Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book I — Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life·Chapter XXI. Of Compunction Of Heart
XXI. Of compunction of heart
On the compunctio cordis — the inward sorrow for sin that is itself a gift of grace. Not the morbid scrupulosity, but the salutary inward weeping over how one has failed to love God enough. The disposition that prepares the soul for grace.
Source context
- Theme
- compunction of heart as the soul's deliberate grief over its own moral inadequacy
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Eastern Orthodox hesychasm (penthos)The hesychast tradition identifies penthos — a gift of tears and sustained mourning over one's sinfulness — as a prerequisite for stillness and union, structurally parallel to Kempis's demand that genuine compunction precede interior progress.
- Sufi maqam of tawba (repentance-station)In Sufi station-doctrine, tawba names the first formal station of the path, requiring a broken-hearted turning of the soul away from heedlessness before further ascent is possible, showing cross-tradition congruence with Kempis's compunction as the gateway to deeper admonitions.
- Jewish musar tradition (cheshbon ha-nefesh)Musar practice prescribes systematic soul-accounting (cheshbon ha-nefesh) involving deliberate grief at moral failure as the motor of ethical refinement, structurally congruent with Kempis's insistence that heartfelt contrition outweighs speculative knowledge.
Chapter XXI. Of Compunction Of Heart
OF COMPUNCTION OF HEART
If thou wilt make any progress keep thyself in the fear of God, and long not to be too free, but restrain all thy senses under discipline and give not thyself up to senseless mirth. Give thyself to compunction of heart and thou shalt find devotion. Compunction openeth the way for many good things, which dissoluteness is wont quickly to lose. It is wonderful that any man can ever rejoice heartily in this life who considereth and weigheth his banishment, and the manifold dangers which beset his soul.
2Through lightness of heart and neglect of our shortcomings we feel not the sorrows of our soul, but often vainly laugh when we have good cause to weep. There is no true liberty nor real joy, save in the fear of God with a good conscience. Happy is he who can cast away every cause of distraction and bring himself to the one purpose of holy compunction. Happy is he who putteth away from him whatsoever may stain or burden his conscience. Strive manfully; custom is overcome by custom. If thou knowest how to let men alone, they will gladly let thee alone to do thine own works.
3Busy not thyself with the affairs of others, nor entangle thyself with the business of great men. Keep always thine eye upon thyself first of all, and give advice to thyself specially before all thy dearest friends. If thou hast not the favour of men, be not thereby cast down, but let thy concern be that thou holdest not thyself so well and circumspectly, as becometh a servant of God and a devout monk. It is often better and safer for a man not to have many comforts in this life, especially those which concern the flesh. But that we lack divine comforts or feel them rarely is to our own blame, because we seek not compunction of heart, nor utterly cast away those comforts which are vain and worldly.
4Know thyself to be unworthy of divine consolation, and worthy rather of much tribulation. When a man hath perfect compunction, then all the world is burdensome and bitter to him. A good man will find sufficient cause for mourning and weeping; for whether he considereth himself, or pondereth concerning his neighbour, he knoweth that no man liveth here without tribulation, and the more thoroughly he considereth himself, the more thoroughly he grieveth. Grounds for just grief and inward compunction there are in our sins and vices, wherein we lie so entangled that we are but seldom able to contemplate heavenly things.
5If thou thoughtest upon thy death more often than how long thy life should be, thou wouldest doubtless strive more earnestly to improve. And if thou didst seriously consider the future pains of hell, I believe thou wouldest willingly endure toil or pain and fear not discipline. But because these things reach not the heart, and we still love pleasant things, therefore we remain cold and miserably indifferent.
6Oftentimes it is from poverty of spirit that the wretched body is so easily led to complain. Pray therefore humbly unto the Lord that He will give thee the spirit of compunction and say in the language of the prophet, Feed me, O Lord, with bread of tears, and give me plenteousness of tears to drink.(1)
(1) Psalm lxxv. 5.
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