Imitation of Christ by Kempis

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If there is another thread on this somewhere, please link me. Or if this section of CAF isn’t the right place, please move me. Thanks!

I have been slowly working my way through Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.

It is an amazing book.

I am a convert to Catholicism after over 40 years of evangelical Protestantism. Much of what Kempis says would be received with a puzzled frown by many evangelicals. I have really had to struggle with some of his writing about giving up self.

But I like it!

The book has made a huge difference in my outlook on life. I am especially working on “detachment” from this world.

However, I have a lot of questions and problems with how to assimiliate this ancient book (500 years old) into modern life.

Also, the book seems like it was written for the religious life; how do the principles work for those called to married life, or single life but not religious?

I am especially wondering about the balance between despising the things of this world, and appreciating wonders of God’s creation, loving our family and Christian family, and loving our enemies. It seems to me that Kempis is advocating a total departure from this world, and I don’t think that seems very “Christian.”

I would appreciate a discussion about Imitation of Christ here on CAF, or if anyone knows of a good blog or website, link me up.

Thanks so much.
 
Cat,
I read The Imitation of Christ, every Saturday at Adoration Chapel. It has been part of my life for 30 years.

Yes, the book was written from a monastic, and often seems to be addressed to those in religious life, but in reality, all who are following a life of prayer, are in fact living a religious life, only in the secular world.

For St. Theresa of Lisieux, The Bible and The Imitation of Christ, were the only two books she read during her last years on earth.

Jim
 
I recently inherited a book that was in mom’s things when I was cleaning out my parents house. My dad recently passed away so old books , and religious things were found. The prayer book is “Blessed Be God” very old prayer book, and in it are excerpts from the “Imitation of Christ”. I am really loving it. I started reading the meditations on the virtues just yesterday. This prayer book is full of old prayers that date back to 1800’s with several Popes as authors. It has just about anything one needs to lead a prayerful , and holy life.

I am glad you are enjoying it. I like it too. I find reading the “Imitation of Christ” makes me feel closer to God, holy, and more aware of how I am supposed to be living my life.

I don’t think we can make a complete detachment of this world, but we should be made aware of not being attached to things that are not spiritually good for us and our soul.

I do think this book is timeless, and can be helpful to all who are seeking closeness with God and to lead a more holy life.

Blessings
 
Cat said:
If there is another thread on this somewhere, please link me. Or if this section of CAF isn’t the right place, please move me. Thanks!

I have been slowly working my way through Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.

It is an amazing book.

I am a convert to Catholicism after over 40 years of evangelical Protestantism. Much of what Kempis says would be received with a puzzled frown by many evangelicals. I have really had to struggle with some of his writing about giving up self.

But I like it!

The book has made a huge difference in my outlook on life. I am especially working on “detachment” from this world.

However, I have a lot of questions and problems with how to assimiliate this ancient book (500 years old) into modern life.

Also, the book seems like it was written for the religious life; how do the principles work for those called to married life, or single life but not religious?

I am especially wondering about the balance between despising the things of this world, and appreciating wonders of God’s creation, loving our family and Christian family, and loving our enemies. It seems to me that Kempis is advocating a total departure from this world, and I don’t think that seems very “Christian.”

I would appreciate a discussion about Imitation of Christ here on CAF, or if anyone knows of a good blog or website, link me up.

Thanks so much.
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It has become my favorite devotional for reading at daily mass and adoration. I don’t try to relate it to the modern world , but just read one chapter at a time and relflect on that chapter and how it affects me and my relationship to Christ. Personally if I try to relate it to the modern world then I think about the world, instead of relfecting on Christ. It is a book I have been able to get my protestant friends to read and they are amazed by it. The copy I have is Published by Catholic Book Publishing Co.which fits into my back pants pocket or jacket packet. It is a carry everywhere book.🙂
 
Here is a copy of it online which you may not need but would be a easy way to share with others. Here is excerpt from an article on it which the full text -How to Read this Book- can be found past the table of contents . What is good about this book it proves to those that want to seek spirituality outside of the Church there is no need, for we have more then enough in great spiritual writers and spirtiual leaders without seking outside of the Church or to follow those that went outside of Church to search for God’s loving message and Grace.

jesus-passion.com/Imitation_of_Christ.htm
Like the Bible and the missal, the Imitation of Christ is never finished. We can never say: “I have finished the Imitation — what’s next?” Like a prayer, it goes on and on. Over the years it grow richer, and new vistas of help and hope are opened with every reading.
But the Imitation must be taken in little doses. It is so rich that gulps at a time could cause spiritual indigestion. A page a day is sufficient to strengthen the soul each twenty-four hours.
Your “page a day” must be read slowly, to permit each word and each grace to penetrate the blood stream of the soul. There are spiritual vitamins in each page for those who read each page very slowly.
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There are other Catholics spiritual writers found on this web site, which you may enjoy.
 
there is a discussion in the archives under the book club forum on this book, which may also be of value. you could not do better than to choose this as a spiritual guide, just remember to make allowances for the time period in which it was written, different modes of expression.
 
puzzleannie, what you said is exactly what my questions are.

What ARE the time period differences? What are the different modes of expression?

I love the book, but sometimes have a hard time bringing it forward. I feel like I’m missing so much of the meaning and application.

I wish there were an Imitation of Christ for Modern Man or a Living Translation of Imitation of Christ.
 
Those who are looking for a more modern translation of the Imitation of Christ might try the translation begun by Msgr. Ronald A. Knox, the famous British preacher, and completed by Michael Oakley after the Msgr. Knox’s death. It is an up to date translation which still sounds dignified. This edition is a beautiful, pocket sized, blue book published by Sinag-Tala Publishers. I read a chapter every day to try to keep myself on the right track.
 
Cat said:
I am especially wondering about the balance between despising the things of this world, and appreciating wonders of God’s creation, loving our family and Christian family, and loving our enemies. It seems to me that Kempis is advocating a total departure from this world, and I don’t think that seems very “Christian.”

I.
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You were not alone in this, and there have been many changes since the book was written. We now have far more lay Catholic groups that help one grow spiritualy whilst remaining, and serving, in the secular world. We have various Third Orders. And we also have two lay groups for those who wish to live Saint Francis’s Rule of 1221

www.bspenance.org and www.penitents.org

I personally feel that these two groups go hand in hand with the thrust of the book.
 
I really liked the book and have tried to incorporate the idea of “detachment” into my own life. When we detach ourselves from things we can better attach ourselves to the source of those things. We must not attach ourselves to the gifts…we must, instead, attach ourselves to the Giver.

When we lay everything at the feet of our Creator we begin to appreciate things in a supernatural light. When we die we take nothing with us except the life we have lived in Christ. The things of creation and those things proceeding therefrom by way of man’s efforts are good unless abused or perverted. Thanksgiving to God is the focal point of enjoying what God has given us. Loving the things themselves hurts our relationship with God, and places material objects and ourselves in a position that may not be subordinate to our love of God.

Detachment gives us the correct perspective and enables us to choose God at times of temptation.

I hope this helps.
 
Pax said:
Detachment gives us the correct perspective and enables us to choose God at times of temptation.
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This is the best explanation of detachment I have ever heard. Beautiful.🙂
 
If you would like to continue in your spiritual reading, I recommend St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life. It is somewhat similar to Kempis’ work in that it is instructional and acts as a guide, and it is intended for a lay readership, as opposed to Kempis’ religious readership. It might be something you’d be interested in, after you finish Kempis’ book. 🙂
 
Cradle said:
If you would like to continue in your spiritual reading, I recommend St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life. It is somewhat similar to Kempis’ work in that it is instructional and acts as a guide, and it is intended for a lay readership, as opposed to Kempis’ religious readership. It might be something you’d be interested in, after you finish Kempis’ book. 🙂
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Beat me to it! Sts. Francis de Sales and Alphonsus Liguori write some great stuff for lay people 👍
 
Maybe this will be helpful -
Bishop Fulton J Sheen in ‘Those Mysterious Priests’, Ch 1, explains:
“But what is the world? Biblically it has two distinct meanings: the ‘world’ may mean the earth or cosmos or creation as the theater of redemption, or the ‘world’ may mean a ‘spirit’ that organizes men, movements, social and political order without God.”
He then gives biblical references -
for “World as the theater of redemption”:
Jn 1:10; Jn 3:16; Mat 24:14; Jn 4:42 and Col 1:20
and
“World as a spirit of worldliness, or the primacy of ego over God”:
2 Tim 3:1-5; 1Jn2:15; 1Cor3:19 and Rom12:2.

So I’d say, despising the things of this world does not mean despising God’s good creation or our fellow men - ‘World as the theater of redemption’, but despising ‘World as a spirit of worldliness, the primacy of ego over God’

Regardless of our state in life, we can all follow the 500 yr old advice of Thomas a Kempis and practice detachment from the world and total departure from the world according to the latter meaning. (But we must love the world according to the former meaning [as God did - He ‘so loved the world’ and the Word united himself with the world when he became flesh]).

So,
detachment and total departure from ‘the world’ =
detachment and total departure from ‘the spirit of worldliness’ / detachment and total departure from ‘the primacy of ego over God’.
 
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