
Hans Schonbrunner, upon seeing his corpse October 12th, ibid, p.357-358
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#166
Vectors: Aphorisms and Ten Second Essays (2001)
Hans Schonbrunner, upon seeing his corpse October 12th, ibid, p.357-358
About
Book Two: The Royal Mystery or the Art of Subduing the Powers, Chapter XII: The Terrible Secret
The Great Secret: or Occultism Unveiled
“Forgive everyone for your own sins and be sure to tell them you love them which you do.”
This is a variant or paraphrase of The Paradoxical Commandments, by Kent M. Keith, student activist, first composed in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders, which had hung on the wall of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta, India, and have sometimes become misattributed to her. The version posted at his site http://www.paradoxicalcommandments.com begins:
Misattributed
“You who make the laws, the vices and the virtues of the people will be your work.”
(Autumn 1792) [Source: Oeuvres Complètes de Saint-Just, vol. 1 (2 vols., Paris, 1908), p. 380]
“It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give to them.”
As quoted in Homelessness in America : A Forced March to Nowhere (1982), p. 121
Context: You will find out that Charity is a heavy burden to carry, heavier than the kettle of soup and the full basket. But you will keep your gentleness and your smile. It is not enough to give soup and bread. This the rich can do. You are the servant of the poor, always smiling and good-humored. They are your masters, terribly sensitive and exacting master you will see and the uglier and the dirtier they will be, the more unjust and insulting, the more love you must give them. It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give to them.
The Agnostic's Prayer from the novel Creatures of Light and Darkness (1969)