Confused on Thomas Kempis

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Theresa1

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Hi all.
I’ve heard of many saints with very sinful pasts lm not very knowledgeable on names but I remember some prior to conversion were murderers, etc…
But they were declared saints.
But Thomas Kempis still has not because of scratches in a coffin?
Please, what am I missing?
Sorry if this question seems juvenile I truly dont understand and just want to learn. He lived a saintly life and left us a beautiful work. Thank you.
 
Perhaps the reason is that the person who promoting the cause for Sainthood of Thomas Kempis dies before his toils had produced any fruits.
Also this happened in the 1600 which was a tumultuous era in the Church.
Maybe he needs a new advocate?

Peace!
 
As I recall, Thomas a Kempis was denied canonisation because splinters of wood from his coffin lid were found embedded underneath his fingernails when the coffin was opened. The question was asked: Why would someone worthy of becoming a saint, make such a desperate effort to postpone his death?

Sorry, I cannot recall my source.
 
When they were investigating Thomas à Kempis for sainthood, they opened his coffin and found scratches on the inside.

Which indicates that the people had unknowingly buried him alive.

Thus it is not known how he died–he may have died in despair, in which case he could not be canonized.
 
I remember hearing the same thing. I believe that God knows all things and that Thomas A. Kempis is where he belongs. We can trust God for that.

Many, like myself, benefitted from his writings.
 
Good God! Poor Thomas Kempis! I truly hope thats not “true” - but one of the urban myths of our faith! 😥
 
I would note that I heard this story about his premature burial while I was growing up as well. A nun at my Catholic school was the first one to tell us about it. I’ve also heard that this is a possibly apocryphal story and that there is not good support for its having happened.

Apparently the person who was most anxious to canonize him passed away in the middle of working on gathering the documents for the process, and the cause for Thomas a Kempis sort of petered out, and it’s not totally clear whether there was some big reason why or just a lack of interest of others in pursuing it.

https://www.timothyedmoore.com/why-isnt-thomas-akempis-a-saint-of-the-catholic-church/
 
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Interesting! Such a shame if true; maybe someone could start it up again?
 
It is definitely something that a future Pope could look into, if only to determine definitively why the cause should not be further pursued.

Of course, there is also a possibility that the story is in fact true, or that a Pope did look into it and discovered some other reason not to proceed, but didn’t share it in order that we all might continue to benefit from “The Imitation of Christ”.
 
Every time I’ve researched this story, all I can find is a trail of “well, someone said” or “someone read that …” There doesn’t seem to be any primary documentation. And for that matter, the idea that the horror of allegedly being buried alive would produce a very human reaction of fear and fright resulting in either a loss of faith or degree of anger such that Heaven is denied - just can’t understand that. Given the era in which he lived and died, I think it’s far more likely that a jealous churchman who didn’t like his writings concocted a story to smear his reputation.
 
The premise that someone who has lived a saintly life will perforce die calmly, somehow rings hollow.

In particular, the inability to breathe, as occurs in alive burial, will cause someone to die terrified. It’s a natural body reaction.

And because, sadly, that was not rare before embalming was introduced around 1865, the Church would be well aware of that.

There’s got to be more to the story.

ICXC NIKA
 
GEddie said:
In particular, the inability to breathe, as occurs in alive burial, will cause someone to die terrified. It’s a natural body reaction.

And because, sadly, that was not rare before embalming was introduced around 1865, the Church would be well aware of that.
Click to expand...
Maybe he should be canonized as a martyr – to the stupidity of the people around him. Just a suggestion.

D
 
The Church at the time of exhuming his body, feared Kempis had committed the sin of despair, rather than trusting in God. It was a tough time. 😃

BTW, being canonized only means that the Church declares that the soul is in heaven and worthy of being venerated.
 
From my reading, one reason for the lack of momentum in his cause for canonisation was due his Dutch-German background. Both states entered into the Reformation quite soon after Kempis’ passing, and there may well concern about the political ‘optics’. That and The Imitation of Christ was still continually being read widely by Protestants, so poor Kempis might not have considered suitable as a Counter-Reformation saint.
 
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