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The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
The Twentieth Chapter
CONFESSING OUR WEAKNESS IN THE MISERIES OF LIFE
THE DISCIPLE
I WILL bring witness against myself to my injustice, and to You, O Lord, I will
confess my weakness.
Often it is a small thing that makes me downcast and sad. I propose to act
bravely, but when even a small temptation comes I find myself in great straits.
Sometimes it is the merest trifle which gives rise to grievous temptations. When
I think myself somewhat safe and when I am not expecting it, I frequently find
myself almost overcome by a slight wind. Look, therefore, Lord, at my lowliness
and frailty which You know so well. Have mercy on me and snatch me out of the
mire that I may not be caught in it and may not remain forever utterly
despondent.
That I am so prone to fall and so weak in resisting my passions oppresses me
frequently and confounds me in Your sight. While I do not fully consent to them,
still their assault is very troublesome and grievous to me, and it wearies me
exceedingly thus to live in daily strife. Yet from the fact that abominable
fancies rush in upon me much more easily than they leave, my weakness becomes
clear to me.
Oh that You, most mighty God of Israel, zealous Lover of faithful souls, would
consider the labor and sorrow of Your servant, and assist him in all his
undertakings! Strengthen me with heavenly courage lest the outer man, the
miserable flesh, against which I shall be obliged to fight so long as I draw a
breath in this wretched life and which is not yet subjected to the spirit,
prevail and dominate me.
Alas! What sort of life is this, from which troubles and miseries are never
absent, where all things are full of snares and enemies? For when one trouble or
temptation leaves, another comes. Indeed, even while the first conflict is still
raging, many others begin unexpectedly. How is it possible to love a life that
has such great bitterness, that is subject to so many calamities and miseries?
Indeed, how can it even be called life when it begets so many deaths and
plagues? And yet, it is loved, and many seek their delight in it.
Many persons often blame the world for being false and vain, yet do not readily
give it up because the desires of the flesh have such great power. Some things
draw them to love the world, others make them despise it. The lust of the flesh,
the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life lead to love, while the pains and
miseries, which are the just consequences of those things, beget hatred and
weariness of the world.
Vicious pleasure overcomes the soul that is given to the world. She thinks that
there are delights beneath these thorns, because she has never seen or tasted
the sweetness of God or the internal delight of virtue. They, on the other hand,
who entirely despise the world and seek to live for God under the rule of holy
discipline, are not ignorant of the divine sweetness promised to those who truly
renounce the world. They see clearly how gravely the world errs, and in how many
ways it deceives.
