Aphasia Ephphatha 'He has done all things well' Mark 7:31-37

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald . . .
To: Nivard . . .
Sent: Monday, 10 September 2012, 11:00
Subject: Ephasia and Ephphatha Mk.7:31-37

Hi, Nivard,

Sometimes the Night Office rouses up the Aphasia/Ephphatha experience.

There was not a word of the Second Reading, Title or paragraphs, I could hear until  the comment, "He has done all things well". Not to hear  another word until again, "He has done all things well", again and again, (actually on eight occasions, including Genesis 1:31).

That was too much for me getting back to the Lectionary and uncover the mystery. 

The Second Reading is from St. Lawrence of Brindisi, the Sunday Gospel Mark 7:31-37.

I count eight utterances of, "He has dona things well", and repeats in the paragraphs.

The Gospel concludes also verse Mk:7,37, "He has dona things well".

How did I miss all this?

Maybe the explanation may also be in the Gospel, Verse 34, "He said to him, "Ephphatha", and the link with the word Ephasia.

It is possible that, "deaf man who had an impediment in his speech" suffered from a Stroke. 

It is interesting comment on patients.

"Speech Impediments:

- Auditory Aphasia - Don’t know what speech sounds like.

- Gibberish Aphasia – Speak words and Phrases that make no sense.

-  Motor Aphasia – Know what they want to say but cannot utter the words. 

- Amnesic Aphasia – Can’t recall certain words that are familiar.

   www.brainandspine.org.uk/aphasia   "

St. Lawrence of Brindisi is new to me, and wonderfully on pitch.

Donald

LAWRENCE OF BRINDISI (1559-1619) was born at Brindisi and educated at Venice. In 1575 he entered with the Capuchins and was sent to Padua to study philosophy and theology. He had a prodigious memory and was said to know the Scriptures by heart in the original. This enabled him to convert many Jews. Raised to a high degree of contemplation himself, he evangelized much of Europe, speaking to the hearts of those who heard him. From 1602 he served a term as minister general of the Capuchins. As chaplain to the imperial troops he led them into battle and to victory against the Turks on two occasions, armed only with a crucifix. He died at Lisbon while on an embassy. His writings include eight volumes of sermons, commentaries on Genesis and Ezekiel, and other didactic or controversial works. Pope John XXIII added his name to the list of Doctors of the Church.

TWENTY- THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Year B

Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon toward the Sea of Galilee, right through the Deca­polis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay. his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man's ear and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to

him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened" And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it Their admiration was unbounded. "He has done all things well," they said "he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak."

+ + +

From a homily by Saint Lawrence of Brindisi

(Horn. I, Dom. XI post Pent 1.9.11.12: Opera omnia, t 8, 124.134.136-138).

To imitate Christ by doing all things well is not simply a matter of doing good works: we must also do them with the right intention All God's good works are done for our sake, so we must do ours for his sake.

Just as the divine law says that when God created the world he saw all that he had made and it was very good, so the gospel, speaking of our redemption and re-creation, affirms: He has done all things well A good tree bears good fruit; no good tree can bear bad fruit As fire can give out nothing but heat and is incapable of giving out cold; and as the sun gives out nothing but light and is incapable of giving out darkness, so God is incapable of doing anything but good, for he is infinite goodness and light He is a sun giving out endless light, a fire producing endless warmth. He has done all things well

And so today we must wholeheartedly unite with that holy throng in saying: He has done all things well He has made the deaf hear and the dumb speak

Like Balaam's ass, this crowd certainly spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Clearly it was the Holy Spirit who said through its mouth: He has done all things well; in other words he is truly God, because making the deaf hear and the dumb speak are things that only God can do. There is a transition here from the particular to the general This man has worked a miracle that only God could work; therefore he is God" who has done all things well.

He has done all things well. The law says that all God did was good; the gospel says He has done all things well. Doing a good deed is not quite the same as doing it well. Many do good deeds but fail to do them well The deeds of hypocrites, for example, are good, but they are done in the wrong spirit, with a perverse and defective intention. Everything God does, however, is not only good but is also done well The Lord is just in all his ways and holy in all his deeds. With wisdom you have done them all: that is to say, most wisely and well, So he has done all things wen they say.

Now if God has done all his good works and done them well-for our sake, knowing that we take pleasure in goodness, why I ask do we not endeavour to make all our works good and to do them well, knowing that such works are pleasing to God?

If you ask what we should do in order to enjoy the divine blessings for ever, I will tell you in a word. Since the Church is called the bride of Christ and of God, we must do what a good wife does for her husband Then God will treat us as a good husband treats a dearly loved wife. This is what the Lord says through Hosea: I will betroth you to myself with justice and integrity, with tenderness and compassion; I will betroth you to myself with faithfulness, and you shall know that I am the Lord. So even in this present life we shall be happy, this world will be an earthly paradise for us; with the Hebrews we shall feast on heavenly manna in the desert of this life, if only we follow Christ's example by striving to do everything well so that He has done all things well may be said of each one of us.

Monks in Japan, Cistercian (Trappist)

PHARE  Our Lady of the Lighthouse Abbey, Japan

Community E-mail

phare@rose.ocn.ne.jp

Website

www3.ocn.ne.jp/~trappist/

Trappist ice cream lures tourists

Trappist ice cream: expensive, remote and oh-so-delicious

Japan
September 6, 2012

Trappist ice cream gets visitors flocking to the abbey where it's made

• Scrumptious cookies, artisan butter, and fine butter-based candies: these are some of the products of Hokkaido’s Trappist abbey for male Religious, and they are famous throughout Japan.
• Last year, these Trappists launched a new line of soft-serve ice cream. At 320 yen (about US$4), it is on the expensive side, and it can only be purchased at Our Lady of Pharos Monastery in Hokuto City, Hokkaido, some 670km north of Tokyo. Ever since the ice cream’s introduction, rave reviews have appeared online for its “unforgettable taste.”
• The soft-serve will remain on sale through early November. When eaten together with one of the renowned Trappist cookies, the result is “double delicious.”
• Tourists visiting the Trappist shop had been requesting ice cream, so Abbot Kunihiko Yoshimoto put the idea to the rest of the abbey about two years ago. A team of 12, including both monks and lay employees, was assembled, with Brother Makoto Kamata at the head.
• This team collaborated with industry experts to refine the recipe in a process including three tasting sessions and lots of research and discussion. The distinctive taste of the resulting ice cream comes from its use of the famous Trappist butter. The butter is cultured with lactic acid, giving it a rich flavor and a tantalizing aroma.
• The monastery is somewhat removed from civilization, causing Br. Kamata to worry. But as rumor of the soft-serve spread, the monks found a hit on their hands, with 20,000 people served in just the past year.
• A recent Thursday saw a steady stream of ice-cream seekers arrive by car and motorcycle, from parents and their children to couples, young people, and tourists. Priests on retreat stopped by, and construction workers building what will become the Hokkaido-Shinkansen rail line showed up, still wearing their work clothes.
• A daycare service for the elderly arrived with 15 people in a van. According to the caregivers, this is the fifth trip to the store since someone first suggested an ice cream run to the monastery. But these visitors aren’t only here for the soft-serve: after their snack, they remain on the property for a while, spending time in the adjoining church building and enjoying the vistas of the surrounding nature.
• Br. Kamata says that, since they started selling ice cream, the number of people coming to relax at the monastery has grown.
• “I think it’s great. These people came out here just to visit the monastery. If they get even just a small taste of what it means to be at rest in the presence of God, I’ll be really happy.”    

  http://www.japan-i.jp/explorejapan/hokkaido/donan-hakodate/hakodate/4oa00l00000072pn.html

Trappist Monastery

Trappist Monastery was built in 1896 as the first monastery in Japan, and its official name is “Our Lady of the Lighthouse Trappist (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) Monastery.” 
Rows of beautiful poplar trees line the way to Trappist Monastery, a grand building of red brick built in 1908, nestled in the midst of a large, tranquil forest. 
The monks still live each day according to strict precepts. 
The Trappist cookies, butter, butter candy, and jam made at the monastery are highly popular as Hokkaido’s local specialties. 

Only male visitors are allowed to tour the inside of the monastery, with prior request by reply-paid postcard required.

YOU AND i Gabrielle Bossis. 1949 At hospital

YOU AND i Gabrielle Bossis. 
1949
September 8  -   At the hospital after an operation.

 "I could have come for you, couldn't I? And you would have let yourself be taken joyously. But youstill want to do a little work for My glory, don't you? Gaily too? Isn't it true that nothing is worthliving for except service for Me? And do you believe that I wait upon you so that you may waitupon Me? I'll keep on giving you all you need in your mind and heart. Have I ever failed you? Don'tfail Me.Together we'll weave the last threads of your life-pattern. 
  Together... always. Isn't that power?When you feel weak as you do today, take your Brother's power to love, to praise, to thank our Father. Don't deprive Him of any smile. A smile is a happy amen. And give the same to the peoplearound you.They need joy and kindness so much. Don't ever have to accuse yourself of having given begrudgingly, but go eagerly, go with power. Go as though you were going to God."

September 15  - Convalescent. Holy hour.

 "Let your return to life b....

Joachim Jeremias 'Central Message'

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Donald - - -
Sent: Friday, 7 September 2012, 20:25
Subject: Re: Joachim Jermias

In a Blogspot, a word from Joachim Jermias is so on focus;

A hardback first edition of Joachim Jeremias, The Central Message of the New Testament, published by SCM in 1965. The last lines of Jeremias in The Central Message of the New Testament, on the Johannine Prologue (John 1.1-18), are a good example of his style and his way of doing New Testament theology from the standpoint of a faith both critical and confident:

It is in a world which knew of God's silence as a token of his inexpressible majesty that the message of the Christian church rings out: God is no longer silent - he speaks... [and] God has not always remained hidden. 

There is one point at which God took off the mask; once he spoke distinctly and clearly. 

This happened in Jesus of Nazareth; this happened above all on the cross...God is no longer silent. God has spoken. 

Jesus of Nazareth is the Word - he is the Word with which God has broken his silence. Page 90

- - - - - - - - - - 

http://livingwittily.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/07/joachim-jeremias-and-the-central-message-of-the-new-testament.html 

July 08, 2009

Joachim Jeremias and the Central Message of the New Testament

Well I'm on holiday. That's when you get doing what you like. I like second-hand bookshops. So that's what we did, Graeme and I. James Dickson's out at Kilsyth, via Caulders Garden Centre with tea room. Only bought three books - two of them recently published but well reduced. One of them a wee gem from another era. A hardback first edition of Joachim Jeremias, The Central Message of the New Testament, published by SCM in 1965. What was a surprise about the book was the reverse of the dust cover. Unlike the bad and often annoying habit of contemporary publishers, who put the mutually congratulatory blurb of sympathetic peers on the back, this one has something much more interesting. A map. The SCM Map of Theology 1965, showing the university whereabouts of some of SCM's main European continental authors. Fascinating and a who's who of mid-20th century and mainly German and Swiss Protestant biblical scholars. It both dates me and pleases me that I've read something by most of them, and lots of stuff by some of them.

Joachim Jeremias himself I have admired and enjoyed reading ever since working through Volume 1 of his New Testament Theology: The Proclamation of Jesus. He never finished the second volume - and some of his main contentions are now questioned or superceded. But there is a seriousness of purpose and a reverence for the words of Jesus in Jeremias that helped to reassure a young Scottish Baptist student who had discovered that reading German biblical criticism can be like a debut attempt at white water rafting not knowing how to hold the paddle. So I bought this book in appreciation of a good man and a careful scholar. His other books, The Parables of Jesus, The Eucharistic Teaching of Jesus and Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, show the same careful learning tracing its way through ancient cultures and texts.

The last lines of Jeremias in The Central Message of the New Testament, on the Johannine Prologue (John 1.1-18), are a good example of his style and his way of doing New Testament theology from the standpoint of a faith both critical and confident:

It is in a world which knew of God's silence as a token of his inexpressible majesty that the message of the Christian church rings out: God is no longer silent - he speaks... [and] God has not always remained hidden. There is one point at which God took off the mask; once he spoke distinctly and clearly. This happened in Jesus of Nazareth; this happened above all on the cross...God is no longer silent. God has spoken. Jesus of Nazareth is the Word - he is the Word with which God has broken his silence. Page 90

Nativity BVM 8 Sept

Saturday 8th. September
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary  
Night Office: First Reading. From the book of Genesis (3:9-20).
There is a selection of commentaries on Genesis, and on the Gospel of Matthew 1.
However, the passage from Genesis on Adam and Eve shadows and dark  dawn out to the New Adam and New Eve.

 Google: Nativity of Mary, the passage from Genesis on Adam and Eve shadows and dark dawn out to the New Adam and New Eve, Blogspot

About 4,730 results (0.45 seconds)

1.  The Luminous Mysteries – Part One

  http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/the-luminous-mysteries-part-one/

SUMMARY

1.      The proper perspective within which we ought to read the account of Gen. 1-3 is from the standpoint of Moses.  We must stand with Moses on Mount Sinai and be wrapped in a vision of Paradise.  We must see paradise with our own eyes and experience the drama which unfolds upon that sacred ground.  This perspective, which involves the reader in the story of creation, will be important as we journey with our Lord through each Luminous Mystery.

2.      The first image of Eden is that of light and darkness.  This contrast will come to full stature with the revelation of the Light of the world, the Son of God, who stands against the powers of darkness.  This image will be first encountered throughout the Luminous Mysteries, as Christ our God confronts the evil of sin and death.

3.      The second image of Eden is that of the Waters which have three characteristics: death, life, and the Spirit.  This image will be most prevalent in the first Luminous Mystery, the Baptism of Christ.

4.      The third image is that of sonship.  Adam is made in the image and likeness of God and is called to act out that reality in his relation to the world as king and marital companion.  The fulfillment of his vocation will confirm upon Adam the permanent supernatural status as a son of God bound to the Father by a covenantal union.  We will encounter this image throughout the Luminous Mysteries as Christ restores man to his proper relationship with the Father.  With the raising of fallen man in the Jordan River, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, and the Transfiguration we will begin to see the restoration of man as a son of God.

5.      The forth image is that of the Fall.  Adam and Eve are called to union with each other and with God but instead of the divine covenantal union, God’s children seek life apart from God on the seventh day.  With the Fall, Adam and Eve lose their royal inheritance and their royal robes, clothed now in the image of the animals.  At the wedding at Cana, we will encounter the restoration of the fallen Eve in the person of Mary.

6.      The fifth image of Eden is the merciful Father who seeks the restoration of His creation and the reunion with his prodigal children. In each of the Mysteries of Light, the forth and fifth images will be brought forth.  As Christ condescends to become a partaker in our plight we will again and again see our Lord touch the fallen Adam and bring him back to life, uniting him to the heavenly Father who seeks union with his creation.

7.      The sixth image is the reason for exile, the Tree of Life.  Man is cast forth from the Garden and the Cherubim are placed at the gate of Paradise.  At the table of the Eucharistic banquet we will receive from the hand of Christ the fruit of the Tree of Life which will be for the life of the world.

8.      The final image of Paradise necessary to begin our journey through the Luminous Mysteries is that of location.  The Jews believed that Jerusalem was the location of the Garden of Eden.  As Christ comes forth from the Jordan, we will walk with him toward Jerusalem and see in his footsteps and actions the restoration of Paradise.

9.      The hope that burned in the hearts of the Jewish people at the time of Christ was that God would wash them from their sin, restore them to their ancient Paradise, and once again dwell with his children in a covenant union.  This hope would not be in vain, for as Christ transfigures our human nature by his actions of grace, we are introduced to the restoration of mankind.

2. Royal Road of the Cross; Night Office The Imitation of Christ Bk.2 Ch.12

COMMENT: 

Thank you, William,

We are coming close to the Feast of 'The Exaltation of the Cross'. 

 

I have edited slightly the text of the Cyber Library translation of  Bk.ii, Ch.XII of Imitation.    
      

It is good of you to set me in pursuit of Joachim Jeremias, and have found others  hot on second hand books.

Yours...

Donald

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William W- - -
To: Donald - - -  
Sent: Friday, 7 September 2012, 15:25
Subject: Re: Kempis - references to the Cross

Dear Father Donald,

 

How 'co-incidental' - I was this morning in the bookshop, and was very taken with a translation of the 'Imitation'... but [happily] resisted, to now receive the on-line resource you discovered with so fine a translation - thank you!  It is a very 'striking' extract you researched from the Night Office - so many references to the Cross... which repetition brings quietness and opens the heart to acceptance : "lead you to the desired goal where indeed there shall be no more suffering"

 

I too was sitting up late last evening (but not as late by equivalent rest hours as yourself!), entirely engrossed in a book that has become a 'text book' for me (which means I have given in to the temptation to underline and write in the margins) - Joachim Jeremias, 'New Testament Theology, Vol.1, The Proclamation of Jesus'. The theology is not presented under 'aspects' of theology but in the order of the life and teaching of Jesus. It colours in so many threads for me in the Christology tapestry, revealing the figure of Jesus even more clearly.The focus of last night's chapter was (page 181) "the gift of being a child of God stamps the whole life of Jesus' disciples.. which becomes clear in three ways: being a child of God brings certainty of a share in future salvation / everyday security / and courage to submit to what is unpredictable in the divine will" - "in particular, it is suffering that appears in a new light where men are conscious of being children of God"... "Nothing happens without God. Jesus believes that unconditionally. Stronger than all questions, riddles and anxieties is the one word, 'Abba'. The Father knows."  

 

"Leave consolation to God; let Him do as most pleases Him.  On your part, be ready to bear sufferings and consider them the greatest consolation, for even though you alone were to undergo them all, the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come. Let this be the final conclusion -- that through much suffering we must enter into the kingdom of God.

 

Thank you for sharing with me the keys upon the keyring that leads to the discovery of such heavenly treasure!

 

With my love in Our Lord,

William 

Royal Road of the Cross; Night Office The Imitation of Christ Bk.2 Ch.12

Thursday 6 September 2012  

Thursday of week 22 of the year

The Night Office Second Reading was THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

Thomas à Kempis, 'The Royal Road of the Cross'.

The name of the CROSS re-echoed in our hearts, forty times, Christ 17 times. 
Among translations in our Library has, Glasgow and Westminster, Everyman's Library older translation, Ronald Knox and M. Oakley, new 1959.
This seemed  to call for a catchment of translations and literally filled the NET.

thomas a kempis online

Google About 144,000 results (0.35 seconds).

The CYBER LIBRARY was 1964 translation. 

And the Google facility includes;

 THOMAS À KEMPIS DE IMITATIONE CHRISTI LIBRI QUATTUOR. ad codicem autographum exacta. ROMAE. TYPIS POLYGLOTTIS VATICANIS. IMPRIMATUR ...

Quote: LIBER SECUNDUS CAPITULUM. XII.   De regia via sanctae crucis.  

It is a joy to the parallel columns of Imitation Bk.II, Ch.XII. below.

Imitation of Christ Bk. II, Ch. XII

The Twelfth Chapter

THE ROYAL ROAD OF THE HOLY CROSS

TO MANY the saying, "Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow Me,"[19]seems hard, but it will be much harder to hear that final word: "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire."[20] Those who hear the word of the cross and follow it willingly now, need not fear that they will hear of eternal damnation on the day of judgment

This sign of the cross will be in the heavens when the Lord comes to judge

Then all the servants of the cross, who during life made themselves one with the Crucified, will draw near with great trust to Christ, the judge.

2.

Why, then, do you fear to take up the cross when through it you can win a kingdom

 In the cross is salvation, 
 in the cross is life, 
 in the cross is protection from enemies, 
 in the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, 
 in the cross is strength of mind, 
 in the cross is joy of spirit, 
 in the cross is highest virtue, 
 in the cross is perfect holiness.

There is no salvation of soul nor hope of everlasting life but in the cross.

Take up your cross, therefore, and follow Jesus, and you shall enter eternal life

He Himself opened the way before you in carrying His cross, and upon it He died for you, that you, too, might take up your cross and long to die upon it

If you die with Him, you shall also live with Him, and if you share His suffering, you shall also share His glory.

3.   

Behold, in the cross is everything, and upon your dying on the cross everything depends

There is no other way to life and to true inward peace than the way of the holy cross and daily mortification

Go where you will, seek what you will, you will not find a higher way, nor a less exalted but safer way, than the way of the holy cross

Arrange and order everything to suit your will and judgment, and still you will find that some suffering must always be borne, willingly or unwillingly, and thus you will always find the cross.

Either you will experience bodily pain or you will undergo tribulation of spirit in your soul

4.  

At times you will be forsaken by God, at times troubled by those about you and, what is worse, you will often grow weary of yourself

You cannot escape, you cannot be relieved by any remedy or comfort but must bear with it as long as God wills

For He wishes you to learn to bear trial without consolation, to submit yourself wholly to Him that you may become more humble through suffering

No one understands the passion of Christ so thoroughly or heartily as the man whose lot it is to suffer the like himself.

The cross, therefore, is always ready; it awaits you everywhere

No matter where you may go, you cannot escape it, for wherever you go you take yourself with you and shall always find yourself

Turn where you will -- above, below, without, or within -- you will find a cross in everything, and everywhere you must have patience if you would have peace within and merit an eternal crown.

5.  

If you carry the cross willingly, it will carry and lead you to the desired goal where indeed there shall be no more suffering, but here there shall be

If you carry it unwillingly, you create a burden for yourself and increase the load, though still you have to bear it

If you cast away one cross, you will find another and perhaps a heavier one

6.  

Do you expect to escape what no mortal man can ever avoid? Which of the saints was without a cross or trial on this earth? Not even Jesus Christ, our Lord, Whose every hour on earth knew the pain of His passion "It behoves Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, and so enter into his glory."[21] How is it that you look for another way than this, the royal way of the holy cross?

7.  

The whole life of Christ was a cross and a martyrdom, and do you seek rest and enjoyment for yourself? You deceive yourself, you are mistaken if you seek anything but to suffer, for this mortal life is full of miseries and marked with crosses on all sides

Indeed, the more spiritual progress a person makes, so much heavier will he frequently find the cross, because as his love increases, the pain of his exile also increases.

8.  

Yet such a man, though afflicted in many ways, is not without hope of consolation, because he knows that great reward is coming to him for bearing his cross

And when he carries it willingly, every pang of tribulation is changed into hope of solace from God

Besides, the more the flesh is distressed by affliction, so much the more is the spirit strengthened by inward grace

Not infrequently a man is so strengthened by his love of trials and hardship in his desire to conform to the cross of Christ, that he does not wish to be without sorrow or pain, since he believes he will be the more acceptable to God if he is able to endure more and more grievous things for His sake.

It is the grace of Christ, and not the virtue of man, which can and does bring it about that through fervour of spirit frail flesh learns to love and to gain what it naturally hates and shuns.

9.  

To carry the cross, to love the cross, to chastise the body and bring it to subjection, to flee honours, to endure contempt gladly, to despise self and wish to be despised, to suffer any adversity and loss, to desire no prosperous days on earth -- this is not man's way

If you rely upon yourself, you can do none of these things, but if you trust in the Lord, strength will be given you from heaven and the world and the flesh will be made subject to your word

You will not even fear your enemy, the devil, if you are armed with faith and signed with the cross of Christ.

10.

Set yourself, then, like a good and faithful servant of Christ, to bear bravely the cross of your Lord, Who out of love was crucified for you

Be ready to suffer many adversities and many kinds of trouble in this miserable life, for troublesome and miserable life will always be, no matter where you are; and so you will find it wherever you may hide

Thus it must be; and there is no way to evade the trials and sorrows of life but to bear them.

Drink the chalice of the Lord with affection it you wish to be His friend and to have part with Him

Leave consolation to God; let Him do as most pleases Him

On your part, be ready to bear sufferings and consider them the greatest consolation, for even though you alone were to undergo them all, the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come.

11.  

When you shall have come to the point where suffering is sweet and acceptable for the sake of Christ, then consider yourself fortunate, for you have found paradise on earth

But as long as suffering irks you and you seek to escape, so long will you be unfortunate, and the tribulation you seek to evade will follow you everywhere

12.  

If you put your mind to the things you ought to consider, that is, to suffering and death, you would soon be in a better state and would find peace.

Although you were taken to the third heaven with Paul, you were not thereby insured against suffering

Jesus said: "I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake."[22] To suffer, then, remains your lot, if you mean to love Jesus and serve Him forever.

13.  

If you were but worthy to suffer something for the name of Jesus, what great glory would be in store for you, what great joy to all the saints of God, what great edification to those about you! For all men praise patience though there are few who wish to practice it.

With good reason, then, ought you to be willing to suffer a little for Christ since many suffer much more for the world.

14.  

Realize that you must lead a dying life; the more a man dies to himself, the more he begins to live unto God.

No man is fit to enjoy heaven unless he has resigned himself to suffer hardship for Christ

Nothing is more acceptable to God, nothing more helpful for you on this earth than to suffer willingly for Christ

If you had to make a choice, you ought to wish rather to suffer for Christ than to enjoy many consolations, for thus you would be more like Christ and more like all the saints

Our merit and progress consist not in many pleasures and comforts but rather in enduring great afflictions and sufferings.

15.

If, indeed, there were anything better or more useful for man's salvation than suffering, Christ would have shown it by word and example

But He clearly exhorts the disciples who follow Him and all who wish to follow Him to carry the cross, saying: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."[23]

When, therefore, we have read and searched all that has been written, let this be the final conclusion -- that through much suffering we must enter into the kingdom of God.

[20]Matt

25:41.

[21]Luke 24:46, 26.

[22]Acts 9:16.

[23]Luke 9:23.

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST Thomas à Kempis For five hundred years, this gentle book, filled with the spirit of the love of God, has brought understanding and comfort to millions of readers in over fifty languages, and provided them with a source of heart-felt personal prayer. These meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus, written in times even more troubled and dangerous than our own, have become second only to the Bible as a guide and inspiration. It is now available in a MODERN TRANSLATION that retains the flavor of the traditional English translation.  http://www.leaderu.com/cyber/books/imitation/imitation.html	1.       The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis - Cyber Library www.leaderu.com/cyber/books/imitation/imitation.htm   13 Jul 2002 – The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, a digital book in the International School of Theology's Cyber Library which is a digital library for ... CYBER LIBRARY 1964 trns   THE IMITATION OF CHRIST  Thomas à Kempis   For five hundred years, this gentle book, filled with the spirit of the love of God, has brought understanding and comfort to millions of readers in over fifty languages, and provided them with a source of heart-felt personal prayer. These meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus, written in times even more troubled and dangerous than our own, have become second only to the Bible as a guide and inspiration.   It is now available in a MODERN TRANSLATION that retains the flavor of the traditional English translation.
The Twelfth Chapter THE ROYAL ROAD OF THE HOLY CROSS	LIBER SECUNDUS CAPITULUM. XII. De regia via sanctae crucis.
TO MANY the saying, "Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow Me,"[19]seems hard, but it will be much harder to hear that final word: "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire."[20] Those who hear the word of the cross and follow it willingly now, need not fear that they will hear of eternal damnation on the day of judgment. This sign of the cross will be in the heavens when the Lord comes to judge. Then all the servants of the cross, who during life made themselves one with the Crucified, will draw near with great trust to Christ, the judge. 2. Why, then, do you fear to take up the cross when through it you can win a kingdom? In the cross is salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection from enemies, in the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the cross is strength of mind, in the cross is joy of spirit, in the cross is highest virtue, in the cross is perfect holiness. There is no salvation of soul nor hope of everlasting life but in the cross. Take up your cross, therefore, and follow Jesus, and you shall enter eternal life. He Himself opened the way before you in carrying His cross, and upon it He died for you, that you, too, might take up your cross and long to die upon it. If you die with Him, you shall also live with Him, and if you share His suffering, you shall also share His glory. 3. Behold, in the cross is everything, and upon your dying on the cross everything depends. There is no other way to life and to true inward peace than the way of the holy cross and daily mortification. Go where you will, seek what you will, you will not find a higher way, nor a less exalted but safer way, than the way of the holy cross. Arrange and order everything to suit your will and judgment, and still you will find that some suffering must always be borne, willingly or unwillingly, and thus you will always find the cross. Either you will experience bodily pain or you will undergo tribulation of spirit in your soul. 4. At times you will be forsaken by God, at times troubled by those about you and, what is worse, you will often grow weary of yourself. You cannot escape, you cannot be relieved by any remedy or comfort but must bear with it as long as God wills. For He wishes you to learn to bear trial without consolation, to submit yourself wholly to Him that you may become more humble through suffering. No one understands the passion of Christ so thoroughly or heartily as the man whose lot it is to suffer the like himself. The cross, therefore, is always ready; it awaits you everywhere. No matter where you may go, you cannot escape it, for wherever you go you take yourself with you and shall always find yourself. Turn where you will -- above, below, without, or within -- you will find a cross in everything, and everywhere you must have patience if you would have peace within and merit an eternal crown. If you carry the cross willingly, it will carry and lead you to the desired goal where indeed there shall be no more suffering, but here there shall be. 5. If you carry it unwillingly, you create a burden for yourself and increase the load, though still you have to bear it. If you cast away one cross, you will find another and perhaps a heavier one. 6. Do you expect to escape what no mortal man can ever avoid? Which of the saints was without a cross or trial on this earth? Not even Jesus Christ, our Lord, Whose every hour on earth knew the pain of His passion. "It behooveth Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, . . . and so enter into his glory."[21] How is it that you look for another way than this, the royal way of the holy cross? 7. The whole life of Christ was a cross and a martyrdom, and do you seek rest and enjoyment for yourself? You deceive yourself, you are mistaken if you seek anything but to suffer, for this mortal life is full of miseries and marked with crosses on all sides. Indeed, the more spiritual progress a person makes, so much heavier will he frequently find the cross, because as his love increases, the pain of his exile also increases. 8. Yet such a man, though afflicted in many ways, is not without hope of consolation, because he knows that great reward is coming to him for bearing his cross. And when he carries it willingly, every pang of tribulation is changed into hope of solace from God. Besides, the more the flesh is distressed by affliction, so much the more is the spirit strengthened by inward grace. Not infrequently a man is so strengthened by his love of trials and hardship in his desire to conform to the cross of Christ, that he does not wish to be without sorrow or pain, since he believes he will be the more acceptable to God if he is able to endure more and more grievous things for His sake. It is the grace of Christ, and not the virtue of man, which can and does bring it about that through fervour of spirit frail flesh learns to love and to gain what it naturally hates and shuns. 9. To carry the cross, to love the cross, to chastise the body and bring it to subjection, to flee honours, to endure contempt gladly, to despise self and wish to be despised, to suffer any adversity and loss, to desire no prosperous days on earth -- this is not man's way. If you rely upon yourself, you can do none of these things, but if you trust in the Lord, strength will be given you from heaven and the world and the flesh will be made subject to your word. You will not even fear your enemy, the devil, if you are armed with faith and signed with the cross of Christ. 10. Set yourself, then, like a good and faithful servant of Christ, to bear bravely the cross of your Lord, Who out of love was crucified for you. Be ready to suffer many adversities and many kinds of trouble in this miserable life, for troublesome and miserable life will always be, no matter where you are; and so you will find it wherever you may hide. Thus it must be; and there is no way to evade the trials and sorrows of life but to bear them. Drink the chalice of the Lord with affection it you wish to be His friend and to have part with Him. Leave consolation to God; let Him do as most pleases Him. On your part, be ready to bear sufferings and consider them the greatest consolation, for even though you alone were to undergo them all, the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come. 11. When you shall have come to the point where suffering is sweet and acceptable for the sake of Christ, then consider yourself fortunate, for you have found paradise on earth. But as long as suffering irks you and you seek to escape, so long will you be unfortunate, and the tribulation you seek to evade will follow you everywhere. 12. If you put your mind to the things you ought to consider, that is, to suffering and death, you would soon be in a better state and would find peace. Although you were taken to the third heaven with Paul, you were not thereby insured against suffering. Jesus said: "I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake."[22] To suffer, then, remains your lot, if you mean to love Jesus and serve Him forever. 13. If you were but worthy to suffer something for the name of Jesus, what great glory would be in store for you, what great joy to all the saints of God, what great edification to those about you! For all men praise patience though there are few who wish to practice it. With good reason, then, ought you to be willing to suffer a little for Christ since many suffer much more for the world. 14. Realize that you must lead a dying life; the more a man dies to himself, the more he begins to live unto God. No man is fit to enjoy heaven unless he has resigned himself to suffer hardship for Christ. Nothing is more acceptable to God, nothing more helpful for you on this earth than to suffer willingly for Christ. If you had to make a choice, you ought to wish rather to suffer for Christ than to enjoy many consolations, for thus you would be more like Christ and more like all the saints. Our merit and progress consist not in many pleasures and comforts but rather in enduring great afflictions and sufferings. 15. If, indeed, there were anything better or more useful for man's salvation than suffering, Christ would have shown it by word and example. But He clearly exhorts the disciples who follow Him and all who wish to follow Him to carry the cross, saying: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."[23] When, therefore, we have read and searched all that has been written, let this be the final conclusion -- that through much suffering we must enter into the kingdom of God. [20]Matt. 25:41. [21]Luke 24:46, 26. [22]Acts 9:16. [23]Luke 9:23.	1. Durus multis videtur hic sermo. Abnega temet ipsum: tolle crucem tuam et sequere Iesum (cfr. Matth. 16, 24). Sed multo durius erit audire illud extremum verbum: Discedite a me maledicti in ignem æternum (Matth. 25, 41). Qui enim modo libenter audiunt et sequuntur verbum crucis: tunc non timebunt ab auditione æternæ damnationis. Hoc signum crucis erit in cælo: cum Dominus ad iudicandum venerit. Tunc omnes servi crucis qui se Crucifixo conformaverunt in vita: accedent ad Christum iudicem cum magna fiducia. 2. Quid igitur times tollere crucem; per quam itur ad regnum? In cruce salus, in cruce vita; in cruce protectio ab hostibus: in cruce infusio supernae suavitatis; in cruce robur mentis, in cruce gaudium spiritus: in cruce summa virtutis, in cruce perfectio sanctitatis. Non est salus animae nec spes æternæ vitæ: nisi in cruce. Tolle ergo crucem tuam et sequere Iesum: et ibis in vitam æternam. Præcessit ille baiulans sibi crucem (Ioann. 19, 17), et mortuus est pro te in cruce, ut et tu tuam portes crucem: et mori affectes in cruce. Quia si commortuus fueris: etiam cum illo pariter vives. Et si socius fueris poenae:  eris et gloriæ. 3. Ecce in cruce totum constat, et in moriendo totum iacet; et non est alia via ad vitam et ad veram  internam pacem: nisi via sanctæ crucis et cotidianæ mortificationis. Ambula ubi vis, quære quodcumque volueris; et non invenies altiorem viam supra, nec securiorem viam infra: nisi viam sanctæ crucis. Dispone et ordina omnia secundum tuum velle et videre; et non invenies nisi semper aliquid pati debere, aut sponte aut invite: et ita crucem semper invenies. Aut enim in corpore dolorem senties: aut in anima spiritus tribulationem sustinebis. 4. Interdum a Deo relinqueris, interdum a proximo exercitaberis: et quod amplius est sæpe tibimet ipsi gravis eris: nec tamen aliquo remedio vel solacio liberari seu alleviari poteris: sed donec Deus voluerit oportet ut sustineas. Vult enim Deus ut tribulationem sine consolatione pati discas; et ut illi totaliter te subicias: et humilior ex tribulatione fias. Nemo ita cordialiter sentit passionem Christi: sicut is cui contigerit similia pati. Crux ergo semper parata est: et ubique te expectat. Non potes effugere, ubicumque cucurreris; quia ubicumque veneris te ipsum tecum portas: et semper te ipsum invenies. Converte te supra, converte te infra; converte te extra, converte te intra: et in his omnibus invenies crucem; et necesse est te ubique tenere patientiam: si internam vis habere pacem, et perpetuam promereri coronam. 5. Si libenter crucem portas portabit te, et ducet ad desideratum finem, ubi scilicet finis patiendi erit: quamvis hic non erit. Si invite portas onus tibi facis, et te ipsum magis gravas: et tamen oportet ut sustineas. Si abicis unam crucem, aliam procul dubio invenies: et forsitan graviorem. 6. Credis tu evadere; quod nullus mortalium potuit præterire? Quis sanctorum in mundo sine cruce et tribulatione fuit? Nec enim Iesus Christus Dominus noster una hora sine dolore passionis fuit, quamdiu vixit. Oportebat, ait, Christum pati, et resurgere a mortuis: et ita intrare in gloriam suam (Luc. 24, 26, 46). Et quomodo tu aliam viam quæris; quam hanc regiam viam quæ est via sanctæ crucis? 7. Tota vita Christi crux fuit et martyrium: et tu tibi quæris requiem et gaudium? Erras, erras, si aliud quæris quam pati tribulationes: quia tota ista vita mortalis plena est miseriis et circumsignata crucibus. Et quanto altius quis in spiritu profecerit, tanto graviores sæpe cruces invenerit: quia exilii sui pœna magis ex amore crescit. 8. Sed tamen iste sic multipliciter afflictus, non est sine levamine consolationis: quia fructum maximum  sibi sentit accrescere ex sufferentia suæ crucis. Nam dum sponte se illi subicit: omne onus tribulationis in fiduciam divinæ consolationis convertitur. Et quanto caro magis per afflictionem atteritur: tanto spiritus amplius per internam gratiam roboratur. Et nonnumquam in tantum confortatur ex affectu tribulationis et adversitatis ob amorem conformitatis crucis Christi: ut se sine dolore et tribulatione esse non vellet; quoniam tanto se acceptiorem Deo credit: quanto plura et graviora pro eo perferre potuerit. Non est istud hominis virtus sed gratia Christi: quæ tanta potest et agit in carne fragili; ut quod naturaliter semper abhorret et fugit: hoc fervore spiritus aggrediatur et diligat. 9. Non est secundum hominem crucem portare, crucem amare, corpus castigare, et servituti subicere: honores fugere, contumelias libenter sustinere; se ipsum despicere, et despici optare: adversa quæque cum damnis perpeti, et nihil prosperitatis in hoc mundo desiderare. Si ad te ipsum respicis: nihil huiusmodi ex te poteris. Sed si in Domino confidis, dabitur tibi fortitudo de cælo: et subicientur ditioni tuæ mundus et caro. Sed nec inimicum diabolum timebis: si fueris fide armatus et cruce Christi signatus. 10. Pone te ergo sicut bonus et fidelis servus Christi ad portandam viriliter crucem Domini tui: pro te ex amore crucifixi. Præpara te ad toleranda multa adversa et varia incommoda in hac misera vita: quia sic tecum erit ubicumque fueris: et sic revera invenies ubicumque latueris. Oportet te ita esse; et non est remedium evadendi a tribulatione malorum et dolore: quam ut te patiaris. Calicem Domini affectanter bibe: si amicus eius esse et partem cum eo habere desideras. Consolationes Deo committe: faciat ipse cum talibus sicut sibi magis placuerit. Tu vero pone te ad sustinendum tribulationes et reputa eas maximas consolationes; quia non sunt condignae passiones huius temporis ad futuram gloriam (Rom. 8, 18) promerendam: etiam si solus omnes posses sustinere. 11. Quando ad hoc veneris, quod tribulatio tibi dulcis est et sapit pro Christo; tunc bene tecum esse aestima: quia invenisti paradisum in terra. Quamdiu pati grave tibi est et fugere quæris; tamdiu male habebis: et sequentur te ubique fuga tribulationis. 12. Si ponis te ad quod esse debes; videlicet ad patiendum et moriendum: fiet cito melius et pacem invenies. Etiam si raptus fueris usque ad tertium cælum cum Paulo: non es propterea securatus de nullo contrario patiendo. Ego, inquit Iesus, ostendam illi: quanta oporteat eum pro nomine meo pati (Act. 9, 16). Pati ergo tibi remanet: si Iesum diligere et perpetue illi servire placet. 13. Utinam dignus esses aliquid pro nomine Iesu pati: quam magna gloria remaneret tibi; quanta exultatio omnibus sanctis Dei: quanta quoque ædificatio esset proximi! Nam patientiam omnes recommendant: quamvis pauci tamen pati velint. Merito deberes libenter modicum pati pro Christo: cum multi graviora patiuntur pro mundo. 14. Scias pro certo: quia morientem te oportet ducere vitam. Et quanto quisque plus sibi moritur: tanto magis Deo vivere incipit. Nemo aptus est ad comprehendendum cælestia: nisi se submiserit ad portandum pro Christo adversa. Nihil Deo acceptius nihil tibi salubrius in mundo isto: quam libenter pati pro Christo. Et si eligendum tibi esset: magis optare deberes pro Christo adversa pati quam multis consolationibus recreari; quia Christo similior esses: et omnibus sanctis magis conformior. Non enim stat meritum nostrum et profectus status nostri in multis suavitatibus et consolationibus: sed potius in magnis gravitatibus et tribulationibus perferendis. 15. Siquidem aliquid melius et utilius saluti hominum quam pati fuisset: Christus utique verbo et exemplo ostendisset. Nam et sequentes se discipulos, omnesque eum sequi cupientes: manifeste ad crucem portandam hortatur et dicit: Si quis vult venire post me: abneget semet ipsum et tollat crucem suam et sequatur me (Matt. 16, 24). Omnibus ergo perlectis et scrutatis: sit haec conclusio finalis: quoniam per multas tribulationes: oportet nos intrare in regnum Dei (Act. 14, 21). Expliciunt admonitiones ad interna trahentes.