Synthesized answer
The passages define each adverb only briefly. “Freely” and “confidently” are implied in the instruction to turn to God “with complete confidence” and to lay dangers before him “with great yearning and determination” [3]. “Nakedly” means being stripped of all images, ideas, and representations of created things, so that the mind is “free from imaginations” and “empty for him” [2][4]. “Firmly” means holding on to God despite temptations, bearing them “patiently and calmly” and not consenting to them, counting all fantasies as “a nothing” [5].
To embody these in practice, the text requires specific disciplines. For “nakedly,” one must “deny yourself” and follow Christ “in nakedness,” renouncing all things of body and mind [2][4]. For “freely” and “confidently,” one must pray with “humble prostration of mind” and “recollected, composed, mature, true and naked, shamefaced affection” [3]. For “firmly,” one must resist temptations by ignoring them completely, treating them “with contempt” and not making them “a matter of conscience” [5]. The passages do not elaborate further on distinct challenges for each adverb, but they consistently link all four to interior recollection and…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
← Translator's Introduction On Cleaving to God by Albert the Great Chapter 1 Chapter 2 → 106115 On Cleaving to God — Chapter 1 Albert the Great On the highest and supreme perfection of man, in so far as it is possible in this life I have had the idea of writing something for myself on and about the state of complete and full abstraction from everything and of cleaving freely, confidently, nakedly and firmly to God alone, so as to describe it fully (in so far as it is possible in this abode of exile and pilgrimage), especially since the goal of Christian perfection is the love by which we…
← Chapter 9 On Cleaving to God by Albert the Great Chapter 10 Chapter 11 → 106255 On Cleaving to God — Chapter 10 Albert the Great That one should not be concerned about feeling tangible devotion so much as about cleaving to God with one’s will Furthermore you should not be much concerned about tangible devotion, the experience of sweetness or tears, but rather that you should be mentally united with God within yourself by a good will in your intellect. For what pleases God above everything is a mind free from imaginations, that is images, ideas and the representations of created things. It…
← Chapter 12 On Cleaving to God by Albert the Great Chapter 13 Chapter 14 → 106290 On Cleaving to God — Chapter 13 Albert the Great The nature and value of prayer, and how the heart should be recollected within itself Besides this, since we are incapable of ourselves for this and for any other good action whatsoever, and since we can of ourselves offer nothing to the Lord God (from whom all good things come) which is not his already, with this one exception, as he has deigned to show us both by his own blessed mouth as well as by his example, that we should turn to him in all circumstances…
te a voluntary and counselled perfection by means of which one may arrive more quickly to the supreme goal which is God. The observation of these additional commitments excludes as well the things that hinder the working and fervour of love, and without which one can come to God, and these include the renunciation of all things, of both body and mind, exactly as one’s vow of profession entails. Since indeed the Lord God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth, in other words, by knowledge and love, that is, understanding and desire, stripped of all images.…
← Chapter 10 On Cleaving to God by Albert the Great Chapter 11 Chapter 12 → 106263 On Cleaving to God — Chapter 11 Albert the Great How one should resist temptations and bear trials Now there is no one who approaches God with a true and upright heart who is not tested by hardships and temptations. So in all these temptations see to it that even if you feel them, you do not consent to them, but bear them patiently and calmly with humility and long suffering. Even if they are blasphemies and sordid, hold firmly on to this fact in everything, that you can do nothing better or more effective…
More questions about this book
- The text presents two levels of commitment: observing commandments for salvation, and additional commitments for evangelical perfection in religious orders. How would you explain to someone unfamiliar with Christian theology the distinct purposes and practices of these two paths, and why one is described as leading "more quickly to the supreme goal"?
- What does it mean to worship God "stripped of all images," as described in the text? If you were explaining this concept to a modern audience, what concrete examples or metaphors could you use to illustrate how one might achieve this state of "knowledge and love, that is, understanding and desire," free from mental constructs?
- The reference to Matthew 6:6, entering the "inner chamber" and "closing the door of your senses," is presented as a method for approaching God. How does this act of internal withdrawal facilitate the "abstraction from everything" and "recollection within himself" that Albert the Great emphasizes?
- The text suggests that "abstraction from everything" leads to "cleaving to God" with "yearning of love." How does detaching from worldly things, including renunciation of "both body and mind," paradoxically deepen one's capacity for love and sincerity towards the divine, rather than leading to an emptying of emotion?