“No one is wiser than the one who always holds his soul in his hands. Man has no treasure more precious than his soul. He must therefore be vigilant and constantly on guard, for nothing compares to the salvation of the soul.” (Thomas à Kempis)
Elsewhere, Thomas à Kempis laments: „For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.“
How true the words of this spiritual teacher are, and how carelessly people treat the most important thing our Father has entrusted to them—the soul, which He formed in His own image! What loving vigilance is needed to ensure that this precious treasure is not diminished in value or even loses so much of itself! The soul should be at home, where it can fully blossom! Often, it even falls into the hands of robbers, lying there bleeding and wounded until our Lord lifts it up and draws it to Himself. Then, it is essential to follow the loving invitation so that God’s love can heal it. However, this requires great vigilance because even a soul awakened by a kiss from her divine Bridegroom can fall back asleep. She can forget to whom she owes everything and give herself over to useless or harmful things, and thus, she can lose herself.
Wisdom lies in cultivating everything that unites the soul more deeply with God and persevering in it. One can never feel too secure and neglect vigilance. Instead, one must carry the soul gently in one’s hands.