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← The Imitation of Christ/Book 2 · Counsels on the Inner Life
Chapter 11Imit.2.11

De paucitate amatorum crucis.

Few Who Carry the Cross

Many follow Christ in comfort and consolation, but few are willing to share His cross, His abstinence, and His humiliations.

Now Jesus has many lovers of his heavenly kingdom, but few who carry his cross. He finds many companions at his table, but few who share his abstinence. Everyone wants to rejoice with Christ, but few are willing to endure anything for him. Many follow Jesus all the way to the breaking of bread, but few to drinking the cup of his passion.1 Many revere his miracles, but few follow the humiliations of his cross. Many love Jesus as long as no hardship comes their way. Many praise and bless him as long as they receive some comfort from him. But if Jesus hides himself and leaves them for even a short time, they fall either into complaint or into utter despondency.

The Love That Asks Nothing in Return

True lovers of Jesus praise Him in tribulation as in consolation, and would bless Him even if He never granted them comfort.

Those who love Jesus for Jesus' sake, and not for any consolation of their own, love him in tribulation and in anguish of heart just as they love him in the highest consolation, and they bless him. And even if he were never willing to give them consolation, they would still praise him and always wish to give thanks.2

The Rarity of Selfless Service

Pure love of Jesus is powerful and rare; those who seek only consolation or personal gain are hirelings and lovers of themselves, and scarcely anyone serves God freely for nothing.

Oh, how great is the power of a pure love of Jesus, unmixed with any self-interest or selfish desire! Should not all who are always seeking consolations be called hirelings? Are not those who always dwell on their own advantages or gains shown to be lovers of themselves more than of Jesus? Where can you find someone who would wish to serve God freely, for nothing?

Stripped of All Things

No one is truly poor in spirit who has not left all things—including himself—behind; even after doing everything commanded, one must consider oneself a useless servant.

Rarely is anyone so spiritual as to be stripped of all things. Who can truly be found poor in spirit, stripped of every creature?✦ Its price is far beyond all its borders. Even if a person gives away all his possessions, it is still nothing. Even if he does great penance, it is still too little. Even if he attains all knowledge, he is still far from it. Even if he has great virtue and exceedingly burning devotion, he still lacks much. There is one thing, namely, which is supremely necessary to him. What is that? That having left all things behind, he leave himself behind, and go out entirely from himself, and retain nothing of private love. When he has done all that he knows he must, let him consider that he has done nothing.✦

The Freedom of the Lowly

Declaring oneself a useless servant leads to true spiritual poverty, freedom, and power—the one who places himself at the very bottom is richest of all.

Don't think it a great thing to be held in high regard, but in truth declare yourself a useless servant. As truth itself says: "When you have done all the things that have been commanded us, still say, 'We are useless servants.'"✦3 Then indeed one will be able to be poor and naked in spirit, and to say with the Prophet: "For I am alone and poor."4 No one is richer than that person, no one so free, no one more powerful than the one who knows how to leave himself and all things behind and to place himself at the very bottom.

Read the original Latin

Habet autem Jesus multos amatores sui regnis cælestis, sed paucos bajulatores suæ crucis. Plures invenit socios mensæ sed paucos abstinentiæ. Omnes volunt cum Christo gaudere, sed pauci volunt aliquid pro ipso sustinere. Multi sequuntur Jesum usque ad fractionem panis, sed pauci ad bibendum calicem passionis. Multi miracula ejus venerantur, sed pauci ignominias crucis sequuntur. Multi Jesum diligunt, quamdiu adversa non contingunt. Multi illum laudant et benedicunt, quamdiu consolationes aliquas ab ipso recipiunt. Si autem Jesus se abscondiderit, et modicum eos reliquerit, aut in querimoniam aut in dejectionem nimiam cadunt.

Qui autem Jesum propter Jesum, et non propter aliquam suam consolationem propriam diligunt, ipsum in tribulatione, et in angustia cordis, sicut in summa consolatione diligunt, et benedicunt. Et si eis consolationem nunquam dare vellet, ipsum tamen laudarent, et semper gratias agere vellent.

O, quantum potest amor Jesu purus, nullo propio commodo vel amore permixtus. Nonne omnes mercenarii sunt dicendi, qui consolationes semper quærunt? Nonne amatores sui magis quam Jesu probantur qui sua commoda vel lucra semper meditantur? Ubi invenitur talis, qui velit servire Deo gratis?

Raro invenitur tam spiritualis aliquis qui omnibus sit nudatus. Nam verum spiritu pauperem ab omni creatura nudum quis inveniet? Procul et de omnibus finibus pretium ejus. Si dederit homo omnem substantiam suam, adhuc nihil est. Et si fecerit pœnitentiam magnam, adhuc exiguum est. Et si apprehenderit omnem scientiam, adhuc longe est. Et si habuerit virtutem magnam, et devotionem nimis ardentem, adhuc sibi multum deest. Unum scilicet, quod sibi summe necessarium est. Quid illud? Ut omnibus relictis se relinquat, et a se totaliter exeat, nihilque de privato amore retineat. Cum omnia fecerit quæ facienda noverit, nihil se fecisse sentiat.

Non grande ponderet quod grandis æstimari possit, sed in veritate servum inutilem se pronunciet. Sicut veritas ait: Cum feceritis omnia quæ nobis præcepta sunt, adhuc dicite, quia servi inutiles sumus. Tunc vero pauper, et nudus spiritu esse poterit, et cum Propheta dicere: Quia unicus et pauper sum ego. Nemo isto ditior, nemo tam liberior, nemo potentior eo, qui scit se et omnia relinquere et ad infimum se ponere.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Matt.5.3 — Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  2. ↩Luke.17.10 — So also you, when you have done all that was commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what we were obligated to do.'
  3. ↩Luke.17.10 — So also you, when you have done all that was commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what we were obligated to do.'

Notes

  1. 1 ↩fractionem panis (breaking of bread) and calicem passionis (cup of his passion) carry Eucharistic resonance; the contrast is between those who seek Christ in communion and those who embrace his suffering.
  2. 2 ↩gratias agere rendered as 'give thanks' per gratia policy (gratias agere context → thanks, not grace).
  3. 3 ↩The quoted sentence echoes Luke 17:10 (Vulgate: 'Cum feceritis omnia quae praecepta sunt vobis, dicite: Servi inutiles sumus'). Final resolution deferred to Moses stage.
  4. 4 ↩The quoted sentence echoes Psalm 24:16 (Vulgate) / Psalm 25:16 (Hebrew numbering): 'Quia unicus et pauper sum ego.' Final resolution deferred to Moses stage.