Of Utility of Adversity

Of the Utility of Adversity

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis

Chapter XII

(Annotations by PaulRuiz)

Remember the green book I told you in the first article (Second Journey to God)? Let me share you a part of it. This chapter discusses how we should perceive sufferings and pains that comes in our life. It is how we accept adversities that separate us from the Saints.

“It is good for us sometimes to have troubles and adversities: for they make a man enter into himself that he may know that he is an exile, and not plays his hopes in anything of this world.”

Pain teaches us to be humble. It gives us the signal that we are doing the wrong thing. Take time to reflect that is the decisions that we made that affects our predicament today. Try to imagine holding a hot kettle not knowing that is hot, or having your hand caught on fire. Sooner or later, you have already burned or lost your hand without even knowing it. By reflex because of pain we are able to pull out our hand as the brain signals your body that it will hurt you. Now you would think twice next time before even getting close to a hot pot.

“It is good that we sometimes suffer contradictions, and that men have the wrong opinion of us, even when we do and intend well. These things are often helps to humility, and keep us from vainglory.”

“For then we better seek God, as a witness of our conscience, when outwardly we are despised by men, and we are not believed.”

If we are to pursue a life with Christ we need to learn the value of humility. With humility comes wisdom that draws us closer to God. It is in clear conscience that we find peace of heart. Never let anger set in for it will destroy your intentions, leaving behind emotional scars and torn relationships. Let God take care of things and pray fervently for patience and consolations.

Use this heartache to pursue Him even more as we bow down in acceptance that like pilgrims we are just passing by in this world. We need not to expect human consolation for it is fleeting.

“2. Therefore should a man so establish himself in God as to have no need of seeking many human consolations?

When a man of good will is troubled or tempted, or afflicted with evil thoughts, then he better understand what need he has of God, and that without Him he can do no good.

Then he laments, he sighs, and prays by reason of the miseries which he suffers.

Then he is weary of living longer; and he wishes death to come, that he may be dissolved and be with Christ.”

Then also he perceives that perfect security and full peace cannot be found in this world.”

I was maybe seven or eight when my mother would urge me to kneel and pray. It was raining really hard, electricity was cut for more than 3 days and thunder is pounding our roof. She was so bothered worried that the river might overflow or our roof might come off. We will then pray the rosary, as I saw tears coming from her eyes. She needed no human consolations, all she got is a young man beside him just staring and doing what she asks to do. That is how she finds peace.

Adversities tell us that we are just as speck of dust, that there is One Supreme above all creations. Without His providence nothing in this world will be consummated. It tells us to examine our lives on where we are right now and things that we have done in the past. When problems come we submit and call upon Him the more we feel the warm embrace of the spiritand be consoled by it, we get to taste a bit of heaven. And we long to be with Christ, to live in His house where peace and security is eternal.

“We must suffer with Christ that We also may be Glorified with Him”

Ø Romans 8:17

Life is a sorrow. Each one of us are expected to carry his own cross. There is no other way than the way Jesus Christ showed us. That is to take up your on cross and go the path He had prepared for us.

“If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Ø Luke 9:23

In pain and suffering like Christ we learn to control our anger, we are straightened, bearing it with mortification we are cast down. Suffering is our vocation.

“Smile though it Hurts” reads the sign hanging on the tree in our seminary. To suffer with Christ with acceptance and Faith in His compassion will bring forth a happy heart, and a contented soul. To utilize adversity is to learn the value of patience and forbearance. You can give up everything but doing it half-hearted will mean nothing.

Reflection:

It is well for man to examine himself, to consider himself and exile and a pilgrim, not to place his trust on creatures , to be on guard against pride, to become truly humble. Afflictions and tribulations bring many advantages to persons who have a pure heart and who do not seek for human consolations, and to those who recognize the need of Divine Help.

Prayer

O Lord infuse in my heart the dispositions which you infused in the heart of the Saints. This is the grace which I insistently ask of You, and which I hope to obtain from Your Infinite Mercy. Amen.