28 June 2020
Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities on
Earth
HE
WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness,” says the Lord (John 8:12). By these
words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be
truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort,
therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ.
The
teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he
who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear
the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of
Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to
pattern his whole life on that of Christ.
What
good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease
the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a
virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than
know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by
heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and
the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and
serve Him alone.
This
is the greatest wisdom—to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world.
It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity
also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the
lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must
come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent
life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make
provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to
look ahead where eternal joy abides.
Often
recall the proverb: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled
with hearing.” Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of things
visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own
evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God.
Thomas à Kempis, The
Imitation of Christ, p5
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