DEVOTION CORNER

"My Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis
Revised translation edited by Confraternity of the Precious Blood, Imprimatur Thomas Edmundus Molloy, Archbishop of Brooklyn, 1954


Book One - useful admonishes for a Spiritual Life

Chapter 16: Bearing the defects of others

1. What a man cannot amend in himselfor others he must bear with patiencetill God ordains otherwise.
Think that perhaps it is better so, for thy trial and patience, without which our merits are little worth.
Thou must, nevertheless, under such impediments, earnestly pray that God may vouchsafe to help thee, and that thou mayst bear them well.

2. If any one being once or twice admonished does not comply contend not with him, but commit all to God , that His will may be done, and He be honoured in all His servants, who knows well how to convert into good.
Endeavor to be patient in suupporting the defects and infirmities of others, of what kind soever; because thou also hast many things which others must bear withal.
If thou canst not make thyself such a one as thou wouldst, how canst thou expect to have another according to thy liking?

3. We should have others strictly corrected; but we are not willing to be corrected but we are not willing to be corrected ourselves. The large liberty of others dsipleases us; and yet we would not be denied anything we asked for.
We are wiling that others should be bound up by laws, and we suffer not ourselves by any means to be restrained.
Thus it is evident how seldom we weigh our neighbour in the same balance with ourselves.

4. But now God has so sidposed things that we may learn to bear one another's burdens - Gal. vi.2, for there is no man without defect; no man without his burden; no man sufficient for himself; no man wise enough for himself; but we must suupport one another, comfort one another, assist, instruct, and admonish one another.
But how great each one's virtue is best appears by occasions of adversity; for occasions do not make a man frail, but show what he is.