The Imitation of Christ (Image Classic)

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About The Imitation Of Christ

Product Description Only the Bible has been more influential as a source of Christian devotional reading than The Imitation of Christ. This meditation on the spiritual life has inspired readers from Thomas More and St. Ignatius Loyola to Thomas Merton and Pope John Paul II. Written by the Augustinian monk Thomas à Kempis between 1420 and 1427, it contains clear instructions for renouncing wordly vanities and locating eternal truths.  No book has more explicitly and movingly described the Christian ideal: "My son, to the degree that you can leave yourself behind, to that degree will you be able to enter into Me." With a new Foreword by Carl Anderson, the Supreme Knight and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus. From the Publisher Written five centuries ago by a humble monk, this timeless message of faith in Christ's teachings remains a vital source of spiritual strength for people seeking to follow in the footsteps of the Lord. From the Back Cover Written five centuries ago by a humble monk, this timeless message of faith in Christ's teachings remains a vital source of spiritual strength for people seeking to follow in the footsteps of the Lord. About the Author Thomas à Kempis (ca. 1380-1471) was an Augustinian monk in the Netherlands during the pre-Reformation period. Carl Anderson is the Supreme Knight and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization with more than 1.7 million members. He is the author of Called to Love, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the New York Times bestseller A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 THE IMITATION OF CHRIST AND CONTEMPT FOR THE VANITIES OF THE WORLD "Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness," says the Lord. These are Christ's own words by which He exhorts us to imitate His life and His ways, if we truly desire to be enlightened and free of all blindness of heart. Let it then be our main concern to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. 2. Christ's teaching surpasses that of all the saints, and whoever has His spirit will find in His teaching hidden manna. But it happens that many are little affected, even after a frequent hearing of His Gospel. This is because they do not have the spirit of Christ. If you want to understand Christ's words and relish them fully, you must strive to conform your entire life to His. 3. What good does it do you to be able to give a learned discourse on the Trinity, while you are without humility and, thus, are displeasing to the Trinity? Esoteric words neither make us holy nor righteous; only a virtuous life makes us beloved of God. I would rather experience repentance in my soul than know how to define it. If you knew the entire Bible inside out and all the maxims of the philosophers, what good would it do you if you were, at the same time, without God's love and grace? Vanity of vanities! All is vanity, except our loving God and serving only Him. This is the highest wisdom: to despise the world and seek the kingdom of heaven. 4. It is vanity to seek riches that are sure to perish and to put your hope in them. It is vanity to pursue honors and to set yourself up on a pedestal. It is vanity to follow the desires of the flesh and to crave the things which will eventually bring you heavy punishment. It is vanity to wish for a long life and to care little about leading a good life. It is vanity to give thought only to this present life and not to think of the one that is to come. It is vanity to love what is transitory and not to hasten to where everlasting joy abides. 5. Keep this proverb often in mind: The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. Therefore, withdraw your heart from the love of things visible and turn yourself to things invisible. Those who yield to their sensual nature dishonor their conscience and forfeit Go