The Imitation was said to be the greatest work next to the bible by Pope Pius XII , I believe. I have read it, and it’s a masterpiece. The author should have been canonised???
The modern world is very secular and materialistic. Not to mention every other ism we live with, so true spiritual masterpieces like this are not as widely read, unfortunately.
Is the western world better off as a result? Most people seem to live devoid of anything spiritual. The west is spiritually sick in it’s spiritual vacuum. People reject Christianity and adopt pagan religions. Jesus said few find their way along the narrow path. And asked will he find any faith on earth when he returns.
We all struggle against the trend day by day. keep up the good fight. Like St Paul we can say at the end of our lives, I kept the faith, I won the race. The faith is all that really matters in the end. When we die, and it will be soon, we shall not care about anything but our eternal destiny. In this world it’s right to have those concerns, trials etc. But, with faith, all things take on a new meaning. They have purpose. Our time here is one long test. It’s all temptation. The real life is the one in the next world ,we hope to win. please God that we do.