ibi maxime præcellunt, et occultis modis in hoc sanctissimo et superexcellentissimo Sacramento operantur. Deus æternus, et immensus, infinitæque potentiæ, facit magna et inscrutabilia in cælo et in terra; nec est investigatio mirabilium opera ejus. Si talia essent opera Dei, ut facile ab humana ratione caperentur, non essent mirabilia nec inscrutabilia dicenda. Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Prov.25.27 — To eat much honey is not good, and to seek one's own glory is glory.
  2. ↩Jer.17.5 — Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
  3. ↩Ps.18.27-Ps.18.28 — With the pure you show yourself pure, and with the crooked you prove yourself shrewd. Ps.18.28 — For you save a humble people, but haughty eyes you bring low.
  4. ↩Job.5.9 — He does great things beyond searching out, wonders without number.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Sacramentum rendered as Sacrament with Eucharistic specificity per Book 4 policy.
  2. 2 ↩Quoted span. Candidate allusion to Proverbs 25:27 (Vulgate: Qui scrutator est majestatis opprimetur a gloria). Final resolution deferred to Moses stage.
  3. 3 ↩Studentis rendered as eager to capture the sense of earnest striving; the phrase super sanas Patrum sententias ambulare is rendered idiomatically as walk in line with the sound opinions of the Fathers.
  4. 4 ↩Sacramento rendered as 'Sacrament' with capital S to preserve Eucharistic specificity per Book 4 sacramental register.
  5. 5 ↩nec rendered as 'and don't' to preserve the negative-additive force naturally in English.
  6. 6 ↩The cluster of themes — God revealing himself to the humble, hiding things from the wise — echoes Mt 11:25 (Vulgate: 'abscondisti haec a sapientibus et prudentibus et revelasti ea parvulis'). Final resolution deferred to Moses stage.
  7. 7 ↩superexcellentissimo rendered as 'most surpassing' to convey the superlative force while avoiding the archaic 'superexcellent.'
  8. 8 ↩Final clause echoes Job 5:9 / Job 9:10 (Vulgate) — 'nec est investigatio mirabilium operum ejus.' Candidate allusion, pending Moses resolution.