A dose of pessimism
Just as man — by nature — desires what is able to sustain and revive the lust of life, so does he who is to live for the eternal need constantly a dose of pessimism, in order not to dote upon this world, but rather learn to loathe and be weary of and disgusted with the foolishness and lies o£ this wretched world.
The God-Man is betrayed, mocked, deserted by all, all, all; not a single one, literally not a single one remains faithful to Him — and then afterwards, afterwards, afterwards there are millions who have made pilgrimage to the places where, many hundreds of years before, His foot perhaps has left a trace; afterwards, afterwards, afterwards millions have worshiped a splinter of the cross upon which He was crucified.
And so it is always, contemporaneously; but afterwards, afterwards, afterwards!
Must not one then be disgusted at being a man?
Again, must not one be disgusted at being a man! For those millions who upon their knees made the pilgrimage to His grave, the human crowd which no power was able to disperse : only one thing was needed, that Christ should come again — and all these millions would at once acquire feet and take to their heels, the whole crowd would be as if blown away; or perhaps as a mass would stand upright and fall upon Christ to put Him to death.
What Christ, what the Apostles, what every witness to the truth desires as the only thing...is imitation — the only thing humanity has no taste for, takes no pleasure in.
No, take away the danger...that we may play — then the battalions of the human race perform marvels of mimicry. Instead of the imitation of Christ we have (Oh, nausea!) the sacred apish tricks — under the leadership and command (Oh, nausea!) of perjured priests, who serve as sergeants, lieutenants, etc., ordained men, who therefore have for this serious business the special support of a Holy Spirit.