- Home
- Speakers
- Thomas a Kempis
- Self Abasement In The Sight Of God
Thomas a Kempis
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471). Born Thomas Hemerken in Kempen, Germany, around 1380, he was a Catholic monk, priest, and mystic whose life centered on spiritual devotion. At 13, he joined the Brethren of the Common Life in Deventer, Netherlands, drawn to their emphasis on personal piety and education. By 1406, he entered the Augustinian monastery of Mount St. Agnes near Zwolle, where he spent over six decades copying manuscripts, including four complete Bibles, and writing works of profound spirituality. Ordained a priest in 1413, he took on minor roles like sub-prior but focused on contemplation and guiding novices. His most famous work, The Imitation of Christ, written in Latin, urges readers to detach from worldly desires and follow Jesus’ humility, proclaiming, “Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living.” This text and his other writings, like meditations and saintly biographies, reflect a quiet faith that avoids worldly acclaim. Living simply, he rarely left the monastery and died there on July 25, 1471. His legacy endures through his universal call to holiness, inspiring Christians across centuries.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
Thomas a Kempis preaches about the humility and self-abasement required to experience God's grace and light. By acknowledging our nothingness and weaknesses, we open ourselves to be lifted up and embraced by God's love, which sustains us in all circumstances. Through seeking and loving God above all else, we find our true selves and deepen our dependence on Him, recognizing His infinite goodness and mercy even when we are unworthy.
Self-Abasement in the Sight of God
THE DISCIPLE I WILL speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. If I consider myself anything more than this, behold You stand against me, and my sins bear witness to the truth which I cannot contradict. If I abase myself, however, if I humble myself to nothingness, if I shrink from all self-esteem and account myself as the dust which I am, Your grace will favor me, Your light will enshroud my heart, and all self-esteem, no matter how little, will sink in the depths of my nothingness to perish forever. It is there You show me to myself -- what I am, what I have been, and what I am coming to; for I am nothing and I did not know it. Left to myself, I am nothing but total weakness. But if You look upon me for an instant, I am at once made strong and filled with new joy. Great wonder it is that I, who of my own weight always sink to the depths, am so suddenly lifted up, and so graciously embraced by You. It is Your love that does this, graciously upholding me, supporting me in so many necessities, guarding me from so many grave dangers, and snatching me, as I may truly say, from evils without number. Indeed, by loving myself badly I lost myself; by seeking only You and by truly loving You I have found both myself and You, and by that love I have reduced myself more profoundly to nothing. For You, O sweetest Lord, deal with me above all my merits and above all that I dare to hope or ask. May You be blessed, my God, for although I am unworthy of any benefits, yet Your nobility and infinite goodness never cease to do good even for those who are ungrateful and far from You. Convert us to You, that we may be thankful, humble, and devout, for You are our salvation, our courage, and our strength.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471). Born Thomas Hemerken in Kempen, Germany, around 1380, he was a Catholic monk, priest, and mystic whose life centered on spiritual devotion. At 13, he joined the Brethren of the Common Life in Deventer, Netherlands, drawn to their emphasis on personal piety and education. By 1406, he entered the Augustinian monastery of Mount St. Agnes near Zwolle, where he spent over six decades copying manuscripts, including four complete Bibles, and writing works of profound spirituality. Ordained a priest in 1413, he took on minor roles like sub-prior but focused on contemplation and guiding novices. His most famous work, The Imitation of Christ, written in Latin, urges readers to detach from worldly desires and follow Jesus’ humility, proclaiming, “Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living.” This text and his other writings, like meditations and saintly biographies, reflect a quiet faith that avoids worldly acclaim. Living simply, he rarely left the monastery and died there on July 25, 1471. His legacy endures through his universal call to holiness, inspiring Christians across centuries.