Meister Eckhart

Library › Sermon 70

Sermon 70

The bread of heaven, of angels, and of sorrow

Sermon 70 (Evans numbering)

In brief

This sermon is built around a word play that Eckhart's hearers would have caught at once: the bread of the altar has several names in scripture, and he picks out three of them. It is called the bread of heaven, the bread of angels, and the bread of lamentation. Each name, he says, asks something different of the person who comes to receive it. You cannot eat the heavenly bread unless your desires and thoughts are already lifted above merely earthly things. You cannot eat the bread of angels unless you are clean in heart and body. And you cannot eat the bread of sorrow unless you actually grieve over what was done to Christ.

The second half of the text, which the Evans edition prints as a continuation, moves from the Eucharist into familiar Eckhart territory: a light so bright that nothing can approach it without being changed by it, and a soul that has to be stripped of everything foreign to her before she can sink into her own ground and from there into God. It ends with one of Eckhart's boldest formulas, that the soul who truly arrives in God is herself called pure being, because only pure being can enter what is pure being.

In plain English

Sermon 70

This is a sermon on our Lord's body by Brother Eckhart. He says that the bread of our Lord's body has many names, but three special ones are given to it in holy scripture. First it is called the heavenly bread, second it is called the bread of angels, and third the bread of lamentation. And whoever would worthily receive this bread of our Lord's body must have these three things. First, no one can enjoy the heavenly bread who is not a heavenly person. This means that as the heavens with the sun and moon and the entire system are above all earthly, temporal things, so a person in desires, senses and thoughts must be lifted up to heavenly things. Second, no one can enjoy the bread of heaven unless they are an angelic person, for no creature was ever as perfect as an angel. This person must be at all times perfectly pure in heart and body. Third, it is called the bread of lamentation; no one enjoys this except a person of sorrow, one, that is to say, who pondering our Lord's martyrdom grieves over the treatment given to our Lord on earth. Whoever lacks this grief shall not enjoy the bread of sorrow. So then, a person must have three things before approaching this bread. First, having reached the point of knowing good from evil, they must choose the good and worthy and reject the foul and evil. Next, with the heart freed from worldly loves, this person must walk in godly love and all godly things. Third, they must order all their activities.

Boethius says: he who wants to see truly

Boethius says, 'Whoever wants to see truly in this light I speak of must give up four things,' as it is written. He must give up the joys of the world and its cares. While these remain in you, everything within is dark and clouded. Saint Paul says God dwells in light inaccessible. Anything that approaches this light is consumed by it and turned into its own divine nature, just as I said about the divine essence: what is taken into the essence is changed into essence. Speaking of understanding: just as it is characteristic of God to remain unmoved in his pure and virgin essence, his own being, so this same property belongs to understanding, which is so noble that it subsists in itself.

For No. 71 (1) see Jostes, No. 16, of which it forms a part.

I have told how understanding has to break through the image of the Son, as he himself says, 'I am the light of the world; no one comes to the Father but through me.' As the wise man explains in the Book of Wisdom, when the soul is carried into God by his divine wisdom, she is made clear and lifted up in light and in grace, with everything foreign to the soul stripped and shed away, together with a part of herself. Further, I told how the soul, now fully purged of all that has gathered to her, is carried up and flows back into the Son as pure as she flowed out of him. The Father created the soul in the Son, so if we are ever to reach the ground of God, into his innermost heart, we must take the lowest place in our own ground, in our own innermost self, in utter lowliness. When the soul enters into her own ground, into the innermost depths of her being, divine power suddenly pours into her, producing much activity, both visible and hidden, and the soul grows great and rises high in God's favor. This is and must be true of the soul who, rightly set in the ground of humility, rises, carried up by divine power: she never stops until she comes right into God, and coming to complete rest in him, remains wholly within without looking outward, existing in his pure essence, for even there the soul is found. God is pure being. The philosopher says that nothing at all can enter into God, who is pure being, except what is also pure being. Therefore the soul that has entered there, soaring right up into God, is pure being. Amen.

Plain-English version by Gregory Lahn, from C. de B. Evans's translation of Franz Pfeiffer's edition (London, 1924), which is in the public domain.

Read the 1924 translation

THIS IS A SERMON ABOUT OUR LORD'S BODY

This is a sermon on our Lord's body by Brother Eckhart. He says that the bread of our Lord's body has many names, but three special ones are given it in holy writ. In the first place it is called the heavenly bread, in the second it is called the bread of angels, and thirdly the bread of lamentation. And whoso would worthily receive this bread of our Lord's body must have these three things. First, none can enjoy the heavenly bread who is not a heavenly man. This means that as the heavens with the sun and moon and the entire system are above all earthly, temporal things, so man in his desires, his senses and his thoughts must be lifted up to celestial things. Secondly, no man can enjoy the bread of heaven except he be an angelic man, for no creature was ever so perfect as an angel. This man must be at all times perfectly pure in heart and body. Thirdly, it is called the bread of lamentation; this no man enjoys except he be a man of sorrow, one, that is to say, who pondering our Lord's martyrdom shall rue the treatment meted out to our Lord on earth. Whoso has not this rue shall not enjoy the bread of sorrow. So, then, a man must have three things before he can approach this bread. First, having gotten to the excellent condition of knowing good and ill, he must choose the good and worthy and reject the foul and evil. Next, with his heart divorced from worldly loves, this man must go in godly love and all godly things. Thirdly, he must order all his activities.

BOETHIUS SAYS: HE WHO WANTS TO SEE TRUE

Boethius says, 'He who wants to see true in this light I speak of let him relinquish four things,' which are set down. He must relinquish the joys of the world and care. While these are in thee it is dark and clouded therein. St Paul says God dwells in light inaccessible. Anything approaching this light the light consumes and turns to its own divine nature, even as I said of the divine essence; what is taken into the essence is changed into essence. Speaking of understanding: as it is characteristic of God to subsist unmoved in his pure and virgin essence, his own being, so is this property imputed to understanding, which is so noble as to be self-subsistent.

For No. 71 (1) see Jostes, No. 16, of which it forms a part.

I have told how understanding has to break through the image of the Son; as he himself declares, 'I am the light of the world; no man cometh to the Father but through me.' As the wise man explains in the Book of Wisdom, when the soul is borne into God by his divine wisdom, she is clarified and sublimed in light and in grace, all that is foreign to the soul being detached and shelled away together with a portion of herself. Further, I related how the soul, now thoroughly purged of soul accretions, is carried up and flows back into the Son as pure as she flowed out in him. The Father created the soul in the Son, so if we are ever to get into the ground of God, into his innermost heart, we must take the lowest place in our own ground, in our own innermost self, in abject lowliness. When the soul enters into her ground, into the innermost recesses of her being, divine power suddenly pours into her, producing much activity, both manifest and secret, and the soul grows big and high in favour with God. This is and must be in the soul who, rightly disposed in the ground of humility, ascends, borne aloft in the divine power: she never stops until she gets right into God and coming to absolute rest in him, abides wholly within without looking out, subsistent in his pure essence; for even therein is the soul. God is pure being. The philosopher says that nothing at all can get into God, who is pure being, but what is also pure being. Ergo, the soul is pure being who has gotten therein, soaring right up into God. Amen.

Go deeper with this sermon

The spiritual guide to Sermon 70

The guide walks you through the inner journey this sermon describes, where it meets your own days, and the ways people go wrong trying to live it. It ends with a practice for the week, a meditation and questions for reflection.

It is in Sermons of Meister Eckhart, Explained, Volume 5.

Get Volume 5

Live this teaching

Detachment is Week 2 of The Ground of the Soul

An 8-week guided path with daily practices, weekly guided audio and a workbook.

See the course