Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

 

 

Holy Father, you have nourished and strengthened your Church by the inspired writings of your servant Thomas à Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what is necessary to be known, to love what is to be loved, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [1]

 

About Thomas à Kempis 

 

Thomas à Kempis was born at Kempen in the Diocese of Cologne, in 1379 or 1380; died 25 July, 1471.  His parents, John and Gertrude Haemerken, were of the artisan class.  The book was first issued anonymously (1418) and was soon accorded a wide welcome, copied by different scribes, and attributed to various spiritual writers, among others St. Bernard, St. Bonaventure, Henry de Kalkar, Innocent III, Jean Charlier de Gerson, and John à Kempis. In 1441 Thomas completed and signed his name to a codex still extant (Royal Library, Brussels, 5855-61), containing the four books of the "Imitation" and nine minor treatises. [2]

Mysticism

 

“Mysticism, according to its etymology, implies a relation to mystery. In philosophy, Mysticism is either a religious tendency and desire of the human soul towards an intimate union with the Divinity, or a system growing out of such a tendency and desire. As a philosophical system, Mysticism considers as the end of philosophy the direct union of the human soul with the Divinity through contemplation and love, and attempts to determine the processes and the means of realizing this end. This contemplation, according to Mysticism, is not based on a merely analogical knowledge of the Infinite, but as a direct and immediate intuition of the Infinite. According to its tendency, it may be either speculative or practical, as it limits itself to mere knowledge or traces duties for action and life; contemplative or affective, according as it emphasizes the part of intelligence or the part of the will; orthodox or heterodox, according as it agrees with or opposes the Catholic teaching. We shall give a brief historical sketch of Mysticism and its influence on philosophy, and present a criticism of it.” [3]

The Book

 

“For five hundred years, this gentle book, filled with the spirit of the love of God, has brought understanding and comfort to millions of readers in over fifty languages, and provided them with a source of heart-felt personal prayer. These meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus, written in times even more troubled and dangerous than our own, have become second only to the Bible as a guide and inspiration.”  [4]

The Imitation of Christ Quotes: [5]

·         “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”
·         “Wherever you go, there you are.”
·         “All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.”
·         “Jesus has now many lovers of the heavenly kingdom but few bearers of His cross.”
·         “The Lord bestows his blessings there, where he finds the vessels empty.”
·         “It is good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. When to all outward appearances men give us no credit, when they do not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God Who sees our hearts. Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will not need the consolations of men.”
·         “Let temporal things be in the use, eternal things in the desire.”

 

[1] Thomas, J. (2014, July 24). Morning Prayer 7.24.14, Thomas à Kempis, Priest, 1471. Retrieved from Daily Office: http://dailyoffice.org/2014/07/24/morning-prayer-7-24-14-thomas-a-kempis-priest-1471/

 [2] Knight, K. (2012). Catholic Encyclopedia - Mysticism. Retrieved from New Avent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10663b.htm

[3] Knight, K. (2012). Catholic Encyclopedia - Thomas à Kempis. Retrieved from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14661a.htm

[4] Plantinga, H. (2015). Imitation of Christ. Retrieved from Christian Classic Ethereal Library: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation.html

 

[5] Kempis, T. à. (n.d.). The Imitation of Christ. (A. C. Bolton, Trans.) Dover Publications.