Thomas a Kempis speaks to us about heavenly promises. He put before us the true glory of heaven. He wants us to think about heaven and what peace will be there so that we will desire it. The will desires what the mind, the intellect presents to it as worthy of love. Let us ponder heaven more and more. At the same time, we must be willing to fight for heaven. Our fight is against ourselves, our fallen nature. But the Lord is at our side to give the victory.

What is the difference between eternity and our time in this world?

This life has many sufferings and changes. In this reading, Thomas a Kempis lays out many of the differences between the eternal life we long for and our life here below. Part of this chapter is an effort to encourage us to persevere in the fight. He admits his own constant distractions in prayer. He admits many of his own struggles. Let us take heart!

We read about the need to bear all troubles for the sake of Christ. Having told us the secret to making the trials of this world more sweet, Thomas a Kempis urges us on with considerations of what heaven is like. The more we ponder the joy, the freedom, the peace of heaven, the more we will long for heaven in our hearts.

We read about how to react to stinging comments from others. This chapter especially is useful for those who have a disordered concern for impressing other people. Thomas a Kempis helps us recognize the source of our excessive sadness upon receiving criticism.

Thomas a Kempis warns us about putting too much trust in human beings. Christ alone is to be fully trusted. He alone will never let us down. Yes, we all need to be trusted. Yes, we can trust others. But in the end, we are trustworthy when we are close to Christ.

We read about trying to focus less on outward things and more to what pleases God within our hearts. How we need to know what things take away our peace of mind. How we need to be careful in what we think about, what we read about, and what we talk about. Our main concern is being concerned with God and His will for our lives.

We read about the danger of useless and worldly learning. Thomas a Kempis longs for his readers to study their own hearts. He does not want us to study and learn just to be able to tell others about created realities. Such study is not bad in itself. What does it matter, however, if we know all about the stars and nothing about our own motivations. What if we know everything about the human body, but nothing about how the soul truly works? How we need to know how to direct our lives to eternity!

We read about the true source of peace of heart. We cannot make our peace of heart depend on one particular human person. Yes, we need friendships. Yes, we need one another's help. But friendship and human love cannot be sustained without the grace and love of Christ Jesus. He not only saves us from sin, but He saves our loves by his divine love.

We read about the need to despise worldly honours. Such honours are meant to recognize human excellence. Honours are not bad in themselves. But Thomas a Kempis is urging us onto holiness. He wants us to view all honours of this life in light of God. If we are to be honoured, how much more must God be honoured? If I want real appreciation, I must find it in God.

Does a human being have goodness in himself?

Yes and no. In this reading, Thomas a Kempis draws our attention to the constant tendency in our hearts to evil. He stresses what we are when we forget and ignore God. At the same time, he shows us the proper balance. He shows us what we are with God's help. Thus we have a capacity to be helped by God. He has made us for Himself. He has made us to share in the divine life of the Most Holy Trinity.