On The Contemplation of Human Misery: "Now is the Time to Fight!"

Last week we read about how these necessities develop our desires, and often result in sin.

We mortals all deal with physical struggles - even the rich.  From hunger to illness, from pursuing the means to sustain our families to obtaining relief from the stresses of our work-a-day world, it's all part of the struggle in this "mortal coil".

Meditating on these aspects of life help us to grow closer to The Lord and put these in context with the eternal.  Thomas helps us to understand how to handle the realities of this life.

Why, oh why, would Thomas take us through a meditation on misery? Doesn't God always want us to be joyful and happy? Or, when we do have to meet our necessities, shouldn't we be singing about it?

Thomas tells us to balance these miseries with hope.  But that we must take action.  Action equals motivation, motivation equals movement, movement equals progress.  "Now is the time to fight!"

3. Our inward thoughts are heavily burdened with the necessities of the body in this world. For that reason the prophet devoutly prays to be freed from these needs, saying, “Deliver me from my necessities, O Lord (Ps, 25:17)” 

But woe to those who do not know their own misery, and yet greater woe to those who love this miserable and corruptible life. For to such a degree do many cling to this world (even though by laboring or begging they barely obtain what is necessary for living) that if they might live here always, they would not care anything for the Kingdom of God.

4. Oh foolish and faithless of heart, you lie buried so deep in worldly things, that you relish nothing except the things of the flesh! Miserable ones!

Sadly, you will find out at the end of your life, how foul and worthless those worldly things were which you loved. The saints of God and all loyal friends of Christ valued as nothing 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 from Heaven. Their whole desire was borne upwards to eternally everlasting and invisible things, being drawn downwards by the love of visible things.

5.  However, brothers and sisters, do not lose your heartfelt desire of progressing toward spiritual things. There is still time, the hour is not yet past. Why do you put off your resolution  from day to day?

Arise, begin this very moment, and say, "Now is the time to do, now is the time to fight, now is the proper time for amendment."

When you are ill at ease and troubled, then is the time when you are near to blessing. You must go through fire and water so that God may bring you into a refreshing place (Ps. 66:12) Unless you put force upon yourself, 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.

Gladly would we have relief from all misery; but because through sin we have lost innocence, we have lost also true happiness. Therefore we must be patient, and wait for the God’s mercy, until this tyranny be past, and this mortality be swallowed up by life. (2 Cor 5:4).

Next time we will finish this chapter with some thoughts on human frailty and sin, as well as a caution from Good Thomas.

Until next time, thanks for reading and praying along with me.
tim