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The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
The Tenth Chapter
APPRECIATING GOD'S GRACE
WHY do you look for rest when you were born to work? Resign yourself to patience
rather than to comfort, to carrying your cross rather than to enjoyment.
What man in the world, if he could always have them, would not readily accept
consolation and spiritual joy, benefits which excel all earthly delights and
pleasures of the body? The latter, indeed, are either vain or base, while
spiritual joys, born of virtue and infused by God into pure minds, are alone
truly pleasant and noble.
Now, since the moment of temptation is always nigh, since false freedom of mind
and overconfidence in self are serious obstacles to these visitations from
heaven, a man can never enjoy them just as he wishes.
God does well in giving the grace of consolation, but man does evil in not
returning everything gratefully to God. Thus, the gifts of grace cannot flow in
us when we are ungrateful to the Giver, when we do not return them to the
Fountainhead. Grace is always given to him who is duly grateful, and what is
wont to be given the humble will be taken away from the proud.
I do not desire consolation that robs me of contrition, nor do I care for
contemplation that leads to pride, for not all that is high is holy, nor is all
that is sweet good, nor every desire pure, nor all that is dear to us pleasing
to God. I accept willingly the grace whereby I become more humble and contrite,
more willing to renounce self.
The man who has been taught by the gift of grace, and who learns by the lash of
its withdrawal, will never dare to attribute any good to himself, but will
rather admit his poverty and emptiness. Give to God what is God's and ascribe to
yourself what is yours. Give Him thanks, then, for His grace, but place upon
yourself alone the blame and the punishment your fault deserves.
Always take the lowest place and the highest will be given you, for the highest
cannot exist apart from the lowest. The saints who are greatest before God are
those who consider themselves the least, and the more humble they are within
themselves, so much the more glorious they are. Since they do not desire
vainglory, they are full of truth and heavenly glory. Being established and
strengthened in God, they can by no means be proud. They attribute to God
whatever good they have received; they seek no glory from one another but only
that which comes from God alone. They desire above all things that He be praised
in themselves and in all His saints -- this is their constant purpose.
Be grateful, therefore, for the least gift and you will be worthy to receive a
greater. Consider the least gift as the greatest, the most contemptible as
something special. And, if you but look to the dignity of the Giver, no gift
will appear too small or worthless. Even though He give punishments and
scourges, accept them, because He acts for our welfare in whatever He allows to
befall us.
He who desires to keep the grace of God ought to be grateful when it is given
and patient when it is withdrawn. Let him pray that it return; let him be
cautious and humble lest he lose it.
