Imitation of Christ Book III Chapter 49 The Desire of Eternal Life

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JMJ

After a few months, I finally found my copy of the Imitation of Christ and read a passage after my morning prayers.

This is the passage that I read on flipping open the tome:

And because being under authority thou darest not resist the higher power, therefore thou art apt to think it hard to walk at the beck of another, and wholly to give up thy own sentiments. (Confraternity 1982 version quoted. Online version The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis, tr. by William Benham [1886], at sacred-texts.com Bk3 Ch49 )

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But consider, son, the fruit of these labors, how quickly they will end, and their exceeding great reward, and thou wilt not be troubled at them, but strongly comforted in thy suffering. (Heb VI. 18)

For Reference:

Heb VI 18: That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have the strongest comfort, who have fled for refuge to hold fast the hope set before us. (source)

I've known and know priests and laity who labour with difficulty under the obedience necessary to their state and duty in life.

Pray for them to understand the difference between:

• What they believe and what they know,
• what they can do and what they ought to do,
• what they want to do and what they must do.

P^3