Very kindly the Liturgical Press have allowed me to publish extracts from the Ludolph of Saxony aka the Carthusian's Life of Jesus Christ work translated from the Latin into English by Milton Walsh as long as I include the name, title and translator details along with the following statement:
Copyright 2018 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. Used with permission.
Ludolph the Carthusian or of Saxony The Life of Jesus Christ - Part 1 Chapter 37 - The Sermon on the Mount continued: The Importance of forgiving others - pages 707-708 - translated by Milton Walsh
Copyright 2018 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. Used with permission.
Cyprian warns, "You will have no excuse on the Day of Judgement when you are condemned by the same sentence you meted out, and you suffer what you yourself inflicted on others" [Orat. Dom 23; PL 4:535B.]
Chrysostom says:
"Having given the formula of prayer, He emphasises only one commandment, the one where He tells us to forgive:
For if you forgive men their offences, your Heavenly Father will forgive also your offences.
This is the Fundamental Principle from which everything flows, and the power of our [708] future Judgement rests in our own hands. Now, unless you are insane, you must lament God's Judgment on you for your sins, be they great or small, but God allows the guilty parties to determine their own sentence. He says, "I will judge you as you have judged. If you have forgiven your fellow servant, you will receive the same grace from me."
snip
How dare we ask Him to hear us when we pray for anything, if we will not give ourselves what is in our power viz the ability to forgive others?
Ludolph the Carthusian The Life of Jesus Christ Part 1 Chapter 37 - The Sermon on the Mount continued: The Importance of forgiving others - page 707 - translated by Milton Walsh
Copyright 2018 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. Used with permission.
Following the Lord's Prayer, Christ adds,
"For if you will forgive men their offences, (Ludolphus's commentary:not harbouring resentment or seeking revenge for offences committed against you), your Heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences." [St Matt. 6: 14-15]
Quite properly does he say your offences - sin is the only thing we can boast of doing completely by our own power. We can do evil by ourselves, but not good. See the LAW the Lord has laid down for you: if you forgive, you will be forgiven; if you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven. [Emphasis added by me],
Douai version St Matthew Chapter 6 verse [14] For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. [15] But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences. http://www.drbo.org/chapter/47006.htm
Ludolph the Carthusian or Ludolph of Saxony - The Life of Jesus Christ - Part 1 Chapter 37 - The Sermon on the Mount continued: The Importance of forgiving others - page 707 - translated by Milton Walsh
Copyright 2018 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. Used with permission.
Ludolph the Carthusian or Ludolph of Saxony - The Life of Jesus Christ Part 1 Chapter 37 - The Sermon on the Mount continued: The Importance of forgiving others - page 706-707 - translated by Milton Walsh
Copyright 2018 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. Used with permission.
Augustine writes, "We must not negligently overlook the fact that among all those texts in which the Lord commanded us to pray, he has declared that special emphasis should be given to the petition that has to do with forgiveness. In this way he wanted to show us that our being merciful was the one [page 707] and only counsel for avoiding misery.
In no other prayer do we enter into a CONTRACT with Him, as it were. [emphasis mine]
We say, Forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us.
If we lie in this contract, the whole prayer is useless." [Sermone Monte 2.11.39 PL 31:1287]
Ludolph the Carthusian Life of Christ tr. Milton Walsh - Part 1 Chapter 37 page 701
Those whose heart are full of hatred or envy will be more troubled that pleased by this prayer viz the Forgive us our trespasses. It is as if they were saying,
"Do not forgive my sins, because I do not wish to forgive the sins of other.".
See how much the Lord detests fraternal hatred: he makes our willingness to forgive the indispensable condition for our being forgiven ourselves!
Anselm [Ps.-Anselm Ad contemptum PL 158:682A] says
"You will not have forgiveness unless you give it away".
And Seneca counsels, "Forgive others always, yourself never." [Moribus 111].
Ludolph the Carthusian Life of Christ tr. Milton Walsh - Part 1 Chapter 37 pages 700-701
If you are striving to be perfect, you must forgive in every circumstance, even if the other party does not request it.
You should not only banish all animosity from your soul, but you should forgive everything even when there is no satisfaction made for the offence, or restitution of property, or prayerful entreaty, and you must love with a pure heart.
This is a counsel of perfection.
If you have not yet made a vow of perfection, you are still required to banish all animosity from your soul, not desiring an increase of evil or a diminution of good for your foe; other than that, you [page 701] should be satisfied with any sort of recompense offered for the harm done you.
This is a precept, not a counsel, and applies to everyone.
In sum, we must forgive wrongs, because we are all bound in charity to love everyone.
Ludolph the Carthusian - Life of Christ tr. Milton Walsh - Part 1 Chapter 37 page 700.
Chrystotom [Orat Do, 22-23 PL 4:535A PL=Patrologia Latina] warns,
"He did not say that God would first forgive us, and then afterwards we would forgive those who trespass against us. God knows that people are liars: even if they receive forgiveness, they do not forgive those who sin against them. So he instructs us to forgive first, and only then afterwards to ask to be forgiven."
Ludolph the Carthusian Part 1 Chapter 37 - The Sermon on the Mount continued: The Lord's Prayer - page 700 - translated by Milton Walsh -
"And Jesus adds, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Behold the rule proposed to us: if we want to be forgiven our sins, we must first forgive the sins committed against us by our neighbour!
According to Gregory [Moralia 10.XV.30] the good we must seek from God with a contrite heart we must first bestow on our neighbour.
Cyrpian writes:
"He who taught us to pray for our sins has promised his paternal mercy; but he has clearly added a Law, binding us with a clear stipulation, that we ask for our sins to be forgiven in the same way that we forgive those who sin against us."
Dear Readers of Louis de Ponte,
I am going to be adding some posts of extracts from Ludolph the Carthusian's Life of Christ translated into English by Milton Walsh. Ludolphus (approx 1300 - 1377 or 1378). published by the Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota US in their Cistercian Study Series no 267.
Ludolph was initially a Dominican and at the age of about 40 he joined the Carthusians. St Ignatius read a copy of his Life of Christ in a Catalan Translation at Manressa and it led to his conversion.
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
Chapter 5.1a - Conquering Temptations - Memory of the Presence of God
2. This memory of the presence of God is, then, the most efficacious means of conquering the temptations of the devil, the world and the flesh; not only from the holy fear we shall experience in the presence of the Judge who will chastise us if we consent; but also it will greatly stimulate our courage to see Almighty God at our side, who will help us to overcome and will be our patron and protector in this warfare.
Moreover David said:
I will set the Lord always in my sight; for He is at my right hand that I be not moved [Psalm xv, 8] nor conquered.
On these words Cassian [Coll 12, c. 5.] makes the following remarks:
"He alone will be able to understand and efficaciously carry out the meaning of this verse who realises that he owes the spotlessness of his soul and body to the preservation of God; for he himself cannot preserve it unless God stand at his right hand to protect him from the evils which the hands of his enemies shall work for his overthrow."
But fortified by such assistance he may say with holy Job:
Set me beside thee, and let any man's hand fight against me [xvii, 3].
And since more powerful and greater, says Saint John, is He that is in me, that is, God, than he that is in the world [1 John iv,4], the devil, that is, our victory will be assured by His presence and help.
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
Chapter 5.1 - Help to avoid sin and to conquer temptations - Purgative way
Beginning with the footsteps of the purgative way, in which the impediments to prayer are removed, it is certain that if we walk in the presence of God He will so guide them that we will never lose the direct path.
1. The memory of His presence is a powerful means of restraining the propensities of our lower nature, and of making us flee from sin as we would from a basilisk. For who would dare to sin were he mindful that God is present and is watching him?
How shall I dare to sin in the sight of my God, who is my Judge and can condemn me to punishment, temporal or eternal?
Hence Saint Thomas says: If we continually regarded God as present, seeing and judging all things, we should seldom or never sin [Opusc. 58]
For if we sin, it is because we forget this presence; our deed itself protests this oblivion and error and seems to say with those hardened sinners in the Scriptures:
"The Lord seeth us not; the Lord has foresaken the earth" [Ezech. viii, 12]
For this reason Tobias said to his son:
"All the days of thy life, he said, have God in thy mind; and take heed thou never consent to sin, nor transgress the commandments of the Lord our God." [iv, 6]
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
Chapter 5 - St Catherine of Siena - the Presence of God
..... as He said to St Catherine of Siena:
"Think of me and I will think of thee, endeavour to perform all thy actions as if conscious that I am watching thee, and I will take it upon myself to bring them all to a happy conclusion";
this was the blessed lot of the Spouse who said;
I to my beloved, and his turning is towards me [Canticles vii,10].
I gaze upon my beloved and He on me; I strive to walk in His presence; He is attentive to direct my steps so that I please Him in all things.
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
Chapter 5 Practical considerations and a compact - The Presence of God
"In all thy ways think of Him, and he will direct thy steps" [Proverbs iii, 6].
He we have a kind of compact or covenant between God and man: if a man binds himself to remember the presence of God at all times and in all his ways, God will take him for His own, and will guide all his footsteps, so that he will neither lose his way not fatigue himself unnecessarily by making a long circuit, but shall go direct to the goal of his journey, which is God Himself.
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
Chapter 5 - the Five ends of entering into the Divine Presence
First, that we may see and know God, His attributes and His perfections. Since the knowledge faith gives us of God is infinite in extent, every day we may enter again, either to acquire some fresh knowledge or to deepen our understanding of what we have already learnt. Hence proceeds the various methods of prayer by means of discourse or meditation on the Divine mysteries: the discussion of these we will defer to the 2nd treatise.
The second end for which we come into the presence of God is to confess and protest the subjection and prompt obedience the creature owes to His Creator as supreme ruler of the world. From this we get two methods of prayer; one by way of adoration, the other of oblation, accompanied by acts of heartfelt devotion.
The third end is to praise and glorify God for all His wonderful works and for all the grace and blessings He has bestowed on us; this produces two very excellent methods of prayer; one by praising and rejoicing in God, the other way of gratitude and thanksgiving.
The fourth end is to place before God all our necessities and implore His assistance; as there are many ways of asking for what we need, this degree includes a great variety of methods.
Lastly, we may come into the presence of God to enjoy His blessed vision, to listen to His words and to stand before Him on earth as the angels do in heaven; that in the union of love we may repose in His bosom as a stone in its centre.
Hence arises the method of prayer properly called contemplation: this we will consider in the third treatise.
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
All the different methods [of prayer] are founded on some kind of remembrance of the presence of God, with whom we speak and treat: since no one speaks to one who is absent or who cannot, he thinks, hear or understand.
There are many different reasons for which we enter the Divine Presence.
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
Chapter 4.4f - Efficacious preparation for Prayer - Twofold preparation for prayer
Lastly, there is no more efficacious preparation for prayer than prayer itself.
For this reason, says St Dionysius [C. 7 de divin. nomin.], every theological act, every work and every exercise which has God for its object or treats with Him, ought to be begun with prayer, invoking His help to perform the act in the way most pleasing to Him.
Extracts from the Dux Spiritualis by the Venerable Louis de Ponte SJ
Chapter 4.4e - Peter and John - Faith and Charity - Twofold preparation for prayer
But beside this first preparation, Peter and John, faith that is and charity, must provide our heart at the beginning of our prayer with all that is still required.
Faith must rouse up and stimulate our faculties to converse with God, and Charity enkindle lively desires of approaching Him and remaining in his company as long as may be. To this end the door of the cenacle must be closed to all impertinent thoughts, that is, by a courageous determination not to admit any distractions or earthly affection or any less perfect intention.
