Book 1, Chapter 22: On the Contemplation of the Miseries of Life
Comment: Without God, the necessities of life become a joyless burden.
We must live in the world and eat, sleep, work, etc. Of this there is no denying. And if God is not at the center of our needs, life becomes a misery.
Thomas takes up this point in contemplating that such needs are a constant source of weakness and temptation. No one has everything they want and certainly not everything they want. These simple desires are avenues to sin if we do not get these under control. For example, when we see someone who we think has more than us or has an easier way than us, we slip into a position of envy – we are not happy with our lot. Thomas says should be content with a moderate amount of necessities. We should stay detached from the mentality of accumulation. Instead we should work on our spiritual progress.
Some would rather ignore their own spiritual progress, and would gladly wallow in the accumulation of worldly things. For others, breaking free from these needs can be done with correct self discipline: and it is never too late. Thomas counsels us to return to the willing attitude we had at the beginning of our journey. From there, our progress lies in growing in our faith walk, and therefore we must remain open to instruction.
Book 1, Chapter 22: On the Contemplation of the Miseries of Life
Unless you turn to God you will be miserable no matter where you are, and no matter where you turn. Why are you worried if a thing does not happen to you according to your wishes and desires? Do you know anyone who has everything according to his will? Neither I, nor you, nor any disciple upon the earth has this. There is no one in the world free from trouble or anguish, not even the King or the Pope. Who is it who has the happiest lot? The disciple who is strong is willing to offer such suffering for God.
2. There are many foolish and unstable people who say, “See what a prosperous life that one has – how rich and how great, how powerful, how exalted.” But lift up your eyes to the good things of heaven, and you shall see that all these worldly
things are nothing, they are utterly uncertain, yes, they are wearisome, because these things are never possessed without care and fear. The happiness of a disciple does not lie in the abundance of temporal things: a moderate portion will suffice. Our life upon the earth is quite worthless. The more a you desire to be spiritual, the more bitter this present life becomes; because it is better understood and the the defects of human corruption are readily seen. For to eat, to drink, to watch, to sleep, to rest, to labor, and to be subject to the other necessities of nature, is truly a great misery and affliction to a devout disciple who desires to be released and free from all sin.
3. For the disciple who is focused inward is heavily burdened with the necessities of the body in this world. Therefore the prophet devoutly prays to be freed from them, saying, “Deliver me from my necessities, O Lord(Ps 25:17).” But woe to those who do not know their own misery, and yet a greater woe awaits those who love this miserable and corruptible life. For some cling to it to such a degree (even though by laboring or begging they seldom procure what is needed for subsistence) that even if they would live here forever, they would care nothing for the Kingdom of God.
4. Oh foolish and faithless of heart, who lie buried so deep in worldly things, that they relish nothing except the things of the flesh!
Miserable ones! Sadly they too will find out at the end how vile and worthless were those things which they loved. The saints of God and all loyal friends of Christ valued as worthless the things which pleased the flesh, or those which flourished in this life; but their whole hope and affection aspired to the things which are eternal. Their whole desire was borne upwards to everlasting and invisible things, for fear that they should be drawn downward by the love of visible things.
5. Do not lose your loyal desire of progress to spiritual things. There is yet time, the hour is not past. Why will you put off your resolution? Arise, begin this very moment, and say, “Now is the time for doing: now is the time to fight, now is the proper time to amend my life.” When you are uneasy and troubled, that is the time when you are nearest to receiving a blessing.
You must go through fire and water so that God may bring you into a wealthy place (Ps 66:12). Unless you correct yourself with discipline, you will not conquer your faults. So long as we carry about with us this frail body, we cannot be without sin, we cannot live without weariness and trouble. We would gladly have rest from all misery; but because we have lost innocence through sin, we have also lost true happiness. Therefore must we be patient, and wait for the mercy of God, until this tyranny passes, and this mortality is swallowed up (2 Cor 5:4).
6. O how great is the frailty of mortals, which are always prone to evil! Today you confess your sins, and tomorrow you commit again the the same sins you just confessed. Now you resolve to avoid a fault, and within an hour you behave as if you had never resolved upon it at all. Therefore we have good cause to humble ourselves, and never to think too highly of ourselves, seeing that we are so frail and unstable. And we may just as quickly be lost by our own negligence, which by much effort was hardly attained through grace.
7. What shall become of us in the end, if at the beginning we are lukewarm and idle? Woe unto us, if we choose to rest, as though it were a time of peace and security, while as yet no sign appears in our life of true holiness (1 Thes 5:3).
Rather, perhaps we might begin yet anew, like good novices, to be instructed on good living, if happily there might be some hope of future change and greater spiritual progress.