The truth of the Lord endures for ever
FROM “THE IMITATION OF CHRIST” by Thomas a’Kempis (c.1379 – d.1471)
The truth of the Lord endures for ever
You thunder your judgments upon me, O Lord; you shake all my bones with fear and dread, and my soul becomes severely frightened. I am bewildered when I realize that even the heavens are not pure in your sight.
If you discovered iniquity in the angels and did not spare them, what will become of me? The stars fell from heaven, and I, mere dust, what should I expect? Those whose works seemed praiseworthy fell to the depths, and I have seen those who once were fed with the bread of angels delighting in the husks of swine.
There is no holiness where you have withdrawn your hand, O Lord; no profitable wisdom if you cease to rule over it; no helpful strength if you cease to preserve it. For if you forsake us, we sink and perish; but if you visit us, we rise up and live again. We are unstable, but you make us firm; we grow cool, but you inflame us.
All superficial glory has been swallowed up in the depths of your judgment upon me.
What is all flesh in your sight? Can the clay be glorified in opposition to its Maker?
How can anyone be aroused by empty talk if his heart is subject in the truth to God?
The whole world cannot swell with pride the man who is subject to truth; nor will he be swayed by the flattery of all his admirers, if he has established all his trust in God.
For those who do all the talking amount to nothing; they fail with their din of words, but the truth of the Lord endures for ever.
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings
Thomas a’ Kempis (c.1379 – d.1471)
Born in Kempen, Holland Thomas, at thirteen, followed his older bother in joining alay religious congregation – the Canons Regular. He entered the community called the “Devout Brothers and Sisters.” These took no vows, but lived a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Some lived in their homes while others, especially clerics, lived in community. They were expected to earn their living by the labor of their hands and, for the clerics, this meant transcribing books and seeing to he instruction of the young. All earnings were placed in a common fund and their life focused on practicing the virtues of the early Christians. They developed deep sentiments on the love of God and neighbor. Their simple life focused on prayer, humility, study and devotion. A priory was established in 1386. Thomas would live there for seventy two years as one of the most distinguished of the Canons Regular.
From the beginning Thomas was noted for his neatness and skill in transcribing manuscripts. This would be a life-long labor of love for him. In addition his original compositions he also copied numerous treatises from the Early Church Fathers, especially from St. Bernard. He copied a Missal for the use of his community, and completed a transcription of the whole Bible in four large volumes. These works still exist today.
Thomas took the habit as a novice in 1406 and was ordained a priest in 1413 at age 33. He was made sub-prior in 1448 and part of his duties involved training the young religious. He frequently preached in the church attached to the prior and wrote a series of sermons to the Novices Regular. He wrote a series of prayers and meditations on the Life of Christ, on The Incarnation and Life of Our Lord, and was particularly focused on the suffering and passion of Christ. He was known to be kind and affable towards all, especially the sorrowful and the afflicted. Thomas spent much of his time reading, writing and in prayer. He found it difficult to engage in shallow conversations but was readily eloquent when the conversation turned to God or the concerns of the soul. After his death in 1471, at the age of 92, his remains were ultimately enshrined in a reliquary in St. Michael’s Church in Zwolle. Steps were taken in the cause of his beatification in the 17th century but were never completed.
Some controversy developed over the authorship of the “Imitation of Christ” since the book was issued anonymously in 1418. But the with a writing style identical with other works of Thomas together with the spirit of mysticism typically identified with his writings leave scholars with no serious doubt about Thomas a’ Kempis being the author of this truly classical work.
Narrated by Frank Dugan, Huntington Beach, California