De Imitatione Christi (“On the Imitation of Christ”) was an anonymous devotional, likely written by Thomas Hemerken (“Thomas à Kempis”) a century before the Protestant Reformation. It introduces people to the principles of Modern Devotion, to get us to follow Jesus instead of being content to just call ourselves Christian. Book 1 is titled, “Helpful thoughts in the life of the soul.”
1. Imitating Christ, and his contempt for the world’s useless things.
“If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness,” says the Lord. By these words of Christ, we’re advised to imitate his life and habits if we wish to be truly enlightened, and free from all blindness of heart. So our main job must be to study Christ Jesus’s life.
Christ’s teaching is better than all the saints’ advice. One who has his spirit will find a hidden manna in it. Now, many hear the gospel regularly, but don’t care much for it. They don’t have Christ’s spirit. Yet any who wish to understand Christ’s words fully, must try to pattern their entire lives on that of Christ.
What good is it to speak intellectually about the Trinity, yet displease the Trinity because you’re not humble? See, it’s not education which makes a person holy and right: It’s behavior which God finds pleasing. I would rather feel compunction, than know what that word means. How does it profit us to know the entire bible by heart, and the principles of all the philosophers, if we live without grace and God’s love? “Everything’s meaningless, entirely meaningless!” except to love God, and serve him only. This is the greatest wisdom: Seek heaven’s Kingdom through contempt of the world.
So it’s useless to seek and trust in riches, which perish. It’s useless to pursue honor, and be puffed up with pride. It’s useless to follow bodily lusts, and desire things which later result in severe consequences. It’s useless to wish for a long life, and care little about a life well spent. It’s useless to worry only about the present, and make no provision for the future. It’s useless to love the fleeting, and to not chase after the eternal, where real joy exists.
Try to turn your heart away from the love of visible things. Redirect it towards invisible things. Those who follow their own evil passions, stain their consciences and reject God’s grace.
2. Growing in humility.
Everyone naturally wants knowledge. But what good is knowledge without the fear of God? It’s better to be a humble commoner who finds God, than to be a proud intellectual who studies the stars instead of his soul. Once we know ourselves well, we become small in our own eyes, and aren’t so pleased by the praises of others. If I knew everything in the world but lacked love, what would it profit me before God, who will judge me by my works?
Avoid any obsessive desire for knowledge: There’s a lot of distraction and deceit in it. Intellectuals like to appear knowledgeable, and to be called wise. But in many cases, knowing about a thing does little or no good to the soul, and only a fool prioritizes those things over the things which lead to salvation. The soul isn’t satisfied by many words, but a good life eases the mind, and a clean conscience inspires great faith in God.
The more you know, and the better you know, the more severely you will be judged—unless your life is holy. So don’t be puffed up because of your skills or training. Rather, fear God because of the talents he gave you. If you think you know many things, and understand them well enough, realize at the same time there’s much you don’t know. Don’t show off your wisdom; admit your ignorance. Why prefer your own thinking to that of others?—especially since many are more knowledgeable than you, and more skillful in the Law? If you want to learn, and know what’s useful, embrace being unknown. Make yourself nothing.
This is the best advice, and very useful for growth: Truly know yourself, and think yourself nothing. To always think well and highly of others, and think nothing of yourself, is the best and most perfect wisdom. So, if you see another person publicly sin, or commit a serious crime, don’t consider yourself better than that person. Everyone is frail—and you must admit that no one is any more frail than you are.
3. Teaching truth.
Happy is the person who is shown the truth—not through signs, not through words which fade away, but as it really is. Our opinions and senses often lie to us, so we realize very little. What good is it to discuss and debate intricate, even obscure details, when on Judgment Day we won’t be condemned for not knowing them? It’s hugely stupid to put aside useful and necessary things, and focus instead on irrelevant and even harmful things. “You have eyes—can’t you see?”
Why do we involve ourselves with “genus and species”? When the Eternal Word speaks to you, all theory is gone. Everything comes from this Word; everything speaks of this Word; he is the beginning, and he speaks to us. Nobody understands him. Nobody is right without him. Everything is taught by him, gravitates towards him, and is seen in him—and those who recognize this will be at peace with God. Oh God, who are the truth, make me one with you in everlasting love: I am so tired of the many things I hear and read, and everything I long for is in you. Silence the professors; may all creation be silent before you, and you alone speak to me.
The more we’re aware of ourselves, and the more unentangled our interiors are, the more productive we become—the better, because we receive the light from above, and understand without effort. We become pure, simple, and stable. We aren’t distracted, because all work is to the honor of God. And with this inner peace, we seek nothing for selfish reasons. After all, what gives us more distraction and trouble than the uncontrolled desires of the heart? A good, devout person first sorts out in one’s mind the things which must be done—not based on evil desires and a possessive inclination, but based on wanting to be ruled by right thinking. Who struggles more than the person who desires self-mastery? This ought to be our goal: To conquer self. To become stronger each day, and to continually improve.
Every perfection in this life has some imperfection stuck to it. Every one of us is not without some darkness. Humbly knowing ourselves is a surer path to God than the ardent pursuit of learning. Don’t knock knowledge—in itself, knowledge is good, and God approves it. But always prioritize a clean conscience and life. Many are eager for better lives, but they mistakenly accomplish little, or bear no fruit, because they don’t understand this.
If people put as much effort into uprooting vices, and developing virtue, as they do in discussing problems, there wouldn’t be so much evil and scandal—or slacking in our religious institutions. On Judgment Day we definitely won’t be asked about what we studied, but what we did; not what we said, but what we lived. Tell me: Where are all the masters and teachers whom you used to know so well, who were famous for their learning? Others have already taken their places. I don’t know whether they ever think of their predecessors. They seemed to be something important once, but now no one speaks of them.
In this world, glory is fleeting. If their lives were as solid as their knowledge, read and study them! Yet how many people perish through useless worldly knowledge, who make little effort into serving God? Because they’d rather be great than humble, everything they do turns futile. But the truly great are small in their own eyes; they make nothing of the highest honors. The truly wise look at all earthly things as stupid, simply to gain Christ. And the truly educated do the will of God, and renounce their own will.
4. Being wise about things.
Don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully and patiently think things over with God’s will in mind. Sadly, we’re often so weak, we believe and speak evil rather than good. People don’t easily give credit to every good story, because we know human frailty is prone to evil. So evil reports are more likely to circulate.
It’s great wisdom to not be hasty in our actions. Nor to stubbornly insist upon our own opinions. Nor to believe everything people say—nor hear it, believe it, and pour it into the ears of others.
Get advice from wise, thoughtful people. Learn from better-educated people instead of following your own gut. A good life makes a person wise in God’s ways, and gives such people experience in many things. The more humble people are, the more subject to God, the more they will be wise and at peace with all things.
5. Reading the scriptures.
Seek truth in the holy scriptures, not impressive sayings. All scripture ought to be read in the spirit in which it was written. We need to look for what we can profit by, not for religious-sounding speech. We need to also read simple, devout books just as willingly as intellectual, profound books. Don’t be swayed by the writer’s authority. Whether he’s a great literary figure, or an obscure person, we read out of the love of simple truth. Don’t ask, “Who said so?” Pay attention to what’s said.
Men pass away, but the Lord’s truth lasts forever. God speaks to us in various ways, with no preference for individuals. Our curiosity often gets in the way of reading the scriptures. We wish to understand and discuss it when we simply ought to read it and move on. If you want to profit by it, read it with humility, simplicity, and faith. Don’t seek a reputation of being a scholar. Seek the saints’ teachings willingly, and listen attentively. Don’t dismiss them simply because they’re ancient. They weren’t written for no good reason.
6. Uncontrolled emotion.
When people desire something too much, they become ill at ease. The proud and the covetous can never rest, whereas the spiritually poor and humble have great peace. Those who aren’t self-fulfilled are spiritually dead—easily tempted, overcome by small and trifling evils, weak in spirit, somewhat carnal, bent towards things that please the senses, and just can’t give up or put aside material things. When rebuked, they’re quick to anger. When stopped, they find a way to satisfy their desires anyway.
Yet when they satisfy their desires, their conscience is overwhelmed with remorse: They followed their passions, but they didn’t find the peace they sought. So true peace of heart is found in resisting those passions, not in gratifying them. There is no peace in the heart of a carnal person, or in the person who pursues useless distractions. There’s only peace among those who are passionately spiritual.
7. Escaping false hope and pride.
It’s useless to put one’s trust in humans, in created things. Don’t be ashamed to serve others out of love for our Lord, Christ Jesus. Don’t be ashamed to appear poor in this world. Don’t seek self-sufficiency; put your trust in God. Do what you can, and to what you do out of goodwill, God will add. Don’t put your trust in your knowledge, nor in the cleverness of others. Put it instead in the grace of God—who helps the humble, and humbles those who trust in themselves.
If you’re rich, don’t glory in your riches. If you’ve powerful friends, don’t glory in them. Glory in God, who gives us everything, who desires most of all to give himself. Don’t boast about physical fitness, nor physical beauty—qualities which can be scarred or destroyed by a little illness. Don’t take pride in your talent or ability, lest you displease God, who gave us all the natural gifts that we have.
Don’t consider yourself better than others, lest God, who knows what’s in everyone, considers you worse than others. Don’t take pride in your good deeds; God’s judgment is different than that of people, and what pleases them, often displeases him. If you have a good quality, look for a better quality in others, so that you can stay humble. It doesn’t harm you to consider yourself lesser than others, but it’s very harmful to consider yourself greater than even one person. The humble live in continuous peace, whereas the hearts of the proud are full of envy and frequent anger.
8. Watch out for over-familiarity.
Don’t expose your heart to just anyone. Stick to those who are wise, and who fear God. Don’t make fast friends of young people, of strangers, of the rich, of flatterers, of those who shun authority and greatness. Spend your time with the humble and the simple, the devout and obedient, with those who discuss edifying subjects. Don’t be intimate with any woman; in general, commend all good women to God. Seek to be intimate only with God and his angels. Avoid human attention.
Be charitable with everyone—but it’s not necessary to be friends with everyone. Sometimes it happens that a man has a good reputation with those who don’t know him very well, but is unregarded by those who do know him. We frequently think we honor others with our presence, but in reality we annoy them with the flaws they find in us.
9. Obedience and submission.
Obedience is a great thing: Live under a superior, and not by your own rules. It’s safer to be a subject than it is to command. Many live in obedience out of necessity, rather than love. They consider it a punishment, and easily grumble, and have no peace of mind till they submit themselves wholeheartedly, for God’s sake. Go anywhere, and you’ll find no rest unless you humbly obey the rule of authority. Many have been deceived by imagining otherwise—by changing the situation, by moving elsewhere.
True, everyone wishes to do as they please, and everyone is attracted to those who agree with them. But if we follow God together, sometimes we must give up our opinions for the blessings of peace. Who is so wise, they know absolutely everything? Don’t trust your own opinions too much. Be willing to listen to the sentiments of others. You might feel your own view is best, but give it up for the sake of God and the other person. You will gain much more.
I’ve often heard it’s safer to listen, and take advice, than it is to give it. Maybe your own opinion is good. But when you refuse to agree with others when reason and occasion demand it, it’s a sign of pride and stubbornness.
10. Useless conversation.
Avoid people’s gossip as much as you can. There’s a great interest, even a sincere one, in the discussion of worldly things. But we’re quickly sucked in to useless discussions. Many times I wish I’d said nothing, and avoided others’ company. Why do we so often speak and gossip with one another, when it’s so rare that we come away from those discussions without a troubled conscience? We do it because we take comfort from one another’s conversation. We wish to ease our weary hearts with various thoughts. We choose to speak and think of the things we love or want—or even the things we really hate.
Sadly, it’s often completely useless. This public release of tension actually blocks God’s comfort to our inner being. That’s why we must watch and pray, lest we waste time. If it’s okay and productive to say something that’ll edify, say something. Our bad habits, our lack of concern about spiritual progress, keep very little guard on our tongues. But discussing spiritual progress and spiritual matters, especially between people who share the same mind and spirit, who fellowship in God together, is a great help.
11. Seeking peace, and zeal for improvement.
If we don’t worry ourselves about what others say and do, and don’t preoccupy ourselves with their deeds, there’s much we can do to have peace. If people seek outside entertainment, and rarely spend time on internal things, how could they live long in peace? Blessed are the simple of heart: They’ll have abundant peace.
Why are some saints so perfect, so natural at meditation? Because they tried to kill off every earthly desire. That’s why they were able to devote themselves wholeheartedly to God. They couldn’t be happy unless they pleased him. We’re too preoccupied with our own interests; too anxious about temporary things. Rarely will we ever completely conquer even one bad habit. We don’t bother to improve every day, and become either hot or cold.
If we paid attention to our inner selves, and let nothing outside us distract us, we could focus on divine things; we could contemplate heavenly experiences. The greatest obstacle is that we aren’t free of passions and lusts. We don’t try to follow the perfect way of the saints. When just a little bit of opposition occurs, we give up too easily, and find our comfort in human things.
But if we tried, like brave warriors in battle, the Lord would see us from heaven and help us. He wants that effort. He’s ready to help those who trust in his grace. He creates the opportunities for us to participate in, so we’d overcome them. If we let our religious progress depend only on how things outwardly appear, our devotion would quickly come to an end. We must hold the axe to the root, and sever ourselves from our passions, and have peace of mind.
Say we uprooted only one bad habit a year. How quickly we’d become perfect! Yet we often experience the contrary: We feel we were better when we first converted, than we are after many years went by. Our enthusiasm and improvement ought to increase daily, but it’s now considered noteworthy if a man can keep even a hint of his first fervor. If we’d just made that violent break in the beginning, we might then be able to do everything in ease and joy.
But it’s hard break old habits, to let them go. Still, it’s even harder to go against our own will. But if you don’t defeat the small, trifling things, when will you ever defeat the more difficult things? So resist temptations from the very beginning. Unlearn those bad habits, lest little by little they lead to even more evil habits. If you only knew how much joy peace could bring, and how able you are to make it a reality! Had you known, I think you’d have been far more concerned about your spiritual growth.
12. The value of opposition.
It’s good for us to sometimes encounter certain difficulties and opposition. They can regularly remind us we’re not of this world; we mustn’t put our hopes in any worldly things. It’s good for us when people sometimes contradict us, or hold bad or inaccurate opinions of us, regardless of how much good we do, or our good intentions. These things help keep us humble. They shield us from useless pride. When we get no credit, no honor from other people, we seek God’s approval all the more.
Thus we should build ourselves up from within, so we won’t need the approval of people. When good people are suffering, tempted, and tormented by evil thoughts, they’ll recognize their greatest need is God. Without him, we can do nothing. They can mourn and pray for their misery and suffering; they can look forward to death so they might “go and be with Christ.” They’ll fully understand that perfect security, perfect peace, can’t be found in this world.
13. Resisting temptation.
As long as we live in this world, we live with suffering and temptation. Thus it’s written in Job, “Isn’t all human life a struggle?” So everyone ought to guard against temptation, and watch in prayer lest the devil, who never sleeps but goes around seeking people to devour, find an opportunity to deceive. No one is so holy, so perfect, they’ve never been tempted. We can never be wholly without it.
Yet temptations can also be useful. Even though they’re troublesome and grievous, in them we can be humble, pure, and can learn. Every saint passed through many trials and temptations, and profited by them. Those who couldn’t, quit and fell away. There is no position so holy, no place so secret, we can escape trials and temptations.
No human is ever wholly safe from temptation, as long as we live. For the source of temptation is within us. We were born with the inclination to sin. When one temptation or trial passes, another comes. We always have something to undergo, because that original state of goodness and joy was lost. So when many try to escape temptation, they only fall into them more deeply. We can’t defeat them by fleeing them. It’s only by patience and true humility, that we become stronger than all our enemies.
People who only outwardly resist temptation, yet don’t uproot them, will make little progress. In fact, the temptations will quickly return to them more violently than before. Little by little, in patience and over a long time, with God’s help, you can defeat them. You won’t succeed through your own stubbornness nor toughness. When you’re tempted, seek advice often. Don’t be harsh with others who undergo trials; comfort them as you yourself would wish to be comforted.
All temptation begins with an inconsistent mind, with little faith in God. Like a ship without a rudder, which is driven back and forth by waves, people backslide, and are tempted to follow their own paths. Fire tests iron, and temptation makes steel out of the righteous. Usually we don’t know what we can withstand, but temptation shows us as we really are. Be especially alert about the beginnings of temptation: The enemy is more easily defeated if there’s no way to enter the door of the mind, and we’ve blocked him before he even stepped on the porch. It’s been rightly said, “Stop it at the beginning; medicine means it’s too late.” [Ovid.] It begins with a simple thought coming to mind; then a solid idea is imagined; then delight in the idea, evil plans, and commitment to it. Thus, because the enemy isn’t resisted in the beginning, bit by bit the evil one gains full entry. The longer people delay in resisting, the weaker they become day by day, and the more powerful the enemy is against them.
Some are greatly tempted when they first convert. Others at the end of their lives, and others are plagued, so to speak, their whole lives. Some are only lightly tempted, according to the wisdom and fairness of God’s plan: He weighs the status and merits of each person, all in order to save those of us he chose.
So don’t despair! When we’re tempted, pray all the more fervently to God, so that he might help us. As St. Paul wrote, “He won’t allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.” Let’s submit our lives to God’s hand in every trial and temptation: He’ll save and lift up those who are humble in spirit.
A person’s progress is measured in temptations and trials: Merit and virtue is made more obvious. It’s easy to be devout and religious when people don’t suffer much. But when people bear up patiently in times of trouble, there’s the hope of great progress. Some people are kept away from great temptations, and as a result they’re regularly conquered by small ones—but that’s so they’ll never presume to take on great matters, humbly knowing how weak they are.
14. Avoiding hasty judgments.
Turn your eyes back on yourself. Beware of judging the deeds of others. People waste their time in judging others: They often make mistakes, and easily sin. But when they judge themselves, they do something which is always profitable. We often judge things because we wish them to please us—we give up love for the sake of our private opinions. If God were the only object of our desire, we wouldn’t be so easily stirred up, and lose all sense in favor of our opinions.
Often it’s something which lurks within us, or it’s an outside distraction which pushes our buttons. Unthinkingly, many people seek their own gain in their opinions. When things are done according to their liking, it seems to create peace. But in trying to please their senses and opinions, arguments arise among friends and fellow citizens—even those who are religious and devout.
Old habits are hard to break, and no one is willing to be led to see past them. If you rely on your intelligence or hard work more than on the virtue of submitting to Christ Jesus, you’ll rarely (or slowly) become an enlightened person. God wants us to be completely submitted to him, and the intensity of our love should go beyond all reason.
15. Charitable works.
Never do evil. Not for anything in the world; not for the love of any person. But—when it benefits the needy—you can sometimes set aside good work, or change it for a better work. In doing this, you don’t destroy a good work; you change it for the better. Good work which lacks love is useless. Good work in love, no matter how small or trivial, is entirely fruitful. God weighs the love in which we act, not the good deed itself.
Those who love much, do much. They do things well. They serve the common good, rather than their own interests. Sometimes things we call “charity” really aren’t; they’re sensuality, self-serving, done for reward, and rarely done for anything other than hidden motives.
But those who have true and perfect charity, seek themselves in nothing: Everything’s for the glory of God. In fact, they envy no one; there’s no personal pleasure to be gained, nor desire to rejoice in themselves. They only wish to take joy in God above everything. They don’t look for goodness in people, but in God, who gives us everything, and in whom the saints find joy and rest. If you have any spark of true charity, you’d recognize everything on earth is utter uselessness.
16. Putting up with others’ flaws.
Rarely can people patiently put up with the things they can’t fix, whether in themselves or others, unless God decides otherwise. Consider this fact: Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe it’s to test your patience. After all, why else are we making such an effort? But in such difficulties, you ought to beg God to come to your aid, and help you put up with them calmly.
If, after one or two warnings, people still refuse to reform, don’t argue with them. Leave it to God. Let his will be done; let his servants honor him, and recognize he can make good out of evil. Try to patiently put up with the flaws—with the brokenness of people—whatever they may be. Because you, too, have many flaws, which others must put up with. And if you can’t make yourself be what you wish, how can you make others be what you wish? We demand perfection of others, but we don’t correct our own flaws.
We want them to be severely punished, yet we resist attempts to penalize or deny us. We’ll pass laws against them, but we want no law to restrain us. So it’s clear how rarely we judge ourselves. If everyone were perfect, how could we put up with others for the sake of God?
But God arranged things so we can learn to carry one another’s burdens, because no one lacks flaws. No one lives without burdens. No one is independent. No one is wise enough for themselves. We have to support one another, comfort one another, help one another, advise one another. During rough times, this is especially obvious. These occasions don’t make us weak; they instead reveal us as we really are.
17. Living like a monk.
If you want peace and harmony with others, you have to learn to give up your will in many things. This is even true in monasteries or religious communities: To live in such places without complaining, to stick with it faithfully until death, is no easy thing. Blessed are those who can live a good life in such places, and end their days in happiness. And if you want to persevere in seeking perfection, you have to think that way: Consider yourself a pilgrim, an exile on the earth. If you want to be religious, you have to make yourself, for Christ’s sake, a fool.
Wearing their robes, having their hairstyles, only change your life a little. It’s the lifestyle—to totally die to your desires—which truly makes you religious. Looking to anything other than God alone, and the salvation of your soul, will only bring you trouble and grief. Being anything other than the humblest person, the servant of all, will bring you nothing more than a fleeting peace. You join such communities to serve, not to rule; you’re called there to suffer and work, not to rest and kill time. There, people are tested like gold in a furnace. There, nobody can stay unless they desire with all their heart to humble themselves before God.
18. The church fathers’ example.
Look at the bold examples of the church fathers. In them, the true perfection glowed—you’ll see how little we do by comparison. Compared with theirs, what are our sad little lives? The saints and friends of Christ served the Lord through hunger and thirst, through cold and nakedness, through work and exhaustion, through vigils and fasts, through prayers and holy meditations, through persecution and great suffering.
The apostles, the martyrs, those who proclaimed Christ, those who stayed unmarried, and all the rest who chose to follow in Christ’s footsteps—how many, how severe were the trials they suffered! They hated their lives on this earth, all so they’d possess eternal life. The holy Desert Fathers—how strict and detached their lives, how long and awful their temptations, how often the enemy attacked them, how fervent and serious the prayers they offered God, how rigorous their fasts, how great their zeal and fervor for spiritual progress, how strong the fight they waged to defeat their evil habits, how pure and straightforwardly they laid hold of God! They worked all day, they prayed all the long night, and even at work they wouldn’t stop praying in their minds.
They spent their time usefully; every hour was given to God, and seemed too short. Because of the great sweetness of their prayer life, they even forgot their bodily needs—their riches, dignities, honors, friends, and associates. They wanted nothing from the world. Their bodily needs were seen as annoying distractions. They were poor in earthly things—but rich in grace, and mighty deeds. From the outside, they were poor; from within, they were full of grace and God’s power.
To the world they were strangers; to God they were near, his close friends. They considered themselves nothing, rejected by the world, but beloved and precious in God’s eyes. They lived in true humility and simple obedience. They walked in charity and patience. They made progress daily, and possessed God’s grace in abundance. They’re presented to all religious people as an example, and ought to inspire us to make good progress, rather than follow the lukewarm and be tempted to slack.
When religious people began their holy vocations, how great was their fervor! How great their devotion in prayer, how much they struggled to be good, how splendid their flourishing discipline, how great their reverence and obedience in all things under their superior’s rule! The footsteps they left behind still bear witness they were truly of holy, perfect people. They fought bravely, and conquered the world. Yet nowadays, someone is considered “great” if he’s not a criminal; if he can patiently live with what he has.
We’re so lazy and negligent; we’ve so quickly fallen away from our former zeal because of a little heat. I am so tired of weariness and warmth. Don’t fall asleep pursuing goodness! You’ve seen so many examples of devout living—follow them!
19. How a good religious person acts.
Those who practice good religion ought to abound in every good behavior, so much that on the inside they’re exactly how they appear on the outside. For that matter, there ought to be more on the inside than on the outside, for God sees the inside. Wherever we are, we ought to honor him and walk in his sight, as pure as the angels. We ought to renew our resolutions every day, and get as excited about him as we were on the first day we followed him. We ought to say, “God, help me in my good resolutions, in your holy service. Make me able to start perfectly. So far, I’ve done nothing.”
Our progress will match our purpose. If we desire perfection, we must be very diligent. If the strong fail all the time, how will we do when we rarely focus, or aren’t up to the challenge? There are many ways to fail at our resolutions. Even a slight oversight of a religious practice is a kind of failure. But the righteous depend on God’s grace, rather than our own wisdom, to keep our resolutions. In him, we confide every undertaking. For man proposes, but God disposes; God’s ways are not our ways.
If we take a day off from spiritual exercises, out of religious duties or for others’ interests, we can easily pick it back up later. But if we abandon it carelessly or negligently, it’s a fault that will hurt us later. Though we do what we can, we still fail too easily at many things. Anything can happen; we have to be prepared for the things that can hinder us most. Both our outer and inner lives have to closely watched, and kept orderly—they’re both important to our progress.
If you can’t be consistent, try to stick to at least once a day—in the morning or the evening. In the morning, resolve to do something; in the evening, examine yourself. How’d you do this day? What’d you say and do and think? Did any of these things offend God or your neighbor? “Brace yourself like a man” against the devil. Rein in your appetite, and it’ll be easier to rein in your fleshly appetites. Never be completely unoccupied; be either reading, writing, praying, meditating, or doing something for the common good. But be discreet about physical self-discipline. It’s not for everyone.
Generally, if not everyone does it, don’t put it on display. It’s better to do it in private. But don’t avoid the public; don’t slack at public worship. Do it faithfully, do it entirely, do what you’re obligated to do; let it even cut into your free time. But once it’s your own time, spend it on your personal religious habits. Not everyone practices the same things. One suits one person; another suits another person more. Different practices are appropriate for different seasons—sometimes it’s a holiday, sometimes it’s a weekday. In times of testing, we need to practice certain things; in times of peace and rest, we need to practice others; some for times of sadness, and some for when we’re joyful in the Lord.
During the main Christian holidays, renew your good devotions, and more fervently ask for saintly intercession. From one holiday to the next, we ought to stick to our purpose: We’re drawing away from this world, and coming to a world where every day is a holiday. So at holy times we need to prepare ourselves carefully, live more devout lives, and keep God’s rules more strictly—as if we were soon going to receive from God the reward of our labors.
But if the Lord tarries, let’s figure we’re not prepared for it yet; we’re not yet worthy of the great glory which’ll be revealed to us. Let’s watch for the right time, and be better prepared for our departure. As the gospel of Luke has it, “The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded.” “I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.”
20. Loving solitude and silence.
Seek a suitable time to wait on God. Meditate frequently on his favors. Put aside distractions. Read things which make you repentant, not things that busy the mind. If you withdraw yourself from unnecessary talk, from busybodies, from novelties, from rumors, you’ll find plenty of time suitable for meditation. Many great saints avoided the company of others whenever they could, and chose to serve God in the secret place.
It’s been said, “The more time I spend among men, the less of a man I return.” [Seneca, to Lucilius, epistle 7.3, “On Crowds.”] This is especially true after long conversations. It’s easier to be completely silent than to keep from saying too much. It’s easier to stay home than to stay on our guard when we’re outside. So anyone who aims at the inner and spiritual life, must leave the crowd behind, along with Jesus. No one is safe in public except the person who detaches from it. No one has learned to obey except the person who is secure in the commands. No one rejoices securely except the person whose conscience is clear.
The saints were secure when they lived in the fear of God. They weren’t careless or proud because they were given grace and talents. By contrast the wicked, whose “security” comes from their pride and presumption, wind up deceiving themselves. Never expect security for yourself in this life, no matter how religious or devout you are.
Often, those whom people honor, are far more in danger due to their overconfidence. For that reason it’s better to not be too free from temptation, too secure, lest we be filled with pride over it—or carelessly backslide into external comforts. Who has never sought a fleeting joy? Who’s never been busy with worldly things? What a good conscience we might have if that were true—cut off from all wasteful worries, thinking only of divine things, putting all our hope in the Lord—how great a peace and tranquility.
No one deserves heaven’s comfort till they persistently strive to be repentant before God. If you want to find sorrow in your heart, go into your inner room and shut out the world’s noise. As it’s written, “Think about it on your bed and remain silent.” Inside, you’ll find what’s so easy to lose outside. My loved ones, if you regularly take to your room at the beginning of your religious life, and stick with it, it’ll become a great comfort to you, and keep you consistent. If not, you’ll tire of it easily, and find it annoying.
In silence and quiet, the devout soul makes progress, and learns the hidden truths of the scriptures. It finds a flood of tears to bathe and cleanse itself each night. In so doing it becomes closer to its Creator, no matter how far away he lives from the crowd of worldly things. When we step away, even from friends and acquaintances, God and his holy angels will draw near to us. Better to hide ourselves away and work on our salvation than to neglect it, even if we perform great miracles. We should praise those people who, for their religion, rarely go out, avoid others’ attention, and have no wish to get it.
After all, why wish to see what you’re not allowed to have? “This world is fading away, along with everything people desire.” Sometimes our senses crave input, and we’re tempted to wander—but once the moment passes, what do you have left but a disturbed conscience and a heavy heart? A happy exit, a sad return? A merry evening, but a mournful morning? Yet regularly carnal enjoyment begins well, but its destructive qualities come back to bite us in the end.
Will anything you want to see, be a permanent thing under the sun? Do you think it can fulfill you? It can’t be done. If you could see everything which ever existed, would it be anything more than an empty vision? Lift your eyes to the Most High God. Pray for your sins and shortcomings. Leave wasteful things to wasteful people; you do the things God commanded of you. Shut your door on yourself, and call upon Jesus, whom you love. Stay with him in your room; you’ll find such peace in no other place. I myself would have more peace had I not gone out to listen to idle gossip, had I not loved to hear something new; had I listened to nothing at all. But sometimes our hearts have to suffer such sorrows.
21. On the pangs of one’s heart.
If you wish to make progress, live in the fear of God. Don’t be too free. Restrain your senses with discipline. Don’t run wild with foolish enjoyments. Listen to the pangs of your heart, and you’ll find devotedness. Those pangs produce many good things—namely, getting rid of many things which easily destroy us. It’s a wonder anyone can be perfectly happy in this life when we meditate and think about the many dangers to our souls, and our status as exiles in this world.
We distract ourselves from our defects, from the real sorrows of our souls, with lightheartedness. We indulge in empty entertainment, while we have every good reason to mourn. We lack true freedom and good conscience—these things don’t exist without the fear of God. Happy are those who can get rid of any distraction, and can listen to the pangs of their hearts. Happy are those who throw out anything which can stain or burden one’s conscience. Fight them like a man! Habits are overcome by habits. Let those other people go—and they’ll let you go, and you can then do what you need to.
Don’t busy yourself with other people’s affairs. Don’t get entangled in your superiors’ business. Keep an eye primarily on yourself. Correct yourself, not your friends. If you aren’t popular with others, don’t be dismayed; but do be concerned if it’s because you’ve not conducted yourself properly as a devout, religious servant of God. It’s usually better and safer to have fewer creature comforts in this life. When we don’t experience God frequently, or receive our comfort from him, it’s our own fault—we don’t seek those heart pangs. We don’t give up the things which satisfy us outwardly—and uselessly.
Don’t consider yourself worthy of God’s comfort—consider yourself worthy of great suffering. When we’re perfectly remorseful, the whole world becomes bitter and wearisome to us. Good people always find plenty to mourn and weep about—either ourselves, or our neighbors, knowing nobody lives without suffering. The more strictly we examine ourselves, the more we grieve. The sins and vices we entangle ourselves in are very appropriate things to mourn and be remorseful about. They make it rare that we think about heaven.
If you thought more of an early death than of a long life, I expect you’d correct yourself more vigorously. If you ponder in your heart the punishments of hell or purgatory, I expect you’d more willingly endure labor and trouble, and wouldn’t fear hardship. But these thoughts never pierce the heart. We love to be flattered instead. Hence we remain very cold and indifferent. Our wretched bodies complain so easily because they’re so lifeless. So pray humbly to the Lord, so he may give you the spirit of remorse, so you might say with the prophet, “You’ve fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful.”
22. The condition of human misery.
You’re going to be miserable wherever you are, wherever you go, unless you turn to God. So why be dismayed when things don’t happen as you wish and desire? Does anyone have everything they wish? I don’t. You don’t. No one on earth does. No one on earth, not even the king nor the Pope, lives without some suffering or distress. So who benefits? Only those who will suffer something for God.
Weak people tend to say, “Look how well that man is doing—how rich and great and powerful and mighty he is.” Now lift your eyes to the riches of heaven, and you’ll see how all these temporary things are nothing. In fact they’re unsteady and burdensome: People can’t possess them without a degree of anxiety and fear. Our happiness doesn’t lie in great possessions. A small amount is enough. Living on earth is true misery. The more we desire spiritual life, the more bitter the present world becomes, because we better understand human corruption, and see it more clearly. Eating, drinking, watching, sleeping, resting, labor, and other human necessities—it’s a great misery for the devout person to be tied down by them, who would gladly be freed from them, and from all sin.
The inner person is greatly burdened in this world by bodily needs. Hence the prophet prayed to be as free of them as possible: “My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all!” How sad for those who don’t recognize their own miserable, corrupt lives. Some can barely get their necessities by working or begging—and yet they embrace this life as if they want to live here forever, and care nothing for God’s Kingdom.
How insane! What faithless hearts! How profoundly they enjoy nothing but carnal things. What miserable people indeed. In the end, they’ll sorrowfully see how cheap and worthless are their beloved possessions. God’s saints and Christ’s devout friends don’t look at what pleases the body, nor at the popular pleasures of the day. All our hopes and aims are for eternal things. Our whole desire is for invisible things, lest visible things drag us down to the depths.
Christians, don’t lose confidence in your spiritual progress. There’s still time, and time’s not yet up, so don’t delay: Get up and start now. Say, “Now’s the time to act. Now’s the time to fight. Now’s the time to amend.” When you’re troubled and afflicted, it’s time to work on yourself. You’ll have to pass through fire and water before you can rest, but unless you violently pursue God, you won’t defeat vice. As long as we live in fragile bodies, we can’t be free from sin, nor live without weariness or sorrow. We’d gladly escape all misery, but when sin took away our innocence, we lost our blessedness, and for this reason we must have patience. Await God’s mercy—when sin will finally pass away, when death is swallowed up in life.
Oh, how weak our human will is! It’s so prone to evil. Today you confess your sins; tomorrow you commit the very sins you confessed. One moment you resolve to be careful; an hour later you act as though you never made any resolution. We’re so frail and unstable—we’ve good reason to be humble, and never think anything great of ourselves. In our neglect, we quickly lose what we acquired through God’s grace and long, hard work.
We so quickly become lukewarm—what’ll happen to us in the end? How sad for us if we presume to rest, because we think there’s peace and security around us, and yet there’s no true holiness in our lives. It’d be best for us to be taught the principles of good character once again, as if we’re newbies. Perhaps there’s hope of future improvement, and greater spiritual progress.
23. A meditation on death.
Your life will end sooner than you think. So think about what’ll happen in the next life. Today we’re here; tomorrow we aren’t. Out of sight, out of mind. Oh, how dull and hard the human heart is, which only thinks of the present, and never looks to the future. For this reason you ought to consider every action and thought as if you were going to die today. You wouldn’t fear death much if you had a good conscience. It’s better to avoid sin than fear death. If you aren’t prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow? Tomorrow is an unknown. Do you even know whether you have a tomorrow?
What good is a long life when we do so little to improve it? Indeed, a long life isn’t always a benefit. It often adds to our guilt. I wish to God we could live rightly in this world just one single day. Many people figure they’ve been Christians for so many years, but there’s little improvement in holiness in those years. If death is so terrifying, maybe a longer life is more dangerous. Blessed are those who always look towards the moment of death, and prepare themselves to die daily. If you’ve ever seen anyone die, remember you must go the same way.
In the morning, think about how you may not live till evening. In the evening, never promise yourself the morning. Always be ready. Live so death will never take you unprepared. For the Son of Man will come in an unexpected hour. When that last moment arrives, people will have a very different opinion about how they spent life in the past—and you may regret it much, because you were so careless and negligent.
How happy and careful are those who try to be, in this life, what they want to be known as when they die. God will give great confidence to those who die with a perfect contempt of the world, a fervent desire to be more virtuous, a love of discipline, repentant works, rapid obedience, self-denial, and an endurance of any hardship for the love of Christ. While you’re healthy, you can do many good works, but what can you do when ill?—few survive their illnesses. Likewise, those who go on many pilgrimages rarely come back any holier.
Don’t sink all your trust into friends, relatives, and the future. Don’t put off the salvation of your soul till later. People will forget you more quickly than you think. Better to prepare now, when you have time. Store up good deeds now, rather than hope people in the future will help you. If you don’t take care of yourself now, will anyone care about you later? Time is precious. Spend your time purchasing everlasting life. How sad for those when the day comes, when you’d wish for just a day, just an hour, to make amends—and not know whether you have it.
Dearly beloved, look at what great danger you can free yourself from. Look at what great fear you can save yourself from. Be devout, and be wary of death. Try to live now so that, at the moment of death, you’ll be glad instead of afraid. Learn to die to the world, and begin to live with Christ. Learn to reject everything now, so you can freely go to him. Rebuke your body and repent now, and have certainty and confidence.
Oh fool, why do you think you’ll have a long life, when you aren’t guaranteed a single day? How many have been deceived, and suddenly snatched away? You’ve heard of people who were murdered, drowned, who broke their necks in a fall, who had heart attacks, who had deadly sports injuries, who died in a fire, in battle, by disease, in a mugging? Everyone dies, and human life passes away like a shadow.
Who will remember you when you’re dead? Who will pray for you? My loved ones, do what you can do today; you don’t know when you’ll die. You don’t know where you’ll be after death. As long as you have time, gather the riches of immortality. Think of nothing but your salvation. Concentrate only on God’s things. Make friends for yourself now. Honor God’s saints, imitate their actions, and when you leave this life, they’ll receive you into everlasting dwellings.
Meanwhile, stay a stranger and pilgrim on this earth. Don’t let its affairs concern you at all. Keep your heart free. Raise it up to God, for your city isn’t here. Direct your daily prayers to him with tears and groans, so after death your spirit and soul may be allowed to go on to the Lord in happiness.
24. Sin’s judgment and punishment.
In everything, think about the End. How will you stand before the strict Judge? Nothing’s hidden from him. He takes neither bribes nor excuses. He’ll judge justly. Oh wretched fools, how will you answer God, who knows your every sin?—you can’t even face the wrath of an angry man! Why aren’t you preparing for Judgment Day? No one will be able to excuse or defend one another—each of us will have to answer for ourselves, and bear our own burdens! In this life, is your work profitable? your tears acceptable? your sighs audible? your sorrow satisfying and purifying?
Grieve more for the malice of someone who harms you, rather than your own injury. Pray readily for your enemies. Forgive offenses from your heart. Don’t hesitate to ask the pardon of others. Be quicker to pity than to anger. Control yourself, violently if you have to, and submit your flesh to the spirit of everyone. If you do this, you’ve already gone through a great and beneficial purgatory. Better to atone for sin now, and cut off your vices, than keep them till later, when they must be purged. But in reality, we deceive ourselves by loving our flesh too much.
What will that fire feed upon, other than our sins? The more we make excuses for ourselves now, the more we satisfy the flesh, the more severe our purging will be then, and the more fuel we gather for the fire. Whatever people sin with, they’re severely punished by: The lazy will be driven by burning pokers. The gluttons will be tormented with great hunger and thirst. The comfort- and pleasure-seekers will be bathed in burning tar and sulfur. The envious will howl in pain like mad dogs.
Every vice gets an appropriate punishment. The proud will be an utter mess. The greedy will be pinched with extreme poverty. An hour of repentance there, will be worse than a century of bitterness here. There’s no rest, no comfort, for the damned. But here, there’s rest from work, and the comfort of friends—so take advantage of it and repent of your sins, so on Judgment Day you’ll rest secure with the blessed. For on that day, the right-doers will stand up against those who afflicted and oppressed them. Those who submit humbly to people’s judgment, will stand up to pass judgment on the people. The poor and humble will stand firm, and the proud will be surrounded by fear.
Those who were thought silly, hated for Christ’s sake, will be revealed to have been wise in this world. Every trial, patiently suffered, will be found pleasing. “The wicked are struck silent.” The devout will rejoice, and the religious will advance. The body which was denied will rejoice far more than if it’d been luxuriously pampered. The poor’s clothes will shine; the wealthy’s clothes will fade. The poor’s house will be praised more than a gilded palace. Patience which lasted will count more than all the power in the world. Simple obedience will be exalted more than all the cleverness in the world.
A good, pure conscience will be better comfort than any philosophy of the smartest people. Contempt for riches will count more than every treasure on earth. You’ll get more comfort from praying devoutly than dining richly. You’ll be happier that you preferred silence to lots of gossip. Holy deeds will have greater value than many good words. Strict life and rough repentance will please more than anything on earth. So learn now to put up with little things, lest you aren’t rescued from greater sufferings in eternity. Demonstrate here what you can do later. If you can’t put up with a little now, can you suffer eternal torment? If a little suffering makes you impatient now, what might hell do to you? Pick the joy you want most: Either the pleasures of this world, or reigning with Christ. You can’t have both.
If your life, up till now, has been nothing but honor and pleasure, what good is any of it if you die this instant? Everything is meaningless—except to love God and serve him only. Those who love God with all their heart needn’t fear death, punishment, judgment, or hell: Perfect love guarantees access to God. However, those who delight in sin fear death and judgment—no surprise. Well, if love won’t keep you from evil, at least the fear of hell will. But those who ignore the fear of God won’t stay good for long. They’ll quickly fall into the devil’s booby-traps.
25. Zealously fix your life.
Be watchful and diligent in serving God. Think often of why you left the world and came to him. Did you want to live for God, and become spiritual? Then strive for perfection as hard as you can. In a short time you’ll see rewards for your work. Fear and sorrow will pass away. Work now for a little while, and you’ll truly find great rest and eternal joy. Stay faithful and diligent, and God will be faithful and generous in rewarding you. Be hopeful that you’ll achieve the prize—but don’t act like it’s a given, lest you get proud and lazy.
There once was once a man who went back and forth between hope and fear. One day, consumed with sadness, he went to a church, prayed at the altar, and said the following: “Oh, if I only knew I was saved!” Instantly he heard within himself God’s answer: “And what would you do if you did know? Do that now. Then you’ll be quite secure.” So he committed himself to God’s will, comfort, and strength. His anxious restlessness left him. He no longer wondered about what the future held for him. Instead, he tried to find what the acceptable and perfect will of God was in every work—and made that the beginning and end of everything he did.
“Trust in the LORD and do good,” says the prophet. “Then you’ll live safely in the land and prosper.” One thing keeps many from zealously improving their lives: Fear of difficulty. The hard work of spiritual war. But those who strive to defeat the most difficult and unpleasant things, are far ahead of others in their pursuit of virtue. People make the most progress, and get the most majestic grace, when they conquer themselves and, with the help of the Spirit, control their will.
Not everyone requires the same effort to conquer and control themselves. For example, very emotional people can achieve greater progress over their passions, than less emotional people who aren’t so worried about it. Two things help improvement the most: Forcibly remove yourself from those vices you lean toward the most, and fervently work for those graces you need the most. And whichever flaws in others annoy you the most, strive to get rid of them in yourself.
Take every opportunity to make progress. When you see or hear a good example, imitate it. When you observe something reprehensible, be careful to not repeat it—or if you’ve ever been guilty of it, correct yourself as soon as you can. As you observe others, note that they observe you. How pleasant and sweet to see fervent, devout, well-mannered, disciplined Christians! How sad and painful to see them wandering immorally, practicing nothing they’ve been called to! How hurtful it is to neglect their duties, their purpose, and turn their minds to things that are no business of theirs!
Remember this project you’ve taken on. Remember the image of the Crucified One. You might be ashamed how you’ve been a Christian a long time, had the life of Christ Jesus taught you for years, yet never took the opportunity to conform yourself to his image. That’s fine. Those religious people who focus intently and devoutly on our Lord’s most holy life and suffering, will find an abundance of everything they need and can use for him. We need seek nothing better than Jesus. Oh, if the crucified Jesus were only in our hearts, how quickly and abundantly we’d learn! And a fervent religious person will accept everything they’re commanded, and do them well.
But a negligent, lukewarm, irreligious person will have trial after trial. They’ll suffer anguish from every side. They’ll have no comfort within, and are forbidden to seek it elsewhere. Religion without discipline is a life of utter failure. Those who wish to be loose and negligent will always be in trouble. Something or other will always displease them.
How can so many religious people, who restrict themselves to monasteries and nunneries, get along? They don’t go out, they live in the abstract, their food and clothes are humble, they work hard, speak little, stay up late, rise early, pray long, read often, and subject themselves to all sorts of discipline. Note the Benedictines, Carthusians, Cistercians, monks and nuns of all orders—how in the middle of every night they wake up and sing praises to God. It’d be disgraceful to be the lazy one in those orders, sleeping while everyone else is rejoicing in God.
If only we had nothing else to do but praise the Lord our God will all our hearts and voices! If only you never had to eat, drink, or sleep—if you could just praise God all the time, and only be busy with spiritual pursuits! How lucky you’d be!—compared with now, who has to deal with bodily needs. I wish to God there were no such needs; just the spiritual refreshments of the soul. Alas, we taste them so seldom.
When people reach the point where they seek comfort in no created thing—when they begin to enjoy God perfectly—then they’ll be content no matter what. They’ll neither go nuts over great things, nor go mad over small things. They’ll place themselves entirely and confidently in God. To them, God is all in all—in him, nothing is work, nothing dies, everything lives, and they serve God however he wants.
Always remember the End. Lost time is never found. You’ll never achieve virtue without care and diligence. When you go lukewarm, you’re going rotten. When you give yourself to zeal, you’ll find peace, and because of God’s grace and the love of virtue, you’ll find peace and will experience less hardship. A zealous, diligent person is ready for anything. It takes more work to resist vices and passions than there is in sweaty physical labor. Those who don’t defeat small faults, fall gradually into greater faults. If you spent the day productively, your evenings will be glad. Always watch yourself. No matter what happens to others, don’t neglect yourself. The more you take control of yourself, the more progress you make. Amen.