Vigils Reading

THE WAY OF REPENTANCE

From the writing of Jacob Boehme6

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When…a man finds within himself a hunger, so that he would eagerly repent,

but finds in himself no proper sorrow for his past sins, and yet a hunger for sorrow

(as the poor, captured soul ever groans, fears itself and acknowledges itself as guilty

of sins before God’s judgement), he can do no better than to gather sense, mind

and all reason together into one and…when he feels a desire to repent he is to make

a powerful resolution, that in this hour, in this minute, he will enter into

repentance, and leave his godless way, give no attention to any worldly power and

honour and, if it must be, leave all for true repentance and esteem nothing.

And [he] is to make such a firm and stern resolution for himself that he will

never again leave [repentance], even if the whole world considers him a fool; and

that he will wish to lead his mind obediently away from the beauties and pleasures

of this world into the sufferings and death of Christ, under His cross, and order his

whole hope to the coming life and enter into Christ’s vineyard, in righteousness

and truth to do God’s will, and begin and complete all his work in this world in

Christ’s spirit and will. For the sake of Christ’s word and promise by which He

promised us heavenly reward, he should eagerly suffer and bear all misfortune and

suffering, so that he may be counted among the community of Christ’s children…by

the blood of Jesus Christ.

He is strongly to consider, and completely wrap his soul [in the idea] that he

has made the resolution to gain the love of God in Christ Jesus, and that according

to His true promise God will give him the noble pledge of the Holy Spirit as a

beginning so that in himself he might be reborn in Christ’s humanity, according to

the heavenly divine being, and that the spirit of Christ might renew his mind…and

strengthen his weak faith so that in his soul’s desire… he might receive…from the

sweet fountain, Jesus Christ, the water of eternal life…

He is to consider fully the great love of God, that God does not wish the death

of the sinner, but that he be converted and live. And he is also to [consider] how

Christ, in a friendly manner, calls poor sinners to Himself, since He desires to

revive them; and that God sent His son into the world to seek and to make holy

that which was lost, the poor, repentant, converted sinner; and how, for the sake

of the poor sinner, He gave His life unto death, and for him died in our humanity,

taken on [for us].

He is to consider strongly also that God in Christ Jesus will more readily hear

[him] and receive him into grace than he himself wants to come to Him; and that

in the love of Christ, in the very precious Name JESUS, God can desire no evil, that

there is no glimpse of wrath in this Name, but that He is the highest and deepest

love and faithfulness… so that He would pour His sweet love into us so that the

Father’s wrath, which was enflamed in us, might be put out and changed into love.

All of this occurred for the sake of the poor sinner so that he might again gain the

open gate of grace.

In such a consideration he should firmly imagine that at this hour and

moment he stands in the presence of the Holy Trinity, and that God is truly present

in him and outside of him… Thus, he is to know and believe for certain that he

stands, with his soul, before the face of Jesus Christ, before the holy Godhead, and

that his soul has turned from God’s face; and that he now, this hour, wishes to turn

his soul’s eyes and desire to God, and, with the poor, prodigal and returning son

[desires to] come to the Father.

6 Jacob Boehme. The Way to Christ. Trans. Peter Erb. New York: Paulist Press, 1978. 31-34.13