From Humility by Thomas À Kempis:

“Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart,” says the Lord. Our highest teacher and lawgiver, Jesus Christ, urged us to learn the virtue of humility.

For whoever cultivates this marvelous virtue will quickly arrive at spiritual perfection.

But without humility, no amount of study of Sacred Scripture or theology, nor any efforts at good works are able to achieve anything lasting. In vain are all our labors unless they are accomplished by humility.

The very first lesson of Christ is, therefore, humility of heart; for this is the foundation of all virtues and indispensable to the attainment of eternal salvation. Whoever desires to receive Grace now and eternal life in the world to come should, therefore, study Christ’s lesson and example of humility with diligence.

But whoever neglects humility will lose any benefits their good thoughts and works would otherwise have gained them.

It behooves each Christian soul to meditate carefully on the teachings of Christ. This includes all religious, all priests, all bishops, all servants, all nobles, all commoners, all the educated, and all the simple.

And Christ teaches us humility, not pride. He teaches us useful things, not vanities. He teaches what is true, not what is false; what is heavenly, not what is earthly.

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