The next chapter of The Imitation of Christ is called “Of Compunction of Heart” (1,21).  The author, Thomas à Kempis speaks often of compunction, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as “a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad.”  Kempis is emphasizing that our own sinfulness should be our focus, not the affairs of others.  More on this below.

Today’s Gospel (Mt 20:17-28) is the famous scene in which the mother of apostles James and John asks that Jesus set aside a special place in heaven for her sons.  The other ten apostles express open displeasure about this request that they undoubtedly look upon as meddling or even prideful (maybe to cover up there own hubris?).  Jesus calmly counters this internal dissension by again emphasizing the proper attitude they should adopt, using Himself as the exemplar: humility expressed in service to all.

We should take to heart, as hopefully the apostles did, Jesus message.  Both Kempis and  Matthew bring to mind one of Christ’s most famous sayings directed to those who judge others inappropriately:

You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. (Mt 7:5)

When we honestly and frequently examine our own consciences, we should discover many faults and omissions.  This is not to say that we should fall into scrupulosity or despair.  Rather, an honest assessment of our own failings and the struggle to do better should occupy us much more than entangling ourselves with the affairs of others, as Kempis says.  The apostles had such a tremendous privilege in being the closest collaborators of the Messiah (which they likely fully recognized beginning at Pentecost) yet this did not exempt them to falling prey to weakness due to their fallen nature.  Jesus called these men friends (see Jn 15:15).  He calls us friends (can anything be greater!) as well as long as we don’t break our relationship with Him.  Let not the affairs of others, or the blessings they receive, be an impediment to us in our walk with God.  Rather, let us be mindful of our own sins and pray and persevere in overcoming them.

Christ Meeting Sons and Mother of Zebedee (c. 1565) by Paolo Veronese

Kempis makes the case that one can only be a good leader if he has learned to be led (1,20).  This makes sense.  How is a person able to oversee others if he has no appreciation of having been an underling and accepting orders from another?

Jesus, in today’s Gospel (Mt 23:1-12), takes aim once more at the Jewish religious leaders of His time.  Note that Jesus does not decry their God-given position and teaching (“do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you”) but rather their bad example: looking for attention while treating poorly those not in their position and subject to them in religion.  Had their focus been on their Creator, they would have properly felt humility as they should be imitating the One from whom all teaching flows and to whom all glory is to be given.  Had the scribes and Pharisees exhibited servant leadership then they would have been properly aligned with the Lord’s expectations of them.

These men would have securely governed had they lived in subjection to God.  Pride, that deadly sin, would not allow room for the virtue of humility they so desperately needed.  Jesus tried to raise their awareness of this fact time and again only to find that it landed Him on the Cross.  What cross are we willing to bear, to be raised up on, in our subjection to God?  And will those challenges lead us to be servant leaders in truth and love?

Kempis, continuing to rail against vanity and distractions in the spiritual life, implores his readers to pray to overcome sins of omission and commission (1,20).  Frequent examination of conscience, in a quiet place, helps one to make progress in virtue.

The Book of Daniel was written about a character who lived during the sixth century BC and was captured and taken from Jerusalem during the Babylonian exile (see here for more background).  In today’s excerpt (Dn 9:4b-10), Daniel, gleaning from Scripture the coming lengthy exile of the Israelites in his own time, petitions the Lord on behalf of the people, acknowledging their corporate sin and trusting in God’s “compassion and forgiveness” despite that.  The whole book is meant to be a consolation to second century Israelites living through their own persecution but helping them to realize that appealing to God in humility will eventually end their troubles, just as it happened time and again in the past.

We should not be surprised when our own sinfulness causes difficulties in our spiritual and physical lives.  The troubles that come our way that cause us to regret our shortfalls in our relationship to God are a gift in and of themselves: instead of wading deeper into sin we are given the stark realization of our dependence on God and thus the opportunity to extract ourselves from the morass and come back to the Lord in repentance.

Sin should make us shamefaced.  It should also drive us back to God in a prayer of sorrow and apology with a firm commitment to make amends and to avoid sin in the future, imploring God’s help (grace) to do so.  Scripture from beginning to end is a testament of God’s mercy and forgiveness (seven times infinity) for those who truly desire it.  No one is beyond God’s love — He Himself tells us through the Spirit and St. Paul that He “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).

Let’s not miss the opportunity no matter how bad we’ve been or how many times we ask.

Fear of the Lord does not mean we are to cower in expectation of severe punishment for sin (real or imagined) at every turn.  This healthy fear, rather, recognizes the awesomeness of God and our littleness comparatively (see here).  Kempis brings this up (1,20) in the context of a clear conscience and the virtues and grace the great saints exhibited — safeguarding their “security” in an honest assessment of their status in God’s friendship was the humility that must accompany these gifts of the Almighty.

The psalmist also recognizes this (Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22).  The refrain, which happens to be the last line of the psalm, summarizes the entire psalm perfectly:

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. (v. 22)

Father God wants our complete trust.  He wants us humble so He can raise us up (see Lk 14:10-11 and Mt 19:30 among many examples in Scripture).  When our perspective is in proper alignment (God is God and we’re not), then we wish to do God’s will, not our own, placing Him above all things and accepting everything that comes our way in complete trust in His wisdom and mercy.

Chapter XX of Book I of The Imitation of Christ (IC 1,20), one of its lengthier chapters,  lauds solitude and silence as the way to grow ever closer to God.  Above, the attraction of vanity is decried, so solitude is a safeguard against being too caught up in the world and oneself.

Moses, in today’s short excerpt from Deuteronomy (26:16-19), continues to be a mouthpiece for the Lord to the Chosen People just recently freed from exile in Egypt.  He conveys to them the nature of the covenant God has made with them: they will be set apart and be widely praised, renowned, and glorified if they keep the commandments that Moses has conveyed to them for most of this fifth book of the Torah.  They adopted many evil ways from pagan Egypt while they were in bondage there, but God requires a complete renunciation of their former ways and a whole-hearted turning to Him.  We know, as we read on in Scripture, as challenging (miraculous, really) as it was to free the Israelites, taking them out of Egypt turned out to be much easier still than taking Egypt out of them.  Their vanity, their lack of humility, their idolatry, thinking they knew best, would be their downfall time and time again as they failed consistently to “look to the things which God has commanded.”

The message from Kempis and Scripture apply just as well to us today.  Does self-interest and modern-day idolatry (holding material possessions and secular desires above God) deter us from fully keeping the commandments or even knowing what they are?  We have no excuse for being ignorant of Scripture (thus being ignorant of Christ, as St. Jerome wrote).  The gift of the Church provides a sure guide to help us, as well.  Make this Lent a special time to read the Bibleand the Catechism of the Catholic Church daily, a practice that would be well worth keeping throughout the year.

Kempis concludes regarding Practices of a Good Religious with the words above (IC 1,19).  He urges them to remain steadfast in their resolutions, examinations, devotions, and observances.  He wants them to consider themselves “not well prepared” so as “to prepare ourselves better for our departure.”

Today’s Old Testament excerpt is from Ezekiel (18:21-28).  Ezekiel relays these words from the Lord God firstly, after which the Almighty expounds on them by imploring all sinners to repent, and His desire that it be so.  God conveys His great mercy to those who turn away from sin, but to those who embrace evil, or return to evil ways, remaining unrepentant until the end of life, they will not achieve life, but rather, death.

I’m reminded of the old saying: “Treat each day as your last because one day it will be.”  For the terminally ill who have come to accept their situation this may be relatively easy.  But for most of us, the thought of our own demise is not something we care to dwell on.  While we should not obsess on death, it is worth reminding ourselves daily that there will be that moment for each of us when we stand before the Lord in judgment.

A good practice is to recite before bed the Night Prayer the Church gives us in the Liturgy of the Hours (here; it is quite short — five minutes or so).  Two great lines from it serve to remind us of death — the first taken from Jesus’ last words on the cross followed by Simeon’s conversation with Mary and Joseph:

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.

How prepared are we for the eventuality of our own deaths?

Administering the last rites (Dutch School, c. 1600)

Kempis gives wise advice to religious and to us: resolve first thing in the morning to be Christ-like throughout the day and then, last thing before bed, evaluate how you did (IC 1,19).

It is in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave the world what we now call the Golden Rule (read yesterday: Mt 7:7-12).  Leave it to the Messiah to put in one sentence a perfect summary of “the law and the prophets.”  (It occurs to me that the Lord would be great on Twitter — He was ahead of His time.)  Actually, it reminds me of a famous St. Augustine quote that is even more succinct but really sums up the Gospel: “Love and do what you will.” (Homily 7 on the First Epistle of John)  Both men tell us that there is great freedom in authentic love and charity.

Anyone who has ever made a New Year’s vow can relate to the ease of composing a resolution and the quickly realized difficulty in keeping it.  The good news is that we are not alone in regards to commitments we make to sincerely follow God’s will and commandments.  Grace is ours ordinarily through sacraments so we should take advantage of those two sacraments that can be received frequently: Holy Communion and Reconciliation.  To the degree we are open to God’s help and mercy, we are able to overcome even the most difficult habitual sins and vices (see Mt 19:26).  Sometimes it will happen in an instant; much more often it is a process with many stumbles and setbacks.  Perseverance, a firm commitment, and most importantly, humility, are required daily to combat are weakened will and darkened intellect (look under “Mortal Sin” and then “The Effects of Sin” here).

A good habit is to use the failings considered the evening before as the resolution for the following morning.  AA has it right: acknowledging and admitting the problem is the indispensable first step in overcoming it.  Let us pray daily for God’s help in following the Golden Rule.

Kempis reinforces the fact that by ourselves we can do nothing pleasing to God (IC 1,19).  But with grace all things are possible.  We must ask daily (see yesterday’s post) for the help we need to remain firm in our resolution to do God’s will in all things.

Some background on today’s first reading (Jon 3:1-10).  Nineveh was the capital of the pagan Assyrian empire that took down the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.  These people did not know the one true God.  Yet, through an extraordinary outpouring of grace, it took no time at all for the king and his kingdom to repent of its evil ways.  So, not only do the just depend on God’s grace, but the unjust can be moved to righteousness as well through a simple word inspired by God.

Such is the power of God’s word in Scripture.  This should inspire us to read and meditate upon the Bible frequently and share the Good News with others.  Who knows who will be led to repentance and a deeper trust in God because of it (maybe even ourselves!).

Chapter 19 of Thomas à Kempis’s The Imitation of Christ is entitled “Of the Practices of a Good Religious” (1,19).  As we’ve discovered, many of the traits that Kempis encourages priests and religious to embrace are to be taken to heart by all the faithful.  What resolution does he speak of? “[T]o be eminent in all virtues.”  We are to “walk the walk” “every day.”

Yesterday’s gospel (Mt 6:7-15) gave us the classic version of the Lord’s Prayer.  What better way to “renew our resolution” to be a good Christian than by saying this prayer at least daily, as it is meant to be said (“Give us this day our daily bread”); one is ensured this practice if able to attend Mass in which this beautiful prayer is always recited.  Its seven petitions are a map of life for us — is it any wonder this came from the lips of God in Jesus?

1. Thy kingdom come — How are we making the world a bit more heavenly?
2. Thy will be done — Do we sincerely try to follow God’s plan for our lives?
3. Give us our daily bread — Do we go to Mass fully open to the graces available in the “supersubstantial” bread we receive at Communion?
4. Forgive us our trespasses — Do we examine our consciences often and ask for mercy and help?
5. As we forgive — Sometimes difficult, but always necessary, to obtain our own forgiveness (this petition is so important that Jesus repeats it at the end of the prayer).
6. Lead us not into temptation — Urges to do what we know is offensive to God come often so we must be vigilant and overcome these with the Lord’s help.
7. Deliver us from evil — “Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour” (1 Pt 5:8).

“Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1) with fervor and a firm resolution.

The Ecstasy of St. Francis, A Monk at Prayer with a Dying Monk (1640-45)
by Georges de La Tour

As we continue to reflect on Kempis exalting the early fathers of the Church (1,18), let us highlight what the author tells us made these men holy: humility, obedience, charity, and patience.  They needed to practice these virtues in the monastery, as well as with visitors, or when begging alms, or in any encounter with others.  They wished to attain the holiness that God intended for them.

In the first reading today (Lv 19:1-2, 11-18), the Lord God entrusts to His servant Moses a special message to the Chosen People regarding how they should conduct themselves in their affairs with each other and with Him.  The list is long: no stealing, no lying, no defrauding, no cursing, no dishonesty, no partiality, no slander, no hatred, no revenge, no grudges, and more.

Consider this list versus the traits of holiness in the first paragraph.  Is it any wonder the holy fathers embraced these virtues?  The opportunities to offend God and neighbor are frequent and tempting.  Constant vigilance was the rule for the saints.  Since we are all called to be great saints, it must be the rule for us as well.  Pray for help in this daunting challenge exacerbated by our fallen nature.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

This last line of the reading is the bottom line for us.  Remember Jesus’ answer to the scribe who asked Him what is the greatest commandment:

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt 22:37-39)

Jesus, as they say, “doubles down” on the words of His Father.  God knows it is difficult.  All the more reason to pray for an increase in virtue while disciplining ourselves to genuinely see all others through the eyes of Love (see 1 Jn 4:8).