Follow Jesus and not the News.

Follow Jesus and not the news.  Follow Christ and not the world. 

Two short selections from the Catholic classic The Imitation of Christ. 

“Count the whole world as naught; seek to be alone with God before all outward things.” 

 

CHAPTER 44. OF NOT TROUBLING OURSELVES ABOUT OUTWARD THINGS

My Son, in many things it behooves thee to be ignorant, and to esteem thyself as one dead upon the earth, and as one to whom the whole world is crucified. Many things also thou must pass by with deaf ear, and must rather think upon those things which belong unto thy peace. It is more profitable to turn away thine eyes from those things that displease, and to leave each man to his own opinion, than to give thyself to discourses of strife. If thou stand well with God and hast His judgment in thy mind, thou wilt verily easily bear to be as one conquered.

 “O Lord, to what have we come? Behold a temporal loss is mourned over; for a trifling gain we labor and hurry; and spiritual loss passes away into forgetfulness, and we rarely recover it. That which profits little or nothing is looked after, and that which is altogether necessary is negligently passed by; because the whole man slides away to outward things, and unless he quickly recovers himself in outward things he willingly lieth down.” 

 CHAPTER 53. THAT THE GRACE OF GOD DOTH NOT JOIN ITSELF TO THOSE WHO MIND EARTHLY THINGS

My Son, precious is My grace, it suffers not itself to be joined with outward things, nor with earthly consolations. Therefore thou ought to cast away all things which hinder grace, if thou longest to receive the outpouring thereof. Seek a secret place for thyself, love to dwell alone with thyself, desire the conversation of no one; but rather pour out thy devout prayer to God, that thou may possess a contrite mind and a pure conscience. Count the whole world as naught; seek to be alone with God before all outward things. For thou canst not be alone with Me, and at the same time be delighted with transitory things. Thou ought to be separated from thy acquaintances and dear friends, and keep thy mind free from all worldly comfort. So the blessed Apostle Peter beseeches, that Christ's faithful ones bear themselves in this world as strangers and pilgrims. [1 Peter 2:11.] 

Oh how great a confidence shall there be to the dying man whom no affection to anything detains in the world? But to have a heart so separated from all things, a sickly soul doth not yet comprehend, nor doth the carnal man know the liberty of the spiritual man. But if indeed he desire to be spiritually minded, he must renounce both those who are far off, and those who are near, and to beware of no man more than himself. If thou perfectly conquer thyself, very easily shalt thou subdue all things besides. Perfect victory is the triumph over oneself. For whoso keeps himself in subjection, in such manner that the sensual affections obey the reason, and the reason in all things obeys Me, he truly is conqueror of himself, and lord of the world. 

If thou desire to climb to this height, thou ought to start bravely, and to lay the ax to the root, to the end that thou may pull up and destroy the hidden inordinate inclination towards thyself, and towards all selfish and earthly good. From this sin, that a man loves himself too inordinately, almost everything hangs which needs to be utterly overcome: when that evil is conquered and put under foot, there shall be great peace and tranquility continually. But because few strive earnestly to die perfectly to themselves, and do not heartily go forth from themselves, therefore do they remain entangled in themselves, and cannot be raised in spirit above themselves. But he who desires to walk at liberty with Me, must of necessity mortify all his evil and inordinate affections, and must cling to no creature with selfish love.

View my Catholic writings Here.