Vigils Reading – Office for the Dead

THE INVISIBLE CHURCH

From “The Paradise of the Heart” by John Comenius2 ◊◊◊

A still greater light began to shine around me… He who spoke to me, my Lord… said, “I live in two places, in my glory in heaven and in the penitent heart on earth. So from this time forward, I want you also to have two dwellings: one here at home, where I have promised to dwell with you; the other with me in heaven… Whenever you wish, you will be able to raise yourself up to me so that we may experience delight in one another.”… Go, then,” he said, “and return to the place you passed over earlier…”

Remembering where it was that I went astray, I arose and hurried back eagerly. Although surrounded by the turmoil of the world, I paid no attention to it. Entering the temple called Christianity and seeing in its innermost part, which is the choir, a curtain or screen, I went directly toward it not even looking at the <factions> quarreling on the sides… The curtain had two parts. The exterior, which could be seen from the outside, was dark-colored and was called… ‘contempt of the world.’ The interior was brilliant and was called… the ‘love of Christ.’…

Still standing outside and observing, I saw something strange and amazing taking place. Although many thousands of people were constantly walking around the enclosure, they did not enter it. I do not know whether they simply did not notice it or whether it seemed unattractive to them from the outside. I saw those learned in the Scriptures, as well as priests, bishops, and many others who pretended to be holy walking around it. Some even stopped to look at it, but they did not enter. This made me sad. I saw that when someone stepped closer, a ray of light flashed through a crevice or a fragrance wafted out and attracted him, so that he wanted to find its source. But even some of these people, while beginning to look for the door, turned back. The brilliance of the world dazzled them once more, and they went away again.

When I approached the door of the enclosure, however, I saw the real reason why so few people arrived there; namely, because of the very rigorous examination that was held there. Those who wished to enter had to surrender all their possessions and even their eyes, ears, minds, and hearts; for, they said, whoever wants to be wise in God’s sight must become simple in his own; whoever wishes to know God must forget all else; whoever wants to possess God must forsake all else. Therefore, some who did not want to relinquish their possessions or their learning, contending that these were aids to heaven, remained outside and did not enter…

Having observed this at the door, I went further beyond the screen to look at these things… With unspeakable delight, I observed that everything here was in opposition to the world. In the world I had seen blindness and darkness everywhere, but here bright light; in the world deception, here truth; the world was full of disorder, here was marvelous order; in the world was striving, here peace… For although upon entering, Christians must lay aside and relinquish reason, yet it is returned to them again by the Holy Spirit, refined and polished. Thus, they are as if full of eyes; wherever they go in the world, whatever they see, hear, smell, or taste above them, below them, or around them, they see everywhere the footprints of God and know well how to turn everything into the fear of God. Therefore, they are wiser than all philosophers of the world, whom God blinds by his righteous judgment so that while supposing they know everything, they know nothing… Their learning is fixed only on the outer shell, that is, a survey of the exterior; it does not penetrate to the inner kernel where God’s glory pervades all. But in everything that he sees, hears, touches, smells, or tastes, a Christian sees, hears, touches, smells, and tastes God, having the certainty within that this is not mere supposition but the real truth