The Imitation of Christ

by KEMPIS, THOMAS

• ISBN13: 9780375700187
• ISBN10: 0375700188
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1998-03-24
• Publisher: Vintage

Summary

Only the Bible has been more influential as a source of Christian devotional reading thanThe 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 I. Written by the Augustinian monk Thomas a 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 Preface by Sally Cunneen, author ofIn Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol. "God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land. The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home." --Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

ABOUT THE VINTAGE SPIRITUAL CLASSICS	xi	(4)
John F. Thornton
Susan B. Varenne
PREFACE TO THE VINTAGE SPIRITUAL CLASSICS EDITION	xv	(12)
Sally Cunneen
INTRODUCTION	xxvii	(14)
Joseph N. Tylenda, S.J.
CHRONOLOGY OF THOMAS A KEMPIS	xli
BOOK I HELPFUL COUNSELS FOR THE SPIRITUAL LIFE	3	(44)
1 The Imitation of Christ and Contempt for the Vanities of the World	3	(1)
2 Having a Humble Opinion of One's Self	4	(1)
3 The Teaching of Truth	5	(3)
4 Prudence in Our Actions	8	(1)
5 Reading the Holy Scriptures	8	(1)
6 Disordered Affections	9	(1)
7 Avoiding Vain Hope and Self-Conceit	10	(1)
8 Guarding Against Too Much Familarity	11	(1)
9 Obedience and Submission	12	(1)
10 Guarding Against Unnecessary Speech	12	(1)
11 Achieving Peace and Acquiring Zeal for One's Spiritual Progress	13	(2)
12 The Uses of Adversity	15	(1)
13 How to Resist Temptation	16	(2)
14 Avoiding Hasty Judgments	18	(1)
15 Works Done with Charity	19	(1)
16 Bearing with One Another's Failings	20	(1)
17 The Monastic Life	21	(1)
18 The Examples of the Holy Fathers	22	(2)
19 The Exercises of a Good Religious	24	(2)
20 The Love of Silence and Solitude	26	(3)
21 Repentance of Heart	29	(2)
22 Reflection on Human Wretchedness	31	(2)
23 Meditation on Death	33	(3)
24 Judgment and Punishment for Sins	36	(3)
25 Earnestness in Amending Our Lives	39	(8)
BOOK II DIRECTIVES FOR THE INTERIOR LIFE	47	(26)
1 The Interior Life	47	(2)
2 Humble Submission	49	(1)
3 The Man Who Loves Peace	50	(1)
4 Simplicity of Purpose and Purity of Mind	51	(1)
5 The Need to Look at One's Self	52	(2)
6 The Joy of a Good Conscience	54	(1)
7 Loving Jesus Above All Else	55	(1)
8 Close Friends with Jesus	56	(2)
9 Lacking All Consolation	58	(3)
10 Being Thankful for God's Grace	61	(2)
11 The Few Who Love the Cross of Jesus	63	(2)
12 The Royal Road of the Holy Cross	65	(8)
BOOK III ON INTERIOR CONSOLATION	73	(106)
1 Christ Speaks Interiorly to the Faithful Soul	73	(1)
2 Truth Speaks Within Us Without the Strident Sound of Words	74	(1)
3 Listening to God's Words with Humility	75	(3)
4 Walking Before God in Truth and Humility	78	(2)
5 The Wonderful Effects of Divine Love	80	(2)
6 The Proof of a True Lover	82	(2)
7 Grace and Humility	84	(3)
8 Having a Low Opinion of One's Self	87	(1)
9 Referring All Things to God as to Their Last End	88	(1)
10 The Sweetness of Serving God	89	(2)
11 Examining and Controlling the Heart's Desires	91	(1)
12 Acquiring Patience and Conquering Concupiscence	92	(2)
13 Humble Obedience After the Example of Jesus Christ	94	(1)
14 Considering God's Secret Judgments and Not Becoming Proud Because of Our Good Works	95	(2)
15 How to Pray for What We Desire	97	(1)
16 True Consolation Is to Be Sought in God Alone	98	(1)
17 Placing All One's Cares on God	99	(1)
18 Bearing This Life's Trials with Patience After the Example of Christ	100	(2)
19 Bearing Injuries Is the Proof of True Patience	102	(2)
20 Acknowledging Our Weakness and the Miseries of This Life	104	(2)
21 We Must Rest in God Above All Other Good Gifts	106	(3)
22 Remembering God's Many Benefits to Us	109	(2)
23 Four Things That Bring Great Peace	111	(2)
24 Avoiding Curiosity About Other People's Lives	113	(1)
25 Where Certain Peace and True Progress Are to Be Found	114	(2)
26 The Excellence of a Free Mind That Comes More from Humble Prayer Than from Much Reading	116	(1)
27 Self-Love Keeps Us from Attaining Our Supreme Good	117	(2)
28 Against Slanderous Tongues	119	(1)
29 In Time of Trial Call upon God and Bless His Name	120	(1)
30 Asking God's Help and Being Confident of Regaining His Grace	121	(2)
31 Setting All Creatures Aside to Find the Creator	123	(2)
32 Self-Denial and the Renunciation of All Desire	125	(2)
33 Our Heart's Fickleness and the Focusing of Our Attention on God	127	(1)
34 God Is the Lover's Only Delight	128	(1)
35 There Is No Freedom from Temptation in This Life	129	(2)
36 Against the Vain Judgments of Men	131	(1)
37 Total Self-Surrender Means Full Freedom of Heart	132	(2)
38 Keeping Good Order in Our Actions and Having Recourse to God in Time of Danger	134	(1)
39 Not Becoming Overly Anxious in Our Affairs	135	(1)
40 Man Has No Goodness in Himself and Has No Reason for Boasting	136	(2)
41 Despising the World's Honors	138	(1)
42 Our Peace Does Not Depend on Men	138	(2)
43 Against Useless and Worldly Learning	140	(1)
44 Avoid Being Drawn into External Affairs	141	(1)
45 Not Everyone Should Be Believed and How Easy It Is to Offend by Words	142	(3)
46 When Men Direct Sharp Words Against You, Put Your Trust in God	145	(2)
47 Trials Must Be Endured to Gain Eternal Life	147	(1)
48 The Day of Eternity and the Trials of This Life	148	(3)
49 The Desire for Eternal Life and the Great Blessings Promised to Those Who Strive for It	151	(3)
50 The Desolate Man Should Place Himself in God's Hands	154	(3)
51 Performing Humble Tasks When Unable to Undertake Higher Ones	157	(1)
52 Man Deserves Chastisement and Not Consolation	158	(2)
53 God's Grace Is Not Granted to the Worldly Minded	160	(1)
54 The Contrary Inclinations of Nature and Grace	161	(4)
55 The Corruption of Nature and the Efficacy of Divine Grace	165	(2)
56 Self-Abnegation and Imitating Christ by the Way of the Cross	167	(2)
57 When You Commit Some Fault Do Not Yield to Depression	169	(2)
58 Not Delving into Sublime Matters Nor into God's Secret Judgments	171	(4)
59 Putting All Our Hope and Trust in God	175	(4)
BOOK IV ON THE BLESSED SACRAMENT	179	(38)
1 The Reverence with Which Christ Should Be Received	179	(4)
2 God's Great Goodness and Charity Are Manifest in This Sacrament	183	(3)
3 Benefits Coming from Frequent Communion	186	(2)
4 Many Are the Benefits Bestowed on Those Who Receive Communion Devoutly	188	(2)
5 The Dignity of the Blessed Sacrament and of the Priesthood	190	(2)
6 Preparation for Communion	192	(1)
7 An Examination of Conscience and the Purpose of Amendment	192	(3)
8 Christ's Offering on the Cross and the Resignation of Ourselves	195	(1)
9 Offering Ourselves and All We Have to God and Praying for Others	196	(2)
10 Holy Communion Ought Not to Be Readily Deferred	198	(3)
11 The Body of Christ and the Holy Scriptures Are Especially Necessary to the Faithful Soul	201	(3)
12 Receiving Christ in Holy Communion Demands Diligent Preparation	204	(2)
13 The Devout Soul Desires to Be United to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament	206	(1)
14 The Ardent Desire of Some Devout Persons to Receive the Body of Christ	207	(1)
15 The Grace of Devotion Is Won by Humility and Self-Denial	208	(2)
16 Placing Our Needs Before Christ and Asking His Grace	210	(1)
17 The Burning Love and Overwhelming Desire to Receive Christ	211	(2)
18 Not Scrutinizing This Sacrament out of Mere Curiosity but Being a Humble Imitator of Christ and Subjecting the Evidence of Our Senses to the Holy Faith	213	(4)
NOTES	217	(20)
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING	237	(2)
INDEX	239

Excerpts

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 God's grace.

Chapter 2

HAVING A HUMBLE OPINION OF ONE 'S SELF

Everyone has a natural desire for knowledge but what good is knowledge without the fear of God? Surely a humble peasant who serves God is better than the proud astronomer who knows how to chart the heavens' stars but lacks all knowledge of himself.

If I truly knew myself I would look upon myself as insignificant and would not find joy in hearing others praise me. If I knew everything in the world and were still without charity, what advantage would I have in the eyes of God who is to judge me according to my deeds?

2. Curb all undue desire for knowledge, for in it you will find many distractions and much delusion. Those who are learned strive to give the appearance of being wise and desire to be recognized as such; but there is much knowledge that is of little or no benefit to the soul.

Whoever sets his mind on anything other than what serves his salvation is a senseless fool. A barrage of words does not make the soul happy, but a good life gladdens the mind and a pure conscience generates a bountiful confidence in God.

3. The more things you know and the better you know them, the more severe will your judgment be, unless you have also lived a holier life. Do not boast about the learning and skills that are yours; rather, be cautious since you do possess such knowledge.

4. If it seems to you that you know many things and thoroughly understand them all, realize that there are countless other things of which you are ignorant. Be not haughty, but admit your ignorance. Why should you prefer yourself to another, when there are many who are more learned and better trained in God's law than you are? If you are looking for knowledge and a learning that is useful to you, then love to be unknown and be esteemed as nothing.

5. This is the most important and most salutary lesson: to know and to despise ourselves. It is great wisdom and perfection to consider ourselves as nothing and always to judge well and highly of others. If you should see someone commit a sin or some grievous wrong, do not think of yourself as someone better, for you know not how long you will remain in your good state.

We are all frail; but think of yourself as one who is more frail than others.

Chapter 3

THE TEACHING OF TRUTH

Happy is the individual whom Truth instructs, not by means of obscure figures and fleeting words, but as it truly is in itself.

Our way of thinking and perceiving often misleads us and teaches us very little. What good is there in arguing about obscure and recondite matters, when our ignorance of such things will not be in question on the Day of Judgment? It is utter absurdity for us to neglect the things that are useful and necessary, and needlessly occupy ourselves with those that are merely curious and perhaps harmful. We have eyes, but we do not see.

2. Why should we concern ourselves with such philosophical words as genera and species? He whom the eternal Word teaches is set free from a multitude of theories. From this one Word all things come into being; all things speak this one Word, and this Word, who is the beginning, also speaks to us. Without this Word no one can understand or judge correctly. He for whom all things are in the One, and who refers all things to the One, and sees all things in the One, can remain steadfast in heart and abide in God's peace.

O God my Truth, make me one with You in eternal love. Often I become weary with reading and hearing many things. You are all that I want and desire. Let all teachers be mute and all creation keep silence before You. Speak to me, You, and You alone.

3. The more we are united to You and become inwardly simple, the more we can, and effortlessly too, understand sublime things about You, for we receive light and understanding from above.

He who has a pure, simple, and constant spirit is not distracted by the many things he does, because he does all for the honor of God and endeavors to remain inwardly free of all seeking of himself. What greater hindrance or annoyance is there than our heart's uncontrolled passions?

The good and devout person first inwardly plans the works that he will outwardly do, and does not allow himself to be drawn by any unworthy inclination, but, on the contrary, he accomplishes these works in accordance with the dictates of right reason.

No one undergoes a stronger struggle than the man who tries to subdue himself. This should be our chief employment: strive to overcome ourselves and gain such a mastery that we daily grow stronger and better.

4. All perfection in this life has some imperfection mixed with it, and all speculative thought involves a certain amount of fuzziness. A humble knowledge of yourself is a surer way to God than any deep scientific inquiry.

Neither learning in general nor knowledge of even simple things ought to be condemned, since they are something good in themselves and ordained by God; but a good conscience and a virtuous life are always to be preferred. Because many people spend more time and effort in becoming educated than in living properly, it happens that many, therefore, go astray and bear little or no fruit.

5. If we were as diligent in uprooting vices and planting virtues as we are in debating abstruse questions, there would not be so many evils or scandals among us nor such laxity in monastic communities. Certainly, when Judgment Day comes we shall not be asked what books we have read, but what deeds we have done; we shall not be asked how well we have debated, but how devoutly we have lived.

Tell me, where now are all those professors and doctors with whom you were once so well acquainted when they were alive, and who were famous for their learning? Others hold their positions today and I wonder whether these ever think of their predecessors. While they were alive they appeared to be men of influence, but today no one even mentions their names.

6. O, how quickly the glory of the world evanesces! Would that their living had been equal to their learning; then they would have studied and lectured to good purpose.

How many perish in the world because of useless learning and for caring little about the service of God! Because they prefer to be famous rather than humble, they lose themselves in intellectual acrobatics and come to nothing.

He is truly great who has abundant charity. He is truly great who is unimportant in his own eyes and considers the greatest of honors a mere nothing. He is truly wise who esteems all earthly things as dung so that he may gain Christ. Finally, he who does God's will and abandons his own is truly the most learned.

Chapter 4

PRUDENCE IN OUR ACTIONS

We ought not to be too ready to believe every word or item of gossip, but we ought to weigh each carefully and unhurriedly before God. Alas! Our weakness is such that we are often more readily inclined to believe and speak ill of someone than that which is good. But those who are perfect do not easily give credence to every tale they hear, for they know that human nature is prone to evil and that the human tongue can be treacherous.

2. It is a mark of great wisdom neither to be hasty in our actions nor stubbornly maintain our private opinions. It is also a part of wisdom neither to believe everything we hear, nor to pour it immediately into another's ear.

Seek counsel from one who is wise and honest and ask instruction from one you esteem; do not follow your own devices. A good life makes us wise in the eyes of God and makes us knowledgeable in many things. The more humble you are in heart and the more you submit yourself to God, the wiser will you be in everything, and greater peace will be yours.

Chapter 5

READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

In Holy Scripture we seek truth and not eloquence. All Sacred Scripture should be read in the spirit with which it was written.

We should search the Scriptures for what is to our profit, rather than for niceties of language. You should read the simple and devout books as eagerly as those that are lofty and profound. The authority of the author, whether he be of great or little learning, ought not to influence you, but let the love of pure truth draw you to read them. Do not inquire about who is the one saying this, but pay attention to what he is saying.

2. Men enter and pass out of this world, but the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. God speaks to all of us in a variety of ways and is no respecter of persons. Our curiosity proves a hindrance to us, for while reading the Scriptures we sometimes want to stop to debate and discuss, when we should simply read on.

If you wish to derive profit from your reading of Scripture, do it with humility, simplicity, and faith; at no time use it to gain a reputation for being one who is learned. Eagerly ask yourself questions and listen in silence to the words of the saints, and do not let the riddles of the ancients baffle you. They were written down for a definite purpose.

Chapter 6

DISORDERED AFFECTIONS

Whenever you desire anything inordinately, you immediately find that you grow dissatisfied with yourself. Those who are proud and avaricious never arrive at contentment; it is the poor and the humble in spirit who live in great peace.

Anyone who is not totally dead to himself will soon find that he is tempted and overcome by piddling and frivolous things. Whoever is weak in spirit, given to the flesh, and inclined to sensual things can, but only with great difficulty, drag himself away from his earthly desires. Therefore, he is often gloomy and sad when he is trying to pull himself from them and easily gives in to anger should someone attempt to oppose him.

2. If he has given in to his inclinations and has yielded to his passions, he is then immediately afflicted with a guilty conscience. In no way do such yieldings help him to find the peace he seeks. It is by resisting our passions and not by being slaves to them that true peace of heart is to be found.

There is no peace, therefore, in the heart of the man who is given to the flesh, nor in the man who is attached to worldly things. Peace is found only in one who is fervent and spiritual.

Chapter 7

AVOIDING VAIN HOPE AND SELF-CONCEIT

A fool is he who puts his trust in men or created things. Do not be ashamed to serve others for the love of Jesus Christ and to be reckoned as a poor man in this world.

Do not rely on yourself, but place your trust in God. Do whatever lies in your power and God will assist your good intentions. Trust neither in your own knowledge nor in the cleverness of any human being; rather, trust in God's grace, for it is He who supports the humble and humbles the overconfident.

2. Glory neither in wealth, if you have any, nor in friends, if they are powerful, but boast in God, the giver of all good things, who desires, above all, to bestow Himself on you.

Do not boast about your good looks nor your body's strength, which a slight illness can mar and disfigure. Do not take pride in your skills and talents lest you offend God, to whom you owe these very gifts and endowments.

3. Do not esteem yourself as someone better than others lest, perhaps, you be accounted for worse in the eyes of God, who knows what is in men's hearts. Take no pride in your good accomplishments for God judges differently than men and it often happens that what is pleasing to men is actually displeasing to God.

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Excerpted from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis
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