Lectio et Oratio

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.

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.

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.

Would it be wise to renounce one's own will in trivial things?

Often it is. In this reading Thomas a Kempis explains why even in small things self-renunciation is valuable. Our affections are so unstable that we often get thrown off course by small acts of self-indulgence. We think it is no big deal. We do this or that little thing. Before we know it, we are way off course! The devil knows this too. He loves to make us unfaithful in small things. This is why we need Christ. This is why we must entrust all our affairs to his power and love.

What should be our way of acting in times of trouble?

Asking God for help! In this reading, Thomas a Kempis stresses the need for interior freedom amidst all of our outward activity. He stresses that we must guard our hearts from the slavery of various outward compulsions. We want to make use of every situation to draw closer to eternal life. This means that in difficult situations we must not judge by the standards of this world, but to judge in light of God. We never are left on our own to deal with our troubles. God is the real secret to bearing well the dangers of this life.

We read about the goal of a close and happy friendship with Christ. How we must pray and long and strive for the power to break free of our self-seeking. The main enemy of our interior freedom is our egoism, our self-will. Even when we are set free from all kinds of sins, we discover a deeper hidden source of sin: self-seeking. But friends do the will of their great Friend.

We read about how vain the judgements of men are. Vain means empty, pointless, unreliable. We should want to be like St Paul and be all things to all men. We should want to please people in the Lord. But we cannot please everyone. We cannot avoid people thinking badly of us and speaking badly of us. There are times to be silent in the face of criticism and times to break silence. In all situations, our eyes must be on the Lord who has the power to save us and to defend us. He knows all things. He is to be trusted.

We look at Thomas a Kempis' teaching on the necessity of the spiritual combat for our whole life. We think that one day we will get to the point where temptations will cease. We are partly right. That day without temptations is in heaven. But we cannot seek heaven or expect the life of heaven to be perfectly realized in this world. Trials, desolations, troubles will be our lot here below. But the Lord is with us. He turns these to our sanctification and our glorification in heaven.

We read about the importance that the eternal Word, the Son of God, our incarnate Lord has in our lives. He is our all. He is our God. He alone can make certain situations sweet and joyful. And in the end, everything turns sour if He is not involved. Who can make us love Him properly? Who can make us delight in Him and find our true consolation in Him? He can! He sends us the Holy Spirit. Let us not try to love God the Son by our own power. "No one can come to me," Jesus said, "unless the Father draws him." How does the Father draw us to the Son? By the Holy Spirit. "No one can say the Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Cor 12:3).

Should we be surprised that our emotions fluctuate so much in our spiritual lives?

No. In thisreading, Thomas a Kempis explains the various changes our hearts feel from one moment to the next. He speaks of the inconstancy of our hearts. Our hearts are not constant in their good feelings and good resolutions. So quickly we pass from being cheerful to being depressed, from being peaceful to being upset. How we need to keep our gaze fixed on the Lord amidst the storms.